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Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Our Christmas/New Years Letter

Our Christmas season was wonderful as we reflect on our time with family and friends. We were busy with travel, but were able to see almost all of our family. As Christmas approached we were not even sure we would be able to do much traveling, so seeing all that we did was such a blessing. Tuesday evening is when they expected the winter storm to hit our area, so, Lindsey’s boss did some shuffling which allowed Lindsey to head home that evening with Cory (a day early). We spent the day Wednesday at Cory’s family’s house, as his brothers began coming home for the holiday. Christmas Eve is family gathering day at the Elsen house, and also Pam’s birthday. All the brothers and spouses were able to be there; along with Sophie and two dogs… it made for a busy house, but was great for Christmas. Christmas morning we woke up at Cory’s parents house with no electricity, heavy winds must have blown down a line. Nevertheless, we got up and around and left for Lindsey’s Grandmother’s house by about 7am. We spent the morning there, including activities of opening gifts, putting together health kits, and playing cards. The afternoon was then spent at Lindsey’s aunt and uncle’s house for Christmas with Annette’s family. That evening Cory and Kendra headed back to Great Bend and Albert, respectively. Lindsey and Annette went shopping the morning after Christmas with Aunt Krys, Cathy, and baby Colbie. The afternoon of the 26th was spent with more family time. Lindsey at the Ben B.J. Goering family reunion and Cory at home with the brothers. Sunday afternoon was the final Christmas gathering we had, which was at Lindsey’s parent’s house.

As we reflect on the year past:
We are grateful that we both still are employed. With the economy in the state that it is, this truly is something to be happy about. Lindsey is still working at Simply Charmed where she is working about 35 to 40 hours a week (sometimes more). Cory is still working in the Tire and Lube Express in the Hays Wal-Mart. He also is employed fulltime.

This past summer we traveled again to Mexico. We spent a week in Cancun. It was once again a great experience. We took advantage of lazy time by the pool, but also took in some shopping time in Cancun as well as swimming with the Dolphins and visiting ZelHa environmental park, where we did cliff jumping, rope climbing, and snorkeling.

A big achievement for this past year is Lindsey earning her Bachelor or Business Administration degree. She took her final class over the summer. It was Calculus online…it was tough. Her diploma and tassel are proudly displayed in our living room.

November proved to be a trying month as we lost loved ones from both of our families. We rely on our memories of the past as we remember Lindsey' Grandfather and Cory's cousin.


Looking towards the next year:
Graduation! We will both walk in May for our graduation. Cory will be almost done after this coming Spring semester. He will also have his last class (also calculus) to take over the summer, but he has made arrangements so that he can walk in May, allowing us to walk together.

Job hunting. While job hunting itself may not be a lot of fun, we are excited about the next phase of our lives. (If you know of anyone who may need one or two people with a BBA degree, put in a good word for us and let us know!)

Turning 25- Again, nothing too major, just seems like a "mile-marker" in our lives. We are proud of what we have accomplished in our first 25 years -High school graduation, College, Cory playing college football, Lindsey working on Magazine staff, College graduation, marriage, etc. - are are excited about what our future will bring!

Vegas – after graduation we are planning a trip to Las Vegas. We will fly out the beginning of June and return about a week later. We will be accompanied by Cory’s brother Chadd and a friend.


We reflect on the past year having good memories and we look to the next year with excitement. We know that there will be changes ahead as we look to start careers and face the possibility of a move, and we are excited about that. We are hopeful and look for guidance from all different aspects, and are confident that with the guidance we receive, and decisions that we make, we will be on the path laid out for us.

We hope that the past year has been a good one for you, and that your next year is blessed in many ways!

Love,

Lindsey and Cory