Letter #142 "Come on, dear brother, since the war is past, For friends at first, are friends again at last." Joseph Smith

Dear Joseph Smith,
Happy Birthday!!! When I think about your greatest attributes, I immediately think of-forgiving. You taught on multiple occasions by example and words that merciful temperament and willingness to forgive others is the greatest love of all. You were so quick to forgive-many times before an apology was given (if any). Thank you for being a guiding example. I know that if I exercise forgiveness I can be just as happy as you. Reflecting on my life, I realize I am very quick to judge and scorn. How easily I judge others. Instead of yelling at the driver that cut me off, I will forgive and move on. Eliza R Snow said, “Suppose that Jesus Christ and holy angels should object to us on frivolous things, what would become of us? We must be merciful to one another.” Thank you for your testimony and love of the gospel. Had it not been you, we might not be a growing and unified church. Thank you for reaching out to God in the sacred grove. When I was 14 I had an attitude-not curiosity. Thank you for never giving up. I can learn so much from your life. I appreciate your trials and mostly how you triumphed. Please know that I am grateful from the deepest part of me. I love you. I will never forget what you have done for me. I am trying to live a Celestial life and hope that I can meet you one day. Until then, thank you (pretend that I am hugging you).

Letters #129-141 "Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one."~Malcolm S. Forbes

Letter #129- Dear Mrs. Allen,
You are one of my most memorable teachers. I remember that I loved going to class because of you. Thank you for introducing me to Roald Dahl’s BFG. That was one of my favorite books as a child! Thank you for giving me a great school experience.

#130-Dear Mrs. Inman,
Thank you for giving me so many opportunities to improve my talents. I knew I liked music but, I didn’t realize how good I was until the day you handed out recorders to our 4th grade class. We were supposed to learn a Christmas song for our holiday program (I can’t remember which song…) While learning the song I noticed multiple wrong notes. Because we had recorders, we couldn’t play flats or sharps. I took the recorder home that night (without permission) and composed the song in a different key that didn’t require the flats and sharps. I came to you a few days later and played it for you. You were SO excited for me. From then on, I knew that if I wanted to fix something, all I had to do was try. Thank you for encouraging me!

#131-Dear Mrs. Erickson,
Thank you for being the most fun teacher ever! There was never a dull moment in your class. I wouldn’t say my friends and I were the teacher’s pet but, you let us be the voice of the class. I remember every couple of weeks you’d let us come up with a new seating chart layout. We’d always put our group of friends in a strategic way so we could always see each other. Of course we didn’t want to abuse our power and sit all right next to each other  Thank you for teaching me how to do a New Jersey accent. Thanks for weaning me during my kid-to-teen years.

#132-Dear Mr. Short,
I NEVER would have progress in any math class had it not been for you. You taught in a way that was so clear and wonderful-I actually understood math! Thank you always making math class a pleasure. Also, thank you for trying to teach us that “sucks” is a bad word…instead use hoover (get it? Like the vacuum!) Thank you for being an outstanding teacher!

#133-Dear Dr. Knudsen (aka Dr. K),
You were the funniest teacher ever! I remember the first day of 7th grade science class. You told us that every single person in the room was a winner and not just any winner-a first place winner. I looked to my left and then to my right and thought, we can’t all be first place winners. I had never won anything of great importance. You explained that we were all first place winners in the sperm race. We had fought and won over thousands of other sperms and we were all the won that made it first to the egg…Only a science teacher would think to tell his 13 year old students that. Thanks for making me learn and most of all laugh. Do you remember when you were out for your nightly jog on Davis Blvd and you spotted 3 conspicuous teens toilet papering a yard? You yelled out, “Someone call 911!” and then a feint chuckle as you continued on your jog. We were laughing so hard we had to hurry and leave our t.p. job unfinished because we thought someone might hear us and come out. Thanks, ha!

#134-Dear Coach Belnap,
Thank you for taking a chance on the tall 7th grader to be on the volleyball team. I was SO nervous for tryouts but, I did my best and you saw that I had potential. Again I made it in 8th and got to play on varsity a couple of times. You were so helpful and taught me really amazing techniques. I got so good at them I knew I was a shoe-in for next year. Yes, I made the team in 9th grade but then broke a bone during gym playing basketball. I had to wear a cast on my arm for most of the season. Once it was out I had to do physical therapy. I probably got to play one game. Even though I didn’t have my freshman glory days, I thank you for teaching me how to play volleyball. Thanks!

#135-Dear Mr. Culp,
Gracias por enseñarme español! Usted era un profesor gracioso. Le arrojaron marcadores en las cosas y las personas. Usted escupe en nuestros papel y se burlaban de los estudiantes. Me encantaba ir a tu clase. Gracias por las divertidas actividades

#136-Dear Brother Barlow,
Thank you for all your wonderful lessons. I loved going to seminary. You could make us think deep, cry and laugh all in one class period. You are so close to the spirit and your lessons reflected that. Thank you for reminding me of the important things in the middle of the day. It is so easy to get caught up in school, friends, life and whatever so, seminary was a beautiful break from all that. Thank you.

#137-Dear Mr. Kunz,
Thank you for being the one and only math teacher I had in high school. I don’t remember much because I got stuck in a class with dumb seniors who mainly goofed off. Thanks for helping me amongst they crazies.

#138-Dear Mrs. Coe,
Thank you for coming to my house while I had mono. You would collect all my assignments from my other teachers and bring it to me. You were so wonderful and such a big help. Thank you

#139-Dear Larry Smith,
Thank you for the amazing choir program you have created at Bountiful High. I loved every second in your classes. You always found the most perfect music for us to sing. I loved being in sophomore girls’ choir! When Thanks for letting me be in junior and senior choir too! I am most grateful for being in Chamber Choir. I have only ever told this to Calin, my husband, but I wanted to be in chamber choir ever since I was in the 2nd grade. Every year during the holidays, the high school choir would come and sing songs to the elementary. We would have a special assembly just to listen. Now this might be silly but, I would look straight ahead and look at the choir girl that was directly in front of me. I would picture myself as her. Throughout the entire assembly I would be thinking, “I wanna be her someday.” It wasn’t until I was standing infront of a group of kids singing holiday songs that I realized my dream had come true. I was that girl. Thank you for helping my dream come true.

#140-Dear Mrs. Brinkerhoff,
Thank you for putting up with me, Becca and Jackie! I’m sure it was a difficult task but, somehow you managed. Thanks for being our favorite teacher. Thank you for letting us put a picture of us on your desk  We were so distracting and clownish. Thank you for getting me excited about history. You had so much passion for it that it rubbed off on us students. Thank you for your passion and patience.

#141-Dear Professor Dave Wilson,
You were the first college professor that I absolutely loved! You, like my high school history teacher Mrs. Brinkerhoff, made me excited about history. You put things into a perspective that every college kid could grab and hold onto. You had the greatest PowerPoint presentations! I am pretty sure I never missed any of your classes. Thank you for being so accessible to my study group. We were studying in the hall once and saw you at another table during your lunch break. We had a question about part of the study guide and you were more than happy to help. Thank you!

Letters #124-128 "Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all. ~William F

#124 Dear Danny, Thank you for being the coolest cousin ever! I loved playing with you when we were kids. I idolized you-for sure! My mom can back me up on this but, when we lived in West Bountiful next to G&G, I would ask almost everyday, "Mom can I play with Danny?" Thank you for putting up with a little shadow. Thank you for making me laugh. I love you!

#125 Dear Melissa, Thank you for marrying Danny. You two are perfect for each other. You are a perfect balance to Danny's crazy clown :) I remember when I found out that Danny was getting married. I was hurt. You know how every little girl wants to marry her daddy? Well, I wanted to marry Danny, ha! I was super jealous and before meeting you, I didn't want to like you. There was one problem, you were SO nice... You talked to me about volleyball and I started to see that you were a really cool girl. Thank you for ignoring my snottiness. Thank you for being so great to me. I love you!

#126 Dear Angie, Thank you for inspiring me to sing. When ever I heard you sing at family get-togethers I thought, "If Angie can sing like that maybe it's genetic". Some of my favorite memories of you was in the bottom apartment of your house. My mom and I would come over and make cards. It was so much fun! You taught us a bunch of cool scrapbooking techniques that I still use today. Thank you for being my videographer for my special day. Nothing is more important to me than preserving memories. Now, when I have kids I can show them the day their mom and dad got married because of you. Thank you for capturing all the beautiful moments. I love you!

#127 Dear Beth, Thank you for being the ultimate homemaker. I love reading your Facebook posts and blogs. I admire all the cool things you do! Thank you for showing that a stay-at-home-mom can be a wonderful life. Your kids are so cute and well behaved! How do you do it? Thank you for emulating light. I love you!

#128 Dear Emily, Thank you for being such a good friend. I think one of my favorite memories of us was when we were trying to find the Bountiful-West Bountiful dividing line. We ended up hanging out in the middle of the road at 2 in the morning. Thank you for your support and love. Thanks!

Letter #106-123 "If a fellow isn't thankful for what he's got, he isn't likely to be thankful for what he's going to get." ~Frank A. Clark

to all the little things~

#106- Fingernail polish, thanks for making me feel

girly and cute. I love that you come in so many beautiful colors. Thank you!

#107- iPad, thank you for all the fun you provide. Thanks for letting me play angry birds, read my scriptures and write my thank you letters all on one device. Thanks!

#108- Toothbrush & paste, thank you for being so minty fresh and cleaning my teeth! While on trek we were only allowed to use baking soda as toothpaste-YUCK! I will never take colegate, crest or aquafresh for granted. Thanks!

#109- Xbox Kinect, Thanks for letting me use my voice as a remote. It's super convenient when I lose the real remote. All I have to do is say, "Xbox, ______" and you do what ever I ask...awesome! Thanks!

#110- Christmas ornaments, You are super pretty! Thanks

for making my tree look so festive and beautiful. Thank you!

#111- Tire pressure gage, Thank you for keeping us safe. Thank you for letting us know if our tires are low and need air.

#112- Heater, Thank you for keeping me and my house warm. When I think about the first night I spent in China, I feel even more grateful for you. I shivered as I laid on the rock hard "bed" in my coat, hat and gloves wishing I was warm. Thank you for the wonderful heat!

#113- Christmas music, Ahhh, how I love the day after

Thanksgiving because I preset all the stations on my radio to Christmas. It just doesn't feel like the holidays until "Santa Baby" is playing on the stereo and snow is on the ground. Thank you for the beautiful Christmas spirit you provide!

#114- Kebo (cell phone), How did I live without you? I get to use you to keep in contact with

friends, family, work... If I am lost, you help me find my way-GPS! Thank you for your 3G-ness so I can surf the web or do work on the go. Thanks!

#115- Socks, thank you for being so soft and fuzzy! I love sliding my feet into you and wiggling my toes around. Thanks for being super cute!

#116- Chocolate, Oooh baby! Thanks for making my frown turn upside-down. I don't know how

you do it but, you can even the darkest days seem bright. That might be my addiction to food speaking but, you are amazing and a life saver. Thanks!

#117- Cameras, Thank you for your ability to capture a moment in time. Pictures are so important to me. I cherish every photo taken. I love the idea that when I start having children, I can always remember special moments with them through pictures. Thank you!

#118- Airplanes, thank you for being magic. Thank you for being able to fly like a bird and carry humans to far away places. watch this for a laugh and a new appreciation for airplanes!

#119- Pinterest, thank you for all the cute ideas I find. I do wish that you would allow me to have an account...PLEASE!!! Thanks in advance :)

#120- Winter WonderLand Candle, Oh how I love your scent. I could sniff you all day! Thank you for the perfect representation of how Christmas should smell like. Thank you!

#121- Mattress, thank you for being so darn comfy. If I could spend all day laying on you, I would. You feel like clouds in heaven. I really appreciate you most because I know not everyone can afford a nice new bed. Some people don't even have beds. When I look around my room I can't help but feel so blessed for my comfy blessings. Thank you!

#122- HHR & Miata, thank you for being a wonderful forms of transportation. We haven't had to put any money into you (besides gas) until this month. We are grateful for your hard work and for getting us from point A to point B comfortably. Thanks cars!!!

#123- Conan O'Brian, you are so freakin' funny! Thank you for making me laugh my socks off! Thank you for providing me with hours of entertainment. You have a talent for funny and I appreciate it. Thank you sir!

Letter #105 "You learn something every day if you pay attention." ~Ray LeBlond

Dear Erin Tate,

Thank you SO much for helping my first Thanksgiving dinner be a success! You were so kind and patient while teaching me all the ins & outs of turkey cookin'. I love how knowledgeable you are about gourmet cooking. You are a regular Martha Stewart. Thanks for teaching me how to brine the turkey, buttering and separating the skin, and the best way to cook the turkey. You have been such a good friend to me. Thank you. I really appreciate all the effort you put into being an amazing visiting teacher and friend. Thanks!

Letter #104 "I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose." ~Woody Allen

Dear The Chew,

Thank you for keeping me company during my quite days at home. You see, I work from home and I don't like to sit at the computer in total silence so, the tv is my companion. You give me a good laugh for a whole hour! Thanks for all the craft ideas & delicious food recipes-yum! Thanks!

Letters #83-103 "God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?" ~William A. Ward

#83 Dear Uncle Mike, Thank you for being the strong glue that has kept your brothers and sisters together. Thank you for being such a goof. I will never forget all the late nights you came over to our house to have my mom fix your hair--too many clipper malfunctions :) Thank you for being a strong, loving influence in my life. I love you!

#84 Dear Aunt Donna, Thank you for being a second mom to me. You are always so sweet and

wonderful to everyone. I am always so amazed how well you can hold it together-especailly

around our family :) Any time I look at a tootsie roll or the Jazz, I think of you. Thank you for

loving and caring about me. I love you.

ps. sorry for telling Taylor all those scary stories when we were younger :)

#85 Dear Jessica Whitaker, Thank you for being such an amazing example to all of the cousins. You had to put up with all the aunts and uncles first and all by yourself-that alone should be a guaranteed spot in heaven! You are such a great momma! I look at you and know that someday, I can have a family just like yours. Thank you! I love you

#86 Dear Justin Whitaker, Thank you for marrying my beautiful cousin. Thank you for being such a huge part of our family. Everyone just loves you! Thank you for being a good example to the boy cousins. Thank you for serving a mission, marrying in the temple, finishing and continuing school, starting a family, man I could go on forever! Thank you! Love you

#87 Dear Ry-Ry, Thanks for letting Taylor, Terea and I chase you while calling you Aladdin. Those times must have been traumatizing! Thank you for being a friend to me. While growing up I looked up to you so much (literally and figuratively). You were always doing cool things that I wanted to do. Thanks for not shoving me into a trash can in high school. I don't know why I was so scared of you and your friends in HS. I guess every TV show, movie and tween books told me that seniors (family or not) will pick on the young by shoving them in trash cans or giving them swirlies. I still remember when you and your tall friend with glasses took my friends to Carl's Jr for lunch. Man, we felt so cool-out to lunch with seniors! Thank you. I love you

#88 Dear miss Taylor, I know this is the second thank you on my blog but, I can never say enough thank yous to you! I love you because you are beautiful, funny, loving, hard-working, strong, talented, friendly, genuine, honest, bold...you are AMAZING!!! I love you girl! I am excited to work in the offices with you :) cubicle buddies!

#89 Dear Tuffy, Although you are no longer with us I still wanted to say thank you. Thanks for only biting me once. It was my fault. I had food in my hand and you are a dog...

#90 Dear McKay, Thank you for playing the guitar. Thank you for being so willing to share your talent with the family. I love it! Thank you for taking chances and putting yourself out there. Like you, I have written a few songs but, the only difference is, you are brave. You share your thoughts and feelings and I appreciate it. Thank you. I love you!

#91 Dear Ashlyn, Thank you for being my other little sister. You are a beautiful, kind and generous person. Thank you for being a good

example to Kenzie. We both love you so much! I love you and want you to know that you can come to me for anything! I'm only a few minutes away :)

ps. where did your super blonde hair come from...?

#92 Dear Dallin, Thanks for putting up with all our families lame jokes about how tall you are. You know we love you. I think the uncles joke so much about your height because they are jealous. They are all getting shorter as they get older (no offense Uncles but, it's true). Thanks for being so strong. I will never forget how brave and poised you were at your Dad's funeral. I

hope that my kids can be just like you. Thank you. I love you!

#93 Dear Denise, Thank you for hosting the coolest b-day party I've ever been to. It was when you were in the apartments in Centerville/Bountiful area. You made a pirate themed birthday party for James. It was SO cool! We each got treasure maps made from paper grocery bags that had the edges burned. I'm definitely doing that for my kids! Thank you for being such a great mom. You have had it tough and I admire you for your strength and perseverance. I love you and thank you!

#94 Dear James, Thank you for all your funnies! My favorite memory of you was when you, me, Russ and Terea were hanging out at our house and we started making prank phone calls. You had the funniest voices and things to say. Thanks for always keeping things light hearted and fun. I love you cousin!

#95 Dear Kameron, Thank you for your curiosity. I love that you are so smart and curious. You are growing up into such a wonderful young man. Thank you for showing your love towards everyone in your family. I can see that you have so much passion for them. Thank you. I love you

#96 Dear Terea, Thank you for being there for me. You are a really great support system to me. Thank you for being such a good mommy! I absolutely love reading your posts on Facebook.

You are always sharing a cute mommy moment and it always gets me super excited to be a mom. I love when we do get to hang out. I don't know if you remember this but, one time I convinced

my parents to rent Our Lips Are Sealed (a Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen winner). I loved it so much that I didn't want to return it. I brought it over to your dad's house to hide it. A few weeks later, my parents had to pay a large amount for the missing movie. After it had been paid for, I

thought it was safe to bring it back home and magically "find" it. The next time I went to your Dad's house to hang out, we looked for it but never found it...it really was lost! My plan backfired :) Thanks for being such a great friend to me. I love you so much!

#97 Dear Jaron, Thanks for choosing my beautiful cousin Terea to spend forever with. Thank you for being such a hard worker. Thank you for putting up with the Perrys :) Love you!

#98 Dear Hudson, Oh my goodness! You are SO cute! Thank you for putting smiles on everyone's faces. Thank you for your funny smile face you make when you scrunch up your nose and give a nice cheesy smile-so adorable! Thank you! I love you!

#99 Dear Postum, I miss you. Thank you for being a staple drink for my family for many years. We all wish you would come back. Thanks for the warm yumminess every timewe would come back inside the cabin after a long sledding adventure. Thank you!

#100 Dear Rob, Thanks for being the cool funny uncle. Thanks for caring about our family. Thanks for trying. Love you

#101 Dear Andie, Thank you for being my friend/mom/aunt/inspiration...I love you! I look at you and my mom and hope that Kenzie and I can continue our friendship and be just like you two. Thank you for raising the 3 cutest kids in the world! Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for taking me for rides in the miata while singing out Alannis Morristte's Ironic. I remember when you still had Shasta and I took puppy on a walk. For some reason I used the chain instead of the leash...I clipped the chain to my shirt and bra. Now, this was my first bra and it had Pocahontas on it! Anyways, we started jog/running and Shasta was a lot faster than me.

Next thing I know, there is a hole in my shirt and new bra-bummer! My favorite memory of you is when you helped me dig out the snowmobile from under a pine tree. Grandpa had finally allowed me to use the snowmobile all by myself and I had driven it straight under a large pine tree and gotten stuck. I didn't want anyone to know so I spent a couple of hours trying to dig it out myself. Finally I snuck up to the cabin, found you and asked for your help. You came right down and got it out. When everyone asked why I had been gone for so long, you covered and said you wanted to go for a long ride. Thank you! I love you and miss you all the time!

#102 Dear Shasta, Thanks for teaching me that while walking a dog, leashes are best!

#103 Dear technology, Thanks for making my life easier. Thank you for being invented so that I'd have a job. Thank you for allowing me to express my thanks to those who mean the most to me via blog :) Thank you!!!