Because I am lacking email addresses...Grab some hot cocoa and settle in for a while

Dear Family and Friends,
I've debated whether or not to send the annual Christmas Letter at all this year. As much as I love all of you, stamps are expensive. So, I figured, with all we have going on (moving next week, and all), I figured you’d all forgive one year. I drug my feet and now, here it is, 4 days before Christmas and I can’t get you all out of my mind! So many blessings and experiences to share, how can I not at least express my gratitude to all of you? Here goes; no pictures though. As I’m sitting here, I’m too tired to get them off my camera. But, if you’re aching for pictures, visit our blog at peayday.blogspot.com and you can stay updated with all kinds of fun!

Back to us: it’s been a busy year (has anyone ever said ‘it’s been a slow year?’). No, really. Daryl finished his last Chemotherapy treatment in January. He slowly was able to return to work, but he’s body has been trying to catch up with the rest of us. Then in April, a great friend Daryl met during Radiation Therapy, died after complications with pneumonia. We went together to his funeral. This friend made us both want to live our lives better. He was a great example of living, in spite of your trials. Daryl took a lot of strength from his memories. This fall has been tough on Daryl’s health. A simple cold turned into a bad infection and he was recently diagnosed with migraine headaches after suffering for months. He’s hoping his new medication will help him feel better! He also started back to school full time again. I am so grateful for his efforts and we can’t wait for him to be all done! He’s also was called to be Sunday School president in our ward earlier this year. We’ve both even been able to substitute in different classes on occasion.

I have really enjoyed working at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital. It was so much more rewarding than sad, as some may think, but after going through all we did with Daryl, then after Daryl’s friend died, I decided I needed to make a change. When your patients and your family AND your friends start to combine, something has to give. That’s what I love about nursing: there are always options! So, I had some interviews in different areas and was blessed to be accepted into the Operating Room internship. It was a very long and hard 5 months. I missed my family and they missed me. We all got more creative with Roman noodles and Mac’n Cheese. But now that’s it’s over and I’m working at the Clinical Neurosciences Center Operating Room, the change was so worth the struggle. I have more time at home and I love the work I’m doing. If you’ve got to do it full time, might as well enjoy it, right? I was released earlier this year as Primary Pianist. It was fun being in the Primary and I made some great friendships there, as well as hearing Eliza’s random comments about how I yelled at her to clean up the toy room for the tenth time on some random day…yes, she keeps us all on our toes.

Jordan started the third grade this fall. We were sad that his Mom and Step-dad decided to move back to American Fork, so Jordan started a new school this fall, too. But, he likes his teacher and has made new friends and we are still able to pick him up from school when Daryl has his time with him. In his class this year, something sparked an interest in Astronauts and now he wants to fly to the moon! That and Hot Wheels (thanks, Uncle Jarrod :). He still loves to build things and will spend hours with his legos or building blocks. He also will play Barbies with Eliza. Now that puts him up for Brother-of-the-Year. So much so, that last year for Christmas, when the girls got new Barbies, we got him a GI Joe and called him Barbie’s Bodyguard. Now Barbie needs more Bodyguards, he insists. But he’d rather be playing computer games.

Eliza finished Kindergarten and started First Grade this fall. She has enjoyed her teacher and I’ve been happy with her progress. She’s a great reader, doing well in all her subjects, but gets in trouble for talking too much. :) My Eliza, social? She always has something clever to say, and it’s usually way beyond her years. She loves pink and princesses and dolls, but will scream bloody murder if I come at her with a curling iron! “Don’t!” She begs! She tried ballet last year and had a recital in June. It was adorable, but she didn’t want to do it again, “because we have to do the splits. That hurts.” Well, how can you argue with that? She also started piano lessons in January and was doing so well. We hope that after we get settled in our new place that she and I can start working on it again.

Lydia has just been growing leaps and bounds! Just when I was about to become worried about her speech, she started talking!! And not just words, but whole sentences! She’ll express a whole thought, in broken words, but it’s so interesting how you can understand exactly what she needs. And if you don’t understand, she’ll correct you. She loves to be with her older brother and sister and she’s taken a knack to coloring…anything. She’s even helped me wipe walls, and blocks, and beds, and dressers…she’s very creative. She also loves anything Barbie and knows all the Princesses. Some days she insists on me calling her ‘Snow White’ or ‘Aurora.’ So much fun. We also figured out that she has responded to a gluten-free diet. She didn’t test positive for Celiac disease, but the tests weren’t conclusive, so we tried adjusting her diet and her body does better without the gluten and wheat. That in itself is a huge adjustment, but even small steps have been good for her.

As for the family, along with Daryl starting school again and me working full-time, we decided to move closer to school and work. Moving right after Christmas will be interesting, but I am so glad we will be where we are going. So close to school, so close to work, the bus will pick up Eliza, Lydia will only be at a wonderful education center (structured day care) for 4 hours three days a week and Daryl can concentrate on school (since he was laid off a few weeks ago). This year has been filled with so many blessings, even more than I have stuffed into this already long letter. See? I couldn’t have made it this long if I was printing out 50+ and mailing them! J Daryl and I both have a new outlook on life and priorities. “It doesn’t matter what you want. What matters is wanting what you’ve got.” I’ve heard that somewhere (even Sheryl Crow), and it’s so very true. Change is inevitable, but how we react to that change is what makes us grow. I love change! I love new adventures. Some people are a bit more hesitant, but I have enough adventurism for the rest of us!

Thank you all so much for your prayers and thoughts and encouragement. We look forward to next year and all that it brings. May you be able to reflect on your blessings this year and be grateful for the greatest gift of all, our Savior.

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year
Daryl, Rachel, Jordan, Eliza and Lydia