Sunday April 19, 2015

Dear Cassidy -

Hello! I hope your week has been good. Is it starting to warm up there? We've had some beautiful Spring weather and then it snowed for a day or so this week too. You know - Utah weather.

Well - I couldn't have been more thrilled with your letter last week! It sounds like you are in quite a great area. Like I want to get on a plane and see for myself area! The pictures you sent are beautiful and you look happy! It sounds like your companion is good too. I'm excited for you to serve in this new area. And keep up the good work with the German. I'm sure that you are getting the hang of it more than you think you are - so that's nice to hear it from others there!

I would like to request pictures of:

*your apartment - inside and outside - like one of the building or even the street you live on.
*the church you live across the street from.

And questions I have:

*will you try to fix the bikes that you have or just keep walking so much?
*you mentioned getting iPads. Any more info on that? Do you have to buy them when they give them to you?

Things you should know about home this week:

It was a pretty normal, back to everything week after Spring Break. The Payson Temple is opening for its open house on Apr. 24th (this week). Tickets became available on Monday this last week and they are all sold out. When I checked on Mon. night there were only a couple open on each weekday in the mornings. Supposedly they will have more tickets available this week and we're supposed to check back. I'm sure we'll get our chance to go through sometime. Has anyone told you about the cultural celebration? Hadlie and Colten will participate in this. It will be held at the BYU football stadium the night before the temple is dedicated in June. Hadlie's super excited about it. Colten as you can imagine isn't so hyped about dancing. But they do get to perform a sign language song and he's good with that.

The biggest thing this week has been prepping for Prom. Now after doing this with you and now with Colt, I will say it is much more stressful/expensive with a boy! We did buy Colten a suit so that was a little added expense. But the hardest part was the 6 boys trying to make decisions about what to do, the timing, etc. etc. etc. And the fact that Logan's family thinks you shouldn't spend ANY money on dates. Pretty impossible. So the other 4 boys went to the Aquarium for the day date. Colt & Logan were supposed to get Logan's grandparent's 4 wheelers, but Thurs. night his parents nixed that idea. So they ended up going to a new pottery place here that's like Color Me Mine. They had a good time. For the night stuff I was in charge of pictures:/ That is very stressful for me and I really could've used you being here! Anyway - we went to the mental hospital place and it was really sunny and sort of hard to get decent shots. One of the other boy's dad came (he had a nicer camera and lens and I have no idea why they didn't just ask him to do the dumb pictures) - anyway - we worked together sort of and managed to get a few. I'll send you some - but they'll mostly be the ones from my phone - Hadlie was there taking those. They ate dinner at La Jolla Groves at the RiverWoods and then the dance was at the Sleepy Ridge Golf Course. Soooo - there's the main details without all the drama on indecision involved. I think we're all glad it's over and Colten may never go on another big dance date again.

So this week will be busy and fun. It's Colten's birthday and he doesn't know it yet but we got him tickets to see Bryan Reagan up in Logan. It's on Friday night. He'll either go with me or dad and spend the night up there and come home on Sat. Then we have our ward auction fund raiser. That's a new thing for this ward - to have to earn money:) Bishop Martineau is definitely cracking the whip and running things by the handbook as far as money goes. So Hadlie and I have been starting to work on making some cute felt hair bows for her to donate. This is not like you just whipping up some creative thing and having it done lickety split. It's a little different. Like I mostly have to do it all. Colten still doesn't know what he's donating. Plus he's got a soccer game that night so he'll probably not be there. He's got games Monday and Saturday nights for the next almost month - then his season will be done.

We will also be getting our backyard put in this week. Yay! They've delivered all our rock and will start tomorrow. I'll take pictures of that for you:)

Well - I think that about updates you for here. I did send a little package your way last week. I'm hoping it gets there all in tact. Because I did send pepper spray. Which I'm not sure I'm allowed to send. Anyway - hopefully you'll get it soon.

Love - Mom