Adamson Christmas Letter 2012

Happy Holidays 2012 from the Adamsons!

We love receiving letters and cards from dear friends and family who we don’t see near often enough – thank you!  And although I lament the impersonal-ness of a group letter like this one, at least it is in the mail… or on the blog, as the case may be…… J

This year finds us again counting our blessings, so here goes (not necessarily in order of importance and by no means a complete list):

Good health:  Bruce continues (at age 72, but don’t tell him I told you) to work harder and get more done than is normal or even sane for most of us!  His continuing recovery from a work-related accident last spring reminds us to (1) be careful! and (2) take nothing for granted, like hands that function!  We are probably healthier than we deserve to be, and we are very grateful! 

Warm home:  Yup, it’s winter in Cache Valley, Utah.  ‘Nuff said.  I am grateful for the changing seasons and the snow, but I’m also grateful for the ability to come in out of the cold!

Loving Grandma:  My mother (age 86, and keep that under your hat, too) also enjoys good health and, maybe even more important at her stage of life, a good attitude.  She has a great desire to continue to be productive and serve others, which she does in a variety of ways.  Her chocolate chip cookies are known and loved far and wide. She still sews and crochets, despite limited vision.  She’s so grateful for inventions and advances that help her continue to enjoy reading, she makes and sends greeting cards to her numerous posterity (80-some great-grandchildren now and counting!), she loves listening to music, and she has great appreciation for the beauties of the world around her.  Thank you for your example of growing old gracefully -- Love you, Mom!

Great friends and neighbors:  We are surrounded by the best people in the world, geographically and otherwise. You know who you are.

The United States:  You can’t get through an election year in this country without finding a lot to be grateful for – that the election’s over, for example?  We’re thankful for spacious skies, amber waves of grain, majestic mountains, and bounteous plains.  We live in a choice land and we acknowledge that others have paid the price for the freedom and opportunity we enjoy.     

Work:  What a blessing it is to have work to do – jobs that pay and responsibilities and stewardships that don’t (at least not in dollars).  Bruce continues to work at small construction and remodeling jobs, and I’m still teaching piano lessons – our lives are richer because of these experiences and associations (and again, not just in dollars!).

Amazing families:  How we appreciate the friendship, love, example, and support of our siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews, etc… These are people who, if we weren’t related to them, we would still choose them for best friends.  Well, most of ‘em… Again, you know who you are. J

Amazing family, the next generation:  Six children, five children in-law, and 7 grandchildren, plus one on the way.  Please indulge me as I get specific:

§        Dave and Angela are stationed in New Jersey at McGuire AFB.  We’re so grateful for Dave’s service as an Air Force pilot and for the safety he’s experienced on short trips and long overseas deployments. Angela weathered the ravages of Superstorm Sandy while Dave was away, although thankfully the storm damage in their neck of the woods was relatively light.  They’ve both taken up running this year – Angela ran a 10K “Mud Run” with a group of friends (they called themselves the Mormon Mommas!), and Dave ran a RAGNAR in Washington D.C. (although he thinks running is hugely inefficient and prefers riding his bike).  Five-year-old Bailey started kindergarten this fall, and two-year-old Matthew keeps his parents busy as they work overtime keeping him alive!  They’re expecting a new little one next May!

§        Tara and Joseph are celebrating their one-year anniversary in their new home in Kansas.  Joseph’s dental practice is thriving, as are the children – Kaitlynn is a very grown-up 10 year old, Jonathan is a whirling dervish at age 7, and Adalynn, age 4, is just as big as anybody else!  Tara, in addition to being a busy mom and helping out at Joseph’s office part time, is a sought-after accompanist in the music department at the local university.

§        Mindy and Eric are seeing great success and opportunities for growth in Chicago.  Eric received a major promotion (after less than 10 months on the job) and is now the Research and Development guy for the restaurant group he works for, and Mindy is in a management training program with another restaurant group.  Needless to say, our visits with them always include eating really well!  The Riveras’ best friend, Blue, has adapted well to city life and keeps both Mindy and Eric healthy and active as they meet his exercise and activity needs!

§        Heather and Ryan are enjoying living in North Carolina.  Ryan is a second-year resident in emergency medicine and works a pretty grueling schedule – during a recent week-long visit with them, we could count on one hand the number of hours we actually saw Ryan!  Logan, age 4, goes to preschool, tells great stories, and loves wrestling with his dad, and Lauren, age 2, does a darn good job of keeping up with her big brother – and how we love her cheesy grins!  Heather manages home and family and also managed to train for and run with a RAGNAR team in Washington D.C. We were very impressed!

§        Scott and Ashley got married this summer!  We love Ashley and are so happy for both of them!  They’re living in Rexburg, Idaho, and are both students at BYU-Idaho – Ashley’s majoring in early childhood education with an emphasis in special education, and Scott’s studying therapeutic recreation management. They’re both about halfway through with school, working hard and pursuing their dreams. We loved that their wedding in July provided the occasion for all of us to be together this summer!

§        Kendra is a high school senior!  She kept busy this fall with her last season of marching band, where she served as captain of the rifle line – they had a wonderful season, competed successfully, and we’re so grateful she’s had such a positive experience with the color guard all through high school.  She’s now occupied with college applications (seven schools last count – keeping her options open, I guess) and looking for a job!  She’s also excelling in art – I’ve been trying to get her to take art classes for years and she’s finally found time in her schedule for oil painting and watercolor classes, and now AP art – and she’s really good!  It’ll be fun to see where this new interest takes her.

Travel:  Our trips usually involve visits to the people mentioned above, and we pretty much get to canvas the country checking in with them.  We got acquainted with Chicago in June, first time for me, and found it to be a wonderful city we want to get to know better.  We introduced our new daughter-in-law to the beautiful Washington Coast as we took her on our much-loved family beach hike in August – it was such a treat to do that again after too many years.  We revisited Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia in September for Dave and Heather’s RAGNAR – so fun and quite changed since we left there in 1990!  And Kansas has become quite the destination spot for us -- our family dentist lives there! J  

Last, and most, we are grateful for Him whose birth we celebrate this holiday season.  In the words of President Thomas S. Monson: “May we, as did the Wise Men, seek a bright, particular star to guide us to our Christmas opportunity in service to our fellow man. May we all make the journey to Bethlehem in spirit, taking with us a tender, caring heart as our gift to the Savior, and may one and all have a joy-filled Christmas.”

Thank you for your friendship and love across the miles and years.  We are richly blessed through our association with you.  We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and that 2013 will indeed be a Happy New Year.

Bruce and Bonnie Adamson family