"Preaching" at the Woodwards

Elders E and Bud

The boy must grow to be a warrior.

Prince Taylor or Yoda or The Man in Black?

The Lone Wolf

So I went to pharmacy at Walmart and the pharmacist said she needs the phone number or something... Could you just send it? I've got enough to last me a week or so - I'll be fine until gets here. Thank you!

It was nice to talk to you yesterday! And dad and Eric. I think about everyone a lot. I think about you and dad and there are so many things I see every day that remind me of you two. It makes me so grateful to have you as parents. I see so many other people so often who have or have had bad parents and I see parenting is the foundation for your entire life. I think of Dallin and tell folks about him whenever I see anyone related to the military. Whenever I see servicemen I'll go up and shake their hand and thank them for there service. I really, really, really admire Dallin for his decision to serve our country and I'm even more proud of him. I think about Kadi a lot too... and what's even better, while all the laurels and college-age chics in the ward are checking out my companion, I'm being eyed by all the beehives and some of the miamaids. Duuuuude I LOVE 12-year olds! Elder B won't let me live it down! I'm so excited to go prison! I've been thinking about it and maybe when I get back, I'll take advantage of my good looks and claim to be 17 and hit up high school dances and church youth activities and maybe even date Kadi's friends. She could tell them I'm her cousin visiting from New York or Maine or somewhere exotic and less gay than a state in the west. So long as I don't carry my ID on me, I'll be fine! Yaaay....... It SUCKS.

So the area I'm now is pretty cool. We're on bikes still and that's fine with exception of the dual tire blowout that happened yesterday. We'd locked up our bikes for an appointment and when we came back out, both of our back tires were hosed. Those will be fixed soon. There's a good handful of good members and still a pantload of work to be done. We're still fed every night and rides are available whenever we need them. The end of the transfer is coming up and we'll get transfer calls this Friday. I'm hoping Elder B and I will stay in this area but I'm not setting my heart on anything. I'd still be ok with whatever. I'm going to ask president to consider me for either a leadership position and/or banishment to McCall or Oregon somewhere. I love the Boise/Meridian area and I'd gladly stay here but maybe some new scenery would be nice. I'd like to at least be senior companion this next transfer if I don't stay with Budweiser.

We're living in the Fairview Crossing apartment complex near the corner of Milwaukee and Fairview with Elder L and D. Our apartment is two miles out of our area, which sucks but that oughta change this week sometime. There's some old folks - in the stake but not in our area - who have volunteered their basement for the use of the mercenaries and that'll be ready on Thursday I think. Our area starts on Fivemile (roads running parallel and perpendicular every mile here are the basis to the street system in Idaho - which is super JACKED UP! Whoever designed the roads in Idaho was an idiot. It's like someone hucked on a map and decided that's where things would be. Subdivisions are full of gay and there's no rhyme or reason to any roads here. They begin and end and start again somewhere else in every different direction whenever the heck they feel like it. The only consistency are the mainroads which are each exactly a mile from each other. Longitudinal roads that we worry about in this area, from East to West, are Milwaukee, Maplegrove, Fivemile, Cloverdale, and Eagle. Latitudinal roads, perpendicular from the roads listed prior, from North to South, are Mcmillan, Ustick, Fairview, and Franklin. Everyone identifies themselves according to the nearest main crossroads... I miss Utah roads...) so the extra four miles a day is tedious but keeps the waistline slim.

I've resolved when I get home, I'm gonna get a Jeep Wrangler from between 1991 and 1999 with a manual transmission. I want to be a paramedic and I still don't know where I want to go to school. I'd like to go to BYU-Idaho but I don't want to get married super soon either, not because I'm afraid of marriage (I'm SUPER stoked!) but I do want to set up some foundation before I do - like a job and some cash and a plan. I'd also like to roam the land near and far as a lone wolf and pork-eating crusader, slayin' foes and winnin' does, beating bad guys and kissing girls, drinking up and throwing down.

The mission has been the BEST thing I could have ever done. I'm kept busy, I'm helping others, I'm building my relationship with God and learning and growing in the Gospel, I'm learning important skills need for getting along with others and living on my own - even though I'm gonna live with my parents, playing video games and eating junk food until I'm 42 - I'm deciding what I'll be doing with the rest of my life, I'm getting RIPPED, I'm discovering who I am and why I'm here, I'm growing more and more confident with myself... It's amazazing!

-tay

Donald Duck

This is the hives story from Tay's companion:

so funny story yesterday elder ehlers had an allergic reaction during dinner and his face started to swell up like on hitch!! it started right before dinner started and then just got worse and worse. but it was just on one eye and his lip so he was hiding it pretty well. i didnt notice until we were doing a short message before we left and it was his turn and he wouldnt talk he just kept shaking his head no!!! so was confused at 1st but then i saw his eye and i knew something was wrong so i shared the scripture an tried to get out fast but then the mom noticed his eye and asked what was wrong with it. so he had to talk and so is top lip poped out because he had been holding it in the whole dinner and he looked like he was donald duck!!!! it was so funny but then we realized that he probably should go to the hospital so we went an were there and stayed the rest of the evening till like 10:30. the end

Impersonation of Will Smith on Hitch

That picture is SO funny! Dad used to be such a stud dahahaha I like it. Kadi got talking about the Weiss' in the last letter she sent me and it's cool to see things going along. I'm so happy for everyone!

 

Playing cards you say? Awesome! What do you play? Who are the poker buddies? Chips and dip and cake and beer and cholesterol and calories all the same? I'm glad you guys have got non-family friends again. Do any of them have attractive teenage daughters who'd like to write a representative of Jesus Christ?

Glad to hear all is well in the homeland. I got your letter about Eric and his buddy Dakota... I'm so proud of him! I absolutely agree your perspective is different after having a near-death experience. Whether you notice it or not, it's there. That's how it was - and is - for me. I find I'm able to care about people a lot more than not. Eric's a good kid. I'm so proud of him! And please pass on my regards to Dakota's mom.

Dallin skipping school?! NOT COOL! Reminds me of someone, though...... Yeah I've got no room to talk. I'm thinking the best thing any of us can do for him is seek God's help in the matter. Maybe He could do something. The service won't take him if he doesn't graduate right? I gotta write him. I sent a letter to him the other day - and Kadi, Eric, and Moose - and I hope he writes back. If he'd ever be interested, but mostly if you'd approve, I'd bet there are a lot of job opportunities here in the Boise area than in Vernal. When does he ship out?

Kadi's submitted her book? Good golly miss Molly how wonderful! Her second book? Why not her first? I wish her luck. That'd be super sick if everything pans out. Put that fool Eragon to shame!

It's good to hear dad is doing well. I feel it a HUGE blessing to see everything working out. I also hope I get some of that natural ability to effectively put things across the board in front of people. I see I've got some of it in there but I haven't figured out how to use it to it's full extent.

 

I've been feeling alright. All my drugs are working like they should. I sleep at night and get up in the morning without any problems. OH! Get this - Friday night I got home and broke out in hives, also Saturday night, for no apparent reason, like when it would happen when I was a little girl. BUT last night, my hives started up around 4:00 or so. At five we had dinner with a member family - The Snow's, who just recently was reactivated. SWEET! - and a little bit before we start eating, I feel my bottom lip kinda begin to swell. Think that's weird? Not yet.. by the time we finish dinner the swelling moved across my bottom lip and into my top lip and my eye. It progressively got worse but using a portion of my boldness and cunning, I managed to keep it in. Beginning to realize something is wrong I excused myself to the bathroom and looked in the mirror and beheld a CIRCUS FREAK! Boogilyboogilyboogilyboogilyboogilyboo! My top lip was GINORMOUS AND HORRIBLY MISSHAPEN! So I again manage to keep it in and go back into the dining room. The conversation keeps on keepin' on until about 6:45ish when Elder Budvarson looks over to me and says "It's your turn for the spiritual thought tonight." I replied with "Mm-mm" like saying NO. He said "Yes it is. I did it last night and now it's your turn." Again I say "Mm-mm!" Then he's sees the freakiness of my eye and realizes something is amiss. He responds by saying "Oh..." and then he goes on to share a spiritual thought. After his thought, Sister Snow, looks at me and asks what the matter is with my face, to which I respond, unleashing my unexplainable grossness, "NOTHING! Why do you ask?" And then everyone FREAKED! Sister Snow started going crazy, Brother Snow and Elder Bud started laughing, the baby started screaming, everything in the kitchen caught on fire, her 70 year old dad with Parkinson's killed over, the childrens went and hid in their bedrooms, the sky darkened, mobs gathered at the front door, it began to rain fire, lightning struck, the earth split, demons emerged from the darkness and began to dance, and a portal to underworld began to form in the living room. Against my pleas, they loaded me in the car and hauled to the hospital. They admitted me, put me on a hospital bed, hooked me up the machines, stuck an IV in my arm, and loaded me up with epinephrine and benadryl and I started TRIPPIN'. The benadryl was nice because I started to slip into unconsciousness but when the epi kicked in, my heartrate spiked and it just felt uncomfortable. I was sleepy but didn't want to sleep. It sucked. We were there from 7:00 to 10:00. They wrote me prescriptions for allergy stuff that I'll take to Walgreen's and get filled. Everything's covered by missionary medical.

 

Anyway I guess I had an allergic reaction to something. I can't figure what it is because it started around 4:00, long before dinner. I hadn't been around any animals. I wasn't doing drugs. A whole lotta weeeeeeeirdness going on. We'll see what happens!

So today I played my first ever ball game! I didn't like sports before the mish. Since I've been on the mish I've come to like sports BUT I couldn't play any sports. A couple a weeks ago I decided I suck because I don't try SO today I tried! We went to park and played football in the rain. It was sweet! I can run faster and jump higher, but the fact that I was in Vans didn't help anything. I had fun! I can't catch but I can block well. I figure I'll just keep playing and eventually I'll pick it up.

Also, I've recommended you on Facebook a time or two since I've been out. I hope you don't mind...

Could you send me some Flonase or Nasonex or something? I'm also running low on Trazadone. I got the Aderall refill - thank you.

 

Words of wisdom for the day: "You're gonna have to risk it if you wanna get the biscuit!"

 

And lastly... Would you tell me about the miscarriage? I seem to be running into that topic frequently being on the mission and it makes me curious. Thanks.

Well I love you tons. Thank you so much for all you do. I pray for you and the family every day. Thank you.

Love you!

tay

On Mon, Apr 16, 2012 at 3:34 PM,

Elder Tay -  

We saw Weiss last weekend and he had this picture of he and Dad. I thought you would get a kick out of it. If you can't open it, I'll print one off and mail it to you.
Weiss is in Utah looking for a job. Their house in Marana is on the market and they are ready to make the move. It will be fun to have them a little closer so we can meet up for dinner or for a visit. He said Jake is doing well with his new wife and Jessica is engaged. Chris really likes him and said he was a great guy. Little Chris comes home from his mission in about a month. Crazy!

All is well here. Everyone is working hard, going to school and playing cards with our friends. The little boys have several neighbor kids to play with and it's nice that they can go outside and just play without having to be driven somewhere! Dallin is working hard but skipping lots of school. I'm not sure how he plans to graduate but stranger things have happened and I just have to trust he will do what he says!

 

Kadi submitted a book to a publisher! It is her second book and it is really good. I think she has a great chance of being published. I'm proud of her for working hard on it and having the courage to send it out there. She might get some rejections but you can't get anywhere in life if you are too afraid of being told no.

Dad and I went to Salt Lake for Friday and Saturday. He spoke at a Preparedness conference and did a wonderful job. He is such a talented public speaker. I hope you kids get some of that natural ability to be comfortable in front of a crowd and be able to express yourself in a coherent and entertaining way.

We fasted for Grandma on Sunday. Wynn's, us, Bret & Heidi, Russ and Grandma all fasted for her to be able to sell her home and find a new one here in Vernal. It's time we got her up here and we will need divine intervention for her house to sell (and at a decent price). She is doing very well but I know she needs to be here with us. Grandpa may have had another mini-stroke. Some days he seems to be fine and on other days, she can't understand anything he says. He is starting to not recognize her by sight lately and only realizes it's her when she speaks to him. I'm not sure why he is still here but there has to be a reason.

I have been trying lots of new recipes lately. I will have a whole new repertoire when you get back! And - there is a Single Ward here in Vernal - just in case you were thinking about checking things out here before you move on with your plans!

I love you so much! Take good care of yourself and know that we love you!

-mom

Transfer and New Comp

heeeeeeeey...

you'll be getting a handwritten letter from me soon. We finally got kicked out. Elder Reed and I got transferred and our area shotgunned. I'm now in the Meridian East stake which isn't too far away from my last area but it's still new. My new companion is Elder Budvarson and he's a stud. There is a PANTLOAD of work being done and it'll be really good for me. In our apartment is also Elder Lee - who's cool - and his companion Elder Dabel. I'll deal with it and it'll build me. I'll be writing again soon!

Love you!

tay

 

 

(The Elders have been looking for a new apartment. The one they were in wasn't working out for the family any longer. It looks like they didn't wait for new digs in the area. - Mom)

Liken the Scriptures

So moses is the ultimate water bender, elijah was a fire bender, samual the lamanite an air bender and mahonri moriancumer an earth bender. Jesus Christ is the avatar. <reed and ehlers>

Sink or Swim

Elders Reed and Ehlers

When I walk in the spot, yeah, this is what I see: Everybody stops and they stairing at me. I got passion in my stance and I ain't afraid to show it show it show it show it... MISSIONARY AND I KNOW IT. WigglewigglewigglewigglewiggleYEAH!

Mother father have we been BUSY! I got my new companion - Elder Reed - and we get along really well!

 A few weeks ago I've finally hit my "mission crisis". Did it gnarl my nads to the point of wanting to come home? Not quite BUT it was a "sink or swim" kinda situation. Remember how I was talking about Cronin leaving and I would become the area leader? Well that's only half true. Cronin did leave but I am not the area leader, nor am I the senior companion. I more or less run the show - remembering names, faces, addresses, locations, appointments, stuff, anniversaries and birthdays - but Elder Reed is the senior companion and the area leader (the previous statement is only half true because Elder Reed's a righteous dude and he's adapted to the area extremely well) ANYWAY when Cronin was here, he was responsible for remembering names and addresses and things so all I had to do was follow him. With him gone, and myself being to only one who knew the area, I really had to make bacon and step it up. This is the first time I've had responsibility like this on my mission and quite frankly the first time I've EVER had this kind of responsibility in my whole entire existence.

I was trippin' some major balls and I stressed more than I have in my entire mission. I lost a lot of sleep and ate a lot of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. To counter my most distressful dilemma, (HA! How was that alliteration for ya? Yeah. I'm a poetic stud) I spent A LOT of time on my knees and starting with man in the mirror (and take THAT Michael!) using a portion of my boldness and cunning we've gone from 4 lessons in the first week of February to 25 lessons the second week and 26 lessons this past week. Life is what happens when we're planning for something else - and it kicked me in the tights and I went down. So in my agony I got back to my feet and roundhouse kicked life Chuck Norris style right in it's big stupid face and claimed victory. Freakin' yeah.

tay