Dear Kids,
      John and Heather have come up with a great plan for our Ackerson family reunion on Saturday, August 1st. It starts that morning at the Kamas Fitness Center where we’ll go swimming. Then we’ll drive over to Park City and have a picnic lunch in the park, and reminisce about the glory days of our timeshare there. Maybe we can even go on a tour of our old favorite spots. There’s a great playground at that park now, too, which will be a lot of fun for the kids. Whoever wants to can go on the Alpine Slide or play miniature golf, or spend money on anything else fun. In the evening we can probably go to a fast food place for dinner, and then anybody who is still up for it can go to a movie together. If anybody wants to stay overnight at the cabin, that will be fine. Oh, the night before, Friday night, if you want to, some of us will be camping out in the back yard of the cabin. John says his kids would love that. We can pitch our tents facing the fire pit, like the people around King Benjamin’s tower. We could make smores. There are all kinds of fun possibilities. If any of you have comments or suggestions, please contact John or Heather.
      Paul is bringing his car home this afternoon so Dad can go over everything (while Paul studies for his finals.) Then, next Wednesday, Paul will leave from Logan. He’s planning to drive two days, stay a day with Sharon and Seth, drive another day and maybe stay overnight in Boston with Jane and Joe, and then drive on to Halifax. Do you realize, if he started in Salt Lake City and headed south, the same distance, he would end up in Panama?
      Speaking of road trips, Donna and Bevan are down in Moab having fun. On Monday, when they were getting ready to leave, their car was being repaired at Nate Wade Subaru. At the end of the day, when it was supposed to be finished, they went to hopefully pick it up and saw that their engine had been taken out. Hummm. So they got a loaner car, which they’re putting lots of miles on.
      Our bad cat Oreo has moved on to big game, as in seagulls. When I walked into the shop Monday morning, the whole room was full of feathers! (But no gore–not even a beak or feet.) I filled a whole bag with them. Some of them were up to 8 inches long. If there had been lots of black, I could have hoped it was a magpie, but the feathers were mostly grey and white. Oreo and Xena were both very smug about it, but I’m pretty sure Oreo was the perpetrator.
      Yesterday I went on a 42-mile bike ride: all the way north on the Jordan River Parkway, to where it ends, and then all the way south, and back to the middle, and home again. It took me four hours. The highest gear on my bike is broken, or maybe I could have gone faster, but then again, maybe I would have been totally exhausted. As it was, I made it just fine. If anybody wants more information about the Great Utah Ride on Labor Day weekend, let me know.
      Lots of love, Mom

Dear Kids,
      I was talking to Monica on the phone Sunday, and she reminded me that we have to nail down our plans for the Ackerson family reunion this summer. We decided on August 1, didn’t we? (It’s a Saturday). John and Heather are in charge, right? The Allen family reunion is the Saturday before that, if any of you can come. Same park, same time. But of course our own 2nd annual Ackerson reunion is the most important thing. Please let us know if any of you have a serious problem with August 1.
      Paul is still getting ready for his long drive to Nova Scotia, besides finishing his school year. Go, Paul. He was looking into career plans, and he says that he either needs a masters degree or 30 more hours of classwork to get his PE (professional engineer, I think), which everybody needs now. So he’s looking at finally finishing school in 2011. Speaking of finally finishing, the Ben Allens will be in Provo next week because Charles is finishing his masters degree, also in Civil Engineering. The Jane and Joe’s will be here, too. I talked to Joe on the phone this morning, to find out if Jamie was getting a masters degree, too. Nope. Just working. But Brendan got a BA from Framingham Community College. Joe also informed me that the “Cholly” Allens will be in Boston this weekend for the Marathon. I think he said Adrien is running it. What a gang of cousins you kids have!
      We’ve had serious winter weather the last few days. Yesterday I drove to Orem to visit Grandpa and Grandma, and there were 8 inches of new snow on the ground. They had even plowed the streets! I’m sure the mountains got a couple more feet of new snow, but the ski resorts are closed, so who cares? I’m hoping for it to warm up this afternoon so I can go for a long bike ride. It’s really addictive. You just want to hop on a bike and go. Anywhere.
      I just threw out Oreo because I’m trying to eat a bowl of cereal here, next to the computer. He’s crazy about milk, and will do anything for it. Last time I was eating cereal here, he reached up a paw and pulled the bowl over. I caught it in midair, but the milk splashed onto the carpet, and Oreo got busy licking it up. Bad Kitty! Why do we put up with him? There’s a little mouse smashed flat on the floor of the shop closet–I think Dad stepped on it a few times after it was already dead. It probably didn’t get there by itself! One of these days I’ve got to go scrape it up.
      Life is great. I love you all. Mom

Dear Kids,
      I just threw out Oreo for walking on the kitchen counter with muddy paws. He left a trail of dirty prints in the sink and on both sides. He thinks he’s king of the house, and when I put him out he flips his tail at me. Xena is always trying to get in, but she’s an outside girl now. Our brownish living room carpet the color of fresh dirt is too much of a temptation for her.
      Not much else is going on here. It seems like everybody else is off having fun. Allen and Missy and their kids are in San Diego. Nora went skiing today. Tom and Kim are in Price. I just looked at our calendar to remind myself if anything had happened here that I could write about, and this whole week has been a blank.
      Oh, yeah. Bike riding. I’m having more fun all the time. Tuesday I rode south to where the Jordan River Parkway ends, on 7th west, about 8500 South. Then I rode down 7th West (an awful, dirty, trashy area) to 90th, where the trail picks up again, along the golf course. But it doesn’t go very far. Still, by the time I rode all the way back to 39th south, and home again, it was 30 miles. And no flat tires. I have Dad to thank for the anti-thorn liners.
      I just read that Dennis Nordfelt is finally almost finished being mayor of West Valley, after seven years. Has it really been that long? And guess who’s running for his seat? I bet you’ll never guess. Never in a million years. Mike Winder! There was a picture of his smiling face in the Deseret News. I’m sure we’ll all get out and vote for him!
      Life is good! I love you all! Mom

Dear Kids,
      I visited Grandma and Grandpa in Orem today. Grandma reminded me to tell all of you that the summer family reunion will be July 25th, same park, same format as before. It’s a week earlier than we usually do it. (Probably the same week as the Spudman.) I hope at least some of you can make it.
      One person who mostly likely won’t make it will be Paul. You all know his APEX assignment changed from northern Alberta to Florida, but have you heard that it’s been changed again, to Halifax, Nova Scotia? That’s right, 3,000 miles away. 1,100 miles farther than Florida. I’m sort of hoping they’ll change their minds one more time. I’m sure Nova Scotia is a great place, and we all have soft places in our hearts for Canada, but it’s so dang far. Nevertheless, he’s rounding up his passport and checking on health care. Go, Paul!
      I found a shredded bird on the shop floor a couple of days ago. Both cats were staring at me, seeing how I would react. Donna and Bevan were here, and Donna cleaned it up. You know the poem, “. . . Soon he was a heap of plumage, and a little blood and gore–only this, and nothing more.” Well, that described the unfortunate bird. You would think two cats without claws would leave birds alone, but that makes it more of a challenge, I guess. They can both climb the back fence OK.
      Winter goes on and on, and I’ve had two more wonderful snowboarding trips since I wrote last week. On Friday I went to Brighton with Becca Davis, and on Tuesday I went with Jennifer Longhurst Halling, who won my “snowboarding lesson” at our Relief Society auction last fall. This was the first time we could get our schedules together. It was absolutely fabulous snow, and Jennifer picked it up like she’d been doing it all her life. (She’s a skiier–she met Micah while she was working at Steamboat in Colorado.) So we had a great time. Normally I would hate having snow in April, but this year it’s been great.
      Last Saturday it was still spring, (before winter came back)so I went on another long bike ride. I was just going on 25 miles, when my front tire went flat. Luckily Dad was home, and he came to pick me up. By that time my back tire was flat, too, because I had started pulling thorns out of my tires. Dad put those special anti-thorn liners in, and I’m hoping it won’t happen again. I’m planning on lots of great rides on the Jordan River Parkway. If you ride from our house over to the river, and go as far south as you can, and then as far north as you can, and home again, it’s 35 miles. That ought to get me in great shape for the Big Utah Ride.
     Like me, I hope you’re all doin’ great and lovin’ it.       Mom

Dear Kids,
      Did I say I was done with snowboarding for the year? Well, there’s 32" of new snow at Brighton, and a cloud is still hanging over the mountain. Becca Davis and I are going up the canyon tomorrow morning to give it one more go. Never mind that I’ve packed away my snowboarding stuff for the year, never mind that I’ve been eight times already, the snow is calling me. Never mind, either, that it’s Friday tomorrow, and I’m always promising myself never to go to Brighton on a Friday. Maybe the usual hordes of people will be someplace else, since it’s spring now.
      Last Friday I did my first long bike ride, 25 miles. I rode over to the Jordan River Parkway (by way of Valley Fair Mall) and then as far south as it would go. It ends in Midvale, in an ugly industrial area. Then I rode back north again to 39th South, and home. I wasn’t even tired until later in the day! The weather was beautiful, cool and nippy, and my bike ran well. I was surprised to find so many other people on the parkway, though. I used the jingly bell on my handlebars dozens of times. I’m planning to do a long ride every Friday morning, earlier as the weather gets warmer, so if any of you want to join me, let me know.
      Last Sunday morning Dad and I drove to Logan for Paul’s “Ward Parents’ Day.” It’s always fun to visit a student ward and see how they do things! Paul was scheduled to speak in sacrament meeting, but the girl before him took up all the time. She was talking about her mission, and couldn’t be stopped. (Actually, nobody tried.) So Paul will get another chance on April 12th. I was disappointed, but otherwise we had a great visit. The linger longer food was great! I wish our ward would do that on a regular basis. People could make it through the block easier if they had a dinner to look forward to.
      Today is Benjamin’s birthday, but Nora and family are at Disneyland, so I’ll give him his present another day. Can you believe Nora, the jet hopper? This is her third airline trip in just a few months. I drove to the airport with them all yesterday, to bring their car back to our house. I was amazed at their compact packing. They made quite a gang on the sidewalk. The skycaps didn’t even look our way.
      My piano class at the Harman Home is going great. My four students are very diligent, but they get scared playing their songs for each other. I keep telling them it will get easier. They are all moving along really well. It’s harder for them to learn than it is for kids, but they have great concentration skills. The chess club is going well, too. There are usually just four of us. Yesterday there were only three, so I played my first simultaneous chess (two games at once), against both of the men who were there. We trade off doing that, when there's an odd number. It turns your brains inside out.
      April Conference is coming up! Let me know your Sunday plans. Love, Mom

Dear Kids,
      Because it’s Thursday night, Dad has gone off to his C.E.R.T. training. What’s that? I don’t know what the initials stand for, but it’s emergency preparedness for ordinary people. They issued Dad a green helmet which he loves to wear. At their last training session, they set fires behind the Stake Center, and then they put them out. (Sounds like something kids would do.) I assume they also learn CPR and other lifesaving measures. It must be lots of fun, because Dad is missing pack meeting tonight. Originally I signed up, too, but it’s from 7 to 10 pm, and I would be a zombie by then. So if we have a disaster, Dad will have to take care of me.
      Now that it’s spring (disregarding the snowstorm we’re supposed to have on Sunday and Monday) I’ve been riding my bike everywhere. Tomorrow will be my first really long ride. I’m riding over to the Jordan River parkway, and going as far south as I can, and maybe back as far north, too. I’m way ahead of Richard’s training schedule, which calls for 10-mile bike rides twice a week during April. Of course it goes up sharply from there, to 170 miles a week in August. (Does anybody want the schedule? I’m sure Richard will e-mail it to you.) At least I’m ahead of schedule now!
      Today I had fun visiting Grandma and Grandpa in Orem. I always take Grandma to Walmart, but Grandpa stays home to be there when “Meals-on-wheels” gets delivered. When we get home from Walmart, they eat their meals-on-wheels while I eat a sandwich from home. Sometimes we trade. Today Grandma gave me her meat patty to take home to our cats. (So far, they haven’t touched it.) After lunch, I help Grandma do book reports on Goodreads, and now I’ve got her hooked on the trivia quiz, besides. (100%, with 73 correct answers.) She wouldn’t have stopped, but Mark and Tamri showed up with their kids. (They came to Utah for her sister’s wedding.) We had a lot of fun visiting with them.
      Tuesday night was our ward’s Relief Society Birthday party, and I’m the enrichment counselor, so I had a lot to worry about. I worried that nobody would come, that the food wouldn’t be good, and that the program might not be good. I was wrong on everything, thank goodness. We had lots of ladies, and the program was great, and the food was good. But thank goodness, we only have enrichment every three months. I won’t have any more worries for a long time.
      Lots of love, Mom

Dear Kids,
      Spring is on the way, but we’re still having fun snowboarding here. That’s because of a wonderful huge snowstorm that hit on Monday, while Donna and Bevan and Paul and I were whooping it up at Brighton. It was white-out conditions at the top of Snake Creek Lift, but who cared? There was a foot or so of powder (on top of ice, which makes it lots of fun), and we had a wonderful time. You can see pictures and a video on Donna’s blog.
      As exciting as the snowboarding was, the trip home was even more eventful. About 1:30 Donna said we needed to get out of there. It was still really dumping, and as we pulled out of the parking lot, a Mustang ahead of us started to spin. No, we didn’t hit it. Crazy guy, he kept going. When he spun out again, we got past him. We inched down the canyon at about 10 mph, because even with blizzak tires, it was very slippery. Then we passed The Spruces campground, and the place was swarming with sheriff’s vehicles. That’s because they’d found a smoldering car with a body inside. Everyone’s criticizing the skiers who didn’t report it, but they probably thought it was a joke. Wasn’t it a custom at CEU to push a burning car over a cliff after finals? Something like that. I haven’t heard anything more about the body. They’ve had trouble identifying it.
      Farther down the canyon, there was another sheriff’s car at the side of the road, and in the middle, on the stripe, a dead bobcat. How terribly sad. Bobcats aren’t ordinary roadkill. He was really pretty. I felt sorry for whoever hit him.
      Other news: Paul is home this week for spring break, and he’s been doing his taxes and working on his car. He and Dad put on a new serpentine belt and changed the oil, and tomorrow they’re going to replace a transmission gasket. Paul is getting to be a good mechanic. Just like everybody else who buys the car manual and reads it. Go, Paul. He’s off skiing today at Deer Valley.
      Sunday dinner for April will be on the 5th, Conference Sunday, at the cabin. We’ll eat around noon, just after the morning session. Let me know if you’ll be there! The following week is Easter. Should we have an Easter egg hunt at the cabin on Conference weekend, or the next weekend on Easter Saturday? Does anybody want to make a plan? It’s coming up quickly. I can’t believe we’re already halfway through March.
      Life is good. I love you all! Mom