Prom dress: Mission Accomplished

Aloha Sister Nielsen,

Well, how has your week gone this week.  I'm sorry that we did not get our letter written to you earlier last week to tell you all about the games.  I sent mine like 10 minutes after I got yours, so I was hoping that you would still be there and be able to read it.

Well this past week was a blur as well.  I worked Monday and Tuesday, working on taxes in the evenings until late.  Then on Wednesday, I had to go to San Francisco, for meetings on Wed, Thurs. and Friday for WASFAA.  I was the Nevada President for the Financial Aid Administrators last year and had to go to meetings, and they had a new president this year, but she switched jobs and then was unable to continue as President so the by-laws says it goes back to the past President.  So, I will be President again until May or so.

But San Francisco was fun.  The 1st day we got there, we went to Fisherman Warf, and had lunch.  It cost $6.00 for the cable cars to get back to the hotel and I did not want to pay the $6 so, I told the other I was with, I would walk back.  It was about about 3 plus miles but I was walking up those step hills in San Fran.  I told the group I would be back to the hotel in 1/2 hour and they said there is no way, you wont make it up that hill.  Well the challenge was on and I made it back in 35 minutes.  I was sweating as it was about 63 degrees, but I made it back.  I wanted to watch Lone Peak, a high school in Alpine UT who is the number 1 high school bball team in the nation play.  They are a bunch a white mormon boys.  3 of them have already committed to play with BYU and 2 of them have already received their mission calls.  The Today Show out of New York, did a special report on them last week.  But they were playing in the Utah state tournament and I could watch them through the internet.

I did not leave the hotel the other 2 days as we had meetings the entire time.  I was suppose to get home Friday night, but our plane in SLC, had mechanical problems, so they put us up in a hotel for the night and I did not get home until noon on Sat.  Mom and Erin left for SLC on Sat morning to go shop for prom dresses and left Summer and the 2 younger kids home alone until I got home.  Cody made the JV baseball team.  I thought he should be on varsity but they have 9 seniors on the team, so there was not alot of room on the team.  But I think it is better that he be on JV and play vs on varsity and sit the bench.  But he was in Reno for games on Friday and Sat.  They did not have much time to rest between sports (1 day on sunday).  Erin did the leg of the Triathlon the swimming portion, but she walked in the water the entire time and said she beat most of the ones actually swimming.

Any way, yesterday was fast sunday and in nursery, the kids were all crying and fighting, it was a tough day after missing a week for Stake conference.  Hopefully, they will get better.

I was talking to Sister Daniels, and a girl that likes Trevor Daniels got her call to the Visitor center/PCC.  He does not like her, but they found that interesting that she got her call there and that is where Trevor works, in the PCC.  I can't remember her name, but another sister called to the hawaii mission.

Well I better go get ready for work.  We love you and always pray for your success.  Adelaide always says now, that she is going on a mission.

I hope everything is going well covering the 2 areas.  I would not stress about it, just do what you can do, and the Lord will make up the difference.

Have a super week,

Love ya,

DAD

Dear Sis. Nielsen, 

     Aloha!  I told you Erin got asked to prom, so now the big quest for the dress.  She had been saving her "coupon" or  privilege to pick out and buy her dress instead of borrowing for this particular dance.  She had a few she had picked out online that she liked, but we thought it's always better to try it on and see how it looks on your body.  So, after completing her "swimming" stint in the Elko/track triathlon.  (Dad told me he explained in his letter that she walked the entire laps) I thought all those years going to CA had developed some swimming skills, apparently not, unless they allowed "noodle riding".  Well, after she got home she and I went by ourselves in the Camry to Utah in search of the dress.  She had never driven on the Interstate except between Elko exits so I thought she'd better get some experience.  Who knows in a year she could be driving in some crazy foreign country on her mission and it would help if she had mastered the US highways.  she did great, she took us all the way to Provo--University Mall.  I thought that was a good place to start since it had a pretty high concentration of bridal/prom stores.  Well, the one store we got your dress  at was gone, moved out and they're wasn't any others that we could tell from the directory.  We only had about 4hrs of shopping time.  So, I thought 'we need to talk to someone who knows the area and what's available.  I knew that Lisa Bleazard Molyneaux was the manager at the Buckle store, so we went there and she was working!  So, we asked her, and she had a coworker talk to us since she was a pageant girl.  She told us to go this place in Spanish Fork.  Which we were able to find after a few misturns.  Turns out Lisa used to babysit for the Welches when Whitney was a toddler and Landon was a baby.  Funny huh?

Hey, I wasnt finished yet...

Dear Sis. Nielsen,
     Aloha again!  I don't know what happened, my last letter just spontaneously sent!  Ok, back to the story.  We found the place, they were supposed  to already to be closed for the day, but luckily they were still open.  She tried on about 8-10 dresses and decided on one she had liked online that was similar to one Maddie Johnson had worn.  It's very feminine, light pink with textured flower petals on it with some sparkle.  It looked great, modest, on sale--if you can call $299. on sale, but it was important to her--you know.  I think she can wear it after her mission without it looking too prommy.

We stayed at Grandma's, down in "the cave", then got up early and Erin drove all the way home, and we got home in time for church.  Mission Accomplished.  On the way home I read some of the talks from the conference issue, and then it was my turn to give the FHE lesson, so I used one of the ones I had read.  It was Nelson's, "Ask the Missionaries".  It said your life and generations after you will be affected because who chose to serve a mission.  Then I showed them a picture that was in the BYU magazine of a girl who was reading her mission call in one of the dorms at BYU with all her friends, ward members etc.  It is so touching, she's reading her call and she has her hand clasp over her mouth, total emotion on her face like she's going to cry.  I loved it, it so totally captured the moment.  I'm going to save it, I like it that much.  If you can get a hold of one of those mags.  I think it would be OK, just look at that girls face, it's priceless!  It's the latest issue with Mitt Romney on the cover. To top it off I read some of your emails about how much you love being a missionary and how this experience has changed your life.  I think it was a good lesson.  So thanks for your contribution.

   This school year is winding down, it's weird to think I'll be graduating one more.  It will miss seeing Erin play her sports, but the best is really yet to come for her.  Landon will graduate on Fri.  Take his endowments out on Sat. (can't go to the temple while still in HS), speak on Sun.  Then enter the MTC on Wed.  Crazy huh?

Cody got his letterman jacket.  He got maroon with gray leather sleeves,  looks good, different than the usual.  Now I get to sew the patches on.  I asked him if there was a merit badge for sewing and he said he already earned it, it was part of the handicrafts--basketry, boondogle, whatever.

     Have an absolutely wonderful week, I sure love you-- sorry, for missing writing last week.

Love, Mom