Holiday Letter 2007

I apologize to everyone who tried to access this letter earlier. I had enough time to send out Christmas cards, but not enough to actually write the letter. Oops! I hope it was worth the wait . . .

It has been another year full of wonderful surprises, the biggest of which you may have already noticed: Rod and I are sending out a holiday letter together. On October 4, I was shocked when I opened the door to find a pathway of candles and roses leading me to Rod on bended knee. Rod is generally not good at surprises, but I had no idea that he had even been looking at engagement rings, let alone purchasing them and plotting his proposal. I was thrilled and (of course) said yes!

Although they pale in comparison, we have had several other exciting surprises this year. Rod was unexpectedly asked to present at an environmental law conference in Arizona about one of his cases. I also had an amazing opportunity through the Utah Chapter of the Federal Bar Association to organize a Pro Bono project, dealing with an issue that I feel strongly about: helping immigrant victims of domestic violence self-petition for legal status in the United States. Over 60 volunteer attorneys went to shelters throughout Utah to teach the victim advocates about the Violence Against Women Act and how to help victims apply for relief. Our chapter received an award from the National Federal Bar Association for the project.

My little sister (Jayde) graduated from Rigby High School in May and, as an early graduation present, we went to Bali, Hong Kong, and China. It was only two-and-a-half weeks, but we packed a lot into the trip. Some of the highlights were the Hindu temples and monkeys in Bali, the shopping and skyline in Hong Kong, and the Great Wall and Kung Fu in Beijing. We also got off the beaten path to visit the Hanging Temple and Buddhist Caves in Datong. The best part, though, was spending time with Jayde.



This summer, I was the social coordinator for Parr Waddoups’s recruiting program. It was so much fun to get to know the summer associates. It kept me pretty busy planning dinners, parties, concerts, trips to Jackson, rock climbing, mountain biking, horseback riding, rafting, and other excursions. Between work and playing with the summer associates, Rod and I did not have a lot of time to take off by ourselves. We did manage to do a three-day mountain biking trip with some of my bike team, Cutthroat Racing, to White Rim Trail in Southern Utah. We also did several unexpectedly long day trips. Rod misjudged the mileage for our “10ish-mile” mid-mountain trail ride and 22 miles later he was taking me to our favorite restaurant so that we could replace some electrolytes. I also took up road biking this summer, but I haven’t gotten good enough to do anything but short rides near our house. I think I’ll leave the century rides to my more dedicated friends.



Rod and I have also had the opportunity to visit our families more often this year. We usually only go to Louisiana for Christmas, but this year we had the opportunity and great excuses for going back three times–Rod’s dad’s 60th birthday (which coincided with his ten-year reunion), the LSU v. Florida game at Tiger Stadium, and Rod’s brother’s graduation from LSU. The reunion was an informative glance into Rod’s past. The Florida game, my first time at Tiger Stadium, was unbelievable. The crowd was louder, wilder, and about twice the size of any crowd I’ve seen in Utah (and that is not counting the 200,000 tailgaters who didn’t have tickets to the game). Although it was nail-biter to the very end, the Tigers were victorious and are now heading to the National Championship on January 7. Geaux Tigers!


We have also been back to Idaho several times to see my family. Unfortunately, my Grandma Ellis was diagnosed with Guillon-Barre Syndrome, a neurological disease that causes temporary paralysis, in May. The disease struck suddenly; one day Grandma was walking around doing her normal routine and the next she woke up and could not support herself. It has been so difficult watching her struggle. I am so grateful that her mind and the rest of her body are healthy. It has been seven long months, but she is starting to regain strength in her legs now and we a praying for her full recovery. My mother and the rest of our family were able to all be together for Thanksgiving, which I know meant so much to my Grandma. My Grandpa has been amazing, taking care of Grandma through the whole process. I love them both so much and feel so blessed to have such caring and supportive people in my life.

We are so excited for the New Year and look forward to planning the rest of our lives together (well at least the beginning of the rest of our lives together).

Happy Holidays!


Jen and Rod