Sum Sum is the Big 14 today

Hola Elder Nielsen,

Here I am trying to remember what happened this past week. Not much is coming to my mind. But we have been extremely hot. All days around 100 degrees and it is not cooling off in the evening. So the house is only getting down to around 70 degrees at night and it gets up to around 90 in the day in here. So we are all perishing of the heat. 

Monday was a normal day. I finished making Erin and Landon their jerky. We had the missionaries over for dinner on Monday night. We also had Landon over for dinner on Wednesday. He is here for the week shadowing people in Elko and Erin is in Idaho. On Tuesday I had my temple recommend interview with the stake presidency and there were some guys playing bball in the gym. So I stopped in to see what the level of play was like. Ozzie Moreno and Robert Seanz were there and another friend of theirs I recognized from high school, but he did not play ball. Bishop Bates was there and the rest were all native Americans or Hispanics. So it was run and gun like at the Indian Colony. 

Thursday we had young men and young women. We were shooting potato guns. Summer has been having early morning conditioning at the high school for soccer and they preseason soccer in the afternoons from 4-6:30 pm. So she has been busy.

On Saturday, on the paper route, I saw a garage sell and they had some power tools and a 10 person tent. So mom and I went back there and bought the tent for $13. It is a worn pretty good and has a few issues, but it is big and will be great for the family hunting trips with all the sons in law and kids. We set it up last night to make sure it had all the pieces and it did not have instructions. But we got it up and we slept in it last night with Chica. It was really nice. It will be good for our family reunions. I also picked up an electric circular saw and miter saw and a saws all for $75. So I was working in the basement yesterday trying to finish off the framing to the door to my office down stairs to make sure they all worked. We also bought a electric spray painter to paint the rooms in the basement and the blinds but I have not tried that out to see if they worked. The 2 ladies putting on the garage sell were McKenna Cripps' mother and Cassie Alberro.

Today was Summer's birthday. She is the big 14 years old. Next year she will be getting her learners permit. We went to a baptism in the spanish branch yesterday and they had a big feast afterwards. And they had a lot of extra food, so we ended up bringing some home. We also saw Dale and Cindy Johnson and Mathew Johnson at the stake center. Matt just got home 2 weeks ago from peru, and Dale and Cindy got home a month ago from Ethiopia. They were speaking in the 4th ward this morning, so we went to hear them speak. It was great. Dale said he had a friend serving a couple mission in Africa and he sent him a message on facebook asking him if they liked it as he and Cindy were thinking about serving a mission went Matt left on his. His friend responded back and said that they loved it and if they had ever considered Africa. Dale said he wrote back and said he would love africa but did not ask his wife. The mission president was on the phone with Dale within 15 minutes extending a call to serve in Africa. Dale said, he would love that but that he wanted to go where the Lord wants them to go. And the Mission President said, the Lord wants you to go to africa. So he told them when they fill out their paper work, to mention that they and the mission president had had that conversation, and they got called to Africa and served their entire time in Ethiopia.  But they loved it and they received countless confirmations from the spirit that that is where the Lord wanted them to serve.

He also said the last day on the mission, a bell boy was helping them with their baggage and asked them these 2 questions. Did to do what you came here to do? And did you have fun?  Dale said those 2 questions were weighing heavily on his mind that morning and he thought the little boy was 1 of the 3 Nephites.  So remember that Elder Nielsen. Are you accomplishing the work you were sent there to do?  Always remember that and answer that question every day. Did I do what the Lord wanted me to do today. Every one of us can ask ourselves that very same question every day. Did I do today what the Lord wanted me to do and accomplish today?

We had a good dinner. Summer opened her presents and then we watched family videos when she was little. All you kids were so little 12-14 years ago. Time passes us by too quickly. We need to make the most out of each and every day.

Have a super week. Work hard and represent to Lord to the fullest. We love you and pray for you every day. I leave for Pahrump tomorrow and will be there the week. It was 114 degrees down there last week.

Love 

Dad

Dearest Elder Nielsen,

Can you believe our little Sum Sum turned 14 today?  I remember the day she was born, it was around 1pm, because I had bookclub that day and I remember thinking...'I would be at bookclub right now, if I wasn't here having this baby.'   We watched some home videos of her today.  I was looking for the one that had her birth, but instead, I found her 2yr. old birthday, and that was cute because all you big kids were in it--looking kind of small.  Only Chelsea didn't seem different at all, she still gets excited for birthdays to this day!  She sent Summer a gift, the "Back to the Future" DVD.  Summer really enjoyed that movie when we visited them in Farmington--as matter of fact, she said it was one of her favorite things that we did.  We had Lasagna for dinner and Summer made the breadsticks (she's filling in for you until you come home)  Then she opened some presents:  clothes, sandals and mascara  (oooh!)  She is growing up to be a very beautiful young lady.  When we were at Chelsea and Brian's,  Chels plucked her eyebrows for the first time, not anything major, but just to give her brows a nice shape.  She was laying down on the couch with Chelsea "operating" over her; the process making her eyes water, because it really kind of hurts the first time you pluck.   Everyone loves Summer though--her YW leaders, her trek "Pa", Bishop Howard told dad and I how wonderful she was...Quiet mostly, but always cheerful and smiling.  She will have Becky Shumway for her seminary teacher this year.  And get this-- seminary will be starting for all but the seniors at 6:45am.   The high school switched their schedule this year to an A-B schedule, kind of like Spring Creek high.  So, classes will start later, but since the Srs. take the college courses, they need to be out of seminiary like usual, so they can get to GBC.  So, the Sr. class will still start at 6:15.  Kind of different, I don't feel like many people like the change, but thats how its going to be.

We had the missionaries over for dinner on Monday night.  One was going to be transferred, so had them come.  Its been kind of a running joke in the ward that every time the bishopric conducts and they introduce the missionaries they keep calling Elder Shepard by the name of Elder Snyder.  It has been going on for the last 5 weeks.  I keep thinking they are going to figure it out, but they just read their little conduct sheet and never catch that they are calling him the totally wrong name and there isn't even an Elder Snyder in the whole mission!  It makes us laugh every sunday and the missionaries think its kind of hilarious.

Wednesday we had Landon over for dinner.  I made some new recipes that I wanted to tryout for the Open HOuse, so he got to be a food taster for me.  They weren't ones I will keep, so next time we will have a "tried and true" Nielsen meal for him.  Dad made them some jerky, so I guess that made up for it--he is the "best cook" in the house, you know 

We saw Dale and Cindy and Matt Johnson at the church yesterday when we were attending a baptism.  They said they were speaking in 4th ward about their missions,(Ethiopia and Peru) so we went and listened to them, and it was really good.  Made Dad and I start counting down the years until we can go,  it could be 12 years, when Ads is 19 and going on a mission herself.

We slept out in the backyard in a yardsale tent last night.  It was fun, but a little uncomfortable on the old body.  Chica slept in there with us, although Dad said she was in and out all night investigating everh little sound she heard.  I didn't even notice.  I hope you have a wonderful week. I think its great those guys have quit smoking, they will be FREE of that habit!  Keep being the wonderful missionary you are. 

 Love, Mom

PS  I read in the paper that Colt Jorgensen will be playing baseball next year for Yuba College in Marysville CA.  Good for him.  He paid the price for his mistake and will still get to follow his dream.  Whitted, Yokum and RJ Bejarano are going to play for Lassen, in Susanville where Jacob is--old teammates reunited, kind of fun for all of them.