Season’s Greetings
This is our first year with children away for the holidays. Mindy and Joey are both serving missions for the LDS Church.
Mindy left in January and is in Washington, D.C. at the Visitor’s Center of the LDS Temple. She has enjoyed the members and friends of the D.C. area, and has had the opportunity to meet many U.S. and international dignitaries as they tour the temple grounds. She will serve until August before coming home. Her weekly letters are at mindysmission.blogspot.com.
Joey spent the last three months studying Japanese at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. Earlier this month, he traveled to Hiroshima Japan where he will serve until September 2009. His letters are logged at joeysmission.blogspot.com.
Sarah lives close by in Elk Grove with her husband Aaron and 13-month-old Mari. Pictures and updates are at clifthouse.blogspot.com.
Hilary, Spencer, and Bradford are still at home and, no, they don’t have their own blogs.
Hilly continues to sing, anywhere and everywhere. She enjoyed performing in D.C., New York, and the Caribbean and doing some studio recording this year.
Spence is tearing it up in school (that’s good), and he does a bit of singing now and then. Baseball is his sport.
Willie (Bradford) insists that he does not sing because he is a basketball player. He is on his elementary school team. And he still loves math.
Jeff is serving in the stake presidency at church after several years of serving in the mission presidency. His book, a biography of Norton Parker Chipman, is scheduled to be published by McFarland and Company in 2008. And Jeff is keeping his day job.
Kim is savoring the grandmother role. And Mari loves visiting. Kim is the center of the universe for the rest of her family, holding it all together.
During this holiday season, we are grateful to the Lord for family, friends, and the blessings of life.
Merry Christmas from the Hogge’s.
