Sunday, January 15, 2017

Dear Family,

This week started out great. Monday Morning Sister Taylor Thomas, who went home Dec 16^th skyped Dad and I. It was so fun talking to her and seeing her face. She told us that she and Elder Drake Oldham are dating!!!! Elder Oldham was one of our AP’s that ended up getting deported. We were all in the same district for a while. He would say something really nice and appropriate about Sister Thomas and she would say something to me about him. I got the inside scoop when I was talking to Sister Warnick (former companion to Sister Thomas) about Sister Thomas and she told me that Taylor was going to Utah. So I pulled a mom trick and pretended to know more than I did:

Sister Warnick – “Sister Thomas is going to Utah this week (she lives in California).”

Me – “Ya, she’s coming up to see Elder Oldham.”

SW – “Oh you know about that do you.”

Me – I just grin at her. Meanwhile my mind is running amuck. I can’t believe two of my favorite people like each other.

Then I emailed Taylor and told her what I did with sister Warnick and to spill the beans or I’d be emailing Elder Oldham (empty threat). She didn’t answer me for two weeks, then she skyped us and told us everything!!!!!!

Then I found out that Sister Graham, who went home in December, is emailing Elder Pletig, a German Elder who went home in November. They even mentioned the M word. Wow! Then today at church I was in the Primary with Sister Howe, who goes home Feb 7^th, and we were talking because she has a boyfriend who just returned from a mission and is sort of waiting for her. She is kind of hoping he dates others before she comes home. She is kind of interested in Elder Hemrick who went home in December. It’s like Wendy’s South Carolina mission group when they came home. Most of the time these Elders and Sister don’t form attachments until their Mission is over or at least they don’t act on them. We did have an emergency transfer because of that situation a couple of weeks ago.

Thursday morning, around 6 AM or so the power went out in our apartment. It probably lasted around 2 hours. I was just starting to think I’d have to gather my things and get ready at the office, assuming they had power. The lights next door to us were out but the street lights on the Volga were on. The power came back on and Dad and I got to work on time.

It’s amazing how much static is in the air. The humidity stays high but everything dries out fast. My hair is always flying away if I don’t coat it with hair spray. It’s a good thing we have wood floors because if it was carpeted you’d be constantly giving each other static shock and it would probably be enough to stop your heart. In the summer it takes all night and all day for the clothes to dry after washing them. Now they are almost totally dry in a few hours. The air just sucks out all the moisture.

The static also causes other problems. Imagine me trying to sneak a candy bar while everyone is working away in the office:

·         I open my candy drawer and take a snickers.

·         I quietly open the wrapper. Not really trying to hide yet not being too obvious about it. (Okay, embarrassingly enough it’s my third one (fun sized)

·         I reach quietly underneath my desk and put the wrapper in the trash. Well try to.

·         The wrapper seems to be attached to my skin.

·         I flick the offending wrapper into the can, it refuses to cooperate.

·         Another Flick, not successful.

·         Now I’m practically dancing with all the arm flapping I’m doing, it will not come off.

·         After a wrist cracking flick it finally leaves my fingers.

·         Wow, that was difficult

·         10 minutes later I look down and notice the wrapper didn’t make it in the can but is resting on the floor.

·         I pick it up and start the whole process all over again and I have to ask myself, “Is it worth it?”

Dad and I left work an hour early to go to the market; I’m out of so many things. Sister Ottesen is traveling so we haven’t been to Metro. The market that is closest to us is undergoing a remodel and they haven’t stocked their shelves. Anyway the other small market is like three blocks away and when you are carrying your own grocery bags it’s two blocks too many. Anyway we went there and just finished checking out when our clerk yelled at someone trying to go out the door. She pushed this man and was yelling. She and made him open his coat and pulled a large bottle of alcohol out of his inside pocket. She then locked the front door so he couldn’t leave. We figured we would be there until the police came. About 10 minutes later a woman wanted out so they unlocked the door. Dad and I grabbed our stuff and went out at the same time. I was worried we get caught up in everything and since we don’t speak the language we wouldn’t know what was going on.

Since we didn’t go to Metro this week I didn’t have anything planned for dinner. I ended up cooking some beef and potatoes in a BBQ sauce in the crock pot. I made corn, homemade French bread, some canned fruit. For dessert I made some cake cookies. I took a cake mix and put less liquid than it called for. I wanted to make a sandwich cookie. I flattened a piece of dough and then put a piece of chocolate fudge on it, then flattened another piece of dough. I cooked it but the chocolate melted out all over. The next batch I sealed the top and bottom together. The Elders really liked them.

Elder Buchanan bought himself a cheap Taser. He said he was going to try it on himself. I asked him how that went when they got to our house for dinner, but he said he totally forgot to do it. That’s our Elder Buchanan. I did ask him what he’d do if being tasered made him lose control of his bodily functions. I also told him it could stop his heart. I’m having Dad call him and read the dangers I found on the internet to him. His companion wasn’t too sure about it so maybe he’ll talk him out of it.

Church was great today. We had our RS president bring her son. I’ve never seen him there before so I don’t know if he is a non-member or a less-active. Then Levon was there. He is Sister Vera’s husband who is less active. Dad counted about 25 of us including 6 Volunteers.

Well, I love you all.

Mom