Beautiful Fall here in Elko

Hola Elder Nielsen,

The flu bug hit here this week.  Adelaide woke up on Wednesday morning at about 5 am and said here tummy did not feel good and a few hours later she was throwing up.  She slept for a few hours but ended up going to school. So it was just for a few hours.

I pulled or tore my calf muscle so I did not go to basketball all week.  I had injured it about 3 to 4 weeks ago and kept playing on it, but last week is got really bad.  So I took the week off and it is feeling a lot better now.  On Friday, I went out and did the papers as it was feeling a little better and I wanted to see how it felt.  I went to work that morning and about 10:30 am I started feeling sick to my stomach and I had a family meeting with me and I felt like I would have to put my head in the garbage can and vomit while they were there, but I didn't.  I came home at lunch and stayed home.  I had it coming out both ends. (diarea as Erin would call it)  But I was nauseous they entire time.  I threw up a ton and I was so dehydrated I tried to drink some sprite and that would come up.  But I was miserable the entire day and could not keep any think down.  I did not dare eat any thing.   Hernold had called me earlier that morning and said he got a nice mature buck on Bald Mountain. It was a real heavy horned 3x3 with a huge body and neck.  He said he was coming to town and wanted to go out with us with Summer's tag.  So I was worried I would not be able to go out with him.  He got here after dark, He ran into a place where the rain had washed out the 2 tracks to badly that he slid in the holes and got high centered as his tires were not hitting the ground.  It reminded my of that area where you and I went on your elk hunt last year where the road had 3-4 foot grooves where the tire tracks were washed out.  It took him 3 hours to try and dig his truck out of those grooves.  But I was so sick. He had not skinned the deer, so about 10 pm I put on 3 layers of clothing as I was freezing and we went out there and skinned his deer and quartered it up.  I was so sick, I would get weak and tell him I had to go sit down for a while and I would sit on the porch and throw up in the flower bed.  We got it done about 11:30 pm and he wanted to leave around 4 am. 

 I went to bed and mom woke me up at 4, but I said I need to sleep longer.  So about 5 am I got up and we left to go deer hunting with summer.  It was light before we got to wells, NV.  Originally he had planned on showing me an area in mom's elk hunt where he had seen some big bulls when he lived here and some nice bucks.  But since it was light we decided to go to that area where Summer got her doe last year as it was closer. So we went over there and before we got to the turn off on that road where we called in that bull for you, we stopped and glassed the black mountain hillside. He spotted about 6- 10 deer and was getting out his spotting scope to see if there were any nice bucks as it was about 3 miles away.  Summer taps me on the arm and says, hey look dad. There was a 2-point buck about 200 yards to the right of the truck.  I asked her if she wanted to shoot it and she said yes.  She does not want to shoot a doe this year.  So I get the gun all loaded and get her out and set up over the hood of the truck and she can't find the buck in her scope.  And it just slowly walked out of sight.  We walked over the hill trying to see it again, but we saw him, but summer never could get him in her sights.  We need to practice on that part a little better.  I thought of well, it was only a 2 point we will get a bigger one. Well we ended up working our way up the road all the way up to the wine cup ranch and then we went up to Burnt creek where Hernold had spotted some big bulls in the past.  But we did not see any elk, nor sign of elk.  We did see about 30-35 deer all 3 miles plus away from us, but we could not put horns on any of them.  So that little 2 point was the only buck we saw.  We did see 2 large herds of antelope with about 30 in each group.  One herd had 4-5 really nice big bucks.  In the evening hunt we were going over a road he had been on about 12 years ago, but it was really steep and nasty and rocky and It made me nervous.  I don't like beating up the truck that badly on roads I am not familiar with. It was super steep up and down about 3 mountain ranges. But there were no elk.  We ran in to 3 other groups of elk hunters and they had been there all week and had not seen an elk.  So that was very discouraging for me. We made it home around 8 and Hernold stayed the night with us, and left this morning.  I was tired.  We did not hike a lot but my stomach was all turned up with the bouncing around in the truck.  But I did not throw up any more yesterday and I ate food and kept it down so that was good.

Carly had a pal bball game on Tuesday and their team won big. Suzie Beatty is coaching again and her team is rigged.  I don't like it when they do it.  Balance out the talent of the teams is what I think.

We had the Missionaries and Lois Gurr over for dinner today.  I had a young men's presidency meeting this afternoon. And I need to do my home teaching this evening.

I was going to tell you so Addie quotes.  Last sunday Hernold and Eve were eating with us and Eve was talking alot like normal and Addie had finished her meal and was standing next to her and she said, "Less talking, More eating".

Also the other morning we were eating cereal for breakfast and I finished one box of cereal and added a 2nd kind to my bowl and she was watching me and she asked, "Are you going to eat both cereals at the same time?" I said yes, and she said, the milk will not fit and you will be fat.  After I finished my bowl, she said, let me see you dish and I showed her that it was empty and she said.  "You are fat!"

BYU won big, they played Wagner yesterday and won 70-6.  Utah was ranked 4th in the country and went to USC and got beat 42-28.  I guess the Utah QB threw 4 picks.  Elko beat Dayton 49-0.  Dayton has not scored a touch down all year.

Well that is all the news from this end.  I did hear some chuckers out there up burnt creek.  I will have to throw the shot gun in next time.

Have a super week.  We love you and are happy you are serving a mission.  There is nothing better for you to be doing at this time in your life than serving the Lord.  Be his special witness.  Act, think, and say what he would say and serve like he would serve.  I know he lives and that this is his gospel.  If the people of the Philippines could understand the blessing that come into their lives from accepting and living the gospel, they would all be flocking to it.  

Love

Dad

My Dear Elder Nielsen,

How did  you enjoy your typhoon?  Are people just used to that kind of weather?  We are having warm days and cool nights here, and all the leaves are turned.  Carly and Adelaide raked and played in the leafs yesterday  and then we made that super handsome scarecrow, did you recognize anything about his head?  We used your gourd that you made into a birdhouse when you were a cub scout.  We thought of naming him Edward like the prince from Enchanted, but maybe we'll just call him Gourdo.

Carly had a PAL game this past week, she is now playing her games at Flagview with the full height basket.  She is still so much shorter than everyone else and she definitely has the skinniest legs.  But she plays hard and is a good runner.  They won easily, they have a lot of talent on their team.

Last week was pretty much like normal.  Summer is on student council and she dressed up each day according to the theme.  On friday it was "your favorite decade" and so she wore a 50's outfit with a skirt from the dress-up stuff and my letterman sweater.  She looked really cute.  She made the Adobe basketball team, and Allie Klekas is her coach.  She and Sierra Dumas have jobs at AMS working for Communities in Schools and so they both are coaching teams.

Today was the Primary Program and it was quite good as usual.  Addie and Carly did well on their parts.  This is Carly's last year in primary-- hard to believe she is going to be in YW!

Chelsea has sent us pictures of David and he is sure a cutie.  And we are starting to get the ball rolling for the big wedding.  Erin and Landon have set the date for Jan. 14  in the Salt Lake Temple and then the reception will be on Fri. night here in Elko.  She had her engagement pics done.  They are out on a pond/lake in a canoe with the beautiful landscape in the background. (Goes will with her woodsy/ rustic wedding theme. Now she is trying to figure out her dress.

Gordon Harris got back from his mission a week ago, and Kylee will be coming home next month.  Her parents are going out there to pick her up.  You will be the only missionary serving from our ward for a while until Rose leaves in Dec.

I hope you have a super duper week.  Sure  love your letters. :P

 Love, Mom