2008 Christmas Letter

Our family wishes yours...

Happy Holidays & A Happy New Year

Today’s paper revealed the secret to happiness. The article says happy people surround themselves with happy friendships. Our thanks to those of you who happily spread it around and we rejoice in knowing friends who live in this elevated state. Read on!
Our family is evaluating its happiness factor and our ability to exude happiness for our friends.

Let me elucidate! The children are brimming with happiness. Dia loves college, her five roomies, and her classes. She fleetingly considered a career in mediocrity, after expending every brain cell graduating valedictorian, but she is feeling the benefits in year one of college. She and Ian invaded Europe this summer, Ian as the historical tour guide and she as the interpreter and map reader. Her happiness is the frigidity of Utah and ten aunts right up close and personal who succor her and supply her with leftovers. Dia’s hope for happiness in the New Year is finding a major! And her Father’s happy that Dia is finding no steady guy.

Ian is sixteen and an Eagle scout, YAY! He can drive! YAY! He can date! But his current happiness is achieving his 3rd Dan in Taekwondo, world history, particularly the Mongolian era, wars, and weapons. He still exults in trivia (on the Latin Certamin and Academic Bowl teams). In the New Year, his hope for happiness centers specifically on choir, (he's a bass at his best), avoiding the piano, Master Swords and his martial arts weapons class.

Aidan is our happiest family member (as evidenced by the photo inspiring this letter). He turned 10 yesterday and has yet to come down from the birthday high. He lives for the newest edition of How Things Work. He tells me that today he is happy about “Washday boogie”, (piano) which is pure evidence that Aidan lives for now! Being present in today is what makes him happy! “And getting presents,” he clarifies.

Sorry to add felines, but a happy home wouldn’t be complete without the joy and anticipation of WWF (World War Feline). The day after Christmas last year, we rescued a tail-less month-old kitty from the backyard depths of the snow in Utah. The little one spent days warmed and coddled ‘neath sweatshirts only to emerge into the bleak and stark frigidity of the 14-year old mistress of mayhem (Yes, Socks is still alive). The little one (Scrabble) hones defensive and covert battle tactics and her hope for the new year is to discover that tails really are toys.

Dave is still the Cub Scout Bear den leader and loves the challenge of nine year olds. He finds those meetings an interesting juxtaposition with board meetings at Williams. He is still running marathons, (his total is 30 or 40 or something) and his happiness in the new year hinges on a mild winter so he can still bike 30 miles to work three or four times a week. The mild winter would also aid in his other hope for happiness, avoiding another year of cleanup from the chaos and detritus of last year’s ice and hailstorms.

Our happiness together is that we are still too young to retire and live off the dregs of our stock portfolio.

If I could have my happiest heart’s desire, it would be that today I would get all these sent off before it is too late to wish everyone a Happy Holiday instead of just a Happy New Year sometime late in February.

Our true joy is found in the depth of the Saviors grace and His love evidenced in our family’s lives. We are truly blessed and hope for the same for you. Merry Christmas.