Houghton Adventures 2013-14
20451
Charlotte Court, Soulsbyville, CA 95372
* (209) 536-9231 * werooc@gmail.com
We’re hoping to get this “Christmas Letter” wrapped
up before Valentines. . .as we missed the 2013 edition. It’s been an exciting couple of years since
our last update, filled with comings and goings amid droughts and wildfires:
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Levi (14½), is in high school!
He looks the part, as he’s been racing to catch up in height to his
brother. He has survived the transition
to 5:55 a.m. seminary and he revels in vigorous gym/water polo/swim/bicycle
workouts. Levi is our only child who has
ever conscientiously put himself to bed every night—guess he needs the sleep to
keep up with all that growing and exercising.
He’s doing a great job in academics, plays the trumpet in the Golden
Regiment band, and is Mark’s most diligent hiking and biking buddy. Levi dreads
being the only child at home next year, and is looking to adopt a brother. Please call with prospects.
Tess (17) completed an
independent study AP Calculus course last year as a junior, which attracted
attention from a number of colleges.
After graduation this year, she plans to join her siblings at BYU, but much
to her father’s chagrin, is not committing to a math-oriented major. Since our last report, Tess has conquered her fear
of slipping off Half Dome, worked as a lifeguard for two summers, played her first
professional violin gig, served as student body Treasurer, and won the family
mile swim. She is our most faithful
contributor to the Houghton family blog, for which we owe much thanks, as we
wouldn’t be able to remember what happened without her posts.
Marta (19) is a sophomore majoring in Recreation Management at
BYU. Always a mother hen, she’s found
the perfect way to acquire experience in her major by nurturing and guiding 48
freshmen as a Resident Assistant at school.
She also relishes beating the boys in her racquetball class and baking
cookies often. Marta’s big news is that
she will be serving an eighteen month mission for our church in Mexico City,
beginning in June. She’s thinking it
might be a good idea to start brushing up on her Spanish!
Luke (almost 21) is serving in the England
Birmingham mission. He currently lives
in Wales and loves the foreign-ness and beauty of that area. He has enjoyed interactions with people from
all over the world and the opportunity to share his belief in Christ and His
gospel. He’ll be returning home in April
to sunny days (quite a contrast between drought stricken California and
England!) reconnecting with family, and hopefully a job. He will attend BYU in
the fall, and we’re interested to see if he continues in the Chemical Engineering studies he began
before his mission.
Eliza (23) completed her mission working with Spanish-speaking
people in the Florida Fort Lauderdale area, in May. After attending a cross-country family reunion
and joining Team Houghton for the Trans-Tahoe
Relay swim in July, she spent the last half of the summer working for (and
charming) Denise’s parents in Wisconsin and taking pre-requisites for her
studies in Business Management. She
returned to BYU in September, and has been polishing her language skills by
living in the “Spanish House.” She might
finally have found the right major, as she loves accounting and finance and
she’s already secured a summer internship.
Mark (getting gray) is closing in on his second year
as Bishop of our LDS congregation, which (much to the kids’ relief) has slowed
the rate of retaining wall construction at home. Despite his grueling commute to the valley
for work, he is committed to fitting in several (short) swim sessions a week
and he’s taken up bike riding again (though he can’t quite keep up with Levi on
the up-hills). Mark lives to plan and execute adventures, and this was a Tahoe
year, with our family swim across the lake and a week-long bike and hike around
it with the teenage boys from church
Denise (young as
ever) teaches early morning seminary classes, has discovered that serving
as home-base support for missionaries and college students is as involved as
having them at home, and somehow is still surprised that people want to be fed
almost every night! This Christmas she
ran a “heritage sewing and candy-making school” for the kids, hoping to make up
for previous years’ negligence in teaching vital homemaking skills. Denise
swims most days of the week but still comes in dead last in family aquatic
events.
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As we head into this new year, we are grateful for
God’s blessings, for opportunities to learn and to serve, and for friendship
with good people, near and far, who share their love and example and
support.
Love, The Houghtons
For
updates on Luke and his mission in England visit: elderlukehoughton.blogspot.com
