"Take us out to the ballgame"

Hello Elder Nielsen,

It was great to see and talk to you last week. I didn't realize, but it looked like your missionary name badge is in English. Is that correct? This week was full of baseball games. On Monday morning at 9 am I had to go announce the senior day for the baseball team. They have 10 seniors on the team who will graduate. Baum, Bejerano, Wickersham, Yocum, Whitted, Dick, Warrick, Sohn, Aldridge, Smiley. I am not sure what they would have done if Harris and Jorgensen had not got kicked off. They played Truckee in a double hitter that was made up from when they were rained out. Elko won both games. Bryson Kelly, Devin Kelly's little brother who is a freshman and they moved up from the JV team for this game pitched the 2nd game and got a shut out. I was very impressed with him. He had good control and a good curve ball etc. I think he only gave up 6 hits all game. But Elko went in to the Regional Tournament as the number 3 seed. It was Spring Creek 1, Fernley 2, Elko 3, Fallon 4, Dayton 5 and South Tahoe 6.

We had hot weather this week, it was in the 80's. So I think summer is here. On Thursday, I took the day off work and went with Summer's class on a field trip to the California trail center. I thought we would be learning about the california trail, etc, but it was all outside and talking about the plants, etc. One lady there obviously did not know hardly any thing about the outdoors and animals, etc. You could definitely tell she was a city person and a tree hugger. She was trying to teach the kids, and we were all thinking she was a nut. It was not as fun and I had hoped, but it was nice to spend the day with Summer and her classmates.

After I got back, the regional baseball tournament was being played out in Spring Creek. Elko played a morning game and beat South Tahoe 12-2. I think the Kelly kid pitched a couple of innings and even got a hit. Then we played Fernley in the afternoon. I went out to that game. Fernley beat us 4-3 with a walk off hit in the bottom of the 7th inning.  So we had to win the next 3 games coming out of the losers bracket to go to state. Spring Creek beat Fallon in their 1st game. 

On Friday morning Elko played Dayton at 8 am, so I waited for mom to get done crossing the kids and we went out to the game. It was a very close game the entire game. And Dayton went ahead 3-2 heading into the bottom of the 7th inning. Elko's season was on the line. There was 1 out I believe and we had 2 guys on base and Benton was up to bat. He was ahead in the count 3-0 and they gave him a fast ball and he hit a walk off home run and Elko won 5-3. That was pretty scary for the Elko fans, they thought they were going to be eliminated by Dayton who they had beaten earlier in the year 3 games by a combined score of 51-3. Then we had to play Spring Creek in the afternoon. We beat them 7-1. And Fallon beat Fernley Friday afternoon by about the same score. So heading into Sat. morning, all 4 remaining teams had 1 loss. We played Spring Creek again at 8 am. So mom, Summer and I went out to the games. We beat Spring Creek again 6-2. All the boys on the team were crying with happiness after the game including Coach Gilligan to be able to go to state. Colt Jorgensen was very emotional as well. So Spring Creek was eliminated, and Fallon beat Fernley in the Sat morning game. So the number 1 and 2 teams were not going to state. Fallon on Friday night looked like the team from last year's state championship team. They were hitting the ball all over the park. Elko played Fallon Sat. afternoon in the Regional championship game and Elko won 7-6 with Nick Smiley hitting a walk off single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 7th inning. Elko was leading most of the game and it was 6-3 going into the 7th inning and Fallon hit a 3 run homerun off of Whitted to tie the game 6-6. So it was another close game. But Elko will go to Reno next week as the number 1 team from the North.

During one of the non Elko games, mom and I were sitting by a couple from Fallon who were very nice. We talked to them the entire game about hunting, religion, etc. They were Nazareens. I told mom they were make great members of the church. If they draw a tag in the Rubies, they took my number and will give me a call and I will have to have more discussions about religion and invite them to be taught by the missionaries. I really enjoy going to these games and visiting with the fans from the other schools.

I believe it is Boulder City and Spring Valley are the 2 teams from the south going to state. We play Spring Valley. Next year we will not know hardly any of the players as all the ones who played with you will be graduated.

Thursday night for YMYW, we had the fire department come in and teach the kids going on trek first aid. I learned a few things, so it was good.

I am grateful for Sunday's so we can rest from out labors and activities. It will be great to spend the Sabbath day rejuvenating our spirits. We love you and are happy you are serving the Lord. Keep working hard and relying on the spirit to guide your thoughts and actions. He will let you know every thing you should say and do. Reagan Goulding went into the Mexico MTC this week. I think I told you before, but the Williams Kid from Fallon graduated early so he could go on his mission, but had to have shoulder surgery before he could go. I think he should be leaving soon.

This is the Lord's church and you are HIS special representative. Enjoy every minute.

Love

DAD

Dearest Elder Nielsen,

Sorry, for so many misfires, the new format for Outlook is weird and it keeps sending my letter when I hit the enter button to start a new line. 

 We have had a full week of baseball as Dad said in his letter.  It has really nice weather so it feels like the perfect thing to do to watch a baseball game. Summer and Carly are playing (pretty much just practicing) with Indar the club soccer team that Erin played on and they had a tournament in Carson City this weekend, but we opted not to go, because they play Sat. and Sun. and we figured by the time we paid for their fees and hotel, gas, food etc.  it would be around $400.  Besides, High School Baseball Regionals are here in our own backyard this year, so we enjoyed that.  I think Summer would have even opted to go to baseball than travel this weekend.  She is really a sports fan.  She never says a word or cheers a bit, but she can tell you every players name and what the score was even the day after.  She's a Stephan Curry fan too.  He just won back to back NBA MVP awards and was voted unanimously first place of all the 130 votes--never happened before. Over 400 three pointers this past season, smashed the old record of three hundred something, just FYI.  It was a good time.  Dad gave you a good report of the games.  It was kind of sad/sweet to see Colt Jorgensen there, sitting right up next to the fence in a chair like some of the parents do; wearing his team hat.  Dad said he has been to every home game this season and has been right there cheering the boys on. Really a shame, he made that mistake and is missing out on all this.

I had a great Mother's Day last week, topped off by being able to see and talk with you.  I taught Adelaide's class in Primary today.  She was really excited about that.  The boys in her class were really squirrly though and kept getting out of their seats and being disruptive.  They were distracted by a spider along the wall and one of them squished it with his foot, but they just couldn't stop messing with it, so I got up and went over and picked it up off the floor and went over and threw it away!  (Erin could never have done that)  Dad gets to teach them next week--  
Good Luck, bring your IPad, and no pile-drivers!   Oh, Ozzie came to church today.  Summer looked back during Sacrament mtg. and told me he was sitting with the missionaries.  He was on crutches, apparently, he hurt something playing church ball this past week.  He left after the meeting, but the Elders told us he wants to come back to church, but he has a lot of questions. 

Adelaide slept in her closet last night.  She told me her bed was too messy and I told her she couldn't sleep with us, the girls said it's too squishy if she sleeps in their bed, so this morning I looked in her room and she wasn't in her bed,(she could have been under the ruble that makes up the floor of her room, but that wasn't too likely) and sure enough we opened the closet door and she had made a little bed in there.  Today, she was going to read a little book that she brought home from school that is for her to practice reading and as she was going to read it to us, she said it was so easy she could read it with her eyes closed.  We informed her that that wasn't really reading, but she practically did have it memorized from reading it to me so much.  She told me that earlier this week that her kindergarten friend Madelyn has a crush on Hartman.  I asked her how she knew that and she said," Because, she was wearing mascara!"  I said, "Well, you wear mascara, does that mean you have a crush on Hartman?" and she just smiled.

I hope you have a wonderful week.  Being a missionary is a special experience, make it the best you can.  Love, Mom