'Tis the Season to be Jolly! Fa la la la la.....

Our 2008 Christmas Newsletter

So I decided to actually do a Christmas letter this year and put it up on our blog. This is a first for me. Hopefully it's not too long or boring! We hope you are all doing well and enjoying the Christmas season! This has been a year of change for us and we’re looking forward to the calm, relaxing days of Christmas. We'll be spending a week and a half in Michigan with Stephen's family. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to spend some time with some of you, but if not, here’s a little recap of what we’ve been up to this year.

Last January Stephen left his job at Fidelity, and started working for Principal Financial, consulting as a financial advisor . In a nutshell, Stephen travels around the Utah and neighboring states to meet with participants who have 401k's with Principal and tells them to save for retirement and get out of debt. It's been an amazing change from Fidelity, where we only saw each other 3 days a week. We feel extremely blessed and are grateful to be working for such a great company. Stephen has loved being able to fly airplanes, now that he has his pilots license. Although this summer we decided to put flying on hold and try to save a little more money. He soon found a new exciting adventure of scuba diving and became certified this fall.

Emily also had a job change this year. She is still teaching Special Ed, but just moved districts and schools. She is in her 6th year of teaching kiddos with autism, learning disabilities, ADHD, Behavior Disorders etc....and really trying not to become like her kids, as hard as that is sometimes. She is loving the 5 minute commute to school each day, but nonetheless it's been a stressful and crazy first half of the year. Emily has also found time to do things she really enjoys amidst the business of school, namely trying out new recipes, digital scrapbooking, blogging, and decorating.

We plunged into being "homeowners" in 2008. We have really loved living in Pleasant Grove the past 10 months. Not to mention we're a few minutes away from my sister and her family, which we see often. Along with the new house comes countless projects. Putting in a backyard is one of the many that's kept us busy. We also are so thankful to have a fabulous ward and amazing neighbors.

As we reflect on the past year, we feel very blessed to be where we are. We’re grateful for our testimonies of the Savior and are so appreciative of the sacrifices He made that allow us to be together as families forever. May His finest blessings be with you this year and may we all remember Him and His atonement during this season and throughout the year. We love you!

Have you ever?

I know this is a bit long, but it was kind of fun to see all the random things that other's have done. There may be somethings you didn't know about me! The bolded items are things that I have accomplished. Enjoy!

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band
4. visited hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity
7. been to disneyland
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo
11. bungee jumped
12. visited paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. seen in person the statue of liberty
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the mona lisa in france
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch-hiked
23. taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping
27. run a marathon
28. ridden in a gondola in venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or a sunset
31. hit a home run (in the park)
32. been on a cruise
33. seen niagra falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. seen an amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. seen the leaning tower of pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen michaelangelo's david
41. sung karaoke
42. seen the old faithful geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. visited africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance
47. received a prestigious award
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the sistine chapel in person
50. been to the top of the eiffel tower in paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theater
55. been in a movie
56. visited the great wall of china
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold girl scout cookies
62. gone whale watching
63. got flowers for no reason
64. donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. gone sky diving (does ifly count?)
66. visited a nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a check
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the lincoln memorial
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in times square
74. toured the everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guards in london
77. broken a bone
78. been on a speeding motorcycle
79. seen the grand canyon in person
80. published a book
81. visited the vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. read the entire bible
86. visited the white house
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone's life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous
92. joined a book club
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby
95. seen the alamo in person
96. swam in the great salt lake
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee
100. learned to play an instrument

Where is winter?

Lately I seem to have forgetten what month it is. Not that I'm really that spacey, but it's just that it still does not feel like winter. I can't believe we're already a week into December and it is 45 degrees outside. Yesterday was nice too, so Stephen and I decided to take advantage of the warmer weather and went on a hike up behind Cascade Mountain. It was great to get away from the business of all the holiday shopping and head up to the mountains. I honestly can say I've never been hiking in December before! Skiing yes, but hiking no. It sure was beautiful and believe it or not we weren't the only ones up there. We found a bunch of neat ponds that beavers had made and it was pretty neat to stumble upon. We also packed a lunch and had a picnic. It was great, but I'm really itching for some snow !!!

Just a little ice in the river!

Stephen trying to cross the river on some icy

logs. It was close he almost fell in!

Gratitude

I know it's a bit past Thanksgiving, but I've had a lot on my mind this weekend and wanted to share how grateful I am. At Thanksgiving this year, as always we go around the table and share things that we are thankful for before we eat our meal. I'm always amazed at how no matter how many people are there, we seem to barely skim the surface of the countless blessings we've been given. This year my parents gave each of us a gratitude Journal where we can record each day the blessings that we recognize. Here are just a few that top my list, I am so grateful I married a wonderful man in the Temple. He is an amazing friend who is so perfect for me. I love my family and am grateful for the close relationship we have with each other and the examples they are too me. I also am so thankful for my testimony of the gospel for the foundation that it is in my life.
This past Friday a good friend of mine and co-worker, received a phone call from her daughter who found her husband dead. She had only been home 2 hours earlier and talked with him then. What a difficult trial she's been given and is facing. Her whole world turned upside down in an instant. I can't even imagine going through this trial. Well needless to say, she has been on my mind a lot and I can't help but remind myself how precious each day is. So in this season of giving and thanks, I find myself very humbled and thankful for all the blessings in my life.