Oh, this aint just any toilet!...

It just so happens to be the toilet that Derek parked his blue Van's (shoes) by at our house the night before he left for the MTC! I sent this picture to him today, as you can see they are still on the bathroom floor! Ha ha! Still brings me comfort to have them there (weird, I know). I'm just including a small portion of Derek's e-mail today. He continues to do well and is in good spirits. I asked him about his kitchen appliances as Blythe is sending him food. I also asked him about the swine flu that is taking center stage in the news right now...
He writes: i am glad you got my letter and it made it all the way from mexico. i am doing good, my new companion and i get along well. you are too funny, that's awesome that my shoes are still on the bathroom floor, ha ha! and, no i am not that skinny i am healthy skinny. we only have a little two top grill thing not a stove so i dont know but the church has one so ya ya brownie mix would be good... i haven't heard anything about that flu thing but i will be careful and see if it is down here, don't know though... i will always continue to pray for you guys and love you so much and am so thankful i have a home in the united states ha ha! but i am good and working hard this week, have a lot to do to help re-organize the area and get more investigators and all so i am working hard and walking a lot and doing well. learning more and more everyday esp. with another one that is (can speak) english and can explain things to me. i love you guys so much and maybe send peanut butter, like a little bottle of creamy... love you tons and tons take care till next week.....LOVE your dearest Elder, Elder Reid
We also received our first handwritten letter which he finished up around Conference weekend -- he writes in bits and pieces when he has time. Took a mere three weeks to get to us. It was quite a long one and we laughed, and cried (happy tears). His first trainer, who is now finished with his mission, was getting quite girl crazy. He says “The milk we get is boxed milk, it can sit up to a year on the shelf. But it’s like Leche (milk) light and it has (a picture of) a girl on it in work out clothes and so the word for like a hot fit girl is “pina” – so the missionaries call it our “Pina Milk” ha ha!" He also talks about how much he walks (between Portrillos and Tanques)and how dirty he gets on all the dirt roads – black pants and this dirt just don’t mix. One of his longest walks between towns he wrote "we walk walk walk walk, and no ride in site. Walk walk walk some more, no ride- wait! Car is coming, oh! Nope, wrong direction, walk walk walk some more. Then when we are about 200 yards away from our destination, we see a watering truck that waters down the dirt roads and my companion yells "Go! Go!" and we ran and jumped on the truck like we were in a movie and hitching a ride on a train! Ha ha!"

His spelling gets worse and worse as his Spanish progresses, so I have been tweaking his writing a tad so it makes sense to you all. Plus he throws in Spanish words a lot. He also talked about a family they were teaching. As they were teaching the mom who was nursing "she just drops it out and starts feeding her baby right in front of us -- awkward! How do you ask questions after that?! That’s pretty much the norm around here tho" (belly laughs) Oh, I love it! Made our whole weekend!

The chatter I get from the MM’s – the swine thing is being carefully watched by the Presidency of our church (no doubt). Derek is in a small po-dunkish town right now, because of that I’m not surprised he was unaware of it. However, some of the missionaries in other areas have been asked to stay inside for a week, or to not pass money and/or to wear masks. Keep praying for these missionaries and let’s all hope this flu thing passes soon. TTFN

The latest skinny on our Elder...

Boy, it’s a trip getting used to having a missionary in Mexico – a country we’ve never been to. Can’t wait to get pictures but that is proving to be harder than expected. He only gets 30 minutes on a computer each week and the e-mail system doesn’t have enough “cybers” to get a picture through.

Derek continues to do well, he has a new companion which was bittersweet as he loved his trainer. The new guy sounds great too. I loved Derek’s e-mail to Blythe & Steven this week so I’m posting some of it… we sure miss his sense of humor.

Hola sis y steve,
so i got my package from mom and dad and all the letters that you sent, thank you so much! Oh and your new computer sounds amazing - that is the kind i want when i get home! ha ha - but i am just great and loving it, just learning the language all day everyday. i got a new companion this week, he is from Utah so he helps me with Spanish so thats good! and i am doing good, no sickness. Ya, so i walk a ton and have lost a lot of weight i am guessing like 20 lbs maybe but i don’t know because no scale ha ha. we don’t have any walmart or fast food/ it is a small podunk area of the baja, but it is fun. i am always dirty because the roads are dirt and so its just like dirty all the time but i am getting used to it..... I will look forward to your pictures of Coop the lion - i can only imagine ha ha! i love you tons and when i get back and buy an AR15 me and you and steve are going to go murder some bunny rabbits!!! ha ha! and other stuff, TV’s and all. ha ha ha! love you tons! Elder Reid (Coop the Lion is B&S's puppy above -- sporting his new summer doo!)

Derek mentioned he has been loosing weight but didn’t give me any figures. When I told him I experienced a huge bout with food poisoning from a restaurant in Mesquite last week he said “Oh that sucks mom, but welcome to my world!” In seeing his letter to Blythe, we’ve decided to send him a couple of high calorie care packages – in fact, Blythe is shopping as I type this. Apparently he LOVED getting Easter candy, his words “the candy here is horrible, chile and sugar – that’s all it is!” Chile and sugar??? ay yi yi!

I joined a missionary mom thing that puts you in touch with other moms who have sons serving in Mexico. This has been such a huge help! The weekly stories and e-mails I see are awesome. Some are funny, some are touching and others are just plain cool. It’s amazing what these young men experience. I’ll try to figure out how to attach a link and lump some of my favorite stories together, it would be too long to post them all on here. I’ll try to figure that out soon, they are really neat to read.

Send him a letter, he’d love to hear from you!

but but guess what?

(a portion of Elder Reid's e-mail this week, the cutest portion) oh yes its good, i got to watch conference in English, i got my own tv so i could watch. it was cool, i liked it and i got to see both Sunday sessions not Saturday --but but guess what mom and dad? i got my first two baptisms this Sunday - Silvia and Jesus her son, it was amazing all the white and the look in their faces and the happiness it brings people and it was just - wow i loved it and i got to do it and it was in Spanish ha ha but it was just neat to see them and she gave us hugs after, not supposed to but she didnt know and she was just so happy. but it was cool and that is worth all the waking up early and working hard and walkin 12 miles from port to tanques ha ha serious, but it is a long walk, but worth it. i will be looking forward to your package i am excited to get American candy, the candy here sucks ha ha. It's my companion's last week here and so i will be getting a new one Sunday - fun fun. i will let you know and i will send pictures so look for them too in an email but i am good and it is still hot and great and the work is good and i am happy as can be - but how can you not when you are in the service of your Lord......with lots of love from your son in Mexico Elder Reid (dated 04/06/09)

We've been anxiously awaiting pictures -- we'd love some visuals. He tried e-mailing some last week but didn't have any success. We're hoping he gets that figured out soon -- or I'll have to find some embarassing photos to post! ha ha, J/K. Hey Blythe... guesswat, ha ha ha -- I-luv-you! Awww, memories.

How did I get so darn lucky?

Mondays are becoming my new favorite day (who’d a thought!). Derek's head cold is gone, he's feeling great. Baptisms are coming up. He's absorbing the language and has mastered teaching charlas 1 in Spanish and is still trying to master charlas 2 (chapters I'm assuming?). He's already mixing Spanish words in with his English. He used some funny Spanish slang in response to a personal story I told him, too cute! He's getting used to the food now and said it's 80 degrees by 8:00 a.m.! Their area is spread out between Tanques and Potrillos (big area) and they walked twelve miles the other day on a dirt road, no cars in sight to hitch a ride. His pants are feeling loose already (no doubt). He got to go to his first zone meeting, and they stopped and took pictures of the beach in Mazatlan. Hopefully he'll send those soon so I can post them! My favorite-favorite line in this week's e-mail was the last line, he writes: i am good, love you guys tons and tons and think about you a little. but that's good huh? means i am thinking about the work - ha ha love you tons - Elder Reid That simple line speaks volumes, tells me he’s already totally absorbed in his mission! Very nice.

Here's to the other people that are so very awesome! To my hubby of 24 years - you are my eternity (corny, but what can I say). The guy never stops looking at me like I hung the moon (no pun intended)... and that's just amazes me after all these years! And we still never run out of things to talk about (and might I add, he's still got it goin' on - wink wink!). Babe, you complete me, thanks for keeping me sane.

To my daughter, you rock! How did I get so darn lucky? She's living proof that moms CAN be mom as well as friend, and I treasure our closeness. This girl can tell my mood just by the sound of my voice, drives me crazy! I don't know what I'd do without her. She has the heart of her Grandpa Reid, the strength of her dad, and the determination and bull-headedness of her mother! Bless her heart. She's been a huge strength to our family and a great 2nd mom (ha ha) and sister to Derek! :-)

And then there's our new son-in-law -- woot woot! Steven, thank you for seeing the same special girl that we do and treating her so well! You two are two peas in a pod, and are so dang fun together. I could listen to your funny stories forever! Thanks for all your help and advice to Derek, you have no idea how much that meant to us, seriously. Man, the best is yet to come!

Marlin & a Head Cold

Today’s e-mail came in as a meeting notice through Outlook – is that the sign of brain overload or a stuffed up head?
And it was very short … he’s fighting a head cold again (at least it's not the other end). However, the missionary part of the work sounds like it’s going really well. He really likes the people that they are teaching and they have some upcoming baptisms so he’s excited about that. The language is coming along “alright - still winging it for the most part,” and then throws a “ha ha ha” in there. He’s jealous of our snow and is getting sick of the food already (it’s only been two weeks!… but we all know how Derek likes his food). But he did say: I had marlin yesterday, it is actually alright though but weird ha. Wait, it’s alright but weird? I’m confused. So I’ll assume it’s alright because it was something different -- but weird because it was something different. Dad must have asked if he was drinking plenty of water because he said “we drink bottled water, it’s like 10 pesos so like a dollar - but our dollar is worth 15 pesos right now so its really good." Yay! He’s drinking water!!! "so ya , i am doing good, the sickness is going away so that is good but i love you tons and tons and hope you have a good week. love you -Derek"

Memories: Speaking of Derek’s love for food… my mom noticed that when they took Derek and Blythe to dinner when they were little – Derek would always look for the most expensive dish on the menu. She laughed when she realized it was because he wanted to make sure his food was not only going to taste good, but that there was going to be plenty of it. When B&D were really little we took them to a little family diner in Layton to eat. We had been working with the kids to look the waiter or waitress in the eye and order their own food (you know, eager young parents teaching their children to speak for themselves). So when asked by the waitress Blythe politely ordered a grilled cheese sandwich. When the waitress got to Derek he spoke up and said “I wanna a BOY cheese hammich!” she looked puzzled (as we all did) and said, “do you mean a grilled cheese?” and he said more firmly, “NO, I wanna BOY cheese hammich!” We all just cracked up when we finally realized he thought his sister ordered a “GIRL cheese sandwich.” Someday I’ll have to tell ya all the Burger King story – it’s hilarious! Only has nothing to do with food.

Dream: I had a really vivid dream in the wee hours of the morning Saturday. I just remember Derek was standing in front of me in his missionary clothes and he said “too much of anything in excess is not a good thing mom” (which made me panic about my diet coke addiction) but I mustered out a “does that include hugs?” and with that he shot me his cute little grin and gave me a great big hug! I woke up and told Poppa Reid, “I got a hug from Derek last night!” -- now that’s the kind of vivid dreams I like!

Got the Addresses!

I posted Elder Reid's addresses down the right of this screen and will keep them here. Two options, the pouch service through dearelder.com is free and super easy. Please please write him! Especially while he's getting used to his new environment! Not sure how quickly he'll respond as he's still pretty green with the language and all!

Thank you for your support and friendship!

Momma Reid
(send me a text or an e-mail if either option doesn't work out so well, we're still learning)

Need I say more?

OK... You knew it was bound to happen! We heard from Derek today... his e-mail was mostly in response to a few questions we sent. Hey... he said to ask him anything!

Q1: How's your living quarters: well, living quarters... it is ok i guess it is better than other areas but it still is way different than what i am used to ha ha it is really hot and no air conditioner ha but it is ok. i will just have to get used to it. (If you've seen his room, you know this is a BIG adjustment.)

Q2: Do you cook for yourselves or does someone cook for you? um, we feed ourselves for breakfast and then one of the members each day feeds us and they take turns - but ya i got sick and dirrea or however you spell that, but no problem - took some pills drank some gatorade and its gone but i knew it would happen some time or another ha ha but it is good i guess. i am already sick of the tortillas they are bland and wow i dont know how you like them mom. (I told him to master the art of tortilla making as I love homemade tortillas!)

Q3: How do you do laundry? (I heard they do it by hand, but was hoping this wasn't true)

there is no laundry places around so you just wash by hand and ya its no good and there is a lot to wash ha ha (Holy Cow -- as a mom this makes me chuckle I must admit)

Q4: Most importantly, how's the missionary work going? we are teaching one man, and he is really cool. he is policeman. then we have another women, her name is Alma and she has a baby with the biggest eyes, she is way cute and then we have a family of 5 that is really close to baptism and ya its good! and still have like 13 investigators that we have to teach, so ya... my mission is good. i am in la cruz not by the water, you can't even see the water from where i am. the houses are all cement and like pink or blue, no lie ha it is crazy and it is going good my trainer is really cool and helps me a ton and he pushes me to do things but not too bad like he will just be teaching and be like now my companion will explain this but then helps me out so its good and ya the food is like all soups and stuff - tortilla and beans - but it is good i am almost out of time but i will write a letter because 30 min is not enough time to write everything i want and so i will send that. love you guys and hope everything is going good for you and ya it is really really hot and wish i was in the snow....but i love you guys tons more than words but just working hard and learning the language little by little. love you guys and i will talk with you later! Elder Reid

I joined a missionary mom website that hooks you up with other moms who have sons in the same area. I met the mom of his Zone leader, who just finished serving with Derek's companion (Elder Lopez). Sounds like he's a good trainer to have. I can't wait to hear more. I'll try to post his addresses real soon!

Sweaty Awesome!

He's in Mexico! We received an email today (03/03/09, ~noon) - we don't plan to post all his e-mails but couldn't resist posting his first reactions!
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ok so i am here in mexico now and it is really huge! Like when we landed in mexico city it was the biggest city i have ever seen. it has houses everywhere and when we flew out it was like so lit up. there are just so many houses and it is weird, they just like build their houses right up the side of the mountain. but ya, it is really cool here and really a change. the drivers down here are insane. they can never ever say that the utah drivers are bad -like they don't always follow traffic rules -- signs or stop signs are pretty much optional!
so my companion will be elder lopez and i am going to my first place to serve and it will be mazatlan - sweet huh? it's going to be way cool! just getting to know the language and do the best that i can do and just hang in there. it is way hot here like getting off the plane you could just feel the wetness in the air and it was like on your hands and everything. I sweat more in 15 sec then i have when running a mile.....but this is really weird typing on a mexican keyboard and the capitol button is different and so ya and its got the accent thing and all so it is really different.
i will email you like monday is the p day and so i will let you know how my new area is. i am good and healthy and am ready to get out there and start doing the lord’s work.....love you guys tons and tons and hope you are all doing good and work is fine....ask me any questions you want and i will answer them next week. love you and take care
love you tons
elder REID

Randomness

While we anxiously await Elder Reid to arrive in Mexico on Monday I've been thinking about what fun times we've had with him. Derek was born with a nutty mischievous side that always kept us laughing. In the pic on the left he had just found his dad’s old snakeskin cowboy boots in a closet and thought it was a good time to make fun of them (ya gotta click on the picture to fully appreciate!). You never knew what to expect with this kid. When the kids were younger and my mom would call to chat she would often say, “wow, sounds like you have a house full” – and often I would reply with, “no, that’s just Derek.” When Derek played, he played hard! And when he was younger he was loud with an endless imagination for adventure. He could make up an adventurous story that would go on and on and on (which later made him a great writer)… When we first got active in church in Layton, Blythe was six and Derek was four. They LOVED primary and their primary teachers were a blast. Shortly after we started to attend church it was time for the annual primary program. Excited, we invited Grandma & Grandpa Reid to come watch the program with us. They both looked so cute up there and were so excited. However, we quickly started to giggle as Derek was singing at the TOP of his lungs and it was obvious he didn’t know the words at all! I felt my face flush. We just watched and giggled. So I think with some of our posts I just might have to include a fun tid-bit about our son that you might not have known about him (as you know he protrays a quiet side too). One of his favorite things to do was tweak his sister. Like when he catapulted her Barbies across the room with home made devices, made up his own lyrics to songs she loved to sing, and then succeeded in busting her out in uncontrollable giggles when she’d tried to get mad at him!

As for his current status, his e-mail was short and sweet this week. He sounds super busy getting ready and pumped up for Monday. Besides learning and studying he's weighing his suitcases and getting packed. He flies out at 6:15 a.m.! Makes connections in Dallas and Mexico City (with a five hour layover there!) and finally arrives Culiacan at 9pm… He has to get up at 3am on Monday to get to the airport on time (yikes!) – that’s going to be a looooong day! He’s quite excited and ready to get there and get started.

Word of the day... Fantastic!

Or in Spanish... "fantástico"

In Derek's last e-mail we noticed he used the word "fantastic" several times. In an update we gave him on family and friends he responded with a simple "that's fantastic!" To all those who sent him valentines treats, thank you!...they were all "fantastic!" He said he spent his V day in class and studying but loved all the treats and well wishes. Included in this e-mail he wrote: "I know having the gospel in your life really puts meaning into it and helps guide you and helps direct you. And yeah, it's weird to think how close it is coming til I will be in Mexico and doing the work and trying to learn the language even more! Ha, it will be fantastic! The time is just flying by and I am just chugging along. Last night in our devotional we had M. Russell Ballard speak. He spoke about having a good attitude and having a smile on your face and how that simple thing can really show how much happiness this gospel brings. Love you tons and tons mom and dad and hope all is well there in the home front, and talk to you later. P.S., I am not praying for the snow!... Love Elder Reid" --- (since Derek loves snow and cold I have been teasing him that he needs to stop praying for the cold white stuff -- thinking this is sort of his 'ideal exit' to the heat, sun and palm trees he will soon be experiencing!) I sent another home work assignment to him, and we are anxiously waiting to hear when he will be flying out. We’ll keep you posted on what his new mailing address will be when he gets there and gets settled. TTFN!