**I thought it would be fun to post the Christmas 2006 Newsletter online...so we have it as a record for next year**
Dear Family and Friends,It’s been a fun year in the Smith household, we’ve welcomed a new son/brother-in-law, we’ve been counting down the months (now days) until Scott comes home, and we’ve had a lot of fun adventures in between...So, we thought we’d bring you some of the highlights…
Jessie, 19, spent the spring term studying at BYU-Hawaii and working at the Polynesian Cultural Center, but of course found the time for some skydiving and swimming with sharks. She also participated this summer in the Hill Cumorah pageant in Palmyra, NY. The summer flew though…and she has now started out her sophomore year at BYU and is majoring in International Studies. Some of her highlights of the year so far have included a trip to Mexico to work at an orphanage, a trip to Missouri to help campaign for the Republican National Committee, and a road trip with her dad to see BYU crush Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Scott, 21, (a.k.a. Elder Smith) comes home from his 2-year mission to Birmingham, England on January 25th. Needless to say, his family has been counting down the days…He has been so blessed this year with great companions and opportunities to teach and baptize in England. He also had the opportunity to transfer to Wales, where his grandparents also served a few years back. Now Scott is back in England and working hard. He’ll be starting at BYU during the winter semester and getting settled in his post-mission life.
Elise, 27, has enjoyed her first year living in Los Angeles and loves that she can run to the beach from her apartment. She works for Sage Publications as an Associate Editor and acquires and develops books and media in Criminology, Education, Sociology, and Counseling disciplines. She also spent a lot of this year traveling for work and fun to Boston, Hawaii, Park City, Baltimore, Montreal, Washington, D.C., New York, and San Francisco…to name a few. In her free time she enjoys planning parties, going to the beach, shopping in Santa Monica, traveling, volunteering as a Big Sister, and still spends a lot of time stuck in traffic. She and Kristina recently ran the Lake Tahoe Half Marathon.
Kristina, 27, became Kristina Buskirk this year when she married Kevin on February 18, 2006 in the Manhattan New York Temple. Shortly thereafter, K & K entered the housing market when they bought their first condo in Santa Clara, CA. Kristina is in her 6th year of teaching in the Palo Alto School District and also works as a teacher trainer, Crisis Prevention instructor, and parent consultant/behaviorist. Kevin is in his 3rd year with KPMG, and currently commutes to San Francisco every day. In their free time, K &K enjoy visiting Kevin’s parents in San Jose, attending lacrosse, hockey, soccer games, and running (Kristina) and rollerblading (Kevin). Recently they hiked Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. In all of their “free” time they prepare lessons for their early-morning seminary class (they teach the freshman and sophomores) and try to get to bed early.
Julie has again had another busy year, of course. She agreed to stay on as president of the Board of Trustees for SAGE Eldercare for a second year and successfully orchestrated their first annual “Supper at Sage,” an event to raise money for a Care Grant fund for those in need. She also continues to volunteer at the Spend-A-Day Adult Day Care Center (where she has begun teaching cooking classes), the Meals-On-Wheels program, and as a volunteer shopper for SAGE’s Shopping Service. She also took on the role of wedding planner for Kristina’s frigid February wedding (it was 12 degrees) and despite the record snowfall, it all fell into place perfectly. She took some time out of volunteering to visit Jessie in Hawaii with Elise, organize a family vacation to Park City, and travel with Kim to Palm Desert, CA for a management conference. When she is not busy at SAGE, you can find Julie gardening, throwing parties, shopping, traveling with Kim on church assignments, and watching Yankee’s games. She’s recently become the Short Hills Ward Nursery Leader and has traded in her rambunctious teenagers for 14 lively toddlers. She is counting down the days til Scotty gets home in January.
Kim survived another hectic year at Goldman Sachs and as an Area Seventy. In his spare time he was a featured speaker at BYU’s 11th Annual Marriott School Management Conference in June, he received a “Visionary Leadership Award” from the NY LDS Professional Association in October (he’s been involved with its growing scholarship program for many years), and he was tutored by Jessie on current trends in popular music during their December road trip to BYU’s bowl game in Las Vegas. When his schedule allows, he also enjoys assisting Julie with her Primary Nursery calling (he considers it “grandpa prep”). Finally, he’s looking forward to Scott’s return so they can play baseball again in the backyard.
We hope that this holiday season finds your family happy and healthy…and we’d love to hear from you! So please keep in touch.
Have a wonderful holiday season!
Love,
The Smiths
