Finally!!!!!

(note: this post written by Joanna with additional comment by Mike!)

FINALLY... we have started to lay tile!!!! It will take a while... but it is started and we WILL finish!!! The much anticipated first piece! Mike: These are 20 x 20 porcelain tile we bought back in February and have been stored in the garage ever since.
OF COURSE we had to buy new tools to do this project... that's OK... I like tools just as much as Mike... but he uses them more than I do... he is the MASTER with tools. Here is one of our new tools... a tile cutter. Mike LOVES it! Mike: This is SOOO much faster, neater and cleaner than using a wet tile saw on all the straight cuts. The cuts are so clean that you have to look really close to see which edge was the cut edge.

Kind of looks like hopscotch... Mike: We chose the off-set or brick pattern over the conventional square or diamond look.

We have a LONG way to go... I can't wait! Mike: The entry way is actually the most difficult portion of the tile laying project-SO many cuts and corners to deal with. Thank goodness for tile spacers!
More pictures to come... SOON!

from Brazil...

Here's the latest from Brazil. It was a day late so that's why he says I'm alive! I always get a little nervous when I don't hear from him right on time! I guess it's a MOM thing...His letter just kind of ended... so I don't know if he forgot to sign off or just had to end.

Hey eveyone I´m alive! Yesterday I didn´t have time to send an email. I was at the bus station all freakin day waiting for missionaries to show up. It was planned for them to get here in anapolis in the late morning. That didn´t happen, they didn´t show up until early evening. So me and 4 other missionaries sat there all day because they didn´t have a cell phone for anyone to call them. My new companion is Elder Rosin. He´s from Curitiba. He´s cool, he was already here in anapolis so I already know who he is kind of. the wedding and the baptism went well too. It´s good to hear that zack is liking the mission. I remember when i got to São Paulo and how everything was different. It was also crazy waiting for presidente to decide where everyone was going and then you get a little nervous when you find out where you are going to start out. Zack can just stay in brazil on his p-day and learn a prettier language and baptize more people.haha.jk. It´s still rainy here. Not much happened this past week. My old companion `died´ and is already back at his house in fortaleza. Another missionary who was going home stayed at our house his last night and the two of them really rubbed it in our faces.

Still a blob...

Well... I thought my little cold would just go away... but it decided to stay and turn into bronchitis... YUK!!! So I drug myself to the doc and got some antibiotics and stuff. So .... with the power of POSITIVE thinking.. and better drugs... I thought for SURE it will go away NOW....... but NooooOOOOoooo... So I continue to be a blob! BUT.... my blog MUST go on.... So I will update soon!

AAaaaahhhhchooooooo!!!

Well.... I drug myself out of bed... can't breathe... throat is scratchy... of course I'm NOT going to work... it's the polite thing to do... So I am sitting here looking at the computer thru blurry eyes and I have a BIG wad of tissues close at hand. Don't worry... I'm NOT posting a picture of this... it's NOT a pretty sight! I am a blob... don't feel like doing a thing... so I guess I'll go drink juice and check out daytime TV!

Happy Labor Day!

Yay it's Labor Day! Yay we have a day off! BUT... our labor day weekend was all about... laboring! But somehow laboring at home is WAY more fun than laboring at work! We did some more house projects... Mike continued on the moulding project...
I love it! That little bit of wood really makes a difference.
But besides laboring on the house and cleaning and shopping and laundry etc etc... we did take a little time out to do some yummy EATING and visit with some of the kids and watch a movie. So Happy Labor Day everyone ... I hope your weekend was fun!

Big game hunters...

For those that didn't know... this week was the opening season for dove hunting... Here are the big game hunters after a yummy breakfast, all ready to go out and bring home the food. Oh yeah... they wanted to make sure it is noted that this picture was taken at 5ish in the morning. They went hunting twice this week.... and all I want to know is... where's the meat?!?!?!?

from Brazil...

Here's the latest from our missionary:

Oí famíliaHey how´s it going? Today we had zone conference with president and it was just a short one. It was mostly just to say goodbye to the missionaries leaving. But the theme of the conference was planning better. The mission is doing good baptizing about 140 every month, but we need to plan better so that every companionship baptizes every month. We have a goal for baptisms, but every one has to help out so we can reach our goal. I also got two packages today! ... both from mom. This week is the wedding and also the baptism right after. We´ve been inviting people and i´m pretty sure it will be great. My companion is trunky like you can´t imagine, next monday he goes to Goiânia and then tuesday afternoon he`s at home. This week we found two great families! But it will be me and my next companion who will be baptizing them. We are for sure baptizing them because for some reason the branch is actually doing it´s job and being friends with the investigators and doing family home evening at their houses and doing everything right. ... My week has been good, just working hard and constant. That´s another thing president was stressing today, being more constant. It´s been a good week, i got my packages what could be better besides baptizing. Any questions for me? See you all next week. Elder Lewis