With All My Love

My Dear Children,

I'm finding that not having written for three weeks now, the thoughts keep spinning in my head!

Amy Hiers Moe and family visiting the folks

The highlights are easy. Porter's home from Brazil, the most hale and hearty missionary of the three boys who have served there. He's also been hale and hearty in reacquainting himself with his possessions. They are spread everywhere! But I do admit they're only in two spots: The bedroom and the living room. His bathroom is my living room table, his bedroom my living room floor. His closet the kids' bedroom floor. But it's worth the mess to have him home. He thinks he has found some place to live. I love when, as he's walking around the house, I hear him humming and singing hymns of the church. I love how hard he's tried to get his new student life  in order, taking any work that comes his way, and trying to plan the best he can without having knowledge of all things, specifically money.

He's enjoyed playing baseball with the boys and friends, as well as basketball at the Y Saturday mornings. He's enjoyed driving a car again, drinking milk. He's patiently and without complaint slept on the floor.

The 24th of July is a day associated in our culture of the day the pioneers entered Salt Lake Valley after an arduous journey rife with sacrifices, enduring all for the possibilities of eternal blessings. This year the day ended with announcements from everyone.

Hunter was able to attend the Pioneer concert in Salt Lake. So many cultural benefits living in Utah!  He loved it, and had a great time with his date. He's very creative in going after someone when they interest him. This girl popped up as also having served in Tempe, AZ Mission, and had mutual acquaintances. So he used those friends to help set them up. He has another friend who's getting married. This fiance, who enjoys going on double dates with Hunter, allowed him to select a few options from his Facebook page, so he has more options in the future. I thoroughly enjoyed having him home for a week. It was too short. He's good for a lot of laughs, was a big help in the kitchen, and will enjoy going out to eat as a family the next visit :-). He was a good sport sleeping up on a bunk too short, but the mattress was preferable to the floor.

Tanner has worked extremely hard in generating letters requesting interview opportunities for next summer's internship. His goal was 100 letters. He probably reached that goal near the end of June. He's had a few in Dallas, but was told to wait two weeks to hear back. He had one in California. This week he was in New York City. He found out thirty minutes after he left that they extended the job to him. He's thrilled, as am I. The international agency loved his ability to speak Portuguese, the fact that he interned this summer in Australia with an agency they are very familiar with, his experience in Scotland as well as the journal he'll be writing for. Tanner has not had much of a summer this year, but his hard work and perseverance have paid off. The fact that his in laws have retired, and will love visiting for those Broadway shows is wonderful. That we'll have a stopping point on the way to New England, and a place to visit New York City is a plus. The fact that this job next summer, whether or not he chooses to remain longer, will open up other employment opportunities is undisputed.

I found out that my schedule has finally changed, now Wednesdays through Saturdays, no longer being required to work Sundays. This change occurred after over fifty employees had been hired, then fired. One was tenacious enough to finish training. The next one so skilled will move me to a weekday shift. My ten piano students will be joining me now on a weekly basis, whether it's playing one hymn, or helping with prelude. That is if I still can fit piano students into this schedule.

Porter and Cooper have been hard at work picking up jobs where available. More unreliable options are preferred to hiring an intelligent, hard working boy that's around for a short time. But they've been blessed. Cooper's tenure at Stumpy's might be ending, as he's willing to allow Porter to take over his three weekly shifts. We've enjoyed Cooper sharing his Stumpy leftovers with his, especially the cup cakes.

Breyer, cocoa and TimTam yum

Jarrod had a conference in Houston, and was able to travel with Miller, as a Houston Astro game was available Monday night. It also happened to be Mormon night, with the Houston Astro missionaries singing the national anthem, and Elder Bednar throwing out the first pitch. Miller brought home two warm up balls, continuing his six baseball game streak of bringing home the ball.

Jarrod's sister shared with us her dog shock collar for Wagner.  The boys retrieved it when they all went to her house for two nights, which might end up being their vacation of the summer. They enjoyed the games, the pool, the food.

Back to the shock collar. It has taken us multiple times on the internet to figure out it works. No booklet was attached. Sawyer and I figured out all the different modes, how to charge the collar. And have had many adventures in the process. Poor Wagner! At one point I had the shock value up to 100 not realizing the collar needed to be charged. Another time I was thinking "Success!" when the collar had not even been turned on. But when we had everything on and working, oh dear! The 25 shock made him flip in the air and howl. That was for not sitting. When he decided he didn't want to stay in the backyard, the 15 made him jerk and yip, but it took four of those to help him decide he needed to turn around. Now it's on the 5, and a vibrate is usually all it takes. We even had a dog charge us on a walk and he didn't react. Love it. There's still lots of work to do, as he associates the collar with staying by me, which is great, but we'll help him learn the backyard is for him to roam. Without me.

Friday evening we chose to eat out together at DelNort Tacos in Godfrey. Great TexAmerican restaurant. We all thoroughly enjoyed our food.

I read “Preparing for the Lord’s Return” by Elder D. Todd Christofferson. In regards to this topic, he said that one impressions he received was that,  “The work of ministering to temporal needs is vital and must continue. He also said that President Nelson has repeatedly emphasized that the “gathering [of Israel], including the redemptive effort on behalf of our ancestors, is the most important thing taking place on earth today. Nothing else compares in magnitude, nothing else compares in importance, nothing else compares in majesty."

How fitting that for the first time in more than 40 years — the State of Kuwait gave official recognition to a religious organization. That organization is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  There are practical and “extremely significant” benefits of a government recognizing a church, including the ability to open a bank account as a church, to rent or own property and to seek visas for humanitarian volunteers. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated Kuwait for the blessings of the gospel  in 2011.

Continue on in this great work. My favorite work is you, my children, my favorite sounds your laughter, my favorite memories your love.

Mom