In some ways this year has gone by very quickly and in some ways it has been very slow going. Slow, because we wait to hear every week from our son serving on a mission in Tijuana Mexico and FAST because of the many activities that our family is involved in each and every day.
Coby has now been serving a mission for a year and a half. He has spent most of his time in the city of Tijuana and only recently was he transferred outside of Tijuana to a little city on the coast of Mexico called Primo Tapia. He has served as a trainer, financial secretary and senior companion. His current area is a very small town with a very small branch. He has grown and matured while serving the Lord and we anxiously await our chance to talk to him again this Christmas. We are planning on picking him up from his mission in June so we are excited to see him again next year.
Andy has been very busy working on his tennis game. He plays several times a week and attended a BYU Tennis camp last summer. He is hoping to get into the finals this year in men’s doubles. He has a great partner and I think they have a good shot at State. Andy has also made the Jive performance choir at the Twin Falls High School. He has also been elected to the student council as the treasurer and spends many hours helping the student council conduct activities and events. Just a couple of weeks ago Andy completed his final merit badge to earn his Eagle Scout Rank. If we were to be specific, we would tell you that he submitted his Eagle Scout paperwork only hours before his 18th birthday. We are breathing a sigh of relief!
Savanna has hoped and dreamed of joining the Jive Performance Choir since she was a little girl. During her tryout last spring she could not get the music to play on her phone as background music for her audition. She just decided to sing it acapella. She ran home devastated that she had missed her opportunity to be in Jive. A few agonizing days later she found out that she had made callbacks even though her audition was a disaster. Dancing is her forte so she passed that portion with flying colors and now enjoys singing and dancing with JIVE. She is in heaven each time she is on stage. So, Savanna and Andy have loved being in Jive together this year. The down side to Jive is that she had to give up clogging. We no longer have the pitter pat and clickity clack of her little feet in our house.
Katie has always wanted to try out for volleyball. When she played little pickup games with the family, she always played well for her age. So, this year, she tried out for the O’leary Middle School 7th grade volleyball team and made it. At first, she had to learn a lot about the game but she picked it up very quickly. By the end of the season she was one of the girls that got the most playing time. She even was able to serve the ball with confidence. Her team didn’t do so well but they all improved tremendously over the short season last fall. Katie will be playing on a traveling team this winter to better her skills and be ready for next season. She had to give up soccer for volleyball but I think she is pleased with her decision.
Deanna walked across the stage last spring at Northwest Nazarene College to receive her Masters Degree in Reading. She insists that we continue calling her Master Mom. Deanna is still teaching at Sawtooth Elementary as a Kindergarten teacher. She really loves her job and the little 5 year olds that she teaches. She has looked at other grade levels but really loves where she is at and who she works with. She comes home with the best stories about these little kindergartners that continue to make us laugh. Deanna is also serving in the Young Women’s program in our ward and loves goofing around with the young women and the young women leaders. There are many nights when she just sits in the car with her other leaders and talks till her husband comes out and dragged her inside.
Clint is still working at Integrated Technologies as a Technical Sales person. He has done very well this year and has earned the trust of his employers. Earlier this year he was promoted to Sales Manager and now manages 3 other sales people. Integrated Technologies is growing and Clint sees many opportunities to grow in this company. Clint continues to be busy with his calling on the high council. He works with another ward, so new members of our ward usually think that Deanna is either a single mom, has a less active husband, or they are a part member family. We use that to get the missionaries to come over more to help activate him, but they eventually figure it out and then come over just for fun!
We hope that this year has been full of many joys and blessings, as it has been for us! We are thankful each day for the blessing of our Savior and for His redeeming love.
Merry Christmas!
Clint, Deanna, Coby, Andy, Savanna, and Katie
