With All Our Love

Dear Tanner,

Very fun letter last week, again! The pillow curse is awesome! Your hammock is a great find, and I loved your baseball analogy! We just love hearing from you!

I'm not sure what to think about the new email policy...I'm trying not to be jealous...I just don't want to lose the letter writing time you have for us! Has your time increased to use the computer? _____ Did you want me to share your email, or will you do that?

Speaking of getting emails, this was in our inbox Monday morning: "Imagine my surprise and delight at having my phone buzz with an email from Tanner this morning! This rule change was rather fortuitous. He's been on my mind and in my prayers more than usual lately. Do you know how he listens to music? There is a playlist I would like to send him. How would be best? A CD? Or some other way? It sounds like he's doing well! And that his new companion is going to be just splendid for him. Matt

Your roommate's letter talked about his experience as a trainer. He said, "I have grown so much already from the experience and it is only my first week! I think that my favorite thing about being a trainer is that it pushes me to not be lazy and to do my best in everything that I do."

My dear friend sent me an email. She said, "This is what  son said about his night in Bauru before he left.  I’m so glad they are still such great friends: “Oh yeah, almost forgot: My last night at Bauru I slept in the zone leaders’ house and Elder Schenewark did too, because his companion was leaving on the same bus as the rest of us. I got to have a good long talk with him, so that was great. We laid awake in our separate beds talking, It was so good to get to just talk with him again!! He is such a great friend!! And he is right, it is so hard to not see the old slug bugs here in Brazil!!"

Another email I received was from your new A.P.'s mother. She said she was chatting with a friend last night who works for AAA and does international travel. "We were chatting about visa's and she said that one of the consulates, she thinks the one in San Francisco, has opened back up and is letting the visas go through to Brazil.  She thought there is probably a back log and so it may take a little longer but I thought it was great news!  Bring on the visa's so these missionaries can get to Brazil."

Also, a snippet from the parents of your new companion. They shared a portion of their son's email, which said, "Elder Schenewark is awesome. He´s from Boston. He´s 4 days younger than me, and we got baptized on the same day, so we knew things would be good from the start! He went to BYU and is dang smart! Might transfer to Harvard after the mission! But I like him a lot and he´s willing to work hard. What more can I ask for?"

Finally, an email I read which I thought was good advice to pass along: "A good recommendation for the missionaries in Brazil is to avoid eating raw vegetables/fruit that are prepared by others. When eating at home, soak them (I.e lettuce tomatoes) in a sink of vinegar water. The water in the tap is treated (at least in the big cities) but not to our standards."

Monday was a normal day, except there was no seminary (WV on spring break this week), and Dad was home for Marshall's spring break. Hunter went golfing (40), and we ended the day with our traditional Family home evening. Right before we were to begin, Sawyer announced he needed to "squeeze the lemon," and ran for the bathroom. Miller decided to join him, and ran after him. I asked Miller to wait, but I was probably lost in brother excitement, and as Miller approached the bathroom door, it was closed on his left pinky, near the hinges of the door. That was the conclusion of FHE. We did try singing a few songs, but Miller's voice was the only one that could be heard, a wailing. So Dad took him to the clinic for an x-ray. He came home with a finger brace, and went right to bed. The skin split on each side of his knuckle from the force, but there was no break.

Tuesday Hunter's National Honor Society Relay for Life team was having a bake sale after school and Hunter wanted cinnamon rolls to sell. He sold them all for $2 a piece, when everything else there was under $1. They were done in ten minutes. (On Friday they celebrated all the kind deeds the students had done, as part of an anti-bully campaign, and recognized his team for the $5,000 they've raised, a large part by fellow students buying American Cancer Society cupcakes for $1.00). Dad took Porter to his basketball banquet. This year they collected $10 per family, and served popcorn chicken...a big hit over school salisbury steak or pizza. I took the cub scouts to the Herald-Dispatch for a tour of their newspaper facilities.

Thursday was the annual TAG (talented and gifted) camp. Cooper left in the morning on a bus, but because we don't DO sleep overs, we had to pick him up at 9 p.m. Dad's so good about doing that kind of stuff. Portsmouth and back. Then, first thing Friday morning Dad was out the door to bring Cooper back to the camp for breakfast. That whole trip deserves a blog page of its own!

Hunter wanted out of school a little early...he had a bit of spring break fever...so I busted him out at 1:30 and a golfing he went. He came home at 9 p.m., after having played 27 holes, with a 37!, 40, and 41. That was a great way to begin his spring break.

Saturday Dad was up early to take Porter to the regional science fair competition. He got an excellent rating, but not good enough to go on to states. We've mentioned in the past how Dad and the boys like to pick funny names when they eat at Penn Station. A few trips ago they all used different names of U.S. Presidents. The last temple trip they were the "Free" family. They wanted to hear "Cheese steak for Free!" Or, "Order for Free!" This day Porter went with one of his fancy aliases and said Piscagaglioni. The guy said, "Spell it." Caught Porter off guard. So he spelled Pisgaglioma instead.

I went to a seminary in-service (3rd day in a row at the church), then picked up the boys and Breyer and took them to the cub scout blue and gold banquet. From there we headed to Miller's first baseball practice. He thought he would be scared of the pitching machine, but stood at the plate and hit nine balls straight. The coach told us when he picked Miller at the draft, several coaches in the room said, "You can't go wrong with that family. All the boys are very athletic!"

Today Dad spoke in church and did a beautiful job. He talked about how we're given gifts from our Heavenly Father, but don't always make use of them. He told how gave Hunter a telescope when he found out we'd be in Texas, because of the wide-open skies, and because Hunter was only eight, the telescope didn't get used for about six years. He related this to repentance, and how we don't always use this gift that's been given to us by Heavenly Father, that we might be "clean" before him. He spoke of Hunter's desire to become better in golf, and how he had to learn about the traps and hazards on the course, just as in life, and if he fell prey to the course tricks, he literally could be digging himself out of the sand. We always love it when Dad speaks!

Dad wanted you to know that major league baseball begins in one week. There are always moments through the week where I think, "I'll have to remember to share that with Tanner," but sometimes I forget. I do try to jot a little note, but often times that isn't convenient. Like the time Breyer drank jam. A few sips of the homemade pomegranate jelly from Sis. Kirby, and her day was more complete. Or, March Madness. It is that time of year. I'm trying to hunt down the jock strap plaque, and have your name title put on it. Sawyer is SO excited about watching the games and checking the brackets. Biggest upsets have been 14 Harvard over 3 New Mexico, 15 Florida Gulf Coast over 2 Georgetown, and second round 1 Gonzaga over 9 Wichita State. Right now Uncle Rich is in the lead, with Tina second, and yours truly in third.

From the Church news room I liked this article: "After working thousands of hours in homes devastated by Hurricane Sandy, missionaries from the New York New York South Mission marched in the 38th annual Queens County St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 2. The crowds in the Rockaways — a community still recovering from the disaster — went wild; their “little yellow army of happiness” had returned to a hero’s welcome. Donning the yellow Mormon Helping Hands vests they wore in the weeks after the disaster, the missionaries marched along the parade route carrying a huge sign: “We Love You Rockaways.”

Crowds on the parade route hurriedly made their own signs: “We love the Mormon Helping Hands," where the missionaries were cheered and given a standing ovation. The Church provided 11 truckloads of relief supplies (approximately 400,000 pounds), including food, water, blankets, hygiene kits, generators, pumps, tarps, cleaning supplies, and fuel, according to a Church welfare report. More important, 28,000 Latter-day Saint volunteers provided 300,000 hours of service. Much of that work was fueled by the local missionaries, who worked every day for nine weeks.

President Calderwood said that because he doesn’t want there to be any confusion as to why the Church helped after the disaster, missionaries will not proselytize in the area in the near future. Marching in the parade was a unique experience. “As missionaries, we don’t get applauded very often. For the first time, maybe in history, the Mormons were applauded as they walked down the street.”

I think that's about it for this week. I hope that's enough to put a BIG smile on your face, and fill up your heart reservoir with love from us. To you. We love you! Mom and Dad