Dear Family,
Since some of you may think that my writing a family letter is a sign of the apocalypse, I probably should have given some advance warning to minimize the shock. Believe it or not, I have started many letters, but for one reason or another failed to finish one for many months (but you already know that). Anyway, I would like to become a regular contributor again (though possibly a figment of my imagination, I remember such a time). We appreciate your letters, thank you for sending them, and for not terminating our subscription.
It’s too painful to go back and research when I last wrote, and I’d prefer no one telling me, so I’ll just summarize the last year and a half. We moved from CT to Flower Mound, TX in the summer of 2011, when I changed jobs with my employer Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines. I worked as the assistant Controller (finance) for our business near the Dallas-Ft. Worth airport, which buys and sells used aircraft engine parts (it probably sounds a little like eBay, but they sell about $300 million worth of parts a year). I enjoyed the job and the people, who were extremely friendly and helpful to me in feeling comfortable in my new environment. After four months, I was asked to move to another of Pratt & Whitney’s businesses, located about 10 miles from where I was working, to be the Controller. It’s a little further drive from home, but involves more responsibility and has been one of the most interesting and growth-promoting jobs I’ve had. The circumstances that brought me to the new place were unfortunate, as the previous Controller suffered an aneurysm, with requires a long recovery process (still incomplete). I knew her a little, and she was very gracious to me when I dealt with her in the past, and I’m glad to hear that she is doing quite well considering what happened. I work with a great group of people, both in my department, as well as the other staff, and I feel like I have a lot of opportunity to make a difference both professionally and personally. Of course, a few less hours per week would be nice, but overall things are going well there.
Angie is still wonderful, an amazing mom and wife. She’s very busy meeting Grant’s and Marina’s needs, as well with church service (she’s the Primary Pianist, and sings in the ward choir). Before last Christmas Angie practiced and sang in a community chorus performing Handel’s Messiah. She’s done that several times in years past, so she knew the music well already, but she had a good time and the rest of us enjoyed being in the audience. Angie has also been to the doctor(s) quite a lot the last couple years, trying to figure out the source of some strange sensations and weakness in her legs. It started happening while we were in CT, but so far no one has been able to pinpoint a specific cause or solution. Angie has been a great example to me in the patient way she’s dealt with this challenge. Among the many things Angie does for and with the kids is help them with music and has done some baking and sewing with Marina.
We moved to TX just before Paulette’s senior year in high school, so she was brave and a great sport to move with a positive attitude. Because she attended such a demanding high school in CT, she actually completed all the requirements she needed to earn her HS diploma from CT. This was a good thing, since the counselors at our new high school in TX were not so flexible, and it was going to be a challenge to make her schedule just right to meet the Texas state graduation requirements. Fortunately, she didn’t need to (got her diploma from CT), so she just enrolled in high school for fun in the fall semester and to meet some people. She was able to take some interesting and challenging classes that she had not been previously exposed to, like anatomy, chemistry, and physics. After the fall semester, after having gotten settled in a bit, she became a “drop out” in order to get a job working at Tom Thumb grocery store right around the corner from where we live. Just before Paulette started working, she took about all the money she had saved and went on a trip to Argentina, the land of her Grandma Dahl’s nativity and Grandpa Dahl’s mission (not to mention where Angie’s family lived for 4 years when she was a little girl). Paulette was able to stay with Angie’s Aunt Millicent and a cousin in Buenos Aires. Since Angie’s mother Eileen and Eileen’s mother were the only ones in the family to join the church, the rest of the relatives there are Anglicans for the most part. Paulette really enjoyed getting to know those wonderful people. After working through the summer at Tom Thumb, as well as part-time at a kids’ summer camp in Grapevine, TX, Paulette headed off to BYU for her freshman year, where she is right now. She’s doing terrific, getting good grades, singing in a choir, serving as a family home evening co-leader, and (by her accounts) having a satisfying social life without getting too attached to any particular boy. It has been especially wonderful (for her and for me) to have relatives in Utah to see periodically and to get to know better, including Angie’s sister Teresa in Alpine, and her many Barrus cousins and aunts and uncles. Thanks to all of you who have welcomed Paulette into your homes, or visited with her at BYU, or kept an eye out for her! As the freshman year winds down, Paulette is looking ahead and considering a full-time mission and her continued education. At this point, she is leaning towards applying to serve a mission next fall, and is still interested in pursuing the nursing program at BYU, which she can apply for at any time after this year. We’re all interested to find out how her life continues to unfold over the next several years.
Marina was very excited to move to TX in 2011 because she was going to start high school, and was not enthusiastic about either of the two options before her: (1) the academically intense charter school (International Baccalaureate) Paulette attended, or (2) the neighborhood high school which was really large and had a reputation for being fairly “rough.” We also were excited about TX for Marina because the youth groups at church are significantly larger than in CT, where sometimes Marina was the only young woman her age in the ward (which also made me feel a little guilty about leaving). While the high school here is very large (3000+), which is not ideal, the move seems to have been mostly positive for Marina, on balance. She serves valiantly in her young women’s class, and finished her Personal Progress medallion shortly after moving here, when she was 14. Turning 16 is practically around the corner (May 27th), and she looks forward to getting her driver’s license soon. She took Driver’s Ed in the next town over, and has had her learner’s permit since last summer. While it can be an adventure to ride with new teenage drivers, she’s actually a pretty good driver so far (although I don’t think I’m quite ready to send her off by herself).
Grant turned 11 just about 2 weeks before officially moving to TX, and he’s now a deacon with six months’ experience under his belt. It is great to see him passing the sacrament each week, and conducts himself with reverence when he does so. The move to TX was not easy for Grant (which I’ll admit I didn’t see coming), but after 9 months or so he started to hit his stride and started feeling more positive about the move. Hopefully we can avoid the need to move for a few more years. Besides starting to tinker around with the piano as a beginner, Grant loves to draw, and is involved in scouts at church. He’s got his Second Class and First Class ranks, and is working on his Star.
When we first moved to TX we rented a house, since we wanted to make sure we didn’t regret the neighborhood we chose to buy a house in. We liked the neighborhood a lot, but couldn’t seem to find the perfect house, and the ones that went on sale would sell really fast. Our next door neighbors ended up moving to Oklahoma, so we ended up buying their house. It’s a little cozier (smaller) than we were looking for, but it meets our needs, especially now that our nest is 1/5 empty (so glad Paulette calls us every week!). It was hard to get used to the fact that you can’t get a basement here in Dallas (foundations would all crack, due to drying of the clay soil in the summer time), because there’s no place to put your stuff! We had a full basement in CT, which was great, but I completely took that for granted.
Anyway, I promised Jean that I would write a letter this week, and I think today is the 7th day or so. It’s close to midnight, so I’m going to close. But I wanted to get something out there, and hopefully start a good writing streak. We love you all, and look forward to being together as soon as we can. We’re still not sure we can make it to the reunion this July, but are hoping so. Thanks for your love and positive influence – it’s very reassuring to know you’re all out there (and I do mean, “out there”…… J). I just thought to mention how wonderful the book is that Jean and Bruce got many of us for Christmas (The Infinite Atonement, by Ted Callister). I’m about halfway through, and have to say I think it’s extremely insightful, helping me a lot to become closer to the Savior. Thanks Jean and Bruce!
Love,
Rob, Angie, Paulette, Marina and Grant
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