Week #23 - Forjadores Food

First of all, I should say forgive me for not writing the past couple weeks. With not much happening, that means that there isn't a lot to write.. The days keep going by, here in Forjadores. This week was a lot better than the last. More lessons, more work. With this week, we've had a lot more focus on the less actives of the ward. So we went with every member that is listed in the ward, including some inactives that we have never seen! We also plan on visiting every member in the ward at some point, hoping to obtain a reference from every one of them. 

We did get haircuts last P-day (compare this weeks picture to last weeks, I was a little shaggy). We played  Uno at one of our gatherings. I didn't win, but it was a lot of fun. We observed a couple of the sisters during language study.  I'm glad Hma Guadarrama isn't my teacher, she is really tough! Every time Hma Ibarra would mess up, Hma Guadarrama would give a shriek of frustration. It was pretty hilarious to watch. As usual, there has been rain. Lots of rain. One day it was practically a monsoon. Really, the rain was nuts. 

A little about the food here ... we had some lasagna this week, it was great. A family that works at a Chinese restaurant invited us over there. It was a buffet. Lets just say we ate very well! I had a ton of fried rice, shrimp and beef. They also had some wonderful watermelon, probably the best I've ever had. Then I had my first fortune cookie in Spanish, which is cool. Last week, we went to Tomatos Pizza. The family we were to eat with were the owners. We were a little hesitant, because is was Sunday! But what could we do, that was lunch (or we wouldn't have food).  This week, a newlywed couple had us over for dinner and made awesome burgers for us. I ate three (they were small, don't judge). Yesterday we bought some Tacos Polo. It was the first time in like three weeks and I'd missed them dearly. 

So that is what is happening right now in Forjadores!
Have a good week everyone!

*** Step Stats ***

Monday, July 20 - 19419

Tuesday, July 21 - 15969

Wednesday, July 22 - 12940

Thursday, July 23 - 12007

Friday, July 24 - 18226

Saturday, July 25 - 15639

Sunday, July 26 - 8200

Well, Callahan is in first place again. The brothers are pretty impressive ... Daddy dropped off the Top10 completely (back at work, not a lot of stepping at the desk or during the drive). 

*** Between Brothers ***

Just a word from Mommy here ... I generally rearrange the order the boys write and Landon responds, so that the letters are in chronological order (youngest kid to oldest) and consistent each week. This week, I didn't shift things on the letter TO Landon. Keaton wrote first, then Cooper, Keaton and Callahan (Callahan IS consistently last to write after I remind him). I did rearrange the letters here, but you'll note Landon mentions writing Keaton first (in response to his first letter) and commenting on Colton's description of the Pixals movie (which Keaton and Cooper had mentioned but hadn't explained in detail as Colton did). Landon's comments don't make quite as much sense in my reordered copy here on the blog. :)

Dear Landon, on the 24th, we did a lot of fireworks. I was surprised that Mom and Dad bought some. Joy and Oreo have been a bit nicer that usual, they both were sleeping on mom's bed a the same time. Also, we let them both out at the same time, Joy would mostly attack Oreo then run away and Oreo would follow her, every time Joy would swat at Oreo, he would like defend himself by putting his paw up. We saw a movie called Pixels. It was awesome. About the movie, some humans sent a time capsule into space and some aliens found it and they thought it was a way of attacking them. So they sent down real life video games to attack back. There were 3 battles. The first one the humans didn't know about so the Pixels won that battle but every battle won would get a trophy. If the Pixels won, they would take one of the humans of the city, but if the humans won, they would get a video game character. The part I mostly liked was one of the battles, where pac-man was destroying the city then the people said, "The only way to take pac-man down is with ghosts." So they got some cars that are called ghosts and they had to hit pac-man 3 times. FNAF 4 CAME OUT (not for the ipod though...) We have been watching Markiplier play it. He's already on night 5! Today we had a great dinner! We had, mashed potatoes, chicken, stake and, rolls. And for dessert, we had scookie! This week we also went to Krispy Kreme's and got, 3 boxes of glazed donuts, (dropped one box off at Maga's house) and we got a box of chocolate, maple and cinnamon. That's about it for this week. Love, Colton

Dear Landon, dad did not come Monday night, he actually came a day after in the afternoon. He brought a lot of stuff home, but my favorite thing he brought was the shirts. And right when he came home he asked the question, "Where's Joy?" So Joy is living in Keaton's room now, because my room has a lot more hiding spots. Also, Joy and Oreo have gotten along with each more. But this time, it was Joy attacking and hissing at Oreo, which was weird. And while they were both sleeping in mom's room, they woke up, and kind of started whacking each other, and it was pretty funny. And we finally got to see the movie Pixels, because it came out a couple of days ago. It was a very funny movie and it was very dramatic. We also had the good dinner today with steak, chicken, and MASHED POTATOES. It was so delicious, too bad you are not going to have it in the next 1 and a half years. And a few days ago we went to Krispy Kreme's. I never thought that donuts could be that good, especially the sample donuts! FNAF 4 came out unexpectedly this week, so we have been watching the videos of it! It is the scariest game yet in the series, and you are not in an office, you're in a bedroom playing as a kid. And I hope in a little while it will come out to IOS. Love, Cooper

Dear Landon, dad got home last Tuesday at about noon. And since dad isn't allowed to bring a razor to the airport, he came home with a pretty hefty beard. He brought us all candy and shirts, and he got me a weird high-pitched/quacking noise toy thing. It's really fun! It's about one cm and I just put it on my tongue and either blow or suck in. We had a BBQ tonight with Maga, Livi, Ana, and the boys, but Callahan had to work. He didn't get any. We moved Joy into my room so she can't get lost as easily. We chose my room over Cal's because mine is about 5x cleaner than his room. Even with the kitten's toys and litter box! I suppose that you didn't hear fireworks two days ago. We lit the rest of our fireworks with Kaden and Nikki watching. Callahan had to work again, so he didn't see any fireworks at home. We also got new neighbors in the Sextons' house... again. Still, no teenage boy. We saw the move Pixels a few days ago. It was a lot funnier than I had expected. It took Cooper and Colton's first place spot in movies-watched-in-theaters. Dad and I still think that Inside Out was funnier. Pixels had a lot of funny characters. Like: Kevin James, the Bed Time Stories guy, the voice of Olaf the snowman, and the midget in Elf. So yeah... it was pretty fun. Wuv, Keaton  -Oh, and we also went Krispy Kreme doughnuts while the hot light was on. I've waited thousands of years for that... it seems like.

Dear Landon, Dad is home from Europe which is nice, but I still haven't seen him that much. On the 24th I worked a lot, I had to work at KFC for 4 hours and then work a Real game. I didn't get home till 12:45. I got a couple Krispy Kreme donuts in between my shift at KFC and the Real game. Then Dad did a barbecue on Sunday which was mean because I had to work that night. He did cook up a steak right before I left though, which was nice. There is plenty leftover without you there or me there. Oreo has been adjusting to the kitty better now. She hasn't, but he has. I went to a farewell for a friend that all my friends used to play with last year, His name is Josh Ward and he is going to Salem Oregon. It was nice to hear him speak and see him again. I hadn't seen him for a while. Your mission is flying by and lets keep it that way. Love and miss you .

• Dear Colton: That is a bit surprising that the parents would buy fireworks! That is good that the kitties are getting along better. Now you get to see them play together, which is a lot funner. Finally! Someone explains what the movie Pixels is about! The only thing I know about it, is a picture at the movie theater of a giant Pac Man eating a city. Now it makes a lot more sense! Haha I bet that you are dying to play it huh? I miss that dinner so much. There is Krispy Kreme's in Puebla I think... Just HAVE TO find it! 
• Dear Cooper: You always got to have souvenirs, especially from a trip to Europe! Luckies.. Haha so he already knew about Joy.. That is good that they're doing better together. What is Pixels about anyway? Oh man. I do miss that legendary dinner.. Is that your first time with Krispy Kreme Donuts? They are the best in the world! Sounds like a pretty scary game.. You'll have to enjoy it for me!
• Dear Keaton: Weird, I've never written you first. Haha yeah, I can tell in the pictures that that is true. Haha so you are the one that gets to sleep with the new kitty! Haha well, there are always still fireworks here in Puebla.. More new neighbors in the Sexton home? Wow. What is Pixels about anyway? I need to know if that if one I need to see when I return. Haha. Sounded like a good week! So that is good.
• Dear Callahan: That is the working life.. Ain't it awesome? There is a Krispy Kreme donuts somewhere in Puebla I believe.. Or at least I hope! Haha yeah, with you and me not there to partake of the steak, I can imagine a lot of leftovers. I know.. It is going pretty fast. This change flew by. Next week is the end of the change. Honestly... I am praying to have changes!

Week #22 - A Peek in the Journal

Sometimes Landon doesn't get a general email letter off ... but Mommy and the brothers still receive a letter. Often he'll include some snapshots of his journal entries to let us know what he's been up to, without having to rewrite it all. So this week, that's what you get, a quick compilation of some of his activities from our Elder's journal ...

We often have several appointments, but so many of them fall through. That can be a little tough. On a good note, one of our investigators, Hector, gave us 10 ties! He said "well you wear ties every day and I have never worn a tie in my life" ... so, new ties! They are nice ones too. At district meeting, we had a little celebration for one of the sister's birthdays. Juice, chips and a simple cake. That is a missionary birthday party. We had a second one later in the week. Yea cake!

We spent some time in service this week. One day we helped one of the members move stuff. One item was a dental chair, which was a beast! Another day we helped another member break down some wooden frames. We had to remove all the nails and I was able to do it pretty fast due to my experience in framing. I got to break a bunch of glass too. That was surprisingly fun, and we left without any cuts. 

A little shop opened up nearby, selling bags, purses, luggage, etc. I bought a backpack, which I've been wanting/needing. I've been reading "Our Search for Happiness" by M. Russell Ballard. I've been attending choir practice, which doesn't exactly make me happy. And there has been a return of the rain this week. Some super storms.

I've been out for FIVE months now. Time flies!

 Here is Landon with a little friend ...

*** Step Stats ***

Monday, July 13 - 24693

Tuesday, July 14 - 13754

Wednesday, July 15 - 13949

Thursday, July 16 - 8389

Friday, July 17 - 10077

Saturday, July 18 - 11083

Sunday, July 19 - 6010

Elder Blackham dropped down to the seventh spot this week. Grayson was #1  for almost the entire week. He's been off it Italy, Rome and Barcelona, getting substantial steps as he was seeing all the sights. But ... traveling today dropped him a couple spots. Callahan spent the morning golfing then playing basketball, and that pushed him to the top. Curt (our neighbor and former bishop) moved up, even beating his wife (Terrilynne). Aunt Wendy and Uncle Chris made the top 10 too.  Just spoke with Grandma and Grandpa Westra's Fitbit is having some issues (also syncing with a new computer) ... even after the heart attack a couple weeks ago, Grandpa's steps seemed low.  Always fun to see how the steps stack up. 

*** Between Brothers ***

Dear Landon, this week was fun. My basketball game I won 28-23. In the 2nd quarter, it was tied 6-6 and then we got a 12-0 run! They started coming back but we were still making baskets. It was 26-23 we were  winning, and then my teammate Luke, got another basket so I said to myself, "Yep, game's over." I had to go to scout camp twice this week! The first one was just regular scout camp, but the other one was Star Wars. Jedi Camp. In the first one I did bb guns, a hike, games, digging for gold, smores, and an obstacle course. In Jedi Camp we did, rockets, build a "droid", a game called jeopardy, lightsaber fight, and another obstacle course. Maga got a new kitty! Her name is Princess. She is really cute. She mostly hid under Amare's bed though. Our ducks are almost full size! I can barley tell which is which. I was saving this for last, we got a new kitten!! Her name is Joy. And she is SO small and cute! But Oreo does not like her.  He has been hissing and growling. So we make Oreo sleep upstairs, and I think he likes it. One time he almost attacked Joy but we got him. That's the end of the week, love ya. Love, your youngest brother, Colton

Dear Landon, Maga got a brand new cat named Princess Tiana. We went there today to go see her, and her cat. But  the bad thing about her, is that she is very shy and scared of us. For the time that we were at Maga's house, she spent about 95% of the time under the bed. Dad had extended his trip in Europe, but he is coming back tomorrow night. And do you remember when dad was on his trip to Las Vegas and we got Oreo. Now he is on another trip, so we thought, why don't we do it again? And we actually did get another kitty! Her name is Joy, she is very small,  cute, and playful. But Oreo really hates her. He'll hiss and smell her a lot, but Joy is living in mine and Colton's room right now, and Oreo will be upstairs sleeping with mom. But don't worry, we still love Oreo as much as we do Joy :). The NBA Summer League is coming to an end with the championship being tomorrow. The final game will be San Antonio against Phoenix, and I want the Spurs to win this game. And in Omega ruby, I beat the Pokemon league! I kind of changed my party from Altaria to Latios. And I didn't have Metagross because, I do not know where to find a Beldum. So know I need to complete the Delta Episode, which will be really hard to do. Love, Cooper

Dear Landon, dad ended extending his vacation out of the country in Barcelona! He doesn't get home 'til tomorrow night. We figured that since we got Oreo when he was away, why not get a second kitty while he was away? Lol. It was mom's idea. Her name is Joy and she is like six inches long! Oreo doesn't like her, though. He's been hissing at the sight and smell of her. It's really funny when he hisses. Pedro is doing just as fine as the other two duckies. Except, he's naturally afraid of everyone, when Alex and Andy aren't. Pedro has a black bill. Maga also got a new kitty. She is way more shy and scared than Joy. Her name is Princess Tiana. Princess was Addie's idea and Tiana was Aidan's idea. Maga had me get her from under Amare's bed twice. It took a while to bait her out of the corner with a hanger. So yeah... Wuv, Keaton

Dear Landon, Keaton got me playing Pokemon Revolution again which is pretty funny, I'll probably stop playing pretty soon because I'll get bored but who knows. I took the bros bowling and I got a triple in both games we played because I'm absolutely amazing. Then I hung out with some friends and we played some sand volleyball at night which was way fun! My team lost the 5 game series 3-2 but oh well. Mom kept getting red velvet cupcakes which are so dang amazing, I love them with all my heart. Amanda kept talking about stuff about her childhood so I kept thinking about it too. I kept thinking of songs we used to listen to as little kids like Now that we Found Love, and Sweet Dreams. For some reason those are the first two to come to mind. Hope you get more action in the mission field next week and some more rain because I bet you like a little moisture. Love you bro

• Dear Colton: Very nice. Keep up the good work on the basketball court! I remember those scout camps, they are a ton of fun! I never went to Jedi Camp (I don't think that it existed back then..) But I did go to a space one, which is pretty similar. Maga and you guys got a new kitty?! Whose idea was that? Hahah I don't it was Dad's.. Oh no.. That's a bugger when cats don't get along.. Maybe Oreo just needs some time. He is use to being the man of the house.. Haha. Well.. Good luck! 
• Dear Cooper: Yup.. I heard from Colton that Maga AND you guys got new kitties! Just give it time with Princess. She is adapting to the new environment.. The same with Oreo and Joy. Oreo is use to being solo, and the man of the house. Just give it time, I hope it will work out. Summer League.. Just the rookies and sophomores play right? Haha I don't remember which game I was playing.. But I believe I have a shiny Metagross... Maybe you can find it! 
• Dear Keaton: Haha that is a pretty brilliant idea, while Daddy is away. PLEASE tell me how he reacts! I am dying to know Ha! Ah Oreo.. He needs to chill out a bit.. How old is Oreo now, and how old is Joy? What if when Joy becomes an adult, they have kittens!? Ahhhh.. Kitten love. Triste (Poor) Pedro.. Haha Princess Tiana.. That is.... Interesting. You guys should've asked me for some awesome Mexican name for Joy! Well.. "Joy" en español es "gozo" pero.. Joy is a girl, so "Goza"...? Haha maybe..
• Dear Callahan: I remember Pokemon Revolution.. That is a pretty fun game. Triples? Dang.. That is pretty good! Haha, volleyball is pretty amazing. I just miss being able to play beach volleyball. It is the best there is. Dang so close.. Red velvet? Be careful.. Those can fatten you up really fast! Haha the song that always reminds me of you is UP, but I don't remember who it is by.. But that was when you were a lot younger. Another one of my favorite things of our childhood is when I would do ridiculous things to make you laugh! It was always hilarious. Tenga una buena semana, mi hermano.

Week #21 - Utah Took Our Rain!

Well, there really isn't much to write about. Every Sunday night, we call our district leader and tell him our numbers for the week. I added up all the numbers for this week and ... they are ugly. I am feeling a bit discouraged. As far as weather though, it sounds like that you guys (Utah) took our rain for this week! We didn't get a day of rain these past few days! It was so hot. Not sure what I prefer. Rain or heat...

 So happy to get some photos up.

Intercambios con E. Pineda (mi hermano)!

Switching to skim milk after this (26.4 = overweight)

*** Step Stats ***

Step numbers
for the week weren't bad though!

Monday, July 6 ...17459

Tuesday, July 7 ... 15715

Wednesday, July 8 ... 15764

Thursday, July 9 ... 19033

Friday, July 10 ... 13966

Saturday, July 11 ... 18975

Sunday, July 12 ... 9799

Look there ... Grayson is in the #3 spot! He's in Italy this week, and had a huge day on Friday (over 35k that day). He's been walking around a lot. And Grandpa Westra is back in the Top10 too!

*** Between Brothers ***

Dear Landon, this week was a lazy week. In my basketball game yesterday, I lost 21-18. There was about three seconds left on the clock, and there were three people, me, my teammate Collin and someone on the other team. Collin had the ball the other guy was defending him. Collin was SO close by passing it to me but the other guy blocked so it was game over. So right now in my season, I have 2 wins and 2 losses. Dad has left on an airplane to Italy! And Maddie and Mia are there too. The ducks are almost all the same size now! Cooper found a dove living right under the steps in our back yard. But then we saw the saddest thing. We saw the bird on the grass with a lot of his feathers off and his head ripped off. We all think it was a magpie who did it. We saw a movie that was really funny called Minions. This movie was placed before Despicable me. Three minions out of like 5 thousand, went on an adventure to find the greatest super villain to work for. In that movie they found Grew. That is it for this week, love ya. Love, Colton

Dear Landon, I chose to be lazy this week, so not a lot of stuff to tell you. But there was some storms this week that had me kind of scared, but not a lot. All the days this week were sunny at first, and then a storm in the afternoon. We went bowling once this week, but it was cut short because Jacob was waiting for us at Gene Fullmer. So we first played some basketball for about 2 hours, then we went swimming for an hour. Guess what? Pokemon has made a comeback... for me at least. So I have started to play Omega Ruby again, and I have already got past from where I was at last time! I am trying to get everyone in my party to have a Mega Evolution. Right now, I'm thinking my party will be: Blaziken, Gallade, Manetric, Aggron, Altaria, and Mawile. And when we let the ducks out, I saw a little bird under our doorstep in the backyard. It was a cute and small bird probably hiding, or probably living there. And when Colton came back from his game, I wanted to show him it. When we got there, it was not there, so I figured it flew off. But when I turned around, there was its body with feathers everywhere, and it did not even have a head anymore. It was not Oreo, so the main suspect is the Magpie. It was so sad, Rest in Peace little birdie. And I think you have already heard that Dad has gone to Italy to visit Kolby, Jaime, Maddie, and Mia. He has been there for a few days, but the others have been there for 3 weeks. We have finally got NBA TV, but we only get it for a month because the Summer League only lasts at least a month. We have already watched a whole lot of games, because there is about 6-8 games a day. We went to go see Minions. It was pretty funny, but not how I expected it was going to be. But in a week, Ant Man is coming out, and in two weeks, Pixels is coming out. I am very psyched for more of those movies. Love, Cooper

Dear Landon, not a lot of stuff happened this week. We just went to Gene Fullmer a lot to play basketball and swim. There's been almost no progress towards Episode VII, The Force Awakens, of Star Wars except for a new trailer revealing... almost nothing. There's actually been a lot of thunder storms here, but the ducks didn't seem to care much. The ducks are all almost the same size now, and I'm proud to say that I can tell the difference between them. We still haven't gone wave running yet. I forgot to tell you that we went last week, but couldn't get in because the boat ramp that we use was full. We still went swimming there, though. And Travis came along. Dad went to Italy. I know that you wanted to go there for your mission, which would have been cool because dad might have got to see you. That would be cool. I think we're also getting a new bishopric in our ward. So yeah... boring. Wuv, Keaton

I hope you and your new companion are getting to know each other. So last week I actually made $225ish from real games and KFC. I don't work super long shifts, the most I ever work is around 6 or 7 hours. The one day I worked more was both job, so no overtime. I don't work too much this week. I eat a lot of KFC now, and if I didn't play basketball, I'd get fat super fast. Work hasn't been too bad recently, I would rather do a lot of other things but everyone who works at KFC is really funny and nice. Whenever I close and we have extra food me and Ben take it to some of our friend's families because we eat so much of their food so we give them food. I took the little boys bowling and to Minions the movie. It was a pretty good movie, I think Colton was a little upset with it, but he'll get over it. Dad is in Italy which makes me jealous just because of the food. I bet the food is just amazing. I'll never know I guess, haha. I turned in my early morning seminary application a little while ago, and it kinda makes me cringe when I think about getting up early, even though I've been getting up around 8 everyday. Although some days when I don't even care and just sleep until noon. So it has been a pretty good week. Hope it has been good for you. Love you bro, Callahan

The three younger boys, ready for church, 

with a little Landon influence...

• Dear Colton: Dang, so close.. I KNOW! Dad is one of the luckiest people in the world to go to Italy! I am so jealous right now. Yikes... Is it possible one of the duckies did the damage? I think they are more capable to "rip a head off" than a magpie. Haha I am aware of the movie Minions.. Mexico loves Minions.. They have Minion everything! I have a Minion binder.. ;). Anyway, have more fun this week!
• Dear Cooper: Yes, Mom told me about the rain. It is exactly like Puebla! But it sounds like you guys took our rain, because this week it didn't rain at all. Super hot! You are forgetting the greatest Pokemon ever! Metagross! Poor little birdie.. That is a lot of games to watch! I want to see Minions so bad! Ant Man seems a little... Weird.. Haha but hey, if you want to watch it, go ahead!
• Dear Keaton: The same thing here. A week of nothing! We just went walking, and walking, and walking.. Haha I am proud of you too. How is my Pedro doing? Still no wave running yet?! Poor Susie and Roxy. Haha I didn't really want to serve in Italy. Just vacation. Because Italian is super difficult to learn. But I am definitely going to vacation there some day.
• Dear Callahan: Be careful with all that chicken....be sure to be exercising a lot! That is good that you enjoy your work. I know. I am super jealous about Dad in Italy too.Well for early morning seminary I woke up at 4:50-ish I think... so have fun with that! Keep up the good work.

Week #20 - New Mission President

Nuevo Presidente, y muchísima lluvia...
(New President, and a ton of rain..)

Well, this week was better concerning lessons and investigators, which it rather impressive with all the rain that we have had this week. There was a lot of it. Everyday. Around 5 o' clock, here in Puebla, if you look to the West, you see the pretty sky, and the sun starting to set. But if you look to the East... You usually see doom coming your way. And by "doom" I mean, the biggest, nastiest, and darkest clouds you have seen.. I am always so excited to see them.. :p

(sure enough, this is the forecast for today!)

Anyway, another big thing that happened this week was that we got to meet our new president and his wife! Presidente and Hermana Nelson. I am excited to get to know them. And the fact that I only had three months knowing Presidente and Hermana Christensen, I really miss them.

Presidente and Hermana Nelson

That is practically it for this week.. Please forgive me if I spelled something wrong.. When I write, almost every word is underlined in red.. because it is English.. And with me only speaking Spanish, I am starting to forget my English. HA!

Tengan una buena semana todos!

Les amo mucho!

My Family - Stories That Bring Us Together

A pamphlet project each missionary personalizes.

*** Step Stats ***

Monday, June 29 - 18273

Tuesday, June 30 - 15665

Wednesday, July 1 - 20561

Thursday, July 2 - 15757

Friday, July 3 - 11462

Saturday, July 4 - 8608

Sunday, July 5 - 11756

I'm not sure why the average steps aren't showing, must be a glitch on Fitbit. Landon's average was about 14,600. I made sure that the boys all synced their devices, as it did shake up the standings with the most recent numbers. Colton ... the nine year old is there at the top! Active little boy! All the brothers made the top 10, and Daddy too (just barely). 

Aunt Wendy made the list this week. Grandpa Westra is doing great after his cardiac arrest, but not quite up to regaining a spot in the top 10 as of yet.

*** Between Brothers ***

Dear Landon, July 4th was pretty awesome! We went to Clay's house and did a few fireworks. While we were there we had a water balloon fight with the neighbors. It was so fun, I got soaked and I soaked some other people! On the way home we saw a bunch of fireworks. Keaton, Aidan, Livi and I, all went to Lagoon! My favorite ride was the Wicked! We went on it 2 times. We also went on a bunch of other rides such as, The Terroride,  The Colossus, The Spider, The Wild Mouse and, The Rocket! The Rocket wasn't exactly a ride, it was a thing that went so high and fell down. Also we went on this thing called, The Samuri, and it would make us go upside down and back and fourth. So after that ride we were dizzy. We got some ice cream and water. We got a monthly pass to Gene Fullmer. I think we went there, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and, Friday. Yesterday we went to Virges and got some pancakes. That's it for this week. Love Colt

Dear Landon, on Friday, we went to Pineview, but it sucked a lot more than I expected. When we entered Huntsville, there was a sign stating, "BOAT RAMP FULL." But we still wanted to go to the beach, so dad parked the wave runners in a church parking lot to go to the beach. And when we got there, it was blazing hot. I could not stand on the sand with my bare feet, and the water was actually kind of warm, so it made it worse. And Maga and the boys were supposed to come, and we saw thier car, but we never saw them. When we started to leave there was a lot of stuff to think about, like if the wave runners were stolen, or where Maga was at the beach. And don't worry, the wave runners are not stolen. We finally got the new net up on the tramp, and it makes the tramp a lot better so that the balls will not fall off, and people won't too. Also, the 4th of July was a blast because we spent most of it at Clay's house. We did a whole lot of fireworks, and watched a lot too. That is it for this week. Love Cooper

Dear Landon, we actually got fireworks this year! They were good fireworks, too. Dad got two of the big, aerial fireworks! We went to Clay's yesterday for a BBQ, some fireworks, and water balloon fight with the neighbors. It was really fun. Mom got me juggling clubs and rings. They're both pretty hard, but I can juggle them for a little while now. Colton and I went to Lagoon yesterday with Livi and Aidan. We all went on all of the good rides. They got a lot of new roller coasters, too. You know how Wicked was their main ride. Now it's a ride called Cannibal that's twice as high and long! It's closed this whole season, though because when it was open, when people got off they would feel nauseous, dizzyness, and they would actually vomit. We would have definitely gone on it if it was open. So yeah... Yesterday was kinda fun, I guess. Wuv, Keaton

Dear Landon, so I worked 3 shifts at KFC and 2 Real games, and made around $200, so it hasn't been a terrible week, money wise. I worked 10 hours on the 4th of July which sucked but it's over now. But before the 4th we were supposed to go waverunning but all the boat ramps were full... I was so mad, and just wanted to go home, but everybody else just wanted to stay and swim. It was still fun but I just wanted to go waverunning. I miss it so much. Mom got a iPhone 6, which is cool, and I'm not as jealous as I thought I would be. She got it a while ago I just forgot to mention it. I don't have much planned for this week, just work, basketball and fun I guess. I finished One Tree Hill which just makes me sad. It was like the best show ever! You'll have to watch it when you come back. I thought more things happened this week but I guess not. Love and miss you bro, Callahan.

• Dear Colton: Wow. Sounds like a busy week for you guys! We actually played with water balloons today, in our zone activity! But we didn't have a handy dandy filler.. But we got by. Haha The Wicked is... well, WICKED! The Rocket is a ride! It is so fun! The Samuri I have never been on.. It is ALWAYS closed when I go.. Seriously, every time. You guys have passes to Gene Fullmer too? Wow! Virg's.. Good stuff. Keep having fun during the summer while you can!
• Dear Cooper:Is that the first time you guys have attempted to going wave running?! Sad.. That is probably one of the worst things you can see in your life.. "BOAT RAMP FULL".. Well, yeah.. During the summer, everything is hot! I would probably die right here where I am sitting you if told me that the wave runners were stolen.. Anyway, keep having fun, and get to Pineview earlier to have a spot!
• Dear Keaton: e actually saw real fireworks earlier this week! Wasn't the 4th of July.. Because it is different in Mexico! Cannibal... Hmmm. Sounds pleasant.. Do people eat each other on the ride? Hahah.. chiste.. Think I might pass on that ride.. But you go ahead and enjoy for me!
• Dear Callahan: Isn't working so much fun? haha. 10 hours? Do you get overpay for that? Was that the first time you guys have tried to go waverunning this summer? I miss Susie and Roxy soooo much. But oh well. Mom has a iPhone 6?... Well we have a Nokia... Who knows what it is.. Haha. It is a sad little cell phone.. Haha I already have list of a lot of movies I will have to watch when I get back! Keep on working hard, and having fun too!

Week #19 - New Companion

So the changes came, and at the end of your training, they usually separate the trainer from the trainee. So my compañero, Elder Gutiérrez left to Tlaxcala, which is pretty far.. And my nuevo compañero is Elder Urías. He has 8 months as a missionary. So right now, we are adapting to our new companionship. But he is a really good guy. Really positive all the time. 

So things are still rolling in Forjadores. Not a lot of work with investigators here, but is a ton of work with less actives. I know we all have difficult times during the misión, and in life in general, but they are there to make us stronger. The Lord loves us all, and is there, ready to help us. What we need to do is ask.

Love you all, and thank you so much for all your support!

 Photos from the "Change"

 Photos from "home"

Landon has been sending some snapshots of journal entries to give us more of an idea of his day by day activities ...he writes about a lot of rain (makes it into several journal entries) and that he received the Leatherman tool we mailed him a few weeks ago ... and managed to cut himself with it already too!

*** Step Stats ***

Monday, June 22 - 10000

Tuesday, June 23 - 7932

Wednesday, June 24 - 18235

Thursday, June 25 - 8425

Friday, June 26 - 13902

Saturday, June 27 - 16019

Sunday, June 29 - 13937

Well, Mommy slipped in steps this week! Still beat Mr. Missionary though. Callahan is up there, he played a lot of basketball this week. Keaton didn't take his Fitbit (his is a wrist one he can't wear during games, so he just left it home) which explains his absence. Colton is down on the list ... a little unlike him! Grayson didn't quite make the Top 10. He was number 11. 

*** Between Brothers ***

Dear Landon, the weather is too hot! When I go outside to play, 5 minutes later I come back in because the how hot it is! The good thing is that dad made a new thing to fill up water balloons. Yesterday, Kadan and Trigger came and we all played with the water balloons. Sometimes we would throw the balloons in the air, and Trigger would pop them. It was a lot of fun. Mom, Cooper and I went bowling like three times. Each time, I did no bumpers, in the first time I got 36 points. In the second time I got 65 points. In the third time I got 54 points and my goal was 50 points so I passed it. And I did do one game with bumpers, and got 101 points. Last night Cooper and I stayed up to like 1:00 playing card games and board games. We mostly played Rat-a-tat-cat. Callahan told me right before one of his games in Dixie, somebody got a mid-court buzzer beater for the win! I won't have another game until July 11. Callahan won't have another game until November! Plus, last night we also went to DQ. (Dairy Queen) I got a hot dog, oreo shake, fries and a "frazil." It wasn't exactly a frazil, it was something called and "Artic Rush", even though it was still so good. Good week. Love, Colt

Dear Landon, this week was a really cool and awesome week. One of the reasons why it was so cool was that Jacob, Keaton, Colton, and I have been playing a lot more board games and stuff that we have not been playing for a long time. Some of the games that we have been playing are Rat-a-Tat-Cat, Clue, all Uno games, and Scatigories. Yeah, while it is summer, it is a lot more fun to play board games than video games. And you know how I told you that dad had changed the net on the hoop for the tramp last week? Well, the same exact thing happened Thursday, but with the big trampoline net. There is this really wide hole in the tramp net, so mom decided to order a new net, and throw the old one away. But when dad was going to change the net, it was only a 12 feet net, and it was supposed to be a 14 foot net. So the people who play on the tramp (Me, Colton, Keaton, Jacob) will have to go without a net for a few days. And it was awesome for Keaton and Callahan to go to Dixie for this week for two reasons. 1, those two will have a lot of fun there. 2, it was a LOT quieter inside the house. There was not any sarcastic jokes or anything, no loudness, such a good week. And the last thing for this week was that we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house to play games. It really seemed like Grandpa was doing okay while we were playing all of those games, so it was a really great week this week. Love, Cooper

Dear Landon, Dixie was way fun! We stayed in a really nice hotel; The Lexington. My team went eight and one for the games that week. Our team was also the only CH team that won the two-minute tournament. Every game was two minutes! I was really happy to win the semi-finals because we won the team that beat us in the season by an ally-oop buzzer beater! And I was the one that made the pass! The team was really nice though, even though they lost. I talked to two of their players Thursday and Friday and we rooted for each others teams. We lost the tournament, though. Both the Varsity teams won (Callahan's team and Copper Hills' Varsity 1 team)! Us freshmen were the only players to get a conjoined room in the hotel, though. That's what everyone was jealous about. I was the main point guard on the team and I started every game. It was too short of a week. Dad made a new water balloon filler! It has eight fillers and the hose goes through the bottom! That's going to last a while. Kaden and Trigger came to play with us to make water balloons yesterday. It was really fun. Kaden threw a water balloon at Nikki... in her clothes! And I held a balloon as high as I can while Trigger came running at full speed, jumped, and bit the balloon out of my hand without getting my hand, but splashing water all over me. Really fun week. Wuv, Keaton

Dear Landon, So Dixie was a freakin blast. It was a super fast week though. I roomed with Ben Mason and Sam. Ben and Mason are always super loud and annoying. Especially at night when I want to sleep. I had to beat them up a million times. I was on the same team, pretty much next year's JV team and we were in a Varsity division and we were still killing teams. We won most teams by at least 20. In the semi final game right before the championship game which we were already in because we won our semi final game. It was Bingham against Panguitch. It was all tied up and Panguitch hit a half court shot at the buzzer to win it!! It was crazy. Then we played them and win the the whole thing. We git an extra T-Shirt and it made the bus ride home a lot more fun. The bus was so hot though. I woke up from my nap sweating all over. It was disgusting. But then I worked the Real game on Saturday. And I have 2 more Real games this week I have to work. And I have to work a 4 hour shift at KFC today (Sunday). I also got my first check from KFC. On my money earning way to Orlando... It's gonna take a while. Not quite 2 years, but close enough ;)  To answer your questions. At Real games, I am a "runner" I listen to orders that the people are telling to the cashiers and hurry and go get it for them. Such as make BBQ Pork Sandwiches, popcorn, nachos, BBQ Nachos, pretzels and stuff like that. Then I clean up afterwords and do whatever is needed. At KFC, I package orders and clean lobby and clean the kitchen. I didn't know people still came to KFC, it is a lot busier than I thought. But I need the money so, I'll just do it. Miss you bro, love you.

• Dear Colton: I bet it is hot! It is almost July! Hotter there than here. But still hot here too. Another balloon filler?! Finally! I bet you guys are having fun with that! Oh bowling.. Some missionaries said that they have gone bowling somewhere here in Puebla.. Don't know where.. or how, but I am interested to see! Sounds like another great week of summer for you guys!
• Dear Cooper: Yeah, that usually happens when summertime comes. The boardgames come out! Which is good. I miss playing all those games with you guys. Do you remember when we all stayed up until I think it was 1 in the morning, playing Apples to Apples? Good times. Hahaha I can imagine the house being a lot quieter without Keaton and Callahan.. Good that you guys are supporting Grandpa. Keep doing that.
• Dear Keaton: Dang, sounds like a blast in Dixie! Sounds like you guys did pretty awesome too! That is good that you guys have good sportsmanship. That is what it is all about. Haha, we had a zone activity.. With wáter balloons the other week.. Yeah, wáter balloons are awesome. Sounds like Trigger has got some skills! Of course, because he is a German Shepherd! Keep doing awesome!
• Dear Callahan: Wow, props to you guys! That is awesome, you guys got shirts.. Haha chiste! But really awesome for you guys!  I know the feeling of a hot bus.. How much are you making, and how much are you working? Colton told me that you aren't going to have a game until November..? Ouch.. How you going to deal with that? There are KFC's here in Puebla, but we haven't tried it. We don't even have time for fastfood! Well, keep working hard.

Week #18 - Changes and Staying The Same

CHANGES

The changes are already here, and it is the end of my training.. With the end of your training, the trainer and the trainee will separate. We found out Saturday. Usually you would receive a call at night from your zone leaders, but nope... We were at lunch with a family of the ward, and they called.

Now we predicted that I was going to leave the area, because mi compañero only has one change (6 weeks) as district leader, and usually you are a district leader for longer than that. But we were wrong... I'm staying in Forjadores and mi compañero is going! We were pretty surprised. And he doesn't really want to leave the area either. 

For me, a part of me wanted to leave, that I could experience another area. But the other part of me loves the members of this area. They are awesome! So I don't need to say goodbye to them.. Yet. 

So all is well. Forgive me for not writing for the last two weeks. Just not a whole lot happened.. Anyway, eso es todo por este semana.

Les amo mucho!

Us with E. Jenks and E. Echo Hawk with the familia Bautista.

All of us with the familia Casiano.

The Book of Mormon en espanol.. en braille.

 *** Step Stats ***

Monday, June 15 - 14635

Tuesday, June 16 - 22159

Wednesday, June 17 - 17862

Thursday, June 18 - 9739

Friday, June 19 - 15503

Saturday, June 20 - 17687

Sunday, June 21 - 12620

Time again to see where Mr. Missionary's steps stand compared to those friends and family at home. As usual, Mommy is #1 ;)  Terrilynne (#2) and Curt (#9) are neighbors, and have been here in the top 10 for the past several weeks. For the first time, we see Uncle Chris and Uncle Clayton make the top 10! Keaton was just below the threshold ... he has forgotten to wear his flex from time to time, and he won't be up next week, as he didn't even take it with him to his week long basketball camp.  Also missing ... Grandpa Westra. He had a heart attack on Tuesday. That does seriously affect step count. But he made it through. We may be a little hesitant to let him go hiking and such, and tennis may be off the table for a while. He is back to wearing his Fitbit already though!

*** Between Brothers ***

Dear Landon, Summer is hot and awesome. It has been 90 or more degrees this past week! Golden State closed out the Cavs in game 6. I was so glad it didn't go into game 7. While we were watching the final game, Grandpa had a heart attack! Mom and Dad were visiting him a lot. But he's ok, they're letting him out today. Yesterday, was the Neighborhood Carnival. Keaton, Jacob and I got dunked. Cooper didn't get dunked. We all Dunked someone from I think it was 40 feet! And Keaton dunked someone from the major league baseball pitch! At the Carnival, the food was delicious. There were mini cupcakes and hot dogs and pulled pork sandwiches. On the trampoline where we have the basketball hoop above it, we changed the net. Now if you swish it. it makes a snapping sound because the net has beads on it! For Father's Day, I gave Dad a tool box that I made myself and I'm going to have to borrow it in three days. And we went to a movie called, "Inside Out." Well that's it right there. Love, Colton

Dear Landon, the second week of summer went by slowly, and it was an okay week with good and bad things happening, Good thing, the Golden State Warriors ended up winning the Cavs in Game 6, so they finally got a title in forty years! I was really happy that they won, so the Cavs and Lebron did not win. Bad thing, Grandpa had a heart attack while me and Colton were watching the final game of the Finals. He has been in the hospital for five days, but he did get released from the hospital today, so he will be coming to the Father's Day Party today! We all went to the park again, but it was the park near Castle Park. The park with those spinny chairs, and that rocking boat. Anyways it was just a lot of fun. And after we were done playing in the park, we played some basketball on the court across from the park. And the Neighborhood Carnival was yesterday, and me, Keaton, Colton, and Jacob had a really fun time. We dunked some people in the dunk tank, and just had some food. And the hot dog and pulled pork sandwiches were amazing! And dad finally changed the net on the basketball hoop in the backyard. It is so much better than the net on it before, because the other net was on the hoop for like 10 years. The new net also glows in the dark, and snaps when you swish through the net, too. And for Father's Day, we went to go see "Inside Out." It's a movie, if you do not know, about all these emotions inside of someone. And it was a really funny movie just because of this one character, Sadness. She made the movie funnier and funnier within every minute. And that is our week at the Blackham's house for this week! Love, Cooper

Dear Landon, Cal and I are going to be gone this whole week to Dixie State University in St. George! Everyone takes the same bus, so that means that us Freshmeat are gonna get bullied by Callahan's friends and all of the varsity players, too. Two to three games every day for five days! We do have to leave at 6:00 am tomorrow, though. Still, it'll be worth it. Our coach told us that the hotel we're staying in is really nice. It's called the Lexington. Dad, Colton, Cooper, and I went to see a movie called "Inside Out". It was really funny because of Debbie-Downer Sadness. I realized that the voice of Sadness was familiar and I told dad, and he thought it was familiar, too. Then, I heard her crying and I said to dad, "It's Phyllis from The Office!". Phyllis was the perfect character for this character. Then, I heard another familiar voice. Her name was Disgust, and I said, "Dad, her voice is familiar, too.". He didn't think so... I said, "No way! Dad, that's Kelly from The Office!".  He was like, "Hmm...". This kind of reminded me of a certain Phineas and Ferb episode with three "Zach and Cody" characters. It was a good movie. We went to Uncle Scott's house today for the Father's day get-together. It was way fun because Jared and I played frisbee, we juggled (his rings and my juggling balls), and we did flips with Colton, too. We were surprised to see that Grandpa made it to Scott's house. He was in the hospital all week because last week, he had a heart attack while playing tennis! There was a doctor in the neighborhood that gave him CPR and, fortunately, broke his ribs (which meant he did it right). He got to the hospital and got shocked TWICE to get his heart back and going. He had some short-term memory loss. So... yeah. Kind of a normal week. Wuv, Keaton

P.S. It took me forever to type this because of the new keyboard we're using. The Apple keyboard wasn't working, so we're using the weird, curvy, and demented keyboard that dad uses at his work.

Dear Landon, so it's Dixie this week and I couldn't be more excited. Keaton is coming this year which might be awful cause I might kill him. He's already been annoying me enough so now I can hurt him without mom being there. I worked two Real games this week and made around $90 doing that. Then I had two shifts at Kfc earlier this week. So I made enough money this week, now it's time for the fun. I've also been to a lot of homecoming things for Amanda's brother. Hope everything is going well in Mexico. Love you bro

• Dear Colton: Holy calory.. That's what I like to say when it is really hot.. It is a bit of "Spanglish". haha. Why don't you want a game 7? Those are the best! So you guys saw him have the heart attack.. whoa. Scary. But goodt thing that he is alright. Nice, made a tool box? But what are you giong to use it for? I want to see that movie! Disney Pixar movies are the best! Well that's it right there.
• Dear Cooper: Wo! Go Golden State! That makes me happy that LeBron didn't win! Grandpa had a heart attack!? No way... That is pretty scaring stuff.. Good thing he is okay. Ah those neighborhood carnivals sure are fun. "Inside Out" I want to see that movie so bad! It actually is a little about psychology! Pretty cool huh? Well, have another great, hot week of summer!
• Dear Keaton: Oh man, Dixie time.. Haha "Freshmeat" yes you is.. "Inside Out" is a Disney Pixar movie right? And those are always the best! Grandpa is tough.. There's a member in our ward that reminds me a lot of him. Be sure to help him out any way that you can, alright? Well, be safe in Dixie!
• Dear Callahan: Take it easy on Keaton. He is there for the same reason you are, to play basketball! What do you do "to work Real games"? Do you drive there yourself? Que divertido.. I remember going to one with Rachel.. And after, it was a nightmare to drive home. And what do you do at KFC? Well, stay busy, and have fun while you can!

Week #17 - Hawks & Mosquitoes

Today was fun. We had a litte choir practice to start off the day (yeah, I am in a choir!) which is always fun. Then we bought all the stuff we needed for this week. I had to buy some bug repellent because the mosquitoes have been eating me alive lately because of all the rain. 

An elder named Elder Echo Hawk (the trainer of my trainer) and his compañero, Elder Jenks (one of the missionaries from my district in the CCM) came to our area because Elder Echo Hawk is leaving at the end of this change. So he wanted to bid farewell to everyone he knew in his first area. Yup, me and my "grandpa" both started in Forjadores.

Kinda made me sad, because technically I am bidding them farewell also.. Because it is like 99% chance that I am going to exit the area. I have certainly grow to love the members in this area. Although not a whole lot of work with investigators during our time here (we only have one investigator that is progressing) but I am happy with the work we have had with less actives of the ward. There are 4 or 5 families of the ward that we helped reactivate, and I feel good about that.

Well, I think that we will take a bit of time tomorrow to write some more (his notes to his brothers came the next day). But this is it for now. ¡Les amo mucho!

 (No caption included with the picture ... I'll update if I get info)

*** Step Stats ***

Monday, June 8 - 15945

Tuesday, June 9 - 20037

Wednesday, June 10 - 10901

Thursday, June 11 - 19025

Friday, June 12 - 9800

Saturday, June 13 - 10584

Sunday, June 14 - 7645

Sunday is always MY slowest day, looks like it generally is for Elder Blackham as well!

I've changed the format I show the stacked steps, instead of just the rank, this display shows the step average, and the weekly total. It is a little more information to compare week to week. Colton is competitive again (and changed his profile picture from the "bolt" which I thought was more distinctive!) Grayson and Callahan are up there this week too!

*** Between Brothers ***

Dear Landon, Summer is too hot! When I go outside to look at the ducks, by the time I'm at their cage, I'm sweating. Like when I go to play on the trampoline, I sweat so much. We have been playing on the trampoline a lot! We  have these mini balls to dunk/shoot on the hoop. I like to do 360's and when I put to the lowest height, I could even do through the legs and behind the back dunks! Jacob has been coming over a bit now. He hasn't been coming over because he was focused and studying on his school work. Yesterday, we went to Maga's house to celebrate Aidan's and Amare's birthdays. We played in some water and there was this kid named, Kobe who wouldn't stop spraying us with the crayon thing. After the party, dad brought the ducklings and I didn't feel so good because the kids were all over the ducks. There was this kid named, Landon and he was just trying to hold all the ducks. And it turns out Maga's cat Venelope went missing... The NBA finals is hard to predict. The series is tied 2-2. There is a game tonight at 6. I'm trying to guess how the finals are going to end, I think Golden State is going to win the game tonight (**they did)  but I think Cavs are going to win the next game, and I think in game 7, Golden State is going to win and I'm rooting for Warriors. Go Warriors! With Jacob we went to Castle Park. It was fun but it was way too hot! Last Sunday after I wrote you, we went hiking. We didn't see any animals, but when we got to the top, it was a great view! That's the whole story for this week. Love, Colt

Dear Landon, the first week of summer went by pretty fast, but it was a fun week. Since it is summer, we have been doing some things we have done before, but not in a while. Like Jacob is coming over again, because school is out. The main reason why he has not been coming over in a long time is because school had him occupied, but he is coming over again. We have also been playing on the tramp while playing games too. I never realized that playing on the tramp was really fun. We could play "Lavaball" and play basketball on it. And when I play basketball on it, it is so fun to do fun trick shots and cool dunks. We are also playing Lego's again! And Colton is playing along as well! We built more houses, supplies, and a lot more stuff as well. And it was also fun going to West Jordan Park a couple days ago, or what we call it, "Castle Park." I just remember the memories of being there with the DiFrancesco's, and for lunch on a field trip, going there for recess. And after we were done playing at Castle Park, we went to Macey's to get a refreshing ice cream cone. Now let's talk about where the NBA Finals are going. So far it has been kind of the way I want it to be. Golden State won the last game by 21 points to even up the series at 2-2. So you can tell that it will be a neck and neck series. Speaking of the Finals, Game 5 will be on tonight, so keep your fingers crossed that they will win the Cavs today. Yesterday was also Aiden and Amare's birthday party. So we put the slide up and a mini pool and just got wet. THEN, dad brought the ducks over. I definitely did not want him to bring the ducks over with all those kids there! And there was this kid named Landon (his name sounds a lot like your name (:), and he was just trying to pick all of them up, even though we said to NOT pick them up. Anyway, that is the first week of summer here. Love, Cooper

Dear Landon, it was kind of a long week. Youth Conference was cool, but we didn't get to go tubing on Wednesday because brother Flitton and kidney stones... again! On Monday, when we got there, we did a two mile hike to a waterfall which felt really good because after a hike in 80 degree weather, you get a little hot. We had to come back down the hike when we were done, though. So it was four miles! After that we just went back to the cabin and did stuff. Tuesday morning we went to the Vernal temple (it took longer to get there from Jensen's cabin then it took from our church TO Jensen's cabin). It was a much older and smaller temple than most others. We did baptisms for the dead and then we went to Wendy's after. We were pretty far off schedule due to the unexpected ride to the temple, so we went to the dinosaur museum. I wasn't too fascinated with it, however Chris and Travis were psyched about it, for the new Jurassic World movie came out this week (I watched Jurassic Park one when we got back). Then, we went to sleep and played The Great Dalmuti til midnight like we did the night before (Travis, Cody, Ammon, Ethan, and I). We slept in Wednesday morning. We did do a lot of volleyball, spikeball, and we drove on Jensen's Jeep a lot, though. Then, we went home. Yesterday we celebrated Aiden, Amare, and Sam's birthdays at Maga's house. Sad for me because that big bounce house with the slide and everything... broke. Ana threw it away! I really wanted to play on that thing. Dad brought the duckies over, which they've gotten really big, by the way. Some of their neighbors were over playing with them, and it was kind of scary because these little kids are trying to pick up our ducks, and like, squeeze them to death. I don't know how dad wasn't frightened. He's really good at handling with little kids, like you do. I've been doing a lot better at juggling. Still just three balls, but more tricks. The set that mom got me only came with three, and now for four and five-ball juggling she needs to get the same kind of balls or else it's gonna drive me crazy! I have learned however, that spies have been reading these conversations between us. I have yet to figure them out, but I know that their initials are M-A-G-A and M-O-M? I must gather more clues. I'll get back to you next week... Wuv, Keaton

Dear Landon, So the Utah basketball tournament was this week and it was so much fun I loved it. We went 3-1 in pool play then it was tournament single elimination play on Saturday. We played Wendover first and beat them by like 30. Then a Bingham team and beat them by 5ish. Then Brighton, and beat them by 2. Then another Bingham team and beat them by a buzzer layup. Then lost in the championship in double OT. It was dumb though because they made it so it was sudden death in double OT and we lost the tip so they won. It was still a lot of fun. It is Sam, Amare and Aiden's birthdays this week. So we went over there on Sunday and had dinner and some fun. Amare said today, "where's Landon?" And he said he misses you. So it's obvious a couple people miss you down here, so do some good in Mexico, love you bro.

• Dear Colton: I know how you feel.. Usually by 4 o clock here, we have plenty of clouds and rain. But Monday to Thursday there was nothing! It was so hot.. But I do think that it is hotter in Utah. I would have been worried about the duckies too.. Crazy kids sometimes.. They are unpredictable.. Game 7s are the coolest! Well, I had a good week, you had a good week, so that is good. te amo
• Dear Cooper: With summer here you find other stuff to do besides video games huh? Good stuff. I remember going to that park a few times. I remember when it was brand new! Haha yesterday with all the other missionaries, they were talking about the Finals.. Haha kinda funny, I heard that Golden State pulled ahead Sunday night? Darn Landons.. Always causing trouble.. ;) Remember to enjoy summer while you can!
• Dear Keaton: Ah youth conference.. Always a blast. But in Vernal? That is a ways away.  I am sure that it was still fun. It has been forever since I last played The Great Dalmuti! Que feo.. But todo bien. Sounds like a good week of summer! Keep enjoying it!
• Dear Callahan: Dang... So close.. Sudden death? That is bogus.. Ah well. I am sure that you're still having fun. How is summer with a girlfriend and a job? Not easy I would think.. How often are you working? Oh man... That hurt when I read that "where's Landon?" Ouchie... I almost cried. But didn't really. Just keep busy. Think, a mission is 104 weeks, and it has already been 17! I think it is easier to count the weeks.. The first 6 months are the longest is what everyone tells me. Then the rest just flies by. I'll be home before you know it Cal. But you do realize everything will be different by then. You will be graduating.. and ya. It is a time of many changes for our family. Just embrace them and enjoy them.