Hi everyone;
Another week has passed and here we are again.
Do you know what it is like playing volleyball after you are 50 years old? It is fun but it takes a little out of you. I am coaching the Young Men in the ward which is time consuming and fun, so I play a little with them. Then I am playing with the men in the ward also. It is really fun and I get a chance to meet with some of the younger members of the ward. I like that because there are so many of them and we don’t have much other interaction. Anyway I am trying to stay in shape and enjoy it at the same time. We have an average team in the ward but we have a good time. I am still running 3-4 times a week on the elliptical cross trainer and that is a effort to get up each morning to do that but I know it makes a difference and is important so out we go.
This week was a fun experience. I have been trying to research the ordinances on the family history pedigree that was downloaded. I got through another 250 names and submitted them for temple ready. I found another 5 ordinances that needs to be done. It is two women that we can do baptisms and endowments for each and sealing for one of them. Because it is two women I am sending them to Nancy to get done. I have started on the next group and will send some to John and Chat to complete. It is quite exciting to get these pink and blue slips with names of family members who need to have the sacred ordinances done. I am learning more and understanding more about the sacredness of the Temple; and a little about how it fits into Heavenly Father’s eternal plan. It is fun. John and Chat you indicated interest in doing some of the research also. I am going to find out this week how to merge into one file information we each do. I can get you the information to research, but we need to merge it back into one single file or the tracking is miserable. I will know more this week and send you information. What we will probably need to do is have a conference call to show you what needs to be done and how to do it. You each need to have the PAF program to begin and you need to have a logon id and password to the church family search website. It is a different password from the logon to the www.lds.org website for Ward and Stake information. If you have questions on what I just said, let me know. Anyway we are working on it.
We listened to Conference yesterday and will be listening again today. It was a wonderful experience. We were so pleased and happy for the call of Quinton Cook to the Quorum of the 12. Many of you may not know Elder Cook. We were fortunate to have met him as kids. After he graduated from Stanford Law school he and Mary moved into our ward in San Mateo. Dad was the Bishop and Quinton was called as one of his Councilors. We got to know them some through that relationship. Mom and Dad knew them quite well and socialized with them on occasion. He is really a good man and one of high character. So that was of particular interest to us. The call of President Eyring was also a positive thing. We listened to the live press conference between sessions and what a great experience that was. Bright and inspired men.
Prior to conference Eric and I went to the lake to ride for about an hour or so. I hadn’t been out for a long time and I just wanted to get out. We went out about 8:15 and got home in time to shower and watch conference from the beginning. So that was fun. But now I have four other kids mad at me for not calling them. So for all interested I am going out again next Saturday. Let me know if you are interested.
We have stake conference next weekend which will be good.
We got a letter from Kevin this week and he is doing very well. He has a green new missionary and it is a good experience for him. His companion is not bashful about getting with the people and trying to talk to them. His language skills are new but he is out mixing it up. Kevin is impressed. They are working hard and he will learn a lot about leadership and grow from it. We can sure see a change in his letters during the past few months and it is a wonderful change. Keep up the good work Kevin. You are doing the right work and where the Lord wants you to be.
We got a wonderful letter from my brother John this week. Congratulations to you for your new call. He was called as the Branch President of a new Singles Branch in their Stake. John and Sharron have been working with the singles in the stake for some time and he has been encouraging the formation of a singles ward for some time and the Stake Presidency received approval. So his life will be occupied again with young minds and active lives. Just remember John, life for the singles begins at 9:30 pm!!! Be sure to get some sleep. I remember serving in a Bishopric of a singles Ward. You better have your running shoes on and let them run. They are an exciting group and add years to your life. You are fortunate. John.
Randy and Jill arrived here on Friday. They had a safe trip from Chicago. They had a real blessing happen to them. As you know they have accepted a new job in Dallas with Locke/Ladell a large law firm. Randy will be in the Tax Department and have a significant roll in growing the department. Anyway, they felt prompted by the Spirit to make the move. But as you all know the housing market is not the best all over the country, at least for the sellers it is not good because there are so many homes for sale or under foreclosure. So they were concerned about being able to sell the home. Well they obeyed the spirit and accepted the job. They listed the home about 3 weeks ago and on Wednesday of this week (the day before they left) they signed a contract to sell the home. What a blessing!!! To sell the home in 3 weeks is really quick and they got what they needed. It wasn’t what they wanted but in this market you don’t get what you want; and you are fortunate to get what you need. So they were blessed. They will start looking for housing during the next few weeks and hopefully they will find what they are looking for.
Little Tyler (Scott and Carrie’s son) had his third birthday yesterday and we went over there for birthday cake in between sessions of conference. It was fun. He is really learning how to open presents with zeal.
Chat’s son Neil and his wife were blessed with a new baby recently also. It was boy and they will name him Eric. They are happy.
Nothing else significant for any of the other kids this week. At least that I know of. They are all doing well.
The Gospel is true and we are blessed because of the Atonement of Christ. May the Lord bless you all.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Family letter September 30 2007
It is the end of September already and I don’t know where the time is going. I think we are doing a lot and accomplishing things, but I don’t know where the time goes. I measure how fast the week goes by my Sundays and Thursdays. Sundays because it is a completely different day and I get my batteries charged and Thursdays because it is Temple day. Those are my stakes in the ground to measure things. Unfortunately they are coming too close together. I don’t quite understand it but there are fewer days in between. So here we are babbling, making no sense of something I have no control over and will never figure it out. That was a great beginning to our letter for this week.
I have been working on some ordinance research on our family genealogy. I mentioned some time ago that I downloaded my genealogy that was on church records and it included over 5500 names. I have been pecking away at the list to determine if ordinances that are not showing were actually done. I got through the first 500 about 2 years ago and then got lazy. I started again a couple of months ago and have completed another 200 (I work on it about 30 per day 3-4 days a week). Anyway I ran a temple ready list for these 200 names and I have about 20 ordinances that need to be done. The next step is to take the list to the library and them checked against the temple files which will find a few more but when I am through there will be some ordinances to be done. I hope to get that done this week. When I do I will send some to each of my brothers and sister for them to do alone with myself. Tomorrow I start on #715 on the list of 5500. My brothers have indicated a desire to help but I have not gotten to them the lists to work on. My fault and I will get that done. Anyway we are trying to make a stab at searching to make sure all the ordinances are done. The sad part of it is that because of the diligence of the members and the church not being able to coordinate the efforts of people all over the world, many of the ordinances have been done several times.
We had Family Home Evening last night and everyone in town was here. We missed Sheena, Eric’s wife because she is in North Carolina with her mother searching gravestones for her genealogy. She will return on Tuesday and then Eric will be functioning again. He has been coming to dinner each night so he at least gets one good meal each day.
Anyway we had FHE. We met at Scott and Carries house for dinner and a lesson. We had soft tacos and they were great. Afterward Mandie had made some cinnamon apple tortillas which were really good. Scott and Carrie led a discussion on how to get the most out of General Conference. It was a really good discussion on tips to maximize the learning and enjoy conference. With conference being next week it was a timely subject and interesting to discuss. After dinner the girls all went to our house and watched the Women’s conference. Us MEN stayed and watched the little ones. We had a great time. There is a nice park with all kinds of equipment within 2 blocks of Scott’s house so we packed the kids in the car and went to the park. They ran, slide, swung, climbed and chased until they were tired and we had to go. When we got home Scot had a game we could all enjoy and we played the game. By then it was time for all to go home. We had a great time. We look forward to next month when Jill and Randy are here and they will join us.
Jill and Randy start their trek south on Wednesday or Thursday. Randy starts work with the new firm in Dallas on Monday the 8th and we are excited to have them here. They have not had lots of activity on their home so include them in your prayers to have the Lord bless them to sell their home. They are doing really well, but we want the home sold. They will be staying with us until the house sells, so we have rearranged some of the bedrooms so the kids can have their rooms and mom and dad can have their room. They will be leaving most of their furniture in the home for showing until the house sells. Then they will have the movers move the furniture one time to the new home here. Mom has been looking into Mother’s day out programs for Jill and Randy’s kids so they can have activities to go to. I think she has located 2-3 in the area so it will not be far.
Jeff was in Denver all this week with his work. They are trying to complete a series of games in order to have the games on the store shelves for the Christmas season. Their original completion and ship time was this week but it has been delayed one week. If that goes well they will have the games in the stores and it should be a wonderful opportunity for them. Jeff’s responsibility has been significant in the development of these games and he is excited to have them out. We are excited for him. Heather, Kristine and Jeff’s daughter is in her first year of middle school and that is a real adjustment for her. Kids at that age have so much changing in their bodies and the emotions and pressures are really interesting. So she has had really good days and there have been some other days. This will be an interesting experience for her and her parents to experience 12-18 year old girls.
Brian has been traveling some also, and when he has been home he has worked late some days. Mandie is not sure which is better or worse. They are doing well and their little Carter and Abby are growing. Still working with Abby’s speech but they are doing well with her.
Mark is well into his studies now and making good progress. It is hard on him working full time and going to nursing school. It extends them both to the limit, but they are working well together. He has lots of on the hospital floor time learning and then he has classes. He really enjoys it. Their little Tava is rolling all over the place but in only one direction. She is sitting up some and when she smiles at you it is really cute. Michelle is being a really good mother.
All our mothers are doing a wonderful job.
We had a great letter from Kevin this week. He thinks his current companion will be transferred this week but who knows. He enjoys this companion and they are working really hard with the members of the ward he is in. There are 4 elders and 2 sisters in his ward so they are working together and seem to be making some progress. His letter this week was particularly good and I am so happy for him. They are teaching a few people but most of the time is with the members for reactivation and encouraging them to be member missionaries.
Scott and I played in a Chamber of Commerce golf tournament this past Friday and it was really fun. We invited two clients to come with us and we had a great time. We did not win anything but it was the event that was good not the winning. We are trying to be more involved in the Chamber because we think it is a good place to grow our business.
Our canopy is going up in the back yard. We have had some complications with electrical pipes and now some of the measurements don’t seem to be correct. I hope this week we can get is resolved and have it completed. We will see. It is a project evolving. The end result will be really nice and we are excited but construction work and construction contracting is a difficult. We are working with a really nice contractor and he is doing his part but it is just complicated.
Marianne and Kimball are doing really well. They had a distressful situation with Aubrey and Chance. They have a baby-sitter who lives a few doors down who is also in their ward at church. The sitter had left something at Marianne and Kimball’s house. One Sunday morning Aubrey decided she needed to return it, so she and Chance left the house and went to return the item. However, they did not tell mom and dad they were going, etc. That morning Marianne and Kimball had slept in a little and when they got up the front door was open and Aubrey and Chance were gone. Panic!!!!!!! They look all over and during the process went to the sitter’s house to see if they knew anything. There were Aubrey and Chance. “We were just returning the item mommy.” Anyway they had a worrisome time and an opportunity to teach the kids.
They are doing well; canning and storing up everything they can and doing fun family activities. We are looking forward to seeing them for Christmas.
Other than that our family is doing well and all are healthy. The gospel is true and Heavenly Father truly loves us and knows who we are. We love you all and look forward to hearing from you.
I have been working on some ordinance research on our family genealogy. I mentioned some time ago that I downloaded my genealogy that was on church records and it included over 5500 names. I have been pecking away at the list to determine if ordinances that are not showing were actually done. I got through the first 500 about 2 years ago and then got lazy. I started again a couple of months ago and have completed another 200 (I work on it about 30 per day 3-4 days a week). Anyway I ran a temple ready list for these 200 names and I have about 20 ordinances that need to be done. The next step is to take the list to the library and them checked against the temple files which will find a few more but when I am through there will be some ordinances to be done. I hope to get that done this week. When I do I will send some to each of my brothers and sister for them to do alone with myself. Tomorrow I start on #715 on the list of 5500. My brothers have indicated a desire to help but I have not gotten to them the lists to work on. My fault and I will get that done. Anyway we are trying to make a stab at searching to make sure all the ordinances are done. The sad part of it is that because of the diligence of the members and the church not being able to coordinate the efforts of people all over the world, many of the ordinances have been done several times.
We had Family Home Evening last night and everyone in town was here. We missed Sheena, Eric’s wife because she is in North Carolina with her mother searching gravestones for her genealogy. She will return on Tuesday and then Eric will be functioning again. He has been coming to dinner each night so he at least gets one good meal each day.
Anyway we had FHE. We met at Scott and Carries house for dinner and a lesson. We had soft tacos and they were great. Afterward Mandie had made some cinnamon apple tortillas which were really good. Scott and Carrie led a discussion on how to get the most out of General Conference. It was a really good discussion on tips to maximize the learning and enjoy conference. With conference being next week it was a timely subject and interesting to discuss. After dinner the girls all went to our house and watched the Women’s conference. Us MEN stayed and watched the little ones. We had a great time. There is a nice park with all kinds of equipment within 2 blocks of Scott’s house so we packed the kids in the car and went to the park. They ran, slide, swung, climbed and chased until they were tired and we had to go. When we got home Scot had a game we could all enjoy and we played the game. By then it was time for all to go home. We had a great time. We look forward to next month when Jill and Randy are here and they will join us.
Jill and Randy start their trek south on Wednesday or Thursday. Randy starts work with the new firm in Dallas on Monday the 8th and we are excited to have them here. They have not had lots of activity on their home so include them in your prayers to have the Lord bless them to sell their home. They are doing really well, but we want the home sold. They will be staying with us until the house sells, so we have rearranged some of the bedrooms so the kids can have their rooms and mom and dad can have their room. They will be leaving most of their furniture in the home for showing until the house sells. Then they will have the movers move the furniture one time to the new home here. Mom has been looking into Mother’s day out programs for Jill and Randy’s kids so they can have activities to go to. I think she has located 2-3 in the area so it will not be far.
Jeff was in Denver all this week with his work. They are trying to complete a series of games in order to have the games on the store shelves for the Christmas season. Their original completion and ship time was this week but it has been delayed one week. If that goes well they will have the games in the stores and it should be a wonderful opportunity for them. Jeff’s responsibility has been significant in the development of these games and he is excited to have them out. We are excited for him. Heather, Kristine and Jeff’s daughter is in her first year of middle school and that is a real adjustment for her. Kids at that age have so much changing in their bodies and the emotions and pressures are really interesting. So she has had really good days and there have been some other days. This will be an interesting experience for her and her parents to experience 12-18 year old girls.
Brian has been traveling some also, and when he has been home he has worked late some days. Mandie is not sure which is better or worse. They are doing well and their little Carter and Abby are growing. Still working with Abby’s speech but they are doing well with her.
Mark is well into his studies now and making good progress. It is hard on him working full time and going to nursing school. It extends them both to the limit, but they are working well together. He has lots of on the hospital floor time learning and then he has classes. He really enjoys it. Their little Tava is rolling all over the place but in only one direction. She is sitting up some and when she smiles at you it is really cute. Michelle is being a really good mother.
All our mothers are doing a wonderful job.
We had a great letter from Kevin this week. He thinks his current companion will be transferred this week but who knows. He enjoys this companion and they are working really hard with the members of the ward he is in. There are 4 elders and 2 sisters in his ward so they are working together and seem to be making some progress. His letter this week was particularly good and I am so happy for him. They are teaching a few people but most of the time is with the members for reactivation and encouraging them to be member missionaries.
Scott and I played in a Chamber of Commerce golf tournament this past Friday and it was really fun. We invited two clients to come with us and we had a great time. We did not win anything but it was the event that was good not the winning. We are trying to be more involved in the Chamber because we think it is a good place to grow our business.
Our canopy is going up in the back yard. We have had some complications with electrical pipes and now some of the measurements don’t seem to be correct. I hope this week we can get is resolved and have it completed. We will see. It is a project evolving. The end result will be really nice and we are excited but construction work and construction contracting is a difficult. We are working with a really nice contractor and he is doing his part but it is just complicated.
Marianne and Kimball are doing really well. They had a distressful situation with Aubrey and Chance. They have a baby-sitter who lives a few doors down who is also in their ward at church. The sitter had left something at Marianne and Kimball’s house. One Sunday morning Aubrey decided she needed to return it, so she and Chance left the house and went to return the item. However, they did not tell mom and dad they were going, etc. That morning Marianne and Kimball had slept in a little and when they got up the front door was open and Aubrey and Chance were gone. Panic!!!!!!! They look all over and during the process went to the sitter’s house to see if they knew anything. There were Aubrey and Chance. “We were just returning the item mommy.” Anyway they had a worrisome time and an opportunity to teach the kids.
They are doing well; canning and storing up everything they can and doing fun family activities. We are looking forward to seeing them for Christmas.
Other than that our family is doing well and all are healthy. The gospel is true and Heavenly Father truly loves us and knows who we are. We love you all and look forward to hearing from you.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Family Letter September 9, 2007
Time is sure flying by. We are almost half way through September and I do not know where the time is going.
I think a lot has happened so lets see how this goes.
The best part is that Jill and Randy and their kids are here for the week. They needed a break and we are glad they are here. They came in yesterday afternoon and will be here through next Saturday. It will be fun. I am going to take some time off and we will go to the Zoo here and some other fun things. Their kids are growing up and they are really cute kids. Jill works really hard with them and Randy is so kind and patient with them, they are a good example.
Yesterday we had all the family together at Kristine’s house and had Family Home Evening. It was a lot of confusion with all those little bodies, but it was completely worth it. They had a large lot of more than an acre and so the kids could get out and run. I think the highlight for the kids was the tractor ride. Jeff and Kristine have a riding lawn mower and so we got on the mower and took the little ones for a ride. There was a little hesitance for some of them at first but when they got on and it started to move it was all smiles. So around the yard bumpity bump we went and the smiles and giggles started. We had Family Home evening, short and sweet, but it was really good. Dinner was also good with spaghetti and the fixings. Next month is Scot and Carrie’s turn so we will see what we do.
I have been asked to coach the Young Men in volleyball this year and yesterday was the first game. I had the boys to the house earlier in the day for a little practice. There is a lot of improvement to go. I think they had some fun but it will be a struggle for them. The good part is they come. In Young Men if you show up you will win a lot of games. This week the other team did not show up so we could practice and get a lot of bad shot out. We made so many bad shots that next week we should be perfect. I don’t think there are more that can be made. But we will have fun and I hope the boys learn.
This weekend will be lots of fun and playing of games for me. Friday one of the wholesalers took us out to play golf and the Cowboy Club. Jerry Jones who owns the Dallas Cowboys has built a resort Golf course relatively close to the airport. It is really nice. It is very centrally located and does a lot of business. It is a very interesting concept. The price is similar to a resort course in Hawaii, but with the green fee you get:
breakfast in the morning
play your round of golf
any drinks or eats you want on the course while playing
complete lunch following
It is a good deal and the course is one of the best in the Metroplex.
So that was Friday during the day. In the evening we had a dinner sponsored by one of the wholesalers with whom we work. It is an annual appreciation dinner to thank the producers for their business. The dinner was at the Four Seasons Resort, so you know it was good. After the dinner they had an entertainment group named Cavalcade of Stars. This was an impersonator group that sang songs from various popular stars. John Lennon and George Harrison, Reba Macintyre, Elvis Presley, Blues Brothers, and Cher, were the singers and Groucho Marx, Marilyn Monroe, and Powers were the hosts. It was funny and very entertaining. We had fun. Scott and Carrie, Eric and Sheena, and Mom and I went.
Sunday is always a good day and we are looking forward to the day. Tomorrow I will have to do a lot of work in the Morning but in the afternoon we have the Chamber of Commerce Annual Golf Tournament. We have invited a few clients to go and we will have a good time with them. So it is play, play, play. Isn’t that what we are supposed to do? Almost all of this is free and so I think it is a good deal.
We talked to Marianne and Kimball this week and they are canning up a storm. I am really proud of them for the preparation they are doing. I am sure they are involving the kids in the projects, whether they want to or not but it is a fun project and they are teaching their kids how fun the family can be. It is really good. We are excited because we are going to spend Christmas with them in Washington. We will see the other kids here for thanksgiving but we will be going there for a week or so for Christmas. I am sure Santa will come and visit them and we will play in the snow. It will be a great time. Kimball is doing really well in his work and their practice is growing.
We have decided to go to Italy next summer to get Kevin when he has completed his mission. We wrote him and asked if he would like that and he said yes. So we are going. We have to make the arrangements to go now and that will be a chore.
In case you are wondering we are working and working hard. The business is growing and we are having success with some new clients. I know Eric doesn’t think he is contributing much but he is doing really well. He has put together a binder for each of our clients that will hold all their financial information in one place. He developed the idea and has put it together for us. It looks really nice and makes a wonderful presentation for our clients. Scott has been working hard in a networking group and it is now starting to pay off. We have had some referrals lately and it is paying of good dividends. We have one important case that is renewing at this time and it looks like we will be able to get it to renew successfully. I will know more tomorrow. Wish us well.
Mark is in the middle of his classes now and feels he is doing well. He will have his first status check in a week or so, when he has his first test on lecture material. Keep him in your prayers. Michelle is looking for substitute teaching opportunities to supplement their income. If she gets 2 a week it will be great for them. We will all share some baby sitting to help her.
Brian and Mandie are doing well. She is trying to get some voice students. She wants to have about 10 students to teach each week. Again we will be sharing baby sitting to help her. But they are doing well.
Kevin is really excited with his new area. It is a larger city with a complete ward. It makes it easier for them to proselyte and contact people so the work is really fun for him. He is doing well and he will enjoy success and progress because of what he is doing.
I really cannot think of much else to say. We love you all. We did not post this to our blog site because we are concerned with some security. We have asked Brian and Jeff to explorer the Blog site to see how to make it secure. We are concerned that putting family pictures and history information out there is available for all kinds of “other people” to see and take advantage of. So we will be exploring security and then continue with the blog site.
That is all for now. We love you.
I think a lot has happened so lets see how this goes.
The best part is that Jill and Randy and their kids are here for the week. They needed a break and we are glad they are here. They came in yesterday afternoon and will be here through next Saturday. It will be fun. I am going to take some time off and we will go to the Zoo here and some other fun things. Their kids are growing up and they are really cute kids. Jill works really hard with them and Randy is so kind and patient with them, they are a good example.
Yesterday we had all the family together at Kristine’s house and had Family Home Evening. It was a lot of confusion with all those little bodies, but it was completely worth it. They had a large lot of more than an acre and so the kids could get out and run. I think the highlight for the kids was the tractor ride. Jeff and Kristine have a riding lawn mower and so we got on the mower and took the little ones for a ride. There was a little hesitance for some of them at first but when they got on and it started to move it was all smiles. So around the yard bumpity bump we went and the smiles and giggles started. We had Family Home evening, short and sweet, but it was really good. Dinner was also good with spaghetti and the fixings. Next month is Scot and Carrie’s turn so we will see what we do.
I have been asked to coach the Young Men in volleyball this year and yesterday was the first game. I had the boys to the house earlier in the day for a little practice. There is a lot of improvement to go. I think they had some fun but it will be a struggle for them. The good part is they come. In Young Men if you show up you will win a lot of games. This week the other team did not show up so we could practice and get a lot of bad shot out. We made so many bad shots that next week we should be perfect. I don’t think there are more that can be made. But we will have fun and I hope the boys learn.
This weekend will be lots of fun and playing of games for me. Friday one of the wholesalers took us out to play golf and the Cowboy Club. Jerry Jones who owns the Dallas Cowboys has built a resort Golf course relatively close to the airport. It is really nice. It is very centrally located and does a lot of business. It is a very interesting concept. The price is similar to a resort course in Hawaii, but with the green fee you get:
breakfast in the morning
play your round of golf
any drinks or eats you want on the course while playing
complete lunch following
It is a good deal and the course is one of the best in the Metroplex.
So that was Friday during the day. In the evening we had a dinner sponsored by one of the wholesalers with whom we work. It is an annual appreciation dinner to thank the producers for their business. The dinner was at the Four Seasons Resort, so you know it was good. After the dinner they had an entertainment group named Cavalcade of Stars. This was an impersonator group that sang songs from various popular stars. John Lennon and George Harrison, Reba Macintyre, Elvis Presley, Blues Brothers, and Cher, were the singers and Groucho Marx, Marilyn Monroe, and Powers were the hosts. It was funny and very entertaining. We had fun. Scott and Carrie, Eric and Sheena, and Mom and I went.
Sunday is always a good day and we are looking forward to the day. Tomorrow I will have to do a lot of work in the Morning but in the afternoon we have the Chamber of Commerce Annual Golf Tournament. We have invited a few clients to go and we will have a good time with them. So it is play, play, play. Isn’t that what we are supposed to do? Almost all of this is free and so I think it is a good deal.
We talked to Marianne and Kimball this week and they are canning up a storm. I am really proud of them for the preparation they are doing. I am sure they are involving the kids in the projects, whether they want to or not but it is a fun project and they are teaching their kids how fun the family can be. It is really good. We are excited because we are going to spend Christmas with them in Washington. We will see the other kids here for thanksgiving but we will be going there for a week or so for Christmas. I am sure Santa will come and visit them and we will play in the snow. It will be a great time. Kimball is doing really well in his work and their practice is growing.
We have decided to go to Italy next summer to get Kevin when he has completed his mission. We wrote him and asked if he would like that and he said yes. So we are going. We have to make the arrangements to go now and that will be a chore.
In case you are wondering we are working and working hard. The business is growing and we are having success with some new clients. I know Eric doesn’t think he is contributing much but he is doing really well. He has put together a binder for each of our clients that will hold all their financial information in one place. He developed the idea and has put it together for us. It looks really nice and makes a wonderful presentation for our clients. Scott has been working hard in a networking group and it is now starting to pay off. We have had some referrals lately and it is paying of good dividends. We have one important case that is renewing at this time and it looks like we will be able to get it to renew successfully. I will know more tomorrow. Wish us well.
Mark is in the middle of his classes now and feels he is doing well. He will have his first status check in a week or so, when he has his first test on lecture material. Keep him in your prayers. Michelle is looking for substitute teaching opportunities to supplement their income. If she gets 2 a week it will be great for them. We will all share some baby sitting to help her.
Brian and Mandie are doing well. She is trying to get some voice students. She wants to have about 10 students to teach each week. Again we will be sharing baby sitting to help her. But they are doing well.
Kevin is really excited with his new area. It is a larger city with a complete ward. It makes it easier for them to proselyte and contact people so the work is really fun for him. He is doing well and he will enjoy success and progress because of what he is doing.
I really cannot think of much else to say. We love you all. We did not post this to our blog site because we are concerned with some security. We have asked Brian and Jeff to explorer the Blog site to see how to make it secure. We are concerned that putting family pictures and history information out there is available for all kinds of “other people” to see and take advantage of. So we will be exploring security and then continue with the blog site.
That is all for now. We love you.
Monday, September 3, 2007
Family Letter September 3, 2007
We are going to try a new technology and see how this works.
It is labor day and Mom and I are sitting in the office doing different tasks to get us caught up.
She is preparing her Seminary lesson and looking forward to the coming week. She has prepared more little projects and activities and notes and, and, and.... I think there is a time when she will be caught up with all these little tasks and she will free up 2 hours per day. But it is really good stuff. If the kids do not get a lot out of seminary it will not be for lack of effort. She is putting in the time and really doing some good things. With the support of color printers and DVD's and colored paper the presentation is really good. It is really different from what a well prepared man would do with the class but that is the difference between boys and girls. I am glad she has the time and takes the effort to do all the stuff for the kids.
I spent this morning reading over case studies that my students prepared for my CFP class at SMU. We are discussing employee benefit plans and retirement/ pension plans. I had given them information about a prospect company that I worked with. Their task was to design a recommended employee benefit plan for this company to meet the company objectives and desires. It was interesting the ideas they came up with and what their recommendations were. The focus of the exercise was to see how they were thinking and how they justified the recommendations they made. I am a very easy teacher and grade very liberally but through the project and the review of their efforts, I think they will learn what can be done and hopefully it will be of benefit to them.
We had a fun Saturday. We all (Scott, Brian and Mandie, Eric and Sheena, Kristine and Jeff and kids) went to the lake to play. Carrie could not come because of the broken heals, and Mark and Michelle had a sealing to attend. We played in the water, rode the skis and just had a good time. About noon the crowds started to arrive at the lake and we left. We have found that if you get there about 9am and leave at noon, you almost have the lake to yourself and it is quite smooth and lots of fun. Taking the grandkids on the skis is really fun. I had to chuckle though with Matthew, Kristine's littlest. He wanted to go so bad, so he gets on the ski and I get on and sit behind him. We start the motor and make an adjustment and then he says, I want to go back, I am done. I don't think we were 50 from the shore. But stubborn as I am we went on and rode around on the ski. He would continually say "I want to go back." until we hit a wave and the ski bounced, then he would giggle and laugh. When we finally got back and he was on land, he had a big smile on his face and said, "that was fun".
After the lake we came home and went in the pool or sat around and did nothing. A good day.
We had a wonderful fast this weekend. It was good because it had a real purpose that we got our hands around and spend some time with. It is so much better when you fast and have a purpose.
Jill and Randy are struggling with a decision about his work and whether he should change or stay. There are a lot of moving parts to the decision and they just want to make the right decision that Heavenly Father is directing. I am really proud of them for the approach they are taking. Regardless of the decision they will make the correct decision because they are including the Lord.
Scott and Carrie are struggling with health and lots of pressure. Carrie with her two broken heals and Scott with separated shoulder and his CFP exam on the horizon is a lot of goings on. So we included them in the fast. Scott asked for a blessing on Friday and it was a priveledge to go to their home and give them a blessing. Brian came over and assisted and that was a great experience. I am so grateful they are worthy and willing to help.
Mark has begun his nursing classes and it is a challenge for them. He is gone more and has to spend the time on his studies so Michelle is alone a lot with little Tava. So it is hard on them also.
So we included each of them in our family fast. It was a wonderful experience and we are grateful for each of the kids participating. I am certain the Lord will bless each of them in their trials and opportunities.
Marianne and Kimball returned home safely from their trip to Norway. I was a fun and very interesting trip for them. If you go to the http://mcmurdie.blogspot.com website you can click on the link to their blog and scroll down through August 2007 you will see some really good pictures and videos of their trip. That must be really beautiful country. If you can go during the 3 days of summer I am sure it is spectacular. Anyway they had a wonderful time with Kimball's parents and his brother who was released from his mission.
Kevin is doing really well on his mission. He was transferred to a new area further up the arch of the boot of Italy. It is the first Ward he has been in and it is different being in a congregation of 130 members and not having to do something each week. He loves the work. He has a very young companion and so he is getting used to working with a young companion who is just learning how to be a missionary. That will be a good challenge for him to take all the lead and direct the traffic. He is looking forward to the challenge.
Brian and Mandie are doing really well. There little Carter is the cutest little one. He has a great smile and lights up the room with his smile. Abby is growing real hair and it is getting long and curley. When she comes in the room and stops to look around, it is like "ok, everyone I am here and we are going to have a lot of fun." When she looks at you there is a little quizative look at first and then a big smile. Brian has been working on a project in Atlanta recently but it was completed this last week and so he is now on a project locally in the Metroplex.
Kristine and Jeff are settling down really well in their new home and getting lots done. She has painted part of the house and on Saturday while she was here she recovered all the dining room seats in a very pretty fabric. She is doing a lot with her home and it will be nice for them . Because Jeff has no commute to work (he works out of th hanger in the backyard) it buys a lot of time for them and he can spend more time home and more time building his plane. He loves that project and it will be an accomplishment when he is done. He has plenty of space to work in and he is working really hard to make it exactly correctly. He is currently working on the tail section. His next task is a wing.
Eric and Sheena are doing well. We were over to their house on Saturday late afternoon to watch the BYU game. That was fun to watch BYU beat Arizona. They did a fine job, but it was most enjoyable to see how they had decorated their apartment and were trying so hard to do the right things. It is still hare for Sheena being so far from her family but she is really adjusting well and she likes it here. We can sure relate to the torn feelings of being away from family but enjoyin where you are.
Later this afternoon we are going bowling with our friends the Packards and that will be fun. We will make fools of ourselves and then go to dinner to talk about big fish stories. They are really good people and we enjoy being with them.
This week has a few big events for us. On Thursday I meet with a major client and have a presentation there that I hope they make a decision to stay with us as their provider of employee benefits. I think we will maintain it but the next decision is with which carrier. It is an important case for us so we have been putting in lots of time and effort. I will be very dissappointed if we don't keep the case.
Then Friday we have a dinner with a product provider that is kind of an awards banquet. It will be really nice at the Four Seasons Resort. Earlier on Friday I am required to play golf with one wholesaler and on Monday of next week is the Chamber of Commerce Golf tournament. It is not easy taking all that time off but we all have hardships to deal with. I am sure all of you are like me that we would rather be chained to the desk and not be able to get out. I will get over it.
I have started back into the documentation work of the ordinances for our ancestors. With seminary now in session, we are up an hour earlier than we were before. So after my workout I sit to the computer and look up to determine if the temple ordinances have been done for the ancestors on the pedigree chart. It is interesting. Most of the work is done but there are holes. I am looking forward to getting through this next group of people to see how much work we can do on our own. It will be a couple of months before we will be able to check on the results but I am making progress.
I cannot think of much else to say but we love you all and look forward to hearing from you.
It is labor day and Mom and I are sitting in the office doing different tasks to get us caught up.
She is preparing her Seminary lesson and looking forward to the coming week. She has prepared more little projects and activities and notes and, and, and.... I think there is a time when she will be caught up with all these little tasks and she will free up 2 hours per day. But it is really good stuff. If the kids do not get a lot out of seminary it will not be for lack of effort. She is putting in the time and really doing some good things. With the support of color printers and DVD's and colored paper the presentation is really good. It is really different from what a well prepared man would do with the class but that is the difference between boys and girls. I am glad she has the time and takes the effort to do all the stuff for the kids.
I spent this morning reading over case studies that my students prepared for my CFP class at SMU. We are discussing employee benefit plans and retirement/ pension plans. I had given them information about a prospect company that I worked with. Their task was to design a recommended employee benefit plan for this company to meet the company objectives and desires. It was interesting the ideas they came up with and what their recommendations were. The focus of the exercise was to see how they were thinking and how they justified the recommendations they made. I am a very easy teacher and grade very liberally but through the project and the review of their efforts, I think they will learn what can be done and hopefully it will be of benefit to them.
We had a fun Saturday. We all (Scott, Brian and Mandie, Eric and Sheena, Kristine and Jeff and kids) went to the lake to play. Carrie could not come because of the broken heals, and Mark and Michelle had a sealing to attend. We played in the water, rode the skis and just had a good time. About noon the crowds started to arrive at the lake and we left. We have found that if you get there about 9am and leave at noon, you almost have the lake to yourself and it is quite smooth and lots of fun. Taking the grandkids on the skis is really fun. I had to chuckle though with Matthew, Kristine's littlest. He wanted to go so bad, so he gets on the ski and I get on and sit behind him. We start the motor and make an adjustment and then he says, I want to go back, I am done. I don't think we were 50 from the shore. But stubborn as I am we went on and rode around on the ski. He would continually say "I want to go back." until we hit a wave and the ski bounced, then he would giggle and laugh. When we finally got back and he was on land, he had a big smile on his face and said, "that was fun".
After the lake we came home and went in the pool or sat around and did nothing. A good day.
We had a wonderful fast this weekend. It was good because it had a real purpose that we got our hands around and spend some time with. It is so much better when you fast and have a purpose.
Jill and Randy are struggling with a decision about his work and whether he should change or stay. There are a lot of moving parts to the decision and they just want to make the right decision that Heavenly Father is directing. I am really proud of them for the approach they are taking. Regardless of the decision they will make the correct decision because they are including the Lord.
Scott and Carrie are struggling with health and lots of pressure. Carrie with her two broken heals and Scott with separated shoulder and his CFP exam on the horizon is a lot of goings on. So we included them in the fast. Scott asked for a blessing on Friday and it was a priveledge to go to their home and give them a blessing. Brian came over and assisted and that was a great experience. I am so grateful they are worthy and willing to help.
Mark has begun his nursing classes and it is a challenge for them. He is gone more and has to spend the time on his studies so Michelle is alone a lot with little Tava. So it is hard on them also.
So we included each of them in our family fast. It was a wonderful experience and we are grateful for each of the kids participating. I am certain the Lord will bless each of them in their trials and opportunities.
Marianne and Kimball returned home safely from their trip to Norway. I was a fun and very interesting trip for them. If you go to the http://mcmurdie.blogspot.com website you can click on the link to their blog and scroll down through August 2007 you will see some really good pictures and videos of their trip. That must be really beautiful country. If you can go during the 3 days of summer I am sure it is spectacular. Anyway they had a wonderful time with Kimball's parents and his brother who was released from his mission.
Kevin is doing really well on his mission. He was transferred to a new area further up the arch of the boot of Italy. It is the first Ward he has been in and it is different being in a congregation of 130 members and not having to do something each week. He loves the work. He has a very young companion and so he is getting used to working with a young companion who is just learning how to be a missionary. That will be a good challenge for him to take all the lead and direct the traffic. He is looking forward to the challenge.
Brian and Mandie are doing really well. There little Carter is the cutest little one. He has a great smile and lights up the room with his smile. Abby is growing real hair and it is getting long and curley. When she comes in the room and stops to look around, it is like "ok, everyone I am here and we are going to have a lot of fun." When she looks at you there is a little quizative look at first and then a big smile. Brian has been working on a project in Atlanta recently but it was completed this last week and so he is now on a project locally in the Metroplex.
Kristine and Jeff are settling down really well in their new home and getting lots done. She has painted part of the house and on Saturday while she was here she recovered all the dining room seats in a very pretty fabric. She is doing a lot with her home and it will be nice for them . Because Jeff has no commute to work (he works out of th hanger in the backyard) it buys a lot of time for them and he can spend more time home and more time building his plane. He loves that project and it will be an accomplishment when he is done. He has plenty of space to work in and he is working really hard to make it exactly correctly. He is currently working on the tail section. His next task is a wing.
Eric and Sheena are doing well. We were over to their house on Saturday late afternoon to watch the BYU game. That was fun to watch BYU beat Arizona. They did a fine job, but it was most enjoyable to see how they had decorated their apartment and were trying so hard to do the right things. It is still hare for Sheena being so far from her family but she is really adjusting well and she likes it here. We can sure relate to the torn feelings of being away from family but enjoyin where you are.
Later this afternoon we are going bowling with our friends the Packards and that will be fun. We will make fools of ourselves and then go to dinner to talk about big fish stories. They are really good people and we enjoy being with them.
This week has a few big events for us. On Thursday I meet with a major client and have a presentation there that I hope they make a decision to stay with us as their provider of employee benefits. I think we will maintain it but the next decision is with which carrier. It is an important case for us so we have been putting in lots of time and effort. I will be very dissappointed if we don't keep the case.
Then Friday we have a dinner with a product provider that is kind of an awards banquet. It will be really nice at the Four Seasons Resort. Earlier on Friday I am required to play golf with one wholesaler and on Monday of next week is the Chamber of Commerce Golf tournament. It is not easy taking all that time off but we all have hardships to deal with. I am sure all of you are like me that we would rather be chained to the desk and not be able to get out. I will get over it.
I have started back into the documentation work of the ordinances for our ancestors. With seminary now in session, we are up an hour earlier than we were before. So after my workout I sit to the computer and look up to determine if the temple ordinances have been done for the ancestors on the pedigree chart. It is interesting. Most of the work is done but there are holes. I am looking forward to getting through this next group of people to see how much work we can do on our own. It will be a couple of months before we will be able to check on the results but I am making progress.
I cannot think of much else to say but we love you all and look forward to hearing from you.
How is this for a begining.
This is a test to see if we can create our own blog. If it works we will link to the Family Blog.
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