2002 Favorite Pics

Jan 2002: by Bjorn

6 January, 2002

Dear Family,

We’re going to contribute to the family letter this year!  And hopefully this new year’s resolution lasts longer than it did last year.  The year 2001 has been a great one (a year of two diaper graduations can’t be half bad). We’ve made a lot of progress as a family.  We’re happy and content and looking forward to another year.  

We really enjoyed our Christmas Holiday.  Our trip to Mexico was nothing but wonderful.  The kids were great travelers, Mom and Dad were terrific hosts, and Bjorn and I savored every second of being ON VACATION.   I would love to go back three or four more times before Mom and Dad come home.  It was mostly wonderful just to be with them for a few days and also to see a little bit of what they do every day.

Coming home, on one hand we had Auriana being so excited to go back to school to see her teacher and friends again.  And on the other hand we had Daddy not quite as excited to jump back into what we have been calling “a good job, a blessing,” but not an “I love my job” type of situation.  Needless to say, as of last Wednesday and with the delight and full support of his wife, Bjorn is no longer an employee of Neways, but of Pendleton Creative, housed at 185 N 700 W in Spanish Fork, UT.   I think (and always have thought) he will do great out on his own, and it will be wondeful to have him working right out of our home.

Auriana’s doing great in school.  Her teachers all call her their little artist, because she loves to color and does very well.  Our first ever parent teacher conference was a great experience as her teachers couldn’t stop praising everything about her.  She’s been begging for piano lessons, so we started in on those again last week.

Isaac is our new sunbeam and beaming with joy.  He loves to tease, tease, tease, and oh yeah, play the computer.  He and Auriana are actually (usually) great friends and love to pretend together.  He’s also our worry wart and takes great care of Natalie if ever danger arrives.  Some sort of ball, car, or spaceman is always at his side.

Natalie is our “me do it”, already potty trained, sweet, loving, and usually whining two year old.  She loves to do whatever anyone else is doing as long as she gets to do it herself.  She sings all day and is becoming more and more understandable every day.  Her favorite is “Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia…”

All three loved seeing Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas and haven’t stopped talking about the trip to “Metsito” (as Natalie would say).  Thanks again Mom and Dad for your wonderful hospitality.  We love you.

I guess that means its my turn

.

Becky is right. I am now the founder, CEO and Creative Director of Pendleton Creative. My partner and co-founder, Rebecca Pendleton, is the President and CFO (and occasional Administrative Assistant). It is with slight trepidation, but great enthusiasm that we take this leap. Though I am still looking into other opportunities, this path seems to bring the greatest peace to soul and mind right now. I thoroughly enjoyed my month at home after leaving MyComputer.com and before starting at Indy Interactive, but felt that I still needed a bit more job experience to be confident enough to start my own business. Now with an additional year under my belt and a greater awareness that I’m even more clueless than I thought I was - but also with an increasing sour taste in my mouth for the corporate life of red tape, ladders, power, greed, egos and dishonesty - I’m willing to make a go at it. So if any of you know of someone that is in need of graphic design services feel free to send them my way.

Mexico was a delight. If I had known I would be leaving my job less than a week after returning, I would have just stayed. It was so sublimely refreshing to spend peaceful days with Mom and Dad talking, playing games, singing, reading and simply soaking in their sweet spirit. Having the opportunity to see them interacting with and instructing their missionaries was such a rewarding experience. Even though I don’t understand much Spanish I asked if I could join them for their zone conference on the day we arrived so that I could feel the strength and spirit of their missionaries as they bore testimony. Having the opportunity to share my testimony was an unexpected privilege as Mom translated for me. There are so many other things I could write about, but what I will remember most is not necessarily the activities or events, but the feelings of love and joy I felt as I spent time with family.

Instead of going up to Bountiful for New Year’s Eve as we have in past years, Becky and I spent a quiet evening together playing Connect Four and watching sappy movies. My birthday was enjoyable as we spent most of the day with my family in Bountiful and then met Steve & Barbie, Brenda, Jen and Chad at Training Table for a birthday dinner. Barbie says I’ve officially entered the “middle-ages” but I don’t think I’m that old.

I was called to be the ward choir director and then told a week later that I was in charge of the choir for Stake Conference on the 20th. Wish me luck. I thought I knew how to conduct music but I’ve discovered that waving ones arms around to trying to keep the tempo, bringing people in and cutting them off, and using various sign language to get more or less volume is quite a bit harder than chewing gum and walking or patting my head and rubbing my stomach at the same time. Becky passed by the other day as I was practicing this and we both just busted up laughing cause I looked so ridiculous.

We’re grateful to have you in our lives.

Bjorn, Becky, Auriana, Isaac, Natalie