The month of September, 2009 brought two fairly momentous changes to our lives.  On September 9, 2009, Samantha Cleaveland White was born to our son, Josh and his wife, Nikki.  Samantha weighed 8 lbs, 6 oz., is 20 inches long, and lives with her Mom, Dad, and two cats in Arlington, VA.  Everyone is fine, healthy, and besotted with Samantha, our first grandchild.  Our two younger sons, Adam and Ben, are delighted to be uncles. Then, on September 15, my husband of 42 years, Barry White, appeared before the U. S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and on September 22 was confirmed as the U. S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway!  We are leaving for Oslo before the end of October, and expect to be there for about three and a half years.  We are SO very excited to be representing this country and THIS President in such a glorious part of the world!  And for people who have lived in the same house for 35 years and have had very stable work lives, this will be a magnificent late-in-life adventure!  I am planning to continue my work with Housing Partners from afar, thanks to the magic of technology and several trips home a year, and am looking forward with great anticipation to the role of Ambassador’s wife.  If any NEWIRE members have friends or colleagues in Norway, or will be passing through, please email me at ewhite@housingpartnersinc.com.