Merry Christmas!

There are lots of reasons why I love Christmas. It's always fun to get mail. Thank you everyone who has sent me a Christmas card! Here's my Christmas letter this year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2008 AND HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009 !

In March I had the opportunity to testify in a murder trial. It’s an experience that I never want to repeat, but it was such a relief when the truth was recognized and John Bloxham was found guilty of First Degree Murder. His sentence to 35 years in prison was made final in May. My thoughts often turn to Todd, Devin, and even John, but as time goes by I seem to be better able to handle and deal with their loss.

I enjoyed my time in the church as Primary Secretary and working with the children, and was brought back into Relief Society the end of the summer to serve as Secretary. I really do love keeping track of people, things, doing sorting and analysis, and having regular interaction with others to work towards common goals. Work is going well, and it’s hard to believe that I have been with the Census Bureau for 10 whole years.

This summer our family got together in Nauvoo, IL for a reunion. With my parents, siblings, nieces and nephews, we had 23 people. The family continues to grow. You may count 24 in the picture below, because my brother Josh brought his girlfriend, now fiancé, Alyssa! Congratulations go out as well to my youngest brother Jake and Camilla, who are also engaged to be married next spring. Jack was added to the family in November as a 4^th nephew. This has been a year of many weddings. I am so happy for my close friends who have found their sweetheart after waiting so long.

If you have been getting my Christmas letters for a while, you might expect a reference to the number of lighthouses I visited this year. Yes, I have had some good lighthouse trips. I went to Long Island in February, and added 19 new lighthouses. I was in Maine and northern Massachusetts in May and added 35 more to list. This summer was a major trip to Hawaii which I just loved! My total number of lighthouses visited is now around 260.

Sometimes it’s easy to get busy with lists or things, and we loose site of our real accomplishments. Hopefully my big accomplishments this year weren’t just in loosing weight (which I actually did this year, after it being on my resolution list for many years running!) or in visiting new lighthouses, but in how we have learned, grown, and strengthened those around us.

Thank you so much for your friendship and example.

I hope that you are doing well and that you have been able to find much in your life to be grateful for. I would love to hear how you are doing. Let me know if you have a blog or facebook account where I can check in on you. :-)

Carrie Johanson