Lovin' the ☀️

Dear Caleb & Jacob,

     It's been a great week here. It started out with the "Great American Solar Eclipse" (I think that is so funny how they call it that).  The 95% blackout or coverage that we had here was not as impressive as I thought it would be.  I think we all regret driving up to Rexburg or at least Idaho Falls to see the 100%.  But it was fun none the less.  Sariah felt it an eventful enough occasion to set up a lemonade and fresh fruit stand for our family on the back patio.  Dad came home a half hour before not with solar eclipse glasses, but a welders mask from Ipaco.  I guess we got in in the hype a little too late and the glasses were all sold out.  (We should've gone to Idaho! They had plenty! 🤔)

     The next day was kind of Adam's 1st day of school and Dad's 49th birthday.  It was basically a fun orientation for the Freshmen and Sophomores only.  He loved it!  That night we celebrated Dad's birthday with one of his favorite meals: baby back ribs with buttered grilled corn on the cob.  Then we had homemade fresh peach pie.  He ended his day just the way he loves...a night ride up Green Canyon.

     Wednesday was the real first day of school for everyone else.  They were all excited.  It's so weird because I don't ever remember being excited for the first day of school...ever!  It must be the excitement of all new schools.  Samantha is the only one who rides a bus but they all came back happy after their first day.

     I have been given a new calling as the 2nd counselor in the Relief Society.  Kelli Burnard, Joe and Carma Hawkes' daughter is the president.  It will be a challenge for me that I'll really have to "grow" into.

     We said that the dogs are doing well but we've been a little concerned about them both, actually.  Snitch has some sort of growth above his left eye.  We're not sure what it is.  It's getting bigger but doesn't seem to bother him much unless we push down on it.  Baxter seems ok but has episode where he's just wheezing a lot or has certain days where just throws up water.  It's weird and we're not sure how serious it could be.  He's still a puppy at heart and wants to play but just doesn't have the stamina to run around for more than a minute.

     Well, that wraps up the latest news from home.  We hope you're both doing well and feel successful in your everyday efforts.  As always, we love you and pray for you many times a day!  By the way, It was our neighbor, Ben Duncan's mission Farewell yesterday.  He's going to the Ivory Coast in Africa.  We'll all go over and say goodbye to him tonight.  He's a good kid.

Love you!

Mom

Dad's Birthday

First days of school!

Thursday: Grandma and Grandpa came boating with us.😎

Saturday: Hannah, Syd & Libbie Thornton

Adam surfing

     

     

Sent from my iPhone

Riah

Pictures

School

This week was fantastic, well it actually it could've been a little better. But anyway Goulds started this week and my teacher is nice we also have a popcorn popper in a room. And of the other teachers are nice to some can be a little stern but mostly nice. To dad you can't start school, just kidding you're lucky that you don't have to start school.

Love you guys, from Sariah

Letter 8 27 17

Caleb and Jacob:

I hope this was a great week for you.

This week was back to school for the family.  School is nice but I love having the family home during the summer without the deadlines and schedules being set for us by the school system.  It's nice to be able to live life according to our own dictates instead of being subject to another.  I think Jacob said it best when he said in a letter home... "I plan on being an agent and not an object".

At the point you surrender yourself to someone else, you become subject to their whims and desires.  In other words, you become an object upon which another acts.  Look at yourself now, as a missionary you surrender your will to that of our Heavenly Father and become an object in his hands.  By fully surrendering and being obedient to Him, He is able to more fully bless you.

Then there are laws of the land that are arbitrary and follow society norms.  Like it or not, we believe in... obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.  I guess we take the good laws along with the bad, and heaven knows, that there are some very problematic laws that are being put on the books.  To that end, we should work to be educated and articulate in our views and opposition to laws that are contrary to and will ultimately prevent the freedom that we now enjoy.  I have actually decided that complex is too big for me and that I'm better off not being actively involved in government.  Rather, I voice my opinions with my vote and hope that others do the same.

Then there is college, work, etc.  All of these different areas of your life require that you yield some portion of your sovereignty to another.

So, the places that you can exercise complete sovereignty are rare and become extremely sacred and important.  This is why the founders of our country were inspired to grant religious freedom as something that was left to the individual.  That is also why your family is the most important unit of your life.

So, learn how to govern yourself such that you reserve the best efforts for those areas of life where you are able to exercise complete control.  Your ability as a husband, father, son and brother, is something that will need refinement and development; at least that's how it's been in my life.  Set your course such that you are great in the areas that you can control and where you are sovereign.  Then control those areas to the best of your ability.  You have both been raised with that in mind and I'm sure you will do it well.

I love you and hope all is well with you,

Dad

🌖Total Eclipse of the Sun🌘

Good morning boys!

How was your week? We're so looking forward to your letters today. It kind of feels like a holiday because of all the excitement and hype that has been conjured up about this solar eclipse I guess it's kind of a once in a lifetime experience for most. Unfortunately we really didn't get excited early enough to purchase expensive solar eclipse glasses. Apparently they're all sold out. So, we'll just have to try to record it on our phone with time lapse. A lot of people in Idaho are getting rich off of this 2 minute event!

Adam finally had his birthday party on the boat with some of his friends on Friday's we took them to Hyrum reservoir and they had as blast! We felt kind of bad though because none of them were quite able to get up on the surf board. In spite of that, they had a great adventure on the tube! The next day, we were able tho go out again on Cutler and took Sydney's friend Hannah and Samantha's friends Callie. It's always fun there when a train comes through. We all pull down our arms asking for the train conductor to pull his horn or whistle and HE DOES!!

Yesterday was dad's first time back with us at church since being released from the USA ward. There are so many people for him to meet. I was called in to see the bishop and asked to take the calling of Relief Society 2nd counselor... Ugggh!! A grown up calling. Oh well...I guess it's time for me to stretch myself again. I'll still be playing the organ for a while.

Adam is very excited to start school tomorrow when it will only be the freshmen and sophomores there at the new Green Canyon High School. The rest of the kids will start school on Wednesday. They're all going to be starting at new schools this year. Samantha will be at Spring Creek Middle School in providence and Sariah will be at North Park. It's dad's birthday tomorrow but I'm Mohr sure how we'll celebrate it with him because we have two back to school nights scheduled for then. Maybe this is a good enough excuse to miss them and have baby back ribs from the grill.😋

The dogs are doing well these days. Their health seems to be holding. We love you both so much and hope you're feeling great in spite of the heatin both states.

😘 Mom

Oh ya, I forgot to tell you that Adam took the rest for his drivers permit and passed after his 2nd time! So now we'll have to start driving with him. The little girls aren't looking forward to that.

Samantha letter

Nothing really happened Monday and Tuesday Greenville to help the teacher I saw my old math teacher, she was moving to the school. She is a six grade teacher in fourth grade hall so happy to see her. Nothing really happened on Wednesday or Thursday or Friday, this week was not very exciting and nothing was going on for most of the week. On Saturday I was supposed to go to the temple for baptisms for the dead but Sydney slept at Hanna's grandma's house so I had to skip baptisms for the dead then we went boating and my friend Callie sing with us we had fun and then after we drop Callie off and I went to birthday pool party. That's my week.

Sent from someplace really cool

🌞🌕🌒Solar Eclipse

Dear brothers,

This week was exciting. We went on the boat twice and the solar eclipse is tomorrow so I'm pretty excited. Our plan is to just be outside when it happens. Well, that's my plan. I am prepared to not look up at the sun for the solar eclipse. It will be hard but I will do it.

So after the solar eclipse I'll be pretty bored and I guess school will be starting on Wednesday so that will even be boringer so yeah....love you and have a good week!

Sariah

Sent from my iPhone

Letter 8 20 2017

Caleb and Jacob:

Good morning Elders!  I hope you've had a great week full of finding and teaching.

Summer is drawing to a close and Fall is upon us.  The nights are getting cooler and the days shorter.  I love Northern Utah for many reasons but primary among them is the fact that I'm able to get out there and enjoy living in the great outdoors.

I went on a couple of bike rides this past week and went for my first night ride of the year.  Night riding is interesting because of all the nocturnal animals that are awake at night.  The Common Poorwill sits on the trail and flies just before you get to him.  The bugs are all over, rabbits are eating, there are all sorts of sounds of animals that exist and make sounds just beyond eyesight in the darkness.

Even though it's the same trail that I ride in the daytime, it's a different experience to ride it at night.

Think about your missionary efforts.  You are essentially doing the same thing day in and day out?  So then, are you really alive when you are engaged in finding?  Do you seek for, and find, different experiences as you go about your day?

Earl Nightengale speaks of the self-actualizing adult as someone who can find beauty in whatever circumstance they are in.  He talks of going golfing with a buddy and having this person pause and stare into the trees.  When asked what he was doing, the friend replied to the effect that he was simply admiring the depth of the colors in the forest.  Earl goes on to say that he would've golfed his entire life and never noticed the deep colors of the woods but now that his friend had noticed, he would never golf again without noticing the forest and thinking of his friend.

Put this in context of your life.  Challenge yourself to always find new and interesting beauty in the world around you.  Look for the beauty in others and appreciate them for their diversity.  By so doing, you will find that they will appreciate you and respect the message you share.

Keep the faith and remember that I/we love and pray for you,

Dad

PS.  Yesterday Paul Richins and I did a "dawn patrol" ride of Stump Hollow.  I've ridden it many times and I love the trail.  The trail starts across the street from the Beaver Mountain turnoff and heads up the ravine due South.  It climbs until it comes out on top of the mountain range above Peter Sink.  To get to the West side of the sink there is a series of forests and meadows the trail follows.

As we were riding to Peter Sink, Paul noticed a trail that peeled off to the left.  We've never seen or taken the trail before and decided to take it... Revelation!  Wow.   We rode the trail and came out on the East side of the Sink and then dropped Burnt Hollow to the summit road in Logan Canyon.  Burnt Hollow is my new favorite ride.  I was reminded that no matter how often I've done something, I should keep my eyes open and observe the world around me.  If I do, the world is a much better place.

Gettin' ready for school!

Dear Boys,

How are you today? It's been and will be a crazy "getting ready for school" kind of week. Right now we're getting Sydney, as a senior, all registered at the new Green Canyon High School. It's been fun to walk around the new building. We just can't see the gyms and auditorium or the commons...the best part! Oh well, maybe by the end of the week.

On Wednesday, we went down to the Bountiful Temple for Telisha's wedding. She married a great guy named Ryland, of Polynesian descent. We're so happy for them!

As you probably know, Dad got released from the YSA bishopric yesterday. I think he's a little sad about leaving campus and having to come to a new ward next Sunday. He said this has been his favorite calling so far. We took the Bulut kids on the boat with us on Friday. Then we had a "last of the summer" kind of BBQ that night. But, we still have some summer to experience.

Not a whole lot more exciting events have happened. We hope to hear how your week has been! Love you both so much!!

💕Mom

Letter 8 12 2017

Caleb and Jacob:

This week we interesting because I was posting an ad on KSL on Tuesday and no sooner did I post than a work associate came into my office and told me there was a bike just like mine on KSL (I had't looked).  It was my bike and the seller was in Smithfield.  I called and arranged to meet him, called the cops and and asked for them to show up, met a friend of the seller who had purchased the bike originally on KSL and verified the serial number.  It was bizarre... the cop told me to take my bike and leave.  No paperwork, no pomp, nothing.

So, I had to cancel my order for the Yeti (bummer) but that's fine.  I really like this bike and I'm happy I have it back.

Telisha's wedding was this week and we spent the day with the Gibbons family in Farmington and Bountiful.  Telisha is marrying a great guy and she'll have her work cut out for her just keeping up with him.  He's a Polynesian so his side of the family were beautiful Poly men and women.  When you get home, you should make it a point to learn about and be more familiar with the Gibbons.  Your grandparents are great people and would welcome the opportunity to get to know you better.

I've been behind at work so I've been thinking about the importance of doing the things that represent your best and highest use.  I have so many different projects that clamor for my attention and often I get caught up in things that are tedious and take me away from being effective.  I don't remember where I read this quote but it had to do with being effective and the essence was that you should never try to be efficient with people, only try to be effective.

Your calling as a missionary requires you to be effective as an ambassador of Christ.  Remember that you are a bright light to the people you associate with.  Be the best you know how to be.

I love you both,

Dad

August

Dear Caleb and Jacob,

I don't know where the weeks keep going but summer is flying by. I get to Mondays and sit down to write a letter to you two and I can't seem to think of what ever happened in the last week. Dad let the Gundersons borrow the boat for a week, even though they didn't buy in so that makes him a "hero." He really is such a giving man.

Adam was at BYU attending EFY so it seemed pretty quiet. Having you two gone makes the girls cherish every moment they have with their one and only brother that's home now so they really missed him! He had a great time though and wants to go again.

Sydney caught the "clean and organize" bug one day and decided to really tackle the girls bedroom. She totally overhauled it from closet to bathroom to beds. She moved the furniture around and believe it or not, their room seems twice as big as it was! They've kept it spotless ever since.

I really don't enjoy my own birthdays but yesterday was pretty sweet. I was busy and felt needed at church which made it a good three hours spent. Then we went to Grandma and Grandpa's for a birthday dinner and yummy birthday cake! Adam got dehydrated from fasting and threw up after church so he didn't come to dinner.

Again, there doesn't seem to be any groundbreaking news to tell ya. We still love you, love you, love you! Have a great week!!!

💕Mom

Letter 8 06 1971

Today is Mom's birthday...  I'm not suggesting that you do this, but,,, if you were ever going to bend the rules, you might send a quick note wishing her a happy day...  It's my bet that the Lord will understand.

This week was full of lots of stress related to work.  I was in charge of our tax retreat that took up the first three days of the week and then the last two days flew by.

Adam was at EFY this week and I dropped him and picked him up.  He had a great time with Daniel.  He's certainly growing up.  He has to shave his mustache about every other week now.  He's about 6 foot tall and I wonder how much more growth there is in his body.  His knees are huge but I'm not convinced that means anything to his end height.  I've heard, and I believe it's true, that once someone starts to shave, the growth in the body is basically done.  So, he probably won't get much taller.

After the drowning in Jackson, Mom has become outspoken about all sorts of things.  I think she must've decided that if she doesn't speak up, then things will never change.  It doesn't matter the topic, she seems to have developed opinions about lots of things that need to be done better.  I'm almost 50 years old and am being told of all the things that need improvement.  She's right of course.  I just wish I would've changed those things earlier in life so I could be enjoying my life now.  I get that life is so we can learn and grow, but does it ever end?

My advice to you is to make changes to your life on the things that matter.  Be vigilant and relentless in your pursuit of excellence.  By doing so, you will reach middle age and be rewarded with the consequences of your life and those consequences will be rewarding.  For me, the consequences are a list of more things to work on.  Learn early and learn well.  That way, when you get to be my age, you can enjoy the fruits of a life well lived.

I love you,

Dad