Happy New Year!

Before ushering in a new year, it is fun to take a look at the old one. . .

• Rob got a new job and a new calling at Church.
• Jessica moved back to Provo, put over 1,000 miles on her bike, and is looking for a car.
• Tim graduated from High School and got his Eagle Scout award and got a job! He is also driving.
• Nichole became a big Senior and is the Seminary Class President. She had earned her YW Recognition in December of 2007, but received her medallion in 2008. She has been driving for over a year. . . oddly enough. Time to get that license, honey!
• Marissa is a Junior and is made it to exactly 5 feet tall! Whew!
• Rachelle was the Mia Maid president until she turned 16 and worked hard to earn enough money to purchase two cute little ferrets.
• Jamie turned 12, entered the YW organization, is actually growing taller, and is doing great in school.
• Me? Well, I am just doing what I always do. Whatever I have to. . . Um, I am teaching Seminary.
• Rob and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. We went to the temple, then came home to find that Tim, Nichole, Marissa, Rachelle, and Jamie had planned a surprise party for us at Lewisville park. They fixed our favorite foods, including a meal Rob had made for me when we were first dating. It was one of the best surprises ever!
• Cynthia moved back to South Dakota to live with her mother. We miss her terribly, but we know it is best to be with mom.
• Speaking of Mom--I got to see mine this summer when she came out with Selena and Jazmin to pick up Cynthia. It has been a big year for Dad, too--but I will leave that for his blog!
• One of the highlights of this year for me was when my entire family went to the Portland temple together. What an amazing bonding experience!
• Last, but definitely not least, Alan Rutan (a younger sibling of Jessica, Tim, Nichole, and Rachelle--and cousin of Marissa and Jamie) came for a visit. It had been 10 years since the kids had been able to see him, and the visit was very nice. He is such a nice young man and we enjoyed his visit immensely.

So, as you all know, I have been learning to use modern technology. Unfortunately, there have been some bumps and bruises along the way. I had nearly 200 pictures on my computer, when it basically crashed and I had to reset it to factory settings. Gone are my pictures of Tim's graduation, Eagle Court of Honor (except for 4 left on my camera), our family temple trip, and miscellaneous summer pictures. I have learned my lesson and invested in a flash drive for my pictures. I am also posting many of them on my blog!