A Comical Drive-Thru Order -- Our Wienerschnitzel Story!

A Comical Drive-Thru Order

Our Wienerschnitzel Story

While it may seem simple to order food at a drive-thru fast food restaurant, it actually became quite complex with Joshua!  Since one of Joshua's favorite things was to throw anything and everything out any window or over any fence, or into any river, etc., etc. an open window was an invitation to find the closest items - no matter how large or small - and throw them very quickly and with great precision right out the window!

To be safe in my own car, the garage door opener was way deep under the front driver's seat -- and far enough under my seat that Joshua could not even see it or reach with his long, skinny arms!  My purse had to be also pushed under the seat or as far on the left side of me as possible.  If the kids dropped any toys, money, trash, etc., they were ready targets!  Items small and large could be thrown without notice! And with four younger siblings, we did have many items that were always in the car!  

So one day when we stopped at Wienerschnitzel to get some hot dogs, I had the usual problem of trying to figure out how to place the order without losing the very throwable items within Joshua's ever-ready reach!  

I pulled up to the drive-thru window, and decided that if I only rolled the window down an inch, Joshua certainly could not throw anything out that window!  While I was leaning closely into my very small window opening and talking loudly to place my order, a worker came out the back door.  He noticed me, noticed me talking at the top of the widow, stared with great confusion for a moment or two and decided he certainly needed to give me a little help!

While using his arms very dramatically to show me how to roll down the window, he also yelled very slowly to me these words:

"You have to roll the window down!"

All I could do was smile, give him a little wave and a thanks, and laugh to myself!  Of course I looked like a silly mom trying to place an order through a tiny little opening in the window!  He was so kind to try to help -- just think if we didn't know!

And Joshua, as always, was totally oblivious and completely innocent!  He just wanted his french fries and root beer!

I can only imagine what he told his co-workers about how it certainly was a good thing he walked outside and helped that poor lady and her five kids who were trying to place an order through a closed window of all things!

Oh well, we probably needed to lighten their day.  Joshua -- your fun and unique ways certainly brought great adventure and sweet memories!!

So if you ever see me placing my order through a tiny little opening in the window, I am just missing my Joshua boy!

"Remember Joshua's Encouragement"

Jeremy ... Jacob ... Janson

"Remember Joshua's Encouragement"

Miracle at LDS General Conference

On Sunday, April 3, 2016, my beautiful daughter, Jamie Eisenstat, was making her debut in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir!  Well, this was so exciting for all of us!  Jamie had worked so hard, and although auditions for the Choir are extremely rigorous and demanding, she made it!  I was looking so forward to this special day to see her at General Conference and completely joy in the thrill of her performance with this incredible Mormon Tabernacle Choir!

My handsome sons, Jeremy, Jacob and Janson were there with me, which is always extra special.  As a single Mom, I always love this precious Mom time no matter how old they are!!  And through my wonderful friend Kristy, we had seats on the 9th row!!  In fact, we laughed because when we picked up our tickets, we were told, "oh ... YOU have the red tickets."  We didn't know what that meant.  But they joked that we would need an escort to our seats.  Well, we basically did!  We kept walking closer and closer to the front, and there we were -- in the middle, 9th row back!  We could see everything so clearly!

I cried tears of joy as Jamie walked to her seat with the Choir!  This was incredibly special and such a joyous Mom moment.  I was sitting with my boys, supporting Jamie and I was so thankful.

And we were close enough to see her so well!  And she could see us!!  This moment cannot be adequately described it was so incredibly wonderful and special!!

Jamie was beautiful.  Her countenance was filled with light!  I am still in awe and gratitude for this wonderful blessing in her life, and all of her lives!


But I always have a little sadness in my heart that all of my children will never be all together on these special occasions.  So on this very special day, I prayed in my heart, that I would feel Joshua with us today.

The second to last speaker was Elder Paul V. Johnson titled "And There Shall Be No More Death."  He spoke tenderly and lovingly of his daughter Alisa who died of cancer.  His words were powerful and hopeful.  I thought of my Joshua, of my Dad and the great hope that they are whole, happy and we will see them again.  He said:

I am grateful for the blessings that are ours because of the Atonement and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. For all who have laid a child in a grave or wept over the casket of a spouse or grieved over the death of a parent or someone they loved, the Resurrection is a source of great hope. What a powerful experience it will be to see them again—not just as spirits but with resurrected bodies.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/and-there-shall-be-no-more-death?lang=eng


The final speaker is a favorite, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.  He spoke about looking at the audience, and that became very personal that day!  I truly felt like he saw all 4 of us, on the 9th row and that he somehow knew us!  And then he gave us all a great and powerful pep talk on perseverance, and faith, and miracles!  He is so inspiring and powerful.   Part of the way through his talk, he stated:

 Keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. 
Heaven is cheering you on 
today, tomorrow, and forever.

(We have Joshua and my Dad cheering us on!!)

And then to become even more personal, he further stated:

If gospel standards seem high and the personal improvement needed in the days ahead seems out of reach, remember Joshua’s encouragement to his people when they faced a daunting future. “Sanctify yourselves,” he said, “for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”  I declare that same promise. It is the promise of this conference. It is the promise of this Church. It is the promise of Him who performs those wonders, who is Himself “Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, ... The Prince of Peace.”  Of Him I bear witness. Of Him I am a witness. And to Him this conference stands as a testament of His ongoing work in this great latter day. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Left

It was as if I could hear Joshua saying those words of encouragement personally to me.  And saying "I love you Mom.  I am aware of your heartaches and struggles.  And I am here for you."  Joshua's understanding of the plan of salvation and the promises of eternity are beyond my comprehension now and I know Joshua really is cheering me and my whole family on!  I felt a greater faith and joy at the promises of miracles and blessings.  I am so very, very thankful for this personal blessing and power of Elder Holland's words, and the incredible miracle of feeling all 5 of my beautiful children together that special day.




https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/tomorrow-the-lord-will-do-wonders-among-you?lang=eng

The Best High Fives Ever!

The Best High Fives Ever!!

And Joshua proceeded to high five every girl on the opposing team's bench.

A fabulous bowl for Joshua!
And I loved our high fives!

To know Joshua, was to know he also loved high fives!!  And to greet Joshua meant you never knew if you were going to get a hug, a high five or a handshake!  But that was so fun!!  And he was equally enthusiastic about each greeting!  He would most likely be clumsy in his high five greetings, but he made up for it in enthusiasm, in his loud and infectious laugh, and in his pure love and joy that accompanied all of his greetings!

A favorite memory is told by my brother, who was the Girls Basketball Coach at Pleasant Grove High School:  "I think everybody's talked about how Joshua loved to give high fives.  Well, in the middle of a game, Selma was late bringing Joshua.  I was standing up – I can't sit down during a game.  And I look over at the entrance, and I see Selma and Joshua walk in.  And Joshua proceeded to high five every girl on the opposing team's bench."

Opposing teams, strangers and even people who were mean, didn't stop Joshua from sharing his love and enthusiasm.  I remember this moment well, and was so proud and happy to be his Mom!!

Here are a few pictures of high fives caught on camera!!

Bowling with my brother,
Uncle Doug Larson
(High fives even came after gutter balls!!)

High fives for my brother,
Uncle Carl Larson who was Joshua's computer fixer hero!
(He had probably already given the high five!)

Hugs of Pure Love and Joy!

Hugs of Pure Love and Joy!

I will never stop missing Joshua's hugs!!  I can't even count how many I would receive in one day!  He gave them freely and lovingly all day long!  Whether I was out of the room for a few seconds, or had been in the room with him for a while, I loved hearing his unique yelling of my name "Selma" with his arms outstretched into the air, walking or running toward me to give his very special Joshua hug.  Family, friends and strangers loved his hugs!  (Although many strangers were a little startled at first, but then would embrace the enthusiasm and love of this special young man!)

Joshua's hugs were so wonderful, so enthusiastic, and so treasured, and completely filled with pure love and joy! 

And we gave him countless hugs back!

I love and cherish the blessing of every single hug I ever received, and have a few pictures of this beautiful blessing!

Joshua and Me!
A favorite and sweet hug while camping!

A brother hug from Jeremy!

A brother hug from Jacob!

The most classic Joshua hug ever!!!
With my youngest brother, "Thee Uncle Mark"

Joshua hugging my brother Glenn's wife,
his Aunt Debbie Larson

Joshua hugging my brother,
his Uncle Carl Larson

Joshua hugging his dad's sister,
Aunt Debbie Anderson

The beginning of a classic hug for
The Uncle Mark!

Hymn Books are Flying! A Joshua Treasure!

Hymn Books are Flying!  A Joshua Treasure

My Favorite Hymn Book Memories

Last Sunday, November 20, 2016, I visited a previous ward and neighborhood for a missionary homecoming.  I felt at home, and loved the hugs and reunions with close and treasured friends!  As we talked about a few Joshua memories, Kyle said that Joshua's hymnbook was in the bishop's office and was used for their meetings!  I was so touched, and so very thankful, that this special boy, and his love of hymn books and sharing, was still very much a part of this special ward.  A few (of many) experiences are below.

As a family, we left five hymn books in Joshua's memory with our favorite songs that remind us of him.

The last few years of his life, Joshua discovered hymn books!  And he absolutely loved handing out hymn books to the congregation.  But then again, he also loved collecting them back from people too!  And many times, before the hymn was even finished!  So it was always fun to watch reactions on people as they were given a hymn book by this very tall and handsome young man saying "here ya go" and then to suddenly have that same hymn book taken away right in the middle of the song!  

On March 5, 2016, I received a touching message from my friend, Melissa Hunter, from my Provo home and ward:  "

...  A little while ago I saw a hymn book that said in loving memory of Joshua.  It brought tears to my eyes as I remembered him, and his sweet spirit.  He was very special, and has a wonderful mother."

This message touched my heart deeply.  And I was very thankful for his kindness in sharing, and for the five hymnbooks that are still scattered through the congregation in memory of my special son.

A few hymn book experiences stand out in my mind....

Joshua loved people!  And he noticed and wanted to say hi to everyone!  One day Joshua noticed a gentleman sitting in the back of the congregation, new and alone.  In his very unique and awkward Joshua walk, he rambled over the man and handed him a hymn book.  I could tell the man was touched, and Joshua usually gave his Joshua "one clap" with a huge smile on his face.  But as he went to share a hymn book with the next chosen suspect, I saw him return to the man in the back and give him a 2nd book. They man looked a little confused, and when it happened the 3rd time, he was really not quite sure what to do.  So I did have to slip over and ask the man if he would just keep taking the hymn books as Joshua was so happy to help in this way.  Well, by the time the meeting was over, this gentleman had stacked up 30 hymnbooks -- in 3 stacks of 10!  And Joshua was thrilled with his new friend and all he had done to help him that day!!!

And as shared in an earlier post, my friend Keri Witte, wrote this in a memory book for Joshua:  [M]y favorite memory of Josh was the Sunday he was supposed to speak in Sacrament Meeting.  He sat on the stand, took a hymn book & chucked it – sent it flying clean off the stand.  That was inhibition at its best!  What an unfettered spirit, what a lover of life.  We will miss him.

And another favorite memory of mine was when Joshua was being very disruptive in Sacrament Meeting (which was weekly for sure), and this time as I was struggling to get him out the door into the foyer, I had almost maneuvered him out the door, when he suddenly and quickly grabbed a hymn book and threw it back into the chapel, with a huge gleeful smile on his face.  And then, at last, we made it to the foyer!  But he had had the last word!  :)

And the words of Bishop Jensen at Joshua's funeral, which brought an understanding chuckle to the ward, were as follows:

"It was suggested by a good brother in our ward that we ought to have a ceremonial throwing of hymnbooks at the funeral....  We'll all remember Joshua with kindness."

Thank you to so many people who saw Joshua's love of hymnbooks - whether throwing them or sharing them -- as Joshua's way of helping, and sharing, and loving!

Because of this special connection and love Joshua had for hymn books, his hymn book was placed with him in his casket. It was so fitting and a sweet treasure and memory of a special boy and his love for every person he met!

McDonald's Coin Collector - A Perfect Throw

McDonalds Coin Collector - A Perfect Throw

So if you read the post about ordering our food through a one inch crack in the window, you might have wondered how we managed to get our food!  Stay tuned for that one.  But here is one amazing throw we will always remember!

Joshua loved McDonalds!  And so we all loved McDonalds!  We went through the drive-thru enough times that we definitely had fun experiences.

But as I drove through a few weeks ago, and saw one of those charity coin collectors, I had to smile to think of Joshua's perfect throw many years ago!

Joshua was always throwing whatever was in reach, and apparently there was a coin within his reach as we drove up to the McDonalds window.  And sure enough, as I rolled the window down, Joshua took his precious coin, and threw it and it sailed quickly right out the window.  But I was completely stunned as it landed perfectly in this little tiny opening in the charity coin collector.  We could not have done that again if we tried!

Just one of many fun, and sweet moments with our Joshua boy!  

Life was always interesting for sure!

It's Not Fair - Joshua & Girls

"It's Not Fair"

Joshua & Girls

Jeremy was such an amazing brother to Joshua!  But one of the things that was especially hard to understand was how Joshua could get away with hugging all of the cute girls!  One particular experience stands out when we had many of the youth from our church over for a "fireside" meeting at our house.  Annette was there - Jeremy's long-time childhood crush!  Well, just before the meeting started, I noticed Annette sitting at the end of a couch full of other youth.  Of course, Jeremy had spotted her.  But, as brothers do, Joshua also spotted Annette!  

The next thing we knew, in classic Joshua fashion, Joshua had run over to the couch and stood right in front of Annette.  He grabbed her hand and pulled her quickly up to a standing position.  He then plopped down on the couch right in her spot.  But then, the moment that only Joshua could get away with ... he pulled her right down to sit on his lap!  We can hear him now possibly saying "right here" as he pulled her down on his lap.  It was so hysterical.  

Joshua was in heaven.  

And Jeremy was in agony!

And in all seriousness, yet with humor, Jeremy tells me "Mom, it's not fair!"  

Brotherly love ... even in moments like these!