Happy New Year!

Dear friends, January 1, 2010

I did not get a Christmas letter out this year, but I do want to keep in touch with the people we love, so I am sending a letter to catch you all up on our last year or so and to wish you a happy brand new year! (Some of this might be “old news” for you, but read it anyway just in case!) I do hope you had a good Christmas!

This has been an eventful year for our family beginning with last December, I mean December 2008. Michael and Timothy were living in St George with my mom, working and going to school. They were planning on being there for Christmas too, but Matti planned a surprise for me and arranged for them to fly home for Christmas. That was a great surprise! A good friend of ours and former Finnish missionary, who works for Skywest, helped them get a real bargain on their tickets. We really appreciate that! They had a lot of adventures trying to get here which made the trip unforgettable. They left St George on Monday and arrived here on Friday! I was so glad they had that trip together.

We had not spent Christmas with all of our children together since 2004, so having them all here together was the best thing I could imagine! It was a really nice Christmas.

After New Year’s, Tim went back to St George for a few more months. He moved here around the end of April. Tim and his Grandma got quite close during that time. Tim is serving in our branch here as a counselor in the Young Men’s presidency and senior home teacher. He works part time for Matti. He is still planning to go on a mission this year. He just turned 20 last month. He still plays the guitar, mostly electric and is getting better all the time.

Right after they got here, Michael started seeing a girl he knew from elementary school with whom he had been recently corresponding over the internet. Right from the beginning, they seemed to be meant for each other. They dated and she started investigating our church while going to dental hygiene school in Oulu which is about 80 miles from here. She is a wonderful young woman. Her name is Sini-Meri which means “Blue Sea”. On May 16^th she got baptized here in Kemi.

Paul (just turned 16) graduated from Junior High which in Finland means he completed the mandatory public education. At that point young people either go to Lukio or trade school. Paul is quite interested in math, so he chose lukio. Lukio is like High School, it lasts three years and it prepares you for University level studies, but it is not mandatory unless you want to go to a university. We read a study which told that as far as math goes, Finland is rated quite near the top when it comes to math in comparison with other countries. Well out of all the lukios in Finland, the one which Paul attends, Keminmaan, is one of the best in Finland! This fall they had a math contest at his school which was the same all over Finland. Paul won first place in his school. Since it was given all over Finland, they were able to rate all the participants from around Finland. Paul’s score put him at 57^th in the whole country! He is a great young man. He is honest, diligent and dependable too, besides fun to be around! He and Michael love hunting. They are good at it like their Dad.

Right after Paul’s graduation, Mark and Sarah and I went to see my mom in St George, Utah. We had a great trip. It was nice to spend time with Mom. I also got to see my brother Bruce and his son Neil, and my niece Donna and her daughter Grace. We visited Kanab where my mom was born. We had a cousin’s luncheon/reunion at the Olive Garden. We got to hang out with friends a little, but not as much as we would have wanted to. The time went by so fast! Mark was so much help with Sarah! Many times on the trip I felt grateful to have him along, especially on the way home. Sarah is fortunate to have a big brother like Mark. He has started singing in his school choir.

When we got home from my mom’s house we started getting ready for Sini and Michael’s wedding! They got married on September 26^th. It was a fun and beautiful wedding. Sini fits right into our family. It is great to have a daughter-in-law, especially one like her. It is fun to see them learning to be their own little family. They are so cute. Michael is working with Matti on an outdoor website. They are hoping to be able to sell all kinds of outdoor, hunting and trapping equipment online. On the weekends he works as a bouncer in night clubs in Oulu. That is where he and Sini live. She has a little over a year of school left until she will be a dental hygienist. Michael had a lot of fun last summer playing American football for Oulu’s team the “Northern Lights”. They had a great season, and he got to play in every game.

Another thing which happened this summer was Tim went into the army. All Finnish young men have to serve a 6-12 month term in the army. Tim was there for about 3 weeks, but he had so much trouble with his knee, and hip that after x-raying his knee and hip, the doctor released him. They may call him back in three years. He said he was glad for the experience. Tim had quite long hair for several years, but when he went to the army, he got his head shaved, so now he is wearing it short. It has been really fun, and new to see how good he looks with short hair.

Sarah (who just turned 6) has had a big change in her life this year. She started pre-school in September. It is quite similar to kindergarten. She goes 4 hours per day, Monday through Friday. She loves it! She loves trying to learn to read and write and has made some nice friends. I believe her big brothers, especially Mark, are her best friends though. She sure is a sweet little friend to me. She is so helpful and so full of “good ideas”. Having Sarah in pre-school has been an interesting experience for me. This is the first time in 24 years that I have not had a child at home to take care of during the day! Every day I realize what a blessing Sarah is in my life. Each of my children is a blessing to me of course, but having a little girl when you are 51 years old is really a special experience. She is so sweet.

As you can see, I could go on all day about each of our children. I am so proud of each of them. My life seems to revolve around them, maybe a little too much. Over the last 25 years, I really have not done much else, but being their mom has been the most important to me, and the most fun.

I am also thinking of starting to study English at a University level. I’m hoping to take classes online from BYU soon. I love to write, and now that Sarah will be starting school next fall, I could try to start teaching English. It is something I could do in either country, and it is something I enjoy. At this point it is just an idea, but I think there is a possibility it could work.

Matti and I are still dreaming of moving to St George someday. Hopefully it will happen before we get too much older! Matti loves to hunt whenever he gets a chance. He is an excellent shot. Even though he lost his arm, he is still amazing. He is still the one people call when they need help. He knows how to do so many things, and he is willing to make time for people who need him no matter how tired or busy he might be.

A few years ago we got an outdoor sauna put in our back yard. We had a well dug next to it. One of our favorite things to do together is heat it up. It is really primitive. We have to carry the water into the sauna in barrels and we have two fires, one which heats the water and one which heats the rocks. It is kind of a lot of work, but it is so enjoyable and relaxing too. We usually mostly go in the summer, but lately we have even been going even though it is winter. I think the peaceful, cold white snow all around outside and the woody, steamy heat of the sauna is a wonderful contrast! It has been nice to have something fun and relaxing we like to do together.

Each year is full of ups, downs, happiness, disappointment and joy. Some challenges and trials seem to never let up, but in my opinion, happiness and goodness is there in all of our lives, if we just open our eyes to it. If we choose to see only the things which did not turn out the way we were hoping, we will have plenty to see and dwell on, but it won’t lead us to happiness, nor will it help us see God’s hand in our life. I know God is real and he cares about each of us. We can know him and feel his love if we pray, search the scriptures, and keep our eyes and hearts open.

Here is our wish to you for a happy 2010! May it be full of peace and blessings for you and your loved ones.

Love, Darla and family