So Gus wasn’t dead after all

 Happy freaking New Year Elder!

I’m not sure I’ll finish this letter this year, but it will be close. We’re prepping for mom’s birthday party. The house is all clean, though Jacob is gripping about Ben not cleaning the downstairs bathroom. He’s also mad at the Utes for blowing a lead against Washington, though it’s still the first half. I think he’s mostly keyed up because he’s going to pick up his friend, that happens to be a girl. I think that same thing might be putting your mom and Ben a little on edge too. Mom and Ben will be making those enchiladas, I’ll send pics.

We got home from our adventures to the National Museum of Military Vehicles in the sprawling town of Dubois, Wyoming. We had a beautiful but long ride. We went through Kemmerer on the way up and Jackson on the way back. It was beautiful with all the grass and trees frosted from the cold and fog. It was cold, but clear though at the higher elevations the roads were a little scary and snowy. We took the Toyota and it did great with uncle Tim and Jordan following closely in uncle Tim’s Hyundai. I was afraid the museum wouldn’t hold my interest for a second visit, but it did and they had new galleries open. I think everyone enjoyed it. We stayed in Dubois this time, it’s a cool little town that seems suspended in time. The hotel we stayed in was an old log lodge built in the 1930s. The beds were firm and the blankets thin. But it was good enough for us. We had meals in various places around town and we watched bowl games in our room in the evening. The boys bought these small metal tank models at the gift shop, Ben was the only one to finish his. I kinda regret not buying one for myself.

I’ve been busy yesterday and today preparing for missionary focus week in our ward. For focus week, each ward in the stake schedules two families for visits from the elders every day, drops off dinner Tuesday through Friday, and has the opportunity to have them over for dinner on Friday and Saturday. I started to get the list filled out by directly asking ward members before sacrament meeting. Then by the time I made the announcement in our fifth Sunday lesson, I   got every spot filled save one on Saturday night. I figure I have some time to get that one filled. It seems easier to find motivation to do my calling by imagining that I’m the ward mission leader in your ward. I would love to help you and your comp this way.

Oh, did I tell you that we finally cleaned out Gus’s cage? We mostly did it because mom thought she was dead last week, bet she’s fine. In fact she made a break for the bushes while I was cleaning her box. We’ve had no luck giving her away, so she’ll most likely still be here waiting for you.

I need to vacuum the stairs now for the shindig, so I’ll fill you in on those details later.

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Well, it’s 2024, Happy New year! It’s weird how fast the years go by at my age. I’m think it may not be the fastest for you though. But it will be full of new experiences for you, so it will be a full year.

The party was a typical Rivera get together. The Cooks, the Heumanns, the Bergs, grandma, Jordan, and some of your cousins came. Jacob brought Abi, his girlfriend. She seemed to get along fine with her and she’s a nice and cute girl, though i really have no experience with this sort of thing and I just try not to be too awkward. Mom and Ben made these amazing enchiladas with green and red sauce with crema and a fried egg on top. I sadly didn’t get pictures. Of course mom made too much food, but it was delicious. Everybody stayed till just after midnight. Jacob has taken Abi, short for Abril, home so I’ll wait up for him.

The Utes ended up beating Washington in basketball today and Washington state on Friday. They’re expected to crack the top 25 this week. They are now 11-2 on the season, I’m starting to get my hopes up for this team. It will be fun to see them play in the tournament again. As a younger man, I thought the Utes would always go every year.

I’ve been bitten by the gladiator bug again. I guess car sales must be down because they’ve put massive discounts on them. I have my eye on an orange rubicon. My better judgment says “no” in a very loud voice. But now that the memories of the frustration of my old jeep’s problems have softened, my desire is still high. Remember that day we went to go check them out when they first came out? I think they were charging $20,000 over sticker price then. Now it’s nearly $20,000 under. But they’re still more than the 4Runner was.

This is my last day off of the holiday. Work is going to be really busy this January. I don’t mind busy. But I don’t love frantic, and there’s every possibility of frantic.

Well kid, you got through the holiday season. Even in the mission field that can make things chaotic. I sorta love January because the do get back to a regular routine and normality. For you, that will be your first real taste of normality since entering the mission field. Even though you are the greenie, don’t be afraid to be assertive if you think something should be done in a different way. I often think that new employees at work have one advantage over others who have been at the job for a while. That advantage is that they can see things in a new way and the customs, habits, and culture have less of a sway on you. If an idea comes into your mind that’s positive and constructive, express it even if it’s new. 

Well, enough dad advice for now. Speaking of which, it’s probably time to give your brothers some dating and relationship advice while it’s still relevant. Maybe I’ll write it out to you before give it to Jacob, that won’t be awkward will it?

You’re brother just got home so it’s time to go to bed.

Love you kid, call tomorrow?

Pops