So. I asked Jacob what he wanted for his "First Dinner". I was expecting pizza, hamburgers, tacos....

September 3, 2008
Hmm...first meal back. I think that Salmon would be amazing. I've had beef a few times since I've been in India, but I have not had any fish that I have enjoyed or liked, which is a shame because I like seafood. There are lots of things that were not meant to be eaten with masala in a curry, and fish, is one of the big ones. Fish curry is terrible. But a huge, thick salmon fillet sounds amazing right now. I don't care how it's cooked so much, as long as there is no curry, and no masala.

I guess we can fit in all the other favorites later. And it's not to worry about the curry and masala. Shayne thinks the spices used in Indian cuisine are "confused" and we try not to stray too far for a man who prefers "simple tastes".

Shiloh had mentioned one of his zone leaders got the "red chop" on his visa run, which he said is similar to the black spot on Muppet Treasure Island. This elder spent a night in jail and was then sent to New Zealand until things cooled down. Knowing Shiloh has to go on his visa runs every 90 days, I was a little curious (okay, concerned).

September 6, 2008
My visa run should be the 23rd of this month and we will fly then. Elder Taiamoni got the Red Chop, we speculate, because he has a New Zealand Passport, but he is Tongan. Border crossings depend on the kind of passport you have, how many times you've been, and the color of your skin. I'm pretty safe.

And so, Jacob had to share that two of the office elders were put in jail recently. But , they claim they taught a "way sweet lesson" to a Nepali that was there visiting also...

Caitlin missed a big invitational on Saturday. She attended an all day workshop at the school, and is now an "official" tutor and will be able to help during remediation time at school. I don't think she was too disappointed to miss the meet. She loves to run, but only for enjoyment, not competition.

Rebecca, on the other hand, seems to enjoy the competition. She ran a personal best for this 5K, and I was impressed. It's a tough course. There is a section that is run twice, and it's a loooong uphill. The finish is also part of that loooooong uphill. She offered her dad a hug as we were getting ready to leave (she was staying to cheer on the JV), and he refused! Well, not a complete refusal, he countered with a finger hug. I can't believe he'd let a little (a lot?) of sweat get in the way of a hug, especially one offered by a teenage girl. Especially when that teenage girl's dad is dressed and sunblocked from head to toe (in 90+ heat) so not one single sun ray can touch him and looking completely nerdy.


Jaimee just completed one of her value projects for her YW personal progress. She decided to learn how to preserve apples, and so together we made applesauce and apple pie filling, and dried sliced apples. And so, 14 quarts of applesauce and 10 quarts of pie filling later..... I'm hoping she still wants to help, now that her project is over.