Christmas is fast approaching and the Mierins family is quite excited. We are looking forward to spending time together as a family. The boys finished school on Friday and have the next two weeks off. Andy will be taking a week off of work as well and so we are glad we will have some much needed time together.

Gail enjoyed a bit of time on her own Saturday as she went with some friends to see the Nutcracker. She said it was wonderful. The show was done here in Elko and was a collaboration with Reno Ballet. Gail got to live her dream of being a ballet dancer.

The boys continue to do well. Matthew enjoyed spending time with his Dad on Friday. Andy had a meeting in Reno, so he took Matthew with him. They left Thursday evening and all reports are had a great time together. They played midway games at Circus Circus and Matthew came home with quite a haul of prizes. The drive home was a bit tricky as it started snowing Friday morning, but everyone got back safe and sound.

It appears we will have a white Christmas in northern Nevada. The snow started Friday and while it shifts from rain to sleet to snow and back, we have snow on the ground.

We want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Please take time this time of year to seek out those who may be struggling or are lonely and offer what you can to lift their spirits. Despite what the world may say or do, this is the time we remember the birth of Jesus Christ, the exemplar of service to others. May you be blessed as you seek out those who are in need. Merry Christmas.

We enjoyed a wonderful week. Gail finished up the "Forgotten Carols" and she did a wonderful job. Gail's parents came down for the Saturday afternoon show and we had a nice visit. Those that attended the show were in for a real treat and many raved about how wonderful it was. Gail also sang in the "Messiah" last Sunday and was by far the best soprano voice. We are so proud of her and the performances she has given. She will be gearing up for her next show in the spring. Nikolas was also in the show and he did a great job as well.



The boys continue to be excited about Christmas. It is hard to believe it is only two weeks away. Matthew and Nikolas continue to do well in school. Nikolas did a great job at his piano recital and is excited about continuing to study the piano.

Andy had a busy week. He was in Reno at a Drug Court training Thursday and Friday and so was gone. He has several trials coming up in January and February so he is getting ready.

Overall life is good and we hope the same is true for you.

What a great week this has been. We had a bit more snow, but then towards the end of the week it warmed up and Saturday we were back to rain.

Blizzard, our new kitten, seems to be adapting well to her new home. She was sluggish the beginning of the week, but by the end she was chasing her tail and playing which is always a good sign. Salem still does not know what to make of this invasion of his home, but is adapting. He no longer hisses, just sort of lunges, then when Blizzard has no reaction, turns and walks the other way. We are taking her to the vet this week and will keep you posted.

The boys are excited for Christmas and so are we. This was the week of the annual Christmas Creche Exhibit. Nikolas participated in a piano recital and sang in a choir on Saturday. Gail will sing a solo this evening as part of the Messiah sing along. Nikolas did a great job and Mom and Dad were very proud of his effort. He was quite scared, but it did not come out during his performance.

We bought our Christmas tree Saturday. It is a Douglass Fir and has made the house smell wonderful. Gail and Andy got the tree up Saturday afternoon and were still speaking once it was done. They have come a long way. We are excited to decorate. The tree was pretty wet due to the rain so it has taken a day to dry before lights and decorations can go on. We will try and post a picture.

Gail and Andy are busy as always. This coming up week is the "Forgotten Carols" so Gail is in overdrive making sure everything gets done and the show is ready.

We hope you are all well.

We had a fantastic week. We hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

We experienced a first this week in the 3 years we have lived in Nevada; a snow day. Tuesday a snow storm hit Elko and the boys did not have school, Andy had a half day as all county offices were closed. It was a nice break and we got much done in anticipation of Thanksgiving. Andy cooked most of the afternoon and so the house was nice a warm.

We left Wednesday afternoon and while there were some snowy parts on the roads had a safe trip and got to Boise in about 4 hours. We stopped at Five Guys Burgers and Fries for dinner and really enjoyed the food. Thanksgiving day was nice. Gail's parents hosted 26 people and we enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with family.

We left Friday afternoon and made it back to Elko safely. Unfortunately we had quite a bit to get done this weekend before school and work begins Monday.

Saturday we left for Salt Lake City to attend the baby blessing for our good friends Daniel and Irene. We had a nice dinner with them and then settled in for the night. We awoke to a snow storm. As we were getting ready to leave the hotel we heard the cry of a little kitten under our car. We rescued him and felt bad so we let the hotel know we had him in the event someone comes looking for it. As of now he is with us in Elko. We will keep you posted.

We hope all is well with you.

We have received our first snow of the season this morning. As Andy left for church there were several inches of snow on the ground but by noon the sun was out and melted some, but not all of the snow. We are also suppose to be in for our first blast of cold weather this week. We will keep you posted.

Our week was fairly typical with no excitement out of the ordinary. Andy and Gail worked and the boys went to school. As a family we enjoyed the Ruby Mountain Symphony concert last night (Saturday). There was a jazz ensemble that was really good.

We are all looking forward to Thanksgiving this week and wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.

We just returned from another trip to Salt Lake City. Gail and I were invited to a devotional held on the 5th floor of the SLC Temple. Elder Richard G. Scott, Bishop Keith B. McMullin, Elder William R Walker and President and Sister Childs were the devotional speakers I felt it was an inspirational meeting and was thankful to be in the Temple today. We drove in with some great friends and our even braver friends in Wendover watched the boys Gail and Andy could go together. Needless to say it was a fantastic sabbath day.

The rest of the week was fairly typical. Andy was gone to Wendover for Court on Wednesday, but then home the rest of the week. We enjoyed being home as a family on Veteran's Day. The boys continue to do well in school and Gail stays busy with the production of "The Forgotten Carols."

Matthew had an exciting day Saturday. He was invited to a birthday party and went bowling. He said it was a ton of fun.
That about wraps up our busy week. We hope all is well in your part of the world.

I know this is a few days past when we normally post. Gail and Andy enjoyed a fantastic trip to Savannah, Georgia last week. They left on Tuesday evening and returned Sunday. The first night was spent in Salt Lake City, as they had a flight that left at 8 am the next morning. Wednesday evening after checking into their hotel they ventured into downtown to have pizza at Vinnie Van GoGo's. The restaurant has outdoor seating and it was quite nice enjoying some good pizza in the nice cool Savannah air. Andy started his conference the next morning at 8am, and while he was there Gail began he exploration of the city. She said it was a lovely place. The Conference ended Saturday and so after a quick trip to Hilton Head Island, it was time to pack and return home.

We are grateful Grandma and Grandpa Davis watched the boys while we were away. Everything was still in tact when we returned so we think it was a success all around. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

Wow, two very quick weeks have gone by. Where to begin. Andy has been quite the traveler these last two weeks. He was in Reno on October 19 attending a State Bar of Nevada meeting, he got back Tuesday evening, made an appearance Wednesday and Thursday morning flew to New Hampshire to attend his 25th high school reunion. He said he was a bit nervous, but ended up having a great time. He spent a day with his Mom and then flew home Sunday. This last week he was in Wendover and this week he and Gail will be flying to Savannah, GA to attend a conference. Then he is grounded for a while.

The boys are doing well. Parent/Teacher Conferences occurred last week and while Matthew continues to have his struggles we got some feedback that will be helpful. Matthew's grades have dipped a bit, but with some adjustments he is doing better. Nikolas' teacher is amazed at the growth he has shown. She had him in second grade and said he has grown leaps and bounds. His first semester grades came out and his lowest was a B, with 3 A- mixed in. We are very proud of him.

Gail continues to add voice students as her reputation spreads. She is enjoying her involvement in local theater group. She is at rehearsals two nights a week for "The Forgotten Carols" and is excited for the performances in December. She is also enjoying being the choir director in our ward. She actually admitted, although Andy did not get it on tape, that she was starting to like living in Elko. Miracles never cease.

We enjoyed a nice long weekend, with Nevada Day Friday, Andy's office was closed and the boys did not have school. We invited our nephew Gareth to come for a visit and we had a wonderful visit. We carved pumpkins and went to Trick or Treat Street, which is a local fundraiser at the Convention Center where the kids go and walk around a maze of wooden facades trick or treating. This was the first year we went and it was fun.

We hope all of you are well.

The Mierins family had an exciting week. We celebrated Andy's birthday Sunday in the way he wanted, being home. He appreciated the opportunity to spend the day with his family without any distractions. Saturday (October 16th) Gail and Andy celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary with an exciting date to the movies.

The regular routines of work, school and responsibilities around the house continue. The boys continue to do well. Nikolas has gotten interested again in the piano. He, on his one initiative, has been diligently practicing and getting better day by day. The boys are excited for fall and especially the chance to build fires with their Dad in the wood stove. We are still enjoying some beautiful fall weather. Not much else to report. We hope all is well where ever you may be.

What a fantastic week this has been. It got cool and cloudy this week, but then for the weekend the sun came out and it warmed up into the 70's. One benefit was Andy finally got to have a fire in the wood stove. Gail, as difficult as it was, had to admit the wood stove actually was a great thing to have. She was not excited about it when we first moved in, but had so admit she enjoyed sitting in front of it in the rocking chair all toasty and warm. Andy was excited to spend Saturday morning getting and stacking wood for us to use in the wood stove. Our garage now has a good supply for us to use through the summer.

Gail and Andy had busy weeks. Andy has gotten himself involved in a cause to ban the sale of synthetic cannibinoids in the community. He participated in several presentations to various city councils considering a ban of the substance. He was mentioned in an article in our daily newspaper the Elko Daily Free Press. The cause continues this week as the group attempts to get out county to institute a ban.

Gail has remained busy with the production of the "Forgotten Carols." She is the music director and has rehearsals twice a week. She continues with her voice lessons and maintains her ever busy schedule.

Matthew went on his first scouting overnight camp out Friday evening and when he returned reported he had a great time. Nikolas was left at home with Andy Friday night and they enjoyed a good time together.

Saturday was a great day. Gail's sister and brother in law came for a visit. We had a nice time and benefited from the handyman skills of Gail's brother in law. Our front door is now fixed and we can no longer see the outside through the bottom of the door.

We hope you all have had a great week.

How grateful as a family were are for General Conference. This one was particularly memorable both for the quantity of things spoken which touched our hearts, but also because Andy got to fulfill a dream begun 12 years ago when he decided he was going to take Matthew to his 1st Priesthood Meeting in the Conference Center. They both left Saturday morning and returned on Sunday. Andy got to spend time with one of his best friends and even saw a friend from law school he has not seen in several years. Matthew and Andy came home a very happy boys.

The rest of our week was fairly typical. We went to work and school and outside of the normal routines not much happened. We did continue to enjoy some wonderful weather. It continued to be in the 80's and 90's this week, but it looks like the nice weather is about to come to an end.

We hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

We are all quite happy this week, due in part to having a great week and the amazing weather we are having. It continues to be clear and warm, the last several days in the upper 80's and the 30's in the evening.

The big news this week was Matthew's birthday party on Friday. Gail and Andy were a bit nervous as we had sent out 5 invites, but no RSVP had come back. Matthew decided he wanted to have pizza and watch a movie. We picked up "Robin Hood" and ordered several pizzas. Matthew ended up having 4 people come and it was quite a crazy evening at the Mierins' home. Gail had gone out with some friends. Andy was left alone at home with six 9-12 year old boys. There was a Nerf gun fight and general chaos. When all was done and cleaned up, Matthew gave Andy a big hug and said thank you. We were glad all went well.

We rolled out a new chore chart this week that showed we have one "the glass is half full" and one "the glass is half empty" child. The boys lost money for failing to do weekly or daily chores. On Saturday both boys earned roughly the same amount. One was excited to have some spending money and the other crying because he could have earned more. A very interesting experiment.

Over all it was a fairly typical week. We hope all is well.

The excitement continues for Matthew. Today was his first Sunday to pass the sacrament. He said he was a bit scared at first, but then realized how easy it was. He did a great job. Andy gave him a bit of advice before hand, the best was that if you see Mom crying (which she did) it doesn't mean you are not doing a good job. After church he reiterated that being a Deacon rocks.

September chugs along. The boys continue to do well with school and playing. Nikolas has found a friend next door and enjoys riding his bike and playing with his new friend. We are having a bit of a time getting Matthew to do his homework, so any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Gail continues to do her thing and Andy is busy as always with work, school and now his new calling.

Andy was in Carson City this last week to do some parole violation hearings at the state prison. He said it was nice to be out there again. While in Carson City he met up with a friend and did a bit of shopping at Costco. We were glad to have him back Tuesday evening.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

What a fantastic weekend we just had. Matthew turned 12 on Friday and we had a neat family gathering Saturday to celebrate his birthday as well as be together for his receiving the Priesthood and being ordained a Deacon on Sunday. Gail's parents arrived Friday and her sister arrived Saturday morning. Gail's Dad, her brother-in-law and Andy went golfing and all reports were they had a good time. Andy fired up the new grill (literally, it got so hot the paint caught fire) and we did ribs, which is what Matthew wanted. Matthew was excited to have all of the company. On Saturday evening some friends from NH arrived with their 2 kids and we had a full house.

Sunday morning was crazy at the Mierins' home. We did a big breakfast and then all headed for church. We had some friends join us from Wendover as well as Gail's brother in law and nephew from Tooele. There was a great showing in support of Matthew. Following Sacrament Meeting we did Matthew's ordination. Some of Gail's family left once we were done as they had a long ride home. Those that remained joined us for lunch and the celebrations continued. We were so excited to be able to entertain again and is was nice to have friends and family with us for the exciting day. We are grateful for the sacrifice made to be there and just wanted to thank everyone.

Sunday evening was Stake Priesthood Meeting and Andy was excited to be able to attend his first meeting with one of his sons. Matthew leaned over to Andy during the meeting to say he was glad he came and that being a Deacon rocked. Hopefully he keeps up the enthusiasm. By Sunday evening we were exhausted and all of us went to bed early and had a great night's sleep.

The rest of the week was fairly typical. Matthew and Nikolas continue to do well is school and are enjoying the new year thus far. Matthew and Andy are still doing their daily walks and enjoying the time together. Gail is still busy with her voice lessons and getting ready to be the musical director for another production in the fall.

Andy had some exciting news this week. He finally got a new calling. In addition to the excitement about Matthew, Andy was sustained and set apart as the new ward clerk.

We hope your week has gone well.

We have had a fairly good week. While it took a while for summer to make its way to Northeastern Nevada, it certainly is in no hurry to leave. Most of the week was spent in the mid to upper 90's which is not typical. The area matched previous high records.

The boys continue to do well at school. Nikolas still enjoys walking to school. We shall see how long that lasts. Matthew has shown some great improvement as well. Still getting good reports. Matthew had an MRI last Tuesday and then some doctors appointments. All went well and after consulting with all of the doctors it has been decided to take him off of his meds. He will still take the aspirin and allergy pill. We all feel good about this decision. Matthew told Andy this week that he feels happier without his meds. While Matthew's distractability is up, the positive changes outweigh the minor drawback. We will continue to monitor and see how the year goes.

Gail and Andy continue to be busy with work. Gail has picked up a few additional voice students and the cleaning business is going well. Andy was in Wendover Wednesday and then back in seclusion getting ready for a jury trial that was suppose to begin Sept. 7th. Thursday afternoon due to some unforeseen circumstances the trial was continued, which freed him up Friday and for the long weekend.

This weekend is the Elko County Fair. While not as grand or big as the fairs in NH, it is still a fun time. County offices close early on Friday, so everyone can go and participate. Friday morning there is a big parade and we all enjoyed it this year.

With Andy free we spent Saturday cleaning and working on the house. Andy had been eyeing a new grill and it went on sale this weekend so we now have a grill. It was christened the "Man-B-Q" by the boys and is probably big enough to roast a pig (not really, but easily could do a couple of slabs of ribs). We are looking forward to entertaining and putting it to good use.

We hope all is well and hope you have a great week.

The boys have survived the 1st week of school and all has gone well. Nikolas has enjoyed being able to walk or ride his scooter to school. He likes his new teacher who is actually his old teacher from 2nd grade. Overall he is glad to be back at the school he started when we first arrived in Nevada. It is hard to believe we are coming up on three years here. Matthew had an excellent week. He began the 6th grade and so far we have had excellent reports. We finally got his report card from last year to discover Matthew ended the year with 5 A or A-. We were very excited for him but he has no realized the expectation is high for this year. We will keep you posted as the year continues.

Unfortunately, Gail was very sick this week so was not able to enjoy the beginning of the school year. She is doing better but was up and off her feet for most of the week. Andy was back at work and did his best to help her, get the boys ready each day and get to work. Andy begins teaching his classes tomorrow and he is looking forward to teaching again. Overall, except for Gail it was a great week.

This morning at church our whole family spoke in sacrament meeting. Everyone did a great job and we are adjusting to our new ward.

We hope all is well.

We have had a great week back from our trip to NH. It was back to work for Gail and Andy. Andy found out this week he will be teaching a second course at the local college this semester which he is excited. In addition to the Introduction to American Government class he will be doing an on-line Introduction to American History class. Needless to say we will not be seeing much of him between September and December. The pay off is we have some extra money to do some fun things. Classes begin for him on August 30th, so he has spent the week getting his materials ready.

Gail continues to do her cleaning, but also picked up some additional voice students. Andy was not exaggerating when he said she is very popular and sought after for her voice instruction.

Matthew had an exciting week. He spent most of it with his grandparents in Idaho. He went to the rodeo, a water park and even got to camp out in the backyard, sleeping in a tent. He reports he had a wonderful time. He left on Tuesday and returned Sunday. Just in time to return to school.

It is hard to believe but the summer is over and the boys start school on Monday the 23rd. Nikolas is returning to the elementary school he went to when we first moved. He is excited because he will have the same teacher he had for second grade. He is even more excited about the ability to walk to school. This idea does not excite Mom, but we did some training and did a trial run and he did OK. Nikolas enjoyed having the house all to himself this week, but admitted he misses Matthew. Andy and Gail will remind him at the appropriate time. Matthew begins 6th grade and we cannot believe our little boy is almost in middle school.

That about sums up our week. We hope all is well in your section of the globe.

We have just returned from a wonderful vacation to New Hampshire. We ended up driving and the reasons are numerous, so to save the explanation it just was the best thing under the circumstances for us to do. It worked out great. Andy and Gail left on August 3 and made it to NH by the morning of the 6th.

We saw many friends, visited with family, went to the lake, did plenty of shopping and just had a wonderful time. We all left on our journey home on Aug. 12. Our first stop was in Palmyra, NY. We went to the Smith Farm, the Sacred Grove and the Hill Cumorah. The boys thought it was great and the walk in the Sacred Grove left lasting impressions. We drove as far as Cleveland, OH the first day. We discovered a chain restaurant Andy actually liked. It is called Shake and Steak and if you come across one make a stop. It serves good hamburgers and big shakes.

Day Two was the longest, or it seemed like the longest. We made it to Lincoln, Nebraska and on the way stopped at the worlds largest truck stop in Iowa. One more thing to check off we saw on the Travel Channel and said "hey, if we ever go by we should stop." Day Three we got as far as Salt Lake City. We arose Sunday morning to attend the Music & Spoken Word and then walked around Temple Square. Again, some great impressions were made. We all really liked the bag pipers during the performance. We are all glad to be home.

Hope all is well where ever you may be.

Things have been very quiet at the Mierins' household this week. Monday afternoon Grandma Mierins met us in Salt Lake City and Tuesday took the boys back with her to New Hampshire. A few tears were shed at the airport and while Andy and Gail were a bit excited, by the time they got home each was missing the boys. Thankfully, we have been able to talk with the boys each evening and it seems they are having a fun time.

Monday we were in SLC for Matthew's annual doctor's appointments and everything seems well. Once the boys departed Tuesday, Gail and Andy went to visit a good friend in SLC and then had a nice dinner before heading home. We were greeted at home by a rain storm which has not happened for a while. It was nice as it helped water the grass.

The rest of our week was uneventful. Gail and Andy went to work and had several dates at night which was nice. We are looking forward to seeing the boys next week.

We hope all is well wherever you may be.

All continues to go well in the Mierins household. During family council last week it was decided our cat's new name is "Salem". The discussion was long and after several suggestions, this is what was settled upon. Our new addition is showing more and more personality and likes to bring toys to you so you can play with him. We are glad to have him.

As summer is quickly coming to an end the boys are not anxious to get back to school. Matthew finished summer school this week. He now has 4 weeks until starting 6th grade. He is looking forward to visits with his Grandma in NH and Grandparents in Idaho. Nikolas had an exciting week. Tuesday was pack meeting and he was awarding 6 belt loops. We are certainly proud of him.

Gail and Andy continue to stay busy with work. Andy was off to Las Vegas Thursday for some Bar Association meetings. He reported the meeting was great, just very hot. He was glad to get back to the northern part of the state. While it has been in the upper 90's where we are, he said it was about 108 degrees in Las Vegas. Gail has continued to hang pictures and the house is coming together.

We hope all is well wherever you are. Until next week.

Well, the big news of the week was the new addition to our family: Hunter. He is a two-year old cat we adopted from a person Andy knows from work. He joined us Monday evening and while it took a while for him to warm up to our family, he seems to be settling in well. He spent the first two days living under our wood stove, but then came out and now lives in Matthew's room. He wanders around at night keeping us safe from bugs and little critters. We are glad to have him and as soon as we can get him to sit still we will get a picture of him posted.

Otherwise our week was normal. Matthew has one more week of summer school and then will be off for a few weeks until the fall. The boys are enjoying having their own rooms and the attendant inability to blame the other for the messes made. We are slowly but surely getting pictures hung and set up around the house.

It was really warm this week. It hit 100 degrees twice this week and today looks to be about the same. Thankfully our nights get cool and with the huge ceiling fan we have it keeps the house nice and cool.

All goes well for Gail and Andy. Andy was off to Wendover Friday for Court and had a fairly quiet week otherwise. Gail is busy with her work and had time to do a Pampered Chef show Thursday evening. Each has commented on how quickly the summer has gone.

We are all doing quite well and hope the same for you.

We have survived another week and there were no disasters or crises. After a sewer backup, the van catching fire and the invasion of earwigs and spiders we are glad to have a break.

Nikolas spent the week with his grandparents in Idaho and he reports he had a good time swimming, playing with cousins and going camping with his grandpa and uncle. The big news is he got a haircut and after much resistance gave in and allowed it to happen. Matthew enjoyed having the house to himself, but half way through the week admitted he missed Nikolas. Andy, Gail and Matthew used Monday the holiday to work around the house and got much done. We did enjoy this year's fireworks but it did not come close to the show for Old Home Days in Northfield when the fireworks went off in the park behind our house.

Andy and Gail continued their normal routine of work. Andy's homicide trial has settled so he is a bit more relaxed. He has some trials coming up in September and October that he can start worrying about. Gail is continuing with her cleaning and looking forward to her NH trip coming up. Not much else to report.

We hope all is well.

Well, no exciting dilemmas this week, just a great trip to visit Gail's family. After week one's sewer back-up and last week's car fire, Gail and Andy were a bit apprehensive about this week. Thankfully no disasters. In fact it was a great week.

It was a fairly typical week for the summer. The boys are enjoying summer vacation, Gail and Andy continue to work. Andy was assigned a few months back to work with another public defender in his office on a homicide trial which was to begin in two weeks, but this week looks as if it has settled. This freed up him on some work and thus gave him reason to relax.

It got very warm in the 90's this week and we discovered our house has a great ceiling fan that sucks the warm air out of the house. It has helped to make the house much cooler. In addition, Gail and Andy got shades and some drapes up which has also helped keep the house cool.

Friday we left to go visit Gail's family and have a nice reunion in a Boise City Park. It was great to see family and we enjoyed the opportunity to get away. Gail and Andy did some car shopping and think they have found a replacement. We are just waiting to see what the insurance company is going to do about the Kia.

Nikolas is staying with Grandma and Grandpa this week and looking forward to some fun with his cousins, especially going camping.

We hope you all have a great week.

As you can see from the photo it was an interesting week at the new Mierins household. Friday afternoon Gail called Andy at work to tell him the van was on fire. She was working in the kitchen, looked outside when she heard a clicking sound and saw the windshield wipers go on, then smoke started pouring out of the van. Andy arrived home to fire trucks and police cars and while the boys were very excited, Gail was less than enthusiastic. It appears it was an electrical fire that began in the dashboard. As you can see the fire melted most of the driver's side, but thankfully other than one CD, none of the other things in the van were damaged. We are waiting to hear from the insurance company, so for now the van sits in front of the house. Outside of this it was a fairly calm week.

Matthew started summer school this week and all reports thus far are good. Nikolas and Matthew are enjoying their new rooms. Nikolas got a "ripstick" for his birthday and spends a good part of the day riding it up and down the sidewalk and in the eever increasing empty sections of the garage. We have all worked very hard this week to unpack boxes and there only a few remain. Then the fun of moving our storage unit stuff begins. That about sums up the week

We hope all is well wherever you may be.

We are slowly, but surely making a home. We are discovering it is a ton easier to pack up than to unpack. Despite a few setbacks, including a backed up sewer system, we are settling in. The boys enjoy having their own rooms and Andy was in his glory mowing the lawn Saturday. Gail did a fabulous job cleaning our apartment and cleaning the house so we could move in. Everyone is so glad to have a house and the room that comes with it. We were welcomed into our new ward by a cleaning committee that helped get the house clean so we could unpack boxes.

This morning was exciting. We travelled to Wendover to witness the sustaining and setting apart of our friend Brian as the new District President in Wendover. We are excited to have he and his family among our friends. The meeting was very spiritual and Andy was asked to participate in Brian's ordination as a High Priest. He was glad to be asked and to be a part of this wonderful event.

The boys are enjoying summer and especially having a yard to have water fights and play. Matthew will start summer school Monday, something he is not happy about.

We hope all is well wherever you may be.

We have made it into our new home. Our move went very smooth and now the fun task of having to unpack everything begins. Thankfully, it was relatively cool out and it did not rain.
We are all very excited about our new home. After living cramped up for so long we think we are in a palace. We will post pictures as we take some.

We have all been very busy leading up to our move. Andy enjoyed his trip to NH/Boston. He got to see several friends, enjoyed spending time with his family and took in two Red Sox games. He also said the conference was good.

The boys have successfully finished another year of school and are looking forward to a fun summer.

Sorry this is so short, it is late, we just got the computer up and running and now need to get to bed.

We hope you all have a great week.

What a fast week this has been. The boys are counting down the days until the end of this school year and the count is at 10. Each is excited to have summer here, now only if the weather would cooperate. We actually had snow flurries yesterday morning and it barely made it above 40 degrees. The boys (Andy, Matthew and Nikolas) braved the cold to attend the little league breakfast which was pretty good, except for the cold, blustery morning weather. Things did not get much better for Nikolas' game at 10:00 a.m. and both teams were so cold as the wind was really howling the coaches agreed to end by 11:00. Nikolas still had an excellent game.





Matthew and Andy had a great time Tuesday on a field trip to the California Trail Interpretive Center which is just outside of Elko. Matthew said he didn't learn anything, but it was still fun to have his Dad along. Andy said there was quite a bit about the flora and fauna of the area. He enjoyed the demonstration by the Nevada Department of Wildlife on the various animals which live here. He was shocked to find out there are raccoons here and then found out raccoons were brought here by the pioneers coming from the northeast who had them as pets.



Monday evening we visited our new home. It is crazy to think we will be moved in three weeks and we have a lot to do between now and then. Thankfully, we have some great support.

That about sums up our week. We hope all is well with our friends and family wherever you may be.

The big news for the week, and it is big is, we are moving into a house finally. Monday afternoon we found out about a potential house in the neighborhood we are interested in and we liked it so much we decided to take it. We signed the lease on Saturday and we will be moving in June. We are all so excited. The boys will get their own rooms and we will have two bathrooms and a garage (firsts for our family).

We believe spring has finally arrived and have enjoyed two beautiful days. The forecast looks good for the rest of the week and we are excited to finally have some spring weather. We all had a wonderful week. Matthew and Nikolas are counting the days to the end of school (3 weeks) and are ending off strong. Matthew got his tennis racket and is excited to start playing. Nikolas continues to do quite well at baseball. He had a great game yesterday getting on base each time he was up, scoring runs and making some good defensive plays. Not only is he great on the field we found out he is quite the performer. Nikolas had his school choir concert this week and did a great job.

Andy and Gail continue to be their busy selves. Not much else to report. Hope you all have a great week.

Happy Mother's Day to those mothers among our friends and family. We all hope you have a fantastic day.

We had quite another busy week. Nikolas and Matthew are doing really well. Matthew came home with the best report card he has ever had. He had an A- (in social studies making his Dad quite happy), 4 B's and one C+. We are very proud of the progress and effort he has made this year. Nikolas began piano lessons this week, which he is very excited about. He continues to do quite well at baseball. His defensive and batting skills have shown great improvement. This week he had 2 doubles and has not struck out once this season. Saturday as a family activity we went to practice together and we learned Matthew bats fairly well from the right side of the plate.


Gail continues to have voice students which keeps her busy. She enjoyed her Saturday. She and Andy went for lunch and ran some errands together while the boys were at respite. The afternoon was spent playing at the park and just having a great time together as a family.


Andy had a fairly intense beginning of the week. He had a prelim hearing Tuesday for a very serious case. He said the hearing went well and hopes the case works out in the end. The he was in Wendover Wednesday for juvenile hearings. The one nice thing was it gave him the opportunity to serve in the temple on Wednesday evening. He has enjoyed the assignment to work whenever he has the opportunity which is usually once a month.

That about sums up our week. We hope all is well wherever you may be.

What a week we have had. Nikolas continues to play some great baseball. He had two games this week and went 6-6 at the plate and made two great defensive plays. We are proud of the way he is playing and improving. Nikolas had a choir performance on Wednesday night at his school and he did a great job. The school choir was performing during an art exhibition. They sang three songs and did a great job on each.

Gail and Nikolas went to performance of Oklahoma this week put on by the local high schools. Gail was beaming to have a son interested in musicals. Nikolas came home saying the play was great and he really liked it. Gail could not stop smiling.

Matthew continues to conquer the work of bakugan and pokemon. He is looking forward to the end of school and possibly playing tennis this summer. He asked about taking lessons and we are looking into seeing if the rec department offers any.

Gail and Andy have been quite busy as well. Gail is really looking forward to some warmer weather. After some teasing a few weeks ago the temp has not got above 50 since. Andy travelled to Reno this week to attend a meeting Thursday and had a great trip.

We hope all is well on your end of the world.

The boys returned yesterday from a quick trip to Provo, UT to attend our Stake's Father and Son activity. It was a baseball game between BYU and the University of Utah. Each came home a bit sunburned but had a great time. I say quick because the boys arrived at noon for the game and were back to Elko by 7 pm. They stayed with our friends in Wendover Friday night and had a great time. Gail enjoyed the alone time at home and even managed to attack a few projects with an empty house.

While the boys were gone, Gail did attend the Ruby Mountain Symphony concert and helped with the artist reception after. She was glad to have her boys back but also enjoyed a day to herself.

Other than the exciting weekend it was a fairly typical week. Everyone was busy and made it through the week safely. Andy was in Jackpot Friday, then drove to meet clients in Wendover before meeting up with the boys.

Nikolas had a great 1st game this week. He hit a double and played some great defense. Maybe the Boston Red Sox could use his bat and glove, based on how they have been playing. In any event he and Andy enjoy practicing and we will keep you posted on his progress.

We had one last blast of winter thursday with a bit of snow failling. We did not let it get us down and the weekend turned out beautiful.

We hope all is well with our friends and family.

We had quite a week. Everyone got through it safely, just all very busy. The past three days have reminded us that spring may actually arrive. We have enjoyed sunny skies and temps in the 70's. Hopefully this will keep up.

Matthew and Nikolas returned to school after an enjoyable break. Matthew had a PT evaluation this week and he has shown some great progress. Nikolas continues to prepare for his chorus concert and we are all excited to hear him sing. They are counting down the end of school in 8 weeks.

Nikolas had opening day for little league this week and Andy was especially proud to see him in his Red Sox uniform. Unfortunately, the major league team has been causing him some serious heartburn, but that aside he was excited to see Nikolas in the uniform. He and Andy both bought new gloves and have been practicing at the local park. Nikolas has quite an arm.

Saturday, Nikolas and Andy worked on moving things from our old storage unit to the new. Nikolas made the comment "Dad, look at all of those giant CD'S." Once Andy stopped laughing uncontrollably, he explained those are not CD's but records. Nikolas' response "Oh, what is that." Sad to admit, but times have certainly changed.

Gail had a busy week between her cleaning, voice lessons and board meetings. She has settled into quite a routine. She had a first this week-sushi. A new sushi restaurant opened in Elko this week. She and Andy went for lunch and she admitted it wasn't bad.

Overall it was a great week. We hope the same is true for you.

We all had a busy, but exciting week. It was Spring Break so Gail and the boys went to Idaho to visit with Grandma and Grandpa and had a great trip. They visited the zoo, had a sleepover with their cousins and attended a birthday party for Gail's Grandmother. All returned safely on Sunday. Unfortunately, the fun had to end and the boys return to school Monday, ready to finish the last nine weeks of school.

Andy was gone as well this week. He was in Wendover on Wednesday for court and then was off to visit some juvenile programs in the southern part of the state. One of the programs was located on the edge of Death Valley. He spent the night in Las Vegas and then returned Friday. Andy travelled through some old mining towns and found Goldfield to be the most interesting. Virgil Earp was Sheriff at one time and from the looks of things not much has changed. There is a hotel being restored as well as an old stone courthouse which was neat. The one nice thing was the weather was great in Las Vegas, so he was glad to have some warm weather.

We hope all is well with our friends. Take care until next week.

We have survived our wintry week. We started out thinking spring had arrived, but then once our hopes were high, Mother Nature sent us wind, snow and cold. We awoke several mornings to snow on the ground. It appears now that Mother Nature has had her fun, we shall have spring arrive this week. We shall see and we will keep you posted.

The boys are excited because this week is their spring break which means there are only 9 weeks of school left. The boys also received report cards and both showed great improvement. Nikolas had all A's & B's. Matthew brought his grades up and his teachers report he is doing better. We are proud of both of them

Gail and Andy continue to be busy as always.

We were excited about General Conference this weekend. Andy and Nikolas went into Salt Lake City. Andy was able to attend Priesthood Meeting and he and Nikolas went to the Sunday morning session. Nikolas said it was neat to hear President Monson speak. Despite wintry weather they travelled safely and were glad to have them home. Andy said what made conference especially special was celebrating Easter hearing the Lord's prophet testify of him. We wish you all a very Happy Easter and hope you have a great week.

It is a beautiful spring morning here in Northeast Nevada. The Mierins family continues to do well and have made it through another week. With Spring comes baseball and Andy is anxious for this season to get underway. Nikolas began little league practice this week and it was with great excitement we learned he is on the Red Sox this year. Andy is just disappointed he could not coach.

Wednesday evening was the Blue and Gold Banquet and Nikolas earned a few more beads towards his advancement. Nikolas was also in a school production Thursday called the Mighty Minds Musical. He did a great job. We are very proud of him.

Gail was quite busy as usual. She continues her cleaning as well as giving voice lessons. We are so glad she brings great music into our home. She was off to Salt Lake City on Thursday to attend a funeral on Friday morning. Andy needed to be in Jackpot at 8 am on Friday morning for court. We were unable to find someone able to get the boys to school on Friday, so Andy took the boys with him. Matthew and Nikolas were well behaved and it all worked out. The boys realized Dad's job is pretty boring. Andy was glad to have them with him and even more glad both were on their best behavior.

Friday afternoon Andy, Matthew and Nikolas went to Reno to see the Reno Bighorns play the Maine Red Claws in an NBA Developmental League game at the Reno Events Center. The game was exciting, especially since the Maine Red Claws is affiliated with the Boston Celtics. The Celtics assigned Marcus Landry to the Red Claws and he played a good game. Andy and the boys were the only fans cheering for Maine. They stayed at Circus Circus, so before heading home they invaded the midway, bringing home several prizes.

We are glad it is Sunday and a day of rest. We hope all is well with you.

What a busy week we all had. Gail has picked up a few voice students and she is enjoying teaching the 2 students she has. She continues to stay busy doing her cleaning and serving on various boards related to the arts. (She actually admitted to maybe, possibly liking it here a teeny tiny bit.)

The boys are doing well. Matthew received a lot of compliments for his Lego creation he brought to our ward talent show. He came home with a big beaming smile on his face and Mom and Dad were quite proud.

Nikolas is getting ready for his first choir concert this coming Thursday.

Andy was gone Friday working in Wendover and then he and some friends were off to Salt Lake City Saturday to attend a Utah Jazz game and have a boy's weekend away. Friday night was spent in Wendover watching NCAA Basketball Tournament games. He came back and reported how exciting it was to attend one of the wards he served in on his mission. He said he had a great weekend.

That sums up our week. We hope all is well with you wherever you may be.

What a great week we have had. We returned this afternoon from a trip to Salt Lake City. It was the weekend of our stake temple trip. We all left on Friday afternoon and arrived in Salt Lake about 8pm. We decided to have pizza and ordered some pizzas from The Pie and they were good. It has been many years since Gail and Andy had a pizza from The Pie. Saturday morning the boys went to Daniel & Irene's and Gail and Andy went to the Salt Lake Temple. It was Andy's first chance to work in the temple and he reported he really enjoyed the opportunity. We enjoyed a nice lunch with Daniel and Irene at the Braza Grill and then started our trek home. We stopped off in Wendover to see the Boatmans and ended up staying the night. We had a great visit.

Nikolas had an interesting week. He had a dentist appointment on Thursday to get three cavities filled. He came home not feeling so well and saying he did not enjoy having to go to the dentist. Lo and behold he has decided to start brushing his teeth and today marks day four of doing so. He has now quadrupled his previous successive days doing so. Gail and Andy are pleased.

Andy and Gail continue to be quite busy with work. Andy made contact with an old college friend this week and was glad he did so. He is looking forward to getting back to New England to see some of his college mates. Overall things are great for the Mierins family and we hope the same is true for you.

What a quick week this has been. We enjoyed having Andy's Mom and Jim here for a visit. They departed Monday evening on the train to Salt Lake City and found there way to the airport, arriving back in NH safely. We all enjoyed having them here and were sad when Monday evening came.

The boys continue to do well in school. Matthew has shown some great improvements this year and had his best report card yet. Nikolas keeps claiming "somebody" gets him in trouble at school, but when asked who somebody is he cannot remember. We have taken to now referring to Nikolas as "somebody." Nikolas is enjoying singing in the choir and was quite excited this week as he signed up to play little league again this year.

Gail keeps busy with her job. She and Andy spent a good amount of time on Saturday moving things between storage units. They found the bins which contained the stuff from their childhoods and schooling and had a blast looking at the things. What probably could have been a 1 hour job became a 3 hour job, but they had fun.

Andy continues to be busy as usual. Wednesday he was in Wendover again and once done meeting with clients and such he went into Salt Lake City to be set apart and trained as a worker in the Salt Lake Temple. He came home beaming and excited to serve.

That about sums up our week. We hope all is well with you.

We have watched anxiously regarding the news in Chile and the pacific and hope our friends in those areas are safe and sound.

This was a pretty typical week for us in that Gail and Andy worked and the boys went to school. Andy was quite busy and out of town Wednesday. He continues to enjoy teaching his class while this semester seems to be going smoother than last. Gail was a judge this past week for the Miss Elko County competition and enjoyed the experience. She really enjoyed getting all dressed up.

What was exciting was Wednesday evening Matthew received his Arrow of Light. We are so proud of him for all the work he put into earning this award. Matthew also came in 2nd place at the Pinewood Derby this year. He did a good job working on his car. Not to leave Nikolas out, he earned two beads toward his advancement to the next rank in cub scouts.

We have enjoyed having Andy's Mom and Jim here for a visit. We are glad for the time we have had with them and look forward to our trip to NH this summer.

We hope all is well with you.

We just returned from a nice trip to Idaho this weekend. We went up for a surprise birthday party for Gail's brother-in-law. All reports are he was surprised and it was nice to see family. We left on Friday afternoon and spent Saturday helping with preparations and running errands. The party was on Saturday evening and after helping to clean up we all went home and to bed. We got up this morning, went to church and then started the journey back home. Thankfully we had great weather both going up and coming back.

Outside of our trip, our week was fairly typical. Monday the boys and Andy were at home, but Gail did have to work. It turned out to be a Monopoly and Yahtzee day and we enjoyed staying in our PJ's and playing together. Tuesday it was back to work and school and before we knew it it was the weekend.

We are looking forward to this Wednesday which is the Pinewood Derby. Matthew will also receive his Arrow of Light which we are very proud of all the effort he put into. We will give a good report next week.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Until next week.

The weather continues to warm here in Northeast Nevada. The last 3 days it has been nearly 50 degrees during the day leading to quite a bit of snow melt and a smell of spring in the air. Our week was fairly typical. The boys went to school. Gail and Andy went to work and we all just look forward to spring.

Nikolas and Matthew continue to work hard in school. They enjoyed a Saturday with Andy. They worked around the apartment, did some shopping and got to go to see a movie. Gail had a nice Saturday shopping in Twin Falls with one of our neighbors. She got back in time for Andy and Gail to go on a nice Valentines Day date to dinner at one of the local Basque restaurants.

Not much else to report. We hope all is well.

Wow. What an exciting Super Bowl game that was. We are all doing well and hope the same for you.

Our family experienced something wonderful today. During Sacrament Meeting Matthew leaned over to me to tell me he had a surprise. He then stood up and bore his testimony and I think it was the first time both Gail and I shed tears at the same time due to Matthew.........well at least out of joy and happiness. In all seriousness we were very proud of him and he said other than being really scared, it felt great.

The boys both had great weeks in school. Nikolas continues to participate in choir and is enjoying singing. Matthew has a new thing and it is "Tech Decks" so now the dining room table is set up as a mini skate park. He is quite creative and has made a pretty neat set up.

Gail continues to prepare to be a judge for the Miss Elko County contest. On top of work and trying to herd the three boys (this is not a mistake, Gail feels at times she has 3 little boys in her house) she keeps herself quite busy.

Andy was gone a good part of the week. He was in Wendover on Wednesday and then drove to Reno to complete a required class in order to practice in Nevada. He went from border to border. He did get back on Friday evening and are glad his travels went safely. He reported Reno was nice and he is looking forward to getting back.

Well that about sums up our week, until till next we we send our very best.

Another week has come and gone and all continues to be well in Northeast Nevada. We are all anxiously awaiting Gail's return from Las Vegas. She went to the Miss America Pageant and sat 10 rows from the stage directly behind the judges. She called to give us the list of A-Listers in attendance. You will have to call her to find out who was around her. She is going to be a judge for the local version and went to some training in preparation. While there she got to attend the pageant as a 'filler" which fills in any empty seats in the front rows. She reported having a great time.

The boys did OK with Gail gone. Saturday was spent cleaning and organizing and we made quite a dent in the work needing to be done. It was very snowy so unfortunately we didn't get out which was the plan, but we still had a good time.

The boys got their report cards this week and both showed improvement. We are very proud of them.

Andy began teaching his class this last week and this semester has students on interactive video which creates some challenges on its own. All reports are week one went OK.

We hope all of you are doing well and until next week we wish you the best.

What a short, but busy week. The boys did not have school Monday or Friday (Martin Luther King, Jr.. Day and "Teacher Development Day"). Nikolas had his first practice for choir and said it was OK. Teacher Development Day is actually the last day of the semester, so we think it was actually get grades done day. In any event, the boys spent Friday morning in Andy's office while Gail went to work.

The boys were at his office because Andy found out Tuesday his office was moving this upcoming Tuesday as opposed to in two weeks. Thus, on Friday the lads assisted in packing boxes and did a good job. Andy was quite busy with court appearances and trying to accelerate the move. He did enjoy the opportunity to go to his first Utah Jazz game Saturday evening with his friend Brian. They were playing the hapless New Jersey Nets and after watching the game he understands why the Nets are considered the worst basketball team.

Gail continues to be quite busy with work and her upcoming trip to Las Vegas. You will have to ask her why (gives everyone fodder for gossip). We hope all is well and wish you the best until next weeks update.

We just returned from a great visit to Idaho to visit with Gail's family. We drove up on Friday afternoon. We stopped in Boise to have dinner and ate at a Thai restaurant one of Gail's friend's recommended. It was fantastic and what was amazing is we had no complaints from the kids. We spent the rest of the weekend doing some shopping and getting to see Gail's family. We came back Sunday afternoon. We were going to go sledding, but it got ward and melted the snow, then the plan was to play some golf, but it rained. Oh well, we still had a great visit.

The rest of our week was fairly typical. Andy and Gail were busy at work and the boys went to school. We were very proud of Nikolas because he was selected to sign in his school's choir. He starts his rehearsals this week. Otherwise not much else occurred other than the normal routine.

We hope all of you had a great week.

Our first week back to the routine and it was a busy one. The boys were not excited about going back to school but seemed to do well. Nikolas reported he started off 2010 much better than 2009 because he had not talked, raised his hand and didn't shout out answers all week. He was also proud of his report card which showed improvement. Matthew is also doing well and he had a mid year assessment on his physical therapy where he showed some improvement and so his plan is going to be modified. We are proud of both of them.

Gail never got off her routine and she continued to work. The family missed Andy who was quite busy. He was appointed on a very serious adult and juvenile case and so beginning Tuesday we did not see much of him. He came back after 9:30 each night and was off to work early. He even put in some time Saturday, but it appears the cases have settled down. He does not cover juvenile cases this week so hopefully things will be a bit less hectic.

We hope all is well with our friends and family.

We have enjoyed this last week being home together as a family. We returned from Reno Monday evening. Andy was home this week from work and had a great time working on little projects around the house and playing with the boys. They had a movie afternoon, going to see Avatar which got a positive review, fixed the shelf in the kitchen and the door in the boys bedroom and conducted the yearly cleansing of the boys bedroom. Hopefully the room stays clean more than just this week.

Gail did work this week, but still enjoyed the time she spent with her family. On Thursday we headed for Wendover to spend New Year's Eve with our friends the Boatmans and then went into Salt Lake City to see a few people. We had a great visit.

Saturday was spent as a family assisting the young single adults with there dinner activity. The family went into full action. Andy and Gail did the cooking (carbonara, salad and bread) and the boys helped set tables and serve food. We were glad we could help and we had a great time.

We wish you all a Happy New Year.