Christmas letter 2010

I meant to post this like 2 weeks ago, but today will have to do. For any of you who did not receive a personal Christmas letter from our family, here is yours. Hope your holiday was great!


Happy Holidays from the Brysons!


What a great year it has been! Some of our favorite memories from this year are lots of camping trips to Grandjean in our trailer, lots of Boise State football games, and just living the dream and enjoying time together as a family. Here's our yearly recap:

Jake turned 2 in September. He is not your typical 2 year old--he is so easy! I hate to actually put that in writing, but it's true! He is a true joy to have around and is learning something new every day. His favorite things are Buzz, Woody, and Mickey Mouse, chocolate milk, nursery, and horses (especially the BSU mascot).

Sydney is 6 and in 1st grade. Her reading is out of control and she loves school. She quit dance lessons this year to take karate instead, which suits her feisty personality to a tee. She is an awesome swimmer and loves to do anything crafty like her mom. She definitely holds her own around all these boys! She can't wait to be old enough to go hunting.

Ryan is 10 and in 5th grade. He is a Webelo in scouts and will be a boy scout next summer. He was elected vice president of his school last month and is in the gifted and talented program. He is also taking karate lessons and is doing fantastic at piano, too. I almost cried with joy when he asked for new piano books for Christmas!

Brandon is 13 now and in 7th grade--we have entered the teenage years! He still gets amazing grades and is a Life scout, so he is working on his Eagle now. He got a guitar for his birthday and has been teaching himself to play. This year he shot his first big game animals--2 antelope and a deer. He's living up to his middle name.

I (Cathy) am just trying to soak up my time with our last little one at home. I have been bitten by the crafting bug lately and have painted several rooms and done some redecorating. I am now the Primary chorister in our ward and that's been fun! I also shot my first deer last week and made my husband proud!

Tim is in his 12th year at Albertsons and still counting the years to retirement… He has had a successful hunting year, the highlight being the mountain goat he shot in October. When he has time, he enjoys working in the garden, college football (big sigh for BSU), and lots of hunting. He is currently serving on the Stake High Council.

We have been truly blessed this year as always and are grateful for family and friends who make life so full of joy! To keep up with our family throughout the year, you can visit our blog at timandcathybryson.blogspot.com. We love you all and wish you the very best!

Love, The Brysons
Tim, Cathy, Brandon, Ryan, Sydney and Jake

New Year, New Goals...

Well, a new year has come. Of course, I should be updating this blog with pictures from Christmas, etc. Later... But I wanted to first put down in "writing" some goals I've been thinking of for this new year. I hope to look back from time to time (or at least once later this year...) to check on how I'm doing. Some goals will be easy and some may just kill me...or never happen...whatever. But at least I'm going to try.

Easy goals:

• Scrapbook at least one page...this will be an improvement for me versus the last two years.
• Buy my last-ever package of diapers...potty training will also be involved (not-so-easy).

Spiritual goals:

• Write 50 journal entries this year...last year I got to 35, which I was pretty proud of.
• 100 % visiting teaching...no more excuses!
• Visit the temple twice a month.

Fitness goals: (ugggghh)

• FINALLY lose the baby weight from my 2-year-old...it's time, o.k. it's past time...
• Wake up at 5am on weekdays for my workouts...my days just go so much better when I start early!
• Actually keep track of what I eat.
• No calories after 7pm.

Goals involving my house:

• Paint all remaining white walls in my house.
• Organize my recipe "drawer"...it's so bad...
• Organize my master bathroom cupboards...also, soooo bad...
• Go to bed at night w/ a clean kitchen and family room, which will be a challenge for me, for sure...

Misc. goals/wish list:

• See Brandon get his Eagle scout.
• Trim my grocery shopping to every OTHER week in an attempt to cut back on spending.
• Install crown molding in master and master bath??

I'd better stop before this list gets too long. I'm just so ready to make some changes and improvements in several areas. I really love the new year and the chance to reassess where I'm at and where I want to be. This list is going on my fridge. I know probably EVERYTHING won't happen, but for today, I'm motivated...that counts for something, right??