In case you didn't make it onto the Christmas card list this year...

My grandma read this and said I missed my true calling. I think if law doesn't work out, I will definitely look into a career as a sarcastic pointer out of the obvious.


Season’s Greetings!


The lyricist who penned the words, "It's the most wonderful time of the year" may have been referring to the Christmas season, but as an overworked grad student, I don't think it is a coincidence that this most wonderful of times happens to include the end of another school semester. As finals fade into the not so distant past, I find myself with time to reflect on everything that has happened over the last year. And while the proliferation of blogs and Facebook have made keeping in touch more convenient than ever, I think the tradition of sending out family newsletters at Christmas is one worth keeping.

It has been an exciting year, with random adventure hiding amidst the mundane. Scott and I are still living in Salem, Oregon, where my legal brainwashing continues. On the side, I continue to be a crusader for justice at the Oregon Department of Justice, in the Child Advocacy Section. I got an upgrade on my work title after becoming court certified in April and am now the "lead law clerk" in our section, which means I have had the privilege of training new clerks taking their first steps into the legal field. It has been a lot of fun. I have also been able to make court appearances, and do “real lawyer stuff”, which has been both challenging and exciting. Getting out of the classroom and into the courtroom has given me hope that working in the law will be less soul-sapping than studying it. As I enter my last semester of law school, I find that mandatory minimum attendance requirements are really getting in the way of my practicing law. I think the good news is that by this time next year I will be gainfully employed...or at least standing on the steps of some courthouse in a business suit, holding a sign that says "Will litigate for food." Either one sounds preferable to the ivory tower. If anyone has any connections to the legal community, feel free to drop my name.

Scott has also been keeping busy this year, continuing to work for what appears to be the last bank standing, Bank of America. Scott started out the year as a Personal Banker, but has been promoted to the Teller Operation Specialist at his banking center. If you're wondering exactly what that entails, I have come to the conclusion that it means he is in charge of "running things." This includes, but is not limited to taking phone calls at 6:00 in the morning from slackers calling in sick, playing human calculator for tellers who cannot seem to count their money at the end of the day, and riding to the rescue of managers who have locked their office keys in the car. While I am not always crazy about sharing him with his very demanding work family, Scott is unfailingly professional and extremely adept at what he does.

In non-work/school related news, Scott and I were called to a joint teaching position in our ward Primary this year, which has raised serious doubts in our minds about the prudence of a three hour church meeting. Every week we have the profound privilege of doing battle with 8 five-year-olds who excel at jumping from chairs and reinventing "Duck, Duck, Goose," but cannot seem to master sitting still at such a tender age. For all you parents who wonder why your kids come home from church more riled up than when you left the house, I confess, it is because we hapless teachers feed them lots of gummy bears in a futile attempt to keep them quiet long enough to teach a 5 minute lesson. Before you pass judgment on our methods, I ask you bear in mind that we are a childless couple, a fact which, based on this experience, is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.

And I suppose that’s the elevator version of our year in review. 2008 has been a fantastic year and our hopes are high for 2009. We wish you all a very merry Christmas and our thoughts are with you during this holiday season.