Only six months late, but it is better late than never, right?
Holiday
greetings to our family and friends, another year has come and gone, and it is
time for our Christmas letter.
House
We started the year off with a kitchen/dining room remodel
that is still in progress. We knocked out a wall between the kitchen and a
spare bedroom and now we have room for my grandmother’s huge table that I
inherited last year, as well as the opportunity to host family dinner at our
house because we can accommodate Kevin’s family now. Someday we may paint it.
Moab
In May,
Kevin and I, along with Kevin’s dad Jim spent a few days in Moab. It was a very
nice and much needed break. While grad school is easier in some ways than BYU,
it still is a lot of work, especially coupled with a full-time job, so I was
feeling a bit burned out. We stayed in the Sand Flats campground, which was
probably some of the roughest camping I have ever done.
I was very
glad to get home and see flushing toilets and running water. Vault toilets are
really not my thing. We explored a bit on our four-wheelers (I even drove my
own and survived all of the fun “obstacles.”), as well as hiked to Corona Arch.
All in all it was a nice trip, and all of us enjoyed it.
Megan
I continue
to work at Jordan Valley Hospital in the NICU and regular nursery, as well as
attending Gonzaga University and working towards a Masters in Nursing Education
(minus the 6 month “sabbatical” I am now enjoying). This year was my 10 year
class reunion, so Kevin and I made the trek to Jordanelle Reservoir (near Kamas,
Utah), where we enjoyed amazing steaks and a torrential downpour. While none of
my close friends attended, it was fun to see all of the other people I went to
school with for 13 years. Plus, catching up is much better in person than on
Facebook. I also joined the smart phone club this year and bought a Samsung S4
in June. So far I have managed to avoid addictions to Candy Crush, but I think
I probably make up for it with my Harry Potter Fan Fiction addiction (Yes, I am
a nerd.) I also spent some time in Kamas taking care of my mom after she had
her knees replaced in July and October. It was kind of interesting to be living
at home again, but I think I prefer my own house and having Kevin around.
Kevin
Kevin
continues to work at Discover Card on a compliance/auditing team. His big news
this year is his new commuting vehicle. In June, he found a Honda Intercepter
motorcycle at a price that he liked, and it quickly became his “daily driver.”
I haven’t joined him on very many drives as I prefer the comfort of a car seat,
but if he upgrades to a Honda Gold Wing, I might consider it. Kevin’s dad’s
brothers and sister held a reunion of sorts in West Jordan in July.
Unfortunately, I worked every day, but it was fun to participate in the evening
activities and get to know his family better. Since they are spread out so far,
we don’t get to see them nearly as often as is needed to get to really know
them well. In October, Kevin embraced his “inner mountain man” and spent the
month in Kamas hunting cow elk and deer. It was a very long month, but Luna and
I somehow survived without him to keep us in line. Unfortunately, the elk hunt
was not fruitful, but he did find a bigger deer than the last hunt (although I
think we get more meat off a lamb than this deer). I guess it leaves room for
improvement.
The Beasts
Luna still
spends most of her time sleeping and terrorizing my dad’s friends (she feels my
dad needs her protection while we are at his house and growls at people who
dare talk to my dad). The fish herd has been downsized, and we just have all of
our monsters, some guppies, and a salt water reef tank. The salt water tank is
a new addition, and it has been fun to watch the various corals and fish. The
fish are definitely much smaller than stingrays. Here are some pictures of the
salt water inhabitants and the hound.
