Dear Friends and Family,
Merry Christmas! This year has been one of travel and change. In January, we visited the Grand Canyon and family in Utah and Idaho. In March, we traveled to San Diego and Legoland. In June, Jared graduated valedictorian from dental school and was commissioned as a Navy officer, the older kids attended various camps, and we packed up and sold our house in Phoenix. We will always cherish the sunshine, the friends, and the great memories from our time in AZ.
In June, we drove across the country and stopped to see sights in Nauvoo, IL, Springfield, IL and Dayton, OH on our way to our new home in Maryland. Jared is doing a one year general practice residency at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, so we are trying to enjoy all the new experiences the DC area has to offer before the military moves us again. We love our kind neighbors, the fireflies, the gorgeous fall leaves, and living near two of Mary’s sisters. Our family has spent the last 6 months taking day trips to enjoy the many museums, historical sites, musical opportunities, cultural events, and natural beauty in the area. In August, we took a fabulous vacation with the kids to see Jared’s brother and his family at their beach house in Outer Banks, NC. In October, we finally got around to celebrating our 20th anniversary (which was in Aug) by taking a trip to NYC to see The Music Man with Hugh Jackman on Broadway. In November, Audrey was baptized and our family took a trip to Longwood Gardens and Philadelphia. We still have much of the east coast we want to explore before we move to Jared’s next assignment in Okinawa, Japan this summer.
Jared New dentist, a busy resident, commuting, teaching Elders Quorum on Sunday
Mary Driving kids around, homeschooling, driving kids around some more, teaching Sunbeams, teaching an ancient history class, driving kids, shopping, cooking, planning trips, and . . . (you guessed it) shuttling kids
Abby(16) Homeschooling, doing art, playing the flute and piano, doing homework, reading, studying Japanese, learning to drive, practicing yoga, teaching piano
Maddy(15) Homeschooling, painting, drawing, playing the piano and pedal harp, doing homework, reading, studying Japanese, teaching piano
Nathan(13) Homeschooling, building LEGOs, reading, studying ASL, learning the bagpipes
Audrey(8) Homeschooling, reading, playing violin and piano, bike riding, doing arts and crafts
Brooklyn(5) Loving kindergarten, reading, playing, drawing, scootering, and playing the piano
We hope that you and your loved ones are doing well, and that the joy of the Savior fills your hearts and homes this holiday season.
Love,
The Collett Family
