Sunday, November 18, 2007

Third Week of November, 2007

I didn’t write last week altho’ I did have a couple of things to write about. I’ve been getting things around for our children for Christmas so that has been taking up most of my spare time. I’ve just about got it completed. I want to have it done so I can take it down to Michael and Kim and our mothers when we go down to Michael & Tanya’s for Thanksgiving. I’m really looking forward to that. It’s been since July since we were down there.

About a month ago I ordered a micro film from SLC FHC. I’ve been looking at it periodically over the last few weeks. It is the Billiter notes that Julius Billiter compiled from the parish records in Blumenstein, Bern Switzerland. I have found all of the people that I already have on it, corrected a birthday on my second great grandmother, found two more complete generations and seven more children on another generation so far. I’ve checked them all on the IIGI and all of the work is completed except for a sealing of one son to his parents. But it is still so exciting to find other people! There are many more records to go thro’. And after Christmas I will check the FHC Library Catalog to see if he has the names of others also. I imagine he did other families besides the Rufeners. I hope so. They are all type written so are very easy to read. That makes it very nice.

Last week I had two dentist appointments and one doctor’s appointment. I had my six month checkup the week before at the dentist. He wanted to extend a filling on my one crown that he had fixed five months before…no charge. That was Monday. Then Tuesday, I had a six month check visit with the endodontist who did my root canal six months ago. He said that everything looked good. And then Wednesday, I had an appointment with Dr. Baird who did my gastric bypass surgery. He saw me six months ago and wanted me to return in six months to see if I’d lost any more weight. I did see Sandy Birch, the dietician with the New U program, and she told me that my weight was just fine and as long as I keep exercising and keeping my portions small I should be just fine. Dr. Baird agreed and said he wanted to see me again in a year. Thursday I went to Silver Sneakers, my visiting teachers came and went to our RS Book Club that night. We discussed Sheri Dew’s latest book, God wants a Powerful People. We all really enjoyed it and discussed some of her unique experiences and the lessons she pointed out from them. We won’t meet again until January. We will read Richard Paul Evans newest novel in the mean time. None of us could remember the title.

I started coming down with a cold Friday night. I started in on the Zicam. I was able to go to the FHC yesterday and didn’t feel too bad until about an hour before closing time. By the time I went to bed I was really miserable. Sometimes a good nights sleep is enough but I wondered so called Sharon Butler to ask if she could play for me in RS if I didn’t feel like going. I got up this morning and called Sharon to ask her to play for me then went back to bed where I stayed until Karl got home from church. I started reading Rachel Ann Nunes lastest book, Flying Home. It is very good. Of course I got some extra sleep to. I want to be over this so it doesn’t interfere with our going to Utah for Thanksgiving. I’m feeling a little better now so I think the Zicam is working.

We had 2nd Wednesday last Wednesday where we take potluck to the FHC. I took a modified recipe of chicken cooked in the crock pot with Ranch salad dressing powder sprinkled on it and onions cut up. After it had cooked for three hours I put in cream of mushroom soup mixed with cream cheese in and then after cooking up brown rice I stirred it in also. It’s supposed to be served over rice or noodles but I tho’t that way would work better. Everyone really liked it. We didn’t bring any home at all.

Then Saturday we had potluck again. We are the only ones who work both Wednesdays and Saturdays. Yesterday I took the cranberry, apple salad I do every year for Thanksgiving. We did bring some of it home but not too much.

We also stopped into Porter’s last week to get the materials for the baby quilt we are to donate for humanitarian puposes. I need to get it marked and sewn together in the envelope method so we can take it down with us and all of Michael’s family (except the two little ones can help with it and I can turn it in next week.

Oh, and yesterday Karl and I learned how to do indexing. Leo Mondock is one of our missionaries and he is also an arbitrator for the program and and strong advocate for it. he showed me then he helped me show Karl and we worked together and did 75 names plus our other duties while there. The second batch we did were Spanish. He helps me with the Spanish but I think I will be able to do it OK. They are begging for those who will do the Spanish indexing. With his help I’ll be able to do it. And it is fun!! I think we will really enjoy it. he will sign up himself before too long I think.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

The last week of October 2007

I can’t believe it is November already! I’m not sure where this year has gone. It will be 2008 before I know it.

I believe I mentioned before that I have been “dragging”. Well, we had a doctor’s appointment last Tuesday. Karl went for an insulin resistance test at 8:00 am. Our appointment was at 3:00 pm. Dr. Liljenquist told us that his test was about the same. No better but no worse. He is to now take his two metformin twice a day instead of just once. I hope it helps. He has gained weight. As I have. About five pounds for me. I need to work hard to get it off. Our vital signs were normal. The results of the blood work that we had done will be sent to us sometime this week. I also had an iron infusion. I think I’m feeling better. Right now it is hard to tell. I had a big last three days. We didn’t go to the Family History Center last Wednesday because the center closed at noon that day because of Halloween. I was surprised to learn that. But we also found out that it will be closed from noon Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving until the next Monday and also from December 22 @ 5:00 pm until January 7 for Christmas. That sounds really good. All these closures show that it is really family oriented.

Altho’ I didn’t go to the center on Wednesday, I went on Friday to work for Anna Jean Sweat who subbed for me in August (twice so I have one more payback for her.) when we were visiting Bryan and Sandy and family. I did help two people Friday. It took awhile with both. Afterwards on Friday I got home just before 5:30. I was very tired but couldn’t let down because of the High Priest Quorum banquet that night at 6:30. I made it OK and was very glad I went. We got home a little after 8:00 pm. I just kind of lay around until it was time to go to bed. Because I had to go back again Saturday. I was able to get up and go and got along OK but I was surely tired. I am so glad we have a couple of days in between the days we go there regularly. It is much easier to have the energy to do it. Then today being Sunday and church and all….It has been getting harder lately to get up and ready and there before 9:00. Altho’ I’ve been able to do it, it has been hard and I’m really ready for a nap Sunday afternoon. Usually it is only about 45 minutes but today it was 2 hours!! Like I said I think the iron infusion may have helped me. Also I know the Lord helped me do it. Each morning while saying my prayers I asked the Lord to bless me to make it thro’ the day and to do what I had to do. He really did bless me. Even a year ago but especially two years ago I wouldn’t have been able to have three big days in a row like that.

That is about all that happened all week. This week I need to get back into the habit of exercising five days a week as well as everything else I need to do. I’m working on Chirstmas for our children so we can take it with us to Utah when we go to Michael’s for Thanksgiving. I’ve just about got everything together that I want. Now to finish it up. That will be what I will be doing this next week also.