Family Christmas Letter, The 2014 Version

Hello, Dear Family and Friends! We have an update on our tiny, happy world:

Jana (19) shows university no mercy. She’s super successful in all her BYU studies, and after earning top marks in her first-year classes was asked to work this year as a TA in the economics department. She’s learning plenty of life lessons by living with roommates, and has found unsurprising personal strength as she faces grown-up challenges and makes adult decisions. When she comes home, everyone is thrilled and delighted. She makes our home happy when she’s there.

Katie (17) is plowing through her senior year in anticipation of her acts of World Domination to come. She excels in her courses (including 3 AP classes and 3 college courses), and anxiously awaits all the college acceptances. As soon as graduation is finished, she’ll throw her mortarboard hat into the air and board a plane for three weeks of European adventure. This she’s funding through her job fiddling on the Heber Valley Historic Railroad and teaching her 13 violin students. She works hard, she plays a little, and she impresses one and all with her wit, her talents, and her general fabulousness.

Ellie (13) rocks the 8^th grade. She is an amazing student in all her content areas. One thing she’s loved is learning to play guitar at school. Her teacher occasionally lets her play his electric and his bass. She’s pretty much a rock star. She played goalkeeper for her competition soccer team this year, and has loved that experience – with all the practices, the wins and losses, and the ice cream after matches.

Matthew (11) has taken fifth grade by storm. He’s in a dedicated gifted classroom, and he’s pretty sure he’s the luckiest kid in America. He’s playing club basketball, trumpet, and piano, to all of which he dedicates before-school practice time. He loves to cook, and often spends Sunday afternoons making something delicious. He loves great books, movies and games, his sisters, giving gifts, pretty girls, and expensive cheeses.

Scott has been working most of this year on a super-secret project of his own devising. He’s been doing tons of research, writing, filming, editing, business-developing, networking, and general passion-following. It’s a joy to see him eagerly at work every day, creating and discovering happiness.

I love teaching high school English so much that it constantly surprises me that they pay me for it. I’ve come to grips with the fact that I no longer do anything very well. I do a lot of things not very well. It used to make me sad, but now I’m okay with the not-so-impressive situation at least half the time. I’m surrounded by a healthy, beautiful family. I know I can’t ask for more.

We feel hopeful and glad and grateful about the state of our lives. We live in peace in our home. We love God and are grateful for His Son, the reason for the hope and the gladness. We hope you feel the hope and the gladness, too. Merry Christmas!

Love, the Wilhite Family