November - Steve

Hi family members,

                I am getting my news letter in early because I am asking you guys a question that I would like for you to discuss with your spouses and give a reply on this question. I know that many of us in this family are having some trouble with finances and such. I, for example, have come into a 400.00 dollar a month mission payment for Christopher. So here is my question. We are scheduled to have a family reunion next year scheduled tentativliy in the month of June at Glacier National Park. Is this something that you still want to do given the fact that money is a tight issue for some of us? Do you think you will be able to attend a family reunion if we have one? Would it be easier if we went someplace else? Think about it and lets discuss it. June is 7 months away.

                We took Christopher to the MTC last Wednesday and dropped him off as he starts his 2 years of missionary service. It was very emotional for Diane who is now in California with my oldest daughter who just gave birth to her 3^rd daughter Dana Steven Asvitt. Well the Steven is actually Eliese (sorry if I spelled it wrong) but to me she will always be known as Dana Steven. I will have Diane send out Christophers email address to those who would like it in case you would like to drop him a note while he is out. As a father I feel a great deal of gratitude ( I hate the word pride) to my Father in Heaven for helping my son become the young man that he is and I am thankful to him and The Lord for helping him become worthy to serve. I can’t tell you what it feels like to have a son worthy to serve the Lord but it can best be described as grateful humility and a profound joy. We attended the Salt Lake temple so Christopher could experience a live session. I even enjoyed this one because I could understand clearly what the old guys were saying and hear them. Anyway Diane did the work for her grandmother that day. Christopher baptized Diane on behalf of her grandmother than Diane did her other work that needed to be done and we finished off the day sealing her grandmother to her parents and husband so my son got to experience just about all that the temples are used for in one day. It was a good day.

                Brenda came home today from clinical and for the first time she experienced something that almost made her sick to her stomach. She went into the burn unit today and mentioned that the smell made her sick and that the sight made her upset. I think this was the first time that she may have felt real sorrow for other peoples pain. Otherwise she is plodding along and wishing that it was graduation day. She has 3 weeks left till semester break and looking forward to a little time off. Than one semester left in school and she will have made it through.

                Please one and all let me know what you think about the reunion and I will leave it up to our Father whether we proceed and get together or we don’t. if we hold one I will be there regardless so I hope to see you all soon in the future. With love to you all. Steve

November - Mom and Dad

Gravy...Gravy all over my turkey.....
Gravy...Gravy all over my spuds.....
I know of nothing more delicious.......
I love Gravy on white meat and
Gravy on dark meat ....
and Gravy on my dressing toooooo.

Sing this to the song that Patsy Cline sang called 'Crazy' and
you will have a good laugh...a good thought and fun times.....I do just that!!!

I have been singing it at the gym, at home, and as I am walking around delivering phone books with dad.
I have been teaching it to Jo and Barb so that they can join me for Thanksgiving fun times. People already know that we need help and this sort of proves it. We are trying to harmonize and it really can crack a person up with us oldies doing this. Oh well, life needs some laughter sometimes and it helps perk a person up when you can help make another persons day by just disappearing......what can I say our audiences do give us a chance. Funny how when we are through they all pull out their ear plugs....oh well

It has been a busy week or two having Christopher here for a few days before Steve and Diane got out here. I was fun having him around before he went into the MTC. It was great having Diane and Steve here too. A busy time. We attended the SLC temple and I had a wonderful time there. It felt good to be there with family and to come through the veil and be able to have hugs from my family. How heavenly is that?. I enjoyed the time spent with my kids.

After they left, I managed to clean up the bedrooms and freshen up the sheets one day and the next day my brother and his wife came down from Spokane, Wa. They will be here until after Thanksgiving. I will get the bedrooms cleaned up and sheets freshed up and Steve and Diane will be back for a day or two on their way home from California. Life it good when it is full of family!!!

We are planning on going down to Dennis' for Thanksgiving Day and we are looking forward to it. It will be fun and filling up our tummies will be part of that fun. Of course before we go dad and I will be up at 2:30am to get papers (the biggest one of the year) put together so that he can deliver them at a decent time. He will need the help for this one as it encourages everyone to hit the stores at 5:00am the day after with all the great sales for Christmas...I look upon that horrible time to shop just like I look upon 2:00am to do papers. Ugh! I will take my young bones and young muscles and be of help to dad...I hope. Then I willcome home and he will deliver those heavy things and hopefully get home at a decent time to get a bit of shut eye before we head down to Springville.

As we have done the phone books this year I find that as I walked from house to house that I really felt gratitude for the beauty of the earth around me. I noticed the many colors that the tree leafs are turning and the many different shapes of the leafs of the trees. The farm lands, the mountains, how great is this creation. There is so much love that the Lord put into this creation for us, just so we could enjoy it all if we would but take the time to really look around and see it. He loves us all and he has given us much to be thankful for....look for those little things/blessings that make you happy and humbly say thank you to him. Yes, life is a test in lots of ways....looking toward heaven  with thanksgiving in our hearts can help us over troublesome times...Stay strong my children! Stay close to the Lord! We will all make it.
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Yes Steve, we will be available for a reunion. It is hard to do because we are all so far away from each other, but we would not want to miss the chance of seeing all of you if it is possible. Let us know the where and when so we can plan for it.

My love to each of you children and grandchildren........Happiness to each of you.  Mom and Dad...grandpa and grandma which ever fits..........take care and be good people!!!!