December 21, 2009

Nobody exaggerates like bank executives, personal injury attorneys, politicians, or Christmas letter writers…
I've read various letters about the BEST YEAR EVER!! Complete with EXOTIC vacations to MYSTICAL destinations!, COVETED promotions!, GIANT raises!, NEWFANGLED techno-gadgets!, PERFECT kids!, with UNQUALIFIED achievements! Heck, I've completed several of these creative writing exercises myself.  Regrettably, due to economic hiccups, I am unwilling to skip two days of work to compose the regular ARRESTING ALLEGORY. Instead, I enlisted the help of 7 unwilling volunteers…We made a group effort to summarize the... 


SUPERLATIVES of FILLMORE-LIFE in 2009!


TERRIFYING to the MAX!
Nena: Frightmares at Lagoon
Tami: Driving with Learners Permit Boy 
Anna: A monster and a ghost and a witch
Jens: School starting
Max: Knee-boarding at 38 mph
Kam: From the relative safety of a tent trailer, listening for 15 minutes while a bear rummaged through camp, feet away from my boys sleeping in a tent outside. Luckily they hadn’t taken any food into their tent for midnight snacks; they could have experienced a rude awakening. 
Jens prepping to protect himself from aforementioned bear…
Ash:  The water slide at the Rec Center
Grace: Riding my bike home from dance lessons in near pitch blackness


INGENIOUS INVESTMENTS!
Nena:  $10 haircut to donate my hair to Locks of Love

Kam:  Tivo subscription, Plant vs. Zombies
Jens:  Bike repairs
Ash:  I don’t have any money
Anna:  I put all my monies in the heat vent
Max:  $2 bus ride from Gateway, monthly cell phone bill
Grace:  $1 piggy bank
Tami: Finishing the basement


ABSOLUTELY ASTOUNDING!
Tami:  The quiet upstairs while the kids are in the finished basement
Kam:  Just after midnight on 18 Nov, a washing machine size rock hit the atmosphere at 80000 mph.  The energy released was equivalent to a kiloton of TNT.  For 5 seconds, it was brighter than mid-day.  Signs in the heavens, or a visiting UFO? http://www.ksl.com/?sid=8714738&nid=148
Grace:  TWO grand slams in one inning at a Bees game
Ash:  Rides at Lagoon
Max:  Singing in All-State Choir
Jens: How clean the dishes are when they come out of the new dishwasher that actually WASHES dishes!
Anna:  Anyone with the temerity to confront me about my behavior
Nena:  My dad, grandma and 2 aunts running the Ogden Marathon



EAGERLY ANTICIPATED!
Max:  Tennis season and high school
Jens:  School year
Anna:  Getting to chew gum
Grace:  Christmas!  I got some really good presents for people and I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces!
Kam:  Putting away the lawnmowers, winter solstice

Tami:   5 day vacation with JUST Kam-n-Tam
Nena:  California trip over Thanksgiving week
Ash:  Going to Kindergarten


UNPARALLELED
ACHIEVEMENTS!
Nena:  Elected 8th grade vice president
Tami:  Provo Half Marathon and playing tons-o-tennis
Anna:  Manipulating everyone into doing whatever I want
Grace:  I learned to do a front flip without biffing it
Jens:  Amazing basketball game;  24 pts, 4 steals, 6 rebounds
Kam:  20 game win streak on Free Cell
Max:  Beating Highland in summer tennis league championship
Ash:  Doing the zip-line at the mountains (editor’s note:  Refer to “most terrifying” to see why this was absolutely amazing.  Ash is usually a scaredy cat and stunned us ALL with her determination to do this.)


DISILLUSIONING
DISAPPOINTMENTS!
Max: Dodgers getting worked in the LCS, off-season moves
Jens:  Cardinals losing to the Steelers in the Super Bowl
Grace: Harry Potter 6
Tami:  Stress fracture = forced time off from running and tennis
Nena:  Anything relating to Twilight, New Moon, Taylor Lautner, etc…
Kam:   Tami’s disdain for Flagstaff
Ash:  Going to bed early makes me really upset
Anna:  Yelling and hitting and saying people are stupid


EMINENT EMBEZZLERS of TIME!
Jens:  Plants Vs. Zombies
Max:  Sleep, at night and during class
Grace:  Reading all my books
Tami:  Running the Reflections Contest 
Nena:  Practicing Piano
Kam:  Basement finishing
Ash:  Lining up  (editor's note: according to Ash, they do a lot of  this at school)
Anna:  Coloring


APEX of INSPIRATION!
Grace:  Mom and Dad (editor's note:  what a suck-up!)
Anna:  Word Girl
Nena:  General/Stake Conference
Ash:  Playing with Anna and making each other cheer up
Jens:  Max earning his Denali Award
Max:  Juan Martin del Potro defeating Roger Federer in epic fashion
Kam:  Singing in SLCA, The Biggest Loser, President Obama
Tami:  Trading Tending with Tiffin for Temple Trips


MOSTEST MOMENTOUS 24 hours!
Jens:  13 November--my birthday party; pizza, presents and Powerpuffs
Grace:  26 June—Heber Valley Camp with a zip-line and my cousins
Anna:  8 July--last day of swimming lessons
Nena:  16 February--I got my braces off!
Max:   27 January--Winter Camp:  Steak + Jeep + sleds = good times
Ash:  All of them
Kam:  24 July--Run, raspberries, Rock Band, afternoon movie, family, friends and fireworks.
Tami:  27 November--after 14 months with mud spots, the stair walls were painted!


Thanks Kam!!


NEVER DISAPPOINTS!
Max:  Tennis, Xbox baseball
Tami:  Bag of Tootsie Rolls, Kam’s Choral Concerts 
Anna: Bottle of milk and a good nap
Kam:  Bottle of Code Red
Nena:  Sleep
Grace: Teen Girl Squad http://www.homestarrunner.com/tgsmenu.html
Ash:  Arthur, PBS Kids online
Jens:  Math


ENGAGING ENDLESS EFFORT!
Anna:  Wiping that look off my face

Tami:  Choosing each day between good/better/and best
Nena:  Waking up.
Ash:  Going for a nap.
Max:  Trying to not be overly competitive
Grace:  Being agreeable or disagreeable
Kam:  Looking on the bright side of life
Jens:  Maybe making a decision, I think.


RECOMMENDED Reads!
Kam:  All the Pretty Horses
Grace:  Gregor the Overlander Series
Max:  Dan Brown books
Jens:  Ranger’s Apprentice Series
Nena:  Shannon Hale books
Ash:  Mooch the Messy
Anna:  Something with a princess and a castle and a fairy and pink and purple
Tami:  Ecological Intelligence  (editor’s note:  not kidding)


SUPERB CINEMA!
Tami:  Frontline:  “The Warning”  (editor’s note:  still not kidding)
Jens:  Forever Strong
Anna:  Mariposa Magic of the Rainbow
Max:  X Men Origins
Grace:  Rocket Man
Kam:  Star Trek
Ash:  Mary Poppins
Nena:  Independence Day


Congratulations on making it to the bottom.  So far, the word count is 1115.  If I were forced to choose a one-word summary, I would choose FULL.   Our weeks are full, our bellies are full, our hearts are full.  Finally, one concluding superlative...ELEGANT text from recent Christmas music:


“To save the world from evil thou cam’st in pity, O Child of heavenly beauty—
Laud we thy name; extol thee; Lord of all majesty, Father Everlasting.”


Wishing you a resplendent Christmas,
The Fillmores

4 comments:

Marisa said...

Loved your post!

Ginny said...

nice format but I did long for more of your superlatives and exagerations. you never disappoint...even when you may be trying to! well done.

Sue said...

Always look forward to the end of the year wrap up from the Fillmores. Have a wonderful holiday.

Rachel said...

thanks for sharing! It is always so fun to catch up! Merry Christmas!