The Sparkman Family Letter

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2008 at a glance by Stephanie, Jake, Emma, and Rod

Dearest Family and Friends:

2008 will go down in history as one of those years with many ups and downs. Camille had a car accident which has permanently injured her right hand. It has caused her a great deal of pain and grief at work. As you know, librarians need to use their hands in everything they do. Out of consideration for Camille, Rod cancelled his St. George Marathon. He will try again next year. Despite all that, he’s been running 100+ miles on his Power-Trainer machine each day he trains – whew!!! In October, he ran the 20 mile Hess Cancer Legacy Highway Tour in 1 hour and 11 minutes. Out of 1400 able-bodied cyclists and runners, he finished 217th and first in his division!

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We also lost our beloved companion and pet – Dixie. She passed away on October 24th. She was with us almost 11 years. We will certainly miss her. On the up side, Jacob completed his mission with great success and honor! We got back a wonderful young man.

In addition, we’ve been extremely fortunate to become grandparents. R.J. and Ann have a new baby boy named Brennon. He is such a wonderful addition to the family.

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Speaking of additions, we went to the Salt Lake City Humane Society and got Precious. She has a dumb name and is a mutt, but she certainly has proven to be a smart dog. She is house-trained, sleeps in her kennel in Stephanie’s room, knows how to sit, paw, and dance. We’re growing to love her just like we did Dixie.

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Emma has had a year of new adventures. She is currently seeking full-time employment as she resigned from teaching at the University of Utah in October after four and half years due to her department’s financial inconsistencies. (Editor: In other words, they did not pay her until several months after a semester was over. The university is going through financial woes and is cutting back many classes. They were “robbing Peter to pay Paul”.) Though this was a time of heart ache and trouble, it left her with more time to develop a relationship with a wonderful young man named Bobby McNeal. It is nice to see Emma treated so well and we wish the two of them the best in their future together whatever it may be. Emma will continue her education for her second Bachelors degree in nursing most likely next fall at Davis Applied Technology College here in Layton, Utah. If you want pictures, I can give those to you, too. Love, Emma Sparkman.

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Hi, this is Jake and Stephanie. We have contemplated, pondered, and analyzed this Christmas letter. And we have come up with a brilliant solution to our writing woes. We have decided to conglomerate our letters and will periodically be referring to ourselves as St-Ake (pronounced Stŭ-Āke). With our powers combined, we will help Rudolph find his way through the fog.

Ake has recently returned from the swampy lands of Florida. There he ventured through many daring and defying feats. One of those many challenges he faced wasn’t the frightful alligators, but it was the old ladies without teeth and cranky dogs slamming their door in his face. Luckily, he saved many of his brothers and sisters who trudged the swamps of Florida. He grew to love them and misses them terribly….But his adventures continue. He has found solace in what we call the BANK. He hasn’t gotten shot…yet! He is currently courting a lovely bell from the southern lands near Disney. He has asked her hand in marriage and will be married in the next year. (ST interjects… “Why do you want to leave me??!)

One of Ake’s favorite pastimes is gallivanting around with one of his many fearless companions who braved the swamps alongside him. That man’s name is Sir Joseph Wallace of Ogden. They do not need to go out and find trouble because it tends to find them first. That’s when they morph into the Red Rangers. Red Ranger #1 and Red Ranger #2. And so you see…Ake has accomplished many dashing and delightful feats in the year of our Lord 2008 and will continue to do so in the next year and beyond!

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St worked incognito as a woman of the past over the summer.(Ake: “Not to be confused with Clark Kent.”) She is astonished at the tolerance pioneer women had for long dresses and hot summer days. She is also happy that she is not a zoo animal, although sometimes she felt like one. It’s never a good thing when you have to remind people that you are a human being and not a museum display! Please do not feed the Pioneers! And please do not touch them…they will bite! By the end of her mission at This Is The Place Heritage Park (across the street from the Hogle Zoo. Come to the Candle Light Christmas and write a letter to Father Christmas! Ake *rolls his eyes* “That wasn’t a subliminal advertisement at all.”), St was ready to let her hair down and take off her petticoat…how scandalous. *Clears throat…*

St is now attending Weber State University and will soon be done with her associate’s degree. She plans on studying Journalism and hopes to write human interest stories for a magazine or newspaper. If you’re curious about ST’s dating life, you can call her cell phone and listen to her message. In other words, she likes her dog better than the lesser species called MEN.(Ake states: “Well so much for us men being compared to dogs, apparently they are better than us….LAME!!!”)

ST-Ake would like to wish everyone a happy Chriskwanzika! Not to be confused with Kwanza, Hanukah or Christmas! We will and do celebrate the Lord’s birthday and that is the true reason for the season. May the Lord bless you with the things you stand in need of. Fare thee well fair friends and family mates!

¡Hasta la vista! Season's Greetings to All

Merry Christmas to Everyone! Please don’t forget to visit us at our www.rodneysparkman.org and for the Christmas letters with more and full pictures at http://www.rodneysparkman.org/christmas_letters.htm

The Rodney Sparkman Jr. Family

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