You will be pleased to know that BYU’s first game against Arizona yesterday was a smashing success! We got the W! 28-24. The first half was okay. We got the first Touchdown, so that was a great start to our football year. But where BYU really shined was in the third quarter. I don’t have the stats with me, but Tanner was doing sooooo good, it looked like we were going to win by a lot. Fourth quarter, Kalil Tate, QB for the other team, did better, but not enough to win the game. He’s on Heismann watch, so it was a great win for us. In other sports, I noticed that Federer beat Kryios, very soundly. He didn’t even give up a set. And I saw a news report that Federer returned a ball from outside the net, like it wasn’t even over, it was on the side. I think that puts him in the sweet sixteen, along with Nadal and Djokovic. Murray was also playing, but he lost in the early rounds. Also, BYU women’s volleyball killed #1 Stanford 3 sets to 2, they won the first two sets, lost the next two, and finished out strong in the last set. I think #1 Stanford in Women’s soccer beat the women, but they trounced ISU (Idaho) like 11-0. So, overall, great weekend for BYU sports and our favorite tennis players. I’m planning on sending you videos so you can get your fix. If I remember, I’ll try to send you that awesome Federer shot too. I wanna see it, as well.
So, I’ve been thinking about you; what I could say to you for encouragement. I don’t have a lot of advice, but I do have some. Biggest thing: Get the Recommended amount of sleep. That right there was probably my biggest problem. My mind was racing and I couldn’t sleep, so I’d get up, turn on the light, and start to draw (Beautiful Mind like) on a whiteboard planning and planning and I’d get in this viscious cycle of not even getting any sleep. Now that that’s been said, I just want to make it clear that your situation is pretty different from mine. The only two similarities is that you are now out 15 months, and you are now training. Before this new guy that you have, you’ve trained before. I can’t remember the missionary’s name, but I do remember Elder Lee, I know you didn’t train him (I think), but you were like a “Dad” to him, and he turned out to be a good friend and a great missionary because of you. I had never trained before, and I hadn’t been Senior companion too much, and unlike you (if you don’t count the MTC), I never was District Leader. You’ve got this man. I know you do. 15 months has got nothing on you. You are a seasoned missionary who is working harder than ever. I did my best; you know. But listen, I know you have had symptoms of depression/anxiety and jaw pain too, but my imbalance was chemical, different chemicals that had to do with Bipolar. It’s not exactly the same thing. You’ve been able to overcome whereas I was in a dump that I couldn’t pull out of on my own. Once again, YOU GOT THIS! YOU CAN DO IT! EVERYONE BELIEVES IN YOU! WE LOVE YOU, AND WE ARE PRAYING FOR YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH! You don’t even know. Just remember, I’m not you and you are not me. You are YOU.
Well, this week has been busy and crazy. As you know and remember, I started work last week. Well, this week has been a full and busy week. Glad that tomorrow I have a day off. Besides the low pay, I am enjoying my time at Mesa High School. I’ll talk about the people first, and then the kids. Aunt Kerry works with several ladies and one man. There are two secretaries that work with her. Their names are Terese and Nancy. Well, on my first day there, Aunt Kerry introduced me to Nancy, who is from Sonora, Mexico. Kerry told her that I am Hispanic and so we started talking in Spanish, and since that first meeting, we’ve become good friends. She’s probably in her early 40s or so, and Terese is younger than me and she is learning Spanish. I’ve already had some funny mishaps with Nancy. The biggest one is that I noticed that Nancy and Terese are not in the office at the end of the day when I say by to Kerry. So, during lunch, I decided to ask Nancy what time she leaves for home. Well, I asked her in Spanish. If you know the verb to leave in Spanish is salir. However, salir, in Spanish has a double meaning. The second meaning is to go out with (on a date). When I asked her, in Spanish, Cuando sales?, she yelled at Kerry in the other room. She was like, “Kerry, your nephew just asked a married woman out!” It was quite funny. I’ve come to understand that Nancy also has a husband named Juan Carlos, with a different temperament than me. I have had lunch with them every day this week, and I spend it eating in front of them (because my lunch is super early), and spitting out what different meanings of words are in Spanish for Terese. Terese is nice, too. They invited me to actually have lunch with them on Wednesday because it was Popcorn Chicken and Mashed Poatatoes day, which is a special all the workers like (I normally bring my own lunch which usually consists of a Lunchable, some fruit and a vegatable). I got out later to have lunch with them, and like they said, it was super good. Although, it was a LOT of food, and it made me really sluggish when I had to walk with Gavin later that day in the scorching heat.
The Special Ed teacher I work with is super nice with me. She trusts me a lot and sometimes asks me questions about what she should do next in relation to the students in the classroom. She is always super appreciative for what I do in the classroom. Yeah, she’s great. Also, a new aide started on Tuesday with us. Her name is Tiffany and she just got married two Friday’s ago. Their honeymoon was at the Grand Canyon. She also is super nice and we’ve made good friends, in regards to all the stuff we do for each other to back each other up. One of the aides was absent for three days because of a funeral, and so it was time for us to back each other up a lot.
Now, the kids. Well, like last week, Gavin has taken a liking to me. However, he has been really stubborn in the morning. He has been heading to the play room to sit on a bean bag and do nothing. He was also really hyper at the end of the week and actually tried to leave the classroom once. Just once, by himself, (which of course is a big no no). Actually, the main teacher and I had a scare when we couldn’t find Gavin after a while. It turns out, the sub-aide took him outside without telling us. Which is all fine and dandy, but when we looked out in the distance to see how she was faring, Gavin was sprinting away from her. Actually, it caught the attention of the security guards. I ran after him and caught him to calm him down. I think he was running because the sub-aide was trying to restrain him. I think, when you try to restrain Gavin, it is a big turnoff for him, and he bolts. Well, one security guard on a bike and two security guards in a golf cart came after us and actually gave us a ride in the golf cart back to the classroom. Gavin was just having the time of his life.
We got several, new to me, kids this week, and that crazy kid Hunter still hasn’t shown up since Wednesday last. The two new kids are Jenna and Brady. They are actually brother and sister, who I guess are twins, but I don’t know, because their birthdays are on two different days, so I guess not. Jenna is kinda like not all there and clueless and just goes about the classroom being blown by every wind of attention, haha. I’ve found out that she likes a box with little frogs and duckies. She also loves trying to get through a door in the classroom that leads to the teacher’s things. Brady is interesting. He lays down on the floor in front of the projector and makes pig noises. He screams sometimes and also is fixated on a rag or something he can hold in his hands. He is pretty good about getting up, but he also likes to head butt, which is strange.
The only boy that can really talk, Ryan, actually greeted me by name when I walked in at the beginning of the day. It was pretty cool and rather rewarding. We play basketball with a small hoop that the teacher hung up. Keenan likes to kinda blow rasberries and say ladybug or please. And Jennifer swings her head back and forth. But she also shakes when she sees you dancing with her. Yep, the kids are growing on me. I’ve been able to get more than 10,000 steps every day this week because of Gavin. On Monday, I thought he was okay to take to the 100 building to walk in the A/C, but, before we got there, he bolted, in the middle of a passing period, weaving in between people and open doors. I had to run after him and restrain him, and decided not to take him that way at all this week. We just sticked to the field in the scorching sun. We found a place to sit, and at every water fountain he stops.
Aunt Ann invited me and Gracie to go with her to Prescott, AZ. The -cott is pronounced -cut, like the -cuit in Biscuit. It’s really weird and funny. They wanted to go see the line of antique stores in the area, along with a type of courtyard famer’s market. There were probably 10 or more antique stores before you got to the farmer’s market, and a bookstore. Well, I was allowed to go ahead of them and stop at stores that only I wanted to stop at, while Gracie and Ann went around to all the stores.
Before they got to the Farmer Market, I went around looking at all the stuff, sitting on the courthouse stairs, hearing a dog fight (lots of screaming), and getting all the free samples available, while also buying some water and a spicy pickle. The samples I got were of samosas, ice cream, fudge, etc. We got some actual samosas for lunch, and also a funnel cake. Then we headed to the hotel.
It was an okay hotel. Aunt Kerry asked me to watch Gracie if she went to the pool or workout room. Which I did. We then went around town looking at the scenery and stopped at a Mexican Restaurant for dinner. Ann and Gracie were going to go to a movie, but they decided not to.
It totally affected the BYU game watching. Fortunately, there were two TVs. I was watching the football game on the beds, while Gracie and Ann were watching the new Ghostbusters movie on the other TV. I couldn’t watch the game at the highest volume. And when their movie was over, they were ready for bed, so I had to mute the volume and I couldn’t go crazy on the awesome plays. I missed being at home able to watch at full volume with maximum shouting. The game was on ESPN. Sarah was watching it from Utah with me. We were texting back and forth almost the whole game. It was a great game. I had to knock on wood a couple of times. It was a late game, going into 12:30 Mountain time. Plus, there was the post-game show. Needless to say, I went to sleep late last night.
It totally affected my time at church in Prescott today. I couldn’t stay awake, not to mention, it was testimony meeting in a strange ward. Also, during the night, I had a dream where Aunt Ann fell by a closet, so I jumped out of bed and landed on my knees, outside of the dream. I skinned my knees, haha. They stung. But it is funny now.
Sarah’s been hopping from house to house this week. She stayed with a lady named Lisa, who she met through a Facebook group, and she has been super nice to her. She has several kids and actually had a karate birthday party. The main people she’s staying with is her Aunt Lynda and Victor. They’ve been nice to her. That’s where she watched the game. She was falling asleep at the end of it. But I was glad I had someone to talk to.
Well, I’m looking forward to having a day off tomorrow, and I can’t wait to hear from you, hopefully, if you can send letters on Labor Day. Send me a line, please.
Love ya!
John
