12/29 The Day Before and all that Jazz

The day is finally here. Just one last sleep before I marry my sweetheart.

It's been a rollercoaster the last few days.

We got up early (I didn't even shower) and went to the church to set up. It took everyone's effort, including Melanie's, who had just arrived with Sarah's dad in the morning. The arbor was the longest thing, after the tables. But I am super grateful everyone was able to help.

Then I took Melanie to Shaunna's house. Picked up several things Sarah needed us to, including the wedding dress. Then we went to Ralphs per her request to pick up a bouquet of flowers. The lady was nice but she told us that wasn't her job. She did a good job though.

Then we went to Costco. Met her mom there and ate some hotdogs and Salad, and I took the cold stuff to the apartment and then drove home.

I spent my time at home packing up a two suitcases, one for the apartment full of clothes and the other for the honeymoon. Took me all the time up until the set up with Sarah's family.

David, Sarah's brother, was the largest surprise for their family, because's he's been in Japan with his family. I met Sarah's brother Arnie as well. Nice guy, and he has the cutest kids.

Then I arranged for Sarah's brother Enoch to bring the mattress and table and coffee table to our apartment. Sarah had me go with David.

Then, the rest of my family left and we had Ono's Hawaiian BBQ.

Finally, we had finished.

Time to turn in.

12/28 Somewhat Bad Vibes and Vegetable Cutting

Today was okay.

I got annoyed with dad during a game of Code Names and it totally backfired on me later. My parents got mad at me for not knowing anything about anything that is happening with the wedding. They also bagged on Sarah about how domineering she can be and saying I have no say in the relationship. They were saying that I do not hang out with the family as much as I can when I go on trips with Sarah and that we spend too much time with Sarah's friends. It just was not good vibes on the day before the day before the wedding. They were saying that Sarah's family is not going to be doing anything, but then I showed them the book that Sonia (my new sister-in-law) made for us and that stopped them from saying anything else. Fortunately, it ended on that note. Dad was getting emotional, but in the bad way, where he's angry at you. And worst of all, they did it in front of Tony, Briana, and Sarah, and Sarah was agreeing with them about some stuff. They told me to ask my siblings what they think of Sarah.

Anyways, they invited us out to eat later on the sly, and we went to Famous Dave's. It was a good feast.

Sarah and I cut vegetables til 11:30pm. We finished, just had cheese left to do, and then I took them to the apartment to store in the fridge. Got home at 12:08ish. I cut my fingers twice, worse the second time, on my pinky and ring finger on my left hand using the salad master.

I am unsure about tomorrow, because Melanie Blakely is coming in and Sarah's Dad is picking her up at the Ontario Airport and then they are coming to help set up the church. And then I'm suppose to take her to Shaunna's house to drop off her stuff, then have her meet up with Sarah's mom, so they can go shopping at Costco and later go to the nail salon. After I leave her with her mom, then I am free to go where ever.

Dad seemed annoyed tonight. We gave them a diagram (roughly drawn) of what Sarah wants the church set up to look like. He hardly said anything at dinner, but when he did, he was defensive.

IDK IDK IDK. Time for bed.

Countdown to our Wedding Chain-by Sarah Rebecca Trefflich

95. For the way my heart feels when I first saw you - beat-skipping bliss excitement.
94. For your smile.
93. For your face.
92. For Your hopeful attitude.
91. For your mission.
90. For your kisses.
89. For your depth.
88. For your loyalty.
87. For your humour.
86. For your heritage.
85. For the color of your skin (and the content of your character).
84. For your kissing my ear.
83. For your integrity.
82. For your diligence.
81. For your tenderness.
80. For your faith.
79. For your hugs.
78. For the way you rub my hand and fingers.
77. For our future.
76. For your passion and compassion.
75. For your self-control.
74. For your deep breathing.
73. For the sound of your beautiful, soothing voice.
72. For you cradling me.
71. For you wiping all my tears.
70. For you pulling me towards you.
69. For you sitting next to me at church.
68. For your supportive nature.
67. For your friendliness.
66. For your gift of stability, whenever I am with you, I'm home.
65. For your traveling with me and our adventures.
64. For your courage.
63. For your haircuts.
62. For your patience.
61. For the way you touch my hair.
60. For your choosing to be vulnerable with me.
59. For your saving money with me and becoming self-reliant.
58. For your helping me organize.
57. For your spontaneity.
56. For your temple attendance.
55. For your hickies.
54. For your trust.
53. For the way you talk to people.
52. For how it feels when you are right next to me.
51. For your deep stares.
50. For your life-goals.
49. For your testimony.
48. For your listening.
47. For your service in your callings.
46. The way you love my family.
45. For your shoulder rubs.
44. For your generosity.
43. For our family.
42. For waking up right next to me every morning.
41. For you liking my cooking.
40. For your consecrating yourself to God.
39. For you believing in me.
38. For BYU Football!
37. For your great date-planning.
36. For your kisses - yes, they should be lauded again.
35. For your heart.
34. For all of you.
33. For your romantic nature.
32. For your priesthood worthiness.
31. For your smile.
30. For your maturity.
29. For your snuggles.
28. For your missionary efforts.
27. For your charity.
26. For your magic!
25. For your accepting my counsel.
24. For your Eskimo kisses.
23. For your everlasting love.
22. For my ticket into the Celestial Kingdom :)
21. For your family.
20. For your soul.
19. For your sweet and deep caresses.
18. For your openness.
17. For your beautiful music.
16. For your Christ-like attributes.
15. For your in-line priorities.
14. For how it feels to touch the small of your back.
13. For the kind of father you will be-a loving one.
12. For your promptness.
11. For your sharing the mental load.
10. For your giving me a baby.
9. For your defending me to your parents.
8. For your taking off your classes (ooh la la)!
7. For your desire to keep progressing.
6. For your humility.
5. For your honesty.
4. For your acceptance of my unorthodox ways.
3. For the way you love my family.
2. For your eyes.
1. FOR TIME AND ALL ETERNITY!

12/27 U-haul Driving and Reception Food Shopping and Hesitancy

So, I drove a UHAUL truck today, partly with Dad as my passenger, and the other part by myself back to the Self Storage place I got it at. All in all, the trip to Shaunna's house to our house to my apartment to the gas station and back was 35 miles. The truck cost $19.95, plus 0.79 cents a mile. So, it cost with tax about $52. I got on the 15 freeway and back on it to the 10 freeway back. It was crazy, because you can't look at a mirror to the back, so you have to rely on the side mirrors. Changing lanes was the hardest. We filled the truck up at Shaunna's house with her couch that she gave us, and the rocking chairs and several of her boxes. Then we got the refrigerator and loaded it into the truck lying down on it's side. Then all the family drove to my apartment and Tony helped us unload the truck. The couch was the hardest thing to get in, we had to stand it up before it got through the entryway. The fridge was the second hardest thing. Then we put the doors back on the fridge, which was somewhat hard in space we were given. Dad had to help me with the first bottom hinge screws, and then I got the left door bottom hinge screws in. Wow, we did a lot today.

Then I came home and started packing up my things in suitcases and boxes.

Sarah got off of work at 6pm and we met at the apartment. From there, we went to Sam's Club, because Mom and Dad invited us to have pizza. We had a nice time there. We got there later because Sarah wanted to see the things in the apartment, and because Cedar was super backed up. Mom knew about the fruits to cut up and asked about how much we need. But we neglected to inform them of the vegetables, meat, cheese, and potato and macaroni salad. So we went to Food 4 Less to buy those things. I kinda had a melt down in the meat section. So we didn't get the lunch meat, and decided to put it off to another day to make the decision. We spent about $150. I almost could not bear it. I couldn't stand to lose that much cash. But we did.

We went to the church to sketch out how the cultural hall was going to look. We ran into Gunther's mom, sister Perez, and then we bumped into Brother Lopez and gave both an invitation to the wedding. Also, we stopped by Lucy and Jesus's house to give them an invitation because theirs got lost in the mail or something. They were all happy to get it.

Sarah opted to stay at the house and go to sleep there, because she didn't want to drive all the way back to Rancho Cucamonga to Shaunna's house. I gave her the blankets that were in the car. We dropped all the vegetables in the fridge and the cheeses, etc. I also dropped off my shirts on hangers and a couple of boxes.

12/26 Bed frame building with Dad and Arno and $100 Smart and Final errands galore

Wow, what a day!

I got up earlier so that I could load our bed frame in the van and meet Arno at 10:30am to help me set it up. I also loaded several boxes in the van as well. Well, I got there at about that time. Unloaded 5 or 6 heavy boxes (which caused my forearm muscles to hurt later) and lifted that bed frame box all by myself to my apartment, which to me was super heavy. I had Tony help me put it in the van, but lifting it by myself was a feat in and of itself. I then dropped it off. I was hoping to have help from Arno at that time but he didn't show up until 50 minutes after the scheduled meeting time. By the time I had unloaded all those things, Dad called me to come pick him and some more boxes and the bookshelf up. I left the apartment, feeling bad because Arno still wasn't there, but went to get dad. Unfortunately, Arno did show up while I was gone and called me, so I told him to wait like 20 or so minutes til dad and I were back.

I picked up Dad and we drove back to the apartments. We met Arno there and after we brought the rest of the stuff in, we proceeded to assemble the bed frame. After taking a few minutes to understand the instructions after emptying the box, we assembled the bed frame with relative ease. It wasn't as hard as it could've been with everyone's help. It took us probably a good 30 to 45 minutes to do, but after it was done, there was good feelings being spread every which way. Dad suggested that we invite Arno over for lunch, which he gladly accepted.

Sarah called at about the time we were driving back to my house. I was in Arno's car. She told me to prod them to tell their stories, but it was with relative ease that they shared their stories, without prodding. We all sat at the table and began to eat Lomo Saltado and rice. Briana, Tony, Mom and Sarah sat with us and we had a pleasant meal together. Then Arno left. But it was not really awkward as it could've been. Then everyone left except for me and dad, and we began taking the fridge doors off. We prepared it for when we pick it up tomorrow in the big truck.

Then I did lots of errands, first picking up my suit from the dry cleaners and dropping off dad's suit coat. Depositing a check Arno gave us of $100 for our wedding and Christmas. Then I went to Target to buy the Tim Tams, and to Food 4 Less to get the wafers Sarah wanted. Then I headed to Burlington Coat Factory to pick up my tailored suit, which looks so good on me, for sure. Then I went to Home Depot, to pick up a measuring tape so I could see if the sofa would fit in the Uhaul we're getting tomorrow, which it will fit in a 10' one, for sure.

Then Sarah called and I told her I was at her house. She said she could pick me up and drop her friend off from work in Upland. Then we went to Smart and Final, spent $100 on stuff for food for our wedding. We miscalculated the price. Sarah's friend called and we took the food to the Juniper church and picked up Sarah's wallet at home, and then we ended the night at Wiwa's for his birthday. They had pork and rice and potatoes with a good lemon onion concoction.

I drove Sarah back, got her key. Tried out the speaker, which probably isn't good enough, did my best to listen to Sarah about getting sheet cake at Costco and then talked to Sarah about money after dancing to our song.

Now it's late and I must go to bed.

12/25 Christmas day with a missionary and Family

What a great day!

We got to talk to our favorite Elder this morning at about 9:15. It was so good talking to him. I love Jacob so much. He is literally a rock and is doing really good with his new companion Elder Lin. He even shared his testimony with us very emotionally that got mom going, and got me a bit emotional too. He's doing great. I love that kid.

After eating breakfast, Sarah and I traveled to Torrance to visit the family. Helen was a bit frazzled because nobody went to go eat breakfast at her house, and Lisa was leaving to visit her in-law's family. We enjoyed visiting with Helen and then we went to San Pedro to see Carol and Danny's house. Enoch and Sonia were both there with their two girls, Melanie and Maya. Melanie is really cool. She played Rock, Paper, Scissors with me and beat me like 10 times in a row before I got her back. I got to know Enoch (Timothy) over Nintendo and bomber man and Super Mario Bros.

Sonia brought us our guest sign in book and it is simply amazing. I wasn't expecting something so perfect. Athena was there as well and her little boy Noah was mesmerized by the TV, and her husband was also there and he seemed pretty nice. Danny gave us a tour of the house, which is a nice two bedroom place.

To Helen's disappointment, Arno showed up at the house later to give out presents. Enoch and Sonia came later and Enoch volunteered to save us the hassle of getting a truck in Torrance and bring our queen sized mattress and table home to our apartment. That makes me so happy, honestly. We got the vases for the wedding from Sarah's mom.

We then traveled home and went to Lucy and Jesus's to celebrate his birthday.

I am tired.

Merry Christmas 2017!

Letter #49

Hey Jacob,

I'm going to keep this short so that you can read it and call us.

We're all looking forward to your phone call this morning. We had a good Christmas, but it's going to be made even better with your presence. We stayed up, of course, til twelve. We watched three Christmas movies: Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (with Jim Carrey), and It's a Wonderful Life. We timed it just right. It ended right at 12 midnight. Although, we took a brief intermission, in which Sarah played the bass on the piano and Briana played the Soprano part. It was quite funny because Tony would clap after each song and Briana would do this swaying with her arm when she was finished as a funny flare.

It's been a good week, though. Everyone is home now. Sarah came home Monday and Tony and Briana came yesterday.

Anyways, It is super late and we're talking to you in 6 hours or so, so you can ask me any questions about my week that I didn't fill when you were here.

I love you buddy.

Talk to you soon,
John

12/23 New Marriage Suit and a Sick Missy Girl

ONE WEEK, Woah!

Today started as a lazy day, in that I woke up late and had lunch with my family. I woke up so late, that Briana and Tony were already here. I heard her signature giggle downstairs, and then she came upstairs to say hi to me. They came after I took a shower.

Sarah Rebecca went to the Salon to get her face waxed and hair cut. They did a good job.

Then somehow, we decided that I'd go with mom and dad to Burlington Coat Factory in Ontario Mills, and Sarah would drive the kids to Victoria Gardens to do their shopping. I guess she wanted to spend a good amount of time with my family.

So, I went to BCF with the parents. Ontario Mills was packed, and I mean packed with cars and on the outside. I didn't notice the inside as much because we were in the store. But someone got mad at dad for cutting in front of him with his car. The guy rolled down his window and said Merry Christmas rather sarcastically. We had our windows down as well.

It was hard to find a suit in my size: 48R and I also had to try on two different waist-sized pants. One 38 and the other 40. 40 fit me better. So after waiting in a humongous line, we took them back to the tailor. All in all, it was $191. Mom and Dad do love me. Dad was like, You need a new suit for your wedding. Thanks Mom and Dad.

We then went to meet Lucy and Jesus at Living Spaces because they had just bought two tables and a eight chairs. Two because they needed at least 6 chairs for the nice table. And the other table was crappier, but it was cheaper to buy the two tables and chairs to just to buy the chairs.

Then us kids, Sarah too (who's an adult), took Mom's Miguel's Jr. gift cards and bought some Miguel's at Mom and Dad's request. We took them home and ate. Sarah then let me know that she was sick with a fever, and she felt really sick and warm. So during the BYU basketball half time, I asked Tony if he could anoint and I seal a blessing on her, because she asked for a blessing. I gave her a blessing. Then we finished watching the game, which they won. And then I took her home in my car, made her some honey-lemon tea, and watched one Studio C with her. Then I left after kissing her goodnight.

Dad just got back from helping Lucy and Jesus with the table and chairs in the van. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and church. I'll have to pick her up early tomorrow if she's feeling up to it.

12/22 Richies' and Massage by Vanessa

Today was nice, even though I couldn't sleep at all last night.

I went to Nogales to get all of us a Nogales Breakfast burrito at Mom's request. I didn't eat all of it because of Sarah and my impending date with the Harris's. Then mom and I went to the grocery store (for the last time according to mama). It was nice being there with her. We got a roast for christmas eve dinner.

Then Sarah and I went to Richie's diner at Victoria Gardens to meet the Harris's. They told us they were also waiting for Chris Chandroo and his friend Venus. The food there was very good. I got some Steak and fries and asparagus. We then went to Creamistry, the liquid nitrogen ice cream place that the Harris's love a lot.

Then Sarah surprised me with a professionally done massage by Vanessa Ortiz of the single's ward. It was really nice and I had a lot of knots in my back. Sarah saw me shirtless. Also, I saw Sarah get her massage. It was very relaxing even though it hurt at some times. Vanessa is super nice and she likes to talk.

We went to the gas station to fill up and to put air in my tires, although, the tire pressure light did not go off like it should.

Took her home and kissed her nicely.

12/21 Basketball, Star Wars at AMC, and a Professional Haircut for the Wedding

What did I end up doing today?

I know what happened last. Sarah came over at around 6 to watch the BYU vs Idaho State basketball game, which we won. We ate In N Out burgers and fries. I shared my spread and actually had one left over for later. Then we had some tortilla chips with bean sauce that was super good that Sarah brought from a potluck she had had earlier at her work. Then Sarah asked me, after the game, if I wanted to use the tickets she had won at work to go watch Star Wars VIII, The Last Jedi. Of course I said yes without hesitation.

So we went to AMC for the 8:30 showing, only to be told it was full, so we elected for the 9pm 3D showing, for an extra $4 a ticket. The movie was long, but powerfully good. My favorite scene would have to be Luke being shot at and surviving, and then fighting Kylo Ren. You strike me down now, and I will haunt your dreams. I really thought Kylo was going to do good, but then again, it would have left no room for a 3rd movie in the Trilogy. It was a super good movie with amazing visual effects. And I really loved Rose's character.

So, after today, only 8 more days.

I got a hold of Sister Gardner, who was super loving an helpful. And Sister Christensen, who likes to question everything. She's going to make brownies, plus cookies of her choosing. I don't know, I don't have as great a relationship with her as I do Sister Gardner.

I slept in today. Sarah had a headache/migraine, and by the time the game came on, a fever. I hope she's doing better now. I do my best to be there for her when she needs me.

Oh yeah! I got my hair cut today and my suit is in the dry cleaners, all within a matter of 30 minutes. Both are going to cost $14 each. They are going to fix a tear in my pants, which is why it is steep in price. I don't know why, but for some reason, when I tell people the price of some thing or other, I like to mention it was like a dollar cheaper or so, because it lessens the gravity of the situation. Prices of things allude me.

Dad mentioned that he would talk to mom about maybe getting me a suit or something. We will see if that happens, but I know that would make Sarah happy.

It was cold when the movie ended tonight. Sarah didn't want me to go. She was crying and asking me to stay and maybe sleep with her in her car. I don't know if she was serious or not, but I know I couldn't do it for a couple of reasons. Fortunately, I was able to make her feel better about everything and talked to her all the way to her home via cell phone.

Now it is almost two a.m.

12/20 We got the Keys and some Hanging Out

10 DAYS AND COUNTING! CRAZY!

So, we can move into our apartment starting December 26, Tuesday. I got a hold of Monica and she asked that I come in so I could get the keys and gate opener, and bring a new check with the pro-rated rent for when we can move in. So now things are being put into motion, it's crazy. We got our mattress headboard that can support a queen size mattress. It is long and super heavy. I'll probably assemble it on that Tuesday when we can move in.

We're probably just going to go with the internet deal that Spectrum provides because we are not all about that paying $90 a month. However, it's still like $45 a month. I went to check out routers at Target after doing that stuff. I guess we need to pick one soon. I did find out that there is a bloomington library in the nice apartments close to where we're going to live. I wonder how it is. There are like no places to park near there.

Mom and Sarah went to the Swap Meet today. Sarah want to stay there, but mom was ran ragged. They got Tasty Goody for dinner, which was really good, but only so much. We ate all of it pretty much.

I then went to go hang out with Sarah tonight. I met her at her house and we went to Smart and Final to pick up the crackers we are going to be serving at our wedding. Then we saw a thrift store that we went to for fun. We almost picked up some plates but decided against that. We then went to Taco Bell, so I could get Sarah food, because she hadn't eaten and was feeling low blood sugar.

We got back to the house and Shaunna was home, so we watched an episode of The West Wing, we're only on episode 10 and we've been watching forever, it seems like so long ago.

I had to print out my three pay stubs and provide Monica with a copy of my social security card and driver's license. I found out that I can print from my phone, because dad was busy in the tub and mom and Sarah were gone.

Sarah talked about the book with me. She's learning a lot and liking what she is reading.

12/19 Pine Cone Spray Painting and Coco's with my Darling

I got up at around 10:30am this morning to the smell of fried rice and the chicken that my dad and mom were making for breakfast. Unfortunately, I wasn't all to hungry this morning so I only had one scoopful. I'll have more later. Then I went outside in the backyard and worked on spray painting the pinecones. I did a lot of them, at least 3/4 of the bagful, which was a lot. I skipped out on all the little tiny pinecones, that didn't have too much meaning in my eyes. Although, they were all different. My left hand got spray painted silver. Most of the paint has washed off by now. But it was funny going around with spray painted hands.

Mom and Sarah left to go to Victoria Gardens mall. At first I was going to go with them, but I decided to work on getting the rest of Sarah and my honeymoon figured out. It took about an hour and a half, but I decided on another hotel in Hemet near Idyllwild and an AirBnb in Huntington Beach. I told Sarah about it later when I saw her today. She was super excited. I had chosen Huntington because I thought she had never been to Irvine, but I was wrong. She has been, but it still was good to have everything done.

I then called Sarah. They were leaving Victoria Gardens. So I decided not to join them. I drove to Target where I got some stuff and looked at the TVs. I went to Best Buy, to look at TVs and look at the movies. I was thinking of getting Sarah the three Star Trek movies, but I figured that'd be costly. The package that I got for Sarah in the mail today arrived. I hope she likes what I got her. Then I went to Barnes and Noble where I looked at the books and I found a book that Sarah my sister will like. The book is by the same guy that wrote The Mysterious Benedict Society. I think she'll like it. It is called the Secret Keepers.

Then I met up with Sarah and we went to go eat dinner. First to Salsitas, but it was super full of people, so we went right to Coco's. We shared a Sourdough Hamburger and a Chicken Parmesan meal with Mash Potatoes and Salad and the hamburger came with Sweet Potato fries. We talked about the honeymoon and other things, like when Sarah helped her brother propose to Kirsten.

Sarah had an appointment with Kersten, her mentor. I left after she got the call. It went well though.

I had a good time watching DC's Legends of Tomorrow before Sarah called. We talked about internet and tv cable. I learned that the $30 is for each of the three things, so in essence, we will be paying $90 a month. No good. So I am planning on only doing the internet, probably. I'm supposed to call Monica tomorrow to see if we can move in a few days before so we can set things up.

12/18 Sarah Returns and I have a Headache

Today has been okay. I woke up with a wee sore throat and after we picked up Sarah and me falling asleep on the way...my head was hurting, up until I went to FHE.

We picked up Sarah from the Long Beach Airport. It was nice talking to her on the way home and to Miguels. She is so sassy it is crazy. Briana called her when we were entering Miguels and she asked Sarah if it was home without me, and Sarah said no. Briana then said, Good, because home without me is ho, haha.

I have a lot of boxes. No fun. My room is like constantly dirty now. But I am slowly but surely getting ready to move. Once again, Sarah my sister is so Sassy.

I went to FHE and I had a good time there, just with headache and being cold, so I wore a sweater. I said goodbye to all of my friends. I left early so I could get to sleep.

Sister Mendoza dropped by to wish us a Feliz Navidad. We, mom and I, spoke with her and had a good chat. She needs people to pray for her. So I'll do that.

I am super ready to go to bed.

12/17 Letter #48

Hey man!

Just 13 more days until the big day, and when you read this it will only be 12 and counting. Almost like the Countdown to Kickoff that BYU Sportsnation takes part in. These next few days are going to be really busy. Just can't believe that this is all going down, and I have a girl that loves me. Yes, we're getting married. She asked me if I can get everything for the honeymoon ready, because she has a lot on her plate, and because she said she'd love anything I put together. We already have our first hotel booked in Chino Hills, but I still have yet to book stuff for the rest of the honeymoon. But it'll be a surprise to Sarah either way.

Dad gave me a lot of boxes. Why? So I could pack all of the stuff that I have. Mainly the books. You know, I have a lot of them, plus DVDs. So, when you get back, you will have a lot of shelf space for your books in the closet and in the bunk bed. I filled up a whole box with just my journals. I know, I have a lot of journals...which is a reason why I started my online journal.

Today was our last Sunday in the Single's Ward. They cancelled Single's Ward church for next Sunday so we could be with our families in our home wards, and the Sunday after that I will be married. I got released from my calling as Executive Secretary today as well. The man that is going to be it now is a really nice guy, and I wrote a google doc about all of my responsibilities that I could give him.

Sarah and I went to the Oleander Ward this morning to watch Mom and Dad give a talk in Sacrament meeting. They both did a good job. Mom expressed how thankful she was in the midst of the many hardships that our family, and particularly she, has endured. Dad shared about his childhood, not explicitly saying that he was talking about himself. He did mention how his Polio had affected him. After the talks, President Young came up and expressed his concern and love for our family and mom particularly. Three of the four Young girls sang a three-part harmony. It was quite beautiful, and someone mentioned how much Brother Young loved hearing his girls sing.

So, it was a bit bittersweet to be like this is my last sunday in the Deer Creek Ward. I will definitely miss my home of the last 3 and a half years. The ward has been good to me. So Sarah and I have decided to participate in the Fontana spanish ward, called the Juniper Ward, according to Dad. Oh man, this will definitely be a challenge to me, as my Spanish is only so good. But it'll also be good for me, in the long run. It'll definitely help me in my employment situation.

So, Stephanie strikes again with her Blood Candy today. She shows up during the Potluck and says she's bringing a girl in my ward a gift for her birthday. She gave both Sarah and me peppermint bark and hot chocolate mixes. She asks us when our wedding is and if we're excited. She is hard to understand that one.

Our Ward Christmas party was this week. They had a white elephant gift exchange. Sarah and I didn't bring anything, but a sister gave us both presents. One she says Sarah needs to end up with, because, once we opened it, we found dish rags, new ones. I also got a IPhone X box that was weighted down with five dollars worth of coins. It was stolen from us by a boy that was there because he liked the box. They had El Pollo Loco catered at the party! Crazy. Unfortunately, Sarah and I both had eaten with Dad and Mom. Chris Michael Acosta came with us to the party and he had a swell time. He had mentioned that he had bumped into the missionaries at the library on Tuesday. He really wants to have a good time, although, not really commit to the LDS church.

We got the fridge I told you about last week. Ryan Hiatt helped me by driving all the way out to Irvine to pick it up and hook it up to the truck. It didn't fit in the house, so dad and mom worked on taking the doors off. I came later and helped dad finish taking the doors off and putting them back on. It is a super nice refrigerator. Whirlpool. White.

We went to the temple night this week. It was my last time baptizing for the ward. Tyler Frederick was super sad and giving me hugs left and right. We had a poor turnout, though. Two of the girls got bloody noses while they were being dunked by me. I guess that happened because it has been so dry and windy. Although, I have never seen that happen before. The people were saying how I bloodied the girls noses. Sorry. haha. In N Out was great afterwards.

I've already put this last week behind me as far as work is concerned. I don't even really remember one thing important that happened. I was doing mostly roving at Sycamore and Jurupa Vista. Like I said, nothing notable did happen. I'm still waiting to hear back from the people about the SDC aide job I applied for. Probably this week I'll call them and hopefully they'll have good news for us. Really.

We're excited to have Sarah, our sister, come home tomorrow from Utah.

I hope you are doing well, doing your best as senior companion in your new area. I am so excited for you. Marry Christmas to you, my brother. I'm looking forward to speaking with you the day of. Can't wait to hear about your week.

I love you soo much!
Take Care.

John

12/16 Disagreements and Not backing Down

Today was a doozy.

Sarah and Dad got into a contentious uproar over small things and Sarah believes that dad oppresses both me and mom, quelling her freedom to speak freely about any subject. Sarah doesn't trust that dad has her best interests at heart anymore, saying that if he continues to do stuff like this she doesn't trust him to treat our family well. IDK IDK IDK

My head is hurting for how hurt Sarah is and wishing that things will work out. This spat was comparable to the spat that they had at Thanksgiving, only Sarah was more hurt this time.

Mom was not going to have it. She left the restaurant and started walking home. She was so POed that she hung up on Dad and me intentionally.

Mom says they both need to know when to shut up, and that Dad is not going to back down. That Sarah should back down to preserve the peace. Which would be nice, but Sarah and Dad are both stubborn.

Can you believe that this all happened because dad had a chip on his shoulder because of Sarah, and she was just talking about Ty Detmer as Offensive Coordinator for BYU? Dad had something against Sarah already on his mind before we even had dinner at Sizzler.

The Christmas party was good. We gave Chris Acosta a ride and he enjoyed himself.

12/15 Black Walnut Hull Tincture and a Christmas Wedding Present

I did at least one good thing today. I washed the dishes for mom. I did them because I love her, and because I wanted to do something productive today. Dad had me get breakfast burritos from Nogales. I asked him if I should get mom some (she was at work, last day), but he said no, so I didn't. The burrito was super good. Dad was right, the Salsa from Nogales makes and breaks the burrito.

I went with Sarah to pick up our pictures from Walmart. Joel, an old friend and employee of Walmart's late shift, said hi to me. He was always very nice to me. I asked him if he was excited for the Holidays. He told me he didn't celebrate Christmas because he was a Jehovah Witness. I wonder how Jehovah Witnesses feel about how much Christmas cheer is spread during the holidays. He was like he follows the bible to the core with his fellow Witnesses. He also told me he is glad that Walmart gives him at least the one day off. I remember that like yesterday: the only day a year that Walmart gives their employees a day off. I also remember that the first year I worked for Walmart, they gave me time off, but the second year, I had to work it, and therefore, my family had to come to Utah to celebrate the holiday. That was when Briana was in Argentina.

We went to Sprouts to pick up Epsom Salt and Black Walnut Hull Tincture. We called before to make sure it was there. We got passed to like five guys on the phone. But a nice girl helped us out. It was actually ready to be given to us when we got there. The reason we were picking up those ingredients, is because Sarah started a liver and gall bladder cleanse. She had to drink all that stuff up, while also fasting from fats and water. I don't know how she did it. I'll probably have to do that soon, as well.

Shaunna wasn't home, so we watched The West Wing in her driveway. We didn't finish it, though, because she arrived 30 minutes after starting the show. It was a good show though. We'll see how it ends.

We talked to Shaunna for a while. She said for our Christmas/Wedding Present (since she's going to be in Utah for Christmas) she was going to give us her couch and her rocking chair. We graciously said thank you. The pieces of furniture are very nice.

Afterwards, we decided to watch a movie together. Shaunna made popcorn (although Sarah couldn't eat it) and we started watching Ocean's Eleven, but Shaunna couldn't handle all the cursing, which makes sense, there is a lot of cursing in Oceans. She went upstairs and suggested we watch The Christmas Angel...which I hadn't known I had already seen. We watched it, and it was a nice feel good Christmas movie. It's the one with the guy from The Best Two Years, the wayward Elder.

Sarah finished getting her Cleanse ready and finished drinking and quickly went upstairs to lay down. Shaunna and I cleaned up and chatted to she let me go home.

Mom was home, and she expressed her frustrations with me yesterday and Dad making her work on the fridge that I should've been working on. But I think we're good.

12/14 Getting a Fridge and Taking off its Doors.

We got a fridge (that doesn't fit through a normal sized doorway)!

Ryan went out of his way to help us with his truck and drive all the way to Irvine to pick up a fridge. It was a nice ride and we talked about a lot of stuff.

Mom was in a funky mood, because I went to go get something to eat after I had dropped the fridge off and had to go all the way back to Upland to get my car. Dad took down a door and a half by the time I got there. She went to sleep but when she heard that we were going to put the doors back on, she went crazy saying it doesn't need to be done. Surprisingly dad stayed calm and said that it was necessary.

I went to Jack in the Box and met Sarah there. We talked for a few minutes while I ate.

Work was good. Last day of work for me for a while. Need to get a job soon so I can still be raking in the cash.

Time for bed. Couldn't get to bed last night to save my life. I stayed up past four, but fortunately I didn't have work until 11:30am today. I got to help Laurel out with stuff.

12/13 Last YSA temple night and Packing books

Today was nice. I had an easy nice minimum day at Jurupa Vista for Mrs. Martin's team teach class with Mrs. Litchford's class. The assignments were easy and the classes were pretty good. I had to stop some of the kids teaming up against Xzavier in the first round, and in the second period, two girls got sent up to the office during lunch time for doing something. One girl came back in tears and a poor countenance throughout the rest of the day. I had a good salsa during lunch today and several sugar cookies throughout the day.

I called Ryan at Sarah's request to schedule a time to go pick up the fridge tomorrow. I am meeting at his house at 5:15pm and we are driving to Irvine tomorrow. Confirmed with the owners and they said we could pick it up an hour later.

I had asked Sarah if she wanted to watch Star Wars VIII on Friday and she said not then. Then she called me and told me she won two tickets to AMC. So, sometime we're going.

Dad told me I need to start packing my things, mostly my books and clothes, so before the temple tonight, I did some of my packing looking through my stuff. Dad gave me many boxes and said that I could take the bookshelf in the garage when I move out. We're also going to put the fridge in the living room next to the desk where the big TV is now.

Baptisms were nice. I got to baptize for the very last time for the YSA ward. There were only several people tonight: me, Sarah, Diego, Tyler, AJ, Katie, Sarah N and Hailey, Robin, Rosette (who both got a bloody nose [super strange]) and Cara. We sat at In N Out with Rosette and Brother O'Neill. It was a super nice night. Things are great.

Sarah and I can't wait til the big day in 17 days!

12/12 Happy Cloud and Snowflake hole-punches

The day went by fast at work today...don't really know why. The kids were somewhat easy to be around. They got cantankerous after PE because one of the teams was chanting "We are WINNING and you are LOSING!" I thought it was funny, but didn't think to stop them from doing this thing. Some kids were really hurt by this chant, even though we weren't keeping score in the kickball/basketball game. They also all wanted to get in the good cloud, which, after a while got annoying because every fifth question was, "Can I now be on the cloud?" To which I would answer, "Those that ask me won't get put in the cloud." They took forever on this area of a house floor plan poster. It took almost two hours, although, the teacher told me it would take them a while and not to worry if they didn't get everything done. Some of their work was funny because they totally missed the point of the assignment.

I was tired when I got home today. I found out (although I should have known) that there is no class on Friday for the whole district. On my way out, I took a half day thusday job, all right before Laurel assigned the job to someone else. I told the other sub sorry for taking his work.

I lay down, and a second later, Mom called me asking me if I could come with her to the grocery store. I did, and we got the usual stuff we need for a nice work week, even though we only have a couple work days left. Tomorrow is minimum day at Jurupa Vista for me.

Sarah and I worked on little tiny silver bags, whole punched with snowflake inlays. We watched Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy recordings on YouTube. Then I worked on printing pictures from our wedding photo shoot with Sarah's sister in law Sonia. It took a while. Sarah continued to hole-punch and call Katiuska, her friend that is a photographer, and we agreed to pay her $450 to take pictures of us. We met her in the middle.

Sarah and I then walked around the library after it closed and the surrounding areas, talking of all the things that we need to get done, including asking my parents if we can use the Fridge that will be stored in the garage a couple of days before the wedding.

Two days left of work.

12/11 Putting a Ring on It and FHE Less-active Caroling

I had a good day today. I was with 2nd graders, Mr. Morgan's class. The day went by alright. They did everything except the math when another teacher was in the classroom to help. Ryder was a menace the rest of the day. We played "Cut the Pie" for PE and the kids really liked it. It is usually a big hit when we do play it. I'm sure, that if I teach that class again in the near future, they're going to want to play that for PE.

Sarah was nice enough to pick me up Subway cookies, two of them: white chocolate macadamien nut and chocolate chip. And she also picked me up some hot cheetos. I kept on forgetting about them, but once I had them, I ate them up on the car ride home. She wanted me there early to help frost the cookies. The white frosting was the only ones that worked, because the other colors froze up in the fridge overnight. The cookies were only so so good. We frosted a couple more with the white frosting and added them to the cookies we took to less active members of the YSA ward. We went caroling. The YSA we went to see was Ashton Farah, Kaitlyn Bock, and someone else. Only two answered, and one YSA was in the bath so their mom answered. We started up with "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and then we sang another Christmas hymn, to bring the spirit. It was my idea for the former. I was also the guide in our car for Sister Harris. It was me, Sarah, Sister Harris, and Chris Santos in one car. Sarah and I sat in the back.

We fixed our insurance situation with a lady named Deanna who Sarah called right before the FHE, which is good, because I tried calling them to ask them about whether or not I cancelled my own insurance for the year 2018 since Sarah and I are filing jointly. I was getting anyone on the other end. We are going to pick dental and car insurance tomorrow.

It was fun talking with Claire O'Neill and Jordan Mataalii. I asked Jordan if the rumors that Bishop Weston Taylor were true, that Jordan put a ring on it. He confirmed that they were not true, but that it should be happening this week. He then told Claire, and Claire was like, do I need to talk to Weston about this, haha. They were asking me if I picked out the ring for Sarah, because each time they went ring shopping, one or the other were not into it. Jordan than told me under his breathe that he already picked out the ring.

Good Monday. Still a couple days left in the week.

12/10 Letter #47

Dearest Elder from the same Mother,

The biggest news of the week for Sarah and me is that we found an APARTMENT! We'll know for sure if we got it tomorrow (Monday), but we are pretty sure we got it in the bag, because they're only checking for criminal records, prior evictions, and megan's law. And you know, we have all three of those so we won't get it, j/k. It's a nice small apartment. It's being renovated before we start living there. It's a one bedroom one bath apartment. The living room and dining room combine into one. It has a stove, a dishwasher, and we're getting a fridge, thanks to mom and Dana Pew, this thursday from Irvine. Oh, and the apartment is located in Bloomington in between the Swap Meet and Bloomington Post Office. It's close to DQ, so you know where we're going to get our food from. No really, we live close to Food 4 Less. The apartment costs $950, and the deposit was $500. We are really looking forward to living there. Sarah and I have been talking about attending the Spanish ward, so we can improve our spanish and help the ward out with whatever they need. Technically, we would be in the Oleander Ward where we live. But we know the Spanish ward needs all the help it can get. I'm hesitant because my Spanish isn't that good, but I'm also looking forward to starting a new life with Sarah in whatever ward is nice for us. So yeah, 20 days, can't believe it. Time is just flying by.

For date night this week, Sarah and I went to the Living Nativity as put on by the Rancho Cucamonga Stake. It was pretty cool. And Sarah and I went to it again tonight (Sunday) because Dad wanted to take Mom, Jesus, and Lucy. They came, except mom. And afterwards they talked about going to Thoroughbred to see the lights. The Living Nativity presentation was great. They had two or more loudspeakers declaring the Christmas story with Handel's Messiah in the background along with several Mormon Tabernacle songs. It was cool to see the structures that they put up. The only thing is this last week has been so windy that on Thursday and Fridays before it, they had to re-set-up the structure of old Jerusalem, fixing it up. I know my Bishop was calling for help from the members of our ward to help set it up again. I heard there were two stories but they decided not to put the second story up again because it was sort of a hassle. They had also set up bleachers for the presentation. Afterwards, they let the audience walk up to see the manger and other shops of people in Jerusalem. The innkeeper told us that he had no room in the end. There was a shop with spices and wheat to be grinded. And they even had a pottery master making clay pots and beakers and other things. Sarah was mesmerized by her and her skill. Karen Martinez and Andrew Sanders were Mary and Joseph again from Fontana Stake.

Also, on date night, we watched Wonder Woman from Redbox. I only spent 27 cents for it because I had an access code. Sarah really enjoyed it. We saw Justice League together, but I really liked Wonder Woman a whole lot.

I told you that Dad took Lucy and Jesus to see the lights on Thoroughbred. Well, on Monday, Sarah and I had the opportunity to see the lights on Thoroughbred for ourselves, along with have Hot Chocolate and sit by a warm fire. All for FHE at the Nowa's house because a couple weeks ago, our ward help them set up the lights and displays in their house. My pride and joy was seeing their countdown to Christmas that I helped them set up. It was a nice night to be among the lights and see the house in all its glory. And it was nice to walk among the lights and feel the Christmas cheer.

We have been following the #LighttheWorld initiative as closely as we can to feel the Christmas spirit and do something good for people and be that light. I was so happy that on Thursday I could complete the suggestion of making a child smile. Of course, in my line of work, if I'm doing it right, I get to see a kid smile everyday. On Thursday, the sub manager changed the class I was subbing for on me. I had originally gone in to teach a 2nd grade class, but she moved me to 4th grade. Which was the class Laurel's daughter is in. And she was like, my daughter is like me, kinda kook-ie. The day was difficult, as I didn't have lesson plans until midway in the day, so I had to ad-lib and I had been added 6 fifth graders to my class. Well, after a relatively chaotic day, I talked to Laurel's daughter while others were on the computer and she asked if we could play hangman. I did "Hello, my friend." Which was nice, but then she surprised me with her phrase, which said "Today was Fun!" It really made me feel good, and that I hadn't really failed the day with these kids.

Brother Rasmussen, the high councilman for the YSA ward pulled me aside and thanked me for my work in the Elder's Quorum and bishopric as Executive Secretary. It also really made me feel good. He did that because, next week is my last sunday in the YSA ward because the 24th the YSA isn't having church, and the week after is our wedding. Today was my last bishopric meeting, because I am going to watch Mom and Dad speak in church. My time with the YSAs is coming to a steady close. Christmas party and that will be the end. Of course, I'll see them at the wedding. Sarah and I had our living ordinance recommend interview with the stake president this afternoon. He was so cool, down to earth kinda guy.

Sarah and I had the missionaries over for dinner at a Pizza place they recommended in Rancho. The pizza was super good, but it was apparent that they liked to go there because of the fact that they had TVs that showed the ongoing sports. It was Saints against someone else, NFL football. The one elder, Elder Pierce was into watching the game. They were in a threesome. It was still fun to have them for dinner, and we got two pizzas for the price of one because the Elders had a coupon.

Sarah and I weren't able to go to the temple endowments with the ward on Wednesday because Sarah got a flat tire. Hopefully we can go next week to baptisms, our last, this Wednesday. I got AAA to come help us replace the tire with the donut. We took it to Firestone tire and they said that the reason it "looked" flat, was because it had a dent in the metal and they showed it to us. They were wondering if we had hit it against something, but we couldn't remember ever doing that.

Well, I hope this letter finds you well and on your way to a college town, like you wanted. Drop me a line or two.

Oh, I wanted to tell you about limits I have. Most of the time I volunteer for stuff in church. But I also know what stuff can trigger anxiety attacks. Like for this Living Nativity presentation, they asked for volunteers to help with the parking for Sunday; wear the yellow/orange vests and direct traffic. Even though I usually volunteer, I knew that that might be too much for me. So, I was like one of the only ones that didn't volunteer, and I felt bad for a second, but then I realized that it's okay because I know my limits. Sarah felt it was a good decision too. It may have caused me a lot of anxiety to do, I'm sure of it. So, sometimes, you can say no, or not volunteer if you know it's not something that will make you feel good. You know your limits.

I love you. You're great! Keep being great, as always.

Love,

John

12/9 APARTMENT GETTING and the Most of a Saturday

WE  GOT AN APARTMENT!

Yes. I had made an appointment to look at a one bedroom one bath apartment at Sierra Crossing. At first we were expecting it to be the $1150 as told to us, but then Monica told us that is going to be another apartment with better counter tops and wood floor paneling and that the one she was showing to us would be only $950 ($200 cheaper than the above). It's small and is being remodeled, but it should be nice and cozy. The closet in the master is pretty big. The tub is small. It already has a stove/oven, dishwasher, no fridge, an air conditioning unit and heater, a ceiling fan in the combined living room and dining room. The cupboards are a bit cracked but that is something they are going to renovate. What's great is we put the $500 deposit down and they are going to hold the apartment for us until we get married at the end of this month, which is great. It's located in between Locust and Linden, where the Bloomington Post Office is. Yes it is in Bloomington. The address is 18181 Valley Blvd, Bloomington. One car can be parked outside the house, and the other can be parked in the motel parking lot. Oh yeah, there is a motel connected to the unit. It's called the Sierra Crossing Motel. It's going to be great.

We're probably going to get the fridge from IRVINE on Thursday. Yes, Irvine. We didn't know about that until we called the person that was giving it to us gave us her address. Hopefully, Ryan Hiatt, who I called to help us, will be willing to help us out. When I called him I didn't know it was going to be all the way out in Irvine. I'll definitely pay him to come help us, that's for sure, maybe even offer him some food for his services.

Sarah really wants me to consider moving into the Spanish Fontana ward instead of my parent's ward, which is where we are moving into. Sorry, that's confusing. We're moving into my home ward. But the Spanish Ward also covers the area we are moving into. I have a lot of pent up emotions about this. I have never felt my Spanish was good enough. From a hard time on the mission to hard class in college, to overall feelings when I speak Spanish, it's just been super hard. But she may have a point, this will be a good change for us and help us in our goals of staying close to Spanish roots. I'll definitely have to think some more, but even though I'm leaning towards not, I think I might actually try it out for a time, and I'll probably like it like I like the ward I'm in now, and I will probably grow from the experience, well, there is no probably, I know I would grow from the experience.

After we signed the contract, which will be processed on Monday (looking at things like criminal records, Megan's law, and previous evictions), we went to the Swap Meet, which is pretty much our next door neighbor. Along with the Bloomington Post Office, which is our next door neighbor in the opposite direction. The Swap Meet was fun. I noticed that they sell second hand appliances, but mom says not to trust the hand me down appliances because of the pests that come from them. We looked at bed frames and bras. But, ultimately, did not get anything because neither of us had money for it anyways. We actually bought a bed frame with a headboard for a Queen sized mattress on Walmart.com after we bought food to eat.

We called home to see if we could come over, but dad was tired. So instead, we deposited checks and returned a redbox DVD. And then we went to Riverside to a dollar store to pick up a white christmas tree, plus more ornaments for our wedding, blue, silver, and purple ones. Then we went to the Food 4 Less there to pick up food for tomorrow and for Sarah to make for next couple of days. Then, Dad let us come home.

We watched the BYU vs. Weber State basketball game, which was crazy nail-biting. We won, fortunately. I made Sarah and I a hamburger. We then had a nice time talking with Mom and Dad.

Then is when Sarah and I talked about the Spanish ward when we were in the car.

We'll see what happens.

12/8 Living Nativity and Wonder Woman

After work, I met Sarah at the Firestone tire place in Upland. She has a dent she knows not where she got it, in her tire that was flat. No noticeable holes. Afterwards, we went to Burger King to spend our last of our budget 8 of 9 dollars. We got Whoppers, 2 for $6 plus more for cheese. No fries.

We then went to The Living Nativity presentation in Rancho Cucamonga in the stake. It was pretty cool. Karen and Andrew Sanders were Mary and Joseph. Alorn Anderson said hi to us. I said hi to Brother Ernie Chavez who is visiting his family. We also said hi to Bishop Weston Taylor who was there. He asked about different things. Tyler was also there. After the presentation, they had different areas that were hands on, like a place with different spices, a pettting zoo with sheep and donkeys alike. And Sarah's personal favorite, the clay plates and cups and vases making area. It was pretty neat, for sure.

Sarah and I decided to watch Wonder Woman after the Living Nativity. It was super good and Sarah really liked it. It's a pretty long movie though and so I had to leave right afterwards. I did give Sarah my watch as the same gesture as Steve Trevor in the movie to Diana. We got the movie from redbox discounted for only 27 cents.

I was at Jurupa Vista roving today. I narrowly escaped teaching a TK class, thankfully. So they put me in the SDC class, Mr. Martin's class today, to help the sub who was a woman. She was nice and firm with them. Better than I ever was with them. But, it was a good long day. I was glad to see those kids go home at the end of the day. And the best part was seeing those kids like Halo and Gabe and Evelyn waiting in line for the bus 202.

12/7 Laurel's Olivia and Hangman and Stuft Missionary Pizza

I taught Laurel Allen's (from Sycamore) daughter's class, Olivia, fourth grade. Olivia is a nice girl. We played hangman at the end of the day, just she and I. Mine was "Hello, my friend." And her's was "Today was fun." I got there intending to teach a 2nd grade class, but Laurel asked me if she could move me. I said sure. She sent me to Mrs. Pierce's SDC class. Right when I got there and before I even put down my bag Laurel calls me on the telephone and says she wants to switch me again, because the SDC class was only a half day job. She then assigned me to Mrs. Blackwell's 4th grade class. She told me her daughter was in that class and that Olivia was like her, a little kookie.

The day was good, despite not having lesson plans until 2 or so hours into the school day. She did PE in the morning, so that took up a lot of time. Then they had chromebooks to go on. So they had stuff to occupy them. Then, I got 4 or 5 extra fifth graders who didn't have a sub sit in the back and do their own independent work. We also had a lockdown drill later in the day. They did really good at math.

I had the missionaries for dinner this evening. They suggested a pizza joint called Stuft Pizza, when I suggested we eat pizza for dinner. They had a coupon for a BOGO free. We had two pizzas, a bbq chicken and a pepperoni supreme. It was very good. Sarah joined us half way because she was looking for the tire place but couldn't find it. She was also fixing the insurance. Elder Pierce was getting really into the New Orleans Saint's NFL football. The other Elder Van, was watching about movies. He was asking me about how much I liked XMEN Apocalypse.

Sarah and I went to the library because Shaunna wasn't home. We compared the Kaiser Permanente and Blue Shield Gold plans and couldn't decide which one to go for. Because it ultimately meant we were choosing whether or not to have a baby in 2018 or in 2019. We couldn't decide. So we prayed about it and decided to sleep on it, since we have til the 15th of this month to decide.

I was a bit angry with Club Royale. I called them back, and they told me that they never had 2BR2B apartment and I was told wrong. I was really getting my hopes up for those apartments. Now it's back to square one. So, I called a couple, but no real success. A somewhat Saturday appointment.

12/6 Sarah's Flat Tire, Insurance, and Syc Roving

On my ride to Sycamore Hills this morning, Sarah gave me a call to tell me that her tire was flat, but had enough air for her to go to work. She asked me if I could come when her worked finished at 5pm. So, after resting for a while, and watching the newest middle with Mom, I drove to her work and asked if I could park where the employees parked to the security guard there. She got out, and we drove to the cul-de-sac next to her work. We found out that neither she nor I had a thing to take off the lug-knuts. So we called my triple-A. More than an hour later, they showed up, jacked the car up, switched the tire for the donut and drove off without checking if I had my card. We later went to Senor Baja for dinner, and looked at insurance options at Shaunna's house. We then talked for the last 20 or so minutes before I had to leave. Because of the tire, we didn't end up going to the temple for ward temple night.

Work was super easy, but when it was done, I came home and napped because I was super tired. It was nice because it was minimum day. Since I was roving, there was only one class I was supposed to go in because of IEPs or SSTs. The rest of the day, I backed up the sub in the SDC class. The sub in the junior SDC class had a really interesting dress on and no jacket like the cold didn't bother her. It's been so windy these days, and with the wind it has actually been cold. Also, I've been really itchy, so it must be really dry these days too.

Time for bed.

12/5 Apartment calling and Tooth Extraction money

It's been a good day.

I got up at like 10:30 or so. Took a nice sitting down shower, and then got to work.

I did all the rest of Sarah's internet wedding invitations from her email. It took me quite a while. Then I looked at apartments. Made some calls. Found out that one apartment complex has a 2 year waiting list. Looked at Club Royale in Rialto and found they have a 2 bedroom apartment for $1025. We're going to apply for that one. Then we are going to also apply for an apartment in Fontana called Juniper Village. They are a bit more expensive, also two bedrooms. For some reason I can't find an apartment with a one room only. I actually went to Juniper Village, because they weren't answering their phones. After asking to be let in on the second try, they let me in and gave me a application. So, we'll see where we do end up, if it is even one of those places. Mom also noticed that Juniper Village is a one year contract too. That might not be good.

Sarah went to the dentist today. She forgot her HSA card, well, she actually lost it and has no idea where it is. So, after running a food errand for mom at Miguels, I high-tailed it up to Rancho to provide $55 for her appointment. They need to extract her tooth. Sarah was really broken up about it. On the drive up they asked for my credit card number over the phone. So, she got done with her appointment, so I went to the 1800 Flowers store in Rancho by Target and got her a bush of roses, with wrappings around it and a purple and blue ribbon.

I presented the flowers to her. And we talked and kissed before her Mentoring session with Kirsten.

I drove home, ate my burrito and now I'm going to watch the flash. Mid season finale.

12/4 Nowa FHE and some RSPing

RSPing was super easy today. I was Mrs. Issa, who I met last Friday. I knew of her but introduced myself to her then, during my lunch. The only hard thing about today was the wind; it was super strong to go to different classes in between each person I helped. The day was divided into 30 minute increments, mostly helping one kid, but sometimes helping a group, as in Mrs. Desmond's class, who was a really nice and gracious teacher. Mrs. Santos' section was in the Winter Workshop, and Mrs. Williford was telling her kids about homework and reading them a story. Mr. Lieu is a really funny teacher. So, overall, good day at work.

When I got home, I got my covered california password changed by calling them. Then mom wanted food, and I had to deposit all the money that I had, which was almost $600, crazy. I went to In N Out.

FHE was at the Nowa's house tonight. It was an event they held for us for helping them set up two Saturday's ago. They live on Thoroughbred, a community that works together to put lights up for everyone to see.

Sarah wasn't feeling up to things because she was getting overwhelmed with things. I had to drop her off. And then afterwards, she prayed with me in the car for more good feelings. The FHE was good. Sister Nowa and Brother Nowa were so nice. We had hot chocolate, donut holes, cookies and chips. There were fire pits. I had to park far away...well, not too far. It was nice being with Sarah. Shaunna got home today and she payed Sarah $100 for keeping her house clean, even though Sarah didn't believe she kept it too clean.

It was a pretty good day, even though I got a bit anxious driving home with Sarah. I'm better now.

Letter #46

Hey Jacob!

How are you these fine days? I bet it is getting really cold now that we're in December. It's just barely getting cold, and soon after on the same day, it gets hot. I want it to get cold, or at least colder. It doesn't seem like Christmas if it isn't cool. However, we hardly ever get snow, which is another element of Christmas Cali is without, unfortunately. Well, I do like snow, but when you have to drive in it, it gets really annoying fast. I bet you are having fun in Pennsylvania. How cold is it there now? Hast there been snow yet? Are you excited for Christmas? I know you are excited about the possibility of serving in a college town. I love the Elders and Sisters that serve in my YSA ward. They are usually very spiritual down-to-earth kinda guys. I know they helped Sarah clean her house on Saturday.

It's been an interesting first week back. I was unsure if they would have me still long-term subbing at Jurupa Vista. So, I just showed up. I had the key anyways. There was some miscommunication, but in the end I was allowed to finish up my assignment in the SDC class. Friday (instead of Monday) was my last day. It was kinda bittersweet. More sweet than bitter. It hasn't been easy being with kids that have some major behavioral problems who are 5th and 6th graders. The boys made it difficult. The girls were sweet. For example, we had been reading The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Everytime I said Aslan, the lion, there would be some immature snickering. One boy even said, if CS Lewis had been born in this time, he would have never named the cat that name.

We almost finished the whole book. On my last day in that class, we did finish watching the movie as an end of the week activity. Two or so boys were really in to it. They were asking me questions showing how interested they were. They were like, is he going to die, what just happened, what does that mean, are they part of his army, etc and so forth. Of course, I showed them our copy of the movie that we own. I was glad it made it through the whole thing, because I noticed a whole bunch of scratches on its underside.

I'm back to the grindstone of finding new substitute jobs now that I'm out of the Long-term assignment. I have to get jobs now that I will have me and my new wife to support. It was good getting the long-term job because it meant 19 whole days of teaching uninterrupted, which will be good now that I'm waiting on my December check and January check. I already have 4 days out of the 5, so I'm barely passing with a 80%., so far.

It's December now, so we are getting down to the wire. We still need to find a place to stay, but we do have some leads which I will explore tomorrow, all of them in Fontana. And mom was talking to someone who isn't needing a refrigerator anymore, so Mom asked if we could take it off their hands today. So soon we will have that piece of furniture, if you could call it that. Mom and Dad are graciously going to let us store it in the garage until we get our apartment.

The plans are coming, slowly but surely. It'll be nice to finally be married. 27 more days and counting, it's crazy.

We made it to the Oleander Ward Christmas party yesterday. The food was really good. They had chimichuri turkey being served which totally reminded me of the awesome cooking of Mamamama. The desserts were good. Sarah got to meet a good majority of the people in the Oleander ward that night. In fact, one of our leads is from Rachel Young/Hansen in their apartments that Mom got. We sat next to the Sindergards sp? and I got to talk to their nice three little kids. Bro. S was joking with us about spoiling the BYU basketball game that was going on at the same time. He would say a score, then jokingly say which teams got that score, never BYU vs USU though. We got home and stayed up later watching the game. Sarah, at the end of the game, was nodding off (because we were finally doing good).

OH! We finally got most of our invitations mailed out on Friday! Finally really. You should be getting yours in the mail soon. And we also finished the Self-reliance class last week (which I thing I already told you), so we were able to go watch the First Presidency Christmas devotional. However, they didn't bring food for us. So dad and mom wonderfully let us come home and make food.

Also, Sarah and I went to Victoria Gardens on Friday and happened to get fake snowed on in Chaffey Square. The snow were really small bubbles. It was fun and funny, so those are the pics.

Well, I hope you are doing great! We all love and pray for you.

Continue doing your best.

Love,

John

12/2 Oleander Christmas Party and BYU basketball and a Late Start

Not a bad day!

I slept in really late. And the parents had a really lazy day.

I sent out all the email invitations. I also did the Ward Council Agenda. I finally got Brother O'Neill to volunteer for the spiritual thought. I asked AJ and Erica Berrett. Erica got back to me late, so she said she could do next week. AJ also wanted to do it next week as well. Then mom asked me if I wanted to accompany her to the grocery store to get the essentials and stuff for sandwiches and chips. The essentials being stuff for lunches throughout the week. On the ride home, mom was hounding me about getting an apartment. I was getting a bit annoyed, but I got over it.

We went to the Oleander Ward Christmas party tonight. Sarah was running late but met us at the church. The food was super good, especially some Chimichuri turkey someone made. I introduced Sarah to the many members that I hadn't introduced her to at the Latin Festival. Brother Ed Young and Sister Teri Young said hi, not at the same time. Sis. Gardner, Sister Gunderson, and others like Rachel Young. Good program. The Bishop was MCing.

After the party, we went home and watched the BYU vs. Utah State basketball game, which they did bad in the first half, but redeemed themselves in the second half. Sarah started falling asleep in the second half. It was cute.

Sarah didn't want me to leave her, and prayed not to be sad. I called her like she wanted me to. And we talked on her drive home, which takes about twenty minutes.

12/1 Long-term subbing end and Snow Flake Bubbles at Victoria Gardens

First day of December and Last day of Long-term subbing for Mr. Martin's SDC class. It was a bit bittersweet, but I am also done with that class, believe me, I earned my money in that assignment. It wasn't a bad day, though, and I got to meet Mrs. Issa, RSP teacher who I am subbing for on Monday. We read one more chapter in TLTWATW, and then we watched the rest of the movie right after. It was a good movie. Richard was really getting into it and so was Pedro. They mostly didn't know that I wouldn't be there next Monday. Freddie gave me a fist bump goodbye.

Sarah texted me that her tooth fell out. I didn't know how serious it was until I got home and she called me and told me that her tooth that got a root canal fell out and her mom told her if she didn't get it checked, it could get infected and she could die. Her mom also told her that she should call the bishop about dentists. When we did (on conference call) we had to explain that nothing bad had happened between Sarah and I and that we needed help with Dentist's information. I think he was relieved. She's going to see the dentist tomorrow if she can.

We went to Chipotle for date night dinner. Then I took her to Victoria Gardens where we went to see the Christmas tree, and we were surprised with Fake snow at 8pm. It was little bubbles that looked like snow. We went to look at different places/stores, walking around.

We then drove home. Kissed, and then Sarah, at first reluctantly, started to watch The Iron Giant with me at my request. She stopped the movie a couple of times scared, and easily predicted what would happen next. But I tried to keep a straight face and not reveal too much. She loved it though.