So, first off, got in THE WEAKEST Ônibus accident in the history of accidents. We were on the bus, and this dude in a truck, one of the big ones, was drunk, and also texting, but really really drunk. So, he's flying around the roads, doesn't see us, stopped at a bus stop, until the last second. Slams on the breaks, doesn't quite stop, taps our bus. Four passengers on the bus, us, and old Asian dude (named Kevin, we'll get to Kevin later). and this lady. Lady starts screaming, Kevin starts laughing, we just kinda sat there.
Then Kevin gets up and starts talking (also, why is every Asian person I meet named Kevin?).
Flashback to the beginning of our week. We're going through the list of members with Samurai Jan, and she was like, there are so many Asian people on this list, why am I the only only one in church?
So we made our goal, bring an Asian to church.
So, we're visiting all of these Asian people on the church list, I learned a lot about Brazilian Asians. They are either going to make your day or throw something at you. First three people, all dead. the family members didn't like us too much, so we left fast. Then we had a streak of the old, sweet, toothless Japanese men, invited us in, tried to feed us strange Japanese stuff, mostly alcoholic. But, all the people, either dead or moved out. We were just finding their relatives. So, Saturday, we trudged out again, out of names, out of Asians. Then, Kevin happened
-back to Kevin on the bus
Laughing his head off. Turns to us, puts his hand on my shoulder
K- I was suppossed to die today
Me- what is he talking about?
K- I had a dream that I would get into a bus accident today and die, and I was really nervous, but then when I got on the bus, I saw two young men, both so full of life that I knew I wouldn't die as long as they were on the bus. The truck should've killed me but because of you guys, KEVIN LIVES.
-He kinda yelled the last part
Me- so, you're Kevin, hi Kevin, I'm............ You want to come to church with us this Sunday?
Kev- Will there be any single Japanese women my age?
Me- Yeah actually, there will. What are your thoughts on Samurai?
So he came to church, we got our Asian man, he asked our Samurai on a date, she said no, but I've got a feeling he'll be back to try again.
And that's my Asian week, tune in next time, where we talk about the other life long question: who wins in a head on collision between a horse and a VW Fox???
Love,
Elder Sake Sake Shiitake
Monday, March 26, 2018
Sunday, March 25, 2018
With All My Love
Dear Elder Schenewark,
Spring has sprung in Texas. The grass is green, the trees are budding and sprouting green leaves, the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and we reached 90 degrees. Not that we’ll stay there, but when winter is over in Texas, it’s gone quickly. Grass growth explodes, and the bi weekly job of maintaining the yard has begun. I’m so grateful Cooper can assist with his handy dandy tractor he fixed and maintains. Yesterday Cooper used his tractor to go up and across the street one house to pick up Breyer. I’m sure that will be a fond memory for her, and one her little friends won’t soon forget. I’d love to be picked up by Cooper for a ride in the tractor!
Cooper played his last spring tennis meet this week in Arlington, and lost. He might have one more chance to play doubles in districts next week. We’re at the work-with-the-district portion of completing his Eagle Scout project – he’s running out of time very quickly. His room is still messy, he continues to draw, and he had a marvelous time at Mormon Prom, held in Denton this year. Hopefully pictures will be forthcoming.
Baseball season began this weekend with an opening season tournament. Miller played on Friday evening under the lights, and just lost. He pitched three innings, and was amazing. He had three strike outs the first inning, two in the second with the third out from a fly ball he caught, and two more strike outs in the third inning, with the third out from a ball he fielded and threw to first. Nine outs in three innings all from him. He’s moved up a field size, and for not having picked up a ball since last spring season was over, he did great. Not so much with his bats. He played two games on Saturday and pitched two more innings in each, and was almost as successful. He did better with his bats. He had a fabulous bunt up the third base line, and advanced a player to second. I could tell the coaches were surprised, and asked if they had given him the signal to bunt. No. He got caught in a pickle because the runner on second didn’t steal when the catcher missed a pitch. He did a head first dive under the tag and was safe. He hit a line drive to first base, stopped by the first baseman, and still beat him to the bag. He’s poetry in motion when he runs around the bases. I share this with you not because Miller playing baseball is important, but it is to him at this time in his life. He is still very shy, but communicates well in sporting situations.
Sawyer had two games Saturday. He played short stop in the first, and pitched in the second. His bats were slow to start as well, but his pitching is amazing. Lifting weights the past two years has increased his speed tremendously. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t pushing 80 mph yesterday, with mostly strikes. He won both games, and will miss the championship tournament game today, as will Miller.
I purchased Hunter’s airplane ticket to come home. This will be a first for us, as Tanner went straight to his pest control job, a mission, pest control, and marriage. It will be wonderful to have him home. Speaking of Hunter,he is currently in the lead with the March Madness tournament.
The younger boys are still watching basketball games. Not as devoted, as their teams are out, but interested enough in hopes that Breyer won’t be the winner. She’s in the lead and they’re not very happy. With a win by #11 Loyola, they’ll be in the Final Ffor the first time. There are a couple of Elite Eight games that will finish today but maybe a 1 and 2 ranked teams are left. I’m not sure
I sent Nora a big Easter package. I just love face timing with her. I feel bad for Tanner and AnneMarie as it’s difficult to have a conversation with them when I’m having baby talk with Nora. And she’s addictive, so they don’t get me too much.
The big news of the week was Jarrod having Rudy, of Rudy fame, come to Tarleton University to speak. Jarrod arranged for his visit, picked him up from the airport, and made him laugh. Because he’s neighbors with AnneMarie’s parents, and home teaching companion with her father, they filmed a short clip Jimmy Kimmel style to share with him. They’re hysterical. Dad had a great time, and hopefully will have a few proprietary projects in the wings to do with him. They call each other “coach.” The youth group from Granbury and Stephenville wards went Wednesday evening to hear him speak, and they all went away with Tarleton tee shirts. You too. He also provided signed photos for you all.
In reading a talk by Elder Rasband, Standing with the Leaders of the Church, he said, “We sustain leaders…who, by divine inspiration…are calling out to us to beware of the dangers we face each day – from casual Sabbath-day observance, to threats to the family, to assaults on religious freedom, and even to disputing latter-day revelation. ..Are we listening to their counsel?” What a great reminder in lieu of General Conference that airs this week. Have we listened and do we even know what was said in October? “As we press forward, choosing to follow the counsel and the warnings of our leaders, we choose to follow the Lord while the world is going in another direction.”
Speaking of the world going in a different direction, we got a call about a disturbance involving a man with a weapon and on drugs. Turned out he was yielding a toilet brush. Dealing with emotions from “this is serious” to “can’t stop laughing so hard I can’t breathe” can leave me wrung out. But I’m happy to help.
Have a wonderful week. Maybe your birthday box will arrive in time for Easter.
Love,
Mom
Spring has sprung in Texas. The grass is green, the trees are budding and sprouting green leaves, the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and we reached 90 degrees. Not that we’ll stay there, but when winter is over in Texas, it’s gone quickly. Grass growth explodes, and the bi weekly job of maintaining the yard has begun. I’m so grateful Cooper can assist with his handy dandy tractor he fixed and maintains. Yesterday Cooper used his tractor to go up and across the street one house to pick up Breyer. I’m sure that will be a fond memory for her, and one her little friends won’t soon forget. I’d love to be picked up by Cooper for a ride in the tractor!
Cooper played his last spring tennis meet this week in Arlington, and lost. He might have one more chance to play doubles in districts next week. We’re at the work-with-the-district portion of completing his Eagle Scout project – he’s running out of time very quickly. His room is still messy, he continues to draw, and he had a marvelous time at Mormon Prom, held in Denton this year. Hopefully pictures will be forthcoming.
Baseball season began this weekend with an opening season tournament. Miller played on Friday evening under the lights, and just lost. He pitched three innings, and was amazing. He had three strike outs the first inning, two in the second with the third out from a fly ball he caught, and two more strike outs in the third inning, with the third out from a ball he fielded and threw to first. Nine outs in three innings all from him. He’s moved up a field size, and for not having picked up a ball since last spring season was over, he did great. Not so much with his bats. He played two games on Saturday and pitched two more innings in each, and was almost as successful. He did better with his bats. He had a fabulous bunt up the third base line, and advanced a player to second. I could tell the coaches were surprised, and asked if they had given him the signal to bunt. No. He got caught in a pickle because the runner on second didn’t steal when the catcher missed a pitch. He did a head first dive under the tag and was safe. He hit a line drive to first base, stopped by the first baseman, and still beat him to the bag. He’s poetry in motion when he runs around the bases. I share this with you not because Miller playing baseball is important, but it is to him at this time in his life. He is still very shy, but communicates well in sporting situations.
Sawyer had two games Saturday. He played short stop in the first, and pitched in the second. His bats were slow to start as well, but his pitching is amazing. Lifting weights the past two years has increased his speed tremendously. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t pushing 80 mph yesterday, with mostly strikes. He won both games, and will miss the championship tournament game today, as will Miller.
I purchased Hunter’s airplane ticket to come home. This will be a first for us, as Tanner went straight to his pest control job, a mission, pest control, and marriage. It will be wonderful to have him home. Speaking of Hunter,he is currently in the lead with the March Madness tournament.
The younger boys are still watching basketball games. Not as devoted, as their teams are out, but interested enough in hopes that Breyer won’t be the winner. She’s in the lead and they’re not very happy. With a win by #11 Loyola, they’ll be in the Final Ffor the first time. There are a couple of Elite Eight games that will finish today but maybe a 1 and 2 ranked teams are left. I’m not sure
In reading a talk by Elder Rasband, Standing with the Leaders of the Church, he said, “We sustain leaders…who, by divine inspiration…are calling out to us to beware of the dangers we face each day – from casual Sabbath-day observance, to threats to the family, to assaults on religious freedom, and even to disputing latter-day revelation. ..Are we listening to their counsel?” What a great reminder in lieu of General Conference that airs this week. Have we listened and do we even know what was said in October? “As we press forward, choosing to follow the counsel and the warnings of our leaders, we choose to follow the Lord while the world is going in another direction.”
Speaking of the world going in a different direction, we got a call about a disturbance involving a man with a weapon and on drugs. Turned out he was yielding a toilet brush. Dealing with emotions from “this is serious” to “can’t stop laughing so hard I can’t breathe” can leave me wrung out. But I’m happy to help.
Have a wonderful week. Maybe your birthday box will arrive in time for Easter.
Love,
Mom
Friday, March 23, 2018
College Correspondent
On the Homestretch
Its been a while! I switched website providers and it took me much longer than I expected to figure how to switch everything over.
My business is officially up and running. Check it out: www.achievement-rings.com
I launched the first ads on Saturday, so we’ll see how it goes. As of now, I’ve invested $89 so far to create everything.
Friday was our Spring Break, and I took advantage of the day off to watch Holiday Inn. Okay, just kidding. I’ll make it until at least the next official holiday before I watch it.
Mitt Romney joining the Senate Race caused the jump in ticket price for the annual Utah County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner. My freshman year I attended and had a fantastic time, courtesy of a student priced ticket, at $10. This year, the students had a specially priced ticket of $32.50. Needless to say, I missed this one. However, I did receive (somewhat accidentally) a Mitt Romney for Utah t-shirt.
My last date before yesterday, was a few weeks ago, and I went to the soap factory again, and in honor of Texas Independence day made a red and blue Texas shaped bar. I took a shower with my new soap, (having loaded it with fragrance) and the winter mint was amazing. I felt so clean, it was like taking a shower in Listerine.
I again participated in an Intercollegiate Studies (ISI) conference. This one was in Salt Lake City, and the theme was “The False Promise of Radical Politics.” I took the train up early Friday morning, visited the temple, ate at the Lion House then spent a few hours doing family history. I also visited the old tabernacle, listened to the organ performance at noon, and then went up to the organ.
I checked in to the hotel about 5, and spent the next two days there. BYU had the largest contingency of any college, with us totaling 5. My roommate was Ken, a junior at Auburn University and with the biggest Alabama drawl I’ve ever had. He’s studying journalism, and it was fascinating to hear some of the projects he’s working on.
During our free time Saturday afternoon, we visited the Cathedral of the Madeline, Temple Square, and the museum of Modern Art. At the art museum there were "All Gender" bathrooms!
But my favorite stop was at the RootsTech conference. This is the largest Genealogy conference in the world, and is held annually in Salt Lake City. Saturday is their free day to visit. Unfortunately, we only caught the tail end, as it was an hour from ending for the year. Still, it was enough to confirm I’ll be back!
We left Sunday morning, navigating another snowstorm, to make it safely back. I again played the organ on this Sunday.
McKenzie, the other BYU student had left the reception at this point.
It was at this conference, that I decided to start a school-wide journal about politics here at BYU. We’ve since received a grant, and I’ll be going to Indianapolis in a few weeks to participate in a “Start the Presses” workshop weekend. ISI has definitely been good to me. They hired a new area director and she visited BYU on Thursday and met us and bought lunch.
As hinted at, I went on a date yesterday. Again it was bowling. There were 4: cousin Abby (from Massachusetts) with James (from NY) and I went with Jennica (from New Hampshire). It was a very northeastern evening. To keep it short, after about four frames we put the bumpers on. Nevertheless, it was fun, and Abby actually whooped me the second game, with her score of 135.
Other news: I golfed at Thanksgiving Point last Saturday. The course was a little worse off than I thought, bumpy and brown etc. with snow in the bunkers, but it was still wonderful to get out and play. This was my best shot below: A par 3, 215 yards, I hit it over the ravine onto the green a few shorts short of the flag stick.
Last weekend was our stake conference, and we had Jorg Klebingat of the 70 presiding. Saturday night he conducted a Q+A for 2.5 hours. It was incredible! He told his courtship story with his wife, and it is one of the most inspiring, unusual ones I’ve ever heard! I was taught, and I was inspired. As the Holy Ghost is the real teacher, I won’t include many notes here. I will add though, that he emphasized the necessity of pondering. We have lost that art because of loudness, and always expecting fast turn around in everything. We need to reflect, to have stillness in our lives, for that is when the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost will touch us.
And finally, just a cool quote from George Orwell I found reading a book this week:
The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.
Its been a while! I switched website providers and it took me much longer than I expected to figure how to switch everything over.
My business is officially up and running. Check it out: www.achievement-rings.com
I launched the first ads on Saturday, so we’ll see how it goes. As of now, I’ve invested $89 so far to create everything.
Friday was our Spring Break, and I took advantage of the day off to watch Holiday Inn. Okay, just kidding. I’ll make it until at least the next official holiday before I watch it.
Mitt Romney joining the Senate Race caused the jump in ticket price for the annual Utah County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner. My freshman year I attended and had a fantastic time, courtesy of a student priced ticket, at $10. This year, the students had a specially priced ticket of $32.50. Needless to say, I missed this one. However, I did receive (somewhat accidentally) a Mitt Romney for Utah t-shirt.
My last date before yesterday, was a few weeks ago, and I went to the soap factory again, and in honor of Texas Independence day made a red and blue Texas shaped bar. I took a shower with my new soap, (having loaded it with fragrance) and the winter mint was amazing. I felt so clean, it was like taking a shower in Listerine.
I again participated in an Intercollegiate Studies (ISI) conference. This one was in Salt Lake City, and the theme was “The False Promise of Radical Politics.” I took the train up early Friday morning, visited the temple, ate at the Lion House then spent a few hours doing family history. I also visited the old tabernacle, listened to the organ performance at noon, and then went up to the organ.
I checked in to the hotel about 5, and spent the next two days there. BYU had the largest contingency of any college, with us totaling 5. My roommate was Ken, a junior at Auburn University and with the biggest Alabama drawl I’ve ever had. He’s studying journalism, and it was fascinating to hear some of the projects he’s working on.
During our free time Saturday afternoon, we visited the Cathedral of the Madeline, Temple Square, and the museum of Modern Art. At the art museum there were "All Gender" bathrooms!
But my favorite stop was at the RootsTech conference. This is the largest Genealogy conference in the world, and is held annually in Salt Lake City. Saturday is their free day to visit. Unfortunately, we only caught the tail end, as it was an hour from ending for the year. Still, it was enough to confirm I’ll be back!
We left Sunday morning, navigating another snowstorm, to make it safely back. I again played the organ on this Sunday.
McKenzie, the other BYU student had left the reception at this point.
It was at this conference, that I decided to start a school-wide journal about politics here at BYU. We’ve since received a grant, and I’ll be going to Indianapolis in a few weeks to participate in a “Start the Presses” workshop weekend. ISI has definitely been good to me. They hired a new area director and she visited BYU on Thursday and met us and bought lunch.
As hinted at, I went on a date yesterday. Again it was bowling. There were 4: cousin Abby (from Massachusetts) with James (from NY) and I went with Jennica (from New Hampshire). It was a very northeastern evening. To keep it short, after about four frames we put the bumpers on. Nevertheless, it was fun, and Abby actually whooped me the second game, with her score of 135.
Other news: I golfed at Thanksgiving Point last Saturday. The course was a little worse off than I thought, bumpy and brown etc. with snow in the bunkers, but it was still wonderful to get out and play. This was my best shot below: A par 3, 215 yards, I hit it over the ravine onto the green a few shorts short of the flag stick.
Last weekend was our stake conference, and we had Jorg Klebingat of the 70 presiding. Saturday night he conducted a Q+A for 2.5 hours. It was incredible! He told his courtship story with his wife, and it is one of the most inspiring, unusual ones I’ve ever heard! I was taught, and I was inspired. As the Holy Ghost is the real teacher, I won’t include many notes here. I will add though, that he emphasized the necessity of pondering. We have lost that art because of loudness, and always expecting fast turn around in everything. We need to reflect, to have stillness in our lives, for that is when the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost will touch us.
And finally, just a cool quote from George Orwell I found reading a book this week:
The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.
Monday, March 19, 2018
Letter #31
So, I met a real life Samurai this week. And she's a member. And she says she's gonna adopt me, which would make me a Samurai as well, so....
But, she is about 80 years old, oldest member in the ward. She has the official stamp that all Samurai families have, as well as the symbol tatooed on her arm (when she was 12).
So, she also told me I looked like James Garner. I almost cried. It's like something out of a dream. Old Japanese lady, who speaks seven languages fluently, tells me I look like 'The Scrounger' from the great escape.
We went to the hospital, my hair must of been looking clean, because three or four people told me it was looking nice. Then at the information desk, the lady who was helping my companion get registered, asked for the telephone number. I pulled out the phone and started saying the number. She didn't type one number in, just stared. When I finished, she looked at her co-worker, and said "he's pretty And he can speak." Then, the two of them started laughing, me and my internally bleeding companion, and they kept laughing, until the boss lady came out, sent them both on break and continued helping us.
And, new job i found, I'm excited about this one. We were teaching a professional PING PONG PADDLE REPAIRMAN. We had about a 40 minute talk on how he does it and he promised to teach me. Let's just say, I may not play the best, but everyone gonna be looking at the paddles. He gave me an old paddle and told me to make it mine. So I did. Presenting the Louis Vuitton 2018 PYoung collection.
Good work, love you guys, until next week,
Elder Top Flite Top Spin Winna
But, she is about 80 years old, oldest member in the ward. She has the official stamp that all Samurai families have, as well as the symbol tatooed on her arm (when she was 12).
So, she also told me I looked like James Garner. I almost cried. It's like something out of a dream. Old Japanese lady, who speaks seven languages fluently, tells me I look like 'The Scrounger' from the great escape.
We went to the hospital, my hair must of been looking clean, because three or four people told me it was looking nice. Then at the information desk, the lady who was helping my companion get registered, asked for the telephone number. I pulled out the phone and started saying the number. She didn't type one number in, just stared. When I finished, she looked at her co-worker, and said "he's pretty And he can speak." Then, the two of them started laughing, me and my internally bleeding companion, and they kept laughing, until the boss lady came out, sent them both on break and continued helping us.
And, new job i found, I'm excited about this one. We were teaching a professional PING PONG PADDLE REPAIRMAN. We had about a 40 minute talk on how he does it and he promised to teach me. Let's just say, I may not play the best, but everyone gonna be looking at the paddles. He gave me an old paddle and told me to make it mine. So I did. Presenting the Louis Vuitton 2018 PYoung collection.
Good work, love you guys, until next week,
Elder Top Flite Top Spin Winna
Sunday, March 18, 2018
With All My Love
Elder Schenewark,
Happy Saint Patricks Day Porter! I love this holiday – mostly because I stop and think of my Irish-Scottish heritage. I love that side of my family history. We spent the day in Dublin - Dublin Texas, that is. Right off their web page, “Get those Irish eyes smiling for hundreds of floats…” There might have been eight. But it was still fun. There were out of town visitors, just like us, perhaps a bit more festively dressed, enjoying the beautiful sunny day and mostly green attire.
We drove back into Granbury just in time for General Granbury Birthday Celebration Parade to begin, and caught our second parade of the day. Both threw candy, to the delight of your sister. And, in celebration of March Madness, and the newly instituted National Hot Dog Day, we ended our excursion with 14 Sonic corn dogs, especially priced at $.50 on the first Saturday of the March Madness Tournament.
Speaking of March Madness, your two younger brothers have been glued to their brackets, and a game if they’re able. And in the history of the NCAA March Madness Tournament, a record was made when a #16 team beat a #1 team – and it was not a buzzer beater. UVA is out. UMBC is in. That’s right, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, the Labrador Retrievers. Of course our brackets are all a mess. Most of us had them winning the entire competition. We did invite Luke to play this year, so we could get a little Porter in the bracket. He has Duke winning it all. Marshall was in the first round ranked 13th,and won over 4th ranked Wichita State.They play WVU tonight.
Nora even has her own, First Bracket, but she won’t count. My favorite name entries belong to the girls - AnneMarie’s HoopToWin and Breyer’s WonderGirl. And at press time, Breyer's in first place with possible points,with Miller and Luke running a close second!
The siblings have been out of school all week. Sawyer’s played a lot of basketball, Cooper had a lot of homework and got in a bit of forging with Hunter Dewey. Both boys had baseball practice to get ready for the season opening tournament next weekend. The weather has been absolutely lovely.
Miller had a thought this week that has turned into an event. He wants Breyer to be the winner of next year’s 2nd grade chess tournament, and has taken it upon himself, with my assistance, to chess teaching time. When she found out, she cried. And said, “But I don’t like chess.” I told her, “That’s okay. You can still be the winner. “ It’s a win-win situation no matter what. Breyer also decided she was old enough to start piano, so I have begun. I’m testing the waters, so to speak, and have found her faithful in practicing her one song without being asked. We’ll see.
We'll see less of Dad this week as Rudy is coming into town,and he's chaufferring him,including picking him up from the airport. It will be fun to hear about his adventures.
I was reading Elder Christofferson’s The Living Bread. He said, “To eat His flesh and drink His blood is a striking way of expressing how completely we must bring the Savior into our life.” And then he said, “Holiness is the word…To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ means to pursue holiness.” From someone frequently unable to attend to the sacrament ordinance, I appreciated his insight into an ordinance that’s so undervalued and appreciated.
You are not undervalued or under appreciated.We love you. We love your weekly letters.We pray for you. We miss you.
Love,
Mom
Happy Saint Patricks Day Porter! I love this holiday – mostly because I stop and think of my Irish-Scottish heritage. I love that side of my family history. We spent the day in Dublin - Dublin Texas, that is. Right off their web page, “Get those Irish eyes smiling for hundreds of floats…” There might have been eight. But it was still fun. There were out of town visitors, just like us, perhaps a bit more festively dressed, enjoying the beautiful sunny day and mostly green attire.
We drove back into Granbury just in time for General Granbury Birthday Celebration Parade to begin, and caught our second parade of the day. Both threw candy, to the delight of your sister. And, in celebration of March Madness, and the newly instituted National Hot Dog Day, we ended our excursion with 14 Sonic corn dogs, especially priced at $.50 on the first Saturday of the March Madness Tournament.
Speaking of March Madness, your two younger brothers have been glued to their brackets, and a game if they’re able. And in the history of the NCAA March Madness Tournament, a record was made when a #16 team beat a #1 team – and it was not a buzzer beater. UVA is out. UMBC is in. That’s right, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, the Labrador Retrievers. Of course our brackets are all a mess. Most of us had them winning the entire competition. We did invite Luke to play this year, so we could get a little Porter in the bracket. He has Duke winning it all. Marshall was in the first round ranked 13th,and won over 4th ranked Wichita State.They play WVU tonight.
Nora even has her own, First Bracket, but she won’t count. My favorite name entries belong to the girls - AnneMarie’s HoopToWin and Breyer’s WonderGirl. And at press time, Breyer's in first place with possible points,with Miller and Luke running a close second!
The siblings have been out of school all week. Sawyer’s played a lot of basketball, Cooper had a lot of homework and got in a bit of forging with Hunter Dewey. Both boys had baseball practice to get ready for the season opening tournament next weekend. The weather has been absolutely lovely.
Miller had a thought this week that has turned into an event. He wants Breyer to be the winner of next year’s 2nd grade chess tournament, and has taken it upon himself, with my assistance, to chess teaching time. When she found out, she cried. And said, “But I don’t like chess.” I told her, “That’s okay. You can still be the winner. “ It’s a win-win situation no matter what. Breyer also decided she was old enough to start piano, so I have begun. I’m testing the waters, so to speak, and have found her faithful in practicing her one song without being asked. We’ll see.
We'll see less of Dad this week as Rudy is coming into town,and he's chaufferring him,including picking him up from the airport. It will be fun to hear about his adventures.
I was reading Elder Christofferson’s The Living Bread. He said, “To eat His flesh and drink His blood is a striking way of expressing how completely we must bring the Savior into our life.” And then he said, “Holiness is the word…To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ means to pursue holiness.” From someone frequently unable to attend to the sacrament ordinance, I appreciated his insight into an ordinance that’s so undervalued and appreciated.
You are not undervalued or under appreciated.We love you. We love your weekly letters.We pray for you. We miss you.
Love,
Mom
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Monday, March 12, 2018
Letter #30
First, BACK TO THE FAVELA, get some. It's been a while since I've been robbed, but now we back and ready to give up all the coins that i sometimes have.
Also, happy birthday Sawyer, hopefully you'll realize that some things just aren't possible (beating me in basketball, making yourself grow more...).
New area: Campo Limpo
New Companion: Elder Ramos (Rio de Janeiro)
Time that the ward hasn't had a baptism: 5 months
Also, they have a Serie B team in the town, Red Bull FC which is pretty tight.
So, in the favelas, everyone rides bikes. Which means the people who know how to fix bikes charge a little high. Which means I became a celebrity in one of the favelas, "The African (not sure how that one started) who fixes your bikes for free." Just give me some electrical tape and maybe scissors and we can get anything to hold together until the end of the street.
I've been told by numerous people I should think about opening up a bike shop here, so now I have my life career figured out, that's exciting.
We were walking through the supermarket, because our lunch got canceled (apparently the members here haven't had the greatest experiences with elders) and there's three girls talking about "what they want in a man." They're talking, blah blah blah. One of them looks at me and says, I want a man who hits his head on the Easter Eggs (they hang these giant chocolate eggs from the ceiling, more or less my height). So, I'm turning around, leaving, very awkward, when BAM
No, I didn't hit an egg, that would've been the worst.
This kid, about 14 years old, comes strinting down the corridor, jumps, and clocks himself with one of the eggs. He lands, I kid you not, sliding on his knees.
Looks up at the girl.
Waits a sec (for dramatic effect or because he was concussed I'm not sure)
"Oh, you want a man who does that......"
I died, I literally was crying, so were the other three people in the store.
Brazil. am I right
Last thing, because i have to save some stuff right? and also, we're going to the hospital soon.
WHY?Better question, why does it always happen to me?
We're walking, Elder Ramos slows down, half way up this huge staircase, says, My stomach hurts, sits down, passes out, wakes up while I'm calling a member, getting a ride. Oh, you'll meet us at the TOP of the stairs? yeah, sure, we'll just skip right up.
BTWs, we're talking HUGE stairs. Shaolin monk temple up the mountain type stairs.
So, we hit the whole routine again, scoop him up, take off UP the stairs, etc etc etc.
THEN, during the car ride (with this dope dude named gregory, just a chill chill guy) ramos starts vomiting up blood. How did we know it was blood?
The first barrage pegged the backseat motorcyclist wearing the white pants. Or they were white.
Me and Gregory were almost laughing really hard, beacuse he's a funny guy, likes to laugh, think Wesly Snipes Expendables 3 before he takes off the beard, also huge, like 250 lbs, BUT very serious situation so we only had the eye contact in the rear view mirror silent laugh together.
But, it's all good now, it was a hernia, they pushed it back in place, so we're gonna have to take it slow this next week until he probably leaves to have the surgery, but it all worked out. A night spent in the hospital is a good nap on the train ride back.
OH YEAH, WE HAVE TRAINS TO GET TO THE NEXT TOWN, BUT NOBODY WANTED TO TAKE THEM, BUT I DO TRAINS SO NOW WE'RE TAKING THEM AND IT'S GREAT.
And during this train ride, I was thinking a little, of the girl in the white pants.
Must be rough to have those stains that probably will make the pants unwearable. Red on white don't come out easy (especially blood, I can testify of that, sorry all my white clothes ever).
And it was the perfect atonement metaphor.
Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
The atonement of Christ makes it possible for us to have that white, unspotted cleanliness again in our lives. Because of His sacrifice, we can receive a remission of our sins. And that is, without the doubt, the greatest gift we have ever been given. And it works, 100% of the time. But only when we use it. And that is the real mission that we're on down here, as missionaries. Everybody we meet is in need of this atonement. And there is no greater joy than helping and seeing someone accept this gift.
Love you, until next time on 'Unbelievable Adventures of the African Elder,'
Elder American Chopper
Also, happy birthday Sawyer, hopefully you'll realize that some things just aren't possible (beating me in basketball, making yourself grow more...).
New area: Campo Limpo
New Companion: Elder Ramos (Rio de Janeiro)
Time that the ward hasn't had a baptism: 5 months
Also, they have a Serie B team in the town, Red Bull FC which is pretty tight.
So, in the favelas, everyone rides bikes. Which means the people who know how to fix bikes charge a little high. Which means I became a celebrity in one of the favelas, "The African (not sure how that one started) who fixes your bikes for free." Just give me some electrical tape and maybe scissors and we can get anything to hold together until the end of the street.
I've been told by numerous people I should think about opening up a bike shop here, so now I have my life career figured out, that's exciting.
We were walking through the supermarket, because our lunch got canceled (apparently the members here haven't had the greatest experiences with elders) and there's three girls talking about "what they want in a man." They're talking, blah blah blah. One of them looks at me and says, I want a man who hits his head on the Easter Eggs (they hang these giant chocolate eggs from the ceiling, more or less my height). So, I'm turning around, leaving, very awkward, when BAM
No, I didn't hit an egg, that would've been the worst.
This kid, about 14 years old, comes strinting down the corridor, jumps, and clocks himself with one of the eggs. He lands, I kid you not, sliding on his knees.
Looks up at the girl.
Waits a sec (for dramatic effect or because he was concussed I'm not sure)
"Oh, you want a man who does that......"
I died, I literally was crying, so were the other three people in the store.
Brazil. am I right
Last thing, because i have to save some stuff right? and also, we're going to the hospital soon.
WHY?Better question, why does it always happen to me?
We're walking, Elder Ramos slows down, half way up this huge staircase, says, My stomach hurts, sits down, passes out, wakes up while I'm calling a member, getting a ride. Oh, you'll meet us at the TOP of the stairs? yeah, sure, we'll just skip right up.
BTWs, we're talking HUGE stairs. Shaolin monk temple up the mountain type stairs.
So, we hit the whole routine again, scoop him up, take off UP the stairs, etc etc etc.
THEN, during the car ride (with this dope dude named gregory, just a chill chill guy) ramos starts vomiting up blood. How did we know it was blood?
The first barrage pegged the backseat motorcyclist wearing the white pants. Or they were white.
Me and Gregory were almost laughing really hard, beacuse he's a funny guy, likes to laugh, think Wesly Snipes Expendables 3 before he takes off the beard, also huge, like 250 lbs, BUT very serious situation so we only had the eye contact in the rear view mirror silent laugh together.
But, it's all good now, it was a hernia, they pushed it back in place, so we're gonna have to take it slow this next week until he probably leaves to have the surgery, but it all worked out. A night spent in the hospital is a good nap on the train ride back.
OH YEAH, WE HAVE TRAINS TO GET TO THE NEXT TOWN, BUT NOBODY WANTED TO TAKE THEM, BUT I DO TRAINS SO NOW WE'RE TAKING THEM AND IT'S GREAT.
And during this train ride, I was thinking a little, of the girl in the white pants.
Must be rough to have those stains that probably will make the pants unwearable. Red on white don't come out easy (especially blood, I can testify of that, sorry all my white clothes ever).
And it was the perfect atonement metaphor.
Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
The atonement of Christ makes it possible for us to have that white, unspotted cleanliness again in our lives. Because of His sacrifice, we can receive a remission of our sins. And that is, without the doubt, the greatest gift we have ever been given. And it works, 100% of the time. But only when we use it. And that is the real mission that we're on down here, as missionaries. Everybody we meet is in need of this atonement. And there is no greater joy than helping and seeing someone accept this gift.
Love you, until next time on 'Unbelievable Adventures of the African Elder,'
Elder American Chopper
Sunday, March 11, 2018
With All My Love
Dear Elder Schenewark,
Your perfume story and priest story, and pretty much any story you write are known far and wide. We love your unique approach to missionary work. Stephen Welch's girlfriend has a sister in your mission,Sister Mehner, who says because everyone can't say your last name they call you Elder Schwarzenegger. It's a small world
A few weeks ago I was going to write about all the natural disasters that had occurred that week - an earthquake in Java, one in Alaska; flooding from heavy rains in Paris with water levels 11 feet above normal, and I didn't. Then I was going to write you about all the new school shootings we've h ad, one right over the border in Ellis Texas, and then Benton, KY,and then in Florida. But I didn't. I had also heard about the article listing the 50 most violent cities in the world,with 17 out of the 50 inn Brazil. Hunter's Vitoria is 47th, Detroit is 36th,New Orleans 34th,Joao Pessoa 29th, Aunt Jenny's Cali is 21st, and St. Louis is 14th,and Mexico's Los Cabos is 1st. The news can be depressing.No can be's about it, it is. But the good news,the gospel,that you have to share,brings light and joy into this ever increasing dark world. As will General Conference in a few weeks. Turn towards the light, and share it with others.
We talked of Lot, Abraham's nephew, in church today. He was a righteous man that chose to face Sodom. Abraham pitched his tent facing the altar. Rhetorically speaking, what do we face? Someone in class mentioned how they decided to go without television in their home, and found that when you don't have to arrange furniture around a television,what becomes the focal point in your home? They chose their windows. I choose the fireplace and family pictures. Hopefully by the time you get home my wedding wall will be started. We cal all feel like we're making good choices,but are there better choices to be made,and ultimately what is our best choice?
Cooper found out this week his design didn't win for Intel's interdepartmental competition, but he now has a better idea of what is wanted.
Tanner and family traveled out of state to Arizona for a mini vacation,and this picture of Nora made my day. What a gem.
Not much is new with your sister except she's getting tall. She loves her gymnastic class,she lovees all her brothers,and wrote a really sweet letter at school this week:
The most special person in my life is my family. Because my Mom is at work all day if I get sick she will take a day off for me. My Dad will cook a meal for me when Mom is gone. My brothers will make me laugh. My Grandma will knit for me when I have holes in my clothes. Grandpa has a passionate heart that makes me smile. Breyer is the glue that holds all you boys together. And her new favorite game is Exploding Kittens.
Just because I know how much joy Nora brings me, I'm sharing her with you. She's adorable.
Dad and your siblings are all on spring break this week. Miller is excited to just stay home. Sawyer wants to get his friends together and play basketball at the middle school. Cooper always has something up his sleeve.
Sawyer turned 15 today. The only thing he really wanted for his birthday was for me to pay for his permit testing on line. His grandmother made him a warm Celtics' themed blanket hauled cross country to Utah by the Bachs for Nora's blessing day, and then brought home by Dad. Lots of love in those stitches. He's taller than me now,and keeps track of your height and age as hope that he might be as tall as you. Sawyer had his scout master conference for his Life rank in scouting.
Cooper played in a tennis tournament this week in Cleburne, and brought him a first place medal with his partner Wade. It was a JV meet,but it was a good win. Cooper will be having his scout master conference and local board of review this week for Eagle; then we'll be contacting the district.
Your brothers have been salivating over March Madness this weekend. They're very excited to begin, and knowing they're probably the main contenders, have a right to be. Your sister's handle this year? Wonder Girl.
I think that's the thoughts that have accumulated within me this week. Oh. I have one more. My parents bought a new house in Northborough,,under two miles away and over by the baseball fields. They close the end of this month. Uncle Aaron is the new owner of Brigham St. It's a good move.
In the meantime. Know of my love for you. Stay safe. Keep the letters and pictures coming.
Love,
Mom
Saturday, March 10, 2018
Thursday, March 8, 2018
Letter #29
I spent about four minutes of precious time thinging of that subject line, so go back and appreciate the fact that I did that. Thank you
So, transfers this week, I haven't recieved the official call yet, but President Hill told me that I'd be leaving and that my companion would be the new District Leader. So, unfortunately, I will be leaving the wonderful, beautiful, city of Itatiba. Actually, the city is pretty aweful, but the people will be missed.
SO, eighteen weeks, about 10 of them were spent trying to get Lorenzo back to church. A late afternoon Saturday visit, but it always ended up with some sort of bet to get him to church. Pool, ping pong, uno, dominoes. Somehow, I always won. So, with this news that I'd be leaving, I knew I had to make THE BET, and just trust that miracles happen.
ES- So, I'm leaving on Tuesday and won't be able to keep taking you hand in hand to church. What's it gonna take for you to go alone?
L- I think you already know; (I already knew) I want a game of Memory.
*Side note (took a while to find the astrisk key, appreciate it<- a="" add="" and="" another="" forgets="" fruit="" goes="" have="" he="" i="" it="" like="" list.="" memory="" misses="" names="" on="" or="" order="" p="" remember="" say="" someone="" the="" then="" this.="" this="" to="" until="" works="">ES- I know, the first thing you told me was that you never lost a game of Memory in your life. I'm ready.
*At this point, there was some dramatic music, and we sat at a table across from one another.
L- I'm sorry to do this to you in your last week here, but there's no other way. And prepared, there's not any way to prepare for this.
PINEAPPLE
*He literally yelled the first fruit at me :'(
ES- Jabuticaba
L- Goiaba
ES- Lichia
L-Copuaçu
........
56
We named 56 fruits, going back and forth. Who won?
Nobody. It was his turn and he was like,
You've proved yourself a worthy adversary. I'll go to church by myself now.
*TBH, I think he forgot a fruit and knew it so he desisted.
But, GET SOME
Small funny story
We were trying to teach this old DEAF catholic dude to pray and were going over the steps to a non-repetitive prayer and he asked to see the steps, so we gave him the steps and he sayed he'd pray, and so we closed our eyes bowed our heads, and he starts reading the steps of, but in a super dramatic voice
Step 1: Address Heavenly Father. We open the prayer by addressing God because he is the one we are praying to. ...
He didn't have a microphone but, dramatic voice okay.
It was really funny, we didn't even correct him, just thanked him and left
And the Perfume Salesman.
So a while back, almost four months, we baptized Itamar (who just got called as second counselor in the elders quorum, yuh), who sells gas and water (and perfume on the side, we'll get to that)
So, we're in his house, this is like two weeks ago, and he's practically throwing red, perfectly flavored steak-kabobs at us, right? And there's a bag of cologne samples on the side. I like cologne, right? And so I was like,
-Really? Never knew.
-Yeah, you like cologne? What do you think of this, its a new line.
So, I just said the first thing that came into my head when I smelled it, right?
-Red
-What do you mean "red?"
-It smells like it would be red, I don't know.
We talked a little more, I colored the rest of the perfumes, about 15, and he took some vigorous notes.
So, this week, back to the present here, he calls me up, all happy and stuff,
-Yo, Schey-Schey
-Uh huh
-I almost doubled my perfume sales this last week!
-Congrats?
-It's because of you, lemme tell ya
So, turns out that he, suprisingly intelligent guy, started doing more or less this:
Customer comes into the store, wearing a purple shirt. Which cologne you think I should buy chief? Itamar grabbed the one I labled purple and started showing it to him, explaining how the perfumes he sells all have a color code. The way he explained it to his customers, it's like matching a shirt with some shorts, they need to go together or it won't feel right. So, he started selling them these, normally the color of the shirt they were wearing. But then he was like, but you're not always gonna wear that snazzy shirt. I'll sell you this colorless one (i labeled it white) to match with all the other shirts you'll wear. I'll even sell it to you at a discounted price.
Yeah, get it Itamar, my boy putting my nose to work
But, I have to run, smell ya later, also, some pictures of my payments for Mom <3 p="">
Love,
Elder Arthur Miller
So, transfers this week, I haven't recieved the official call yet, but President Hill told me that I'd be leaving and that my companion would be the new District Leader. So, unfortunately, I will be leaving the wonderful, beautiful, city of Itatiba. Actually, the city is pretty aweful, but the people will be missed.
SO, eighteen weeks, about 10 of them were spent trying to get Lorenzo back to church. A late afternoon Saturday visit, but it always ended up with some sort of bet to get him to church. Pool, ping pong, uno, dominoes. Somehow, I always won. So, with this news that I'd be leaving, I knew I had to make THE BET, and just trust that miracles happen.
ES- So, I'm leaving on Tuesday and won't be able to keep taking you hand in hand to church. What's it gonna take for you to go alone?
L- I think you already know; (I already knew) I want a game of Memory.
*Side note (took a while to find the astrisk key, appreciate it<- a="" add="" and="" another="" forgets="" fruit="" goes="" have="" he="" i="" it="" like="" list.="" memory="" misses="" names="" on="" or="" order="" p="" remember="" say="" someone="" the="" then="" this.="" this="" to="" until="" works="">ES- I know, the first thing you told me was that you never lost a game of Memory in your life. I'm ready.
*At this point, there was some dramatic music, and we sat at a table across from one another.
L- I'm sorry to do this to you in your last week here, but there's no other way. And prepared, there's not any way to prepare for this.
PINEAPPLE
*He literally yelled the first fruit at me :'(
ES- Jabuticaba
L- Goiaba
ES- Lichia
L-Copuaçu
........
56
We named 56 fruits, going back and forth. Who won?
Nobody. It was his turn and he was like,
You've proved yourself a worthy adversary. I'll go to church by myself now.
*TBH, I think he forgot a fruit and knew it so he desisted.
But, GET SOME
Small funny story
We were trying to teach this old DEAF catholic dude to pray and were going over the steps to a non-repetitive prayer and he asked to see the steps, so we gave him the steps and he sayed he'd pray, and so we closed our eyes bowed our heads, and he starts reading the steps of, but in a super dramatic voice
Step 1: Address Heavenly Father. We open the prayer by addressing God because he is the one we are praying to. ...
He didn't have a microphone but, dramatic voice okay.
It was really funny, we didn't even correct him, just thanked him and left
And the Perfume Salesman.
So a while back, almost four months, we baptized Itamar (who just got called as second counselor in the elders quorum, yuh), who sells gas and water (and perfume on the side, we'll get to that)
So, we're in his house, this is like two weeks ago, and he's practically throwing red, perfectly flavored steak-kabobs at us, right? And there's a bag of cologne samples on the side. I like cologne, right? And so I was like,
-Yo Ita, you thinking about buying a new cologne?
-Nah, I sell it.-Really? Never knew.
-Yeah, you like cologne? What do you think of this, its a new line.
So, I just said the first thing that came into my head when I smelled it, right?
-Red
-What do you mean "red?"
-It smells like it would be red, I don't know.
We talked a little more, I colored the rest of the perfumes, about 15, and he took some vigorous notes.
So, this week, back to the present here, he calls me up, all happy and stuff,
-Yo, Schey-Schey
-Uh huh
-I almost doubled my perfume sales this last week!
-Congrats?
-It's because of you, lemme tell ya
So, turns out that he, suprisingly intelligent guy, started doing more or less this:
Customer comes into the store, wearing a purple shirt. Which cologne you think I should buy chief? Itamar grabbed the one I labled purple and started showing it to him, explaining how the perfumes he sells all have a color code. The way he explained it to his customers, it's like matching a shirt with some shorts, they need to go together or it won't feel right. So, he started selling them these, normally the color of the shirt they were wearing. But then he was like, but you're not always gonna wear that snazzy shirt. I'll sell you this colorless one (i labeled it white) to match with all the other shirts you'll wear. I'll even sell it to you at a discounted price.
Yeah, get it Itamar, my boy putting my nose to work
But, I have to run, smell ya later, also, some pictures of my payments for Mom <3 p="">
Love,
Elder Arthur Miller
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Words for the Wingmen
Dear Beloved Family,
Fatherhood has obviously been a speed bump in terms of my letter writing, but a boon in everything else. Obviously everyone mostly would like an update on Nora, so here you go:
- Last week she started rolling and hasn’t stopped since. If you set her on the ground she’ll kick her legs up and over and before you know she’s off. We build hills into her blankets on the ground now to impede her progress at which point she lays happily and plays. We can definitely tell this one is a mover and shaker!
- Today she had what I think was her first laugh session. Pretty funny and hard to put baby laughs in words. Maybe liquid sunshine?
- She’s 3 months! And getting chunkier. We’re just more in love and glad she sits happily through Sacrament meeting, in which she seems to enjoy the songs and falls asleep during the talks J
Other updates in life you may not have received yet: I got into a pair of law schools thus far. My LSAT was a little lower than I hoped it would be, but that turned out to be ok because AnneMarie and I decided one of our main goals was going to be coming out of grad school debt free since we passed up on the opportunity to be geese that lay golden eggs and settled for the world’s cutest baby instead.
Annnnyway, BYU gave us full-tuition for all three years and were very impressive in demonstrating the ways that they’d be the right choice for us, i.e. federal clerkship placements, non-traditional law jobs, and the ability to go somewhere outside of Utah. ASU also made us an offer and the Dean called asking me to apply to their full-tuition scholarship, but if I got it I’d HAVE to enroll soooo hard pass. We got some tempting pre-application offers from some other very good schools, but they also happen to be very expensive so we’ll probably pass on those as well, which means if you want to see Ms. Norasaurus in the next three years, you know where we’ll be.
In other, other news, Jessica, AnneMarie’s sister has been living with us for a while since she got back from living in Europe and we’ve very much enjoyed her happy spirit. We can always use one more to play games with us every night, and, frankly, she takes care of US! Every time I turn around she’s doing our dishes! Plus, it’s fun to have her beau Trevor around too.
This week we visited Top Golf for the first time and had a blast. It’s normally a bit pricey, but my company rented it out for the night complete with a fajita bar and injectable donut holes. For those of you who haven’t been, they have GPS trackers in the golf balls which lets you play all sorts of games that award you points based on where you hit it. In some ways, it’s like bowling with golf balls.
Side note, especially for you Portdog: AnneMarie and I are studying Portuguese together and really enjoying it. She figures that future church missions or even just three brothers-in-law and a husband speaking Portuguese are really good reasons to learn. Plus, she’s REALLY good at it, it’s crazy.
Heads up on future letter’s topics: we’re headed to AZ in a week and a half for Spring Training games and a visit to AnneMarie’s grandmother. June we’re taking advantage (in the full sense of the phrase) of my company’s unlimited PTO policy and visiting Glacier Park before heading to New England. You might say we’re going on tour J Coming soon to a city near you.
Muito Amor e carinho!
Tanner, AnneMarie, Baby sNora
p.s. I haven't finished writing about her blessing weekend yet so still to come on that one...
p.p.s. That last picture is from another work party last week when we went and played battleball. Basically paintball with bouncy balls...ouch, or at least that's what all the people that got hit tell me. Let's just say that if I was in the army they'd want me at sniper ;)
Fatherhood has obviously been a speed bump in terms of my letter writing, but a boon in everything else. Obviously everyone mostly would like an update on Nora, so here you go:
- Last week she started rolling and hasn’t stopped since. If you set her on the ground she’ll kick her legs up and over and before you know she’s off. We build hills into her blankets on the ground now to impede her progress at which point she lays happily and plays. We can definitely tell this one is a mover and shaker!
- Today she had what I think was her first laugh session. Pretty funny and hard to put baby laughs in words. Maybe liquid sunshine?
- She’s 3 months! And getting chunkier. We’re just more in love and glad she sits happily through Sacrament meeting, in which she seems to enjoy the songs and falls asleep during the talks J
Other updates in life you may not have received yet: I got into a pair of law schools thus far. My LSAT was a little lower than I hoped it would be, but that turned out to be ok because AnneMarie and I decided one of our main goals was going to be coming out of grad school debt free since we passed up on the opportunity to be geese that lay golden eggs and settled for the world’s cutest baby instead.
Annnnyway, BYU gave us full-tuition for all three years and were very impressive in demonstrating the ways that they’d be the right choice for us, i.e. federal clerkship placements, non-traditional law jobs, and the ability to go somewhere outside of Utah. ASU also made us an offer and the Dean called asking me to apply to their full-tuition scholarship, but if I got it I’d HAVE to enroll soooo hard pass. We got some tempting pre-application offers from some other very good schools, but they also happen to be very expensive so we’ll probably pass on those as well, which means if you want to see Ms. Norasaurus in the next three years, you know where we’ll be.
In other, other news, Jessica, AnneMarie’s sister has been living with us for a while since she got back from living in Europe and we’ve very much enjoyed her happy spirit. We can always use one more to play games with us every night, and, frankly, she takes care of US! Every time I turn around she’s doing our dishes! Plus, it’s fun to have her beau Trevor around too.
This week we visited Top Golf for the first time and had a blast. It’s normally a bit pricey, but my company rented it out for the night complete with a fajita bar and injectable donut holes. For those of you who haven’t been, they have GPS trackers in the golf balls which lets you play all sorts of games that award you points based on where you hit it. In some ways, it’s like bowling with golf balls.
Side note, especially for you Portdog: AnneMarie and I are studying Portuguese together and really enjoying it. She figures that future church missions or even just three brothers-in-law and a husband speaking Portuguese are really good reasons to learn. Plus, she’s REALLY good at it, it’s crazy.
Heads up on future letter’s topics: we’re headed to AZ in a week and a half for Spring Training games and a visit to AnneMarie’s grandmother. June we’re taking advantage (in the full sense of the phrase) of my company’s unlimited PTO policy and visiting Glacier Park before heading to New England. You might say we’re going on tour J Coming soon to a city near you.
Muito Amor e carinho!
Tanner, AnneMarie, Baby sNora
p.s. I haven't finished writing about her blessing weekend yet so still to come on that one...
p.p.s. That last picture is from another work party last week when we went and played battleball. Basically paintball with bouncy balls...ouch, or at least that's what all the people that got hit tell me. Let's just say that if I was in the army they'd want me at sniper ;)
Sunday, March 4, 2018
With All My Love
Dear Elder Schenewark,
I loved your stories in your letter last week. Send a picture! We were at the stake center for stake conference last night and saw your plaque, with your picture, hanging in the hallway. I might have lingered a moment or two to look at your face. I miss it. I miss you. We’re so grateful for your example and service to others. You are and will be eternally blessed for your efforts and desire to be obedient.
My headlight has been out for a few days, but when it rains I drive the 4 Runner. This morning it did not rain, and I went back to the Prius. And the headlight was out. I can't tell you how much harder it is to drive at 0430 dark a.m. missing one light! I didn't like to leave my bright lights on, as they affect the ability of other drivers to see, but I needed the light.
This made me think of all those who don't have the gospel in their lives. They're driving along their pathways of life, in the dark. Literally. I had half my light, and still felt unsettled.
Breyer keeps asking when you’ll be home. When I finally said at the end of second grade, she understood a bit better.
We registered Cooper AND Sawyer for seminary next year. What a wonderful thing to have a brother join you each morning. Hopefully one of them will be driving! Sawyer has a birthday next Sunday, turning 15. His wish is to get his permit solely to pull up to the middle school one day behind the wheel, driving. Cooper has finished all his Eagle Scout project paperwork. My goal for him this week is to get all his awards and merit badges entered into the system.
Dad and Sawyer actually headed out the door right when they got home to go fishing. It was a beautiful balmy 70 degrees, and although there were no bites, it was good to see your father take time for himself to do something he enjoys. They only had 30-40 minutes before the sun set, but it was enough.
We transitioned into baseball this week with two practices. Miller mostly got preached to, but Sawyer had a good practice. It was actually kind of funny watching him make the throw from short to first, after not having played since July. He said he’s thrown three times with Miller, but probably not that far. Once he was warmed up, he looked good. When they pulled him in to pitch, and he did, they asked him to pull back on the pitch. He thought maybe all his weight lifting has helped with his speed. He’s excited. He also started track. He’s had a few problems with his ankle he hurt playing basketball, but he’s managing. He had his first track meet and because of his ankle, was assigned to run the 1.5 mile race. He had a six minute mile, and finished last. The schools were power houses, but he was so happy with his time. There were no field events because of all the rain, but in practice, his first day, he worked his way up to clearing ten feet. He’s very excited about that as well.
This February has been the wettest ever for the state of Texas, breaking the record with the rain received on the 28th. I had been offered some ornamental grass from one of the widows I teach piano lessons to, and spent half a morning transplanting, since the ground was moist. We’ll see. Now I’m wondering if these are the kind of grasses that need watering. I’m looking for the kind that don’t.
Dad's been working hard on getting The Rudy at Tarleton. He's snagged, and coming around the 21st. Kudos to him and his idea.
The youth went to the Dallas temple yesterday. And,with the new changes, Cooper baptized half of the youth in attendance. His good friend Hunter did the other half. Sawyer was baptized by Cooper. What a sweet experience. So happy they could go. They left at 5:45 a.m. on the one day they could sleep in. And thanks to Hunter, they were able to bring family names, the only ones.
I am trying to finish the General Conference talks before General Conference. I might be finished before the new Ensign edition is printed. Today I read Elder Pingree’s talk entitled “I Have a Work for Thee,” taken from one of my favorite scriptures, Moses 1:6. He quoted President Nelson who said, “The Lord has more in mind for you than you have in mind for yourself. You have been reserved and preserved for this time and place. The Lord needs you to change the world.” And you are doing this in your small corner of Brazil.
Stay safe. And mine.
Love,
Mom
I loved your stories in your letter last week. Send a picture! We were at the stake center for stake conference last night and saw your plaque, with your picture, hanging in the hallway. I might have lingered a moment or two to look at your face. I miss it. I miss you. We’re so grateful for your example and service to others. You are and will be eternally blessed for your efforts and desire to be obedient.
My headlight has been out for a few days, but when it rains I drive the 4 Runner. This morning it did not rain, and I went back to the Prius. And the headlight was out. I can't tell you how much harder it is to drive at 0430 dark a.m. missing one light! I didn't like to leave my bright lights on, as they affect the ability of other drivers to see, but I needed the light.
This made me think of all those who don't have the gospel in their lives. They're driving along their pathways of life, in the dark. Literally. I had half my light, and still felt unsettled.
Breyer keeps asking when you’ll be home. When I finally said at the end of second grade, she understood a bit better.
We registered Cooper AND Sawyer for seminary next year. What a wonderful thing to have a brother join you each morning. Hopefully one of them will be driving! Sawyer has a birthday next Sunday, turning 15. His wish is to get his permit solely to pull up to the middle school one day behind the wheel, driving. Cooper has finished all his Eagle Scout project paperwork. My goal for him this week is to get all his awards and merit badges entered into the system.
Dad and Sawyer actually headed out the door right when they got home to go fishing. It was a beautiful balmy 70 degrees, and although there were no bites, it was good to see your father take time for himself to do something he enjoys. They only had 30-40 minutes before the sun set, but it was enough.
Found this on Facebook and just had to share!
We transitioned into baseball this week with two practices. Miller mostly got preached to, but Sawyer had a good practice. It was actually kind of funny watching him make the throw from short to first, after not having played since July. He said he’s thrown three times with Miller, but probably not that far. Once he was warmed up, he looked good. When they pulled him in to pitch, and he did, they asked him to pull back on the pitch. He thought maybe all his weight lifting has helped with his speed. He’s excited. He also started track. He’s had a few problems with his ankle he hurt playing basketball, but he’s managing. He had his first track meet and because of his ankle, was assigned to run the 1.5 mile race. He had a six minute mile, and finished last. The schools were power houses, but he was so happy with his time. There were no field events because of all the rain, but in practice, his first day, he worked his way up to clearing ten feet. He’s very excited about that as well.
This February has been the wettest ever for the state of Texas, breaking the record with the rain received on the 28th. I had been offered some ornamental grass from one of the widows I teach piano lessons to, and spent half a morning transplanting, since the ground was moist. We’ll see. Now I’m wondering if these are the kind of grasses that need watering. I’m looking for the kind that don’t.
Dad's been working hard on getting The Rudy at Tarleton. He's snagged, and coming around the 21st. Kudos to him and his idea.
The youth went to the Dallas temple yesterday. And,with the new changes, Cooper baptized half of the youth in attendance. His good friend Hunter did the other half. Sawyer was baptized by Cooper. What a sweet experience. So happy they could go. They left at 5:45 a.m. on the one day they could sleep in. And thanks to Hunter, they were able to bring family names, the only ones.
I am trying to finish the General Conference talks before General Conference. I might be finished before the new Ensign edition is printed. Today I read Elder Pingree’s talk entitled “I Have a Work for Thee,” taken from one of my favorite scriptures, Moses 1:6. He quoted President Nelson who said, “The Lord has more in mind for you than you have in mind for yourself. You have been reserved and preserved for this time and place. The Lord needs you to change the world.” And you are doing this in your small corner of Brazil.
Stay safe. And mine.
Love,
Mom
Friday, March 2, 2018
College Correspondent
Retail Stores and Dating: A Metaphor for Milleniels
Last Saturday, I went to the temple in the morning as part of our ward temple trip. Afterwards, we had Zupa's catered to us. And, in a fateful move, I picked up a leftover one to bring home.
Dad had just gotten here, and came over to my digs, checked the place out, and we headed to UVU. Tanmarie and family were just finishing rock climbing, and we went with them to the bowling alley. I'm proud to say, I was top score, with 140.
Dad and I went up to American Fork, and I met Sis. Young, and we talked with her for a couple hours, before heading back to meet up with the Bach's, who were just arriving, for dinner. Dinner was at Terra Mia. Dad and I split a pizza and their Texas sandwich. The pizza was okay, but that sandwich ----> 10/10. The restaurant had a live two-piece jazz band playing as well. It was a fun place. We (Tanner, Nora, Dad, Matt Stone, and I,) proceeded back to their apt. and we played some games.
Sunday morning, I played host, welcoming the Bach's, Dad, and Matt for burritos and apple pie. The perfect combo. We then went to Tanmarie's church, and witnessed Nora's blessing. She was a champ.
Dad had to leave after, for the long trip home, and I gifted my Zupa's sandwich to him. With apparently aged mayonnaise. Alas, I knew not.
I went with the Bach's to go to the dinner party being held, and for about 45 minutes, we took a nice tour of Provo, including the industrial area, before deciding we better get the real address, and we made it for a delicious soup and salad event, with ice cream+ cookies.
It was wonderful to have everybody visiting, and many memories were made.
Monday was the return to school.
The death of retail stores, with the rise of online markets has been heralded. The advantage of course, is that the middleman is cut out, and thus the markup passed to the consumer is less. Blind dates are like retail stores. So, deciding to employ the same technique and cut out the middleman, I signed up for Mutual (think Mormon tinder) and went on two dates this week, with people from it.
The first, Rayann, is from Wyoming, served a mission in St. Petersburg, Russia, and is studying elementary education. Interestingly, she pointed out that we both have five brothers and one sister. Wednesday, coincidentally Valentine's Day, we went to the BYU wind symphony, who enthralled us with various pieces all based around the theme from the hymn, "Praise God from whom All Blessings Flow." We have a second date set for this coming Friday.
And on Saturday, I doubled with cousin Kaleb, and we went bowling. I set him up with someone from the ward, and we had a blast. With Kaleb there, it was much easier to be natural. My date, Megan, served a mission in Salvador, Brasil, and we know quite a few of the same people. As we arrived to BYU's bowling alley, she disclosed that she had previously taken a bowling class, and at that time was scoring in the 170's. Luckily, that was a few years ago, and I upheld my honor, winning both games (albeit barely) with scores of 132, and 146. After dropping Megan and Shelby off, Kaleb came over and we had dinner and ice cream. It was nice to hear about his mission and catch up. We'll be back at it again.
Of course, I also admit I don't really shop online, and thus my Mutual saga has now come to an end. I appreciated the experience, but its not me, and I'll stick to old-school.
Friday, I continued my temple streak, going to the Provo one. After, I walked to BYU to watch the movie "Black Orpheus" which is supposed to be a Brazilian masterpiece. Having heard so many good things about it, I admittedly left very disappointed. The film was so sad, and even a little dark. My roommate Derik, picked me up, and we headed to UVU's institute for a dance. A singles awareness dance. It reminded me of a giant stake dance. And also reminded me that I never liked stake dances.
Another highlight from Saturday was with Tanner. We went golfing at Eastbay. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed getting out and playing. On the first hole, I dumped my three first shots into the lake. Finally, on my fourth try, I stayed on dry ground, and the rest of the round went much smoother.
Today in church I played the organ. It went well until the last verse of the last hymn, when I must have been in cruise control because I lost my place, and let the ward sing a capela for one bar, before joining back in to finish the song with them.
Our choir is singing "Cumorah's Hill" for a fireside, and one piece contains the line,
How can we hope to see His face, when we never could see His hand?
I know that as we look for, and recognize the daily blessings and miracles in our lives, we will be better prepared to return to our Maker, and we will experience more joy in our journey to Him.
Last Saturday, I went to the temple in the morning as part of our ward temple trip. Afterwards, we had Zupa's catered to us. And, in a fateful move, I picked up a leftover one to bring home.
Dad had just gotten here, and came over to my digs, checked the place out, and we headed to UVU. Tanmarie and family were just finishing rock climbing, and we went with them to the bowling alley. I'm proud to say, I was top score, with 140.
Dad and I went up to American Fork, and I met Sis. Young, and we talked with her for a couple hours, before heading back to meet up with the Bach's, who were just arriving, for dinner. Dinner was at Terra Mia. Dad and I split a pizza and their Texas sandwich. The pizza was okay, but that sandwich ----> 10/10. The restaurant had a live two-piece jazz band playing as well. It was a fun place. We (Tanner, Nora, Dad, Matt Stone, and I,) proceeded back to their apt. and we played some games.
Sunday morning, I played host, welcoming the Bach's, Dad, and Matt for burritos and apple pie. The perfect combo. We then went to Tanmarie's church, and witnessed Nora's blessing. She was a champ.
Dad had to leave after, for the long trip home, and I gifted my Zupa's sandwich to him. With apparently aged mayonnaise. Alas, I knew not.
I went with the Bach's to go to the dinner party being held, and for about 45 minutes, we took a nice tour of Provo, including the industrial area, before deciding we better get the real address, and we made it for a delicious soup and salad event, with ice cream+ cookies.
It was wonderful to have everybody visiting, and many memories were made.
Monday was the return to school.
The death of retail stores, with the rise of online markets has been heralded. The advantage of course, is that the middleman is cut out, and thus the markup passed to the consumer is less. Blind dates are like retail stores. So, deciding to employ the same technique and cut out the middleman, I signed up for Mutual (think Mormon tinder) and went on two dates this week, with people from it.
The first, Rayann, is from Wyoming, served a mission in St. Petersburg, Russia, and is studying elementary education. Interestingly, she pointed out that we both have five brothers and one sister. Wednesday, coincidentally Valentine's Day, we went to the BYU wind symphony, who enthralled us with various pieces all based around the theme from the hymn, "Praise God from whom All Blessings Flow." We have a second date set for this coming Friday.
And on Saturday, I doubled with cousin Kaleb, and we went bowling. I set him up with someone from the ward, and we had a blast. With Kaleb there, it was much easier to be natural. My date, Megan, served a mission in Salvador, Brasil, and we know quite a few of the same people. As we arrived to BYU's bowling alley, she disclosed that she had previously taken a bowling class, and at that time was scoring in the 170's. Luckily, that was a few years ago, and I upheld my honor, winning both games (albeit barely) with scores of 132, and 146. After dropping Megan and Shelby off, Kaleb came over and we had dinner and ice cream. It was nice to hear about his mission and catch up. We'll be back at it again.
Of course, I also admit I don't really shop online, and thus my Mutual saga has now come to an end. I appreciated the experience, but its not me, and I'll stick to old-school.
Friday, I continued my temple streak, going to the Provo one. After, I walked to BYU to watch the movie "Black Orpheus" which is supposed to be a Brazilian masterpiece. Having heard so many good things about it, I admittedly left very disappointed. The film was so sad, and even a little dark. My roommate Derik, picked me up, and we headed to UVU's institute for a dance. A singles awareness dance. It reminded me of a giant stake dance. And also reminded me that I never liked stake dances.
Another highlight from Saturday was with Tanner. We went golfing at Eastbay. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed getting out and playing. On the first hole, I dumped my three first shots into the lake. Finally, on my fourth try, I stayed on dry ground, and the rest of the round went much smoother.
Today in church I played the organ. It went well until the last verse of the last hymn, when I must have been in cruise control because I lost my place, and let the ward sing a capela for one bar, before joining back in to finish the song with them.
Our choir is singing "Cumorah's Hill" for a fireside, and one piece contains the line,
How can we hope to see His face, when we never could see His hand?
I know that as we look for, and recognize the daily blessings and miracles in our lives, we will be better prepared to return to our Maker, and we will experience more joy in our journey to Him.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
