Two good eyes!

I now have two good eyes! My second cataract surgery went very well. Last Thursday, when I was back to the doctor I found out that the vision in my left eye was 20/25. That was just the day after surgery! The vision in my right eye was still 20/40 or was that again. It was painful, very red and swollen. Dr. Affleck said that I was having a rebound. From the prednisone type drops that I had been putting in my eye for a week and hadn’t put any in since Tuesday night per his order. He told me to use the drops four times a day again thro’ the weekend. I put them in just three times yesterday, two times today and will do it just once tomorrow. I think I will taper off the same way with the left eye too. I’m still getting used to seeing when I first open my eyes in the morning. I still can read without my glasses as long as the sun is up. If it’s cloudy that complicates things but that’s OK.

Last week in church we were told that we would be getting a new bishopric this week. Of course all week, we have been wondering who it would be etc. We found out yesterday. Lamar John is the bishop, Paul Chugg is his first counselor and Todd Havens is his second counselor and Troy Lastle is the executive secretary. Ed Harper was released as executive secretary to Bishop Coombs and immediately put in as a high counselman. He will make a good one.

I had a neat experience yesterday. A couple of them really. As I was curling my hair yesterday morning, the name of Lamar John popped into my mind. My next tho’t was, his health isn’t the best and this particular calling really takes a toll on a man’s health. Then the Spirit whispered to me. But the Lord will sustain him and support him and help him thro’ this. Then the verse in I Nephi 3:7 came to my mind: I will go and do the thing which the Lord has commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

After we got to church we noticed that all of Lamar and Vernarae’s children were there except for their daughter who lives in Washington. Sherrie had been here visiting for a couple of weeks about a month ago. Two of them had come up from Utah and the other two live around here. I knew then for sure that he would be in the bishopric and would probably be the bishop. He is very humble about it and will make a very good bishop.

After our block of meetings, we had our interviews with the Stake Presidency for our temple recommends. Karl had written my name down when he wrote his so I didn’t have to wait very long to go in. He was thro’ with his before he came and told me that. President Batt is the one who interviewed me. I told him of my experience while curling my hair. He said, “ I’m glad to hear that you have received that reaffirmation from the spirit.” He said that Bishop John would have been called four or five months ago except for the “natural man in me.” He said that he knew of Lamar’s poor health and that he tires very easily and that’s why he was reluctant. But “I went to the Lord and told him I was sorry and would do what he wanted.” He said that as soon as they discussed it as a Stake Presidency that they knew it was right. He also said that Lamar has the same attitude about it: that the Lord will sustain him and help him do it. I also told Bishop John this experience too and he told me he appreciated my telling him. I know he will make a good bishop. It feels good to know that I'm still in tune and worthy of the promptings of the Spirit even in things like this.
I find that having a temple recommend interview is very humbling. When they ask me if I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and that He is the Savior and Redeemer of the World my heart literally burns within me as I answer. The same with the ones about loving the Lord and our Heavenly Father and sustaining President Hinckley as the Prophet of the church and the only one who receives revelation for the world. Our Stake Presidency, all three members have the questions all memorized so that they look you right in the eye as they ask you. I’m sure they could tell if someone were lying. I feel that they are men of God and know that they are called by him. I’m glad to have this experience. I’m also glad that it is only every two years instead of every year.

A Full & Interesting Week

We had quite an interesting week this passed week. Sunday, Téa and the children went to church with us and then we met at the shelter by Falls Valley School for dinner. We took crockpot roast beef with potatoes and carrots, a Jell-o salad, lemonade and butter & apricot jam for rolls that Téa brought. She also brought the cookies for dessert and the plates, cups, utensils and napkins. The children played on the toys there at the school for a while. It was very enjoyable being there with them. Jennifer Baisden, Duncan’s primary teacher, came up to Téa after RS and told her that she really enjoyed having Duncan in her and her husband’s primary class. He asked how old their baby was and told them all about Ephraim. It turns out that their baby will be a year old a week before Duncan’s 9th birthday. He didn’t mention that. Just told them when Ephraim would be a year old on August 26th. I started putting antibiotic drops in my right eye this day in anticipation of my surgery on Wednesday. I wore my contact to church but left it out the rest of the day because I need to put them in four times each day.

On Monday I went to Pilates and then my water class. I told Yvonne that I wouldn’t be there Wednesday or Friday because of the my cataract surgery on Wednesday and a Funeral on Friday. She told me that she would call and put my name on the prayer roll of the temple for me. She is very sweet. She is a very little lady who wouldn’t weigh 90 lbs. soaking wet and has difficulty getting up the steps of the warm pool and Apple Athletic Club so I help her. That’s why I wanted her to know that I wouldn’t be there those two days.

Tuesday we went to our walking class. We were to walk the track at IF High School but they had just resurfaced it in anticipation of school starting tomorrow. So we walked around the outside fence around the track which was a little bigger than the track itself. I went around seven times. I figure I went at least two miles that day. The rest of the day was just laid back. I worked on Abbie’s I’m a Child of God plaque. I’m making good headway on it. I should be able to have it done by her 1st birthday.

Wednesday, I was going to go to the 10:00 water aerobics class but I didn’t wake up soon enough. I had been awake earlier in the wee hours of the morning and then read for 45 minutes or so then went back to sleep. I was to be at the surgery center by 2:00pm for my cataract surgery on my right eye. The surgery went very smoothly. Like Dr. Affleck said my vision was kind of milky until Thursday morning. Then things are so much brighter with my right eye! I need to wear sunglasses now because things are so bright now. I just took it easy the rest of th day. I couldn’t see to embroidery nor read so I just watched TV. The dialation of my right eye didn’t really leave completely until Friday morning.

We went back to see Dr. Affleck Thursday morning so he could look at my eye and see how I was healing. He said I was doing great. My vision was already 20/40 without correction. He said that that would improve as the swelling went down. He said I would be 20/20 for distance easily but would most probably need to wear reading glasses in order to read or see anything up close. I was to have a massage Thursday afternoon but Shelley called that morning to change it because they are doing things and getting ready to move into their new home. So we went to the temple. We’ve been going once a week since it reopened in July. I noticed on the way to the temple that I was able to read the street signs! I haven’t been able to until we were practically on top of them. It’s great!

Friday we went to Virgean Frederickson’s funeral. She had had back surgery in April while we were in Phoenix for Easter. She arrested either on the table or shortly after and was never quite the same since. She had to learn to talk and walk again and do everything else too. She was in intensive care for a month or six weeks initially and eventually went to a rehab center in Bountiful. She was just about ready to walk again when she had a bad turn for the worse and ended up in intensive care again and died there on August 11. She was one special lady. A lot of fun to be around. She would have been 61 this coming Tuesday. A relative young age for this day and age. It was the largest funeral that I have attended. There were five or six rows back into the cultural hall after the rows in the over flow area. I’m glad that we went.

Afterwards we met Téa and the children at Arctic Circle for lunch at 2:00. we treated. It was fun watching the children play. I enjoy watching Ephraim do his raspberries. I got a kick out of Elena as she came down the slide. The slide is plastic and due to static electricity her hair was sticking out all over her head. I got a couple of pictures of it that shows it when they are enlarged. We left at 4:00 to go to the temple Visitor’s Center and see the Joseph Smith Film, Prophet of the Restoration. None of us had seen it yet. It was very well done. The characters were very well cast. It reaffirmed to me that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and that he did restore the true church of Jesus Christ. It was a tear jerker as they say. I held Ephraim most of the time thro’ it. He went to sleep right after the “first vision”. Janice Harrop and her husband were two of the missionaries there. She taught one of my nursing classes my first year in nursing. It was good to see her again. We took some pictures there on the temple grounds in front of the beautiful flowers. We told them good bye because they were leaving the next day for Utah and then Denver and then home. I have very much enjoyed our interaction with them. They are growing so quickly. They are all very loving.

Yesterday was kind of laid back again. I called my sister-in-law Jewel and talked to her about my surgery. She is having her first eye done this Tuesday and the other one done next week. I tho’t it might help her to talk to someone first hand who had just gone thro’ it. I told her that she would love it. It was good talking to her. We talked about 1 ½ hours.

Today we learned that we will be getting a new bishopric next week. As I looked around to see who it may be, I tho’t or James Baisdon and Greg Johnson. Of course the Lord may have other ideas. Whom ever it is they will be called of God and I will sustain them. Paul Chugg may also be in the new bishopric too. He has only been in the present bishopric for a few months. Time will tell. I’ll report next week who it is.

No more Contacts!

Ever since I was nine years old I have had annual eye exams to see how much my eyes have changed. Three or so years ago I was told that I had a slow growing cataract on my right eye. I've noticed since about the first of the year that my vision has been a little blurry. The last three months have especially been bad. I knew I had an appointment for an eye exam the end of July so I just waited until then. It was postponed until the 3rd of August since the doctor was going to be out of his office. Last Thursday I found out that the cataract in my right eye has really blossomed and that my vision in my right eye, which has always been better than my left, is actually worse. I went to see Dr. Aaron Affleck yesterday. He said that both eyes are eligble for cataract surgery. They do them a week apart. And with my bad eyes -9.25 in my left eye and a -7.25 in my right eye that it is greatly to my advantage to have both eyes done. That way I can have close to 20/20 vision when they are thro' with me. They will replace my natural lenses with a man-made lens that has power enough to get my vision up to 20/20. I won't have to wear a patch at all or have stitches in my eyes. He will make a 3mm slit in the lens cover of each eye and break up my natural lens and vacuum it out with an ultra sound machine. Then he will fold a flexible tiny lens and slip it into the slit and the cover will hold it in place. The lens has a fine little hook on each side that helps hold it in place. He said that my vision will be blurry the first day but when I wake up the next morning I should be able to see just fine without glasses or contacts. I will have to wear glasses for reading and close hand work etc. but hey, I'm almost 63 years old and I've been very blessed that I haven't had to been doing that for 20 years already. Some people would have. He said that the whole procedure takes about 20 minutes is all and they have it set up in the waiting room so Karl will be able to watch the whole procedure there. Then he turned to me and said I'd be able to watch when he did Karl's eyes when the time came. Boy, technology has come such a long way in less than 30 years. When I graduated from nursing school in 1975, the patient had to sleep with sand bags on both sides of his head and keep the bed at a 45 degree angle, wear a patch for at least two weeks and have coke-bottle thick eye glasses which the patient could only distinguish light and dark without them. With eyes as bad as mine, it is actually advantageous to have cataracts. Interesting, huh?

My surgery will be: Right eye August 16th, left eye August 23rd. It won't slow my life down much at all. I may have to miss my Thursday walk class both weeks but that's about it.

Pioneer Day

Today is Pioneer Day. If we lived in Utah instead of Idaho, we would be having a state holiday. As it is we will go to the St. Leon chapel yard and have a special dinner and program tomorrow evening. It should be fun and not as hot as it was last week. Saturday it hit 100 degrees here. It was hot!

Yesterday was a special day. We went to Sacrament meeting in the Groveland II Ward. Our mission there was two fold. Shani, our granddaughter and her husband, Jon were the main speakers and we wanted to see Karen, Kent and Kylie and hear about their three day trek in Wyoming. That is in trek as in handcart trek. Mercedes Howell and Sam Cannon two of the youth who went on the trek told of some of their experiences and tho'ts and feelings while they were doing it. It was very touching. Shani and Jon did a very good job and I was sooo glad that I was there to hear it. They were asked to speak about one of their ancestors. Shani spoke about Anson Call, my great-great grandfather and her 4th great grandfather. He was an early convert to the church and a body guard of Joseph Smith, the prophet. His whole family had joined the church, his parents and all of his siblings but he didn't want to be known as a "Mormon" and set out to prove that the Book of Mormon was false and so was the church. He studied the Book of Mormon hand in hand with the Bible for six months and found that The Book of Mormon was true. But because of his aversion of being a Mormon, he held off for three years when he was in such agony that he told the Lord that if He would remove that agony from him that he would be baptized. And He did and he was. She also told of how Anson and his wife woke up one morning and found their six-month old son had died in his sleep. And then later when they were preparing to cross the Missouri River their six year old son died. (I can't rememeber how.) Shani said, "Since I'm a mom now, I can hardy imagine how difficult it would be to bury your child in the ground, cover it in dirt, and leave it knowing that you would never return there again nor whether or not wolves or some other wild animal would dig up the body and ravage it." It was all very touching. Jon talked about his Grandpa Anderson who had died when his mother, Marie, was only nine years old. He said that he had no idea that he was of pioneer stock, the people who had crossed the plains to the Great Salt Lake Valley like other people were until he read it in his grandpa's history the day before. He said he could really see the importance of journal keeping because his grandpa hadn't kept a journal and he would really like to have known him better and his tho'ts and feelings that a journal would have helped him do. He mentioned that Macie is so young that if something happened to him or Shani or Karen or Kent that she isn't old enough that she would be able to remember them. And if they kept a journal that would help her to know them. He said he wasn't a journal keeper but he can really see the importance of it and was going to do better.

After sacrament meeting we went out into the foyer and listened to Karen and a mom from her ward who had children go on the trek and a high councilman from their stake who also went on the trek along with his wife discuss the different aspects of it. Karen, Kent and Kylie, all three, said that it was hard, it was the hardest thing they have ever done but it was well worth it and so rewarding that they would gladly do it again. Karen said that they really bonded with their "children" in their family. Kylie was in a different family. I was amazed how quickly they bonded and how strongly they bonded. She, in her wisdom, made the statement that altho' 23 youth from the ward (the largest group in the stake there, I think) that they would have to work extra hard with the youth who didn't go so they wouldn't feel left out because of this shared experience. She said it rained one day there and Kent told me that the dirt is clay so it clung to their shoes they had to keep kicking it off and they had to scrape it off the wheels of the handcart so they could turn. I could really identify with that because of my experience when the summer before I was a senior in hight school and we went hiking in Bryce's Canyon and it started to rain and all I had was thongs [flip-flops] on and the clay would weigh them down so that I couldn't move. It was very difficult because not only did it hurt my feet, we were trying to hurry because of the danger of a flash flood.) He said that it was very hard going but they were glad they had that experience because they knew that the real pioneers had to go thro' it too and more than just that much. It made me think of the way across Iowa when the Saints first left Nauvoo. It took them as long to go that far as it did the rest of the way to the Salt Lake Valley the next year because of the rain and the clay soil. The part that really touched me and it did so all day long was when Karen told of after they came and took all of the men away for the "Mormon Battalion" and she and her four "daughters" were struggling to get their handcart up the steepest hill on the trek. She said, "My chest was burning, my lungs were burning and I couldn't breathe. I had just tho't, 'how can I do this when I can't even breathe. I'll never make it up this hill and if I don't make it what will happen to my "daughters".' Then I looked up the hill to where Kylie had just completed struggling to take her 'family's' handcart up and saw Kylie running down the hill to help me. She didn't just walk, she ran! My heart was so full at that time and I so grateful for her. I tho't, 'Kylie really is a good kid and she really does love me.'" I was so touched as she told us this (and she did get emotional as she told us) that I couldn't have spoken then if my life had depended on it. (I can't talk and cry at the same time.) Sue, Kylie's Ma on the trek told Karen, "Kylie is a really good kid. She is so strong and capable." Karen said I knew that but it's so nice when other people recognize it too. Karen said that out of 150 youth Kylie was the first to stand and bare her testimony the night of the testimony meeting. She also said I know she is stubborn but...and I tho't "yes she is but she needs to be to be strong. She is one who will not waver and give in to peer pressure. She will do very well in this life." I am so glad that we went down for their meeting and stayed and talked to them. It helped us to share in some of their great experiences. I hope they all take the time to write them down so they will be able to remember all of them and share them too.

We had to come back to our sacrament meeting because I had told the Hatch family that I would accompany them on the piano as they sang. They sang "Our Savior's Love". It went very well. Then Seth Jenkins reported his mission. He went to Managua, Nicaragua. It was very good also. He has really matured both physically and especially spiritually. He gave us much to think about and be grateful for. All in all it was a very good day.

The Big Robinson Reunion

Now about July 15. I meant to finish this yesterday, but worked on Eprhaim’s “I’m a Child of God” plaque. (I don’t have much time left to finish it and get it framed befor his first birthday.) We went to Soda Springs to the what we call the BIG Robinson Reunion. It is the gathering of the descendants of Fred David & Ethel Sophie Kesler Robinson. There were probably 100 people there. We were the only ones from our family. All of Grandma Robinson's children were there except for Fred. However, none of her grandchildren were there. I hadn't seen Gene & Dot for about three years I think. Not Dot anyway. It had been at least two since I'd seen Gene. I hadn't seen Jewel for more than a year either. It had been a year since we'd seen Stan and Kathy too and Kent too. Grandma R didn't know what time it started and we were never told. We were figuring it started around noon. We found out later that it wasn't to start until 1:00 so our getting there at 12:45 was just right. It was good to see everyone.

Eric Frazier told us about a Website at Grandpatellme.com where families can post family information, family history etc. One must be invited in so when I get the invite for it I will invite each of my children. It sounds like a good thing to aid in family history searches, general info about the family etc. I’ll have to investigate and see about setting up something for my side of the family too. It also enables you to keep track of all the decendants of e.g. Fred & Ethel Robinson or to whomever the family belongs. I’m excited about it. As I sat there Saturday, I tho’t how much imput can I have; I’m only a Robinson by marriage then I tho’t again: I’m sealed to these people so I DO belong. So I interrupted them just before they went out to play the children’s games. I asked them if they remembered who John and Priscilla Mullin Alden were…no one seemed to know. So I told them the story of how they came over on the Mayflower, Miles Standish was their leader and he had a fancy for Priscilla but I guess must have been kind of shy or something. He asked John to ask for Priscilla’s hand in marriage for him. When John did in Miles Standish’s behalf, Priscilla stated, “Why don’t you ask for yourself John?” Which he did and they were married and had 11 children. I said to the people there, “Everyone of you here who are decendants of Fred and Ethel Robinson are also descendants of John and Priscilla Alden.” As I related their story I could tell that many of them were familiar to their story but had no idea that they were their descendants. It was fun telling them that. I told them that I was matching and merging on my PAF program a year or so ago and decided to start up at the A’s for a change instead of the W’s where I usually started. I noticed the name of John Alden and tho’t, “Could this be the John Alden?” So I found his sheet and sure enough it was. I noticed that he and Priscilla had been sealed in the Manti Temple in 1889. I followed back and found out that they were on my husband’s side. (Initially I wasn’t sure if it was my side or his) and that Maria Wood, the first wife of Joseph Lee Robinson, was also their descendant. When I told my mother-in-law this after finding it, she asked if I were related to John & Priscilla Alden. I replied, “No but my husband and children are and you can say the same thing!”

We also discussed with Eric and a couple of other people at the reunion about Frederick Kesler, Ethel’s father and grandfather. Jr. is her father, Sr. is her grandfather. Bryan had sent us some information via e-mail just the night before and I printed it off and took it with. In this information Bryan stated that Fredrick Kesler Sr. ..Here is the info on Frederick Kesler that I spoke of. His three wives are not listed in this article, but I have them in another document which we copied: He married Emeline Parker May 20, 1836 in Augusta, Iowa and had 11 children with her; married Jane Elizabeth Pratt (daughter of Orson Pratt) March 20, 1854 in Salt Lake City and had 13 children with her (Frederick Kesler Jr was #5); and married Abigail D. Snow April 21, 1857 in SLC and had 6 children with her.

Notice that his info states that Frederick Kesler Jr. was the child of Frederick Kesler Sr. and Elizabeth Pratt, daughter of Orson Pratt. That was news to me. I checked it out yesterday on my PAF and my information has Emeline Parker as Frederick Kesler Jr.’s mother. So we need to do some investigating and make sure he is with the right mother. So my husband and children may not be a descendant of Orson Pratt after all. That would be a neat distinction. But we need to have it right.

I don’t know where I got the information on either John Alden or Frederick Kesler for sure. My guess on the John Alden part that Bryan sent it to me after finding it when Sandy worked in the family history center when they lived in Albuquerque. That’s the only thing I can think of because even Uncle Eben had no idea that he was a descendant of John and Priscilla Alden.

The last two weekends

It will be five weeks next weekend since we have had a regular stay at home weekend. It has been fun but I'm looking forward to just a "regular" weekend at home. Of course by the time next weekend comes that could change too. On the 24th of June we had our family reunion at Karen & Kent's, on July 1st Kim & Kimberly and children came and stayed with us and last weekend July 8th we went to Utah to be there for Nathaniel's being ordained a deacon in the Aaronic priesthood. We left Friday right afternoon. We were glad we were there altho' my sweetheart felt like he was going under duress. He very much hates to drive in the SLC freeway traffic. Idaho has spoiled us that way. Altho' sometimes 17th street here can be almost as bad at 5:00 on a weekday. Grandma & Grandpa Bush were there as well as Grandma Wendel too. We had dinner afterwards and I took my poppy seed cake and a jello salad that has cherry pie filling in it (I used the light along with sugar free jello.) and 1 1/4 cups sprite or 7-up. Since I'm not supposed to have carbonated beverages, I got some Kroger Light Lemonade and used that instead. Then you put whipped topping on top. It tasted really good. We spent Saturday morning with Mama in American Fork (we stayed with her this time.) and Roy Clifford, my nephew, and his wife Dean stopped by to tell GrandmaW goodbye before heading back to California. Then a hour or so later, my brother Roy and his wife, Cindy came over with their three grandsons from CA who were going to be with them for the week. I hadn't seen Roy and Cindy for a couple of years. Then Rebekah, my neice stopped by to pick Mama up to take her to SLC to see the new Joseph Smith movie at the Joseph Smith memorial. We went over and spent the afternoon with Michael and Tanya and Natasha, Collin, Kendra and Abbie. We even got a game of Pinochole in. Karl and Natasha won by 60-80 points is all. Michael and I led most of the game but they took the last bid and that's what made the difference. We had lunch and supper with them then went back to American Fork. We had a quiet evening. Sunday evening after we got back from Orem Julie, my sister-in-law came over. I hadn't seen her since my brother, John, died four years ago. It was so good to see her. And then my neice Rachel, her husband, Tim and son Wyatt came over at about the same time and we had a very nice visit with all of them. It had been quite a while since we had seen some of these people so I'm thankful we were able to this time. We left about 9:00 Monday morning to come back to IF. Karl had a 3:15pm doctor's appointment with Doctor Baird to check on a lump Karl noticed on his back about a month ago that was kind of tender. It turned out it was an inclusion cyst or a plugged sabicious gland or "large zit" as Dr. Baird said. He had it removed this last Wednesday and had three sutures put in it. Monday night was just taking it easy. We went to the temple for the first time for three weeks since it just opened on this past Tuesday. We went Thursday. It was good to get back there again. Now I can tolerate it so much better we will go every week at least once. I'll write about this weekend (yesterday) in the next entry.

Stay-At-Home Mom's

Dear Abby was very good today. A woman wrote in and asked the worth of a stay-at-home Mom since her grandson doesn't think his mom does anything because she doesn't work outside the home. Dear Abby said a study showed that the average stay at home mom works 91.6 hours per week--more than double what the average office worker works. It went on to state that that would be $134,121 annually. I have four daughters-in-law who are now stay-at-home moms and a daughter who works out of her home. I hope they know their worth. It is much more than the stated amount above. Abby goes on to say that a mother's love is priceless and you throw that into the bargain and nothing can match it. She stated that at 91.6 hours per week/52 weeks a year it comes out at $28.16 an hour. Mothers with young babies can add to the hours a week because they don't get to sleep a 6-8 hour stretch for sometimes years....I tho't that very impressive and wanted to pass it on. Of course when you consider the training and teaching as well as the deliquient deterrant that stay at home moms are as well as the counsel of our prophets then the "worth" is even more. But in just monetary value it is quite a bit as it is.

Building Body Mass

This week completes four weeks of walking on Tuesday and Thursday. I started on June 6. I wasn't sure how far I could walk when I started but felt like I needed to do it. I've wanted to lose a little more weight to reach my goal. Before I had my surgery my fat % was 50.9% and 112.5 lbs. My fat free mass was 108.5 lbs. The last week of May I weighed in at Dr. Baird's office on the 24th and my fat % was 37.9% at 54 lbs. My fat free mass or muscle mass was 89 lbs. So you can see that I lost muscle as well as fat along with my weight.

This past weekend I was feeling discouraged because after three weeks of walking, my scales hadn't gone down one single bit. If anything it went up alittle and I didn't care for that idea. The New U program sent out literature last month to the effect that since those of us that have passed our year mark since our surgery didn't come into the office for monthly checks, that every Monday from 10:00am to noon we come go in and weigh and visit with them. I decided to take advantage of that. Last Monday I was up 2 lbs. from where I was on the 24th of May. But the good news is my fat % was 32.1% at 46.5 lbs. and my fat free mass or muscle mass was 98.5 lbs.!! I was sooo thrilled to learn that. I've been working out upstairs on the machines at Apple Athletic Club pretty close to two times a week as well as doing Pilates both since the middle of January. And I hadn't really noticed much increase in muscle mass nor much decrease in fat mass. Now that I have built up the mucsle, I should be burning calories more efficiently so should be able to lose that last 10 lbs. much more easily.

We walked the hills at Community Park this week. I am still the very slowest but I walked further faster today than I did Tuesday and that is what counts. Altho' I'm tired when we get back I am feeling better all the time. I feel better about myself too. It's been 15 months today since I had my bariactric surgery. I'm so thankful I did it. I am so much healthier now than I was then there is no comparison.

Our Family Reunion

Our Family Reunion June 24-25, 2006

On Thursday the 22 I spent all day long making treats to take to the reunion. It was an all day project. Everyone really enjoyed them and I’m really glad I did it. I did find out that I can’t stand up all day yet but I can surely stand much longer than I used to could. My back did bother me at times, but I was able to keep going most of the time. (I actually got the recipes typed up and e-mailed out to all our children today.)

Friday morning I put the chicken salad together so we could drop it off at Karen’s along with the other treats on the way to Grace. We got to Blackfoot about 4:00pm or so. We were there about 45 minutes. We dropped off the airobed, extra clothing as well as the food. Michael & Tanya and children were already there. It was good to see them. We got to Grace about 6:45 or so. We had dinner then Karl started on the lawn trimming around the pipes and mowing the barrow pits and pulling some weeds etc. He worked until it got dark. I visited with Mom and worked on Eprhiam’s “I’m a Child of God” plaque. We went to bed about 10:30 or so. I woke up at 1:30 or so and had to go up and use the bathroom because I had a little ice cream and cake about 9:30. That was way too late. I was able to go back to sleep and slept to just after 6:00. I got up before 6:30 and got my shower etc. we had breakfast and got ready to go. We left by 9:00am. We got to Blackfoot in enough time that we got gas and stopped at Wal-Mart so Mom could get some vitamins. We got to Karen & Kent’s about 11:10 or so. Jessica drove from Provo and stopped and brought Grandma W with her. It was so good having both grandmothers there. (Of course counting Karen and me there were four grandmothers there in all.=)) Bryan & Sandy and children were all there. They got to Blackfoot before 9:00 the night before. They made good time. Sandy sat in the back seat and just took Jason out of his chair, nursed him and then put him back in his car seat. They drove straight thro’. Didn’t have to stop for anything but gas. I’m glad it went so smoothly for them. Jason isn’t quite 3 months old and it is quite a ways to drive with such a small one. They said that he was very good but got kind of fussy around Soda Springs and then fussed the rest of the way to Blackfoot. But that was just the last hour and a half or so of a 16 hour drive. Richard & Téa weren’t able to come. We missed them. It would have been all of us if they could have been there. We were minus 7. Shani & Jon are living with Karen & Kent right now so they and Macie were there too. Kim & Kimberly got there around 2:00 and my sister Joy and her daughter and son-in-law, Heidi & Joe came about then too. Her daughter Emily came about 4:00 or so with her daughter Kaylynn and her three week old baby boy, Travis. He wasn’t due until July 13 but Emily had really bad toxemia with multiple organ failure so they had to take him C-section to save her life. He weighed 6-1 that morning. He weighed 5 2 at birth so he would have been a b-i-g baby if he went to term.

Michael & Bryan got the chicken, potatoes and cherry & peach cobblers ready to cook dutch over style. They did such a good job. It gave Karen time to get the tables & chairs around and delegate any thing else that needed to be done. They worked so well together. It was good to see them coordinating and working together. We ate about 2:00. The chicken and potatoes were suplimented by various salads. It was all very good. After we ate, we sat around and just visited and took pictures of everyone. Kim brought his tripod and set it up by the evergreen tree and took pictures or the individual families and then a few pictures of everyone because he has a timer on his camera. He said he would put the pictures on his website but I’m hoping he will e-mail some of them out, at least those of the individual families. Some of our children I don’t think have access to their website. Kim & Kimberly and their children left around 5:00 or so. Michael & Tanya left shortly after. It was so good to see all of them. After we all rested a little Karen brought in the treats from the cooler. Everyone really liked the cereal mix one. Grandma W said it was just too “moreish”. I said, “What do you mean by that?” She replied, “Oh, you know, you just want more and more.” I tho’t she was referring to the Moor people of Spain and couldn’t make a connection. The cherry-a-let candy they really liked too. Especially the young people. They really enjoyed it. Grandma W told me many times I shouldn’t have made them. It would make her blood sugar go up. (and mine too.) I told her the only time I could make it was when many people would be around to eat it.

We headed for bed shortly after 10:00pm. Karen and Bryan had gone out and set up our air bed in the office and got everything situated. Karen even took a touch lamp out there for us. She is so tho’tful. She always takes such good care of us. I woke up about 3:30am and couldn’t go back to sleep. I rested but that was all. I got up just after 7:00. Their church starts at 9:00 and altho’ they had three bathrooms, we had to start early to all get our turn in one of them. We all went to sacrament meeting. The speakers were a woman who had been a single mother while raising her five children because her husband had died of cancer at a rather young age. She had been married to her present husband for three weeks and he has moved from Shelley to here home there in Groveland. They talked on the importance of the family. Both talks were very good. We all enjoyed it and were glad we were there. We all went home after sacrament meeting except Shani & Jon. Kent and Karl went back for priesthood meeting. There was enough chicken left over from the day before that we just put some bar-b-que sauce on some and some terriaki sauce on some more. Karen made some funeral potatoes to go with and there was enough salad left over that we had a complete meal. It was all very good. After dinner we took a five generation picture with both sides of the family since Macie is a little older. She wasn’t very old and one couldn’t see her very well in the first five generation pictures we took. Jessica consented to take GrandmaR back to Grace on the way back to Provo. So they along with GrandmaW left about 2:30or so. We were thankful that she did that for us. That way we were able to stay there and visit. We all rested for awhile. Macie was tired but she wouldn’t settle down. Karen brought out a quilt and some toys for her hoping she would settle down and go to sleep. But she had other ideas. She just kept going. After everyone got up we decided to have a ping pong tournament of sorts. Bryan & Chris played first. Bryan had to work at it but he beat Chris a few games. Karen & Kent played. Kent beat Karen rather handily in the end but he had to work at it at first. Karen & I played two games. I could even serve pretty good. I hadn’t forgotten that part anyway. She beat me rather handily altho’ I was a head by a point of two at the beginning. Neither on of us has played in more than 20 years. We had hot dogs cooked over a fire in the fire pit. Along with some of the left over salads. More people played ping pong. Everyone ended up playing at least one game except Sandy and Jon. Jon said he had never played and had no desire to learn. (Karen had borrowed the table and net etc. from some friends.) Bryan was the only one who didn’t lose a game. So I guess he was the champion. Karl had gathered up everything out of the office. We were going to sleep in the house. It was easier to pack it in the car and drive the car around than carry everything into the house. After all he had everything in the car he came and told me he was ready to go home. I told him I wasn’t surprised and I was willing if we could stay until dark. We started to get around to leave about 9:30. We knew that Bryan & Sandy would be leaving as early as possible the next morning and Kent & Jon would have to leave early for work. And it would feel so good to sleep in our own beds. (which it was. I slept 8 hours straight and as much as I could tell I didn’t move the whole 8 hours.)

It all makes us realize how blessed we are to have the family we have. They are all good parents and teaching their children to walk up rightly before the Lord. It is rewarding to see that. We were thankful that our mothers, the grandmothers, were able to be there too. It was one of the few times they would be able to see all of our children. We haven’t been all together since Shani & Jon were married three years ago and we haven’t have a formal reunion for five years. It was good.

An interesting & full Day

Yesterday I had a very interesting and full day. We started the day by going to our walking class. I actually passed the two mile marker during the cool down. By the time I walked to the area where we stretched then walked back to the car I had taken 5374 steps since I had left the shelter to start my trek. I had taken 550 steps up to the time I started the two mile walk. My back bothered me a little but nothing like it used to do. After we got thro' there, we came home and I took my shower and washed my hair, etc. Then we went to the temple. I walked up and down all the stairs. They have kind steps there. Then yesterday evening I went to a "Stamp it up" Club meeting with my neighbor, Jackie Messick. I found that very interesting. You average about a card an hour. You use stamps and ink and card stock. I made two lovely birthday cards. It takes alot more time than the computer does and there still wasn't anything written inside. So altho' I'm glad I went and I enjoyed it, I think I'll stick with my card making on the computer. I walked around the kitchen and living room five or six times before going to bed and still only walked 7500 steps or so. I can really tell that before I had my surgery and while I had those back spasms etc. I must not have walked any more than 200 to 250 steps a day. It really takes a lot of effort and time to walk 10,000 steps...the recommended amount if you want to lose weight.

Today I used my computer to make the insides of the cards and a picture for each card on the inside and the made especially for you part to go on the back with a flower. I took a little bit of time but I'm glad I did it that way. I 'm using one of them for Shani's birthday and the other for Eleana's which is next Wednesday.

I've been working on Epraim's "I'm a Child of God" plaque. I finished the top half. As I did the border, I could tell that the peice of aida cloth was cut crooked. On the right hand side there was 1 1/2 inches between the border and the edge of the cloth. As I went across the top of it I could tell it was crooked. By the time I got to the other side of the cloth, the border was just three small squares from the edge of the cloth. I put the rest of the border on just alittle ways and I had to wind the embroidery thread over the material because there was no hole to put the needle into. My tho't was "I'd better take this to KC Frames where they stretch it and mount it and frame all of my work to see if they will be able to even frame it. They really make my work look beautiful. I took it there today and the verdic was they can not frame it; it is too close to the edge. So I get to start again on Ephraim's plaque. It is a wonder that I hadn't had that problem with any of the first 17 I made. I've never had that problem before. You can be sure that I will check it out before I start any more. I'm going to take it to Wal-Mart where I got the aida cloth and see if they will at least reimburst me for the cloth. Or give me some new cloth. I think they will. Time will tell. I'll start on it tonight. I have an extra package of the aida cloth tha I can use. They say the third time is the charm. I certainly hope so.

I'm finallly back

I'm finally able to get online now to blog again! I couldn't remember the password that Tanya originally gave me. So I now have a new one. Which is good. I don't know if it was Kimberly, Kim or Tanya that sent me the website to change it. It could have been any of them.

I am now using my new computer. I have a digital picture of it but don't know how to put it on my blog yet. I will have to experiment and see if I can figure it out. If anyone else reads this and can help me, I would appreciate the assist.

I walked over two miles this morning. We joined a walking class last Tuesday. It meets at 8:30 to 9:30 am at Community Park. It is on 25th and Holmes. When our older children lived here, the city didn't go down that far. It is a nice little park with a black top path that has mile markers and benchs around it. When I first started out last Tuesday, I had no idea how far I could walk. I did a mile in 22 minutes and 15 seconds. I have walked a little further each time I've gone. That first time I figured I walked approx. a mile and a half total. I was sooo sore! Wednesday and Thursday. I was able to stride out a little more today since I'm not sore any more. I still feel my back but it doesn't bother me that much. Next week we walk the Green Belt around the river. It is two miles around once. I should be able to do it by then. I'm still the slowest but I'm improving. Before I had my surgery my back felt like it would break into by the time I walked to the end of our driveway. It was a chore to walk from the chapel to the relief society room while holding on to my husband. It is so nice to be able to walk where I need to.

We will go to the temple this afternoon and again Thursday. Then it will be closed for three weeks. By going twice this week I'll be able to finish the 15 names I've been doing for Brother Gill from Coltman. He is originally from India and he has researched over 10,000 names. He had requested the stake members to help with the initiatory work of some of these names.We my sweetheart and I did initiatory work last December 5, I told his wife that I would be glad to do the endowments for those women too. She said to just take them home with me and give them a call when I was finished. I had told Sister Gill that it might take me the whole year but I would get them done. As my health has improved, we have been going to the temple at least once a week. So I have finished by mid year. I am thankful that I feel like going more now. It is great!

Quotes from the rest of the year

I tho't it would be better to divide these into at least two differnt entries.

For July:

Life's quiet moments hold all the inspiration we need for thrue and lasting happiness.
All we have to do is slow down and ooen our eyes--to the smile of a child, the colors of a sunrise, the effortless flitht of a bird.
If we can capture the simple beauty of these wonders, and carry them with us throughout each day, we'll be at peace with the world--and most of all, with ourselves.

For August:

It's always imprtant to listen to your heart, to do what ;makes you happy and brings peace of mind.
The choice is yours--you can set out on a new adventure, respond to a new opportunity, or you can say "no" to something you're just not ready for.
So next time you have a decison to make, set your daoubt aside and trust yourself to choose what's right for you.

For September:
There are many privat treasues to be found among everyday things--the chirished memories we keep in our hearts...the quiet times when, alone with our thoughts, we feel comfortable and content....the peole we're llucky enough to meet, who then become friends.
It's the deep satisfaction in all of these that ;mekes everydy things into the most valuable treasures of all.

For October:

Within every change life brings us is an opportunity to broaden our capabilities.
If we explore each opportunity with an open mind, if we welcome each challenge with an eager heart, we can learn that change is not something to turn away from but a special chance fcr growth and learning in our lives.

For November:

We are, each of us, a miracle, uniqaue in our own way.
Each day is made special by what we bring to it--the joy, the caring, the closeness we share, ur rich pasts, and vaired experiences.
We explpre our differences and become closer to each other as we celebrate the gift of friendship and the miracle of ourselves.

For December:

For every ending, there's a new beginning--a chance to set new goals, to dream new dreams, to rekindle the hope in our hearts.
For endings are a way of rediscoverihg ourselves--of learning who we are and what we need in life, of finding out where we want to go and who we want to be.

I don't know who wrote these but I tho't they all were very good. The claendar is entitled:
A Special Kind of Beauty, a 12-month Carlton Calendar for 1991.

Some nice quotes

These are some quotes that were on an old calendar---1991:

For January:

Let life happen--make most of every day!
Trust in the rightness of each moment as you explore the world around you, enjoying the friendships, the learning experiences, and the beauty that life brings your way.


For February:

To know love is what life is all about.
To be in love is to possess something that is beyond the reach of age or time.
To give and experience love is to be rich in the joys that give color to each day and significance to each detai8l of our lives.

For March:

One or the nicest things about friendship is that, in getitng to know and understand someone else, we often discover a lot about ourselves.
We grow by heloping others, by sharing their lives, expanding our capacity fro closeness, for caring, for trust and honesty.
Leani;ng to see ourselves through a friend's eyes opens the way to a clearer visioh of who we are and of the special qualities that make us important to the poeple who know us best.
(That last line I really like. I think it is something we all need to work on.)

For April:

When we think back to some of our best times, it isn't surprising that so many of those moments were spent with family.
There's a special closeness to a fmailyh gatherintg that's unlike any other feeling--it's a happiness filled with caring, strengthened by traditon and, most of all, it's a happiness built upon love.

For May:

Be kind to yhourself, be gentle with your thoughts and feelings.
For, the more we can love ourselves and the more honest we can be with our own emotions, the freer we are to love and give joy to others.

For June:

If we knew what tomorrow held, we wouldn't need our dreams our hopes, our plans.
But tomorrow is an unanswered question, a new challenge to face, and always a new adventure to explore.

Another Thursday

I think I broke my right pinky toe Tuesday when I stubbed it. It was swollen yesterday morning then after being on my feet all morning yesterday, I noticed that it was discolored as well as swollen. I had taped it already because that is what they did when I broke before about 25 years ago. I didn't think I had broken it until I saw the discoloration and how much more swollen my foot was. I've been trying to sit with it elevated all day today. It is resting on top of my computer tower right now. It does make walking kind of akward.

My new computer has arrived. I've been trying to delete many of my almost 900 e-mails that I have kept....don't ask me why. But my Outlook is acting up again so it misfunctions after a coupld of minutes. I have found out if I disable the mail delivery I can delete at least 20-30 before it malfuncitons. So that does help. My granddaughter's husband told me last Monday that he would help me set it up and transfer stuff. But they are moving from Pocatellos to Blackfoot yesterday and today so I'm not sure when he could. Saturday would be very nice but I don't know if that is too much to expect. I'm really looking forward to the new machine!

Trip to Omaha part 3

I left us at Chris's graduation. It was only a little more than an hour long but the seats were very hard. I had fallen on the steps the day before. I had on my knee high stockings and was not looking at my feet as I went down the stairs and they went out from under me. I just sat down very quickly and very hard. But my sit down surely felt bruised altho' I couldn't see anything in the mirror. My sweet husband took a pillow for me to sit on but it still was difficult to sit there the whole time. I was glad we had to stand up for the processional and recessional. That helped too. The trip home Tuesday was very hard too. I squirmed alot. I'm feeling better today, we went to the temple. I was glad to stand up each time. (Boy! I've changed alot there.) We couldn't figure out what order the students were in. There were names starting with A's on the front row but also O's and S's and W's. Chris was on the third row! So after wards we asked him. They started out aphabetically but then they were able to pick their walking partner. His friend's last name started with a D. So Chris went from the R's to the D's. The last student to get her diploma name started with a T. There were three students who's last name started with a Z. It really had us puzzled. Helen, Al, Karl and I sat on the first row of the balcony. We didn't see Chris march in because Jessica had us all turn toward her so she could take our picture. that's when he came in. We saw him walk out tho'. He even waved to us. I'm glad we were able to be there.

After Chris's graduation we went home to finish fixing dinner. Chris's girlfriend, Dani and her sister Jenifer and mother Julie and her Dad Mark were there. We had met Dani before but it was the first time we had met the rest of her family. They are very nice people. We visited for quite a while after we were thro' with dinner then Bryan brought out his Great Dalmuti game. We taught Julie and Mark how to play it. Chris, Bryce, Jenny and Dani or Sandy didn't play but there were eight of us playing. It was a lot of fun. Julie and Mark seemed to really enjoy playing it too.

We played again Monday night. Bryan, Sandy, Helen, Al, Karl, Sara and me. Bryce had home work, Chris was working at Burger King and Jessica left around noon to fly home. It was sooo nice having her there and having the whole family together. After we got home I got to thinking that Jessica is as much older than Jason as I am older than Bryan. Interesting huh?

Oh, I forgot to tell you what Sandy arranged for me forMother's Day. I had told Téa when we were in Phoenix and I had told Sandy and Bryan after we got there that had started on Epraim's I am a child of God counted cross stitch "thing" just before General Conference and had worked on it while I listened to it. I had completed the hearts and the ring stack and was getting ready to start on the blocks with the initials in. I had left it on the table between the two chiars and hadn't worked on it for a day or two or so. Newspapers had been placed on top of it and my sweet husband gathered up the papers (he usually waits for me to do it) and took them to be recycled. I looked all over for it but I knew I had left it on the table and it was no longer there. He even went back to the recycling place and looked thro' the dumster the best he could without climbing in. He couldn't find it. I was sick. My instructions for making them as well as the embroidery thread and my embroidery scissors were all in the zip lock bag they were in as well as the part I had already done. I could start over all right if I had the instructions. I tho't, "well maybe I could borrow one of Karen's girl's and use it. It wouldn't be as easy but would be possible. I had seen a few different ones with different pictures but the same words. Not as cute but I tho't if I could find one of those but I went to all the craft stores as well as Desert Book and Seagull book and no one had the whole thing. Roberts Craft had the first line and a place for the baby's name and weight and birthdate on it to make into a pillow but it wasn't the same thing. Well the Friday before we left (the same Friday I found out they had found our digital camera) I was on the computer and Bryan came in and said, "You mentioned that you could possiblely borrow one of Karen's girl's I'm a child of God things to look out to help you make one for Jason." I said "yes, I could do that, it wouldn't be as easy as having the directions but it would be possilbe to do that way." Then Bryan said "would this help?" I turned around and he and Sandy were standing there grinning and Bryan held out a kit that was exactly like the first one I had purchased almost 20 years ago for Shani. I think I made hers for her third birthday and have been doing them for the first birthdays for all the others. I was sooo surprised and pleased and thrilled! Now I could make them for our three youngest grandchildren. (I hadn't even told Michael &Tanya yet what had happened.) I could tell that Bryan and Sandy were pleased that I was sooo thrilled. I consider that two miracles happened while we were there. First finding the camera and second getting that I am a child of God kit. I asked them where on earth they found it because I knew they were no longer being made. Bryan said, "Sandy did it. She found it on e-Bay. I said, "I hope you didn't have to pay too much for it." She said, "It was resonable" and left it at that. And then said "Happy Mother's Day!" So I left it at that too. I honestly can't remember what I paid for the first one anyway and I considered this one priceless. There was a woman in Arizona who had bought it years ago and decided that since she had never made it up (I don't think it had even been take out of the bag) she'd sell it on e-Bay. That was the only one available. I'm greatful that Sandy was persistent and got it for me. I really felt bad to think that I may not be able to make one for Ephraim, Abbie and Jason. Now I can.

We left Bryan's house with Sandy and Al at noon on Tuesday. Helen stayed home with Jason, Bryan was at work, Bryce and Sara were at school and Chris was starting his first day on his new job constructing decks. He was thrilled that he could do it this summer. He would have liked to last summer. Our plane left at 2:00pm CDT and was to arrive in SLC by 3:24 MDT. We landed at 3:00 instead. Which was puzzling because it usually takes longer to fly west than east because of the jet stream. I decided that we must have had no head wind at all. We had to just sit there on the runway for 20 minutes because there was a plane still deplaning at the gate we were to use. We had collected our bags by 3:25. We were to meet the shuttle at 4:30pm so we just patiently waited. We had a pleasant ride home. Arrived at the Fairfield Inn right at 8:10pm like we were supposed to. Karl sat up beside Aaron our driver and I found Colleen, Marie and Roger to visit with on the way. I also did some reading too. We arrived home by 8:30. It has been very nice to be home. We did have a very enjoyable stay there with Bryan & Sandy and children. We could see just how involved and busy their lives are. We were thankful that they were able to take the time for us too.

Our Trip to Omaha part 2

I forgot to mention that Bryan was home from work Monday by 2:30pm and after having some lunch took Karl and me to the big gym on base. It is enormous. The track inside is more than a quarter mile around. You have to go only 3 ½ times to make a mile. There is also a full size lap pool and a free weight room plus a basket ball court, tennis court, racket ball rooms and a full sized soccor field too. The machines with weights is in the middle of the track too. (Everything but the pool and weight room are) We worked out about 35-40 minutes then walked around the track once. We went again on Thursday afternoon. Bryan took leave Thursday and Friday. He also had from noon on Wednesday off. Evidently they get the half day off before their leave starts. He had to go back Thursday afternoon to a meeting so Karl and I worked out for close to an hour while he was in his meeting. We took books with us and we read for about a half hour also. With those workouts plus the stairs here at the house, I feel I’m in pretty good shape. The stairs are so much easier than they were especially the first year and even last year too.
Helen and Al Bonneau (Sandy’s parents) arrived Wednesday early afternoon. We hadn’t seen them for two years since Jessica graduated. Sandy went to get them and I babysat Jason while she was gone. I fed him and changed him and when he went to sleep I placed him in his car seat. That’s where he is when he isn’t being held or in bed. (I learned that those carseats are every bit as heavy and awkward as they look.) He had just waked up just before they returned. I was holding him and Helen came over and introduced herself and Grandpa Bonneau to him and Jason made eye contact with each one of them (he doesn’t do that very often) and then me also and gave us each a cute smile as he did so. He even laughed out loud at Helen and me once. Not sure what brought it on but I don’t care. We watched The Chronicles of Narnia (that we brought with us) Saturday afternoon. Sandy had been nursing him and her mother needed help with her washer so I told her I would take him. He nestled down on my chest and went to sleep. Jessica and some friends came back (she came to show Jason off) and they each held him. Even tho’ he had waked up he nestled right back down and slept there the whole movie. Sandy offered to put him in his bed but I told her I really didn’t mind holding him. It was so nice to sit there and feel his little body next to mine. He is such a sweet, special little spirit. I know he will bring such joy to their family. He already has. Sara is just like a little mother to him. (Altho’ she refuses to change a messy diaper. She doesn’t mind just the wet ones.) It’s so good to see her enjoying him instead of being jealous of him. One can tell the babies who are born in this day and age are soooo special and sweet. We know that they are the elite and have been saved especially for this point in time. They must be strong spirits in order to withstand the advisary in this day and age. I’m thankful for the parents these special grandchildren have to lead the way for them and teach them correct principles. I’m thankful that I (and my sweetheart) was taught so I (we) could teach our children so they would be prepared to teach their children. The church and the gospel do certainly play a big role in those teachings.
Wednesday night Bryan, Sandy and Karl went to the awards night for the drama department for Chris and Bryce. Sara, Helen, Al and I stayed home with Jason. We watched Nanny McVee and Bewitched. We really enjoyed them. Thursday night Bryan, Sandy, Al, Karl and I went to Sara’s chorus conert. Chris had to work and Bryce stayed home with Jason. Bryce said he slept the whole time. Sara’s eighth grade chorus was very impressive. They sounded as good as many high school choruses. They started with 79 in seventh grade and had 96 this year. Friday night we watched Nanny McVee again and Les Miserable the musical that Bryce was in the last part of this year. Those high school kids were very talented and did an excellant job. We finished watching it Saturday afternoon. Then we watched Narnia. Karl and I had been the only ones to see it. We all enjoyed it. It also was very well done.
Sunday was Mother’s Day. Karl and I called our mothers Saturday night because we knew yesterday would be very busy. Since Church starts at 9:00 and there are eleven of us here that meant early showers. We got there on time and were all able to go in the van. We just stayed for sacrament meeting. Bryan gave Jason a beautiful blessing. A special men’s chorus sang a beautiful song about the mother making a house a home. They did a good job on it. I wouldn’t have been able to talk afterwards if I’d wanted to. (I can’t be emotional and talk at the same time.) We came home and Sandy put the roasts on to cook and the house was straightened and then we left for Omaha for Chris’s graduation. Chris left earlier. They had to pay $6 to park the van but we parked on the top level and rode the elevator down (it was only about 15 ft from where we parked) then able to walk just a short ways to our seats. When we went to Jessica’s graduation (they were both in the civic auditorium in Omaha, we had to walk up four steep ramps to get to our seats. It was torture for me. I could have done much better this year but Helen would have had much difficulty. Tho’ I wasn’t sorry that we didn’t have to negotiate the ramps either. We had a short wait before the processional started. The band played to entertain us before everything got started.

Our Trip to Omaha part 1

I will start this and send it to myself so I can get started on our lovely trip here in Papillion. Today is Saturday, May 13th the day before Mother’s day. We left home a week ago on the 6th at 6:45 am to leave for the Fairfield Inn across town to meet the Shuttle. Our Neighbor, Stan Messick, was kind enough to take us over. There were nine passengers this time all together and they were pulling a trailer behind for the luggage. I met Julia and Jimmy Kennedy from Rexburg and Brooke Rohle from Hillcrest High School area there in IF. We had a delightful chat all the way down. Karl sat up in front beside the driver so he wouldn’t get car sick. Julia and Jimmy were going on their first Carribean Cruise to celebrat their 10th wedding anniversary. Jimmy asked how long I had been married. I told them it will be 44 years in September. He replied, "You’re no spring chicken are you?" It kind of surprised me but didn’t affend me. Around the Bountiful area I asked them if they would like to see my grandchildren. I had our digital camera in my "purse" so I was able to show them the pictures of Kim & Kimberly’s children, Richard & Téa’s children, and Michael & Tanya’s Kendra and Abbie. I stuck it back in my purse but it must have fallen out because after we got to Bryan & Sandy’s and I went to show them to Sandy neither Karl nor I could find the camera. I was just sick and I think Karl was too. They asked if I was sure I had it and I told them yes because I had shown the pictures on it to Julia, Jimmy and Brooke. I hoped immediately that it had fallen out on the Shuttle before I got out of it as opposed to the jet, and the shuttle here in Omaha. Of course the best thing would have been if it had fallen out in the pickup after Chris and Bryan had picked us up at Eppley field there in Omaha. I called the shuttle and they said that Bryan, the driver, wouldn’t be back until 11:00 pm or later their time which would be midnight our time. So I asked them to wait to call in the morning. They hadn’t called by the time we got home from church a little afternoon so I called them again later that afternoon. They said that nothing had been turned in and the information was on the bulletin board if anything should show up. Monday I called Atlanta, the head quarters of Delta, the Park-n-go Shuttle there at Eppley Airport, the Omaha Airport. They all said that nothing had been turned in. So I just kept hoping and praying. I told Bryan that I would probably get another one because I had both the printer that went with it to print off the pictures and another card (a 40 MB card I think) since I had the 1GB card in the camera that I had bought from Kim. Bryan said it sounds like you are playing the "glad game"...finding something positive about this mess. I said that things usually seem better when doing that. Anyway, to jump ahead to Friday, Sandy had gone to take Sara to the doctor and Bryan almost didn’t answer the phone because it looked like a business calling on the ID. But he did. They asked for me. Katie from SaltLake Express (that’s the name of the shuttle company) said that they were going thro’ the lost and found and found what might be my camera. Could I discribe it. I said that it was a small Kodak easy share camera in a small blue denum pocket. She said they had it. She wanted to know where we were. I said we were in the Omaha area but that we would be back Tuesday. She said she would send it with the driver. So altho’ I won’t have any pictures on it of here and everyone here I will have our camera and the other pictures. I feel really blessed. Bryan said that they had enough cameras around here that I could use and then they would e-mail me the pictures I took with them. I said "great!"
Jason is sooo adorable. He looks like his daddy and brothers did when they were as young. Of course he’s already getting his own look. He’s smiling already. He sees angels or someone we can’t see and smiles at them aften. He’s a good baby and a very pleasant baby. He doesn’t have much chance to cry or exercise his lungs with so many people around. Grandma & Grandpa Bonneau are also here and Jessica got here yesterday too. So we are eleven souls in this house right now. It is a few. But great.
Sunday church started at 9:00am so we got up and going early. We finally met Brian & Wendy Hadderlie, Bryan & Sandy’s good friends with whom they’ve been stationed off and on since the Vandenberg days. Sandy is now Relief Society President and Bryan is now the Scout Master. Everyone has been coming and going the whole time we have been here. Their life is very busy and far from dull. Bryan took Karl and me to a session of the Winter Quarters Temple Tuesday night. It is such a beautiful temple! It is one of the small temples but still a good size. I can now stand up throughout the ceremony and the three of us even went up into the prayer circle. The first room we met in was beautiful. It was done in dark wood with gold trim. We then went into another room representing the Terretrial Kingdom. It was all white and gold and very bright. My reaction as I went from the one room to the other was pleasant, thrilling surprise. It is sooo beautiful! I met Sister Millis, the assistant to the matron. Sandy had gotten quite close to her when she and Bryan were in charge of the Baptistry. She asked us if we were here for Jason’s blessing. I told her, "Yes and Chris graduation from high school." She said, "Oh, that’s quite an age span from graduating from high school and a new born." I said, "And that’s not all of it either. Their oldest is a sophomore (I should have said will be a junior this fall) at BYU in Provo." Jason is a surprise but a real blessing in their lives. I know they all will thoroughly enjoy him. I’ll add more later.

I've been tagged by my sweet 16 granddaughter

My 6 weird things or Six weird things about me:

1. I don't have double jointed thumbs but I can lock the first digit of all my fingers, the whole finger is straight except for the end one that is bent.

2. I like my cupboard doors shut. If I'm anywhere and there is an open door or drawer I have to shut it. (OC Behavior?)

3. I like to count things. Telephone poles, panes in windows etc. especially while riding in a car and I'm not driving.

4. I like to read before I go to sleep no matter how late it is.

5. On my caller ID "machine" I have to push the little green button that means someone has called. I don't like to see the constant blinking.

6. I love to make babies smile and laugh. (I guess I'm not so different than most in this last way. It is interesting to see what "adults" go thro' to accomplish this sometimes.)

There I've completed the list. However I'm stopping the tag here. Hope no one minds.

Our Trip Back

We really had fun playing that that night. Duncan finally got up to the third place so he didn't have to give one or two of his best cards away. Since we were to be ready to leave the house by 7:00am the next morning we told the children and Téa goodbye before going to bed. Richard did get up and see us off for which I'm glad because he went down with Ephraim the night before and we didn't get to tell him goodbye then.

It is soooo rewarding as a parent to visit our children and their children in their homes and see how they are teaching their children the gospel and how to walk uprightly before the Lord. I am so thankful we can have that experience. We have experienced it in each of our children's homes. They and their sweethearts are all doing such a good job doing that.

On Monday afternoon Sam & Marta Moore from Scotsdale came to visit us. Sam is my cousin once removed (or in other words my mother's cousin). It had been years and years since I had seen him. I had never met his wife. He is eight or nine months younger than I am. Right in between my sister Bonnie who is sixteen months younger than I am. It was sooo good to see them. I hadn't known that he had been in the Airforce or served in Vietnam. I told him that I always pictured him as I knew him as a young child or teenager. I wouldn't have known him if I'd passed him on the street. Probably he not me either. They were there for two hours and 15 mintues. He brought me some pictures of my family and his family in some of our get togethers. As I was walking out with them to the car, I told them of Elena's reaction to the crucifixion of Jesus. Marta told me that she teaches the Nursery in Primary in their ward and the last week when she was giving the Easter lesson, she mentioned that Jesus was dead. And one three year old boy piped up and said, "Jesus died?" When I told my husband that he said, "They must not have been taught very well." I said, "On the contrary, it is because they have been taught that he and Elena reacted that way. We are always refering to Jesus Christ as the living Christ and to his being alive. In their young minds they aren't able to figure out that He had to die before He could be resurrectied. " I just found that very interesting.

We were picked up by the Super Shuttle there at Richard & Téa's by 7:05am and got to the airport in time to stand in line for an hour to check our luggage before going to the gate,. Because Marta had told me that we could go online and get our boarding pass withing 24 hours of boarding, I was in the aisle A. Karl couldn't get his because he was listed as a senior and they wouldn't give him his without checking to make sure he was over 65. I've decided that since we paid the exact same price for our seats, I wouldn't put him in as a senior next time and we can get both of our boarding passes online. Anyway because I was in aisle A he was able to board with me and we were able to sit together on the back back to SLC.

I forgot to mention that because I was sooo tired the first night we were at Richard's that I didn't unpack my large suitcase until the next morning. Téa had arranged for space and hangers so we could hang up our extra clothes. I had everything I needed for the night in my small carry-on so I didn't even open up my big one until morning. I was glad. I found a piece of paper stating that they had searched my luggage right on top. They had opened my tumbler that had my whey protein drink in it and not put the lid back on securely if at all, and there was 3/4 of it scattered all over my clothes! We had to take everything out and brush it off then shake it off outside. At first I wondered if I would have to wash all of them before I could wear them. But they brushed off nicely. I was really discusted with them tho' I can understand that they randomly check luggage and I can understand why they looked to see what kind of powder that was in there. But I don't understand why they didn't make sure that the lid was back on securely. After we got back to the SLC Airport at 11:50am, I walked up to a security guard and asked him how I could register a complaint. He asked what it was in reference to so I told him what happened. He graciously got me a card with their pubic relations officer's e-mail address on it and told me to e-mail him and explain what happened. I still need to do that.

The shuttle for IF arrived at 1:30 to bring us back here. We arrived at the Fairfield Inn at 5:00 sharp. It is a pleasant way to travel and we couldn't have bought gas and parked the car at the airport for what we paid for for the shuttle for both of us. We will use that again.

Bob Hart met us at the Inn and brought us back home. I had told a woman on the shuttle in Phoenix that we would probably be going back to winter. I didn't realize how right I was until we got home. They had gotten seven inches of snow the day before (Bob measured it on top of his car in the driveway.) and there was still snow from that storm that morning. Altho' most of it had melted by the time we got home, there was still snow over 3/4 of our back yard when we got home.

Karl could tell by Tuesday night that he was coming down with a bad cold. I couldn't tell until Thurday morning. Even then, I wouldn't have traded our experiences of the last week for not getting sick. (We could both understand better why Ephraim and Elena seemed so miserable.) I am so glad that we went.

More about the Pagent

At about 6:00pm or so some protestors showed up carring signs about "baby-killing women" (because the church does allow a baby to be aborted with rape or incest if it would be too tramatic for the woman to carry it full term and place it for adoption.) And one man had a sign on the front of his T-shirt that Mormons weren't Christians and something about hell on the back. (Téa later observed on the way home that if they could stand their and watch that whole pagent and still think we weren't Christians, then they were not very bright. I agreed.) The pagent people started playing music, songs by the tabernacle choir, etc around 7:00. We were very glad about that because the music was loud enough that it drowned out the protestors. They had a megaphone but a police went over and talked to them and I guess told them they couldn't use it because they didn't. The pagent started at 8:00 just at sundown. It did get cool after sundown so I was glad that I wore knee-high stockings and had a sweater with me. Téa had brought extra clothing for the children too. So we were all toasty warm. The first scene was angels up on the roof blowing long trumpets, it was dark everywhere else. It was very impressive. Then it was a street scene in Jerusalem with a lot o people and noise. A Roman sholdier came out and told the people that it was curfew and they had to go home. So everyone had left except for a man and two or three women. The sholdier walked up to them and said, "You are followers of the Nazarene that was crucified?" And they proudly responded that they were altho' you could tell that they didn't really know what to expect from this soldier. He told them that he had been there when he was crucified and could tell that he was a just man and didn't deserve to die and that he was interested in learning more about him and his teachings. One of the women then said, "Come over here with me and we'll tell you of Jesus. We'll start at the beginning." I pictured their going back to his birth. But like Ammon when he started teaching King Lamonhi in the Book of Mormon, they started with Adam and Eve. They told of Enoch and Isaih who had prophesied ofHis coming. Then they told of His birth and why Mary and Joseph were in Bethleham when they were actually residents of Nazareth. The stage was down in front of the Visitors Center there by the temple. The angels were up on the roof again singing their glad tidings. The shephereds were off to the side herding their sheep. Then the wise men came from the East. The next scene was the boy Jesus teaching in the temple there at Jurusalem during the Feast of the Passover. It depicted John the Baptist teaching the people about the Messiah and how Jesus came to him and was bapitzed. Then it told how he called the twelve apostles who would be with him continuously from that time forth. It had a dance of the ten virgins and how the five foolish had to leave to get more oil and how the bridegroom came while they were gone and only the five wise virgins were able to enter in with him. It depicted how the Sunday before the Feast of the Passover was to start He told one of His deciples to go to a man and find a yound white ass that had never been riden and bring it to him and how he made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem with all of the people cheering him and putting down palm fronds for the donkey to walk on as He entered the city. As this was happening the tho't occured to me that the Saducees and Pharacees really did stir up the people against Him just a few days later. If they would have let things be, He would never have been crucified. I also remembered how Nephi learned in one of his visions that the people over there were the only people on the face of the earth to be wicked enough to kill their own God.

The next scene was the feast of the Passover and how Jesus knew that Judas Ischariot would betray him. How he washed their feet and told Judas to leave and go do what he had to do. And how then he institued the sacrament to the other Apostles. He took Peter, James and John with Him to the Garden of Gethsemane and how He suffered as He prayed that the Father would remove the cup from Him. Then came Judas and the Roman sholdiers and He was betrayed with a kiss. As they were taking Him to Ciaphus and then Pontius Pilate, the people on stage where shouting and making a lot of noise. Three-year-old Elena turned to me and said, "What are they doing, Grandma." I said "They are trying to kill Jesus." She said, "They are trying to kill Jesus." After I said, "Yes they are" she said, "Oh, no, Oh no!" I told her to watch closely and he would come alive again. She was very attentive after that. It depicted the women coming to anoint His body with oil, explaining that they didn't have time to do it the day he was crucified because of the beginning of the Sabbath; of how they found the stone rolled away and no one in the tomb; of Peter and John running to the tomb and also finding it empty; of Jesus apearring to Mary. The last scene was up on the roof again with all of the angels and Jesus as He ascended into Heaven. Everything else was dark and he literally rose up above the angels by quite a ways. It was very impressive. When we went to the Black Hills with my in-laws when Richard was seven or eight and he and Kim stayed with Karen & Kent while we were gone, we saw a pagent that depicted the life of Christ. It had real horses, camels and donkeys with beautiful costumes. But there seemed to be something missing. For me anyway. A while later I realized that I couldn't feel the Spirit and that was what was missing. Well, I definitely felt the Spirit that night at the Mesa Temple Easter Pagent. And I was glad that I couldn.

The pagent ended at 9:15pm. We took our time getting back to the car because we knew we would be blocked by all of the other cars leaving since we were parked up by the temple. But that was OK. As the other cars were leaving, Emma, who is five, exclaimed, "Oh, look, Grandma at all the cars leaving and no one is driving them." I chuckled and explained that there was someone driving them for sure but we couldn't see them because it was dark and that kept us from seeing inside the cars. Even after waiting, we were home about an hour after the pagent ended. Téa and I had a very nice gospel discussion of the way home. All of the children, especially Ephraim were so good while we were waiting for the pagent to start and during the pagent. There were thousands of people there.

The next morning, Easter Sunday, we awoke to find that Ephraim and Elena both had fevers and were quite miserable. Téa and Ephraim stayed home from church but the rest of us went. Their meetings don't start until 1:00pm so Elena was feeling better and was able to go. Their ward is sooo large that you have to get there early or not find a seat. We were on the very last row of metal chairs in the overflow. Richard was substituting in Elena's primary class so Karl and I attended Sunday School just the two of us. The teacher reminded me of Brittany. Both the way she looks and her mannerisms. She had asked a young man to read a scripture and told him which one to read. He started reading and she stopped him and repeated the scriture she wanted him to read. He replied, "That's where I'm reading." She got a little flusterd and said, "Oh, it's me that's on the wrong page." That just sounded so Brittany! The teacher was a cute young woman who had been home from her mission only a month or two.

After church I helped Richard fix dinner; Elena and I sliced the strawberries (a new way with the egg slicer that worked great) and Richard and I had a very nice visit just the two of us. The others were either resting or outside jumping on the trampoline. We had ham, scalloed potatoes, veggies (carrots, cucumbers and olives) and then strawberry shortcake. It was all deliscious. When we first got home the TV was on and there was a show on the History Channel that depicted the life of Christ and His crucifixion and resurrection. It had big name stars in it. We saw the last hour of it. We watched other Easter videos too. It added to the day.

Monday was just a relaxing day. We were going to go to the Science Museum but with Epraim and Elena still sick we just stayed home. That night we, Richard, Téa, Karl and Duncan and I all playled the Great Dalmuti with Téa starting in the middle. The girls watched the Ugly Duckling and the Princess and the Pea DVD's while we played.