Taylor Christmas Greeting

Last year was the first time and only time we have ever sent out Christmas cards. We had good intentions of sending some out this year, but unfortunately we just never found the time. So this simple blog Christmas greeting will have to do for now even though many of you reading this who are regular readers already have a general idea of what's been going on in our lives.

We can't believe another year has passed so quickly. And so much has happened and changed in our lives. Here's a quick update about our family from this past year.


Christopher completely changed direction as far as his career choice. He decided to leave behind his past ambition of working in the medical field, and decided to combine his other interests of business and baking. Last December we began looking into purchasing a Great Harvest bakery, which included a major move for our little family to Washington state. I remember when Chris made the first phone call to the owner inquiring about the bakery, I knew then and there that it would soon be ours. Although we knew it would not be easy, we have felt good about our decision since that day. We feel completely at home here in this beautiful state. Chris spent a couple weeks in Montana for training, and then spent about two months apart from Sam and me getting our business started while I finished teaching French for the rest of the school year. Being apart for so long was hard for all of us, but living in my parent's basement for that time and being able to enjoy their company made it easier for Sam and me. With our current work situation, we have so much more time for each other as a family. And since moving away from our families, we have grown closer to each other and depend and trust each other more than we ever have before.

Like I mentioned before, I finished teaching my first year of school. I loved teaching and I loved my kids, and I plan on eventually going back to teaching when the time is right. While I was finishing my degree, Chris sacrificed so much to support me in my goal to graduate: he postponed his education and worked horribly long days between his part-time and full-time jobs while still taking a couple classes each semester. Since I have graduated, it is my turn to sacrifice for him to reach his goals and dreams, and I am so happy to do it. Chris and I make a good team and luckily we work well together as small-business owners. I have learned so much about bread in the past few months. Maybe one of these days I'll actually get around to baking some myself (isn't that awful--I own a bakery, and I have never baked anything more than banana bread in my life! Shameful, I know! :) But baking is Chris' department--I just sell it!). I have recently taken on a full-time job as a leasing consultant at our apartment complex, but I am still very much involved in our bakery. In our ward up here, I am the primary chorister, and Chris is a scout leader for the 11 year olds.

Sam is now almost 2 1/2. He is still such a sweet and happy little guy. His laugh is so contagious and he is friendly to everyone including random strangers. In the past year his vocabulary has grown immensely including several words and phrases in French. Some of his interests include cars, trucks, construction vehicles, airplanes, motorcycles--basically anything with wheels. His favorite movie by far is Cars. He loves animals, books, and going to nursery. He is in the process of potty-training, but we haven't gotten too serious about it yet. He has adjusted well to our move up here and has made many new friends.

We completely feel the Lord's hand in our lives and are continually grateful for his direction and guidance. We are grateful for this time of year to focus on the our Savior's humble entrance into this world and feel so blessed to have the peace and confidence the gospel brings to our lives. We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas season and happy new year!