BYU 38 Oregon 8

I want to take a moment and acknowledge the amazing season BYU finished by beating the Pac-10's Oregon University in the Las Vegas Bowl. I cannot even put into words how amazing this season has felt.

Since 2001 I have been a part of BYU football and never have I seen such a great effort by the players under Coach Mendenhall. Through the 2004 season I was quite disappointed at BYU's performance under Coach Crowton. As soon as I heard the grounds for firing Crowton and the plans for Mendenhall to return BYU to its winning tradition, I knew that we were on the right track.

Through the 2005 season I watched in satisfaction as the cougars steadily improved under the new conductor. I was pleased that the problems which pestered the BYU team of the Crowton era were changing with discipline and strong leadership. I became endeared to the team as they committed to their spiritual heritage. Asking for the help of the Lord and exercising the same faith that made them worthy to come to BYU, the blessings were poured out on them. Finishing 2005 barely .500 did not bother me at all; I could feel they were headed in the right direction.

As the 2006 season began, I was troubled that the first two games were frustrating losses, but I knew that they were learning experiences that would be used during the conference schedule. Sure enough, those games proved to be motivation for the rest of the season.

The real breakthrough for BYU was the win against TCU. It was just the victory they needed. There was no looking back. I was amazed at the focus they held entering each and every game. As they entered the Las Vegas bowl, I knew they would have nerves, but I also knew that they would be prepared and focused as they had proven all season.

What a fantastic game and an end to an equally amazing season. Now as the season has ended, the players can look back at their efforts with pride and satisfaction; yet I feel BYU will be looking more to the future as their prospects for next season are endless. Amazing recruits? Another winning season? Another ranking in the top 25? Absolutely. Way to go Cougars!

Christmas Newsletter

This was a great year, much happened. We started the year off with a bang, when our car’s engine died on New Years day. But we bought our new Corolla just two weeks later and life moved on. Dave had many interviews and flew to and from Arizona and California until he was accepted into a summer internship with PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) in Los Angeles. He left for training in Chicago and two weeks later, when I had finished my classes, we met in California. Dave’s parents were kind of enough to let us stay with them for six weeks. While Dave was busy working on his internship, I was finishing my last 2 class through independent study (correspondence). I finished those two classes and was officially done with school. We returned to Utah in August for graduation. A few days later we went Hawaii.

We spent 8 glorious days on Oahu, relaxing on the beach and walking around the island. We came back with some great tans and lots of sea shells. After Hawaii, it was time to work. Dave started fall semester and I started to look for a job. After a bunch of interviews I found one at Dentrix, a dental software company. I troubleshoot over the phone for the customers. During the same week, Dave got a full-time job offer from PwC in Dallas! We will be moving next summer when he finishes school.

This year we ate Thanksgiving dinner with a few couples from our apartment complex. I made the turkey and it actually worked! We ate left-over turkey, stuffing, mash potatoes, etc. for weeks. We are very excited to visit New Jersey this year for Christmas.

We send you our love and wish you a wonderful holiday season!

Love,
The Crests