I'm so, so sorry you had no letter from me last week. It was never sent. I'm not use to your Friday day. I work on it Sunday, and think, "I have a few more days to add to it," and then forgot. Please forgive me. I know you had other mail in your email, as well as a blog post or two. I'll be glad when your preparation day is back to Monday!
Probably the most exciting news of last week was your cousin's mission call. Megan's leaving December 20th for the Provo MTC to serve in the Nicaragua Managua North mission for 18 months!!
The next biggest news is Hurricane Harvey. I mentioned Harvey hitting Houston as a category 4 hurricane. And because Harvey refused to rotate out of the area,hovering instead over Houston for a LONG time, There was a massive evacuation, with our area receiving over 4,000. Seventeen C-130 planes are taking 100 people at a time, on 45-minute rotations. It's an operation that began Thursday and continues into the weekend. These are residents who have lost everything and were staying at shelters. The planes are landing at Dallas Love Field, then bused to a mega-shelter in Dallas. We had deputies escorting the buses from the plane to the convention center.
I love reading headlines, like "I Knew the Mormons Would Come": LDS Missionaries Begin Cleanup Work in Houston after Hurricane, Floods. Or, the Cajun Navy who are captivating social media. "The country is suddenly grateful for this “Cajun Navy,” for their know-how, for the fact that they can read a submerged log in the water, and haul their boats over tree stumps and levees and launch them from freeway junctions. “They can handle their boats better than the average fireman, who handles a boat once a year during annual training."
With floods in India and Northern India, raging fires in Montana and Los Angeles, and a massive earthquake in Mexico, the world is in turmoil. Now this week it's Hurricane Irma, Florida, especially the Keys, and the Caribbean islands.
Your cousin Stevie and her new Snow College Badger team
(One of these things is not like the others...)
I copied a portion of an email from Tanner, that he might or might not be writing about this week, but it was too good not to share!
"Haven't settled on a name yet and probably won't say anything's final until she's here and we can look her in her big baby (blue) eyes :)
AnneMarie's only got a couple more weeks at work. I think she's done the 29th though that could be wrong. She loves putting her quarters in and will probably spend the rest of her free time trying to get everything ready. We still haven't figured out what we're going to do for the blessing, probably because we're still trying to figure out the baby shower :)
I'm working on a letter with more details but I've been busy getting back in shape a la Aunt Becky style at a crossfit gym. Also studying nightly for the LSAT and getting application materials ready. Wakin' up early and goin' to bed late seems to be the schedule right now, but life's good and we're happy to have Hunter and cousins Abbey and Stevie out here with us."
Invitations to the baby shower went out this week. I'm sad I won't be there. But, I sent a really BIG present: A crib. They registered on Amazon and Target, and made shopping super easy. I hope to make this a grandmother tradition.
Breyer misses you. One day she wanted my help in finding an outfit to match her Wonder Woman socks you gave her. Another night she fell asleep crying about you. She started soccer. I was sleeping during her first game, but hopefully her schedule will allow me to go to a game or two.
Miller began as well. He had enough baseball over the summer not to do fall ball and was excited to start soccer. His coach was an assistant last year and feels like he won the lottery with Miller on his team. He did. He's very versatile. He doesn't have the fancy Hispanic moves most of the players
have, but he has his own. One day I looked out my window, and saw him helping a neighborhood boy who had walked over with his homework. Very sweet. He knew Miller was smart, and that he would help.
We had no school on Labor Day, so I took Sawyer and Miller to golf. It was crowded. At one point a lone player was close so we pulled over for him to pass. He drove to Sawyer's ball and played it, then drove off into the woods and picked up his errant shot. Really? Another man was close but we didn't notice him behind us, and he drove, the ball whizzing by my body. Too close. I don't think I'll ever take them again on a holiday or Saturday. Breyer's wish was to go to the beach, so she and I had some sand time after dinner. She does love the water. I don't mind. It's a lovely beach.
Cooper's record is now 5-0. Apparently the pre season team is the team to beat, and everybody else has a tennis program sub par. He is so tall, compared to many of the boys, and when he's on the net, he's intimidating. Plus he has your father's wide wing span, and nothing gets by. I love watching him put a smack down on a ball. We've stalled with his Eagle Scout project in that the two men who are responsible for donations are hard for him to contact since school has begun.
We put new tires on the Prius. And my low air light still comes on. I guess we'll have to change at least one more.
Dad wrote a note to Sis. Young, and this portion explains a bit of our life, including you, as well:
"We are doing well. Our town and the surrounding area felt no ill effects from the Hurricane. In fact as the Hurricane was over the Houston area, we had the most pleasant weather of all summer. We had very little rain and the humidity was low as a front came in from the Northwest.
"The way the hurricane has effected us, is that we have been asked to travel to Houston and help with the clean-up. The Area Seventy has asked for 3000 volunteers, from the Dallas-Fort Worth area stakes, each weekend of September to travel to Houston and help with the cleanup. So I have been helping with getting volunteers from our ward. The trip is about five hours away. On Saturdays, we are to leave at 5:00 A.M. , arrive at our site around and start cleaning, tearing out carpets, drywall, insulation, cutting of trees, hauling out appliances and furniture, and taking it all out the street. The church volunteers stay the night at a local high school, Sunday morning there is a brief sacrament meeting, and then you work until 3:00 or 4:00 o'clock and come back home.
"We worked a lot of floods in West Virginia. Virtually each year there would be 3-4 floods that we were asked to help with. Any disaster is sad, but in my opinion, floods are the worst. The home will never be the same, especially in a humid climate like Houston.
"Our stake has been assigned an area of East Houston, which I am sad to say should have been demolished before the flooding. It is a very very poor section of the city. From my understanding there will be work projects going on for months.
"We are doing well. Porter has been at the MTC in São Paulo for the past four weeks. I'm not quite sure about his adventures. He has saved two elders, while at the MTC, that went to the hospital (both the elders were from Brazil). It sounds like the food he eats of MTC is very Brazilian. Rice and beans are great, but I did not know about some of the mystery soups. Tanner went to the MTC in Brazil, but never talked about the food. I had just taken for granted the food would be like the MTC in Provo. Such a thought now makes no sense, since most of the missionaries are from Brazil (or at least South America) and they would eat food that they are accustomed to.
"Tanner and Anne Marie are still on track for a baby girl to arrive around Thanksgiving. I am not sure if we will be coming out to Utah. It would be nice for Amy Jo to travel out there, but she has been working with the Dallas County Sheriff's Department for the past months. Tanner and AnneMarie are scheduled to come out here at Christmas time."
Well, it's a bit long, but deserves to be after two weeks. Know how much we look forward to your letters. Are you finding the MTC a spiritual place? So much happens there, and so much to learn, it's a hard balancing act, I'm sure. Your letters are becoming legendary. Keep up the good work.
Come Back To Me.
Love,
Mom
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