Wenches, Wurst(brat), Water and Wine

Wow! Has it really been over three months since we last posted?! It is amazing how fast this fall has gone by. We have been so busy that there has barely been a moment of down time. We apologize in advance for the length of this entry as we try to re-cap all of the exciting things we have done.

First, an update on our moving situation. Our house is still for sale in WI, so Marin has continued to live and work in WI, to hold down the fort. Erik has been working in Houston for several months already and is temporarily living in a hotel until we find a house in Houston. We have had several house hunting weekends, but have yet to secure a firm offer. Living apart is really difficult, and we are hoping to resolve the housing situation on both ends as soon as possible. Thankfully, we have been able to see each other every weekend, which has made commuting a bit easier!

In addition to traveling back and forth to Houston, we have had the opportunity to spend time with family and friends. Our first adventure was at the Renaissance Faire in MN, with Marin's family. We had a blast interacting with the "wenches" and sampling great food. Here are a few pictures from that weekend:

On our way home from the Faire we were able to meet up with Erik’s parents in Milwaukee for a fantastic meal at Maders German restaurant. It was a fantastic meal and even better company.



In November, we travelled to the Wisconsin Dells to spend the weekend with the Barton family. It is a tradition to get the entire immediate family (19 in total) together before the chaos of the holidays begins. Despite a collision with a deer (Erik’s Mom’s 2nd!), we had a wonderful time hanging out with all the nieces and nephews and spending adult time playing games in the evening. We even found a new board game that we really like called “Carcassonne.” The Germans really know how to make board games…who would’ve thought! Here is how big the Barton family has become!



To round out November, we spent Thanksgiving weekend with the Tucci’s, Lewis-Roscoe’s and Holt’s at the Willamette Valley Wine Festival in Oregon. The weekend was filled with a lot of catching up, laughs, and phenomenal wine. We travelled through wine country in the (Oregon) Duck-mobile, complete with Duck flags, car-stickers, and the driver fully decked-out in Duck gear. We got quite a bit of attention each time we pulled into a new winery. We here chaperoned by the Duck and you could say we were the ducklings! Yes, we will be cheering for the Ducks at the Rose Bowl this year! Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

When you come and visit us in Texas, we will have to share a fine bottle of Oregon Pinot! As the Christmas holiday season is upon us, we have been reflecting on how blessed we are with the supportive family and friends that make it much easier to get through this time of transition. We are very thankful for all the prayers and words of encouragement from everyone.

Love, Marin and Erik

We’re Moving!

Well, it is official…we are moving to Houston, TX. After many months of interviewing and negotiating, Erik accepted a position as the Commercial Manager for GE’s High Speed Reciprocating Compressor product line. Erik will be responsible for new pricing initiatives, customer responsiveness and growing the international segment of the business. Erik will officially start this role on August 31st, however he has already been doing some work to get up to speed with business operations. Thankfully he will be able to work from Oshkosh through September until he has to permanently be in Houston.

We will be putting the house on the market in the next week. We are very sad to leave our home, neighborhood and friends here, but are very thankful for this professional opportunity. Marin will continue to work for Family Services until the house sells. We don’t anticipate having to commute for more than 4 months, since there is an option for a buy-out of the house if we are unable to sell it quickly.

After our house sells, we will be purchasing a new home in Houston. We will be looking at neighborhoods on the northwest side. Once we do get settled, we would love to have guests. We are guaranteed to have a much more pleasant winter than Wisconsin!

Thanks to everyone who has been thinking about us and praying for us through this time of transition. It is reassuring that despite the current economy and layoffs within GE, Erik was able to receive a promotional position…even if it means moving to Houston.

We promise to keep everyone posted in the next few weeks and months!

Marin and Erik

Summertime Update

June and July have been busy months for the Barton’s. We spent many weekends away from home and had several fun adventures. We spent a weekend up at the Ross’s cottage on Lake Michigan playing shuffleboard and burning mattresses and doors in the bonfire. We also set off several fireworks…a cottage tradition! It is necessary to mention the excellent filet mignon’s from Jaime parent’s restaurant….yum! For the 4th of July we travelled to Duluth, MN, to see Marin’s Aunt Janine and Uncle Bob. Marin’s parents also joined us. We took a day and traveled up the Gunflint Trail and onto Seagull Lake where Marin’s mom grew up, her parents met and Marin spent most of her childhood summers. Erik got to meet some of the “regulars” up there and even went out on the lake for a brief tour. It was sad to see all of the damage that the fires caused, but reassuring to see that it is growing back quickly. We hope to spend some more time up there in the years to come. The picture below is us at Palisade Point on Lake Superior.



For Marin’s 30th birthday we took a short trip to Chicago. We had a fabulous Italian dinner at Carmine’s on Rush and visited the Science and Industry Museum. It was really neat to see the innovative things that are being designed, but does it really need to be so expensive…I mean $16 just to park? Erik’s parents also came to visit for a weekend. We had a really good time and enjoyed some great food. We tried some new Greek recipes that went over pretty well. We also visited the Appleton Farmers Market and played a new card game called “Golf.”

The summer seems to be flying by. Marin continues to work as a Project Consultant and is making a lot of progress for the Residential Treatment Program. Surprisingly, the staff is open to and willing to make the recommended changes. Erik is still negotiating for a new position within GE. He recently had interviews for a new role that would be located in Houston, TX. Most likely, we will be moving to Houston within the next few months and hope to have some answers about that soon.

We hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful summer weather, even our friends in Tacoma who are setting record high temps!

Love, Marin and Erik