Hahahaha I can't believe you have dreams about Warcraft! I haven't even had any dreams about Warcraft yet!
Thank you for my presents, they were really cool :) And for the picture, that is a great one.
Yeah I was surprised when I found out that I don't get my Christmas call, but one elder going out today has a five hour layover, so I think I'll have plenty of time when I do head out. Right around Chinese New Year I believe.
I apologize that the new boys weren't too good at games, and that Adam beat you in Settlers (not that it's much of a surprise :P)
hahaha well Christmas here was super amazing, our teacher (we aren't sure which) made us little stockings that we hung up and opened on Christmas. It was so cute :)
Also did I tell you how my companion's (the original one) ward sent him 2 stockings? Well that was also fun. I'm not quite sure what else would really interest you from up here, it's not snowing as much anymore, so I didn't get a fully white Christmas. I really got like a cold and brownish Christmas :P
Did you all get my pictures? I know it's not much, but I figured it could be a nice little Christmas gift :)
Natalie actually let me know about the random other friends staying for the season, that's good fun :)
I'm just writing a short email right now, just to say hi and what not. Thank you so much for my presents! I loved all the little Asian things I received, that was way cool. And a member of my district had Waffle Crisp so I ate some of that in my little ramen bowl with the Asian spoon, it was so great :)
Christmas here was so fun! It was so great. Christmas Eve we had a little fireside where we did a big 12 days of Christmas thing which was fun. And the Christmas morning we woke up so our zone leaders stealing everyone's shoes. I ended up joining them in the polishing and shining of all the members of our zone's shoes. It was a really cool experience, it reminded me of the spoiled boy I once was when opening presents and thinking of myself instead of others. I also went around a made as many beds in our zone as I could with the little amount of time I had (i think I ended up making 8?)
Then we had a talent show by all the missionaries. There were a lot of really funny acts. We had Elder Nelson come and speak to us in the afternoon, he really brought the spirit :)
In the night we had sack dinners with the zone like we did for thanksgiving and we all shared our traditions of back home. It was funny, that I really didn't feel homesick for a home that I could remember. Instead I felt a longing to be with my Father in Heaven, and to be with the wonderful people in Taiwan. I'm so excited to go there, it's amazing that it's already been 6 weeks!
On Tuesday half of our zone heads out, which will be quite a crazy change...
Love you and miss you
Monday, December 27, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Jared 12/20/10
你好！今天好吗？我的姐姐应该看这个。 我爱你们 :)
Well I have a letter back in my room that I will respond to later, (or at least I will try :P ) but right now I think i'll just let you know what's up here :)
We currently have 5 investigators (all teachers and students that act out) It's pretty hectic to try and keep track of everything, but it's really amazing to feel God helping you teach, and help the investigators. Even if they are merely acting the Spirit still testifies through us, and it's great.
Thank you so much for my package! All those presents! And the tree is soo cool! My companion already had a mini string of lights, so we decorated our mini tree and put all of our presents under it, it's quite homely in our little room. We have little homemade snowflakes hanging up, and actually a 3D Christmas tree made out of paper to go with the other one you guys sent. Pretty funny actually, we made the cardboard Christmas tree, and even a little cardboard angel Moroni to go on the top! hahaha
Oh you know what was super cool?! Yesterday we had a speaker right? (We have a speaker every week) But yesterday we had a guy continually quoting different journal entries, and letters and such recounting the experience of Joseph Smith's matyrdom. And it was really cool to hear of all the corruption, and it went really in depth from the point of view of guess who?
Willard Richards! Our ancestor! I've never felt so priviledged that I have the blood of that great man running through my veins, and that my middle name shares his. It that was a great fireside last night :)
Well umm we had some unfortunate happenings this last week... Elder Christensen went home. He was my roomate, and in our district. It really strengthened my testimony to see the love that the whole district gave to him. It was such a shock that he went home, but I honestly think those couple days where we discussed things with him were the most spiritual, and testimony building experiences I've had here. That this church is Christ's chruch. Thomas Monson is a prophet of God, he with his councellors individually called each of the wonderful missionaries here. They put us in the districts and companionships that will best help us. I know that God wants each of us to rejoin him after this life, and if we but trust and love him, everything else in life will just come naturally. Feng耶稣基督的名，阿门
Well I have a letter back in my room that I will respond to later, (or at least I will try :P ) but right now I think i'll just let you know what's up here :)
We currently have 5 investigators (all teachers and students that act out) It's pretty hectic to try and keep track of everything, but it's really amazing to feel God helping you teach, and help the investigators. Even if they are merely acting the Spirit still testifies through us, and it's great.
Thank you so much for my package! All those presents! And the tree is soo cool! My companion already had a mini string of lights, so we decorated our mini tree and put all of our presents under it, it's quite homely in our little room. We have little homemade snowflakes hanging up, and actually a 3D Christmas tree made out of paper to go with the other one you guys sent. Pretty funny actually, we made the cardboard Christmas tree, and even a little cardboard angel Moroni to go on the top! hahaha
Oh you know what was super cool?! Yesterday we had a speaker right? (We have a speaker every week) But yesterday we had a guy continually quoting different journal entries, and letters and such recounting the experience of Joseph Smith's matyrdom. And it was really cool to hear of all the corruption, and it went really in depth from the point of view of guess who?
Willard Richards! Our ancestor! I've never felt so priviledged that I have the blood of that great man running through my veins, and that my middle name shares his. It that was a great fireside last night :)
Well umm we had some unfortunate happenings this last week... Elder Christensen went home. He was my roomate, and in our district. It really strengthened my testimony to see the love that the whole district gave to him. It was such a shock that he went home, but I honestly think those couple days where we discussed things with him were the most spiritual, and testimony building experiences I've had here. That this church is Christ's chruch. Thomas Monson is a prophet of God, he with his councellors individually called each of the wonderful missionaries here. They put us in the districts and companionships that will best help us. I know that God wants each of us to rejoin him after this life, and if we but trust and love him, everything else in life will just come naturally. Feng耶稣基督的名，阿门
Christmas Letter 2010
Dear Family and friends,
Here’s what the Tates have been up to in 2010.
Larry, the oldest at 6 foot even, has been outgrown by all of his sons. He’s currently a senior vice president at Strategic Properties and an executive secretary at church, proving that secretaries don’t necessarily have to be curvy and look good in high heels (although, I’m sure Larry would look great in a pair of stilettos if he wanted to wear them.)
Kristy (me) at 5 foot 7, is second oldest in the family, but no longer the second tallest. I’m serving as chef, chauffeur, personal shopper, and maid. I also teach piano, play the piano at church, and am president of my writing group, the Orange County Fictionaires. Check out my stuff on my blog kristystories@blogspot.
Adam, at 6 foot, has his dad beat in the height department by a hair, but since he has a healthy dose of Dickson genes and iis losing his hair, maybe Larry will come out on top – if he uses his comb wisely. Adam is in his last ( hooray!) year of BYU law school and is looking for employment. So if you know someone who needs to be sued…
Bethany, at five-five, had babies so that she wouldn’t have to be the shortest. She has two little boys, Chandler (age three) and Sterling (age 3 months.) In time they will out-grow her. Girls are clearly in order.
Brandon, at 6 foot 3, is the tallest, but since he’s an in-law, there’s debate on his rank on the height chart. Brandon is finishing his last year of chiropractic college in Portland, Oregon. There’s the fear that if the girls should choose spouses who threaten his standing as tallest that Brandon will use his chiropractic know how and cohorts to stretch his spine , thus ensuring his standing.
Nathan, at 6 foot 1, is so angry about being outgrown by his younger brother that he’s leaving for a business internship in Mexico, where he will surely be in the 90% for height. Nathan attends BYU and is getting his degree in information systems.
Jared, is also 6 foot 1, but his curly hair adds to his size. Jared graduated from Tesoro High School with a skyrocketed GPA and is using his smarts to study Mandarin Chinese. Currently, he’s in the mission training center, but he’ll be leaving for Taiwan in February, where he’s sure to be one of the tallest in the country.
Natalie, at 5 foot 8ish, is the tallest girl in the family. She also has the largest female feet. Natalie is a straight A student and sings in the Tesoro a cappella choir. She collects I-tunes, books, and loves everything literary.
Miranda, a carbon copy of her older sister, is slightly shorter and has much shorter hair. (That’s how you can tell who’s who, by the way.) Miranda just finished her acting debut in the Tesoro production of The Visit,. We’re really proud of Miranda’s dramatic flag waving skills (she played the station master, which was a perfect part for her; she loves to tell people when to get on board and where to get off.)
Grendal, at 18 inches, has pokey-up ears that help in the height department, and what she lacks in size she makes up for in volume.
Alfie, Natalie’s gold fish, is definitely the smallest and quietest Tate, just proving that love is no respecter of size or volume.
We love God, each other and all of you. My all your dreams reach the highest of highs in 2011.
Here’s what the Tates have been up to in 2010.
Larry, the oldest at 6 foot even, has been outgrown by all of his sons. He’s currently a senior vice president at Strategic Properties and an executive secretary at church, proving that secretaries don’t necessarily have to be curvy and look good in high heels (although, I’m sure Larry would look great in a pair of stilettos if he wanted to wear them.)
Kristy (me) at 5 foot 7, is second oldest in the family, but no longer the second tallest. I’m serving as chef, chauffeur, personal shopper, and maid. I also teach piano, play the piano at church, and am president of my writing group, the Orange County Fictionaires. Check out my stuff on my blog kristystories@blogspot.
Adam, at 6 foot, has his dad beat in the height department by a hair, but since he has a healthy dose of Dickson genes and iis losing his hair, maybe Larry will come out on top – if he uses his comb wisely. Adam is in his last ( hooray!) year of BYU law school and is looking for employment. So if you know someone who needs to be sued…
Bethany, at five-five, had babies so that she wouldn’t have to be the shortest. She has two little boys, Chandler (age three) and Sterling (age 3 months.) In time they will out-grow her. Girls are clearly in order.
Brandon, at 6 foot 3, is the tallest, but since he’s an in-law, there’s debate on his rank on the height chart. Brandon is finishing his last year of chiropractic college in Portland, Oregon. There’s the fear that if the girls should choose spouses who threaten his standing as tallest that Brandon will use his chiropractic know how and cohorts to stretch his spine , thus ensuring his standing.
Nathan, at 6 foot 1, is so angry about being outgrown by his younger brother that he’s leaving for a business internship in Mexico, where he will surely be in the 90% for height. Nathan attends BYU and is getting his degree in information systems.
Jared, is also 6 foot 1, but his curly hair adds to his size. Jared graduated from Tesoro High School with a skyrocketed GPA and is using his smarts to study Mandarin Chinese. Currently, he’s in the mission training center, but he’ll be leaving for Taiwan in February, where he’s sure to be one of the tallest in the country.
Natalie, at 5 foot 8ish, is the tallest girl in the family. She also has the largest female feet. Natalie is a straight A student and sings in the Tesoro a cappella choir. She collects I-tunes, books, and loves everything literary.
Miranda, a carbon copy of her older sister, is slightly shorter and has much shorter hair. (That’s how you can tell who’s who, by the way.) Miranda just finished her acting debut in the Tesoro production of The Visit,. We’re really proud of Miranda’s dramatic flag waving skills (she played the station master, which was a perfect part for her; she loves to tell people when to get on board and where to get off.)
Grendal, at 18 inches, has pokey-up ears that help in the height department, and what she lacks in size she makes up for in volume.
Alfie, Natalie’s gold fish, is definitely the smallest and quietest Tate, just proving that love is no respecter of size or volume.
We love God, each other and all of you. My all your dreams reach the highest of highs in 2011.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
On Mon, Dec 6, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Jared Tate wrote:
On Mon, Dec 6, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Jared Tate wrote:
I just got your letter! maybe it'd be better if you did just send me emails, I dont know.
Dad's work is growing? that's great! much better than the old way of shutting everything down :P maybe the economy would be better when I get back. Either way I'll be going back to China anyways so I'll be okay :)
Oh hey! so the last two weeks in a row we've had Taiwanese/Mainland Chinese people speak to us. It's a sign! they are way going to be openning up China, and when they do I'll be there! :D
Good for Miranda not giving up, I'm sure she did amazing, and being a girl naturally assumed went poorly.
And don't worry mom, no one has thrown tomatoes at me yet :) but I'm looking forward to when they do.
It's freezing here are you kidding? it hasnt been snowing as much, and I think I'm more used to the snow. But it's still really cold here like all the time. However, I do not really want you to send me warm clothes because I'm going to a hot humid island, and frankly snow stuff would be of little use :P As for chinese scriptures, they already supplied me with that kind of stuff so don't worry about it :) I already told you I wanted a Chinese CTR ring tho right? and perhaps a super cheap watch? And maybe like chinese church music? if that exists :P Idk, I dont really have that much I need. I'm well covered here :) All I want is a happy family ;) hahaha
Well everything up here is great. My district, and Zone are super close and it's so great to have such a family feel up here :) The cool thing about my zone is that since we're all here so long there really aren't new people coming and old people leaving very often. In fact there's pretty much just two groups. The older group leaves right after Christmas, and the week after that we get a new crowd, and we're actually the old ones around here. Weird right? Only 2 weeks and I'm half way done with my MTC experience. Feels like I just got here. And also kind of feels like I've been here for years :P And well the fact is I still have a lot more time in Utah, but it's probably for the best. So that I could actually speak to the people in Taiwan.
Fun fact! Taiwan is filled with stray dogs. Cool right? I know not really that cool, but I don't know what you people would be interested to hear about because nobody asked any questions, and Dad's email was like the shortest thing ever. But that's fine, I'm sure things are way busy down there with buying a house, and being warm :P
I was surprised how many people have been reading these emails. I had a couple people write me about them, which was pretty amusing :)
Did you know that the Bible is filled with all kinds of fun stories? A good one is Elisha and the shebears (2 kings 2:11?)
But my favorite scripture at the moment is probably Proverbs 28:25. That's why I was chubby as a kid!
-Elder Tate
-Tang zhong lao
I just got your letter! maybe it'd be better if you did just send me emails, I dont know.
Dad's work is growing? that's great! much better than the old way of shutting everything down :P maybe the economy would be better when I get back. Either way I'll be going back to China anyways so I'll be okay :)
Oh hey! so the last two weeks in a row we've had Taiwanese/Mainland Chinese people speak to us. It's a sign! they are way going to be openning up China, and when they do I'll be there! :D
Good for Miranda not giving up, I'm sure she did amazing, and being a girl naturally assumed went poorly.
And don't worry mom, no one has thrown tomatoes at me yet :) but I'm looking forward to when they do.
It's freezing here are you kidding? it hasnt been snowing as much, and I think I'm more used to the snow. But it's still really cold here like all the time. However, I do not really want you to send me warm clothes because I'm going to a hot humid island, and frankly snow stuff would be of little use :P As for chinese scriptures, they already supplied me with that kind of stuff so don't worry about it :) I already told you I wanted a Chinese CTR ring tho right? and perhaps a super cheap watch? And maybe like chinese church music? if that exists :P Idk, I dont really have that much I need. I'm well covered here :) All I want is a happy family ;) hahaha
Well everything up here is great. My district, and Zone are super close and it's so great to have such a family feel up here :) The cool thing about my zone is that since we're all here so long there really aren't new people coming and old people leaving very often. In fact there's pretty much just two groups. The older group leaves right after Christmas, and the week after that we get a new crowd, and we're actually the old ones around here. Weird right? Only 2 weeks and I'm half way done with my MTC experience. Feels like I just got here. And also kind of feels like I've been here for years :P And well the fact is I still have a lot more time in Utah, but it's probably for the best. So that I could actually speak to the people in Taiwan.
Fun fact! Taiwan is filled with stray dogs. Cool right? I know not really that cool, but I don't know what you people would be interested to hear about because nobody asked any questions, and Dad's email was like the shortest thing ever. But that's fine, I'm sure things are way busy down there with buying a house, and being warm :P
I was surprised how many people have been reading these emails. I had a couple people write me about them, which was pretty amusing :)
Did you know that the Bible is filled with all kinds of fun stories? A good one is Elisha and the shebears (2 kings 2:11?)
But my favorite scripture at the moment is probably Proverbs 28:25. That's why I was chubby as a kid!
-Elder Tate
-Tang zhong lao
Monday, December 6, 2010
Jared 12/6/10
Hey family! I'm not quite sure what I want to inform you about, not much is happening down here.
Time really seems to be flying, and we've been super busy. I have 2 progressing investigators now, and they're both pretty cool, even though it's my teachers haha.
Food is getting slightly bland here now, just eating the same things all the time, and I feel like I've been eating about 18,000 calories a day. And the only form of exercise I get in is intense games of 4 squares. Which is just about the best thing ever, I seriously look forward to my hour of 4 square I get everyday :)
I really appreciate the letters I get from Natalie, she's winning right now for family letters (wayyyyy far behind in the total running) but she's tied with mom for family so props to her. I feel bad that she's like an only child now, but that's great that she's handling all of that. Just remember Miranda, a 4.666 GPA is okay, and "you can do better" (Quote complimentary of Larry Tate) :P hahaha Well Natalie to answer your questions, I did Tennis class for PE, and I actually really liked it. Mostly because Evan and Alan were in it with me and we screwed around. As for the number of girls writing me.... the other guys in my room find it unusual when I don't get a letter that day :) so I feel quite loved and blessed :) About Euro, I wish i had payed more attention in that class, because that time of history is fascinating, and my roomate and I talk about history a lot (he's a history major and he teaches me fun stuff) ROP always sounded like a joke. I had one friend do it, and it was something pointless so idk. My companion is a large fellow, He's slightly shorter than me, but he's amazing. I've learned (and been taught) that the best way to love someone is to serve them. So it's good fun :) Hahaha I dont know, when do you want pictures? maybe I'll send home a Christmas box. What would you like for Christmas family? I dont have much option, but I can do my best, lil candies? ctr rings? postcards perhaps? The money left in my room really isn't that important to me, so don't worry about it. And yeah it gets much better. Yes Natalie, high school gets better, Junior year is the most fun year, you're super busy and work hard, but it's also the funnest because you really keep your self busy, and appreciate weekends, and use them.
Oh okay so for Christmas! Umm I definitely need you to send my Chinese chess board, it should be located in my box of Jared's stuff so I'd like that :) I already purchased a memory card for my camera, which was like 7 bucks with your card, thanks :) and I'd like to be able to get a shirt with the Taiwanese flag on it, which I can just get here. Back home I would like a chinese CTR ring, Waffle crisp, and like other Chinese stuff would be cool. I want Mulan music in chinese (actual song book) but I asked one of my other friends to send that so idk.
Oh hey mom and dad quick question, is there money in my bank account? If I used my card would it go through? I'm slightly confused as to what's happening with that so let me know. Thanks, much love family!
-Elder Tate (Tang zhonglao)
Time really seems to be flying, and we've been super busy. I have 2 progressing investigators now, and they're both pretty cool, even though it's my teachers haha.
Food is getting slightly bland here now, just eating the same things all the time, and I feel like I've been eating about 18,000 calories a day. And the only form of exercise I get in is intense games of 4 squares. Which is just about the best thing ever, I seriously look forward to my hour of 4 square I get everyday :)
I really appreciate the letters I get from Natalie, she's winning right now for family letters (wayyyyy far behind in the total running) but she's tied with mom for family so props to her. I feel bad that she's like an only child now, but that's great that she's handling all of that. Just remember Miranda, a 4.666 GPA is okay, and "you can do better" (Quote complimentary of Larry Tate) :P hahaha Well Natalie to answer your questions, I did Tennis class for PE, and I actually really liked it. Mostly because Evan and Alan were in it with me and we screwed around. As for the number of girls writing me.... the other guys in my room find it unusual when I don't get a letter that day :) so I feel quite loved and blessed :) About Euro, I wish i had payed more attention in that class, because that time of history is fascinating, and my roomate and I talk about history a lot (he's a history major and he teaches me fun stuff) ROP always sounded like a joke. I had one friend do it, and it was something pointless so idk. My companion is a large fellow, He's slightly shorter than me, but he's amazing. I've learned (and been taught) that the best way to love someone is to serve them. So it's good fun :) Hahaha I dont know, when do you want pictures? maybe I'll send home a Christmas box. What would you like for Christmas family? I dont have much option, but I can do my best, lil candies? ctr rings? postcards perhaps? The money left in my room really isn't that important to me, so don't worry about it. And yeah it gets much better. Yes Natalie, high school gets better, Junior year is the most fun year, you're super busy and work hard, but it's also the funnest because you really keep your self busy, and appreciate weekends, and use them.
Oh okay so for Christmas! Umm I definitely need you to send my Chinese chess board, it should be located in my box of Jared's stuff so I'd like that :) I already purchased a memory card for my camera, which was like 7 bucks with your card, thanks :) and I'd like to be able to get a shirt with the Taiwanese flag on it, which I can just get here. Back home I would like a chinese CTR ring, Waffle crisp, and like other Chinese stuff would be cool. I want Mulan music in chinese (actual song book) but I asked one of my other friends to send that so idk.
Oh hey mom and dad quick question, is there money in my bank account? If I used my card would it go through? I'm slightly confused as to what's happening with that so let me know. Thanks, much love family!
-Elder Tate (Tang zhonglao)
Monday, November 29, 2010
Jared 11/29/10
Jared's second letter from the MTC
Oh hey! Now i get lots of stuff!
Umm, I dont care about you posting my stuff online. Oh yeah i did see Bradon, that was nice, and I also saw Michael Neilson which was also way cool. Andre coming was a big deal, but I doubt it had much impact. I had invited him on facebook and asked his mother to invite him as well, and it worked :)
So everything is great here. Chinese is crazy, I love it. For thanksgiving, Elder Holland came, which was AMAZING. The spirit was so strong, but every day the spirit is super strong, so thats not really saying much. Days are kind of starting to fly by now. When I write in my journal at night, I often forget what happened today, and what happened other days. I also dont quite remember what I've written to people, but this week I got a ton of letters (4 from my family alone) which was super exciting :)
A few of you asked some questions about what I do all day, I'll offer a quick review.
Wake up at 6:30 (out of bed by 6:40 :P (drives my roomates nuts, even though I still get ready before them))
personal study 7-8
breakfast till 9
generally class/companionship study from 9 to 1.
sometime between 1:45ish and 6 we generally have class, companionship study, language study, sometimes gym.
6 o'clock is dinner.
After dinner we teach our investigators normally, have time thats more discresionary (you choose with your companion what you will studying. Often the recommended activity is computer lab where we practice and learn chinese.)
Then after all that at 9 we plan, discuss what our goals were, and whether or not we met them, and plan for the next day (aka copy our given schedules into our planner)
On sundays and tuesday nights we get firesides which you learn a ton at :)
Some other questions you had:
My district is me the three elders I room with (one being my companion elder Mohr) and 3 sisters. The way you can think about it is its pretty much my class, that does everything together. My zone is much larger (all the chinese speaking elders) that have rooms next to us and we generally go to the temple, and firesides with. (although firesides include every missionary at the MTC, we try to sit as a zone.)
Natalie - will say the same thing I said before I left, Chinese 5 is amazing, and its a curved GPA :D
Girlies - Of course AP eauro is hard. I feel little sympathy :P
Yeah I've heard Harry Potter has an inappropriate scene in it, and I'm not sure if i like the implication of not only my lil sisters seeing such scene twice, and even less enjoy the implication of them dating Dirk. Not okay, never okay :P
So did you know Mormons in Northern California say "hecka"?lawls right? My companion said it once and I just laughed. My roomates are all super chill. Although none of them have girls back home, so we don't ever really talk about that haha.
Happy thanksgiving!!!
It was super delicious here. We got a feast for lunch, and a sack dinner :P We got to do a way cool service project though, where we made backpacks for underpriveledged people :) (I doubt I spelt that right, but I dont care, I speak Chinese now) We also got to watch a movie about a catholic preacher who converts to Mormonism, which was super old. Good story, just super old. Oh for our sack lunch dinner, it was really cool, cuz we all got together as a zone and shared what we were thankful for :) It was hilarious though, because my roomate was baring his testimony and Elder Youse barged out of his room and said "If you give a Youse a cookie!" I thought it was a clever joke, but you know maybe not the most appropriate timing :P
So it snows here like all the time... and it's super cold. Everyone else is like "Oh this is nothing" and I'm dying... It was super exciting the first day it snowed tho, I had dreams of building snowmen, and making snow angels, and then the next meeting our leader said "No building snowmen, or making snow angels." So now it's just cold. Although I still enjoy watching it fall and make everything serene, I'm sure I'll get sick of it soon enough :P
So fro Christmas, I would like a CTR ring in Chinese (I have no idea where you'd get those) and I think I'm going to use your card to buy a better memory chip for my camera (right now it holds like 10 pictures...) so thats no good. I'm not quite sure what else I would like, but I'll let you know :)
I love the work up here, but I just really want to go to Taiwan. Oh hey fun fact, if you're an assistant to the president during a Area conference supposedly you get to go to Hong Kong. New goal right there! Alright love you :)
And writing Dear elder is definitely more convenient, because I only get a half hour on the computer, and it'd be nice to not use it reading something I could have by other means :) Oh hey so supposedly I get to call you the day I leave for Taiwan which is pretty cool. Didnt know about that.
Love you family!
(Mom it's your discression what you want to put on your website)
(Fun fact: Missionaries cannot hold hands with girls, ever. This includes temple services. Oh and yes you can get haircuts here, I'm getting one today in like a half hour :)
Oh hey! Now i get lots of stuff!
Umm, I dont care about you posting my stuff online. Oh yeah i did see Bradon, that was nice, and I also saw Michael Neilson which was also way cool. Andre coming was a big deal, but I doubt it had much impact. I had invited him on facebook and asked his mother to invite him as well, and it worked :)
So everything is great here. Chinese is crazy, I love it. For thanksgiving, Elder Holland came, which was AMAZING. The spirit was so strong, but every day the spirit is super strong, so thats not really saying much. Days are kind of starting to fly by now. When I write in my journal at night, I often forget what happened today, and what happened other days. I also dont quite remember what I've written to people, but this week I got a ton of letters (4 from my family alone) which was super exciting :)
A few of you asked some questions about what I do all day, I'll offer a quick review.
Wake up at 6:30 (out of bed by 6:40 :P (drives my roomates nuts, even though I still get ready before them))
personal study 7-8
breakfast till 9
generally class/companionship study from 9 to 1.
sometime between 1:45ish and 6 we generally have class, companionship study, language study, sometimes gym.
6 o'clock is dinner.
After dinner we teach our investigators normally, have time thats more discresionary (you choose with your companion what you will studying. Often the recommended activity is computer lab where we practice and learn chinese.)
Then after all that at 9 we plan, discuss what our goals were, and whether or not we met them, and plan for the next day (aka copy our given schedules into our planner)
On sundays and tuesday nights we get firesides which you learn a ton at :)
Some other questions you had:
My district is me the three elders I room with (one being my companion elder Mohr) and 3 sisters. The way you can think about it is its pretty much my class, that does everything together. My zone is much larger (all the chinese speaking elders) that have rooms next to us and we generally go to the temple, and firesides with. (although firesides include every missionary at the MTC, we try to sit as a zone.)
Natalie - will say the same thing I said before I left, Chinese 5 is amazing, and its a curved GPA :D
Girlies - Of course AP eauro is hard. I feel little sympathy :P
Yeah I've heard Harry Potter has an inappropriate scene in it, and I'm not sure if i like the implication of not only my lil sisters seeing such scene twice, and even less enjoy the implication of them dating Dirk. Not okay, never okay :P
So did you know Mormons in Northern California say "hecka"?lawls right? My companion said it once and I just laughed. My roomates are all super chill. Although none of them have girls back home, so we don't ever really talk about that haha.
Happy thanksgiving!!!
It was super delicious here. We got a feast for lunch, and a sack dinner :P We got to do a way cool service project though, where we made backpacks for underpriveledged people :) (I doubt I spelt that right, but I dont care, I speak Chinese now) We also got to watch a movie about a catholic preacher who converts to Mormonism, which was super old. Good story, just super old. Oh for our sack lunch dinner, it was really cool, cuz we all got together as a zone and shared what we were thankful for :) It was hilarious though, because my roomate was baring his testimony and Elder Youse barged out of his room and said "If you give a Youse a cookie!" I thought it was a clever joke, but you know maybe not the most appropriate timing :P
So it snows here like all the time... and it's super cold. Everyone else is like "Oh this is nothing" and I'm dying... It was super exciting the first day it snowed tho, I had dreams of building snowmen, and making snow angels, and then the next meeting our leader said "No building snowmen, or making snow angels." So now it's just cold. Although I still enjoy watching it fall and make everything serene, I'm sure I'll get sick of it soon enough :P
So fro Christmas, I would like a CTR ring in Chinese (I have no idea where you'd get those) and I think I'm going to use your card to buy a better memory chip for my camera (right now it holds like 10 pictures...) so thats no good. I'm not quite sure what else I would like, but I'll let you know :)
I love the work up here, but I just really want to go to Taiwan. Oh hey fun fact, if you're an assistant to the president during a Area conference supposedly you get to go to Hong Kong. New goal right there! Alright love you :)
And writing Dear elder is definitely more convenient, because I only get a half hour on the computer, and it'd be nice to not use it reading something I could have by other means :) Oh hey so supposedly I get to call you the day I leave for Taiwan which is pretty cool. Didnt know about that.
Love you family!
(Mom it's your discression what you want to put on your website)
(Fun fact: Missionaries cannot hold hands with girls, ever. This includes temple services. Oh and yes you can get haircuts here, I'm getting one today in like a half hour :)
Jared's letters from the MTC
Jared's first letter from the MTC 11/22/10
Well, I didnt get a message from you, so idk what to think. Oh wells, MTC is crazy good :)
my companion is awesome, and the spirit is really strong. My district is super cool, especially our hilarious district leader. My district has 7 people in it, 6 of which are going to taiwan, and 3 of them are sisters, which is nice :) my chinese is really coming along, and everyone was super impressed the first few days of class, but I really don't know that much more than anyone else, because my class never taught about church vocabulary.
It's a ton of work here, but it's good work. My class is on a new pilot teaching method which is actually super crazy. On our first day our teach would rarely teach english to us (and still rarely does). On our second day we were given an "investigator." (He's really a teacher, but we have to treat him like an investigator, and he only speaks chinese.) We've had three lessons with him so far (all in chinese), and we have another one tonight. On Friday, we lose him :'( and get two new ones (both in chinese of course.) I really like this new teaching program though, it really provides focus to our study time. During our study time, instead of relaxing and what not, we have to study up and figure out how we're going to be teaching xia dixiong (our investigator) for that night. I love our teacher, she's really great.
It's snowing here.... definitely not used to that. But I'll have a white Christmas which is pretty cool :)
How's home? How's the 'girlies' :P
One of the coolest things I've learned I read from "Our Search for Happiness" and ii regret that I dont have it with me, or else I'd quote it. But it said something along the lines of "Joseph Smith's great grandfather prophesized of a time when his lineage will bring about a great change in the religious views of the world." Crazy right?
Oh I had a couple favors I wanted to ask you. I would like you to make sure my address on my facebook account is right. Have the girls do this next part or something: I would like you to go on my Account and write in under my bio that I would prefer everyone sign up for and use the Dear Elder sight to write me. I've had a couple friends do that, and it's really convenient for both of us :) Also I would ask that my family (you) also use the Dear Elder sight to write me, and of course I will respond via email.
The address my facebook should say is:
Elder Jared Richard Tate
MTC Mailbox # 115
TAIW-TCG 0210
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793.
And dont forget the dear elder thing. Thank you for everything you have taught me, and the various ways you supppoort me. Love all of you :)
-Elder Tate or now I'm actually called tang zhanglao :)
Well, I didnt get a message from you, so idk what to think. Oh wells, MTC is crazy good :)
my companion is awesome, and the spirit is really strong. My district is super cool, especially our hilarious district leader. My district has 7 people in it, 6 of which are going to taiwan, and 3 of them are sisters, which is nice :) my chinese is really coming along, and everyone was super impressed the first few days of class, but I really don't know that much more than anyone else, because my class never taught about church vocabulary.
It's a ton of work here, but it's good work. My class is on a new pilot teaching method which is actually super crazy. On our first day our teach would rarely teach english to us (and still rarely does). On our second day we were given an "investigator." (He's really a teacher, but we have to treat him like an investigator, and he only speaks chinese.) We've had three lessons with him so far (all in chinese), and we have another one tonight. On Friday, we lose him :'( and get two new ones (both in chinese of course.) I really like this new teaching program though, it really provides focus to our study time. During our study time, instead of relaxing and what not, we have to study up and figure out how we're going to be teaching xia dixiong (our investigator) for that night. I love our teacher, she's really great.
It's snowing here.... definitely not used to that. But I'll have a white Christmas which is pretty cool :)
How's home? How's the 'girlies' :P
One of the coolest things I've learned I read from "Our Search for Happiness" and ii regret that I dont have it with me, or else I'd quote it. But it said something along the lines of "Joseph Smith's great grandfather prophesized of a time when his lineage will bring about a great change in the religious views of the world." Crazy right?
Oh I had a couple favors I wanted to ask you. I would like you to make sure my address on my facebook account is right. Have the girls do this next part or something: I would like you to go on my Account and write in under my bio that I would prefer everyone sign up for and use the Dear Elder sight to write me. I've had a couple friends do that, and it's really convenient for both of us :) Also I would ask that my family (you) also use the Dear Elder sight to write me, and of course I will respond via email.
The address my facebook should say is:
Elder Jared Richard Tate
MTC Mailbox # 115
TAIW-TCG 0210
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793.
And dont forget the dear elder thing. Thank you for everything you have taught me, and the various ways you supppoort me. Love all of you :)
-Elder Tate or now I'm actually called tang zhanglao :)
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Fare thee well, Jared and God Speed.
Adam came Friday at noon, Bethany and Sterling at five. They came to be with Jared, but Jared had a continual farewell party that lasted for weeks and built to a crescendo over the weekend. Thirty people for brunch on Sunday. Twenty four friends to church and only 4 were actual Mormons (and only four were boys.) His friends sat shoulder to hip without wiggle room between them. I’m told the many of the girls cried, but I couldn’t see them past my own tears.
A brand new deacon, age 12 and about 2 months, gave a general conference worthy talk on the snares of pornography. He spoke clearly and only occasionally looked up from his paper. He wasn’t embarrassed about his topic or his message, he seemed completely sincere, and I couldn’t help wondering what Jared’s friends thought. And then the bishop’s wife spoke on how the Book of Mormon and the bible complement each other and how both came to earth through tremendous sacrifice. Again, I wondered about Jared’s friends and how many of them would go home and try reading the Book of Mormon. She was followed by a young, handsome, articulate man who had been baptized the night before and bore his testimony about his conversion. And then a nine year old girl sang The Armies of Helamen – so sweet.
Finally, Jared spoke on the Doctrine of Christ; faith, repentance, baptism, the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. After the meeting, Jared and his friends congregated and I went to primary.
Primary is the perfect place for me. I can sit behind the piano and cry and only a few notice. Because I’ve been playing for primary since I was 13, I can play through my tears. Because the room is filled with little kids, somebody is sure to say something funny and adorable. Every once and awhile, I’ll remember that my children were once darling, and I’ll miss the people that they used to be and the lives we lived together, and I’ll start to cry again and I’ll remember to be grateful for pianos, for my Heavenly Father who called me to sit behind one, and for the amazing people my children have become.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Beyond the Fortune Teller's Tent
CHAPTER 1
In Elizabethan England every town square came equipped with stocks and pillory and every castle had a torture chamber. Not that Petra seriously considered stringing Zoe up in a dungeon, but the stocks she could have used.
“I saw Mylan Reynolds near the corral,” Zoe said, calculation lacing her squeaky voice. “Looking all smarmy and swagger in those stupid glasses he wears.”
These torturous thoughts were her parents fault, of course. Petra would never have included Zoe in a sentence with a rack of pain or thumbscrews if the seven year old stepsister from Hades hadn’t interfered with her Mylan time at the faire.
Robyn raised her eyebrows but Petra shook her head and Robyn dutifully pressed her lips together. Petra and Robyn called themselves tella-buddies, because they could read each other’s thoughts. Robyn cocked her head, which meant, we should at least look.
Sighing, Petra took Zoe’s hand and gazed up and down the dusty tent lined streets. She saw women wearing laced up bodices, men in tights and knee high boots, horses covered in bright cloths, even a snowy white owl on a perch, but not Mylan.
As they wandered the sawdust strewn paths of the Arroyo Oaks High School annual Renaissance Faire, Petra straightened her tiara. She and Robyn were the only two dressed as princesses. Even Zoe in her cut up pillowcase and drapery tassel belt fit in better with the faire crowd. Dust gathered on the hem of Petra’s baby blue gown and she had to hold her skirts to keep them from being trampled by the other fair goers. Children in makeshift tunics and tights pushed from one booth to the other like an erratic tide while Zoe bobbed, her hand tucked into Petra’s, like a balloon trying to escape a string. Petra wondered what would happen if she let her go.
Zoe cast the funnel cake stand a soulful look as they trooped past to the horse corral.
From the stands surrounding the jousting arena came the cheering and huzzahs of the crowd. Petra heard the horses’ hooves thundering and the clanging of lances hitting shields and armor. She smelled the odors of roasted turkey legs, the fires from the pottery kilns and dung. She did not see Mylan.
Robyn stopped in front of the corral. “Giddy-up,” she said, her gaze riveted on the guy leading a horse. He had brown shoulder length hair tied back with a leather thong and wore soft, fawn colored breeches and knee high boots of the same color. His white shirt billowed around a wide leather belt that hung about his hips. Three simultaneous thoughts struck Petra with equal force. The first: everyone else, including herself, wore costumes, but this guy looked at ease, at home, in the breeches and boots. The second: as their eyes met and held and a small smile curved his generous lips, was that although she knew they’d never met, an immediate recognition jolted her. The third: she was quite sure this guy could never be told what color his vest needed to be.
“Isn’t he awesome,” Zoe breathed. “He’s so huge.”
Robyn gave Zoe a funny look and Petra laughed, shaking her head as she watched the Arabian toss his mane and pull at the reins held by the guy with long brown hair. The stallion fought the bit, rose up on his hind legs and scissored the air with lightning speed hooves. “You can’t ride him,” she said. “He’s not one of the ponies they lead through rink.”
Zoe turned down her lips, sending her freckles south. “I’m sure he’d rather be with me on the trail than in that silly jousting place.” Moments ago they’d tried watching the jousting competitions, but Zoe, unconcerned for the knights being thwacked about by lances, had wailed in concern for the sweat dripping horses.
“I’m sure you’re right, Zo, but I’m pretty sure I’m right, too,” Petra said. “They’d never let you take him out of their sight. Besides, he looks fast, barely tame.”
“I like them fast and barely tame,” Robyn said under her breath, smoothing down the pink chiffon skirt of her prom dress.
Petra grabbed Robyn’s arm and Zoe’s hand to lead them away, but as she did, the guy with the horse caught her eye and winked.
Puzzled by the zinging up her spine and the skin-pricking sensation of deja vu, Petra turned away and shepherded her sister and friend back to the fortune teller’s booth.
“Just sit.” Petra scowled at Zoe, sending a facial warning not to budge and pointed at a well placed stump. She wished for perhaps the zillionth time that Zoe would take lessons from Frosty, her standard poodle. Frosty greeted all instructions with a lolling tongue and wagging tail.
Zoe received instructions with a stamping of her pink tasseled flip flop, a jutted chin, and a threat. “If you leave me here --”
Petra silenced her by holding up a finger. “If you can be quiet, sit here and not say a word, I’ll buy you a funnel cake.” She raised her eyebrows to see if Zoe would take the bribe or would if she needed to up the ante. Having lived for nearly sixteen years as an only child, Petra was just beginning to learn the art of sibling manipulation. She knew that Zoe, who had lived seven years as an only child, had been raised by a health food nut single mom who’d managed a shoe string budget and a dance studio. Laurel hadn’t money for brand name raisin bran, let alone funnel cakes. Years of lean frugality coupled with an abundance of soy based food products had made Zoe a sucker for sweets.
She put her hands on her hips and addressed Zoe in the same tone she usually reserved for Frosty. “If anyone bugs you, just call a yellow jacket.” Arroyo Oaks High School had its own sentinels: trollish security guards riding golf carts and carrying blow horns that blasted at any hapless soul engaged in unseemly behavior, such as walking through flower beds or taking short cuts through the staff parking lot.
Zoe sat with a humph and picked at the hem of her pillowcase tunic.
“Sit, be quiet and a funnel cake will soon be yours,” Petra promised.
Zoe looked up at her, smiled and said in voice as sweet as a funnel cake, “I want to ride that horse.”
Petra exhaled. “I can’t promise you a ride on that horse!”
Zoe’s gaze cut to the corral and lingered on the stallion. “But, you can ask.”
Robyn nodded in agreement, a flirty smile on her lips. “We can ask.”
Petra shot her look that said, traitor.
“Horse guy with hotitude,” Robyn mouthed at her over Zoe’s head, while she shot a wide eyed smile at the corral and flipped her brown curls over her shoulder. Robyn had a puppy dog cuteness that always reminded Petra of a brown eyed, curly haired spaniel.
“And offer him money,” Zoe put in. Covered in freckles, cursed with orange hair, Zoe wasn’t puppy dog cute or even lizard interesting. She was more rodent cunning and conniving.
“How much money?” Petra nearly growled. Since Laurel’s arrival she’d been given an allowance “to help her find her own financial feet in the real world.” Petra’s real world wouldn’t begin until after college and until then she hadn’t any misgivings of standing on and sharing her father’s financial feet with her friends. He had very big feet and an equally sized wallet.
Laurel, on the other hand, wore size six fitness footwear and she wasn’t any more generous with Zoe than she was with Petra. She was unselectively stingy.
“I saw him wink at you.” Zoe looked scheming, and for a moment Petra imagined she saw the future Zoe business shark. If Zoe had been a cartoon character she’d have dollar signs flashing in her eyes. “Maybe you wouldn’t need to pay him.”
“We’ll ask him right after we visit the fortune teller,” Robyn promised Zoe, sending a pleased to meet you smile at horse guy.
Zoe looked cross, folded her arms and watched the horses parading in the corral.
Convinced that Zoe would stay parked, Petra took Robyn’s hand and pulled her to the tent and out of Zoe’s earshot. The tent, held up by large wooden poles had brightly woven damask walls. A bare-chested man wearing a red pair of what could only be called pantaloons and nothing else besides gold chains and large rings guarded a money jar. A hand printed sign propped by the jar read Fiorella Foretells your Fate.
“It’s after two,” Petra whispered. “Let’s just go and chat up Fiorella.”
“I think the fortune teller’s tent is romantic,” Robyn said, defending tardy Mylan.
“He’s not here,” Petra said, pushing her towards the gaudy tent and Fiorella.
“Yet,” Robyn added.
The frustration of denail settled between Petra’s shoulder blades like an unreachable itch. She was used to getting what she wanted when she wanted it and the prom was only three weeks away. She had assumed Mylan would ask her; they’d been going out since Valentine’s Day. He needed to answer some questions. Could he find a vest to match her shoes? Was he willing to pay for his share of the limousine and for the price of the ticket -- and dinner, too, of course? She now had more questions, and although she didn’t believe in fortunes, fate or fairy tales, it never hurt to ask.
“But, what if he doesn’t come inside?” Robyn asked. “He could be standing out here for eons while some old hag predicts I don’t get into a good school and I end up selling shoes for the rest of my life.”
“You love shoes.”
“And you love Mylan, right?”
Petra didn’t answer but she wondered, not for the first time, why Robyn always seemed to be in Mylan’s orbit. If Robyn hadn’t been her best friend, her tele-buddy, she might have worried. Some girls dissolved into giggles and gush around Mylan. Petra liked to think that he’d been attracted to her because she didn’t succumb to his hotitude. She didn’t sigh or melt, but she’d grown tired of waiting for Mylan. He’d had every opportunity to ask. All of her friends had been asked days, even weeks, ago.
She stood on her toes, searching. Beyond the gaudy tents, jousters, and court jesters, she saw the white steeple of the church she attended with her family pointing heavenward, the gates of Bear Ranch, an enclave of California’s wealthiest, patrolled by security guards who were polite to residents, but fierce to intruders, and the yellow jackets zipping around in their golf carts, yelling at the clueless who dared to tread in the teacher’s parking lot. She did not see Mylan.
But as she pushed back the curtains of the fortune teller’s tent, Petra was no longer thinking of Mylan and the prom.
Her thoughts had turned to a stallion and the guy who held the reins.
In Elizabethan England every town square came equipped with stocks and pillory and every castle had a torture chamber. Not that Petra seriously considered stringing Zoe up in a dungeon, but the stocks she could have used.
“I saw Mylan Reynolds near the corral,” Zoe said, calculation lacing her squeaky voice. “Looking all smarmy and swagger in those stupid glasses he wears.”
These torturous thoughts were her parents fault, of course. Petra would never have included Zoe in a sentence with a rack of pain or thumbscrews if the seven year old stepsister from Hades hadn’t interfered with her Mylan time at the faire.
Robyn raised her eyebrows but Petra shook her head and Robyn dutifully pressed her lips together. Petra and Robyn called themselves tella-buddies, because they could read each other’s thoughts. Robyn cocked her head, which meant, we should at least look.
Sighing, Petra took Zoe’s hand and gazed up and down the dusty tent lined streets. She saw women wearing laced up bodices, men in tights and knee high boots, horses covered in bright cloths, even a snowy white owl on a perch, but not Mylan.
As they wandered the sawdust strewn paths of the Arroyo Oaks High School annual Renaissance Faire, Petra straightened her tiara. She and Robyn were the only two dressed as princesses. Even Zoe in her cut up pillowcase and drapery tassel belt fit in better with the faire crowd. Dust gathered on the hem of Petra’s baby blue gown and she had to hold her skirts to keep them from being trampled by the other fair goers. Children in makeshift tunics and tights pushed from one booth to the other like an erratic tide while Zoe bobbed, her hand tucked into Petra’s, like a balloon trying to escape a string. Petra wondered what would happen if she let her go.
Zoe cast the funnel cake stand a soulful look as they trooped past to the horse corral.
From the stands surrounding the jousting arena came the cheering and huzzahs of the crowd. Petra heard the horses’ hooves thundering and the clanging of lances hitting shields and armor. She smelled the odors of roasted turkey legs, the fires from the pottery kilns and dung. She did not see Mylan.
Robyn stopped in front of the corral. “Giddy-up,” she said, her gaze riveted on the guy leading a horse. He had brown shoulder length hair tied back with a leather thong and wore soft, fawn colored breeches and knee high boots of the same color. His white shirt billowed around a wide leather belt that hung about his hips. Three simultaneous thoughts struck Petra with equal force. The first: everyone else, including herself, wore costumes, but this guy looked at ease, at home, in the breeches and boots. The second: as their eyes met and held and a small smile curved his generous lips, was that although she knew they’d never met, an immediate recognition jolted her. The third: she was quite sure this guy could never be told what color his vest needed to be.
“Isn’t he awesome,” Zoe breathed. “He’s so huge.”
Robyn gave Zoe a funny look and Petra laughed, shaking her head as she watched the Arabian toss his mane and pull at the reins held by the guy with long brown hair. The stallion fought the bit, rose up on his hind legs and scissored the air with lightning speed hooves. “You can’t ride him,” she said. “He’s not one of the ponies they lead through rink.”
Zoe turned down her lips, sending her freckles south. “I’m sure he’d rather be with me on the trail than in that silly jousting place.” Moments ago they’d tried watching the jousting competitions, but Zoe, unconcerned for the knights being thwacked about by lances, had wailed in concern for the sweat dripping horses.
“I’m sure you’re right, Zo, but I’m pretty sure I’m right, too,” Petra said. “They’d never let you take him out of their sight. Besides, he looks fast, barely tame.”
“I like them fast and barely tame,” Robyn said under her breath, smoothing down the pink chiffon skirt of her prom dress.
Petra grabbed Robyn’s arm and Zoe’s hand to lead them away, but as she did, the guy with the horse caught her eye and winked.
Puzzled by the zinging up her spine and the skin-pricking sensation of deja vu, Petra turned away and shepherded her sister and friend back to the fortune teller’s booth.
“Just sit.” Petra scowled at Zoe, sending a facial warning not to budge and pointed at a well placed stump. She wished for perhaps the zillionth time that Zoe would take lessons from Frosty, her standard poodle. Frosty greeted all instructions with a lolling tongue and wagging tail.
Zoe received instructions with a stamping of her pink tasseled flip flop, a jutted chin, and a threat. “If you leave me here --”
Petra silenced her by holding up a finger. “If you can be quiet, sit here and not say a word, I’ll buy you a funnel cake.” She raised her eyebrows to see if Zoe would take the bribe or would if she needed to up the ante. Having lived for nearly sixteen years as an only child, Petra was just beginning to learn the art of sibling manipulation. She knew that Zoe, who had lived seven years as an only child, had been raised by a health food nut single mom who’d managed a shoe string budget and a dance studio. Laurel hadn’t money for brand name raisin bran, let alone funnel cakes. Years of lean frugality coupled with an abundance of soy based food products had made Zoe a sucker for sweets.
She put her hands on her hips and addressed Zoe in the same tone she usually reserved for Frosty. “If anyone bugs you, just call a yellow jacket.” Arroyo Oaks High School had its own sentinels: trollish security guards riding golf carts and carrying blow horns that blasted at any hapless soul engaged in unseemly behavior, such as walking through flower beds or taking short cuts through the staff parking lot.
Zoe sat with a humph and picked at the hem of her pillowcase tunic.
“Sit, be quiet and a funnel cake will soon be yours,” Petra promised.
Zoe looked up at her, smiled and said in voice as sweet as a funnel cake, “I want to ride that horse.”
Petra exhaled. “I can’t promise you a ride on that horse!”
Zoe’s gaze cut to the corral and lingered on the stallion. “But, you can ask.”
Robyn nodded in agreement, a flirty smile on her lips. “We can ask.”
Petra shot her look that said, traitor.
“Horse guy with hotitude,” Robyn mouthed at her over Zoe’s head, while she shot a wide eyed smile at the corral and flipped her brown curls over her shoulder. Robyn had a puppy dog cuteness that always reminded Petra of a brown eyed, curly haired spaniel.
“And offer him money,” Zoe put in. Covered in freckles, cursed with orange hair, Zoe wasn’t puppy dog cute or even lizard interesting. She was more rodent cunning and conniving.
“How much money?” Petra nearly growled. Since Laurel’s arrival she’d been given an allowance “to help her find her own financial feet in the real world.” Petra’s real world wouldn’t begin until after college and until then she hadn’t any misgivings of standing on and sharing her father’s financial feet with her friends. He had very big feet and an equally sized wallet.
Laurel, on the other hand, wore size six fitness footwear and she wasn’t any more generous with Zoe than she was with Petra. She was unselectively stingy.
“I saw him wink at you.” Zoe looked scheming, and for a moment Petra imagined she saw the future Zoe business shark. If Zoe had been a cartoon character she’d have dollar signs flashing in her eyes. “Maybe you wouldn’t need to pay him.”
“We’ll ask him right after we visit the fortune teller,” Robyn promised Zoe, sending a pleased to meet you smile at horse guy.
Zoe looked cross, folded her arms and watched the horses parading in the corral.
Convinced that Zoe would stay parked, Petra took Robyn’s hand and pulled her to the tent and out of Zoe’s earshot. The tent, held up by large wooden poles had brightly woven damask walls. A bare-chested man wearing a red pair of what could only be called pantaloons and nothing else besides gold chains and large rings guarded a money jar. A hand printed sign propped by the jar read Fiorella Foretells your Fate.
“It’s after two,” Petra whispered. “Let’s just go and chat up Fiorella.”
“I think the fortune teller’s tent is romantic,” Robyn said, defending tardy Mylan.
“He’s not here,” Petra said, pushing her towards the gaudy tent and Fiorella.
“Yet,” Robyn added.
The frustration of denail settled between Petra’s shoulder blades like an unreachable itch. She was used to getting what she wanted when she wanted it and the prom was only three weeks away. She had assumed Mylan would ask her; they’d been going out since Valentine’s Day. He needed to answer some questions. Could he find a vest to match her shoes? Was he willing to pay for his share of the limousine and for the price of the ticket -- and dinner, too, of course? She now had more questions, and although she didn’t believe in fortunes, fate or fairy tales, it never hurt to ask.
“But, what if he doesn’t come inside?” Robyn asked. “He could be standing out here for eons while some old hag predicts I don’t get into a good school and I end up selling shoes for the rest of my life.”
“You love shoes.”
“And you love Mylan, right?”
Petra didn’t answer but she wondered, not for the first time, why Robyn always seemed to be in Mylan’s orbit. If Robyn hadn’t been her best friend, her tele-buddy, she might have worried. Some girls dissolved into giggles and gush around Mylan. Petra liked to think that he’d been attracted to her because she didn’t succumb to his hotitude. She didn’t sigh or melt, but she’d grown tired of waiting for Mylan. He’d had every opportunity to ask. All of her friends had been asked days, even weeks, ago.
She stood on her toes, searching. Beyond the gaudy tents, jousters, and court jesters, she saw the white steeple of the church she attended with her family pointing heavenward, the gates of Bear Ranch, an enclave of California’s wealthiest, patrolled by security guards who were polite to residents, but fierce to intruders, and the yellow jackets zipping around in their golf carts, yelling at the clueless who dared to tread in the teacher’s parking lot. She did not see Mylan.
But as she pushed back the curtains of the fortune teller’s tent, Petra was no longer thinking of Mylan and the prom.
Her thoughts had turned to a stallion and the guy who held the reins.
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