Aaaah.  Everyone and everything is going to look so different when I get home.  And thanks for the permission to grow my hair our, but.. I think I'm going to try and cut it again sometime.  Probably not for a couple more weeks.  It's a learning process.  Don't worry Mom.  You're not here to see it.  So it's fine.  Just imagine that I have the same hair cut that I did when I left.  You're right.  I did notice when you cut your hair.  You're my mother.  It's scary to me when you change your look, because you look less like my mother.  Then I have to get used to the way you look, and then inevitably you change again.  So even small changes are noticed, I didn't say out loud that I noticed every time, but I definitely did still notice.

I'll get you a Christmas list eventually.  I've been thinking about it a little lately.  I'm not sure how long it'll take to actually get to me.. In Tamworth it was easy, because every week we'd have district meeting at the chapel next to the mission office, but now I have to wait for it to come, then wait for the Zone Leaders to go to the mission office.. and that takes ages sometimes. So I'm not sure.  If you sent it two or three weeks before Christmas, I'm sure I'd have it before.  I'm not worried about when it comes though.  So don't worry too much.  To tell you the truth, I basically feel like I live on a different planet.  It almost feels like I've only ever been a missionary and always will be. Which I hope is true, but I mean a full-time missionary.  So when I get packages from you or, you know, "Earth," it's always just a bonus or a treat, not an expectation.

I do want to send you a bunch of stuff home though.  I hope that's okay.  I was just going to do one package and send everything home I need to for a while.  Plus some English presents. I've had Adrienne's for about six months now.  Cause it was just too perfect not to buy.  Apparently she has a birthday present to send me that she never did, so tell her to send it to me.  Cause I love birth-six-months.  In fact, you can start on my next birth-six-months whenever you want.  The six months include the six months before June 2, and the six months after June 2. 

I'm really excited to talk to all of you and meet little Tess.  That's going to be really fun.  I hope you don't mind I invited Ange. I still have a pretty solid crush on her, and would like to hear from her as well.

Dog-Teeth. Nice.  I bet he hated that more than anything in his entire life.

Aaron seems like he comes over a lot now!  Maybe it's just because I never come over anymore, but it feels like I always get at least one picture a week of Aaron and Rem.  They're so cute together.  They're just polar opposites.  Aaron is this massive guy with a manly-man moustache (and goatee?) and Remy is this tiny little girl in cute little skirts.  Haha I love it. Remy is so dang cute. All of my little-relatives are cute. And awesome. I especially loved that picture of Remy feeding Hank that Brooke sent me a couple weeks ago.  That was brilliant. I bet my companion feels the same way about me as Stockton does about Remy.  I eat a lot of beans, cause they're cheap and come in a can, and I can make them delicious, but they have an adverse side-effect, and Muscles generally gets the brunt of the attacks.  He probably wants a little more privacy. Too bad. I mooned him like three times last night. Haha

I'm jealous that you got to hang out with Aunt Chris.  I plan on doing a bit of that when I get back.  I'm also jealous of Aunt Chris that she's going to Hawaii.  Maybe global warming will make the Welsh coast Hawaiian-like by the time I get there.  That'd be good.  I'm also jealous of Thanksgiving.  I'm really hoping that one of the American families here decides to have us over for Thanksgiving and feeds us until we can't physically move.  I'd be okay with that.

That picture that you found of us is this transfer's planner picture.  Every transfer I put a picture in my planner that I can have to show to people or look at myself or whatever.  And every time I open my planner now I see your happy face, and I smile.  I hope you smile a lot, and don't talk about how excited you are about death to Brooke.  Stop doing that if you are.

Oh man. I'm going to die.  A hobo guy just sat down next to me here at the library.  Hobos generally don't smell good, but wet hobos smell a lot worse, and I think he's been spending some time outside lately.

This week has been kind of a downer week for me.  We didn't teach hardly at all and didn't have a ton of success with our finding.  It was definitely a less-productive week.  But we have a really good week set up this week.  So I'm not too worried.  Unfortunately Kerstin cancelled her appointment last week cause she was working, and then didn't come to Church, and hasn't answered her phone.. so.. please pray that we get in contact with her again and that she's still interested.  Bleh.  Anyways.  Yeah.  This week just kind of sucked.  But we found a few good people that we're going to go and teach this week.  I've also been reading Granddad's biography and his book that he gave me.  They're both really good.  I've been listening to a lot of talks by John Bytheway and Hank Smith too.  Look up Hank Smith, and download some of his talks.  They're definitely worth it, except you may burn yourself when you're straightening your hair in the morning cause he's so dang funny.  They've got really good principles, mostly geared towards the youth, but aren't we all youth?  It helps for all of us.

Anyways.  Thank you for always sending me an email.  I love reading your emails Momma.  I will be shattered if I don't have one every week, just like I know you'd personally come and kill me if I didn't write you one every week.

I love you Mom!

Love,

Elder Smart