Email from Mom: Thursday, April 7, 2022

From: Mom
To: Christian.garcia@missionary.org
Date: Thursday, April 7, 2022
Subject: Early Email Week

Hey,

How are you? How are things going for you in Africa? It is crazy to me how quick this transfer has gone. Do you feel like it has gone quick? What do you see next for Elder Meline? Is he feeling ready to hit the road and dive in even perhaps training himself? The days keep going by quicker than I think I am ready for most days so I can't even imagine what it must be like for you with the busy schedule you keep.

This week has been crazy and it is only Thursday. It always seems to be though when you are getting ready to go out of town. It seems like if there is something that could show up or need to be done, it arrives. And just adds to the busy of what life already is. Tyler thought he had his dentist appointment on Monday to finish up his two crowns but when he got down there it was actually on Tuesday. To say he was thrilled is the biggest lie ever. He was frustrated. He ended up going to get two replacement trees for the cabin and headed up to get those swapped out. Evergreens are tricky and I am actually beginning to wonder if we are the problem. They seem to grow for almost everyone else but us. It is so frustrating!

Brooklyn wasn't feeling 100% on Tuesday so she stayed home from school. Her friend Boston ended up with the flu and she hung out with him all weekend so maybe that is where it came from? We also have fickle Spring weather going on right now too so that could be a factor. Cold and rainy with snow sure giving it a go to try and stick to the ground (40 degrees though so it didn't really work out so well) to temps in the mid to high 70's the next day. This year has been so crazy weather wise. Crazier than I can remember it being in a long time. Anyways, I had plenty to do so I still kept at that while she rested and tried to feel better. I even made it to the church to get my bulletin board in the Relief Society room decorated up. Ours has been plain since the beginning and back in August Jaci offered to take care of it. Well, true to the Thornell home...it never got done. :/ Anyways, I didn't say anything about it being done and it will be interesting to see if anyone even notices it. I don't care really if they do or not, just always curious though.

Yesterday was all about getting house cleaned, laundry done, and bags packed. We don't fly today until like 11:30 thankfully. The super early morning (leave at 3:30am) flights are brutal. This makes it so we lose a day in Hawaii but since we have been there plenty of times it is totally okay with me. :) I got the bathrooms cleaned, house vacuumed, dusted, and even finished some cookies I had been working on. I think you will like them. Grandma thought you had drawn them and sent them to me when I showed them to her! She didn't realize they were cookies. It was hilarious to say the least. I even got the approval from Brooklyn that they look okay. That is a huge win!

I am already dreading the flight this morning. I got spoiled going to Cabo and having a 2.5 hour flight and I was there. This travel thing to Hawaii that takes 11-12 hours is just lame. I am grateful to have the means to go but it is just hard to get there you know? I am hopeful to get down on the treadmill and on my mirror before we have to leave too. I didn't yesterday because my poor hip flexors and my inner thighs got taken full advantage of on Tuesday and I could hardly sit or walk without one of them complaining. Bad news I tell ya. But I still love the mirror and I am still committed to having it in my daily life. :) Funny how you can fall in love with something that literally destroyed you right? Anyways, we are in Kauai until the 15th and then home. We fly home during the day on the 15th which will be lovely. No red eye flight! YAY! Monday you will be a full 9 hours ahead of me so maybe we can see about a phone call around 2pm your time? I don't know if that will work or not? That will be 5am my time. Either let me know in an email if that will work and or I will shoot you a message on Messenger and you can thumbs up or down me.

The email I sent about taxes...let me explain. Your Dad legally had a right to claim you for 2021, the year you graduated High School and turned 18. When we filed taxes for you this year we accounted for that. Your refund that will be deposited will be about $1100 which will be just enough for a 1/2 tank of gas when you get home. Kidding but I'm afraid to say maybe not at the rate things are going these days. Moving forward though you need to be sure your Dad knows you will start claiming yourself on your taxes. What this does is get you a bigger refund (like this year it could have been probably like $4000 that you would have gotten back I think?) and you don't risk an audit by the IRS with two people claiming you. It shouldn't be a big deal for your Dad, he should know, but I wanted to be sure that you know the reason why and that you let him know that you will be claiming yourself from now on. I hope that this makes sense for you. If we need to talk about it when we chat on a call we can, just let me know.

I love you. I hope you have a great rest of your week and that your weekend ahead is promising with Sunday and the opportunity to be inside the church to renew covenants with the Lord and to be able to hopefully share the goodness and promises that come from being a member with some ami's. Keep up the work you are putting in.

Love you,

Mom