Christmas Card

I think there are very few things more exciting than getting mail. This time of year is especially great as we are able to read all about our friends and family and the years that they had. Since our first year of marriage, Ammon and I have noted how badly we need to send out a card for Christmas. Since that year we have managed to fail every year for four years. So, I'm going to blog our card (copying my dear Hannah's idea) and hope for better success next year.

Dearest Family and Friends,

2005: Ammon and Melanee were married in January. It was probably the fastest year of our lives. We were busy going to school and working. We enjoyed our little two car garage that had been converted into an apartment. It was a cozy little home.

Ammon had to have surgery on his arm this summer. Apparently, breaking an arm 3 years prior, never treating it, and then spending the summer using hammers (Ammon framed houses this summer) is not a good combination. After a 3 hour surgery (it was supposed to be an hour), the doctor came out to tell Melanee that Ammon's wrist was much worse than he could have imagined. All of the bones that are supposed to be tight in the wrist were loose and had to be pinned back in place. The ligament had to be tightened. And there was some bone in there that was just loose that had to be removed. But, after several months in a cast and several months of rehab, he seems to be doing well. What an adventure for our first year of marriage.

2006: Our biggest news from 2006 is that we moved in September! With the help of Ammon's brother, Enoch, we were able to purchase a little home in Provo. It is adorable and we are excited to have a little space to move around in.

Ammon managed to have a new health problem this year. Poor guy had hives for a large portion of the year. We didn't have a tub in our little garage so Melanee  bought him a kiddie pool that we would fill using a hose hooked to the sink. It was the only way he could take oatmeal baths. Draining the "tub" was also an adventure. Luckily he has been hive free for a while and has no food allergies to speak of.

The year has been filled with more school and more work. Ammon found a wonderful internship with a company called CECO Concrete Construction and was then hired to be a part time employee. Melanee is reading lots of books and enjoying classes.

2007: Our years of marriage have managed to look a lot alike in some regards. This year is no different. More work and more school. We did have a few exciting events.

Ammon was a member of the BYU Track team. He jumped his all time high this year at 6'11 2/3". It was exciting to see him soaring so high through the air. He competed at the Regional meet this year up in Oregon. Ammon's parents were kind enough to take Melanee up to the meet with them so that we could all watch as Ammon placed 5th in the big meet. It was very exciting. He was one miss away from making Nationals. We are super excited that he did so well. Congratulations Ammon!

In other exciting news. CECO wanted Ammon to become a full time employee. He is now a project manager for the company working full time and finishing up school part time. We are pretty excited to see him succeed.

Melanee has finally picked a direction with school and entered the editing program at BYU. She  is extremely excited about all the things she is learning and about the possibilities.

2008:Whew! Caught up to this year. As many of you know, this has been a challenging year in many ways. At the beginning of the year, Melanee was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and has struggled with declining health. We are hopeful that this year we will be able to find an effective treatment. With that in the background of our lives, this year has taken on a different tone from many of the past years. Melanee did finish school (barely) and is happy to be an official BYU Graduate (the first grandchild on both sides of her family to have a Bachelor's degree!). In years to come she hopes to go on and get a Masters, but there is time for that later.

Melanee has started up a little business called Stories You Share. This little business gives her the opportunity to help people record their life stories, memories, and pictures. She's excited about the possibilities. She also had the chance to design posters and other things for the Association of Personal Historians. If you're interested you can look us up on the web. Melanee was also able to become a certified Yoga instructor and hopes to start teaching a few regular classes at the beginning of 2009.

Ammon is still working away at his degree. This is his last semester of his Bachelor's degree and we couldn't be more excited. He will take his finals the week before Christmas and then we will be officially done with school. At least until Ammon goes back for his MBA. Ammon was able to manage a few big projects this year. If you have noticed the beautiful new parking structure on BYU campus next to the Tanner building then you have seen Ammon's work first hand. He was able to manage the big structure being put in place. He is currently managing a little project in Pleasant Grove that is going up fast. He loves his job. As you probably know, Ammon gets animated about very few things; namely, his job and his motorcycle. Speaking of which, we got a new motorcycle this year and have had tons of fun with it (always with helmets firmly in place).

We have added 2 furry friends to our family this year. Sandy joined us back in September and Charlie joined us just last month. While we never in this life, or the next, thought we would be dog owners (especially of 2 big dogs) we are very in love with our little friends and so happy to have them in our family. They definitely add a bit of spice to our quiet life.

Now, if you are still reading at this point then you deserve to know our "big news." Ammon and Melanee are going to be foster parents! We will begin the classes that the state requires in January. We will be getting our house inspected and passed off in the first week or so of February. And if all goes well we could have a child or two in our home by the middle of February. We are extremely excited about this new turn of events in our life and can't wait to actually have a few kids to pepper things up.

At this time of year we are especially grateful for wonderful friends and family who support us and keep us going year after year. The last four years have been wonderful, challenging, and amazing. Neither Ammon nor I would trade them or the lessons that we have learned. We love you all and wish you a very merry Christmas. We hope that you will feel the love of your Savior in your life as we have felt his love and direction in ours.

Love,

Ammon, Melanee, Sandy, and Charlie