A new (ad) venture

Anyone who knows Ben knows that he is ambitious! He is confident, smart, savvy and a risk taker. So far, these traits have greatly blessed his career and I think you have pretty good odds betting on Ben.

I remember the scene well, laying on the bed in our apartment as Ben was just graduating with his MBA and had finally decided to take a job with a company called Clarke American in San Antonio, TX. We both knew the decision was right but neither one of us had any interest in moving farther south. I felt ill.

Fast forward almost 8 years and here we sit. I don't think anyone would EVER have guessed that Ben would have lasted with Clarke for as long as he did. We figured we would put in a few years and then jump somewhere more "desirable." Boy were we wrong. We quickly fell in love with the city and people of San Antonio and Ben was challenged with opportunity after opportunity with what began as Clarke American, morphed into Harland Clarke and finished with the parent company Harland Clarke Holdings. He learned things as quickly as he could stepping up to take assignments that were well above him but luckily came out on top every time. He was blessed with great bosses and colleagues and is well into a new phase of employment now as a result. The girls and I were blessed by the good people at Clarke as well. Although he spent more time away from home and on the road than actually at home with us, I knew his superior was aware of his family and often sent me notes, gifts, vacations, etc. The girls even had ice cream delivered to our front door once in "apology" for a missing father.

But despite the constant opportunities and the nice paycheck that went with it, Ben still got the itch. It started small and mostly annoying but ended up being large and in need of a scratch. When we traveled to Glacier, MT this summer and Ben finally "unplugged" himself for a minute, he decided NOW was the time to make the change. He had been working quietly in his spare time on a new idea for employment for months and finally felt like he was prepared to go all in. He had set the scene with his boss months before, always being very honest about his ambitions and plans and so it came as no surprise when Ben went to lunch with his now friend and told him the time to depart was now.

To go along with the new career, we felt a new location was needed as well. Houston was an obvious choice with a major airport and Grandparents close by, so we set our dial east and mentally made the change. After all of our summer travels, we only had a few weeks before Isabelle would be a kindergartner so the move would need to take place quick! We took a weekend and looked for our new home in Houston and were shocked when one of the very first houses we looked in felt perfect. It was a spec house and ready in a matter of days. It was in a new master planned community and had an exemplary elementary school only a mile away. It was halfway between grandma's house and the airport, about 30 minutes to each, and it was a wonderful floor plan. With out a lot of thought we made a quick offer and headed back to San Antonio with a list of to-do's a mile long. We began packing, scheduled movers, sold our current house, registered Belle for school, transferred medical records, and left our wonderful home in a matter of days. It all happened so fast that days later I sat in my new home and thought What just happened? When am I going back home?

The moving company delivered all of our goods on the weekend and Isabelle began school the next day, Monday. First priority was the girls bedrooms and somehow we managed to have painters paint their bedrooms an ice purple late into the evening and we tucked them into their new beds to wake up the following day for the first day of school. Sadly, Olivia didn't sleep a wink and became seriously ill with a violent childhood virus called Roseola. She was so hot with a fever for 5 days and ended up in the urgent care in the middle of the night when her rectal fever was 105.5 while taking at home meds. It was not an ideal first night in our new home and first week of school, but we somehow survived.

The girls and I made the change and started life in the new place quick because we had to. Ben tied up loose ends in San Antonio and continued working at Clarke to help ease the transition there. They have been so good to Ben and really mourned his departure. They tried to convince him to stay but knew it was only a matter of time before his ambition over powered the possibilities with them. Thankfully, they have made his decision very easy, giving him the freedom to work as long as he wants and to make the change in whatever way suits him best. He has continued to be employed with Clarke since we left several weeks ago, but will finally have his last day at the end of this month. He will continue to offer his service to them as a consultant however, and already has signed a contract that he will be available to help them for the next long while.

I have been surprised how tough the change has been on Ben on a personal side. He really enjoyed the people he worked with all over the country and has had multiple lunch dates and constant phone calls from all of his friends. His buddy, Pete, continues to play a major role in our life and he and Ben chat constantly and already have many plans to get together in the near future. He also is blessed with lots of former colleagues whom have great trust in Ben, offering their capital to him believing he will be successful in his new venture. Clarke was a great home for the past almost 8 years and Ben will always owe them great respect for the career they set into motion.

Leaving San Antonio was difficult for all of us. We developed wonderful life-long friendships over the years and will always have two native San Antonions in our home. In some ways the quick departure may have made the transition easier on me and the girls. We didn't get to think about it very long or get to say all of the goodbyes we wanted to. But it also made it harder too. I didn't wrap up loose ends of my own and I still think to myself often when I get back home... But I have great confidence and faith in Ben and his strong work ethic and am supporting him happily in his latest exciting opportunity. So, off we go, with our heads in the clouds along for the ride of this new adventure!

A decade!

Somewhere in the middle of all of the summer fun, Ben and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. In some ways it seems the time has flown by, but in other ways I can't hardly remember life beforehand. Ben and I went on our first date at just 19 and 21 years old, and now here we sit a bit smarter, fatter, tired-r and older at 32 and 34 years old!

We had tossed around ideas for months in honor of the big day but neither Ben nor I could commit to any plans. We went from a beach vacation with the girls to a European affair alone to absolutely nothing at all. Does it say something about our lives that we literally were too tired to celebrate and to book another set of flights and have more fun? Instead, Grammie came into town the week after our anniversary and Ben and I celebrated with dinner and a movie and an early night home to bed!

Ben, being the smart man that he is, made a trip to Tiffany's once again to show his love with jewels! I love my newest wedding band and the XOXO design was very thoughtful on his part as it is my signature salutation. I showed my affection for Ben with a trip through the years with pictures and snacks each specific to a year in the past decade we've shared together. Along side of it was the box set of the TV series 24 which began the year we were married and filled our home for 10 straight seasons.

Maybe we will have more energy to celebrate for our 20th anniversary. Until then...

Off we go...still...

We weren't quite finished with our northern vacation after Montana, so we headed for the airport again and boarded a plane back to SLC rather than home. Ben's younger brother Jacob had recently become engaged and was planning a wedding for the middle of July in the great state of Utah since both he and his bride were students and athletes at Brigham Young University. We again found our way to a rental car and pointed the car south to Provo to check in to a hotel right next to the University.

Provo is beautiful this time of year with warm temperatures, but not hot heat. The mountain air is dry and we could have spent many hours outside enjoying the summer Wasatch Front. Of course we had to make a trip to campus and met up with some of the Cosby clan who were starting to arrive for the big day! We wandered around the Wilkinson Student Center and enjoyed Belle's favorite BYU treat...a LaVell's Vanilla ice cream cone. We danced through the BYU Ballroom where Alex, Tara and I all studied the foxtrot and samba many moons ago. We sat on the grass outside and chatted and we looked at the funny statues by the MOA. It was a fun relaxing afternoon and BYU is such a beautiful campus to visit.

Isabelle and Olivia loved seeing all of their Cosby cousins who were arriving from all over for their Uncle Jacob's wedding. Once again Belle and Lincoln were the best of friends and this time we had to explain just why it wasn't a good idea to marry your cousin! They all had fun running and playing in the mountain air and loved all of the special activities that go along with getting families together to celebrate.

Jacob and Lauren were sealed in the Mount Timpanogos Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on Thursday July 14th, 2011. It was a lovely ceremony and Ben and I made it on time mostly this go around! (We caused the ceremony to be delayed slightly for his brother Sam's sealing.) Lauren and Jacob looked beautiful and were filled with love for one another. Isabelle was so enamoured with the idea of being a bride and being so dressed up with makeup and flowers and loved every minute of the day.
After the ceremony we enjoyed a yummy lunch and a few hours of rest before heading to the reception for the evening. Ben and I felt very fortunate that Grammie and Grandpa made a special trip back to Utah from Montana just in time to help with the girls on the wedding day which allowed Ben and I to fully enjoy the Cosby celebration. Little Olivia is always thrilled to go with Grammie and Grandpa and it was nice to not chase her around the wedding luncheon and late into the night at the reception.

After trying to keep the girls fully dressed with hair bows and smiling for the photographer, it was finally time to cut a rug and party at the reception. The food was yummy, the decorations were lovely and the music was great. Livi had fun for a while but then thankfully was taken back to the hotel with my parents to hit the sack. Meanwhile, Belle and her cousins took the reception by storm and made the Cosby family proud showing off their dance moves.

It was a beautiful day and we were grateful that we were able to share in the special moment with Jacob and Lauren. After a sparkler send off, the bride and groom were on their way and Isabelle finally realized that it was WAY past her bedtime and crashed in the car as we headed to the hotel.



Sadly, after many days, states, rental cars, beds, and activities it was finally time to board our last flight back to San Antonio, TX. The girls were rock stars like usual on the plane and we were even complimented as we exited the aircraft by the stewardesses on what great parents we were and what sweet children we have! Wow! (This is why we travel like we do...because the girls choose these moments to shine so happily!) We were instantly greeted by the humid and scorching hot Texas sun and knew that we were officially home. Like everything else, all good things must come to an end and we were all glad to unpack our suitcase and sleep in our own beds that night. It was a busy and adventurous vacation and we are grateful for all of the fun family memories we made along the way. Is it vacation time again yet???