Dear Elder,
Hi! Thank you for the email on Tuesday. It was so nice to hear about you getting a new companion and also being transferred to La Paz. Do you have to ration water there? I know they did in Cabo when we were there. Hmmm…Skype for an hour, or talk for two hours. Wow, that’s a really hard choice! How are we supposed to choose? Most of the kids say, “Skype.” What’s really sad is that Jon won’t be there with us in Texas when you call. That’s really exciting that you get to stay on your mission longer. I hope we can stand waiting! Thanks for the heads up. How did that come about, anyway? Ya, I know I really should be on a commercial for the movies, ha ha!
Yesterday was such a nice day. I thought I was going to be in meetings from 1:00 to 9:00 at night, but our last meeting was cancelled, and I was able to be home by 6:00. Miriam and Katrina had a dinner of salmon cakes and baked sweet potatoes waiting for us, and we had a wonderful dinner and fun conversation. We had family home evening last night. Katrina conducted and also read your last letter. Thomas had the family history portion of the lesson, and he read family memories of Grandma Haws to us. Dad gave the lesson on Lehi’s journey across the desert and we learned that there is still a place called “Nahom,” and it is a place of burial and that a day’s journey east of it is a lush place by the ocean with date palms and trees large enough to provide wood for ship building. I made a sugar free pumpkin pie for treat, and it was a hit, so I guess Dad will get pie on Thanksgiving.
Saturday started with Dad going to the laundry, Katrina going to play practice, Thomas going sledding, and Miriam and I going to the church for Super Saturday. It was a crazy morning because there was snow everywhere. It started Friday and was still going strong Saturday morning. We did lots of snowy driving. Miriam and I enjoyed Super Saturday where we did crafts, visited with the ladies in the ward, and ate soup and dessert. When we got home, Miriam and I hand-sewed repairs on costumes for Katrina’s play.
As a Costco employee, Jon gets a free turkey which is very cool. He called me Saturday to drive over and get it, but he couldn’t find the turkeys. Later he found out where to get them, so I think I get to go get it tomorrow. It will be nice to have that for Thanksgiving. It’s even pre-cooked!
About six o’clock, all 4 of us bundled up and left for Provo to rescue Dad who was working on the fallen tree limb at Grandma’s house. By the time we got there, though, Dad had finished and he took us out to Brick Oven for dinner. It was a nice surprise to go out to eat instead of loading up wood in the cold!
Friday Dad and I went to the mall and ate at Chick-fil-a. We had fun just being together and then we went home and watched the latest episodes of “The Middle” and “Once Upon a Time.” It was nice to hunker down in a warm bed on a cold snowy night and watch shows together.
We didn’t do much on Thursday and on Wednesday Dad and I went to Miriam and Katrina’s “Young Women in Excellence” over at the church. They had a wonderful program put on by the young women, and Katrina had a part. Miriam and Katrina both displayed something they’ve been working on for Personal Progress. Miriam displayed a plate of cookies with a card explaining her manners project where she encouraged the family to have good manners at dinner time and rewarded them with a treat for being polite. The card invited people to take a cookie, and they did! Katrina displayed the flower fairy ABC book that she is sewing for Lily.
One day this week, I got to Skype with Lily and Cassandra. I showed Lily all my puppets and she especially liked the monkey. When she saw it, she stood up, danced, and said, ooo, ooo, ooo like a monkey. She showed me the little people ferris wheel that Sarah had brought her and a little person that goes on it. She also showed me her toes, her nose, and her belly button. We sang “Eensy Beensy Spider.”
Tuesday Dad had to work on the roof at Wash Hut all night, and I can’t remember what the rest of us did. On Monday we watched an old Jimmy Stewart movie as a family. It was called “Pot of Gold. We also read a conference talk.
Today Miriam interviews for sterling scholar in business. I hope she does a great job! Katrina’s dress rehearsal for “Annie Get Your Gun” is this afternoon. Also this afternoon we hope to get a letter from you. Hooray! Tonight, we will do the family home evening activity that we didn’t get to last night chosen by Miriam. It is to play “Mormon Bridge” which I Googled, and found out that it is similar to a card game called “Oh Heck” except they don’t say “Heck.”
I have been studying many things lately. Here are some things I am learning: I want to work less on making others like me and more on helping others feel Christ’s love when they are around me. I want to judge less and understand more. I want to remember Christ more, and remember that He is the reason I do what I do as a wife, a mom, and a daughter of God. What have you been studying, Matt? Are you teaching anyone the gospel? I pray every day that you will find people ready to hear the gospel and that you will teach with power from on high. I love you, Matt! Have a wonderful week.
Love,
Mom
PS Your uncle, Don, kindly sent us some pictures he took at your farewell open house, so I will attach some of those to this letter!
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