MERRY CHRISTMAS!
We sincerely hope this letter finds you well and happy. You have been in our prayers each day as we thank our Heavenly Father for all those that bless our lives in so many ways.FAMILY
The education theme continued in 2010 with everyone in the family in school or on an internship. Books, homework, deadlines and tests are the popular topics around the dinner table these days. I never thought about it before hand, but it’s amazing how much we all have in common now. “This girl kept talking to me during reading time today”; “I totally didn’t get the lesson today”; “I need your help on my homework tonight”; “My teacher is a total dork”; or “Why do I have to do this assignment?” have all been heard at the dinner table in the last week. See if you can guess who said what. But all is not toil and misery- we did get out for some fun this year, too.
In July, Ellen, Nikki, Abbie and I drove to California to visit my family in the Bay Area. At my sister’s pool party, the perfect day at the beach, the amazing Chaminade Resort, and in my grandmother’s backyard -- we had a wonderful time renewing our relationships with each other. It is a great blessing to be members of the Townsend family.
Sunday dinners are the highlight of the week as everyone comes home. Even our occasional Sunday visitors know they can expect a pot roast banquet and a rowdy game of Mad Gab, Pit, or Scripture chase when they come over for the evening. Sparky continues to be a good old dog, companion, foot warmer, guinea pig guardian, and ball fetcher.
ABBIE
Our youngest, Abbie, had an amazing year of growth in body, mind and talent. We continue to be amazed at Abbie’s creative talents, including learning how to cook at age 9. She started with the important things – cake, cookies, candy, hamburgers, French fries, mashed potatoes and masterful garden salads. She particularly enjoys the table presentation with flowers, cards, fancy napkins and other artwork. Abbie makes us smile with her ingenious questions, such as, “When we get sick, why is it always in our face?” and “I am late to school every day and the lady in the office STILL spells my name wrong! When will she get it right?”
NIKKI
Our Nikki is an official teenager now and decided to allow the Jr. High to enjoy her presence. She has made the transition very smoothly and continues to impress us with good grades and a winning, friendly attitude, punctuated with a beautiful smile (she got that from her Dad). She is preparing to join the High School Marching Band color guard with lessons from the ‘winter guard’. If this isn’t exciting enough, she can use her new dance moves and flag skills as a Ninja.
Through a series of negotiations involving a mop, lemonade, and KSL.com, the girls now have a soft, cuddly guinea pig named Sasha, and Adam no longer has a cold, wet turtle named Flem. While selling the turtle, we found out that she was a male after caring for him for 9 months. I hope the animal recovers from its gender identity crisis as he had painted nails for a number of weeks.
ADAM
Adam started his second year with the award winning American Fork High School Marching Band. They participated in many community parades and perfected their performance in the amazing field show, “Pandemonium”, including a national performance in Indianapolis. His summer was booked with the BSA National Jamboree, tour of the East coast, daily marching rehearsals and a week at Band Camp in horrid Delta, Utah. Never one to get bored, Adam saved for and recently purchased a high definition video camera to feed his love of movie making. Look for his latest productions on YouTube – search ‘adamrtownsend’. He is currently working on a video commercial idea for a dating service; check with him for a public release date.
NATALIE
After a fall semester at UVU, Natalie took a spring internship opportunity at Disney World, working with characters like Chip, Dale, King Louie and Bolt. She returned to her apartment in Utah and toiled in the difficult job market. After part time work at Bath and Body Works and Plato's Closet, she is settling into a receptionist position at Novell and a fun opportunity at Pirate Island, a pizza restaurant where she gets to play dress up and act like a pirate. If you know Natalie, you know she loves this type of "work"! She's currently saving up money so she may travel more and gain new experiences around the world. Natalie continues to be a loyal friend and counselor to her roommates and siblings.
ANDREW
Andrew was serving an LDS mission in Little Rock, AR and returned honorably. He got a job at Myler Disability (interactive law firm) as a screener for new cases. He earned enough money to go to Florida to reconnect with his sister Natalie. Then he saved up for an apartment in Orem, and a trip to Arizona to visit friends. Andrew continued to excel at Myler and is now a paralegal over hundreds of cases in California. He completed his first semester at UVU studying Digital Media with an emphasis in Visual Design (ie. pictures and movies). Andrew also purchased a diamond ring for a young lady named Ashley, and they will be married in the Spring.
ELLEN
Ellen is taking classes at UVU, with an emphasis on non-profit leadership. She loves her classes about social behaviors and business management. When she is not sitting at a desk, or driving kids to and from their corners of the universe, Ellen spends her time as a volunteer to many community events, including the AF Symphony, Cub Scout Day Camp, Webelos Woods, Reflections Art Program, Crescent Jazz Band Festival, Merit Badge Pow Wow, and the Gingerbread House Festival and Gala. She is looking forward to helping with a wedding in March, but not very excited about losing her first little cub to marriage. We try to keep her focused on the fact that she is gaining a wonderful daughter, and will eventually gain little babies to tend!
STEVEN
I spent the year working at Novell, studying business at BYU and doing my best to be a supportive husband and father. I am so proud of each of our children as they pursue their passions and try to follow the Savior's example. I love everything about the Executive MBA program at BYU. I don't know what I'll do with myself after summer graduation. We keep time available each week for home evening, a date night, and the Sabbath. We are fortunate to welcome the ward choir to our music room each Sunday. The kids don't realize it (yet), but they, too, are blessed to have heavenly praises sung in our home as they eat their lunch.
We are always grateful to be blessed with such wonderful friends and family. May your heart be merry and your future bright.
With Love,
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