A lot has been going on around here at our place so I haven't really had the time to post much. Now that all of my big school projects are done for the semester, I'm finally getting around to it. I'll start off with the biggest news first:
1.
We're Going to MiamiBouncing in the club where the heat is on, all night on the beach til the break of dawn is the lifestyle we're going to take on soon. I found out last week that I got a 6 month internship with Citigroup Latin America in their Miami office. Yes, that Citigroup that recently fired 52,000 employees. I have a feeling I'll be doing a little more work than originally expected.
The office is right in the middle of downtown so we're looking at a place around there. We were looking for a place somewhere in the below picture but we just found out that it is a very "european beach" (tops are optional).
"South beach, bring the heat uh, can ya'll fell that, can ya'll feel that"
"Miami the city that keeps the roof blazin"
Who's the kid in the drop, who else Will Smith!
The internship goes from January 14th to July 10th. It looks like I won't be home for Michael's homecoming. D'oh! Well, I missed his farewell so I guess this keeps things balanced. If anyone has been to Florida and has some suggestions of things we could for fun, feel free to lets us know!
2. Jackie's teeth are white
Jackie has been to the dentist three times in the last couple of weeks. Each time it has been less painful for her. Jackie had a little yellow spot on her front tooth for most of her life and on the second visit, the dentist told her he could get rid of it for her. She went in on Wednesday and the dentist fixed it.
Looking good!
Last March we drove down to the Phoenix area with some friends to watch a couple of spring training baseball games. It was a wonderful trip as usual but as we were leaving, I realized I had left my sweatshirt at Jackie's grandma's house. After 8, long months without it, Grandma Steiner sent it to us in the mail, and she even stuffed it with some fruit snacks! Double bonus!
So comfortable. Thank you Grandma Steiner!
4. We had a great ThanksgivingAs I was doing a little blog hopping this morning, I realized I am quite a slacker. Every blog I went to already had a thanksgiving post up and several even had "the rest of the weekend" and "I'm so glad it's December" posts up. I think I would have been more motivated but I didn't really take any pictures this weekend on my camera. I brought it to California but forgot to get it out. However, my Dad and sister took pictures of our weekend and those pictures can be seen at
emmettville and
kristin's blog. I did pull out the camera when we got home so I could document our "African refugee" imitation, seen below.
We drove my brother's truck down so we could bring up the remaining odds and ends for a family that recently moved from Irvine to Salt Lake. My Dad did a great packing job and was able to fit all of it in the truck.
5. I got a half tuition check from BYU today
I applied for a general scholarship with BYU over the summer and was turned down. I already had a half scholarship I earned last year from being in the real estate fianance track so I didn't think too much about it. Anyways, I found out that they had more money in their budget than expected so they decided to award me another half tuition scholarhip halfway through the semester. If you've done your math right, 1/2 + 1/2 = full scholarship. This refund came at the right time as we prepare for Miami.
We thought that 'twas the season to make a Christmas post. We just watched "Joy to the World" or more accurately "Mundo Feliz" because we watched it in Portuguese. (We were both on our missions when it came out and after showing it to all of our investigators that Christmas, practically memorized it.)
Anyway, it inspired us to get out the only Christmas decorations we own. Besides red and green otter-pops, we have several nativity sets. Funny story about the one below, while Brian and I were in Africa, he bought this peice and said that it would be a Christmas gift for his future wife. I remember thinking that I'd love to own that one day. HA! Look at me now!
This one was purchased on our honeymoon in the Azores and I just love it.
This beautiful set was acquired in the same purchase as the future wife peice. It is a 16 peice set but Brian also added a few more animals to the traditional scene. You might notice the hippo, rhino, giraffe, and family of elephants. Not your typical nativity set but we love it. It takes us back to Africa and where it all began.
But most importantly it reminds us of the purpose of the season...to celebrate the Savior's birth. We are so thankful for Him and all that He made possible. We are also thankful to have each other this Christmas. Yay!
