Bound for Peruuuuu!

Hola Elder Nielsen,
What a crazy week. I have been running around like a crazy person this past week trying to finish up all the tax returns I need to get done and booking our flights in Peru and booking our tour guide, etc. We decided to go with a guy for our tour guide who is a member of the church. We have been talking through Skype almost every day and he reminds me of Rolando Cubillo. He acts like he has known me my entire life and that I am one of his long lost friends. I can't wait to meet him and his wife in Cusco. We will be there for 10 days and we will visit the Amazon jungle, machu pichu, and lake Titicaca. It should be fun, but I can't wait until it is over and back on American soil. These kind of trips stress me out too much. I've been waking up at 2:30 am and worrying about all I have to do and not being able to go back to sleep.

Byu beat Michigan State in football yesterday 31-14 in Michigan. Yesterday was crazy. We got up and did the papers at 5am. I had to mail a few taxes and try to finish up the remaining taxes before we had to drive to Twin Falls to pick up Erin. We put her on the bus and we picked her up in Twin. They got they early and she had to wait 40 minutes before we got there. We hit Costco, filled up with gas and headed back to Elko. We listened to the byu game on the radio.

Elko beat Lowry on Friday 33-6 or some thing like that on Friday and for the battle of the unbeatens, Spring Creek beat Truckee 63-34 or something.

Summer had soccer games in North Tahoe on Friday and Incline on Sat. They lost 3-0 to North Tahoe and beat Incline 3-2 on Saturday. I guess Summer said she got a dead leg on Friday and did not play in the Saturday game.

Sunday today was a crazy busy day. I had to get up and finish grading all my homework for the accounting class I'm teaching, then we had church and afterwards we had the YSA sisters come over and teach Sierra a lesson in our home. It was a different lesson and she is soo emotionally shattered and has had such hard times, she cried during most of it and we had to stop the lesson early as she said she could not continue. But it was at least a step in the right direction. The sisters did a great job handling the very difficult situation. The one sister, Sister Daniels goes home on Oct. 19th and we will not get to see her again. She and mom went and played tennis this past week in the morning. She is on a scholarship to play tennis at BYU Hawaii. We had another appointment scheduled this past Wednesday for Sierra and Sierra did not show up.Then we had to go to women's in excellence for Carly and Summer and now we are home. It is 8 pm and we have to have scriptures, FHE, and mom and I have not even packed yet. We have to get up at 2 am and leave by 3am to get to the airport on time. I am not sure how we will write next week, in most of the areas, we do not have wifi or the internet.

That is pretty much it. I have been working long hours and getting home at 9:30 pm. I will be glad when it is all over.

Have a super week. Keep working hard and learning all you can. We love you and are happy you are serving the Lord at this time in your life. Be a great example to the others and rely on the spirit for all you do.

Love

Dad

Dearest Elder Nielsen,

Wow, what a  whirlwind week!  Dad has been going 100 miles an hour this week.  He has had to finish taxes, including our own to be able to take off for Peru.  I have been driving around for a month with the belt on the van squeaking.  Summer was quite embarrassed the first week; when she can hear me coming a quarter mile away that means you are driving an official "beater" car.   Now,  I think she doesn't care as much.  But, I was hoping Dad would fix that before we left...I guess Erin will just have to wear her sunglasses.

We have to get up at 3 am tomorrow and be on the  road in a half an hour.  We will drive to Sharon's house and park there, and she will take us to the airport.  I'm getting kind of excited, it will be quite a trip.  I hope all works out the way its planned.  

Sharon and Brian went to Peru a year ago, and they are telling us we are going to have a "Fabulous Time".  I'm sure the trip with be great, its the preparation that is killer.

Things have been going about the same.  We had a  missionary lesson scheduled, but the gal over slept and the missionaries came and we sat and talked and drank cider.  One of the sisters played tennis for BYU-H on scholarship and so she and I played tennis one morning last week.   Her sweet companion was our ball girl.  It was fun, she was quite good.  The courts had some water around the baseline, so our balls got kind of soggy.  She will be transferred while we are in Peru.  Dad wondered how she knew she was being transferred and she kind of smiled and I guessed it--- she is going home.

 

The Smiths went to Provo to attend a BYU game and while they were there they took one of those campus tours like we did.  They said to their hostess, that they were from Elko and she got all excited and said that her favorite mission companion was from Elko.  That of course was Erin and the hostess was Emily Bott.  Joanie thought that she was really cute and told Brendan about her.  She told that story to Dad at mutual and Joanie wondered if Erin could set them up.  He said that Erin is quite protective of her Hermana and that Cameron Steflik thought the same thing and wanted to be set up with her, but Erin told him that he wasn't good enough for her.  Joanie told that to Brendan and he didn't know if he would pass the muster either because he said that Erin knew him too well.

We picked up Erin in Twin Falls yesterday.  She took a shuttle bus to a Chevron Station from Rexburg.  I wrote out kind of a handbook  that has the day to day schedule and all her responsibilities.  No one in this household unplugs the toilets, but me, so good luck with that kids!  Carly gave her first talk in Sacrament today.  She thought that was kind of a mean thing to do to a brand new Beehive.  She did fine, she had to speak on her favorite conference talk and she spoke on Elder Nelsons talk about "Joy".  Did you love conference?  We will try and find some internet, so that we can write to you next week.  Have a wonderful week.  We love you!  - Mom