Christmas Letter 2007

Christmas Letter 2007

To my dear Family and Friends,

I haven’t really known what to write for this year’s Christmas email. My life has been so blessed with wonderful family, friendships and acquaintances. This year taught me to cherish what I have and live life to the fullest.

I have to say it doesn’t really feel like 2007 happened at times. There have been glorious ups and tragic downs. But through it all I have been blessed to recognize my blessings and am so grateful to those people who have always been there. I wanted you all to know that I am grateful to know each of you and let you know that I think of you often.

The top ten things that 2007 has taught me:

10.“Not your gall bladder huh? Let’s have you eat a really fatty meal and see what happens…”

You really don’t need a gall bladder to survive. Get rid of it, it’s MUCH better than the pain of keeping it

9.“Welcome to my empty apartment!”

Having an empty apartment isn’t so bad when you have great friends next door and close by looking out for you. It’s also not so bad when you figure out that an air mattress is MUCH better than a makeshift bed of pillows or the hard floor. (thanks friends and family that donated to the cause of helping me stay comfortable those last couple weeks!)

8.“You want me to what?!”

Singing a solo in Church is still scary

7.“Sweet Child O’ Mine!”/ “Leo you hit EVERY kid square, you better get a second car”

Guitar Hero and Life parties really are the answer to stressful situations

6.“Understatement of the year”

Sometimes the greatest blessings come when you take your biggest leaps.

5.“In cards and flowers on your window/ Your friends all plead for you to stay/ Sometimes beginnings aren’t so simple/ Sometimes goodbye’s the only way. – Linkin Park ‘Shadow of a Day’”

No matter where you go or for how long, goodbyes are still hard

4.“This is why we do this” (Sister Johnson)

Getting up at 4:30am to work at the Jordan River Temple every Saturday was the best thing I could have ever done. That experience taught me more about life, progression, and the love of an Eternal Father. I miss my sweet ladies at the temple. You were all such incredible examples to me!

3.“Words can’t really express how I feel”

Families are FOREVER. I witnessed four incredible Sealings this last year which were four of the greatest experiences of my life. I also lost two close friends to cancer within two weeks of each other. Their families are such witnesses of strength and faith for me. The world has lost two great individuals, but their memories and testimonies will forever teach me what life is all about. I love you all!

2.“Collapsing from pain on HR’s floor at work and being wheeled out to the car for the ER in an office chair is soooo embarrassing!!!!!”

Two surgeries in one year really isn’t so bad when you’ve got Mom around as well as good family and friends.

1.“Why can’t we do anything simply in this family? How come it’s always got to be dramatic? We can’t just get sick, we have to have surgery. We can’t just move home, it has to burn down.”

When you finally decide to move home, don’t do it during fire season. And especially don’t move all your stuff a month in advance. All my stuff was moved the first weekend in October into the garage and various rooms in my parent’s home. The last week of October my parent’s home was taken in the Slide Fire…we are okay and grateful to Grandma who has openly welcomed us into her home!

As with every coming year I learn something new about myself or come away from it with a little better understanding of how it works. My last year in Utah was definitely a memorable one. And I’m grateful that I have something to build upon with my new beginning in CA.

For those of you that are wondering, I am currently working as the Wildfire Outreach Program Manager for Rim Family Services. I help direct Outreach Crisis Counselors, hired by FEMA, to the areas of devastation and worry on the mountain. Through the program we work to reach every individual affected by the national disaster and hopefully return the community back to a sense of normality. It’s very rewarding work and I have an incredible team of employees. We have a blast together! Every day is an adventure with individuals we meet.

As I look toward the future I’m hoping to eventually end up in the San Diego area working as well as going to school for my PhD. We’ll see what Heavenly Father has planned for me. I trust that He knows what’s best as long as I’m moving forward. My family and I are just fine and moving forward as well. It’s been so good to be so close. I know that moving was the right decision. That is witnessed to me daily. This is where I need to be. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t miss my dear friends and family in Utah and scattered throughout the USA and the world as well. I hope that this letter finds you all happy, well, and enjoying good company this Holiday Season!

All my love and prayers!

Michelle (Shell-a-bell, Shell, Mish, Meesh, Meech Meech, Scully, Super Mish, etc.)