Ouch!

Hey Mom and Den,
So the knee is hurting pretty bad.  Same one as before.  But the good news is I MIGHT not need surgery but maybe and MRI if it still hurts through the week.  So I'm in a killer brace.  It makes me feel like Robocop.  I'm just waiting for a gun to pop out or something.

Sounds like Tanner is doing great and I can't wait to get to watch all the kids' games.  It's way cool that Hunter is playing varsity once in a while.  And how have Nicki's meets going?  It's way cool that she medaled! 

Things up here have been crazy.  They are redoing all the ward boundaries in the stake up here, so both the wards I cover are being rearranged.  And in one of the wards they have an entirely new bishopric....we had no idea!  I feel like I've been emergency transferred, kinda.  Other than that, not too much else.  It's been hard to tract with only one leg.

I love you guys tons and I miss you even more!

Love, Elder Lance Ririe

Letters to "Da Boys" - April 15, 2010

Dear Hunter,

Things here are awesome!  Nothing beats being a missionary - not even free tickets to the super bowl!  The experiences here are almost unbelievable.  Kinda like the idea you'll have a license to drive kind of unbelievable!  haha  But, really, a mission is awesome!  It's way hard work, but totally worth it.  I've met so many people that have changed my life forever!

Easter here was okay.  Conference was awesome!  I had 4 meals that day.  It was crazy!  All the conference talks were about family, which made me miss home - but its all good.

That's cool you're saving up for a mission.  It'll do you real good to go.  I wish I would have gone sooner, but I'm glad I'm here now.  Let me know how work goes for you.  You got huge from the picture Mom sent.  You're almost as tall as the fridge!  But you should bulk up a little more - start lifting and build some muscle.  But that's only if you wanna beat me up when I get home!

Hawaii sounds fun, but I bet I still have more fun out here!  But let me know how it goes.  The upside to getting fat on the mission is that I can turn it all to muscle in a matter of weeks when I get home.  haha

Love ya buddy,

Love, Elder Lance

Hey Tanner!
I had a great Easter!  IT was way cool to share it with people from church.  It sounds like your Easter was fun.  I'm glad school  is going good.  How about baseball?  Let me know what team you are on.  Hawaii with Dad sounds fun.  Tell me all about it when you get home.  I loved my Easter package!  The Peeps were the best!  I miss you little man.  Write back soon.

Love,
Elder Lance

Fazookies on me!

AWESOME!!!!!  Way to go Nicki on the medal for jav!  Fazookies on me!  hahahaha

Hey Everbody,
Things this week are good.  They announced that all the ward boundaries will be changing soon.  So as soon as I finally learn where I am, they'll change that up on me.  I wrenched my knee in basketball today, so, Mom, don't be surprised if you get a phone call from Sis. Palmer.  Oooops!  Ummm, as for new news, nobody to teach seriously as of yet, but we're looking pretty hard.  Talking to tons of people daily but not too many interested.  As for other things, covering 2 wards is pretty hard.  Trying to stay awake in one Sacrament Meeting is hard some weeks....2 is even worse.  BUT..I DO still manage to stay awake in both, though I did start to nod in the second one.  Anyways, things here are awesome!  I loved all the letters!  It felt like Christmas!  Most of them came on the same day so trying to figure out the order and everything was fun!  I enjoyed them all! 

New stuff, let's see...I decommissioned a pair of pants.  And, no, I didn't burn them.  That's not for another 4 months or so!  haha  But I had to get some new ones.  You mentioned maybe some new clothes for summer.  All I need is a pair of shorts.  I'm like a size 34 now.  Ugh!  It was nice being fit.  I'm not fond of being fat. 
Anyways.....

I love you guys tons.  And miss you a whole bunch! 

Love, Elder Lance Ririe

Up North! (And feelin a little lost)

Hey Mom and Den,

Things here are going good.  I hope you got my pictures okay.  And I got all the kids' letters on Saturday and I'll be sending some back soon!  For the most part things up here are good.  It's weird not to know where I am anymore, but I guess that's what happens when you are somewhere for 10 months.  Unfortunately we are not doing too much teaching right now - just a whole lot of finding!  And we cover two wards!  I thought it was hard enough to remember everybody in one ward, so needless to say my brain has exploded a couple times from trying to learn everybody's names.  My companion is Elder Thomas.  He's a pretty good guy and he's been out for about 8 months.  He's way bigger than me so its kinda funny because he towers over me.  It's a bummer to leave the South Hill.  Its making me miss everybody a ton.  Although I'm sure its probably for the better, but we'll see how things go.

It sounds like everybody is doing good, but I did miss getting a letter from you this week Mom.  I figured that the mail system just happened to make it that way....but its all good.  I miss every body a ton and I love you even more.

Love, Elder Lance

Gone the way of the Dodo!

Dear Mom and Den,

I'm headed north!  I figure most birds go south, but in my case it's more like I'm like a Dodo.  I'm not sure quite what I mean by that, but all of us here think its funny.  So I am FO SHO being transferred, which is a bummer but I guess its all good.  I'm off to little Spokane River, which is about halfway between the South Hill and Colville, so that's cool.  My new companion is Elder Thomas.  He came out with Elder Smith's group so he's cool from what I hear.

Matt didn't make his interview and was really bent out of shape, so we are going to go try to help him out.  It's a bummer buts it's all for the better and he can still be baptized in a few weeks.

Conference was awesome!!!  We enjoyed it all!  Talks were amazing and made us all miss home because everything was about family and about mothers.  So yes I do in fact terribly miss mom...a lot, but I loved it all the same.  They mentioned an elder in our mission (Elder Reier, who happened to be in the Lincoln Heights ward before I was so everybody gets our names confused)  in the priesthood session, which was crazy awesome!!!  It was Elder Rasband's talk.  He came with Elder Bednar last October.

Anyways, so that's all the news from up here.  I love you guys tons and miss you even more!!!

Love, Elder Lance Ririe