2008 Christmas Letter

Greetings Family and Friends!

Once again, we are late in getting our Christmas card and letter out – but, as the saying goes, "better late than never." So, here’s our 2008 at a glance - great for our very first post to our new blog:

Due to a few home improvements, we traveled a little less this year. We took our annual trip to Colorado where we stayed at Ed’s mom’s cabin. While there, we finally built a structure on our 10 acres – a tree house (well, really it’s more of a platform). Ed and the boys had a blast building it while Sam and I just enjoyed romping around in the woods. We also made it up to Denver to visit some museums and had a fun day at Elitch Gardens Six Flags. Sam had the pleasure of staying with Lynnette and Ophelia (her mutt Border Collie) at the cabin while we were gone – he made himself right at home running free in the cool Colorado sun. As is an October tradition, we also made our annual trek to Puerto Penasco, Mexico with our many friends. This trip proved to be a little more complicated since our van was totaled just weeks before our trip. Luckily, we are blessed with wonderful friends that offered to take both of their family-sized vehicles, so our trip happened without fail.

On the topic of travel, Ed had the wonderful opportunity to venture to China this summer. Along with 9 other teachers, he spent time in Beijing, Nanjing, and Shanghai visiting schools, sites, and even got to live with a Chinese family. He came back with a renewed sense of energy and a strong desire to live and teach overseas. Because of this, he has applied to teach for Department of Defense Schools in Europe and Japan/Okinawa. Timing is everything, so if the right job is available and Ed is hired, we may be moving and starting a new adventure. We will keep you posted!

We are also very excited to share that Ed passed his comprehensive exams, has formed his committee, and is now working on writing his dissertation. His goal is to finish by this summer. On top of this task, he continues to teach AP US History and AP Government and was awarded The "Daughters of the American Revolution Southern Arizona Teacher of the Year." More importantly, he continues to be an amazingly involved father, a wonderfully supportive husband, and dedicates his time to our wonderful church.

I continue to enjoy teaching 6th graders, volunteering in the 2-year-old room at our church, and catching up on scrapbooking. In addition this year, I have found the time to enjoy some wonderful books. In November I had the pleasure of going to a "Women of Faith" conference with three of my dear friends.


Collier is almost 10! Eek – where did the time go? In June Collier earned his Junior Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. After four and a half years of hard work and training, he persevered and accomplished this amazing feat. We are so proud of him! Academically, he continues to excel as well. This year, as a fourth grader, he started playing the clarinet and is doing very well. He loves computer and video games, reading (especially Garfield books), and football. Going to the UA football games with Ed and William was one of his favorite things to do. Much to his excitement, Ed, along with his two friends and their sons, surprised Collier and William with a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl Game, where the UA beat BYU 31-21. Check out the pictures: http://drop.io/nhggu3n


William is 7 and in 2nd grade. Just like Collier, his favorite subject is math. After receiving some extra help in reading this year, William is doing so well and absolutely loves to read – mostly history ( hmmm, I wonder where that comes from). William moved up from being a black belt in the Little Dragons’ class, to a yellow belt in the beginners’ class. He loves legos, football, playing knights and castles, and building things. In fact, William is constantly constructing or inventing some new gadget.


Evan is 4, turning 5 in March – he is counting down and wants to be older than me! As most of you know, Evan is very intense, energetic, and vocal. He is certainly a spirited child who loves to be on stage and in the center of attention (I guess you have to fight for it when you are the youngest of three boys). He is also incredibly loving and sweet – snuggling up on the couch reading a good book is one of his favorite pastimes. Once he turned four, he joined his brothers at the karate studio and currently holds a blue belt in the Little Dragons.

As we reflect on this year, we realize that it has been the stage for change. In the next year we see many new doors open and are both excited and anxious. We have felt settled and content for so many years that these prospective changes bring anxious anticipation.

Following the footsteps of many friends, I have decided to create a blog (since you are reading this you know that). Hopefully this will allow you all to keep up on the happenings of the Moodys – without me clogging your inbox with emails and pictures.

Blessings to you all,

Keira, Ed, Collier, William, Evan, and Sam

"Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe." St. Augustine