Aug 1, 2008

Dear Brieanna,

The only news I have is that we went on vacation this last month. We drove 3600 miles in 11 days, through 7 states. We drove up to Washington State. We saw the aquarium in Seattle which was amazing. They had tidal pools where we could touch all sorts of sea animals, and a 6 foot octopus which they fed in front of us. We passed by Mt. Saint Helens which is an active volcano. We could see smoke rising out of it. The Ape Cave below it was one of the highlights of the trip it was a 3 mile long lava tube that you could walk through. It was like a giant sewer pipe that we could walk through. It was cold and damp, and went on forever it seemed. We passed down the Oregon coast, and made our way to the Red Wood Forrest in Northern California. The trees were amazing. We spent half a day walking through the forest. It was something I'll never forget. We even got to see the California wild fires. We traveled along one road that had fires all along it. Burning logs were rolling off the side of the mountain into the road.

I miss you Brieanna. You are in my thoughts and in my prayers. I realize that it takes years for children who have been parentally kidnapped to want to reach out to the victim parent. I'm a patient man, I know that there will come a time when you desire to reach out to me, and reestablish our relationship. This may occur later in your life, but I know that some day it will come. You will want to know where you came from, your past, and the truth of what has transpired. Your mother has done a good job of hiding you from the truth, by cutting you off from all contact with your family, even her family, to insulate you from people who could enlighten you to the truth of what she has done. Children tend to accept their circumstances, but adults start to question them. I know that there will come a time when you will desire the truth of what has transpired, and you will seek it out. This will lead you back to your mother's family, to my mother Grandma Linda, and eventually to me.

Brieanna I try to place myself in your situation at your age, and give you advice. My advice for you in this letter, is that you get yourself into college, and study and learn all that you can. Find a area of study that you enjoy, and get a college degree. Date many different men, but don't settle for one, right now. It is wisdom to delay marriage for as long as possible. Get a degree first. Life is very unpredictable, and you need to have education so that you can support yourself. Divorce is prevalent, and it causes much pain, and financial difficulty, especially when children are involved. It's critical that you develop the skills that will give you the ability to work and support yourself. Financial independence is critical to anyone who wants to be happy. I have said this before, but want to remind you. If you come back to Utah, I will pay for your schooling here. I don't know your legal status in Canada, and worry that you are unable to get into state schools there, since you are a US citizen. Anyhow, I am here, and will help you all that I can.

Lastly, you can always turn to God in prayer. You can ask his advice, and he will guide you by opening doors, and sometimes even closing them. He will give you sudden insights and prompt you to take certain paths, if you will listen inside.

Love,

Dad.