Letter from Josh 27 July 2009

Hey family!

so i got an e-mail from Shrader-Babe today and she is teaching primary 5 and they are learning about missionarys, so she sent me a list of their questions. i thought you might want in on the fun too, so i pt the questions and responses below:

Mitchell wants to know if you got to fly in an airplane to go on your mission. How far away from home are you?:
I did have to fly on an airplane to get to my mission, i was on a plane for 22 hours to get here, so i am very far away from home, half way around the world infact.

Do you eat different kinds of food? Hilary wants to know if you eat mashed potatoes?:
I have only had mashed potatoes once since i have come on missio and i made them myself, the people here dont eat them, which makes me sad cause mashed potatoes are my favorite. they eat all sorts of different foods here. they eat Matoke, which is boiled green bananas; Chapattis, which are kind of like home made tortillas, but better; Chips Mayai, which is where you take french fries and then put eggs on top and fry them together (actually a lot better than it sounds); and Ugali, which is corn that has been grinded up into flour and then you add it to water and boil it until it becomes stiff. Ugali is the most common food here. They eat it with almost every meal.

Adam wants to know if you had to learn a different language:
i didnt have to learn a different language, but many of the people here speak swahili, so i am learning a little bit of that.

Hana wants to know if you will be excited to come home or sad to leave your mission.:
i will be very happy to see my family again, and to have american food again (not that i dont like the food here, cause i love it, i just miss some of the stuff from home that isnt here). but i will also be very sad to leave Africa and to not be able to be a full time missionary again.

Mary wants to know if you can send a picture to us:
i can, it will just take a long time since i am so far away, but i will send some when sister shrader gives me her adress.

We all want to know what your favorite part about your mission is.
My favorite part is seeing people change their lives to become more like Jesus and start to follow him and keep his comandments. This is my favorite part because when this happens the people become happy. true happiness comes from following Christ, and i am so gratefull that i get to be a missionary and that i get to help people learn about Jesus and help them to be happy.

This week was pretty sweet though. We were able to go back to Mama Saidi's (he one we found mourning) a few times and she just keeps telling us thatshe is convinced that we are her "guadian angels" an that the only part of it that she cant figure out is that she can touch us, "and your not suppose to be able to touch angels." She is amazing though. She was raised Christian and then married a muslim boy so she switched to being a muslim for him. but as we were teaching her this week she turned to her husband and said "i dont care what you say about this, my guardian angels are telling me that i need to follow the example of Christ and be baptised, so thats exactly what i am going to do." and then he responded in swahili, but the basic point of it was "if i hadnt been marries\d to you for so long and thought i could still control anything you did i would object, but i know better than that by now." We hadnt even extended a baptismal commitment, we were just sharing the story of Christs baptism from Matthew. The only problem is that she is following the 40 days of mourning tradition and "cant" come to church until it is over. I have no doubt in my mind that she will come and that she will be baptized once the 40 days are up. i'll ask her more about why they do that this week.
The week just went really smoothly. the only real disapointment we had was on friday night when one of the members invited us to his cousins wedding. when we got there they told us we had to have an invitation to get in. the member (moses) even came out and argued with the guy and said he was the best man and we were his friends and the best mans friends should be allowed to come in and ......... but in the end we still couldnt come in, i guess it wasmore of a plated dinning service and not a buffet type thing cause they said if we waited for the dance part we could come then. so we didnt eat dinner till almost ten thirty that night since we still had to go home and cook and it was alread late.
I love you guys, be good and keep me updated. Mike, you said you were going to write me, and there is nothing here from you, whats up with that? have a great week!

Love,
Josh

P.S. if you could make a cd with all the pics that i have sent home and send that to me i would be realy happy. also if you could send some deoderant in the next package, causeto get deoderant in stick form here costs about 10 U.S.A. dollars, which is way out my budget. i still have some left from the massive amount i brought when i was coming out, but it will be gone soon, i like old spice.

Letter to Josh 26 July 2009

Hey YOU!!! Thought you might like to see Sam catching some air...he has a ton of pictures from the Flaming Gorge trip but I am having problems getting them to save from the CD...will keep working on it. Threw in this pic of the Bishop and family out on their family walk...and then the Paver patio we've been working on at the Beans...LOVE it!!
Somehow I went to the funeral and ended up without a single picture...I will get some from Aunt Kathy and get you caught up next week. The funeral was sweet, his boys and Uncle Gord made the casket and had a fly rod attached to the side--buried him in his fly fishing vest. But it was also a lesson that divorce is hard and messy on kids in death as well as in life. The trip was short but fun to catch up with everyone. We will go back for Kayla's wedding in September.
Wednesday night we went to Dad's cousin Mack's home and Uncle Gord and Uncle Ted were both there. They started telling stories of their childhood in South Dakota. So hard to believe that in one generation life could be so different today from when they were young. Grandma Harris had 14 children in 19 years. We were thinking how odd that YOUR GrandDad Harris is the only one to have Alzheimer's...and both brother's got choked up and said that they think it was because when he was a baby, the next baby came along 9 months later---and he HAD to be weaned...so the new baby could nurse. And not only was there not any milk for YEARS, OFTEN they went without food. I guess GrandDad had rickets and lots of broken bones as a child due to such poor nutrition. They think the poor nutrition is part of the whole Alzheimer's deal.Breaks your heart. I realize that even in the world today there exist the poor and hungry...especially in other nations, but its always more than my heart wants to think about. We are SO BLESSED.

How is the language coming? Anything you want me to send with the Peanut M&M's?

Megan took another job teaching floral design at Lone Peak.Her current job allows her the 2 periods off and then she will head back after she teaches. She seems pretty excited. Michael just spent the weekend in St. George with Richard Bean, Lou, Abbey and Abby's cousin Amy--they had a blast. The house they stayed at had a pool and they hiked the narrows and even went to Vegas for a night. Spencer golfed a 76 at his Soldier Hollow tournament last Wednesday. He's working quite a bit at the golf course. Sam is Mr. Social STILL and ALWAYS. Dad's doing his Dad things. Now that we have a three year pool plan I feel more motivated to work harder. Some fun things came up this past week and I'm excited to make some/ALL of them happen :) Working in Primary is as fun as ever...today I got to hold Jaisha and Jeremy Kirby's little 4 month old ANGEL during sharing time and I was in heaven. She was all smiles and coos. I bet you miss the kids... They called Debbie Johnson to be the new RS President. Now we are all fighting over Dianna O. ..no question she would be BEST with US!!! She bore a tender testimony in parting her calling in Sacrament---ALMOST made me think I might be able to like Relief Society more someday...ALMOST.
I love you Buddy. I love who you are and all that you do. I love that you belong to ME!!! Dream about me...meet me at your current chapel and give a tour of the inside and all the people who love you there...I'll be waiting...and rules or no...i'm going to HUG YOU HARD and COVER YOU IN KISSES!!!!!
Mom XXXOOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXX

HOW ADORABLE is this BABY??

Michael lovey...LOOK at YOU!!! YOU came to ME!!! A friend of mine from Gainesville sent me this picture via FACEBOOK this week and I had never seen it before. I have spent ALOT of time just staring at you here and trying to remember what it was like to still have you that small. Look at all that hair buddy...look at that sweet sweet sweet precious BEAUTIFUL face...and such a lovey snuggle bug!!! I'm smiling cause we BOTH know that you STILL ARE...BEAUTIFUL and the LOVEY SNUGGLE BUG!!!
This also has me wondering if I should cut my hair...but pretty sure the haircut wouldn't bring back the YOUTH. THANK YOU Lori Draper for sending this to me!!

WHO IS this woman and WHERE did she go??

I had the funkiest running week. I have always LOVED running. What happend???!!!?? Somewhere in there I woke up and just didn't want to go. Just wanted to sleep in. Then had to like MAKE myself get my 18 miler arranged (don't like to be in the canyon by myself for that far at that time alone). Vanessa and Lori went with me---we are all at different paces, but we at least knew we'd be somewhere close to each other on the trail. We started out at an 8 mile pace...too fast for me to maintain, but felt good for a few miles...this is poor Lori's first time going this far and she is running about an 11 minute pace. I'm at 9:30 and who knows how dang fast Vanessa is...8:30?? By mile 5 we have separated and Vanessa is flitting back and forth between the two of us running ahead and then behind getting tons of extra mileage. When I say "flitting"--I mean like a GRACEFUL GAZELLE...it was truly something to watch. She just kind of danced down the trail making it look so EASY and FUN. That use to be me. I wasn't feeling it. I felt DONE. My head started trash talking me and by the time I was at about 12 I was totally mystified as to HOW I had EVER run marathons before?? 18 miles is so freaking long!?! WHO and WHY would ANYONE ever even consider such a ludicris thing? I even went through the whole "I must not have eaten enough, do I need more water? Have I HIT the WALL?" but no...my BODY still felt FINE...I finished the run, went to Rapier's pool, then got in our hot tub, then spent the day working pretty physically helping the Bean's lay their new paver patio...and the feeling still hasn't left. It's the morning after and I don't have any aches or pains...just this huge void in running love. Seriously...what the heck IS THIS?? And WHY HAVE I felt the desire to be so extreme?
To top it all off...Don comes home from the bike ride of his life having taken MY IPOD and listened to Norman Vincent Peale "You are what you think" and then tells me how much further and harder and better he was able to go while listening to such an inspiring and hope filling talk.
I know that stuff. What happend to me? Why is it still gone...how do I get BACK to WANTING to love it...a little scared this morning after. Truly even wondering WHY I signed up for the marathon and IF I'll run it. I mean I will run it cause I paid the money and if I didn't I'd feel ...WHAT WOULD I FEEL???? Geeeezzzzzzz.....

Letter from Josh 20 July 2009

Hey Fam,

this week was pretty good. We did a bit too much tracting for my liking, but we found some good people so it was worth it in the end. We actually tracted into a home where they were mourning. their son had died just a few days before. when we went into the house i thought that we had just found a muslim family and was confused as to why they invited us in when we said we were from the church of Jesus Christ of later day saints. the were all dressed in black and were wearing shalls and sitting on a mattress that was in the middle of the floor, Elder Molotsi knew that all of that stuff meant that they were mourning, i had no idea and just sat in my confusion until the mother asked us "did you know Sayidi?" and then it all clicked and i knew what was up. we left them with a plan of salvation pamphlet and made an apointment to come back later cause they had visitors coming in and out to mourn with them. We said a prayer before we left and blessed the home and family with peace and comfort. our return apointment is for tomorow, i think it will all go well, she was really interested in the "where do we go after this life" part as you can imagine.
Another cool thing this week was when we went back to see Theopister. when we met her she was with her sisters and her sisters were the ones that seemed interested, but her sisters go to a boarding school (most people here and in kenya go to boarding school once they reach junior high and high school levels) in Moshi (near Kilimanjaro). We had shared the first lesson with all of them, but we werent sure if Theopister even understood what we were saying cause her english didnt seem to be that good, we learned this week that it is good and she is just shy so she reverts to swahili when she speaks. but when we asked her if she read she said yes and had a huge smile on her face, so we asked some more follow up questions to make sure that she actually had read and the smile wasnt because she was lying and was just bad at it. She actually had read, which isnt too common for the people here since the BoM is hard english for them. so then we asked if she had prayed. her smile got even bigger as she said that she had. then we asked if she got an answer and she just started pointing to her heart and said "i know it is true because of this." it was a really cool moment, and it was great to see how happy she was. she came to church yesterday too and that was good too, she made friends with some of the other ladies there. i am very excited for her.
those were the highlights of the week. the rest of it was pretty normal. I was glad to here that you all had a good week. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKE! sorry i didnt remember to write it last week, i only remembered it was your birthday after we left the cyber. Megs prom looked cool and Sams traitor timp kayak thing looked awful, but only because it was timp colors, other than that it was pretty cool. sorry to hear about your uncle dad. and mike, you better write me next week and fill me in on the whole dating situation. I love you all! i miss you all! Have a great week and do something crazy for me!

Love,
your favorite person ever

Letter to Josh 19 July 2009

Lovey, I LOVE YOU!!! Sure had you on my mind this week. It all started with buying you the big bags of M &M's....and it seems I've seen Peanut m&m's everywhere after that :)
Been a busy week. Brother Vella died--I can't remember if I told you that his past winter he fell and slipped on the ice and he already had arthritis in his neck so badly that it broke and he became a quadrilpeligic. Sad. He got an infection that was just too hard to fight in that condition and it took him home on Thursday. Then yesterday Dad's Uncle Roger (Wade and Todd's Dad) died from his cancer. I will be taking lunch in for 22 to Vela's tomorrow and Dad and I will leave Tuesday for Uncle Roger's funeral. Uncle Kelly will be flying is so we are happy to get to see him, and we haven't seen Todd for years.

Sam is FINALLY home and loved his Flaming Gorge trip. He sunburned his lips pretty bad. Other than that he looks super tan. One of his leaders is going to e-mail me pics of the trip so I should have some here for you next week.

Spencer plays in a big tournament on Wednesday up at Soldier's Hollow and now I will miss it due to the funeral. He's out having his weekly Sunday night FIRE. It just flared up past the swings so I'm pretty sure gas is involved in the starting. He has such great friends. I love that they want to be here.

Michael took Kristin Muirhead to the FRAY concert last night and Richard B took Louise...Megan had "PROM" here --I'll put up some pictures...I ran 15 yesterday so I was beat and went to bed about 10:30, but there were about 35 kids here then...it looked great and so did they--i was surprised that so many would get so dressed up...a few tuxes even!! She is such a party animal. Everyone dressed up except for this one guy Mike..but he was so fun and energetic it didn't matter. They had a back drop for pictures, a PROM King and Queen, favors, yummy little pink cupcakes and brownies, my favorite where the twinkle lights-always been a sucker for anything that looks romantic...I got to dance to Thriller...Dad of course stayed far away...

Marta broke her ARM...darn woman!!! Since the divorce she has broken 2 arms, a wrist, her back, her ankle...I should get a list from her...we laugh, but it's NOT funny. I was on the phone with a client when she walks in in her biking gear. I hold up my finger so she knows I need a minute and she doesn't say a word. Then, after a few minutes I hang up and she says sheepishly..."Can you take me to the hospital?" She will have ORtho check it tomorrow to see if she needs surgery. So many days I need a magic wand to make things all better. Her new car is stick shift and she broke her right arm so that is going to be interesting.

After my run yesterday I went to swim off the lactic acid in Berret's pool...just reminding one and all that I still LOVE a pool. Dad has committed to a three year plan...so NO LATER than 2012 the dig will begin!!! While I was there I missed seeing Raquel but couldn't help think about how DARLING she is...she's at Utah State! :) Can't help myself...whoever you're going to marry is out there somewhere and dang it, I am ready for some more daughters...ok, I know, YOU know...I am ready for some Grandbabies...not the typical thing a mom would write a missionary.
The Oates came for dinner tonight and their 3 year old Sarah is CHARMING...I NEED ONE OF HER IN MY HOUSE...

Chickens still aren't laying yet. They LOOK full grown...just waiting for those hormones to produce. You won't believe the mark on the lawn the plastic left on the hill after slip and slidding here at Wacky Wednesday... and I am the one who did it!!!! I only had it on there for about 4 hours MAx...I am wondering if the clear plastic with the water on it acted kind of like a magnifying glass...that grass is just plain ole BURNT. I hope it will recover soon. Just in time for all to see it at Megan's PROM.

When we were in Logan Preston taught me how to grill this GOTTA HAVE ME SOME tri tip steak...so we had it for dinner tonight. I will pass it on to you when you get home...will be a woman attractor. SO YUMMY! This is one of my favorite eating seasons...cantaloupe, watermelon, grapes, pineapple, yellow squash, zuchinni, peppers...so much yummy stuff coming from the garden. The tomatoes should be on soon. Do you get cantaloupe and watermelon there?

The boys almost cried today as Tom Watson lost the Brisith Open...and even weirder still...TIGER didn't even make the cut!!! These boys and their golf!!!

Many times a day I wonder who you are with and what you are eating and how you are feeling. I pray alot for you in the mornings hoping your tummy will give you peace. I pray that the language will slide into your brain and easily become apart of you...like magic. I'm going to get me one of them magic wands. I have thought about a magic wand. The Savior's miracles seemed like he had one. What power to be able heal people instantly. My MIND says --but hey, what important lessons would people miss if I or anyone went around just healing everybody all the time...but then my heart says...yea..how COOL to have that kind of LOVE and HOPE EVERYWHERE--what new lessons could THEN be opened up to us??? And there ARE those around us who have had those healings...I wanna talk to them more and see what it is they are learning!! I'm still just so natural man, wonder how many lives it will take to get me that wand??

I know they say you only get "points" in heaven for how much other people love YOU, not for how much you love others. But THEY aren't always right and I still don't know who THEY are anyway...but lovey...no matter what else happens in this life...I GOT YOU!!! YOU BELONG to ME!!! And magic wand or not, YOU make it all worth the coming. LOVE YOU. Lots. AND LOTS.
Meet me in my dreams at Salem Pond in the canoes...we'll feed the ducks, have a sponge war and make homemade ice cream....
XXXOOOOXXXOOOOXXXOOOO
Your Momma

YOGA

I've thrown in a Yoga class on Tuesday's and Friday's and just wanted to prove it...my teacher is a client and MRS. FLEXIBLE...I often feel like an unco-ordinated wuss...but I just keep reminding myself..HEY---you'll get better, and at least you're HERE! I didn't realize how much age had stolen of my flexiblity. Now that I know where it is, I'm taking it back.

Logan was a BLAST yesterday! Don surprised me and took off work and went with me (Spencer had to golf of course, Sam is still gone, and Michael was driving back from an all nighter trip to Denver for a concert, Megan was working) We ate at Bajio's first thing (YUMMO!!) Went to Drew's tournament soccer game where SHE MADE THE WINNING GOAL against a team a year older than hers!!! I LOVED how much she is loved! Drew had a set of grandparents, both of her parents, 4 cousins and an Aunt (ME XXOOXX) and uncle there to watch. May all of our children have that kind of support throughout thier lives. Afterwards we went for ice cream to celebrate the GOAL. Then to the grocery store to get STUFF (corn on cob, cantaloupe, rolls, cookies, red potatoes, tri tip steak) to BBQ at Jeremy's new house!!! Uncle Preston showed me this new way to cook the Tri tip with TONS of seasonings ---and it was DELICIOSOSOOOSSS!!!
Jeremy's house is RIGHT ON the river...you feel like you are on vacation...it was SO relaxing. They deserve EVERY minute of it after all the med school drill. Kori is already unpacked with everything organized and looking so welcoming. RIGHT across the street is an elementary school with a huge play ground...she can sit in her front room and watch the girlies play away. Graham is still Mr. Incredible...even thier kitty thinks so.....

Wacky Wednesday...

Summer is so sweet. I missed Wacky Wednesday with the kids so I just planned on with the neighborhood kids and we had a blast...it was suppose to go 10-1..but we didn't end until 4! :) As you can see..we slip n slided, sponge wars, water bottle rocket launcers, went to the dollar store, big bubbles, Sand castle making, in and out of the hot tub all day, Twister, parachutes, cookie eating contest...gotta see the picture of Adam working on his cookie!!!Nothing makes me happier than this stuff...how can I make this into a business??? Just me, the kids, treats and PLAYING!!!???

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Spencer and Chuni made a DAY of it..they made Griffindor t-shirts with Spray paint, waited in line for hours for the first midnight showing...got the Harry Potter glasses.
Is she just SO DANG CUTE or what?
Ok..so is SPENCER ;)
I CANNOT imagine my life without a house full of kids!!!

Sam the Scout Kayak Maker

Sam and the whole scout group left early Tuesday morning for Flaming Gorge for the week to USE there newly FINISHED Kayaks. Here you can see them doing the final "float" test at the small pond at Lindon Nursery. What amazing leaders they have. They ALL have my love and gratitude for the time, teaching, energy and opportunities they provide for my boys. Sam will never forget this... Can't wait till he gets home!!! It's green blue and white for THS colors.

Michael's B-day

Just thought you'd like to see a few of the kids who came over for Michael's b-day Trifle. There were more friends...I just didn't hang out to get pics of everyone. Michael isn't a big cake lover so he picks something other than cake most b-days...this stuff is like killer amazing good. I make a huge cookie sheet of gooey brownies, chunk them up and layer the brownies with :chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and then the person's favorite Candy bar chunks...and do that twice and the bowl is FULL. (I like butterfingers, Spencer likes snickers, Michael likes TWIX) ANYWAY...wanna make your family go gaa gaa--make that for dessert tonight!!!

Happy Birthday Baby Boy

In some ways it was just like it was last week...yesterday even...I was terrified to have a second C-section after having the first. At the same time I was THRILLED to be having another baby come...they gave me the foo foo feel good juice, started the surgery--and pulled out this BOY with LOTS of dark hair. A BOY!!! It took me days to wrap my brain around a BOY! I had never even imagined that I would have a boy. Somehow I was thinking lots and lots of girls that I sewed matching dresses for....

But oh Michael, you were the PERFECT way to break me in. From the first tiny non complaining cry you have been an angel and an comfort and a JOY to have in our family. I remember FREAKING out knowing that you would be asked to leave me for two years on a mission...and today I'm half smiling thinking...it has already happend and I actually survived.

22 years old buddy! Such a handsome MAN. So much JOY ahead!!!! THANK YOU for choosing to come to me...YOU MADE MY LIFE!

Josh's Letter 13 July 2009

LOVE this boy!!!!

Hey everybody! First of all, i will answer dads questions since i have ignored them for the past few weeks. i dont think you understand just how bad the post system is here. the only way to send anything to me here would be if i had a post office box, and i dont have one, and the branch doesnt have one, a few of the members have them, but then i would always be asking if anything came for me and i am sure it would get anoying, and on top of that they charge you not only a monthly fee for a box, but if any packages come that cant fit in the box (which is only big enough to hold letters, and only the letters in small envelopes) but an additional fee for holding the stuff for you in their "vault" (really just a storage room, they just want to sound official). plus whatever they want to charge you for the stuff in the package. so i wouldnt feel comfortable using a members box when there are all those extra fees and things. but i dont think i will be in arusha much longer anyways, i am pretty sure this is my last transfer here, and there are only two weeks left in the transfer so you couldnt get a package to me by then anyways. i am not sure what i want for my wall, i am kinda just giving up on it cause i struggle to find time to write in my journal each day, so maybe adding another project wouldnt be the best idea is what i decided, but dont send me magazines, they are ust heavy and take up space in the packages and we get the church magazines every month anyways. and speaking about packages, whenever you send the next one put in more peanut m+m's. i miss those things way too much. and no dad i am not keeping a "most important people to remember list" i figure anybody that really is that important i will remember anyways, and while i may not be the best at memorizing dates and facts, i tend to remember people pretty well. so last monday we went to kilimanjaro. kilimanjaro is completely in tanzania, some of the foothills are in kenya if you stretch the meaning of foothills a bit, but the mountain is in tanzania, so dont let anybody tell you otherwise. we left here at like 7 in the mornig and had a two hour bus ride there (to moshi, the big city just in front of the mountain) and then another hour dala dala ride to one of the villages in the foothills kili itself. the day just went downhill from there. this is the cold season here, not rainy, but cold, and the mountain wasnt visable due to all of the clouds. then we started to hike up a trail to the entrance of the national park and these two "guides " came and we told them to go away because we didnt want to have to pay them. well they never left and said they didnt have anything else to do so they would come for free and ended up taking us down some wierd way that seemed like one of the main paths at first, but it led to these two waterfalls, not to the national park. by the time we got there it was too late to go to the national park if we were going to make it home on time. when we were getting in the dala back to moshi so we could get a bus back here the guides told the driver that we were refusing to pay them and so the driver refused to go until we payed the guys. i was pist by the whole thing. we didnt get to see kili, we didnt get to the national park, and then they force us to pay them for taking us the completely wrong place after saying it would be free. and we were all super hungry, which just helped to make us more mad.Other than that these past two weeks have been really normal. we had zo-co last saturday, which is when i got the package from you guys. we had two investigators move which was awfull cause the church isnt where they are moving to. and another of our investigators had an employee steal all the money AND goods from the restoraunt he was running. the only reason he knows who it was is because the guy was the only one not to show up for work the next day, but he hasnt even been able to get in contact with him, for some pretty obvious reasons. but hiss whole buisness and sorce of income is just gone now. i feel super bad for the guy, just wish we could help him with that more.i'm a bit pressed for time this week too, so have a good week. i love you all, have a great week, be safe and dont do anything too stupid without me there to do it with you! Love, Josh

Thinking about my boy....

Josh...Marci Allphin gave this "I'm going to be better RIGHT NOW" talk in church today, she ended with this quote from Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh:

"If ever there is tomorrow where we are not together...there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we are apart, I will always be with you."

Of course it made me think of all of you kids...wanting EACH of you to really know how great you are...how lucky the world is to have YOU, how lucky I am to be your mom....and especially the I WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU PART :)

This week at the Harris'

Edgington's took us to their dear friends house who just built this INCREdIbLE pool and pool house--Stacy knows my pool dream and yeah...she got it right...this was my favorite I've ever seen at a private residence...kind of gave me a buzz that someone actually has this haven in their OWN back yard....

Wanted you to see the BEE BALM blooming...it looks gorgeous over on the side...makes you want to walk up the side of the house a couple of times a day.

Then you'll see HANDSOME Spencer at day 2 of this weeks golf tourney

I'm getting old lady skin. It just happend all of the sudden. I looked down at my arm at Spencer's golf tournament to make sure I didn't need more sun screen when I noticed it. Okay, that's kind of a lie. I've been noticing the eye wrinkles for a bit...but my WHOLE BODY? THen I checked out my legs...and sure enough. It's there. Old lady skin. The irony is old lady skin with 2 honkin' zits on my chin. ?? Kinda bugged about it. Not that there's much to do. Just thought i'd be older....like 55 or 60 or something like that.

I'm laying out on one of the back swings. It's probably 94-95 degrees, but i am in the shade and there is a slight breeze so it's PERFECT. The sky is SO blue and there is barely a cloud to be seen. I LOVE our yard. I LOVE outside. All the work has come to this glorious moment---every flower, bush, tree, garden plant..they all seem to just be loving me back and thriving on the long awaited sunshine. How cool is it that I can lay on this swing in the middle of it all and type here and it works? We live in such an amazing time.

Yesterday was Michelle and her brother Matt's first time through the temple. Such a sweet day and I felt so loved and honored to be invited. no doubt she was sent here to be my friend.
Spencer spoke in church today about Service...he mentioned you Josh. I'll try to get a copy and post it here.

Spencer played in another UJGA tournament this week. I got to go with him to both of them. The first day was at the WINGPOINT course out right next to the airport. It was so fascinating to watch all the planes come in and go out...I hadn't done that since I was a teenager. I just hadn't thought much about the runnings of an airport. At one point we could see 10-11 United planes all in a line ready to take off. Then there was the rush of FED EX and Postal planes...hard to believe that THAT many people would be getting packages around here...but surely they must! No other parents were there so I got to walk the 18 holes alone and it was sweet.
Yesterday was my Dad and Graham's birthday. Pretty darn grateful to have that boy still with us!!!

Friday I did something to my hip. I am totally freaked out about it. I needed another 15 miler this week to stay on track for my marathon. So glad I have so many miles on my legs that it won't mess me up...but I am a bit worried that it is Sunday and it is still stabbing. I get in to the dr. on Tuesday.

We had Sander's, Sandbergs and Stone's over for cards on Friday. Josh, you would have loved to smell Morgan...only 2 weeks old SO TINY!!! Tracy let me give her a bath and I was in HEAVEN!!! And she had THE CUTEST little all cotton sleeper...you KNOW how I LOVE to dress my babies in soft soft stuff. oh man...wanted working parts again there for a minute!

I have raised slobs. I get the house all clean and then THEY hit the door and in less than 5 minutes my house is covered with STUFF. New dish chart went up today. Just get tired of asking to have stuff put away...seems like the older they get the worse job I did in that department.

We went to dinner with the Edgington's on Wednesday night....yes, MIDWEEK...I know...we ARE getting old...closer and closer to empty nesters. They are as dear and wonderful as ever and we love their guts!!! They asked all about you Josh. Mallory will be heading back to BYUI in the fall but is home working at Pinnacle for the summer--Hailey is too.Mckenzie and husband bought a home in Cedar Hills, Barrett is working for NBC in New York, and Landon is working security system sales in Michigan i think. We went to GOODWOOD and I couldn't help but think of you and our last out to dinner there before you left.

I love ya Buddy. I love you more than chilled watermelon heart, I love you more than HOT chocolate chip PIZOOKIES, I love you more than a run in Canada down the old farm roads, I love you more than an hour long massage...I love you MORE and MORE....

THANKS for my letter last week!!!

Josh's letter July 2009

Hey Family!
i have to be supper fast this week. i didnt even have time to read most of the e-mails. we went to go see kilimanjaro today, and now have no time for anything else. i will tell you all about it next week. glad the memory card got there. i got the package with the memory card and etc from you guys this week as well. it was great to get it, but once again, hide any electronic stuff you are putting in there, it is much less likely to get to me if you dont, and if it does get to me, it will be really expensive to pay the customs for. this one was almost 20 US dollars, which is quite a good chunch of our alotment here and i really dont like having to take money out of the acount from home. and dont worry about scanning stephs invite, she said she sent me one, i figured that meant one to me here in africa, so i will get it soon enough, even though the wedding will be over by then. anyways, i love you guys! have a great week!
Love,Elder Harris

WE GOT THE CAMERA CARD!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!

Well Lovey...I'm going to wait for your letter in the morning before I post some of the pics you sent via the camera card...you made me a VERY HAPPY MOMMA!!! I have gone through them again and again. I have played the videos again and again. Beans came over to play cards tonight and I made them all go through them again (they WANTED TO!!!) Thank YOU again for sending it.

I ran 15 up the canyon on the 4th with Vanessa--now she's faster than me. We went to Olive Garden for lunch with the whole family. Then Megan got me going on Grey's Anatomy (season 1) and now I am half way through season 2. I am such a sucker for love relationships and good writers. I LOVE that show. All the kids had different plans for the fireworks so Dad and I went to a BBQ at Cooper's for a bit and it was yummy. We got to meet Cameron--Kaylie's fiancee'--darling boy. Coopers are as wonderful as always. Everyone sends their love.

David Chester got his call to SWEEDEN and so did Nathaniel Olsen--they BOTH go in 14 of October. David was so thrilled...he made a cake of the Swedish flag and put Sweedish fish all over it and brought it over to share. Dave is SO READY to get the heck out of here.

I took Steph the flowers from Costco and they were PRETTY...a really bright bouquet with fun spring/summer colors. She was as adorable as ever and thanked me ALOT and I just said don't thank me...thank Josh. I took them on Friday when we got the letter. I have her announcement, but have spent a LONG while trying to scan it here for you....will have it figured out and scanned by next Monday.

Bean's came tonight to play cards so it is late when I am writing this. Matt was called to the High Council today. I can't think of much else that has happend this week. YOUR letter was the highlite. Two of the Ivory Homes sold so we have new darling kids in primary.

I LOVED seeing your apartment! I LOVED seeing YOU and your companions, and AFRICA and just the places you hang...it made me feel ALOT better. The kelly's called this week as well to tell us that they had just seen you on Monday. TO think of the possibility of it all made my head spin. I am so grateful for air travel. They kept saying what a NICE boy you are....made your momma proud.

I LOVE YOU!!!! More than sitting in the hot tub in the rain, more than finishing 15 miles strong and wanting more, more than a new escape TV series.....I love you, I LOVE YOU...and I LOVE YOU!!!!

Hiking Baldy

Dad had the day off on Friday so he and I and Meg hiked Baldy...we didn't go to the hot air balloons as part of the Freedom Festival this year, but you can see them in the distance. With all the rain the grass was so high and wet in some places on the trail that we walked with our arms straight up...in many places the grass was taller than me!