Garrett's BIG Day!

I know you've been WAITING!


Garrett received and opened his mission call last night.

It's official!
He is going to ROMANIA!

He will go into the Missionary Training Center to learn Romanian on May 18th.

To say that we are all excited doesn't quite do it justice.
I woke up this morning and turned to Brian and said, "Is Garrett still going to Romania?"

Right now, I know the Romania is the home to Dracula.  It's the country right next to Ukraine - where the OTHER Bonehead, Garrett's best friend is on his mission, didn't Nadia Comenche come from there, it's Eastern Europe, near the Black Sea and the church really started missionary work there in 1990.

That's all I know, but by the end of the day, I bet I will be connected with other moms who have sons serving missions there.  I will have the map memorized. I will know there population, the GNP, what their main industries are and what they eat. ;)

Garrett is over the moon excited.
We know he is ready to go and he will be a great missionary!
Thank you for all your love, support, and friendship during this exciting time!

Gina

TALES FROM TRAMBODIA

Tuesday nights are ALWAYS exciting around here.

Tuesday night is when we hear from Trammell.

Wednesday is his P-Day - Preparation Day. It's the day to do laundry, grocery shopping, may see some of the local sites and most importantly, it's the day to email home!

They generally have 45 minutes at the internet cafe to print out mail from their inbox, write home and write their mission president. Although he can receive emails from people other than family, he can't respond via email. So letter writing is another activity for P-Day but there is rarely time.

Since Cambodia is 14 hours ahead,

his morning is our night.

We start watching for emails to pop in around 8 pm - his 10 am.

Here is what we received last night -

Dear Family! Thank you for your emails! I don't really have much to write about. Haven't really been out proselyting since my last email - had a little bike-moto accident. So the knee has been a lot better! I hope all is going well!

Love,

Elder Cox

My response:

Wait!?! What bike-moto accident? Details??????

We waited and waited to hear back from him.

Was anything broken?

Did he need any medical attention?

Just as an FYI - there are no real hospitals in Cambodia. If something serious happens, you have to go to Thailand for medical care.

We waited and waited and I considered reaching throug the internet and strangling him.

If he wasn't hurt from the wreck, he would be hurt by my hand!

Thirty minutes later we received this:

Good evening!

Well, I hope all is well with everyone and that everyone had a good Valentine's day.....

Like I said, I had a little moto accident - but I was just kidding about not having anything to say! Haha, you know me too well! But last Thursday while riding home with our groceries, we had one ast stop at the bakery. Well in Cambodia, nobody stops, and when they want to turn left, they get in the right lane and then cross the whole road at once. Coming from a country of order, when we want to turn left, we get toward the middle of the road and watch for an opening in oncoming traffic. Well, I got in the middle and as I went to turn left, with my hand signaling that I'm turning, a moto comes from behind me on the left (he's in the oncoming traffic lane going the wrong direction) and catches my front tire. They grind together for a few seconds and finally my bike gives in, kicking me off the back and flying out from under me. The stupid startled teenagers drive off - as you are supposed to do in Cambodia. It was quite miraculous because I landed right on my butt and then rolled over onto my backpack - didn't get scraped up at all. Nothing got scratched - just a bent front fender on my bike. I was SUPER sore the following two days, but it didn't slow me down - I have places to go and people to see! But I was pretty darn sore for awhile! So that was my miraculous moto-bike accident - nothing broke - not even the groceries!......

He goes on to tell another "hilarious" story where some kindly strangers came up and asked if they were Mormons. When they replied yes, the man took out a rock and threw it at Trammell.

Aren't these stories so fun, funny, entertaining, faith promoting? ;)

Anyway, he's alive!

Love those Tuesday night emails!!!

BITTERSWEET HAPPINESS

Nothing is more bittersweet than raising children.
It's hard.  It's messy.  It's frustrating.  But it's mostly pure joy.
The worst part is that if you do your job right, you work yourself right out of job..........
and they leave.

Last night was one of those bittersweet tender evenings.

* Tyler (Bonehead #2) got his mission call!

He gathered his friends in a conference room at the dorms at BYU.
Garrett went to Tyler's house (I KNOW!  You thought that Tyler was my son....I mean just because he slept here 5 nights out of 7.....) to turn Skype on.
Tyler was worried that it wouldn't work or something.
So we gathered in front of the computer at Tyler's house with his family and he opened the big white envelope.
I wish you could see the video.
It's on my FB page and I don't know how to import it to Blogger (it's not my video.)
Tyler is going to the Ukraine Donetsk Mission speaking Russian.
He goes into the MTC on May 5th.
It's perfect, a relief, scary, awesome, and wonderful all at the same time.
There are so many emotions for everyone.........it's too hard to even describe.
Congratulations to Tyler!


* Garrett (Bonehead #2) went to the dress rehearsal for "Grandview's Got Talent."

I know that doesn't sound like it even comes close to getting a mission call. Hang in here with me.
So Garrett had to be at the high school at 6, which is why Tyler opened his mission call at 5.
Then I drove Parker over to the school for lacrosse at 7.
I thought I would drop in the dress rehearsal and see how it was going.
It was chaotic and completely disorganized.........duh!......run by high school students.
But when I came back to pick Parker up at 8:30,
I stopped back by the auditorium.

I wanted to watch Garrett...........
because he's my "baby" and my heart was so full........
and it's as if YOU are onstage.
I was just as nervous and excited and hopeful as he was.
I wanted so much for him.

It was dark.
There was a family of 3 sitting in the very front row of the auditorium.
The rest of the place was empty.
I went down and sat behind them.

A disabled girl was wheeled to the front center of the stage in her wheelchair.
She was in a white formal gown with pink butterflies and feathery tulle.
She had a small tiara on her head.
She looked nervous and scared.
The lady in front of me yelled, "You're going to do great."
She reached up and gripped the microphone.
The music came on and we could see her count to herself......5.....6......7......8.
And she sang along with Miley Cyrus..........

"You tucked me in, turned out the light,
Kept me safe and sound at night,
little girls depend on things like that.

Brushed my teeth and combed my hair,
Had to drive me everywhere,
You were always there when I looked back."

I watched as the parents video the whole thing with tears streaming down their faces.
Tears streamed down my face.

There - in that moment the hopes and dreams for those parents were coming true.
Their daughter was up on stage.
She was beautiful.
She was happy.
She made it in a high school talent show.
Her peers stood in the wings with silent respect, awe and admiration.
For that one moment, that girl was not disabled.
She was soaring.

We all have the same hopes and dreams for our children.
We want them to be happy.
We want them to have friends.
We want them to be accepted for who they are.
We want them to do their best.
We want them to succeed at whatever they do.
We want them to know they are loved.
We want them to grow up to be the same wonderful people they already are - just bigger.

And then........it happens and it is wonderful and joyful and incredible and sad and heartwrenching.

To the Bonehead Brothers -
you make me laugh
you make me yell
you make me cry
I love you both!

Happy Friday!