BEST DOG I EVER ATE

THANK YOU! THANK YOU to everyone who sent me birthday wishes and presents! I don't think I've ever had this much love on a birthday ever. I hope it's not incentive for me to stay away. (Here, Brooke. We'll send these gifts hundreds of miles away to you as long as you STAY hundreds of miles away...) Just kidding. Thank you. I really felt very loved and remembered on Saturday.

Thank you to Brother and Sister Pieper for the Elvis paper-doll cut outs. Thank you to the J's for the delicious cookies. Thank you to Michael, Kiera, Cami, Lars & Shelene for the Forever Lazy (you better believe that I've already worn it and made sure the back zipper works), Thank you to Sister Gossett for the beautiful flowers. Thank you to Grandma & Grandpa for the bracelet and candy and the stylish, handy cleaning gloves and the whole package. And what perfect wrapping paper and card. I loved all the bright colors and thick lettering and it was wonderful. Thank you to Mom and Dad & the rest of the family for the picture, skirt, scarf, card and Pinky the Elephant Book. Raise your hand if you have the most creative, talented, loving family and if you have proof of it in a book all about an Elephant who went to see the Queen! (I'm raising my hand.)

October 22, 2011 - BROOKE'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

My birthday was great. We got up and Sister Clemons made me Cream of Wheat and Scrambled Eggs and Orange Rolls and we took it all over to Willard's and had breakfast with him. For lunch we met up with Clay and Willard and Otis and his grandsons, Malachi and Skylar at my favorite place to eat: Wah Weng Garden. Willard has never had any type of Asian food before and he's been asking me lately what he can get me for my birthday. All I've asked is for him to try Chinese food. "NO WAY." Is always his response. "I don't eat cat. And I don't eat dog." I've tried telling him over and over that it's really good and that it's only Chicken, Beef and Pork. I refused to tell him anything else I wanted and begged him to try it. VERY reluctantly he agreed. VERY reluctantly. Clay wasn't too happy about it either. Bishop and his wife were supposed to come with us but Bishop chickened out at the last minute and refused to come. 

We got there and Otis was fine because he lived in Taiwan during the war so he likes Chinese. Sister Clemons has eaten there before so she was good, too. I made Willard sit down and I went and filled two plates with all my favorites and brought them to him and told him he had to try at least a bite of every different thing I put on his plates. Hahaha. He was so scared. By the time he was done with his first plate though he looked at me and said, "You don't have to wait for a birthday to get me to come back to this place. This is the best dog I ever ate!" Hurray! Yet again, Sister Nelson is always right. Then I tried teaching everyone how to use chopsticks and everyone but Clay gave up after a couple minutes. At one point I hear, "Sister Nelson, looky here, I got it!" I looked over and Clay had the chopsticks both threaded through his fingers where there was one finger on one side and another on the other for all four fingers. Kind of like a spider web. Then he'd close his fist to move the chopsticks together and squeeze his pinky and pick up the food. It was hilarious. The best part was when he didn't think Sister Clemons and I were looking, he tried to show Willard how to use them like he was professional . What sweet BYH's. I wish you could have seen the one hillbilly trying to tell the other hillbilly how to use chopsticks. 

After Chinese we went and had some cupcakes on Willard's porch while I opened all my awesome presents. Then we went to a lesson with that truck driver and his wife and they found out it was my birthday so they made us bologna and salami sandwiches. People do that. They'll feed us at three in the afternoon like we haven't had lunch and we won't have dinner. The lesson went well though and we almost got Bob to pray for us which he's never done out loud. Then we drove out to Barbourville to have spagetti and peach cobbler with Sherry and I thought I was going to burst.

I have good news and I have bad news. The bad news is that Michael broke his foot. The good news is that Michael broke his foot while at a groovy aerobics class for middle-aged women called Zumba.

Something that I came accross and absolutely love is in Romans 8.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ...Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Don't ever forget

Mollie had her interview yesterday to be baptized on this Saturday.  Interesting fact: Mollie's mom had her do beauty pageants as a little girl and Mollie's middle name is Benea which is the name of that famous pageant queen that got killed and is always in the Inquirer. Otis has been attacked a lot by the adversary but everytime he prays or comes to church he's able to be excited and remember what he knows that is true.


 I'm sorry this is so short this week but Sister Clemons and I are both under the weather today and she really needs to go lay down. On the upside though, Sister Clemons asked for a picture of the Noes just now in the library and they said they'd rather wait till Sunday because then they'll be shaved and looking better. Keep your fingers crossed that we get a picture of the hairpiece!

Extra Blessings: Paige (letter. I'll let you know when I get the package), Mom & Family, Grandpa Rex & Grandma Bonnie, The J's, Sister Ralph, Sister Gossett, The Kentucky Piepers, Michael, Kiera, Cami, Lauren & Shelene.

Word of the Week: Founder. To founder is to over-eat to the point of death. Willard bought a skinny, little horse and he fed him so much that he founder'd him. People's dogs around here are so fat that it's a wonder that they haven't all founder'd. So many people fed me on my birthday that I was in danger of foundering.

And a VERY Happy Birthday to my Sis, Hayley on Thursday.

I love you all and I really do have the best family and friends ever. The Church is TRUE! Share it!

See'ya-Love'ya-Bye!

Sis Nelson