Christmas Letter

We hope you all are enjoying your holiday season. It is snow, snow, snow here in Wisconsin! It sure does make for a pretty Christmas. In case you don't hear enough about what our family is up to, here is the run down:

Doug is enjoying his job with Miller Electric. He survived the first round of lay-offs and we are very grateful for that. He is also busy with scouting (again)and loves snow blowing our (and the neighbors) driveways whenever he gets the chance.

Jen is tired. Normally my job is part time and mainly I am in my tiny office doing my human resources tasks. The past month or so I have been working full time (except when I was in UT). I have been out on the floor more than in the office. I'm looking forward to things calming down a bit after Christmas. I'm also getting back into school starting January 20th. I'll be attending UW-Platteville online. Interestingly, this is where my grandfather graduated from and my dad was born in Platteville. In addition to this I am still teaching primary and the activity days leader at church.

Alayna is now 16 and gets her license in a month. She is working in the men's department at Younkers department store, the same one I work at. I think she is starting to realize work is hard and inconvenient! She has been getting many life lessons lately. It has been an exciting year for her with the big 16, driving, work, and being a bridesmaid for her cousin Sabra's wedding.

Dakota has grown lots this year! He is 13 now and has just about caught up with me in height. He is 5'7". He is still playing cello and loves his video games. He is getting more practice with the snow blower lately. Dakota occasionally likes to cook and he does a great job with it. I told him that his future wife will love that!

Arissa got braces this year. She has also grown tons. She 11 now and is about 5'3" or 5'4". She enjoys school and safety patrol, working in the lunchroom on Fridays, and science club. One of her favorite TV shows is NCIS and she has decided (at least for now) that she wants to be a forensic scientist like Abby on the show.

My baby Ariana is 8. She was baptized this year. Ariana loves playing with her friends...especially Allison. She is very artistic and loves to write people love notes. Ana is very thoughtful and tries to be a peacemaker. She is getting more grown up every day even though I tell her she needs to stop it.

Wisconsin may not be perfect, mainly because it lacks many of our loved ones and mountains, but we enjoy living here anyway. We are so blessed. We are thankful to have so many wonderful friends and family members. We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and that 2009 bring you much happiness, health, and peace.