The Mark Debacle and a Spit Take

 Oh hi kid,

I’m starting this letter during the break after the third quarter of the Utes game. I need a distraction. The Utes aren’t tackling and we seem to be staying away from the pass game. The Utes are really struggling now. I’m not sure that this is the end of the world, we can still go to  the conference championship if we take 2nd. And we can still beat usc. Rising can’t do it alone I guess. It occurred to me that the Utes lose before your transfers. So hopefully no more losses for seven weeks.

I’ll tell you a funny story to take my mind off of the game. Wednesday night mom and I were called into the Stake President’s office. We were feeling pretty good because it was late at night, 9pm, and we’re pretty sure mom was getting released. Mom was feeling better from her cold and happy about the release. Of course the conversation went to how you were doing. Of course I said you were doing great (you are by the way, no matter what you say). Then I told him about your university meeting, and that it seemed to have been successful. They were properly impressed. Then I quoted your line about if you had known you had to present in front of eighty people with your mission President at a university, you wouldn’t have gone on your mission. I don’t think President McMullen expected that as he sipped his water bottle. And he did a full-on spit take. It was the funniest thing that I’ve ever seen in the Stake president’s office. It pays to brag about my boys sometimes.

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We just got home from Saturday evening session of Stake Conference. Ben and Joey got home from the music store right as we were leaving. Mom guilted Ben into coming with us, so he went downstairs and put on his jacket without changing. We had just bought your brothers some new, on clearance, Nikes. Ben’s are pure black, so even though he thought he was “rebelling”, he went to the adult session of conference like the good man that he is. And I doubt anyone noticed that he wasn’t dressed up. 

Conference was really good, if a bit long. The theme was hymns. Each speaker gave a talk about a hymn and what it meant to them. Then they had a testimony meeting about random hymns and the congregation sung the hymns after each testimony. There were some pretty sad stories. Two women who had been widowed last year, one was your friends mom who’s dad committed suicide. It’s amazing to me how people can go through such horrible experiences and still have so much faith. That was one of the more spiritual stake conference sessions I’ve attended.

While we were there, I was tracking the byu game, as I messaged you, they lost. I know it’s petty, but I just can’t handle the smugness after Utah loses and byu wins, no matter who each team played.

This morning Ben and I went to go sand grandmas deck. It was half wet from the sprinklers so we only got it about three fourths sanded. We’ll go back Monday. 

When we got there, your poor grandma was so frustrated by the mess Mark has made of her house. Mark, hopefully out of his good heart and not because he talked grandma into paying him because he can’t find a job, is remodeling grandpa’s office. I’m not sure what the motivation is for that. They started last Tuesday when Ben and I went to pressure wash the deck. The whole Heumann clan,I mean all of them including the girls, the husbands, the wifes, the fiancés , the children, all of them, we’re  over there just for one tiny room. Grandma was stressed out then. After Ben and I finished washing the deck, including putting away every single thing we used, I went in and asked Mark and uncle Tim how many Heumann’s it took to change a lightbulb, and to get out of the way so I could do it right. I don’t think they thought it was as funny as I did. So this morning when we got there and it wasn’t done, I could understand why grandma was so upset. Mark had grandpa’s stuff, his tools, and junk in every single room in grandma’s house. Including the living room, kitchen, dining room, extra bedroom, bathroom and garage. Crap everywhere. Grandma made me promise that if she died that we would clean up the mess before we let anyone come over. I was unplugging the extension cords by the dining table and I hollered out to Mark that I found a few more inches of floor over behind the table for more junk. Grandma and Brooke both thought it was pretty funny. In all fairness, he’s done a decent job. Grandma has decided to not let him do any more projects for her though.

I took yesterday of because we were supposed to go to Colorado with aunt Stella. We didn’t because she’s been having vertigo. I had an appointment with the dermatologist in the morning. I had a wart on my hand removed. I also had something on my collar bone. Both were shaved/burned off. The numbed it first so it was literally painless. 

Mom and I were going to go to the home show afterwards, I wanted to go to breakfast first. We thought the home show started at 10, but we found out that it actually started at 2. We ended up going anyway, but kinda wandered around aimlessly for a while. We did end up going to La Morelia for lunch at least. At the home show we found a guy that will do a plan for landscaping in our yard. Mom wants to do it up fancy. I like that the guy we found only does the plan, not the work, so we can do it a little at a time. Mom also found a company that can redo grandma’s bathroom in one day. We’ll see if she has any tolerance left for home improvement after the, as I’ve coined it, Mark debacle. 

I may have told you on Monday that my boss is quitting. I should probably be more upset about it, he’s a decent guy. But I’ve felt like he may have been there too long. Like he was very accepting of the over complexity of our brand and company. I sure hope the new lady can simplify things. I sure hope that I can contribute. Also at work, I replaced the person on my staff that quit with my friend Vince. He’s always made my group better when I’ve hired him. This is the fourth time I have hired him.

It’s late now, ben and I are drowning our sorrows buy watching First Man. As they do, my eyes are getting heavy, so I’m going to finish this letter Tomorrow.

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Skip to Sunday now. Mom suggested I write you so I can stay awake. In contrast to last night’s spiritual meeting, this one is your more typical old condescending stale members droning on about their years of service. There are little girls running all over the cultural hall. Mom refuses to let me throw a chair in front of them in assisting them in their reverence. Nor am I allowed to nap due to my so called snoring issues. We get to wait for Joey after meeting because he has a mission correlation meeting after. Then Joey and I have to go to a youth session. I guess Covid is officially over as now it seems okay to have endless worthless meetings. I’m not sure how the church survived for two years without them, but it looks like they are back.

The Utes have fallen all the way to 23rd, and byu is out. Ucla took our spot at 11 and notre dame took byus 16th spot. I still think the Utes can beat usc, and that will even things up a little. It feels a little like last year after we lost to Oregon state, and that was still an epic season.

Today was Stake Conference. It was long and I can’t say that the talks were all that inspired, but it more likely me not doing my part. I don’t know, I just don’t feel like people getting up and taking about their years of service and positions held is super spiritual. One guy got up and told us how to use foot notes, then he did it from the pulpit for the next 20 minutes. We also had to go to that youth session. Once more, leaders past and future telling us how awesome they are. I know this is just a bad attitude on my part, but there’s a huge disconnect after general conference. I think mom was done with me by the end, and it’s probably deserved.

Tonight we went on a drive and picnic up the canyon to see the foliage. It was fun. I miss you when your brothers pull out the football.

This was a longer than intended letter. I really love you kid. Tell us if you are getting transferred or not tomorrow. Whatever happens, just put your head down and move forward. You’re running out of these opportunities, so make the most of it.

Pops