Our First Ever Christmas Letter

Guest post: Mr. Austin Cornilles

2014 has brought adventure and change to our young married life.  We have experienced everything from malaria in Africa and altitude sickness in Japan to swinging on a trapeze in Mexico and walking through German Christmas markets in England.  Wherever we have been in our spectacular world, 2014 has brought Callie and I closer together.  Take a look at some of our most memorable moments during the past year.

During the first four months of the year, Callie continued to sell real estate in Utah.  Yes, she has her own Zillow page and her team was also honored with a regional award at her company’s award banquet.  All her hard work has definitely helped support us in all of my expensive endeavors.

In April, after four years in Provo – six for Callie – I graduated from BYU and was able to celebrate with my family and my in-laws.  A sensible person might imagine starting a reliable 9-5 job in the city where they and their spouse grew up, but I have different plans.  Callie never imagined where life would take her and her future husband while growing up in Portland, Oregon.

In May, we were able to go on vacation to Ixtapa, Mexico with the Russell family.  After a cancelled flight, a night in Mexico City, and lost baggage, we were able to relax on the beach.  Callie enjoyed the trapeze while I enjoyed playing soccer with the resort employees.  We loved spending time with family and seeing Julie dance the night away at the nightly parties.  After all the fun, we couldn’t forget to take a picture with our Rip City gear.

A few days after returning home from Mexico, Callie and I got on a plane for the longest traveling experience of our lives.  After spending a night in Dubai, we finally arrived in Accra, Ghana.  There, we worked for a company that trains small businesses in developing markets.  We experienced what rain is like in Africa, long tro tro rides through bumpy, dusty roads, the largest market in West Africa, sketchy currency exchanges, mosquitos, USA vs Ghana in the World Cup, our second anniversary, and cold showers.  Through it all, we met amazingly faithful and hard working people.  It would be an understatement to say we were inspired over and over again.

After returning home from Ghana in July, we were back on the airplane heading to Japan with the Cornilles Family.  My brother, Brennan just returned home from his mission in Taiwan, so this was our catching up time.  My dad got to see a man from his mission and my parents showed us where they used to live.  We climbed Mt. Fuji, swam in the Sea of Japan, visited historical sights, and took selfies with wild deer.  It was amazing to experience Japanese culture and spend time with family.

In September, Callie and I stuffed our lives into our suitcases and moved to Birmingham, England so I could attend graduate school.  Callie and I have made some great friends and feel at home in our new ward at church.  Callie is serving the young children in the primary and I am serving the young men.  We love learning new meanings behind British words and meeting people from all over the world.  Living in a big city with old architecture is something we thought you only saw in movies!

Callie and I feel extremely blessed to have been able to make so many new friends and travel to so many places this last year.  We are grateful to our Heavenly Father for everything we have experienced and look forward to the adventures 2015 will bring!

Merry Christmas!

With love, 
The Cornilles'

England vs. America

People say not to compare, but I just had to do it. There are so many great things about England, and a few things we miss from the US. I'm a born and bred, hamburger eating, red white and blue American- so there are a few biases there. England is brilliant though, and we've only just begun here.

Let the battle begin!

Chocolate- Maybe it is because we are in Europe, but even the chocolate you buy at the local gas station is better than American chocolate.
Winner: ENGLAND

Cheese- I have no idea why it's better here. It just is.
Winner: ENGLAND

Toilets- This one is weird and probably TMI...apologies in advance. The water level in the toilets here are consistently quite a bit lower than in the states. Which is great for two reasons,
1) they use less water & 2) the diminished splash factor. Need I say more?
Winner: ENGLAND

Customer Service- Hands down, America. We are very conscious about customer service in the States. Sometimes it can even be excessive or annoying, but not here. People just don't care as much. Lose a customer? eh... whatever. Call me spoiled but I am just used to a quality of service at shops, restaurants, etc, that people just don't provide here.
Winner: AMERICA

Public Transportation- Trains, tubes, buses, undergrounds, flying cars, teleportation... okay fine, not the last two. But honestly, you can get anywhere in Europe on public transport. It is amazing and efficient. Don't get we wrong, I miss having a car, but the PT is second to none.
Winner: ENGLAND

Winter- Son of a nutcracker, it is cold here. It's a wet cold and you feel it right down to your bones. Geographically, Americans just have more options for weather conditions. It's a huge country. Go to Arizona or Florida and have a nice warm Christmas. England is an isolated winter island. I'm told it's only going to get worse come January. Eeek.
Winner: AMERICA

Variety/Choices- Since America is a melting pot of different people and backgrounds, we have tons of variety. We can go to the grocery store and have literally 30 different options for everything. You just have less to choose from here. I was beginning to enjoy the simplicity, until I couldn't find root beer.
Winner: AMERICA

Vocabulary- Numerous times since we've been here I have heard mothers asking their young children to behave by using the phrase, "Can you please be sensible?" I didn't even know the word sensible until at least middle school.
Winner: ENGLAND

Time- Every second counts in America. We work from sun up to sun down. No stopping. No breaks. No fun. Too far? The english way of life is much more relaxed. It's lovely.
Winner: ENGLAND

Location- A couple hours to Paris on the tube. Also, a short/cheap flight cheap to anywhere in Europe. England is prime location.
Winner: ENGLAND

Sports- There is no contest. The two sports I miss watching the most are basketball and football. NBA, NFL, College Basketball, College Football. They only thing they have on us is soccer... aka: football. And I can't deny they REALLY have us there, but nothing beats a packed Moda Center in April. Am I right? Rrrrrrrrrrripp Cittyyyyy!
Winner: AMERICA

Side note. Our friends here were nice enough to lend us a mini tree!

Merry Christmas!