Der Elefant

Wie Gehst? My mind is blown that soon you will be totally fluent in German! I've really got to brush up on my skills. I can't wait to hear how the language is coming along. Remember to be patient with yourself. It is quite amazing what you are doing. So many ask me about you! So the elephant in the room....I have missed a couple of weeks of writing. I am SO sorry. I am recommitted. We didn't receive anything from you last week. I cannot judge but I just wanted to mention it in case you did write something and I missed it? Lots of great things last week and one tragic event. Dad probably filled you in on Wayne Roberts. He was in a terrible ski accident on Friday at solitude. This is the second ski accident in our ward. Lee Draper (Moses' Dad) died on Thanksgiving in a tragic ski accident. And weirdly enough, a Utah doctor was killed at Solitude in a ski accident the same day, only hours before Wayne's accident. The conditions are rough/hard with not a lot of snow and it's been very cold. Wayne was skiing too fast and fell, unable to stop himself. He fell for 300 feet, hitting trees and boulders and finally came to rest in a thicket of trees. Sweet Dillion was the hero of the story. He called for help. Stayed with Wayne. And prayed. He's such a sweet kid and I am sure this has been very difficult for him. The list of Wayne's injuries is long. C1 fractured, C2 fractured, Spinal images concerning, Left shoulder dislocation, 8 Rib fractures, T6 fracture, Compound fracture right arm, Missing teeth. It was a complete miracle that he didn't have a brain injury. Wayne went in for emergency surgery to fuse C1-C3 and T2-T8. There was a bone around the T5-T6 pushing on his spinal cord that made it an emergency. Two doctors told Pam that most people who break C1 don't make it off the mountain alive. It is truly a miracle that Wayne lived and that he isn't a quadrapelgeic. Honestly. So, pray for Wayne and his family. Max is so far away and that must be hard. Wayne has a long road ahead but he will make it. They are an amazing family and we are so blessed to know and love them. Another fun highlight of the week was going to the Jazz game with Troy and Jamie Peterson - Cole's parents. It's been a long time since we have seen them and it was great to catch up. The game was great, the Jazz played well and our seats were amazing! It's been a rough road for the Petersons. I don't know if you remember but Kimball had a lot of medical issues on his mission and returned before covid hit. He never got back out. He's doing well and keeping busy with school, skiing and friends. Cole was called to serve in Korea and did 10 weeks of home MTC in the spring. He got to Korea and had a very tough time. Jamie describes it as though he snapped. Cole returned home in the summer and was not in a great place. Jamie said he's figuring it out and doing much better but he just had some serious depression. Cole had a few concussions when he was in high school and that could have contributed to his problems. It's been hard for everyone but they are seeing the light. Cole may or may not go back out. It's still unknown but he recently started thinking along those lines, which Jamie said is a great sign that he's doing better. Cole lives in Provo with Kimball and is in school. We love these boys and this family! And we hope and pray for them. Life is full of twists and turns! Highs and lows. Friday (Feb 11) is the big day for Ethan and Kylie. It will be good to see them married. This engagement has not been without drama. I feel like we got a little caught up in it yesterday with Cec. The wedding spans two days and it's a little hard to navigate. They get married on Friday at 2pm at the Draper Temple. Then we reconvene on Saturday for a wedding luncheon at 1pm and reception at 5pm. It's just the strangest schedule. Henry is set to take the ACT on Saturday morning and it's the sweethearts dance that day too. Sweethearts is a girl's choice and plans have been made before we knew the time of the luncheon. So, Cec kind of came down hard on McKay and Henry last night because their day dates had been set and then Cec uninvited the girls to the luncheon. McKay was a champ and rearranged so he can come to part of it but it's just too far down the road for Henry. I was frustrated because it hasn't been communicated well and the sudden pressure but it will be fine. I am just glad it's almost here. I've included some random pics of the YW rock climbing activity, which was awesome...Jane's church selfies and so many of McKay flexing. That pretty much sums up everything. Everyone seems to be doing well here. Dad gave an awesome talk at the leadership session of Stake Conference on missionary work. The Stake Conference was awesome. President Jackson is a rock star and very brilliant. I love hearing him teach from the Book of Mormon. He takes simple sentences from the scripture and spends so much time teaching. President Lee taught us that it is a choice to believe. One man talked about raising adult children and encouraged us to be the root of our family tree. President Jackson encouraged families to have straight talks about kid's testimonies, to be united and to focus on the savior. He also encouraged us to strengthen our spiritual foundation and to get to the temple. President Dunn challenged us to Know Him better than we know Him, Remember Him more than we remember Him, and to serve Him better than we serve Him. It was awesome. Life is good. I miss you. I'm super proud of your ability to adjust and move forward. I pray deeply for you all the time. Be patient with your situation. Look for the hand of the Lord. You will see it. I am grateful for miracles - seen and unseen. Have the best day! And I can't wait to talk to you this week. Love you tons! Mom