Merry Christmas from the Yanceys part Deux.

Dear Family and Friends,

I decided to leave up the blog from last year so you can see how things have changed. Just click on Merry Christmas from the Yanceys on the right!

What a crazy year this has been! The house looks great this year like it always does, Jeff keeps thinking that the money should be used for more altruistic endeavors. I think the best way I can spread Christmas cheer is to make my house as pretty as possible. Besides, I spent over $1500 at that Oriental store. Now they will be able to get the old man's teeth whitened. It feels so good to help someone else have a Christmas miracle, even if they are Buddhists.

Things have been busy for us, we did some remodeling of our home which was such a mess. I decided that I wanted taupe stucco instead of tan and it was so worth it. I want us to get a new Lexus that matches the house better but Jeff seems to think that is too much. I am just going to die when the girls come over for book club in March to not have a matching house and car. Sorry to those of you who have not been invited to that, maybe after Gail finally expands her living room. (jk)

I decided that I needed some new hobbies on top of everything else I have been doing. I decided to learn French, start a small travel agency, write a food column in the local paper and start a non-profit organization. My French is coming along really well, I listen to it every time I go for a run and I speak better than most French people. Of course, you know that when I am not involved in my many, many interests I am with the girls down at the salon. Oh, I almost forgot! I am also campaigning for Mitt Romney. I really don’t know what he stands for, but he must be the best because he is Mormon.

Jeff needed to find himself so he completely stopped writing and started some garage band called Tyra's Forehead. He says it is a way of rediscovering his youthful vitality. I think it is just noise and a huge waste of time. The band has some album coming out in a few weeks, called Easing Hormone Anxiety. He keeps sitting around the house with his guitar singing stupid songs about carmel and homing pigeons. He also started on this cabbage diet and has lost over 100 lbs. He looks really sick to me and I think he should just get hair plugs.

Jefanie is becoming so pretty. She is 12 years old now and flourishing as a beautiful young woman. She is so incredibly talented and capable, I don’t know what to do! She is just like her mom. She received the Most Promising Girl of Sandy Award, Princess of the Year for Sandy and the prestigious American Beauty of Sandy, Draper and Riverton (which also includes Herriman). I just know she will be homecoming queen here in a few years. She was on the honor roll in her school each quarter and she was the MVP in every sport she played in last year. She wrote a poem that took first place in a national competition. She is my perfect child!

Cimfanie is 10 and has become really weird. She dresses all in black and wears black lipstick. She also listens to the worst music. I try to get her to dress and act more like her sister, but she just throws the cute make up and outfits I give her in the trash. I made her stop taking her tuba lessons because I really didn’t like her teacher. The teacher kept telling her that she was some sort of musical genius, but I don’t think he should be getting her hopes up. What do they teach those teachers at that stupid Julliard academy anyway? Jeff and I argued about her a lot this year. We argued about my country music too.

I totally forgot our 7 or 8 year old son in last year’s newsletter. Sorry.

I regret to inform you that our dog of 20 years, Gretchen, passed away last March. She was such a sweet little friend. We buried her in the backyard which is against city ordinances but I wanted her close to me forever. We are thinking of moving to Alpine next year and Jeff said he will not dig her up if we do. We will just have to see. We did get a new dog that looks just like a mini Gretchen, so we call her Minigretch. Jeff says her name sounds gross, but he is just a guy with a one-track mind.

I hope all of you have a Merry Christmas. Be sure to vote for Mitt!

With Christmas Love,

Stephanie, Jeff, Jefanie, Cymfanie and Minigretch.

Merry Christmas from the Yanceys!

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas! We hope all of you are having as wonderful holiday season as we are. It just seems that life is getting more and more crazy, but it could just be me! (lol) Our house is just perfect this year, Jeff carefully hung lights and decorations all around our already beautiful home according to my instructions. I found a cute little Christmas store downtown owned by an Oriental family where I bought thousands of dollars worth of decorations to put around our home. Jeff wanted to donate the money to charity, but I thought that we shouldn’t be feeding the poor, we should be getting them jobs!

Our girls are growing up so fast. Last year they were 10 and 8, this year they are 11 and 9. No, although there were several rumors that the Yancey family was growing, I am not expecting. I don’t know who keeps spreading these rumors every year, but it isn’t me. Hopefully, I can catch you all up to everything we have been doing.

I finally talked Jeff into letting me get a Lexus SC 430 Convertible. It is so cute. Last year we got the Escalade, but Jeff took it camping and made it all smoky. I can’t drive to my many appointments smelling that mess. I love having the wind go through my hair. I pulled into my hair appointment the other day and all the girls came out to see my new wheels! I could tell they were jealous. Besides that, I am just way too busy with my real estate business and trying to get the girls to all of their things. I am still scrapbooking and writing poetry. I have tried to get into pottery because of Ghost but it is just too messy.

Jeff has switched over to writing children’s books. This year he published Baby’s First Clam Chowder and Why Satan Replaced Third Base with a Pancake, available everywhere LDS books are sold. We are getting check after check for his non-fiction books Beltloops: A Practical Approach and A Family Medical Guide: From Colitis to Colostrum. He still doesn’t eat salad and is getting really, really fat.

Jefanie is now 11 and has discovered boys. She dresses so pretty. She is also involved in singing, dance, ballet, clogging, modern dance, cheerleading, modeling, acting and ice hockey. She is also in soccer, tennis, volleyball, softball, basketball, and lacrosse. She got an honorable mention in the Miss Cottonwood Heights pageant which was hosted by Bobby Flay. They show it every once in a while on the Food Network at 2:00 a.m. Set your TiVo!

Cimfanie is now 9 and loves reading. She has always been our little tomboy which is why I don’t like her as much (jk). She keeps mom busy with her tuba lessons and we need to talk with her about trying to do so much. She just isn’t as capable as her mom and older sister. She has always been daddy’s little girl and obviously got his genes and fashion sense (jk).

Gretchen is happy barking at people and laying around the house. She is blind in one eye and seems to be quite a bit of pain. The neighbor dog chewed off her tail and right ear but I think she will be with us for another four Christmases. I hope so because that will make 20 years and I really want her to be part of our family. But if not, oh well!

Have a Merry Christmas to all.

Love,

Jeff, Stephanie, Jefanie, Cimfanie and Gretchen.