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