December 13th Democratic Debate in Iowa

Enjoy

THE KING'S SINGERS, BECCA'S BIRTHDAY AND THE HAPPY PIRATES

Becca has really been enjoying her job lately. Using the laptop, she can work anywhere she wants. There were at least two days this last week when she worked in bed. Tough life. The day before her birthday was kind of nostalgic for us because we went back to the apartment building where we met and fell in love. Did we do it just for kicks? No, that would be weird. We did it because several of our old friends are in an improve comedy group and were doing a double show with another improve group. They did their job because I just about laughed myself out of my chair a few times. They needed a good master of ceremonies though, so I sent an email to one of my friends and told him that I was interested. I think that that would be really fun.

Thank you again to all of you who called my dear wife or sent her a card or gift to wish her a happy birthday. We celebrated by going out to eat at our favorite Indian restaurant. For some reason or another we hadn't been there since we'd returned from Brazil so that was a nice treat.

Yesterday we had the treat of watching the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra perform their annual Christmas concert with the King's Singers as the guest performers. Becca's aunt Emma graciously gets us tickets and we LOVE to go to these concerts. World class performances FOR FREE! I've included a playlist of the King's Singers bellow for those who are unfamiliar or fans of the group.

Today we enjoyed a visit from Aunt Emma, Deb, Alicia and Darren. Becca cooked a lovely meal that included a spinach/Italian sausage/pasta dish, bruschetta and green beans on the side which was complemented nicely by the green salad and éclairs that our guests brought. I was in California when Darren and Alicia were married and so this was the first time that I had met him, which was fun because he seems like a nice guy. We're always happy to see Emma and Deb.
I don't know where the month has gone but tomorrow is my last week of work for the month. We hope that our new clients bury us with work and that our old clients find things to send our way. Thanks to all of you for you letters, phone calls, posts and comments on our blog.

MORE BRIAN REGAN

I've heard some good things about the other Brian Regan playlist I posted (if you haven't seen it or want to see it again click here and then scroll down a bit) so I put together another one. It's not from just one routine like the other video but still has a lot of funny stuff. Enjoy.

A LAPTOP, A CHRISTMAS PARTY AND LOTS OF SNOW

I think the biggest news this week is the arrival of our new laptop. With the help of my good friend Dan Taylor, we were able to buy a 17 inch Vostro with lots of bells and whistles. Although now is our slow time of year and we can kind of get away with sharing a computer we will eventually have an absolute need for a second computer since Becca and I will both be going full throttle with the business. I'm mulling around on some business ideas that I think will work out nicely for us.

Here's Becca slaving away in the kitchen at the Church

Now that I think about it, our ward Christmas party at church was a big deal for us since we're on the Activities Committee. I put together the talent show and was the MC again but Becca was given the enormous job of coordinating the food. She stressed out a lot but was able to get some good advice from some wonderful people out east and here from some of the ladies at Church. A bunch of people really helped out a lot and she ended up putting together just the right amount of food. That said, there's a bunch of left-over cake sitting in our fridge right now, in addition to a ton of rolls. Where's Grant when you need him?

It has snowed a ton out here in Utah over the weekend. We're happy to have an SUV and to have our chapel across the street. In closing I'd like to refer you to the many new links on the right hand margin of the blog.

NUESTRO AMIGO HUGO

Este posteo es más para mis amigos y familiares que hablan español y por eso no voy a escribir otra versión en inglés. Hay muchos jefes de estado, y otros líderes nacionales, que echan la culpa al presidente estadounidense George W. Bush y a los EE.UU. por problemas propios que no tienen absolutamente nada que ver con los gringos. El estafador tal vez más grande y más exitoso de todos estos sinvergüenzas es el excelentísimo presidente Hugo Chávez de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela. Este neo-fascista ha inspirado a varios comediantes del mundo hispano e incluso al mismo rey Juan Carlos I de España. Puesto que hay tanto material chistoso en el internet, pensé que sería divertido poner un poco en mi blog. Que lo disfruten.

THANKSGIVING 2007

This last trip out to California seems like a month ago rather than just a week. Becca and I actually argued over who got to drive on the way there. We're still very much enjoying our new SUV. We did not, however, enjoy getting a flat tire outside of Wendover, Nevada especially since the tires are all new. After putting the spare on and driving at a roaring 45 mph to the nearest Les Schwab I realized that I had gotten a flat and bought a tire at the exact same place four years ago.

The rest of the trip went pretty smoothly and it was very nice to go and spend time at my mom's house in Modesto. Grant was very generous to let us have his room during our stay there. The next day Grant went to school, I accompanied Garit up to Sacramento for a job interview and the ladies stayed and ran around shopping for food and then preparing it. Here is a picture of Becca's famous berry pie which did not survive Thanksgiving day in spite of the presence of at least five other pies.
Thanksgiving Day at Grandma Barbara's house is always nice but it was even better this year because my cousin Jarit could come and join us. It's been years since I had seen him and it looks like he's in great shape. It had also been too long since we'd seen the Lee's. It almost reminded me of the days when I was a kid and the whole family would get together. This Thanksgiving was nice but we were still missing a few of you.

This video was accidentally taken by one of my aunts who was having some problems with our camera.

She eventually figured it out.

After dinner we played two very good games of Apples to Apples both of which my aunt Gina won. Before we started playing she had been accused as a cheater but I watched her pretty closely and it looked like she won both games fair and square.

The next day we went out to Atwater where the Boothes had patiently saved their Thanksgiving feast for us. Dinner came a little later than expected but we were in good company and had delicious appetizers that quelled our stomachs. Becca and Breanna also had fun outside picking raspberries like I used to do every time that I came over to Grandma and Grandpa Boothe's house as a kid.
Becca was so impressed with my aunt Merrilynn's vegi-bake that she came home and made one for us back in Utah. Apples to Apples seems to be a family favorite and we played it in Atwater too but not before playing Crazy 9's which is my grandpa's favorite game. Grandpa has an uncanny way of beating everybody at that game but this time I managed to come in first place. I wonder if he just let someone else win so nobody can say that he wins all the time. We went back to Modesto that night wishing that we could come back to Atwater sooner. This Christmas we'll hopefully be able to see the Patterson's as well as everyone else. What are you Texas Boothes' plans?
The rest of the trip went by pretty fast. Garit, Grant and I put up Mom's Christmas lights and then she, Becca and I went to Oakland at the invitation of one of Mom's friends. It was fun to see Bro. Chandler again. On Sunday we went to church with Mom and Grant but then Becca began feeling very sick and I took her back to my mom's house. When I came back the Spanish Branch was getting together for Sacrament Meeting and I couldn't resist attending. It was wonderful to see my friends who all seem to be doing quite well.


We miss all of you out east and are looking forward to seeing you for Richard's baptism and Christmas next year. That seems like a long time to wait so maybe Walter and RossAnn will be able to make another trip out here before then. Thanks again to all of our wonderful family and friends who made this last trip to California so enjoyable. SEE YOU IN THREE WEEKS!

South Carolina Democratic Debate

Here are some of the latest political debates in the form of video play-lists. I've added these play-lists because I think that it's good for us all to hear what the candidates have to say. In this online format you can watch them, re-watch them or not watch them at your own leisure. Don't forget the republicans below this video.

Florida Republican Debate

Here are the Republicans.

Flashing toothbrushes and the 1920's...

Alright...a little bit of background...

I came across this video of my nephew after my sister and brother-in-law left a CD of their family pictures for the past year.

It is probably one of the funniest videos I have seen lately...

Enjoy...I do... probably half a dozen times a day !! :) My favorite part is when the music changes...you will see what I mean! So make sure you turn your sound on!!!!

Our New 2005 Hyundai Tuscon!!!!!!!!

Just a quick post so you can all see our new SUV! We bought it yesterday(Friday) and brought it home today(Saturday)! There were a few areas that needed work on the body as well as having the interior thoroughly cleaned, and so the dealership detailed it for us which is why we didn't take it home Friday. It is still under factory warranty which is great.

Isn't it beautiful???? So nice and new looking,
only 2 years old!
Ryan with the fancy rental! It is only 2 months old!

The interior is so nice in there! Everything is sooo fancy and new!

Our rental is a 2008 Dodge Magnum...so with the two cars in the parking lot right next to each other, our neighbors have been giving us some dirty looks...lol...it isn't a very fancy apartment complex, and nobody has nice cars...oh well...I just hope nothing gets stolen!

Our two parking spaces are filled up nicely at the moment!
Power everything except seats....drat.
We finally have a button to lock and unlock the car!
The lights blink to let us know it has worked!
Fabulous!!!

We look forward to seeing our family in California over Thanksgiving, and can't wait to drive our new car over the Sierra Nevada Mountains! YAY! Especially, now that we have cruise control...what a fabulous invention!!!
~Becca

Inside :)

The back of the two vehicles.
Nice and big! It will make moving hopefully to California next summer, and transporting my massage table to appointments easier!

Drivers side view of the interior.
The white paint, and the lighter interior will be a blessing while driving in California and during summer time!

WEDDINGS, SUV'S AND 简体中文

The weddings last weekend were very enjoyable. It was great to have my brother and sister-in-law Rick and Leah and their twins here for a few days. Becca’s cousin Alicia, one of the brides, was happily glowing as much as anyone would hope that a bride would. I’m sorry that I didn’t get to see Aunt Marsha and Uncle Martin, Val or any of the other extended relatives that I’ve met before. Becca said that Alicia was a lovely bride and that the ceremony and reception were all very nice. We wish the best for them both.

The day that Alicia got married Becca and I got up at 5:20am to drive me out to the airport so I could fly to L.A. and go to my good friend Vicki Farthing’s wedding. As sad as I was to miss out on Alicia’s wedding I have to say that it was absolutely wonderful to see many of my good friends, their families, my mom and of course my brother Garit who I hadn’t actually seen since I dropped him off at the MTC two years ago. My friends Doug and Sarah were excellent hosts, as always, and I was reminded all weekend of why I have always been so fond of them. My good friend Andrew and his wife Karina were fun to talk to especially since I haven’t seen them since they got married. I was particularly amused to listen in on their little argument about buying nice unnecessary furniture to organize things. That argument sounds all too familiar. I’ve still got your back on that one Andrew! Vicki was a beautiful bride and although I have only had a few occasions to talk with her new husband, he has made nothing but a good impression on me. We wish the best for them as well.

My friend/Chinese tutor Wolf sent me some excellent study materials for learning Mandarin Chinese. That was very generous of him. I finally broke down and bought a Mandarin/English dictionary as well so my Chinese went much better this week. I’ve also figured out how to write in simplified Chinese characters on the computer so 我喜欢写在简体中文. What I wrote is probably slightly incorrect but it’s a good start.

I’d like to send a big thank you to all of you who contacted us this week with car advice. We’ve made a list of your suggestions and it has helped us in our car search. By the way, who recommended the Ford? This Saturday we test drove a 2002 Mazda Tribute, a 2003 Honda CR-V and a 2005 Hyundai Tucson. You all overwhelmingly recommended the Honda CR-V so we were pretty excited to drive it. This particular Honda CR-V was a big disappointment. The engine made funny idling noises that we recognize from our little Acura, however, our Acura is fifteen years old and this vehicle is only four. I then noticed that the exhaust, while not black, was a very visible shade of grey. Then the motor shuddered and made noises, like our little old car does, when we put it in reverse. We were set on not buying it before we got on the road.

The 2002 Mazda Tribute was the first car we drove since it was at a dealership not one mile from our apartment. It’s a smooth ride, has leather interior, all wheel drive and a sun roof. It’s a deep red, almost maroon color and Becca really likes it. The same dealership had a 2005 Hyundai Tucson so we took that out for a spin next. Also a smooth ride, though not quite as much pick up as the Tribute, carpeted interior instead of leather and it’s got a few small nicks and scratches. The thing is it has the same price tag as the Mazda, which is three years older. I think that it’s an incredible deal but Becca hates the way it looks. Your thoughts and comments about the two vehicles are welcome.

CAR ADVICE

As you can see, our car is in pretty bad shape. We took it in for an estimate and the auto body shop said that the repair would cost 250% of the worth of the car. The insurance company sent out an independent appraiser to look over the car and do his own assessment. It turned out to be this twenty-one-year-old guy making a stop while he was on a date. He made her wait in his car while he took pictures of ours.

In any case, they'll probably give us a check and take our car to be stripped and then sell the profitable parts. That means that we're car shopping. We're looking to buy something that is bigger than a common sedan but smaller than a minivan. Neither Becca nor I know much about cars so we'd really appreciate your suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

CHINA, CAR ACCIDENTS AND NEW CLIENTS

As you can see in the video, Becca and I moved the computer into one of our back rooms. Sorry about the lighting. Having the computer back here helps us utilize all of the space in our apartment, which I actually like quite a bit. I'm easy to please though; having a dishwasher is great!


Am I the only one who hasn't heard of this guy? Apparently he's been around a while.

BILLING STINKS

Some of you have discovered youtube.com through our little videos here. Youtube is like everything else on the net, there are good things about it and really bad things so just be careful while you go poking around on that site. We hope you enjoy this week's post!
This little kid is really funny

TALKING HEAD BLOG

Here's my video. Sorry, nothing from the Lovely Becca this week.


This one is funny.

VIDEO BLOG

So I've been tinkering around with things and decided to talk to you all this week instead of just write to you. Go ahead and push play below to our videos. Don't worry if it takes a few minutes to download them.

BRAZIL

Hi everyone. Here is a brief look at what we did this summer. There are three posts below this one that most of you haven't seen. I hope you enjoy Becca's pictures as much as I do.

Brett and I pose in the Salt Lake Airport, getting ready to go to Atlanta and then São Paulo.

Our fearless leaders. Our program director, Dr. Fails, and his grad-student gopher, Orrin.

A shot of our living room in São Paulo

A view from outside our window in São Paulo

The natural beauty of the state of Rio de Janeiro

Here we are at a German festival in Petrópolis, state of R.J. The two girls are the ones that we shared the house with in São Paulo

Here I am at the gardens in front of Emperor Peter the 2nd's old summer home

BRAZIL II

Here we are at Iguaçu: the biggest waterfalls in the world

Here is the lovely Becca with a cool backdrop

These little buggers are native to the Iguaçu region. Push play to see the video that Becca took

BRAZIL III

Here we are at the botanical gardens in Curitiba, a very nice city in Southern Brazil

This statue, also at the botanical gardens, is called Motherly Love.

Here we are on the unpaved road we accidentally took to get to our getaway on the coast in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

This is the pool and the view on our deck in a little inn that we stayed at on the coast.

Here's another view from the deck of our room on the coast of South-East Brazil

This is Wilma, a friend from our church back in São Paulo, and her little son Igor. Her husband is taking the picture.

Here's us saying goodbye to our friends and neighbors Gadevam and Celia.

One last kiss on the cheek for Dona Maria who took such good care of us in Brazil

BACK IN UTAH

We love having our own place again. It’s fun to be a guest in a hotel or in the home of someone close but I’m never entirely comfortable for very long without my own space. Becca and I arrived in Salt Lake at one o’clock Tuesday afternoon and went immediately down to Provo to begin looking at apartments. Aunt Emma was very kind and dropped the car off for us after keeping it at her house all summer long. We ended up renting the second place that we saw and as of yesterday we’ve been all moved in. Special thanks to Dan and Sarah Taylor for helping us with a bunch of the loading. We now live on the top floor of an apartment building so everything had to be lugged up three flights of stairs. Once things are unpacked we’ll post some pictures of our new place so all of you can see it.

LAST NOTE FROM BRAZIL

Time flies when you’re having fun. Brazil has been a whirlwind adventure more often than not and we are both very, very glad that we came. This week we rented a car and went off on our own to a little town in the state of Rio de Janeiro. We found a wonderful little place right on the water with one of the most gorgeous views I’ve seen in my life!! Becca and I definately want to go back there some day.

We’re coming back to the USA on Monday and we’ll be in Salt Lake at noon on Tuesday. Although we’ve really enjoyed Brazil, we’ll be glad to get back to our lives. Cross your fingers for us since we’ll be looking for an apartment later that day on Tuesday.

APAXIONADO PELO BRASIL

We’ve now been here a month and I am absolutely loving Brazil. I started making flash cards a few days before I got here and since then I’ve memorized around 250. I still have a lot to learn but now I think that I’m in better shape to talk about a wider variety of things. I still find myself struggling so I guess I still need to work at things. Becca just got a B on her first big test and is very happy about that.

Since our trip to Rio de Janeiro we’ve been to Campinas, a little town of 1 million that’s North West of São Paulo, and a lot of little fairs in São Paulo itself. There’s a little neighborhood called Embu that has the most amazing shops. Becca and I bought some really cool stuff like leather purses and cool little statues. I think she and I will end up going back. We went to the Meseu da Língua Portuguesa which has lots of information about the history, influences and authors of the Portuguese language. I really liked it and could go back. The São Paulo Zoo is a decent size and almost all of the animals were right up front in very visible spots.

Tuesday morning we’re heading off for an eight day trip to see the largest waterfalls in the world and then tour Southern Brazil. I’m stoked! About 100 years ago the Brazilian government tried to make their country whiter and heavily encouraged European immigration. Most of them settled in Southern Brazil so we’ve been told that we’re going to see a lot of really white people and little German looking towns. They’re big ranchers down there so I’m hoping to buy some cool leather art work and eat some great steak.

There’s a line behind me to use the computer so I’m going to end things here saying that I am overwhelmed by the faith and diligence that I have seen from the Brazilians here in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Campinas. They love the Lord Jesus and work hard to establish His kingdom on the Earth by loving and serving their neighbor. That’s true Christian conviction.

Oh yeah! Congradulations to my cousin Derrick who just got married last week and to my cousin Laurel who will soon be getting married as well.

QUICK NOTE FROM RIO DE JANEIRO

I’m a lone man right now. We got back from Rio de Janeiro yesterday so Becca and some other girls from the program are getting their nails done to feel girly. We took the scenic route back to São Paulo, leaving from Copacabana Beach at 7:00am and arriving home at about 9:00pm. Most of that time was spent on the bus so I guess the girls want to freshen up a bit.

Rio is GORGEOUS. We went up to Christ the Redeemer which is a huge statue of Jesus Christ that was built on the top of a very tall hill in Rio. I think that there were more foreigners up on that hill when we went there than there were Brazilians. Becca took a short video of the view which I will eventually learn how to post on the blog.

If any of you go to Rio, something that I highly recomend, then I suggest that you go to Ipanema Beach. Leme and Copacabana have dirty water but the beaches themselves are gorgeous. We played in the waves one afternoon and Becca and I took a romantic stroll on Sunday evening. It was my first time in the Atlantic Ocean and Becca’s second time to a beach that you could actually have fun in without a boat. We’re supposed to go to one more beach before we go back to the USA and I’m really looking forward to it.
I hope that you are all doing well and that your summer is not too hot. Here, we are suffering through a blazing winter of 75 degrees during the day and about 55 during the night time. Till next time.

FIRST WEEK

Although it’s now only been just over a week since we’ve been in Brazil it feels as though we’ve been here for two! At first I felt very soutsive of my comfort zone while getting around a new city, trying not to broadcast the fact that I’m not Brazilian and finding a sort of routine and rhythm in general but now Becca and I have seen enough and been to enough places to feel comfortable walking around without a group.

Becca will talk a little about our daily routine. I am pleased to be getting back into an “early to bed, early to rise” routine. We’ve been so busy that I haven’t gotten a lot of sleep since I’ve been here. Thursday we head out to Rio de Janeiro and I am really looking forward to that. Hopefully we will meet up with some people we know there.

I’ve bought a two volume Portuguese/English Dictionary and a Spanish/Portuguese dictionary. That stuff is hard to fine in the USA. Our time is running out on the computer, we’re at the mall, so I’d better turn things over to Becca.


I am feeling better from the trip to Brazil. Vovó (grandma) Maria has this Portuguese herb called Cidreira. We cannot find an English name for it...but it is fabulous!!!!! I want to smuggle a little...lol. Monday-Friday we walk to class at 8am, arrive around 8/8:20, have a devotional at 8:30 and start class at nine. That is, if everyone gets there on time. We don´t start till everyone gets there. The air quality is HORRIBLE here in Sao Paulo. It gives me a headache, and I feel like I am going to pass out sometimes (especially when 2-3 public busses go by, and you can´t help but breath the exaust. The Sky hasn´t been a real color of blue yet. Mainly grey or yellow. The air is so bad, that even after a day and a half of rain, it doesn´t smell any fresher!!!! Luckily, we were able to go to Campos do Jordao (Fields of Jordan). It is basically the Switzerland of Brazil, and has excelent air quality. Infact, it is known for curing Paulistas (Sao Paulo residents) of turberculosis!!!! People used to get tuberculosis just by breathing too much in Sao Paulo!!!! If you are rich, you can go to Campos do Jordao and breath for once in your life! I tried to get as much clean air as I could. Pray that I don´t catch anything, because my body´s defenses are down. We aren´t in Provo anymore...and it is obvious while walking down the streets.

Our day trip to Campos was lots of fun. We went horse back riding, chocolate and sweater shopping (two things this place is known for doing really well), took a ski lift type thing up to a higher point to get a look at the whole city, bout the most amazing concord grape juice, saw cute waterfalls, and got ripped off at a churascarria (Brazilian steak house). We ended up paying about as much as we would have in the stares at the stake house, but got less food. Oh well, it was a good experience, and a very nice place. I will explain more later.

There isn´t too much sun since it is their winter. But the sun is still high up in the sky. It is the nicest winter I have ever experienced! I stick out like a sore thumb, and there is nothing I can do about it. Everyone knows I am American at first glance. The other 3 in our little group family can get away with being Brazilian...I couldn´t even if I dyed my hair dark brown.

I received a massage at the mall because I was sooooooo sore from the plane ride and not getting enough restful sleep. It was wonderful, and cheep. I am usually really picky, but he did a good job.

I am not really picking up the language, although everyone speaks to me as though I am. Iis frustrating to tell them I don´t understand. I know very few phrases and key words. It is really hard!!!! My class is a 201, and I am no where near a 101 class. It is taught in Portuguese, so I have a headache after from concentrating so hard, and getting almost nothing out of it. They are a supportive group, and think I am cute for trying...but I still feel bad that I slow things down.

Our grandma who is the woman giving us her bedroom cooks and prepares us amazing meals with what seems little to no effort. We are alway soooo thrilled with everythig she puts on the table. She is an old fashioned Portuguese grandma, so if it seems to her that we haven´t eaten enough, she thinks we don´t like it, when in reality we shovel it in quickly. We have noticed that it is just her fishing for complements. Which we freely give. She loves to serve us, and any chance she gets to smother us she does...ie- baked goods, fresh medicinal teas. She prefers to set the table and put everything away. We have tried helping her to show thanks, but it is a different culture. She likes being the host and allowing us to just dine and enjoy ourselves. We are really lucky to have us. She is a super sweet old lady. The other day she fell off her stool in the kitchen while trying to get something from a high cupboard and was embarrased that Ryan and I found her flat on the ground. She wouldn´t except help, and was limping all day, but stil insisted on serving us our meals. When she thought we weren´t listening she would let out noises of pain. We were all so sad. I asked god for a miracle that night to take away her pain...and she is doing much better. She already doesn´t have bursa sacs in her knees and has to take pain killers for it(the liquid cusion sac in knees), so we were all quite sad that she was suffering. I would love it if somehow you could meet her. She is amazing.
We are going to Rio de Janeiro this weekend for like 3 days or so. OH...we went to an Italian Opera in one of the downtowns of Sao Paulo...yes, there are many down towns...in fact, if you go to a lookout on the top of a higher building...all you see is city as far as the eye can see in all directions. It is a crazy big city. The opera was too long, and the words at the top were in Portuguses...so of course I naver has a chance at understanding anything.

Oh, almost all the sidewalks are slanted and on hills, so I have been getting really bad shin splints, and the tendons around my ankles aren´t taking the awkward pressure well. This is a place, that you really can say you walked to school up hill both ways!!!!! No joke....
...Up and down, up and down walking slanted all the way...

We have gotten hit up for money 2 or 3 times. Ryan played a stupid turrist who didn´t speak Portuguese, and the drunk didn´t know what to do with that. He concentraded really hard (took alot of effort on his part being drunk and stupid) and said `three´´, and ryan said no like 5 times, and the bum finally walked away. It has only happend down town.

QUICK POST

Hello from Brazil! Becca and I are alive and well here in São Paulo. Our plane got in at a little after 6:30am on Saturday morning after a little less than nine hours of travel from Atlanta. We hardly slept at all. Nevertheless, yesterday being A Festa Junina (Saint John’s Party Day), we went to a church potluck where everybody was really nice and the food was great.

I tried to hook up our IP phone, but couldn’t get it to work so it doesn’t seem like I’m going to be able to call as much as I would’ve liked. That’s okay, we’ll be buying a phone card soon and I’m sure that the mothers will be the first to know when that will be. Writing with a keyboard that has been designed for Portuguese speakers is tougher than you’d think.

I’m writing from the Souza family’s house. They, and Grandma Maria, are absolutely wonderful people. Gadevam, the dad, took us to a local mall that has a Wal-Mart type store in it where I bought a few things that accidentally got packed in storage instead of in my suitcase. São Paulo is a very racially diverse city, which is a switch for me being used to Chile where most people look quite similar. It has the biggest Japanese community in the world, outside of Japan of course, and lot’s of European, and African looking-people, making São Paulo look, at least to me, like L.A. but in Portuguese.

The weather is perfect! It may rain a little bit today but the weather overall is forecast to be wonderful. I’ll write more when I’m in a cyber café where I can take more time and can hopefully upload pictures. I’d like to take just a moment to thank my wonder mother and brother who came and helped us get our things ready for Brazil.

LONG DISTANCE PHONE CALLS, 16 LANGUAGES AND SPICES

(Souza Family's House)

TWELVE MORE DAYS UNTIL WE GO TO BRAZIL! On Friday we got the address and phone number of our host family in São Paulo. What’s more, Becca and I were even able to find their house on Google Earth! After arriving in São Paulo, we’ll take a shuttle bus to the temple and that’s where everyone will meet up with their families. Lucky for us, the Souza family only lives about a mile away.

Célia and her mother Maria

Maria, a nice old lady from Portugal, lives next door to her daughter’s house. Becca and I will live in Maria’s house with two other girls from our program and Maria will move next door. Breakfast and dinner will be next door at the Souza’s house. Celia, the daughter, told me that they eat a lot of traditional Portuguese food, as opposed to Brazilian food.

(1.19 Miles from their house to the São Paulo Temple!!!)

I called Celia yesterday to introduce myself and get her email. She sounds really cool. Talking on the phone in a foreign language can be very intimidating because machines recreate our voices on fewer frequencies than the human voice operates on. It’s close enough to sound like the human voice but unless you’re used to talking on the phone in that language you can find yourself struggling more than you do when you talk to someone face to face. Plus, every country has its own “telephone protocol” which can also make things awkward if you’re unfamiliar with it. The first time I called someone in Portuguese I didn’t end up getting everything and I was quite embarrassed, however, you never get good at anything without a little practice so I called the number. This time I think that things went more smoothly.

When I asked her if there was anything that we could bring from the USA for them she said that they like American cookie mixes. We’re going to buy one from the store but Becca is also planning on making one herself. I can tell you which one I’d rather eat. We’re also planning on getting them a gift but we’re not sure what yet.

Who likes science quizzes? Not me! I just had another one on Thursday. Boy will I be glad to be done with general classes. My Book of Mormon class continues to be great and my PE classes are a nice change in my routine. I continue to feel better and to be more fit. My clothes are fitting me better now and that is a wonderful feeling.

I have a new Chinese friend who Becca and I talked to today using our microphone and webcam. 中原狼is a twenty-three-year-old bookkeeper who lives in Beijing. Since saying his name in English is about as natural as reading it in Chinese we just call him by his nick name: Wolf. Seeing as I have absolutely no extra time to study Chinese, but would still like to, I found some free podcast lessons to put on my ipod and practice while I’m walking to and from places. I’m sure I look like a nut muttering things in Chinese under my breath while I walk but hey, I’m learning.

That’s enough from me. Here’s the lovely Becca who has been keeping schooltranslations.com a float:

We now officially have 16 languages: Arabic, Burmese, Cantonese, Farsi, Hindi, Ilocano, Indonesian, Korean, Portuguese, Punjabi, Rumanian, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese! It has been some what of a challenge to keep track of the translators, their translations and when to pay them (10 Spanish translators other than Ryan…so that means 26 total translators!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). HOLY COW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We grew so fast! Thank goodness most of the Eastern and Middle Eastern languages are covered by another translation agency that we work with, so I just have to deal with one person...which helps to take some of the stress away.

I have been training Sarah (Anderson) Taylor to take over my job while we are away in Brazil. There really isn’t much to the job as long as you record everything that you receive from the clients and translators. I have “perfected” a spreadsheet on MS Excel that makes it easy to know what to record: who is doing what and for whom… when is it due…how many words…how much to pay and by when…and the bill each client is running up etc. The most complicated part is doing the invoices at the end of each billing period because it is sooo time consuming. Otherwise it is a pretty plush job as long as you stay on top of things on a day to day basis. If you let things go, it may start to get stressful, but is easily mended the next day. She will rarely have to answer the phone, and when she does it is never anything complicated. She is doing well. I think she will keep our business a float just fine.

Ryan has been doing great with his physical education classes. He really has been trimming down, and that has made him feel better. He will look much better on the beaches than I will, that is for sure! I’m going to do my healthy liquid diet again until we leave for Brazil. I should easily be able to loose another 15 lbs like the last time before we get there. I only gained 5 of the last 15 I lost back…and it has been 4-5 months, so I am encouraged. It will be just another 10-15 lbs away from my target weight at that point, instead of 35-40 lbs away from my target weight like I was when I first started trying to loose weight for that modeling thing. I felt great on the diet! Don’t worry; my target weight is still within the healthy range for my weight, height and age…it is just the beginning of the healthy range, instead of the end!!!!!!

Brazil is going to be great! Our family seems really nice and I can’t wait to meet them! Ryan told me to go clothes shopping when I get there!!!…oh darn…new clothes!!! YAY!!! So I think I will have some fun shopping trips with the Souza girls as well as some of the single girls on the trip.

Talking about clothes…I have found some adorable dresses and skirts at Banana Republic and Nordstrom. I keep waiting for them to go on sale, because there is no way I will pay over $100 for them (The business is doing great, but is not at the point yet for me to be frivolously spending my hubby’s money)… not that I ever plan to be frivolous; I’m not that kind of wife…but still. I do plan to shop more frequently at those stores though at some point in time. I wish I could buy most of my clothes at Banana Republic! It is just my type of store! Their clothing fits/flatters me (my body) perfectly (for all you women, you know the challenge I speak of)! I just feel and look great in their clothes! Which is unusual for me to think when I go clothes shopping; I’m usually very disappointed and feel poorly about myself (again, all you women have experienced this at some point). Until that happy day, I will be content buying similar stuff at cheaper prices.

Okay…off the girly topic, I know I definitely must be boring Grant!! Heehehehe.

Ryan is cooking, and the house smells great! We have a spice cabinet that would put most of the couples our age to shame. From the basic Italian blend to hickory smoked salt and home made curries; turmeric, basil, sun dried tomatoes… all the way to star anise, fenugreek (who ever knew what that was!?!?) and yes even saffron threads. Ryan and I love to cook yummy things. When we find something at a restaurant that we like, we try to imitate it. We go and buy the whole spice and do what is needed to get the result we want. There is much success, but also some failures.

It will be weird having someone else do the cooking for two months. Since we will be living in Maria’s house, we will probably have access to her kitchen, so we will be able to prepare things here and there. Ryan is excited with the thought that I will be able to go shopping by the end of the two months and ask for everything in Portuguese. That would be a miracle if I ever saw one, but I will try!

It has been sunny and wonderful here in Utah. I will miss being around everything familiar, and our friends. I have been going on walks on the path by the “Provo River” (it’s a stream…but if Utah wants to believe it is a river...ok, I’ll let them) with one of the girls that I visit teach in church, and I will miss that. She has become a dear friend.

Well, Ryan wants to post this now. We will try to write blogs while in Brazil and post pictures. We have to get some adapters. Anyway, we hope everyone has a wonderful week!