Jessica-hello! I need to think of a more exciting greeting. I’m trying to think about the new things that have happened in the past week and there isn’t much to say.  School is going okay, I can tell my classes are beginning to get a little bit more difficult. That’s okay though…only 2 more years of high school!  I went to a stake youth activity on Wednesday and I miss my stake in CA so badly!!  I didn’t really meet anyone and it seemed like everyone was either 12 or already graduated. But oh well.  Me and my friend jane served ice cream at a reception on Friday night, we had a fun time with that, maybe a little too much fun.  we met a kid there and he happened to be in the same stake as jane, and they had never met! That just blew my mind that you could be in the same stake as someone and not know each other J I went up to payson with my dad on Saturday. There were a ton of cacti(cactuses-that’s for you tyson since you don’t like the other way of saying it J) on the way up and the roads were really windy, it was  a fun drive. That night I went to a dance with a pretty big group of people. We all wore jeans, white shirts  (I had my hair curled for the first time in a long time, it was kind of fun). I will have you all know that I danced at the dance, I know that’s pretty amazing but I think I was comfortable cause I didn’t know very many people so I didn’t care.  There were some people from school and some friends from seminary. I met some new people and saw some kids that I had met earlier in the week. It was fun. I did miss my home dances though. Right now I’m trying be positive and have a good experience.  I realized I could sit here and pout for 3 years or I could meet some new people and have a good experience. I’m grateful for all of you and the support you are giving us. I love to here from you!! Im grateful for this opportunity that my family has. Although I don’t think I would have chosen this, I know this is where we are supposed to be right now. I’m grateful for the friends I have made and all my friends at home. I love you all so much!!  oh…and I’m so excited…I have a new cousin!! I cant wait to see pictures of Hayden. I saw some pictures earlier of my little cousins picking grapes, it made me so homesick for them. They are all so cute!!!! I love you kids!!!!! Love, jessica

 

Taylor-Hey everybody! This morning we went to a stake conference with Elder Hinckley (Pres. Hinckley’s Son). He shared a few stories about his father and I wanted to tell you all one of them that probably sounded a lot better being told…but hopefully you will find it just as funny reading it.

President Hinckley has family members come and visit and eat dinner with him every night. One of his daughters came with spinach and asked him if he wanted some…he said no. She told him that it would be really healthy because it has lots iron. “I’d sooner eat a horseshoe!” he said. Eventually she ended up convincing him to eat some...but that was what Elder Hinckley said was the side of him that most people didn’t here about. Last night I went to my first Arizona dance. It was a lot of fun…almost everybody was dancing and having fun and there weren’t to many people that kind of just sit on the side and sit there for the entire time…They played lots of good songs and about six slow songs. When me and my friends first got there…we were the only people there…but by about ten o’clock…the entire gym was packed with people. Earlier this week I taught with the assistants again. They finally got their new cell phones which made Elder Souza very happy (He has been waiting for those new phones now for like two months). There hasn’t really been a lot of new things since we last emailed you…just school and lots of homework…O and I almost forgot, on Thursday I worked in class really hard so I didn’t have any homework so I could have more free time…and I ended up spending my “free time” sitting on the couch and eating all day…that can be really disappointing when you have an entire day to have nothing to worry about and then end up doing absolutely nothing. I did a service project yesterday with the teacher’s quorum. We helped a lady in the area move 14 wheel chair lifts from her rented garage about a half hour away from our house. The van was huge but it had no seats in the back only the regular two in the front so we spent the whole drive home in the 120 degree van holding up 14 humungous wheel chair lifts so they wouldn’t fall on top of us. At every stop sign or red light she would stop really fast and they would start to fall on us and we would have to make sure they didn’t. Just to put a picture in your mind they were these caged metal platforms with a crank and a motor attached to it…they were about six feet across, and three feet tall, and each weighed a little over one hundred pounds each. After that we went swimming four a few hours, played basketball at the church, then went to the church dance. Well that is about it for my week….I miss you all and we would love for you all to come visit!!!(hint-hint)  Send reply’s from my message to willtay93@gmail.com  Thanks.

 

Amanda-I am going to start to play the flute. There is a girl in our ward that knows how to play so she is going to help me and teach me.  I had a birthday party I was invited to. I had lots of fun and met new friends.  Love, amanda

 

Brandon-hey guys.  how ya doinnnnnnnn?  I cant wait till we get back to CA.  I have made nine friends. They are all really nice. Love brandon

 

Jeffrey- dear no one, my birthday was on Tuesday. Thank you everyone for the presents. I really liked them.( Jessica: Jeffrey is telling me what to write in an opera singing voice, it is very entertaining) I am having a great time. I met some kids at school named Brayden.   love Jeffrey PS Jeffrey begged for a cell phone for his b-day-can you believe it? But guess what? When the assistants received their new cell phones, they gave the old ones to Jeffrey. There is still some charge to them, so he can do a few things with them (not call out) and he is in heaven. He carries it around everywhere. His backpack has a spot for cell phones and he wants to put one in, but mom’s a kill joy, so no cell phone at school tomorrow!

 

Angie-Even though I can’t respond to all your emails, I just want to say how much I love them! It’s so fun to hear all your funny stories-the who’s and what’s of things going on in your lives. I look forward to reading clumps of emails here and there when things have settled down with the kids, and I’m waiting for the phone to start ringing as the missionaries come home in the evening. As I read all your emails, I feel like a greedy child stockpiling Halloween candy to eat late at night after mom & dad have gone to bed. It’s so fun! We had another great conference week end. Mark went up to Payson (about 1 ½ hours away) with Jessica for a leadership training on Saturday. Then today we went to a stake conference held in 2 sessions. Elder Hinckley was the visiting authority for that conference and it was fun to talk with him during a quick lunch in between sessions. He told some fun stories about his father (it looks like the kids have filled you in on some of those). It was great to attend these meetings. We also had a visit from Elder Madsen this week. He spent the day with us, did some interviews with us and some of the office staff. Dad guess what? Before I even had a chance to meet him, he saw our family picture, saw me and made the connection to the Larry Brasher he taught seminary to years ago. In fact, he remembered teaching Marge, too and thinks Barbara came to the house for sewing lessons. He had found memories and great things to say about you!

We had a fun visit to Snowflake this week while doing interviews with the missionaries. We spent the night at a restored bed and breakfast up there-had coconut soda and blackberry cobbler from the soda shop, took a walk in the cool breezy air (snowflake is up in the mountains and about 25 degrees cooler than the valley), and stumbled across a ward party. We met several of the members there and before we left, they loaded us with some Taylor sweet corn. That was our dinner for the evening, and it was fantastic. We’re working hard with the missionaries and want so much for them all to be happy and successful in the work that they are doing.

Love you all,

Angie