October 11^th, 2005

Dear Family,

It has been a busy summer and it actually still feels like summer here. Chuck finally broke out his sweater but it certainly doesn’t feel like October. Since Chuck went on blood thinner for his heart he is cold quite often. He had a clean bill of health from his cardiologist last month, but he will be on quite a number of medications the rest of his life. It is funny to watch him count out his pills each Monday night and put them in a daily pill box. I know some day it will catch up with me, but currently I am medication free.

We braced ourselves for rain and weather problems with several of the hurricanes that have plagued the surrounding areas, but other than a little rain we have escaped any problems relating to any of them.

My parents came for a visit last month and we made a return trip to Savannah with them. Since it was shortly after the Hurricane it was not as busy as it might have been. We enjoyed it just as much as the first time and my parents loved it. We did a trolley tour, a harbor cruise tour and did lots of walking. Chuck took more pictures than someone has time to look at, but it was all very enjoyable.

Chuck was able to accompany our Stake to Slidell, LA in a clean-up effort. They went over conference weekend. A group of 80 men from the 7 wards in our stake drove passenger vans and trucks loaded with tools to work on homes affected by the storm. Chuck’s doctor agreed he could go as long as he played the part of “historian.” He took several hundred pictures and documented the trip. They left on Thursday mid-day and returned Monday morning around 5:00 a.m. The pictures tell the story of the devastation he witnessed. It was very humbling for him and the other men who went.

Chuck and I have plans to meet Chad, Becky and Cole in Chicago mid month to attend the BYU/Notre Dame game. To be honest I don’t care if there is a football game involved or not, I am just anxious to spend time with Cole. We get pictures, phone calls, and videos regularly, but the real thing will be nice. We will spend a few days sightseeing, visit with Matt’s family and then attend the game Saturday. Matt and Lori have invited us to stay with them one night so it will be fun to visit and see their new surroundings.

Chuck’s job is still status quo, the company has not been sold so life goes on for him as usual. He stays very busy with church and meetings and has become quite a good Sunday speaker. I should know listening to him week after week at the wards we visit. I enjoy my Primary calling and love visiting the ward primaries and learning all the Primary songs again after all these years. My job at Brock Cabinets keeps me as busy as I want to be, sometimes busier than Chuck wants me to be too. I have enjoyed learning the cabinet business and it is nice to work with good people that are fun to be around.

We are probably coming home for Christmas if Chuck can find us some airline tickets. We look forward to seeing whoever is around when we come.

Everyone take care,

Lorna and Chuck