OPENING THE CALL!!!

Hi everyone! I know this is a little late (Taylor opened his call last Saturday), but better late than never, right?  And, actually, I'm posting this before I even give any of you the link to the blog so it really isn't even late!! :)  Here are all of my reasons (translated excuses) for not posting sooner and for not giving out the link any sooner:  I'm a new blogger and I don't know what I'm doing, I'm a perfectionist so it has to be exactly how I want it before I'll give out the link, but, most of all, I'VE BEEN WALKING ON AIR AND AM JUST RETURNING TO EARTH!!!!

Let me explain a little about the post before this one about the "Two Brothers Apart."  I was trying to figure out how to put a link to the "Mormon Messages" on the blog and was very proud of myself when I thought I had figured it out all by myself.  I sort of did.  It put the message on the blog, it just put it as a post.  What I wanted it to do though was put it as a link off to the side.  I will continue trying to figure that one out.  But, since I like the message so much of the brothers' story I thought I would leave it up as a post.  I hope that my boys all will watch it and will grow to be as close as these brothers!

Sorry for the long introduction and side note.  On to the important stuff!  As my first post said Taylor had turned his papers in back at the end of July.  On Sunday, August 8, I asked Bishop Loy if he coud check the computer to see what the status of Taylor's papers was.  He told me he could, but he would have to do it later and he would get back to me.  He called me later that night and gave me what I thought was AWESOME news!  He said that the "papers were in the mail." According to the computer they had been mailed from Salt Lake the Friday before, August 6, therefore he said we could expect to receive them the next day, Monday.  He and I both thought this was a little odd, because every call that has come to anyone here in our area recently (for years) has arrived on a Thursday or a Friday, but the computer said so.  I called Taylor and told him, and he said someone had told him that the computer was wrong and not to expect it.  I was sure the computer was right.  Well, no call on Monday, no call on Tuesday, no call on Wednesday. Thursday comes and still NO CALL!  I was DYING!!!  What was going on???  I am not the most patient of people when it comes to surprises. Taylor on the other hand was very calm.  He seemed to handle this with his traditional "No big deal" attitude. The mail had been arriving between 11 and 11:30 each day of the week and I had been texting Taylor to find out if it had come each day.  So, Friday rolls around and at about 10:30 I text him something to the effect of "You know the drill. Let me know as soon as the mail comes."  At 11:45 I still hadn't heard anything so I texted him again and he said it still hadn't come!  Of all days for the mail to be late!!  The mail didn't get there until 1:00!!!  Well, at least we knew that it was finally here. Russ was on his way back from Northern California but it wasn't clear what time he was going to be back and we obviously wanted to wait until he was there to open the call, even though that meant more waiting.  What I didn't anticipate was what Taylor told me next.  He wanted to wait until SATURDAY night at dinner to open it!!  That meant more than 24 MORE HOURS of waiting to find out where he was going to spend the next two years of his life serving the Lord.  Taylor was steady and strong and I don't think blinked an eye about having to wait that long. The other boys will vouch that I on the other hand was a complete basket case!!

I just want to close by saying that I am so proud of the decision that Taylor has made to serve a mission.  I am proud of the example he is setting for four younger brothers.  He will be a great missionary.  It will be tough.  It will be a learning and growing experience.  He will be humble.  He will be valiant.  He will serve righteously.  I am proud of the man he is and I am proud of the man he is going to become!!