Merry Christmas!

Dear Friends and Family,

We feel so blessed at this time of the year. Or maybe that is the numb of the cold in Chicago? Well, we haven’t decided what it is, but whatever “it” is it is responsible for the snot that is frozen to our faces, and these musings.

Speaking of musings, I always rolled my eyes when my Bolander mother would start with these boring letters every year. I remember thinking “Mom, we are boring, we have nothing to tell people.” Well, that is why this letter is going to be packed with great breaks, snot frozen to our faces, and doggy poop in a bag.

Our year has been stuffed (literally- you should see the scale when both Scott and I stand on it) with challenges, changes, and good food.

I started the year out by going out with a bang. I was given the opportunity to move on from my job with a local homebuilder for six years. It felt a little bit like I was a baby bird being pushed out of the nest. Horrible, but very necessary. So, after many years of working very hard I didn’t have much to do...my break went well. I was lucky to jump back into a great company where I scrapbook and travel all over the United States teaching scrapbook classes.

Scott’s job still “sucks.” (literally) He is still with Dyson vacuums and loves every minute of it. We both are grateful for the blessings that this company has brought to our family, the first of which came during May when we decided that a change of scenery would be good, too many mountains said we. SO, we decided to relocate to Dyson headquarters in windy Chicago. I stayed behind for a while opting for a life of craziness with scrappbooking shows, and taking care of our fur babies (Olive- the lazy lab, Tiger- the good cat, and Copper- the trouble cat) while “Account Manager” Scott lived smack in the middle of the glitz and glamour in downtown Chicago. However, Mr. Bywater and I (Boss) got a little tired of our life apart, and in September we moved everything to Chicago. Sadly we left our home in Utah unsold but happy to welcome anyone with promising credit. (Seriously, if you know anyone let us know- our Realtor suggested we try this new marketing idea, we call it “Christmas Letter Blast.” We hope it works.) After starring at the back of a moving truck for three days we arrived only to then trek up to our 3rd floor, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo about a million times with all of our stuff. Long story short, Five bedroom house + 6 Years of marriage = One REALLY big storage unit and 2 fully stocked bedrooms. Last week we actually were able to eat the last #10 can of wheat stashed under our bed, we had a party (so did the Raccoon who frequents our garbage can.)

We now have a life of glitz and glamour...I get to take another “break” and work part time from home for now. At 2:00 in the afternoon you will see Olive and I cruising the streets of Glen Ellyn, in one hand I have a baggy of dog do-do and in the other a sign that says “will work for work”. My resume is stapled neatly to my forehead. In other words my second “break” is going well.

Scott rides the train (and if he doesn’t we spend 2-3 hours in the car getting him to work, sometimes traffic even moves so fast here we have to get out and push the Subaru) to work every morning at 6 AM, and is in charge of several accounts for Dyson. Again, “sucky job.” Yes, we live in glamour, and love every minute of it.

I am learning to cook- Mr. Bywater has to remind me on some occasions that “crap happens” (this was said over a plate of my first try at meatloaf the first week that we moved out to Chicago- Hey! We had to use the wheat somehow!)

Scott is now Scott Bywater M.B.A. That is right, he finished his masters degree in October. (We had another party; this time I made...wheat cupcakes!)

Scott is active with the Young Men in our ward, and me, well, let’s just say they keep me on my toes from week to week, but I am currently teaching Relief Society. We enjoy our new ward, and have made some great friends. We now have the hook-ups in the lawyer category, dentist, accountants, chiropractors, at Boeing, and our personal favorites- nurse and doctors. Yes, if you are wondering Scott is still trying to grow- up.

We are so grateful this year. We have had a prayer in our hearts daily (okay, so in reality it has been hourly) and lets just say those prayers run into the night. We have had so many wonderful learning experiences (or maybe those were commercial trains running along side our condo at night blasting their horns...still not sure.) Needless to say we are freezing, short on Kleenex, full of love for our savior and each other, all cramped into 2 cold bedrooms, enjoying our time with each other, learning to cook with wheat, doing laundry better at the Laundromat (they no longer throw me out for starting machines without things in them and then begging to have my quarters returned- those arrows are confusing!), and missing all of you!

Best wishes for a safe and warm holiday!