Emails 9-14-09

The Mommy-On pday we have until 6pm. Then we are suppose to have dinner and then lessons and such. Transfers are a little bit harder though because of having to pack and such. Speaking of transfers, I am staying though Elder Lancaster is leaving and going to Chico (Chico 1st to be exact). My new companion is Elder Weight, I have served around him before but not really that close so it will be interesting for sure. From the list of Elders on the plane home I know Elder Carter (he is the one from Chad's stake), Elder Clark is from PG, Elder Hansen went to Lone Peak and other than that I know them by meeting them a couple times. Elder Dalton will be going home on the same plane and he is the Zone Leader over Antelope right now. I basically know them all just some more than others. I think that the weight limit is like 50 lbs for checkon and 40 for carryon. I also can take my backpack through so that is nice. I am shipping my bike home through the mission office. They do it for really cheap I think and I really like my bike so that sounds good to me. The baptism went really well. We had a really good turn out for the baptism of family that are not members so that was really good too. The home teacher did the baptism and the Bishop did the confirmation. It was really quite beautiful. The blessing went really well. It was really fun to get to go and see Lincoln again. There was a lot of people though that were surprised to see me and pretty well all of them were all "Don't you go home soon?" which was fun. It was a really good weekend. Wow a shirt that is white until you go out into the sun, that is cool. I have seen some of the two year calendars for missionaries and they are really funny. Some of them can be a little over the top, but some are so very very true. That is really quite gross that the mouse decided to die in Ryan's shoe. Well at least he found it. You could really joke about Ryan having some really potent smelly shoes and that he might want to get that checked out. Well other than Elder Lancaster, Elder Bailey is also leaving. He is going to Roseville, so I will see him at Zone Conference in October. Well other than that things are good. We have the other baptism this Saturday of Richard Garcia. He is ready and super excited so that is good. I cannot believe the good fortune that we have been given in the 6 weeks that we have been in this ward. Well how are things going for you? What is new and exciting? I love you and hope you are doing well. Take care and I will talk to you later.Love your son,Elder Brickey


Curley's-Hey there! It is good to hear from you and good to hear that you are all doing well. Well at least for Ryan. I do have to say that if your boots are new and the mouse was dead in there you have some really smelly feet and might want to get that looked at. Just kidding. That is a really gross way to find it but hey you are right at least you have visual confirmation that it is dead. It sounds like your kids are doing well, except for the whole spitting up thing with Aleana. Hopefully things settle down and that goes away here soon. That is funny that Dallin was talking to whoever in the bathroom. That kid sounds like a character. The baptism and the blessing were awesome. We had an awesome turn out at the baptism and it went smooth and beautiful so that is nice. The blessing was really nerve racking though. I was really quite scared that I would mess up or something but it was really cool. The little boy that I blessed stood up and waited for me cause I was in the back and he was in the middle. Then he held my hand all the way up to the front which was really cool, and was a really weird insight for me. I am still terrified of the thought of having a kid but I look forward to it because of the look that I got from him at that moment and after. Well anyways. I am glad to hear that your knee is doing better Shan. I have to admit, which I did not tell to mom or dad, that I am sick as a dog. Well something like that. I only got like 4 hours of sleep Saturday night and then last night I passed out at 930 but was wide awake at 130 until about 5ish when I finally fell asleep again. Hopefully these drugs that I am going to get will help me out. If not, oh wells I guess. Wel I am staying. My companion is going to Chico. I am getting a missionary that I have served around a little bit named Elder Weight. He is actually coming from Paradise which is near Chico. Well things are going great here. I hope you are well. Take care and give some love to your kids and each other for me. Might as well give some to our lovely parents too. Make it everyone! Whatever. I love you and hope you have a wonderful week that the job stuff works out.Much Love,Elder Brickey

Email 9-8-09

Elder Brickey was not able to email on the usual Monday with it being Labor Day. So here are the emails he sent Tuesday instead.......

The Mommy-Our baptisms are on the 12th and the 19th, so the next two Saturdays. It is really exciting. The blessing is actually for a 4 year old and that will be on the 13th. I will be getting a ride there to Lincoln for the sacrament meeting there and doing the blessing then. After that I will probably hang out there for a while but we have to get back because we have lessons that night with our investigator that is getting baptized on the 19th. It is really cool to be able to participate in these different ordinances for these people. It will and has forever changed who I am. To get to the Zone Conferences we get rides from the missionaries in our zone that have a car. We have two cars in the zone, well with Elders, so we have to have 5 people in each car. Usually there is a rotation of some sort that the mission has figured out. I will more than likely stay here this next transfer. It will be really weird if they move me this next one with me only having one left. Than again it does happen. Of the four missionaries that are in our apartment. There are two of them that have been here for 4 transfers. My companion is one and one of the other missionaries Elder Bailey. The other missionary, Elder Sanchez, has only been here for 1 transfer so he will probably stay and I have been here for 2 so I will probably stay as well. Holidays do not affect us really. The only ones that do are New Years, 4th of July, and Christmas really. Other than that it is a normal work day or whatever. Since the holiday was on Monday that just means that we have to wait till Tuesday or whatever to email. So no big thing. The fires I think are doing better than again I have no idea. The moon is cool here still too. Though the smell of smoke is not as prevelant anymore so that is cool. So did you get my flight info? I got it last Tuesday. Talk about a weird day and a scary thing too. It is so crazy to see that I am coming home quicker than I think. It is weird also to think that my last transfer starts next week. I do not know of anything that I really need. I have actually been thinning down on things lately. I actually have been giving things away that I really do not need. I need to get the rest of the box of stuff I am wanting to get sent home finished and sent off too. Other than that things are going really well. There are a lot of things going on here which is always wonderful. Though I have had what feels like a lot of stress from having two baptisms coming up and then also the blessing. Added a little bit of weight to my thought processes. It is good though because staying busy makes the time fly by and also makes things really wonderful. Well mom I hope that you are well and that things are going great. I love you and send you my love. Until next time.Love,Elder Brickey

Hello!Well it sounds like your lives are moving right along. It is good to hear that everyone is well and safe. How is your knee/leg Shan? Things here are good. There are getting a little crazy with transfers coming up, two baptisms, and a blessing. It has been good though because it is also making time fly by. Than again that could be bad because I am also sad about leaving these people and this work. It has been fun to get to know these people and to also see the hand of the Lord in the work. I cannot believe that the time is coming to an end. It still feels like I just entered the MTC the other day. Than again when I look at it some of my converts have been to the Temple which means they have been baptized for over a year. It is nuts. That is really funny/gross about the mouse. I am not a fan for sure. Than again we have lots of roaches and other fun bugs here which suck big time. Oh well I guess you get to have certain pests no matter where you are. It has been a good mission though and a lot of things have happened that have helped me learn and grow so that is nice. Well I hope that the job thing works out for you and gets cleared up. I am sorry that it has caused so much chaos and problems. Well I love you all and send you my love. Until next time take care and I will talk to you later.Love,Elder Brickey

emails 8-31-09

The Mommy-Hello there! How are things going in Utah? How are you doing and what is new and exciting? Things here are good. The fires are in Auburn which is kinda close, but not really. You have to drive like 30 minutes or so to get there. I heard it is a pretty bad one though and that a lot of houses are burning down so that is really sad. That is funny that Dallin was running around with his pants around his ankles. I still remember one day not being able to find any clean pants or shorts so I put on dad's belt with some tools and just walked around the house like that. There are pictures I think in my photo album of Shan kissing me I think. Good memories and SO VERY embarrassing! That is funny that Ryan gets embarrassed when that happens. It is ok he is a kid and they do the darnedest things! I do see some of the missionaries that I flew out with. There is one of them actually in my Zone. He was in a different district in the MTC but we have gotten to really know each other and he is a good kid and good missionary. Other than that I see some of the others at like Zone Conference and things like that. The new family that we found was referred to us from the Bishop. The mom is a less-active and the dad and two daughters are non-members. The mom is actually from Sp. Fork so it was cool to get to know her and reminise about good old Utah. The area has been hit REALLY hard by foreclosures and things like that. It is really sad actually. Than again there were a lot of people that did the credit thing and got WAY to much things because everyone else was getting them. It is sad to see families loose so much because of things that they really did not need. Other areas are hit kinda bad and this area is probably not that bad but it is just weird to see as many houses as we do with the foreclosure signs on them. I do not really remember seeing any back home so it is new and there are a lot so it is really sad. Here in Antelope we go to the Library to email, which can be fun. You have to make a reservation to get a computer and sometimes you wait a long time before you get on. In Chico it was nice because we had computers at the complex we lived at that we were able to use. They were really slow though so that was no good. There was a lot of times that I wished I had my laptop because it was 100x faster. We do have only one Zone Conference per transfer. So that means that I only have one more and that is a really weird feeling. We go to the different Stake Centers for Zone Conference. So here in Antelope we have the option of going to Roseville, Citrus Heights, Rocklin, and Antelope. Well other than that things are going awesome. We set a baptismal date with this awesome guy named Richard Garcia. He is married to a member and his daughter is a member. He has had a lot of good experiences with the Church and really wants to move to Utah in the next couple years if he can. He is a really awesome guy. So that is really exciting to have two baptisms coming up here soon. Then I got a call from the Lincoln 1st Ward Elders asking if I would be willing to go to Lincoln and bless Andrea Gonzales's son Jake, she is my convert that I baptized her daughter last November, so of course I said yes and got the permission to do that. So needless to say I am super stoked and excited. Things are just going so superb right now mom it is wonderful. I am so very very grateful for all of the things that the Lord is blessing me with right now. It makes finishing off strong SO much easier and better. Well I love you and hope you are well. I am sorry to hear about Truman and the whole fence situation, I know you have been working at that for quite a while now. Well take care mom and I will talk to you later.LOVE YOU!!!!Love,Elder Brickey

Hello-Things are staying very busy out here. We are starting to teach more and more and a lot is happening. It sounds like you are having LOADS of fun yourselves. I am sorry to hear about the hair"butch" and I know the feeling. I went once to get my haircut and the person mutilated my head. I now cut my own hair which is surprisingly easy. It is going to be SO weird to come home and see Saedy running and Aleana probably running too. I remember that Saedy was not even walking when I left. She was still a bit topsy tervy. It sounds like your kids are just GROWING. That is good though I guess. They definiately have their own personalities. Well I am sure that the job situation will work out for you. It is good to hear that your knee is doing better to Shan. So what is this about a MOUSE? I did not hear this story....I killed a mouse once in the upstairs bathroom. I think it was FHE too and everyone was there. Mickell and Kyle might have helped me kill it if I remember right. Anyways. Things here are going good. We are staying so very busy and have a lot of things going for us. I am not so sure about cool weather though. It was 102 at 7pm on Saturday! That was NOT fun at all. It is good though I think I have lost some weight which is really nice. Well I hope that you are well and that things are going good too. Take care and I will talk to you later.Love,Elder Brickey

Emails 8-24-09

The Mommy-Oh Zack Kinder, that puts everything together now. That is no good about Zack my cuz though. That kid seems to be spiralling out of control. Hopefully things turn around for him. I could get a picture of the couch and send it to you. I have been meaning to send some stuff to you all for a while now and just have not done it. Than again I do not know where the post office is and that makes it hard. Oh well though things are going good overall so that is always nice. Well for finding it can be a little bit of a trick just because one we do not know where roads are and then we get lost sometimes. Some addresses are wrong but usually not. Yeah it is really sweet to have a baptism coming up. I am more excited for the fact that she should have been for about 5-6 months and all she really needed was a slight push/challenge and she was on her way. It is scheduled for Sept 12 so we are working toward that now. She does not really have any family that I know of that could do the baptism and confirmation. Though there are a lot of awesome members from the ward that have adopted her and she could have any of them do the ordinances. I am not sure when I get to go for a ride in the Ariel Atom, though I will make sure that I get pictures and that it happens. It is a really cool car and makes me really speed hungry again. I cannot believe that August is over, and I cannot believe that today actually marks 22 months since I have seen any of you. Time is going by at a very excelerated rate for me it seems. That is SWEET that Camie and Chad are going to have a kid. Than again I forgot that they were able to adopt, so I was not sure at first who Kinsey was. This past week has been good. We picked up a really sweet family to teach. The boyfriend/soon to be husband is not a member and is really interested in the church and has a lot of questions so that is good. Other than that though things have been just easy going. We had Zone Conference which was really good, though at it I realized that I have only one left which freaked me out a little. Well other than that not much has been going on. I did get the package, thank YOU very much I really appreciate it. Nicole looks very georgeous in her pictures. That is probably the worst thing about seeing the pictures, me not being there. It is ok though I am really happy for everyone and their lives going the right direction. Cannot complain about that! Well thanks again mom for all you do. No matter what I LOVE YOU! Take care and I will talk to you later.Love always,Elder Brickey

Hola-Well it sounds like things are going pretty good for you so that is good. That is cool that the kids enjoyed being with Nicole and Ben. I am pretty stoked at the idea of crashing wherever I want when I get home. Though I look forward to going out to the cabin and being in the boons which will be nice. That is fun that you were able to go on a "date" I do look forward to those again. Anyways. That is good that you have some people showing interest and that it is Ogden. That is about half way up to Scott and Kayce. Make little pit stops all along Utah. I actually have not gotten to ride in the car, though I will before I leave if it is the last thing that I do. I do like it when people have toys that I can use and play with. I look forward to coming and playing with the toys that you all have since I will not have any when I get home. I would really like to get a Toyota Tacoma when I get back but I do not know what will happen. I know dad has offered his truck but it gets nots so good gas mileage. Other than that stuff though things have been good. We are teaching more and more people. It is actually really cool because my trainer was trained here and his first convert I am meeting with so that is neat. I get to, maybe, die in my trainers greenie area. Well other than that we are just busting our tails off to get things going and it is paying off. Well I hope that you are doing well and that the job thing pays off. I love you and will keep you in my prayers for sure. LOVE YOU!Love,Elder Brickey

Emails 8-17-09

The Mommy-Before we got the dresser we used our closet and a cupboard/linnen closet to store all the clothes. It was not good, I did not like it at all. It was a real pain especially with my socks. The furniture usually has been donated. It is also from churches that get remodeled or new stuff. Our couch is actually kinda hideous and looks like it came from the 70s or early 80s. It is in great shape and was a custom built couch so whatever, it works. We are kind of able to keep in contact with people from our old area, but not really. We have quite a bit on our plate with trying to get the area moving and finding all the people we are suppose to be teaching. It is somtimes really difficult but hey nothing worthwhile is easy. We do go to the same church but at different times so it is hard to see anyone. We sometimes see people as we come out of sacrament meeting but usually not. It is getting hot here too. I was all happy with the cool weather and it goes and gets hot again, no good. You should see the lawns out here. Between the heat and then SO many forclosed homes there are a lot of sad looking lawns. Wow I did not know that Zack was getting married. I did hear from him that he moved in with a girl and she has a kid. He was thinking that they would get married but not till after I got home. Guess things changed. Our week was really good. We have an investigator named Megan. She is 14 and her mom is a member but was less-active for a while. She has been taking the lessons for quite a while and this last Wednesday we commited her to get baptized and she excepted so that is AWESOME. She is a really smart girl and really awesome, I am SO stoked for her and for her mom too. Her mom was SO happy she was in tears. Other than that things are moving along. We are getting the new area down and meeting more members so that is good. Other than that not much has been happening. Oh yeah there is a member in the ward that is REALLY into cars, so naturally we are the best of friends now. He has an Ariel Atom which is a VERY rare car and suppose to be one of the fastest american made cars. It looks a lot like a formula one car but is street legal. He is going to take us for a ride so I am super excited! That is fun that they are doing more road construction. Hopefully that will all be done by the time I get home. Anyways well things are going good and I am doing well. I love you mom and appreciate all you do. LOVE YOU!Love your son,Elder Brickey

Hey Hey Hey!Whats up FAMILY! How the heck are you doing? It sounds like things went pretty well this last week. That will be fun to go to the Temple dedication. Nicole is awesome, than again our family is AWESOME. I am definiately the most stoked about seeing everyone again. I am glad that your knee is doing better Shan. I am for sure not jealous of that injury. Than again I am just a whimp when it comes to pain and suffering. Though I deal with it quietly. Your kids crack me up. That is funny that Saedy is a bitter. I remember that was an easy way to get the things that I wanted when I was younger, my teeth were SHARP when I was little. Dallin though I do not have any claim on that. I did not really care what shirt I wore at least that is what I remember. Sweet deal though $1, I like that. You will have to tell Danielle HI for me. I have not seen or heard about any Clear Creek peoples in for days. I am doing well, yes still in one piece. A little scatter brained at times but overall good. I will not lie that I have rubbed it in a couple times with the greenie. I told him one that REALLY got to him. I told him that I have half as many pdays than he has months. It was NUTS. I am in the 2nd to last transfer. On Sept 14th, I think, I begin the final one! Wow that is SCARY! I cannot believe that it is that soon already. Well other than that all is well here. I hope you are well. I love you all and wish you the best. Take care until next time.Love,Elder Brickey

Emails Aug. 10, 2009

The Mommy-I did have enough for the dentist. He was really awesome too. He remembered my face from last year when I was in there with Elder Remington. He could not believe that it had been that long and he told me I needed to finish off strong for him. That should not be that hard to do. Well for the apartment remodel it was mainly furniture that got moved around. We also got a new couch because ours was falling apart, we also got a chest of drawers so now we have somewhere to put our clothes which is nice, and I am also getting a new desk which will be really nice since the desk I have is terrible. We are living with two other missionaries. One is Elder Bailey and he is from Monticello and the other is Elder Sanchez and he is from Murray. They are both really young. Elder Bailey is in his fourth transfer and this is Elder Sanchez's first transfer. So YES I am the oldy moldy in the apartment. Than again I am one of the oldy moldies in the mission which is weird to think about. That is weird that it is not recommended by the church to do the co-teach thing but they are doing it anyways. Good luck with that it sounds weird and probably confusing. That is cool that Lindon Days are coming up, and now over(after reading your second email). I miss those they were really fun. I bet that they really appreciate your help then if Bryan is going to be gone and Marcy is still recovering. That is crazy that Rudy is turning twelve and that Chase is a senior. I still remember both of them when they were LITTLE. It will be weird to have Chase be tall. Is he taller than me now? Like it matters I will still man handle the kid and show him who is boss. That is sweet that Mickell was able to go to the Temple with the Mission President. Dang though 6-8 hours to get to the Temple. Which one did they go too? Well things are warm still here in Cali. I would LOVE to be able to have the 70s for sure. Though I will probably complain when I get into the cold when I get home. Than again I do miss the cold and love it so who knows. I did not know that Ray Ormond switched over to Lindon PD. The last thing I heard about him was that they were struggling a bit with church and such. Hopefully they are doing well I love Ray he is one of the reasons that I am comfortable in water. I have a really fun memory with Scott, him, and going to a friends house of theirs out in Saratoga Springs. Well that is cool though that Kirt called. It sounds like he is having a fun time with his job taking him to Europe and the church taking him all over to talk. Sounds like loads of fun to me. That is funny though that Brandon thought it was normal to have a tooth in the roof of his mouth, a little strange but funny. Did they get it removed? That will be a story he can tell for a long time to come. That is really weird that I have been out of school for four years. It feels like yesterday that I was there. Than again it feels like yesterday that I entered the MTC and that is coming up on 2 years. The new area is pretty good. It is really weird to just flop and see everyone in the other ward at church still. We also cover these crazy houses that use to be military housing so they are all the same and a little different. Other than that things are going good. I am having fun and doing the best that I can and it is just great. I would be lying though if I did not say that I am getting a little excited for the prospect of home. I am split still though because I do not want to have to find a job, car, and get schooling going. Well I love you and hope all is going well for you. Take care and I will talk to you later. LOVE YOU!Love always your son,Elder Brickey

Hello There!Well it is good to hear from you. I am sorry though about the schooling and not getting that done. I know how hard it can be when you want something to let it go. Though I know that you will do great at whatever. I have faith in you Ryan plus you are a Brickey and we are just awesome anyways! ;-) Well I am glad to hear that you do not have to get surgery, I am not a fan of that option. Than again it was fun getting my tonsils out because I was awake one minute and asleep the next. The bizarre part was that I did not have any sedative whatsoever, just passed out cold from being so tired and having gotten no sleep for over a week. Mom can tell you about the recovery, I guess I was a little out of it. I am sorry though that you do not qualify for the medicaid. I remember when I got into my accident it helped a lot with those bills. Than again at the time I made no money and had A LOT of debt, well I guess not a lot but I had the motorcycle to pay off. I would not be surprised either if Aleana is running by the time I get home. Hopefully just walking but who knows. It is weird to think that all my neices and nephews are going to be grow up, well compared to the last time I saw them. I find it funny that they are so different and so much like all of us. I can see parts of me in your kids and Cassie's. I can only imagine what Scott's are going to be like. Well things are going good. The remodeling was not that bad, other than we did not have tools so I went and got some. We are getting new things though and that is nice. I cannot believe how well things are going actually. I am hoping that things finish off awesome. Well other than that things are just normal and the missionary stuff. Nothing to terribly exciting other than getting lost a couple of times which stunk. Well I love you all and wish you the best. Take care and I will talk at you later.Love,Elder Brickey

Emails 8-3-09

The Mommy-Things went GREAT at the dentist. Though it was weird to not get numbed up to have work done. He completely destroied my tooth and within ten minutes had a crown made and ready to go in. It was weird to have a whole in my mouth again. I have not had to deal with that for quite a few years. One of the missionaries got a picture so I will have to send them to you, it is crazy. We live with one other set of missionaries, but it is mainly just one of them that kept messing with the tstat and driving me nuts. But today was transfers and he is leaving to Auburn so that is solved. My companion and I actually got transferred, we are now covering the Antelope 2nd Ward, we use to cover the 4th. We switched with the Sisters in the zone it is weird. We will stay in the same apartment and everything but are switching wards. Talk about a transfer that I did not predict. Anyways. That is cool though that you recommended the Lundquists to Grandma and Grandpa. I bet they really appreciated that. I think it would be cool to be a missionary at the MTC. I do have a photo album that I bought when I was in Lincoln a year ago. It is pretty nice and has a good chunk of space left in it. Our week was good though. We actually were out tracting and this truck passed in front of us, then backed up. It turned out to be a less-active member and he asked us if we would come over and start teaching him. He came to church and has such a desire to change and get back into the church. That was an awesome day because one way or another we were going to run into him because we were going up to tract the street that he lives on. Talk about inspiration. It is just sad that now we are covering a different ward and I worry that things will be a little bumpy since he just opened up to my comp and I so we will see and definiately keep a close tab on how it goes. It sounds like the Brickey party was pretty cool. That is crazy that everyone and their families were there. Well as in everyone is married and those that showed up had spouces and kids which is weird to me. Good for them all though. I do not think that we will be able to see the dedication of the Temple to be honest with you. Well I have not heard anything that is, so I am just assuming. You have a co-teacher now, that sounds, uh, fun. Hopefully things go well with that. Does that mean that there are to many people and not enough callings or something? Well other than that I am going to be "remodeling" our apartment with this transfer. It is not in the best of shape and I want to give it a bit of a face lift I guess and I want my bed to be on the ground. Yep I have been on a bunk bed and I really do not like it so it will be nice to be back on the ground again. Other than that things have just been moving onward and forward which is nice. Well I love you and hope you are doing well. LOVE YOU!Love your son,Elder Brickey

Curley Family-Well it sounds like you have had your hands full. Between kids, family reunions, jobs, and whatever else you have it seems like you have no time for yourselves. I am sorry to hear about your knee Shan. I do not envy you at all for that. I have had a couple friends that had to deal with different torn ligaments in their knees and they were never fun. I probably should not have said anything because I think that I bruised something deep in my right calf today, it aches when I walk and pedal my bike. Oh well though if it gets worse or does not go away I will make sure that I get it looked at. I will not lie it sounds like Saedy is a sheer terror. Though I find it a little bit funny at the same time just cause I do not have to deal with it, yet anyways. I know that my kids are going to torrment me for all the things that I have done and do. Your kids sound funny though and seem like they are getting big and developing their own personalities. Though they might not be getting the attitude that you want. Anyways. Well as for me things are going well. Today was transfers and both my comp and I are staying though we are now covering a different ward. We are staying in the same apartment and everything which is weird. We changed wards with some of the sisters in the zone, so I do not know how I feel about that because we just got somethings going the way that they need to be and not to rag on sisters but they are just not outspoken enough to get things going the way they need to be with the ward. Oh well I guess the Lord knows best so what can you do? Just go and do the best you can I guess. Other than that things are cooling down which is sweet since you know me and heat do not get along. I will have to let you know how the new ward is. I love you and wish you the best.With love,Elder Brickey