Dear Kids,
          We had a great time with those of you who came to our soup dinner last night, and we sent off the guys to the priesthood session thinking we’d be alone for a couple of hours. But they were home again in record time! Shortest priesthood session ever! They said President Monson barely started his talk, and then he was done. But they said it was really good. Anyway, we all dove into the ice cream and made quick work of it. We’re looking forward to the conference sessions today and having dinner with lots of you at the cabin. And welcoming Nora’s family home from their trip. It seems like they've been gone forever.
          After weeks of moseying along in our basement, I’ve finally speeded up, because now we have a deadline. Dan Sluga, the carpet guy, who’s known for dragging his heels and not showing up, has already come to our house, measured, collected a deposit, and ordered our carpet. It’s supposed to be here in a week. So I’m working every spare minute on tile, grout, and molding. The doors were a nightmare, but they’re done. Dad has totally finished the lights, switches, and outlets, so he’s done. Will it really be finished? It’s hard to imagine, since we’ve been working on it so long. 
          I had an appointment with my GI doctor on Thursday morning, and I was hoping he could identify what’s wrong with me. He did. What a surprise. He said all the tests show I have eosinophilic esophagitis (impossible to pronounce) which means that there are white blood cells in the lining of your esophagus that get inflamed. There are also I washboard-like ridges, and a place where the muscles don’t work very well (a dysmotility.) I looked all this up on the internet, and the treatments are all experimental, but my doctor said he’s had good success with oral steroids. You spray Flovent on the roof of your mouth and wash it down with a tiny bit of water, and it’s supposed to land in your esophagus and heal it. I hope it works. At least it’s a big relief knowing what’s wrong. The condition is often associated with food allergies, and the doctor mentioned testing, but I said I didn’t want to go there. I’ll just take the treatment.
          Spring is here and life is good. I love you all! Mom