Christmas Greetings from Todd & Brooke

Greetings from Kansas City! 2006 was a year of change. Here are our top 10 events of the year:

1. We moved a lot this year. In January, Todd got an internship with a non-profit organization called 2-1-1 Information and Referral, so we moved from Provo to Salt Lake to avoid the daily commute. We had planned to move back to Provo for cheap summer rent, but we were very blessed in Salt Lake and decided to stay there until the end of the summer. In August we made another move, this time it was to Kansas City, Kansas. We found an apartment in a nice area, and a trucking company that would transport our things. And much like the pioneers, we made our journey in faith that God would watch over us. And we have been extremely blessed.

2. We both graduated this year! Brooke graduated in April from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor’s in Marriage, Family, and Human Development and a minor in English. In August, Todd graduated with his Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Utah. We are both extremely thankful for the education we received and hope to do much good with it now.

3. On June 24th, we celebrated our 2-year anniversary. Todd surprised Brooke by taking her to a new resort in Midway, Utah called Zermatt. While in Midway, we saw a sign advertising the Midway July 4th celebration, which would feature Elder Jeffrey R. Holland for the sunrise service speaker. So, two weeks later, we got up early and drove to Midway for their Independence Day celebrations. We heard Elder Holland speak and enjoyed breakfast with all the Midway citizens. Brooke was especially excited that she got to shake his hand. We loved the small-town feel of Midway and had a great time in that charming community.

4. We have begun the home buying process. We have found a lender and a realtor, and are now in the process of looking for a home. We hope to have found a house by January or February. We have debated about which side of the city to be on, the Missouri or the Kansas side. The Kansas side is definitely nicer, but the Missouri side is cheaper. Once we get into a house, we are excited to do some fix-ups and make it our own place. It will be nice not to be renting anymore.

5. Over Labor Day weekend, we went to Saint Louis and met up with our friends, Ben and Christina Miller. We had never been to St. Louis before and this was a great trip. We rode the little tram to the top of the gateway arch and walked downtown. We also visited several museums, the Zoo, and Union Station. On the way home, we stopped at Nostalgiaville USA: a little store with all kinds of TV memorabilia. It was great to meet up with some friends. The next weekend we went to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum here in Kansas City. It was great to learn about Kansas City’s amazing baseball legacy.

6. After 211, Todd began looking for a summer job. He was able to get on with an online university called Western Governors University, located in Salt Lake. This turned out to be an even greater blessing than anticipated. Once we decided to move to Kansas City, Todd asked WGU if they would allow him to telecommute from home in Kansas City, and they said yes! They gave him a laptop and a phone, and they pay for our Internet. He is doing academic services for them, as well as some IT and design projects. Once we got to Kansas City, Brooke began looking for a job. She soon found one with a middle school as a Principal’s Administrative Assistant. It is a difficult job, but she loves the challenge. It is a very nice school, with about 500 kids.

7. We were very blessed to find some friends here in Kansas City. We met John and Julie Bauman in Church. They have 2 children, Amelia and Jacob, and one more on the way. We get together often and enjoy just hanging out with them. We went to Thanksgiving at their house and had a wonderful day. We have also had fun carving pumpkins, watching movies, and playing with the kids. We’ve also greatly enjoyed watching BYU football at their home.

8. On February 3rd, we had the great pleasure of meeting Paul Rusesabagina. After seeing Hotel Rwanda, Brooke became obsessive about researching the Rwandan Genocide. When we found out that Paul Rusesabagina, the real hero from Rwanda, about whom the movie was made, was coming to the University of Utah, we had to go. He gave a very moving speech and then shook everyone’s hand and took pictures with whoever wanted one. He is a very kind man and cares deeply about making the world a better place.

9. Over Memorial Day weekend, we went camping for the first time. We weren’t even sure we could go because all the campgrounds we had called were full. We found a few in the Uinta Mountains near Granstville, Utah that were first come first serve. After work, we drove to the campgrounds, but did not see any open sites. We were about to leave when we saw some deer going up a little trail, and it happened that there was a little site tucked back behind some trees that hadn’t been spotted by any one else. So we set up camp. We made a fire and had dinner and roasted s’mores. We went on a hike and saw at least 10 deer walk through our campsite. We were very proud of ourselves that we had such a successful camping trip on our very first time camping!

10. BYU beat Utah! Need we say more? BYU had a great football season, undefeated in the Conference, and we enjoyed listening to them on the radio and watching them on TV when we could, with our friends the Baumans. BYU is back! Go Cougars!