2002 Christmas Letter

Holiday Greetings!!! This year I started my coaching career with Max's Jr. Jazz team. I think I'll retire with a lifetime .750 winning percentage. Max's basketball prowess increased. Soon his rebound total will exceed his turnovers. Scoring...well, maybe next year that will pick up. Off the court, Max is enjoying 3rd grade. He reads book after book, and is going to try to read all the Newberry Medal books. I’m sure he can make it, since he read the entire Book of Mormon prior to his baptism in June. I also began honing my golf skills. I found out right away that the maximum score on a hole is 9. Occasionally, I am below that benchmark. For some reason, I'm unable to hit my 9 iron 170 yards like Tiger Woods. Despite my ineptitude, people like to golf with me because they always win. My favorite partner is Jens. He turned five recently. Among his gifts were a 9 iron and a putter. He frequently wants to go mini golfing so he can do some "puttering". Hitting the long ball is fun too. We'll head out to the backyard and do some "9 ironing". There’s something about Jens... Nena started first grade excited about eating school lunch. Judging by the number of home lunches I make, her anticipation was misguided. Despite the low quality food, she is learning a lot, and has impressed us by slugging through Harry Potter. She continues to take ballet, and is becoming a nice vocalist. Too bad she doesn’t like an audience. She’ll be seven this week. Sometime this year, Grace made the transition from a baby to a kid. She's fantastic. I love the three year old size more than any other. She’s very hooked on Disney movies, and insists we call her Mulan. She loves to cut, tape, draw and color. In between less frequent temper tantrums, Grace brings a lot of sparkle into our family and spreads lots of love. Tami has been busy this year harassing appraisers, architects and contractors. As a result of her efforts, we sold our condo for a good price in August, and feel good about our 1001 home-building decisions. Our builder says we'll have a hole and footings for a Christmas present. We expect to move into our new home by Fall 2003. In the meantime, we are occupying the lower level at Fillmore Manor. Max and Sharla have been very kind to keep us off the streets. We enjoy having a short commute to family dinners, and they like having a live-in gardener. Now I’m to that summary part of the letter where I have to say something personal and sensitive. ( ) I hope this letter finds you healthy and happy ( ) Regardless of the distance between us, I appreciate your friendship and value memories of time spent together ( ) I hope you can forgive my offensive behavior at the barbecue last summer ( ) I hope your holiday is meaningful, and wish you success and happiness in the coming year. ( ) I’m really sorry I ran over your dog/cat/other pet. Really ( ) I swear I’ll get you that money as soon as I can. ( ) At this sacred time of year, our hearts turn to God and spiritual things. I hope Providence smiles upon you and your family in the coming year. With kindest personal regards, Kameron, Tami, Max, Nena, Jens & Grace