MIS-SION-ARY; (noun) someone who leaves their family for a short time so that others may be with their families for ETERNITY

Thank you to my dear friend Lisa, who bought me a plaque with these words. It has helped me a ton!

Well, he's been gone for 6 days and I'm still alive, breathing, and even smiling on occasion. Wow. The MTC experience was amazing. It was very peaceful and comforting. We all cried, but he was so excited that it made it easier. I think that the days leading up to it were harder. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel or react, so I'm so happy that I feel this good and have been fully functional, which I seriously questioned before he left. I just didn't know what to expect. I don't worry about him anymore, not like I did before. We find comfort in writing him letters and singing 'Called to Serve' and 'God be with you til we meet again' around the piano. In the six days we have sent 2 packages and about 10 letters. Too much? Oh well. We got a letter from him a couple days ago. There are 4 missionaries in his room, including himself. 3 out of the 4 are going to the Birmingham mission, the other one is off to Nebraska. They are; His companion; Elder Hauck from St. Geroge, Elder Kendall, from Nephi, and Elder Whatcott from Pleasant Grove. 3 out of the 4 left girls behind. He said his companion is cool. And I quote; "I can only write once a week but you guys can write me whenever you want and you can send packages (which are really popular to get or exciting I mean) well anyway they are exciting to get and I can get them anytime out of the week so send whenever you want." He sounds great and I feel such a sense of peace that I just can't describe. Thank you everyone for all of your support. I got some great pics of Jeff's family, his sisters two boys who have both returned from missions, one in Denmark and the other in Brazil, with Brandon, doing a . . .cheer? My dad and his wife Julie, Mike with his daughter Courtney, her husband Chandler, and their kids Talon and Kylee. Mikes daughter Danielle. Melanies family, and can you believe, one with my mom AND dad, and all four of us kids, in the same picture! WOW. It was so surreal to see my parents talking to each other and my dad even put his arm around my mom! WOW. Oh, did I already say that? :) And at the end we all crashed, we were SO beat! But I feel so bad that I didn't start taking pictures until after some people had left, so sorry Aunt Ellen and Uncle Ken, Cade and family, Mark and Darcy, Aunt Kathryn and Katee, and our dear friends, Joel and Lisa, Todd and Julie, and Pam and family. Thank you so much for coming! Here is his address if anyone wants to drop him a line, he would LOVE it!!

ELDER BIRSCHBACH
MTC Mailbox #272

AL-BIRM 1112

2005 N. 900 E.

Provo, UT 84604-1793

Let us gather and say farewell...

I hope everyone who can will come to bid farewell to Brandon. Some of you have asked what you can bring. Of course it isn't expected, but anyone who wants can bring something that goes with sloppy joes. Thank you SO much!!! It will be so fun to get together!

My son goes to the Temple

Wow, what an amazing experience. I had the opportunity to go through the temple with my son on Saturday. It's been so neat to watch him grow up and hit milestones in the church. I remember watching him, my first born, enter into the waters of baptism, and how touching it was. When Bryce turned 8, Brandon had just turned 16 which meant he was able to baptize him. I will find those pictures someday, they are so cool. I remember thinking "this is what he'll look like when he's on his mission baptizing people" and I just wanted to hold on to that image forever. It seemed like his mission was forever away, and suddenly, here I am, looking at 9 days til I have to say good-bye to my baby boy for two years. But to be in the temple with him was so crazy! Thank you Jeffs parents and sis and brother-in-law for driving all the way from Logan and then home in one day to be with him. And also Mel and Mark, I was so happy to have my sister by my side. After the temple we met the rest of the family, (except Erika, who was at a party) at Village Inn and had a nice visit before Jeff's family headed back to Logan. My emotions are running wild, I cry at the drop of a hat. How am I going to do this? How have mothers done this for over a hundred years? I have to remind myself that he belongs to Heavenly Father and I have been blessed to have him for these 19 years. I have to give him back for 2 years. Did Heavenly Father feel like this when his son was hanging on the cross? Sacrifice.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Oh how I wish Grandma Sanders was still here. I know that today we would have been sitting at a salon getting wonderful pedicures and then going to sonic (with our flimsy pedicure flip flops still on) to have a coney dog and cherry 7-up. That's what we did on this day 5 years ago, 43 days before she passed away. I so wasn't ready to part with her, it's so unfair. I am thankful for the time I had with her and feel so blessed to have had her in my life. She would have been 88 years old today. I think about her every day and wonder what she's doing. Oh how I love her. She would want to be here with all of her posterity. I bet she held Natalies baby boy before she sent him down here this morning. Congratulations Natalie! What a wonderful day to have your little guy! Sorry the pics are blurry, but I had to take pictures of pictures...



















Duh! It's frustrating how bad these look. I will try to fix it later, I've got to go to bed. I really did start this on the 9th, but now it's the 10th. Good night.