Well, so much for the Christmas letter. I figured I could always send a card for New Year's instead of Christmas, but I've seemed to have let that slip away as well, so I'll just call it a Christmas/New Year's letter and pretend that I had it ready a while ago.
2005 was a wild and crazy year. It started off in Nantes, France where I was serving as a missionary. I loved living next to the Loire river, and it was gorgeous despite the fact that it was winter and constantly gray. Shortly after that, I was transferred to the city of Evry, know as "little Africa". There I had the opportunity to see some miracles, and to get to know the French/African culture a little better. Then I was transferred to Rennes, another gorgeous city. I learned a bit about the Breton culture and got to see the famous Mont St. Michel. Another transfer came, to Le Mans, the city of the 24 hour race (24 heures du Mans). I made some great friends there, and even got to see some race cars. The last transfer was to an area east of paris that was called Torcy/Pontault-Combault. I learned a ton in that area, about the language, the work, the culture and myself. Overall, throughout my entire mission, I was able to see many miracles, experience miracles myself, make good friends, learn a language, learn a culture, and learn a lot about myself and my relationship with God and the world around me.
I arrived home in early september, after a long, long plane ride. It was so good to see my family and be with them again. It was a bit of a rough transition, as most of you who have served missions know. It was weird not having something to do everyday, hearing everyone speak english with an american accent. But I have to say that the weirdest thing was that everything seemed so normal, and not a whole lot had changed. Yes, I did get a new nephew and a new brother-in-law while I was gone. But in reality, there wasn't much that was different.
Straight off, I tried to visit my family, since it had been awhile. I went to Northern Utah and Oklahoma, and for Thanksgiving, we stopped by Las Vegas and Cedar City. The only place left I have to go to is Washington. After my traveling, I got settled in a bit more, and I eventually found a job. I was hired at Navajo Mine, a coal mine just outside of Farmington, to help out in the environmental department. They've got me doing all kinds of random jobs around the office, and I have to wake up really early in the morning, but it's been pretty good overall. Working is definitely better than not working. I was also called as relief society president for the single's branch in Farmington. I honestly don't know what they were thinking, putting me in as president. It's a bit sressful, but maybe I'll get settled in once I know a little bit more about what I'm supposed to do. I've also been doing some things for Institute, as well as trying to have a semi-active social life.
Well, that's pretty much a summary of my life in 2005. I feel very blessed to have been able to have all of those experiences and to meet so many wonderful people.
