Hey guys,

Thought I'd drop you a line and catch up on life.  If I'm not mistaken you're actually in Australia right now doing all kinds of fun and active things, so you probably won't get this for a few days.  I can't tell you how glad I am that you've had a chance to take advantage of all the travel possibilities on that side of the world ( and not just a little jealous).  I think all of these experiences are going to leave you with some incredible memories of your time in South Korea.  

As for myself, this weekend will mark only the second in the last month and a half or so that I will be spending in Houston.  I figured by now I'd be traveled out but I can't get enough.  The Caymans were incredible...we ate at great restaurants (not Bed unfortunately, but I did see it), got to go scuba diving off the east end and swam with a slew of stingrays.  Actually, I was holding onto/bonding with one of the stingrays, just floating with the current, for about 5 minutes until I had to gently shove it off and swim back into safe proximity of the boat.  It was a completely surreal experience.  Plus, the trip solidified my appreciation and fondness for the new job, and more specifically the new co-workers, which is never a bad thing.

Speaking of the new job, things are going well.  I still have a ton to learn but I have a feeling that will be the case for a long time to come.  There is just an overwhelming amount of information, not to mention strategies and nuances to learn about gas trading as a whole and in particular the western region of the US.  I've been actively trading for well over a month now and am getting to know all the players in my market as well as gaining confidence with each additional trade.  So far so good though...I'm definitely glad I made the choice to stay in Houston and take on this role.

I had a pledge sister's wedding in San Antonio a few weeks ago, which was fun, and another "sister's" wedding this weekend here in Houston.  I tell you, it's out-of-control with all of my friend's weddings & engagements.  Two weekends ago I got hit with 3, yes you heard correctly 3, new engagements of close friends.  I am very rapidly becoming out-numbered on this front.  Still, the only thing that crosses my mind each time I hear of a new one, aside from being thrilled for the happy couple of course, is that I am a ways off from such an endeavor myself.  I just have the feeling I've got a lot of changing to do in the next year or two (or more) and am not sure that what I'd want now is what I'll want then.  Okay, change of subject...getting to deep.

Two weekends ago I went with a few of the traders from the desk to Las Vegas.  We went to meet some of our power traders from Portland to discuss west energy issues and to try and squeeze in a little fun.  Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, I think we managed to squeeze in more than a little fun.  I think my earliest arrival back at the hotel room that weekend was around 6:30 am.  I don't know if it's the oxygen they constantly pump into the clubs and casinos or the steady flow of free drinks, but you really do lose all track of time there.  I feel certain any duration longer that a weekend would either kill me or force me to take another vacation just to recover.  I managed to walk away only $40 bucks in the hole so all in all I was feeling pretty good.

What the future holds? - I'm planning a trip to London in early June to visit Emily and then she comes back to Houston for about a month, so I'm really looking forward to that.  And, I'm still trying to figure out when I'm going to come visit you guys...I was thinking August, given your trip to Hawaii in July and my trip to London in June, so let me know your thoughts.  September is also an option if that works better for you.  I think I'll try to take 6 or 7 work days off so that we could travel while I'm over there if we wanted to and so we'd have two weekends.  Anyway, it's obviously still in the incubation phase.

Hope the trip was a rousing success and I'll talk to you soon,
Sue