Merry Christmas to all!  (and to all a good night?!?)

This will serve as our Christmas letter, simply because
(a) who really wants to read a Christmas letter,
and
(b) our lives aren’t incredibly exciting.

Where should I begin?

January 2009 brought frigid weather (not that we expected anything different in Minnesota), and a slightly extended trip to Fargo to celebrate Christmas with my (Sarah’s) family.  We arrived on Friday, and my grandma went to be with the Lord on Saturday, at the age of 101.  So along with having Christmas, we also were able to spend some time with relatives from far away.

January also brought a new President.  The world did not end, and the country’s problems were not immediately solved, so not a whole lot ‘change’-d, in my opinion, we ‘hope’ they will.  Except, of course, that we no longer had to see campaign ads!

Since we moved into our new house in November of last year, we have been spending time painting, decorating, assembling furniture, cutting holes in the wall to allow for more cables & wires, installing fans in the fireplace, rewiring things to make them more exciting, etc.

The spring brought two trips to Illinois for weddings 3 weeks apart; one was my cousin Eric’s, the other was my old college roommate Kristin’s, in which I was her Maid of Honor (or rather, Matron of Honor, but that makes me sound old).

This summer was our year with my family for vacation.  We spent a week at Weslake Resort playing games and driving tractors, and also made a trip up to visit my brother at Camp Wilderness (and subsequently take him to dinner, which he was grateful for).

David decided spending a year and a half out of school was plenty, so this fall he started working on his B.S. in Medical Laboratory Science.  Now he’ll be a scientist instead of just a technician.  He assures me that it will still involve poking babies, especially with a move to days on the weekends, where there will be many micro-preemies who want to be poked.  He is, once again, taking advantage of the family discount he gets through his mom at Argosy, although this time he is taking his courses online while working at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis.

I continue to sell things at aerie, although this holiday season brought me a change in location:  at the beginning of November I found out I was moving from Rosedale to the Mall of America.  I am enjoying the added busy-ness of MOA, although I miss everyone I worked with at my old store.  I also continue to help out with Confirmation, as my schedule allows.

We hosted Thanksgiving at our house this year for David’s parents, Kari, my parents, and Philip.  I have to deem it a success, although I didn’t get pictures of anything except the pies (which were beautiful & delicious, see?).

We hope this “letter” finds you and your family well as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.