I had to do it, it was going to be close...

As I predicted, this week was SIGNIFICANTLY more eventful than last week.

It all started on Monday, shortly after I finished my email we went to the Young Single Adults Softball activity in Out-To-Malta (Nobody ever just says "Malta"). I had never hit a softball before, but a good coach told me just before we left to keep my eye on the ball the whole time. So that worked quite well. I hit 3/3.

 ConfidentBatter

​​ ManDeTexas

​It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows though, I got slide-tackled by a member of the branch presidency while playing 2nd base. As I helped him up he said, "I had to do it, it was going to be close"

I only broke my ego and developed a phobia of grey-haired Idahoans, so I guess I'll be alright.

Afterwards we had Pie Shakes. It was just an ice cream shake with pie in it. 

The goal was to have a very American evening and I'd say it was a success.

​HUBCAP UPDATE:

We got a text from one of our relief society presidents that her husband had found our Corolla hubcap. It was on the train tracks where we lost it the 1st time. Luckily trains don't come through here anymore.

Foundit

​On the 3rd of July, we went up to Albion to help set up some tables for a Dutch oven cook-off. While we were up there we met a very interesting man wearing a construction vest, over-eyeglass sunglasses (with one of the lenses popped out), and a huge road map hanging out of his back pocket. He said he was looking for The City of The Rocks in Almo (However, he pronounced it ALL-MO). We told him what was going on and he decided that he had come far enough and was going to enjoy the free festivities of Albion (he pronounced it AL-BEE-ON). He is probably the first new person we have talked to in Albion for a while.

Anyway, the next day we went back up and helped line up the floats for the parade. J's was one of our favorites. He is kinda known as the Turkey guy up there. They wanted us to judge the floats, but since Albion has a history of issues between members and non-members. We decided we would be too partial, and didn't want to be run out of town with pitchforks and torches (although that would have made a HECK of a weekly email). 

So we had the Malta Elders do it. At least they didn't have to go back to Albion for church if they get run out of town.

PARADE PICS:

OutlawRun

​​

​Lots of people up here have served all over the world, so we get some cultural rub off from time to time. Like this 5 yen coin from Japan.

Yen

​It's only worth like 5 cents, and it has a hole in it because traditionally they would tie a piece of leather through the middle and knot it to carry them around.

Apparently Nevada is on fire. So it's pretty smoky up here. We have also seen a lot of the tankers flying between Pocatello and wherever they are dumping the red stuff. Hopefully it stays down there where it is uninhabitable. If you hear that there are 22,000 acres being burned but only like 3 houses were destroyed, that's pretty desolate.

We think the smoke in the air made the sunsets pretty neat this week. You could almost look at them with just sunglasses:

SmokySun

​​Sunset@Pitstop

​Speaking of fires and giant fusion reactors in space, it hawter than the devils easy bake oven up here:

PreheatedCorolla

​We also had Exchanges this week! This time I held down Fort Declo with Elder Snow. It was a good time. We got to see a lot of people who we haven't seen in a while. We also got to visit the retired detective. He had some good stories this time. He originally started working for the Burley Police Department, but right after they hired him, they merged with the Cassia County Sheriff's Office. He showed us his badge from the now defunct BPD. It has, not even kidding, a POTATO right in the middle of it that says "Potato Processing Capital of the World." They are proud of those up here.

He also told us some stories about his sister-in-law. But every time he said her name, all Elder Snow and I could hear is "Anime". Elder Snow gave me a look and I struggled not to just bust out laughing when he said things like "Anime was a piece of work"

DecloXchange

​One of our dinner's this week was Steak and Potatoes. It was good, big steak. They offered me a 2nd steak, and I couldn't turn it down. I attacked it from all sides. Once I got down to the last couple three bites they looked at me and said,

"Dude, you don't have to eat it all"

"I have too, I've been challenged"

"C'mon man, you're sweating"

I finished the steak, and broke my personal record for amount of meat consumed in one sitting.

Last night we had snow cones with the M. family again. They have a tandem bike that they pulled out for us, we will have a video of us riding it next time. 

We will ABSOLUTELY be using to tract in the near future. (Who could turn us down riding THAT?)

BicicletaParaDos pic at top of blog 

​Also this week, we did service.

and saw cows:

​​

​and Turkeys:

​This morning we went fishing!

We went down to Spring Creek first because it runs behind our house, but it was too small. It had nice scenery though. I had my work shoes and tube socks on. So I got a ton of these little spike things in my leg. I understand why cowboy boots are so popular up here now.

~~Anyway~~

We went fishing down on the Rio Snaek behind a members house instead. I caught the smaller fish, but it was right at the 1 foot limit so we kept it. Good old Albion J. will cook it up for us.

Elder Blashill caught a big one. We thought it was a catfish at first but then we saw the scales. It was a carp... So we threw it back, but it was still a good time.

SpringCreek

​​Phishin

Trout

​​BlashillCarp

​​

​This next week should be pretty eventful too. We have a lot of service lined up, and DECLO Days are this weekend. Stay tuned!

Love you all!

-Elder 'Slip

BONUS:

Panorama from the Declo Stake Center

Q & A

​Glad ya'll had fun up in DC. It is crazy to me that the last time we did that was 3 years ago! Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 

1. Do you need anything? (I’ll mail your retainer) The retainer is really all right now. I am going to have to buy meds this week. They won't fill them until Wednesday and the last one is on Sunday.

2. Best day this week? Exchanges with Elder Snow were really pretty great, reminiscing on the good ol' Kimberly days. 

3. What did you learn this week? LOTS OF STUFF! I really can't keep up. We have been committing members to read the missionary lessons in the new Preach My Gospel. So we have been reading it too.

4. What are you studying? Preach My Gospel 2.0!

5. Funniest day this week? Probably the 4th of July. I really was about to start rolling on the floor when we were visiting with L. and the anime thing.

6. Transfer predictions? I think I will stay here with Elder Blashill. This one will be hard to guess. We will be getting 7 new Spanish elders the transfer after this one, so pretty much everyone will be training again.

7. How was your July 4th? Really good, the family that sent you the picture on the 4th had kabobs for dinner. The parade was fun and we had to be in before the fireworks happened. 

8. Best meal this week? The Steak with the P. family. They had like a pot of potatoes and cheese with it. I was rolling out of the house.  

9. Any questions for me? YES! Where are the fires in Nevada? How does Ritalin work? Can you overdose on it?

10. What qualities does Elder Silva have that make him so easy to get along with? He is very passive, but a hard worker no matter what the situation is. He is from Peru, which is like the Canada of South America (In terms of humility, not socialism)

LOVE YOU SOO MUCH!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!