Counting down to Christmas

Hola Sister Nielsen,

I'm not sure if you got my email last week before you sent yours, but I sent it 10 minutes after you mailed yours.  Well we are assuming that either you or your companion got transferred this week.  We will be sad to see you two broken up as you were so good together, but life moves on and I'm sure you both will have plenty of success in your new adventures.

Mom and I have talked about it and we would like you to see some other islands and get to know more of Hawaii, like Sister Duke.  However, the Lord will send you where ever you are suppose to be.  That I know for sure.

This week Erin had 3 games.  One in Jerome Idaho and they got killed.  The entire team only scored 18 points and Erin had 8 out of the 18 and only played about 2 minutes the 2nd half.  The coach said they were not playing like seniors and nobody was stepping up to be a leader. So none of the juniors or seniors played much the 2nd half.

Friday and Saturday both Erin's and Cody's team won.  Erin had 6 points on Friday and 11 on Sat.  She was 2nd high scorer on Sat.  Cody had 1 point in Sat. game.  He actually ended up starting Sat as Marshall Dumas took an elbow to the head on Friday and they did not let him play for precautionary reasons.

But it was good to see them both doing so well.  Cody is about 70%, he still can't run too fast, and is timid by not attacking the basket and not looking for his shoot.  But that is ok, until we get him healed.  I don't want him being too aggressive and injuring his knee again.  Sat. they played Dayton, and that is the team where it was a football game last year during the bball game.  They have 3 players that all they want to do is hurt people and give cheap shots.  So I was glad to get out of that game with no injuries.

We had the missionaries over for dinner yesterday.  We asked them in church, and they said they had an appointment, but we got a call Sunday afternoon, and they were wondering if we had started dinner yet.  We told them we were just sitting down and they asked if they could come over as their dinner appointment forgot about it.  And we said sure. They must feel comfortable with us asking us if they can come and eat.  We were just fine with it.

Well, I can't think of much else to tell you.  We love you and pray for your success every day. It will be nice if we can skype on Christmas day.  How much time do you get.

Keep up the great work.  Your letters bring tears to my eyes when I read them.  I think it is because I loved my mission soooo much and I can relive mine again through your service.

This gospel is true and it is truly beautiful.  You are doing exactly what the Lord would have you do.  

Love you,

Dad

Dear Sis. Nielsen,
     Well, Christmas is fast approaching, I'm about halfway ready, but I've got a week right?  I put $100 in your Wells Fargo acct. to buy Christmas gifts for people.  Carly would like a hawaiian dress.  Whatever is left over is for you to update your wardrobe.  Did you ever find any nativites?  What are your plans for Christmas?  What is your schedule for our very much anticipated phone call?  Do you get to skype? We will be home all day, but do you have a time frame?
     We celebrated (more like notated) our 24th wedding anniversary on Mon.  We had gone out to dinner a week before and counted that as our date, but we want to go see the movie, Lincoln to complete it.
     Erin and Cody had bball games this week.  Erin's doing well, she's the offensive spark without Sierra, who's totally done with her bball career because of the knee injury.  Her mom is taking it pretty hard, she was shedding a few tears when they were introducing the starters, and of course Sierra wasn't one of them.  Cody has been playing on his knee and doing ok.  He's going about 80%, you can tell he's not his old self, but getting there.  It gets kind of stiff after he plays, so I hope we haven't jumped back too soon.
     Erin had two dates to the Sadie's Dance.  She asked Koltin Howe, but because he had a wrestling tourney in ID he was going to get back late and  only be able to go to the dance.  So, she had another guy fill in for the dinner part--Cameron Perkins, do you know who that is? He just got back from his first semester at BYU.  But as luck would have it Koltin got back sooner than expected and was able to make the dinner part, so she had two guys there! Ol' Sadie Hawkins would have been proud!  She made them really cute t-shirts--Erin style.  She had seen on the internet these shirts that said "Pumba" in the design and lettering style of "Puma", but instead of the cat leaping over, it was a siloette of Pumba the pig.  They were $15 ea. so of course Erin copied them and did them herself.  She printed off the lettering and then used that as template and chalked around it and then filled it in with craft paint.  They looked great, you couldn't tell they were homemade, it looked like silkscreen.  She said they (all) had a good time.
     The Choralier Christmas concert is tonight.  Erin and Cody are about sung out.  They did all the churches yesterday, the 4th ward fed them.  I love the sound and feeling of all those kids singing in our church, what a unique thing--I don't know of any other community that does that.  I went up and listened to them when they sang at Northiside for the children.  She had all the Choraliers that had attended NS go up front and introduced them.  They all gave a little wave when she said their name, when she got to Erin, she said "And Erin's mom is here too, she snuck in the back there to watch", so I had to do a little wave thing too.  Did you know that she kicked Cameron Steflik out this fall?  I guess he forgot to sign up for the class, so when he wanted to add it to his schedule she said "no", that because he didn't sign up meant that he didn't care, so she wouldn't do it.  He bought her flowers and really tried to butter her up, but you know Rog. she pretty stubborn and wouldn't give in.  So, the next day there is a Choralier sweatshirt hanging on the door that said, "For Sale, $15, only worn 3 times, contact Cameron Steflik".  Erin said they didn't get along too well because they are both abit snarky like that.
     Adelaide still sleeps with us,  when we go to say our prayer she'll say,"ok who's turn is it?"  She thinks she's apart of the couple.  We love her so much, we always say we could not imagine our life without her.  Do you think you'll be transferred?  I kind of want you to go so you can experience as much and as many of the islands as possible, but it's the Lord's call.  Ben Bleazard got his mission call to Spain, and Leonard Howe got engaged to a girl he met at BYU-I.
     I love you so much, hopefully we will get our Christmas picture taken this week and send the cards out... you know how that goes.

Love, Mom