Year in Review...

Ahhh....Christmas! That time of year to reflect on the essential and eschew the irrelevant.  That exercise was made much easier this year with a 10 day off-continent to Centro America returning Christmas Eve.  What's essential? Family, friends and a grateful heart for the goodness of this last year.  

I'm still living in Orem.  The house was on the market for 6 months (six months of a made bed and no dirty cloths on the floor!) but while the neighbor's home which was smaller sold at asking price for more than I started at (and I dropped the price three times), it didn't sell so I'm settling in for another spell with a couple of 20-something roommates.  I work with one of them and they're both very tech savvy and up on the latest technologies.  I think our TV has eight devices connected to it! Great guys.  Between them and being in a bishopric at BYU as a ward clerk, I'm around a younger group most of the time--can you say, "Arrested Development?" 

Work has been and continues to be exciting.  I'm still doing Product Management (software requirement specifications, project management and product marketing) for a high tech firm called HireVue.  We facilitate video interviews for job applicants.  Our 27 year-old CEO--after 7 years leading the company--turned the reins over to a tech exec veteran a couple of months ago and with the addition of some industry power players, things are really moving.  I'm hoping I can survive the ride--lots and lots of work to do and I'm feeling that 2012 is going to be eventful.  I just saw one of our presentations that indicates there are 60 million job hires per year in the US with approximately 600 million interviews--company goal is to be in on a lot of those!  

Family is expanding and doing well! My siblings, parents and nieces and nephews are doing well and always a treat to connect up some or many but not often all of them at one time anymore.  Three weddings this year and each were special events.  Frank & Melissa announced that grandchild #50 is going to be born in just a few months so Sophie is looking forward to a sister.  Missionary nephews out in Florida, Spain and Mexico at the moment.  The nieces and nephews are growing up and great to see them becoming good people.  Being in Utah Valley, the house is sort of a hub and glad to have them drop by or stay for a few days between residences. 

I continue to enjoy my retreats to Idaho where I now have a tractor (Kubota with bucket, scraper and backhoe!) and have continued to improve the little farm I bought last year.  I'm currently writing from the living room with a picture window view of the snow covered valley and my feet propped up near the fireplace. Great to spend more time near my parents and those siblings living in the area.  

Not a lot of travel this year but did spend a week in Ukraine in the old city of Lviv where our software development team is located.  They treated us royally and we were there at a very nice time of year.  The trip to Costa Rica was with my good friends the Hulme family where we zip-lined, soaked in volcano hot springs, saw a lot of the country and then chilled on a wonderful beach for a few days--see the attached shots--some of them were taken by pro photographer Alan Bailey who we connected up with and stayed a few days at his place in Esterillos. 

So great to hear from many of you at this time of year.  Feel so blessed to have support of family and a network of wonderful and dear friends.  All the best through the next 12 months!

Love,

Peter 

Update....

WOW! An entire month without an entry! Not for lack of things going on.  I'll try to be brief.

Between the CA wedding and the ID reception, a weekend in Idaho.  So wonderful to spend time there with Grandpa & Grandma.  I finished my bathroom painting and we cleaned Mom's carpets. We got a copy stand set up (table with lights) so that we can photograph all the old family documents and journals. Paula & Jessica came while there and we all did a road trip to Last Chance Dam and the Black Canyon.

Awesome time at the Webbs for Hayden and Madeline's reception--wonderful hosts! Soups and breads and so glad I was able to bring home a container of each type of soup and several loaves of bread--cut in perfect slices by the automatic bread slicer.  See Paula's entry from a couple of days ago for more detail on the Webbs. 

Carnage and destruction in Fruit Heights!!! Horrific winds and big trees came down in Dan's cul de sac.  They were without power for several days. Most of the damage was on Wednesday but when we drove through there on Saturday, it still looked like a war zone with fences down and cut trees all out to the curb.  Kent came with help and Dan spent hours and hours helping neighbors.  

News of the family....Paula's filled you in on them.  Steve and Shannon had a good break in Hawaii with their friends the Bodily's. I met Spencer at the hospital to visit my friend's son and Spencer is his home teacher.  Great to spend a little time with Spence and his roommate eating tacos and also exercising our Priesthood.  Wyatt was in the BYU choir concert which Ben & Janet said was just incredible.  The rest...I haven't talked to, or did and can't remember! Everyone needs help from on high so your prayers are appreciated for Erica and those that are trying to make marriage and career decisions as well as those on missions. 

Four weeks now of a new CEO.  He's a good guy and helping to raise awareness and money for the company.  We spent two days in an offsite this week which were productive.  He's a major social networker and is posting frequently on Linked-In and Facebook.  There's a shot of the leadership team attached.  

I'm leaving Tuesday for ten days in Costa Rica with the Hulmes which I'm looking forward to.  It's not a really good time for work but it never is so I'm not going to stress about it.  I'll update you with a few posts from there.

Good luck to all of you as you go through the frenetic, commercial, consumer-driven 12 days to Christmas! As Frank fondly quotes from some ad, "Sounds hard...I'm going to Barbados!!!"

PS...don't know how many of you have seen this photo of Grandpa & Grandma that I caught last summer in the evening sun.  I have it as part of my background set and it makes me happy every time I see it.

Evening Moos

Good Evening from Webb Basin Dairy here in Raft River, Idaho.  The current temperature is 21 degrees above zero.  Our home is pleasantly littered with the remnants of Hayden and Madeleine's wedding reception; 4 lit up Christmas trees grace the corners of various  rooms and the mantle of the fireplace is covered with greenery, candles and red berries.  We were surprised and awed at how wonderful the evening went.  Especially were we grateful for Peter, Amy, Ben and Janet and family, Don and Greshen and family and Kent and family who traveled here to enjoy the evening with us.  We missed all of you who couldn't make it and wanted to come. Our love goes out to all of you. 

Highlights in our lives here at Raft River are:

1. Foremost, Jessica will be meeting Clayton at the El Paso Texas airport Friday Dec. 9th (tomorrow) at 4:45 pm.  His tour of duty in Iraq completed for now. Pres.Obama made a power decision to send all troops home before the end of the year thus cutting Clayton's time there short.  Jessica noted yesterday that her calendar indicated he originally had over 200 days left.   We consider it a miracle he will be home for Christmas.

2.  The wedding and subsequent reception of Hayden and Madeleine in Los Angeles have been a grand adventure for us.  An especial highlight at the wedding was Aunt Eloise gracing us with her presence. She looked beautiful and brought a sense of calm to us as she sat in for the Grandmother on Hayden's side. She knows her way around the Los Angeles Temple very well and helped us out. Virginia and I, Kayla and Paisley were also privileged to attend the bridal shower of Mike Shuffert's fiancee, Linden.  She's a beautiful young woman and it was fun to see Shannon and Caroline as well as all Aunt Eloise's friends we've heard about through the years.  
Getting back to reality, Hayden and Madeleine moved into their new little apartment in Rexburg this Monday.  Gordon, Boston and I helped move them in and they treated us to their first supper of homemade pizza by Hayden.  We've had a wonderful time meeting Madeleine's family and showing them around the farm.

3. Larsen is doing well in Oaxaca, Mexico.  Already, 1/8 of his mission has  passed.  He takes showers with a bucket and dipper as well as washes his clothes by hand.  He maybe able to Skype for Christmas.  Yahooo!!!

4.  I am the proud owner of my very first laptop. I am writing this letter on Peter's laptop he sold to me (a MacBook Pro).  How lucky can I get? So now I'm just like all you people who sit around and stare at their computer where ever they are.  How do you people do this...sit and write with it on your lap?  My head and shoulders feel all cramped over. 

5.  Jason Lugo, owner and publisher of Southern Idaho Living  magazine called and asked me to edit the magazine.  I consider it a privilege as I think it's such a good, wholesome magazine.  I've written several articles for it but this past issue was fun to read as I edited all the articles. You can see this month's issue (edited by me) at http://southernidaholiving.com/. Feel free to make comments on any of the articles. I also learned the art of .sig (creating an automatic signature at the end of each email), hence the "Writer/Publishing" at the end of the letter.

6.  Out of 600 cows that needed to be sold because of the staff infection, the dairy is down to its last 60 needing to go to market.  It's been a long haul (to the market) but the elimination process has gone well.  Beet harvest was exceptional as well as grain harvest.  There are a lot of good things happening and we are thankful.

It's quiet now as there is only Boston, Gordon and I. Stuart comes and goes daily from Pocatello to work here on the farm. Other than that we are now a little, little family.

And that's it for the latest update of the Evening Moos here on the farm. 

     

--
Paula Webb
Writer/Publishing