Kristy Duncan Reinwald, Class of 1984
UPDATE:
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After fleeing the Saugus area in 1989, I skipped through the San Fernando
Valley for a brief while and then planted myself close to the steady ocean
waves first in Long Beach and then in Newport Beach, supporting my weekend
boardwalk rollerblading habit by working for Xerox Corporation as a Major
Accounts Manager. Yes, it's true, I sold copy machines (but they were
really big expensive ones!). Apparently, it was a good fit at the time
because I achieved President's Club and benefited from expense-paid trips to
exotic places. In the end, however, copiers weren't my calling. I finally
gave up my much loved beach life and relocated from Newport Beach to the bay
area in 1999 to work as a consultant for my father's San Jose-based IT
consulting firm.
In March 2001, I married a German computer scientist who works as a researcher/engineer/developer guy at the IBM Almaden Research Center in San Jose. Berthold and I are complete opposites in many ways, but we seem to balance each other out. He grounds me and I like to think I bring him out of his six-sided shell just a little bit. He's slightly obsessive and structured as good Germans are raised to be, and I'm a little bit more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants free-spirit; so, we've found a nice balance between living in a plastic bubble free of germs, insects, and any form of dust and living in a thatch hut on some third-world beach.
Our son, Jakob Maximilian, was born in May 2002 and our daughter, Katja Mikaela, was born 17 months later in October 2003. Needless to say, my two golden-haired, bright-eyed toddlers keep me on my toes and have been the breadth of my existence for the past 3 1/2 years. I'm biased, of course, but I have truly been blessed with amazing children. I can't imagine life without them, so much so, that we're still contemplating giving them a sibling (note to self: Must hurry. Not getting any younger).
My husband, Berti truly is an engineer and builder at heart, and accordingly he's a whiz with computers and tools (two of my favorite things!). We both love to undertake a challenging project involving power-driven tools, and have collaborated on a variety of "home improvement" projects sure to make even the most experienced do-it-yourself-er envious. We've just completed an eight-month whole house remodel/rennovation which enabled us to test our design and construction skills (it also seriously tested that balance thing I mentioned earlier). We're exceptionally pleased with the results and intend to stay put for a very long while.
I left work in 2002 to stay home and raise our children, and I've just started working again part-time. After giving birth to my son and being confronted with the reality that time is too precious to waste on things that don't make you happy, I dumped my business suits and briefcase and swore I would never go back to the corporate world.
Now, focusing on what I beleive to be my true and original calling, I've started a design business offering a variety of services, including graphic design, interior design, redesign, staging, and faux painting. I'm continuing to take classes toward a certificate or degree in interior design (so much for the English Lit. major), and have been able to acquire a number of willing clients in my business' infancy. I'm thinking the forties will be the best years yet, and life just keeps getting better and better!
Last Updated: April, 2006
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