Jan 28--Dear Elder: Letters from the Whole Family

Dear Elder, Hi!  How are you?  I really hope you are doing well, and I pray for you to be able to hang in there and accomplish the work our Heavenly Father has for you to do.  Thanks for all the pictures you sent, we really loved seeing them.

This week was my birthday.  When I got home from school, there was a big beautiful gold-wrapped package waiting for me and on it was a card that said the following:

Once upon a time, there was a yellow crock pot.  It was Mom’s pride and joy until one day, a huge piece was chipped right off if it!  She stared at it in bewilderment.  How could this possibly happen to her beloved crock pot?  She could never again bring soup to a ward function.  We all had to suffer at the hands of the other women’s soup!  For years, her little crock pot was used for nothing but home cooking.  The poor little crock pot was hidden away in a dark cupboard, waiting for the day when it could finally be replaced with a new, better, stainless steel crock pot.  We now leave our old crock pot.  Will she stay hidden in the cupboard or will she be replaced?  Open the present to find out!!  Happy Birthday!  Love, Dad, Jon, Miriam, Katrina and Thomas.
As you guessed, the present was a beautiful new crock pot.  It is awesome!  Miriam is the one who wrapped it and wrote that cute card.

Dad and I went out the evening of my birthday and had a nice time being together.  He got me a few things I needed and we ate at Brick Oven, then we went home and finished “Martin Chuzzlewitt,” a film based on Charles Dicken’s book.  I love Charles Dicken’s books made into movies!  Pickwick Papers, Bleak House, Old Curiosity Shop, they are all excellent!  I wish I had read Dickens growing up.  Now, sadly, I don’t read much.

Yesterday we had a little birthday celebration for me with the family.  Jon bought and made me a roast in my new crockpot.  It was delicious!  Katrina made me birthday Madlibs and here they are:

My Birthday Madlibs--By Katrina

Well, another year has come and gone and The  Supreme Poohba’s another year purple and another year slinky.  How is she slinky, you ask?  Well, this past millisecond she’s learned that her ompah-lompahs are little slurpees.  For instance, no blue-man (with the exception of Wilberforce) has ever put away double their left-handed drill number of Phillip head screwdrivers.  We have all confessed to her.  She’s also learned that the Doctor can be creepy, hard as it is to believe.  She’s learned that she didn’t flee her zombies to slither well enough.  One of them has already forgotten typewriting almost entirely!  In another millennium, it will be completely.  She’s learned that taking care of hipster can have its round moments, with some knobby moments as well.  She’s learned that Mr. President will never be tired of going to the Bahamas.  I’m convinced that they’ve gone only because every time Mom thought it would be the last.  She’s learned that having -2 kids having a job fifteen minutes away may be good for the kids, but it’s hard on her thing 1 and thing 2.  She’s finally found her favorite, non-religious quote: “No walnut tastes as good as a walrus feels,” –Dubrikisha.  We all wonder what Mom will be sprinkly about next year.

My Real Birthday--Also by Katrina

Well, another year has come and gone and Mom’s another year older and another year wiser.  How is she wiser, you ask?  Well, this past year she’s learned that her children are little liars.  For instance, no child (with the exception of Thomas) has ever put away double their age of objects.  We have all confessed to her.  She’s also learned that Dad can be thin, hard as it is to believe.  She’s learned that she didn’t teach her children to speak well enough.  One of them has already forgotten English almost entirely!  In another year, it will be completely.  She’s learned that taking care of an older lady can have its funny moments, with some inappropriate moments as well.  She’s learned that Dad will never be tired of going to Disneyland.  I’m convinced that they’ve gone only because every time Mom thought it would be the last.  She’s learned that having three kids having a job fifteen minutes away may be good for the kids, but it’s hard on her time and gas gauge.  She’s finally found her favorite, non-religious quote: “No food tastes as good as skinny feels,” -Jonathan Cole.  We all wonder what Mom will be wiser about next year.

She did such a good job!  It was really nice of her to go to all that trouble.
Thursday Elizabeth and I went out just for fun.  We did some shopping and I actually bought myself a skirt and blouse which only took me 10 minutes or so to find and try on.  That’s got to be some sort of record or something.  I wore it to church and felt very pretty.

Most of us are a bit sick these days.  The inversion causes the air to be really bad and I think that’s a big part of the problem.  It hit me pretty bad Saturday night, and it’s been a long time since I’ve gotten sick—years—so I’m quite a baby about it.  It doesn’t keep me from going where I need to go or doing what I need to do, so that’s good.

Saturday Miriam and I drove with Elizabeth and two of her girls to Jessica's bridal shower.  It was done by her other grandma and was lots of fun.  I am so glad Jessica is marrying Henry.  He’s a truly amazing guy!  I am going to their wedding in February and will get to see Emerson, Cassandra, and Lily while I am there.  Yay!  In March I will be going to Celeste’s wedding.  Elizabeth and possibly Rick also will be on the same flight!

I have been teaching the young women in the stake about being converted unto the Lord, and it has been going good.  We are also gearing up for girl’s camp.  I worked all last week and again today.  I can’t wait till that’s over!
I love you, Matt, and hope your week is wonderful.
Love,
Mom

Dear Matt
Thanks so much for you letter and pictures and even the video!  You really crack us up!  So there was the family all gathered in the kitchen and then I got to the video and Mom said, “hey everybody, here is a video of Matt!”  and so everybody gathers around the computer and ‘wizzz!’ there we see a lovely picture of your feet!  You big tease!  We all laughed, somebody said “is that it?-we only get to see his feet?” it was very funny.  I especially liked the pancakes and the slingshot.

 It is a little less cold here, hovering at just over freezing  during the day, it is actually pleasant.  Thomas and I went up the canyon yesterday and shot a few rounds, I wanted to test some reloads that I was making, we spent most of our time picking up brass other people had left.

Mom is going to be going to Celeste’s wedding soon, There is an airline that flies out from here now so we got a really cheap ticket on that flight, it was like a hundred bucks round trip, plus we save the hour drive to the big airport and the gas times two.  She is also flying to Jessica’s wedding and is going to stay a whole week there so she can see Lily.  Do people think it is cool that you have a niece with a Mexican name? Citlali?

Mom and I just finished watching a BBC adaptation of Charles Dicken’s  “Martin Chuzzelwitz”  I had never heard of it before but it was excellent, typical Dickens and we loved it.

What I haven’t done is finish the work I need to do on the house, I have been lazy, but I did take down the Christmas lights  and pull up the green carpet last Monday, its just that there is so much to do.  Oh yes, I also went and paid Grandma’s final Electric bill, it is kind of strange to think that Grandma is gone and so is the house that I grew up in.  Renee wrote a story about the house, I’ll have to forward it to you .  Well, I can’t wait to hear about your week, I love you very much and am so proud of all that you do.
Love, Dad

Dear Matt, Yes I still sleep with a lot of blankets but not as much as I used to, stuff is going pretty good, I am waking up every morning at 4:30 to do insanity and run then I go to early morning seminary afterwards, it’s pretty crazy I have to go to bed at like nine, but usually I have something keeping me up so I stay up later. Everybody seems to be sick lately and Miriam especially, I was feeling sick after school during play practice and I fell asleep on the stage haha it was pretty funny. Speaking of the play I am starting to get my Jamaican accent down, here I’ll show you. Say “beer can” with a british accent. Say it out loud. Okay what you said is “bacon” with a Jamaican accent. Haha I don’t know if it will work for you with your Mexican accent but it works for me. In school I have this computer tech teacher that doesn’t know anything about computers at all, she like doesn’t know how to log on to the internet, and she thinks that everybody in the class doesn’t know anything either. Its really stupid, anyways I have to go to seminary now.
-Thomas


Dear Elder,
I hope you had a good birthday!  Cleaning.  That sounds… fun.  Oh well, you’re a missionary.  You don’t know what’s fun anymore.  :P This week has been really busy for me.  I had a DECA competition on Wednesday.  Miriam and I placed 3rd.  I had UTA on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  It was fun.  I have to make up my school work for all of those days.  I’m going to school now.  Blah.
Love,
Katrina
Matt, Sorry that Miriam hasn't had a chance to write yet.  I know she would want me to tell you "hi" for her. --Mom