November 9 - 15, 2009

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

Fortie Family Flyer
November 9 – 15, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,
We have six weeks ‘till Christmas, 7 weeks ‘till 2010 and one hundred sixty one weeks (give or take) until December 21, 2012 and the end of the world, so they say (or at least until the end of the Mayan calendar which, when we figure out the truth, probably means it’s time to change the batteries in their calendar). Hum, I guess we better get out and see as much of the world as we can in that one hundred and sixty one weeks (just in case).
Well, as usual, not much to report this week. I did have both the Sandy and the American Fork Deseret Book stores try to hire me. The American Fork Store offered more hours and said they were much more fun to work with so I took that one. I start Monday the 16th (today). Hopefully it will be a positive experience and my ankle will allow me to do a good job.
I decided I didn’t get a very well rounded group of pictures from Wheeler Farm when I went to take family pictures so I went back in the middle of this week but there had been some pretty strong winds for a few days before that and it went from beautiful yellow colors to brown and gray rather quickly so not much success there. I’m not even sure why I take these pictures; I still have to come up with a way to get them to make money - perhaps a calendar with a quote from the scriptures on each page or something.
Nothing fun in the evenings going down all week; just work and girls doing activities for church. I did shop for Tami’s birthday but I am never very good at finding something she likes so I really struggled with it. I finally found something and before she even opened it she told me that she wanted to use her birthday and Christmas money to get a new couch for the family room so I said we might as well not look at what I got since we just have to take it back. She wanted to see it anyway so she opened it and actually liked it and wanted to keep it – shock of the century for me. It was a warm robe since she gets cold in the office down stairs in the winter time. On Saturday we went to dad and mom’s to watch the game. Due to work schedules we were a few minutes late but had a nice time once there. Alicia fixed some soup that really hit the spot so I asked for the recipe. I think we have several soup days coming up with the temperature falling and snow coming down.
It snowed pretty hard Saturday night and Michelle had the truck at work so I went and let her drive the car while I drove the truck home. Even though it was just from 134th (Kneaders) to our house it was very slick and we could see 3 accidents on 134th from the restaurant. The truck had a hard time making it up the slope on Monarch Meadows and Shaggy Peak (not very steep just very slick) but we finally made it home. It’s nice to have a home to come to in weather like that. We got home late and I stayed up a bit to get my lesson for my genealogy class. Our ward is now able to get on to the New Family Search sight (as of Monday) so we will see if I can’t get our ward on it and doing their genealogy. The class went well on Sunday, now I just need to get next weeks lessons for Sunday School and Priesthood earlier in the week so I’m not staying up late on Saturday night working on them. We all slept after church and one home teaching visit for me. Tami ended up making the dessert for the birthday dinner at mom and dads. When Brian came home we took off, the roads had cleared up pretty well so we had no problems. We had a nice dinner and visit and Tami and Michelle blew out candles and we had cake and ice-cream, of course. Mike and Linda and Ashley were there as well.
Well, that is indeed the whole week except all the exciting stuff, but then that would have been a fiction story and I don’t do fiction. Hope all is going well for you and you are thankful for what you have in this season of Thanksgiving.
Ken and clan




From Elder Fortie:
No, I didn't die; the two day delay in my letter is just because I moved our zone's p-day to Wednesday just for this week to let them go to the temple (It's not open on Monday when we have p-day and p-day is the only day were allowed to go). So I moved it for this week so they could have their tri- annual temple trip. So P-day is Wednesday for this week, but we'll be back to Monday next week. My week was again filled with lots of administration but not as much as last week gratefully. Although this upcoming week is looking like I may be doing another long haul... Still smiling though!
Well the temple this morning was great! I'm there almost everyday, but I don't get to do a session. So to actually get to go through it and not just rush around at meetings at it was a nice chance to relax and do some reflecting and stress relief. It was a bit of a frustrating week. I do wish members would better understand their purpose in the mission work and both the good, and bad affects they can have by simple choices. I had to deal with two situations where active members pulled a dumb move with an investigator which is head aches and problems I don't want to have nor does it need to happen! Be good! Be kind and nice and loving to investigators! Okay? All you people out there, treat them well! Both to their faces AND when their not around! That's all I'm gonna say about that.
Well I set 2 baptismal dates this past week! One of them is living with her boy friend and is not married and has a 4 year old kid, she accepted the baptismal date, and our next lesson was going to be on getting her married so she could get baptized. I was worried about it because I didn't think it was going to go over very well with the boy friend, he didn't seem like he wanted to get married, but to my surprise the Lord had a nice blessing up his sleeve. The next day after she set a date to be baptized, before I'd ever told them she couldn't get baptized until she got married, he proposed to her!!! Out of no where! After living together for like 4 years he "randomly" (with a little celestial help...) decided to ask her to marry him! Yeah... coincidence.... I think not! This is so the Lord's work and he prepares those whom are open to change! So that was exciting.
One night this past week, we’re not sure what I got but I had a temperature of 101.7 degrees, and we were supposed to have 4 appointments in the next 4 hours, and I was shaking like a leaf struggling to stand as we knocked on the door of our first of 4 really important appointments. We were looking like we were in trouble! But then our ward mission leader, "tio Ted" (His name is Theodore Fairchild, who's a white guy who was a former professor at BYU and several other prestigious universities who served his mission in Guatemala, but he goes by "Tio Ted" which is Spanish for "uncle Ted") he's a funny little sweet man in his early 60's that does a ton for us and is a great teacher and missionary showed up at the appointment and said I needed to get some rest, so they took me home and left me with another Elder who was sick and he went out with my companion and went to all our appointments for me. He's a great guy and he did a great job, the people love him and he really knows how to get stuff done. I was up and running by the next day, but I was pushin 102 degrees which if I remember right is not good haha. But I'm totally fine and back to norm now. So that was another great help to have him there to take over for us.
Well now I gots to go, no p-day for the wicked hahaha. My p-days usually consist of doing my laundry, writing an e-mail and if I'm really lucky I'll have time to write a letter or two sometime throughout the day to a friend. Its madness and I don't really get a p-day most of the time, more of just it's a day when I'm allowed to clean and write home and friends in between all the other stuff I have to do. My time has run out, stay strong everyone, keep on smiling, happy birthday to Mom and Michelle, and remember... something... because I don't!
Love,
Elder Fortie