December, 2013
Merry Christmas
everyone. All is well in the Vernon
home, and we hope all is well with you.
Arlee had a big year this
year. He student taught in Las Vegas,
Nevada which completed his requirements for graduating in History Education
from BYU-Idaho with a minor in Speaking English as a Second Language. He also met his sweetheart Tuawana in Las
Vegas, and got married in July in the Las Vegas, Nevada Temple. The wedding ceremony was wonderful and
everything went well for the most part.
There was a big thunderstorm which knocked out power at the restaurant
where we had the wedding dinner. We were
pretty much done before the lights went out.
Arlee and Tuawana had an Open House a few weeks later in Fort
Collins. Their plane was delayed and their
luggage with the wedding dress and tuxedo got lost. There was also a tornado warning on the
interstate. Consequently, they made it
to the reception late and without the desired apparel, but the evening still
turned out all right. Arlee then tried to
get a teaching job in Las Vegas, but was not having any success. Finally, a week or two before school started
he got offered a job at the High School where he student taught. He is grateful to have a job in his desired
field, and loves teaching. Now he just
needs to get his immune system built up, since he is around kids all the
time. He caught mononucleosis which he
had to deal with while teaching. As a
new teacher he doesn’t get much sick leave and had to work sick to keep his
job.
Aaron graduated from
BYU-Idaho with an associate’s degree, but has decided to continue on and get a
bachelor’s degree with the ultimate goal of becoming a Physical Therapist. He has a job working with handicapped people
and loves it. His wife, Emily, is going
to beauty school and will finish up in January.
Chad is finishing up his
mission in Atlanta, Georgia and will return home in January. He must be well liked among the
missionaries. In the pictures he sends
home another missionary always has an arm around him.
Cory graduated from High
School. He shared Valedictorian honors
with another boy. We can’t figure out
where he got all of his “smarts” from.
For his family vacation before leaving on his mission he picked to visit
Washington, DC. We had a great trip there
over Spring Break. Some of the
highlights were seeing green water in a fountain by the white house, and a St.
Patrick’s Day Parade that would never end.
Other highlights included seeing the Holocaust Museum, and visiting
Mount Vernon. Cory spent a lot of time
doing service waiting to start his mission.
He helped his Dad with his church calling moving and visiting a lot of
people. He also volunteered in the
Denver, Temple once a week throughout the summer. Cory, Arlee and Brent went on
a High Adventure outing with the young men in the ward. They camped near Pingree Park and went on a
grueling 16 mile hike to the top of a peak.
They also went on a river raft trip down the Poudre Canyon. The trip was cut short as a severe
thunderstorm brought down mud and soot from the fire ravaged mountain side into
the river. The river dammed up, so they
had to climb up to the road. The road
was blocked as well, but fortunately the bus was able to find an alternate
route to get out of the mountains. Cory
got his mission call to serve in Santa Maria, Brazil. He entered the Missionary Training Center in
September. His visa has not come through
so he is serving in the St. George, Utah mission, and is working in Salina,
Utah. When his visa comes through he
will be sent to Santa Maria.
Ellaina just turned 15. She finally got her braces off after three
years. She has a beautiful smile and is
a pretty young woman. Ellaina is a
freshman at Rocky Mountain High School, and is a straight “A” student. She also goes to early morning Seminary. She still loves to swim, sing, act and play
musical instruments. She recently
finished playing Beth in the play “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” Ellaina just got her driver’s learner permit,
and had her first lesson driving with Mom and Dad.
Tina and Brent ran the St.
George Marathon this year with Brent’s sisters.
The weather was moderate which helped with the race. Training for the marathon gives us time to
talk which has been great. Brent and Tina enjoy hiking with the family. The family went on a real pretty hike to
Chasm Lake which ends at the bottom of Long’s Peak. It was so pretty at the lake that the family
got a late start heading back down and got caught in a thunderstorm. One lightning strike was a little too close
for comfort, but other than getting real wet it was a great outing.
Our dog, Gidgidaniah (Gid for
short), will be 10 years old this year.
He still runs with us regularly and can run up to about 8 or 9 miles but
we no longer take him any longer than that.
We sure are grateful to have him in our family, and wish he had the same
life span we do. He has added much joy
to our lives.
We are very grateful for our
lives and for family and friends like you.
We send our love to you and hope you will write and tell us about your
families. We are also grateful
especially for our Savior, and the great gift He has given us by coming to this
earth to be an example and to atone for us.
He made it possible for us to return to Our Father in Heaven and be
resurrected. He understands everything
we go through, and if we will turn to our Father in Heaven and keep the
commandments we will be able to make it back to Him. May Christ’s love and charity be in your
lives throughout this coming year.
Love Brent, Tina and Ellaina
Vernon (everyone else is all grown up and either serving missions or married)
Merry Christmas!
