12-29-08

We won't be going private for now. If we do, we will let you know a week in advance and tell you what will be needed if you want to keep reading.

Mommy Dearest-I have not gotten my bike fixed yet. I am hoping that I can just monitor the problem without fixing it. Than again I might just breakdown and do it so I am not sure yet. The Christmas party did have a BIG turnout. We just did our best to make sure that everyone got some food. The activities chair said to not go get more food because it would teach people that they need to sign up to bring things instead of just showing up. It was a lot of members and their families but there were a couple of investigators that did show up. Well for Christmas I got a couple ties, a Aggies shirt from Scott and Kayce, M&M's, a hoodie, a blanket, and a lot of other goodies. So it was quite a Christmas still. I cannot really think of what I need for my Birthday. Like I said maybe gift cards to like Wal-Mart or Big 5 those would work. Or else I think of things like oysters which I know you do not like. I did get to see Elder Lowe before he headed home, and I actually heard from him on Christmas Eve. It is weird to think that he is already home, than again Brad gets home in April and that is really weird too. The other two Elders we live with are Elder Kou Vang and Elder Adam Murray and it is Elder Murray that is A LOT like me. The Christmas dinners went well though I did make sure that I kept myself in check and did not overindulge. I am over what I wish to weigh so I am going to try and work it off either before I get home or else when I get home I am going to do a lot of things to work it off. Wow Grandma and Grandpa done on the 2nd and then Brad gets home on the 14th that is awesome! For the Birthday stuff you can do whatever, send it early, send it to the mission office, or wait. Well for New Years day we get ALL day off so that is fun and on New Years eve we have to be in by 6 so that is not bad. Well things are going well, just trying to recover from the holidays. We have been having a rough time trying to meet with our different investigators because of the holidays but I am sure things will settle down after New Years. Well I love you and hope all is going well for you. Have a Happy New Years and I will talk to you later.Your son,Elder Brickey

Curley Family-I will not lie when I say that I am excited to be able to be apart of Christmas with the family next year. Though at the same time I am a little sad and nervous. California and the people here have grown on me so much. I will miss it here for sure but I am anxious to see the family again. It is weird to think that in 5 months I call home again for the last time and then 5 months later I am home. It actually freaks me out a little to think that there is only that much time left. Last year went by fast during this time so I can imagine how fast this one is going to go. I still cannot believe that it was Saedy that was talking to me. She is all grown up and that is weird to think about. Than again to look at the pictures of your kids and Cassie's makes it seem true cause they all look bigger and all grown up. Christmas was good. We had a busy day and went from appointment to appointment so it was nice. The rest of the week has been a little long though. It has been difficult to get a hold of anyone for lessons which sucks, though we did find an awesome guy tracting the other day so that is cool. Transfers are on the 4 or 5 of January I think so a week away. You did hear kind of right about me going back to Shasta. I would be going back for a sealing in the Medford Temple of my first investigators/converts Jim and Wanda Linsley. But I am not sure yet so fingers crossed! I am taking a lot of pictures and a jump drive might be actually really helpful. Though it would have to be pretty big since my card is like 4gg though I have not used more than a half or third yet. For the blogg thing. It is weird who all read it I know. There are people that I am curious as to who they are and who all does. I do not know if it should go private or whatever I guess it can be left open I would just appreciate it if some things would get sensored I guess if we do that. Than again whatever I do not know if I really care. There is one thing that I would recommend that could help you with your study of the BoM, get the seminary manual for it and go along with what it does. There are a few members and converts that I have had do it that way and have really appreciated it and love it because it helps them a lot. I was going to say the missionary thing of "think about what the needs of your investigators are while you read/study and while you do things will pop out to you" but I do not think you have any investigators. Though you could think about what are some of the thing that you are dealing with or could use guidence with while you read. Oh and make sure that you pray before and then after usually helps me. Well I hope all is going well for you I love you and hope you have a Happy New Year. Thanks for all you do.Love your Brother,Elder Brickey

Just so you know.......

Elder Brickey has asked us to go private ASAP so if you want to continue to read please leave a "spiritual thought" and let me know ASAP.

THANKS

Emails for 12-22-2008

The Mommy-I wrecked my bike about a month ago. We were getting onto the bikes and I noticed that my pedal was falling off again so I tried to stop that from happening and I fell off my bike. I got some pretty cool bruises but was and am ok, so no worries. Thanks for sending that gift to me I got it on Saturday so that was quick thank you VERY much! The Christmas Party was really good. The activities department is still really young in this ward so we were not sure how many people would show up. Bishop told the Chairman only like 90 people usually show up so that is what was prepared for, than about 140 people showed up so that was a suprise and a little stressful but good. Biking has been fun because it has been rainy and our area is to big to walk around. We actually got a ride home from President after Trainer Trainee on Friday. I made sure to show where our area started and to show just how big it was in hopes to get a car, but than again it does not really matter because we probably do not have a car available to send here though it would be nice. Well for the call I was hoping to do it in the morning if possible. Maybe around like 8-9 your time. We are still getting rain here, it is suposedly going to turn to snow this week but I think that it is to warm to do that. I LOVED last winter and wish that I was further North. I miss the snow I love the snow but I will work with what I have so that is ok too. Well I am doing well and the work is going well too. I am excited to talk to you in a couple days and I hope all is well until then. Love you mom.Love your son,Elder Brickey

Curley Family-Well I am excited that I get to talk to you all in a couple days. The weather here is rainy. We are suppose to get snow this week but I do not know if it will happen because it is to warm still. I am sorry that the kids are sick though I hope that they are feeling up to talking to their fravorite uncle Kade! or I mean uncle Elder Brickey! Well with the Hmong missionaries one of them is Hmong but the other is a whitey just like me, he is actually me just from another mother it is weird but funny. There are two Hmong Hmong missionaries in the CRM(Cali Roseville Mission). Well my bike pedal keeps working loose and about a month ago it was coming off and I notice it and tried to not let it happen and I wrecked and fell off my bike. I got some sweet bruises and such but I am not wanting to do that again anytime soon, I love my bike to much. That is cool that you got your blue card Ryan. I did get mine when I was 14 or whenever was the soonest that I could. Than again I am apart of a hunting family and needed it. I am doing well and surviving. Hope all is good with you. I am excited for the 25th and to get to talk to you. Love you all. Take care.-Elder Brickey

Emails 12-15-2008

The Mommy-It was awesome to get a package from Mr. Mac, especially since I was not expecting it. I got candy canes and a whole bunch of fun size candy bars. The tree was maybe 8 inches tall and is metal wire or something like that, though it looks as though the edges have been ran through frosting to give it the look of snow so that is cool. There was not a letter inside but that is ok I need to get a letter back to him soon. Being DL is a lot of phone calls, and I do not like being on the phone though I am getting more and more use to it. I report to the Zone Leaders who in turn report to the Assistants to the President so I am just a pea on the ladder. I am glad that you like the picture that I sent, I do have ones with Maryellen I only had that one photo developed though. I am trying to get a CD made so I can send it home. Elder Nash is still out he goes home in February actually so only a transfer and a half left for him. I try to keep in contact with my old companions. Elder Nash and Elder Gardner (the first two) both go home in Feb so I will loose out on seeing them but I do have their info so I could write them. Then there is Elder Remington who is home now, I am not in communication with him. Elder Pancheri is still out here though he is up North in Anderson area right now so I do not hear from him much. Elder Lowe goes home on the 23 of this month but I will try my best to stay in communication with him, that way I have the hook up for Hawaii!! Then Elder Glenn and I stay in really good communication with him, that might be due to the fact that we are with each other 24/7. I am still on a bike which is no fun. It has started raining and it often is foggy so it is no fun, but keeps the body running pretty good. The bike is doing ok other than the left side crank arm keeps getting loose and wanting to fall off. I am holding up really good. I have only wrecked once so far, knock on wood, and that was only a week or two ago. I would not mind a car for the winter and rain but I do not know if it will happen. Oh well it will be fun and interesting for sure. The list that we have and are working with is just the ward list. We have people marked as active, less-active, part member family and so on. We just visit whoever is on the list. It is really interesting when you find out that someone is dead but it also makes for a good opportunity to talk about the Plan of Salvation. Wow I did not know that President wrote letters telling about what we were up too, that is interesting to know. With the Christmas call home I just want to know when Mickell is calling so that I do not make problems. The rules have not really changed so that is nice. I still have a Sprint cell phone so whenever works for me! I will find out from the members that are feeding us when we are going to go over there but that should be in the evening or something. Well things are going well here and I am doing well. We have been doing some Christmas Caroling to help with investigators and less active members so that has been fun. Other than that though the work is progressing just not at the rate that I wish it was. Well I love you and cannot wait to talk to you. Love you mom.Your son,Elder Brickey

HELLO LOVED ONES!!We were out checking on less actives or inactives and a couple of the doors told us that the person was dead, which was really exciting. Yeah I get to call and check up on people, how exciting! No it is not bad there are only three sets of missionaries in my district (Oroville 1, Table Mountain Hmong that live with us, and then Us) so that is not bad. We have not had any issues yet that I know of. Well other than some misunderstandings that is. That is cool that you are taking hunter safety now. Though one Elder did tell me that the C&C is better to have because you do not have to have a permit for people but you do for animals. I hope that made sense to you if not I will explain it when I TALK to you on the 25th. I am curious about what car you are talking about, I am forgetful and out of the loop. Well I am game for treats though I do have to admit that you do not need to try and fatten me up, I did that already by myself. I am a little more rotund than I use to be, but maybe some of it is muscle I am not sure. I am supposedly 14% body fat so whatever that means. Anyways. Well it sounds like you have quite the Christmas things to do and I hope that they go well for you. I am thankful that I do not really have to deal with the hassles of Christmas for now. I do have to tell you that it is really fun to be a missionary and go by EVERYONE on the ward list, even the Do Not Contacts, ignorance is bliss baby! I am not sure what time we are going to do this Christmas call thing. I just want it to not interfere with the call from Mickell so Grandparents and such can be at both. Other than that I am game for whenever and whatever. I am just getting more and more excited to talk to you all. Well things are going well here and I am doing well too. We are still working on our investigators and we have picked up some formers so that is cool. Other than that not much has been happening. Well I better get going. I love you and wish you the best. Take care.-Elder Brickey

Emails for 12-8-08

The Mommy-I would have gotten the package the day before Thanksgiving but the mailman did not want to leave it at our door so I had to pick it up at the post office the day after, but that was okay. I will not lie it is really difficult to teach someone to shoot without demonstrating. Though I did handle the gun which was fun but made me super trunky and want to go shooting something fierce. I never thought that there were people that had no idea of how to shoot a shotgun, than again they only had a .22 and I do not know how long they have had that. Well I am thankful that I did get the package from Grandma and Grandpa it made me all excited cause I got it the day after thanksgiving so I felt really loved with two packages! Though I did just get a package today from a McAfee. Yeah Mr. Mac sent me A LOT of goodies and a little Christmas tree that is really cool. I got it today so that was really cool. I saw the last name and was confused for a minute and then realized who it was and was all excited! The new rules with being DL is that I have to call my district every night and when I get their numbers every Sunday I have to get D-E-T-A-I-L-S on everything, which takes a lot of time. I told Elder Glenn that he reminded me of me. I got into Cali and had Thanksgiving shortly after and then Christmas and I told him that it is a good way to start off the mission because everyone takes AWESOME care of you during the holiday season. Well Elder Glenn is the youngest of two kids. He has an older sister that is actually my age, which feels weird to say. He graduated 2008 WOW I felt old when he said that. He is actually kinda jealous that we are from AF because he was in band and everyone knows the AF band it seems like. Other than that he is a very fast learner. He is actually better prepared than I was when I entered the mission. So far it has been really good. I am doing fine with my journal I won't lie I have not been the best at writing in it as much as I should. Well our weather here has been cold and FOGGY which makes it feel colder or wetter whatever. I guess that we are in a kind of bowl or something and that the fog just settles in Oroville not really anywhere else, so fun stuff. All my stuff is holding up really well actually. I have tried my best to keep them in the best of shape that I could. We do have a Ward Christmas party on the 20th that we are invited too. The activities coordinator is an AWESOME member and she made sure that we knew we were invited! Tithing settlements we do not do out here that I know of. I think that I am a full tithe payer, well to the best of my knowledge anyways. For Christmas we meet as a couple of Zones together, nothing big though it is fun to see more missionaries than the ones in your zone. There will be two I think at our Santa Run. I bought stamps, but if you were to send more I would use them I am sure. Think of Birthday presents already, WOW that sounds weird. Than again Christmas is almost here and my birthday is shortly after that. I will think of what I want. Well things have been good here. We are working a lot with the less actives of our ward. It is funny because the lists say some people are Do Not Contacts and they are usually super nice. Other than that we are trying to get more investigators and the investigators that we have we are trying to get ready for baptism. Well I love you mom. Take care and I will talk to you later.Love your son,Elder Brickey

Yello!Well it is good to hear that you are all doing well. It sounds like your kids are getting to be quite the handful which could be fun when I get home because I will be something new for them. I think it is funny how when one kid does something the younger one wants to do it NOW too! Well I cannot believe it Nicole is 23 Ryan is turning the big 3-0 and I will soon be hitting that 2-1 mark that I use to look forward to so much. Now I wish I was a kid again. Well at least one of your kids has the potential than to be tall, though I am sure that Dallin will be very jealous if Aleana is taller than he is. Well that is nice that the semester is almost over, no school! YEAH! Well things are going well here. We have been working with our 300+ less actives which is fun. We have meet some crazies and then found out that some people were DEAD not sure how those things were missed but oh wells I guess. Well I hope you are doing well and that you get feeling well, your kids and such. I love you and cannot wait to talk to you. Take care and I will talk to you soon.Your little brother,Elder Brickey

Dec 1 2008 emails

The Mommy-We went hiking up to Feather Falls it is just in the foothills/mountains of Oroville. We had almost the entire Zone go with us so it was really fun. I will try to get pictures on CD and sent to you soon. The reason the Elder Lowe is going home mid transfer is because of school. It is actually very common for missionaries to go home a half transfer early. Well Elder Lowe got transferred to Red Bluff and my new companion is Elder Glenn from Stansbury Park, Utah and he is FRESH from the MTC so another trainee for me! Well for thanksgiving we went with the Newton family, they are awesome, up to their parents house and had a really fun time. I taught them all how to shoot a shotgun at a clay pigeon, though they still were not that good. I SO wanted to just show them but you know the rules no firearms on the mission! It was a good day though and we had a lot of fun, though I did miss the family and the family cooking! They did change Pday but I was not able to get to a computer so I was unable to email you all! I did get your package and THANK YOU I really LOVE the popcorn it is really yummy! I also got a package from Grandma and Grandpa Walker with what looks to be Christmas presents! I am exercising my self control and patients in not opening them, so no worries! We only had one thanksgiving dinner and that was definitely enough! I am already overweight and do not need to be even more, so I am good with the one meal. Well I am not overweight but weigh more than I wish I did. Our next Zone Conference is on the 11th and then we have Santa Run again on the 17th. The Christmas call will be a lot like last years probably. We will find out the week or so before and let you know so that we can be organized and everything. Who to invite, well the Family, whoever wants to talk to me, Kyle, and other than that I do not really know at the moment. Things are going really well actually. We had a baptism this last Saturday. Andrea McCarthey she is 9 and the most prepared and smart little girl ever. I kinda saw a bit of Desiree in her so that made me really excited and made me feel almost like I was watching Des get baptized! Other than that things are going well. I am training again and the District Leader again. I am not that excited about being either because there have been a lot more rules and things added since last time. Oh well I will try my best. I got the pictures from Shan. I do have to admit that the house looks weird, than again I am use to how it use to look. I do have to tell you though that the chair in the front room is, uh, interesting! Yeah! Well I love you mom and hope you are doing well. Take care and I will talk to you later.Love your son,Elder Brickey

Curley Family-Well I am training again. My new companion is Elder Glenn and he is from Stansbury Park, Utah. I am also the DL again so that is exciting! I am trying to get a box put together to send home and it will have pictures for you. I just need to get to a computer that has a burner to put them onto CD. It sounds like you had quite the thanksgiving. Ours was not bad though I do wish in someways that it was at home. That is cool though that things are going well for the remodel. It looks really good actually. Well a little strange to be honest. That is funny though that Grizz finally took and showed Oreo who was boss. Than again Shadow did that a couple of times as well. I am sorry that I was not able to get to a computer to email this last week. Than I was going to write letters and realized that I did not have anymore stamps so I just decided to wait and email you all Monday. Other than that though things are good. We had a 9 year old girl get baptized Saturday and the family was funny because they signed up to feed us once a week because they said they needed their Elder fix or they would go crazy. Things are going well and I cannot believe that Christmas is around the corner I am excited to get to talk to you all though. Well I am running out of time so I love you and wish you the best. Take care.Love your Brother,Elder Brickey

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

There has been no email this week. If we get one we will post. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.

emails from 11/18/2008

The Mommy-It was AWESOME being able to baptize and yes I did have to get special permission to go back down there. I got the permission pretty easy though because my trainer is now one of the Assistants to the President and they love me anyway! That is to bad about Utah Auto, I have a lot of friends that worked there. Well I hope that you do well with the volleyball stuff. I am actually really sore right now because we went and did a 10 mile hike yesterday and we did it in four hours with stopping and playing too. With the garments I want the normal kind, the cotton poly ones. The fires that are in Cali are down south right now and we are not having any problems with them up here so that is nice. We are getting fed every night and getting fed really well too. Things are going really well right now and the work is going awesome too. We are having really good success and we actually have a baptism that is coming up so that is sweet. My comp is good we have been getting along really well. It is easier to say that he goes home on the 23rd of December than say how long he has been out. Well how are you doing mom? What is new and exciting? I love you and hope you are doing well.Your son,Elder Brickey


Curley Family-Well it sounds like you have had quite a week. It seems like things are going well around the house and it is finishing up. It is weird to think that the house will be different when I get home. Than again it does not surprise me cause mom does like to change things up and improve. I won't lie in saying that I want dad to get the shop done. I am hoping that he does the loft thing cause that way I could sleep there when I get back. I did not know until today that Taylor was getting married. Man it is weird to think about that. There are not going to be many single people when I get home that is for sure. I am sure that mom will like her new stove. I love the gas stoves that we have here in Cali, they seem to work better. It does take a little while to get use to but once you do man they are nice. Well transfers are actually this next week. Though my companion and I are staying together though we might get another companion because my comp now goes home mid transfer, actually on the 23rd of Dec so right before Christmas. Well the work here in Cali is going well. I got all fired up from being able to baptize Maryellen. We have a 9 year old girl that is going to be getting baptized by the end of the month or beginning of next month. We are also going to talk to our other progressing investigator about baptism. The last time we talked to him he side stepped the commitment, so this time we are getting something solid out of him. Well things are going well here and it sounds like things are going good back there too. I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the holiday season. I love you all very much. Take care and I will talk to you later.Love your brother,Elder Brickey

An update......

NO emails today. We will post when they come. Check back tomorrow and/or Wednesday.

Emails 11-10-08

The Mommy-Well for the pie contest there was Pumpkin, Coconut Creme, Peanut Butter, Oreo, Heath, some kind of berry, and a couple others that I do not really remember. We did pick the "best" in our opinion, which was the peanut butter one surprisingly. It was just my companion and I that judged and it was loads of fun. At the half mission conference I got to see a lot of missionaries that I served around like some from the MTC and others from the different Zones that I served in. Other than that though things have been going well. The weather is cooler almost cold when on a bike, but that is better than blistering hot. The prop 8 thing has not really affected us here in Oroville, though there has been problems in other places not in our mission. There was actually a prop or something that was passed like 8 years ago and it passed like 68% and this time it won 54% or something. Well lets see on the garments I would rather getting just the normal cotton polys. It is weird to think that Christmas is almost here. I do not really have any ideas for the Curley's so whatever you think of or if I come up with anything I will let you know. Things for myself that I am craving? Hmm I am not sure. I did not know that Utah Auto closed down, do you know why? And that throws off my plans when I get home. I did not know that Mickell got transferred I have not heard from him for a while I need to write the kid and see how he is doing. Well things are going well here. This last Saturday I went down to Lincoln and was able to baptized Andrea Gonzales's, my convert down there, daughter Maryellen and then I confirmed her too. I won't lie I was scared but it was awesome. We are working with a nine year old girl that will probably be getting baptized before the end of the month too. Things are just going really well here. Well I hope that things are going well for you and the remodel is going well. I love you and miss you. Take care mom and I will talk to you later.Love your son,Elder Brickey

Hello!Well things are going well here actually. The prop 8 thing has got some people mad but not really bad here in Oroville. There have been some people that have had issues further south like in Sacramento but not really in the Cal Ros Mission. We have heard that people have posted signs and even spray painted the side of a church, but nothing to terribly bad yet. I am still with Elder Lowe and things are going well. The area is good I am still enjoying it so that is good. I will agree that I am tired of stupid people and their stupid excuses! I am glad to hear that the kids as always are growing and being kids. That is awesome that you are getting ready to Gradumicate Ryan! I hope you have a fun party afterwards! It will be interesting to come home and be the last single Brickey and last one in School and will have A LOT to do! Well congrats on your Utes I hope it goes well for you, though I do admit that I am not all that interested in football. Things are going well here though. The weather is a bit cold, but that is fine with me. I can handle the cooler temps. I had an awesome experience this past Saturday. I was able to go down to Lincoln, Rocklin actually, and baptize and confirm my recent converts, Andrea Gonzales, daughter, Maryellen! I was SO scared and nervous but it was awesome and I feel like it was one of the best moments of my mission. Other than that we are still working with those few investigators that we have and with the members here. Well i hope all is going well for you all and I love you. Take care and I will talk to you later.Elder Brickey

Emails Nov 3 2008

The Mommy-Things are going well, it has just been a little hard to find new investigators that are good and not looking for welfare from the church. For the garments, I need some tops, which are smalls, but I mainly need some more bottoms, those are 32 regulars. On the sock thing, I might need some new ones probably should get some. I like the thicker more cushy ones personally. Well it sounds like things are getting all put together at home. I am pretty excited to see all the changes, though it will be weird at the same time. Usually once or twice a year we have half mission conferences. It is usually because a General Authority is in the area. This was the first one that I was a part of. We went up to Chico for it and we had all the missionaries from Yuba to Mt Shasta so I got to see a lot of familiar faces. Halloween was pretty fun. We went to a ward party which was fun because we were able to judge the chili and pie contests so that was nice! Other than that things are going well and have been having fun. So it is all good. Well how are you doing in general? I hope you are doing well and things are going well for you. Well I love you mom and wish you the best.Love your son,Elder Brickey

Curley Fam-Well it sounds like you had a good week. I am pretty jealous that you went fishing though we have a member that might take us fishing here soon. They closed fishing down to only native americans for a while because of the salmon run. My companion and I wanted to just wade into the water and grab one of the fish to take a picture but figured that we should not due to it being against rules and against the law! It sounds like Halloween was pretty fun. Ours was good we went to the church for a ward party that was pretty fun. Other than that though we were not lucky enough to go trick or treating. Oh well there is always next year and I will be able to go with the nieces and nephews so that could be fun! That or just hang out with Kyle like I use to, I miss that! I actually have come into contact a lot with people and parole or probation which stinks. Then the other thing of people living together that are not married, that is ALWAYS fun! Well the work here in Oroville is going well. We have a couple of progressing investigators so that is nice. Well Christmas is coming up soon it is nuts! I am pretty stoked to talk to you all again though. Well I hope all is going well for you. Take care and I will talk to you later! Love you.Elder Brickey

Emails 10-28-2008

The Mommy-We did not get to email the last two Monday's because last Monday we were busy and than this Monday we had half mission conference. Sorry about that! Thank you for the package. It was not melted and all the missionaries in my apartment are appreciative for the package. Well can you believe that it has been a year already since you saw me last? Things are going so well though. The work seems to be progressing along so well though. We had an awesome experience at half mission conference. Elder Teixeira of the 70 came and talked to us. He and his wife were AWESOME. For Halloween we are going to go in at 6! Though we can stay at the church for the activity there as long as we have an investigator there. Well things are going well here. I cannot believe actually how well things are going. Well how is the family and how are you doing mom? I won't lie I am getting pretty excited that Christmas is coming up so I can talk to you all again. I love you mom and hope all is going well for you.Love your son,Elder Brickey

Curley Family-Hello hello there! Well has my mission been a trick or treat? Total treat thus far! It is a little weird to think that I have under a year left. It is actually really weird to think about that. I cannot believe that another Halloween is coming that I will be away for. I definitely miss the activities though from Halloween. Well it seems like the kids and you are all doing well and excited for the holidays. Can you believe that Thanksgiving is around the corner than Christmas. I cannot believe that it is the holiday season already. The kids are all growing up and changing, the world just keeps on moving. I did hear that TY and DJ were getting married. And from what dad told me that by the time I get home I will be the ONLY Brickey that is single! Now ain't that interesting? I do have to say that I am in NO rush to be getting married! There are things that I want to do and girls are not part of the equation. Well I am glad to hear that you and the family are all doing good. I cannot believe that the house is getting all redone and such as well. It will be weird to come home and see what all has changed. Well other than that stuff I am doing well. I am going to be turning 21 in two months! Though that does not feel all that cool anymore. We did have half mission conference yesterday. We had Elder Teixeira from the 70 come and talk to us. He was awesome and did a very good job. He gave us all renewed fuel to go out and work our tails off. Other than that I am doing really well. I am just doing all that I can the best I can. I hope it is enough and that it will pay out the way that I want. Well I love you all and hope you all are well. Take care and have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!-Elder Brickey

Emails 10-20-08

The Mommy-It is okay about the emails though I was a little worried that you forgot about me. I am glad that I stayed in Oroville it is nice to not have to pack again. The Hmong Elders did not get transferred everything stayed the same here in Oroville. So that is nice to not have things changing all the time though change can be good. I think most of my things are holding up. I might be in the need of new garment bottoms maybe a couple tops. Other than that I don't know. Yeah it is hard to believe that it is fall again and cooling down. The weather here is pretty good here, cooling down nice. Wow there are Sister Missionaries there now. We have had a few mid-transfers before though we usually do not have the swap usually though straight out from Elders to Sisters that is usually bad. Well it sounds like things are going well for the remodel of the house. I hope that things continue to go well for it. Well things are going well here and I hope that they are going well for you. I love you and hope that your well.Love your son,Elder Brickey

Curley's-Well it sounds like things are going well there in Utah. I still think it is pretty crazy that the house is being remodeled and such. It sounds like the kids are doing well and that the family is good so that is nice. I cannot believe that they are all growing up so fast. Nicole told me that Aleana is pretty fun, but will be even more fun when I get home! Well that is good that Dad found time to go out and do some hunting. I am excited to come home and be able to go out and do some camping I really miss that. Well I hope that whatever the Elders did was not that bad. We have had out fair share of rogue Elders here in Cali though. They have done some pretty stupid things too. Though I am not sure what all they have done, just heard some of the details. I am NOT a zone leader thank goodness, just a regular old missionary. I really love the work and I cannot believe that I have been out for a year. Well I have been working with a few people that are close to baptism though they do not want to get baptized quite yet. Well things are going well here and I really hope that things are going well back home for you all. I love you and hope you are doing well.-Elder Brickey

No email

So far this week we have not received an email. If we get one we will post it.

For those of you not familiar with blogs, you can post comments (spiritual thoughts). Just click on the comments (spiritual thoughts) then follow the instructions to post a thought. We have told Kade about the blog, and if/when he can he checks it. We will also tell him what was said, just in case he can't get to it.

A letter 10-6-08

The Mommy-
Hello Hello! How are you doing? How does it feel to have 7 grand kids? Anyway. I just thought I would write you a letter since I have not for a while. Well I got the package from you, thank you very much. As I looked through the pictures it made me have a lot of mixed emotions. I realized that an important thing was missing from the pictures, namely me. Than again I am very thankful for the experiences that I am having here on the mission.
Well can you believe it, my mission is half way over. A year ago we were busy getting things ready for me to leave. In a years time I will be getting ready to come home. I feel like I just left, I cannot believe how fast time is flying. I guess the saying is true about when your having fun time flies. The work is awesome, I cannot believe I have only a year left of full time missionary work. I will have to make it better than year one.
Well how goes the remodeling of the house? From what I have heard the house if going to be really different when I get home. Which reminds me, I wonder what Kyle thought when he got home & saw the change. I will have to ask him. So what all is being done to the house, or do you want me to just wait & see?
I hope you enjoyed conference. I found it simply amazing. My companion & I were talking about it yesterday (Sunday) & we both decided that we understand what Joseph Smith meant when he said that he felt drained of his energy after Moroni appeared to him & when Jesus & our Father in Heaven did as well. The information & spirit that all the messages had were spectacular. After conference I felt more drained & tired than after a full day of work under the sun. I never thought that sitting & listening could be so tiring yet exhilerating.
I love you & hope you are doing well. Give everyone a "Hello" from me & a hug & also get someone to give you a hug for me. Take care Mom & I hope to hear from you.
Love always!
Your son,
Elder Brickey

Emails 10-13-08

The Mommy-Well I am glad that you got my letter. Well a few things that have happened have been that the work has been going well and that things are progressing well for us out here. I cannot believe that I have been gone for a year, it has not felt that long. Well I did not get sore from the car accident at all and the car I have no clue as to what happened to it. They did get a new car though because they have to have one. Transfers were today and I found out that both my companion and I are staying for another 6 weeks at least. I would not mind having some pictures of the house but it does not really matter. I do have to admit that I have not gotten an email from you for a while. I did send a couple to your myway account though it does seem like you are now on gmail so that could be why I have not heard back. You could send them to me though, the emails that did not get sent. Well I hope all is going well for you mom. I love you and miss you. Take care and I hope things go well for you.Your son,Elder Brickey
Curley Fam-Well it sounds good to hear that things are going well for you all. I cannot believe that the kids are just growing and growing. I think that it is weird to now think that I have seven nieces and nephews and that they are all growing up so fast. It seems like things are going really well back home so that is good. Well I kinda like the name Ale, its cute and since she is my niece it fits. Well anyway it seems like things will always go well when we are in the service of the Lord. Well today was transfer day and my companion and I are staying together for another 6 weeks. On most p-days we do go and play sports, we have a couple trails that we want to go and ride though. Well for the most part my companion and I get along in almost everything so that is good. He is more competitive than I am but that is okay. Well we have not found any more investigators lately. The tracting has not been very successful and we are not getting any referrals so it is hard to get new investigators without either of those. Things have been going well though and I cannot believe that I am almost a year out. Time is flying by. Well I love you and hope that all is well. Take care and I will talk to you later. Love ya!Elder Brickey

Emails 10-6-08

The Mommy-I just wanted to let you know that I am doing well and safe. I got your package and thank you very much. Well how have you been doing? Things are going well here. We have had a couple of good things happen this week and it seems like things are just going awesome. Well I hope that things are going well for you mom I love you.Your son,Elder Brickey

Curley Family-Well I am glad to hear that baby and mom are doing well. I think that it is funny that the kids are fighting over who gets to hold Aleana. It sounds like things are going well though and I am glad to hear that. I will not lie, there have not been any kind of rattles that I know of. I think that we are far enough from LA that we will not feel much unless it is big. Well it is good that things went well for the birth and such. Well this past week has been a good one for me. We seem to be doing well and things are just going well in general. I really loved conference and the things that were taught. It seems like each conference is better and better. Well I hope that things are going well for you and that things continue to go well for your family. I love you all and hope all is going well.-Elder Brickey

Emails 9-29-08

Hello Hello!Well things are going well here in Cali! I am doing fine all good and safe. I do not have any whiplash or anything really from the accident so that is nice. I was not driving and have not been able to drive a car yet, well technically. The damage was quite extensive to the car that we were in, but the car we hit there was hardly any damage to it. I have driven a few times but it has not been far or much. Anyway it was one of the other Elders that we live with. There is a designated driver and no one but him can drive, technically. It has been a good week and good transfer. It is weird to think that I have almost been here in Oroville for 5 weeks. Than again I am coming up on my year mark and it will come and go so fast. Well it sounds like things are going well back home for you all. That is cool that your kids remember/know who I am. I bet Kyle is still the same awesome Kyle. Though I bet he has changed in developing a way stronger testimony! Well I hope that things are going well for you all and that you have a safe week. Let me know how things go and I hope to hear from you soon. Love you.-Elder Brickey

Emails 9-22-08

The Mommy-My companion is from Oahu. Pearl City to be exact, his house overlooks Pearl Harbor. He was born in Hawaii but moved State side for a while than back to Hawaii. It is really sweet to talk to him about Hawaii and it makes me excited and want to go to Hawaii SO BAD! Yes I did get two emails from you this week. This week has been good ish. We actually had Zone Conference this past Thursday. It was in Yuba City so south of where Oroville is. Well on the way down there, we were riding with the Hmong Elders, we got into an ACCIDENT! Yeah it was interesting. We rear ended a Ford Crown Vic and there was hardly any damage to the Ford whereas the Toyota Carolla we were in got really messed up! So that was an interesting day.It is weird to think that Kyle is coming home this week. I cannot believe he has been gone already for two years. It seems like Mickell just left and he is now in the field, than again it feels like I just left and it has almost been a year. I did hear from Mickell I actually need to get a letter back to him asap! I might need some stamps actually, I am not sure how many I have. We actually go and email at a school, it is like a college or something like that. It is pretty nice. I am still feeling good and well actually even with the other Elders sick. I am not in the same zone as Lincoln, they are to far south. I think things are holding up well for me. Though I will let you know if I need something. Thank you for all you do mom. Love you.-Elder Brickey

Yello-Well I will not mind to be the last to find out, just as long as I find out and know that things are okay. Yeah Happy Anniversary, well late but still. Well I am sorry that you had to go to the hospital but glad that things are okay. I hope and pray that things go well for you and my new little niece. Wow I did not know that a RM was on the FBIs top 10 most wanted. Shows that we are all human. Well it sounds like things are going well back there in Utah and I hope that things continue to go well for you back there.Here things are going well. We have a few investigators who are still in line for getting baptized. The work is going good and it seems like the Lord is watching over us for sure. This past Thursday we got into an accident on the way to Zone Conference. We rear ended a Ford Crown Vic and it did virtually no damage to the Ford but our little Toyota Carolla got pretty messed up. We are all safe and fine so no worries that way. Well it seems crazy that Kyle gets home this week and than I hit my year mark next month. Well I am sorry this is short but I am almost out of time. Well I love you and wish you the best.Take care of yourselves and I will talk to you later.-Elder Brickey

Emails 9-15-08

The Mommy-Well this week was good. We have a couple of investigators that are really close to being baptized and we had one of the recent reactivated members just receive the Melch Priesthood. Other than that the work has been going pretty well, we have to rely on the members to get us to some of our investigators though because our area is pretty big. It has been fun getting to know the area and the people here. Well the two other missionaries that live with us are the Hmong (Mong) Elders. I do know one of them because he is from the same group that I came out in, but I did not know them that well when I first came here to Oroville. Now though I do know them pretty well and they are cool and fun. My address is 57 Evanswood Circle Oroville CA 95965 sorry I did not get that to you sooner. Well it sounds like your trip to Logan was quiet exciting. Though I know that I would not have been happy if it was me. Well I am feeling better and am doing well. Though the Hmong Elders are sick and I am scared that I am going to get it again or something. We will see I will try to keep up on the meds and such to stay well. The new companion and the new area are going well. I am getting a hold of the area and my companion. It is actually better than I thought and with things going well I know that is helping. Oroville is pretty good sized I would say. Our area is HUGE because we cover "country" and some of the city itself. I am not sure the population or anything but it is good sized.Well how are you doing mom? What is new in the life of the mommy? Well I hope that things are going well. Take care and I will talk to you later. Love youYour son,Elder Brickey

Hola-Hey it sounds like things are going well for you and your family. I tell you what by the time I get home I would not be surprised if your kids are not only potty trained but completely their own individuals. They are growing up so fast it is ridiculous. It will definitely be interesting to see how much they have changed when I get home. Well Table Mountain is definitely funny looking and very cool looking as well. There are some fun trails around the mountain as well that make it cool though. I do not know if I have many pictures of Lincoln, but I will send you all the pictures that I do have. I am actually putting together a package to send home with a whole bunch of stuff that I need to get rid of.That is pretty sweet that you were able to find some Toy Story stuff for Dallin. I am definitely in on whatever you want for mom and dad. I sill be glad to pitch in whatever, just let me know if there is not any left from my last check or whatever.My companion does surf, but is not that big into it. He is actually into cars and motorcycles, sounds like me doesn't it? Well other than that things have been going well and things seem to be just awesome so far.I hope that things go well for you for the rest of the week and I hope to hear from you soon. Love ya.-Elder Brickey

Emails 9-10-08

Curley Family-That is fine that you missed a letter, truthfully it matters more that you care enough to write me more than once a month. I will not lie the Father and Sons sounds like it was pretty sweet. It sounds like it was a good time and I really wish that I could have been there. I do have to tell that I have no idea who the Rowlettes are. If I remember right they moved in when I was getting ready to leave on my mission and I do not really remember anything about them other than they had a lot of work to do on their house when they moved in. That is sweet though that Dallin caught his first fish.The new area is a lot bigger because the city is smaller. There are a lot of interesting people here though. It is fun to see how weird they are. It is fun because there is more cool things here than down in Lincoln though. There are a lot of sweet trails and such here to go and play on. So that is always fun.Well it sounds like things are going a little crazy for your pregnancy still, though I have faith that you will both be taken care of. Well I hope that things get going better for you.Well the comp is really cool actually. He is from Hawaii and so I am getting my connections so I can go and visit. The area is cool so far and the people that I have met have been fun and such but it is still a little nerve racking. I am getting more use to the area and adapting to unusual and weird things that get thrown at me. We do have a few investigators and their are a few that hopefully that can enter the water soon. Being co-senior is a little weird but it works I guess. There is not really anything right now worth note, other than Table Mountain which is really weird and funny looking. There are also a lot of other cool OLD things here in town that are fun and cool.Well sorry I was not able to get this off the other day I got pulled off to go do some other stuff. Well yeah I love yall and take care.-Elder Brickey

Emails Sept 8, 2008

The Mommy-The trip to the new place was fine. I won't lie when I say that it is really weird to be in a new area though and with a new companion. It has been good so far though so that is nice. I luckily did not have to tear apart my bike which was really nice. Some members in the Lincoln ward gave me a ride, they are awesome. I have a thank you card that I sent to them so no worries on that. I am feeling a lot better though I am a bit stuffed up still. Other than that though things are going well for me. That is sad that your pressure cooker finally died it has been around for a LONG time. Yes Elder Pancheri did stay in Lincoln, he actually got a companion that came out in the same group that I did so that is pretty cool. I do not know the Elder though because he was not in the same MTC group. As for the other Elders that moved in with us in Lincoln they were the other English Elders in Lincoln so it was Elders Matsunaga and Brewster. The new place is HUGE which is nice, but yet at the same time sucks because you can gather more things in a bigger apartment. We do share it with two other missionaries, but since this place is big it does not matter. The President is good I guess. I still do not know him all that well but he is growing steadily on me and things seem to be going really well under his regime. I would appreciate it if I could get some hard copies instead of through the email. I got the package thank you so much. I do have to say that I like Scott and Kayce's wedding cake. Well things are going really well here in Oroville. My new comp and I are getting along really well and things seem to be going really well. Other than that things are just normal I guess. Well I love you mom and hope all is going well.Love your son,Elder Brickey

Emails Sept 1, 2008

Curley's-It sounds like your life is still really busy to me. That is cool though that you could save like $2500 or so by doing it the way that you are. It sounds like the school stuff is going well, though I am not that excited right now at the thought of school. I have forgotten how to do A LOT of things. Well I hope that the school thing goes well and pans out for you.It sounds like both of your chillins are getting really big and quite fun. That is funny that Saedy is getting into everything, I am glad that all my stuff is safely tucked away. It sounds like she will be able to out eat me when I get home. Than again I do have my moments where I just eat and eat and eat. Dallin likes hiking boots, well at least it is not high heels or something like that. He is just taking after his grandpa and uncles in liking the outdoors. I do like the fact that he loves Toy Story I love it too, and I also love Cars. It sounds like both of your kids are going to be quite the characters when I get home.Yeah transfers where today. I am getting transferred to Oroville to the Table Mountain Ward. My companion will be Elder Lowe he has been out for a while, but we are going to be co-senior companions, whatever that means I do not know. I have mixed emotions about being transferred. It is always exciting about getting a new area and the idea of new people and fresh things, but I have grown to love this area and these people. I am not so sure how excited I am about a new companion because I am use to how my companion is now and now I have to learn all over again. Oh well it will be good because that way I will learn and grow some more. Thank you for your support because I have needed and need it. Well this past week has been pretty good. We have taught a few lessons, though I have gotten sick. I am not sure what I have I am just congested and my head is all messed up. Other than that though we have just been doing the missionary thing. Went and knocked some doors and had some interesting people answer and get a little mad at us. Oh well I guess it is all for a good purpose.I will talk to Scott and see if I can get the pictures from him. It is weird to think that he is up in Logan instead of there in Orem. I guess I will have to get use to the idea.Well how are you doing? How is the family doing? How are all the pets doing? What is new and exciting? Well I hope that things are going well for you and that you are all safe. I love you and keep you in my heart and prayers take care.Love,Elder Brickey

The Mommy-Our apartment is two bedroom, 1 bath, and not that big in general. We are pretty cramped but it works out some how. I am not sure if the fires are all out we do not hear about them anymore. Though we have heard a lot about the Proposition 8 (protect marriage) thing going on right now. Wow that is weird that Brad's girlfriend (or ex) got married. It is really weird to think that all these people that I went to school with are getting married and having kids. I am getting transferred, I am going to Oroville. It is a little more north than where I am at right now. It is weird to think that I am going to be leaving Lincoln and going to another area and will be hitting my year mark soon. Can you believe it almost a year ago you were seeing me off in the MTC. I will be taking my bike, and get to use it in the area too, but hopefully I will be able to put it in the back of a truck or on a bike rack so that I do not have to tear it apart. Other than that though things are going well here in Cali. I have been sick the last couple of days which sucks, but I have dealt with it. We have been able to get out a bit but at the same time have taken it easy so that I can hopefully recuperate from whatever this is. It is weird to think that I have been here in Lincoln for 6 months and that I am not off to a new adventure. I know that the work here in Lincoln is better than when I got here so that makes me happy and makes the leaving a little better. I know that no matter how hard or weird the next area is that I will be able to do well if I just rely on the Lord. Well I am glad that you liked the card, I try my best to find the good ones. Well I hope that you have an awesome anniversary and that things go well for you in this coming week. I love you mom and am very grateful for all that you do for me and for all your love and support. Take care and I will talk to you later.Love your son,Elder Brickey

Emails 8-25-08

The Mommy-I would not waste ANY money on women...beer on the other hand....No I am just trying to do my best if I can with all that I have. Thank you for Mickell's address I really appreciate it now I can write that kid a letter.Well it sounds like the wedding went well so that is good. I still think that it is weird that they are married, but good for them. I am kinda jealous that I was not able to have all that food, it sounds really good. I think it is funny that they had an ice cream bar, than again it is Scott and I would not expect anything less. That is pretty funny about Kalun. I think that is definitely a story that will be remembered for quite a while. It sounds like it was quite the day, I wish that I could have been there to see it. Oh well I am where I am suppose to be and doing good things so that is good.The picture for the award is the same one. We got the missionaries that cover the 3 and 5 ward to move in with us. They moved in because they expanded the Spanish work here in the Rocklin Stake and there are now 4 Elders that cover the Branch and so they moved the English Elders into our apartment so the other apartment could be all Spanish. The apartment is decent size, but it is very very crowded. I liked it A LOT better with just the two of us it was a lot easier.Well things are going pretty well here in Cali. Our two investigators that had dates have to postpone their baptisms due to some issues so it will be a while before they get baptized. It is okay though because we were able to get them coming to church and for a while they quit smoking, they might have started again I do not know. Things are going pretty well though. We have had a lot of success in dealing with less-active members and part member families. I am not sure what is in the package from Hong Kong so you can open it and let me know what it is and I will let you know what to do with it.Well let me know what all is going on and if you could find pictures of my accident (motorcycle) and send them to me I would appreciate it. Well thats all that I can think of for now. Love you mom. Take care and hope all is going well.Love your son,Elder Brickey


Curley Family-Well another week has come and gone and it is good to hear that you are all doing well. It sounds like Dallin has an interesting assortment of "buddies" that he totes around with him. Though I do have to admit that they sound like they are pretty cool. That is awesome that he likes to wear a shirt and tie, that would be a cute picture to have him all dressed up. Than again any pictures of my nieces and nephews make me happy, they are all just so darn cute and awesome! It sounds like Saedy is quite the adventurer and wants to be big like her big brother. That is no fun though with her not wanting to go to nursery. We had a little girl this last week in church that was NOT happy to be dropped off in nursery. It was funny because her dad was talking to me and he said that when she was 15 months old she wanted to go and now she wants to leave at 18 months. Kids....yeah they are pretty funny!Well it sounds like the wedding was awesome. I wish in a lot of ways that I could have been there to see it and participate in all the festivities. Thank you for the few pictures that you sent they are awesome and I really appreciate it. I am curious though as to how mom felt about dad grabbing her and giving her a kiss. That is awesome though that the luncheon and everything was awesome. I have heard that there were quite the crazy things that happened. That is awesome that you will have your Masters in DEC and start the PhD program in JAN. Good luck or break a leg or whatever the thing might be. I am also glad to hear that things are going decent for the pregnancy. I hope that things continue to go well and smoothly for you all.Well things are going pretty well here. We have a lot of good potential in the area and things are always looking up it seems. I hope that I am able to help this area out and leave it on a high note and that the work will continue to go well. Thank you for trying to find out about my hoodie and ring. I won't lie when I say that I am pretty pissed though. I think that it is funny that she could not return my stuff like an adult but instead threw it away. You could egg her house or car or something for me, that might make me feel a little bit better! ;-)Well anyways thanks for all you do I love you all and hope that you are doing well and that things go well for you. I keep you all in my heart and in my prayers. Thank you for all your love and support without it, I do not know where I would be.Gratefully-Elder Brickey

Emails 8-18-08

The Mommy-Everything is a-o-k with me. There was an Elder that was in some need of assistance and so some of us got together and decided to help him out. So no worries all is well and thank you for your help I really appreciate it.I did get the package and I did get the invite to dad's party and Scott and Kayce's wedding. I think that Shan did a very good job and it is awesome. I do like Scott's smile in the picture it is actually a sincere smile, one of those seven wonders of the world that we never get to see often. Just playing Scott if you read this. No they look really good and really happy I cannot believe it still that they are getting hitched TOMORROW!It sounds like you have been having a pretty busy week in getting things ready for the wedding and I can honestly tell you that I am not jealous at all. I actually am pretty happy that I do not have to be apart of the mayhem of things. A mission may have its stressful moments, but I remember Cassie and Shanna's weddings and how "fun" they were. I almost forgot that Adam was coming home before Kyle. That is pretty cool that Terri and Bruce were able to talk to Adam and that Adam knew Kyle. I can only imagine the things that he could say about Kyle because in my mind Kyle is the man!Oh dinner went....well ish... It actually was not that bad because they actually talked to us this time. The food was very limited and we did not eat much because we knew that their circumstances were not that good, but it was decent.I think that I will get transfered for two reasons. First is that I have been here for 4 transfers so 6 months and usually you get shipped around when you have been in an area that long. Then there is also the calm before the storm feeling that I have. I do not really want to leave but yet at the same I do want some change so I do not know what will happen. One Elder that I am serving around told me that I am going to leave and be a Zone Leader and so that has been haunting me because I do not really want to be in leadership. I did not hear that Bonnie had a heart attack. Is she okay and doing better? I bet she would like to be there tomorrow and she probably is really sad that she missed the events this weekend.I am glad to hear that the parties went well for you and that things seem to be going well. I hope that the wedding goes really well and that things don't get to chaotic. Well here in Cali things are going well. We have two baptismal dates right now which is SWEET! Though we may have to postpone due to some past things and smoking. Other than that though things have been going really well. We have been teaching a lot more and things seem to be going really well. I just hope that things continue to do well here. Well I love you and I hope that you are doing well. Take care and I will talk to you later!Love your son,Elder Brickey

HELLO!Yeah things have been going really well here so I would not be surprised if I get transfered. I am okay with it though because I am in the mood for a change and new scenery. The weather has actually been pretty nice for the last couple days so it has not been to bad here.It seems like you had a rather busy week. I bet that you are ready though for it to be over at the same time so that your kids can get back into the regular swing of things. I think that it is awesome thought that so much is going on because it makes time go by faster and makes things more fun. I wish though that I could have been there for this stuff but I do know that I am suppose to be here in California. I am pretty excited for pictures because they fill in the void that I have of not being able to be there. I really like Scott and Kayce's announcement picture it is really good and Scott is actually smiling and they both look really happy. I think that you did a really good job on the invites to dad's party. Sorry to hear that Greg spilled the beans, it seems like people just cannot keep things on the DL (down low not district leader). Though it sounds like you had an awesome turn out for it. I cannot believe it, DAD IS OLD! I hope that things go well for the last 4-8 weeks of your pregnancy. I hope that the baby cooperates with you. I know that I do not want anything bad to happen to my family. Things are going well here in Cali and the work is going really well. We have two baptismal dates coming up which is AWESOME! I am really excited about the progress of the work here in the Lincoln 1st ward. I still am getting along with my companion. I am having a harder time getting along with the missionaries that moved into our apartment this last transfer. Oh well just keep trying and do your best is all you can do I guess. Other than that things have been just tracting and visiting less active members. Well I love you all and I hope that things go well for you. Let me know if there is anything that I can do to help and what did we get dad for his bday????Love your bro,Elder Brickey

Emails 8-11-08

The Mommy-It is fine about the meals, you learn how to deal with what is placed before you. I have also found that I am not as picky when it comes to food anymore. I know that the Lord helps missionaries out when the meal that is prepared is horrible. Without his help I would either be dead or very very sick, and so far so good!The difference between a zone and a district is size. A zone here in Cali is set to the size of the stake where as a district is usually a city or 2-4 sets of missionaries. In the Zone that I am in (Rocklin Zone) there are 24 missionaries, where as the district I am in (Lincoln English) is only 6 missionaries. The weather here is actually really mild right now. It still has its moments where I wish that it was cooler, but it is California so I can handle the heat. I am not sure about the fires anymore, I do not hear about them that much anymore. The air quality has definitely improved and it is not that bad anymore. The thing that we hear about the most is the Prop 8 thing which deals with making sure that marriage is defined as a man and a woman. It is weird to have to hear these things when they are not that present in Utah. Wow it is weird to hear that things are getting all prepared for Scott's wedding. I am still a little aw struck by it and how quick it is, but hey that is awesome. I think it will be even weirder for me to get home and be the ONLY single Brickey! Wow I am SOOO lucky! I just hope that Kyle is still there and free, I mean single. I am pretty excited about a new tie and to see Scott and Kayce's wedding announcement, though it will really set it that they are getting married when I see it. Thank you though I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the package now!Well it sounds like you have a lot of things that you want to get done to the house. I also heard that Dad is going to be building the shop in the back, that will be nice to have when I get home. I did not get the invite for dad's 5-0, I would like to see it though. I would also like to see all the new additions to the house like the water fountain and such. It seems like all kinds of things are changing around the house.Well I am doing well and this past week was actually really good. We did not have any crazy dinners, though we might have one tonight I will let you know if it is. We picked up two new investigators who want to get baptized, they just do not know when yet. Other than that things have just been going really well. Transfers are on September 2 so it is VERY likely that I will be leaving, just a heads up for you.How are things going and let me know how things are going for the wedding and such. Well good luck with all the festivities in the coming week. I love you and miss you mom. Take care and I will talk to you later. Love your son,Elder Brickey

Curley's-Hello hello! Well it sounds like you have had a fun week! Things have been going well here in Cali. We picked up a new investigator and so now we have three people that are progressing towards baptism. It would be awesome to have more than that ready for whoever comes in next, but the Lord is giving us what we have earned and are prepared for. Things have been going well and the weather seems to be getting cooler which is what I like to see. I definitely perform better in cooler temperatures. It sounds like life is pretty crazy back in Utah. I am kinda glad that I do not have to deal with the ciaos and such. Though I would love to see it all happen. I would love to get pictures of the wedding. I actually do not know how you would do it but if you could send me pictures of my accident (motorcycle) I would appreciate that too. I know that on my laptop there were some but who knows, maybe on my external hard drive. There is also something else that I would like to maybe see if it could be done. I was wondering if there was a way to make a business card with one side telling my mission address and the other with the home address, maybe Nicole could do it so I will ask her in my letter to her or whoever. I think that dad's email can rip my heart out sometimes. I have already noticed a lot of change in him. I know that it was hard for him when he was told that he could not ordain me. Than an even bigger hit came when he was told that he could not even stand in the circle. I was very appreciative when we were there and Bro Bezzant looked at dad and said that Stake Pres trumps and he was needed in that circle. I am proud of dad and the whole family. It seems that everyday you all grow closer and closer together and closer to our Father in Heaven. I wish in a lot of ways that I could have been there to see Scott through these awesome events, but I know that I will be able to be apart of even more memories when I return home.Well it sounds like you are winding down with work. It seems like you work a new area more than I do in the mission. I bet it will be nice to be back to school and have at least some kind of normalcy in your lives.I hope that things go well for your pregnancy I will try my best in keeping you in my prayers. I know that things will go well and that you will all be okay, just by relying on the Lord. He has already pulled me through some very difficult times in my life and I know that he will do the same for everyone and anyone who turns to him.I hope that all is going well. Give everyone a squeeze for me. I love you and wish you the best.Love your littlest bro,Elder Brickey

Emails 8-4-08

The Mommy-I said that I am trying to stay in one piece, I do not know if I have the capabilities to do so though. You know me I like to go hard and play even harder. I am not making any promises on how well I will do when I get home, I won't have the same protection as I do here in the mission.I did not feel the quake, I did not even know that there was an earthquake. I guess I am just to far North, or just not very observant. Though I do think that it would be neat to feel or be in an earthquake, and yes I know that it would not be as fun if it were to actually happen, but I was just thinking it would be cool to say that I was in one. Yeah anyways.I was able to set up an email account in the MTC and I did email but it is a REAL pain in the backside. I would appreciate getting his addresses both email and snail mail. Interesting Dinners....Let's see I will start with the first scary one. In Mount Shasta we had this dinner that looked like chicken tender strips, well it ended up being like the frog eye salad ball things that were REALLY dry and disgusting. Than for a gravy to make it better there was meat in it, however it was chicken nuggets from Burger King. The salad was good until I got the hit of cyan throughout the entire thing and then I think I might have chipped a tooth from a rock or something that was in the salad. The best part of the meal was the Mount Shasta Water! Other than that though in Mount Shasta all the meals were rather awesome! Than here in Lincoln....Well my first dinner in Lincoln was rather awkward, but it was good. The members would not talk to us, which made it really fun. They also had no dining furniture so we sat on the couch. Then we had this weird Mongolian rice which looked good, but the stuff that we put on it was simply DISGUSTING! I do not know if I should try and describe how it tasted cause that would be bad. Those two meals were with Elder Remington now we move to when Elder Pancheri got here. We had this very interesting meal that was Solar prepared. The rice was under cooked and it was crunchy and just blah! There was also undercooked chicken which made both of us enjoy the company of the toilet the next day. So yeah there has been a variety of very interesting things that we have had for dinners!I did not know that Scott's contract ran out. That is good though that he had all of you there to help him out. Than he gets to move all over again in a little bit up to Logan! How exciting for you all! Yeah it is really nice to have a companion that you get along with, it makes working really easy. Being a DL is not that bad, though it is a little more time consuming and I really enjoy just doing missionary work. I am able to concentrate on just my ward and those that I am serving which is nice. Though I have been told that I will be a ZL in a transfer or two, than again who knows what will happen. Right now there are 6 in our district, with a possibility of 2 more in a transfer, but I will probably be gone by than.Well door approaches are just interesting in themselves. It is a little crazy because the spirit of discernment lets you know kinda what the people are feeling and if they are interested or not. Some fun things that have happened are: getting offered beer, a guy answering the door saying that he was "busy" in the back room with his girlfriend, a bash (fight kinda but with scripture references), and sometimes people answering mainly girls in things that are not appropriate for missionaries to be seeing. There are a lot of other things like getting yelled at and threatened (not so much though with the threatenings). It definitely makes life interesting!I think it would have been pretty funny to see you spill at the bank though I do feel bad for you. I think that you will be a lot more careful when you are at the bank from now on. This week has been pretty good. We did a lot of tracting and it did not seem to yield like I would have wanted though the Lord decided to bless us in another way. He has given us referrals. We have had a record high of referrals here in the Lincoln area. It has been really nice. The weather has been warm/hot but not to bad. It is still dry and we need some moisture to help stop these fires, but I am sure the Lord will do it in his due time. I do not need to see Lindsey's announcement thanks though for the offer. I cannot believe that all the young women from that ward that I grew up with are getting married. It is a very weird to think about. Well that is cool that Kyle has his return date. I cannot believe that he is going to be home in 40 ish days! Well how are things going there at home? How goes the planning for TWO weddings? I hope all is going well and that you are not to terribly stressed out. I love you and miss you mom. Take care.Love your son, Elder Brickey

Family Curley-Yeah no longer the DL, it is actually pretty nice cause I got to miss the DL/ZL training meeting thing. Being a DL is not bad, but I definitely do like being able to just be a missionary it is a lot easier. I have however been told by my DL that he gives me 1 to 3 transfers before I am a ZL, not sure how I feel about that. I am not sure that it will happen, but than again I never know what will happen. Oh well I guess I will just have to roll with the punches.I am pretty sure that I will be getting transfered at the end of this transfer, which happens to be September 2 (mom and dad's ann.) I am on my 4th transfer here and that is 6 months. President Perry usually did not leave Elders in an area for longer than 6 months, but we now have President Pendleton and I have no clue as to what he will do. I do agree though that you do grow attached to the people that you serve. When I think that I am going to get transfered I want to do as much as I can as fast as I can so I have no regrets. It is so weird to think that I am coming up on my year mark. In 20 days it will be ten months, that is so crazy! It sounds like you have been having fun. From watching the Ritchie kids to making a blessing blanket. I would like to see the things that you all talk about, I do feel a little left out. Though I know that I will be apart of so many memories and the ones that I am making here in Cali will affect me for the rest of my life. I cannot believe how much all the nieces and nephews have grown. It still feels like yesterday that Des was born. And to think that she is 8 is really weird. I think that it is awesome that Dallin is getting in full paragraphs, hopefully when I call on Christmas he will be willing to talk to me. Than again I want to talk to all my nieces and nephews, they are all the best in the world.What water fountain? The one that Dad put in or did we get another something that I do not know about? It sounds like things keep changing and changing at home. I think that it will be really weird to come home and see all of the changes that have happened. Well I am glad that you do not work with complete crazies anymore Ryan, though I did enjoy the stories. It is probably a lot nicer to be working somewhere that you do not have to deal with that much insanity. I do agree though about being excited about going back to school. I am actually a little more excited about the thought of going to school now than I was when I was back home. I have learned a lot about the necessity to further my education as soon and much as possible. I am not exactly sure as to what I will be doing, but I am sure that the Lord will help me figure that out when I get to that point.I cannot believe that Scott and Kayce are getting married! It still is weird to think about. I am super excited for them, but yeah! Wow a bridal shower and than soon a WEDDING! I hope that all goes well for them and that they have an awesome day, though I am a little ticked at them that I will not be able to attend. Oh well I guess I was able to be at Cassie's and yours so I should be content 2 of 4 is not bad. Wow that is a weird thought all of my siblings will be married when I get home, and for over a year!I think that your kids are pretty funny no lies. Dallin is already taken an interest in cars, which I like, and Saedy is a tough little kid. Though I do remember the time that Leland dislocated his elbow or something when we were out there. Kids are stinking tough, I would have been crying like mad! Than again I am a wimp!Well I hope that things go well for you and the final stages of your pregnancy. I definitely keep you and the family in my prayers and in my heart so that you are all taken care of. The number one thing that is important in this world is family, well at least to me. I would sacrifice everything for family. Well I hope all is going well for you and that things keep going well and keep you on your toes. I will do whatever and contribute whatever is needed for dad's b-day and I might need help on something to do to Scott, maybe I will be able to handle it but I am not sure what I will do. Anyways love you all and wish you the best.Oh yeah things are going well for me here in Cali. We have been doing a lot of tracting and it has not paid off in those that we contact. Though it seems that the Lord is blessing us through other means. We have received more referrals than ever before and things keep going really well. We might have another baptism coming up, keeping my fingers and toes crossed, and things are just going awesome. Thank you for all your love and support it means the world to me. Take care.Love,Elder Brickey

Emails 7-28-08

The Mommy-I am trying my best to stay out of trouble and let myself heal, but it is so hard cause you know me I like to play. Yeah the award was sweet. The people that come and inspect said that our apartment was the cleanest it had ever been, even when the sisters lived there. So that was a cool thing to hear.I cannot believe it that Mickell is already in the MTC! I am so excited for the kid, he will be awesome I know it. I will have to get his email address from him and his mission address so I get him some letters. I can actually email him right now if I had his address. The baptism went really well. Things were a little hectic for a little while cause it was kinda short notice, but it went good. He was found through the other Elders in Lincoln. They were teaching an investigator and he wanted to give a BOM to a friend. Well that friend was this kids older brother and he did not want it so he gave it to his little brother. He than started taking the lessons with the other Elders than it slowly transitioned over to us and then he got baptized.The fires here are all fairly far away now. Yosemite is a couple hours away, but there are a lot of other fires that are just as close if not closer. It has been fun to be apart of the highest fires in California ever and the driest months that California has ever had. I think that I might be bad luck for wherever I am, oh well I guess.My comp is still really excited and doing really well. I cannot believe how fast and much he has grown in the last 6 weeks. I cannot believe that I have already been with him for 6 weeks. My bike is doing really well actually. One of the missionaries used it the other day and almost wrecked because he was not use to disc brakes on a bike so that was funny. I took two towels. I alternate them weeks and that way if I do not get all my laundry done in time for showering I have a back up. Everything else is holding up well. I would however like some more pictures of the family, any kind any sort. The dinner thing is finally working and we are getting fed pretty well. There have been a few dinners though that I won't lie have been pretty terrible but I eat anyways and like always help stack up and clean up. I was getting the hang of being the DL but I am now no longer the DL. They combined the English missionaries into one district and there is a missionary that is older (in mission wise) than me so he is DL.Well things are going well here in Cali and in Lincoln itself. We are still doing a lot of tracting and it is definitely humbling. Things are going well though and the work is going forward so that is really good. I hope that things are going well for you and the family. Thank you mom for all your love and support. I cannot thank you enough for everything that you do for me. I love you.Love your son,Elder Brickey

Curley Family-The baptism went really well. Things were a little hectic for a little while cause it was kinda short notice, but it went good. He was found through the other Elders in Lincoln. They were teaching an investigator and he wanted to give a BOM to a friend. Well that friend was this kids older brother and he did not want it so he gave it to his little brother. He than started taking the lessons with the other Elders than it slowly transitioned over to us and then he got baptized. I actually got a letter the other day from two of the investigators that I was working with in Mount Shasta. They have decided to get baptized and they were hoping that I would be able to attend, but I will not be able to seeing that I am 4 hours away. Though it is awesome to hear that they are getting baptized, we worked so hard with the two of them, it is good to hear that they are finally to the point where they can take the step into the waters of baptism. That is cool that the girl decided to get baptized, congratulations!We do not eat out much. I HATE fast food because of working on Wendy's. We do eat at Mimi's Cafe, Chili's, and Applebee's every now and than.So far on the mission I have not really gotten to terribly sick. I got kinda sick in Mount Shasta but I got taken care of by all the Ward mom's that I had there.I do agree with you Shan about having to call people. EVERY Wednesday and Thursday is exchanges. Wed is High Priests and Thurs is Elders and I get to call the night before and remind these people that they have exchanges with us. It sucks having to babysit these grown men. I do agree that the Brickey bullheadedness is very strong, though I have tried to work through it.I think that it is interesting the different things that you both deal with throughout your days and life. I look forward to the many WONDERFUL opportunities that I will have here on the mission and when I return home. I won't lie though I do like the mission life it is really nice and very relaxed in a lot of ways. Well things are just going on a usual in the life of a missionary. We are still doing a lot of tracting which is fun. I guess we keep doing the sweaty things and the blessings will come. Well not much has really been happening other than the baptism, so yeah. Well I hope that all is going well for you and that you are all safe and okay.Well take care and I will talk to you all later. Love you.Love,Elder Brickey

Award

Here is another award. As you might be able to see they got 1ST!!!!!

Emails 7-21-08

The Mommy-My wrist and shoulder are doing well. I have been doing my exercises and strengthening my shoulder up so that is good. I have decided that I am going to keep that up so I can see if maybe I can get my shoulder back and able to throw again, but not like I use to no worries. That is interesting about Russia, I have heard that things were getting weird and harder over there. I bet that it would be a real pain to have to leave at least every three months to renew your visa. I am glad to be in the USA were I do not have to deal with that kind of stuff. Though I am fortunate to deal with a lot of other weird and annoying things. I have emailed Brad a few times but I do not know if he is to busy to email be back or what so I am not to terribly depressed by that. Though it would be nice to hear from the punk.What box did they put in the yard? And why the heck did the put it in the yard? I would be really ticked off and tell them that they cannot put it in my yard. That or if they did they should not have left a pile of garbage in the yard or where ever. Stinking city workers.Transfers were today, but I am staying and so is my companion. I am pretty excited that I am staying because we have a baptism this Saturday! It is a 14 year old boy and he really likes the church and the different things that the church has to offer so that is pretty cool. One of the young men that helped us teach him is going to baptize him so that will be an awesome experience for both of them. That is cool that Grandma and Grandpa are going to extend their mission. I know that it has been an awesome experience for them both. I hope that things keep going well for them. Well I do not know if I will be able to see the space station, but I will give it a try. Thanks for the info. Well things are going well here in Lincoln, it is actually only suppose to get up to like 84 today but back up into the 90s for the rest of the week. Oh well I just get to work on my tan. Well I hope all is going well for you and that you are doing well. I love you and wish you the best mom. Take care and stay out of trouble.Love your son,Elder Brickey


Hello there Curley Family-Well the person that would come and knock on our door was a member. She is or was less active and was a little nuts to put it nicely. She actually lived down the block in another set of apartments, but supposedly there were evil spirits and other stuff there so she was staying with her care taker who lived above us. At first we would just hear them fight and such, then we met her one day and she asked us if we would be able to help her move and help her get back to God and church. She than knew that we lived below her and so sometimes she would just show up at the door at random times and POUND on the door. One time at 11:30 pm she started pounding on the door yelling at her care taker and I just looked through the peep hole and than made sure that the door was locked then went back to bed. She than came to church one Sunday and since she is crazy she showed up at our door at 8:00 am. She said that when she got ready to leave the apartment that she tripped some alarm and that "they", no clue who they are though, were not going to let her leave. The only way that she would be able to leave is if we would escort her to the church, because they would not do anything to us for some reason. I guess that the easiest way to tell who "they" were was to look at the cars and which ever one had a green or yellow sponge, I do not remember which color, on the mid of the dash that was them. There was a TON of other weird things but I do not remember them all and am not so sure that I want to remember them. She now lives in Rocklin and out of my hair so sad to say, sort of but not really, not my problem anymore!It sounds like you get to deal with a bunch of crazies too. We are twiners, well sort of. I am definitely glad that I do not have to deal with that anymore. Though there are a few other interesting people in the area it is okay because I do not have to deal with them. You do seem to work in a very interesting environment though Ryan, glad that I do not work there thought the stories are pretty funny. I do agree that Dallin, Shanna, and Saedy are all the good kind of special. I think that all my family is the good kind of special. I love all my family and hope that they are all doing well. I miss and love you all so freaking much. I think that I may have helped Saedy in being opinionated, well I may take the credit but may not be the full cause. I just loved coming home and being able to play with both of your kids. Mainly Saedy though cause Dallin did not like me that much.Hey Shan I have been going to the Chiro too! Though the one I go and see is FREE which is sweet. He is a member and he adjusted my neck and then some of my back. I am suppose to go in again and see if everything is staying together and get the rest fixed. He was pretty funny when he was doing my back he found one and he told me that he felt it half way up my back and it HURT when he was messing with it, now though it feels really good and I feel like I have more energy and am doing better all together.It is true that no matter what you do you are going to eventually run into relations if you go far enough back. It means that you are going to make it very difficult for me to date when I get home! Oh well we are all eventually related going back to Adam so oh well I guess.I have been doing really well. My wrist is healing and my ankle is still healing too. I have actually been learning some new tricks. I can now lay on the ground a jump up onto my feet. I am learning how to do a back flip on the ground and a few other cool things. Yeah I know smart things to do when I seem to get myself hurt a lot, oh well it is FUN!Transfers were TODAY! But nothing has changed I am staying with my companion here in Lincoln for another 6 weeks. I was a little bit nervous that things would change but nothing did! The work has been going really good here though. We actually have a baptism this Saturday! Things seem to be going well so that is really nice! That is cool that there is missionary work going on back at home! Well I am glad to hear that things are going well. Take care of yourselves and each other and I LOVE YOU ALL VERY VERY MUCH!Love,Elder Brickey

Emails 7-14-08

Hello Hello!Well some things that my comp does not buy that he says sounds good at times is steaks, meat in general is expensive, and a few other things that I am not exactly sure of. It is a good idea to teach your kids all about shopping so they can do it when the time calls for it. I have been so many times with mom and dad that it was not bad at all when I had to do it for myself. I am not going to lie, I am pretty jealous that we have a pool. Especially now that I AM GONE! What is with that? Get all these cool toys when I leave, that is not fair! Just kidding that means I will have to make up for lost time when I get home. I cannot believe that Mom saw that kid just pee on her flowers. I would have probably killed him, no lies. I do agree though that they should not be over to the house if they are going to disrespect the house and our stuff. Anyways sounds like an interesting memory for sure.Well it sounds like things are going well for your kids and that they are just a growing. I cannot believe how big they are getting and how old. It just means that I am getting older to which is not a fun thought. I want to be a kid again. The new mission Pres is pretty cool. He is a nice guy and seems to be full of energy and excitement. It is a new regime and I am still getting use to it, but so far so good.Goodness it seems like Grandpa is going into the hospital a lot lately. I hope that things are okay with him. I still do not want to lose a grandparent while I am on the mission. Things have already changed a lot from when I was home. Things just keep changing and I do not know how excited I am about all the changes and such.Well things are going pretty good here in Lincoln. I won't lie that this last week was real disheartening. I had quite the crappy day on Friday. (when I found out) Anyways I love you and hope that things are going well for you all. Take care and I will talk to you later. Thanks for all your love and support. I can always rely on the family and that is a great support and help to me.Love,Elder Brickey

The Mommy-I had to get onto the computer to check on an email for district meeting and I was able to email you really fast, no worries I had permission. We did get with the McGraws and had a pretty good time. It was actually really weird to see them and Sister McGraw said that she did not care if she is not suppose to give me a hug cause she was doing it for you, and a little for herself. Thank you for the goodies I really appreciate them. They came at a very needful time for me.When I threw out my shoulder I did something to my wrist and so I had to go in and see if I had pinched a nerve or something, which did not happen I am A-O-K! What is a stimulus check? And where did it come from?Zone Conference was pretty cool. The new mission President seems to be really enthusiastic about the work and is a really nice guy all together, so far. I had a personal interview with him on Saturday. It was a lot different than the way that Pres Perry did it, but hey they are completely different people so that is okay. The fires are actually slowing down. The last I heard it was down from the 1200 to like 400 so that is good. They are all over the place though. We have a lot of fires all around us so that is really interesting and it means that we have to make sure that we pray a lot to keep the fires away. I guess that Mount Shasta actually has a lot of fires up in there so that is no good.Well things here in Lincoln are going pretty good. We have been doing a lot of work in finding and also with the members. We had quite the interesting week though. We had a member, less active member, staying above us with her care taker, and she was really a "special" person. It was really weird to have her knock on our door at 8 in the morning or at 11 at night. She now is living in Rocklin so not our problem anymore, so that is nice.Well I hope that things are going well for you and that you are okay. I miss you and love you mom. Take care.Love your son,Elder Brickey

Emails 7-7-08

The Mommy-My shoulder is doing a little bit better. I have my rubber bands(tubing) and that is all that I really need I think. Though on a side note my right arm has been in a lot of pain lately. I talked to a member that is a nurse and she told me that it is because of my shoulder and that if it is not doing good in about 6 or so weeks I need to go and see a doctor about it. So that is pretty fun. I do remember my exercises and am trying to do them every morning, sometimes though I just do not feel like it even though I know that I should. The new pillow is awesome! It is firm, yet it is also soft which is really nice and I sleep well with it. It is also REALLY heavy so in a pillow fight it does REALLY well! I do not know if I need a bike tool, in some ways yes in others no. I learned from dad how to be a really good MacGyver and use weird things to get the job done. Though I did take my bike in and get it tuned by a professional, which sucks in a way because that is not cheap at all. The new thing for the dinner calender is that a ward missionary calls less actives and part member families and tries to get us dinner with them. It is a real pain because a lot of those people come up with a lot of excuses and they also cancel a lot. Though so far it is sort of working, sort of being the key. I actually do not have a hard time calling people up anymore and asking for things. I guess being a missionary has changed me. I am so use to asking investigators for commitments and such that asking members to feed us is pretty easy. Also the members here are very nice and take really good care of us. Than again it also helps that they absolutely LOVE us!Yeah standing on the kid booster thing has gotten me pretty famous. I still have people laugh at it or say that I am not that short when I am standing next to them. It is something that I will always be remembered for that is for sure. I know that before my mission I could not have just started talking in front of people like I did. It is weird to think about how much that the mission has changed that though. I have to put myself into awkward situations everyday and than to stand in front of people that I know and I know believe the same things that I do is SO much easier. I have talked three times so far. It is kinda random on when they ask us to talk, but now I kinda enjoy it. I still have the nervous right before where I am all fidgety and all hyper tensive, but when I stand up I calm down and have total control. I did get the calendar from Shan and I can think of one word to describe it...AMAZING! She did a very very good job. All the other Elders see it and ask where I got it from, they are all really jealous!From what I know if the McGraw's were to stop by they could take us out to dinner or something. Though on the 11th I do have Zone Conference. It will be over by around 3 or 4, depending on long winded President Pendleton is. On the 4th we did our usual missionary thing until 6 pm then we were able to just go to members houses and "hang out" but keep it missionary minded. We got to see the Lincoln fireworks which were really cool actually so that was fun. It did make me homesick though, I missed the firework light off at grandma and grandpa's house.On my comps bike the crank arm where the pedal attaches the threads stripped out so he needed a new crank arm for his bike. It sounds like you are having fun with that construction there though. I am glad that I do not have to deal with that.Well things are going well here in Cali for the most part. There are a lot of fires though burning right now, like 1100. The air keeps getting smoky and nasty but it has kept it cooler, just really unhealthy. Well how are things going for you and how are you doing in general. I love you and hope all is well. Take care mommy.Love,Elder Brickey

Hello Hello!Yeah it is really funny to see him try and figure out what he wants to buy with the money that we get. I sometimes give him advice, but usually let him just figure it out himself. He is doing a really good job so far. I think it is funny to see some of the things that he thinks about and than decides not to because of how much it costs. The fourth was okay. We did get to stop proselyting at 6 and just go over to a members house and such which was nice. We did get to see the fireworks that Lincoln city put on which was pretty cool. It sounds like you had a loaded 4th with work and play. I do however want to know since when do we have a pool and how big is it? It really sounds like you have quite the interesting work place. I think you are going to be getting quite the interesting stories while working there. Good luck with that.That is cool that mom is going to let dad build the shop. I think that will be cool to have when I get home. I cannot believe that someone peed on mom's flowers though. I hope she never finds out or that person is DEAD!A new hair cut, that is cool. I say whatever makes you happy that is what matters. That is really cool that you were able to donate your hair to locks of love. I have always been impressed with that organization. Jacqui Starker.......I think that is all that I have to say on that subject. It sounds like your kids are keeping you on your toes and are doing well so that is good. I cannot believe how fast they are all growing up.The past week has been okay. We lost two investigators which sucked, but that is missionary work. We have been doing a lot of tracting and less active work to find new people to teach. I love my comp still and he is doing really well. I cannot believe how fast he is learning and how well actually. I guess I must be doing something right after all. I have not met the new Pres yet but I will see him Friday and Saturday! A double dose may be to much, oh wells what can you do? Other than that nothing much has been going on. I will definitely let you know if anything comes up though. Well I love you all and hope you are doing well. Take care and stay safe.Love,Elder Brickey