Dear Family: I picked up a pickleball paddle for the first time in my life at our family reunion at Oglebay earlier this month. Within about 30 seconds I felt like I more or less had the hang of it, and my brother Matt surmised that my tennis background would likely translate to my becoming…
The Wonnacotts’ July: On girls’ camp, Luke’s CFP exam, and my Walmart hysteria
Dear family, I’m excited to report that I am no longer traveling to a different city to go to church like I don’t live in Utah. That’s right, Luke and I are no longer going to our old ward in Vineyard ward because I successfully completed Mission: Girls’ Camp and have retired from my old…
On Idaho, Washington, wineberries, and training TSA agents, (vol xxix, no. 7)
Dear Family, At the end of 11 blissful days in North Idaho and Central Washington, where I don’t think it rained even once and the dew point hung out mostly in in the very comfortable mid-40s, Crystal and I were making our way to bag claim at Washington Dulles International Airport when I received a…
The Wonnacotts’ June: A family reunion, camp preparations, and my age-old stage fright
Dear family, It’s hard to believe that June is over. Maybe this is because I try my best to lose track of time and myself during the daily eight hours of work, or because I published last month’s letter a week late, or because the time not spent at work was spent rushing back and…
On summer mode, scandalizing Grace in the temple, and the fine art of not embarrassing myself at the piano (vol. xxix, no. 6)
Dear Family, What felt like an unusually late end to the school year (brought about by a combination of excessive snow-related cancelations — some of these would more accurately be termed “snow-related deferrals” since they ultimately had to be made up for reasons no one understands other than it’s the law — and the fact…
The Wonnacotts’ May: Our First Home, Job Searches, and the Appearance of Money
Dear family, I am writing this letter from my new couch in my new house! It feels good to live in Provo again. Or maybe it just feels good to be in this place that I’ve known for a while was mine and now has furniture that makes it look inhabited. Either way, I’m happy….
On finish lines, sixth-grade fisticuffs, and one of Maryland’s safest hospitals (vol. xxix, no. 5)
Dear Family, I had just undergone a minor procedure at Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center (a nearby hospital whose unwieldy name I can only assume was the brainchild of the same consulting firm that gave us “Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport”) and the post-op nurse asked me to rate my discomfort on a 10-point…
The Wonnacotts’ April: Egg hunts, good friends, and self-doubt
Dear Family, If you were to ask Luke what the best part of April was, he would probably tell you that it was watching A Minecraft Movie in theaters on five-dollar Tuesday with Savvy and Lilly. Luke considers the plot, the acting, and the humor to be top tier. As for me, I think that…
On Holy Week in Mexico, A.I. pitfalls in Utah, and legal troubles in Europe (vol. xxix, no. 4)
Dear Family, Family lore holds that a 1970s trip to see some Indian ruins while we were in Utah for a Willis reunion had to be cut short when some boy (perhaps me, perhaps someone my age with a similar temperament) threw a fit because a) driving for hours to look at old rocks you’re…
On Grace dressing like a Catholic, Grace singing like a Methodist, and why you probably should steer clear of the church restrooms this week (vol. xxix, no. 3)
Dear Family, Earlier this month, precisely 15 years, 2 months, and 29 days after Crystal and I got into the business of being parents to teenagers, we finally left that chapter behind by celebrating Grace’s 20th birthday. We marked the occasion (sort of — technically we were a week early) by driving down to Lexington,…