Arrived 6/1/2009

Wellll Helloooooo!

Glasses are good. Very good. I am a happy camper. They are quite sturdy too, I have pics for you. Should be coming soon. We had a mission tour on Thursday, and Elder Robert C. Oaks and Elder Shütze came and it was basically like a ZoKo where they and Präsident talked to us about all sorts of stuff. It was really good. Elder Oaks is quite a funny character when he's in a more personal setting like that...but anyway, people were noticing, like, ''Did you get new glasses?'' It was cool. Are you really putting a pond in the back??? The Dogs will prolly just pee in it...or ''bathe'' in it...or hide Mom's torn up plants and the wood pile in it...

Who are all these people marrying?? People from the ward, or aliens from Utah or somewhere? Sean Peterson got married? Bout time the Bawden boys got married, and Pratt?? Interesting...

Pops, it sounds like work is...fun? At least a good experience. You should get lots and lots of Monopoly money and try actually giving them a bucket full of money and see what they say to THAT!

I am looking forward to seeing what the front yard looks like when I get back! Or if I will even recognize the house at all! Gonna repaint it to throw me off?? Hahahahaha poor Taylor, she prolly HAS forgotten and it will come up in like 6 months and she will wonder why you never let her do it, hehe!

I know what you mean about being released but still thinking you have all these things to be doing. After coming home from school, where I had been Sun. School Pres, and had been one of the floor representatives on the Stover Hall Council, I found myself suddenly without explicit duties. It was weird and I would find myself worrying about this or that and then realizing: Oh. That is not my job anymore. :D

I have seen posters for the new Star trek. I was intrigued. I'll have to remember that. And the new Terminator looked awesome. Christian Bale is top notch. How was it, Emma?

So are you working like a full week of shifts and stuff, Em? What do you do? At least you can have music. Sometimes kids would bring their ipods when they were assigned to clean the bathrooms at Smiths, but then they would miss a call to come up front and someone would come find them and then it was trouble! Haha. Ne ja.

Yep, the circle of friends begins to break, much akin to the breaking of the Fellowship. But remember how the Fellowship all met up again in Minas Tirith at the end? Don't worry, you will see your Fellowship again :) And there is always Facebook!

Elder Downing is good. He is adjusting well, and he is working hard to improve his German, so he should be able to say things...soon :)
Naw, he is a good kid. He is excited and eager to work, so that is helpful. We have, unfortunately, not seen much success in the past two weeks, and we have had to bid farewell to a pair of older investigators that didn't want anymore visits. Sigh. But we did make a lot of contacts this past week and we have a very good week planned so it should be alright :)
P.S. I do not call him Air Bud, that is fo show. I DO, however call him Padawan. All the time, in fact. Not even kidding. As in, ''Padawan, fetch me that hydrospanner'' or ''Padawan, enter the living quarter access codes.'' OK so not quite like that, but I do call him Padawan a lot. It doesn't bother him so I am sticking with it for as long as I have got him :D

Well the Nazi Casino worker guy is on today so we have no leeway in time and I ought to get rolling and email president. I love you, thanks so much for the ensign and the money, it came the day after mission tour when I was totally broke. So it has already helped out :) And thanks for the Get Fuzzy. You know I love it :D I don't need anything too specific, but when it comes around, that best of scottish pipes and drums CD, maybe a copy of that could come along? That would be cool. I have missed hearing some pipes every now and then. Other than that, I am good. I am getting pics sent home, and anything else you guys need, just let me know! Love you, take care, thanks for everything! Tschüß!
Elder S.J. Mason