April Letter

Dear Family & Friends,
Hello everyone! I have had an interesting April. This month, we went on a lot of walks and four-wheelers because there was not much else to do. Sam really likes the new experience of riding on four-wheelers, and my brothers and I love to drive him.

 We have also been doing a lot of yard work at Mom's "request".  We tore out the ugly bushes in the front yard and replaced them with bleeding hearts and other deer resistant plants, including a lilac bush. Sam tries to help us too, but he's just so small. He can take out rocks one at a time.

 I got my ACT scores back this month! My mom was so excited she brought them to me at work, and I got a 32! I'm told the average Stanford graduate has an ACT score of 32. Oddly enough, I will probably end up retaking the ACT, because I know I can do better.

 During the quarantine, my family has been going on adventures in the surrounding nature. We went to a really cool red rock area and climbed the surrounding mountains, and then cooled off by splashing around in a river. I'm glad the quarantine has made us less busy. Sometimes I'm glad for a break.

 Easter was a little different this year. Eric and I hid the eggs in a neighbors backyard, and Sam, Kyle, and the neighbor kids hunted them. I helped Sam find his, and had to stop him because he wasn't leaving enough for the other littles. The forest was a great new scene for what has been traditionally a lawn egg hunt for us.

 This month was also a little sad. Because of the quarantine, my soccer season was canceled. After not having very many competitive years already, it was especially hard to take. This would have been my year to get to know my teammates better and prepare for my senior year. But it's gone, unnecessarily taken.

 Kyle turned 12 this month. We had a quarantine "Drive By" birthday for him, and people drove by in their cars to drop off presents and their congratulations. Afterwards, his friends and him had an AirSoft war.

 We have had to drag a lot of dry wood of our land because of the fire hazard it creates. In addition to cutting down several trees, lots of fallen wood already existed. Factor in the fact that our pile was at the top of our land (and a hill), and you get one kind of lousy job. We got it done in the end though.

 We have been going on a lot of walks, and it is great to forget about the virus for a second. I like being outside, and walks are fun when my family comes as well.

Anyway, I hope everyone has been holding up. Hope to see you soon.
Love,
      Brandon David Barnhisel