November 9, 2008

Dear Children,

This was another great week with another family visit; Morty came to Portland for two Blazer games and a Duck game! It is just lucky we live here to capture a few moments with him! We had a great time with him and he squeezed in enough exciting games to last him until . . . next weekend!!!

Dad and I both went to early temple sessions on Thursday (it was our annual stake Temple Day) so we could spend the rest of the day with Morty. He arrived around non on Thursday. We had tickets to the Blazer game that night. It was an exciting game; Morty only had to poke me a few times when I feel asleep . . . not due to lack of excitement, just lack of sleep.

The Blazers deserved to win; they were up about four to six points most of the game but it went into . . . overtime. The overtime was neck and neck until the buzzer. It looked like an impossible task with eight tenths of second to go but a three pointer went in. During the last timeout, Morty said, “It is either a chalupa game or we lose!” Taco Bell hands out coupons for chalupas if the Blazers score over 100 and the score was 98 or 99 with that partial second to go. We won the game and the chalupas coupon. Remember when Morty won the stack of chalupas coupons for dancing during a Trailblazer play off game?

Morty was able to attend a second Blazer game on Saturday night with Seth Feinauer. Seth had been given seats in a company suite. Morty was excited about that. That game created another last minute win which matched the Duck game for which Morty traveled to Eugene earlier that day. The Ducks also won at the last minute in a rainy game Saturday afternoon. The slogan is, “It never rains in Autzen Stadium.” The announcer said that it has only rained four times in all the years of the stadium. Morty said, “I was at one of those four games!”

Morty wanted to go to Grandma’s ward on Sunday and hopefully see Tyler Nelson. We all went to her ward and Morty did get a chance to visit with Tyler quite a bit since Morty was eager to “help” Tyler with his almost two year old son in the halls during sacrament meeting. Grandma had us over for dinner later in the afternoon before we had to pack Morty up and say goodbye. It was a very nice and packed weekend but we had some enjoyable conversations with Morty. It was great to be around him.

I learned through Morty that Katie and Nate also attended a Trailblazer game this week when they met the Jazz in Salt Lake. It was so nice to her that Nate and Katie went there together. It was also through Morty that I heard that Nate luckily escaped the 8% lay off that went through Zappos last week. These are very uncertain times and we will keep our fingers crossed fro Nate that he will have the job come graduation. Like I said before, it was great to have time to talk with Morty; we learned more about others I the family!

Well, Dad and I were expectantly disappointed with election results Tuesday night. Well, the cloudy weather matched my general mood as I anticipated all day the news to come. I think that I was more disappointed to learn on Thursday morning that the close race with Senator Gordon Smith, the last west coast Republican in the Senate, was lost. So, I certainly do appreciate my membership in the Church and for a prophet and leaders who prepared messages of hope at the last general conference so that my perspective these days might be lightened with the election disappointments and the economic woes. My main thoughts, after a period of disappointment, was to make the best of the situation and do my personal best having an attitude of hope for the future. I liked a comment I read about recently in the Church News, given by Jeffrey R. Holland at the September CES Fireside. He said, “I testify that bad days come to an end, that faith always triumphs and that heavenly promises are always kept.” That is on which I will rely!

In a separate article by Elder Richard G. Scott, I read his four guidelines to a better life. I want to be better at these:

• Work and pray: Quoting J. Willard Marriott, he said, “Work and prayer at the two greatest words in the English language.”
• Be disciplined: “Determination when supported by practiced discipline converts barriers into ladders to greater success, happiness joy and accomplishment.”
• Radiate a positive attitude: “The challenges you face, the growth experiences you encounter, should be like temporary scenes played out on the stage of continuing peace and happiness.”
• Establish a home and family: “Make one of the highest priorities of life the formation of an eternal family, then live to permit the Lord to guide you to that objective while accepting His timing.”

While Morty traveled to Eugene for the Duck game, Dad and I went to Andrew Harris’s wedding. That’s right, Andrew, Adrianne’s age, got married this Saturday. They were going to wait until they both were older but the Navy is sending him to Italy for two years at the end of this moth so they didn’t want to wait two years. It was a nice wedding ceremony, very small, and a fun dinner at a restaurant over by Jesuit High School, Ernesto’s.

Kyre called excited to say that Adam spent a day with her this week as he had a day out of school. A couple of weekends ago he and Kyre went to Petco and picked out a Betta Fish together. She said whenever Adam comes over, he is in charge of taking care of it. He named it Rainbow, so every morning Klaire wakes up and says, “Hi Rainbow!”

Our lesson in Grandma’s Sunday School was on trials and the teacher emphasized the positive part of trials saying we should try and open our eyes to see the good things during a trial. She quoted the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 123:17, “Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed”. I need to exhibit more faith by standing still and watching for the Lord’s wisdom.

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week ahead! Love, Mom