Happy Birthday on the 31st Gunnar ! (he's been talking about this day for months)

With the onset of school, things have changed for most of our family.  At our home, we don't see Caitlyn nearly as much. Our house is pretty quiet with her gone, and now that she's got a job, We'll see her even less. Some of our grand kids have started also started school-- first grade, kindergarten, or pre-school, which makes life a little easier for their moms. 

An update on Caitlyn:  After her physical therapist massaged her jaw and got her nice and sore, she asked her what activities she participated in.  She said, ice skating and violin.  Cait continued to tell her that the Dr. wants her to give up ice skating and she's transitioning out of it.  She said it would be good to focus on the violin since she'll have more time for it.  The physical therapist then dropped the bombshell and told her she should probably not play the violin either.  We're hoping there's a time frame on that, and that it's not just a blanket--never again.  Roy and I will go with her to her next appointment to try and figure out if she needs to quit Orchestra and violin lessons for the time being.  Of course, this was devastating to Caitlyn.  Please keep her in your prayers.  

Roy and I spent some time in Cedar City this week. Does it show our age that we love going down and hitting the plays every year?  This year we saw Henry V, Mary Poppins, Much Ado about Nothing, and a Marx brother show called, Coconuts.  We enjoyed them all, but Much Ado about Nothing was our favorite.  It was hilarious and was done exceptionally well.  It even beat out the movie of the same name with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson.  As usual we enjoyed each other's company and only felt bad that Caitlyn had to hear all the bad news about her jaw with neither of us around to comfort her.  She also had some good news while we were gone--at about 11:00 on Thursday night she got asked to Homecoming.  Since we were in the theater, we missed her text until the next morning.  

We went shopping on Saturday and we found a beautiful dress for her. 

Our house is finally looking like it may eventually be done.  All the sheet rock, and mudding are done, and much of the brick on the front of the house is done.  It is looking like a house, now.  Next up is finish carpentry and doors on the inside, and on the outside, a little more brickwork, the soffit, etc. and rock to finish up. 

Roy and Matt did another Century in Logan this past Saturday.  Matt went 100 miles and Roy did 60. 

Both made it, but both suffered some leg cramping by the end.  (Roy ended up logging just under 30,000 steps for the day, too bad we don't compete on the weekends).  

The following Pictures were shared  via Rasband Clan texting this week.  

There was a little competition on everyone's "owies"
Do boys get hurt more?  Or girls?  Ori
fell on mulch in the park

Mav pulled the game system on top of himself

Max and his Lego train

Campfire birthday cake

Finn at Gunnar's party

Maverick is already pulling himself up to things
after all, he has to catch up with Max doesn't he?

Max and Mav beating Texas heat

Gunnar's birthday party

IT"S A BOY!!!

I was (sort of) awakened by a worrying text Monday morning.  It was from Dan and it said, "We're going to be poor."  I quickly texted back and asked, "Why, what's wrong?"  He said, "Nothing's wrong, ask dad."  I hurried outside--Roy was taking the garbage out.  I told him what the text said, and he said, "Oh--that means it's a boy!  Knowing that Jieun was going to find out the sex of the baby on Monday morning, they devised a code.  "We're going to be poor meant that Roy was right and Jieun and Dan would owe us dinner.  Of course, if it had been a girl, then Roy would have had to buy them dinner.  Knowing Roy, he'll treat them to dinner just for giving us a grandson with the "Rasband" name.  We are excited by the news.  It will be fun to see what a boy in their family will look like!

I was able to drive up to Logan during the week, to see Crista and attend a wedding reception for my cousin's daughter.  I had met her at the Alonzo Laker Cook Reunion that Nan had put together and had a nice talk with her.  Roy said, "When we come to your wedding reception my wife will bring you something cool that she made."  Which meant that I felt a little obligated to embroider towels and drive up to Logan to deliver them.  It was great, though.  I love visiting with Crista and Matt, so the drive was worth it--and at the reception, along with Geoff and Peggy and the bride and groom, I was able to see Randy, Roger and Vivian Smith and their spouses and some of their children; and also Bob Cook.  He came over and said, "I saw that Nan was here and I wanted to make sure that I visited with her, so I had Roger help me find you."  I said, "That's great but I'm not Nan."  Of course, I told him who I was and that Nan is LOTS older than me :)  I guess Nan and I do look a little alike.

Another fun event of the week was Cameron Cook's wedding.  He married Colette Nebukker on Friday, August 26.  The prior evening we went to the Cook home for a barbecue dinner and a fun program.  We sat down and were soon joined by the bride and groom, the father of the bride and his brother, as well as his mother and her partner.  It was fun to talk to all of them and get a glimpse of what her family is like.  Phil's backyard was beautiful, the weather was perfect, and I was able to visit with all of my siblings except Glenn, who fortunately showed up the next night at the reception with Rosilene, and Josh and his family, whom I hadn't seen since my father's funeral; and Emily and Ila, too. They had spent the week at Aspen Grove with their entire family. Jed did not come to the reception as some of his kids were sick.
The consensus in our car on the way home was that it was one of the funnest receptions we've been to--dampened only by the news that my dear brother Glenn has been diagnosed with prostrate cancer.  He said that he is planning on getting a second opinion and looking at possible treatment options.  Please put him in your prayers.

At the wedding:

Finn and Doyeon

Doyeon and Gunnar

Ollie

Catharine, Adrienne, Christy

AJ, Adrienne, Crista, Matt and Ruby (Ruby loved
the dancing!)

Gunnar and AJ dancing, with Crista and Ruby
in the background

Ruby

Adrienne with Finn and Gunnar, Ollie, Ruby and Yuna

Yuna and Jieun

Saturday morning Roy and Matt were able to put in 20 miles on their bikes.  I'm glad Roy has a biking partner once in a while as it's definitely not my thing.  When they returned, Crista, Matt, Ruby and I headed downtown for lunch with Nan, Christine, Carol and Norman Wright and Alice (I just realized I don't know her last name, but her maiden name is Cook, of course.).  It's amazing the connection that you have with people just because they're family.  I can probably count the number of times I've seen these cousins on one hand.  Alice even less than Carol, but we had a wonderful visit and you could feel the love that is automatic when you share the same grandparents.  We talked of ward callings, genealogy, knitting, quilting, and many other subjects.  We visited for about 2 1/2 hours. Crista and Matt visited with us for maybe half that time and then took Ruby out to play on Temple Square.  We all had a very pleasant afternoon.

Saturday evening found us magnifying Roy's calling.  We served at the Young Single Adults Stake Barbecue.  It is fun to "mingle with the singles".  Even more fun was running into Steve and Marydel Kimitstch (spelling?)  They had both gone to High School with me and had been High School sweethearts since the end of their junior year.  We had a great time catching up and talking about all our mutual acquaintances.  Steve is in the High Council with Roy.

It's Sunday morning and I am writing this letter.  Roy is in his ward giving talk #1, and later this morning he'll give talk #2 in our ward.  I'm not sure where he found the time to prepare his talks, it's been such a busy week--I do know that last night while I was visiting with Marydel, he snuck off to the church building and found a quiet room to work for a little while on them.

For a fitting end to the week, all our family except Elise, Andy and her boys, came over--some for dinner and some just to visit.  I know some of you have Sunday night pictures, too--so send them on and I'll add them to this letter. Below the cousins are getting to know Effie.  It's the first time most of them have seen her.

Dan, Yuna, Effie and Ruby

Ori and Effie

Effie 3 1/2 weeks (her due date is today-8/22/2016

Yuna and Ori (getting along!) This picture was not from last night

Hyeji and her new cousin, Effie

Roy with Ruby, Yuna and Finn

AJ and Ollie

Ruby after church on Sunday

Saturday night walk with Ruby

 Elise sent a couple of pictures, too.

Maverick

Max and Mav

Max on the Merry-Go-Round--he's been very afraid
of them, so this is an accomplishment.

More jaw problems in the family, a birthday, girls camp, YSA camp and a family reunion we had to miss.

Happy Birthday Elise (this past Thursday).  Hope you had a great one!

Things were a little quieter this week. Caitlyn was at girls camp most of the week.

Caitlyn with all the young women in our ward right before they left for camp
Roy hauled the camp trailer to bear lake for them, then turned around and
came right home.

I didn't spend too much time with grandkids because I had a little cold.  It didn't last long, thankfully. Tuesday night I went to a shower for Collette--Cameron's bride to be.  It was fun to meet her. Wednesday evening we ate out with Nan and Bruce and took them to the play "Hello Dolly" at the Centerpoint Legacy Theater.  We haven't done anything with them for a long time.  It was good to catch up.  Nan will probably be headed to Hawaii in a few months to help with Hayward's and Tori's baby that's due in October.  She's going on a cruise previous to that, so I won't be seeing her much when all that comes about.
Thursday Roy had a Doctor's appointment with Dr. Guinn.  He, too, has been having a lot of mouth pain.  This is what his x-ray's showed.  The Dr. was concerned with the obvious hole in his jaw.  He wants him to have a biopsy to see what's causing it.  We've been concerned, but not worried yet.  Friday night at the Young Single Adult Campout, Mark Ashcraft, one of the young men in the ward who is in dental school looked at the x-rays.  He said that it looks to him like it is just a congenital defect.  He showed us some similar pictures.  We both hope that is all it is.  Roy asked Dr. Guinn about this possibility (at a Stake Meeting this morning).  He said that he was aware of the congenital abnormality, but he was concerned because this went past the tissue and into the bone.  Roy has an appointment with an oral surgeon a week from Tuesday.  He may also try and see a pathologist, because none of this really explains the chronic burning in his mouth.

Notice the hole in the bone, bottom right corner

Middle right

Bottom right corner

We had a lot of fun at the Camp out.  The leaders all got to sleep inside this beautiful cabin in Morgan Utah.  It's owned by the Young Automotive Group.  It had 5 bedrooms with king size beds and bathrooms attached, plus an extra one near the entryway.  The kitchen had two full sinks, a counter and an island.  With all the luxury it was very convenient to serve dinner and breakfast.  The young adults all slept outside in tents,  They played volleyball and I even joined in.  I enjoyed it a lot, but gave up my spot when another young adult joined in.  I don't play very well, but I played as well as some of them.  

Preparing snow cones for dessert at the camp out.

I'm the one with the pink shoes.

Sunday I was entertaining Orianthi in church by showing her pictures on my phone.  When she seemed to be losing interest, I flipped the camera so she could see herself.  She knew immediately what to do with a reverse camera and took about 12 selfies before I put it away.

I angled to camera to get Nick in the picture instead of myself :)
( note:  I do not sanction taking pictures in church)

After church, Nick came by to help Roy give Caitlyn a blessing.  Dan and Jieun came by, too, to get some grapes from the garden.  They aren't quite ripe, but close enough to taste pretty good.  I'd given some to Hyeji previously in the week and she loved them.  They looked so cute in their dresses, I took a picture.

Today in Sunday School the lesson was on Alma chapters 36-39--"Give Ear to my Words." Sister Sharon Jensen taught the class.  She opened the class by having class members share sayings or thoughts that they remembered being taught to them by their parents.  I didn't contribute, but of course I could think of some.  One that came to my mind was my mother saying, whenever something got broken, even if it had value, "it's only a material thing."  I really processed that in my brain and have tried to remember it, even when I lost my diamond ring.  My mom taught me by example that people are more important than things.  You will all remember this story, but one afternoon when Nick and Dan had a friend over (Eric Blues [spelling questionable]) from up the street in our Barrington Farm home in Atlanta, the boys were getting a snack and as they lifted a plate from the cupboard, Eric's hand slipped and he dropped the plate.  I must have been a littler ornery that day because I was just about to get a little upset at him, but was stopped in my tracks as Nick said, "Don't worry, we don't get in trouble for breaking things."  This introduction was to set up the lesson where Alma gives instruction to his sons.

We then talked about these instructions. Alma begins in chapter 36 vs.3 saying, "And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee thou thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day."  I love that all of you have heeded the teachings of your parents, and have sought to have your own testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I am so pleased with all of your choices.  I love that you all see the importance of families.  I, too, know that if you shall put your trust in God, you shall be supported in your trials, troubles, and afflictions, as Roy and I have been supported in all of our trials.

One of the points that was brought up was how we need to write things down.  We need to keep a record of our lives.  We need to record our testimonies.  I was reminded of my great, great grandfather, Phineas Wolcott Cook.  When he first heard about the missionaries, while living in Kalamazoo, Michigan, he had to borrow a pencil so that he could listen and take notes.  Paper was also very scarce.  Even though paper was hard to come by, throughout his life he kept many journals.  Sadly, many of them were burned.  The journal we have of his was saved from the fire. Though written without much punctuation, and often without regard to proper spelling, he shares the experiences that shaped his life.  You can feel that he has a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as you read his words.  Janet Porter, who has done a lot of genealogy in the Cook Family line, has studied his journal and written a book that makes his story a lot easier to read.  While doing other genealogy, she came across a paper that had quoted some things that Phineas' had written.  I'm not sure how she recognized his writing--there may have been an actual example of his handwriting-- but though it was not attributed to Phineas, she recognized it as his.  It took her a year of research to find where the quote had come from.  When she discovered it was in a "Bishop's file" she knew it would be hard to gain access to the writing.  It took her another year and a half to get permission to read the file.  After she had read the file, she wanted to take photos of each page but was denied.  She finally received permission to transcribe each page, with the stipulation that anything that was of a confidential matter not be shared with anyone.  What I found interesting is that because of the scarcity of paper, he used every inch the paper he had.  Much of what was transcribed by Janet was not confidential bishop's notes, but journalistic material.  Every page she transcribed breathed his testimony.  Some of the paper had writing going one way, and then, when the page was full, Phineas turned the paper on its side and continued writing. Janet painstakingly transcribed every word.  I saw these papers and I'm sure I would have given up.  

We not only have paper and pencils in easy supply, we have computers and printers, and ways to store our writing.  We can even do as I've done and put in on a blog where it can be accessed for a long time to come.  In this record we need to let our families know our testimonies, as Phineas' did.  I want all of you to know that I have a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I know it's true.  I know Christ lives.  He has supported me in times of very serious and intense trials and afflictions.  I want all of you to know that my heart lies in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints.  I love my Heavenly Father and I'm grateful to him for all the blessings I have been given in my life.

Sunday night we had Gloria Toomey to dinner and enjoyed visiting with her.  Uncle Mike didn't come with her to Utah this time, Her daughter and her family had a family commitment (other side of the family), so it was nice that we had invited Gloria so she had a place to go.

We got to hold Effie for a few minutes Sunday also.

Effie

Elise sent us this picture of Andy and Maverick:

We thought Maverick looked like our side of the family until Elise
sent this picture of Andy when he was about the same age.  Interestingly,
Max didn't look anything like that picture, but he sure looks like his dad.

AJ and Adrienne were the only members of our family to be able to go to the Casper Family Reunion at Elaine Berry McKay's house Friday night.  They shared a couple of pictures.

A picture of Roy's grandma Casper with the Savior, painted by
Grandma Casper's (Orpha's) great niece. 

Gunnar with his great grandpa Rasband