Merry Christmas!

We are so excited to be leaving for Arizona in the morning! Yesterday we got about 9 or 10 inches of snow, had to spend 10 minutes digging our car out, and then we got stuck driving down our street because it wasn't plowed yet! I still love the snow, but it will be nice to be somewhere a bit warmer! We are also so excited to spend time with our friends and families since we only see them about twice a year.

This year I sent out Christmas cards/letters, mostly just to family (sorry guys!). So I decided it would be fun to post the letter we sent and the picture we included so that all of you can hear about what's gone on with us this past year!

Dear Family and Friends,
We hope this holiday season find you all happy and well! Yet another year has passed and we have so many things to be thankful for. We’ve definitely had a busy and fun year! Here’s an update on us:

Josh is already in his third year of medical school and has been learning a lot. In the spring he completed all his classroom work and began clinical/hospital rotations in the summer. So far he has rotated through internal medicine, OBGYN, psychiatry, and will soon be doing his surgical rotation. Each rotation has helped him decide areas of medicine he likes and dislikes, which is good. At the present time he thinks his preference is emergency medicine, but that still could change. At the beginning of November Josh traveled to Orlando for the American Heart Association conference to given an oral presentation on some of the findings from the CPR research he did last year. This was a great opportunity and learning experience for him! Outside of school Josh keeps busy as the Young Men’s President at church. We have a good group of boys in the ward and Josh enjoys the activities and scout outings he does with them.

Melanie continues to work at the University hospital, in labor and delivery. Even though her job can be challenging at times, she enjoys being able to help bring new babies into the world. She even got to work with Josh for a couple days when he did his OBGYN rotation. That was exciting! In her spare time has enjoyed developing talents and hobbies. She’s been sewing, is part of a card club, and likes to make new recipes. She’s been taking part in a church project by tutoring kids at a local school. She also recently started taking online classes towards her Master’s Degree in Nursing through the University of Phoenix. The stress of assignments has definitely been demanding and keeps her busy! At church she is on the activities committee and has fun planning various activities for the ward.

We have also been able to fulfill our love of traveling a little by taking a few vacations. In March we went to Florida and spent time in Key Largo, the Everglades, and Miami. We enjoyed SCUBA diving, kayaking, and we even saw some alligators! In the summer we were able to go to the beautiful White Mountains in Greer, AZ. We sure do miss the mountains! Then, in September we took a road trip to Niagara Falls. It was our first time to Canada, and the falls were so beautiful! We were able to visit some LDS church history locations-Palmyra and Kirtland- on the way. It was a great trip.

We continue to recognize all of our many blessings, and are most thankful for the blessing of the birth of our Savior. We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!


We hope all of you have a very happy Christmas holiday!!