I've never done a Christmas letter---and always thought that if I did I would be totally honest---no sugarcoating---which, depending on my mood, could be brutal...so here is my first ever St Patrick's Day letter....
2007 saw us at the beginning of the year with 3 kids at home, 1 on a mission, 2 in college and 1 dog...a year later we are: 2 married kids, 1 kid not living at home, 1 kid living in a group home, 2 kids at home and 3 dogs.....
me---i loved planning the weddings---dont ever let anyone tell you how hard it is---it was wonderful---two very different girls and desires---it was fun---fun, fun, fun. 2007 was my year of stress---good and bad. I've gained weight and lost weight---I eat way too much chocolate--but it's cheaper than therapy....and tastes a lot better. a dear friend joined the church---and showed me a desire to learn that I needed to emulate. I added a new part-time job at a call center (no--I dont call you--you call me)--and I enjoy it---good $$, great hours and I dont bring it home. I perform with Dancing Moose Productions about twice a month---we do ethics workshops for social workers, therapists and psychologists....musical comedy---it is a blast...it has renewed my confidence in my ability to perform....and i get to sleep in nice hotels. Most of the year was spent beating myself up regarding my parenting skills--so i have some healing to do with that---I'm a fairly bitter woman--dont get me started. David has started to re-do the upstairs bedrooms---I have a guest room! It is a great job for Ace, Dave & I to do together and to plan what the next step is. I watch way too many "Flip that House" type shows---so i am flipping my own house---but wont be selling it. I stopped cooking sit-down family meals this year---and really miss that---so we are trying to re-initiate that. This year I learned how wonderful my extended family is---so supportive--so interested in my life and in my welfare....Eden and Bill come up to visit, Pyper drove from San Diego with 4 kids in the car, Marc and Matt were both willing to change trips to be here---Jackie, Jen, Amy & Tif all put out the effort to celebrate with us...and Mom is always there...being mom. 
David was able to move from the office in Dallas---a commute he has been doing for 18 years---to the office here in Fort Worth---yay! a move he has waited 5 years for! His Dallas office gave him a most wonderful send-off....he does a good job at whatever he does and people like him! He took up a lot of the parenting responsibilities as I was crumbling...he picked up all my slack and then some...with no appreciation from the parented. He adjusted his schedule so I wasnt alone in the morning with the kids and got up early enough everyday to take Sam and Molly to seminary---a thankless and often contentious job. He had his first garden in years---tomatoes and flowers---we had a bounteous crop of tomatoes--it was wonderful---this year he is doing more---onions, lettuce, tomatoes and flowers. He also did some very lucrative work as an expert witness. He also began working Tuesday nights in the Dallas temple. He drives me absolutely crazy when he falls asleep in church...and I drive him crazy parenting him.
Molly has grown up...or at least she is on her own. Molly works at 6 Flags and works very hard. Her senior year grades are nearly straight A's...she passed her TAKS test (required for graduation). She ran away 3 times during 2007--the last time she has not returned from and we dont anticipate her coming back. She is living with a single woman in another ward so she can finish high school and move out on her own. We've asked her to come home a couple of times...but arent surprised when she declines. She doesnt want us to parent her---but she screams for our attention. She says Leah is the only one in the family she loves...and then shows up 30 minutes after Leah has left for her honeymoon. She bears a strong testimony... and then curses us just as strong. Her senior project was on financial stability...and she is bouncing checks everyday. Molly thinks she is happy...and has no idea how lonely she is.
Jasmine went from a college freshman with dreams of 2 master's degrees to a married woman working and going to school. She met David Hall at Lamar University in Beaumont the first week of her first semester of her first year and they were engaged in January 2007 , married May 2007. David is a good match for our family...he puts up with our noisy family and puts out so much effort to come up and see us. What is wrong with David? He wont wear the glittery green St Patrick's Day bowtie I bought him or put a pot of sunflower pens on his work desk---what is up with that!? He is so good to her---allowing her to be a funny, silly little 19 year old...and she is stepping it up to set priorities and keep her focus on what is right and what is important... is she growing up too fast? nope---she still spills on her shirts---sleeps WAY too much and cutesy-pouts to get her way....still likes Anime and video games more than any married woman should...
Lyric has had a roller-coaster year...she made the decision to return to Texas from Arkansas to pursue her life-long dream of being a nurse...this meant moving home...but she has dealt with that very well...altho i see she has way too many clothes and shoes...I love having her around. She works at a local hospital and goes to school finishing up her nursing school requirements. She helped me keep my focus on the two weddings and I always turn to her as my fashion/decoration czar. She finished the year engaged...4 months later that is no longer and she survived. There was so much sadness and lots of anger (lots and lots from me--dont hurt my baby)---but she will go on.(humming Celine Dion right now)... this is normally where I would have interjected some adjectives describing whoever hurt her and continued the analogy with him drowning in the North Atlantic---but i know she doesnt want that---so I restrain myself....She's been accepted to Arkansas' school of nursing for next year---altho that doesnt look as attractive as it might have...she's waiting to hear from the Texas schools she has applied to. Growing up too fast---nope---this has been a huge year of decisions, hard looks at the type of guys she attracted, adjusting that with an eternal focus, looking back at skewed priorities and making independent decisions based on her own personal revelation...big step for a little girl that worries way too much about what people think and what they are saying...and people are usually saying good things.
Leah a year ago was freezing in Idaho serving a mission in the Idaho Pocatello Mission....now she is freezing in Utah with her husband, Joe Nelson. Leah got home end of March and began preparing to fulfill her goal of becoming a paramedic/firefighter. She began working and dating full-time. She has struggled with food this year---she follows a celiac diet--which seems to work---and she lost a ton of weight--- She got an apartment with a friend--THE WEEK OF JASMINE'S WEDDING---Leah does what she feels strongly about immediately---it can drive you crazy! She met Joe Nelson at the singles ward here---and while we were at a family reunion in Utah they went out. Joe left for BYU not long after and the phone calls started...we hadn't met him! Leah flew to Utah to visit her mission---and spent a lot of time visiting Joe--came home engaged. 6 weeks later she moved to Utah to be near him and we planned her wedding over the phone--same way we planned jasmine's---Leah's was very easy---Lyric was there to help me and---Leah has always known what she wanted---pizza and root beer...and she found a guy that thought that was cool...she seems to have found a kindred spirit. Joe plays my father's ukelele like he was born with it in his hands. We dont hear nearly often enough from her---and she tells me they are late to everything (which i consider one of the 8 deadly sins)---we worry they are dirt poor--but at least they are at BYU where dirt poor is okay---and dirt poor has never bothered Leah...she walks by faith.
2007 saw us at the beginning of the year with 3 kids at home, 1 on a mission, 2 in college and 1 dog...a year later we are: 2 married kids, 1 kid not living at home, 1 kid living in a group home, 2 kids at home and 3 dogs.....
me---i loved planning the weddings---dont ever let anyone tell you how hard it is---it was wonderful---two very different girls and desires---it was fun---fun, fun, fun. 2007 was my year of stress---good and bad. I've gained weight and lost weight---I eat way too much chocolate--but it's cheaper than therapy....and tastes a lot better. a dear friend joined the church---and showed me a desire to learn that I needed to emulate. I added a new part-time job at a call center (no--I dont call you--you call me)--and I enjoy it---good $$, great hours and I dont bring it home. I perform with Dancing Moose Productions about twice a month---we do ethics workshops for social workers, therapists and psychologists....musical comedy---it is a blast...it has renewed my confidence in my ability to perform....and i get to sleep in nice hotels. Most of the year was spent beating myself up regarding my parenting skills--so i have some healing to do with that---I'm a fairly bitter woman--dont get me started. David has started to re-do the upstairs bedrooms---I have a guest room! It is a great job for Ace, Dave & I to do together and to plan what the next step is. I watch way too many "Flip that House" type shows---so i am flipping my own house---but wont be selling it. I stopped cooking sit-down family meals this year---and really miss that---so we are trying to re-initiate that. This year I learned how wonderful my extended family is---so supportive--so interested in my life and in my welfare....Eden and Bill come up to visit, Pyper drove from San Diego with 4 kids in the car, Marc and Matt were both willing to change trips to be here---Jackie, Jen, Amy & Tif all put out the effort to celebrate with us...and Mom is always there...being mom. 
David was able to move from the office in Dallas---a commute he has been doing for 18 years---to the office here in Fort Worth---yay! a move he has waited 5 years for! His Dallas office gave him a most wonderful send-off....he does a good job at whatever he does and people like him! He took up a lot of the parenting responsibilities as I was crumbling...he picked up all my slack and then some...with no appreciation from the parented. He adjusted his schedule so I wasnt alone in the morning with the kids and got up early enough everyday to take Sam and Molly to seminary---a thankless and often contentious job. He had his first garden in years---tomatoes and flowers---we had a bounteous crop of tomatoes--it was wonderful---this year he is doing more---onions, lettuce, tomatoes and flowers. He also did some very lucrative work as an expert witness. He also began working Tuesday nights in the Dallas temple. He drives me absolutely crazy when he falls asleep in church...and I drive him crazy parenting him. Molly has grown up...or at least she is on her own. Molly works at 6 Flags and works very hard. Her senior year grades are nearly straight A's...she passed her TAKS test (required for graduation). She ran away 3 times during 2007--the last time she has not returned from and we dont anticipate her coming back. She is living with a single woman in another ward so she can finish high school and move out on her own. We've asked her to come home a couple of times...but arent surprised when she declines. She doesnt want us to parent her---but she screams for our attention. She says Leah is the only one in the family she loves...and then shows up 30 minutes after Leah has left for her honeymoon. She bears a strong testimony... and then curses us just as strong. Her senior project was on financial stability...and she is bouncing checks everyday. Molly thinks she is happy...and has no idea how lonely she is. Jasmine went from a college freshman with dreams of 2 master's degrees to a married woman working and going to school. She met David Hall at Lamar University in Beaumont the first week of her first semester of her first year and they were engaged in January 2007 , married May 2007. David is a good match for our family...he puts up with our noisy family and puts out so much effort to come up and see us. What is wrong with David? He wont wear the glittery green St Patrick's Day bowtie I bought him or put a pot of sunflower pens on his work desk---what is up with that!? He is so good to her---allowing her to be a funny, silly little 19 year old...and she is stepping it up to set priorities and keep her focus on what is right and what is important... is she growing up too fast? nope---she still spills on her shirts---sleeps WAY too much and cutesy-pouts to get her way....still likes Anime and video games more than any married woman should...Lyric has had a roller-coaster year...she made the decision to return to Texas from Arkansas to pursue her life-long dream of being a nurse...this meant moving home...but she has dealt with that very well...altho i see she has way too many clothes and shoes...I love having her around. She works at a local hospital and goes to school finishing up her nursing school requirements. She helped me keep my focus on the two weddings and I always turn to her as my fashion/decoration czar. She finished the year engaged...4 months later that is no longer and she survived. There was so much sadness and lots of anger (lots and lots from me--dont hurt my baby)---but she will go on.(humming Celine Dion right now)... this is normally where I would have interjected some adjectives describing whoever hurt her and continued the analogy with him drowning in the North Atlantic---but i know she doesnt want that---so I restrain myself....She's been accepted to Arkansas' school of nursing for next year---altho that doesnt look as attractive as it might have...she's waiting to hear from the Texas schools she has applied to. Growing up too fast---nope---this has been a huge year of decisions, hard looks at the type of guys she attracted, adjusting that with an eternal focus, looking back at skewed priorities and making independent decisions based on her own personal revelation...big step for a little girl that worries way too much about what people think and what they are saying...and people are usually saying good things. Leah a year ago was freezing in Idaho serving a mission in the Idaho Pocatello Mission....now she is freezing in Utah with her husband, Joe Nelson. Leah got home end of March and began preparing to fulfill her goal of becoming a paramedic/firefighter. She began working and dating full-time. She has struggled with food this year---she follows a celiac diet--which seems to work---and she lost a ton of weight--- She got an apartment with a friend--THE WEEK OF JASMINE'S WEDDING---Leah does what she feels strongly about immediately---it can drive you crazy! She met Joe Nelson at the singles ward here---and while we were at a family reunion in Utah they went out. Joe left for BYU not long after and the phone calls started...we hadn't met him! Leah flew to Utah to visit her mission---and spent a lot of time visiting Joe--came home engaged. 6 weeks later she moved to Utah to be near him and we planned her wedding over the phone--same way we planned jasmine's---Leah's was very easy---Lyric was there to help me and---Leah has always known what she wanted---pizza and root beer...and she found a guy that thought that was cool...she seems to have found a kindred spirit. Joe plays my father's ukelele like he was born with it in his hands. We dont hear nearly often enough from her---and she tells me they are late to everything (which i consider one of the 8 deadly sins)---we worry they are dirt poor--but at least they are at BYU where dirt poor is okay---and dirt poor has never bothered Leah...she walks by faith.
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