Sunday, July 29, 2007

A Few Surprises This Week

This week has been quite a busy one. Monday was kind of laid back except for going to water aerobics at 9:00 am. Oh, then I met with Elena Lambert for some strength training. After wards she asked me if I felt all right. I told her I felt like I’d had a workout but other than that I was fine. She told me that my eyes and skin look kind of yellow….not healthy. I told her, “And here I tho’t it was my golden tan.” She told me I should call someone and be checked that day. I told her we had an appointment with Dr. Liljenquist the next day. Then I forgot about her comment until the next day.

Tuesday, we had our walking class on 49th South and 45th East. That is the mile long hill….I figure I walked at least three miles that day. After the class, the instructor, Diane Thompson, asked me if I was feeling OK. I told her that aside just walking three miles I felt fine. She told me that my eyes looked yellow and that my skin on my face looked yellowish green. Now if that doesn’t sound sickening, I don’t know what does. I wasn’t too concerned because I’m not feeling overly tired. People I’ve known with jaundice, hepatitis etc. don’t have any energy to do anything…let alone walk three miles. That afternoon we went to see Dr. Liljenquist. He told me that he didn’t think I or my eyes looked that bad…maybe a little cast of yellow. But he ordered a liver panel and gave me his cell phone # so I could call him that evening and find out the results. When I called him, he told me that the liver panel was fine and that my bilirubin was within normal limits. He said there was one liver function that was a little above normal but that could have something to do with bones too. ?? He told me I did not have jaundice. I felt better about that.

The next day, Wednesday, we went to Apple for water aerobics again and some women there told me my skin and eyes were yellow or yellowish green. I told them again about the liver panel and what the doctor said and that I felt fine and I wouldn’t have the energy to even go to Apple not to mention jumping up and down in the water for an hour. So they let up. We went to the FHC that afternoon. I worked on cleaning up my PAF some more. I have found another couple of duplicates and some corrections that needed to be done. After I got thro’ eating my supper, Sister Slyvester came in and told Brother Larsen that the lady he was helping needed some more help. I told Brother Larsen to stay and finish his supper that since I was thro’ with mine I would see if I could help her. By the time I got out there Brother Hall was helping her. I just stood behind and watched…thinking I might could learn something. She was trying to make a STD or submit to temple disk to take to the temple to have the cards made up so she could do the work for a young man and have him and his little sister, who had died as a child sealed to their parents. It kept not working. All of the boxes were checked for baptism, endowment and sealing to parents for both of them. The Sister said, “But the child doesn’t need the baptism nor endowment. I just want her sealed to her parents. So Brother Hall told her to uncheck the boxes. She did and all of them unchecked. So he told her to check the one just for sealing to parents. When she did that, all three boxes were checked again. After he had had her do that two or three more times I could tell he was getting frustrated. (He’s the one who is 81 years old and has worked there at FHC for almost 13 years.) The tho’t just popped into my head and I asked her: Did you type in Child on the date line for baptism and endowment on her PAF? She told me she didn’t think so. When she went back and did that, then only the sealing to parents was checked. As I tho’t about that later, I tho’t that I had never come across that before. I know it was the Spirit who put it into my mind. I felt very fulfilled after that. It was a good day.

Thursday, we went to our walking class at Community Park and learned how to do Nordic walking with special poles. It was a little different to get used to but fun. That afternoon I went to get my nails done. I usually get them done Wednesday morning but since we had the German Research Class that morning I had to change my appointment. I didn’t say anything to Stacey about what others have said about my skin color. But she noticed it and made a really big deal of it. I told her about the liver panel and how I wasn’t lagging in energy which is a definite symptom of liver problems. She told me to get another opinion, to not settle for Dr. Liljenquist’s answer. She suggested that I Google “ yellow eyes” After I came home I called Dr. Zimmerman’s office. He’s my opthamaligist. He wasn’t in but his receptionist gave me the number for another opthamaligist. I called his office. The person who answered the phone put me on hold, went and asked someone about my problem. When she came back she first told me I should see my family doctor. Then she told me that some medications can cause a yellow cast to skin and eyes. I hadn’t heard that before. When I Googled “yellow eyes”, the literature there said the same thing. That with liver problems, the bilirubin is elevated and that some medications can cause a yellow cast to the skin. Since I knew my bilirubin was OK, and I have energy, I quite worrying about it.

The next day I went to water aerobics and on the way home we stopped at Hastings for the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book…the seventh and last book of the series. We couldn’t find anyone to wait on us. So we put the book back and went to Wal-Mart to look for one. They were sold out. So since we had time before my appointment to get my hair cut and highlighted, we stopped at Hastings again and this time got the book. We then went to Creations where Wyatt highlighted my hair, then cut it and styled it. It looks very nice even if I do say so myself. It definitely hides the gray. I don’t look quite so blah now.

The next day we went to FHC again. This time I worked with a man going thro’ his file thro’ PAF Insight. Sister Steel asked me if I could help him. So I spent about 2 ½ hours or so helping him. During the course of the conversation, he mentioned that he was fluent in both German and French. I told him that I had this microfilm form SLC FHC and it was in German, I tho’t, and if not in French and maybe he could help me with it if he had time. After we finished his stuff…he had 269 names to go thro’ and check for ordinances done. He did find a few that would have been duplicated if he hadn’t run his program thro’ PAF Insight. Brother Higgins was there too but said that he had forgotten too much to be able to help much. But he did show me that when you have many names to do like that, you can highlight a certain number and then click search and it will go from one to the next one and the next one. I am so glad he showed me that! I went thro’ everyone of my names one at a time when I put it thro’ the PAF Insight! So it went much faster. After that, he went over and helped me look at the microfilm. He at first said it was in French then stated it was in German. He looked at it for about 15 or 20 minutes then asked when we would be back to the center. I told him Wednesday afternoon from 1-8 pm then next Saturday, 9-5. He told me he had some books that he would bring in next Wednesday which would help me. I really appreciate that. I may find something on that film yet with someone who knows the language. After going to the center we went to Olive Garden for supper. There was a line clear out down the sidewalk. We didn’t feel like waiting so we went across the way to Wendy’s. We ordered a chicken BLT salad and the baked potato with sour cream and chives and a frosty. Since the salad was $4.49 by itself we were really surprised when she told us it would be $3. 74. We told her that couldn’t be right because the salad alone was $4.49. She looked at me then said, “Oh, but we give a 50% discount to missionaries.” Boy, were we surprised! We decided that we would go there more often after serving there at the FHC when we have our name tags on. The other Wendy’s we went to once while we were dressed up and had our name tags on only gave us a 10% senior citizens discount!

Well that takes care of last week and it’s time to start another week.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Highlights of the week July 15 thor' the 21st.

We had a very interesting day yesterday. Thursday Bryan had e-mailed me and asked if we would be home at 9:00 Saturday morning our time. That Jessica and Chris had gotten their mission calls that day and since Chris was working in Iowa and would come home Friday night, then they would open them then. He said that he would make a conference call with us and Helen & Al Bonneau who live in Texas and put it on speaker phone so we all can hear it. Jessica will be going to the Arizona, Tucson Mission, English speaking. Her letter said that her assignment may be changed due to the discretion of the mission president. (Chris’s didn’t say that.) Since she took Spanish in Jr. High, High School and College, even if she stays in the English part that it will definitely help her to know Spanish in that area. Chris is going to the Chile, Conception Mission. He will be speaking Spanish. I’ve been told there are many Germans down there too so he may have occasion to use the German he learned in High School. They both enter the MTC September 12, 2007. I tho’t it was so thoughtful of the brethren to have them enter the MTC on the same day since they will all be coming from Nebraska. They were very excited about their callings. We are very excited for them too. We will plan on flying to Omaha next month to see them all. It would be so nice if we could be there for when they went thro’ the temple for the first time. Bryan said even if we couldn’t be here for that we could certainly attend a session with them while we were there. When we were to the temple last Tuesday, I saw two missionaries come thro’ the veil for the first time and with their families and friends to greet them. I tho’t then it would be sooo neat if we could be there when Jess and Chris went thro’.

Yesterday at the FHC Karl and I finished putting his PAF program thro’ PAF Insight. From both my program and Karl’s we obtained 15 male names and 20 female names for Natasha & Collin to do baptisms for when their stake goes to do baptisms for the dead the first part of next month. Their were supposed to be 20 each but even with our two programs that is all there were, that was all we could find after putting everything thro’ PAF Insight.

Last Tuesday and Wednesday we took classes on doing German Research. I found it very interesting. Cindy Pack had so many neat suggestions and guides to help us in doing German research. She had word lists, and examples of both the German alphabet today as well as the Gothic alphabet, as well as other things.

Wednesday afternoon Sister Quigley told me that my microfilm was in from Blumenstein, Bern, Switzerland. It is the parish records from 1505 to 1785. I had really hoped to find Johannes Rufener’s birth record so I could find out who his parents are. I still was working on updating Karl’s PAF so I decided I would wait until Friday night when they had a missionary night to look at it. When I got there Friday night, I pulled the wrong card out of the file and didn’t think it was there. So I worked on updating Karl’s PAF. I guess it was a good thing tho’ because we were able to finish it yesterday and make the Temple Submission Disk to take to the temple to have the cards made up. We did that on the way home yesterday. I was able to do the STD my self. Brother Sweat had told us before how to check and make sure it was on the disk. It turned out that that disk wasn’t any good. I’m so glad that I checked it or we would have gotten nothing at the temple. I had to have Brother Sweat show me how to use the backup disk, (thank goodness that one was good) so I was able to make a new TSD. I really had a feeling of accomplishment after that. After I finished that, I went to look at my microfilm. I checked in the file again and found out I had looked at the wrong slip Friday night. I put it on the microfilm reader (I was able to do it myself) and tried to find 1780. I tho’t that I was at the end of the film and it only went to 1735. So I went back to the card catalogue from the SLC FHC and found the film that I had ordered and it said it went to 1785. So I asked Karl to go take a look at it. He found 1780. But we couldn’t find Dec of that year. Johannes Rufener was born 22 Dec 1780. It seemed to go from June 1780 right to 1781. I would think at that time most of the people there would be Lutheran and that that would be the only parish record. I was sooo disappointed. We found a Johann Rufener born in June and there were three witness listed there all with the last name of Rufener. I was so disappointed that we weren’t able to find anything. I’m not sure what to do now to find him and his parents. If I had found his birth record his parents would have been listed then I could go look for their records and his siblings. We have been told there at the FHC that if we are having trouble finding someone, we should put the child’s name on the prayer roll at the temple. They said that it really works! So I will do that next week when we go to the temple.

I think that covers the highlights of last week.

Monday, July 16, 2007

A Correction

my grandson-in-law, Jonathan, Shandel's husband sent me this so I tho't I had better post it too. I don't want to spread any untruths. It is nice to think about tho'.

Renee, I'm sorry to inform, but the quote in your email about the
last days is NOT by Boyd K. Packer or any other General Authority.
This is a very common mistake that the LDS people have fallen into, so
deep, in fact, that the First Presidency sent a concerning letter to
the stakes of Zion which should have been read in all sacrament
meetings. You can read President Packer's statement online at the LDS
Church News: http://www.desnews.com/cn/view/1,1721,175001236,00.html

-Jonathan

Back to Work at the FHC

Tomorrow our oldest son will be 44 years old. He is the one who made us parents. He is a fine young man, so conscientious about his work, his family, and his callings in the church. He will retire from the Air Force after 20 years this coming November. The Air Force has been good for him and he has been good for it. When he was in 2nd grade they gave the students an IQ test. His teacher told me that he scored very high—in the near genius range. I asked if he were so smart, how come his grades and school work was just mediocre. Mrs. Olsen told me that when someone lights a fire under him, he will really take off. He just sort of coasted thro’ grade school, junior high, and high school as well as college. Nothing seemed to challenge him. Until he joined the Air Force. It has been enough challenge, I think, and he has done very well with it.

Last week we started again at the Family History Center. Our first day back was Wednesday. I had a nightmare just before I became completely awake (I was aware enough to know that we were going to be at the FHC that afternoon but still not fully conscious. I call it the twilight zone.) I was at the FHC and went to help a patron and my mind went blank and I couldn’t remember anything that I had learned before it closed three weeks before. Well, I had a chance to help someone and I hadn’t forgotten everything I had been taught before. I was comforted to know that there were others there who knew more than I did when I had a question.

On Friday I finished updating my PAF with the PAF Insight program that you can go into and find out what ordinances done so they won’t be repeated. So Saturday, I worked about three hours to put it thro’ Family Searcher, another program that they suggest you check for additional ordinances. Then I put it thro’ Temple Ready update then the Temple Ready submission part. I prepared a submission disk to take to the temple tomorrow and get the cards made up for the work to be done. There were 10 male baptisms, 12 female for a total of 22 baptisms. 13 endowments for men and 12 for women for a total of 25. 13 male sealing to parents and 10 sealing to parents for females for a total of 23. And 4 for sealing to parents. It didn’t say which gender. I had really a sense of accomplishment after I had finally completed that. Brother Wolf was there to help me when I wasn’t sure what I was doing. I think after that experience, I’ll be able to help others without difficulty.

I’m now working on Karl’s line. I have perfected a system that I can do it about four times faster than he can. So I will probably do most of his too—here at home anyway. He’ll still be able to work on it at the center tho’. Natasha and Collin are doing baptisms for the dead next month there in Lehi and that’s why I’m trying to finish this so quickly. I have found three so far on his line in the first three pages I have worked on. However, they are all female.
While there Saturday, Brother Cornwall, our supervisor for the day, gave me a quote by Elder Boyd K. Packer. I think I remember when he gave that talk but Saturday it really touched me as I read it. It is:

“You were generals in the War in Heaven and one day when you are in the spirit world, you will be enthralled by those you are associated with. You will ask someone in which time period they lived and you might hear, ‘ I was with Moses when he parted the Red Sea’, or ‘I helped build the pyramids’ or ‘I fought with Captain Moroni.’ Amd as upi are standing there in amazement, someone will turn to you and aks you which of the prophets’ time did you live in? And when you say ‘Gordon B. Hinkley’s’ a hush will fall over every hall and corridor in Heaven, and all in attendance will bow at your presence. You were held back six thousand years because you were the most talented, most obedient, most courageous of us and most righteous.”

Whenever I feel down or not worthwhile I will have to remember this.

Sunday, July 08, 2007

A recap of the Last Three Weeks

I can’t believe it has been three weeks since I wrote on my blog. We have had an eventful three weeks. The first week we just went to Apple and exercised. Then Friday we went to Grace to see my mother-in-law. We stayed there until Sunday afternoon. We also went to Soda Springs to visit with my sister, Joy, her husband, one daughter, and four grandchildren. Sunday, we went to church with Mom. Then next week we went to Utah on Thursday and got back at midnight. That was really late since we had 9:00 church the next day. While we were there, we stayed with Michael & Tanya. It was good to be there again and get to know the little girls more and they us. I went walking Friday morning with Natasha. And we had a very nice visit. She also talked with me about two hours the first afternoon we were there. I think that is the most she has ever talked to me. I really enjoyed it. Friday afternoon we went to see Mama in American Fork and then Kim and Kimberly in Orem. Altho’ we got back too late to play Pinochle, we enjoyed the visiting with them all. Saturday morning we did have time to play Pinochle after Michael got home from his private counseling job. It was a very unusual game. I took one round taking everyone of the tricks. Michael & Karl got double Pinochle, and by the time we finished (altho’ Tanya and I went out first) both teams ended up with the same amount of points. We all said we probably wouldn’t see another game like that. We were late for the family reunion, but they started late. We just had to finish that game! Uncle Earl & Aunt Beth and their daughters put on the reunion. Uncle Earl wouldn’t let anyone help pay for the Pavilion. When I stopped to remember that he was one of the vise-presidents of the Chevron Corp., I knew he could handle it OK. It was so good to see everyone who was there. Michael came and brought all four of his children to the lunch only. Kim & Kimberly and their three were there at the church. At the church Jenny, one of Uncle Earl & Aunt Beth’s daughters, had gotten photos of all of her dad’s siblings and their children and grandchildren. It was very interesting to see all of them and how they had changed. I hadn’t seen many of my cousins for 20-30 years or more. It was very good to see them. Some said they didn’t recognize me. It had been four or five years since I had seen everyone but my mother, sister and her husband and my own children. Since then I had my surgery and got my health back. Week before last Richard & Téa got us here on Wednesday with Anya. Richard had brought the other five children up Tuesday to Téa mom and then left and went back down to get Téa and Anya left the hospital. We met at Gang Plank and had a lovely visit. Anya had been in the hospital since Saturday afternoon with SRV. The season for that is usually over by April. She suddenly got dusky then gray while they were visiting a friend in Orem. Richard told me when I talked to him Sunday night that if they had been anymore further from the hospital than two to three blocks that she wouldn’t have made it. Téa also mentioned that they (and I too) were very thankful that she didn’t get into trouble at night while they were traveling. They couldn’t have seen the change of color while it was dark and it would have been too late when they found her. SRV causes a cold in adults and older children but in tiny babies it can be fatal if it is untreated. Karl & I were visiting after we found out about Anya. He asked if it was a new disease or the medical profession didn’t have a name for it. I got to thinking that when Michael got pneumonia after having the croup really bad and then Karen got it too; they both ended up in the hospital. Karen responded to the treatment; she was in an isolette with oxygen and she sounded terrible when I brought her home. Bryan was the only one of our children who didn’t get sick. Michael was only 2 ½ and Karen only eight months old. Michael didn’t respond to antibiotics and they just about lost him. He had been down in Spanish Fork with my parents ( all three of them were) because I had had my gallbladder out two weeks before. We brought Karen back to the hospital in Ogden (we were living in Roy at the time). Bryan didn’t get sick at all for which we were very grateful. Anyway, when I tho’t about it I tho’t I bet they had SRV. They just didn’t know what to call it. We left the next Thursday for Utah. We were able to see Richard & Téa and the children on Monday. We saw them again Thursday night at Anya’s blessing and Cheanna’s baptism then met them at Arctic Circle just before they left town for Phoenix on Saturday. We are thankful that we got to see them as much as we did. Cheanna’s baptism and program was really special. She was dressed in a beautiful white dress and looked so clean and pure. Anya also had an all white dress on. Richard gave them both beautiful blessings. Karen & Kylie came up from Blackfoot and Shani, Jon and Macie were there too. Bishop John officiated. Duncan gave the talk on baptism and did a fabulous job. His parents said that he wrote most of it himself with a suggestion here or there. Most of it he had given at his friend’s baptism a few months ago. We sang three songs, Cheanna’s favorites. After Richard baptized Cheanna, and after they were dressed, Karl, Kylie, Karen then I gave talks on the Holy Ghost and how he has helped us. It was all so very nice. Afterwards, we had a luncheon in the multipurpose room at the church. I am so thankful that they were able to come up here to have those ordinances done. Yesterday was just a laid back day. Today at 4:30 pm our bishopric issued new temple recommends to everyone. They said that the church is going with a bar code on the recommends now because some people were lending them to other people so they could go, some even trying to sell them on e-Bay. It is uncomprehensible that people would do that. Since our recommends were only 11 months old, they just had to sign the new ones. President Fulks was also there from the Stake Presidency. They said that they would be activated tonight or tomorrow and we should/ could use them this coming week. The people of the church have six months to get their new recommends signed. I guess it is another sign of the times. It is another testimony to me that the Lord knows what is going on in this world and how he moves and gives President Hinckley the revelations that we need to keep us on the straight & narrow. We will start back to work at the FHC this coming Wednesday and then Saturday. Altho’ we have been busy these three weeks, I’m looking forward to returning to the FHC.