Well, Happy 2015…for crying out loud.  You may be surprised to see our holiday letter in February…or March, but I hope it is a pleasant surprise.  Some unfortunate and unexpected life events derailed me and it took me a little time to get my bearings. So we keep calm and carry on!  We hope all is well with you and yours!  Please know that we are all healthy and blessed.

If you haven’t heard by now, after a 27 year career, I have recently taken a leap off the Stagecoach and hit the ground with a very hard bump.  I am seeing a few stars and in the process of gathering my petticoats and brushing off the dust, so to speak.  There are no hard feelings per se, but I am still smarting a bit.  So I am currently between careers at the moment. Moving on has been a little bit of a learning experience to say the least.  I have not applied for a job since 1988, I have worked for only one employer and I am very much a stranger in a strange land!  Welcome to 2015!

Now write a LinkedIn profile and page and remember it must be worked and updated daily to make connections and ensure it is viewed.  Endorse others as you would like to be equally endorsed and be brave and select some folks you think might write you a recommendation on your page and invite them to do so.  But try not to feel badly of they ignore you or decline you.  Remember people are notified when you view their profile so don’t stalk anyone and be sure your own update notifications are turned OFF so you are not the pest of the internet. Oops.  Nothing too personal, no kids in your picture, no pets in your picture, not too formal, not too candid.  Do not use anything too old, no wedding photos.  No hubby photos, yes it has to be of yourself.  Don’t you have another Employer to add, or more Education?  You need more connections!  Look who has viewed your profile?  …someone from the Stage Coach, they wish to remain Anonymous, not helpful.

Now do a new Resume, and a Cover Letter and what the hell is a Cover Letter?  Note to self – Google “Cover Letter”. Objective statements are out, Professional Brands are in, but don’t call them a brand.  Two pages max for a resume and be sure you detail your career accomplishments separate from your skill set and your work experience and include your community affiliations and your charitable support work.  No one cares if you are married or of you have kids but be sure to include your web proficiency and social networking skills like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram etc.  Oh by the way, you will customize your resume and especially your Cover Letter (less than one page, 3 paragraphs – google it) for each job you apply for to emphasize the skills each employer is looking for specifically.  You will do this constantly because, to stay eligible for Unemployment Insurance payments, you will apply for 4 new jobs every week and submit the application information every Sunday via the Utah.gov website…or you will be deemed not eligible for Unemployment and have to start over again and re-apply.  THAT is not an option, trust me.  Plus I need that $400.00 a week to pay for the Cobra, man…  I am trying to stay focused on not eating everything in my pantry and not wearing my jammies all day.  But I am FINE!  REALLY I AM!  😉

In lighter news, Keith is working away at Hudson Printing and is looking forward to even more warm weather so he can get out on the Golf Course.  He has enjoyed sharing his rabid love for the Utes with Zach in the last year on both the football field and the basketball court!  They both enjoy watching in our theater room and attending games in person every once in a while.  However, in his old age, Keith is taking more and more after his Dad in the “rabid” department and gets quite…animated during the games and will hardly notice Zach slinking away, his face hot with embarrassment during his Dad’s ranting and raving at the TV.   Funny, because many a time has Keith come home early from his parents’ home during a game because “my Dad was out of control.”  Frankly, I find it HI-larious.  Keith is trying to stay focused on doing dishes and laundry and not on me eating everything in the pantry and staying in my jammies all day long…I told him I am FINE.  We are both on the Prozac, thank the Good and Gracious Lord.

Zach is 21 (!?) and also works full-time at Hudson Printing and he and Keith are spending good times together attending Jazz games from time to time in the court side seats with Hudson clients and pairing up for work events like the annual Holiday Breakfast.  They were “Big Ride Buddies” at Universal Studios during our family vacation this summer in Southern California and are often seen together in our neighborhood helping others with the Elders Quorum.  Zach also enjoys a round or two of golf and taking off to see the newest movie premiere.  Zach is my hero.  He has lost over 60 pounds since January of 2014 and looks super great.  He has done it by eating less and eating the right things and exercising more.  So the hard way.  He only drinks water and the occasional Gator-aid, no sweets and has his portions exactly right.  I feel like a diet coke-drinking pig in a pen next to him at dinner time but it has been nice to have him eating the same way I do as a diabetic, if not an emotional wreck of a diabetic.  Zach is our enduring spirit, our tender mercy.

Our Miss Holland is 15, sweet 16 in April.  She is a sophomore at Hillcrest High School and having the best school year ever!  She is finally placed exactly right academically and it has made all the difference in the world.  Imagine that!  Her special needs core-director at Hillcrest, Joanne Plant is literally her Fairy Godmother of Autism and one day when Holland gives two hoots about a Prince or a ball she will be Cinderella.  For now Holland is a second soprano in the Sophomore Girls Choir and has 2 recitals and a solo under her very tiny belt.  She loves to sing and has a voice like a crystal bell.  It is best showcased in the shower or when she doesn’t think anyone is listening.  She has been recognized for her art skills in Drawing and Painting and was showcased in Hillcrests’ Gallery show last spring.  She is currently working in Ceramics and Sculpture and is preparing a portfolio.  Holland also enjoyed our vacation in California.  Especially hanging out on Huntington Beach and in the beach house with her cousins and CC ad Poppy.  She is a beach bum at heart, just like her Mom.   This year she also discovered the Street Fair and I could hardly pull her and Zoe away…as if I tried very hard, I like me a Street Fair at the beach!  Holland likes shopping! …beach jewelry and beach bags and sunglasses, T-shirts and swim suits and sun dresses and especially the art.  They had a beautiful Farmers Market with fresh fruits and veggies and imagine my surprise when Zoe and Holland wanted to go “listen to the bands” while I was picking out produce.  (Translation = check out the boys!)  Needless to say, we can’t wait to go back to the beach!   Holland is our beautiful light, teaching us so much about patience and kindness every day.

So that is that for now.  The tide is sometimes in and the tide is often out in our lives and that is the way it is supposed to be.  So as I often say, “we keep our mitts up for the unexpected line drive” or painful fall off the Stage Coach, whatever the case may be.  It is in these experiences that we learn and grow the most, after the dust clears that is.  Then we continue to survive, count our blessings and be ever so grateful for what we do have…and carry on.

Much love,  Dee, Keith, Zach and Holland