We hope that this letter finds all of you well and enjoying
this special time of year. Both of us would like to establish a holiday message
like this as a tradition so we can stay in touch with all of our friends and
family. While thinking about writing a year-end review, we've come to the
conclusion that this last year went remarkably well considering how much we had
to do.
From January to April both of us attended BYU, with Holli graduating Magna
Cum Laude with a bachelor's degree in Accounting and Aaron realizing that he's
got quite a few years left until he is done. This spring, Aaron also studied for
the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) which was administered in June. As you can
see, we were very busy. Aaron's studying paid off, he scored above the ninetieth
percentile on the LSAT which created new opportunities to attend different law
schools.
We enjoyed the Summer months, including spending time outdoors. Aaron played
softball on a Provo city league and Holli was a faithful spectator. Aaron and
Holli also worked out a nice arrangement with Corey and Amy Randall, who helped
us move to Texas. In return we let them live in our apartment in Dallas for a
few months while Corey worked as an clerk for a law firm there. At the same time
that the Randalls were in Dallas Aaron and Holli lived in the Randall's
apartment in Orem, making it so they didn't have to rent it to total strangers.
It worked out well for all of us. Aaron and Corey hope to establish a law
practice together sometime down the road.
The month of August was crazy. On August 9, we had our one-year anniversary.
It is amazing how fast time flies when you're having fun. A week later we were
in the car on our way to Texas (we drove 21 hours straight thanks to Aaron) and
a few days later we were on an airplane headed to Guadalajara, Mexico. We spent
9 days relaxing and shopping! Aaron visited a few people from his mission while
we were down there, he also had a great time playing in the waves while Holli
laid on the beach. Holli was lost because she did not know the language, but she
had a great time and even learned a few words. Ten hours after landing back in
Texas, Holli was on her way to her first day on the job at Price Waterhouse
doing auditing work. Aaron also started his first day at Richland College
finishing up 32 credits which he will then transfer to BYU. Aaron will graduate
either at the end of April or August.
Aaron sent out his law school applications to BYU, Southern Methodist
University in Dallas, and the University of Texas in Austin. He has a good
chance of getting into all of them and we are just waiting to find out now.
Aaron has kept busy doing Internet projects and teaching in a Spanish immersion
program. Holli was doing nothing but studying and working for the two months
before her CPA exam in November. She thinks she did pretty well, but will not
find out until February.
We have been busy with church activities as well. Aaron is on the temple
committee, and Holli is a CTR 8 primary teacher. We have a very large ward with
a lot of problems, but that just makes it all the more interesting. The Dallas
temple is only 10 minutes away from our house. We have enjoyed many
opportunities to attend various sessions there. It is definitely smaller than
those in the northwest, but very beautiful.
We are spending this Christmas with Holli's family in Texas. The day after
Christmas we are headed, with her family, to Florida to spend some time at the
beach and Disney World. Hopefully the weather will be nice. We are driving in
Holli's parent's motor-home and are looking forward to getting away for a few
days.
Life is wonderful down here in Texas. We are enjoying work, going to school,
and spending time with Holli's family. However, we are basically waiting to hear
where we will be in the future. Aaron is waiting to graduate and for his law
school applications to come back. Holli is waiting to see how she did on her CPA
exam and praying she won't have to take it again. Who knows where we will be
next year, but wherever we are we know we will be happy because of the wonderful
friends and family that surround and support us. We hope to have more
opportunities to see all of you more often next year. We wish you a great
Christmas, one in which you are blessed with safety and happiness throughout the
holidays.