hands

We are keeping our fingers crossed that our dancer does her best this weekend at her

national competition in Florida.

We will miss her peace out sign and the hairstyles she does for us with her hands!

I am sad I won't be there to help her if she needs anything, but I know she will be in good hands (even if they aren't mine.)

Here is a small clip of their practice this week:

Doesn't it just make you want to put your hands together for them?

words

Rick was released on Sunday and it has been fascinating to listen to what people have to say. We really don't have any words which adequately express our feelings when someone is released in our church. Most people say, "Congratulations!" My daughter asked, "Why are people congratulating dad? Is it because he made it out alive?"

They also say congratulations to the new bishop, which I find humorous because it's not like he applied for the job and won! And many people have expressed their thanks in words. We found this sweet note with a box of See's Candy on our porch:

Personally, it has been hard for me to put all the feelings I have into words and I am fairly certain others are struggling with the same challenge. I thought I could write about it in this blog post, but the words in my brain and in my heart are not making it on the page. The best word I have is gratitude. I am truly grateful for those who have looked past our shortcomings, loved us for who we are and watched over us with such love and devotion. I am grateful for a husband who finished what he was asked to do, for children who understood the importance of what their dad had been asked to do and for blessings too numerous to list. Thank you - two simple words said with more emotion than could ever be written with words on a page.

P.S. Sometimes food is a great substitute for words :-)

my view today

I am ready to blog again! Life is just passing by and I want to take the time to record where we have been, where we are going and where we are today!

This was my morning desert view:

I know desert living isn't for every one, but it works for me today!

Pretty in Pink!

Obviously, I am a little behind with the blog - but I decided to jump in and start where I am! This was a great week for several reasons.

One, we were actually home for an entire week.

Second, we were able to complete some major home repairs that should have been done years ago. (The builder replaced our carpet padding and insulated our attic and garage ceiling.)

Third, we actually painted two rooms: Kaleen's and Meghan's. They are the best workers and stayed on task until it was completed!

You will have to check back next week to see what great things I can do when I am home for TWO weeks!

Disneyland '08

The first weekend in March we made a trip to CA to go to Disneyland. Thank You Grandma and Uncle Curt for the tickets! :D We got to spend two days in both parks so we had a lot of time. We were able to go on pretty much everything that we wanted to. We had a great time and of course, it wouldn't be a trip to Disneyland without Rachel. So we were happy to bring her and Dana along!

A family pic as we enter the park

Mom and Grandma on the teacups

Lauren and Rachel seeing each other for the first time in 4 months! That is too long to be apart :)

Meghan, Lauren, Rachel and Kaleen on Soarin' Over California

Kaleen and Mom on Autopia

Mom and Dad going to the "It's tough to be a bug" show

Meghan and her snazzy bug glasses

Meghan and Kaleen on Jumpin Jellyfish

Meg, Mom and Dad on the Ferris Wheel, Swinging Gondola

Kaleen and Mom on Splash Mountain

Lauren and Rachel

Lauren on teacups

Kaleen on teacups

Kaleen and Lauren in line for Haunted Mansion

Sorry for so many pictures but I couldn't just pic out a few!

Under New Management

Well since Mom is so flippin amazing in everything that she does, she has found that she doesn't have much time to keep up on the blog so Lauren has kindly taken over the task of posting. Updates soon to come!

Elder Laj jutz' kar in the Polochick Valley

So, yeah, I actually did move.......kinda far away.....

Remember that place I told you about way back when? That Polochick Valley where if you go there you stay there your whole mission and get to learn indiginous Mayan and have to teach in it?

Yeah, I kinda got sent there. And so I stop learning spanish. and now I have to start learning kekchi. Its kinda of a hard language to learn...
So pretty much the study aids that I have to learn this thing are a grammer book, a dictionary, and the scriptures. and my comp who is actually a really good guy.

so, yeah, I will be in the same zone for the rest of my mission. and it reallyy is pretty beautiful out here. The people are really awesome and humble.But now, once again I have absolutely no Idea what anyone is saying. Its kinda hard. pray for me.

so what does the valley look like? well, throw in The Other Side of Heaven, take away the beach and sand, and put in mountains instead. and there you have it. I literaly will walk through the jungle every day of my mission. So yeah, it gets kinda humid around here. I have forgotten what it feels like to be dry. I havent stopped sweating since I got here. Its really kind of cool.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q'eqchi'_language

So yea, dont worry about where Im living, we have actually a really nice apartment that has a kitchen and hot water and everything to shower with. sIts actually the greatest place to be in the whole mission. It is the one place in the mission that everyone speaks of with envy in their eyes.

ok, new address


Mission Guatemala ciuduad Norte
Elder Dallin Trout
Apartado Postal # 951A
Guatemala, Guatemala, CA

So yea, I even get a new name when I get here. And a new name tag in kekchi. but more about the new name. People here cant pronounce english names at all, so to make it easier, the people will pick new names for the elders, and we introduce ourselves by these names. my new name is Laj jutz´ kar. it literaly means Mr Pointy Fish. dont ask. so, when we contact people, we dont say yo soy elder... we say lain Laj jutz´ kar. kinda of funny really... the idea with the new name is to make the people laugh. I dont know why we just do.

I apologize cuz I doubt that I will be able to email everyone back because the computers that we use to email are horrible (but im grateful that they exist!!!)

So yeah, in this one week I have done alot of really cool awesome things. and have eaten some really strange things too. and Im learning to cook.


yeah, got to see the funeral live. and in enlgish. really cool time.

-Elder Laj jutz` kar