.HEIC)
Dave's girls: Sammy, Danni, Nicole and Joyce at the lakeside engagement bash on October 14, 2023
The remarkable Cox family led by Dave and his wife
Joyce continue to amaze. Their oldest of three daughters, Samantha had the
spotlight for her engagement with Matthew at a bash on Cherokee Street in Saint Louis
followed by an intimate wedding in Michigan in December 2022. Sammy and Matthew are
thriving in Kansas City and making good use of a KitchenAid mixer and
leveraging Sam's artist sensibility. Now, the attention turns to the middle
child Dannielle. Dannie and Adam are engaged and Dave and Joyce are happy to
host this engagement at their newly acquired home in Hillsboro, MO. I am
fortunate to have gotten invited to both of these occasions.
The Cox getaway is located adjacent to a golf course
and on a lake. The setting could not have been more ideal for a family reunion
and celebration on October 14, 2023. The proposed start is 2:00 this Saturday
afternoon. My iPhone GPS advises that this is a 47minute trip from my Creve
Coeur crib. I know, of course, that I need to also build in time to navigate
the passcode at the access gate. Dave anticipated that technology would be a
bit of a hurdle for me. However, it is only a minor obstacle after the
adventure on Rout 21 (Tesson Ferry) and State Road B.
The lakeside setting was perfect. Nicole, the youngest
of the Cox family trio of girls, took a break from her studies at Drake
University to be present and she is the life of the party. She arranged a
polaroid picture and message box for everyone to sign in and wish the best for
the couple. Joyce is semi-retired as school teacher (Webster Groves) but is in
demand during the current teacher shortage, nevertheless. I was able to share
some experiences with a handful of educators about my career paths in special
education and as art teacher. I reflect on how fortunate I am to have these
experiences at this place in my life-journey. I wouldn’t trade my early
episodic career in advertising and marketing in agency and corporate
environments. I think I have gained a fuller appreciation of what it takes to
nurture and educate in a world full of unexpectable obstacles. (Nothing is
easy.)
I was able to deliver a wedding gift of kitchen
pottery for Flour, Sugar and whatever else goes in the two smaller containers.
I was also able to deliver HBE golf league participation prizes to Dave and Randy.
As the sun is starting to set I made my way to the salad and pasta before
enjoying a piece of cake. The afternoon must come to an end as “I gotta get
home before the streetlights go on.”
Thanks so much to the Cox Beverly Hillsboro family for including me. It was most memorable. I wish the happy couple all the best and memories of the simple joy of singing and dancing on a Saturday evening by the lake.
