October 2008 Newsletter

October 2008
So let it be written, so let it be done,
The honeymoon has ended. At least, that's what it kind of feels like. We've left our corporate housing on the 21st floor overlooking Elliot Bay with a view of the Space Needle as well. It was hard to do. We found a nice place in Issaquah, WA. Where we are is really an unincorporated area known as Klahanie. Most of our stuff made it here in the same condition it was in when it left. With the exception of a few things, we were kind of hoping it would have all been destroyed by a meteorite and we could start over. We did however pretend our computers were lost while we were at the corporate housing and bought a laptop and an iMac. We now have every operating system, hurray!
Reena has been a great little girl during this whole ordeal. There were two kids from the ward in Seattle that she has become really good friends with. She couldn't go over to their house once because one of them was sick and for the next week she kept saying “Isaac sick or Sophie Sick” and would get real sad. She's putting together words much better and even making some sentences. Thuan asked her if she was okay and she responded “I'm alright,” so we know she can associate okay with alright. She was really excited to get her bikes back when the movers came and enjoys riding around the kitchen island. Her room was the first to be all unpacked in hopes that she wouldn't be distracted by boxes during her nap. She has said “Please Nama” when referring to her blanket many times because her mom told her that Nama made her the pink blanket. We think she likes the queen-sized bed she had at the temporary housing more than her crib sized bed that she had before. We'll see if she can get used to it again. She went trick or treating for the first time. She started with a ward trunk-or-treat where we camouflaged our Fit as a spider-infested bat cave. She had a good time and got lots of treats. On Halloween, we took her down a couple of streets. She's been saying “Halla ween” for a little while but didn't start saying “Trick or treat” until halfway through the night. At first she didn't like when people came to the door after she knocked. But once she realized that she got candy every time, she would fuss when we started to go to the next house.
Thuan is excited for the place we are at. As soon as we saw it she announced that our search was at an end, and we hadn't even seen the inside yet. She has also worked tirelessly....well, not really, she's been tired, but she's worked all the same at getting us out of boxes. She was so excited about us getting into a house that she forgot how much she liked our corporate apartment. She was really sad the days leading up to moving out; almost to the point of backing out and just renting there (having people clean your house and make your beds and do your dishes? Of course I miss it). Part of that, though, is that she will be moving away from her new best friend. However, they have still been seeing each other since the move. Thuan even invited her family to come and they came to celebrate Dan's birthday so we know they'll still see each other often.
Dan is happy that he has a pretty straight shot into work on the bus. It only makes two stops between where we are and where he gets off, so it's not a bad ride for him. We're about 18 miles from work, but it the bus ride is only 25 minutes. We're 2-3 miles from the Park and Ride so he's still trying to figure out how he'll get there. He's considering biking now that he's seen the terrain, but at one point he was thinking about taking up skateboarding, but with the hills around here, we'll see (it's quite like San Francisco around here except a lot greener). Dan also had a wonderful birthday with breakfast in bed, banana cream pies and Reena singing the Happy Birthday song to him. What a joy that little cutie pie is. Joyful singer was the right name for her.
We are happy to be here and can't wait to have any and all of you come see the area.
Love,
Dan, Thuan, Reena, and ?
small plates: We've been in several wards in the last few months. It's wonderful to know that wherever we go, the church is the same. Each ward might be off a week or two on the schedule, but we know that we could go to any ward and be assured that the Lord has called people who will be teaching the truths of the gospel.