Dear Kids,
      Spring is coming! Reggie is doing loop-de-loop in his cage. The cats are sunning themselves on the deck, and just inside the window, I was sunning myself on the floor, next to all my little plants I’m growing. Actually, I was reading, too, putting off all the work I need to do today.
      Conference is a week from this Sunday. We’ll do our usual cabin weekend, for anybody who wants to join us. Dad and I will be there from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, and anybody who wants first dibs on a bedroom for any night, let me know as soon as possible. Also, let me know if you want to eat Sunday dinner with us. I’m sure there will be the usual hikes around the loop, if enough snow has melted. If not, there will probably be sledding on the hill, like we did last year. We’re supposed to have warm weather for the next few days, though, so maybe it will all be mud. Who cares? Conference weekend is always fun.
     One of the fun things was going to be John’s chocolate fountain, but the chocolate chips he always bought are no longer available, it seems. He used FMV brand from Smiths, because they didn’t have any milk solids, butterfat, or any of those milk products. But now Smiths is selling Kroger brand instead, which is not milk-free. John said he can get milk-free chocolate somewhere else, but I’m not so sure. I checked out Western Family brand at Reams, and Sams Choice at Walmart, and some others, and they all seem to have milk products. Help! If any of you live near a Smiths that still has the FMV brand, call John. Otherwise, the chocolate fountain might have something wholesome–maybe vegetable juice? Maybe chicken broth? It won’t be the same!
      As if Nora and James hadn’t had enough excitement, buying a new car and a new house, they sold their current house in just one day! They listed it for $172,000, which was about as high as Mark Ulrich figured they could go, in that neighborhood. Then, on the first day it was on the market, seven people came to see it. Most of them put in bids. That night, Mark was on the phone, charming every buyer, urging them to put in their “very best bid,” meaning that someone else had outbid them. So the house topped out at $180,000. I wondered why Mark didn’t just list it higher to begin with, but I guess a lot of people only look at houses in a certain range, and then, if they get excited, they bid higher. Sort of like e-bay or the car auction. Oh, and I forgot to mention–a seminary teacher won the bid! What could be better? And now, after this whirlwind of buying and selling, Nora and James are packing up to move. They’re planning to start Friday, April 14 (Easter weekend) and hopefully finish on Saturday, before the picnic that we’re having at Allen and Missy’s park. If you can help, let them know.
      Yesterday I went to Orem to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Michael Allen dropped by to see what was in their refrigerator, and we had a lot of fun talking to him. First it was all about snowboarding. Next winter we’re going to have a day at Brighton with him, and he’s going to take us to the next level of skills. Maybe we’ll be sailing off cliffs, who knows. So, anybody who wants to get in on it, don’t injure yourself at the first of the winter, OK? Michael also told us about the new townhouse he’s buying. It’s being built now, in Draper, by the new IKEA. He’s really excited about it. I guess he’s doing OK in his several jobs.
      Hey, Paul, besides the opportunities in Jackson, Tom says there are also jobs in Price. Like the grounds crew at CEU. Or the mines. So you’ll have lots of choices when you come home. But as you can see, you’ll want to enjoy the mission as long as you can. It’s all downhill after that. (Just kidding.)
      I love you all! Mom