Multi-week Roundup

Hello my dearTy! It was great to talk to you tonight. I hope everything worked out for you to go out to the caves. I enjoyed hearing you talk about your contacts this week and hope that you will find success in teaching, and also in training your companion. 

Hello my dear Blake! Just a few days left at the MTC—hooray! I’m so excited for you to get out to Cambodia and get started on your work there. I hope the journey is safe and enjoyable and that you will message me to let me know you have arrived and have a place to sleep! I’m enjoying your emails and hope you continue to fill them with all the interesting and uplifting details you experience when you get to Cambodia. 

I sent a package to Michael and I’m hoping he can drop it at the MTC Monday. I put some random ugly ties in there hoping you could trade or dispose of them and get them out of my laundry room! I also put in a small bottle of sleep aids. I know you are not crazy about the idea of taking sleeping pills, but I thought they might be helpful to you especially as you try to adjust to a new time zone. When dad and I went to Taiwan we took an evening flight to Seattle, and then a 12 hour red-eye to Taiwan. I did my best not to snooze on the first flight. But when we got on the 12-hour flight I took a sleeping pill, covered my eyes and tried to sleep the whole way. We arrived very early morning in Taiwan, but I was rested enough to be able to stay awake until bedtime that night. I know your travel times are different, but you might consider taking a sleeping pill to try and get some sleep on your longest flight. I think Michael found it helpful to take a sleeping pill the first few nights being back in Provo so he could get back on a normal sleep schedule. It’s up to you, but you might want to take one in your carry-on back just in case. Also—they are very easy to break in half if you don’t want to take a full dose. 

Your friends here are mostly up at Utah State starting school, or heading out on their missions soon. Calia had her farewell last week. And maybe Lincoln? Your friends went and planted a tree today in Jake’s front yard in memory of his dad. He should be heading out to the MTC soon. 

This is what we’ve been up to around here:

1. The jet lag coming home from Taiwan was no joke. And then I jumped into working early mornings for Campus Studio. So pretty much I’ve been exhausted for the past couple of weeks! But I’m having a good time taking yearbook photos again, and hopefully I’m getting a little better at it. 
2. Dad has been working hard on the transition plan for the firm. Steve is planning to retire in a year, and he is frequently out of the office, so dad has already been taking care of some of the management issues that come up. But now he has been formally named as the next Managing Partner and will be more fully transitioning his responsibilities. He will be really good in that position I think and will be able to expand his professional skills.  Hopefully it’s a good change for him.
3. Michael came home from Taiwan late Monday night, then moved down to Provo Tuesday and started classes on Wednesday. He had no time to wallow in the jet lag! He’s living in a house off campus this year with Caden, Kaleb, Tanner and sharing a room with another friend I haven’t met yet. He’s taking 2 Econ classes, Chinese, Calculus, and Religion. So it seems he will be busy! He’s already taken a quick trip up to Wyoming (because of course!). He went with Caden (?) and another guy I don’t know, and the two Fredricks sisters. They did a 25 mile hike, got rained and hailed on, and survived to tell the tale!
4. Uri made a special trip out to see Michael before he moves back to Israel for awhile. I understand he wants to get serious about finding a wife, and he’s not having a lot of luck here. He came to dinner with us at Grandma’s house, helped Ethan with his calculus homework, and spent the night before heading back to the airport. It’s fun to have him around. 
5. Ethan seems to be enjoying high school. He’s taking a really heavy class load—Pre-Calculus, AP Biology, AP Seminar, AP World History, Health, Seminary, Auto, and Basketball. He’s wanting to drive everywhere we go, and he’s making new friends. 
6. Ethan is in the basketball team class at school and is attending open gym. He’s been invited to play in a comp team with some of the other kids his age that Jesse’s dad is coaching. He’s working hard and we are hoping he makes the team when tryouts come around. 
7. Jett is busy with football. His team earned a pizza party last week because they had a shutout game and 2 non-offensive touchdowns. Jett earned the “hard hat,” and was a team captain for today’s game. Today we lost a tough game to Brighton and had a few kids injured, but no concussions at least. 
8. Tate seems to be enjoying school, but not the homework. Sigh. That kid is a master at delay tactics. His soccer team is terrible. But his football team is super good. I think Dad told you Tate was running in for a touchdown and took the time to turn around and say “See ya suckers!” Little twerp. 
9. Dad organized a golf day at Wasatch Mountain last weekend for friends and family. Apparently Michael hit a 400 yard drive! Still not enough to beat Gabe Griffin though!
10. Last weekend we went to the Tolman’s mission homecoming and listened to them speak. The church was packed with returned missionaries and friends/family. They were great speakers and I can see why so many people love them. 
11. Glen the fish is enjoying some new fake plants in his fish bowl. The kids seem to really be enjoying taking care of him. We cleaned his bowl out a few days ago and Glen fell into the sink instead of into his bowl. This sent Jett and I into a panic trying to get the poor fish back into his water. But, several days later he seems to be doing just fine. 
12. We do not have a dead fish. But we do have a lot of dead flies and mosquitoes. I got out my trusty electric fly swatter and have been deeply enjoying frying those little monster with my fly swatter. 
13. Jett is now the first counselor in the Deacon’s presidency. 
14. Tate is taking a music class with his buddies from Amy Leishman. It’s a pre-keyboard class and he’s excited about learning a few tunes.
15. In the extended family—Grandma and Great Nana both had Covid last week,  but seem to be feeling better now. Uncle Adam is finished with his work assignment in Ohio and is back at home permanently now. Ella is playing well on the volleyball team and may be starting Varsity this week. Jimmy broke up with his girlfriend and is working a couple of jobs. Krysta came to work at Campus Studio with me a few times. Grandpa Bramhall completed LOTOJA for the 14th time!
16. Please enjoy just a taste of the names at the school I worked at last week: Dinavin 

    Jaxsonn 

    Tesslee 

    Libertee 

    Geovanny 

    Lilianndra

    Kolob

    Jessel

    Mattyk 

    Torsten

    Jovy

    Elliawna 

    Mykkah 

    Aisea 

    Kaili’l 

    Song

    Makinlee 

    Izziahs 

    Zackarrieah 

    Braxtin 

    Berlynn 

    Paizley 

    Eliaya 

    Kwinton 

    Brycen 

    Elam

    Jayleen

    Hamptyn 

    Zaynee 

    Chassis 

    
    
    17. Neighborhood news: Ashley Cordero and Jake Willard called off their wedding. Kaitlyn Kajma got married last week, and Kenzie Wilson got married yesterday. Kennedy Bird entered the MTC on Wednesday. Jaiden Mattson had her bridal shower. Sam Jenkins bought a house. 
    
    
    18. Everett is getting married next weekend and has asked Michael to be one of his best men. Ev is getting married in Arizona next weekend, so Michael has to figure out quickly how to get himself out there!
    
    
    19. On September 10 a political podcaster named Charlie Kirk was scheduled to speak at UVU in the outdoor amphitheater. There were a lot of students and people from the community in attendance—including some of Michael’s friends. Michael wanted to go but decided to go to work instead. The event had just begun when Charlie Kirk was shot in the neck by someone perched on top of a nearby building. His death was announced a couple hours later. It was a tragic, horrific event. They closed campus for the rest of the week and a manhunt for the shooter went on for a couple of days. While this country suffers from gun violence on a daily basis, this specific event has garnered a lot of attention. He was assassinated to silence his political speech and the whole country is angry and on edge about it. *Most* people understand that violence is never the way to handle political disagreement but Kirk is a controversial figure. Conservatives are treating Kirk like a martyr and the perfect embodiment of their cause and beliefs. Liberals are highlighting the extreme ideology and hateful comments he’s made in the past. For whatever reason this feels like some sort of a turning point in the country. Like people will remember where they were when they heard the news. And like there is potential for escalation. There have already been a lot of conspiracy theories and false information spread. Conservatives are hunting down people on the internet who have said things they don’t like about Charlie Kirk and then getting them fired from their jobs. Most recently comedian Jimmy Kimmel had his show suspended for things he said on air. Personally I didn’t think what he said was offensive, but perhaps others would disagree? I support an employer’s right to make firing decisions based on actions by their employees. And if ABC truly felt Jimmy Kimmel crossed the line of unacceptable behavior, they should be able to cancel the show. But it appears that the company caved to pressure from the government to cancel the show so that their merger would be approved by the Trump administration. Government censorship is a completely different thing than. Market-based decisions by companies. Now Trump is going around saying that anyone who criticizes him should have their broadcasting licenses  revoked. That’s some scary stuff right there.
    
    
    20. Every day of the Trump administration is truly wild. Every day he does things that no other president would ever even dream of doing. He’s threatening political opponents. Firing people if he doesn’t like the economic data they compiled, or if they won’t lower interest rates like he wants. He’s blowing up ships in the ocean claiming without evidence that they are full of drugs. Sending National guard troops into cities to help round up immigrants—or anyone who looks like thy might be an immigrant. He’s declaring tariffs without approval from congress. He’s selling access to the presidency—enriching himself by billions of dollars. And he’s letting Putin and Netanyahu get away with murder. And the Supreme Court is just quietly letting him do it. It’s absolutely wild. 
    
    
    Well, that’s all I’ve got for now. I hope you enjoy your last couple of days at the MTC, and I hope your adventure in Cambodia is amazing!
    
    
    Love you, Mom