Dear Family,
Seems like I just wrote a family letter, but another month has come and gone like lightning, and I have to think hard to figure out what happened. I turned 49 today, and for the last several years it seems like each month lasts only a week. The fact that we don’t have forever in this life to become who we want to be sure hits home and makes you feel like making the most of your time. A couple hours ago we finished watching the last session of General Conference, and as always, feel like the spiritual reservoirs are a little fuller today than last week. I’m looking forward to re-listening and re-reading the talks during coming months. There is always a wonderful variety of talks to meet different needs we have – to understand doctrine more clearly, receive comfort, reaffirm our testimony by witness of the Holy Ghost, see our problems or other people with a different perspective, or be motivated to be more obedient or to forsake a bad habit. I enjoy knowing that you all are sharing in the same experience and have similar feelings. Yesterday we had a fun get together with the family of Angie’s brother Alex (who also live in Flower Mound) and with their Uncle Jim and Aunt Trish from Plano, TX. It was a postponed gathering from Easter Weekend because Uncle Jim was sick. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch of personal pizzas and cake, and then we watched the Saturday afternoon session of Conference together. After that, Grant and I went to watch the General Priesthood Meeting broadcast together, Grant’s second opportunity to do so since becoming a Deacon. Today Angie made me a delicious banana cake for my birthday, with real bananas in the cake as well as in the frosting. Grant gave me a cookbook he got recently at a Humane Society dinner honoring volunteers (Angie and Grant had helped out on a weekly basis for a few months). Fortunately, most of the recipes are for humans, although there are a few pages of doggie and kittie treats in the last few pages (“fresh liver brownies” – yum!!). Marina is giving me a daily 5 minute back rub for the rest of this month. She’s pretty talented, so I’m looking forward to it. Besides the cake, Angie got me a new pair of brown casual shoes to replace the ones that have splits in both soles – I guess it’s good that it doesn’t rain too much in Texas. Anyway, we enjoyed a nice conference weekend at home with the family.
One new development is the acquisition of two male guinea pigs in March. Having a non-human official resident is almost a first for us, although I recall we had a rabbit in CT for a short time before he/she (you can tell it was memorable for me) starting biting someone. So far, pretty good, although they’re always a couple weeks away from potential eviction if the cage doesn’t get cleaned regularly. One is white (White Lightning) and one is brown, with a white shock of hair on the forehead (Charlie). I think they’re cuter then mice and they don’t smell as bad as ferrets, so it could be worse. The best part, of course, is that the kids like them and it’s a good responsibility, especially for Grant.
Speaking of Grant, Angie has got him taking piano lessons, at which he seems to be getting a pretty good start (he is a beginner) but (surprise, surprise) he doesn’t like to practice. He does it in 10 minute increments , basically 20 minutes a day. In Boy Scouts, Grant participated in a merit badge college in February and March, and has nearly completed four more merit badges (Communication, Citizenship in the Community, Weather and Fingerprinting).
Marina recently started playing the ukulele, and has been working on a few songs from her favorite boy bands or boy artists (IM5 and Austin Mahone). She has had her learner’s driving permit since late last summer and will earn her license soon (turns 16 on May 27). Driving with her parents as passengers is undoubtedly a mixed experience, with the frequent offering of suggestions in varying tones of voice (I’m probably the most guilty of promoting distress). This summer will be Marina’s first as a working woman, and we are glad she got a job as a camp counselor at Hawaiian Falls, a water park type place a half an hour from here. Due to limited transportation flexibility, Paulette put in an application there also, and it looks like she’s getting hired, but it’s not clear to me that it’s official.
By all accounts Paulette is still doing well at BYU and having a good experience. She’s taking a good course load and seems to have a pretty full social life. It doesn’t seem to be too dramatic, but I’m sure I don’t know all. I love hearing over the phone what she’s up to, and remember having a pretty good time first year away at school. She’s coming home on April 29th, after sticking around in Utah a few extra days to see family during the festivities of Reed’s wedding. Sure wish we could be there to see all of you that will be there, and especially to be there to celebrate with Reed and Rachelle. Congratulations also to Ruth and Bob, it’s very exciting to have another one of your kids safely arrive at another of life’s eternally important milestones.
Paulette is still turning in applications for jobs for the summer, although she might be leaning towards the aforementioned Hawaiian Falls place since Marina already got a job there. Paulette is also planning to leave on a full-time mission in the fall, so she’ll be working on her application papers shortly after coming home from BYU.
Angie is still the glue that holds our family together, and an active participant in almost everything else you read in here. She is great with Grant, who needs a mom just like her. I’ve been especially impressed with how well she’s done to keep him going with the piano, as he otherwise has a pretty short fuse / attention span.
We’re looking forward to seeing some of you for a couple days at the Barrus reunion in July. We have to be in Montana the week before for a Dahl Family reunion (I think only the 2nd since we’ve been married), so we can only squeeze in 2 full days this year, but we can’t wait to see you. We love hearing about all of you in your family letters and our thoughts and prayers are with you. We love and respect you a lot.
Love from the Lone Star State,
Rob, Angie, Marina, Grant and Paulette (in absentia)
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