2009 Christmas Letter

It is occuring to me how many people I FORGOT to send the Christmas letter to. So sorry. Here it is!

It was November 2008; One morning about 6:00 AM Rod sat up in bed and asked; “How much does a wedding cost?” I groggily gave him my best guess and tried to go back to sleep. He couldn’t sleep, he started to stress. “We are going to have a wedding in June!” I thought he was crazy, later that day we joked about it and everyone in the family thought it was a crazy notion.

Rod was right! June 5th, 2009; Rodney married Kylee Eyre.

If I (the mom) could’ve arranged a marriage for my boy this would’ve been it! We already knew her and her family since she was 4 and he was 7. No crazy in-law stories here. Well they probably tell some about us… Rodney and Kylee were married in the Chicago LDS temple; It was a great couple of weeks with receptions in both Chicago and Texas. Many friends and family flew in from long distances to be there, and we loved every minute of it.

Rodney graduates from BYU this month and has been interviewing all over. We can’t wait to see where he and Kylee decide to go.

In addition to Rod’s new telepathic ways, he also has a new digit in his age: 50! Nothing changed when he turned 50, well except he added yoga to his repertoire of basketball, wakeboarding/surfing, and working out. Rod added pool building and concete to his construction business this year. He’s also in startup mode again with a Digital Signage company.

In preparation for this big wedding I (Jennifer) decided I needed something to help me fit into some nice dress. I signed up for a triathlon, not a full one but one of the sprint kind, I may have been desperate but I wasn’t crazy. That was a great adventure for me and I look forward to doing another one next year. Being a realtor continues to help keep three kids in college. Mostly though I’m just Mom; cab driver, housekeeper, cook, etc…and that’s what I enjoy the most. Now that half our kids are grown, Rod and I realize how fast it goes by.

Elyse (22) graduates this April from BYU. She spent the summer living half the week in Houston, working for us as we expanded our business there. She bought her first car, paid cash for it. All of a sudden the ‘check engine’ light means more when you own the car yourself. In addition to school, Elyse works as a trainer in a marketing company.

Kyria (19) is also in Provo; attending UVU. Her and Elyse are roommates. Kyria works in a law office as an office assistant. But really it just seems like they play a lot. They have these missions they go on together: ‘operation get Elyse’s boyfriend back’ Or ‘operation So Cal; down and back in 48 hours.’ Kyria’s favorite class is her basketball class, she also plays intramural basketball. She proudly got kicked out of a game recently for talking ‘smack’…well she got kicked out for two minutes and then they let her back in.

Nikka (16); is driving! The hand-me-down car that all 3 of the older kids drove at some point died on her shortly after getting her license. We bought a very used yellow bug for her. Stick shift and all. Took her some getting used to, and she does have a bit of a lead foot. After she pays this ticket and stands before the judge I think she may be cured of it though. In addition to high school, Nikka attends 2 classes at the college, 6 AM Seminary, piano, and works part time as a nanny. It makes me need a nap just trying to keep her schedule straight.

Joseph (12) Just finished up middle school football. As much as we love basketball; Joseph is the first one in the family to ever make the 7th grade basketball team. Middle school has brought out a very social side to Josey. He always has some invitation to do something with his friends.
Luke is 9, in the fourth grade. He stays busy playing sports, and ‘hanging out’ with his big brother. I bribe him and Joseph to take piano lessons. Luke excel’s at piano just for the flaming hot cheetos and gatorade that comes at the end of his lesson.

Also on a family note, the family made two trips to visits our orphanages in Mexico this year. In August, we went with the Herveys, Dials (Rodney and Ky), Larimores (Jerry and Billy), and a host of Eyre, Labrum, Richards, and Johnson teens (well, Pam Johnson is not really a teen, but almost) to build a boys dormatory for Rancho El Faro. We poured a foundation, built walls, roofed, plumbed, electrified, tiled, played soccer and basketball, ate lobster, swam in the ocean, and generally did some good. We went back in November for a Sunday visit to read to, sing to, and swing with the kids. We have another trip planned for 2010 that should be even more fun.

We love our family and friends that have touched our lives in many ways! Merry Christmas, The Dial Family