Rhabdo

 I like this pic because everyone keeps telling me this!

Well, that wasn't as traumatic as I thought it would be!    We have learned that the pet name for Rhabdomyosarcoma is Rhabdo (sounds like a weird dog name!)  So that is what we will refer to it as from here on out.

Our Oncologist, Dr. Jennifer Wright, came in special, just to see Jake (apparently she doesn't come in on Wednesday).  The bad news is, there are still more tests to be run!  More waiting!  Our favorite!  She has to determine how far along the cancer is and if it has spread to other parts of the body.  If it has spread, that is very bad!  If it is only in the groin area where they found it, there is an excellent chance of recovery/cure.

Until they finish running all the tests, they won't know what kind of drugs to use in the chemo therapy.  The good news is they know what to test for and they should know everything by Friday!

I asked if it would be possible for us to go on our Sweet Family Camp Out, or if they needed to start treatment right away.  Dr. Wright said she saw no problem with waiting until we got back, unless she made some drastic discoveries on Friday.  Jake said he really wanted to go, so at this point, we are planning to go.

Friday they will be doing a bone scan and chest CT to make sure the cancer has not spread there.  They will be looking at the lungs and the bones.

Monday, the 12th, we are expecting to get a central line put in near his clavicle and his first Chemo treatment.  He will have to stay overnight at the hospital, but should be able to come home the next day.

We asked lots of other questions, but they can't be answered until Friday.  If it is a good outcome, the chemo will last about 30 weeks off and on.

I'm feeling very hopeful and much, much better than yesterday.  Jake and the rest of the family are keeping their good attitudes.  Still lots of swelling, but not feeling sick.

A big hug of gratitude for my angels today!  We appreciate all you are doing for us!

Love you guys!

p.s.  When we got to the PCMC, they were having this fabulous BBQ out on the patio!  The smell of smoking steak saturated the air, teasing the taste buds!  As we were waiting for Dave to come out of the parking garage, I looked longingly at the fresh fruit and yummy spread and thought sadly of that pb&j I grabbed as we were scampering out of the house so we wouldn't be late.  So sad to learn that if we had arrived a bit earlier, Rick A. would have hooked us up with some delectable eats!  Not surprised that he was the one responsible for that savory smell!  They only do the BBQ on Wednesday so I think we are going to have to schedule an appointment for that day some time soon!

A note from Zack

Hey mom!

Does Bro. Sump remember any families in particular? Does he know anyone I should go see or stop by? I asked a few people, but so far no one seems to remember. I'll keep asking around though.

This week we spent a lot of time finding and trying potentials. We visited Bro. Kitler for the last time. He headed off to combat training before he gets shipped off to Afghanistan. Shared our last lesson about obedience with him and got some pics. On Saturday we got an invite to the Ali Poaletti's graduation party. There were members and non-members there and we got free food! We talked to some of the next-door neighbors, but they didn't seem too interested. Hopefully we planted some seeds though. Monday was our Combined District meeting. It was fantastic. President Murray, who is the current mission president of the Pennsylvania Philadelphia Mission, and his assistants came to inform us about some of the changes that will take place next week. They gave us time for a Q&A session. They talked about stuff like the new schedule and transfer meetings and how much money we get each month, etc. Those things are subject to change when President Schaefermeyer comes. President Murray is going home with President Winegar. After combined district meeting, we went on an exchange with the Zone Leaders. We found a lot of potentials and made a lot of appointments.

I have faith that Jake will be alright. He's a good kid. I like that he has a good attitude about all this. It says a lot about him.

Here's something I think you might find useful. I use it sometimes when investigators or members are having a rough time:
5 Scriptures to get you through almost anything

It's a good thing you're trunky so I don't have to be.


Love yous,
Zack

Jake Update 6/28

Have you ever heard of Rhabdomyosarcoma?  Me either.  I got the call about 1:00 pm today and unfortunately for you, my internet wasn't working until now.  My friend Karen text me and asked if she could come over, but I told her a needed some time to let it sink in.  Two minutes later, my friends Angie and Jill showed up at my door and I unloaded, cried, got some much needed hugs and then they changed the subject!  Can I tell you, that brought me right out of my low down, heart breaking funk.  I'm going to have to remember that for next time!

We haven't been in to see the rhabdomyosarcoma doctor yet (Dr. Jennifer Wright).  They tell me it is very rare to have this show up in adults, so the specialists for this cancer are at Primary Children's Hospital (yes, I used to work there!)  I called Dr. Wright's office at 4 pm and she said the the doctor was still collecting all the test results and scans, etc. so she could determine how far along the cancer is and determine a plan of attack.  So, our life is still on hold.

Jake's leg is still very swollen and I am hoping that something will happen very soon to relieve the pressure on his foot and leg.  He still has a "2 thumbs up" attitude (God bless him!).  I think he is still trying to do a few fun things before he is too sick.

On the bright side...I was able to get my windows washed yesterday, Rhett was able to get my 4 wheelers started (He is so amazingly smart!)  I got some flowers planted in my front yard and my peas are ready to eat!

  This morning I was able to get primer on the trim in the hallway downstairs while I listened to some comforting talks by Elder Maxwell.

As I was sobbing on my bed, God told me to trust Him, so that's what I'm going to do.

He told me it was going to be hard...He was right!

Knock Knock!

Knock Knock!

Who's there?

Ida!

Ida who?

I don't know anything until tomorrow!

Maybe in the morning, sorry!

Just a little miracle.

I guess your prayers for Jake to be healed are pretty strong!  Yesterday was Saturday, the day after Jake's surgery.  He had just gotten out of the shower.
Me:  Jake!  You're not suppose to take a shower until tomorrow!
Jake:   No one told me!  Besides Mom, it's all healed!  He revealed his 5 inch scar.
Me:  Jake, you're not suppose to take those steri strips off until Sunday! 
Jake:  But, Mom, look at it!  It's all healed!

I looked, and sure enough, the scar was closed up like it had been healing for 3 weeks!  I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes!

So, see, your prayers are working!  Thanks so much for asking God for this little miracle!
Please don't stop!

Jake Update 6/25

We woke up about 4:45 a.m. and took Jake up to the University of Utah hospital to have a piece of his lymph node removed for more biopsy.  One of the nurses told me it would take at least a week to get any results.  I was devastated (the first ones only took 12-24 hours)!  They also told me the operation would probably take a little over an hour.  I'm thinking, seriously!  How hard could this be!  They made us come 1 1/2 hours before the procedure even started.  We were waiting in the room an hour before the procedure started.  I asked the nurse what they were going to do for an hour and she said, "Oh we'll take his vitals and the doctor will come in and talk to you."  So they took his vitals (3 minutes max) then said, "Ok, the doctor will come in and see you in about 1/2 hour"  Apparently, this is standard patient waiting torture...I mean procedure.  If you don't wait for at least 30 minutes that can't bill you for as much time.

The good news is the procedure only took 1/2 hour.  It took him over an hour to wake up, but he is doing fine.  Dr. Nelson said they should know something by Monday and they took 1/2 of his lymph node, froze some and gave the rest to Pathology to start running the tests right away.

I'm happy because we are not at a stand-still any more.  Things are moving along again and we are getting closer to knowing what the treatment plan is.

I apologize for not calling everyone.  You are welcome to call me if you don't want to check the blog.

We appreciate your thoughts and prayers!

Early Morning!!!

Seriously, who would want to wake up to this in the morning!

Called to get Jake's appointment time.  We have to be up at the University of Utah Hospital at 6:00 a.m.!  The good news is, we should be done by 9ish and he won't have to fast very long.  Still, we have to leave here by 5:15 a.m.  But there is hardly any traffic that time of day!  Doing it that early in the morning means they will be able to run the tests earlier and get results sooner!

Duck's in a Row

A year or so ago I had a dream that I was traveling with many people dressed in white.  At the time, I thought it was a message to me that I was going to return to Heaven.  At the end of the dream the message was to "Get all my ducks in a row".  Over and over I would hear, Ducks in a row, ducks in a row...  Now I think I know why.

Jake Update 6/22

I don't think I like this post already.  We got the call and well, I don't know how to word this...Dr. Gilbert said Jake has cancer and they are narrowing it down to which one.  With all the biopsy stains they have done, the last set of biopsies they could do turned up with some of the answers they needed, but they ran out of samples.  They are going to surgically remove the rest of the lymph node, but not until Friday. 

A lot of crying today, but, that's just what mom's do.  We'll get through this.  I just need to go to the temple and get my booster shot, then I think I can make it through a few more days.

Jake is still doing ok.  A lot more swollen in the foot now.  A little nervous.  Appreciating the treats he has received.  He has a good attitude.  He let me kiss him on the cheek today, but only because no one was around to see it.  (hugging is still ok, but kissing is crossing the line. lol)

We have an awesome ward and neighborhood and lots of family who love us.  If we have to go through something challenging like this, God has sure blessed us to live in the right place!  Thanks to all who have shown their love and concern so far.  My sweet friend, Emily, (in my primary class) already told me about the camp she went to and that kids with cancer went there, so Jake could go next year!

Thanks for your prayers!  Keep em coming!

Jake Update 6/21

Got a call from the Dr. Gilbert.  She said that the stains are coming back negative, so they still don't know what he has or how to treat it.  They are waiting for another set of stains to be ready around 5:00 pm today.  The Lab guy has to analyze it and they have a rush on it, so again, waiting.

Plan B is, if this set of stains comes back negative, is to surgically take the whole lymph node out (which she says is pretty big).  This will be a same day surgery type of thing.  I told her to go ahead and schedule it with Dr. Nelson because usually it takes a few days to get on the schedule.

If I hear something tonight or in the morning, I'll post it.

Please pray for the doctors to find some answers!  They can't treat him until they know what it is.

Thanks for your love and support!

The Holladays

Happy Father's Day!

 

 To my dad:  I love the time we get to spend together!  Although there was a big gap when you went away, I'm glad that we made amends and we don't waste any more time while we're apart.  I look forward to the phone calls and the visits with you and your NY family.  I love my daddy time!  Thanks for loving me and for your love and prayers during this difficult time for our family.  It's OK, you can tell the rest of my siblings that I'm your favorite! :)  I love you, Dad! and I always will!

 To Dave:  You are the father of my 5 favorite sons.  Thank you for helping me raise them into some fine young men.  You are an awesome example of what a dad should be.  I love you with all my heart, forever!

Jack:  I miss you!  I miss our talks and I especially miss our teasing each other!  BYU/Utah games are just not the same without you here to be my rival!  Your garden is not the same.  No fabulous corn or tomatoes!  I appreciate the times you have visited me and the times you have been with me in the temple since you left.  I felt you there on Wednesday and I love you for your love and support during this difficult time.  Thank you, Jack, for being one of my angels!  I will love you forever too.

Jake Update 6/18

Just talked to the doctor.  She said that the biopsy results will not be done until Monday and she would call me by 3:00 pm with whatever information she has (she said that about today and I just heard from her (5:30), fyi).

The good news is, there is no bad news for the rest of the weekend!

New Jersey News

Heeeyyy RSH (and fam.)!

No, I didn't know that Bro. Sump went to the Cherry Hill Mission! Morrestown? you mean Moorestown? or Morristown? I'll ask a few people that might have been here a while if they know/remember him. I checked only the first year of the history of the New Jersey Cherry Hill Mission which was 1996. I didn't see his name in there. It didn't have all the names, so I'm not sure when he was here. I'm not going to check any more folders because they're too big. When did he start?

We got Elder Leiva back on Monday. He was the missionary that was waiting for the doctors permission to come back. He's in Vineland now. The other two won't be here until August. I think it was Sis. Soolefai that needed the visa. She probably needed it so that she could come to the United States. Elder Okamoto had to get one. He told me it was hard to get.

We've had a lot of people move into the Moorestown Ward within the last 6 weeks. There's quite a few faces that I don't recognize. Most of them are security system salesmen that are here for the summer. I think they actually live down in Cherry Hill, but our church starts at a more convenient time. At least that's what they say.

Thanks for getting my room ready for me. What color are the walls? Pink flower sheets? I don't know about that one... are you sure Stacy didn't switch it when you weren't looking? Did Spencer get my B-day card?

I might be able to fix your bike, depending on what the 'gear thingy' is and how broken it is. Seems fair enough since you let me have the blue bike.

How much painting do you have left?

I like it when it's cold and rainy in Utah because that means it will be nice and cool in NJ.

My schedule now is the same any any other missionary's. We don't go to the office to work unless the Taylors need us for something. We're just in case of an office emergency.
Yeah I still work out in the morning. I need to start running or something else aerobic though. I mostly do push-ups and pull ups and sit ups and some free weights.
I am emailing from the office.

This week was pretty good. It's a little bit weird serving in an area I was just in not too long ago. We still have some of the investigators that we were teaching when I left. We actually met with one last night, Leslie. I think I mentioned her before. While I was in Barnegat Elder Howard and Elder Belnap taught her pretty much everything. Elder Belnap and I taught her about tithing and Fast offerings and obeying the law of the land. She still is very interested and takes notes. She said that she will probably raise her children in this church. I feel that she will be baptized. I think its a matter of when she'll feel ready. On Saturday, I had to go to the beginning of Zone/district Leader Council. I guess it was more of a leadership training, which usually happens at combined district meeting. This is a wacky transfer. Anyways, the meeting was really good. Elder Belnap and I had to drive to Camden to pick up 2 other district leaders. Elder Belnap was going to stay and work in Camden while I went with the 2 DL's to the meeting. Elder Jensen was there and Pres. Corbitt and his wife were there. Sis. Winegar made us lunch. It was some sort of build-your-own pulled pork burritos. Afterwards we went back to Camden so I could get my companion. Elder Schaefer, who is a district leader in Freehold, had to work with us because he came down with the Spaniards who were at a Spanish Conference for most of the day. We tried a few people but they weren't home. We had a dinner/party at the McFarlane's house. They're moving down to Virginia in a few weeks. There was a lot of people there. The Spaniards called us to let us know that they were done, and we could bring back Elder Schaefer. The dinner wasn't done yet, so we had to eat an run. We met the other missionaries down in Cherry Hill by the Stake Center. We got there and we were about to leave when all three of us realized something terrible...: We left our backpacks at the McFarlane's! That was kind of embarrassing. The Spaniards followed us to the McFarlane residence and we got our bags and left. 

On Monday we found 2 potential 'gators. We were dropping by a less-active member. Before we knocked on the door we met a lady who was playing in the sprinklers in front of the house with her toddler child. We talked to her and she said we could come back on Tuesday. The member wasn't home, so we decided to tract the street for a bit. We tracted one side before it was time to go to our next appointment. On our way back to the car we saw another lady with a child in her arms who was getting something out of her car. We talked to her and asked her if we could share a message with her. She said yes. Well whenever someone says yes it kind of catches us off guard. We thought she would invite us into her house to teach, but she didn't, so we taught a brief restoration lesson in her driveway. She asked some good questions and we set up a time to go back when her husband would be home. On Tuesday we had district meeting. It was kind of lame because it was all business/announcements. I didn't get to do what I had planned at all. I guess I'll have to save it for next time. We went to go back to one of the potentials (the first one in the sprinklers), but she juked us.

That's intense news about Jake. Poor guy. Hope everything goes well for him. It's good that he has a positive attitude about it though. Keep me posted.

Love yous,
Zack

Good News/Bad News

Just got a call from Dr. Gilbert.  She said that she got some of the biopsies back.  The good news is that they have ruled out Lymphoma.  They are still doing more stains.  We will not have to go in to see her tomorrow.  The bad news is, they still don't know what it is yet and some of the tests may not be done until Monday.  She will call me tomorrow with whatever results she gets.

Still more waiting!

Biopsy

We had an appointment at 11:30, but it was changed to 1:30 this afternoon.  We first saw a Dr. Nelson, who was an Urology Surgeon.  We supposed that he was going to do a biopsy, but he took some history, checked Jake out and consulted the Radiologist on the CT scan.  He couldn't do a biopsy today or tomorrow, but as a consolation prize, he made arrangements for us to get into the Radiologist who could do a biopsy with a needle.  Jake finally got in to the Radiologist around 3:15.  He was in there for an hour, only used a local sedation.  They took three good biopsy samples from a lymphoma in his groin area.  The guy from the lab was there, said that they were good enough specimens and he will have the results Friday morning.

I was able to talk to our Oncologist on the phone, Dr. Heather Gilbert.  She works in the Huntsman Cancer Institute.  She said she would call us before Friday if it was really bad news.  Otherwise, we will learn the treatment plan on Friday morning.  She really couldn't give me any more information until the biopsy is analyzed.  She was very nice and answered my questions as best she could with the information she had.

For now, Jake has to take it easy for the next couple days.  His leg is still swollen and it won't go down until he starts getting treatment.  One of the lymph nodes is pushing against one of his arteries and it's not letting the lymphatic drainage out of his leg.


That's all I know for now.  I'll update again on Friday.

Thanks for the prayers!  Keep them coming please!

The "Not so Good" News

Jake has been having some swelling and went to the doctor last week to see if they could fix it. They gave him some antibiotics and sent him home. He went back for a check up yesterday because nothing was better. They did a CT scan at 3:00 pm. He got a call this morning that he needed to come in asap and to bring his mother. I was on my way to racquetball and asked if I should come right back. He said he needed some time to get ready and play and we would go when I was done. Well, after one short game, I was done!

We met Dave at the University of Utah Hospital and talked to the Urologist. He told us that the CT scan showed a tumor by Jake's bladder and he has enlarged lymph nodes all up and down his spine and down his legs. His right leg is really getting swollen!

He goes in for a biopsy tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. I don't know how long it takes to get the results, but we will post it here when we know.

Jake is taking it all in stride. I asked him what he thought on the way home. He said, "Dang!" That's a bummer! He's not depressed or upset...yet. We're just going to take it as it comes and do what needs to be done.

Thank you for your prayers!

Love to you all!

What's New?

What's new? Well, lets see...the boys are out of school. They both pulled their grades up so mom was thrilled about that! I am very happy not to have to get them out the door by 7:30, but keeping them busy is also a challenge.

Michael had a birthday and is currently 16. He is a terrible driver! He hasn't passed range yet, so he still has to do that in July, because he will be at scout camp when they do it in June. He wanted a digital camera for his birthday. Dave took him to Walmart to get one, but the one they picked ate up the AA batteries way too fast, so we took that one back and got one that has a rechargeable battery in it. He's thrilled!

Spencer is currently at scout camp. I painted his room this week, after patching all the holes Jake and John made in the walls. I painted the trim and doors white and walls tan. I had a bunch of tan paint left over from painting upstairs, so it made it an easy choice. Next is the hall and the trim in the bathroom downstairs. The paint is still ok in the bathroom, but the trim is all the same color. Need to update the light fixture and add a mirror, then we'll call it good for now. You know what is really sad? I have a whole wardrobe of painting clothes! I probably have 5 shirts and 2 pants, shorts and capris all in my painting attire!

Speaking of painting...The Holladay House Painters have a new job of painting Gennie's house. We got started today, actually. The cleaners have been washing down the walls and cleaning out the cupboards, and soon they will be taking down the wallpaper. I learned how to patch walls (on the bedroom downstairs), and there were some holes needing to be patched. I was skeptic, at first, that I could do it. But I found this fast drying mud that did the trick! Who knew that frosting cakes would come in handy! I even figured how to use that texture spray so it doesn't look like your wall has a disease! We should have this job done next week. We will probably paint all of the upstairs. Definitely going to need some more paint!

Spencer turns 13 on the 13th! The twins turned 19 on the 19th and Zack turned 21 on the 21st! Cool huh!

I'm still playing racquetball 4 times a week. Dave and I play on the weekends for our together time. He plays me left handed and sometimes wins. I'm not that bad...He's that good! Our favorite racquetball time is when we can play other couples. Sometimes we can get a couple guys to play us and we can still beat them...yes, Dave is that good! I don't mind losing when it's a good challenge!

We tried starting our 4 wheelers and weren't successful! I'm pretty bummed about that!

The Sweet Family Camp Out is coming up next month and we are really looking forward to that! Its the only family trip we have planned so far. We were hoping to go on some 4-wheeling trips with Zack after he gets back...now we'll have to see if we can get them working again.

Hey, if anyone can use $124 towards a Southwest Airline Ticket in the next 2 weeks I have a voucher you can use! Travel has to be complete by 6/23/10. I forgot to use it when I went on my trip to NY (silly me!). Call me if you're interested.

We are enjoying having Grandma Holladay live here. We had railings put on the front and back porch so she can safely maneuver the stairs. I'm sure our other geriatric visitors will appreciate them too.

We've been putting the BBQ to good use so far this summer. Last night we had some awesome fillets of beef from Costco! We scored on the watermelon too....so sweet!

We've been having some weird weather this year! A few nights ago, I got a call from our bishop at about 12:45 a.m., looking for some guys to fill sand bags for some emergency flooding in Lehi. Every one of them went (plus Austin)! I didn't ask Spencer to go because he had to get up and go to camp early the next morning. It has rained so much this year I haven't got the sprinklers on yet. I turned them on twice and let them run through the cycle, but that's it.

I got my garden in again this year (such as it is). We have cucumber plants, tomatoes, squash and a few peas came up. They are blossoming, so hopefully we get some this year. I planted them a little late because it was so cold for a long time. I just put cages on my tomatoes because they are growing pretty fast! If it doesn't rain tonight, I will have to mow in the morning.

Well, that's a long enough update! Just thought you might want to know there was a little more going on in my life besides Zack's letters.

Blog you later!

Back to the office...

Hey Mom!

You'll never guess where I am! I'm in the office again! And I'm back in Moorestown once again. The APs are living with us, once again. I started in Moorestown when they first moved in. Then they left. Now they're back...Again! I don't know what's going to happen with them this transfer. I guess I could ask them later tonight. I'm still the district leader. This transfer is gonna get hairy... We were supposed to get 2 new missionaries, but one broke his foot in the MTC and the she couldn't get her visa. And then a missionary who had to go home to have an operation, was also to come back, but he has to get the doc's permission before he can come back. So some missionaries are playing musical companions. Elder Belnap is pretty cool. I didn't know him in High school, but Kyle might have.

Here's what we did in Barnegat: This week was good. We ate at the McGuires on Sunday. Bro. Mcguire asked us if we would help him move some heavy/big stuff to his other house because he is moving. His new house is a couple blocks away. We said we could help him out on Monday for a little bit and then we could come back on Tuesday to finish up whatever is left. We had to leave our car at the dealership on Monday to get it fixed. So we had to walk everywhere the past couple of days. We walked to service which was a few miles down the street. We took Terie out the lunch at the Harvest Buffet, Terie's favorite. Terie is an older Japanese lady that the former Elder Okamoto baptized while he was here. She's funny. We had a member give us a ride. Me and Elder Peña were going to split the bill, but Terie insisted, so we her pay for it. It was pretty cheap for 4 people. Then we dropped off Terie at the senior home where she lived and we asked Sis. Brennan (the member that gave us a ride to the buffet) to drop us off at the Mcguires. We helped Bro. Mcguire move some big furniture to his other house. and he bought us lunch at WaWa. Afterwards he dropped us off at Sis. Jackson's house for dinner. She just got a new charcoal grill so she wanted to try it out. She put me in charge of the grill. I didn't know how to cook on a charcoal grill(no one did) so I had to wing it. At first I just dumped the charcoal in and poured a bunch of lighter-fluid on it and lit it. It burned for a bit, but then it went out. So I put some more lighter-fluid on there and again after a while it burned out. I tried again, this time I decided to read the instructions and it said to make a pyramid out of the coals. Well some of the coals were already hot, so I couldn't do that very well because I didn't have anything to pick up the coals with except a couple of sticks. I did the best I could to get it into a pile and it started to burn better and faster. Eventually the coals started to get ashy like they're supposed to. It was taking a long time so Sis. Jackson decided to broil the steaks for a few minutes and then finish them up on the grill. The instructions said that once the coals are mostly ashy, to spread the coals and start cooking. So I did just that. I put the steaks on there for 2 minutes with the lid on since Sis. Jackson . It was smoking a bit, but we thought that was normal. We pulled them off and they got charred. I felt bad so I took the most charred one. Then Yesterday we helped Bro. Mcguire in the morning until the afternoon. He dropped us off at the library where we were meeting the Tom's River Sisters to talk about our investigators. It didn't take long, so they dropped us off at our apartment so they would have some idea of where it was. After that we packed up our stuff and then it was time for our dinner appointment with the Rasmussen family. Bro. Rasmussen picked us up and then we went and ate dinner. After dinner we shared a short message and then took some pics. Before we left I asked Bro. Rasmussen if I could see his gun collection (He used to be in the army). He said it was OK. He started off with the pistols and worked his way up. He has a Desert Eagle(50 cal pistol) He also has a .50 cal. rifle(not a Barrett, but their competitor I forget the name). He said each bullet for the .50 caliber rifle was $14. Super Expensive! He said the gun itself was only $8K and the scope he had on it was about $2K(might as well go all out right?). He had other guns in there too. He had a couple of black powder rifles, an old 12 gauge, and some other various guns. He also had an SKS and an AR15. I know you probably don't care about that kind of stuff, but Dad might. I guess I'll tell him about it later.

I saw Sis. Nieves at transfers and she said that she was getting baptized pretty soon. I'll probably try to go to that.

Where did the Carlsons and Stambaughs go?

If it's OK with Dad, I'm thinking of fixing up that bike and using it, if it works.

Also, thanks for the updates!

Love yous, (Jersey accent)

Zack

Heck Street...

Hey Mom!

Yeah I opened up the chocolate chips. I didn't know what to do with them, so I put some over my birthday cake. Are you sure I'm supposed to snack on chocolate chips? Is that healthy? You always got mad at us for snacking on chocolate chips at home...

We ate my birthday dinner at Applebees yesterday. It wasn't busy, so we didn't have to wait long. I had something lemon chicken. It had a Mexican-food-taste. It was chicken covered with cheese and a little bit of ranch and rice and thin strips of tortilla chips. It was good. Elder Peña ordered rice and shrimp(yuck) We enjoyed it. Thank you!

That's unfortunate about the car. Good thing no one got hurt!

Congratulations on your racquetball victories!

Not too much happening this week because of the holiday. A lot of people were gone. We mostly tracted and visited members. We weren't able to find anyone new this week. There was a ward activity at the Rasmussen's. It was a movie night. They had a projector and stereo system set up out side in their backyard. For the screen they had bought a sail and constructed a frame for it. It was pretty sweet! I wish I had taken a picture. They watched some movie about geese. The movie started late because of the sunlight so we only got to watch the first 20 minutes of it before we had to leave.

This week we have a few appointments. The former Sis. Tessa Bates is coming to visit the area on Friday. I came out with her a couple years ago. We're going to update the area book and maybe talk with the Toms River Sisters. They'll be covering our area because...

I'm getting transferred next week. President decided to close Barnegat for a while. Elder Peña is going back to Cape May. I'm going to Moorestown again. This time I'm going to be with Elder Belnap, who also happens to be from Lehi. President said there wouldn't be any office elders next ½ transfer until the mission closes, but he said he's putting me there in case they need back up. I'm still going to be the district leader .

Is Dad ever going to use the blue bike that's hanging up in front of the Accord? What needs to be fixed on it?

I think that's it. Sorry it's short. Hopefully the pics will make up for it....

Love ya,

Zack

Dear Mom...

Dear Mom,

Thanks for the Birfday package! I love the shirt! I think you sent way too many chocolate chips! What am I supposed to do with 2 bags? 1/2 a bag is plenty. Haven't been able to eat the birthday-dinner you sent me because we didn't have any hamburger. I hope to have enough time today to buy some so I can have my pre-dinner and then my dinner. Whoever sent the Pokemon card is cute. They sent me more 'energy' LOL! Thanks for the other stuff too!

We haven't gone out to eat the other birfday dinner yet because we haven't had an open slot. We've been getting fed pretty well this past week. I think we have a opening this week though so we'll probably go then.

I hope that cool weather mozies on over here because today was hot and muggy. I hate the humidity because it just drains you of all your energy. We were all having a rough time while we were playing sports. We were all so sweaty. Our hands were sweaty and we'd try to wipe our hands on our clothes so we could catch the football but our clothes were soaked too, so it didn't do us much good.

This week we went to go see some of our new investigators but she said she was tired, so she didn't meet with us. We were bummed because we had brought a member with us to help us teach. We tracted some more, but haven't found much. We went on a team-up with Bro. Edward who recently moved into the ward from PA. We got to teach a potential named Tiffany. It was a good lesson. We also did a few service projects. We helped the branch mission leader put some gravel in his back yard. We got about 1/3 of it done including the cloth that goes underneath the gravel. Then a few days later, we helped an investigator clean up his yard. Mostly raking up leaves and mowing the grass. He had waited too long to cut the grass, so it was about waist high. Sometimes higher. It was a lot of hard work. After both projects, they fed us hamburgers from the grill. It was super tasty! Yesterday I went on an exchange with Elder Draper in Lakewood after district meeting. It went great! We visited a member who fed us lunch and we shared a message with him afterwards. Then we stopped by a few potentials and we were able to teach a man named Paul in his backyard while he cooked food for his family. I thought it was a good lesson. Then we had correlation meeting in Toms River Ward so we went there and then we went home for dinner.

Well I could write more, but I'm out of time. We have to get the car to the dealer to get it fixed in 5 minutes and I still have to write President's letter.

More later.

Love ya!

Zack