December/January

Today Tori got her wisdom teeth out! She is now dozing on the couch and placing orders for ice cream and pudding. Meredeth is so sweet and already prepared many things for Tori. She also had a towel in case of nausea, and her favorite blanket ready for her. But Meredeth thought she would go straight to her room. I told Meredeth I thought Tori would go straight to the couch. I won.

Meredeth is overly busy at the SCERA theatre in Orem. Acting Up has 3 ongoing shows- American Pop, School House Rock, and Seussical. She is preparing her group for a competition in California where they will do SHORT versions of Smokey Joe's Cafe. They will also be doing Meredeth's favorite: Starmites! Meredeth is also involved with General Ruckus' one act show of The Wiz and helping to cast Grease.

Savanna's husband, Maeser, thought it would be OSM to have Brian and I fly in for a surprise Christmas visit. I spent a lot of time considering if I could do this. It was hard, but with so much occuring at work with auditing, I really felt I couldn't go. But we made arrangements for Tori to accompany him since she has done so little traveling. Meredeth will be traveling in Feb to California with her acting troupe and then in March or April travel to New York for Broadway shows. Plus, Meredeth got her dad all to herself in November, this would be Tori's opportunity to be with her dad and sister.

The way I understand it, Maeser heard the doorbell and encouraged Savanna to check it out. There was a letter/card left for Savanna, but she would need to go around to the front of the garage to get it. As they walked to the garage, Savanna saw one of Maeser's relatives pull up. The windows were tinted, so it took her a moment to recognize her dad in the passenger seat! Then, when Bailee recognized her grandpa, her jaw just slowly dropped open. Apparently it was a tender moment between Savanna and her Dad. (Way to BE Brian!) Tori got to spend new year's eve with her cousins Aileen and April. (April's family was visiting from Texas) So Tori went on her first blind date! I think it was a typical blind date since Tori doesn't talk much about it.

When it was time for Brian and Tori to return to Utah, it was an emotional parting. I was told that Bailee got very upset that Grandpa was going on the plane because she knows that takes him back to that other home she sleeps at. Savanna believes it wouldn't have been so sad for her, if Bailee hadn't been so upset that he was leaving.

We took Kelsi's Christmas gifts to her before Christmas so Brian got to have a chance to 'play' with Chase. Those boys are kinda tight when they get together. Kelsi found out yesterday that she is having another boy! Although I voted boy on her blog site, the more time that went by I could kinda picture her with a little girl at this point. I guess I should stick with my first impression!

Savanna should be learning the gender of her baby very soon. I can only see her with a girl! It turns out that Kelsi and Savanna are due within weeks of each other, but not only that; their cousins Ashley and Shannon are also expecting babies in July! So the four girls are going through similar experiences right now. That will make the family gatherings more exciting!

Linda is concerned a little bit about Jordon disrespecting his teachers at school. What she describes to me is not too outragous, but just a boy who is used to being in control. He has said some bad words, though and that is frustrating to Linda. I am so excited to receive some new photos of Linda! I can still see that mischevious spark in her eyes!

Brian is plugging through the winter months at BYU. It always seems to go so slow. But the springtime chaos will be starting very soon and he will have plenty to do. I began audits in December and am very busy with that. I am glad we are not traveling to each office this year. I always saw that as a huge waste of money.

Speaking of $$$: The world economy continues to decline and hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost. It seems to have a domino effect; as one company closes, it affects other companies and leads to their collapse. The Governor of Utah began studying the problematic economy in August 2008 which led to the state's 2009 budget being cut about 7%. The Governor is calling for a 2010 budget that includes cuts but uses backfill money to cover vital services. His budget would result in a total 17 million in further cuts. But the Legislature wants to see a higher cut in services in order to work on roads! Their budgets would result in a total 44 million in further cuts! Needless to say that the atmosphere at my office is very subdued since we all worry about our jobs. In fact, our office has already lost one FTE and lost much of our travel budget.

The United States will inaugurate its first black president this week. President Obama brings with him an atmosphere of hope, which the world is in desperate need of. How thrilling it is to be alive at this momentous time in history. Israel is three weeks into an assault on the Gaza Strip. The casualties in the Gaza Strip have been devastating. Thousands have been killed or injured there, compared to minimal losses in Israel. The Mexican drug lords continue to fight for their territories leading to multiple deaths. Cholera is increasing in South Africa and the weather in the United States is causing chaos across the nation.

Of good news, and another symbol of hope. A USAir plane carrying 150 passengers hit a flock of large birds and made an emergency landing in the Hudson River; on the coldest day of the season. Miraculously, all were rescued with no deaths. Passengers were able to exit the plane and remain on the wings to avoid the 30 degree water. Only a few ended in the water. The worst reported injuries were broken bones, bruises, and mild hypothermia. The nation is hailing the pilot as a hero after he ran through the cabin twice to confirm that all passengers were out of the plane, before leaving the plane himself. According to some reports, the pilot looked specifically to put the plane in the water near boat traffic in order to allow rescue to begin immediately. He was able to bring the plane down, into the center of the river, in a commuter ferry area. This allowed ferries to be at the scene within minutes! Despite all that is occuring world wide, we experience such miracles as another sign of hope for a better day.