Oda Christmas Card of Awesomeness

So here's our Christmas card for this year.  I wrote it again.  I made sure to mention that in the first sentence.  I'm vain like that.

Well hello there, friends!                       


Once again, I (the middle daughter, Kristen) volunteered to write the Christmas letter because I had so much fun last year. Plus, it was a huge success...according to me. I’ll try to fill you in with some things that we did this year, but try not to be too impressed.

I just reviewed last year’s letter, and not much has changed since then. My dad didn’t get another detached retina this year, but he did have cataract surgery! He has 20/20 vision in his right eye...and the left needs some fine tuning. That is one miracle, the other is my mom started running!  But really, this is a miracle, and no one is more surprised than her. They also keep busy with church callings, work, and tennis. You know, exciting stuff like that.

Lily is a high school senior this year and it freaks me out. She’s basically obsessed with health (in a good way) and complains about things like how stuffed she is after eating two heads of broccoli.  She also likes to order meals like “Eggplant Cauliflower Steak.” Do not be fooled, the “steak” is actually cauliflower.  Our fridge now consists of fruits and vegetables, and more fruits and vegetables.  Oh, and Lily was an intern at the Cleveland Clinic this past summer.  I guess that’s pretty impressive or something.

Jenai and I are still living in good old Provo, Utah.  Over summer we discovered that hiking is much more exciting in Utah than Ohio-- because there are mountains. Imagine that.  So we hiked a lot and it was awesome. We also went camping in southern Utah, and it was really hot. But I’m sure you already knew that, too. Both of us have moved up positions in our stellar jobs and enjoy some more freedom.  Jenai doesn’t have to work customer service for Vivint anymore, and she gets to make her own schedule. I now supervise Night Custodial in the MTC (Missionary Training Center) cafeteria, and apparently I can’t get enough of the MTC because I’m planning on serving a mission starting sometime this summer.  1000 points to anyone who guesses where I’m going.  My bet is somewhere exotic like Wyoming or Nebraska.  I also got accepted into the  English Teaching program at BYU, so I’ll be shadowing high school and middle school teachers next semester.  Who would have thought?

We have enjoyed another great year and feel very blessed. We are thankful for your friendships, and I’m even more grateful if you’re still reading this letter. So this Christmas, hug your kids, parents, dog, etc. and tell them you love them. Maybe eat a few too many cookies, because heck, it’s Christmas!  And don’t forget to write thank you notes to your relatives for the gifts they sent you.  According to my mom, that’s very important.

Merry Christmas from the Odas!

Candid pictures are just so much more natural.