The Last Year...Readers Digest Version

There are so many times when I wish I was more like my friends Sarah or Lori.  They are always blogging, it is kind of like a journal and I love reading their blogs.  But alas, I am still me and terrible at blogging, or writing in a journal.  But after reading everyone's Christmas letters I decided to do one of my own, in a blog.  Kind of a reminder of what this year has been like for us.

Will- He is now closer to 40 them me!  He will be 39 in February 2013, so in just over 1 year he will be 40!  (which means I will be 40 just six months after him.)  Will has a terrific job at the Federal Bureau of Reclamation in their HR department.  He really likes his job, and this year was promoted to a level 9, with a level 11 in April of 2013.  He graduated with his BA in Business in May of 2011, and has been doing a terrific job of supporting us.  In March of 2012 Will had a "nose job"! actually his left nasal cavity was collapsing so they had to go in and fix it.  He has also been going to a facial balance therapist who has been helping Will retrain his face so he can move his mouth a bit more.  Everything was going well, however, at the same time he was getting botox injections in his face and the doctor put one really close to his mouth,  which made it so his mouth did not move much again!  Oh well,  3 steps forward, one step back....  As soon as it wears off, he will go back to the therapy.  Will was also able to perform in his first show in 8 years!!  He auditioned for and made the musical "Oliver" at Hale Centre Theatre and was spectacular!  I was more excited for him then I have been in the past when I make a show!!

Chellie-What can I say, this year has been tough for me.  Full of highs and really low, lows.  I had a hysterectomy in January 2012, which was really difficult to recover from.  Recover I did and it has been great!  I also had the wonderful opportunity to help take care of my Dad a few days a week as he fought his battle with a brain tumor.  I was also able to record him talking about his life, which was one of the most fulfilling things I have been able to be a part of.  What an incredible man he was.   He lost his battle on July 5, 2012, he died peacefully which was an enormous blessing. At the time I was performing in the Sound of Music" at Hale Centre Theatre and he was able to come to part of one of the dress rehearsals and see me for the last time.  It meant so much to me that he would make the effort to support me.

Performing in the "Sound of Music" was incredible!   We had a wonderful cast, and I never realized how beautiful and incredibly hard the music is!  I still miss all my fellow cast mates! (btw, I had the best double ever!!!).  Also this year I trained for and ran my first 10K!  I thought I would die when I was training, but the run went really well!  And I now find that I miss running.  I never thought that would happen.  I like running about 3 miles, anything more than that and I don't like it at all.  I am still working with Larsen Billing Service in the Management Department and I love it.  What an incredible company to work for.  This year we have been able to meet a few times as a group, one of them in Seattle.  It was a wonderful opportunity to finally meet the people I work most closely with.  I was also able to go to Bend, OR along with Will to witness the baptism of Suzanne and her family ( I work with Suzanne).  It was a humbling experience to be a part of her journey. And also, to sing for her baptism.

Samantha (Sam)- She is now 13 (almost 14) and just about as tall as me.  Sam is in the 8th grade and a 4.0 student.  She is so smart, it is hard to keep up with her.  She does have a hard time doing things when they need to be done, thus our rush the day before her science project was due, staying up until midnight to make sure she was done.  She is in Concert Choir and loves it.  She also started teaching herself how to play the piano, and has traded some lessons for babysitting with a lady in our ward.  She also wanted to learn how to play the guitar, so Santa brought her one for Christmas!  Her school is also doing Aladdin Jr. and Sam made the part of the Genie.  She is beyond excited!!

Ashlee- She is 10 (almost 11) and loves dancing, tumbling, friends and is in the 5th grade.  She is my most sensitive child and really cares about other people.  She is also an excellent student, and loves learning.  This year I moved my elementary age children to a charter school called Entheos.  She loves it.  They do some wonderful things there including something called discovery where they get to learn about all kinds of different things.  They have a 4 week session then a break, then another 4 week session etc.  Ashlee has been able to do gymnastics, then master of disguise (which taught the children how to do stage makeup)  Here is Ashlee with some fake bumps and scraps.

Bryan- is 9 and in the 3rd grade. He is a talker and says the funniest things.  He is always there for a hug and a story.  He has struggled this year with his teacher, she is not the nicest lady, but I love the  opportunities he has had. He is also very smart and really wants to be a scientists and is fascinated with animals, plants and discovering things.  He has been able to go up to Alta to the Albion basin and learn about the eco system there.  They learned about bark beetle and how to discover if a tree is infected with it.  They has learned what plants help the eco system up there, and were able to plant some.  He also went mountain biking, and learned how to put a bike together.

Andrew- my baby is now 7.  I tear up as I write this because I cannot believe that my baby is so old.  He is in the 2nd grade and very smart.  He can also be a bit of a bully, but we are working on that part.  He still does not want to learn how to ride a 2 wheeled bike, he thinks it is too scary.  But he did catch his first fish this year, and learned how to mix chemicals to make things.  He loves his new school.  This year he has been able to dissect a owl pellet and learn all about owls.  He has visited the Tracy Aviary to learn more about birds.  He loves all the places he gets to go.

As a family we hiked up to Cecret Lake and caught some salamanders.  Although Sam complained the entire way up, it was great fun.

We were also able to have a family picture taken of all my siblings and nieces and nephews thanks to Jon Woodbury who made a special trip down on a Sunday to take these pictures.  It was bittersweet, nice to have everyone there, but sad that my Daddy was not.

We had a great Christmas with some very thoughtful gifts.  One from my Brother Thomas and Mom.  A pencil sketch of my dad that my brother did the day of my Dad's viewing.

There has been heartache, joy, pain, laughter, friendship and love this year.   It has been a good year.  Here is looking forward to a new year, with new challenges and goals.