Merry Christmas - Year in Review

I love getting cards and letters this time of year. I love the idea that someone thought of me and sent a warm holiday greeting. It's a welcome change to the bills that clog so many of our mailboxes. A bright cheery envelope to be taken inside and treasured.

Unfortunately I have received only four cards this year. I suspect it's a sad reality of the poor economy and not the number of friends I've made over the years. I was able to send out cards this year in part because of the roll of .39 cent stamps that have been sitting in my drawer. And in part to the discounted box of cards I picked up earlier this month in Kentucky.

To those lucky enough to experience mailbox bliss and receive Christmas greetings from the Crow family - the rest of this post may be a bit familiar. It is taken from what I call our "year end letter". Because it is the only time of year some of you hear from me I usually like to include a quick overview of our year. I hope it's not viewed as a letter of bragging or as a list of accomplishments. Rather a fairly honest look over the past year. With that in mind....here is my family's year in review.

January started off with the passing of my Grandfather, Jack Fretz. Just days after Christmas we headed out on an impromptu cross country journey to Grants Pass, OR. We were able to stop and see many friends and family along the way. Later that month we began homeschooling our two boys, Austin and Andrew. This has turned out to be one of our biggest, unexpected blessings. Relationships have strengthened and family time is more enjoyable. I never thought I would be the homeschooling type but when God puts something in your path I believe he gives you the strength and courage to do His will.

Not long after this there was a major layoff at Ernst & Young. They decided to close down their entire health care consulting office. Surprisingly there were several job openings in Bruce’s field and he was officially out of work for only three weeks. We were blessed to be able to stay in our home. We just have to put up with Bruce's 80% travel schedule!

Springtime brought us nice weather and gardening. We started a home garden by building raised boxes to grow veggies and herbs. We planted blueberry bushes and peach trees too! We had a small harvest this year but expect better results in the future.

In April the boys and I attended our first political rally. It was a tax day protest. The boys enjoyed it and were invited up to the stand to help with some of the activities. Since then we have been staying informed on the bills before congress and often make phone calls to our reps.

Bruce has had a lot of fun pursuing more information about Mormon Tennessee history. His blog www.AmateurMormonHistorian.blogspot.com has been spotlighted on several important and well visited LDS related websites. This has been a great adventure for Bruce and he enjoys the relationships he has formed while digging up some fascinating stories.

The summer brought on a second cross country adventure. This one planned. A Blakey family reunion in Grants Pass, OR. We took a little over three weeks to travel around the country. In addition to all the people we visited we saw some pretty awesome sights. River rafting on the Rouge, The Giant Sequoia trees, Hollywood, Laguna Beach, The Grand Canyon and the Petrified forest to name a few.

This fall Alyssa decided to jump on the home school band wagon and came home too. I am now learning how to teach and inspire three different grades and learning styles. I’ve never felt more fulfilled as a mother in my life. What a blessing it is to be with my children all day, every day!

So to sum it all up, our family is about as happy and healthy as the human experience allows. We do have our troubles but God has given those to use to learn and to grow. We hope that you too can say you are happy with your lives and praise God for the blessings you receive.

Merry Christmas to one and all!