Dear Kids,
           I’m still have a lot of trouble breathing, but I have an appointment with a pulmonologist on Monday. I hope he’ll have some good ideas for me. My inhalers aren’t helping very much. I’m totally rearranging my life so that I can live at the cabin 5 days a week, only coming to Salt Lake on Tuesday morning, and going back to the cabin Wednesday afternoon, after chess club. Clean air seems to help a lot. When I step outside and look down our street, if I can see the airport control tower really clearly, I know the air is OK. That hasn’t happened much, lately. Monday night I was just gasping for breath, and when Dad and I went food shopping at Winco, I only bought one box of fudgesicles, instead of two. (Sort of like not buying green bananas.) When somebody called from IHC with a questionnaire about mammograms, I said I wasn’t planning to have one any time soon. I said, “We all have to die sometime; why not from cancer?” The lady said thank you and hung up.
           But the good news for all of us is that Monica and Jackson are coming to town! (Jan 31) I’m sure little Jackie Boy has changed a lot since we saw him in August. Monica wants to have a get-together for dinner on the Sunday or Monday that she’s here, so I’ll put that info in my letter next week. That’s the great thing about being part of a large family: there’s always something good happening, somewhere in the family!
           Here’s something else to put on your calendar–the Allen family reunion next summer. Here’s the message from Bonnie: I was able to reserve our favorite park (RiverView, across from the Riverwoods shopping mall) for Saturday July 14th! This will be our one day family reunion that we had planned to do last summer, but postponed to 2012. I know it is six months away, but summer plans are already in the works for a lot of us. Please make sure all of your children get this email so that as many of us as possible can make it. We will have the usual water slide on the hill, "fish pond for 10 and under, games, etc. Everyone will bring their own lunch and we have the park from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. It will be great to have us all gather in one place! Let me know if you have any questions or ideas.
           Thank goodness Bonnie will keep the reunions going! Grandma made her promise that, before she died. Nothing like a deathbed promise!
           Hope you’re all doin’ great and lovin’ it and breathin’ ok!
           Love, Mom