Ben's update

Hey there Mama!

Man, this week has been the craziest week of my life!  Total consecration, every minute is the Lord's.  Seriously though, I haven't had any time to myself this whole week.  It has been a bit overwhelming, but a lot of fun as well!
Digital life is the best life really!  I get to work with anyone I have in any of my old areas, and you just see the work in the perspective of the whole mission, not just the one area.  It is really cool.  Unfortunately... I haven't done any digital work yet, I just made a facebook and added people that found and added me over time (how do they find me?)  So I don't know what online work is even like!  It is crazy how much we do though, there is a lot of confidential stuff we need to deal with, and it is a bit crazy.

1) His name is Elder Foster for The Great City near a Lake of Salt.  He is pretty cool, and he has the reddest head of hair you ever did see!
2) Tuesday - Move to office, help missionaries going home with closing ceremonies while teaching in between.  Pick up missionaries at Gatwick airport from Jersey at 9:30, then go home.
Wednesday - Drive to Staines for transfers.  Have a great time seeing old pals.  Drive to Bristol, then Weston - Super - Mare, then Bristol to move missionaries.  See Elder Speth who is now in Bristol.  Drive to Reading.  Get home at 11:15.  Sleep.
Thursday-Sunday - Do all sorts of office work.  Have some sweet lessons.  Just run from place to place like crazy!  Get home late all the time, and sometimes we eat lunch.  Life is super busy.
Friday- We had Mission Leadership Council with all the ZLs, STLs, APs, and President.  It was really good, and I am excited about the way the Europe Area Plan is going to work out here (check it out on lds.org.uk)
3) Yep (pday for sure on monday)
4)Our new flat is nice, I have my own toilet!  Sad news though, no exercise equipment :(
5) He hasn't seen it yet ;) But I showed it to a girl I met named Elsa!
6) We live in East Grinstead, the Temple is near a place called Lingfield.
7) yes    (will you be going to the temple more often)

You can go straight into Osteopathy!  That would be way cool, you would be so set!


I want to go to Brighton with the Zone on a P-day, but other than that, no distant plans really.  Today we will be playing frisbee with the Elders and the APs.

I saw Elder Davies on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.  It was pretty sad to see him go!

Driving is pretty easy these days.  Big Ben, our van, is another story though.  We don't drive it too often, but I brought it back from Bristol.  It is quite the beast.  I am careful though! :)

I wish I could describe but we do, but there is just so much!  We have the least understood position in the mission, it is just so much behind the scenes, plus running a model area as well.  The area is great, we have a lot of great things going on!

President Millar sang the song from Oklahoma at MLC to show us how to have a great day!  It was so funny, you get to know him so much differently in this position.

a whole lotta nothin

that's what's been goin on. 
but yet- i feel SO BUSY! 
my days.
work, mail, store, supper, treadmill, dutch blitz, movie, bed.  and by movie- i mean an episode or kids movie.  basically, i do NOT watch TV!  i sometimes wonder why we even own TV.  Pete watches sports...Ayden watches food network....sometimes we watch cartoon network.  I catch the odd thing on TLC.  but most of the shows are so dumb...very little value...with terrible commercials.  i don't see the point of putting that in your head.
"The Book of Life" was one we watched this week.  it was very good!  we liked it, and it had good music.  we also watched "the box trolls" but that was a complete waste of time.

 we recently watched all the SHERLOCKs again.  you can't watch it too often!  and the best part, is the next season should come out just after Ben gets home.  so we can all watch!  it will be a big old party at our house that day.  we shall have to have tea and biscuits.

so yes.  anyhow, i am quite happy to have a treadmill.  although this is the second day in a row not using it, so i'm feeling a big sluggish.  (my forever-cough dictates i take a break)  it is hard.  for me.  probably not for most people.  my body is so silly...so i push it a bit...and have been able to go a bit longer each week.  i am at 65 minutes now, over 3 miles.  i am not sure what my goal for this week will be.  Tessa wants to start running to build up stamina for her trip.  and that is what it is about for me too- stamina.  is it helping my back/body?  i have no clue.  but oh well. 

this week we had a youth group cooking at our house tuesday night.  they all met back at the church and Pete was a judge for it.  i miss stuff like that sometimes...until i remember how much work it was...then i am happy to be done!  here are some pictures of my super-clean house before the contest!  i am wanting to paint just the main kitchen a grey.  and have a little hutch built to put over by the microwave and window.  let's pray it happens some day.  it takes some a long time to get used to an idea. 

 it is fun that 3 of us own ukuleles now.  tessa is for sure the best by far.  i know a few chords, but always forget the rest and have to use my chord sheet.  sometimes we try to play together.  and by play i mean "play"  it's fun though.
we have been playing lots of DUTCH BLITZ.  like almost every day.  we have never EVER played a game like that!  teenagers ASKING to play a game.  must be a pretty good one hey? 
i can't believe Ben has left Maidstone and is by the temple.  what is he doing?  where is he at?  i dont' really know!!!!!!  tomorrow we shall hear, so pretty excited for that.
we are at the 7 month mark now.  it will fly by!  i feel kinda bad.  he is having such great experiences...then he just has to come home and have normal life hit.  blah! 

our weather has been amazing.  it is like spring lots of days.  flowers are growing...it is strange. 
grandma Baker is recovering from her knee surgery.  they are making lots of freezer meals.  hopefully they won't get sick of them too quickly!  but if so, grandpa can find something i'm sure. 

tessa has about 6 weeks until her trip.  it is almost time to go to the doc and make sure we have what we need ahead of time.  there may be a couple things for her to take to avoid some uncomfy situations there.  i am excited for her to see that area of the world.  so glad she is going! 

which reminds me- family week this week.  lots of people going places.  it's okay though...i'd rather pay for a missionary than a holiday any time.  he is learning things that you cannot buy- things he cannot learn any other way.  i wish i had learned them at such a young age!!!  or maybe i never have...but that is another topic for another day.

soooo- not much going on...but at the same time- why are we so busy!?