Fortie Family Flyer,
July 20 – 26, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
Week of July 24th, and a hearty salute to the pioneers - people willing to come to a place where there were no fast food joints so they could live free (high calorie free that is). I suppose we all need a trek some time in our lives to get away from the world and be what we came here to be – a peculiar people (my kids always tell me I’m peculiar but I don’t think it means what they think it means).
What a week, we had our last Music Man performance on Monday night and it was a packed house, (or open air pavilion) with almost 500 people showing up to watch us act like we are crazy people from a small town in Iowa in 1912). I was able to relax a bit and had no problems with lines. There was a bit of a controversy over me adding my local jokes in 3 or 4 places in the play. The producer wanted me to put them in (as well as most of the cast and the stage manager) but the assistant director said the director (who wasn’t there the last night) didn’t want me to. We went with what she said but halfway through she changed her mind and said go ahead. I missed the family home evening joke and it disappointed several people; guess I don’t belong with this batch of directors. We stayed for quite some time after the show talking and dealing with mixed feelings as we were glad it was over, (because of the time commitment) but sad that it was over because it was fun hanging around with new friends and putting on a show that people enjoyed so; It does get in your blood. Artists and their fickle personalities… we’ll be signing up for another one next year only to be beaten up by busy overwhelming schedules again. Were we all dropped on our heads as babies or something?
Speaking of artist personalities, there was another problem the last night. A 24 year old guy in the play was always flirting with all the women and teenage girls and one dad got real mad on Saturday night about him flirting with his 18 year old daughter (I can see getting mad at him flirting with 12 and 13 year olds but an 18 year old should be able to take care of herself). They almost got into a fist fight. I thought he might not show up on Monday, he did but hardly said a word to any of us the whole night. The air was rather thick in the dressing room all night which hampered the fun of the last night performance. Once again artists are quite the fickle, emotional creatures; I pity those who marry us.
The week was near 100 degrees or just over for much of the week. We had one rainy night which was badly needed. I am still just in survival mode with my yard. I got a new peach tree and planted it last week but still don’t have the means or the time to really put in a nice yard with flowers, trees, beautiful garden, green weed-free grass (about half of mine needs better soil), etc. Wish I could be focused enough to get that done. I have great ideas in my head that I would love to try but I am busy with so many things that it seems like an impossible dream. Perhaps it’s my attitude… must try to believe and focus to get everything done in this life. There are books to write, poems and songs to compose, inventions to make into reality and community activities to be in and help create, pictures to take, genealogy to do and I bounce around from one thought to another hardly able to stay focused on one thing long enough to make something happen. I need a magic A.D.D. pill that will make everything better without all the side affects.
Well anyway, we got a call from Chad and Alicia who said they wanted to go downtown to mark a spot for the parade. I thought they meant they wanted to camp out overnight. I told the girls and they got all excited to go. I called Brian and told him then sent him down early because we had to wait for Jennifer to get off work. Chad and Alicia just meant they wanted to put a blanket down so they weren’t going to come. Then as the girls got to thinking about having to use the outhouse a block away in the middle of the night and there would be lots of strange people downtown they started to change their minds. I called Brian and told him to just mark a spot because the girls changed their minds and he was not too happy. We told him we were just going to camp out in grandpa and grandma’s back yard instead so he marked a spot with his pillow and left. We got there late and everyone there was in bed. We put our sleeping bags out and Brian was in the purple room sleeping, I asked him if he wanted to come out and join us as it was hot in the house. It was very hot that night period (south wind) so he joined us and we all just laid on top of our sleeping bags in our pj’s. We all were tires so we quickly went to sleep without a word. A few hours later I was slightly awakened with some sprinkles on my face and I thought it must be starting to rain. I couldn’t believe it with the heat and there were only a few drops so I thought I would wait to see how bad it got. It would sprinkle then stop, sprinkle then stop and finally Brian got up and came over to tell us the sprinklers were on (hence the sprinkle then stop thing). A new line came on right under us so we all jumped up and I dragged the tarp, with our sleeping bags on it, to another part of the lawn. Since we didn’t know how often the different lines would come on and when, we decided to go in the house for the rest of the night so we took what wasn’t wet in and sacked out in the living room at about 2:30. We were all tired when it was time to get up to go to the parade at about 8 in the morning. We came alive as Spencer came up to great us. We had breakfast then headed out. We went where Brian had his pillow and it was on the corner of the street where the parade turned so there were rows and rows of people in front of us on the street. I was on my bike (so I could drop everyone off and park the truck then ride my bike back to the parade) and I went looking for a better spot. I found one on a little side street that was in the shade most of the time and behind one row of people. It was a pretty good place for arriving so late. We got there just after the parade was supposed to start but we were so far down the route that it took another half hour for them to get to us. Spencer was fascinated with the motorcycle cops and horses. There was one time I took him for a walk so he wouldn’t get too bored in one place. We only went about 50 feet away as he kept turning and wandering in every direction but that was fine, he got to explore a bit and meet new people. We had fun and then after the parade Chad and Alicia headed home for Spencer’s nap and Brian, Michelle, Jennifer and I went over to Liberty Park to wander around the booths and see what was going on. We first came to the karaoke booth and saw Alex Boye get up and sing one of his songs. We talked with him afterwards and I got a picture of him with the girls. We got a funnel cake to share and looked at all the booths then headed back to grandpa and grandmas. I have to say here and hope it doesn’t sound racist (it is not), but I was surprised at how many Hispanics were at the park. In fact it was a majority, which made us feel a bit like we were in a foreign country with all the Spanish being spoken around us (almost no English). Interesting how countries evolve through history, sometimes by violence but also sometimes a change in how one culture does things and another moves in and changes things gradually (like when the Nephites moved into Zerahemla). European Americans are having very few kids and others are having large families. It doesn’t take too many generations to change a country completely with that kind of program. It will be interesting to see what America is like in 50 years; certainly not the same country the Founding Fathers established. I suspect the culture of these other groups will move toward socialism (that’s what they are used to and in fact we discuss this in the Republican Committee meetings how Salt Lake is changing one precinct at a time gradually changing toward government control starting downtown and moving south) and it wouldn’t surprise me if, somewhere down the road, something sparks a rather violent division. with those who cling to the old freedoms of the original America, gathering in a small central location (like the Nephites did on occasion when they had dissention and war with enemies) and the rest breaking up into smaller states or countries (like the Lamanites did before Christ came and after they destroyed the Nephites) because they will not be united enough to sustain a strong central government (then they might almost become satellites countries of Mexico). That’s what I see as a possibility anyway (based on a few observations and a few things some of our prophets have told us). Hard to know after that. Depends on natural disasters, etc. Will our country look so good for the taking that places like China, Russia, or the Arabs decide they would like to have this land for themselves since we are no longer able to defend it? Hard to say indeed. That would explain some prophecies of our future. All would look hopeless (as most of the prophesies seem to indicate) and we would suddenly be saved from an inevitable takeover by a miracle (kind of a Moses trapped at the Red Sea situation, requiring faith on our part). Who knows? Anyway, such tangents I get on.
After the parade we went back to grandpa and grandma’s to get a few things and head over to Mike and Linda’s for swimming and dinner. Brian needed his medicine and had a migraine, so I offered to take his scooter and go to his place for his medicine while he went with Tami so he could rest. I decided to take the scenic route but was blocked by the Butlerville Parade. I watched for a few minutes then got right in the parade and acted like I was supposed to be in it waving to everyone on the sidelines riding behind an old fashioned car with a politician waving also (so I could get down the road). I got to the Butler middle school where they were going to have a carnival of sorts. It hadn’t started yet so I headed for Brian’s place. My experimenting with a fun route took me past his place so I had to backtrack a bit but not far. I didn’t get to Mike and Linda’s until about 5:00 but they were not quite ready to start yet so I was OK. I do enjoy riding that thing. One of these days I would like to get a bigger one and get out and travel around the country (before it collapses that is, (nervous laugh)). (I say that stuff realizing that there have been several times in history when people have decided things were so bad that the country was about to cease to exist (John Adam’s presidency, James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet and others), so who knows what is going to happen. Oops, off on that tangent again. Well, we had a nice meal and visit at Mike and Linda’s then had some noisy fireworks before dark for the very young kids before their bedtime (which they didn’t like at all) then we headed to grandpa and grandma’s for the real fireworks. We could see the Butlerville fireworks just over the trees but Chad had some great stuff from his work so we had fun watching those. Everyone told him he had to work this same job next summer so he could get the fireworks again. He built some new fireworks from broken pieces of others and they really went wild, some tipping over and went shooting across the street; it was fun. Brian insisted that some may not have gone off and he kept trying to light the burnt up tubes then while they were lighting another fountain right next to the old home built one it started shooting again scaring Brian into jumping out of the way before his rear end got lit up. It was quite the funny thing to watch as he kept saying I told you so, I told you it had more in it. We all laughed pretty hard. We got home late and were tired from a long day.
Saturday was an early day as the girls went with me to help keep kids in line as we took pictures of Jen Arnold’s extended family. There were 6 adults and 8 kids. I took them to the International Peace Gardens at 900 W. and 1000 So. (her family was staying in a hotel downtown and she wanted to take them near their hotel). It had rained most of the night and I was worried about rain that day. We had a few drops on the windshield on our way there and then right when we got out of our cars but then it stopped and the light was perfect with the cloud cover (at 8:00 a.m.). We took some pictures and I wanted to get some candid shots as the kids were wandering through the park but they didn’t stay long enough to really get some good shots. I got a few and they seemed to be OK with everything. It is a beautiful area. We need something like that in the south end of the valley. I went home and took a nap then worked on pictures while the girls got paid to go with the Arnolds through the temple then to the new water park then to Chuck-A-Rama where they got a free meal and got paid to be there taking care of kids. I should get a job with them. We were all tired again and got to bed late.
Sunday we dragged ourselves out of bed and got to church (except Michelle who skipped Sacrament Meeting since she was going to one at 1:00 pm for a friends farewell). After church we had choir practice, meetings and home teaching. Michelle was called by the Stake to be in the Special Needs Mutual. She will be assigned a special needs girl and go to mutual with her every Thursday night (besides going to her own on Tuesday) and go to a Special Needs Sacrament Meeting once a month with her. Brian did that and loved it. We took small naps between meetings and then headed for grandpa and grandma’s for Jennifer’s birthday dinner. Alicia and Tami created a great meal and a good time was had by all. We talked of our ancestors and played games until Whitney got there from Montana at about 8:30 (for Youth Conference the next day) and then we had ice-cream and cake. Once again a late night and we were all on the tired side. Nathan called as we were climbing into bed so we talked to him while all of us laid down on our bed with the lights out. It was good to hear from him and it sounds like he had a very rough training session that he had just returned from Sunday morning. It was one of those where they only get a few hours of sleep a night over several days and have to jump from planes and perform mock missions. He said because of a strange wind just as they were landing there were about 70 of the solders (out of around 500) who broke legs or other bones upon landing and several others who were knocked out. Some of those kids were so bad they will be mending for a year or so. One broke every bone in one leg and foot and his femur break was a compound fracture. One of the guys in Nathan’s group was knocked out and when he came to he didn’t know what was going on and it took Nathan about a half an hour on the radio to get him over to where they were and get him oriented as to what was going on so they could continue their mission. Nathan said that even he hit so hard that in spite of his helmet he got an instant headache when he landed that took a long time to go away. All this was of course at night and they had to continue with their missions in spite of the injuries. That’s a costly training mission, WOW!!!
Well, that’s it for our week. Hope your mission this week was not as hard as Nathan’s,
Love Ken and clan
Nathan:
Nathan is in serious training for his next deployment (as I have mentioned above).
Chad and Alicia:
Chad is finishing up his job with the fireworks company and getting ready to start his teaching job with a middle school down in Alpine.
Brian:
Brian is a poor man trying to find work and get ready for school this fall. He goes to Harmon’s around the corner from his little apartment to eat their free samples since he has no food for lunch. The life of a poor student.
From Elder Fortie:
EH! Somewhere around the past few weeks I lost my mind... I'm not sure exactly where, but with all the running about at mach 671 I think it popped out and left me clean senseless... The mission president and the Lord are both working me to the bone! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE IT!!! I'm so much happier when I'm busy then when I'm not, but good grief... I've forgotten what breathing means! My days are spent running around doing so much that I no longer think I am a missionary, I've become the stooge, that lost his mind, so they just keep me so busy that I don't realize it! But truly I am loving it, the Lord is doing some wonderful things for the people here and I am loving being a part of it. My only regret is that there is only one of me and that time does not slow down for that one me! I could spend so much time working with these people but often have to cut short and fly between the many responsibilities I have been given. What amazes me the most is how they keep dumping all these extra jobs on me but keep skipping all the trainings I'm supposed to get! That's not very fair! I'm gettin gypped! haha! When I became district leader they told me "we always train district leaders on how to do their job, but we need you to just jump into it and do it, we'll train you eventually but for now, you can handle it" (that was 4 months ago! I still haven't been trained... and I run 3 stinkin districts...) I'm the only district leader who's never been trained, then when I got called as a greenie trainer, twice, they again told me the same thing, "sorry you'll get trained "eventually" but for now we trust you." And once again... I have never received the training... are we seeing a pattern of denying me my trainings!??? YES??? Am I able to do the job without them? Well, I guess so, I'm not terribly worried about it I can do the job it just would be beneficial I'm sure to have the training or else they wouldn't do it. But oh well, I fill whatever boots I can. Any how! I'm loving my greenie, he is a blast and is one of my favorite companions, so I'm not really complaining, it's just fun to joke about really that they keep abandoning me.
So this Friday the 31st I will be baptizing Jean! He is a 12 year old kid that has made a 180 turn around. He is stoked for his baptism and so are we. He is pure evidence of the spirit working in someone, because I had challenged him to baptism like 5 times and he always said he wasn't ready, then one day we had a lesson and the spirit there was so strong, and he just straight up on his own with no help from me or effort on my part asked to be baptized. Goes to show you who does the real teaching and who really changes hearts, it sure isn’t us missionaries, it's the Spirit. His mom, a recent convert since April is ecstatic, and the two of them are amazing, they have become one of my favorite families of my mission! The poor woman devotes her life to her son, they moved here from Brazil 2 years ago, her husband left them for some Mexican girl because he is a creep and we aren't going to get started on the conversation I would like to have with him some day after my mission... but anyhow, she now works around the clock to provide for him, and any free time she has she devotes to 3 things, 1st being her son Jean, second being us missionaries, and 3rd the church. She truly loves the missionaries because she says because of us she found the church which has changed her life. She will do anything for us and she does more missionary work then some of the missionaries do! She is always talking to people about the gospel and inviting them to listen to us teach. She is a young mother, only 29, and she just is fun loving and outgoing and crazy, the other day she chased me down the streets of Burlingame (a very ritzy rich area) with a large tree branch trying to beat me with it while we both tried to run while laughing so hard we almost fell over because I had locked her out of her house, every time we go there half the time we are just overwhelmed by the wonderful spiritual lessons we have there, and the other half we are doubled over laughing, if she spoke English I'd tell you you'd all have to meet her some day, but I don't think you'd understand much, we communicate in Spanish and Portuguese, So Chad and Steven I guess could meet her and know what's going on. By the way, this is a random question, but Steve, you Brazilian R.M you... Do you know any Portuguese speaking types, who are in their late 20's or early 30's who are single haha? We need to find this woman a good husband! She spends so much time between the church and her son that she has no time for herself so her finding a husband is next to impossible, so we are hunting for her (as a side job you know haha). Let me know if there's any- "referrals" you could give us haha. But it has been a true blessing working with them. Last Saturday, we had a Pioneer picnic in the park for the stake, they had hand cart races and sack races and stick ball etc. it was a BLAST and Joana and Jean came and since Jean has a baptismal date for this week I spent most of my time with them, and by the end, the two of them, had begun a water fight against my companion and me. IT WAS A BLAST!!! (We destroyed them... poor things... don't ever start water fights with the Elders, we don't lose, we have sneaky ninja moves). But after the picnic I was driving home and she called and thanked me, telling me that that day with us at the park was the best day she has had since her and Jean came to the United states 2 years ago, and it was because of us. I don't think anyone's said anything on my mission that struck me more powerfully then that. I was overwhelmed with joy for the blessing of being a part of their lives. Ah... I'll be terribly honest and admit my eyes are watering as I type this that is such a powerful memory for me. Making a difference in people's lives is one of my main motivators out here, and as she said that, I felt like I had made more of a difference then I ever thought I could make on my mission. I love this work... I truly do, I love these people, I'll be torn in half when I have to leave here. I am so blessed that my mission is not far from home, so that I can return to visit all these wonderful people. The Lord is so merciful and loving and he gives us all so many wonderful opportunities to laugh, to have joy and happiness and feel loved and appreciated, let us all spend more time loving the good times then worrying over the bad ones.
I have to go, we're headed over to the national cemetery here for some patriotic time, we're a few weeks behind, but as a missionary you kinda gotta do stuff on a when you got a free p-day basis. I love you all and may you all continue to grow in this glorious gospel. Take a minute this week, to thank someone for something they have done for you. For you never know, like with the moment when Joana told me we gave her the happiest day she has had in her 2 years in the U.S, how much that gratitude will touch someone’s heart, then go out and try and do something, that someone else can be grateful for to you. I love you all and take care. Happy Birthday to Jennifer, Daniel and Greg, and anyone else... I'm sorry I get so bad at keeping track of time out here... I still can't decide if it's 2009 or 2008 still some days... Let your light shine.
Love Elder Fortie.
From Michelle:
Bonjourno!
Well this week brought a lot to the table. There was a lot going on, and I’ll try to figure out the best way to put it. I hope your week is going great and this letter finds you all happy and still pressing forward!
Monday was just your average day. I worked starting at 3 and helped the boys clean the house. Then we took them to a pizza buffet for dinner, which was an interesting event, and quite the brave thing to try! All four boys had to be cornered in the booth, and we had to have systems going in order to get them pizza, drinks, and other food because we couldn’t risk sending them out on their own! We got some pretty good giggles that night though. Then when I got home around 7, I headed up to the pavilion to help out with Jennifer and Dad’s play for the last night that it was going. I became the photographer for the night and sat with a few friends. I think I know that play word for word by now! :]
Tuesday, Courtney and I did our final work for our friend Dallin’s eagle project. We have been making blankets, and we finally got to go to Primary Children’s Hospital to deliver them. We had a tour of the hospital, and got to see everything and learn about volunteer work. She and I decided that we will have to try to do some! We think it would be fun, but an amazing experience as well! Then we started home. Dallin’s mom got all of us dinner at Wingers, so we all ate together and then grabbed some ice cream on our way home as well! It was delicious! Then I got back to Riverton and headed straight to Young Women’s. We had a Christmas in July activity, which was really nice. It was good to get our focus back on Christ even though we are so far away from the real Christmas season. Afterwards, a big group of us walked home together. They insisted on walking me back to my house and then backtracking to head home, but I didn’t mind. Some of the kids in my ward are a lot of fun, and really great to chat with! After about 15 minutes of being home, a bunch of us got together for night games at my friend Ryley’s house. We had tons of fun and I got to know some of them a lot better!
Wednesday I can’t really remember what happened. I know that I worked around the house for a while, and then headed over to Courtney’s house. We hung out for a while and watched some video’s before heading over to Ryley’s house again for more night games.
Thursday was nothing to report. Just more cleaning and getting ready for the 24th of July! We went over to Grandma and Grandpa’s late that night to sleep in the backyard, (kinda like camping) but we got sprinklered on at about 2:30! So we ran inside the house and hunkered down in the front room for the night.
Friday we woke up early and headed downtown to watch the parade! We went with Chad, Alicia, and little Spencer! Spencer is such a little ball of fun, he kept all of us entertained during the parade even more than any of the floats did! :] He was walking, laughing, growling, and just being his cute little self! :] After the parade, we had a BBQ at Mounteer’s house. A bunch of us got in their pool, and goofed around for quite a while and just had fun together! Even Spencer joined in on the splashing pool party! Then we had dinner, and played some games while we waited for it to get dark. When the sun finally set, we gathered in front of Grandma and Grandpa’s house for a lovely fireworks display, courtesy of Chad! He put together a few of his own, (Frankenstein fireworks) and they were the best ones! They were a menagerie of different types all together to make a great show!
Saturday was a rough day. We woke up early in the morning to go with Dad to take the Arnolds to take pictures. Jennifer and I were in charge of keeping the boys in line and making them smile for the pictures. We were in the International Peace Gardens, and it was a very beautiful place! Jennifer and I had to make all sorts of faces and noises to keep them entertained. After we finished up, we headed home to get a quick nap and change. Then we went with the Arnolds to the temple open house. We walked around with them and kept them from climbing on the banisters and swinging from chandeliers! Haha. Seeing the temple again was so amazing, and I’m glad we got to go. Then we took the kids and went to Kowabunga Bay, which is a big water park near our house. There are tons of water slides, a lazy river, and a small pool! We had fun with the little kids and had fun in the water! Then we all went out to dinner at Chuck-A-Rama and stuffed ourselves beyond full! It was so delicious! But after we got home is when things really got rough. My best friends called me and told me to get to Courtney’s house as quick as I could. When I got there, my best friend Ashley had learned that night that her parents were getting a divorce. It came out of nowhere, and none of us saw it coming. We all sat in Courtney’s backyard, ate gallons of ice cream, and just cried. Court’s dad gave Ash a priesthood blessing, which was really amazing, and after that, we spent our night trying to help her out. She slept at Court’s house that night, and we all went to church together on Sunday. She’s doing a little bit better, and hopefully we can get her mind off of things over the next few days.
Well, that was my week. I hope you are all doing fantastic! I love ya’ll and wish you a great week! Best of luck in all your endeavors! :]
Love,
~Michelle Fortie~
From Jennifer:
Hello! This needs to be short but I will try to fit everything in! Well I'm Quite Play Sick, like home sick but not. :) It feels weird to have all this time on my hands! I don't know what to do with it all! Accept Celebrate my Birthday! I’m finally a teenager and my dad thinks its dooms day. Ha Ha, and I get a Facebook! HOORAY!!!! I have been looking forward to that forever! Anyways on Sunday we went over to Grandma and Grandpas for a birthday dinner, we had Keish, It was delicious! We (of course) had tons of fun with Spencer. He is getting so big! He is running ALL over and he still Growls and Claps too! It’s the cutest thing! He is almost one! I can’t believe how fast that came! Oh! And when we were playing in the front room he started to put dad’s keys in his mouth and Michelle, Dad and I all said no at the same time, well he looked up and got the saddest look you will ever see on a face, he had the biggest frown ever and he just bent completely over and started balling. It was the saddest thing! It was like it was the end of his world that of all people, us three had said no! Then Sunday night Nathan called around 12 (of course we were still up HaHa) and we talked to him for about an hour and a half then headed off to bed!
Saturday was a fun work day! Sister Arnold hired dad to take their family pictures and paid Michelle and I to come along and make the boys sit still and smile! Then Michelle and I went to the Temple open house with them to keep the kids reverent, then we went to this really awesome new water park with them and finished it off with dinner at Chuck-a-Ramas where Adam tried to climb on the table and Sam stuck his straws up his nose! So we were with them from 7A.M. until around 8:30 P.M. and got paid for it all, it was so fun!
Well I really need to send this off! So good luck to you all!
-JENNIFER F.
July 20 – 26, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
Week of July 24th, and a hearty salute to the pioneers - people willing to come to a place where there were no fast food joints so they could live free (high calorie free that is). I suppose we all need a trek some time in our lives to get away from the world and be what we came here to be – a peculiar people (my kids always tell me I’m peculiar but I don’t think it means what they think it means).
What a week, we had our last Music Man performance on Monday night and it was a packed house, (or open air pavilion) with almost 500 people showing up to watch us act like we are crazy people from a small town in Iowa in 1912). I was able to relax a bit and had no problems with lines. There was a bit of a controversy over me adding my local jokes in 3 or 4 places in the play. The producer wanted me to put them in (as well as most of the cast and the stage manager) but the assistant director said the director (who wasn’t there the last night) didn’t want me to. We went with what she said but halfway through she changed her mind and said go ahead. I missed the family home evening joke and it disappointed several people; guess I don’t belong with this batch of directors. We stayed for quite some time after the show talking and dealing with mixed feelings as we were glad it was over, (because of the time commitment) but sad that it was over because it was fun hanging around with new friends and putting on a show that people enjoyed so; It does get in your blood. Artists and their fickle personalities… we’ll be signing up for another one next year only to be beaten up by busy overwhelming schedules again. Were we all dropped on our heads as babies or something?
Speaking of artist personalities, there was another problem the last night. A 24 year old guy in the play was always flirting with all the women and teenage girls and one dad got real mad on Saturday night about him flirting with his 18 year old daughter (I can see getting mad at him flirting with 12 and 13 year olds but an 18 year old should be able to take care of herself). They almost got into a fist fight. I thought he might not show up on Monday, he did but hardly said a word to any of us the whole night. The air was rather thick in the dressing room all night which hampered the fun of the last night performance. Once again artists are quite the fickle, emotional creatures; I pity those who marry us.
The week was near 100 degrees or just over for much of the week. We had one rainy night which was badly needed. I am still just in survival mode with my yard. I got a new peach tree and planted it last week but still don’t have the means or the time to really put in a nice yard with flowers, trees, beautiful garden, green weed-free grass (about half of mine needs better soil), etc. Wish I could be focused enough to get that done. I have great ideas in my head that I would love to try but I am busy with so many things that it seems like an impossible dream. Perhaps it’s my attitude… must try to believe and focus to get everything done in this life. There are books to write, poems and songs to compose, inventions to make into reality and community activities to be in and help create, pictures to take, genealogy to do and I bounce around from one thought to another hardly able to stay focused on one thing long enough to make something happen. I need a magic A.D.D. pill that will make everything better without all the side affects.
Well anyway, we got a call from Chad and Alicia who said they wanted to go downtown to mark a spot for the parade. I thought they meant they wanted to camp out overnight. I told the girls and they got all excited to go. I called Brian and told him then sent him down early because we had to wait for Jennifer to get off work. Chad and Alicia just meant they wanted to put a blanket down so they weren’t going to come. Then as the girls got to thinking about having to use the outhouse a block away in the middle of the night and there would be lots of strange people downtown they started to change their minds. I called Brian and told him to just mark a spot because the girls changed their minds and he was not too happy. We told him we were just going to camp out in grandpa and grandma’s back yard instead so he marked a spot with his pillow and left. We got there late and everyone there was in bed. We put our sleeping bags out and Brian was in the purple room sleeping, I asked him if he wanted to come out and join us as it was hot in the house. It was very hot that night period (south wind) so he joined us and we all just laid on top of our sleeping bags in our pj’s. We all were tires so we quickly went to sleep without a word. A few hours later I was slightly awakened with some sprinkles on my face and I thought it must be starting to rain. I couldn’t believe it with the heat and there were only a few drops so I thought I would wait to see how bad it got. It would sprinkle then stop, sprinkle then stop and finally Brian got up and came over to tell us the sprinklers were on (hence the sprinkle then stop thing). A new line came on right under us so we all jumped up and I dragged the tarp, with our sleeping bags on it, to another part of the lawn. Since we didn’t know how often the different lines would come on and when, we decided to go in the house for the rest of the night so we took what wasn’t wet in and sacked out in the living room at about 2:30. We were all tired when it was time to get up to go to the parade at about 8 in the morning. We came alive as Spencer came up to great us. We had breakfast then headed out. We went where Brian had his pillow and it was on the corner of the street where the parade turned so there were rows and rows of people in front of us on the street. I was on my bike (so I could drop everyone off and park the truck then ride my bike back to the parade) and I went looking for a better spot. I found one on a little side street that was in the shade most of the time and behind one row of people. It was a pretty good place for arriving so late. We got there just after the parade was supposed to start but we were so far down the route that it took another half hour for them to get to us. Spencer was fascinated with the motorcycle cops and horses. There was one time I took him for a walk so he wouldn’t get too bored in one place. We only went about 50 feet away as he kept turning and wandering in every direction but that was fine, he got to explore a bit and meet new people. We had fun and then after the parade Chad and Alicia headed home for Spencer’s nap and Brian, Michelle, Jennifer and I went over to Liberty Park to wander around the booths and see what was going on. We first came to the karaoke booth and saw Alex Boye get up and sing one of his songs. We talked with him afterwards and I got a picture of him with the girls. We got a funnel cake to share and looked at all the booths then headed back to grandpa and grandmas. I have to say here and hope it doesn’t sound racist (it is not), but I was surprised at how many Hispanics were at the park. In fact it was a majority, which made us feel a bit like we were in a foreign country with all the Spanish being spoken around us (almost no English). Interesting how countries evolve through history, sometimes by violence but also sometimes a change in how one culture does things and another moves in and changes things gradually (like when the Nephites moved into Zerahemla). European Americans are having very few kids and others are having large families. It doesn’t take too many generations to change a country completely with that kind of program. It will be interesting to see what America is like in 50 years; certainly not the same country the Founding Fathers established. I suspect the culture of these other groups will move toward socialism (that’s what they are used to and in fact we discuss this in the Republican Committee meetings how Salt Lake is changing one precinct at a time gradually changing toward government control starting downtown and moving south) and it wouldn’t surprise me if, somewhere down the road, something sparks a rather violent division. with those who cling to the old freedoms of the original America, gathering in a small central location (like the Nephites did on occasion when they had dissention and war with enemies) and the rest breaking up into smaller states or countries (like the Lamanites did before Christ came and after they destroyed the Nephites) because they will not be united enough to sustain a strong central government (then they might almost become satellites countries of Mexico). That’s what I see as a possibility anyway (based on a few observations and a few things some of our prophets have told us). Hard to know after that. Depends on natural disasters, etc. Will our country look so good for the taking that places like China, Russia, or the Arabs decide they would like to have this land for themselves since we are no longer able to defend it? Hard to say indeed. That would explain some prophecies of our future. All would look hopeless (as most of the prophesies seem to indicate) and we would suddenly be saved from an inevitable takeover by a miracle (kind of a Moses trapped at the Red Sea situation, requiring faith on our part). Who knows? Anyway, such tangents I get on.
After the parade we went back to grandpa and grandma’s to get a few things and head over to Mike and Linda’s for swimming and dinner. Brian needed his medicine and had a migraine, so I offered to take his scooter and go to his place for his medicine while he went with Tami so he could rest. I decided to take the scenic route but was blocked by the Butlerville Parade. I watched for a few minutes then got right in the parade and acted like I was supposed to be in it waving to everyone on the sidelines riding behind an old fashioned car with a politician waving also (so I could get down the road). I got to the Butler middle school where they were going to have a carnival of sorts. It hadn’t started yet so I headed for Brian’s place. My experimenting with a fun route took me past his place so I had to backtrack a bit but not far. I didn’t get to Mike and Linda’s until about 5:00 but they were not quite ready to start yet so I was OK. I do enjoy riding that thing. One of these days I would like to get a bigger one and get out and travel around the country (before it collapses that is, (nervous laugh)). (I say that stuff realizing that there have been several times in history when people have decided things were so bad that the country was about to cease to exist (John Adam’s presidency, James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet and others), so who knows what is going to happen. Oops, off on that tangent again. Well, we had a nice meal and visit at Mike and Linda’s then had some noisy fireworks before dark for the very young kids before their bedtime (which they didn’t like at all) then we headed to grandpa and grandma’s for the real fireworks. We could see the Butlerville fireworks just over the trees but Chad had some great stuff from his work so we had fun watching those. Everyone told him he had to work this same job next summer so he could get the fireworks again. He built some new fireworks from broken pieces of others and they really went wild, some tipping over and went shooting across the street; it was fun. Brian insisted that some may not have gone off and he kept trying to light the burnt up tubes then while they were lighting another fountain right next to the old home built one it started shooting again scaring Brian into jumping out of the way before his rear end got lit up. It was quite the funny thing to watch as he kept saying I told you so, I told you it had more in it. We all laughed pretty hard. We got home late and were tired from a long day.
Saturday was an early day as the girls went with me to help keep kids in line as we took pictures of Jen Arnold’s extended family. There were 6 adults and 8 kids. I took them to the International Peace Gardens at 900 W. and 1000 So. (her family was staying in a hotel downtown and she wanted to take them near their hotel). It had rained most of the night and I was worried about rain that day. We had a few drops on the windshield on our way there and then right when we got out of our cars but then it stopped and the light was perfect with the cloud cover (at 8:00 a.m.). We took some pictures and I wanted to get some candid shots as the kids were wandering through the park but they didn’t stay long enough to really get some good shots. I got a few and they seemed to be OK with everything. It is a beautiful area. We need something like that in the south end of the valley. I went home and took a nap then worked on pictures while the girls got paid to go with the Arnolds through the temple then to the new water park then to Chuck-A-Rama where they got a free meal and got paid to be there taking care of kids. I should get a job with them. We were all tired again and got to bed late.
Sunday we dragged ourselves out of bed and got to church (except Michelle who skipped Sacrament Meeting since she was going to one at 1:00 pm for a friends farewell). After church we had choir practice, meetings and home teaching. Michelle was called by the Stake to be in the Special Needs Mutual. She will be assigned a special needs girl and go to mutual with her every Thursday night (besides going to her own on Tuesday) and go to a Special Needs Sacrament Meeting once a month with her. Brian did that and loved it. We took small naps between meetings and then headed for grandpa and grandma’s for Jennifer’s birthday dinner. Alicia and Tami created a great meal and a good time was had by all. We talked of our ancestors and played games until Whitney got there from Montana at about 8:30 (for Youth Conference the next day) and then we had ice-cream and cake. Once again a late night and we were all on the tired side. Nathan called as we were climbing into bed so we talked to him while all of us laid down on our bed with the lights out. It was good to hear from him and it sounds like he had a very rough training session that he had just returned from Sunday morning. It was one of those where they only get a few hours of sleep a night over several days and have to jump from planes and perform mock missions. He said because of a strange wind just as they were landing there were about 70 of the solders (out of around 500) who broke legs or other bones upon landing and several others who were knocked out. Some of those kids were so bad they will be mending for a year or so. One broke every bone in one leg and foot and his femur break was a compound fracture. One of the guys in Nathan’s group was knocked out and when he came to he didn’t know what was going on and it took Nathan about a half an hour on the radio to get him over to where they were and get him oriented as to what was going on so they could continue their mission. Nathan said that even he hit so hard that in spite of his helmet he got an instant headache when he landed that took a long time to go away. All this was of course at night and they had to continue with their missions in spite of the injuries. That’s a costly training mission, WOW!!!
Well, that’s it for our week. Hope your mission this week was not as hard as Nathan’s,
Love Ken and clan
Nathan:
Nathan is in serious training for his next deployment (as I have mentioned above).
Chad and Alicia:
Chad is finishing up his job with the fireworks company and getting ready to start his teaching job with a middle school down in Alpine.
Brian:
Brian is a poor man trying to find work and get ready for school this fall. He goes to Harmon’s around the corner from his little apartment to eat their free samples since he has no food for lunch. The life of a poor student.
From Elder Fortie:
EH! Somewhere around the past few weeks I lost my mind... I'm not sure exactly where, but with all the running about at mach 671 I think it popped out and left me clean senseless... The mission president and the Lord are both working me to the bone! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE IT!!! I'm so much happier when I'm busy then when I'm not, but good grief... I've forgotten what breathing means! My days are spent running around doing so much that I no longer think I am a missionary, I've become the stooge, that lost his mind, so they just keep me so busy that I don't realize it! But truly I am loving it, the Lord is doing some wonderful things for the people here and I am loving being a part of it. My only regret is that there is only one of me and that time does not slow down for that one me! I could spend so much time working with these people but often have to cut short and fly between the many responsibilities I have been given. What amazes me the most is how they keep dumping all these extra jobs on me but keep skipping all the trainings I'm supposed to get! That's not very fair! I'm gettin gypped! haha! When I became district leader they told me "we always train district leaders on how to do their job, but we need you to just jump into it and do it, we'll train you eventually but for now, you can handle it" (that was 4 months ago! I still haven't been trained... and I run 3 stinkin districts...) I'm the only district leader who's never been trained, then when I got called as a greenie trainer, twice, they again told me the same thing, "sorry you'll get trained "eventually" but for now we trust you." And once again... I have never received the training... are we seeing a pattern of denying me my trainings!??? YES??? Am I able to do the job without them? Well, I guess so, I'm not terribly worried about it I can do the job it just would be beneficial I'm sure to have the training or else they wouldn't do it. But oh well, I fill whatever boots I can. Any how! I'm loving my greenie, he is a blast and is one of my favorite companions, so I'm not really complaining, it's just fun to joke about really that they keep abandoning me.
So this Friday the 31st I will be baptizing Jean! He is a 12 year old kid that has made a 180 turn around. He is stoked for his baptism and so are we. He is pure evidence of the spirit working in someone, because I had challenged him to baptism like 5 times and he always said he wasn't ready, then one day we had a lesson and the spirit there was so strong, and he just straight up on his own with no help from me or effort on my part asked to be baptized. Goes to show you who does the real teaching and who really changes hearts, it sure isn’t us missionaries, it's the Spirit. His mom, a recent convert since April is ecstatic, and the two of them are amazing, they have become one of my favorite families of my mission! The poor woman devotes her life to her son, they moved here from Brazil 2 years ago, her husband left them for some Mexican girl because he is a creep and we aren't going to get started on the conversation I would like to have with him some day after my mission... but anyhow, she now works around the clock to provide for him, and any free time she has she devotes to 3 things, 1st being her son Jean, second being us missionaries, and 3rd the church. She truly loves the missionaries because she says because of us she found the church which has changed her life. She will do anything for us and she does more missionary work then some of the missionaries do! She is always talking to people about the gospel and inviting them to listen to us teach. She is a young mother, only 29, and she just is fun loving and outgoing and crazy, the other day she chased me down the streets of Burlingame (a very ritzy rich area) with a large tree branch trying to beat me with it while we both tried to run while laughing so hard we almost fell over because I had locked her out of her house, every time we go there half the time we are just overwhelmed by the wonderful spiritual lessons we have there, and the other half we are doubled over laughing, if she spoke English I'd tell you you'd all have to meet her some day, but I don't think you'd understand much, we communicate in Spanish and Portuguese, So Chad and Steven I guess could meet her and know what's going on. By the way, this is a random question, but Steve, you Brazilian R.M you... Do you know any Portuguese speaking types, who are in their late 20's or early 30's who are single haha? We need to find this woman a good husband! She spends so much time between the church and her son that she has no time for herself so her finding a husband is next to impossible, so we are hunting for her (as a side job you know haha). Let me know if there's any- "referrals" you could give us haha. But it has been a true blessing working with them. Last Saturday, we had a Pioneer picnic in the park for the stake, they had hand cart races and sack races and stick ball etc. it was a BLAST and Joana and Jean came and since Jean has a baptismal date for this week I spent most of my time with them, and by the end, the two of them, had begun a water fight against my companion and me. IT WAS A BLAST!!! (We destroyed them... poor things... don't ever start water fights with the Elders, we don't lose, we have sneaky ninja moves). But after the picnic I was driving home and she called and thanked me, telling me that that day with us at the park was the best day she has had since her and Jean came to the United states 2 years ago, and it was because of us. I don't think anyone's said anything on my mission that struck me more powerfully then that. I was overwhelmed with joy for the blessing of being a part of their lives. Ah... I'll be terribly honest and admit my eyes are watering as I type this that is such a powerful memory for me. Making a difference in people's lives is one of my main motivators out here, and as she said that, I felt like I had made more of a difference then I ever thought I could make on my mission. I love this work... I truly do, I love these people, I'll be torn in half when I have to leave here. I am so blessed that my mission is not far from home, so that I can return to visit all these wonderful people. The Lord is so merciful and loving and he gives us all so many wonderful opportunities to laugh, to have joy and happiness and feel loved and appreciated, let us all spend more time loving the good times then worrying over the bad ones.
I have to go, we're headed over to the national cemetery here for some patriotic time, we're a few weeks behind, but as a missionary you kinda gotta do stuff on a when you got a free p-day basis. I love you all and may you all continue to grow in this glorious gospel. Take a minute this week, to thank someone for something they have done for you. For you never know, like with the moment when Joana told me we gave her the happiest day she has had in her 2 years in the U.S, how much that gratitude will touch someone’s heart, then go out and try and do something, that someone else can be grateful for to you. I love you all and take care. Happy Birthday to Jennifer, Daniel and Greg, and anyone else... I'm sorry I get so bad at keeping track of time out here... I still can't decide if it's 2009 or 2008 still some days... Let your light shine.
Love Elder Fortie.
From Michelle:
Bonjourno!
Well this week brought a lot to the table. There was a lot going on, and I’ll try to figure out the best way to put it. I hope your week is going great and this letter finds you all happy and still pressing forward!
Monday was just your average day. I worked starting at 3 and helped the boys clean the house. Then we took them to a pizza buffet for dinner, which was an interesting event, and quite the brave thing to try! All four boys had to be cornered in the booth, and we had to have systems going in order to get them pizza, drinks, and other food because we couldn’t risk sending them out on their own! We got some pretty good giggles that night though. Then when I got home around 7, I headed up to the pavilion to help out with Jennifer and Dad’s play for the last night that it was going. I became the photographer for the night and sat with a few friends. I think I know that play word for word by now! :]
Tuesday, Courtney and I did our final work for our friend Dallin’s eagle project. We have been making blankets, and we finally got to go to Primary Children’s Hospital to deliver them. We had a tour of the hospital, and got to see everything and learn about volunteer work. She and I decided that we will have to try to do some! We think it would be fun, but an amazing experience as well! Then we started home. Dallin’s mom got all of us dinner at Wingers, so we all ate together and then grabbed some ice cream on our way home as well! It was delicious! Then I got back to Riverton and headed straight to Young Women’s. We had a Christmas in July activity, which was really nice. It was good to get our focus back on Christ even though we are so far away from the real Christmas season. Afterwards, a big group of us walked home together. They insisted on walking me back to my house and then backtracking to head home, but I didn’t mind. Some of the kids in my ward are a lot of fun, and really great to chat with! After about 15 minutes of being home, a bunch of us got together for night games at my friend Ryley’s house. We had tons of fun and I got to know some of them a lot better!
Wednesday I can’t really remember what happened. I know that I worked around the house for a while, and then headed over to Courtney’s house. We hung out for a while and watched some video’s before heading over to Ryley’s house again for more night games.
Thursday was nothing to report. Just more cleaning and getting ready for the 24th of July! We went over to Grandma and Grandpa’s late that night to sleep in the backyard, (kinda like camping) but we got sprinklered on at about 2:30! So we ran inside the house and hunkered down in the front room for the night.
Friday we woke up early and headed downtown to watch the parade! We went with Chad, Alicia, and little Spencer! Spencer is such a little ball of fun, he kept all of us entertained during the parade even more than any of the floats did! :] He was walking, laughing, growling, and just being his cute little self! :] After the parade, we had a BBQ at Mounteer’s house. A bunch of us got in their pool, and goofed around for quite a while and just had fun together! Even Spencer joined in on the splashing pool party! Then we had dinner, and played some games while we waited for it to get dark. When the sun finally set, we gathered in front of Grandma and Grandpa’s house for a lovely fireworks display, courtesy of Chad! He put together a few of his own, (Frankenstein fireworks) and they were the best ones! They were a menagerie of different types all together to make a great show!
Saturday was a rough day. We woke up early in the morning to go with Dad to take the Arnolds to take pictures. Jennifer and I were in charge of keeping the boys in line and making them smile for the pictures. We were in the International Peace Gardens, and it was a very beautiful place! Jennifer and I had to make all sorts of faces and noises to keep them entertained. After we finished up, we headed home to get a quick nap and change. Then we went with the Arnolds to the temple open house. We walked around with them and kept them from climbing on the banisters and swinging from chandeliers! Haha. Seeing the temple again was so amazing, and I’m glad we got to go. Then we took the kids and went to Kowabunga Bay, which is a big water park near our house. There are tons of water slides, a lazy river, and a small pool! We had fun with the little kids and had fun in the water! Then we all went out to dinner at Chuck-A-Rama and stuffed ourselves beyond full! It was so delicious! But after we got home is when things really got rough. My best friends called me and told me to get to Courtney’s house as quick as I could. When I got there, my best friend Ashley had learned that night that her parents were getting a divorce. It came out of nowhere, and none of us saw it coming. We all sat in Courtney’s backyard, ate gallons of ice cream, and just cried. Court’s dad gave Ash a priesthood blessing, which was really amazing, and after that, we spent our night trying to help her out. She slept at Court’s house that night, and we all went to church together on Sunday. She’s doing a little bit better, and hopefully we can get her mind off of things over the next few days.
Well, that was my week. I hope you are all doing fantastic! I love ya’ll and wish you a great week! Best of luck in all your endeavors! :]
Love,
~Michelle Fortie~
From Jennifer:
Hello! This needs to be short but I will try to fit everything in! Well I'm Quite Play Sick, like home sick but not. :) It feels weird to have all this time on my hands! I don't know what to do with it all! Accept Celebrate my Birthday! I’m finally a teenager and my dad thinks its dooms day. Ha Ha, and I get a Facebook! HOORAY!!!! I have been looking forward to that forever! Anyways on Sunday we went over to Grandma and Grandpas for a birthday dinner, we had Keish, It was delicious! We (of course) had tons of fun with Spencer. He is getting so big! He is running ALL over and he still Growls and Claps too! It’s the cutest thing! He is almost one! I can’t believe how fast that came! Oh! And when we were playing in the front room he started to put dad’s keys in his mouth and Michelle, Dad and I all said no at the same time, well he looked up and got the saddest look you will ever see on a face, he had the biggest frown ever and he just bent completely over and started balling. It was the saddest thing! It was like it was the end of his world that of all people, us three had said no! Then Sunday night Nathan called around 12 (of course we were still up HaHa) and we talked to him for about an hour and a half then headed off to bed!
Saturday was a fun work day! Sister Arnold hired dad to take their family pictures and paid Michelle and I to come along and make the boys sit still and smile! Then Michelle and I went to the Temple open house with them to keep the kids reverent, then we went to this really awesome new water park with them and finished it off with dinner at Chuck-a-Ramas where Adam tried to climb on the table and Sam stuck his straws up his nose! So we were with them from 7A.M. until around 8:30 P.M. and got paid for it all, it was so fun!
Well I really need to send this off! So good luck to you all!
-JENNIFER F.
