HISTORY

A Little History:
Our story begins in Pocatello, Idaho, circa 1972, when the lovely Debby Christensen agreed to a first, though fateful date with admirer, David Croshaw. Long story-short, he bade her follow him, and they went arm-in-arm to the Logan, Utah temple for establishment of an eternal family unit, Generation 1, on May 23 1973.

From their first blissful summer in Salt Lake City, educational pursuits took them to Provo/Orem, Utah, birthplace of Leslie and Rebecca, and to San Francisco/Oakland California, birthplace of Colin and Matt. Then, for establishment of livelihood, expansion of the tribe with Abby and Dana, and for raising/unifying of Generation 2, it was back to the roots in Pocatello for a rewarding sojourn.

In time, driven by a raging, but commonly shared sense of adventure and independence, one-by-one, Generation 2 escaped the homeland to distant regions of the country and the world, each ultimately developing their own tribal expansions by pairing with worthy mates and initiating Generation 3.

Now sensing fulfillment of their purpose in Pocatello, Generation 1 has also left those roots and transplanted to Cascade Idaho, from which base, they anticipate more abundant contact with The Posterity, Generations 2 and 3, in the future. That contact however, awaits fulfillment of a call to LDS missionary service in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, wherein they hope to help the state of the world by sharing the love of Jesus Christ.

So now, including Generation 0 (Grandma and Grandpa Christensen) home base includes Yuma, Arizona, Pocatello, Idaho, Cascade, Idaho, Vancouver, BC, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Spokane, Washington, Boise, Idaho, Los Angeles, California, back to Boise, Idaho, and on and on (Generation 3+) to infinity.

Our Mission Statement:
This is the blog of our eternal family unit. Initiated years ago, it served well as a journal, but even more so, as an archive of our personal interaction. It was a gathering place, a confabulation instrument, a unifying force for four generations of widely dispersed and progressively prolific posterity, and their valued associates. Though it served these purposes well for many years, it eventually took a back seat to new-kids-on-the-block, Facebook, and Instagram, and was sadly forgotten.

We now move to resurrect this blog with an added functional purpose of archiving the missionary experiences of Generation 1, of their movements and activities as they participate with The Gathering of Israel in the land northward. In so doing, we hope that via their own comments and posts, this blog will again serve to gather and unify the posterity and their friends.

As in the past, that the young and vibrant may know the old and tired, that enduring bonds may be fostered and maintained, that experience and encouragement may be openly shared, that posterity may embrace truth, and that hearts may be knit together, we must resist detachment despite our geographic divergence. We shall do so here.
_____________________________________________________________

Friday, May 30, 2008

More Fun from the Middle East

Hey Everybody,
Cool new colors!
The first two days of our trip were spent in Egypt touring its ancient antiquities. Egyptians are Muslim and speak Arabic, since they were occupied by Arabic nations in the past, but are not official Arabs. Father Abraham had two sons, Isaac from Sariah, and Ishmael from handmaid, Hagar. Although Ishmael was older, he was not born of the primary wife, so he was not given the covenant (Priesthood). Instead, it was given to Isaac, whose son Jacob was renamed Israel from whom came the 12 tribes of Israel. The Arabs all branched from Ishmael, and their main beef with the Jews all these eons has been that they were robbed of the covenant, as it was given to the younger brother, Isaac. Egyptians however, are descendants of Ham, son of Noah who married the Cananite, Egyptus, outside the Covenant, so he was given no Priesthood. They had a daughter, also Egyptus, who migrated into northern Africa and started the earliest Egyptian civilization. Her son became the first Pharaoh. Their civilization is well documented because the dry climate there has been optimal for preserving all the old antiquities. They were preoccupied with death and the after-life. We got so sick of seeing tombs and hieroglyphs that Charlie Call waxed British as he started a new acronym: ABT - another bloody tomb. It caught on and everybody started using the concept for everything else we saw: ABM - another bloody mummy; ABH - another bloody hieroglyph; ABS - another bloody statue; ABMM - another bloody mummy museum, etc., etc. It was all very interesting though, as there were connections with the plan of salvation and the temple. Those of course were all remnants from the days of Noah, but since they didn’t have the priesthood, they quickly lost the fullness. Read about it in Abraham in the P of GP.

After Egypt, we went to Jordan, spending two nights in Amman, and then traveling south to Petra in between. I wrote a comment to mom’s previous post about the Petra picture. Check it out, because that site was about the coolest thing I ever saw.

We’re back in Jerusalem tonight. We spent last night in the town of Magdela (home of Mary Magdalene) on the shores western shore of the Sea of Galilee, just down the road from the town of Caphernaem, where Christ lived for about 18 months of his ministry. The night before, we stays in the town of Kfar Giladi, the norther-most town in Israel, just across the border from Lebanon. These are all the areas where Jesus walked. The Sea of Galilee is actually a large fresh water lake, the inlet and outlet of which is the Jordan River. It is about 700 feet below sea level. It is the site where the Savior had most of the NT interaction with the apostles, where he calmed the stormy seas, and where he walked on the water. About ten miles up into the hills from there is the city of Nazareth, which we visited today, site of His childhood, and the Mount of Beatitudes, which we visited yesterday. On the other side of the Sea is Mount Tabor, where the transfiguration occurred, as Moses and Elijah came just prior to the crucifixion, as the Savior was transfigured, and Peter, James, and John were given Priesthood keys to the Gathering of Israel and the sealing powers. It has been quite an experience to see all this. Our guide is Daniel Rona, a Jew who was born in Israel but then was taken by his father to America at the age of six. There, his father converted to the Mormonism and moved to Utah. Daniel was essentially raised a Mormon in the Church, and then served a mission to Germany. He married a Utah woman, and then around 1967, as the Zionist movement was developing and Israel was going through tremendous difficulty to be recognized as an independent state, Daniel felt driven to return to Israel. So his family went with him and he moved back here. Ultimately he developed a tour business, catering mostly to LDS people. He’s probably met just about every General Authority as they’ve toured with him. He has a very deep knowledge of the Jewish ways and the history of the House of Israel, especially as they relate to our faith. It has all been very enlightening. We’ll have to do another post tomorrow to tell you about some of the special things we’ve learned, but for now, I want to explain some of these new photos. We’ve taken hundreds, but we have to be selective since the blog will only handle 8 at a time.

When the children of Israel had escaped Egypt and were traveling for forty years in the wilderness,they passed through what is now Jordan, very near Petra. This rock, which has now been enshrined in a building is said to be the one Moses struck with his staff, causing an abundant spring to come forth to quell the thirst of the Israelites. It is the same spring which was used through aquaducts to supply water to the city of Petra. There is a spring coming from under it now, but it does not appear very abundant, not likely enough to feed 2-3 million thirsty Israelites who accompanied Moses. Maybe it was heavier back then.




Looks like Mom’s got a little thing going on with Ramses II. This is ABS found by archaeologists
in the Nile river, (Egypt). Who knows how it got there, but when they found it, they pulled it onto
dry land and built a museum around it.



Mom and Brenda Cornelison on our little camel ride through the desert. By the way, in answer to
Jason and Abby’s comments on the previous blog: Yes, I did ride the camel for about a mile through the desert, and, being an agile athlete, I did get on it myself. Actually, the handler simply says a few words to the beast, and he gets down on all four knees, making it easy to climb on. Then when he stands up is when athleticism is required to avoid falling off.


This is the Giant Pyramid and the big Sphinx you referred to Jason. He is HUGE. They said its
origins are not known, but that it has been dated to more than 10,000 years ago. But then that
would put it before Adam???


The largest Mosque in Egypt. The Muslims are expected to pray 5 times per day, when signaled by
the loud speakers coming from the nearest mosque. Muslim men are also allowed to have 4 wives.
That is probably why they need to pray so much.


These guys are father and son Bedouin camel/sheep ranchers. Bedouins are nomads who roam all over the middle east, living in tents. Some of them squat onthe same piece of land, but still live in
tents, even though they may own a car, cell phone, and satellite dish. They are mostly from the
Arabian peninsula, but claim no particular country of citizenship. We saw them in all the countries
we visited. They are allowed by most countries to come and go as they please. They are generallyfriendly and peaceful with others, although they tend to feud among themselves. These two had a herd of camels and a herd of sheep. We stopped on the side of the road to talk to them and cavort with their camels.



Mom and I on the shores of the Dead Sea, just down stream from the Sea of Galilee. It is fed by the
Jordan River, but has no outlet, thus it is extremely saline (about 27% vs. 13% in the oceans), and is
DEAD - nothing living in it. Salt has precipitated on the surrounding shoreline. It is part of the border between Israel and Jordan, along with the Jordan River. The Sea is large enough that it evaporates as fast as the river feeds it, and it has been this way since the days of the Old Testament. It is the lowest place on earth at -1300 feet below sea level. It has dropped over 100 feet in the past ten years because Israel and Jordan both use the Jordan River for increasing irrigation. There is a plan being considered to dig a canal from either the Red Sea or the Mediterranean Sea (both would flow down hill) to refill the Dead Sea with less saline water, which would also allow it to support ocean life, which would also fulfill prophecy that the Dead Sea will be “healed” in the last days.


Swimming in the Dead Sea. The water is so dense that it is impossible to sink. It is even difficult to get your feet down enough to stand on the bottom. Water tastes terrible, by the way.

More Later...
Love you all,
Dad

Some help please?

I decided I'm going to finally break down and do a Delgadillo blog. We're moving to Texas and we'll be doing some updating in our house, so I thought it would be fun. Any ideas on names? All we can come up with is Del Tacos (Shanah came up with that one, we had a "food for last name" kick in junior high, so between junior high and when I got married I was Dana Coleslaw, when I got married she decided it was Dana Del Taco. Ha, anyway....any ideas?

Oh yeah, and I updated the blog...not really sure how I made it work, but I did it.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

How smart is the average Croshaw?

http://www.oldjoeblack.0nyx.com/thinktst.htm

I got 17, Jason got 16.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!!!


Sorry this is a day late! I meant to do it yesterday.

You're such an amazing man and an even better Grandpa. We love you so much! Hope your birthday was great.

(Mom has so many good pictures on her computer, I couldn't decide which ones to use!)

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Hi hi hi from Jerusalem


Dear Ones,

Interesting to me that I am starting my letter this way. It is how my grandma Scott always started her letters. We have been having an incredible time. We spent a few days in Egypt and saw the Sphinx. (Name that tune.) Actually, we did see the Sphinx. It is right by the pyramids of Giza. And, they are part of Cairo (pop. 20 to 24 million, depending on the tour guide you talk to). It is huge. I mean, you stand and look at it, and then you turn 180 degrees and you see Pizza Hut. It is beautiful, though. Went to a rug factory and saw children making rugs. They told us they were doing the children a favor, teaching them a trade, said they had to be 12, but some of those children had to be younger than 12. The first day we flew to Luxor and saw the Valley of the Kings. Lots of tombs with incredible hieroglyphics. The most exciting thing for me was to look at the facsimiles in the Pearl of Great Price and see the exact same 5 point stars in those examples as we had seen all over those tombs. Wow! Also went to a big mosque. Guide was Moslem-Mohamed. Petra was awesome. The pictures will tell it better than I can. We will put them on the blog. Our guide was a archeologist, chain smoker, married to a Mormon from and in Utah, also an archeologist. We are now in Jerusalem. Wow, Wow! I hope you can all see this one day. We swam, or rather, floated in the Dead Sea. It is beautiful, same color as Bear Lake in parts. Saw Masada. Really incredible. We'll watch the movie when we get home. It is almost time for dinner. I will get the internet after dinner and send this to all of you and put some photos on the blog. The only down side is tipping-it never ends. All border crossings were fine until Jordan-Israel. Showed our passports about 7 times, rode on the Allenby Bridge-look up the history on that one-saw Jerico, drove through Moab, Saw Jerico from afar. Dad will send you his letter. We also have to let Phil finish his letter to his missionary-Chase in S. Carolina. Having a great time, didn't like getting into Israel, but it is all good now. Love you all, more details later.

Xoxoxoxo mom

Friday, May 23, 2008

Happy 35th Anniversary Mom and Dad!!

Wow, 35 years, that is an amazing feat!!  You two are such a wonderful example of what a marriage should be.  Your commitment and dedication to each other and your family are an inspiration to all of your children, and everyone who knows you.  In this world of broken and confused families we are all so lucky to have been raised in the haven that is our true, eternal family.  We hope you are enjoying your well deserved vacation.  We love you!

Lilia

Yesterday I was just smitten with my perfect little baby. I know she is beautiful and everything (I know this makes me sound like I'm bragging...maybe I am) but I just realized yesterday how stunning she is. So anyway, here are some pictures I took yesterday.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Mullet Girl




So, I walk into my room this morning after cleaning up breakfast, to find hair all over the floor. A LOT of hair. Grace has cut her hair before, but it has always been salvageable. This, I'm afraid, is not. She cut one side way up above her ear. The other side isn't as bad, but one side is all it takes. It looks like she has a mullet. I honestly don't know what can be done with it, she will have to have it cut like a boy. The kicker is, I can't have it cut until Saturday when Ray gets back (I can't take all 3 kids to the hair dresser). So, she has to wear it like this to school! I can't even put it in barrets or anything, it's too short!! My stomach totally sank when I saw all that hair, but when I saw her I just burst out laughing, she looks so funny!! Ray said that we should just leave the mullet, people in Spokane will expect it with us moving from Oklahoma :)

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Ahem...

Was anyone going to comment on the FINALE of the Davids last night??

I am actually undecided. They are so equally awesome in their own styles, and I thought they both did an incredible job and picked great songs that made them shine. (Even if Simon is bitter that Mr. C didn't sing a little MJ. He's just not a rocker.) I'm happy either way just because it came down to the Davids.

And I thought it was tender that both of them were completely overwhelmed with emotion at some point during the night. Those boys have been through a lot over the past few months, I can only imagine the emotions that are flooding over them now. Maybe a little relief?

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Productive trip to Texas!

We went to Austin Tuesday. Jason worked part of Wednesday and Thursday, and Thursday afternoon we headed to San Antonio to start looking for houses. The second house we looked at I felt so good about. But we kept looking, at 4 more houses Thursday and 8 or 9 more Friday, by which time we knew that the 2nd house was the one. Anyway, we made an offer which they accepted Saturday afternoon. We're so excited about the house. Leslie and Alex had to come into the states to register Leslie's car and they were able to see the house too and spend some time with us. We're so excited to be close to them. I keep trying to talk them into moving to San Antonio when they do move to the states.
The picture doesn't do the house justice. I'll take more once we get down there. The backyard is wonderful with 3 or 4 big shade trees that create a perfect backyard for the kids to play in. It was pretty hot when we were there, so it will be so nice for them. We'll be closing June 16th. One more month with "Grandma and Grandpa Pocatello." It'll be sad to go, but we are thrilled about the move. I really feel like it is the right place for us. I said to Colby one time, "Do you want to go to Texas?" Now he says at least 5 times a day "Wanna go to Texas." Anyway, there it is!

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Happy Birthday Ray!!







Happy Birthday Ray!!  We miss you so much and wish that we could be with you on your big day.  I was just thinking about that song that goes, "God bless the broken road that led me straight to you."  That is how I feel.  I can see God working in my life even then.  You are the definition of what is good, honest, faithful, and true.  You are the real deal.  Everyone that meets you can see that, that is why everyone wants to be your friend :)  I am so grateful for a husband whose first thought is always about what is best for his family.  The kids miss you so much, it just isn't the same without you here.  We can't wait until you come home!!  I hope your day is great.  I love you.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

And then there were two...

I missed Tuesday night, luckily mom Tivo'd it and is saving it for me. But the top two was predictable from about 10 weeks ago. Top 2!! YAY! I can't wait to watch. Too bad mom is going to be in Israel and miss it all. This is about American Idol for anyone wondering.
(BTW.....we're in Austin right now, going down to San Antonio tomorrow afternoon to start the house hunt, will update more when we know more. :)

Monday, May 12, 2008

Good church pub

If you watched the Jazz game yesterday, you probably noticed they talked about Larry Miller not being there because it was on Sunday. But ESPN took it a step further today. Check out this article on espn.com today.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=3391439&sportCat=nba

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Ode to Arvilla - Mothers Day, 2008

For Mothers Day, a few years before her passing, I wrote a tribute to my mother, the person you all knew as Grandma Croshaw, the one who, along with my father, is responsible for any goodness I have. For me, those words expressed who my mother was, and I wish to honor her again today, Mothers Day, 2008, by posting them here:

Reflections on Mother

My earliest recollection of my mother involves a young boy of 4 or 5 years, being tucked tenderly into bed by caring hands and soothed by a cooing voice. Basking in sensory comforts and assurance of love, I remember being utterly taken by the woman leaning over me. It seems I recall equating her qualities with those of an angel. I perceived her as radiant, flawless, perfect. That blending of senses created an early notion of my mother which imprinted on my mind and has gone with me through the years. It influences my thoughts of her today. Though now pragmatised by an awareness of human fallibility, it is augmented by a host of subsequent revelations of her goodness. Though age has dulled her senses and amended her physical beauty, her benevolence and grace remain intact, refined and tempered by the fire of life. Today, as in my youth, my mother embodies a standard of goodness and purity, a standard I will gratefully carry with me forever.
- David K. Croshaw
Mother's Day, 1997


I suspect that if each of you think about it for a moment, you will conclude that for you, your mother also embodies this grace, benevolence, beauty, and goodness. Make sure she knows how you feel, not just today, but as long as she lives on the earth. And, make sure that as long as you live, your own lives reflect all the goodness and purity she has passed on to you.

Proud and grateful to be Arvilla's son;
Proud and grateful to be Debby's mate, and to share with her the honor of being your parents,
Dad

Happy Birthday Leslie!!!!!





les,
thirty four years ago today (mother's day) we were in the hospital together. what a wonderful beginning you were. we hope you have a wonderful birthday and that it is not too hot today in monterrey. happy, happy birthday.

xoxoxoxo mom and dad
p.s. made the blue jumper myself. becky had a matching dark blue one, the dome climber where leslie broke her arm in kindergarten, grandpa croshaw and leslie, christmas on rainier.

Belated happy birthday Dana




Here are a couple of younger and much, much younger dana. xo mom

Since You've Been Gone...

I put this post on my blog last night, I thought I would add it to our family for those of you who don't frequent the VanderLouw blog much.  Enjoy!!

Ray left about a week ago for Spokane. I told him that I would post lots of pictures on the blog of how we have been spending our time. These kids are sure keeping me on my toes, and trying to entertain them for 15 hours a day is exhausting!! I am sleeping really well at night, except when one, or two, of them crawl in bed with me!!

Maggie learned how to climb on to Elliot's train table. She gets up there then cries and screams until I come in and get her down, she hasn't figured that part out yet!

Elliot found the bungee cords in the garage and made some letters with them on the driveway. Elliot likes to make letters with anything he can- crayons, pretzel sticks, markers, etc. Great job Elliot!

Maggie LOVES to be outside with the other kids. She gets on the big wheel and just sits, or she pushes it around. I win the bad mom of the week award, my precious little baby had little sunburned arms after we came inside. I felt so bad!!

We had a painting extravaganza the other day. They painted lots of great pictures!

Inevitably, they turned the paint brushes on themselves...(Lori, you were my inspiration to let them do this!!)

They got in the bath right after this was done, Grace told me that it looked like they were swimming in chocolate milk!

The read lots of books-Grace puts the books in Elliot's little clothes hamper and drags them out to the living room. I also shaved Elliot's head earlier this day, I think he looks so cute with his little shaved head!

A couple of nights ago the kids all went in Elliot's room to play. I was so relieved to do the dishes in peace, as I heard no fighting coming from the room. This took them about 10 minutes, those are the pieces from the train table on the window sill. They took all the books from the book shelf and put them in the now open train table and emptied Elliot's drawers. Grace told me that they wanted to make a club. It was really cute...until I had to clean it up. I know I should have made them help, but I just didn't have the energy!

Maggie enjoying the club...

Maggie figured out how to crawl under the gate, she about gave me a heart attack!! She was so proud of herself!

Maggie is just really good at being cute!!