(No Subject)

Dear Momma,
Happy Thanksgiving! (Just so you know, I will get traditional Thanksgiving dinner. There's an American in our branch, and she's invited us over to eat with her family.)
It seems like I've got so many things to respond to, I have no idea where to start. Yes, I did your card and the pictures (which are adorable!). The letters arrive at our office in Stockholm, and then get readdressed and sent on to us, and they accidentally sent it to an elder in the next area over, so I had to wait an extra week to get it from him at our district meeting, but I did finally get it!
Christmas - I'll be calling on Christmas day. We're supposed to try to keep it under an hour and a half. Pick a time that'll work best for you, bearing in mind that I'm 6 hours ahead of you. Let me know what works best.
As for the red coat - yes, it should absolutely have a hood. After living here, I don't think I'll ever buy a coat without a hood again. I don't really have a preference concerning toggles or buttons. If one's style's longer than the other, that would be preferable. Other than that, just go with what you thinks cute. I trust your taste. Bear in mind when sending me stuff that anything you send just has to come back across the ocean in 13 months, and I only have 2 suitcases. I can wait that long to open my presents. ;-)
No, I don't have a new companion yet. Syster Kester and I will head down to Stockholm for transfers next Thursday. Since most younger Americans don't know how to drive a stick, and my city is the only sisters' area in all of Sweden that gets a car, almost every sister has to learn to drive when she comes here. I'm sort of getting the hang of the stick, but I don't think I'll be ready to teach my new companion for a while. We'll see. Poor Syster Kester's seen an awful lot of my uglier side this last week, as I repeatedly stall in the middle of the street and then yell at the car. I'm pretty much the only soul in the whole city with road rage. Swedes are incredibly polite drivers.
It's so weird to think that Jeremiah's in his 3rd or 4th transfer while I'm still a greenie - we started on the same day! And funnily enough, I met a young man in the branch just yesterday who said he had two friends serving missions in St. George. I was going to ask if Jeremiah might know them... I guess he does! Haha. And to answer your language question: yes, they have a thick accent, but most Swedes speak very good English. They study it in school for most of their lives. My Swedish isn't actually progressing as much as I'd hoped because everyone speaks English here. Everyone said my language skills would really take off once I got here, but that's not true at all. I'm going to have to come up with a much more rigid language study program for myself.
I'm sure Keira's going to love singing in the choir. That's really awesome. I bought her a little doll in an outfit like her TMF costume for Christmas. (It's blue and yellow because those are the Swedish colors.) She's also getting a Viking helmet. (Don't tell her, of course.)
Let Chynna, Casey, and Keira know that I love them. And show Chynna some love. As we get older, we learn how to love more maturely and fully. We gain the capacity to love more and more, so in hindsight, our premature relationships don't feel as loving as the older ones. But it doesn't change the fact that young love is real to the youth feeling it. You may be happy that the relationship's over, but don't forget that it's not a happy thing to her. When a relationship ends, we need to know more than ever that there ARE people who love us. Make sure Chynna knows that.
Anyway, I'm starving to death, and my companion's waiting, so I'm going to stick a fork in this one and head to lunch.
I love you!
-Syster Hillary Kiser