BOYS AT PLAY: June 2010

Jon's family was headed down to our house in Texas for Anna and the boys to party with us while Jon left from DFW for a business trip he had in St. Louis.  Isaac had been struggling with a virus that seemed to be hanging on for a couple of weeks, but his Doctor thought that he would be recovered and on his way for a fun family vacation; however, something bizarre hit and Isaac ended up in the hospital!  So, I flew up to Nebraska to watch Lincoln and Elijah.  After a few days Isaac was sufficiently recovered (and sufficiently disappointed to not be making his fun trip to Texas), that we all got in the car and drove on down to Papa Van's Texas Ranch:)    Jon and Anna had tickets to see Wicked in Dallas at the outer end of Jon's business trip (which got cancelled), which they were able to use and enjoy!  While I was with the boys in Nebraska, and then for the few days they were able to be in Texas, we had great fun watching the boys play.  I love to watch kids play!  Isaac learned to drive a go-cart by himself, we went to the Flower Mound waterpark they love, and the boys played with Papa Van, the Uncles,  Mom and Dad, and each other.  We are grateful everything turned out well!  My facebook has lots of pictures of the boys at play posted.

Peter and I visit Mom

My brother Peter and I went to Arizona to visit my Mom. I flew to Salt Lake and drove down with Peter.  We had a lot of fun on our road trip!    Last winter Mom had a spell of hospitalization and illness and was too sick to make it out for Katrina's wedding, we were so happy to  find her recuperated enough to want to visit Kitt Peak with us and my sister Sara and her family and then to travel up to our old home in Prescott!  Mom and I are standing on Courthouse Square  in front of the Prescott Post Office Building (across the street) where we would visit my Dad in his office.  What a lot of great memories were brought back by this trip and visits to family and friends!  We were able to settle some affairs of Mom and all enjoy being together.  Peter, who is our family genealogist, shared some great family stories and took me to family history sites along the way.  We also just had fun together eating favorite foods and hanging out at interesting places.  The picture of me and Peter was taken at a bridge where we stopped and were taking pictures of California Condors . . . More pictures are posted on my facebook of this Arizona trip.  After being with all my sisters for my Dad's birthday, it was a special treat to be with Peter and my youngest sister and my Mom as well!  Mom is also going to use the plane ticket she bought for Katrina's wedding to make a trip to Texas this year, so we are looking forward to some more good times with family!

Daddy was always my Hero: Happy Birthday May 22, 2010

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD a.k.a. GRANDPA FRANK a.k.a. PRIVATE MAC!  88 years ago my Dad was born in the great state of Michigan.  His father was an Irish immigrant.  His mother died when he was very young.  He graduated from high school in Michigan and was supporting his Dad when war broke out.  At the age of 20 he decided to serve his country and joined the army.  He was trained on tanks, but ended up being sent to the Pacific Theatre with the 112th Cavalry.  His duty was Reconnaisance Patrol, riding as shotgun in a jeep ahead of his regiment, scouting.  All my life I heard stories from my Dad, so this year we decided to go the WWII Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, TX as part of his birthday celebration.  His four daughters came to celebrate with him, which made this very special for Dad.  (My brother is coming to see him this fall.)   The picture of Dad in front of the tank is an actual tank in the museum that is almost identical to the one Dad rode in.  In the picture of me and Dad together, I am pointing to the 112th Cavalry Plaque that is displayed along the "walk of honor" at the museum.     Dad has always been my favorite war hero!  One of the things that has made our country great were the common soldiers and common good men...and great Dads. . . like my Dad.  We met some of these wonderful veterans at the museum on Dad's birthday with their families at their side.  It was a great honor to be with these veterans  and with my Dad.    I love you, Daddy!

ELDER COSBY: FIRST 3 DAYS AT THE MTC

Dear Mom and Dad,
     I am doing great here.  It just so happens that my buddy Elder Kaulukukui from BYUH is also my companion here at the MTC.  We are studying hard and I feel like I've learned a lifetime of things and it has only been a few days.  It turns out that I am going to be here 11 weeks so my estimated departure date is July 20th, and that is only if my visa gets cleared so we will see . . .
     When I first got to the MTC they were handing all the Elders their packets with PMG [Preach My Gospel] and other gospel materials.  I walked past the english Elders who had these small packets and then past the foreign Elders who had slightly larger packets.  Then I got to my section and they said, "Elder, you are very lucky," and handed me two huge bags that I had to have my host help me carry.  Supposedly my district is one of the first to be going through this new type of training at the MTC which is cool.  Our teachers are awesome and the rest of my district is awesome.  One of the guys is not here yet because he said that he had to finish finals but we think he really just wanted to see Iron Man 2.  It's been pretty exciting to see all my friends from BYUH here too its pretty cool to see people that I went to school with here especially since I didn't really know they would be here.  Our branch president told all of us newbs to have talks in french prepared for tomorrow and he chooses randomly who will give the talk which was kind of overwhelming . . . It is cold here . . . There are some things that I need . . . I have used 27 of my 30 minutes on email just writing this letter so if you could keep emails short and sweet that would give me more time to write.

Love, Elder Cosby

EVEN AS MY FRIENDS

  

6 a.m. Wednesday, May 5, 2010:  Van and I, Joseph, and Elder Cosby head to the airport.  I love you.  We love you.  Work hard.  Be faithful.  We'll pray for you.  Write.  Take a few pictures for me. Hug me.  Hug your brother.  I love you.  This is the fifth time I've done this.  Joseph . . . or was it you, Seth?  Remember how you cried when your  brother left?  Because he accidentally slammed your head in the trunk when he closed it . . . which brother was that? They do not blend together, my boys, but there is a familiarity to rituals like this, like a musical refrain.   Mom, are you going to take pictures of every single thing?  Yes.  And we will watch you walk away until we can't see you anymore.  Until even after we can't see you anymore.  I don't know French, or Tahitian.  I know a little Spanish.  Vaya con Dios, that I remember, a beautiful lyrical phrase.  Go with God.  Vaya con Dios, Seth, I mean Elder . . .  Elder Cosby the fifth . . .  no the sixth, counting Dad.  Reach for Van's hand.  We stand together with Joseph.   God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again.  Wave.  He is eagerly looking forward, to what is ahead.  Good-bye. This is easy.  Let the boy try, Mom . . . how many times have I heard that?  Let them go.  Let them fly.  How grateful I am that they choose to fly high when they go.  They honor us and the Lord.  I am not a wimpy Mom.   I have six sons, and I want them to grow up to be responsible, faithful, Christlike good men.  Salt water on my face feels good.  Feels like the South Pacific.

Doctrine and Covenants 84: 77-88 (excerpts)  . . . BECOME EVEN AS MY FRIENDS in days when I was with them, traveling to preach the gospel in my power . . . Behold, I send you out to prove the world, and the laborer is worthy of his hire.  And any man that shall go and preach this gospel of the kingdom, and fail not to continue faithful in all things, shall not be weary in mind, neither darkened, neither in body, limb, nor joint; and a hair of his head shall not fall to the ground unnoticed.  And they shall not go hungry, neither athirst.  For consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin, and the kingdoms of the world, n all their glory, are not arrayed like one of these.  For your Father, who is in heaven, knoweth that you have need of all these things.  Therefore, let the morrow take thought for the things of itself.  Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man . . . this commandment is unto all the faithful who are called of God in the church unto the ministry . . . that goeth forth to proclaim this gospel of the kingdom.  Behold, I send you out to reprove the world of all their unrighteous deeds, and to teach them of a judgment which is to come.  And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I WILL GO BEFORE YOUR FACE, I WILL BE ON YOUR RIGHT HAND AND ON YOUR LEFT, AND MY SPIRIT SHALL BE IN YOUR HEARTS, AND MINE ANGELS ROUND ABOUT YOU, TO BEAR YOU UP . . .

A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS, including Seth Lorenzo

May had arrived and all the married siblings had departed after saying their good-byes to Seth.  In a couple of days he would be Elder Cosby; life would change dramatically.  Seth asked to go on one more "family bonding" outing.  As our family has shrunk, these requests by Seth usually meant "Walmart Bonding" (Seth's favorite), where he would put things in the cart that he wanted us to buy for him. (We miss Seth every time we go to WalMart now).  However, Seth had everything he needed and so we decided to go to another favorite bonding place:  The Museum of Science and History, taking Joe out of school to be with his brothers for part of the day.  The boys, including Van, love to build, explore, and experiment in this place.  Afterwards we usually go to one of Dad's favorite restaurants: Joe Garcia's.  The place is always packed.  It's been going since 1937, and the original little clapboard house is still part of it, but the fabulous thing about this place, besides the delicious mexican food, is the walled-garden and outdoor eating areas behind the house . . . you can meander around paved trails through beautiful gardens and different porches, areas, and outdoor rooms.  It is truly lovely and unique, a little natural oasis in the middle of cowtown.  We returned home to put Jacob on his plane to Denver, where he will be working and running this summer with friends from the track team.  We were pretty stuffed from our mexican lunch, but about eight o'clock Seth decided we needed one more trip together for family bonding and requested Cici's pizza.  We picked up our neighbor Nick, who was more than happy to have a second dinner, and headed down.  On the way, Joe and Seth sang "The Power of One" song--tropical version, loosely translated . . . Joe doing a rhythmical background punctuated by tropical shrieks from Seth.  Seth is very good at these and it is quite entertaining.  Seth is going to the perfect mission for him.  The three boys sat at one booth and ate (and ate and ate, it's all you can eat) . . . and talked, while Van and I sat across from them in another booth.  Do older boys realize what a great impact they have on younger ones?  All my sons have practically idealized their older brothers.  Seth's roommate at BYU-H, Chase, was a returned missionary   Seth called "Uncle Chase" (we found out that he was the son of a family from Van's ward in California).  He had obviously had great influences and had matured greatly in the year+ time he had been away at school.  It does take a village to raise a person of character and we are so grateful for all the people in our village, near and far, who have led our children to good things.  We came home and had family prayer and went to bed.  Seth's civilian life was over--for a couple of years.

FAMILY FAREWELL

Jacob arrived home early Sunday morning, April 30 [2010] just shortly after Ben's family had to leave  to get back home for Sunday duties.  He and I and Joseph went to church to hear Seth's farewell talk (the only week he could speak in church because of fast Sundays and ward conference, and the one weekend of the year that Van had a mandatory sales meeting and couldn't be there!)  Seth gave an impressive talk on faith as an agent of change, and shared some profound thoughts on how to increase our faith.  Wow!  I've never heard him talk in such depth or length.  He prepared and delivered very well--he  had many positive comments!  The next Thursday his Dad came home and on Friday the rest of the family started rolling in, first Jon's family, then Sam's, then Katie and Gordon until all were there except Ben's family who had come to say good-bye the weekend before.   What a wonderful time we had.  The family kept going to "Tahiti" (Belle's creation in the garage) and breakfasted and played there.  Go-carts had been such a hit the weekend before that we went back again.  We had a barbeque and created our own best hot dogs and burgers and roasted marshmallows over the firepit.  Laughter, game playing, and conversations floated around as our home was filled with five grandchildren and 6 of our children plus three spouses.   I love to watch children play, and get down with them . .  .we did puzzles together, and alternated shopping and then running the cash register in our little store and kitchen on the back porch.  The weather was so beautiful.  Elijah was fascinated with the play sink and spent most of his time there (as Belle had the weekend before)...the only thing that could compete was ring-around-the-rosy on the trampoline. Little Anna's second birthday was coming in a day or two; she ran around happily chattering and singing and we sang to her.  Isaac and Lincoln played in the park and the kids get-away in the room under the stairs and out in the beautiful weather as we all adored baby Levi.  Good-bye to Seth . . . there were words of encouragement, advice, and affection.   A great highlight of the weekend for me was on Sunday when we had our own family Primary about missions and missionaries!  Isaac and Lincoln repeated the first five articles of faith, which they have down!  We had a singing time about things that missionaries need to learn to do.  Best of all, the returned missionaries in our family shared their testimonies and stories and the kids identified where our family  missionaries (Papa Van and the uncles) had gone . . . into "all the world:"  England, Canada,France,  Brazil, El Salvador, Florida, and now Tahiti . . .  .and what a blessing that has been to us!   We attended church, which was a Fast and Testimony meeting.  My husband, son, and grandsons  bore their testimonies from the pulpit.  After the meeting block, Sunday, May 2, 2010, Seth was set apart by President Gary Riding as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, becoming Elder Cosby and receiving a beautiful blessing.  These are poignant, precious times.  I looked at my grown sons, and Seth, now Elder Cosby . . . our baby (for a time, yes, he was supposed to be the baby for a time, but we got a bonus child in Joseph:)  Hearing the calls of "Papa Van" and "Gramma," through the week, and the sweetest sound in the world, the laughter of little children . . . I was left thinking . . . yesterday . . . this was you, Seth.  It was you we were helping to understand what the Spirit felt like . . . and singing primary songs with.  I only blinked . . . I just turned around . . . and nineteen years have gone . . .