The Work is Progressing

The latest news from the McMurdie portion of the Fowkes family.

I had a chance to go with the missionaries to teach a young man that is very hungry for the Gospel. The missionaries taught the first half of the Plan of Salvation and I noticed some different nuances in the format for how the discussions are being taught.

1. They don't use notes, pamphlets, booklets, or nothing. Everything is done from memory. I was quite impressed with the preparation of these missionaries and their knowledge of the doctrines of the gospel.
2. The discussions are longer than they used to be. I think there's only 4 discussions now, but all of the same content is still there. So, they've combined some topics that were separate before.

I t was a great experience to be with the missionaries again. Sometimes we get bogged into specific and deep doctrines that we stray from the basics.

The gospel is true. Let's keep doing what we can to keep the work progressing by sharing our testimonies wherever we can and inviting people to act upon the feelings of the Holy Ghost.

Update on Biloxi

Nikki says her brother and sister-in-law are fine and they only had water damage to the first floor of their house. They've offered to let Nikki's parents stay at their house until clean up can be done. Nikki's dad is in the Bishopric and will probably have to stay to oversee the clean up for their ward members and others. Hopefully they will be able to figure out a plan of action. Mom has offered her house as a temporary residence for any of Nikki's family that might head down once the roads are open. The video from the Biloxi area is devastating, but at least Nikki's family is safe!

Free Stuff!

Hey guys! On a lighter note, on my Albertson's reciept, it had a voucher for 2 free upper deck Ranger's tickets, if anyone's interested. You might want to check your Albertson's receipt the next time you go. I also have a large, light green bathmat that is in really good shape that I don't need any more. It just didn't match my bathroom. Also, Kenny, Danny wants to know if you want to try to go to a FC Dallas game this season. He keeps getting free tickets in the mail for each Saturday's game. It's only a one-ticket voucher, but you can use the voucher to buy two 1/2 price tickets for any other game.

Mississippi Gets Worst of Katrina

"At least 50 dead in Biloxi, Gulfport; New Orleans avoids brunt; More fatalities possible as extensive flooding subsides; damage estimates in billions; Weakened storm heads north."

Nikki called me last night in tears. In the 7 years I've know her, I've never seen her cry. Her parents are okay, but their house was destroyed. Nikki's younger sister was the only one able to get through to them last night. The roof was blown off and her mom said that "everything was floating." Her mom is taking it pretty hard and her brother in Utah is planning to drive down later this week to help out with the clean up. They may need temporary housing until repairs or a rebuild can be done. This was the only home Nikki has ever known. She came over last night and we just talked for a few hours and though she's very happy that her parents are okay, it was a shock to find out about the house and everything her parents will have to go through now. They still haven't heard from her brother and sister-in-law that live there, but they were in lockdown at the hospital and are probably safe there. Nikki is afraid that the fatalities may include an elderly couple who her mom takes care of who weren't mobile enough to be able to evacuate. Another friend in the ward's house was completely leveled.

Keep the Dickens family in your prayers, Nikki will need our support!

Hurricane Katrina II

Nikki's latest email. Let's keep her family in our prayers!

Well, now I have no way of getting in touch with my parents because the cell phone is now working, obviously, and the land lines are out, too. It may be a while before I get an update. I guess I’ll keep an eye out on the news for my house! Anyway, it should be over by now. They say that Gulfport was “ground zero” for the hurricane and that the damage was devastating. What stress! Of course, my brother lives there, too, but I’m not as worried about them. They are in lockdown at the hospital where they work. Man, I just hope my parents can get in touch with me somehow! Maybe a smoke signal or something….

Hurricane Katrina Hits Home for Nikki

As many of you know, the enormous category 5 hurricane, Katrina, hit Gulf Port and Biloxi early this morning. This is where Nikki's parents and one of her brothers live. I emailed her first thing this morning to see if she had heard from her parents yet. They are sheltered at their ward building and this is the first time they've ever evacuated from their house in the 30+ years they've lived there. I will keep you posted!









From Nikki:
They’re OK. I talked to them on my way in to work this morning, and they said they can’t really hear anything from inside the church. That’s a good sign. The church has steel storm shudders, so I’m sure they’ll be OK. I’m really worried about the house, though, and the fact that the power will probably be out for several days. I told them to just come up here and visit me, but they will want to stay home and clean up, I’m sure!

Calendar Problem Solved!

I found a website that has a great online calendar. It's mynetcalendar.com. You can use this direct link to view the calendar: http://www.mynetcalendar.com/calendar.php?calendarid=843 or you can go to www.mynetcalendar.com and sign-in under username: fowkesfam, password: calendar, to add an event! You can see the great links in the side bar now, for your convenience! If anyone has anything else they'd like linked, I can add it!

Family Events Master List

It would be great if we could get a list of all the upcoming activities for the rest of the year, from Birthdays to missionary farewells to shower and wedding dates. There's a LOT going on! Could everyone post events they know about and then we'll compile a comprehensive list? Make sure to list whether the event is tentative or confirmed, and list times and any other important information. We'll keep the list on the blog so it's easily accessable, and changes can be made if necessary.

McMurdie future events:
Mandie's Birthday 11/24
Baby shower 12/3 (tentative)

Temple Trip

Carrie will be going through the temple on Friday, Sept. 2, 8 p.m. session. We probably won't go to dinner afterward, but perhaps for ice cream or something, if anyone knows a good place close to the temple.

Anyone interested is also invited to come over for a labor day picnic on Monday, anytime after 2 p.m. Jared will probably barbeque brisket again, and there will be the normal activities, swimming, games, etc. No food assignments, just bring something to go with brisket. Hope to see you there!

Alaska Update III - The Two That Got Away

I heard from Mom again this morning. Her and Papaw spent the day fishing and didn't catch a thing. Paw got a bite on his bait but didn't get it in the boat and right afterwards got another bite, but that one got away too. Mom said that Papaw probably thought that once you get to Alaska the fish practically jump in the boat. He's probably disappointed, but they've seen plenty for him to brag about. They're headed to Homer today to drive along the coast were the glaciers are. It's supposed to be beautiful. Tomorrow they'll go and see if they can't get a ride on a Sea Plane and then pack in the afternoon. They'll spend all Friday night flying home and Ginny will pick them up on Saturday morning. Sounds like they're having a great time!

Alaska Update II

I talked to mom on the phone last night and her and Papaw were looking for a place to eat dinner. They had a fun day settling into the lodge and took a look at the river where Paw hopes to catch a bunch of fish. There is a family staying in the same lodge and the wife works for the State Department in Washington for Ireland. Mom only got to talk to her husband and her little boy, and they were super cautious about explaining what all she actually does for a living. Mom thinks that after a few days she'll be able to dig a little deeper. So after not finding the restaurant they originally had planned to go, they ended up going to the ONLY Dairy Queen in Alaska. I know, I didn't believe her either, but she said that is what everyone there says. There's no Dairy Queen in any of the cities she has been until now. I'm sure it won't be the only time they go there. As we were getting off the phone, she was walking in and said that the DQ looked like it was half of an airplane hanger or something like that. She promised to take pictures because she kept laughing.

We'll have more updates as she calls to check in!

Alaska Update

Mom & Papaw spent the day on a 9-hour cruise. They saw a sea weasel, porpoise, otters, one humpback whale, and 3 pods of orcas. Mom says she thinks we're orcas: they are ruled by a matriarch, the whole family stays together-even down to the great-grandkids, they have their own unique language and they talk a lot! Today they travel to the place where they will go fishing on Wednesday. It has been raining, and that may cause a cancellation of their sea plane trip. Mom said she doubts Papaw can really see much, but he is still enjoying the trip. Mom is on her 5th roll of film, Papaw on his 3rd camera. We may have to set aside a whole day just to see the pics!

Brian's Back Home!

After four stinky (literally and figuratively) months in the tiny meat-packing town of Greeley, Colorado, Brian is finally home for good! Brian was working as an I.T. consultant for Swift, the second largest processor of beef and pork products in the world. As a "treat," they took all the consultants on a tour of the plant, where Brian got to see a lot of interesting and, I'm sure, disgusting things. He wrapped up the project this week and is now going to be working close by in Plano. We're all glad to have him home, especially his pregnant wife, Mandie. If anyone is interested in learning more about the meat packing business, or if you're just really, really bored, it's actually quite interesting. You can view their website at www.swiftbrands.com/about/at_glance.php.

Missy's Run-in with Richardson Police

Remember my old Ford Taurus? The one that I traded in over a year ago when we bought our Galant? Well, I got a call from the Richardson Police Department this morning at work telling me to call them back because my Taurus was involved in a theft at a Walgreen's. I called them back and spoke to a very nice detective who had been trying to track me down. She said she had found a Melissa Saunders in Arlington but there was no phone number then discovered that a Melissa Saunders had the same date of birth and social security # as a Melissa Fowkes and found a number for Shirley Fowkes. So the detective called mom, gave her a heart attack when she asked if she knew a Melissa Saunders. Mom said that she thought I was dead in a ditch somewhere! After explaining the situation, mom gave her my work number and I called her back when I got in.

Turns out, my old Ford Taurus was sold from the dealership we traded it in and the name was never changed on the title. The detective wanted to find out where we traded in the car so that she could contact the dealership to find out why the name was never changed. I, of course, wasn't in trouble and the detective was so nice! The guy who now owns my car stole 3 cartons of cigarettes, he must have been desperate!

It's a Girl!

Mandie and Brian went to the doctor today and found out that they're having a girl! That means little Abagail Reese is on the way. The doctor wasn't 100% positive it was a girl and wants Mandie to come back in 4 weeks just to be sure. But her doctor also said she's never been wrong!

Congratulations guys!

Najera kids

Hi guys! Last Saturday, we had our first Ward Dinner Groups dinner at the Rowe's house. It was a lot of fun with swimming and lots of chit-chat. Tommy had a lot of fun, but he got a little too adventurous and fell down the stairs! He's fine, just a bruise on his bottom where he fell on his toy. To make matters worse, Anna was trying to get a toy from the pool when she fell in, fully clothed and head first! It was a little scary for me and Danny, and REALLY scary for her! There were 6 adults by the pool, so she was in no danger of drowning. She didn't sink to the bottom, though, she fought hard and so it was easy for me to grab her arm and pull her out. It took a long time for her to recover from that, but after she did, she said she wanted to go back to the Rowe's as soon as we could so she could go swimming again. I'm glad that she is not afraid of the water after that! She also went to the doctor today for a check-up and got 4 shots. She was a trooper and screamed through it. Tommy started crying when Anna did. I think he felt her pain. After it was over, she stopped crying almost immediately and walked with the nurse to the treat station, and all was well.

I am still looking for a baby-sitter for my kids. I think this is just one of my trials that I have to suffer through. I have found a baby-sitter in Carrollton, one in Melissa (15 min. north of my house), 2 in Wylie, and NONE in McKinney! There's a sister in my ward who is interested in watching the kids, but not until December! Sigh...

I hope everyone is doing well, and I look forward to hearing from everyone!

It's a...

Mandie and Brian find out if they're having a boy or girl today. Stay tuned for the news!

Extreme Home Makeover

This is just a cool little thing Nikki told me about a couple of weeks ago. Extreme Home Makeover rennovated a house down the street from Nikki's brother. He lives in Bountiful, Utah and the crew even used the church parking lot as their headquarters. I found some pictures online from the build, but I don't have the actual ones her brother took. It's still cool though, they even got to meet Ty! The episode is supposed to air late September/early October.

Where is Georgia?

I don't know about any of you, but I was curious to where Sophy is actually from and where it is in relation to the rest of Europe. Below is a map of the area. She is from Tbilisi, the captial of Georgia.

For Harry Potter Fans

I found some great photos online of the next Harry Potter Movie, Goblet of Fire. I compiled them all into one image below. All came from mugglenet.com. Enjoy!

Mom and Paw Heading to Alaska (again!)

Mom and Paw are leaving for Alaska next Friday the 19th. Stay tuned for her itinerary and updates. Hopefully we'll be able to post some pics when they get home. Maybe Paw will get lucky and catch something like this:

Rangers Game

Missy, Mandie and Randi (and our respective husbands) all headed to the Rangers game last weekend. Though the Rangers really suck this season and we left in the 8th inning because they were losing 10-2, we still had a good time. The ice cream at Braums was really a homerun though. Well, except Mandie didn't like her peanut butter ice cream and they were out of brownies for the Brownie Fudge Sundaes. Brian was very disappointed.

Welcome to our family blog!

So we tried a message board system and that sure fizzled out quick. So why not try a blog? This way we can post family news, mom's itinerary for her trips, the most recent get togethers and break ups so no one sticks their foot in their mouths and pictures! This was free and it turns out that I couldn't use the name fowkesfamily in the blog address because it was already taken. Imagine my surprise when I went to that site and it's a blog that's supposed to be news from the Fowkes Family. I can't tell where they're located or anything like that but I'll keep you posted!