dear dan

October 22, 2013

Dear Elder Dahlquist,

My letters are not as cute as the kids' are but hopefully you still enjoy them. As I mentioned before, interview season is in full swing. I try to pretend that I care about other things in life, but really I am pretty focused heart, mind and soul on what will happen to us next year and the year following. I am sort of hoping Dave comes home from his next interview saying "I hated it!" just so have one place to cross off the list! :) So far he's liked them all. 6 weeks from today rank lists are due and 7 weeks from today is match day!

Jo is so cute. It is so fun being home with her all day.

Sunday I am giving a lesson in RS on Elder Holland's talk from last conference Lord, I Believe. It was one of my favorites. It was wonderful and spoke personally to me. I think that the afflicted child is like Calvin in many ways. It is always amazing how the apostles can take one scripture or short story and teach powerful lessons. It is a  testimony of how scripture study has layers and you can continue to learn from them even after you have known them all your life.  I also loved his talk from this conference, "like a broken vessel" about mental illness. Another talk that spoke to our family.

One of ladies in our ward had her baby this week. Labor was 45 minutes. She had the baby at home, as was planned previously (and I sorta thought was crazy) but since labor was so fast she probably would have had that baby at home or in the car anyway, so I guess it all worked out!

I booked a ticket for Clare and myself to go to Scott's wedding. Clare begged me to go, asking at one point if she could go to the wedding instead of have a b-day party. I see that as kind of like the widow's mite. What more could clare give up? Well, she also offered to give up piano lessons but she is just a little stinker and knows she can't do that.  I am excited for a little girl bonding time. Maybe I'll make it a tradition to take my 8 year old girls on a special mom trip.  It will be fun for her to have some time with Lance too. They are such cute friends.  Isn't it weird to think that way back in the day, 1st cousins would marry each other? Gross!

Time for Calvin's piano. He is still taking from Jenny Gillette. He doesn't practice much but he says he likes it.