Yeah, that's right, it's Tuesday, and I'm doing e-mail. Why? 


Veteran's day was observed yesterday, so due to the new guideline of 


Preparation Days not occuring on national holidays that also occur on 


Mondays, and instead being held the immediate day after the holiday, 


it being a Tuesday, that is the reason for me writing this e-mail on 


the 13th instead of the 12th. Understand? Just be thankful I didn't 


do it yesterday--the library was closed.





Anyway, now that I've thoroughly confused all of you, I have a few 


things to say about the pictures my parents sent me: 1) Cody's cake 


is absolutely the ugliest cake I have ever seen, looking like a blob 


with a really bad frosting job; 2) Cody is a really messy eater; and 


3) Cindy's lost a ton of weight! She looks almost like Liz Bates! 


Unfortunately I won't be able to see Cody for some time, so be sure 


to put pictures of me up in his room so that he can join in with the 


kids assaulting me when I get through security in the airport in 348 


days (Just kidding. I don't really know, and I'm not counting the 


days down. I however did realize last night that I will be calling 


home exactly 10 months before I get home, with an additional phone 


call in the middle. Just one of those odd statistics that don't 


really matter and no one cares about that I typically throw out.).





Lately I've been having Christmas rock songs pop into my head, like 


the Smashing Pumpkins' "Christmas Time," Jimmy Eat Worlds cover of 


"Last Christmas," and just a few seconds ago, =W=eezer's Christmas 


song, which I forget the title of, but very well remember the lyrics: 


"Here I sit waiting beside the tree all by myself."





My plans for Thanksgiving? Well, transfers, which would normally be 


next Friday, are going to be next Tuesday, on Thanksgiving Adam. 


Rumor has it that this is because President Seal wants the 


missionaries to eat Thanksgiving dinner with their families. Rumor 


also has it that most missionaries are pretty ticked--everyone had 


plans to eat with their favorite member family, but now everyone is 


going to spend Thanksgiving with a member family they don't know at 


all. Elder Hause will be leaving, details will be released next 


Monday (stay tuned!), but we might be in Winona. I am currently 


unsure, as on Thanksgiving we aren't to actively proselyte (mostly in 


the way of tracting, but I doubt we're going to find too many people 


that will be on the streets wanting to talk to us in a town of less 


than 2K people). So, we may not be able to do much good in Winona 


with only a Thanksgiving Eve to work with. Maybe we'll stay an extra 


day and work down there the day after Thanksgiving (I need a better 


term for that--Thanksgiving Abel?).





Mom wrote: "I guess this will be the last time we will be writing you 


on November 11." Actually, it's the only time you've written me on 


November 11th. I got in Fort Smith on the 9th, a Friday, which would 


have made the 11th a Sunday. That Monday would have been my first 


time e-mailing, and you would have had no way to e-mail me. But, all 


technicalities aside, let's not get trunky now!





Right now we're teaching a really interesting character by the name 


of David. He's apparently a druid. He has some beliefs that have 


underlying truth, but are slightly off. He says baptism by the proper 


authority is essential, but the druid council is unsure if they have 


it or not (which logically means that they don't). He also speaks of 


a book that the druids lost that ended up being buried in a hill in 


the "land across the sea." I dunno what to think. He's bringing it up 


with the druid council, and he's thinking our churches might "merge" 


or something. I dunno. I don't think he's completely nuts, but this 


is odd for me.





We also taught a sweet couple on Sunday night. Jodi and Rob we're 


pretty attentive, and I think the lesson went really well. I feel 


like my teaching is a whole lot better. I'm not just teaching the 


gospel now, I'm teaching people how to understand the gospel. It's 


quite an enjoyable experience--to feel that you can help someone 


understand the truths that can change their lives for the better.





Anyway, I can't think of anything more to say, so I'll be signing off 


until next Monday.