With All Our Love

Dear Tanner,

We loved last week's newsy letter. We've been wondering about the bus driver, and how he's coming along? Dad wants to know what the best food was that you ate this week. Also, now that you're traveling so much, and not around members as much to eat at their homes, are you buying out more? or eating with missionaries?

Your cousin's housing options fell through...he said all he wants is to room with you...hopefully we can make it all happen! He also said, "I haven't felt good about any of the options we've looked at. Probably because this needs to happen!"

There have been a few interesting stories in the news...not sure if they'd make the news in Brazil and if so whether or not you'd hear. First, a Kuala Lumpur-Beijing airliner with 239 people on board disappeared on 8 March. Malaysia says it must be assumed plane crashed in southern Indian Ocean with no survivors. Ten plans have been scouring the southern Indian Ocean until Monday for debris but have now left. Every once in a while there will be a report of debris, but they haven't located the plane. Someone on the plane shut off the transponder that could locate it, and it disappeared off radar.

Also, there was a massive mudslide in Washington State. The news reported this week that Washington state officials say crews have recovered two bodies and believe they have located another eight in the debris of a massive landslide, bringing the likely death toll to 24 amid diminishing hope of finding survivors as the search enters its fifth day (this was last week). The mudslide, which struck the town of Oso a week ago Saturday morning, also resulted in as many as 176 missing person reports, but officials said they could not tell how many were duplicates. Authorities are keeping the official toll at 16 until other bodies are recovered.

I also saw that your fellow Hippo-ite was recognized in a "hometown hero reception in Hutto. The New York Jets wide receiver Jeremy Kerley was honored last Saturday evening. Kerley was a football, baseball and track star in high school, then carried that talent onto the football field while playing for the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs and then landed a spot on the New York Jets after being drafted in 2011. Why is this important? The first year the Hutto "Athlete of the Year" award was instituted, and Kerley was in high school, YOU were the one chosen for the award! Remember this while you're making your post-mission plans, and think about whether or not baseball fits into the plans. Having a BYU swim team member might just be the thing you need ;-)

We're still without a second car. But we've done just fine managing all the schedules. We actually had no snow days this week ;-) but had two snow storms that quickly dissipated. Your father spent three days at the track coaching jumpers and vaulters. As an example of his coaching awesomeness, the middle school girls' coach asked him to help her daughter in the high jump. After watching her for a few jumps, he told her what to change, and she immediately improved three inches. The mom was astonished. Are you? ;-) Hunter DID NOT get to golf this week, but did take Miller and Sawyer down to the driving range.

Your grandmother gave Sawyer your father's old stamp collecting book for his birthday. We had a good laugh over that. We were trying to figure out how she got a hold of something from your father's childhood and finally figured out that we had given it to Zach, and he must have left it behind. But Sawyer LOVES it and has spent a lot of time going through the stamps and putting them in the book. But, in the collection of stamps we found a treasure. It is a "Card of Thanks" newspaper clipping that said, "To our friends and neighbors, also to all the groups and organizations who have been so kind and helpful during our hour of sorrow, we wish to express our gratitude and thanks for their many acts of kindness and sympathy." Richard I. Glass, Priscilla M. Glass, Patricia A. Lamperti. What a find! It's like a blast from the past. Can't say I've ever read "cards of thanks" in today's newspapers.

The Sunday night dinner crew! With a visitor in Utah on spring break ;-)

Friday night we dropped Sawyer off early for his baseball practice so we could go to two baptisms at the church. There was such a sweet spirit there, just a lot of joy that was felt because of their decision. And then life changed for me just a bit ;-) The boys play basketball on Friday nights, bringing five boys this week, and having a total of 25 - that's a LOT of players! But while waiting for your father to leave, I was shooting with Cooper, and landed wrong on the rebound. I heard the bone break - very loud! and knew my foot was broken. It was, and is. It's the outside bone of my left foot, the fifth metatarsal. It's a bad diagonal break and I will find out more tomorrow, as to whether or not it needs to be pinned :-(

The rest of the night was a blur, mostly pain. I went up the stairs, and didn't come downstairs until this morning. I tried really hard to stay in bed all day yesterday, as I knew that was the best thing I could do. The difference between the morning and night was big, so I'm glad I did. I worked on mending, did some reading, and folded clothes when they were brought to me. Porter and Dad went to the district science fair, and the first track meet, and Miller and Sawyer had baseball practice, so Hunter and Cooper were left home to help me. Eventually, Dad came home after shopping for me and got your brothers all to help with the two weeks' worth of food to unload. It had poured all day, and nobody wanted to help so he called for the first ever assembly line. He stood in the rain and chucked everything to Porter, and so on down the line, to the runners Miller and Sawyer who would get it to the kitchen. It was fun listening to them and their comments. "Here comes the milk! - shake!" "Here comes the pizza! - Delivery!" Good times with the family!

I ended the night watching the General Women Broadcast on the computer. It was a great meeting, and the music was fabulous!

I was so grateful we had the later church schedule this morning. It was a struggle to get myself ready. I'm adept on crutches, just not liking to stand on one foot for so long. I did play the organ, I just didn't come off the stand. I was called as the Primary pianist last week, so I played there as well.

Today in church your father taught the third hour combined meeting on Family History. He put together a "prezi" and even pulled out his laser pointer, such a professional! Everyone loved him. He made you feel like you needed to do everything he talked about. He spoke on all the new things the church unveiled at the last roots tech conference. President Lim has three genealogy fairs scheduled this year, and told the director to sign him up as a presenter.

Porter has been taking driver education classes, and finished this week. Look out! Each of you are so different, and your approaches to driving have been as diverse. His might be on the more extreme end of diverse ;-) Or maybe my sense of equilibrium is getting worse. Today after church he went from zero to fifty, in reverse. I did scream in surprise! Then he tried a u turn in the parking lot going about thirty instead of five miles per hour. I think I screamed again. Hopefully he'll be one of the first to go on his driving lessons!

Your grandmother told me of someone I knew in high school whose son had recently passed away after being diagnosed with Lou Gherig's disease. It pained me to think of their loss, and the suffering that they all had endured this past year. She thought a card from me would be appreciated. I'm telling you this just to share a thought I had while writing the card. I was reading "Why Did This Happen to Me?" by Ray Pritchard. He says: “Sometimes we will face things for which there is no earthly explanation. In those moments we need to erect a sign that reads, ‘Quiet: God at Work.’ Meanwhile, hold on. Keep believing. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. Let God do His work in you. The greatest tragedy is to miss what God wants to teach us through our troubles.” I loved the quote on the sign. President Monson said, “Though the storm clouds may gather, though the rains may pour down upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and our love of our Heavenly Father and of our Savior will comfort and sustain us and bring joy to our hearts as we walk uprightly and keep the commandments." Maybe these thoughts will help those with whom you're teaching that are going through their own difficulties.

We love you! We pray for you daily...all of us!

Love,

Mom and Dad