February 22 - 28, 2010

Fortie Family Flyer
February 22 – 28, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,
February 2010 come and gone, WHOOSH! Forever in the past. What will it be remembered for? Earthquakes I suppose; big earthquakes. 7.2 in Haiti sending more than a quarter million people to the spirit world (makes you wonder what the meeting was like there as they prepared for such a mass migration coming their way this month). Then an 8.8 in Chili – crazy. I have noticed that there have been several happening along this earthquake line up and down the west coast and even small ones here in Utah over the past few months. I wonder if things are shifting just a bit and will settle down or if we are getting ready for a few big ones here in California and inland. Even Yellowstone is acting up. Are things even going to wait for December 2012 (hehe). According to the United States Geologic Survey there have been more than one hundred (mag. 5.0 or higher) quakes around the world in the last month. Here is a breakdown of what has happened (mag. 5.0 or higher) over the last week:

EARTHQUAKES THE LAST WEEK OF FEBRUARY 2010

2 THE LAST PART OF LAST MONDAY

5.1 2010/02/22 19:48:38 SOUTH OF TONGA
5.1 2010/02/22 23:47:45 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA


7 ON TUESDAY

5.1 2010/02/23 06:05:03 TONGA REGION
5.1 2010/02/23 10:25:58 WESTERN IRAN
5.3 2010/02/23 10:43:10 KURIL ISLANDS
5.3 2010/02/23 10:52:16 GUATEMALA5
5.6 2010/02/23 15:16:01 GUATEMALA
5.0 2010/02/23 15:36:10 SAMOA ISLANDS REGION7
5.3 2010/02/23 22:38:32 TONGA REGION


1 ON WEDNESDAY1

5.3 2010/02/24 11:58:02 NORTHWEST OF NEW ZEALAND


4 ON THURSDAY

5.6 2010/02/25 03:15:03 NEAR THE COAST OF NICARAGUA
5.0 2010/02/25 04:56:57 YUNNAN, CHINA3
5.2 2010/02/25 08:03:41 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
5.0 2010/02/25 11:26:36 TONGA REGION



7 ON FRIDAY

5.5 2010/02/26 00:11:51 SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.5 2010/02/26 01:07:58 TAIWAN REGION
5.0 2010/02/26 04:41:29 MINAHASA, SULAWESI, INDONESIA
5.4 2010/02/26 04:42:30 WESTERN XIZANG
5.7 2010/02/26 08:37:03 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
5.1 2010/02/26 16:18:57 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
7.0 2010/02/26 20:31:27 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN


77 ON SATURDAY

5.1 2010/02/27 00:48:46 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
8.8 2010/02/27 06:34:15 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
6.2 2010/02/27 06:52:35 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
6.0 2010/02/27 07:12:29 OFFSHORE VALPARAISO, CHILE
5.4 2010/02/27 07:19:49 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
5.6 2010/02/27 07:33:31 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
6.0 2010/02/27 07:37:18 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.4 2010/02/27 07:46:50 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.4 2010/02/27 07:51:06 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.2 2010/02/27 07:56:37 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.4 2010/02/27 07:59:56 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
6.9 2010/02/27 08:01:24 OFF THE COAST OF BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.6 2010/02/27 08:13:16 OFFSHORE VALPARAISO, CHILE
5.5 2010/02/27 08:19:24 VALPARAISO, CHILE
6.1 2010/02/27 08:25:30 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
5.7 2010/02/27 08:31:05 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
5.6 2010/02/27 08:48:05 OFF THE COAST OF ARAUCANIA, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/27 08:53:27 MAULE, CHILE
5.3 2010/02/27 08:53:57 OFF COAST OF LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.6 2010/02/27 09:00:18 VALPARAISO, CHILE
5.1 2010/02/27 09:21:26 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.8 2010/02/27 09:59:21 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.6 2010/02/27 10:10:15 OFFSHORE VALPARAISO, CHILE
6.0 2010/02/27 10:30:33 OFFSHORE LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.9 2010/02/27 10:38:36 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.4 2010/02/27 10:54:24 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.3 2010/02/27 11:27:00 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.4 2010/02/27 11:45:03 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.5 2010/02/27 12:03:27 OFF COAST OF LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.2 2010/02/27 12:19:51 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
5.0 2010/02/27 12:23:06 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.1 2010/02/27 12:44:50 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.1 2010/02/27 12:46:19 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.1 2010/02/27 12:58:33 REGION METROPOLITANA, CHILE
5.1 2010/02/27 13:07:42 ARAUCANIA, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/27 13:12:52 MAULE, CHILE
5.2 2010/02/27 13:54:04 OFFSHORE VALPARAISO, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/27 14:06:47 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/27 14:20:00 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.2 2010/02/27 14:23:28 OFFSHORE LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/27 14:40:53 OFF THE COAST OF COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.2 2010/02/27 15:09:08 REGION METROPOLITANA, CHILE
5.1 2010/02/27 15:23:06 OFF COAST OF LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
6.3 2010/02/27 15:45:41 SALTA, ARGENTINA
5.5 2010/02/27 16:21:14 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.5 2010/02/27 16:27:58 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.2 2010/02/27 16:32:21 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
5.5 2010/02/27 16:37:34 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.2 2010/02/27 16:50:20 LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.5 2010/02/27 17:11:49 LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/27 17:22:26 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.6 2010/02/27 17:24:34 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.5 2010/02/27 17:43:37 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.3 2010/02/27 17:56:53 LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.1 2010/02/27 18:12:51 REGION METROPOLITANA, CHILE
5.6 2010/02/27 18:15:23 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.3 2010/02/27 18:23:12 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.1 2010/02/27 18:41:51 BIO-BIO, CHILE
6.3 2010/02/27 19:00:08 OFFSHORE VALPARAISO, CHILE
5.2 2010/02/27 19:06:18 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/27 19:46:10 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.4 2010/02/27 19:54:30 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.0 2010/02/27 20:29:23 OFF COAST OF LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/27 20:37:41 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/27 20:44:34 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.2 2010/02/27 21:00:37 OFF THE COAST OF VALPARAISO, CHILE
5.2 2010/02/27 21:43:11 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/27 21:48:26 OFFSHORE LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.2 2010/02/27 21:59:08 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/27 22:13:52 OFFSHORE LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.2 2010/02/27 22:16:15 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.1 2010/02/27 22:20:04 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
5.2 2010/02/27 22:22:33 REGION METROPOLITANA, CHILE
5.8 2010/02/27 23:02:01 ARAUCANIA, CHILE
5.8 2010/02/27 23:12:35 LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.7 2010/02/27 23:21:13 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
5.2 2010/02/27 23:35:15 OFFSHORE LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE


47 ON SUNDAY

5.3 2010/02/28 00:00:49 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.1 2010/02/28 00:53:34 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.3 2010/02/28 01:01:12 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.5 2010/02/28 01:08:24 LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.3 2010/02/28 01:20:35 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
5.3 2010/02/28 01:33:12 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.2 2010/02/28 01:45:29 OFF COAST OF LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.2 2010/02/28 01:58:50 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/28 02:04:29 OFF COAST OF LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.4 2010/02/28 02:38:32 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.1 2010/02/28 02:41:10 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.1 2010/02/28 02:51:47 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
5.1 2010/02/28 03:14:12 OFF THE COAST OF VALPARAISO, CHILE
5.2 2010/02/28 03:23:49 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.2 2010/02/28 03:33:50 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
5.0 2010/02/28 04:17:52 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/28 04:29:12 MENDOZA, ARGENTINA
5.3 2010/02/28 04:55:49 OFFSHORE LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/28 05:04:06 MAULE, CHILE
5.3 2010/02/28 05:13:59 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.3 2010/02/28 05:19:35 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.1 2010/02/28 07:14:21 OFFSHORE ARAUCANIA, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/28 07:36:30 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/28 08:07:46 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
5.6 2010/02/28 08:17:45 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.2 2010/02/28 09:14:54 OFFSHORE VALPARAISO, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/28 10:11:07 OFFSHORE LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.3 2010/02/28 10:26:53 NEAR THE COAST OF ECUADOR
5.1 2010/02/28 10:43:11 OFF THE COAST OF ARAUCANIA, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/28 11:14:27 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
6.1 2010/02/28 11:25:34 MAULE, CHILE
5.2 2010/02/28 11:50:36 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/28 12:01:15 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
5.1 2010/02/28 12:13:27 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
5.2 2010/02/28 12:18:59 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/28 13:47:06 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
5.2 2010/02/28 14:50:33 OFF THE COAST OF VALPARAISO, CHILE
5.1 2010/02/28 14:55:25 OFF THE COAST OF VALPARAISO, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/28 15:26:55 MAULE, CHILE
5.2 2010/02/28 15:46:25 MAULE, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/28 18:19:53 LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.1 2010/02/28 18:44:31 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.9 2010/02/28 19:48:39 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.1 2010/02/28 22:07:48 EASTERN HONSHU, JAPAN
5.0 2010/02/28 22:41:29 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.0 2010/02/28 23:45:06 MAULE, CHILE
5.1 2010/02/28 23:49:05 BIO-BIO, CHILE


17 SO FAR TODAY (AS OF 1:10 P.M. MOUNTAIN TIME)

5.0 2010/03/01 00:01:27 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.4 2010/03/01 01:10:58 MAULE, CHILE
5.8 2010/03/01 02:44:43 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
5.1 2010/03/01 03:07:51 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.2 2010/03/01 03:15:51 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
5.2 2010/03/01 03:15:58 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
5.0 2010/03/01 03:53:16 ARAUCANIA, CHILE
5.2 2010/03/01 05:30:36 OFF COAST OF LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.1 2010/03/01 06:16:12 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.0 2010/03/01 06:24:59 SICHUAN-GANSU BORDER REGION, CHINA
5.3 2010/03/01 07:49:08 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
5.3 2010/03/01 08:58:34 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.2 2010/03/01 12:20:19 OFF COAST OF LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.3 2010/03/01 12:27:16 LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.3 2010/03/01 14:36:30 OFF COAST OF LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.2 2010/03/01 16:56:50 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.0 2010/03/01 17:23:33 OFF COAST OF LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE


Well, Chili, of course, gets the highest number at 125 earthquakes above 5.0 in one week
Japan comes in second at 9
Tonga in third place at 4
Indonesia and the Philippines tie for fourth place at 3 each
Guatemala, China, Argentina and the mid Atlantic all had 2
Iran, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Alaska, Taiwan, Afghanistan, Ecuador, Samoa, Kurit Island (wherever that is) and Xizang (never heard of it) all had one each.

Chili had 1 at 8.8, 1 at 6.9, 1 at 6.3, 1 at 6.2, 2 at 6.1 and 3 at 6.0 (and a whole lot of 5.somethings)
Japan had 1 at 7.0
Argentina had 1 at 6.3
The rest were in the five point something range.

Significant earthquakes this year:

Magnitude 7.0 HAITI REGION January 12, 2010
Magnitude 5.9 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA February 04, 2010
Magnitude 6.9 CHINA-RUSSIA-NORTH KOREA BORDER REGION February 18, 2010
Magnitude 7.0 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN February 26, 2010
Magnitude 8.8 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE February 27, 2010

That’s pretty crazy stuff for sure.

All’s quiet on the Utah front.

And now, to shake things up a bit, some local family news:

Primary Children’s Hospital called and said Jennifer will most likely not need surgery so we will have to try and get her back to good health by other means. What those other means are I don’t know yet. Appointments with a few other doctors will tell us more (I hope).
The rest of the week was same old same old. I did have a meeting with the Republican Party on Thursday night to plan for the changing of the guard as we re-elect precinct chairs for the next 2 years. Hard to believe I have been doing this for 2 years. Most of the meeting was spent in training us how to run our meetings and make the elections go smoothly. We did have a few things to vote on but the same dumb thing happens every time. They have a few simple rule changes or clarifications and someone proposes that we combine them all and vote on them together to save time, then a few others disagree on which ones to combine so we end up taking longer to vote on the 4 or 5 roles in groups than if we had voted on them separately. They finally decided to send them back to committee to make them clearer. I thought they were clear enough and we should have voted on each one and been done with it. Crazy how inefficient a large group can be when giving people a chance to express their opinions before voting.
Saturday Michelle picked up my snowshoes (Christmas and Birthday combined) as she was out and about so I will now have to head up in the mountains and try them out before spring gets any warmer. Hopefully we will have another good snowstorm soon.
My store sometimes gets rid of 2 or 3-day-old Lion House rolls. The employees can buy them very cheep but you know how good bread like that can get old fast. We have a hard time eating them up sometimes when I bring them home because they are so dry. Well, I figured out a good way to use them. I cut each roll into 4 slices then make mini French toast out of them (and sometimes grilled cheese sandwiches); they are really good. Alicia said she didn’t know what she was going to make for dinner Sunday so I suggested we have a breakfast for dinner and I could make up a pan of mini French toast. They all agreed so we had beacon, juice, eggs, hash browns and French toast. Tami made some strawberry crapes for dessert and it was way good. Well, that’s it from our house to yours. I’m thinking we all need to start singing the song – Don’t Rock the Boat Baby to the earth. Wow, these are crazy times.
Ken and clan



Nathan and Paige:
Nathan called and said he has been busy over the last few days moving to a new location. He also said things are a bit slow due to weather. That's about all I can say about that. Paige is still growing. Not too many more months and there will be another hungry mouth to feed in the family.



Chad, Alicia and Spencer
Chad is always busy with school but he is doing great. Alicia is going to the spa regularly and Spencer is still growing and is fun to be around.



Brian:
Brian is doing homework and more homework. He is correcting other students papers as part of his class and his message to all mothers out there is make sure your kids can write a decent paper by the time they get to college.



From Elder Fortie:
Well my new companion is enjoying his first week in the area. He thought he was going to die for a day or so, but once one gets used to it and you realize they don't ever really bother us missionaries, then you are just fine and you don't worry any more. Me this is all I've known my whole mission, so to me, I don't know any better haha!
But this week we have been trying to find ways to get the zone back up on it's feet, we find they seem to be burned out, and so we're looking to do a re-charge, our options are limited, but we're seeing what we can do. (dad you had a nice idea with serving kids in hospitals but unfortunately due to our legally complex and law suit happy culture we are not allowed to do any type of service with children... stupid world is making things so complicated you can't even be nice without having a high powered lawyer to back you up.) So we are looking for other ways to unify and get them going. I had a cool experience in that our mission does a fireside once a month in Spanish, where recent converts tell their stories to investigators of how they came to believe in the church, and yours truly is the one in charge of them because President Wade doesn't speak Spanish. So I am the next best thing (yeah, pretty bad second place haha) to president Wade that they've got, so I conduct and run the fireside every month and teach the audience of usually around 100-200 people about our church, and as I was closing the fireside this Sunday I challenged everyone in the audience to be baptized and was bearing testimony about the church and it just felt really good. Afterwards this one guy came up to me and asked me if he could talk to me. He said he felt the spirit while I was talking and wanted to be baptized. I challenged him to be baptized March 28th, and he said he would try because he would have to get married first. He doesn't live in our zone, so I will likely never see him again, but it was cool to see my testimony reach out to someone like that.
We're working with a couple great people right now that are all on the verge of being baptized, but there's just some little obstacle beyond our control on all of them which is just putting a damper on things, but we're trying to work through it and find ways to help them get going.
Well I hope you are all doing well, sorry I don't have much time to write this week. Hope you all can keep on smiling!
Love,
Elder Fortie



Michelle:
Michelle has been busy with work and homework. She had Friday off of school, so she went out with friends, and then had breakfast with friends Saturday morning and then went to a movie with Jennifer and Alicia to a movie in the afternoon and then babysat Spencer Saturday night then wasn’t ready for school on Monday morning and was up at 4:30 to get homework done before school started. Silly teenagers, she was late to school and then found out the assignment wasn’t due until Wednesday. Bad day.



Jennifer:
Jennifer did her usual – school and work. She had Friday off and worked and played. She went to the movie on Saturday with Michelle and Alicia and then worked.

February 15 - 21, 2010

From an Asian Festival I went to a while back. The first one I added some wild grass I shot last summer and the Chinese phrase "Inner Peace."

Fortie Family Flyer
February 15 – 21, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,
Greetings from the Southwest (the Southwest corner of the Salt Lake Valley that is). Another week has gone by to be sure, and already we are panicking to get our home teaching in before the end of the month. What? February almost gone already! Can’t be. Another trip around the sun completed for me and I’m already a week and a half into my fifty-fifth trip; hope this is a good one. Better keep my seatbelt fastened. Perhaps, during this trip around the sun, a trip around the world with my camera would make it a memorable one; now that would be something to write about. For now it’s just a trip around the supermarket that I have to go do so I’ll keep this short.
Well, Deseret Book, like everyone else, is suffering from this recession. The customers are not flocking in to buy books, they can’t pay their mortgages let alone buy books. The company is really cutting back on hours now. Hard for anyone to survive on such wages. Good thing I’m so filthy rich and don’t need to work (oh, wait, I must be thinking about someone else).
The infection in my eye finally cleared up (for the most part) but I went into the doctor just to check on it and they said I had a duct clogged and I needed to try to put a hot wash cloth on it a few times a day and if that doesn’t clear it up a surgeon will have to lance it to get rid of the problem. Right now it’s a bump on my eyelid that makes it feel like a piece of sand is in my eye all the time. If its not one thing its another.
Stephen Kerr called this week to ask me to help with photography and t-shirts for the Herriman play and also asked if I would play the part of Horace Vandergelder in Hello Dolly this summer. That came as quite a shock to me. I was comfortable but nervous about playing the butler in the Sound of Music then I was way out of my league when they asked me to play Mayor Shinn last summer in the Music Man but to have one of the main male parts in Hello Dolly including a few solo’s, dance numbers and so many lines to memorize I have had a hard time overcoming fear and saying yes. I talked to my work and they said they would work with me so now if I can convince myself that I can actually do this I will call them back and say yes. We’ll see what happens.
Jennifer is still having some bad back pain so I took her into the doctors again and they set up an appointment for an M.R.I. (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) for Thursday. Tami took her in but we haven’t been notified of any results yet.
Rauckhorst’s came in on Thursday so the girl’s skipped school so they could go do stuff with them. They went to movies and dinner and just played. I don’t know what all ‘cause I wasn’t there for the most part; guess they’ll have to tell you about it.
We had the missionaries over for dinner on Friday night but all the kids were at grandpa and grandma’s with cousins so it was just Tami and I. We had a nice visit with them then they left for other appointments.
On one of our trips to grandpa and grandma’s I decided to tow the Mustang over to their house to see if it would sell better there. Michelle helped me by driving the Mustang behind the truck all the way there. She was very nervous but she did fine. The neighbor said we could park it on the corner of his yard out by 7000 So. We have already had a few people express interest so hopefully it will sell soon.
On Saturday, after work, I headed over to dad and mom’s for the family dinner that had been set up for when Rauckhorsts were here. Mike and Linda and girls where there, Curt and Mary Kay and grandkids, Craig and Emily and kids and Curt brought Brent and Mandy’s kids. Our family and Whitney’s boyfriend. It was a full house. We ate and talked and had fun. Tami and I headed home leaving the kids there for one more night. Mom had to give a talk Sunday and I would like to have come for it but I had to teach. I thought I was teaching Sunday School but we moved the restart of the genealogy class to next week. I finished putting my month long effort into my Priesthood lesson early Sunday morning, then when I went to set up for my lesson before priesthood opening exercises someone asked me what lesson I was giving and I said lesson number 3 about Christ. They said Bishop Pullen gave that one last week. When I asked him to teach for me last week I specifically said he should do his lesson, number 4 (that he was supposed to give this week), and I would do my lesson the next week when he was supposed to teach (we each teach one Sunday a month the second and third Sunday). I brought in several reference books to talk about how to study the life of Christ in personal study and as families. We have studied about specific prophets for an entire year so I wanted to help them get going on a study of the life of Christ that would last longer than one 3 page lesson. So there I was with all my reference books ready to talk about Christ and suddenly I needed to read over lesson number 4 before everyone came in after opening exercises so I could teach it. Luckily for me it was about agency, a topic I have studied and thought a great deal about over many years. One quick read through and I had a plan for a lesson. I was going to incorporate some of my other lesson into this one but as I stood up I had a prompting that I would be able to use that material later in the year and I should not use any of it. I left the other books alone and we had a great discussion about agency, opposites, etc. Everyone thought it went very well and I didn’t even get halfway through a 3-page lesson.
After church I cheated and took Tami home teaching with me. Bro. Hutchings couldn’t go early and I couldn’t go late so Tami and I went and visited the Gibson’s and the Hunter’s and I left the Butlers for Bro. Hutchings to take his son to go visit later in the evening. We had a nice long visit with the Gibson’s and tried to keep our visit with the Hunter’s short as they had family over. After that we headed over to dad and mom’s for dinner and a winding down of a wild week with cousins. Tami fixed a couple of casseroles and they were both good. We ate cake and pie and played golf and had a nice night.
The poem I memorized this week is very familiar to most of you as it was put into song. I think it’s a pretty good missionary song. The title is “Brightly Beams Our Father’s Mercy.”

Brightly beams our Father’s mercy
From His lighthouse evermore,
But to us He gives the keeping
Of the lights along the shore.

Dark the night of sin has settled;
Loud the angry billows roar.
Eager eyes are watching, longing,
For the lights along the shore.

Trim you feeble lamp, my brother;
Some poor sailor, tempest-tossed,
Trying now to make the harbor,
In the darkness may be lost.

Let the lower lights be burning;
Send a beam across the wave.
Some poor fainting, struggling seaman
You may rescue, you may save.
- Philip Paul Bliss

That’s it for this week. Let your light shine.
Ken and clan



From Nathan and Paige:
Hello All~I thought I would send out an email instead of calling everyone with updates...that could take me awhile. Nathan is doing very well. We seem to be on the downhill stretch, so he tells me. :) I just got an email today that tells us the last date to send packages is Feb 28th. So if you have a package to send, now would be a good time, if not...well you will have to wait until he gets home to send. Thank you for all your prayers during this time. It sounds like Nathan has had a few "close calls" this time around. He definitely feels the love of the Lord in his daily activities. Please continue to pray for him as we are not yet done. As for baby, all is well. He/She is growing rapidly it seems. I believe we are almost at 2 lbs this week. So the next time you are in the grocery store pick up a 2 lb roast and yes my friends, that's your grandchild right now. :) My next doc appointment is Mar 8th, so we'll see what developments are happening by then! I have found my hungry bug it seems. I just can't get enough! However, I am definitely keeping it under control. I just remember what I gain, I have to loose...so that helps to keep it in perspective. The kicking/ punching seems to be everyday all day, which I have just kinda gotten used too. I can't wait for Nathan to get here and feel it, by then my stomach will be moving I'm sure. Avery has developed a love/ hate relationship with "the belly". Her new sleeping position is under the covers curled up in the fetal position against my belly. Perhaps she likes the heartbeat or the warmth, that is until the baby kicks her and then she's not having any of it. The barking ensues and we are all 3 awake for about 10 mins before we start it all over again. Oh the joys of motherhood! :) It should be interesting when baby does finally make an appearance. How will Avery act? I think that's all for now. I continue to stay busy with my calling at church. We have the next 4 months scheduled for Enrichment and I'm excited for some warmer weather activities. Currently, I am planning a baby shower for my sister in OR, who is 35 weeks, trying to plan a move back to TX, Nathan's return, and a baby in the next few months. Some days I feel more busy than I did with a full time job!! I'm sure that's only going to get more crazy once baby comes along, but I know it will be worth it and rewarding. We love you all! Hope your 2010 is going smoothly thus far! Hard to believe March is right around the corner! Paige



From Elder Fortie:
Hello everyone. So I'm killing my companion today, it's his last day! Tomorrow I will be picking up Elder Abernathy, to train him as a new Zone leader, I train a lot of zone leaders, every time they get a new one they make me train him, it's kinda fun but it gets a little tiring having the largest zone in the largest mission in the world and running it more or less solo for about 3 weeks till your companion figures out what he's doing... No wonder I'm worn out! They sure like beating me up! But oh well, I don't mind, I do best when I'm under pressure, that's probably why they always give me so much extra stuff to do because they're trying to make me work harder haha. But I'm now a grandpa! My youngest son is training! I have lived to see my posterity extend and it is good to know my legend has not ended! huzzah!
Also I was standing outside the temple waiting for some recent converts, when I heard a deep voice say "hey elders, is that parking spot available?" I turned to see Thurl Bailey hanging out the window of his car, I laughed and said yeah sure you can park here. I then talked to him for a little while, I didn't know he lived in Highland Utah, so then me and my companion took a picture with him and I got his autograph, he's a really cool guy, he signed a picture of himself for me and I said "is it a little weird signing your own face?" he looked at me and laughed and looked at it and said, "now that you mention it I guess it does feel a little weird." We joked around with him for a few minutes till the people we were waiting for came, and then I had to go, because I was going to the temple with them! It was wonderful, I got to see 3 of my recent converts from the past month go into the temple for the first time and I got to baptize them again! haha (I baptized them for the dead) it was amazing! I was so glad to be there, and they loved it. But the baptismal font in the Oakland temple is kinda weird... the changing rooms and showers are in the same room as the font, they are just blocked from sight by a little separation thing, it's hard to explain, but it's really kinda awkward because you can hear the showers going while your baptizing people, I was thinking that wasn't designed too well... But funny thing, we lost one of the recent converts in the temple! He went in to change after he was baptized and when we all came out he wasn't there! We thought for a minute that he'd wandered off into the temple, so we were all running around looking for him all around the temple, but came to find out he had just gone outside to pull the car around for his wife. But for a while we thought he was trapped in the Celestial room or something haha!
It was a good week though. Well I could go on but I gotta run, sorry, I love you all, keep up the good work. Have you made a list of all the non members you know? DO IT! the activity is on page 172 of Preach My Gospel, the second or third bullet point on the page if I remember right if you want to read it! Go to and do it!

Love, Elder Fortie

February 8 - 14, 2010

Some shots I took on a late bike ride along the Jordan River walkway in November (no shots from this week).

Fortie Family Flyer
February 8 – 14, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,
Happy birthday to Ken this time (j/k). Well kind of just kidding, it was my birthday but I didn’t really let people know (I was trying to avoid it). When you are young you can’t wait to have another birthday so you can tell people you are older and can do more things. When you are older… well, not so much. Now, the more birthdays we have the less we seem to be able to do. Oh well, such is life.
We did have a nice birthday dinner a week ago Sunday that Alicia put together as Tami has been working a lot of overtime because Jet Blue is switching over to a new computer system and it has been very difficult. Some people have even quite and there has been more than one night that Tami came home (she has to work in the center for a while until they get this figured out) saying she and others were reduced to tears because they can’t get things figured out. Crazy stuff. Anyway, Tami did have time to make my favorite cake, her super duper carrot cake. Oh wait, that was in last weeks letter, oops, oh well, guess I had better move on to this weeks news.
On Monday we had a lesson for Family Home Evening and then Tami and I tried to get a game going but the girls wanted to watch Psych and I wasn’t feeling up to battling with them so I gave in and Psych it was for a family activity (we check them out of the library). It is a silly show but we like it. Tami and I also like the Mentalist so we watched that this week. Other than a few more episodes of Psych through the week (so we could give the DVD back to the library) that is about all the TV I watched (besides international news (I don’t watch too much local news about who’s house burned down and what drunk driver caused problems) BYU devotionals and a few educational programs, etc.).
I’m trying to put things together for Deseret Book but it is very slow with the old family computer and working with my files on my external hard drive. That’s right I still can’t find anyone who can figure out how to put this Norton Ghost image of my computer back onto the main partition of the hard drive. I may have to take it in and pay big bucks to get it fixed.
I had a meeting on Monday with a new distributor and Deseret Book has a new buyer so I am starting over but this time I think it is going to go all the way and I should have my pictures into Deseret Book soon.
I didn’t think to change my work schedule for my birthday so the family asked what my schedule was on Thursday and I worked late and wouldn’t get home until about 10:30. They said that wasn’t right so I went in and found a lady who wanted to have the daytime off for a doctor’s appointment so we switched and all was well. For my birthday everyone else was busy with Special Needs Mutual or work or school so it didn’t matter much anyways but we were all able to sit down to eat shepherds pie together for dinner and watch Psych or something when people came home.
Tami and I went to see 2012 at the dollar theater on Friday. We tried last weekend but it was sold out. I was expecting (from seeing the previews) an over the top special affects extravaganza and it really was. They were constantly inches away from disaster and always miraculously escaping but it was actually more entertaining than I was expecting. It was okay for a dollar and even had a little bit of a story line. Wow, the things you can get for a few dollars these days.
On Saturday I woke up to go to work and my right eye felt a bit puffy and sore. I went to work realizing I was coming down with some kind of infection. It got worse through the day and at the end of my shift I was worn out and my eye was pretty swollen. I got out to my car and realized I was too tired to drive home so I lay back to take a 15-minute power nap and didn’t wake up for 2 hours. I got home at 5:30 and was down for the count. I called people to tell them I wouldn’t be able to teach Sunday School or Priesthood and stayed home from church with what looks like pink eye. The rest of the family went to dad and mom’s for a Valentines Dinner and I stayed home. I did call my home teacher Bro. Taylor, and he and Bro. Johnson came over and gave me a blessing. I got bored being home alone so after my nap I made a pudding cake for myself. It sure is good and since most of the kids don’t like it I will be able to eat most of it over the next week all by myself. Wahaha.
Well, that is it for this week at our house, nothing exciting, but it’s all we’ve got. Eat right, take your vitamins and your medicine if you need it,
Ken and clan



From Brian:
Hiaah Family,
It’s been a while since I wrote. I am way behind, from a heavy school load. I am taking 17 credits at Salt Lake Community College right now; one of them is an upper division course through the University of Utah.
This week on Monday for my FHE group at the singles ward we did a “heart attack.” We made cookies and little paper hearts and took them to less actives and gave, or threw, the hearts to them depending on how spontaneous you were. I and some other ward members decorated the house of a counselor in the Bishopric. We taped hundreds of hearts all over their windows, doors, garage, mailbox and even their cat. (On it’s collar). I am working on an Indian flute right now made of red heart wood (it’s a deep red wood) in my fine arts class, and just trying to get by with English, Math, Computer class, Cardio class and multiple Communication classes as well as anatomy study groups.
On Wednesday I picked up a packet from the college to fill out and run for Student Body President. I thought it would be good, I do better in school the more things I am involved in, and I am very good friends with the current SBP who will be leaving this semester and he thinks I would be a good replacement. It will be hard to try and juggle being a Student Body Officer if I make it, at Redwood Campus and on an Institute Committee at Jordan Campus, which I am doing right now. We’ll see if I bit off more than I can chew.
On Friday I got to meet and get to know the Dean of the Communication department at the U of U, which was good for connections when I transfer there. At night I went to Chad Andersons house and we watched Harry and the Henderson’s, which is a classic. I did nothing for the Valentines weekend. There were some dances but I just wasn’t feelin’ it. So I celebrated single awareness weekend myself. I did talk to my best friend Jonathan, on the phone, about finding a significant other and his perils he went through before he got married. It was good to hear from him, I haven’t seen him in a while.
On Saturday I was so glad, we had a baptism. It was my first convert baptism as a Ward Mission Leader instead of a Missionary this time. I was so excited! She is solid and will grow fast in the church. I think the members of my ward are finally starting to catch the fire too.
On Sunday after church my ward had linger longer and lots of treats to dip into a chocolate fountain, it was fantastical and spectaculous! Most of us went to Grandpa and Grandma’s. Dad couldn’t go because he has bacterial conjunctivitis, so he stayed home. Spencer is funny, he tried to make the Wookie sound and the Donald Duck noise I do. It was cute. Well I will try to catch up past letters. Love you all.
Elder Fortie love ya, and do some good.

Brian



From Elder Fortie:
Sorry gotta run, I gots to go get my companion packed up... he finishes his mission this next week... poor guy! 2 years down, 60 to go right?
Things are doing alright, but I think our missionaries are a little burnt out or something, we've got to get them recharged. They are doing well, indeed we're still setting records, but I think they are getting a little tired or something because I just don't quite feel the energy I felt before. I'm kinda worn out myself haha, so I don't blame them! But there's no rest, not yet! I've got work left to do and not much time left in which to do it... We had a few crazy people say some funny stuff to us. One guy tried to bash with us, and I didn't even bash back I just answered like 2 questions and everyone else in the room (all non members that we came to teach for the first time) jumped on his back like angry monkeys after a mango! Telling him he was a fool and that he should listen to us teach because our church was "made right" and just railing on him telling him his church was messed up and it took people's money and all this stuff, and I just sat there trying not to laugh as all these people who had no idea really what we taught, we're defending us, finally the guy got so flustered that he went to qucikly leave the building and walked into a closed door... I have to admit, I could not help but laugh then. I'm sorry, the poor guy was asking for it though. He tried to come in to attack and fight with us, and I wouldn't fight, so it just made him look like a bully, and everyone attacked him for me and he ran out feeling like a fool. Then we taught a great lesson once he and the contentious spirit he brought with him was gone.
So WHO made a list of all the people they know that aren't members and is praying about them? I'm following up, so what have you done?
Sorry to be brief, thanks for the package, although did you know you sent it flat rate so it cost a lot more then it should have? gotta go!
Love Elder Fortie



From Michelle:
Heidi ho!
This week hasn’t been too eventful. But I will report anyways! Monday, Jennifer and I went to get our nails done for a girl’s day. We got a fancy massage and our toenails painted and decorated and our fingernails done to match. Afterwards we went and got something to eat at Fazoli’s. I love that place so much! First, Italian food is my favorite! Second, their breadsticks are sent from heaven! Then we dropped a package off at the post office to send to Jason and headed back to the house for FHE! We had a lesson and then watched an episode of Psych because everyone was way too wiped out to do much else. :] Besides that, it happens to possibly be the most hilarious show ever!
Tuesday I went to school and worked as usual, so that was nothing really big to report. Work is really crazy right around Valentines, so it was really busy and I was definitely ready for bed by the time I got home!
Wednesday I had school and stayed after to take a test in one of my classes, which went pretty well, and then I hurried home and went straight to physical therapy. My knee is healing slowly but surly. It doesn’t hurt me as much quite as often anymore. And on top of that, I AM GETTING CLOSER TO TOUCHING MY TOES!!! Seeing as I used to only reach the tops of my kneecaps I was pretty excited when I got halfway down my shins! So my physical therapist told me to go get myself a treat, so I did just that! Then I headed to Young Women’s and practiced the “news cast” that we are performing for new beginnings. I am one of the head anchors and I’m having a lot of fun with it! We’re also doing commercials and in one of them I get to dress up as and pretend to be a guy, which is a lot of fun, and I’m surprisingly good at!
Thursday I had physical therapy again and the same old same old went down. If nothing else, I’m becoming super fit while I’m there! :] After I finished up there I went back to the house and we had some fun in celebration of Dad’s birthday! We watched the movie Forever Strong (which is an EXCELLENT movie and if you haven’t seen it… SEE IT!) before I had to take off for Special Needs Mutual! We handed out Valentines and sang and colored and ate candy as we had a really simple lesson that the special needs kids can understand. It never ceases to amaze me though that sometimes the lessons we hear there are the ones in which I feel the spirit the strongest. At Special Needs Mutual we get back to the basics that I know I often forget and it’s a great reminder.
Friday I went to school, came home, did some homework, and then went to my best friend Courtney’s house and watched a bunch of Psych episodes and just hung out! It was nice to just sit around and relax after a week of hard work and school!
Saturday we woke up and headed to the temple at 6 o’clock in the morning. Crazy I know. But since the Oquirrh Mountain temple is being closed for two weeks for cleaning, everyone went and EVERYONE went early to try to beat the crowd, which failed miserably. We were there for over 3 hours waiting to do baptisms for the dead. So I was super tired and couldn’t stop laughing at every little thing. The temple president came down and talked to us as we were in the chapel waiting. He was really funny and all of us were laughing really hard. I don’t think there was a single person within earshot that wasn’t dying laughing! When we finally finished up and got home, I napped for what seemed like forever, did some homework and headed to work at 2. Work was a lot of fun! The manager on duty that night is usually pretty strict and serious, but she was so tired that night that she was a little loopy and just really chill. So we were all messing around and having fun! Then at about 8 o’clock when things really slow down and nobody really comes in as much, 4 cops came in to get something to eat, and we were talking to them and helping them decide what to eat, and it was a blast! Then I got off work, ate some stuff and my best friend Courtney and I went to a movie. We had originally planned on going to see The Lightning Thief, but when we got to the theater, it was sold out! So we went and saw Dear John, which I really liked, although I would have changed the ending just a little bit. :] Then we got some junk food to stuff ourselves with and headed home for the night!
Sunday I went to a friend of Alex and mine’s farewell out in Taylorsville at 9 and took Courtney with me to keep me company. His talk was amazing and I know he’s going to be an amazing missionary! He’s going to Jackson, Missouri, which Dad says is going to be a hard mission, but I know he’ll do well. I also saw Alex’s best friend there and he knew I was coming, so he brought me a rose! Ha ha, he’s a sweetie and I miss having him around! Then Court and I went to Whitney’s boyfriend Dallen’s house par her request to “heart attack” his room. We had to hide in the circle down the road and watch his house, and Court and I had food, so we were sitting in the car, eating, and watching the guy’s house. We had the strangest feeling that we were on a stakeout for the cops, and it was actually pretty fun! When he was finally cleared of the house, we went in and decorated his room and left roses and chocolates and hearts and such. Courtney was playing as the lookout and making sure he didn’t come home and surprise us. Strangely enough, it felt like I was a felon or something and it gave me an adrenaline rush! Then we went home and to our home wards and all that jazz. After church, we went out to Grandma and Grandpa’s for a Valentines Day dinner with everybody! As usual, Alicia did an amazing job and the food was delicious! It was so much fun to see Spencer too! It’s amazing how much he grows up even just from week to week! He’s so smart now and can say so much. He’s hilarious and adorable and I couldn’t love him more! Then we decorated sugar cookies, ate them, and headed home to get some much needed rest!
Well, that’s my week for ya! I hope you are all doing well and that things on your end are running smoothly, I love you all and my prayers are with you! Remember, you were born an original… don’t die a copy.
Love,
Michelle





From Jennifer:
So basically this week was rather fun!
I went to a wedding expo with one of my super good pals and we had so much fun saying as we both want to be wedding planners! You can’t possibly imagine how many times I got asked so when’s the big day or which one is the bride, we laughed so hard and said that’s still like five years away! According to the family at least who are having bets on how long until I get married, apparently I’m not making it past twenty. Anyway…
This week we had a school Valentines dance that was SO much fun! Crazy dancing with friends and jumping all around singing at the top of our lungs, ah memories, create them while you can!
Work has been going fun although less crazy because I can’t have races or dance parties with the boys anymore do to my physical problems, it’s sad but the boys have been sweet about it all. We still find other fun things to do and have fun times. The other day Sam, the 5 yr old, said the funniest thing ever! Whenever I go to get the boys out of time out I come in and say can I have a word with you and then we talk about what they did wrong, well Adam, 3 yr old, wasn’t taking turns so I told him he needed go to timeout. Well instead of going he started throwing a temper tantrum so I got up to take him to his room and in his flailing he kicked me. Well Sam saw and he gasped then walked over and said Jenn, can I have a word with him? I giggled a little and took a step back saying sure Sammy. Well he turned to Adam with the most serious face ever and said “Adam, you don’t kick her, she’s a daughter of GOD!!!!” My mouth popped wide open and I busted up laughing! Then Sam turned to me all proud and said I learned that in church. Oh those boys, Love them so much.
So my count down to Disney land and Sea world has begun! I love my job so much! I can’t remember if I already said this but the Arnolds are taking us in five and a half weeks! I can’t wait!
Michelle and I had a girl’s day and went to get our nails done then went to Fazoli’s and got delicious Italian food with a dozen breadsticks to share because there breadsticks are pure heaven!
On Valentines Day we had a truly amazing dinner prepared by a truly amazing Alicia! We had fun with smart, funny little Spencer and his crazy noises and learning his words! He’s my favorite Spencer in the world (no offense to other Spencer’s out there)! Daddy’s birthday was fun and marked another year closer to…more gray hair then already there! :] Well, that sums up my week! Hope you all have a good one! And in honor of Love-day we’ll do a special love quote- to love is nothing; to be loved is something, to love and be loved is…everything! Love you all!
Love the baby sister of the family,
Jenny!

Address Update

Address Update (Feb 12, 2010)

Address for:
Ken, Tami, Brian, Michelle & Jennifer
14048 So. Van Cott Peak Cir.
Riverton, UT 84096

Home: 801-446-7261
Ken and Tami cell: 801-205-3150
Brian cell: 801-860-6815

Ken email: ken4tie@yahoo.com
Tami email: fortiefamily@yahoo.com
Brian email: bkfortie@yahoo.com

Nathan & Paige Fortie
2308 Brookdale Rd. E. Apt. I 303
Tacoma, WA 98445

Nathan's email: natemoab@hotmail.com
Paige's email: plarrington@hotmail.com

Phone numbers:
Home: (253) 507-5218
Nathan (253) 414-4347 (not working right now)
Paige (972) 814-4918

Chad & Alicia (& Spencer) Fortie
email: yesdear1229@yahoo.com

Elder Jason Fortie
California Oakland San Francisco mission
4945 Lincoln Way
Oakland, CA 94602

February 1 - 7, 2010

Fortie Family Flyer
February 1 – 7, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,
February, here already? What did they do with January? I just got some of the Christmas CD’s I put on hold in November at the library, guess that didn’t work, have to put them on hold earlier next Christmas (maybe I should start right now).
We’ve had a rather dry winter so far. We did have one week that caught the mountains up about a month ago but a bit boring and gray before and after that.
Nathan called this week but I was working. He seems to be having a rather difficult time this trip. Guess the bad guys are not cooperating. He says he has seen the Lord’s hand in preserving his life. Glad to hear that, but don’t like to here that he needs it.
On Monday we went to Chad’s first play for his middle School theater classes. It was very well done and the parents and school loved it. They made some good money off of ticket sales. Many are telling him it is the best they have ever had. Hard work but a great job. Spencer is growing and changing every week. It is fun to go visit each Sunday.
Brian is busy with school and his church job as Ward Mission Leader in the Singles Ward. They had a baptism last week.
Elder Fortie is doing well in Oakland and is getting near that dreaded end of the mission and suddenly have the rest of your life ahead of you.
Michelle is busy with school and working at Kneaders. She just finished working her schedule out for her senior year at Riverton High. She is supposed to be going to the new Herriman High but they give seniors the opportunity to stay with their old school.
Jennifer has been sick a few times these past few weeks. Her physical theropist thinks her back is not improving fast enough so he is wondering if she might have rheumatoid arthritis. He asked her to get a blood test but it came back negative. She is always the one with the strange unknown diseases. Hopefully we will get this figured out so she can get better. She is still doing a great job babysitting. The boys sure love her.
In other news, the truck’s starter motor just decided he had had enough and stopped starting. You know how it goes, you start then stop then start then stop for 13 years and one day you stop starting; he has gone the way of all the earth. I was at a hamburger place getting Michelle a lunch so she could drive me home during her lunch so I could use the truck the first half of the day and she could use it after school. Guess that plan didn’t work. Dad came to help me get it going and get it to a garage. After $350.00 a new starter is ready to join the team. This one has a lifetime warranty but then how much more of a lifetime does my truck have? Time will tell. I should have had them check the heater while they were at it but then maybe I’ll have to save up for that; maybe by July I’ll have enough to get that fixed.
The rest of the week has been work and work and then more work. I made an appointment with another distributor to get my pictures going. Well see if they can do a better job.
On Saturday I administered the ACT test in the morning and then worked at Deseret Book the rest of the day. I was gone from home from 6:45 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; long day.
Bore my testimony on Sunday, I got a bit emotional and both girls had to leave the room as they got emotional about what I was talking about as well. I talked about the blessings of prayers from the prayer circle in the temple.
We enjoyed a nice birthday dinner that Alicia prepared for me. Tami made my favorite cake, her special carat cake; good stuff. I have felt impressed that we are not singing enough as a society so I suggested we sing a song before Spencer went to bed. We sang “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” because the girls just got through reading a book with those words to Spencer. We all sang and Spencer sat mesmerized at this unusual new singing thing. When we stopped he started singing as if he wanted us to continue, but it didn’t work, it was his bedtime and there was nothing he could do to delay any longer. We had fun and got home late as usual.
I memorized a poem this week. It was a poem written by my 15th great grandfather, Sir Thomas Moore (through grandma Klingler). I gave it as my talent in Family Home Evening. It is called “The Bird Let Loose.”

“The Bird let loose in eastern skies,
When hastening fondly home,
Ne’er stoops to earth her wing, nor flies
Where idle warblers roam;
But high she shoots through air and light,
Above all low delay,
Where nothing earthly bounds her flight,
Nor shadow dims her way.

“So grant me, God, from every care
And stain of passion free,
Aloft, through virtues purer air,
To hold my course to thee!
No sin to cloud, no lore to stay
My soul, as home she springs;–
Thy sunshine on her joyful way,
Thy freedom in her wings!

I memorized William Wordsworth’s “From Ode On Intimations of Immortality” last week (no relation that I know of), which was much easier than this one. For some reason I really struggled getting this one down. You will probably recognize Bill’s (j/k) Wordsworth’s poem:
Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,
Hath had elsewhere it’s setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home.

His poem was in the church film, “Man’s Search for Happiness” we used to show on my mission. I wonder if I could memorize a poem every week and how long I could keep them in my memory. Perhaps I should next memorize a few lines from the poem of my 16th great grandfather, Geoffrey Chaucer, through my grandma Fortie’s line. Maybe a few lines from his “Student’s Tale” in “The Canterbury Tales.”

“In your wise thought, how all our days must flee
In verying ways, on to eternity;
For sleep or wake, in spite of all endeavor,
Time waits for none of us, but flees forever.

“And though your green youth still may shine in flower,
Age creeps upon it, silent as a stone;
Death threatens every age, and lays his power
On every rank: all yield to him alone;
And just as surely as to all is known
That we shall die, as surely none can say
How death shall cut him down, or name the day.

His writings basically brought the English language into being (or at least into popular usage). It is interesting though, how much the English language has changed. This is a translation from his original. The spelling and strange words are so different from how we write today that we can hardly understand it without someone translating it into modern English. He was truly a great writer. Perhaps someday I can get to know him.
I was trying to think of my lines as Mayor Shinn in the Music Man the other day and came up with some, but not as many as I would think I should remember since it was just last summer (partly because I needed some cues from other people that my lines are responses to). Perhaps in the Spirit World I will remember them all. My grandfather, Jowett Fortie and great, great grandfather, Alexander Fortie were often in plays during their lives. Wouldn’t that be fun to be in a play with them (and even Geoffrey) in the Spirit World? Who knows how many other ancestors enjoyed being in plays or musical groups? We could entertain all the cousins at a giant family reunion up there. Hey, it could happen.
Well, that is it from our house; hope your week was good.

Keep reading the great poets.
Ken and clan



From Elder Fortie:
Good heavens, didn't I just write one of these? Well we had some more baptisms last week, they are a great family, they are amazing people, the little 11 year old girl is so cute, she ran up to me after she had changed after being baptized and said "Elder Fortie I felt it! I felt the burning in the bosom! I've always wanted to feel it and I finally felt it!" It went really well. And we had another baptism last night of a mother and her son, who tried to hide from the missionaries until they came to one of the baptisms 2 weeks ago and felt the spirit and said "I want that!" And turned their lives around. Fantastic people. The Lord is blessing this place abundantly, it's ridiculous. No other ward in the entire bay area has seen anything like what this ward has seen in the past 6 months. It has been amazing and I have loved being a part of it. The Stake that I have been the zone leader for for the past 6 months has been just seeing miracles. We have another Elder with us for a few days, and he saw our numbers as we were finishing some reports last night and said "good grief that's more then I've ever seen any other 2 zones in the mission combined get!" And that's how things have been for about 6 months, just on fire and we're loving it, the stake leaders are loving it, President Wade is loving it, it's just amazing! The work is really much easier then everyone makes it. People just don't realize how simple it can be, if they take the time to figure it out, not just missionaries, but members as well, can make the work FLY!!! Preach my Gospel should be a far more studied book among our church members. It is one of the most inspired and revelatory works in years, put together by the apostles, and when you DO what it says, it WORKS!!!!! People get so far away from the gospel of Jesus Christ into deep unnecessary doctrines, that may be interesting but are unnecessary for salvation. I would not be surprised if a third of the active members of the church don't even know the basic doctrines contained in chp. 3 of Preach my Gospel. There are so many things that members should know that they don't. If you have a Preach my gospel, turn to page 172, and do the activity that it says to do on it about creating a list of people. If you don't have one, get one. Report to me in your next letter what you have done about it! I will be following up with you next time I write! Don't let me down! I gotta go, I'm tired but happy. I'm still smiling even if my eyes are drooping! (and my gut... but that's another story... stinking missionary lifestyle, it's like being a sloth that lives in a buffet!) Keep up the good work and go find out how easy it is to be a missionary. Go find out how easy it is to save someone’s soul. Go find out how easy it is to give someone the joy that you have that they have been lacking their whole life. Go find out what it means to be a Latter Day Saint.

Love, Elder Fortie