08/07/06

E.Alexander,

Well, it’s Sunday at 4:35. I just woke up from a healthy nap and thought it was a good time to write you. I made a goal to write every Sunday even if I’m writing you on other days of the week. I’ll get some letter writing out of the way on Sunday. I haven’t heard from you yet so I’ll just go off of what I heard from Mom and Dad and the latest was on your first day of the MTC and your new companion. I updated your Blog that day they received your letter. So somehow I’ll have to get a picture of him too. I’ll send you the new photo card as soon as I get it and you can send me what you’ve got when that one is full. Just let me know in a note when you send it which one is your companion. What more can you tell me about him? I’m still dying to hear what the MTC experience is like. I will just wait to get a letter back with my questions I put on my last letter though.

The name of your companion was a bit ironic. I told Dad when he told me his name that My first companion in the field was Elder Scott and my second I got right after him was Elder Stevens. So just funny that his name was David Scott Stephens.

It’s weird having your name right there on messenger but knowing I won’t see that lit up for another 2 years. I might have to delete that and re-add when you come back so I don’t think about that. Or maybe I’ll leave it there as a reminder to write you or so something missionary oriented. Speaking of that, I just got my new home teaching assignment today. I have a new companion and 4 new families I hardly know. They are all inactive and a couple have requested no message. Geez! I had great families for so long and a good companion. I was 100% with him for months and months. But I guess that’s why they wanted to split us up and spread the wealth. Although, he kept the same families.

Suzanne and I have been going to the Parade of Homes and walking through some dang nice houses. Some have been over a million dollars. I’ve been getting some good ideas for some stuff though, if I can get motivated to start busting out some hard labor in this hot summer temps.

We are having a big System Link party over at Ryanengs house next weekend. So Austin and I are going to go to that. I’ve had one there before with tons of peeps. So it will be cool to bring a ringer to that. So besides that camera card, anything else you need me to send out to you? Anything else you need? Have you discovered the Matrix spot yet where you can take that Matrix shot that (was it Kasey?) took? I have to know where that is and how it’s done. Let me know when you find out.

You went to church for the first time in the MTC today. How was that? Weird going in those chapels they have huh? And everyone being your same age basically with way more elders than sisters. I watched the first NFL action of the season tonight. It was the Hall of Fame game on NBC, Raiders vs. Eagles. I didn’t watch more than a half hour of it in all so I don’t even know who won, but pre-season bugs. It’s just a meaningless game where your stars can get hurt for the season. I have Dad taking Turtle to the Vet tomorrow too. He’s got something seriously wrong with him. He’s losing a lot of weight, getting bony, stays in one spot all day and all night which is very unusual for him, and when he does move, he is really ginger and doesn’t go far. We found him front half in his box today with his back half all skiwampus out of the box peeing all over himself. So I called around but no vets are open on Sundays. So Dad is going to come get him and take him in tomorrow while we are at work. Hopefully we get some good news. We don’t know what happened to him, other than he was outside for nearly 3 days and that is the longest he’s ever been out like that. It was so hot, so he might have got heat stroke, he probably got in a fight or two or he might just be blocked up from eating something crazy out there. That’s how he’s acting, like he can’t get a poop out. But he seems like he’s in pretty bad shape.

Brinlee saw the missionaries again on 90^th south and we talked about her Mike being a missionary in his white shirt and hat. So that will be fun every time we see them. She wants to write a letter to you, so we’ll have to have her tell us what she wants to say and we’ll write it down and send that to you. Well, we can’t wait to hear from you and how everything is going. I want every copious detail. I am trying to relive the MTC vicariously through you. I think I’ll save this for now and finish it up and send it tomorrow.

Well, that was eventful waiting for the next day. Not much else to tell you. Turtle is staying the night at the vets for observation and has an IV in him to rehydrate him. He was way dehydrated and his liver was enlarged, but they won’t know anything else until his blood tests come back tomorrow. That cost us a cool $175.00. OUCH!!

Tomorrow will be an eventful day. Suzanne has her MD appointment and will set up her ultrasound for soon. I’ll let you know next letter when we will be finding out. I’m having a covert breakfast meeting with the Director of our division and a pressman who quit and walked off the job due to so much harassment and negative behavior around him. He is a big boy and all tattooed up and is in a speed metal band but he couldn’t hang with our trouble makers back there. He was a great employee though even though he only lasted a month and change. So I called this meeting to find out who the key trouble makers are, what specific instances are going on and I’m going to drop the big hatchet on a bunch of dudes soon. We are fed up with that kind of stuff and rather than lose good employees due to our stagnant jerks that aren’t taking us to the next level we want to be, we are going to axe as many as it takes and make due with what is left over and see who can step up to better paying jobs from the ranks. We’ll be needing some police assistance over there when that goes down because we will have some unhappy peeps who will do some damage when a window of opportunity presents itself. Should be loads of fun.

Well, keep up the spirit, keep up the learning, keep up the great attitude and keep up the prayers. Hope to hear from you soon.

Love ya,

Trav