Kim (McCulla) Middleton

I have to admit, it seems like a lifetime ago!  It’s been great reading all the bios, and like most people, I’ve been busy, but I’ll do my best to catch you up on the highlights.

After graduation, I went to Auburn University (War Eagle!).  I had a great time and even learned a little.  I graduated with a degree in Computer Engineering and headed to grad school at North Carolina State.  For all you other geeks out there, I somehow ended up as a teaching assistant for Basic Circuits...my WORST undergrad course!  Guess that’s a little karmic humor!  Anyway, I had an opportunity to work full time at LANL learning control systems first-hand and still continue to pursue my Master’s.  So, I moved back to New Mexico in ’94.  The job was a dream, but I couldn’t get them to convert me to a Staff position, so I looked around to see what else was out there.

To my surprise, I got a job with HP after answering an ad in the back of a trade magazine in ‘95.  So, off to Spokane, WA, much to the chagrin of my grandmother (“why would anyone want to move all the way out there?”) who thought Washington might as well have been the end of the Earth (she’s lived in Alabama all her life).  Little did she know what a shock she was in for!  Great job and great company.  It was at work one day that I met a great Scottish chap, Frazer, who was on an extended business trip from another company site.  So a proposal after four dates (yes, that’s right!), an 18 month engagement (including 7 months of my working in Scotland and his commuting between Scotland and Spokane every two weeks), and we were married in October 1997. 

We moved to Loveland, CO, in the summer of 1999 and thoroughly enjoyed our time there in a beautiful place near the foothills of the Rockies.  One of my favorite memories is walking our dog down the street with snow-covered mountains in the background and buffalo grazing in the field across the street.  She pretended they didn’t exist since she was clearly out-sized!  Frazer decided to go back to school to get his MBA, so off we went to Nashville, TN for 2002-2004.  After graduation, he got a job with a management consulting firm.  We moved to Atlanta, GA, and have set a record by staying put for 4 years now.

I am still working for an HP spin-off, Agilent Technologies, but now work from home doing program management.  I have been lucky to travel the world with work, giving me the chance to see some of the World's wonders (on somebody else's dime), making friends in many countries, and learning first-hand about their cultures.  You would think that will all my travel with work, I would just want to stay home;  but, I love to travel the world on vacation putting to use some of those hard-earned frequent flier miles.  Two of my favorite trips have been with Habitat for Humanity International, building houses side-by-side with the local tradesmen and families.  The build in Thailand was where I learned to cut concrete blocks with a machete (cool party trick!) while working on three houses in two weeks.  The experience was amazing and was followed by a chance to work with elephants in Lampang's Elephant Sanctuary.  This past March I went to South Africa (pictures at gallery.mac.com/kamiddleton) with a great team of people and worked with an amazing family who received the house.  Afterwards was an unforgettable safari at a lodge that also rescues orphaned animals, so we were able to play with some of them.  You would think my grandmother would have learned by now, but after I got back from Africa she said “Good, you don’t have to go back!”...I’d go in a heartbeat.  Guess I got a bit of wanderlust once Frazer introduced me to the world of travel!

Other than that, we spend a bit of time with my family in Birmingham, attending numerous events for our 3 nieces there, working on some new ventures, and trying to fight the workaholic tendencies we both have.  I also spend a lot of time playing with our two kittens, running races, and doing a triathlon.  (Charlie Felts, if you’re running the Marine Corps 10K or Marathon this year, I’ll be there, so let me know!)  Tons of fun! 

Frazer and I will be at the reunion, and I can’t wait to catch up with everyone.  If you’re ever in Atlanta or just want to chat, you can reach me at:

kim_middleton@yahoo.com

cell:  678-492-6845