26 November 2023
VOLUME 11 – NUMBER 531
Thanksgiving dinner at Nelson’s house
I want to start of by saying what I'm grateful that I have a loving family, the food that we have at our table, and friends who are always there when I need someone to talk to. Thanksgiving was really good. The best part for me was the stuffing and the rolls!
I had a fun time playing games with my cousin, James Jex, who I never meet before. I also had fun playing Bullet, which is a card game.
Gloria and Sophia at Thanksgiving dinner
On Saturday, we went to go pick up the Rivian. After we got he Rivian we had a Nerf war up at the stake center. I had so much fun.
Later I went on a date with Riley and his uncle and wife. We went ice skating up in Salt Lake. It was really cool ice skating outside. After we went ice skating, we got some hot chocolate and walked around Salt Lake.
We went to Olive Garden for dinner because Riley had never been, so we went.
Itzel and Joanna at Thanksgiving dinner
It was kind of different just doing rolls and pie this year since I’ve done most of Thanksgiving dinner for the past few years, but I loved getting together with some extended family.
I feel like we used to do a lot more together when we were younger, so it’s nice to catch up and celebrate as adults every once in a while. Amy and Keith hosted and everything was so beautiful. There’s just something special about great food and being with the people I love!
Playing games in the Nelson’s garage
For Thanksgiving, we went to Aunt Amy’s and had it there. Before we ate, we each said, “I looked back at my life and I am grateful for…” Then you say what you were grateful for, but you also have to remember what everyone else said before you. We kept going til there was one person left.
Then after dinner we sat on couches in the garage and played a game called Built with Kyle, and it was actually really fun. Then after that I went swimming and Aunt Amy turned on the movie Elemental on her projector in her backyard while some of us were still in the pool.
Thanksgiving get-together at Nelson’s house
Ashton came over this week, and together as a family we played an Oreo game. We set up a ramp, and then had some cups with certain dips in them. When you rolled the Oreo down the ramp, it would fall into one of the cups, and you had to eat the Oreo with what it fell into.
Now, these weren't just normal, tasty dips. They included milk (pretty normal), soy sauce, mustard, mayonnaise, and a special spicy sauce (only Ashton knew what was in it).
I had a great time playing, and I got my fare share of some of the undesirable dips!
Ashton’s Oreo challenge game
So Ashton came over and we did an Oreo rolling challenge where we had mustard milk and peanut butter with some other disgusting stuff, but I can't remember what it was. It was suspenseful and disgusting!
We also had Thanksgiving this week at Aunt Amys house, which was both fun and delicious.
Dad was also building the porch potty for the dogs on the small side of the yard, so that we can control were the poop goes instead of having it out everywhere. I helped Dad with some of it, the finished porch potty worked efficiently.
Thanksgiving dinner at Nelson’s house
This year is our first Thanksgiving without family. Luckily, our friends invited us to their house for Thanksgiving dinner for those without family around! It was fun to get to spend time together and eat lots and lots of food!
After we got home and put the girls to bed, Braden and I spent some time doing a puzzle. We’ve been working on it for the past week or so and haven’t really been able to use our kitchen table to eat because the puzzle is taking up all the space. But we finally finished, only to realize that we had lost one piece!
Braden working on a puzzle
The Pope family has a yearly tradition on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, my mom calls it "pizzagiving." It's essentially an all you can eat buffet of home-made pizza, and it happens the day before Thanksgiving. It's like an extra mini-holiday that we get to celebrate.
Thanksgiving day was great. We had dinner with the Nelsons. I'm not sure how they do it, but it was the best Thanksgiving turkey I've ever had. We played some pickleball and then Kyle taught us a new board game. Ashton won.
New Rivian R1S fully-electric SUV
We have loved owning our Tesla, so two years ago, when I became aware of a larger fully-electric SUV—the Rivian R1S—I put down a deposit. I figured that by the time it was finally produced, we would be a little better off financially, and would hopefully be in a good position to upgrade our van.
And now, after a couple difficult months where dog training revenue is down, we get notified by Rivian that our R1S is ready for us to pick up. After two years of waiting, my dream car is ready, but the timing is terrible!
New Rivian R1S fully-electric SUV
Because our early reservation entitles us to almost $20,000 off the normal price of the vehicle, we decided to purchase the car anyway, and then hopefully we can sell it and net the $20,000. We picked up the Rivian on Saturday, and it was bittersweet for me. I love the car, but I know we will probably sell it.
I joked with the children that the only way we would consider keeping the Rivian is if Mom falls in love with it, but she is not convinced…yet.
New Rivian R1S fully-electric SUV
Thanksgiving was so nice this year, and seeing everyone again was really special. It was kind of cool because it started snowing right at the end of the night, almost an omen that the Christmas season had begun.
The next morning, I had been invited by one of my former companions, Joe Stepan, to be one of his groomsman at his wedding. There were a lot of missionaries who I served with there as well, because he married a sister that was also in our mission.
Caleb and boys playing Amerigo
President Jorgensen, my mission president, and his wife contacted me this week. They've been in contact with me and my parents to see how I've been doing. They invited me this week to make a video for the mission talking about what I'm going through and to share my testimony and to invite people to fast for me.
I did that and asked that they fast so that I could become what God wants me to become through this trial, so that the doctors could find out what's actually wrong so that they can treat me well, and if it were God's will that my sickness might not be anything too severe.
I felt a little embarrassed to think that so many people are worrying about me, but it has also been really special knowing that so many people care and are praying and fasting for me. I'm very grateful.
Thanksgiving dinner at Nelson’s house
For the past couple of weeks, the doctors have been trying to figure out what is wrong with Caleb. As I mentioned before, they are pretty sure he has cancer, but his body isn’t acting the way they would expect it to act. We are waiting for a bone cancer specialist in Florida to get back to us.
As a part of this finding-out process, they suggested that Caleb get another biopsy—this time in the bone, so they can see if it might be some type of bone cancer. So Dad and I went with him for a second biopsy, but afterwards, they said they still can’t see any evidence of bone cancer.
Caleb, Mom, and Dad at second biopsy
Here are a couple tender mercies that have happened during this difficult process. As painful and challenging and strange as this is to say, but having a dear friend, Carol Zimmerman, going through cancer with her child has been such a comfort.
Also, it was a tender mercy to show up at my sister’s house when she just “happened” to have some crutches that were tall enough for Caleb. Or when walking around caused so much inflammation and pain for Caleb, another friend’s son (Will Grappendorf) happened to have a wheelchair that he let us borrow (what teenage boy do you know that “happens” to have a wheelchair!).
Thank you to all of you—friends and family—that show up at just the right time with words of encouragement, gifts, food, and support!
Thanksgiving dinner at Nelson’s house