October 12 - 18, 2009

pics
http://picasaweb.google.com/kensbestpics/2009_10_16Zoo#

http://picasaweb.google.com/kensbestpics/FamilyOctober2009#

Fortie Family Flyer
October 12 – 18, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,
Hello, hello, hello to one and all. We are finding that the girls have great jobs, Jennifer, because she is working with a great family in our ward and with kids (she is great with kids) and Michelle was able to get a job where she is dealing with the public and having to use new skills beyond her tutoring job and Kneaders is closed on Sunday, etc., etc. However, we are also finding that both tend to have to work on Monday so we have a rather difficult time having any kind of descent family home evening. It is interesting how that can, even though we have had a strong history of FHE, gradually get set on the back burner until any lame activity gets the name of family home evening so we can still claim we have it but don’t get lessons, singing, prayers, etc. into the picture. So, this week we cried uncle on Monday night and started having the whole shebang of a normal FHE on Sunday night, with song, prayer, lesson, planning, etc. and if we get a chance now and then we will go do some kind of activity on Monday when schedules permit. We started tonight (Sunday the 18th) and it went well; it’s good to sing together again.
As for the rest of the week (besides work) I took the swamp cooler down on Wednesday, that is always a major project to get that heavy thing down from our bedroom window two stories up. I tied weights to the ropes that I had through the rings on the wall that held the cooler up so it would be easy to lower it but I decided to wait until the kids got home so they could help me. Even though I had done all the work except bring it down (panels off, ropes up weights tied on, hoses and motor removed, etc., etc.) some still complained about having to help me, taking time away from their homework. I find it interesting that many of them will, when someone starts playing a monk DVD, end up watching at least part of it pretending to do homework at the same time. Hmmm, it looks like I must spend a few family home evenings on charity and service, two of the most important aspects of the gospel over gratifying selfish pleasures. It’s funny how easy it is to get fooled by the trickster (the name the Native Americans have for the devil).
On Friday Jennifer skipped school and we went with grandpa, grandma, Chad, Alicia and Spencer to the zoo. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time. I found when it was over, that I had focused so much on getting some good animal pictures that I didn’t spend very much time with everyone else. I felt bad that I would let pictures get in the way of just some down time with my grandson. Having said that, I did get a few pictures of family along with the pictures of some of the animals (only a few as I found I would really have to go there by myself with the entire day available to use up waiting for those few great moments to get more and better shots than I did). Before I knew it (and that happens to me a lot as I don’t keep track of time well) it was time to head out to get Jennifer to meet up with her friends to go shopping and me off to take family pictures for Brent and Mandy. I ran into two accidents on the freeway going down to American Fork so I was almost a half hour late. I felt bad but they were forgiving. We were at a nice park and we were able to get some good shots in spite of a few of their youngest kids who were not very interested in pictures (which is to be expected). They are a cute family and I enjoyed working with them. I then went to deliver two 20x30 pictures to Repartee Gallery and then went down to the BYU Bookstore to take inventory. I was pretty low on pictures so I have to get more printed up and packaged (my favorite project – NOT).
Saturday everyone went their own way, mostly to work. Chad came over to borrow the truck and in the afternoon most of us were able to break away to go to grandpa and grandma’s to watch the BYU game. It was a good game and we beat San Diego by a few touchdowns but they did a good job of scoring against us as well.
Sunday was stake conference and we mistakenly thought that even though it was at the Conference Center it was going to be broadcast at our stake center (like dad and moms stake). When we got there it wasn’t so we debated about what to do. Should we go to the Conference Center and be very late or to grandpa and grandma’s stake center and be very late or find one around our area. Brian took off on his scooter to find one around us and he found one down on 134th and about 30th West so we all went there. It was a good conference and after the meeting we came home, ate, then played games, decorated for Halloween, had FHE (as I talked about at the beginning) then ate again and wrote letters. I good day all in all.
I finished the book “Biology of Belief” and it was a good thought provoking book with many ideas to help me improve and see things differently; I recommend it. In fact the author goes into great detail about the structure of the human cell and how it works, then talks about life outside the body (spiritual – he used to be an atheist), etc., etc. (way to much and too complex to deal with here (but don’t worry he does a good job of presenting it to the average reader – like myself)). He talks a lot about the membrane of the cell and how it is made of water and oil and how proteins get things in and out of the cell and so on and so forth. It was fascinating to me and while that was fresh on my mind I went to the temple to do some initiatory work and as I was going through that process of hearing the prayers over and over again I was trying to pay close attention to them to learn as much as I could when suddenly, out of the blue, the thought came to me that it was all about washing with water and anointing with oil just as they did in the Old Testament and those two ingredients are what the cell membrane is made of. The membrane of every cell in our body (the thinking part of the cell – according to this book), is made of water and oil. He demonstrates that as he was cloning them at Harvard he found that each cell thinks and actually moves toward food in a dish or away from poison and decides what to bring in and what to expel from the cell. They also communicate with other cells in a dish. The two most important ingredients of the cell membrane, water and oil, are two of the most important items in this important ordinance and are talked about throughout the scriptures. They are critical for life and we learn of their importance throughout life without realizing how basic they are to our existence. The amazing thing is they are two opposites that are necessary to make everything work right. Without them nothing can live. A study of oil and water in the scriptures has some powerful symbolism behind their use. Water and cleansing and anointing with oil representing the anointed one or the Messiah, etc. Well there is a lot to all this and I wish I had time to write all I learned with this little revelation but I’m sure you get the drift of it and understand what I am talking about (for now I must get to bed).
To all you amazing people out there keep studying.
Ken and clan



From Elder Fortie:
Well everyone transfers have come and my companion is out and I am left to train a new zone leader. I find my list of things to do keeps growing every time I say I wish I had more time, so I think I'm gonna try some reverse psychology on myself and maybe on the mission president and tell him I have all the time in the world and I don't know what to do with myself. Maybe then the laws of freaky nature will somehow pan out that I have more time! That seems to be the way things work... Right? Also my room mates are leaving me! I'm the only one staying. I lived with 2 Chinese elders, one of them, Elder Wong from Hong Kong China, cracks me up, he speaks decent English, but he's still got a thick accent and it's not perfect, and he says things that would not be funny at all if an American said them, yet since it's coming from this little gentle happy Chinese kid, it's hilarious! He is my little "Kato" we attack each other randomly in the apartment when we are there. Also we build random towers of plastic cups on each others desks when the other isn't looking, and then knock them over so there's a massive mess everywhere. Yesterday I built a tower on his bed, and then he came into the room to change his sweater, and when he had it up over his head I ran into the room and tackled him into the tower of cups! It was glorious! I'm gonna miss him, he's funny. We also have a little random Frankenstein doll thing that's like 4 feet tall that we had in random places to scare each other. It's been a nice stress relief when I come home from 5 hours of meetings and open the bathroom to see Frankenstein sitting on the toilet in a white shirt and tie... I'll miss that little Chinese Elder.My new companion will be Elder Buttars, who I don't really know so I'll find out how that goes tomorrow when I get him. My companion is being sent out to Half Moon Bay, the far corner of the mission, where I pulled the lady from the ocean, as junior companion. We've had a great week with some of our investigators, were really hoping for them to pick up and go well. But the juggling act is killer. We have been so blessed in finding that we have so many investigators that between all the meetings I have to be in, we can't keep up with all the people we have to teach. If we focus on one we neglect another. So were gonna have to do some weeding and work with the chosen best and put the others on simmer till we can get to them. It's a good problem to have I suppose. We had a baptism last night, and I spoke on the atonement on it, there were a lot of non members there, and the Spirit did its job well, I did not follow what I had planned but found myself drilling one of the most direct testimonies I've given of the Savior that I've given. Like as I was speaking I was surprised at the force and directness of the words that were sneaking out of my mouth! But afterwards, many of those non members came up to me and told me that my "speech" (as they called it) was very powerful and they were amazed at how it had touched their heart. Even the mission president’s wife who does not speak Spanish came up to me and told me she was in tears because of the spirit. Little did they know the whole time I was up there speaking I was thinking "should I be saying that?" haha because I was not planning on it. So I guess the spirit knew (as always) what to do better then I because it had me say things I myself was hesitant to say. Well I gots to get going. Take care one and all. Keep a smile on! -Love Elder Fortie-



From Michelle:
Dear world,
Wow, it sure has been a while since I last wrote… sorry! I will try to remember all that has happened in my life lately, but with my memory, I make no promises!
Life as of late has been nothing really exciting. It is mostly school and work. During the school year, my life gets quite dull and I don’t have much time to do fun or eventful things. But I will do my best to make it short and sweet and not put yall to sleep!
School hasn’t changed much. It does seem to be speeding by though! I can’t believe that we’re already almost done with 1st quarter! Physics is one of my favorite classes this year. It’s not really because of the topic, it’s more because of the friends and fun people in that class and the teacher! Mr. Justis is the teacher and he is a funny, nerdy, 20-something year old who just cracks me up! He’s not nerdy as in a geek, he just loves physics so much that it makes him seem nerdy. He’s really cool and funny though, so all of us students have a great time in there! I also have a few really good friends in there like my dear new best friend Sandra, my trek brother and new best buddy Mckay Wells, and my also new best buddy Adam Painter! We all sit by each other and we have so much fun! It’s a blast and I look forward to that class every day. My other favorite class is my theater class. It’s a really relaxed environment and it’s basically a class of play time where we get to make up and put on skits! Sandra is also in there with me, so we have a grand old time and we crack up and we love to make ourselves look like idiots on the stage as long as we can get everyone else to laugh! Ha ha! So that’s school for ya!
Work isn’t too bad most of the time! Bob the baker is one of my favorite people in the earth now, and I’m so sad that he is leaving in 2 weeks! He cracks me up and I can’t imagine Kneaders without him! I wore a tie-dye shirt the other day as I went to pick up my paycheck, and he commented on how cool he thought it was and asked me if I would tie-dye something for him before he left. I said yeah, and jokingly said that I should tie-dye his work shirts. He looked at me like my plan was the most brilliant he had ever heard. The way his face lit up you would have thought I had just solved global warming! He asked me if I would tie-dye two of his Kneaders shirts if I gave them to him and I said yeah, but wondered if he would get fired for it. He then reminded me that he’s already given his three weeks notice, and Kyle (our boss) isn’t going to fire him or anything. I laughed and told him that I totally would do it, but then asked him why he wanted two instead of just one. He said, and I quote, “So when Kyle sees me wearing one, and says, never wear that shirt again, I can just wear the other one.” I think I almost died laughing then and there. He calls me Barbara, because apparently I look more like a Barbara than a Michelle. (I seem to get renamed quite a bit by the people I know.) So I call him happy Bob because he has a very dry sense of humor, and when you see him, he just sort of looks like Eyore. Sad and lonely! That sounds terrible, but that’s how he looks. So we joke around and tease each other all the time! Other than that, nothing is new with work.
Nathan and Paige came down for a visit the other weekend, and that was a lot of fun! They went to the temple on Friday afternoon/night and Jennifer and I went back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house to play with Spencer! When they got back, we had a pizza dinner, and played some games. Saturday morning, I worked and so did Mom, so we went out as soon as we could and we all watched the BYU game and played games and looked at pictures! Then on Sunday, we went to church out at Grandma and Grandpa’s ward with them. When we first got to their ward, Spencer spotted Jennifer and I, and he got excited and squealed really loud! He’s so cute and we love him so much! I can’t wait until Nathan and Paige’s baby comes so we can have two little joys in our lives! After church, we headed back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for a BIG family dinner! Their house may need to start growing along with the family because things are starting to get pretty crowded in there, and we didn’t have Mounteers or Rauckhorsts there! So if EVERYONE got together, we could have a big problem on our hands. It was good to see them though, and we had fun!
Whit came down with Tyler and her cousin Nathan the weekend before, but we really only got to do something with them Saturday. That night, while the men were all at priesthood, we went shopping! I got four new shirts and a new dress. Funny thing is, we were shopping for Jennifer, not me, but Jennifer hardly ended up getting anything. Thing is, I found some fantastic deals and I couldn’t skip them. Jen, Whit, and I did find some pretty fantastic zebra print jumpsuits though. They were pretty freaking hilariously awesome, and I was tempted to buy one just for laughs!
Well, I think that brings you up to speed on my life… if I forgot anything… that kinda sucks. I love you all and hope you’re doing well! Good luck in the next week yall! Cherish all your happy moments: they make a fine cushion for old age. - Christopher Morley.
Love,
Michelle Fortie!