Hey there!
I know I have not written in a while. That is because not a lot changes in Rob's day to day life. He compares his life to the movie "Groundhog Day" but with the words "Count Time!" rather than "I Got You Babe" (the
Sonny and Cher song) to start the day.

Meanwhile, we are enjoying our visits in the outdoor picnic area these days. It is a much more relaxed environment than the inside area. We have noticed a family of Red Tail Hawks nesting in a nearby tree. They have been amazing to watch. We think there will be baby hawks flying around soon as well. Things like that are wonderful distractions. Sometimes we really forget for a minute that we are at a prison, but rather at a park somewhere. :)

There are a couple of you out there who are on the visiting list who have never been to visit Rob .(You know who you are!! :)) Please let me know if you would like to remain on the list. Rob may be able to remove your names and have new people added in your place. He has about 8 more months before his release date. I want to do whatever I can to help break up the monotony for him. Seeing his friends always seems to recharge his spirit. Thank you to all of you who have been visiting and sending letters. Those things are the highlight of Rob's existence!

Last week one of the guys who worked in the recreation trailer (where Rob tried to get transferred to a while back) moved to the Halfway House. Rob went through all of the motions to try and get the job again. He should know by Monday or Tuesday. This time it looks a little more promising. It will be good timing as well. Apparently there are some government officials snooping around making the Corrections Officers a little jumpy. As a result there has been a complete "lock down" of the power house where Rob currently works. Inmates used to be able to go out for some fresh air from time to time, but now they have to wait to get buzzed in and out and can only leave for lunch. --Probably sounds like a lot of jobs on the outside as well! :P

Rob started teaching his origami class on Thursday. He had five students who were really enthusiastic about creating little paper balloons and cranes to send to their children. I think it was really great for Rob to have the opportunity to help a few of his fellow inmates, even though it was for something very simple.

Things are still plugging along for furlough sometime in April. Rob's case was officially transferred from Chicago to Boston as well. I was concerned the furlough paperwork would get lost in the transfer, but it looks like the right people got it at the right time. I think that is a first! I am hoping that trend continues as Rob is preparing his Motion For Resentencing" this week. He is hoping to convince the judge who sentenced him to allow him to go to the halfway house in June, as he had originally been told, rather than November. I will keep you posted as to how that turns out.

Many of you have asked me in the past if I knew of any books or magazines you can send Rob. He has recently been exposed to some advertising that gave him a couple of ideas he would like to check out. If anyone is interested, just email me and I will give you the details.

And finally... I know this is a loooong way off. But I have begun planning for Rob's coming home party. I am only telling you now because it is going to be smack in the middle of the holiday season. Those dates on the calendar tend to fill up quickly, so I wanted to give you a heads up. It is going to be on Saturday, December 27, in the evening. These updates are posted on the web site now. so I won't be going into details here. But if you would like more info., just drop me an email and I will fill you in.

Thanks,
Shannon