"You're better than all the moms I can think of."  Christine had no idea what this text meant to me.  I read it standing in Target...not a good idea, because I then started to cry...not the ugly cry, just tears...I am so blessed to be the mother of 4 amazing kids. I am trying so hard not to mess them up.  For this one moment in time, I felt like maybe I was doing something right.  I will treasure these words written by the sweetest of daughters.  Thank you Sweetheart.

 Dad and Garrett are London-bound for Garrett's spring break and his senior trip...Lucky, Lucky boy!  DFW-LHR

 Their general means of transportation was "the Tube"

A quick, uneventful, yet necessary trip to Abbey Road...not really that big of a deal:(

 A London staple...their cool telephone booths.

 Evidence that Dad was actually there also:)

 Another staple of London...guards...this one, however, looks like a fake.

 Church at the Hyde Park Building

 One of the many shows they saw...it was a ton of fun, especially because they sat in the 4th row, aka "the splash zone"...say what?  Thought that only applied to SeaWorld.

 Windsor Castle

This is where archers would shoot their arrows from...not sure of the name...and archer's window maybe?

 This was once the mote that protected the castle.  It is now well-manicured lawn.

Garrett at Windsor Castle

After 11 years, 4 children, 1 husband and thousands of dollars, the Caspers are officially finished with the orthodontist! The running joke at our ortho's office is that one of the wings of their office building is named for our family:) So glad to have this chapter of our lives closed!

March is a special birthday month in our family.  Bill's is on the 14th and Grant's is today, the 16th.  This year Bill spent his day in England with Garrett...you know, just hanging out at Stonehenge and Bath and cool places like that:)  We sent emails and texts and hope he felt our love an ocean away:)  Today Grant is 15! Where has the time gone?  Our little baby has certainly grown into a tall, smart, kind, young man.  He is full of wonderful traits...he is sensitive, bright, compassionate and funny.  We are so blessed to have him in our  family...a true gift from Heavenly Father.  His future looks bright and we anticipate wonderful things to come.  Happy Birthday sweet son.

We just got home from Stake Conference...it was the kind that was broadcast to over 70 stakes in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. We heard some great talks from our leaders in Salt Lake.  One thing that Elder Scott said impacted me...He spoke about the importance of nurturing and caring for women.  He mentioned that husbands should be considerate of their wives always...in word and deed.  Husbands should never stand in front of their wives...and always speak as (we) not (I)...I've said it before and I will say it again...I have the best husband!  He always puts me first.  He never enters a room before I do.  He always considers my feelings...he is THE BEST.   I love the following story.  It could easily be a story about us.  I try hard not to fault find...and I am improving...not perfect yet, but trying....especially when he is driving:)

The Grapefruit Syndrome

by Lola B. Walters  (Link)

My husband and I had been married about two years—just long enough for me to realize that he was a normal man rather than a knight on a white charger—when I read a magazine article recommending that married couples schedule regular talks to discuss, truthfully and candidly, the habits or mannerisms they find annoying in each other. The theory was that if the partners knew of such annoyances, they could correct them before resentful feelings developed.

It made sense to me. I talked with my husband about the idea. After some hesitation, he agreed to give it a try.

As I recall, we were to name five things we found annoying, and I started off. After more than fifty years, I remember only my first complaint: grapefruit. I told him that I didn’t like the way he ate grapefruit. He peeled it and ate it like an orange! Nobody else I knew ate grapefruit like that. Could a girl be expected to spend a lifetime, and even eternity, watching her husband eat grapefruit like an orange? Although I have forgotten them, I’m sure the rest of my complaints were similar.

After I finished, it was his turn to tell the things he disliked about me. Though it has been more than half a century, I still carry a mental image of my husband’s handsome young face as he gathered his brows together in a thoughtful, puzzled frown and then looked at me with his large blue-gray eyes and said, “Well, to tell the truth, I can’t think of anything I don’t like about you, Honey.”

Gasp.

I quickly turned my back, because I didn’t know how to explain the tears that had filled my eyes and were running down my face. I had found fault with him over such trivial things as the way he ate grapefruit, while he hadn’t even noticed any of my peculiar and no doubt annoying ways.

I wish I could say that this experience completely cured me of fault finding. It didn’t. But it did make me aware early in my marriage that husbands and wives need to keep in perspective, and usually ignore, the small differences in their habits and personalities. Whenever I hear of married couples being incompatible, I always wonder if they are suffering from what I now call the Grapefruit Syndrome.

It has been a busy week around our town and especially with Garrett. He was cast as one of the leads in the high school's musical.  Although we knew he would play the lion, he kept his part completely on the "down low"...It turns out, He. Was. Amazing! And although his costume was HOT ( he said it was like wearing carpet:), it was so well done.  And check out the face make up and hair/beard...He looked great, kept the audience laughing and sang like a trained professional...pretty amazing considering he is not even remotely trained...just a natural.

Dorothy was played by Rachel Wright...a friend from Church.  It is pretty amazing that in a high school the size of Allen (5,500 or so kids) 2 of the 4 leads were played by LDS kids! And they both were perfect for their roles.

Toto was even a real, live dog:)  He was a little unsure of things at first, but seemed more comfortable with every performance.

The cast was huge! And the new Performing Arts Center at the high school is state of the art.

Christine even flew in from college to see her brother...she said it was well worth the trip!

Grandpa drove up from Austin...:)

All of the Cottrells came to support Garrett.

We are now going through Wizard of Oz with drawls...it was a great time.  Thanks for all of your hard work Garrett and for sharing your talents with everyone who came...Well done Son.

Holy Cow! It's been a while since I last posted.  Life seems to get away from us sometimes...I will do a guick catch up...

We spent the Christmas holiday in St. George with Papa and Grandma and William and NaKya. The biggest news of the holiday was that we are going to be grandparents! We are so excited for this stage of life we are entering!

William and NaKya were so thoughtful and creative in their gift-giving...they gave Bill some homemade fudge! He was in hog heaven!!!

Here is the crew on Christmas Eve.

On Christmas Eve we went to the St George Tabernacle and enjoyed a wonderful sing-along.  It was a great way to remember the spirit of the Christmas season...even Grant and Garrett muscled through the program:)

It was freezing, but everyone allowed me to take a couple of pictures for posterity.

We were back home in Texas in time for Bill to run our city's New Year's Day 1/2 Marathon.  He did great, finishing 3rd in the "Clydesdale" division (195+lbs)...and it wasn't near his best time...all of that vacationing took a toll on his training:)  Still very proud of him. Way to go Bill!!!

The Dallas Temple...THIS is where we like to spend our extra time.  Lately we have been going once a week...it's a place where we feel peace and are not bothered by "the world"...We gain strength from visiting regularly...We feel fortunate to live so close and have decided to be there more often.

Not the best shot, but evidence that we were there:)