Merry Christmas 2010 !!!

Hi Everyone! We welcome you to our 2010 Christmas Letter, and we hope you'll welcome us to the digital age as we send out our electronic Yuletide greetings. We love you all and we hope and pray you will all have a wonderful holiday season and a blessed 2011.

Now, on to our Christmas greetings, authored by Pam and slightly augmented by Tim (with photo collage arranged by Cati):

Merry Christmas!

Dear Family and Friends,

We wish you the merriest of Christmases.

We're sorry for not sending our greetings last year. Pam's Grandpa died last December, precipitating an unexpected trip out of town for her.  Some things at home just didn't get done. It was a meaningful trip, full of warm memories, loved ones and new experiences to treasure.

This year has been another exciting one. Our highlight, as many of you can probably guess, was our participation in the Nauvoo Pageant (as in drama, not beauty!). It really was the most incredible thing we've ever done as a family. We made lots of new friends, learned more of our Church's history, enriched our testimonies of Jesus Christ, and somehow managed to increase in love and appreciation for one another despite long, exhausting hours in the draining summer heat,  and six people sharing one bathroom! Perhaps it was because of the challenges that our bonds with one another were strengthened. We did something both difficult and wonderful, and we did it together.

Zac (17) is busy with college prep (BYU? BYU-Idaho?). Last year Zac confirmed his new-found passion for acting. He has once again made the musical cast, this time as Mr. Turnblad, Tracy's dad in Hairspray.  In marching band, Zac was drum-line section leader.  Also of note, Zac was voted Homecoming King by his peers. Pretty cool, huh? Also, after years of work, Zac earned his Duty to God Award, a major accomplishment. Zac wants us to add that he has been working for over a year and a half on his first full-length novel. He says it is almost done.

Cati (16)has to be busy all the time. She runs year-round (cross-country, indoor track, track & field, and summer training), plays classic soccer in the fall, and school soccer in the spring, and she recently joined the drama club with her big brother's encouragement. She is very close to completing the last Personal Progress requirement to earn our Church's Young Womanhood Recognition Award, also a major accomplishment. She stills plays the clarinet, likes fried chicken and ramen, and finally seems to be figuring out which way to turn the steering wheel when backing up.

Megan (14) started taking piano lessons last spring. She has natural talent and has progressed quite well under the direction of a fabulous teacher. Pam gleans from Megan's lessons, but has to practice twice as much to keep up! Meg maintains friendships with people all over the country, and perhaps even the world, many from the Nauvoo Pageant and others who have moved from this military town to far-flung places. Megan's cheerful disposition magnetically attracts new friendships regularly.

Nate (12)continues to enjoy sports. He seemed suited for football, but wasn't interested in a second season, so he signed up for soccer after a four-year hiatus. He's ambivalent about how that went. He also enjoys basketball with the guys in the cul-de-sac. Nate's newest venture is playing the cello.  Musically, like his sibs and his dad (unfortunately, not his mother!), Nate is gifted, so it'll be interesting to see where his musical muse will lead him.

After teaching early-morning seminary for seven of the past 10 years, Pam is enjoying sleeping in a bit these days (if you can call 7 a.m. "sleeping in"). She is serving as a teacher in our ward Relief Society and successfully keeps our home running smoothly. Pam keeps fit by putting in many miles of running per week, and her cheerful smile keeps us all running strong as well.

Tim is close to completing his fourth year as bishop of our local ward (congregation) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is grateful for the support of his family as he serves the members of our ward. Tim has earned a number of prestigious awards this year for his creative public-relations work, and feels richly blessed by the Lord. Tim exercises diligently and tries to keep fit, but ... hey, one more slice of Oreo pie won't hurt, will it?

We marvel at how blessed we are to have so many amazing friends and family members in our lives. We are grateful for you all.

Affectionately and with much love,

Tim, Pam, Zac, Cati, Megan and Nate