In honor of memorial day...

In honor of Memorial Day, cheers to Derek's Grandpa -- Roy Reid! Come win or lose -- he was at almost every one of Derek's games (baseball, basketball, soccer -- Derek loved to play them all) and he came to Blythe's dance recitals ta boot! He was a wonderful grandpa and enjoyed spoiling everyone of his grand kids! He hoped to see one of his grandchildren serve, and I'm sure (if possible) he's with Elder Reid every step of the way! Here's to you Roy! We love you and miss you more!... (especially at Christmas!)

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As for our favorite Elder... he continues to do well. I'm not correcting his spelling this time... I think it's cute that - A) he doesn't care cause he's always hurrying or, B) his Spanish is progressing (which is cool, ha ha!). I'm so anxious to see a picture to see how skinny he's gotten though, hmmmm...!

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i got your packages, thank yuo so so much i loved them and all that was in them -- i loved it! thank you so so much......but that's cool, i miss golfing dad - wow! ha ha and your titalist hat in the picture, nice! Nothing much new this week and well, nothing wierd that i have ate but monday i got like a 24 hr bug thing. we were teaching and my head was spinning and got done and i ran outside and threw up ha ha and so we called the presidents wife and she said to buy gatrade and so we go and i get it and am standing in line and the lady in front of me just decideds to buy the whole store that day! i am just spinning in circles at this point and i just about threw the money at the counter and left but i pay and go out the doors and it comes out! and i throw up till there is nothing left and go to the house and get a bucket and take one of those super pills that i got from the doctor at home - but they make you so dizzy, but it worked and slept all night but in the morning i was so dizzy the pages of the Book of Mormon were spinning ha ha! but i just finished reading it a second time thru last Sunday which is cool! But i am good now and my companion got it on friday and the other companions on saturday ha ha so it was and interesting week, but i am good now... and with the sickness - yes, i think i have lost more wight ah ah but thats all i have and the work continues! this next monday i am transfering to el Carrizo, its like 7 hours from were i am and my email will probably be on tuesday ok? but love you guys tons and tons Elder Reid--

sí, señor!

It took a few tries, but alas we got through to Derek on Mother’s Day, it was so good to hear his voice!!! All four of us had phones attached to our ears and filled him full of questions. You could tell he was sometimes struggling to think of words in English and would answer “sí” instead of yes to some of our questions. I asked about the family that’s getting baptized this week and he rattled off their names in Spanish and I understood none of it but “husband and wife” (he got to baptize the wife on Saturday). The weirdest thing he’s eaten is horse and get this... dog (holy moly) – he says he usually doesn’t know what he’s eaten until after it’s swallowed. He told Blythe after one meal his stomach hurt and his companion laughed and told him “that’s because you ate pickled pig skin” – to which Derek replied “jerk!” Ha ha! (This is Derek’s sense of humor, he really loves his companion). Their apartment is really really small, and says he gets electrocuted every morning when he turns on the water heater to the shower which barely even gets warm. He’s taken pictures of the spiders and iguana outside the apartment (which he's sending). He’s in an upper level apartment so there aren’t too many critters up there and no cockroaches (or so he thinks). P-days are on Mondays in most parts of Mexico for a reason… seems people party so heartily that Monday is a day of recovery. It’s not uncommon to see men laying in the streets passed out! Ha ha ha. When asked about what he misses most about home he replied… the everyday luxuries and he would love to sink his teeth into a big juicy steak. He also misses COLD drinks such as milk and drinks with ice. He eats lots and lots of soups which he thinks is really weird because the weather is so HOT there. He misses us but hasn’t ever gotten “down in the dumps” homesick – too busy for that business. Of course dad, Derek and Steven talked weaponry, gun trade stuff and drug cartels. His sense of humor has stayed intact and he’s doing great. I can’t believe it’s already been 4-1/2 months (but who’s counting!). He sends congrats out to Jared who is getting ready to turn his papers in and is excited to hear where he will be going – so don’t forget to call us Jared! (Derek and Jared have been good friends and partners in crime since waaaay waaaay back -- 2nd grade maybe?). Jared will be an awesome missionary!
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In other news… about a week ago my dad snuck past mom while she was busy and went out and climbed up a ladder in the backyard of their house to make some repairs on their patio roof which has been leaking. Now if you’ve seen my dad lately, he’s getting pretty wobbly, not sure why he thought this was a good idea… but wobbling up the ladder with a drill in hand he did – and when he reached the top he lost his footing and came crashing down – wedging him into a tight little spot between the fence and the shed. He told me on the phone “I needed a front end loader, a back hoe and a tombstone at that point!” Mom couldn’t hear his cries for help and he somehow managed to wiggle his way out an hour later. This little event landed him in the hospital a few days later with internal bleeding – from the fall or Mom yelling at him for doing such a silly thing we’re not quite sure which yet! Ha ha ha! As she put it… they even warn him to be careful SHAVING and here he is climbing up a ladder with a drill! He’s getting released from the hospital today in St. George. We wish them BOTH luck! I’m pretty sure my dad has well over nine lives… more like a thousand and nine?
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Right under Elder Reid's addresses to the right, I've posted some fun stories from the MM's (missionary mom's) Mexico web-club I joined. There's even a couple stories from dads -- read through them if you have time, they are quite entertaining! :-)

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