Week of May 19-25, 2014 (Last week of school)

Dear Sammy,

Seems like everyone who knows you that talks to me asks how you are doing.  I keep telling them you are either doing great or your are lying to us!  Haha!  I sure hope it's the former.

We love you tons and are glad you have chosen to dedicate this season of your life to full-time service to the Lord.  You will be blessed for your consecrated efforts, as will the people of Sullana (and wherever else you serve!).  I was excited to hear that two of your investigators have accepted the challenge to enter into the covenant of baptism, and we look forward to hearing more of their progress, along with the rest of your investigators.

Speaking of baptisms ..., yesterday I presided/conducted at the baptism of the Hiltons oldest daughter Kylie.  Bishop Kingsford was attending Brittany Huffaker's wedding that morning, and asked me to preside in his absence.  It was a neat ceremony and I was glad to be a part of it.  Her grandparents, great grandparents, and aunts/uncles all traveled down from Utah to be a part of the event.  She and Sis. Hilton sang the song "A Child's Prayer" and the Spirit was strong.  The entire service lasted less than 40 minutes, and I had an opportunity to say a few words at the end. I brought Kylie up and had her look at all the folks who came.  I asked her whose example she was following by being baptized.  She said Jesus.  I said, that's right!  And, I pointed out that she herself was now setting an example for all of those in the audience who have not yet been baptized (there were a number of young primary children there).  I also talked a little bit about why it is that when we make key covenants in the gospel, those covenants are always accompanied by or "clothed in" a physical "ordinance."  We explored briefly why we can't just turn 8 and come up to the podium in sacrament meeting and just declare that we promise to take upon ourselves the name of Christ etc.? In response, I mentioned that, not only does the ordinance contain important symbolism (i.e., in this case, death, burial, and resurrection + cleansing/washing of the physical/spiritual body) but that the physical nature of ordinance imprints a memory on our minds that associates intangible covenants with a physical, tangible experience that helps us "always remember" the promises we made.  I'm explaining it here a little more deeply than I did at the baptism, but you get the point (I hope)!

I also gave Bro. Hilton a little hard time because it took him longer to get dressed and ready after the baptism that it did Kylie.  I told him that this baptism would be memorable for the additional reason that it might be the first baptism in history where the girl got ready faster than the guy ... :-)

Okay, embarrassing story of the week for me.  I was conducting sacrament meeting today, and we had the records of 5 newly moved-in families to read in, about 10 people to release, and about 15 people to sustain in new callings.  In other words, a busy ward business day.  Well, I managed to do okay through most of the business, but then I had written one of the names wrong in my notes (I wrote "Andrea" Eckman, but her name is "Amanda" Eckman).  Well, the bishop jumped up and corrected me.  I was, of course, a bit embarrassed, but when I tried to correct myself, I called her Andrea again.  Geez, I guess some folks are slow learners (D'oh!).  Anyway, I tried to make a joke out of it, and said that it was a good thing this was a volunteer church, so I couldn't get fired!  I thought afterward that I should have just asked for a sustaining vote to change her name from Amanda to Andrea!  Oh well.  Anyway, Sis. Eckman was a good sport about it (I apologized to her after the meeting) and, at a minimum, I gave the audience an opportunity to laugh--even though it was at my expense.  ;-)

Well, a little later on Sunday evening, Mom and I had a meeting with the Stake Presidency.  Turns out I can get fired!  Just kidding!  I am getting a new calling though, and I'll tell you more about it next week once it becomes official.  Of course, the new calling is completely unrelated to the Andrea/Amanda faux pas, but I'm sure I'm going to get some grief from the ward members when they find out what happened.  

I'm sure at some point in your mission you'll have the opportunity to provide some unintentional entertainment for the audience with your developing Spanish skills.  So, I just wanted you to know that I can relate--and that it happens, even when I'm speaking my native language!!

Well, I'll just touch on a couple of other highlights of the week, and Mom can fill in the details, as it's almost midnight, and Kent and I need to be up early tomorrow to head up to the Stake YM Encampment for the week.  Should be a lot of fun!

--School's out!  Last day was Thursday.  Paige and Amber had final exams, and they both seemed to survive quite well.  The kids had various end of school parties and celebrations.  Kim Hunt had a pre-graduation party at her house (kind of like the one we had for you).  We attended and congratulated her.  Jake, of course, also graduated.

--Sat. before the baptism, Mom and I went on a 30 mi. bike ride. About half way through, she was feeling that her energy was zapped.  That's when she looked down and realized that her tire had gone flat.  No wonder the ride was so difficult!  We changed the tube and felt lucky to make it back home, as the tire itself was pretty shredded.

--Last soccer game for Lindsay.  The "Smurfs" finished off their season on Sat. with a 2-2 tie against a tough team.  We almost pulled out a victory in the final seconds of the game, with a solid shot on goal that just happened to bounce off the goalie and out of the net.  Oh well, it was a fun game to watch.  Lindsay played well and had a fun season.

--On Sat. evening, we attended Brittany Huffaker's wedding reception. It was outside, and thankfully, the weather was quite pleasant--particularly for the end of May in Phoenix!  She looked happy.  Mom helped with prepping the food.  I sent you a photo we snapped of the couple as we walked through the reception line.

Well, I need to hit the hay.  We pray for you constantly and are proud of you.  Sure love you!!

Dad

Dear Samantha,

I sure do love you and pray for you each day!  I know that you are learning, stretching and growing each day.  I am still trying to do that as well!  I am sure that that is the way this life is supposed to be.  I remember that the first couple of months of my mission, the days seemed really long and I was so out of my comfort zone.  About 5 months into my mission I realized that I was not thinking that way anymore.  A few months later I realized that I could do anything for a few months, especially just taking one day at time until before I knew it a few weeks had passed by!  

This was the last week of school for all the kids.  They all worked hard and ended up with good grades.  Lindsay was disappointed that she was the only one that was not a "golden scholar".  Paige and Amber tried to reassure her that they were not always "golden scholars" and just to be patient and keep working hard.  She struggles the most in math but has improved a lot this year.  I have her signed up for a math class to help her prepare for 6th grade.  It only has 4 students in it and so I think that she can really get the help that she needs.  Since Kent is skipping a grade of math this year I signed him up as well (different class, same teacher) to help the transition be a little easier.  I remember when you skipped a year of math and how hard that was.   

My cycling classes are still going well.  I am back on the bike and that is nice.  I went running this morning and my calf felt tight but it wasn't painful so I think that I am back on the mend.

We are going to hike to Havasupi next week and I want to be able to go.  I am a little concerned about carrying a 40 pound pack, but I think that I will be okay.  I still have about a week and a half to get ready!

Dad told you that we went biking on Saturday and that I had a flat tire.  It is crazy that I didn't notice it for a while.  I think that it was getting flat for some time and then I did hear and feel something, but didn't know what it was and then I stopped and figured it out!  I am getting better at being able to change a flat tire.  I did most of it without Dad's help.  I feel pretty confident that I could do it on my own now!  I do have to get a new tire today so that I can go ride again tomorrow.

I have been going out riding with Sister D. Christensen (she is the U of U gal from girls camp). We leave super early (4:30 am), which is way early for me because it takes me about 30 minutes to get ready.  It has been great though and she and I are pretty well matched right now.  She is fun to talk to as well.

Amber's birthday is next week and we are trying to figure out what to get her.  It is so hard once you guys get older because the things you want are too expensive and when you need something we don't wait to get it for you until it is your birthday.  Hopefully we will figure something out!  She couldn't find anyone to go with to the stake dance on Saturday, so I ended up just taking her and picking her up.  I am glad that she doesn't let that get her down and she goes and has fun anyway!  Sunday though she didn't stay at church because she was getting sick.  She has had a sore throat and fever.  Sounds like what Kent and Lindsay had.  Apparently it takes about a week for the next person to get it.  I hope it stops with her!

Paige had a good last week of school, except that she had to work Thursday night (graduation) and had to close (8 hour shift, everyone who usually works with her was graduating or involved somehow).  They had to have some day workers come and work with her.  She survived somehow.  I know that it puts a cramp in her style to have a job, and most of the time she appreciates it, but it sure would be easier if her friends worked as well.

On another note, Brittany's wedding reception was nice.  I kept asking Sister H. what she needed and offered to help.  She wasn't sure and so I told her I would come and help in the kitchen for the first little while.  I guess Mary C. had told her that she and her family would come help serve and Julie took it as that Mary would be in charge of the kitchen.  I invited Marianne O. to come help me in the kitchen, because after working at Eric's wedding, I knew what it involved.  I was so glad that we had offered to come because they had none of the food ready at all!  Mary was not aware that she was supposed to put everything together.  So she was thrilled when Marianne and I showed up and got to work.  We didn't stay the whole time, but we did stay most of the time. I have started a notebook so that I know what to do when you girls get married.  I hope you are okay with keeping things very simple.  I think that people try and serve too much food.  I told your sisters that at their receptions we are only serving cake!  Paige said, "Mom, not everyone likes cake."  I told her, "Like I care if they like what I am serving or not!" I did tell someone that at the reception and she said that she had gone to a couple of receptions where they served the bride's favorite treat and that was all. One it was sugar cookies and the other it was donuts and hot chocolate.  I could work with that as well!   Just keep that in mind for future reference:)!!  I am either lazy or practical...or maybe something else:)!

Kent and Dad headed off to scout camp early this morning.  Kent is so excited to be outside.  He sure takes after your dad on loving to hike and be out in nature, enjoying the beauty and exploring.  Dad will be there the whole week.  He is in charge of the bishopric message on Tuesday and was a little nervous.  He always does such a nice job and makes it interesting but meaningful.  I am sure he will do a fabulous job!

Dad mentioned that we met with the stake presidency last night and we will tell you more next week when we can talk about it more.  They always ask me to say something and I just want to say, "I'm good, lets just let Dave talk."  However, I did say something, I hope it was coherent, maybe not, but somehow I got through it.  The older I get the less I like to talk in public (even when it is just a few people)...crazy!

Well, I think that is all for us this week.  I sure love you!!  Hope you have another great week! Keep those pictures coming!  Love you tons!!!

Love,

Mom

Notes from Dad & Mom -- May 18, 2014

Dear Sammy,

We sure love you!  Hope you have had a wonderful week.  Around here, it's been the typical, crazy week-before-school-gets-out event .

On Monday, Kent had his "World's Fair," where he presented his research and report on Peru.  In his typical, detailed fashion, he did a great job in collecting, organizing and presenting the information.  Mom went to the actual report, so she may have more details.  One of the things he included on his board was a pie chart of the religions in Peru.  As you know, the vast majority (over 80%) are Catholic, followed by 12% Evangelicals, 2.9% "None," and 3.3%--including LDS-- in the "Other" category.  So ...., it looks like you've got plenty of work to do.  Haha!

Kent and his country report!

Lindsay also had her Whitehouse Tea Party, where she displayed her research on Robert E. Lee.  I guess she did not end up having to do a class presentation, but just answered questions for people as they toured the various displays. I was helping her with her written essay this week and one of the details she included was that people would take strand of hair from the tail of Robert E. Lee's horse, Traveler, as a memento, as Lee traveled from place to place.  Not sure Traveler was too keen about that practice ....

Lindsay dressed as Robert E. Lee (spitting image if you ask me:))!

Most of the events this week surrounded your amazing sister, Amber.  First, at the final choir concert of the year on Tuesday, she was honored with a choral leadership award and was presented with a trophy.  She also received a certificate for perfect attendance and one for being in the choir for two years.  We were proud of her.  She works hard and always brings a positive attitude and energy to her choir class.

Amber with her choir awards

Then, on Thursday, Amber was again honored at the Hurricane Awards ceremony, where her Math teacher selected her as Superior Scholar.  Beforehand, we kind of speculated that it would be something for Drama, so it was somewhat of a surprise--and certainly a pleasant one.  We spoke with her teacher briefly afterward, who had nothing but praise for Amber, both as an excellent math student, but also as a cheerful, bubbly example in her first-hour class.  Again, another proud parent moment.

Amber and Ms. Ortega (her math teacher)

Amber will be honored this week as a Golden Scholar (as were Kent and Paige).  Sharp gal, that sister of yours!  She has also developed quite a regimen for running and working out.  For the past month or so, she has pretty consistently been putting in 3 miles two or three times a week, while doing some strength training as well.  I taught her a few exercises she can do with the dumbbells, etc. She asked me how she would know if she's working out hard enough.  I told her that if she was sore the next day, she's probably doing it right.  Haha!

Mom came down to visit me at my new office on Thursday.  The firm is changing insurance carriers at the beginning of June, and she came down to listen to the presentation on all of the insurance options, etc.  Afterwards, I gave her a quick tour of the office, and then we were able to carpool home together.

Dave in his new office.

Saturday, Kent and I got up at 4:30 a.m. to head out on a training hike for Mt. Whitney.  We wanted to get some higher mileage in, along with some decent elevation gain, but wanted to stay close by.  That meant we needed to be prepared for heat, as the forecast was for 103 degrees.  So, we headed out early to the Eastern Superstitions to do a 13 mile loop around Weaver's Needle from the Peralta Trailhead.  We were on the trail by 6 a.m.  The first half of the hike was actually quite pleasant, as we enjoyed a lot of shade, hiking through various canyons and drainages.  There was a little bushwhacking involved, as some of the trails we were on are not traveled as often.  Other than having to plow through some scratchy bushes here and there and picking up a few minor cuts/scratches, it was no big deal.  More annoying than the bushwhacking was the constant companionship of flies and gnats.  I kind of felt like that character "Pigpen" on Charlie Brown, who is constantly surrounded by a cloud of dust--except that we were surrounded by flies and gnats, all of whom were happy to have a convenient source of water and salt (i.e., sweat) out in the middle of the desert!  Actually, they weren't as bad as I make it sound, but as Kent put it, he would occasionally have to go into "windshield wiper" mode with his arms to keep them at bay.  One even decided to commit suicide by flying into Kent's eye (I was able to fish the dead guy out with my handkerchief).

Dave on the trail.

Beyond the bugs, at about the halfway point of the hike, shade became harder to come by, and the temps were rising.  Luckily, the scenery was beautiful, and it was kind of cool to see Weaver's Needle from every different angle.  

Kent taking advantage of the shade!

Given the weather, I guess it was not too surprising that, up until the final 2 miles of our hike, we only came across one other person!  This was Kent's longest hike to date, and he was a trooper, though we were both a bit pooped by the end (and I had run out of water with about 1.5 mi. to go).  We returned to the trailhead at 1pm and headed to Dairy Queen for a well-deserved Midnight Truffle Blizzard.

On the way back.

Trailhead.

Before heading home, we took the Suburban and ran it through the carwash, vacuumed it out, and filled it with gas.  Today (Sunday), as we were driving over to visit Grandma, we were talking about the car wash, and I mentioned that I paid $5 for the car wash and said it was well worth it!  Lindsay asked what it normally costs to wash the Suburban, to which I responded:  about and hour and half of hard work and a bad back!  Haha!

After getting back from the hike and cleaning up, Mom Kent and I headed over to REI to look at backpacks for our upcoming Havasupai trip, and generally for Kent's scouting years.  They were having an anniversary sale so we could get 20% off on one item.  We ended up getting an adult backpack, as well as one that fits Kent now, with a little room to grow.  By the time we were done shopping it was almost 7 pm, and Kent told us:  "I need to get something to eat."  He wasn't kidding!  After a 13 mile hike in the heat, (which he followed by going over to Jared Iverson's to play for a couple of hours), I'm sure his little 95 lb. body was in desperate need for some refueling.  I felt bad for not having thought of that before.

Anyway, we quickly finished our business and headed over to Chick-fil-A for some dinner for the three of us.  That is one of his favorite places to eat, so that seemed to "revive" him!  He earned it!

After getting home from REI, Mom and I headed over to the Ayers for Savannah's wedding reception.  She looked beautiful and happy.  We had a fun time chatting with the Ayers, the Smiths, Cavanees, and others.  The Whitesides (including Kayla) were also there and we spent a fair amount of time catching up with them.  The fact that they have "left" the Church was kind of the 1200 lb. elephant in the room, but wasn't a topic of conversation and we enjoyed talking about triathlons, running, hiking, and various other stuff.  

Today, Paige gave a talk in sacrament meeting, on personal revelation.  She did a great job.  It was a very "mature" talk, with scriptural references, personal stories, an organized framework and well delivered.  I was impressed and edified by it.  As it turned out, President Merrill attended our sacrament meeting today.  Both he and a number of others commented on how much they enjoyed her talk.  She talked about how personal revelation requires more than simply asking for answers to prayers; it requires work.  She shared an analogy about her preparation for hiking the Grand Canyon and decided that it probably wasn't such a good idea to rely on just a 2 mile hike to the Wind Caves as her preparation :-/.  She encouraged us to focus on three key elements of preparation for personal revelation:  continual prayer, scripture study, and repentance.  It was well done!

In High Priest group, I gave the lesson, which was on searching for truth.  We discussed the importance of education generally, both secular and spiritual learning.  I organized the lesson around four components of searching for truth:  (1) our "eyes" [studying/feasting on the scriptures; (2) our "ears" [paying attention to and learning from the words of living prophets]; (3) our "hearts" (using our faith itself as a took for accessing spiritual knowledge); and (4) our "hands" [using our actions to "experiment on the word" and learn truth by applying the doctrines in our everyday interactions].  It went well, though of course, it's pretty easy to teach the high priest group--not exactly a tough crowd!

After church, Bro. Crotts was feeling sick, so I counted tithing, did a bunch of temple recommend interviews, and issued a bunch of callings and releases.  As a result, I missed scout committee meeting and choir practice, but oh well.  I can only do too much!  When I finally got home, I changed and crashed for a nap before dinner.  Mom made grilled cheese sandwiches and soup--a good easy favorite.  :-)

In response to your letter last week:

--A bummer about being ditched on appointments by your investigators.  But, it happens.  Sounds like you were able to keep your spirits up anyway.  Hang in there.

--Mom signed us up to feed the sister missionaries in our ward this week, so we'll be thinking of you and your encouragement for us to help out where we can, as we have them over.

--Great job on your impromptu skit for La Dia de La Madre celebration. Sounds like it turned out to be a great event. Sounds like "Mormon Standard Time" takes on a whole new meaning in Peru. Haha!

--Glad you and H. Rios have decided to do some exploring on your Pdays.  I wish I had done a bit more of that on the mission.  I think it's not only fun, but important to get to know the area you live in, and you can use that experience to further the work.

Your Mother and I are so proud of you!  Your dedication and devotion to the Lord's work is an inspiration.  We think the world of you and pray for your success and safety daily.  Keep up the good work!

Love you,

Dad

Dear Samantha,

I like how dad always starts out his letter by his expressing his love for you!  I want you to know that I love you too!  I think and pray for you everyday.  I have to say that I am so thankful that you now have a camera that works and that you are able to send a few pictures!  I love seeing a little bit of where you are at and what you are doing!

Dad summed up our week really well, as per the usual! 

The only things that I can really add are about my cycling class and my primary class:)!  I taught off the bike this week to allow my calf muscle to heal.  I got a nice bruise from tearing it pretty well.  I am starting to feel very normal now and I am so glad!  I taught my class this morning and everything was great (except when I stood up on the bike,  I guess that works my calf more than I knew and so I avoided that!)  It is nice to feel like I am on the mend!!  Getting hurt kind of stinks (but I am glad that I don't have a race that I am training for or anything!).

My primary class went well this week. They actually are learning to listen and participate and not get quite so crazy:).  Still loving it!

Kent did a great job on his country report.  I did have to tell him (before he went to school he practiced it with me) to say why he chose Peru and who was there.  I also prompted him to share of couple of the experiences that you have shared with us, like the crazy drivers not obeying the lines or the stop signs and honking all the time:).  I think it makes it a little more interesting if you include some personal details!  He remembered to add those in at the report at school and did fine explaining all the information that he had learned!

Amber got to perform with 3 other drama 2 students in the talent show.  They had put together a lip sync (last class project) to the muses singing "Hercules".  It was awesome!  They even got together and made costumes.  I didn't get a picture, but I recorded it.  They had some great choreography and the crowd loved them!!  They weren't judged as part of the competition because Drama 2 was in charge of the whole talent show and so they were a "relief number"!

Lindsay was great as Robert E. Lee.  It was nice for me because we still had the costume from when Kent was him last year.  I didn't spend a lot of time at the school that day, but it was fun and she knew what she was talking about:).

Dad mentioned that Paige spoke on Sunday.  She really did do a fantastic job.  She was a little bit nervous before church, so I asked her if she wanted me to read her talk and see what I thought.  She agreed.  I told her it was great, she just needed to add something personal to it to make it hers.  We talked about some options and she figured out what she wanted to add.  She didn't seem nervous at all when she spoke and she made good eye contact.  Her talk was very cohesive and made a lot of sense.  She had turned Dad down a couple of weeks ago and so he told her she owed him:).  She told me she hates speaking (most of us do).  So with all that, I couldn't have been prouder of her!  

It is crazy to think that Paige will be a senior this year!  Time is just marching on!

Well, Dad told you the rest, so I'm going to sign out now.  I love you more than I can express and you are always in my thoughts and prayers.  Keep up your great attitude and continue to exercise your faith.  

Love you!!

~Mom

Notes from Dad & Mom-- May 11, 2014

Sammy!!

It was so wonderful to hear your voice today!  A little bummed that the video function was not working on your end and that we kept getting cut off, but at least you could see us, and it was still fun to have an actual conversation in real time.  You sound great!  I am happy that you feel good about the progression of your language skills, and that the food is agreeing with you, etc.  I'm sure being in an entire district of native Spanish speakers has been challenging, but that kind of immersion is an effective training tool.

Skyping with Samanatha

This is our view!  At least she could see us!

Of course, your call was the highlight of Mother's Day, but we did celebrate in other ways as well.  With 8 am church, and with me in the bishopric (and conducting), cooking breakfast wasn't a realistic option.  As I was about to head downstairs after getting ready, I asked Mom how she felt about an exotic Mother's Day breakfast of frozen waffles in the toaster (a.k.a., Mom's regular, staple breakfast).  She laughed and said that would be fine.  I was feeling a little bad about that start to the morning, but when I got downstairs, I found Amber pouring pancakes on the griddle, with the table set and scrambled eggs ready to fry up!  So, thanks to Amber, Mom got a good hot breakfast to start the day.  Yay!

In church, Elder S. Gifford N. of the 1st Quorum of the Seventy was in attendance.  He is the uncle of one of the younger couples in the ward, who were blessing their baby.  Thankfully, I didn't screw up the conducting, and the program went pretty well, so that was good.  Elder N.'s only critique was that we have the ward clerk do the counting for sacrament meeting attendance from the doorways (rather that roaming up and down the aisles while the speakers speak--too distracting).  Otherwise, he was very complimentary of our ward.

Natalie T. was our youth speaker and she did a wonderful job speaking on mothers.  Sis. Sa. gave a great talk as well.  One line that stood out to me from her talk was: "The greatest blessing of being a mother is ... becoming a grandmother!"  Ha ha.  Bro. St. also spoke, but was trying to save some time for Elder N. to say a few words, (which he did).  

All of the moms and 18+yo women received chocolate bars.  Moms with missionaries out or in military service got potted flowers. :-)

During the 3rd hour, we made arrangements for all of the women to attend Relief Society (i.e., men covered all of the primary, etc.).  The bishopric taught the YW.  The lesson was on the need for a living prophet.  In my part, I talked about why/how the Great Apostasy occurred and how, prior to that, it was Paul's letters to the church members spread throughout the area that had kept the doctrine pure and helped various branches of the church from going astray.  In the same manner, the living prophet helps us stay on track today.  We then talked about the First Presidency message in the FTSOY pamphlet, which promises that youth who obey the standards there in will (1) have the companionship of the Holy Ghost; (2) have increased faith and testimony; and (3) enjoy greater happiness.  I think it went "OK," but not great. I guess Amber told Mom it was a little boring and disjointed (I blame that on Bishop and Bro. Crotts!  Just kidding!! :-).  Oh well.  Hopefully, someone got something out of the message.

As you know, Julie came over for dinner, and we enjoyed hamburgers on the grill.  Grandma was not feeling great, so didn't come over, but we went to her house later in the evening.  Richard, Eric, Jacob, and I gave her a blessing.  Jacob gave the blessing (his first) and did a great job.

Lindsay made grandma a big card from our family.  It was cute and filled with her artistic creativity.  She's a cutie.

Yesterday, I got up early and went on a 30 mi. solo bike ride.  Mom strained or tore a muscle in her calf, playing racquetball with Sis. T. on Friday, so she was (is) a bit out of commission when it comes to running and cycling for the next little while.  Anyway, the bike ride was great, as was the weather.  (Surprisingly, not too hot--and it was quite pleasant today for Mother's Day).

Lindsay had a soccer game and she played well, though she didn't get that much playing time. She didn't start the game and was never in the starting line up after a water break or halftime, but rather was sent in as a sub (usually playing only a few minutes until the next break, after which she was back on the sidelines).  I'm not sure whether it was that the coach was not paying too much attention or whether she was intentionally being sidelined in favor of more naturally talented players.  I was getting a bit irked, though, and finally told Lindsay that she needs to tell her coach that she wants to play more.  She plucked up her courage and did.  And the coach put her in.  She worked hard and made some good passes and clears on defense.  Even at that, though, she played less than 1/2 of the game.  She still seemed to have fun, though, which I guess is the important thing.

In other news of the week, Paige had an orchestra concert on Tuesday.  The auditorium was packed, with standing room only.  We got there a little late and didn't get a seat until the first orchestra was done and we were able to slip into some seats vacated by parents of members of the first orchestra.  We returned the favor, by giving up our seats after Paige's orchestra played.

On Friday, Paige and McKay M. went on their "day date" for Mormon Prom.  They went ice skating.  Then on Saturday, they went to dinner at BJ's and then to the dance.  Kim did Paige's hair, and Mom tailored her dress (adding some sleeves and a little material over the bust area).  Paige looked beautiful!  She had a fun time as well.

It was Kent's week to stay home sick with a cold and fever.  He missed his science fair (he did an experiment, testing the longevity of various batteries), but his project won first place at the fair among 6th graders.  Mom and I went and accepted his award for him.

Kent also missed the band concert, which was on Thursday.  Lindsay was there, though, and played well for the 5th grade band.  She seems to really enjoy playing the saxophone.

On Friday night, Mom and I went to see the play "9 to 5" at the Hale Center Theater.  Sis. E. in our ward was one of the lead characters.  We went with the W. and S. from the BG ward, as well as the L. from the Durango Ward.  We wanted to get dinner beforehand at Oregano's but the wait was too long.  So, we ended up eating at Liberty Market, which was good as well.  The play was well cast and well performed.  We enjoyed it!

Well, it's getting late here, and I need to hit the hay.   Sure love you!  I'm proud of you and pray for your safety and success each day.  You are a wonderful daughter--and woman!

Love you,

Dad



Dear Samantha,

Well, it has been the highlight of my week to talk with you!!  You sound GREAT!!!  I am so proud of you and your great attitude and outlook on life!  Thank you for wanting to talk about all the good things that are happening to you and that you are experiencing on your mission.  What a great blessing and opportunity it is to be able to serve a mission.

Dad really gave you the highlights of the week, in fact I'm not sure that I have that much to add.  

I will give you a little more detail on my injury.  Sister T. and I had been playing racquetball for about 40 minutes when I pulled my calf muscle.  It was a little surreal because I felt the muscle so something it wasn't supposed to do.  Never had that happen before.  I limped to the car and spent the rest of the day with it elevated and icing it.  It feels pretty good most of the time now, I just have to be careful how fast I walk because if I go to fast it seizes up and hurts but if I walk slowly it is okay. Hopefully it won't put me out of commission for too long!

Dad made me a funny card for mother's day.  He created a survey and had the kids them out (he did as well).  Some of the questions and funny answers were:

Something funny that Mom says/does all the time that makes her unique:

Dad: Cracking up at her own jokes!  Starting sentences and not completing them

Paige: Get your toe out of my hammer loop (I told her that was her quote, but she told me that I am the one that says it all the time)

Amber: She laughs at her own jokes (apparently I think I am pretty funny!)

Kent: Laughing under pressure (that might be more in line with Dad & Amber's)

Lindsay: She writes down all the funny things I say (I told her that dad was better at it than me, but she must be a lot like me laughing at my own jokes!)

Something Mom does to make me feel loved:

Dad: Scratch my head :)

Paige: Talks to me after school (more like ask a lot of questions and drag information out of her!)

Amber: She gives me hugs and doesn't ask why.

Kent: She cares about me by listening to my complaints

Lindsay:She does my chores for me when I am sick (I think).  (She might have been too sick to know:)!!)

We got a good kick out of it!  Your dad always comes up with cool stuff like that!  He is pretty amazing!

This week should be busy with more choir concerts, country reports, famous people reports and a few other things thrown in there!  Mostly me just running around for everyone.  Glad that my calf feels better so I can.

I loved the pictures!!  Seriously it is so good to see you and see what you are doing and where you are.  Love you so much!  Hope you have an amazing week!!

Love,

Mom

Notes from Dad--May 4, 2014

Dear Sammy,

Sure love you!  I thoroughly enjoyed reading your email last week.  Very upbeat and full of enthusiasm!  A great example of how the terms "hard work" and "challenging circumstances" can comfortably coexist with the terms "fun" and "fulfilling."  

Our week was a good one here at home.  As expected, the cool weather we experienced last weekend has given way to the oncoming summer, with temperatures heading back up to the upper 90s, and the weather forecasters telling us that we'll breach the century mark any day now ...

It was a busy weekend--with Eric and Ellen's wedding, as well as Fathers & Sons outing.  I have a big brief due tomorrow (Monday) that I had been working on over the past week or so.  I needed to get a draft completed before Eric's wedding, so I ended up spending the night at the office on Thursday, pounding out the draft. Once I got it into reasonable shape, I send it off for further review to a few other lawyers in the office, at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, then headed home for a quick shower and off to the temple for Eric's wedding.

The wedding ceremony was very nice.  I enjoyed the comments of the sealer, who gave them some good counsel as they begin a new family unit.  In particular, he counseled them:  "Never take a vacation from church."  Then, a bit later in his advice, he said again: "Did I mention:  Never take a vacation from church."  And finally, after a bit more counsel he again repeated:  "And remember:  Never. Take. A. Vacation. From. Church. Ever, ever (even when you go on vacation)!"  

I'm not sure that they will remember anything else the sealer said in terms of counsel, but I'm pretty sure they will remember that they were counseled not to take a vacation from church!  I know the rest of us will remember it!  Good counsel, which I weaved into my testimony in sacrament meeting today (more on that, below).

After the wedding, we ended up waiting at the temple for quite awhile because Ellen forgot her bride's bouquet and didn't want to take pictures without it.  Her brother went home to retrieve the bouquet, but ended up bringing the wrong one, and her Dad had to make a second trip.  So ..., we hung out at the temple for awhile.  I guess there are worse places to be stuck waiting around, right?

Ellen & Eric at the Mesa Temple

Uncle John was here from Singapore on business and extended his trip a day so he could be at the wedding.  Also, Kathy's roommate got married and she has moved in with Richard and Kristi for awhile, so all of my siblings were present at the wedding!  We took a couple of photos of the whole clan.  It was great to be together.

Suzann Garner and her children (MaryAnn, Kathy, Dave, Karen, Richard, Diane, Julie & John)

By the time we headed over to the wedding luncheon (at the church building we attended in the Adobe Ward), we were pretty hungry.  Luckily, your Mother had planned for this contingency and had stashed a bag of Chex Mix in her purse.  We stopped by QT to get a drink to go with it.  After pulling out of QT, we were waiting at the eastbound intersection of Stapley and Broadway for the light to turn green, when a truck whizzed by us in the lane to our right, blowing through the red light and smashing into the front, driver's side of a car pulling out northbound into the intersection. The whole thing happened quickly, but did have that "slow motion" feel about it, as your eyes and brain calculate the speed and trajectory of the cars in a split second and you KNOW that you are about to witness an accident and yet cannot do a thing to prevent it!

Anyway, the driver of the car that was hit was injured, though I don't know that it was too serious. Everyone else was shaken up but did not appear injured.  Thank goodness.  We pulled over and gave our phone number to the folks in the "victim'" car, and tried to reassure them as the police began to arrive.

After that, we headed over to the luncheon and waited for Eric and Ellen to arrive.  They didn't show up till around 2 pm.  Everyone was pretty famished by then, and I was basically exhausted, having gotten no sleep the night before.  I dozed off in my chair a couple of times, while everyone else chatted.

After lunch, we came home and I packed up for the Fathers and Sons.  Kent had packed all of his stuff the night before (of course!), so I was behind the curve.  By the time Kent got home from school, I was pretty much ready, packing-wise, but was exhausted and was a little nervous about making the 2+ hour drive up to Forest Lakes in such a sleep-deprived fashion.  So, I told him that I needed to take a 1/2 hour nap before heading out.  He dutifully woke me up in 30 min. :-)  Anyway, we ended up heading out the door a little shy of 5 pm.  In typical Garner fashion, we got about to the Safeway when Mom called and told us we forgot to take the air mattress and pump, so we had to turn around and go back (glad we did, as the night would have been pretty uncomfortable without the mattress!).

Through the power of prayer and faith, we made it to Payson without me dozing off while driving!! Dinner was burgers/chicken at the McDonald's, then a trip to Basha's b/c we had forgotten to pack anything for Saturday lunch (D'oh!).  After that, we headed up the rim to our camp location, which is the same spot where we started/finished the Pioneer Trek a couple years back.  

The only bummer about the evening was that the forest service had put up fire restrictions, so we could not have a camp fire.  That was kind of a bummer, but we made the best of it.  Bishop K. had texted me earlier in the day, saying that he was not going to be able to make it, and asking me to give a brief message at the "fireside."  I understood that the YM were in charge of the fireside and that I would simply be adding a brief bishopric testimony at the conclusion.  Well, it turns out that I was the fireside.  So, I had to do some quick thinking to try to "beef up" a bit of what I had planned to say with a little more substance.

I ended up sharing with the group the story of Shalane Flannagan's race in the Boston Marathon, and discussed how her efforts to push the pace and do her best ended up not only netting her a personal PR by more than three minutes and a finishing time that would have won any of the past 10 Boston marathons, but that her efforts also pushed her competitors to achieve their potential, with the top 3 finishers all breaking the previous course record.  I tied that into the priesthood, which also challenges us to do our best and to be a light to help others achieve their potential.  I thought the message went well, and it was fairly short (just like the attention spans of most of the young audience)!

With the lack of fire, everyone turned in a bit earlier than normal.  That was fine by me, as I was exhausted.  The good thing about not getting any sleep the night before was that I had the best night's camping sleep I have ever had.  I didn't even wake up once till the morning (even though I had forgotten my pillow and had to make do by using the stuff bag for my sleeping back with some clothes stuffed in as a substitute).  

In the morning, I set up a rope swing (a tradition that I carry on from my own dad, who did that at every F&S).  It was a big hit, particularly with the younger boys, and I spent an hour and a half or so pulling kids and asking them if they wanted "high" or "super high."  

After the line for the swing started to dwindle (and my back was getting tired), I told everyone they could still use the swing, but they would just need to get their dads to pull them.  Then, I went in search of Kent, who I found had been off with a group of boys creating "found weapons" out of various scraps of wood, and engaging in various "battles" and building up/conquering various forts.  They had amassed quite an arsenal.  Jacob Bloom and his dad had brought some duct tape, which made the handles, etc. on the swords and spears more user friendly.

Kent (on the right) and the boys with their weapons!

The arsenal!

I played horseshoes for awhile.  Bro. Payne and I got killed a few times by Bro. Beecroft and Bro. Breinholt.  But we had fun anyway.  After I got tired of being beat, I tracked down Kent, who, along with Jacob and Michael Teague, was constructing a master fort. Bro. Teague and I joined in the construction effort and we made a pretty good little shelter.  

Kent and Dave at the shelter/fort.

After that, we went exploring as a group and ended up shooting .22 rifles with the Teagues.  Kent thought that was okay, but I don't know that he loved the experience.  By the time we got back to our camp area from shooting, it was about noon, and everyone else had headed out.  We made our lunch and ate before heading down off the rim to Christopher Creek to the trailhead for our hike.

We hiked on the Highline Trail from the See Canyon Trailhead to the Drew Canyon junction, which then led us up to the top of the Mogollon Rim along Rim Road 300.  The hike was beautiful.  It was about 6.5 miles long, with 1800-1900 feet of elevation gain, and took us about 3.5 hours.  Kent is becoming a regular mountain goat and handled all of the uphill without any problem. The views from the edge of the rim at the top were spectacular, and we enjoyed a nice stroll back to the trailhead, including a little time playing around in Christopher Creek, which is right near the trailhead.  

We got home about 7:45 pm.  It was the first F&S campout that Kent did not fall asleep on the drive home.  He's definitely growing up!

Kent at the top of the Rim.

Dave on the trail.

May is my month to conduct sacrament meeting, so I bore my testimony today.  I mentioned how we didn't have fire at the F&S, which was kind of a bummer, and compared that experience to having (or not having) the gospel in our lives.  Just as the fire provides physical warmth, so the gospel provides spiritual warmth. Just as the fire provides light in a dark night, so the gospel provides light in a world filled with darkness.  And finally, just as a campfire provides a natural gathering place for social interaction, so the gospel provides a social support network where we can "meet together oft" and "speak one with another concerning the welfare of [our] souls." (Moroni 6:5-6.)  I then shared the counsel of the Eric/Ellen's sealer: "Don't ever take a vacation from church," as doing so separates us from the warmth, light, and sociality that the gospel provides.

The testimony meeting went well, including an unusually large contingent of the primary sharing their testimonies.

This evening we had break-the-fast dinner with the bishopric at the Crotts' home.  After that, we headed over to Grandma's, where the entire family had gathered.  Kourtney and Jared were also down for the wedding.  They gave Grandma a card that said she was being "promoted . . . to Great Grandmother!," and had a printout of an ultrasound photo on the inside.  Exciting news for them.  The baby is due November 5.  If she/he hangs on a few more days, we could share a bday :-).

In other news for the week, on Tuesday, Kent was honored at Academic Night at Carol Rae for being a Golden Scholar.  Paige was honored as well (but they did that during the day, when I was at work).  Amber is also a Golden Scholar.  Lindsay felt a little left out, but other than math, she is doing great as well, and is becoming a voracious reader, artist, and creative writer.

It is getting to be that crazy, end-of-school time of year.  This week we have Paige's orchestra concert, Kent & Lindsay's band concerts, as well as a variety of other activities.  Should be a busy one, but it's good to be busy--as you know!

Hope you have a great week ahead!  Looking forward to hearing your voice and catching up verbally next Sunday for Mother's Day.  Let us know what we need to do on the front.

I sure love you!  We pray for you and your investigators daily.  Keep up the good work!

Love,

Dad



Dear Samantha,

Once again, Dad has beaten me to the letter writing and has, in his well written words, described a lot of our week.  I will add what I can to what he has written:).

I also love you very much and love getting your emails each week!  It is so fun to hear all the things that you are up to and a little bit about the people you are working with.  It brings back a lot of memories from my own mission.

Well it has been quite a week!  Lindsay was feeling a little under the weather starting on Saturday morning but went to her soccer game anyway.  She stayed home from church on Sunday with a slight fever and a sore throat.  I wasn't sure if she had strep throat or not, but the medicine seemed to help her so I was thinking that it probably was not.

Monday morning I was scheduled for Jury Duty and about 4 am Lindsay got up to use the bathroom and I went in to check on her and she was burning up.  She had a fever of 104 degrees, which is very unusual for her.  I just didn't feel like I could leave her home alone (my jury duty was scheduled in Phoenix).  I also felt like she really needed to go to the Dr. to see if it was strep throat or not.  I just thought that I could call them and reschedule my time to go or something, but Dad said he would be willing to work from home (I didn't even ask him, because sometimes he just has too much going on and I wasn't sure what was on his plate).  It was such a relief and I knew that she would be in good hands, but I was then a little stressed about driving to the courthouse myself (I was just going to go with Dad).  I left later than I had planned on going and was a little teary as I started to drive.  I said a quick prayer and just asked HF to help me just be okay with whatever happened.  I did feel much calmer and had a little more faith to go forward with the day.

It was a very interesting experience to go.  There were about 500 other people there.  I was called up in one of the first couple of groups.  Our group had 35 people in it and I was number 35.  It was a sexual harassment case.  Long story short, I was not chosen for the jury (they only needed 9 people) and so I got to go home.  I got home about 2:30.  It was a case that was going to last all week and so I was glad that I wasn't chosen (too much going on around here, but not enough to be excused because of that).  Another time it might be interesting to be chosen.

BTW you also received a jury summons.  I have to send something in writing to the court in your behalf to get you excused.  I will copy you on the email, hopefully I can take care of it, but you may also have to write an email explaining what you are doing, but I will let you know.  So don't worry about it:).

Lindsay ended up staying home from school M, T, and Wednesday.  I would have kept her home on Thursday but she insisted that she go and her fever was down so I let her go back.  Only a few more weeks and school will be done for this school year.  Kind of crazy!

Aunt MaryAnn was asked by Aunt Karen to do the flowers for Eric and Ellen's wedding and I told her I would help her.  She had put together the boutonnieres by the time I had a chance to help her out, but needed some help with the corsages and the bridal bouquet.  She really just needed someone to tell her that what she had done already looked good!  I did put the bridal bouquet together and I thought it turned out nicely.  You can see it in the picture that dad sent you.  It was fun to work with her and figure stuff out.  

I also helped set up the reception on Thursday night and the tables and chairs for the luncheon.  Aunt Karen asked me to put together some center pieces for the luncheon tables.  Let's just say they turned out fine (with MaryAnn's help).  Ellen was very gracious and said that she loved everything:), hopefully that was really the truth.

Julie, MaryAnn, Kathy and I helped to put all the decorations out at the reception on Friday after the luncheon (Ellen's mom and a few friends helped also).  It all turned out beautifully.  It was held at the house of one of Eric's friends.  It was really beautiful!!  The mom (whose house it was at) of Eric's friend was a hoot.  She reminded me so much of Aunt Christy H. that I almost had to remind myself that they were not related.  We worked hard (we also kept the dessert table stocked).  It was very nice, but I did come to the conclusion that we are only serving cake at all my daughter's receptions!  There just is no need to have so much food:)!  I like to keep it SIMPLE!!!

Saturday, I went to Lindsay's soccer game (it was HOT) and they won.  All the girls (both teams) were super hot and a little sluggish, but what do you expect when it is 90 degrees! 

After the game I dropped Lindsay off at home, ran to Safeway, picked up some cards and went over to Savanah's bridal shower. Stayed for a while and then Sister Teague and I went together to Brittany's bridal shower.  We didn't stay the whole time, but Jessica, Savanah and Brittany were all asking about you.  I took a picture of them that I will attach.

 

Seems like the season for weddings:)!  So glad that you are out serving the lord having some unique experiences that will help you learn so much wisdom and more!  

I talked with Jessica and it is tough financially, but wonderful otherwise.  She said that they don't have enough money for either one of them to go to school right now so she is working full time and he is training to start a new job (selling some kind of financial planning stuff).  Those first years are hard but the hard can help you pull closer together if you allow it to.

Well,  I think that is all I have to say right now.  I haven't been able to find your skype stuff yet, but I will keep looking.  If we can't find it just create a new account.  If we can't skype I will look into how to make phone calls.  I am so excited to be able to hear your voice!  Dad told me that I need to write my questions down, so that when we talk they can all get answered:)!

I love you so much!!!

Love,

Mom