Here is the Letter

Christmas 2011
Merry Christmas Friends –
Well here we are at the end of another year. This year has been full of interesting turns
and twists but many, many blessings.

Holly and Sam – They have the best granddaughters in the world. Nora turned 7, and is going on
17. She is already setting a trend by receiving the top student the first month of school. She’s done it every year so far. Ok, she’s only in second grade, but that’s three years in a row! Sara is the princess. No pants for this young lady – unless she puts a dress over them and calls the pants leggings. She’s 4, but she’s reading and has some profound thoughts for such a young mind.
Mia is 2 and the pixie of the bunch. She’s another smart one and left handed to boot. In fact she adjusted the computer so the mouse is on the left side of the keyboard. Oh, and she knows how to get her way. (all she has to do is drop her head and smile, and grandma melts) Holly and Sam are in the final stages of adopting a couple of siblings. So we expect their family to grow a lot by this time next year. This year they bought annual passes to Disneyland and went 32 times. The kids are now going thru “Disney withdrawals”.

Brad and Katie – They have the best grandson’s in the world. Kyle is 2 and a bundle of
energy. He likes buttons – any kind of buttons that can be pushed. When he
finds on he pushes it. Makes it fun when you are working on the computer and he wants to push buttons. He also wants to do whatever his dad is doing. So we have to keep an eye on him
when we are working with table saws, routers and other power tools. He keeps us running when he comes over. Joshua his younger brother was born this year. He is a big kid compared to his
brother. He is crawling, smiling, sitting up and doing all the things kids his age do. He is especially good at growing. He does that very well.

Emily moved back from New York this past fall. She’s working at JCrew in Santa Monica and
rents an apartment in Beverly Hills. Yes, I said Beverly Hills. It fits her style, and style is something she’s good at. She still regularly cuts the family’s hair and keeps us in line with her sharp wit.

Wes and Dana are happily married. Wes has returned the school and is studying to be a computer guru. They live close to us which makes it hard for Dana’s parents, who would love having them live in Idaho. But we are happy to have them here. Dana is working on getting a photography business started, so she’s busy.

It is said that the longer couples are married, the more they look like each other. Well we’ve
also discovered that they also share similar ailments. We have several of the same doctors to treat similar ailments. Since the end of June I have had some interesting health challenges and some major blessings –appendicitis, cured by an appendectomy. In the appendix they discovered a very small cancerous tumor, which they completely removed and declared me cancer free.
Now that I’m in the system I get to be poked and prodded on a regular basis for various tests. There is a reason they call it the practice of medicine – because they are always
practicing. Marlene and I share a cardiologist, so we keep hearing the same thing, more exercise and change the diet. The kids keep checking the cookie jar, but alas … it is empty.
Blessings have come because of these inconveniences. The surgeon who performed the appendectomy couldn’t understand why I had appendicitis until he got the pathology
report. The oncologist was amazed that the cancer was found because it was so small.
My recovery was uneventful, probably because my name was in several temples
depending on where friends were attending that week. Janice summed it up best when she commented that a lot of names are put in the temple requesting blessings, but where do
you put the thank

Our family has been blessed very much this past year. Life is good, a little bumpy at times but
good. Our testimonies of the Savior have grown, our patience has been challenged, but all in all, I don’t know if I would change anything. Well maybe the surgeries. I could do without them.
Hope this note finds you well and happy, your testimony of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ stronger today than last year, and your families
still willing to love you and put up with your grumpiness.

With Love,
Andy & Marlene.