November 2 - 8, 2009

November Pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/kensbestpics/FamilyNovember2009#

Fortie Family Flyer
November 2 – 8, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,
What to say about this week. Monday the girls worked but we all went out for a milkshake after they got home.
Tuesday I went to take pictures of Chad, Alicia and Spencer. We went to a little park behind a cemetery near dad and moms house. It was a nice little spot but we didn’t have much time after Chad got off work and the sun went down, daylight savings time is over and it gets dark early.
I had an interview with the Sandy Deseret Book on Tuesday, then one with the American Fork store on Thursday. They both offered me a job, the Sandy store is closer but the American Fork store offered me more hours and said they were much more fun so I took that one. I should be starting soon. Perhaps that will keep us afloat through Christmas.
Brian drove on his scooter for 2 days on a flat tire and didn’t know it so he destroyed the tire and the rim. It is going to really cost him to replace it. I took it in to the shop when I went to the American Fork store for an interview.
Saturday I got up early to get my Sunday School and Priesthood lessons. I don’t feel ready to teach everyone about the New Family Search program but what can you do, they asked me to do it and so we do what we can. I didn’t pay attention to the rest of the family sleeping in and when I came up to get out the door to meet with Chad and Alicia for pictures the rest of the family were just getting up. We rushed everyone and headed out but were about 15 minutes late to Wheeler Farm for pictures. Chad and Alicia were wandering around with Spencer amongst the animals and having fun. I was expecting wind as a storm was supposed to be coming in but it was a nice day and barely needed light jackets with only a slight breeze. We wandered and took pictures and relaxed. The farm was very pretty with many of the leaves down or falling down all around us and some just turning colors in the trees, so the ground was covered and some of the trees had beautiful colors shimmering in the sunlight. I would like to have spent more time there as a family just walking and enjoying the atmosphere but all were busy, busy, busy so after pictures they all rushed off and I walked around by myself for a bit, taking pictures and enjoying the grounds and the music of a bagpipe player there just to play for anyone who wished to listen. Brian came on my scooter after his class so he went with the others back to grandpa and grandma’s and I took the scooter after I was done. We finished watching the BYU game and we really wiped them out. They taped it for us so we could watch it later. After a visit there we headed for home to get a few things done and then go to a Stake Luau. It was a family that someone in our ward knew that put on the show and they did a great job. We thought it was a dinner and show but it was only dessert so we were hungry when we got home and fixed something quick as it was late.
On Sunday I made some last minute preparations for my two classes and we headed for church. I was feeling like we shouldn’t be teaching about the new family search until we actually could get on but they announced in Sacrament meeting that we could get on starting on Monday. That will be good as they can now get on and actually do what we talk about in class. I went over the basics with the new program but still feel like I am only one step ahead of everyone else. The class seemed to go well and then I dashed out for a drink and then to Priesthood to teach the High Priests. My lesson was different as it was just about 9 pages of descriptions of Joseph Smith from people who knew him. That seemed to lack some variety so I approached it in a different way. I first talked about favorite prophets of old that people in the group had (only a few minutes). Then I read a few ancient descriptions of how the people loved their prophet, whether it was Abraham or Moses. There were a few moist eyes in the room as I read some of the descriptions (from a book I have of ancient commentaries of the scriptures called “The Bible as it Was”). We then read about Joseph Smith with each choosing their favorite from a page they were assigned (no time to read them all). We then talked about how the prophets are very close to the Lord and seem to be very good at showing love because they felt it from the Lord (again a few seemed to be affected but the spirit of the message). I then talked about how important it is to love our prophet telling as much about us as it does about him. Both lessons seemed to go well and I enjoyed it.
Well, Sunday night was choir practice and singing at home and watching a DVD about early church history then writing letters.
That’s it in a nutshell.
Keep following the examples of the great prophets and love, love, love.
Ken and clan



From Elder Fortie:
Well, I still am alive by definition, though brain dead may be fitting... it's nap time. I am worn out like a moldy old carpet! I did a zone conference this last week, I prepared it, conducted it, and was asked by president Wade to be the main speaker at the conference, which took me half the day to do, starting at 7 in the morning, then I got home, and did 4 hours of reports for a stake meeting, then I went to the stake meeting and spoke there, and then it was 9 P.M and time to go home, and I realized I hadn't talked to one person that wasn't an active member all day! ugh... Then I had to do 7 hours worth of numbers and reports for Salt Lake, through three other days of the week, then I had to plan some zone works for next week, then the ONLY DAY ALL WEEK I HAD FREE TO WORK IN MY AREA, one of our missionaries got in a car wreck and had to have surgery on his arm so I had to go be with one of the Assistants and his companion to deal with that situation... so I taught one appointment that day. But it was a really cool appointment! I was with one of the Assistants who doesn't speak Spanish, so it was all me I was flying solo, which isn't difficult for me to do as far as me being able to do it, but having a second witness is much more powerful when you teach, so I was up against this die hard old born and raised catholic lady, and I had no companion to testify with me, I told her the moment I met her we were here to help her repent and be baptized, and she just looked at me and said "I've been baptized and I don't need to be baptized again, I've been Catholic my whole life and I'm not going to change. I told her to listen to what I had to say and then she could decide for herself when I was done. I taught her about the restoration of the church, and as I shared Joseph Smith's first vision her eyes filled with tears, and then I stopped, and sat there in silence as she stared at the floor crying. Once she finally made eye contact with me again, I asked her if she would be baptized, she told me "God is in this room, and I know everything you've told me is true, I will pray to God tonight and ask him if he wants me to be baptized, if he tells me yes, then I will do it, but I need to pray first, because this means everything I've believed in my whole life is wrong, and I will be leaving everything I knew behind." Then I gave her a Book of Mormon with Moroni's promise marked for her to read, and told her to get down on her knee's right now and ask God if it was true. She did so right there in front of us and again started to cry, at the end she just looked at me, and said you're right, it is true, but I must ask God if he wants me to leave my church, because the Catholic church is my life. I told her it was true, and I understood that she would have to leave everything behind, but that she could not deny God and pretend she had not felt the truth of our message, I told her we'd be back tomorrow, when she had had a chance to talk to God about it. Then we left. It was not my area, I was out there helping out the Assistants, the only two missionaries in this mission who's lives are even more chaotic then mine haha, so I didn't get to see the results, but I'll be following up with them today on what happened. It was a good experience. I have many like that actually, I just normally don't have time to write them down, I wish I did, because my memory does not hold details as well as I'd like, it all just blurs together and I lose track of precious memories...
This week otherwise has been mostly all hubbub and such. I've been dealing with a lot of stuff all week, I don't think I've gotten more then 6 hours of sleep in a night this week, it's been a rush at every moment, even P-day, I was asked to put on a missionary activity day, so I had like 20 missionaries playing Mofia, while I had like 20 more playing fools bell, which is a game where everyone except one person is blindfolded, and the one who is not blindfolded has a bell that they have to ring non-stop, and all the blindfolded people have to try and catch the one with the bell! Oh it's madness but it's hilarious to watch 20 blindfolded people in a gym chasing the sound of a bell as the bell person dodges about between them trying not to get touched.
Any how, I gots to get going. I hope all is well in the world beyond, I'm still going, and I might just live to see the Christmas lights at the temple here! They are putting them up as we speak! TOODLES!!!Love,Elder Fortie




From Michelle:

Dear ma familia,
Again, we have a quite insignificant week… I worked Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (at Kneaders), so I have no big news for any of those three days. So here we go on an update for everything else that did happen!
Tuesday we had Young Womens in excellence. We displayed a project that we had been working on, mine being my room. Don’t worry, I didn’t attempt to bring my whole room to display, I only brought some of the paints that I used, some pictures that I am hanging on my walls, and some other cute crafts that I’ve made to match my room! I also had to give a talk that night, and I gave one on the prophet Moroni and the life that he lived. I talked about how he had to stand up for the beliefs that he had, and how we can go by his example today. I didn’t quite get in all the things I wished I could have said, but it wasn’t too bad.
On Thursday I had Special Needs Mutual with my little friend Celeste. Most of the night went fairly well with no horrible incidents, until Celeste had to go to the bathroom. As she was closing her stall door, I saw a lighter on the floor in front of her, and tried to quickly stop her, but to no avail. She had locked the door, and seen it. She grabbed it and just wouldn’t let go! I was so worried and afraid that she would get hurt. I couldn’t get it away from her, and tried for at least twenty minutes. Finally, her mom came to pick her up, and I ran to tell her what was happening. She told Celeste very excitedly that someone had been looking so hard for that lighter and that Celeste was now a hero. Celeste got really excited that she was a hero now, and gave up the lighter without a fight. I guess after 16 years of experience you come to know exactly what will get your kid.
Friday I went to UVU with a few friends during the day to watch our school volleyball team play. They made it to state, so we were excused from part of school to go watch their game! We played fairly well, and won one, and lost another. But one of the most exciting parts for me was watching Lone Peak high school’s team. (We didn’t play them, but they were on the court next to us.) They were all amazing and looked like professionals out there! That team is going far, I’ll tell you that!
After we got back to school that day, we had our school Spirit Bowl!!! Our school has a week every year called Spirit Week. Monday-Thursday you all dress up like they tell you. For example, there is Mustache Monday, Twin Tuesday, Wacky Wednesday…etc. Then at lunch, we have lunch time activities that you can participate in to earn points for your grade level. Then on Friday, each grade level is assigned a different set of colors based on the Spirit bowl theme. This year, the theme was medieval times, so the Seniors were in purple and gold for royalty, us juniors were in sky blue and white/silver for knights, the sophomores were in green and brown as peasants, and the teachers and faculty were in red and orange for the dragons. Then we have a giant assembly that is a battle between the classes. Each grade has representatives that compete, and it is SO funny to watch! They have dance offs every year, this year we had a joust, and then they have an obstacle course. For most of the competition, juniors and seniors were neck and neck for the lead (even though seniors always win no matter what.) and on the obstacle course, they were supposed to be climbing up a big, slippery, blow up slide. The senior and junior competing in that event kept pulling each other down and wouldn’t let the other get anywhere. They are good friends and on the football team together, so they were just laughing about it for a while, but finally the junior tackled the senior off the slide onto the gym floor! They were both laughing about it, but because of the event, juniors were disqualified. None of us really cared though. We get out year next year, and it made for a really good story! :]
On Saturday, we went to Wheeler Farm with Chad, Alicia, and Spencer so Dad could take some of their family pictures! It was really fun to see Spencer’s reaction to some of the farm animals and to play with him and try to get him to smile for the camera. I love that little boy so much! He’s just a funny little ball of fun! I don’t know what we’d do without him in our lives!
After Wheeler Farm, we went to Grandma and Grandpa’s house to watch the BYU game!! We only made it there as halftime was ending, but it was still cool to see the last half! BYU dominated the game and won 54 to 0!! I just love my team!
We left Grandma and Grandpa’s at the end of the game and we were forced by Mom to get… dun dun dun… a swine flu shot. Now, I’m not sure why, but I seem to have a really bad reaction to shots, which has seemed to instill in me a fear of shots. With my Tetanus shot, my arm swelled up where I got the shot and it looked like I had a baseball in my arm. It was hard like a baseball too, so needless to say, I’m not a fan of needles anymore. The shot wasn’t so bad at first because I had people distracting me and I didn’t have him tell me when he was going to do it. The aftermath however, still hurts. Jennifer and Mom can’t even feel theirs today, but mine now hurts worse than it did yesterday. I have slight bruising around the area, it’s really tender, and the pain from it even goes up my neck. I have to keep taking Advil to make the pain a little more dull. Stupid shots.
Then today, they changed my Young Womens leaders. I got really attached to my leaders again this time, and so the tears were flowing all over the place today. I know that these new leaders will be good for me, but it’s still hard to watch my old leaders go. I’m pretty sure I am really terrible at change.
So that has been my week. I hope you are all doing well and that things are going as they should! I love you all and wish you the best of luck!! Goodnight yall!
Love,
Michelle



From Jennifer:

Hello Family and Friends!-
This week the boys were on vacation and I didn’t know what to do with all the time on my hands! I was bored to death mostly but I got a chance to relax from life!
On Thursday night we had young women’s volleyball (P.S. we made it to regional!) I played the first game and then on to the second but while going for the ball I jumped into the air and whacked it over coming back down with a smack and my ankle giving out, usually it just gets better after a while (and yes it is usual) and I just deal with it so I kept playing…but that made it worse. So I was hobbling around that night with some of the cursed young women that I love to death carrying me around, I figured it would be fine tomorrow…but no. I was hobbling around school with annoying pain in my ankle with all my friends trying to carry me. Saturday it was stiff but fairly well and then Sunday it was good again.
So random different thoughts from this week- I hit myself with the car door on accident, it gave me a bruise. I was also a little sick but just the sniffles and after a few days I was good again. Michelle, my mom and I got the H1N1 vaccination, Michelle’s arm still hurts badly but my mom and I are fine, honestly I was fine five minutes later because after my stomach illness and getting so many needles poked in me a little shot isn’t a big deal anymore. Our young women leaders were released and Michelle, Rylie another girl in our ward, and I were all in tears. It was sad to see them leave but exciting to meat new ones. On Saturday we went to Wheeler farms to take pictures of Chad, Alicia and Spencer and a little of me to. It was really fun and such a pretty place! We had a stake luau that night which was cool with all the dancers and delicious cake! I think that covered it for this week! See you all down the road! And remember-when life gets to hard to stand, kneel…in prayer.

Jennifer