3:00 a.m. and checking my email??? What!?

So I woke up suddenly at 3:00 a.m. this morning.  Not sure why.  Decided to check my email -- blurry-eyed and drowsy.  I had a sense that I may just catch my son in the act of emailing.  Sure enough, I did!

3:11 a.m. Me:  I know this is cheating, but are you there?
3:12 a.m. Willie:  Yes
3:13 a.m. Me:  How are you doing sweet son of mine?
3:17 a.m. Me:  Be a good boy! I am going back to bed in a minute.
3:19 a.m. Willie: I am good.  This really isn't allowed . . .  But I do have some questions, so we will call it a tender mercy.
3:20 a.m.  Me:  I know the rules, too.  Tender mercy or nice blessing is good.
3:21 a.m.  Willie:  Bank website still doesn't work - can you set it to the LDS email account? Can you send my retainer with the next package, whenever that may be. I think it would be a good idea. I read somewhere that if you do it for a month straight your teeth will go back. Maybe you could do some research.  Also, I don't know how we will work out shoes when mine die. There is no way I will find giant ones here.
3:25 a.m.  Me:  I will update your bank account profile; you have $$.  I am not sure where your retainer is but I will look around.  Are your teeth okay?  I can send you shoes -- no problem -- just tell me when to send them -  I will get on it now.
3:34 a.m.  Willie: Just nice classy shoes.  Stylish and black.  Order them, and I will tell you when to send them.  My teeth are okay, but I can feel the middle gap starting to come back.  I figure if I'm going to suffer death by retainer, I might as well do it now.  Thanks for everything!  I love you!
3:40 a.m.  Me:  Au revoir!  Laiminga diena!  (have a good day in Lithuanian)

Then is was over!  A conversation thousands of miles away with less than a minute required to send emails back and forth.  I love technology!  I couldn't go back to sleep so I watched an episode of House Hunters International.

 

Missionary apartment -- study center

 

Willie has passed the 100 day milestone -

Willie has been serving as a missionary for now over 100 days!  Can you believe it?  The time goes by pretty quickly when you look back and seems like forever when you look to the future.  He reports that he is doing well and that the proselyting work is slow but he is very busy and all is going pretty well. 

We hear from Willie on Monday mornings.  His email is sent between 3-4:00 a.m., so when I get up I head to the computer and anxiously wait for my email to load and then look carefully for that familiar name, William Karl Petersen.  There is no greater feeling of relief and satisfaction than when I see his name in my inbox.  I know he is okay and doing fine, but I do get nervous at some point every day about his safety, health, and well-being mainly because he is some 5,000 miles from home. He puts photos in a drop box that we share but having no voice or F2F communication is tough to swallow some days.

I can't express in words how blessed Karl and I are to have such a great family -- they are good, educated, employed, own their homes, attend church and serve faithfully, and are kind and nice to others.  We get together when we can which includes Sunday dinner, ball games, programs, and just helping each other out now and again.  We also get along really well largely because we agree to disagree and respect differing interests and perspectives.

June 1 - and all is well!

June, already?  Another high school graduation season  - Class of 2014!

• Willie has been officially serving a mission for 14 weeks.  He has been in Lithuania a little over a month.  He seems good - his emails are positive and he is smiling in the pictures he sends us.  He is in a little city in north central Lithuania, Siauliai (Shou-lay).  If you want to learn about the city you can follow the blog, Baltic Avenue, of a Fulbright Scholar teaching at the University there http://balticavenu.blogspot.com/2014_05_01_archive.html.  If you would like to know what this person thinks about the missionaries, visit the post called Street Gang, written on May 3 http://balticavenu.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-street-gang_3.html.
• We celebrated a bunch of birthdays in May.  Three of my five little grandchillins have their birthday in May - Wyatt, May 12, Molly, May 14, and Jack, May 30.  Annie and Ross also celebrate birthdays in May.
• Karl and I are keeping busy watching little ones do things -- Elliott and Wyatt in baseball, Molly in a dance program, Molly and Jack in their pre-school program, and Quinn just being an almost 2 year old.
• Karl coached a grades 7-8 AAU basketball team this spring.  So, from mid March through the first of May he worked with a dozen or so boys trying to teach them how to play basketball and more importantly how to be tough and strong basketball players.  It wasn't the most talented group of boys but definitely the nicest. 
• Grandpa is still in the rehab center and making progress every day.  He fell March 17 and broke his neck - #1 and #2 cervical vertebrae.  After surgery, unexpected urological problems, and eating through a feeding tube, he is ready to get home.  His house is ready thanks to my sister, Cindy.  The two bathrooms in the house have been completely remodeled to include walk-in showers, high sinks and toilets, and solid rails and bars throughout the house.  Dad's been out to the house a couple of times and seems anxious to get home.  He hasn't passed the swallow tests to the satisfaction of the professionals, but he is eating pureed and thickened food a couple of times a day in addition to 10 hours on the feeding tube.  He's lost some weight but looks good.
• The family swimming pool is about ready for swimmers.  It is open and getting its chemical balance adjusted for a few days.  I think this is the earliest we have opened the pool for many years.