Is that Grace or Becky sucking her thumb? Another year and another birthday. What a wonderful example you are to all of us, Becky. We hope this year is full of wonderful adventures for the VanderLouw family. We love you. xoxoxo
Mom and Dad
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Happy Birthday Becky Jo!!!
Is that Grace or Becky sucking her thumb? Another year and another birthday. What a wonderful example you are to all of us, Becky. We hope this year is full of wonderful adventures for the VanderLouw family. We love you. xoxoxo
Mom and Dad
Friday, August 10, 2007
FYI
in case you didn't know, crystal will be teaching a molecular biology class at james madison university this fall--in harrisonburg, and ray is now officially a graduate of northern nazarene university. what is their mascot, ray? the dreaded algebra test is now a thing of naught.
congratulations to both of you.
debby
congratulations to both of you.
debby
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Happy Birthday Colin!!!
Thirty years ago today you entered this world, a bit earlier than we expected. You were loved and adored before you were even born. Happy birthday, Colin. What a blessing you have been to our family. I thought I would remind your family and show our new family members a bit of the way we knew you. Have a wonderful day. Love,Mom and Dad
Happy Birthday to me
Thanks for those pictures Mom. If Dad still has that powder blue suit I would be interested in taking it off his hands. And I think that's a pretty nice Members Only jacket I have on. I'm sitting here in the call room at the hospital celebrating my birthday. It's 2:45 am and lucky for me, I can't sleep. I celebrated by ordering an enema for an old guy with constipation. Anyway, that's beside the point.
One nice thing about traveling without the kids is I can actually focus on reading something for longer than 2 minutes. I was able to read almost the entire book that Dad gave us. It's interesting to me that you can hear things a thousand times, and one day you read it and it seems like it's the first time you have considered it. I had a few of those with this book. I'm realizing more and more that the priesthood is not something you get as much as it is something that you have to become. It's something you have to live everyday in order to have any power to use it. The Apostles have figured out how to do that more than anyone else, which is why they are who they are.
One of the things he talks about in that book is that we, as Elders, have as much priesthood as we will ever have, that we have as much priesthhood as the Prophet and Apostles have. That is a very humbling realization to me.
Anyway, if I'm not making any sense it's because I need some sleep. I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving. We hope everyone can come.
Get Becky's pictures ready Mom. I gotta go. There's an infomercial that requires my attention.
Colin
One nice thing about traveling without the kids is I can actually focus on reading something for longer than 2 minutes. I was able to read almost the entire book that Dad gave us. It's interesting to me that you can hear things a thousand times, and one day you read it and it seems like it's the first time you have considered it. I had a few of those with this book. I'm realizing more and more that the priesthood is not something you get as much as it is something that you have to become. It's something you have to live everyday in order to have any power to use it. The Apostles have figured out how to do that more than anyone else, which is why they are who they are.
One of the things he talks about in that book is that we, as Elders, have as much priesthood as we will ever have, that we have as much priesthhood as the Prophet and Apostles have. That is a very humbling realization to me.
Anyway, if I'm not making any sense it's because I need some sleep. I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving. We hope everyone can come.
Get Becky's pictures ready Mom. I gotta go. There's an infomercial that requires my attention.
Colin
Monday, August 6, 2007
The Lord is in Charge
All,
Crystal's recent post reminded me of an email I sent to Colin a few months ago when he was frustrated with the residency matching process. His favored choices had looked promising, but then had fallen through, and he was not sure where he and his little family would be going. Sensing these thoughts may be helpful to all of you, I decided to post them on the blog:
The topic of President Monson's 1st Presidency message in the March Ensign was about compassion, but one of his references gave me some impressions entirely unrelated to that theme. The reason: I had been contemplating your recent concerns about your future, after most of your desired residency options had fallen through.
Recall I emailed you that the Lord is in the details of our lives, that He has a plan for each of us, and that if we are faithful, we can have confidence that He will not forget about us, but will maneuver the events of our lives to accomplish His ultimate will in our behalf. The trick for us is having confidence that his plan for us is what is best for us. Sometimes we may find ourselves in pivotal circumstances that seem contrary to our own pre-established goals, only to find at some point in the future that there were some profound reasons for the difference. Maybe the change in direction led us away from some unforeseen problems. Maybe it was to enhance our own personal or professional satisfaction. Maybe it was for the good of our family and therefore for the good of our own state of happiness. Maybe it was intended to accomplish something for His kingdom, or for mankind. Whatever the case, we need to recognize His hand in our lives and have confidence in his will
President Monson related the story of Joseph (sold into Egypt) (Genesis37-47) as a scriptural example of compassion. But sensing of your concerns and those of all of you kids, and recalling events of my own life, that story meant something entirely different to me. Recall that 17 year old Joseph, son of Jacob (ultimately Israel) was highly favored of his father, a point that peeved his brothers. So they threw him in a pit and contemplated killing him when they saw a chance to make some profit by selling him to some merchants. They spread blood on his coat and told his father he had been killed by a lion. The merchants carried him off to Egypt. Imagine what was going through his mind at that time, how abandoned he must have felt. In Egypt he was sold as a slave into the house of Potiphar where he gained favor because "the Lord was with him", but where later he was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife and was cast into prison. Again, imagine his torment. Again, things did not seem to be going well for him, certainly not as he had planned. But, the scriptures repeat over and over that "the Lord was with Joseph," and he won favor with the prison guards because "that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper." Because of that, at the age of 30, he ultimately came to the attention of Pharaoh, King of Egypt and was inspired to interpret Pharaoh's dream, foretelling the pending famine in the land. Pharaoh was so impressed with this "man in whom the Spirit of God is," that he put him second in command in his kingdom and made him responsible for storing up food for another 7 years in preparation against the expected dearth. He would then be in charge of fair disribution of the food. Finally, after many years, things were going well for Joseph, but you have to wonder if even at that time, he knew the Lord's intentions for him.
When the dearth did come, it "waxed sore" in all the lands, including Cannan, the home of his father and brothers. A couple of years into the famine, fearing starvation of his family, father Jacob sent his sons to buy food in Egypt where it was rumored there was plenty. Of course, you know the rest of the story. Through a series of exchanges, the brothers were eventually made aware of the identity of their benefactor. What a paradoxical twist, and what an opportunity for Joseph to get even, but by that time, he finally knew the Lords plan for him, and he understood the purpose of the painful twists and turns his life had taken. When he made himself known unto them, the brothers, likely feeling the sorrow of the damned, "could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence." Imagine their horror as their minds raced back 30 years to the time they had sold him into Egypt. But compassion, not vengence was in Joseph's heart, because he finally understood the Lord's intent for the seemingly sporadic and peculiar events of his life. He said to them, "Now therefore be not grieved, nor angy with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life..." "For God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance." And then the verses suggest the great joy they all experienced in recognizing the wisdom of God: "And [Joseph] fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them; and after that his brethren talked with him." He then sent them back to bring his father and all their house to live in the land of Goshen to be protected and preserved from the famine. The House of Israel was preserved. Consider the subsequent impact that has had on the world. Of course, it was all part of the Lord's plan, which he works in His own peculiar ways and in His own timeframe. He knows us each personally, and He does the same with our lives. As difficult as it may seem to understand at times, if we are faithful and work hard, He will assure that it all works out for the best.
I Love you all,
Dad
Crystal's recent post reminded me of an email I sent to Colin a few months ago when he was frustrated with the residency matching process. His favored choices had looked promising, but then had fallen through, and he was not sure where he and his little family would be going. Sensing these thoughts may be helpful to all of you, I decided to post them on the blog:
The topic of President Monson's 1st Presidency message in the March Ensign was about compassion, but one of his references gave me some impressions entirely unrelated to that theme. The reason: I had been contemplating your recent concerns about your future, after most of your desired residency options had fallen through.
Recall I emailed you that the Lord is in the details of our lives, that He has a plan for each of us, and that if we are faithful, we can have confidence that He will not forget about us, but will maneuver the events of our lives to accomplish His ultimate will in our behalf. The trick for us is having confidence that his plan for us is what is best for us. Sometimes we may find ourselves in pivotal circumstances that seem contrary to our own pre-established goals, only to find at some point in the future that there were some profound reasons for the difference. Maybe the change in direction led us away from some unforeseen problems. Maybe it was to enhance our own personal or professional satisfaction. Maybe it was for the good of our family and therefore for the good of our own state of happiness. Maybe it was intended to accomplish something for His kingdom, or for mankind. Whatever the case, we need to recognize His hand in our lives and have confidence in his will
President Monson related the story of Joseph (sold into Egypt) (Genesis37-47) as a scriptural example of compassion. But sensing of your concerns and those of all of you kids, and recalling events of my own life, that story meant something entirely different to me. Recall that 17 year old Joseph, son of Jacob (ultimately Israel) was highly favored of his father, a point that peeved his brothers. So they threw him in a pit and contemplated killing him when they saw a chance to make some profit by selling him to some merchants. They spread blood on his coat and told his father he had been killed by a lion. The merchants carried him off to Egypt. Imagine what was going through his mind at that time, how abandoned he must have felt. In Egypt he was sold as a slave into the house of Potiphar where he gained favor because "the Lord was with him", but where later he was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife and was cast into prison. Again, imagine his torment. Again, things did not seem to be going well for him, certainly not as he had planned. But, the scriptures repeat over and over that "the Lord was with Joseph," and he won favor with the prison guards because "that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper." Because of that, at the age of 30, he ultimately came to the attention of Pharaoh, King of Egypt and was inspired to interpret Pharaoh's dream, foretelling the pending famine in the land. Pharaoh was so impressed with this "man in whom the Spirit of God is," that he put him second in command in his kingdom and made him responsible for storing up food for another 7 years in preparation against the expected dearth. He would then be in charge of fair disribution of the food. Finally, after many years, things were going well for Joseph, but you have to wonder if even at that time, he knew the Lord's intentions for him.
When the dearth did come, it "waxed sore" in all the lands, including Cannan, the home of his father and brothers. A couple of years into the famine, fearing starvation of his family, father Jacob sent his sons to buy food in Egypt where it was rumored there was plenty. Of course, you know the rest of the story. Through a series of exchanges, the brothers were eventually made aware of the identity of their benefactor. What a paradoxical twist, and what an opportunity for Joseph to get even, but by that time, he finally knew the Lords plan for him, and he understood the purpose of the painful twists and turns his life had taken. When he made himself known unto them, the brothers, likely feeling the sorrow of the damned, "could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence." Imagine their horror as their minds raced back 30 years to the time they had sold him into Egypt. But compassion, not vengence was in Joseph's heart, because he finally understood the Lord's intent for the seemingly sporadic and peculiar events of his life. He said to them, "Now therefore be not grieved, nor angy with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life..." "For God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance." And then the verses suggest the great joy they all experienced in recognizing the wisdom of God: "And [Joseph] fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them; and after that his brethren talked with him." He then sent them back to bring his father and all their house to live in the land of Goshen to be protected and preserved from the famine. The House of Israel was preserved. Consider the subsequent impact that has had on the world. Of course, it was all part of the Lord's plan, which he works in His own peculiar ways and in His own timeframe. He knows us each personally, and He does the same with our lives. As difficult as it may seem to understand at times, if we are faithful and work hard, He will assure that it all works out for the best.
I Love you all,
Dad
The Gospel makes bad men good and good men better.
Recent events in my life have helped me to truly see the eternal destiny of man and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is meant to perfect God's children who willingly embrace it.
In the past few months I've seen how and why eternal marriage is the new and everlasting covenant and an integral part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
After Crystal and I got married and moved into our home in Broadway, Virginia Crystal noticed certain quirks of mine that she had seen while we were dating. One of the quirks she noticed was one that had been troubling me most of my life. I never did anything about it because I had always managed to "just get by". However, I decided to finally seek help to alleviate my inability to concentrate. For the past month I've been meeting with a psychologist who has been analyze my thought processes and various other aspects of my personality. In the end, he was able to discern that I have ADD. As a result of his analysis, I've begun to take medication to help me focus. In the beginning I was hopeful that this would finally be able to focus. As a testament of how well it has worked, my production at my job has increased significantly. Before taking Adderol, I would be lucky if I could process 12 patent applications a day. That is about how many applications I produce by the time my lunch break starts.
In a very unique way this is a testament to me of the scripture in the book of Moroni which states "Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him." I am humbled by the love God has shown me to allow me to marry someone like Crystal. It is because of her sweet goodness that I've been able to progress in the journey back to our Father in Heaven. Thanks be to God for all of his tender mercies.
In the past few months I've seen how and why eternal marriage is the new and everlasting covenant and an integral part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
After Crystal and I got married and moved into our home in Broadway, Virginia Crystal noticed certain quirks of mine that she had seen while we were dating. One of the quirks she noticed was one that had been troubling me most of my life. I never did anything about it because I had always managed to "just get by". However, I decided to finally seek help to alleviate my inability to concentrate. For the past month I've been meeting with a psychologist who has been analyze my thought processes and various other aspects of my personality. In the end, he was able to discern that I have ADD. As a result of his analysis, I've begun to take medication to help me focus. In the beginning I was hopeful that this would finally be able to focus. As a testament of how well it has worked, my production at my job has increased significantly. Before taking Adderol, I would be lucky if I could process 12 patent applications a day. That is about how many applications I produce by the time my lunch break starts.
In a very unique way this is a testament to me of the scripture in the book of Moroni which states "Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him." I am humbled by the love God has shown me to allow me to marry someone like Crystal. It is because of her sweet goodness that I've been able to progress in the journey back to our Father in Heaven. Thanks be to God for all of his tender mercies.
about one year ago...
I went to Palmyra, NY with the Charlottesville Singles' ward- I had been a member of the family ward for about 7 months but still attended FHE and Institute and all activities with the singles- it was just too much for Valerie and I to go to the Singles ward plus her ward (for primary) every week, so I joined the family ward after I received my temple endowments.
I had just gotten home two days before from picking out a house in Sandy, Utah for Valerie and I. I was planning to move to Utah and work in a lab at U of U because, well... the prospects were not looking favorable for me to marry in the church as a divorced 29 year old woman (nearly 30) and after dating several times out of the church and seeing the same sorts of problems that came with that over and over again, I determined to not date outside the church ever again. Besides- what would the point be? I was looking for an eternal companion- not a person to fill the time till I found one.
On this trip, was a new member of the ward and he sat in the back of the van next to my daughter and a few other people. I sat in the front next to the bishop's wife and my friend, Sarah. My first words to the new guy were "What is your name?!" "What is your last name" and then, "How do you spell that?!" I would have been blown away then to realize that I would soon have that last name as well.
I felt the spirit so strongly on that trip and really liked the affection from Matt too- though I was sure to tell him I would be moving soon to Utah. I am so glad that fell through and despite all the frustration I felt, I felt more than that, that all would be well. I am so glad that I had the faith that the Lord would take care of things in my life.
On this trip, Valerie and I broke off from the rest of the group and as we were walking through the Sacred Grove, she asked me "Mom, did Joseph Smith REALLY see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ here?" I told her that the scriptures say that he did and the scriptures are true, but that she could ask and find out for herself.
We walked a little further to a secluded spot, then knelt down to pray and ask if Joseph Smith really saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in the sacred grove. We ended the prayer and stood up, and Valerie said "He did not tell me if it was true..." but as we walked along, Valerie was skipping as I sang out loud "Joseph Smith's First Prayer" and she smiled, held her arms around and spun around in the dappled sunlight that filtered through the trees- still holding drops of water from the morning rain. She then began to pick up all these caterpillars from the trail so that no one would step on them.
I could tell she felt great, so I took her hand, then I stooped down and said, "Valerie, you know that good feeling you have in your heart?! How you want to help these caterpillars and you are filled with love? That is the Spirit telling you the truth about Joseph Smith seeing Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in this place... maybe not this exact spot, but in this place."
It was such a special moment for her and I- and I have been blessed with many of those moments since joining the church- and I will always treasure that moment and that experience.
It was while thinking about that, that I made this slideshow of our trip last summer...
We are so grateful for the Gospel in our lives and I am so grateful that Valerie and I now have a priesthood holder to lead our family. It is one of the most precious blessings either of us have been given.
Create Your Own
I had just gotten home two days before from picking out a house in Sandy, Utah for Valerie and I. I was planning to move to Utah and work in a lab at U of U because, well... the prospects were not looking favorable for me to marry in the church as a divorced 29 year old woman (nearly 30) and after dating several times out of the church and seeing the same sorts of problems that came with that over and over again, I determined to not date outside the church ever again. Besides- what would the point be? I was looking for an eternal companion- not a person to fill the time till I found one.
On this trip, was a new member of the ward and he sat in the back of the van next to my daughter and a few other people. I sat in the front next to the bishop's wife and my friend, Sarah. My first words to the new guy were "What is your name?!" "What is your last name" and then, "How do you spell that?!" I would have been blown away then to realize that I would soon have that last name as well.
I felt the spirit so strongly on that trip and really liked the affection from Matt too- though I was sure to tell him I would be moving soon to Utah. I am so glad that fell through and despite all the frustration I felt, I felt more than that, that all would be well. I am so glad that I had the faith that the Lord would take care of things in my life.
On this trip, Valerie and I broke off from the rest of the group and as we were walking through the Sacred Grove, she asked me "Mom, did Joseph Smith REALLY see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ here?" I told her that the scriptures say that he did and the scriptures are true, but that she could ask and find out for herself.
We walked a little further to a secluded spot, then knelt down to pray and ask if Joseph Smith really saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in the sacred grove. We ended the prayer and stood up, and Valerie said "He did not tell me if it was true..." but as we walked along, Valerie was skipping as I sang out loud "Joseph Smith's First Prayer" and she smiled, held her arms around and spun around in the dappled sunlight that filtered through the trees- still holding drops of water from the morning rain. She then began to pick up all these caterpillars from the trail so that no one would step on them.
I could tell she felt great, so I took her hand, then I stooped down and said, "Valerie, you know that good feeling you have in your heart?! How you want to help these caterpillars and you are filled with love? That is the Spirit telling you the truth about Joseph Smith seeing Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in this place... maybe not this exact spot, but in this place."
It was such a special moment for her and I- and I have been blessed with many of those moments since joining the church- and I will always treasure that moment and that experience.
It was while thinking about that, that I made this slideshow of our trip last summer...
We are so grateful for the Gospel in our lives and I am so grateful that Valerie and I now have a priesthood holder to lead our family. It is one of the most precious blessings either of us have been given.
Create Your Own
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Back Home Again
Hi everyone,
What a wonderful time it was for me. Thank you everyone for taking the time and effort to share the incredible event of Leslie Alex's wedding together. What a thrill to see all of us together in that beautiful temple. We had some major road trips the next day, but it was fun. I'll let Ray add his own very special experiences. Maybe Leslie will even want to add her comments about her memorable second wedded night with her parents AND grandparents and a few siblings. I hope you all arrived home safe and sound. We got back into Pocatello about 7:30 p.m. Sunday night. I'll add more later, because I'm pretty tired, but would love to hear your comments.
xoxo,
Mom/Debby
Dad here. Agreed - Mom and i have found true joy in all of you and your families. Also, I just wanted to add: what a great party it was Friday night. Fun for all. It was especially fun watching the children's antics. Also, reception, travel, accomodations: about $5,000.00. Watching Colin, Ray, and Jason dance: Priceless. OK, I'll add myself to that list. Next time, I'll do the ostrich.
We really do love you all,
Dad
What a wonderful time it was for me. Thank you everyone for taking the time and effort to share the incredible event of Leslie Alex's wedding together. What a thrill to see all of us together in that beautiful temple. We had some major road trips the next day, but it was fun. I'll let Ray add his own very special experiences. Maybe Leslie will even want to add her comments about her memorable second wedded night with her parents AND grandparents and a few siblings. I hope you all arrived home safe and sound. We got back into Pocatello about 7:30 p.m. Sunday night. I'll add more later, because I'm pretty tired, but would love to hear your comments.
xoxo,
Mom/Debby
Dad here. Agreed - Mom and i have found true joy in all of you and your families. Also, I just wanted to add: what a great party it was Friday night. Fun for all. It was especially fun watching the children's antics. Also, reception, travel, accomodations: about $5,000.00. Watching Colin, Ray, and Jason dance: Priceless. OK, I'll add myself to that list. Next time, I'll do the ostrich.
We really do love you all,
Dad
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