Christmas 2004

Dear Friends & Family

Wow, can you even believe it�s already time to sit down and write the annual Christmas letter? Time flies when you�re having fun I guess! Looking back at the calendar we picked the things that stood out to us as �letter worthy� and they are conveniently listed below. So, without further ado...

January found us in Antioch spending the Holidays with my family. It was nice to get to play in the snow and cold. We were even able to get down to Indiana and visit some of Al�s old mission folk. It was a neat experience for me to be there. When we got back home to Mesa I threw a surprise party for Al�s big 31st Birthday.

In February I got the crazy idea to go back to Illinois and audition for Six Flags Great America. Long story short: I got the job but turned it down because it wasn�t really what I wanted to do after all, and the thought of being away from Al that long wasn�t my idea of fun either. It was a fun weekend getaway nonetheless.

For our 2 year anniversary (April 4) I got Al tickets to see her beloved Clay Aiken in concert with Kelly Clarkson. Such a great concert! The month finished off nicely with our Stephen coming to town for a week, and her gift to me was that we got to see Hairspray again (my favorite show and obsession).

May was a big month for us. Al was asked to sing at the retirement recital for her former voice instructor Darlene (ASU). She sang �Alto�s Lament� and brought the house down! I know you all think I�m bias, and I am to an extent because she is an amazing performer (if you�ve ever seen her; you know what I�m talking about), but she freakin ROCKED!! May also allowed us the opportunity to play opposite each other in I Love You, You�re Perfect, Now Change. Al finished her year of teaching music at Franklin Arts, and I finished my 4 year gig at Bashas.

June was the Kids Workshop over at MCC. We�re both directors for a musical theatre workshop for kids grades 4 � 10. This was Al�s fourth year and my second, and we can�t wait until next summer to do it all again!

July was one of our favorite months because Al�s parents returned home. They�ve been out of the country serving as mission presidents in Honduras since July 2001, and it�s so nice to finally have them back! They got here just in time to see the world premiere musical, 12 Princesses which had 7 family members in (I was one).

August, my personal favorite month, brought the ever so fun Hawaiian Tiki 2004 party to celebrate my 27th birthday! It was good times had by all! I was also in Little Shop of Horrors at Phoenix Theatre, and Al jetted off to Utah to decorate her sister Dixie�s house. It turned out beautifully and we�ve got pictures to prove it!

The 14th Annual AriZoni Awards for Excellence in Theatre were held September 21st and Al and I were asked to perform �A Stud & A Babe� from our show I Love You, You�re Perfect... We were both nominated for Actor/Actress in a Leading Role, and the show won for musical direction and best overall musical! Woo Hoo!

Al had the incredible opportunity to direct her favorite show of all time, The Secret Garden for MCC in October. It was a great success! I was so proud of her and it was really wonderful! I got to head off to New York while Al was in tech week. I got to go with my sister Julie who�d never been before, and some other friends. It was a great trip and we saw a bunch of shows(Hairspray, Avenue Q, 42nd Street, and the *new* musical BKLYN), ate at Tavern on the Green, and got to shop on 5th Avenue! It was fun to see Al�s mom and dad three rows behind us in Hairspray too! HAHA! When we got back I started working for Go Wireless which a third party retailer for Verizon Wireless. I love it, and I�m excited to see where the journey takes me!

December will find me at the Hale Centre Theatre in Gilbert performing in A Christmas Carol from the 2nd through 23rd. It�s a fun way to spend the season! Other than that Al�s keeping herself quite busy still teaching her voice studio, and I�ve teamed up with a friend of mine to create The Singer Actor Studio. We team teach voice and acting in a master class type setting. So far so good!

We�re healthy, happy, and in love. We hope all is well with you and yours. May we all remember that this time of year isn�t about presents (I want an iPod), but it�s about the birth of our Savior. We�re grateful for his coming, for his gospel in our lives, and for the hope and guidance it brings to us each and every day. We are truly blessed! We count you all among those blessings and wish you a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and Happy New Year!

Written by Jere at 9:05 p.m.