Dear Kids,
       Once again, I’m returning to my family letter after a long absence. I used the change-over of our web site as an excuse (you’ve probably noticed that it looks different), but it’s really simple, I found out, to upload my letters. I’ll try to be more regular now.
      We’re hoping to see most of you Sunday, at the Mair-Hawkins baby blessing. It’s at Nora’s church, by her house, at 11:30 am. The dinner afterwards is at Nora’s house, of course. I’m sure it will be riotous. Monica will be here! She’s going skiing with family and friends on Friday and Saturday, and staying overnight at least one night at Donna’s house, so naturally Donna is working diligently to get her big remodel finished. Dad and I were there on Saturday. Dad worked on trying to re-route the drain of their dishwasher, and I was going to do molding with Donna, but we didn’t have the nails. So I went to Heber and played chess with Bentley, and Dad and I toured John’s office re-model. What is it about January, that everybody tears into big remodeling projects? I always made my worst messes in January.
       Oh, hey, here’s some news! Dad and I finally bought a car! It’s a 09 Toyota Sienna, grey, really a great ride. The odometer says it only has 8,000 miles, but the tires tell a different story. Dad says maybe 30,000 on the tires. We bought the car at C.J. Prestman, on State Street, where they deal in "salvaged" titles. All their cars were stolen and recovered. Our car has a clean title, but who knows where it’s been or what it’s done? That’s part of the excitement. After Dad and I had driven the car, and another one, too, Dad was outside kicking the tires and looking in the engine, and I was waiting inside. In walked a guy who looked like John. Walked like John. I called out, "Hey John!" and he looked surprised. It turns out he comes in there on a regular basis to test drive their cars. He had found a nice little Honda he liked, (CRV?), but Heather says they don’t have the money until their office remodel is paid for. We went for a ride in the Honda anyway. I left Dad there to pay for our car, and went home to attend a Relief Society night meeting.
        Things are always very interesting in the Lighthouse Branch. I’ve been the victim of a hostile takeover, and I’m no longer the Primary chorister. (Funny, nobody wanted that job before I came.) So I go to Sunday School instead of Primary now, which is great, because the teacher is the pleasant young lady who lives in Hixon’s house behind us, and I can understand her pretty well. It’s all good.
       Has anybody seen the missing chess set, the one with revolutionary war pieces? Anybody? Anybody? Maybe it will become one of life’s great mysteries.
       Hoping to see most of you soon . . .
       Love, Mom