Sending Holiday Greetings
Dear Family and Friends, Christmas 2022
2022 has been such a whirlwind of a year that I’m not surprised we’ve come to the end of it already. Like the saying goes, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” And boy have we been having fun. We’ve been all over the place this year and made some awesome memories in the process. As a family we went on a Disney cruise with Grandma and Grandpa Naylor to Cabo and Ensenada in April. In July we went to Utah for the Naylor family reunion where we enjoyed hikes at Zion National Park and visiting church historical sites in St. George. We traveled to visit family in Las Vegas and Arizona – where we watched an Arizona Diamondback’s baseball game from the stadium pool suite. Very fun. The kids went to the Oregon coast in the RV for just over a week with Grandma and Grandpa Morales in August. Read on to see what other places some of us traveled to.
Lindsey turned 18 in March. She worked lots at the racquet club and Crumbl to earn money for college living. She wrapped up high school and graduated in June. Being an Elvis fan, Lindsey’s graduation gift from her Aunt Bel and Uncle Chris was her senior trip to Graceland with her aunt, uncle, grandma, Lisa, and Olivia. They had a blast touring Nashville – music city, and Graceland in Memphis. It was all a wonderful dream come true for Lindsey. During the summer she soaked up time with family during trips. In September she packed up and we took her to Rexburg, ID where she is now attending BYU-Idaho. She’s played intramural softball, joined Public Relations Student Society of America, made friends, made it to a BYU football game in Provo, enjoys most of her classes, but doesn’t quite like the extreme cold and early snowfall. It’s been an adjustment for the family not having Lindsey around. We miss her so much.
Olivia turned 16 in February and is driving all over the place now. She likes giving friends rides to and from places. Olivia has many close friends and likes to do anything if it’s with a friend. I think this helped her transition to not having Lindsey around all the time. Olivia loves music and when she went to Nashville with Lindsey, she experienced so much of the music world. She still takes piano and guitar lessons. We enjoy hearing her practice. Softball was a super fun season for her, and she went straight from softball to her first year of wrestling which she is loving. Olivia enjoys going to school sporting events and showing school spirit. She’s on the stake youth council and helps plan events for the youth of the church. She has more organizational skills and vision for how things should be run than she realizes. We’re eager to see what she does as she gets older.
Aidan is 14 and loves to read more than anything else. Everywhere we go he takes a book with him. When I say everywhere, I mean everywhere. He ran his first season of track last spring and ended up liking it more than he thought he would; music to my ears! And speaking of music, he started taking piano lessons and has picked up on it fast. He’s eager to learn and develop this new talent. He’s a sponge at school and remembers so much from his classes. He looks forward to Dungeons & Dragons Club every week. Aidan has finally surpassed all his siblings and his mom in height. After a doctor’s concern for his slow growth, he just suddenly shot up! He enjoyed a young men's high adventure campout where they hiked the Ape Caves and went white water rafting. He’s the most easy-going kid I know and quick to do anything we ask him to. He’s very helpful around the house. He really is a gem.
Tyler turns 13 on the 16th of this month. Officially making us parents of all teenagers. He loves dinosaurs, video games – and if it’s a video game with dinosaurs it’s even better. Math comes too easy to him, even if it is in the highly capable program. He also enjoyed the YM high adventure campout. He played 7 on 7 touch football last spring. However, his greatest joy this year was playing on the Pasco Jr. Bulldogs 7th grade tackle football team for CBYF league. They had a great season and won the super bowl as well as winning the title of state champs playing at Eastern Washington University in Cheney. He had a tonsil and adenoidectomy in October which we thought would end his football season, but he recovered and was able to finish out the season and play in the big games. Tyler is full of charm and humor. He can make us laugh often. He and Olivia have gotten to where they enjoy laughing and goofing off in the evenings now that Lindsey isn’t around to take on that roll with Olivia.
Lisa has been traveling a lot this year. You’d think it was a goal I had to travel somewhere every month. I was able to go to Disneyland with my brother’s family in January, a weekend trip to Spokane to see Wicked in February, Coeur d’Alene Resort with Jaime in March, and a Disney cruise in April. End of April into May I went international; flying to Europe with friends to tour places in Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium, and France. I learned so much on that trip. June was the trip to Nashville. July, the family reunion in Utah and visits to Las Vegas and Arizona. August, I ran the Ragnar Rainier relay with a group of women. Running a team total of 124 miles in just over 29 hours straight was quite the accomplishment. September, I ran my first half marathon. That didn’t take me too far away from home, but it was a place I knew I wanted to be and was happy with the results. In November Jaime and I went to Montego Bay in Jamaica to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. We learned so much about their culture and way of living as well as enjoyed the relaxation an all-inclusive resort can give. It was a trip we’ll never forget.
Jaime, in his second year as high school principal still handles it like a champ. The things he deals with and how he deals with them on the daily amaze me. He has a vision and direction for the school, now I know where Olivia gets it from. No matter how busy he gets he’s good at making time to spend with family. This year we’ve spent a lot of family time all going to high school sporting events with Jaime. In June he conducted his first high school graduation. It was special that it was Lindsey’s graduation. High school principal and being in the bishopric keeps him busy but Jaime somehow finds time to get away for some relaxation. Like our short trips to Spokane and Coeur d’Alene. He went to Disneyland in January with me, and he was a sport at trying some of the rides I like to go on. We loved Jamaica (and Cancun last year) so much that Jaime now scrolls through vacation packages dreaming up the next trip we will take. He took me to the Coeur d’Alene Resort in November to cash in my birthday present at the spa where we both got some extra relaxation time before the Christmas festivities began.
As busy as this year has been, we are so grateful for the many blessings in our lives. We love our Savior Jesus Christ, the greatest gift the world has ever known. For his birth and atonement. We hope you have a merry Christmas and know how much you are loved.
Love,
The Morales Family
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