First (real) Snow...and maybe last of 2009!

I have found myself embracing things about Boston that last year sorta repulsed me. Harsh? Yeah I know. Moving here was a MAJOR culture shock for me! One thing that I grew to hate last year: SNOW! UGH! Don't get me wrong...that first snow fall was magical, the first snow angel made me giggle like a school girl, and the first snow ball fight was seriously good times. Then it was March and it was still freakin' snowing!! No joke. I also had a long commute for work and my job wasn't close to a T Station so I had to drive. One day I cried the ENTIRE way home whilst GRIPPING the steering wheel with all my might. I am a country girl from Texas and I had NEVER driven in blinding snow! Anyway, I work in the office of the apartment complex that I live at now...so basically, I work from home. I think that has something to with with my new obsession with the snow. Also, last year the weather was miserable before Thanksgiving. We have had some snow and some bitter cold days but NOTHING like last year. Anyway, I am excited about winter this year!! Whatever the reason my be...I say let snow!! We had ourselves a nice little blizzard a couple of weeks ago and the snow stuck around till Christmas.

I heart my new hat!!

Will and I could not wait to bundle up and head outside to play!!

Mike and Will were trying to make a path in this snow pile so we could use our cool sled!

These two pictures are from inside the apartment looking out!

I'm a slacker....

I have so much that I want to post about Christmas and I want to get it all DONE this week!! However, Santa hooked us up...seriously, so I have been a bit distracted. I still haven't blogged about out the Christmas Party we had with our friends...and I'm not. I am going to be a cheater and send you here! Cher did a fabulous job of capturing all the fun! Thanks Cher....its not plagiarism if I give you credit right??? Anyway, the party was tons-o-fun. Thanks for all the hard work that went into a successful evening!

The 2009 Caillier Family Christmas Letter

This is a new tradition for my family. Each of us wrote a little update (some not so little...wink, wink) about ourselves and what we have been doing. I thought I would share it on the blog!

Merry Christmas to you and yours from all of us! This is our 1^st Annual Family Christmas letter. We are so excited to share with you the comings and goings of our family this past year.

We love the holidays! The holidays mean family get togethers, staying up all night cooking, eating, playing games, visiting, reminiscing, making memories, laughter, counting our blessings and lots of hugs. There's never a menu planned, because we like and cook everything! Everyone's favorite is David's smoked turkey (always perfect) stuffed with a little piece of something yummy followed by the tradition (which will never be broken) of dirty rice and cornbread dressing. Everyone has a favorite dessert and we make them all! The grocery shopping has begun and the cupboards are bulging.

"Bitter Sweet" best describes 2009 for the Caillier family. There were many joyous and happy times as well as sad and difficult times. David's Dad, Jules Caillier passed away in April, leaving a tremendous void in our lives. We miss him terribly. He often told us, "don't worry about me, I've lived a good life, I have good family, good grandkids and I'm ready to go." Those sweet words have given us great peace and comfort. 2009 brought employment ups and downs for David but we have seen the Lord's hand in our daily lives as He continues to bless us. We still find our lives very busy and active with family, work and our church callings. We have a never ending (it seems like) garage building project, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. In August, Jacob returned with honor from a 2 year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Days Saints. We are happy to have him back home and express our gratitude to him for his service.

We also had our "1^st Annual Family Vacation". We spent the week of Thanksgiving in Orlando, Florida at Disney. It was fabulous! We had a wonderful time. David really enjoyed it…he stood in line to have his picture taken with Pocahontas (she was very pretty). He said it was because it was his birthday!

Season's Greetings from the San Antonio Clerc's!!

For those of you who aren't quite sure who the San Antonio Clerc's are, let me briefly introduce us. April and Deon were married on June 8, 2007 in the San Antonio Texas Temple. Our family is comprised of Deon Clerc (4^th out of 5 children of Guy and Mary Lou Clerc of St. David, AZ), April (Caillier) Clerc (oldest of 4 children of David and Candy Caillier of Buna, TX), and Hunter Williams, currently our only child and the only grandchild and nephew to the David and Candy Caillier crew. Needless to say he is a bit spoiled….but not too badly. Just ask him.

Hunter started the year playing tackle football for a community sports league on a team named "The Dragons." He is now in 7^th grade and just finished his first season playing school football (Wood Middle School) for the Wood Wranglers. After registration, physicals, and purchasing all the necessary equipment, we thought we had everything worked out until April got a call from the school nurse saying that she thought Hunter had dislocated his elbow in a PE accident. After an ER visit, three MD appointments, and six weeks off for an injured ligament, the football season was practically over. We are now moving on to Basketball, and this will be his first time to ever play basketball on an organized team. Look us up on Facebook for updates and pictures of his first game. Hunter is also active in Boy Scouts. During the summer he attended scout camp at Bear Creek where he completed several merit badges and participated in other camp activities. At our most recent Court of Honor Hunter received several merit badges and earned his Star rank. At this rate he will be receiving his Eagle Scout award before we know it! On the Friday before Memorial Day our family had the honor and privilege of joining hundreds of Cub, Boy, and Girl Scouts, military personnel, and other civilian volunteers in placing American flags at over 98,000 graves at the Fort Sam Houston cemetery. It was a truly humbling experience, one which we hope to be a part of each year.

In May 2009 April also lost a close, personal friend and family member, Troy Gatlin. Oh, what a great example of unconditional love and friendship he was to her. He had such an outstanding spirit and a real power to touch lives for good. He taught me that there is absolutely nothing I can't do. He not only taught me the true meaning of F.R.O.G (Fully Rely on God), he LIVED it everyday of his short lifetime.

April decided to leave her job in August and pursue Private Duty Nursing. April has been given the amazing opportunity to work with an outstanding young woman. She feels very lucky to be able to spend everyday learning and growing with such a wonderful family. April was also recently released from her calling in Nursery and called as the 2^nd counselor in the Young Women's Presidency. She is really enjoying learning about the young women she serves and is grateful for the chance to work with such a unique group of girls. And for those of you who don't know, April had the Lap-band surgery in July 2008 and has currently lost 85 lbs! She looks forward to many more pounds being shed and is impatiently waiting for the end result.

Deon is looking forward to his 5^th year as a Dental Hygienist working with Dr. Angela Goodman and the talented staff at Goodman Family Dental. He is taking a year off from holding a leadership position in both the San Antonio District Dental Hygienists' Society, and the Greater San Antonio Hispanic Dental Association. He has held a leadership position in both of these organizations since graduating from Dental Hygiene school in 2005. But, don't think he is sitting at home with nothing to do. He continues to serve as an Assistant Scoutmaster for the 11-year old scouts in our ward. He is also still serving in Nursery…until next week. Our Bishop informed us today that Deon will be released from Nursery next Sunday, and that "this would be a good time to take a little break…a break that will be extremely short-lived." Deon will be happy to serve in whatever capacity he is asked to serve in.

That about wraps it up for the San Antonio Clerc's 2009. We are looking forward to a great 2010 and wish each of you a Merry Christmas and all the best in YOUR 2010.

Happy Holidays from Houston!

Hey everyone, Amanda here! Hope everyone has a joyous Holiday Season!! Let's see. . .I still work at Bammel, but now I'm the Math Department Chair and the Instructional Specialist for the school. I just bought a house in Spring/Woodlands area, so it looks like I am here to stay for a while. . .come visit me! In the early process of the move, I found me a little friend at Mom and Dad's place. My little four-legged friend has been good company for me as I transition to my new home. . .his name is Franklin, his namesake from the farm I found him on. For any of you who didn't know, I also lived in Mom and Dad's travel trailer while looking for a home, and that was an experience in and of itself. . .good times though!!

As always I love my time with my family, I miss Kim and Will because they are so far away, but I have been fortunate enough to be able to see them three times since they moved. . .I still travel a lot for work, so I stay on the go, including getting to San Antonio to see the Clercs'. . .that's about it for me. Merry Christmas everyone! :)

Merry Christmas from New England!!

Will and I are still in Boston! We celebrated our 1^st anniversary in October and we are still so happy. Will works for a unit in the Coast Guard that gets deployed pretty often. That is hard sometimes but we have made so many friends here that I have lots to do to keep me busy. I love him and I am so proud of what he has chosen to do for a living! I am working at the apartment community that we live in, and I love it! Best commute I have EVER had. I have been privileged to work with the young women at church…which also keeps me busy. We enjoy venturing out on our own to see all that New England has to offer. There is so much to do here. We haven't seen it all, but thanks to all of the AMAZING houseguests that we have had, Will and I have become quite the tour guides. Our favorite spots include, Downtown Boston (the North End to be specific), Salem, State parks North of Boston, New York (The Catskills…We haven't been to the city yet), York Harbor, Maine, Salem, NH (they have the nearest Super Wal-Mart) and our Apartment! We both miss our families so much. It hits us the most this time of year. We have enjoyed celebrating Christmas and other holidays together though. Making our own traditions and being with other couples that are away from home too. Well, that's the Worthen's at a glance. We love you all and hope you have a Beautiful Christmas and Joyous New Year.

Happy Holidays ya'll,

Hey, it's Jake! Well the past year was a fast and crazy one!!! As most of you know I served a two year mission for our church. Those were the best two years of my life!!! I will never forget the people I've met, and grown to love. They taught me so much!!! My family was a great support to me during those two years, as well as many of you. Thank you so much for the emails, letters, cards, and any form of support that you gave me and my family. Now that I am back home, I have moved to San Antonio to live with April, Deon, Hunter, and Kelly (the family dog). Here I am planning on going to school to get my RN, find a job, and maybe a wife. I love this time of year so much. Not for the gifts, but for the time spent with family!!! When you're not able to see your family for two years you really appreciate the time you do have together. And just the Spirit of the season; people are a little more giving and a little more caring. But the greatest gift given to us was Jesus Christ!!! During those two years of service, I came to know Him a lot better. He did the most selfless act of service; He atoned for our sins, and made it possible for us to return to our Father in Heaven. So let us this CHRISTmas, make a little more room for Him. I hope ya'll have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.



(Back to Mom) More importantly, we are thankful for what brings us together during the Christmas season, the Birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are so humbly grateful to him for his wonderful gift. He gave us that gift at a price we cannot fathom. It was a gift He did not need for Himself; He did not need forgiveness. He is the source of our strength and light. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you from all of us!

With all our Love,

David, Candy and family

Holiday Party!! Short and Sweet...

We had a helluva good time at my Company Holiday Party (I prefer not to mention the name of the company...don't want someone to google it and stumble onto these pics!) We were given 2 days off since the festivities took place in New Jersey! We were driven by bus to a nice hotel to settle in and get "all done up" after which we were taken to the Crystal Plaza...nice huh?? Being politically correct and all, the attention was focused on the company's success as well as honoring employees. Our property took home several awards! After tons of yummy food and drinks (for some) the music started and the dancing followed! I haven't danced like that in forever and it was sooooo fun! I made a little collage to share with you....

I really do like my Co-Workers and it was fun to hang with them and their other halves away from the office.

Thank you, Company I work for, for showing us some love and throwing a fabulous party! The End.

I married Will because he makes me laugh...

Laugh with me...

We're off to see the Wizard!!!

I love my husband. I know I say this a lot. I mean it, I really do. Here is one of the many reasons why....The Wizard of Oz. I love this movie more than I love Edward...I know...this is big! Anyway, for its 70th birthday, The Wizard of Oz has been released on DVD. I purchased this ASAP, of course. Why is Will so great you wonder??? He found out that for one night and one night only The Wizard of Oz would be playing in select theaters!! He bought tickets and surprised me! He wouldn't even let me look at the marque....I didn't know until we were seated in the theater. There were trivia questions playing on the screen and that kinda gave it away. I was so excited that I cried. I know. I am silly but it made my life. Seriously. Made. My. Life. For him to take the time to take note of something that is so important to me....ahhh What a man!! What could make this better??? The most adorable little 2 year old that was seated behind us. It was her first movie in the theater. Her parents were snapping pictures of her in the "big girl movie chair" (as she called it), she greeted each actor as they came on screen with a big wave! She was precious. I could go on and on about her. I even tried to take her home with us. Will said something about jail and kidnapping...Whatever. It was awesome. Will is husband of the decade for taking me. The End.

Catch Up!!

OK. I hope are ready for some blog overload....

I have lots of events to cover and I want to get caught up before anything else blogworthy happens in our lives.

1. Going to Salem to check out the Halloween Awesomeness with Ashlee, Jared & Hudson! Yes, I know that it is December and that I am blogging about something that happened in October...I will also be including November in this post as well. Just bear with me. Pretty please! Anyway, we had a ton-o-fun. Seriously. A wicked good time. We all know that pictures are worth like 1000 words...so here ya go.

2. Will's Dad and brother visited us for a little while. I haven't spent much time with my in-laws so it was nice to spend time getting to know them better. I also LOVE playing hostess! I really enjoy having guest and showing people all the things that we love about Boston. Yeah. I just admitted that I love this place. Anyway, I also got to help my little cousin with a project. Have you ever heard of Flat Stanley?? It is a really cool children's book. In the book Stanley makes himself flat and puts a stamp on himself and he goes around the world having adventures. My cousin, Lucas, got to make his very own Flat Stanley to send somewhere to have an adventure. Of all the people he could have chosen...Lucas picked Will and I! So, while we were taking Will's Dad and brother around Boston, we took Flat Stanly too!

3. I neglected my blog...

4. Will left me...Not really. He just went on a deployment. It was a short one but he missed he missed Halloween so we still haven't gotten to do the couple dress up thing! I did however, get to attended the coolest Halloween Party Ever!! Click here to see how cool the Anderson's are! It was a blast.

5. Will got home just in time to help me get everything ready for our trip to FLORIDA!! That's right, we left the cold nasty New England weather for some warm sunshine. We spent the Entire week of Thanksgiving with my family at Disney World. It was magical. Seriously, the happiest place on earth!! I will do more post on that later.

6. We are home and very busy...I have also not been feeling great (no. unfortunately, it is not due to pregnancy) and that has slowed us down a bit. On the brighter side...I am looking in to vision correction surgery!! Yay!!

Ok...now I can start posting about Christmas!!!

Prove me wrong

Hey,
This is Will, breaking out of my shell, writing a blog for the first time! Hope I spell everything wright.... nm. Let me start by saying that I am in no way as good of a man as Kimmie makes me out to be. I do my best to be everything she needs but what can I say, I'm still a guy!

Examples:

• I love tech stuff, all tech stuff. If it has wires and moving parts, I want it!
• I don't give a darn about color schemes! Maybe I'm color blind, dunno, don't care.
• I would be content with the same pair of shoes for the rest of my life, Kim is teaching me about matching clothes! Thanks Kimmie!
• I don't like shopping....wait, I REALLY don't like shopping! No offense to department and clothing stores around the world, but its boring!
• Theres more I'm sure, but I'm a guy so I cant focus too long.

However, I have learned a few things to make a relationship easier on the lady in your life. Some men cant get around their pride to even attempt any of these things, I've found that pride is nothing with out the love of my wife.

• Start with a simple one, put the toilet seat down. Not just after you're done, always!
• Chivalry is not dead, just misunderstood or misused. Open the door, any door, pick a door during the day and open it for her! Help her put on her coat before you go out, yeah I'm sure she can put it on her self, but wheres the fun in that. Just pay attention to her needs. Oh, and don't just do it when you did something wrong, do nice things all the time. Women aren't typically like men, they wont take for granted the nice things you do.... which leads me to my next point...
• Take notice and appreciate all the little things she does for you. Trust me, theres allot! Step back from your life and look at it from her perspective, you'll see allot of selfless things done by her for you. A smile, a kind word, a nice deed in return, its so simple guys!
• Be patient with her! Guys are notorious for being impatient. If something frustrates you, take a deep breath and relax. I know you can do it.
• If you love her, if you TRULY love her, say so! Say it often! Its a simple word with tons of meaning. Say it with meaning. Go a step further and take her hand, look into her eyes and say it like you did the first time. Yeah, i know its cheesy, just do it.

That's about it for now. Some guys out there may not understand this stuff, some may be able to teach me some new things. I'll never admit that I'm the perfect guy, I just wanted to share some of my knowledge. Basically guys, just think of her, in everything you do.
Prove me wrong guys, try some of these things or come up with some on your own and see if she doesn't appreciate it and feel more loved. Trust me, we can all improve and that's what life is all about!
Ladies, if you have any comments or lessons learned about the guys in your life, things they do that really tick you off or makes you happy, let me know. I'm still learning, and Kim deserves the best.
Will Worthen