Veterans Day

Yesterday was spent in preparations for my "RS Meeting" - making pies, shopping, making cookies, a few phone calls, Rich bailing me out by providing nursery with one of the YM, set up, clean up, and of course the meeting.  However, it was Veterans Day and I only had a few minutes to reflect on it and the service of so many, through the years, have given for our great country, some paying the ultimate price.

It is easy for me to love the military men and women of our country and appreciate, in large measure, their sacrifices, and the sacrifices of their families...after all...Rich served in the Air Force for 22 years, and if truth be told, he'd probably have stayed for more if health had allowed it.  Today Joey and Dan both serve, and are making careers of the Air Force.  Joey is stationed at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Cailfornia and Dan is stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska.  Robert served in the Marines.  And, while loosely associated and not technically military, Mike works in the defense industry on many military projects in an effort to provide the support our military needs to stay cutting edge, strong and safe.  Rich's brother, Bob, served in the Navy during Vietnam.  And Rich's sister and brother-in-law both made careers of the Navy too.  Three of their sons have served as well.

As a young child, one of my earliest memories is that of my Uncle Vance returning home to California in his uniform.  He was my favorite uncle, that may be because I saw the uniform and thought he was my Dad who was serving in Korea and then Japan.  Mom and I were living with my Grandmother while Dad was gone.  Not only did my Uncle Vance serve, but so did my Uncle Ted (he served in WWII), Uncle Jack (also WWII), and my Uncle Gayle, and his family, paid the ultimate price when he was killed in Korea.  My Grandfather, Gilbert Roskelley, also served in the army during WWI.  

Rich's Uncle Romanus was killed in action in Europe during WWII during the fighting at the "Bulge" and today there is a memorial to him and others from their small North Dakota town, who fought and died serving and defending our nation.  Rich's father also served during WWII.

As I stop and reflect on the service of so many to our beloved country, I have to realize that these men and women are just those in my conscious memory...the reality is that there are countless more that served that I'm just learning about or realizing of their sacrifices as I contemplate how deep and long the love for our country is, how much freedom has meant to the men and women in our families, and how often they have been willing to pay the ultimate price to defend her...and how grateful I am for their sacrifices because, even though I get discouraged about where our country is heading, the fact is, she is still the most divinely inspired country on the planet, and it is precisely because good men and women, throughout our history, have been willing to lay it all on the line to birth her and defend her that I have the freedoms I do, and count myself truly blessed to have the opportunity to be an American.

There is Capt. David Perry (1741-1826), a soldier of the French and Revolutionary War.  He wrote a book, Recollections of an Old Soldier, that is quite rare (only two copies are still known to exist) that details his "experiences from the time he was sixteen years old until 1776 - during which period he was a soldier with Abercrombie at Ticonderoga, then with Wolfe at Quebec, then in 1762 with the British in Newfoundland and finally with Washington at the siege of Boston."  He truly saw and experienced the birth of our nation first hand.  He is of the line that Joey used to become a "Son of the American Revolution" this past summer.

There is Rich's great-great- grandfather, John Bainbridge, who was an immigrant from England who answered the call to serve by enlisting in the New York 64th Volunteers during the Civil War.  He lost his life following the battle of Fredircksburg, VA and is buried in Washington, D.C. leaving his wife and two young sons.

I think of my great-great-great grandfather, Erastus Bingham, Jr., and UnclesThomas Bingham, Thomas and Elijah Freeman of Company B and David and Lott Smith of Company E who enlisted in the Mormon Battalion to fight for the United States in the Mexican War, even though the Saints had left the boundaries of the United States and had been so cruelly treated by its government and some of its citizens.  There will be some who believe they only went for the money, but there is ample evidence that the Saints still felt a loyalty and allegiance to the United States and belief in her and her cause that compelled them to join the fight.  

As a girl, living in Germany, I often had opportunity to be on a military installation during retreat or taps. I frequently visited military theaters and always thrilled as the audience stood for the national anthem prior to the movie.  I loved living in El Centro and going to the fireworks display for the 4th of July and hearing Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" over the speakers.  Etched into my memory forever will be the streets of Elizabethtown, KY all the way to Fort Knox lined with Americans and American flags proudly and solemnly waving following 9/11.  I understood the surge of patriotism that rushed in our hearts and the desire of so many to defend her.  

I've been working on my "Moroni Quilt" for a very, very, very long time.  It is nearly done.  Today I hope to finish the quilting in the border which reads, "The Title of Liberty".  Along two of the borders I have quilted CTR shields.  It reminds me that we are a divinely established nation.  Unique in all the world.  And that we have been great because we have been good.  We have loved The Lord and tried to do the right thing for the right reason, not unlike Moroni of long ago.  And, gratefully we honor the men and women who have and continue to defend us.  May we always strive to be worthy of the Lord's blessings.

Mother's Day 2014

Wow!  All if a sudden I feel really old!  I remember my first Mother's Day - Wanda was just six weeks or so old - that was 1975...WOW!  Lol

It has been a busy few weeks here in East Tennessee.  Rich had been experiencing some constant chest pain and so he made an appointment with his cardiologist as it felt similar to what he had experience prior to his heart attack 4 1/2 years ago.  Dr. Blackey decided recommended a heart catherization

April...

The past week has been pretty busy.   I loved conference, duh! But during the Sunday sessions Rich started to notice that he was having some kind of discomfort in his chest.  It seemed intermittent and I wasn't worried too much.  By Monday it seemed to be a more constant presence and he tried to get an appointment with his cardiologist.  Suffice it to say, nothing was available and since the pain didn't feel like an actual heart attack, he made an appointment with Dr. May for Tuesday.  He just didn't seem to be on his game and so he went to his physical therapywe spent the day doing "stuff" that was around here and where we could be lazy.

Tuesday came and Rich received a message of that Dr. May was out sick, so she was canceling.  Rich asked to talk to Rita, her nurse, and explained what was happening and she was able to get him an appointment with Dr. Cuthbertson.  So - off we went.  I decided to sit in the car and wait rather than be a distraction.  However, it wasn't too long before I got a call to come into his office.  He explained that there needs to be two of three or four heart attack indicators to know if a heart attack is happening and because of the "branch bundle block" (a heart configuration that a very small number of people have), it makes reading an EKG very difficult, if not impossible, for heart attack symptoms.  And their lab doesn't have the ability to get a heart enzyme reading.  So he recommended that he call in an emergency crew and take him to the hospital via ambulance.  And we said, "ok!"  Since Rich's cardiologist works out of Parkwest, we went there.  After 4 hours, it was determined that the heart enzymes were normal, the X-Ray looked okay, the EKG hadn't changed, and the pain wasn't increasing (or diminishing for that matter), and a consultation with Dr. Blackey (his cardiologist), it was determined that we could go home as long as we made follow-up appointments with Dr. May and Dr. Blackey.

Wednesday he saw Dr. May.  She feels there must be something going on...maybe lungs...maybe heart...maybe gastro.  Who knows at this point?  But, since he has problems with all three, we'll start the investigation with Dr. Blackey since that is the more immediate concern.  We have an appointment with him tomorrow.  My guess is that we'll end up scheduling a stress test or a catherization to rule out the heart, one way or the other.  In the meantime, he is still presenting with pain and discomfort that doesn't seem to go away.  At times it is less pronounced...but still there.  I wish there was something I could do.  I suspect that the most difficult thing about this is the not knowing.  Isn't that the way it always is?  So, maybe more answers tomorrow...but probably not! 

The rest of the week I tried to get in some gardening and organ practice.  Our gardens in the front were really neglected last year due to all our health issues.  And it shows!   On Saturday, Julio came to help and he helped by mowing and weed-eating the yards.  I was working in the front house beds and I was sad that the pine "tree" on the left side of the house was impossible to get standing upright.  We've had problems with that tree for the entire time we've been here!  Close inspection showed that the root ball was coming up out of the ground and so Julio tried to dig a bigger hole for it.  However, the roots were just circling in a very tight little ball instead of branching out...there was nothing to keep it standing...like trying to balance a beach ball on top of a tennis ball.  I had him pull it out...and the tree on the other side too.  We want to put on a front veranda style porch in a couple of years so they would need to be pulled then anyway...just sad and glad it is now.  I worked at pulling weeds for a while, and digging up a space in the grass that has moss for grass instead if grass.  However, by about 4 pm I was hammered and I knew Rich was too.  We put things away and headed to Costco for a few things.  Came home and put stuff away and headed to the church so I could practice.   

Yesterday was pretty good for me...except the organ!  *sigh*!  I hadn't figured out what I was going to do for Primary music by Saturday night...just decided to sleep on it.  By Sunday morn I knew what I wanted but slept in...yikes!  So I tried to grab the things I needed to do music, only to find that the DVD that was sitting on my desk ISN'T!   Nor is it in any of my files!  I couldn't spend anymore time looking so just left.  My brain just kept churning and churning...that may have been why I had trouble with the organ! Lol. When I got to Primary I also discovered I had no pianist and no possibilities in sight!   So - everything that I had thought I would do wasn't going to work anyway, as the gal that came to fill in for me is great with some notice...but I was going to be throwing things at her cold...not a great combo.  So mid-stream I revamped and simplified.  I went to the library and got pics of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve and sheets of paper (one for each child).  I shared with them that many years ago, in Europe, when the King wanted to send out information for his subjects, he would send out a "crier".  I told them that often the crier would announce his coming with a few blows of fanfare from his trumpet and then he would deliver the very important message or proclamation.  Then I shared that the King of Kings (Jesus) had a very, very, very important message that he needed to send and he had done that through his criers, the Prophet and the the apostles.  I told them that the song we would be learning had taken some of its words right from this important message..."THE FAMILY - A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD".  

I reviewed the words of the song, "The Family is of God", and shared the words from the proclamation and had our pianist play through the melody.  Then, we made "trumpets" and blew our "fanfare" to announce the song.  The kids loved it!  Even my senior girls who are usually a little surly.  Then I told them that we would play "freeze" ... I would sway back and forth and call, "freeze!" occasionally and see if they were freezing like me.  Again, they loved it.  They sang their hearts out!  In the end I was able to bear testimony to the importance of this proclamation from The Lord and to encourage them to do everything they could to strengthen their families.

Afternoon Delight :)

► 2:57► 2:57

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz1ex78QeQI

Jun 21, 2010 - Uploaded by retroj25

Original promo video for "Afternoon Delight" from 1976. This was the only hit in Australia for ...

Currently there is a cute commercial out by Taco Bell that utilizes a #1 hit song of 1976 that I absolutely loved, Starland Vocal Band's "Afternoon Delight".  The commercial capitalizes on the catchy tune and suggestive lyrics to sell their wares.  And the tune IS catchy and it IS suggestive and just plain fun.

We had just returned to the States as this was riding its wave of popularity back in 1976 and of course the airwaves reverberated with this tune.  It was just a few weeks after our arrival in the states and we had a new baby, Joey, moved into our new home, and life was good.  We (Rich and I) still had opportunity now and then to find some afternoon delight, between naps, extended lunch hours, and the demands of work and two little children.  I still smile at those memories....

One day, I was with my Mom, and the song came on and I was surprised to find Mom singing with it.  I remember looking at her and wondering for just a brief moment, if she really knew or understood the lyrics lol!  It was obvious that she did! Lol. Of course she did!  And she caught my glance and we both started to laugh.  Then she shared that it was one of her favorite songs too.  It was one of those moments when you, as an adult, catch a glimpse of your parents as young and carefree, and also as the sexual and intimate partners they are instead of just your PARENTS!  Lol. Rich and I watch the commercial now and there is a couple that are older in it and we just have to chuckle as we remember Mom.   

April Conference 2014

The past few evenings, as I've prepared to blog, our internet has "gone down".   We've been experiencing power outages and had some terrific thunder storms...perhaps that is the the reason.  It occurs to me, at this moment, that perhaps I could have blogged the pages and posted later...but I don't really know if that works, but it's something I can investigate for future outages.  Again, it would be nice if I understood so much more about the computer. :)

Today was the first day of our annual General Conference.  It consists of a morning session, an afternoon session, and the Priesthood session for the men in the evening.  I always look forward to Conference and this year, the yearning for it seemed intense and l think I'm not the only one who feels this way.  It is not difficult to see, hear, and feel our secular society spiraling out of control...what is good is called bad and what is bad is called good and if you are trying to advocate for righteousness, it certainly feels like stones will soon be cast your way.  Still, there are many, many more who hold similar views and worries, even not of our faith...just too often we're bullied into silence by the other forces.

Conference seemed to address these growing concerns...how to live as a disciple of the Savior and yet also stand immoveable in the winds of our time.  The talks seemed perfectly prepared just for my aching soul.  I can't wait to be able to read them, although I have recorded them.  Today I am eager for the last two sessions...although I feel sad that they are the last two...too bad we can't have the three days of my youth.

Rich and I had gone to Sam's on Firiday, to pick up pies for the Priesthood session.  The men of our two wards usually gather together the hour previous to the session for pie and ice cream.   I had set our dvr to record all of the sessions earlier and had noted that the Priesthood session was going to be on BYUtv - a departure from previous conferences.  I recorded it too and told Rich about it.   Both of us were intrigued, and I was especially hoping it wasn't because of the insipid women who have been clamoring for their right to have the priesthood.  When Rich left for his session, I settled in to watch some hallmark tv and work on some cross stitch.  However, I was interested to know if the change had been addressed at his session.

When he got home, about 10:45 pm (we're on east coast daylight savings time), I asked Rich how his session had been and he was eager to share his thoughts...and about the fun he'd had with his guys with the pie and ice cream.  :)  I finished watching my hallmark movie (10 minutes) and then he wanted me to hear at least the first talk by Elder Dallin H. Oaks so we turned to the dvr...and it was such a great session that we listened to the entire thing!  We didn't get to bed until nearly 1:30!  

There has been a movement from some women in the Church, over the last few years, who've been actively campaigning for the Priesthood.  They've even gone so far as to declare a certain Sunday as "wear slacks to Church day" and have tried to to promote and even encourage women throughout the Church to wear slacks on that Sunday as a push for solidarity.  Largely, I think, it has failed.  There have been a few women who've joined in, mostly because they have been persuaded by the argument but don't really see the dangers of this movement.  The blogs and social media within my circle of friends have mostly ignored this stupidity...somewhat like ignoring gnats.  However, there have been a couple who have been vocal advocates and some who've flirted with the ideas...perhaps in jest...maybe even sarcastically.  Needless to say my hackles go up, my irritation rises, and my alarm bells go off when I hear and read such nonsense because I so worry about those who may be caught in the snares of the adversary.  My life experience has taught me that as women go, we're usually mostly concerned about "micro" issues.  That isn't meant to be condescending or any such thing...it is a fact of life, I think.  We're made that way!  Our concerns are for our families, the here and now, the immediate, the things that affect and effect our lives on the "cellular" level.  We inherently know that "as the family goes, there goes society".  And it is within our sphere that we have any control!  Lol. Rightly, it is where we spend our time, energy, and capital.  It is for the nurturing, protecting, teaching, loving, and development of the most important and helpless among us...our children, our aging parents, and the poor and needy.  We live and work in that "micro-cosm" and that is where our concerns are most often focused.  It isn't to say that we aren't aware of the "macro" - indeed we are, and we see what is happening to the macro and how it is affecting us in the micro...just sometimes...and some would argue that it is most times :)...our advocacy and our urgency for the concerns we face sometimes overwhelms us and we connot see the forest for the trees...the immediacy of our concerns and our focus can cause us to be somewhat myopic, forgetting, not seeing, not understanding, or maybe not even valuing the "macro".  

My life experience has also taught me that men, most often, live and work in the "macro" - literally and figuratively!  Lol  They are also "compartmentalized" - a fact that so often, as women, we deride, minimize, and mock because we easily "multi-task" and mistakenly assume it is superior to the "compartmentalized" focus of men.  Last night, during the Priesthood Session, one of the speakers warned the brethren against "multi-tasking"!  I had to chuckle to myself, knowing that so often, we as sisters, get frustrated by the total focus of our "compartmentalized" men, and they get harassed by us because of it, and yet the irony is that their efforts to multi-task are the exact things that drive us nuts and the Elder was warning about!  Lol. When we're talking to them, we want their full focus and attention!  When we're on a date, we want their full attention!  When we're needing their help, we want and need their full attention!  Poor guys!!!  They can't win for losing!  And we, as sisters, need to appreciate their "compartmentalized" and "100% focused" talents and characteristics...we need to value them...and to recognize that they complete us, make us whole, make us perfect.  Having two "multi-taskers" or two "totally focused and compartmentalized" individuals at the head makes for a lopsided companionship....

As far a guys' macro interests...it seems they are often looking at the micro and seeking to find ways to make life better for all the micros by improving the macro.  A case in point...Brigham Young, when faced with the daunting task of moving thousands of saints to the west, was perfectly aware of his micro tasks, and the micro needs of not only his families, but also the families and individuals of all in his care.  It was those concerns that led him to appoint bishops, captains, etc. over groups so as to provide the leadership and stewardship for the people.  It was his understanding of the micro needs that caused him to create settlements in Mt. Pisgah and Garden Grove that would set up housing, plant crops, and become way stations for the weary travelers.  He also was able to recognize the need for bridges, ferries, water supplies, and trails that would lessen the wear and tear of man, beast, and equipment and devise ways to provide safe passage over prairies, mountains, streams, rivers, and desert.  Quite remarkable really.  And it goes without saying that without a wife caring and concerned for the welfare of the micro, he probably couldn't have focused as well or as easily on the macro.  What a team they made.  Isn't that what every team should be and do?  Each has responsibility, traits, talents, and characteristics that are best suited to get the job done.  I can readily recognize that we can certainly do the others' job, if necessary, but our real skills, aptitude, and interests tend to dictate where we're best suited.  Why is that so difficult for some?

Yes, I know Brigham Young was/is a prophet...obviously he was prompted, directed, and supported by The Lord, but I believe that also, by their very nature, with specific talents, traits, and characteristics suited for the tasks of working for and improving the lives of all in society...men are the builders of bridges, skyscrapers, airplanes, automobiles, trains, railroads, and dams.  They're the microbiologists, pharmacists, engineers, and accountants that's bless the lives of all.  They're the military who provide safety and freedom.  They're our husbands, fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, and sons!  They deserve our respect, admiration, appreciation, and support instead of our derision, anger, and jealousy.  In my experience they appreciate and value what we bring to the table and do everything within their power to support and help us achieve our goals.  Why is it that we don't do the same for them?  Why do some of us seem to think we need to be like them to be valued?  Perhaps it is because we don't value ourselves and the mission we have...not the other way around!  

At the Priesthood session, Elder Oaks taught magnificently about priesthood power, keys, and authority.  At the Women's session last week, they tried to impress upon us, as women and girls, our value and how much we are loved by our Heavenly Father.  However, I came away from that conference frustrated...of course we are love and valued.  Duh?!  I wanted to scream back, "why don't you encourage, inspire, and teach us to love, value, and support the priesthood and priesthood holders?"  That probably wasn't fair.  In retrospect, I believe that they understand that the lack of respect and competition that some in my gender feel is precisely because they don't value themselves or their roles, and they were trying to teach that.  But Elder Scott taught that so beautifully yesterday when he told about the power and influence to two women so important in his life - his mom and his wife...two women that understood what power their influence could have in the micro to affect the macro!  May all of my gender learn that and be grateful for their power and influence and seek to provide the love and support for our partners so deserve and need...without malice, anger, irritation, or mockery.  I pray that all of my daughters, daughters-in-law (really my daughters too...in my eyes...but I know they may not feel that way about me), and granddaughters will understand that their joy and happiness depend on their love and respect for their husbands and for their love, respect, and value of their own roles as daughters, wives, mothers, sisters, aunts, and grandmothers...we have true power and influence to inspire and promote the cause of righteousness if we are true to our very natures!

Turn! Turn! Turn!

http://youtu.be/pKP4cfU28vM

Hmmm...I don't know if I did this correctly...guess I'll find out in a few minutes!  Lol

In the '60's, the folk rock band, The Byrds, released a version of Turn! Turn! Turn!, written by Pete Seeger, and became a #1 hit.  The lyrics were taken from Ecclesiastes, reputedly penned by King Solomon.  I have always enjoyed these passages of scripture and even a folk rock interpretation.  Way back in the '60's, in my teens, with life at my feet, I tacitly acknowledged that growing older would happen...but I certainly didn't think it would happen to me!  Lol. But...sadly...when I look in the mirror...I clearly see that it has....

My Mom used to tell me to cherish the moments of my life.  She started to tell me that when I was just a little girl...and I always thought I was...but time really has continued to march onward and to turn, turn, turn...

Mom knew how important it was to set goals and plan for the future, but she also knew how easily we can get so busy living that we never, ever, really live.  Or...how we can be so excited to experience "someday" that we never, ever, really experience today.  I couldn't wait until I was 8 and could be baptized.  I couldn't wait until I was 10, 11, and 12, when I would be a "gaynote", "firelight", and "merrihand" (the Primary class names for girls when I was those ages).  I couldn't wait until I graduated from Primary (girls had to wait to advance to YW - they advanced as a class at the end of their "merrihand" year, unlike the boys).  I couldn't wait until I turned 14, when I could attend dances in Mutual.  I couldn't wait until I turned 16 and could date.  I couldn't wait until I could graduate and go to college.  I couldn't wait until I got married.  I couldn't wait until we had a baby.  I couldn't wait until the baby (Wanda) would sleep through the night.  I couldn't wait until....  

Mom's counsel was so "spot on".  I always felt like I was cherishing these "moments" but when I look back, I realize I was cherishing, but I was also wishing or hoping or waiting for the next milestone too.  Even in the difficult, tragic, or frustrating moments or times of life, there are blessings and significant things to learn.  How important it is to learn to live in the moment.  To appreciate and cherish what is happening right now.  And, I think that is one of the blessings of the counsel by our prophets, to keep a journal.  I so regret that I was not better in that endeavor, not as consistent as I could have been...should have been.  It seems to me that by journaling we are in essence giving thanks to our Father in Heaven for the blessing of that day and my inconsistency, my procrastination, forgetfulness, or rationalizations are evidence of treating my blessings lightly or not appreciating or recognizing and acknowledging my blessings.  I guess, the fact is, that our lives are gifts from our loving Heavenly Father, and these "turns" are also wonderful gifts.

I am profoundly grateful for our children and grandchildren.  I have no idea why I have been so blessed...but I'm so in love with each of them!  All 42!!!!  :)

I'm grateful for great medical care for both Rich and me.  That includes drs, nurses, physical therapists, lab technicians, acupuncturists, trainers and the fact that we live in a day and time when so much is known that allows them to provide the care we need.

And, I am so grateful for the gospel and the Savior, for living prophets, priesthood power, the scriptures, and for loving parents who loved me.

Elevator/Grocery Store Music

When did the music of my youth become elevator music?  Lol. I was in our local convenience store, Weigels, the other day and the background music was the popular music of my youth...who'd have thought that would EVER happen?  Popular artists and groups such as The Association, The Beatles, Three Dog Night, the Carpenters, Neil Diamond, Neil Sedaka, the Doors, The Monkeys, the Who, Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly, The Rolling Stones and Mick Jagger, Carol King, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Jackson Five, Donny and Marie Osmond, Ingelbert Humperdink, Petula Clark, Lulu, The Everley Brothers...where did the time go?  

One of the first songs I learned on the piano was Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Waters. I loved the soulful chording and while I was perfectly aware that the lyrics probably had vastly different meaning than my attribution...the fact was that they were exactly what I wanted them to be as a sixteen year old.  

I lived in Germany throughout my teens with my family.  After two years in Augsburg, where we only had AFN radio, we moved to the Kaiserslautern area and AFN had tv programming for several hours in the afternoon and evening.  We were so excited to have something of "home."  In truth, the programming was limited to programs that the big three (CBS, ABC, NBC) would loan to the Armed Forces Network to air.  It was usually several years behind stateside programming but we didn't care.  During that period musical variety shows (The Carol Burnett Show, Donny and Marie, Laugh-In, Sonny and Cher, Dick Van Dyke Show, The Ed Sullivan Show,  The Red Skelton Show, and Dean Martin) filled the airways.  The jokes, the skits, the music and performers all gave us a glimpse into an American culture that seemed so far away.  Other programs - Star Trek, old I Love Lucy shows, Mission Impossible, Bewitched, My Favorite Martian, Gunsmoke, The Twilight Zone, Bonanza, Gilligan's Island, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Perry Mason, The Mod Squad, Columbo, My Three Sons, the Fugitive, Rawhide, Disney, The Beverly Hillbillies, Batman, Ben Casey, Burke's Law, F Troop, Flipper, Get Smart, Gomer Pyle, McHale's Navy, Green Acres, Hogan's Heroes, I Dream of Jeanie, Mr. Ed, The Addams Family, The Munsters, The Jetsons, The Rat Patrol, Voyage to the Bottom of thenSea, Wagon Train, The Rifleman, The Flintstones, Petticoat Junction, Outer Limits, Lost in Space, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Dragnet, Combat, Mannix, Maverick, and The Flying Nun and Patty Duke Show were all programs that kept us connected to "home"...even if they were aired AFTER they had been cancelled stateside!  Lol. Ironically many of the tunes from tv programs filtered their way into our culture and our memories, reminding us of our better selves and encouraging the values and principles held by us, as Americans.  

You're Having My Baby

This has been painful...Cherstin has been trying to walk me through attaching a YouTube video to my blog!  Lol. I don't know if I'm even doing anything but I'm trying to post...so we'll see....

A few years back I posted about learning that I was pregnant with Wanda.  We were in Hawaii, TDY and then heading on to Australia.  I had been sooooo sick and Rich hadn't been able to do anything right!  Lol. The afternoon that I took the pregnancy test at Tripler Army Medical Center, they refused to give us the results and said we had to go back to the Hickam AFB Medical Center to get them.  I hadn't told Rich what we had even gone to Tripler about, except a medical test, but by the time we got there, had the test and they had refused to give us the results and sent us back to Hickam, it was very nearly closing time and we were very worried that we were going to be too late to get the results.  When we walked in, the medic at the desk congratulated Rich...you can imagine his surprise since he hadn't even been fully aware about what we were even testing for.  Lol.  

That evening Rich suggested that we take a drive around the island.  It was August, the day had been very, very warm but as evening descended and the cool island breezes started to blow things started to cool off.  Rich had rented a VW bug for us to get around during our week there and I consented to the drive.  I was soooo tired and soooo sick that for the first little bit I dozed off and on.  We had driven west out of Honolulu and then proceeded north and up around towards Laeie.  As we traveled south towards Honolulu, night was descending and the city lights could be seen below us and we were listening to the radio when Paul Anka's song, "She's Having My Baby" came on.  Rich grabbed my hand and squeezed it and started singing the lyrics to me.  It was magical...and I never tire of hearing the song and remembering that night when we learned that we were going to be parents for the very first time.  While we have always enjoyed the lyrics and the song with each of our children, it is Wanda that I associate the song with...obviously.  

Paul Anka had written the song as a love song for his wife when she was expecting their fourth child.  He released the song in June 1974 and by August it was climbing the charts and would eventually be number one.  He took a lot of heat for the song from the "femi-nazis".  But to me it was a love song that expressed the joy, the hope, the love and the wonder of marriage, pregnancy, birth, a child, and family in one fell swoop.  I love the song.  I love Rich.  I love Wanda and am so glad she came to us...Happy Birthday!!!  And I love that we have been sealed as a family and that each of our children, our children-in-law, and each of our 30 grandchildren are ours for eternity.

Stake Conference

I wonder how many Stake Conferences I have attended in my life.  When I was a young child...until my 20's probably, Stake Conference was held quarterly and usually with a general authority.  In Germany we usually had a member of the 12.  I remember meeting with Harold B. Lee, Boyd K. Packer, Bruce R. McConkie, Mark E. Peterson, Hugh B. Brown, LeGrande Richards and many others.  And, when dad was bishop the first time, it wasn't unusual to receive a call from a general authority at home.  

Today, Stake Conference is held semi- annually, and general authority attendance is more likely a yearly event, and seldom is it a member of the 12, however, the spirit is just as strong and I am taught just as effectively.  This session of conference is themed, "Hastening the Work."

I ALWAYS enjoy the Saturday evening session more than the Sunday session...don't know why...just do.  And, tonight's session is no exception.  Joe Stanley, one of the young men in our ward, was the first speaker.  Joe joined the church about a year and a half ago due to the influence of one of the young women in our ward.  He is a senior this year and is preparing to go on a mission as soon as he graduates from high school.  Joe's talk was about his conversion and the things he is doing to "hasten the work."  I always enjoy his talks and for a couple of months I subbed in seminary and he's an outstanding student and young man.  He reminded us that the thing that drew him to Becca was that she was happy - all the time!  Lol. Throughout the session his remarks were referenced as to our need to be happy. :)  

Another speaker was Jennifer Hughes.  She runs the Knox Area Mormons Facebook page and she talked about using social media to "hasten the work."  It was enormously entertaining and extraordinarily informative.  There is certainly more I can/should do in this arena...but again...my lack of expertise in the tech realm certainly hinders me! Lol

Another speaker I really enjoyed was President Hurley's wife.  She spoke with the youth in mind but more about the courage we must have to stand for truth and righteousness, owning our own testimonies, and the bullying tactics of those who would like to silence our voices.

The congregational hymns selected were "Behold, a Royal Army" and "Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel."  Again, both reminders that we're the Lord's army and that we have a great work to do to bring our Heavenly Father's children back to Him.  

Someone in the session reference D&C 4.  My mind immediately went to a piece of music that our ward choir in El Centro sang often, including at both Joey and Phil's farewells and homecomings..."The Work and the Glory."  It was written by Gerald Lund's wife as an appendage to his 9 volume series, " The Work and the Glory."  I love the song and I love the series. It evokes strong emotions for me and very tender memories.  It was one of the first songs that Cherstin learned to play on the violin and I remember her using it to audition for mrs. Lange.  The books were largely responsible for our quest to take the trips to church history sites and furthered our knowledge and understanding of the gospel, church history, and to the life changing principles of "the work."  

Music

I was talking to Wanda the other day, about our proposed family newsletter.  In the course of that conversation we meandered through the maze of memories and family history.  She shared the desire to have more memories from Rich and me and something that had been discussed in her Institute class about thematic memories for sharing and passing on those memories.

I have found myself thinking about that conversation over and over and wondering how I might do that considering my limited tech expertise.  I thought about the beautiful job that Kathryn, Mike's mom, has done in creating DVDs with music and photos for their children...that's waaaaaayyyy out of my realm of expertise.  Lol. I have wondered how I can capture the essence of memories of my and our lives and know that it has to be within my realm of capability.  I have finally decided that it would be wonderful if I could learn how to do what I envision...but that may or may not happen...but at least I can write those memories down.  So, I've decided that for a few posts I will be addressing the theme of music.

My earliest memories of music are the lullabies that my mother would sing and hum to me and my brothers.  I have no actual recollection of anything specific but I remember the peace and love and security I felt...even when I was 12 and 13 and she would rock Chad.  It's interesting to me that I'm pretty sure her touch and voice were soothing to Chad...but they were particularly soothing to me.   

However, I remember that Mom used to share that Chad, as he got older, would ask her NOT to sing.  In some way I think she thought it might be a repudiation of the quality of her voice...but I always found her voice beautiful.  She usually sang second soprano or alto in a group, but she always had a clear and lovely toned melody.  I also remember that Mom played with us and sang the nursery rhymes of babyhood...things like "Wee Willie Winkie," "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," or "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and the childhood songs of "Jumbo Elephant," "Ten Little Indians," or "The Crocodile Song."  The power of her example and the feelings that I had as I watched and participated in her efforts definitely had an influence in my efforts as a young mother and even as a grandmother.

Being the oldest child, my musical exposure as a child was mostly informed by my parents and the things that they listened to, at least until my teens.  My parents had a "stereo" and I grew up listening to the music of "Oklahoma," The King and I," "South Pacific," "State Fair," "Carousel," "My Fair Lady," "Show Boat," and "Singing in the Rain."  In fact, friends across the street, Sherry and Vicki Stephens, would come over to my home and we would "choreograph" dances to the music and put on shows for other neighborhood kids with the front room window being our "screen" to our stage in the living room.  I know...it was probably pretty bizarre...however, these are the same friends that I used to ride my bicycle with...with strips of diapers braided into 40" braids bobby pinned to our hair as we pretended to be riding horses as cowgirls! Lol

My father also loved music...although I don't really ever recall him singing.  However, he was often heard whistling, and he was really, really good at it.  One of his favorite songs to whistle was "Itsy, Bitsy, Teeny, Weeny, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini."  Lol.  I still smile at the memory.

In my early teens I remember Dad coming home and telling Mom he wanted her to write down some lyrics and try to write the tune to a song that he thought could be a great hit.  He then whistled the tune for Mom and we all started to giggle...it was already a very popular tune!  "Downtown" sung by Petula Clark and heard on the radio every hour!  

Over the River and Through the Woods...

The next part of the line should be, "to grandmother's house we go..."  but instead it's, "to our grand children's homes we go."  All week long we've worked to prepare for our trip to Wisconsin where fully one half of our grandchildren reside.  I'm terribly behind in the quilt-making department and so I've tried to get as much of that done...and succeeded in getting four tops done.  I just have three more to do plus all the quilting.  It is highly improbable that I'll manage all of that...but I can hope, right? 

This past week is notable also for four birthdays in our family.  Philip was born on the 15th and on my mother-in-law's birthday.   She, Mary (aka Marie) Wagner Bainbridge, is a lovely lady who I'm eternally indebted to as she gave birth to and raised my eternal companion and sweetheart, Rich.  In the last couple of decades of her life I believe she and I formed a great bond and I love her and miss her...and will be thrilled to see her again.  She has many wonderful qualities and and character traits which I admire and desire to emulate.  And, one of her great interests is one that I too share...politics!  Who'd have thunk?  We could talk for hours about the events of our days and the state of our country.  Mom would have been 94.

Philip turned 35!  I still have a hard time wrapping my head around that number!  However, I have years of wonderful memories of him from just the moment he was born to today and feel so blessed that we've been able to have him in our lives, especially when I look back at how ill  he was in those early years and how he struggled.  There are so many memories...and for just a moment I will indulge in walking down that lane to recount a couple.   

When we moved to Germany in 1984, Phil had just turned 5...in fact he turned five while we were in billeting.  We moved into an apartment in the little village of Siegelbach, a sleepy suburb of Kaiserslautern.   The town wasn't very big but it had a "Tierpark" or zoo and the kids loved to walk down to the gardens and the little stream.  One day either Wanda or Joey (don't remember which one right now) had an assignment to find some polliwogs and so Rich went with the kids down to the stream to search for them.   And, sure enough, they found some.  Philip was astounded by this find and he excitedly observed, "I've never seen so many polliwogs in my life!!!  They must be having church!  In fact, I bet they're having stake conference!!!"  We chuckled about that then and more than a few times over the years.

Another time, when he was just 4, my mother was cutting his hair out on the patio.  Some of his cousins were in the back yard playing in the sand pile and on the swing set when they started to have a disagreement.  As the argument escalated, one of them heatedly told the other that they weren't going to be friends anymore.  Philip was listening to all of it and observed to my mother, "what they don't know is you can pick your friends but you can't pick your family!"

And, this past week, Rich started going through some of the old videos we have of the kids...granted we don't have many, but what we do have are priceless!  In them he found the video that Philip and Joey made for an English assignment that Philip had been given to demonstrate various types of advertising.  That video is more than priceless to me.  He had put it off and finally, the night before it was due, he asked for help.  Joey, Rich, and I had a blast thinking up ideas and collaborating with him and the result was choice beyond anything we'd ever done like it.  If I knew how, I'd post it here.

The following day, the 16th, was my birthday.  My thoughts turned to my parents frequently throughout the day.  Why and how it is that I was blessed with such outstanding parents is a mystery to me, but I'm sure grateful for them!  I love them with all my heart and am ashamed that I was not always as appreciative, supportive, or worthy of them as I should have been.  I can only try to live to honor them today and pray that they will know how much they mean to me and grateful I am for their unconditional love and support, their patience, kindness, understanding, goodness, and their examples.  Their teachings and testimonies have brought my life such joy.

The same day, the 16th, Gideon shares his birthday with me.  He was a few days early and I really didn't think he'd be born on my birthday, but he was!  Surprise! Surprise!  He was such a cute baby!  And now he's 15!  How did that happen?   He's an awesome oboe player, has a fun sense of humor, is as smart as a whip, and is kind and generous.  Hopefully he'll get his Eagle this year and make straight A's.   The move to Monterey has been kind of difficult, I think, but he'll manage anything really.

Weekend

I spent Saturday, for the most part, piecing a quilt top for one of my grandsons.   I'm pretty excited to see it start to come together.  I'll try to figure out how to upload a pic of it in the next few days.  

On Saturday evening I ran some errands, practiced the organ, and put finishing touches on my primary music.  As I did that I was thinking of Cherstin...today she was released as primary president.  I know it will be bitter-sweet.  It always is.  However, I think it'll take some of the pressure off her as they try to prepare for their move to Alaska.

Today, actually yesterday at this moment, I got to church early to try and run through sacrament music, which went disasterously for the closing hymn, I might add.  Primary went well.  And I made arrangements for the next two weeks since we'll be out of town, if Rich's drs concur over the next three days...which I have no reason to believe they won't.

We also went to Jacob Gorman's open house.  He leaves Wednesday for Mexico City where he will enter the MTC there before heading to Ecuador.  

January 10

January 10 is my Grandmother Roskelley's birthday.  I wrote about her a couple of years ago and I'm really excited that my cousin, Kathy, had the autobiography that I remember reading as a kid.  The one I have is good, and there are some funny things in it that aren't in the one Kathy had...but I love that one because there are details that really make her come alive.  Personally, she had a tremendous influence in and on my life.  There are things I learned from her that I use everyday...ideas, lessons, philosophies that have shaped how I look at the world and her life was a life of service, sacrifice, love, and kindness.  How grateful I am that she is my grandmother.

Today I worked on quilts...nothing new, huh?  And practiced the organ...nothing new there either.  Tomorrow I will be doing the same and adding some primary prep in there too.

Ruth and Janie

Today was Ruth's birthday.  Over and over, throughout the day, I thought about calling her but when I'd look at the clock and calculate the time difference I knew she'd either be getting ready for school, at school, coming home from school, or I was in a meeting or unable to call...and here it is...9:00 her time and I'm pretty sure she's probably gone to bed...decided to call...and she has, and is fast asleep....Adam, Moroni, and Sam are still up...but not Ruth.  :(  I guess I'll call tomorrow...just know that really doesn't cut it.

I had a luncheon today with "The Old Ladies Playgroup" as Cherstin so affectionately called my group of ladies here in my ward.  It's fun to see everyone in a more relaxed way than just durning church.  We went to a New Mexican restaurant and the food I had was really very good.  I've learned that I like Baja Mexican and much of what they have around here is not that.  I would love a good chimichanga from California...but didn't even try one today because I've been disappointed too many times.  But the food was good and so was the company.

I also spent a couple hours practicing the organ...not much new on that front.

And I finished the quilt top for William...four years late...but what the hey!   While I was finishing it Alexis called.  It was sure good to talk to her.   My cousin, Janie Roskelley, passed away a couple of days ago and Lexie and I had a chance to share and catch up on that news and other things.  I'm saddened about Janie's passing...only because I didn't take as much advantage as I should have to stay in contact.  But I'm thrilled for her too...she is seeing her father who has been gone for 60 years and she was just a toddler when he was killed in Korea.  And I'm sure she's happy to see him and her mom.  My last visit with her in her home was with my Mom and Dad and Lexie.  She loved angels, bears, and all things patriotic.  In fact, on that trip she gave me a patriotic angel and it has a treasured place on my mantel.  It is ironic that she and I had both requested a biography of our grandmother from our cousin, Kathy, and the following day Janie passed.  It is also ironic to me that I'm remembering her and Ruth in this post, and her mom's name is Ruth too.   RIP dear Janie!

Can you believe it?  Hannah and Philip have been married for ten years!  I remember meeting   for the first time...I had figured that she must be someone Philip had more than a casual interest in but he was very, very, very closed-mouthed about her.  Cherstin and Desi were pretty clued in, probably because they attended the singles ward with them and ended up going to some of    same activities and often rode to and from them together, etc.  But when Philip asked to bring her to dinner...I knew something was up! Lol. I don't know how she felt...but I was kind of anxious...I didn't want my son's heart broken because I knew it was pretty tender and it had taken him a while to make a move, and I didn't want to see this young girl's heart broken either.  I should never have worried.  She is about perfect, in every way.  And I feel especially lucky to have her as my daughter.  I would love to thanks her parents for raising such a wonderful daughter...she has surely blessed our lives...every one of us.  I'm grateful she is such a devoted and loving wife, mother, daughter, aunt, and sister....  I'm so grateful she is ours!  Love ya, Hannah!

Wanda took Bekah to the dr today as she has had a headache and other discomfort since the accident.  Gratefully, she is ok.  The problems are all attributed to the accident and are termed "post concussion" and will pass in time.  

Desi and Mordecai have been I'll but are improving.

Cherstin was released as primary president tonight.  She is feeling relieved and saddened at the same time.   It is a blessing though...they only have a few months to prepare for Alaska.

January 7, 2014...Happy Birthday, Glory!

January 7, 2014...where has the time gone???  Seems like I ask that question A LOT!  But truly, it doesn't seem like it was all that long ago when we were living in El Centro and we received the call that Glory had been born.  Our life was rather chaotic then and so Desi flew there to try to provide some support.  Toni and her mom were able to go over and be there for her blessing...I'm glad that was the case.  By the time that Joey and Carlie came back to the states and we had the opportunity to meet her, she was already nearly 3 years old and we had moved from El Cento to Kentucky, and from Kentucky to Denver.  In fact, I mark time by the places and events of our lives...and they came home and were able to be at Phil and Hannah's wedding the next day.  Anyway, I digress, as usual, the lasting memory I have of her last year was of her sitting next to me at church.  She was such a little lady and helped Scarlett all through the meeting.  When it came time for classes, she wasn't the least bit shy about joining the rest of the YW!   Their move to Monterey has been a big one and I certainly hope this coming year is special and full of opportunities for her.  She is a lovely pianist, loves to read, is quite competitive, and very outgoing.  Happy birthday, Glory!

I had a training appointment this morning and also walked the track for 1 1/2 miles.  I was going to try and get to my water class this evening but for various and sundry reasons, I didn't make it.  Maybe tomorrow...in fact...definitely tomorrow!

I also got some much needed organ practice in and even had taco soup made and in the crock pot before I left...too bad I didn't turn it on! Lol!  Oh well, what can I say?

Rich went to pulmonary rehab this afternoon.  I think he's doing ok but recovery is slow.  That's to be expected.  Just going to take time, I suppose.  And I'm sure the cold isn't helping.  When I got in the car this morning it was just 3 degrees at 9 a.m....of course...it wasn't -17 like the kids in Wisconsin were experiencing!

Br.r.r..r..r...It's Cold Outside!

II was able to get some serious organ practice in today.  Hallelujah!  I'm just not that proficient to feel comfortable in this calling.  Really, I'm a novice!  Thankfully the church has great resources and has opened up courses from BYU, and even has provided a 12 week course available via downloading.  All of the material is wonderful...but no substitution for real practice.  So many people assume that because the keyboard is the same, there should be no difficulty transferring pianist skills to the organ.  While I'm no concert pianist, I certainly feel capable to play any hymn on the piano and have accompanied choirs for years, as well as special musical numbers.  But you would never know that if you listened to me on the organ!  Lol. But, with solid practice behind me, I'm much more confident and consistent.  There is just so much to learn!  And, truth be told, I'm enjoying the challenge, but not the stress!  

In two weeks we have ward conference and I would like those hymns to be polished.  But, I would like that to be the case for next week too.  I guess I'll just have to keep working on it.  I would assume that as I master each hymn, it should get easier, and I would hope that, as with the piano, it doesn't take as much work to prepare from week to week.  At least I hope that is the case.

I also got the pellet work all done for Hyrum the Elder's quilt.  Tomorrow I will try to figure out how to put the cuddly fabric on it...and I'm wondering about applying batting too...I'm going to sleep on it. :)

Rich is still struggling somewhat with this darn respiratory recovery.  He's just not got the stamina he had prior.  It doesn't help that the temperatures have been extremely cold.  Yesterday it hit 60 and today our high was 12...that's nearly a 50 degree swing!  However, as cold as it has been here, it is nothing like what Wanda and Robert, and Hannah and Phil have been experiencing...they've been in a deep freeze.  It's 6 degrees here right now but -16 in Blue Mounds?  Needless to say, their schools have been cancelled for today and tomorrow...but then, so have ours! Lol

Fast Sunday

As I considered the title for this post I was remembering when the kids were all home.  I don't remember which of the children asked me whether it was a "slow Sunday or a fast Sunday".  Ever since that time, I seldom think of fast Sunday without thinking of that time...funny how it becomes a stream of consciousness but I don't remember who asked the question....

By the time I was finished with everything last night I didn't get into bed until nearly 1:30.  I tried to sleep but found it restless and difficult.  My knees were killing me and couldn't find a comfortable spot. Finally I just got up and worked on Primary Music.  I've been trying to get some wiggle worms made (with Pom poms and wiggly eyes and accordion folded bodies with the songs printed on them) and I put the heads together this morning.  I also got my "cheat" poster made for the back of the room for "He Sent His Son".  And, I got my prompts made for the kids and other props collected.  

I did get to church a few minutes past eight...and I had a few minutes to run through the songs.  "Dearest Children" was ok.  So was Count Your Many Blessings".  However, finding a legato touch for "In Memory of the Crucified"  needed much, much, much more practice.  Shortcut mode would have to be used and even then I'm afraid it wasn't great.  Of all the hymns to struggle with...it shouldn't be the sacrament hymn!  Oh well...I'm pretty certain The Lord is taking everything into account...at least I hope so.  Gratefully our congregation is so supportive.

Primary went well but I didn't have time to even introduce "He Sent His Son".  Even though I knew that our time had changed - duh?!?! - for some reason it didn't translate into Primary and I didn't realize until I only had 15 minutes left that I still had Sr. Music to do...oops!  For the past year we've started church at 11:30 - on the HALF HOUR!  Today it was at 9:00...and there were lots of changes...oh well.

I scrapped the new song for senior with such limited time and decided to share the second verse of "I Wonder When He Comes Again".   After we'd sung it once I dissected the verse and asked the kids how they would feel and what we could do to be ready.  I testified to them that this song wasn't about something that "might" happen, but that indeed, the Savior WILL return and urged us all to do the things this verse talked about to be prepared.  The spirit was so strong....  This is such an amazing calling and so much less work than seminary!  Lol!

When we got home, we had some lunch, watched a stargate episode and then came upstairs for a nap.  I'm exhausted and thought I would really sleep...NOT!!!  Perhaps tonight I will finally relax enough to get to sleep soundly.  Last night reminded me of the Sunday nights when I was teaching seminary...too keyed to sleep...but each night got easier...until the next Sunday night!  It also reminded me of Felicia - Sunday nights were awful for her too...stress, stress, stress...and love that melatonin!  

We watched a movie, Molly, with Elizabeth Shue.  A terrific movie of a woman with an autism-like disorder and her relationship with her brother.  It was funny, touching, and inspiring to remind everyone that regardless of the mental capacity or challenge, there is a valiant spirit in there...somewhere.  It reminded me of my Dad...I hope he knows how much I admire his indomitable spirit in facing his dementia, and how much I love and miss him and Mom...their passing is getting harder as the months and years pass.  

Saturday is a Special Day...

I spent the morning doing a few more rows on Hyrum the Elder's quilt but had to stop as I ran out of the poly pellets.  So...back to Jo-Ann's.  Lol. 

We first stopped at Michael's as I had read you could purchase pellets there...no luck.  However, I had a 50% off coupon so bought an artist pad for Primary.  Next we headed to Costco.  A few groceries and seeming hours of navigating a seriously jammed store.  I have never seen costco like that...have no idea what was going on.

Next we headed to Sam's because Costco didn't have the laminator sheets I needed for Primary.  Then on back to Jo-Ann's for the pellets.  

We got home and put groceries away and then headed to the church so I could practice the organ.  That was a disaster!  I didn't get this week's songs until Thursday and I really needed more time to practice.  Oh well, I hope The Lord is with me tomorrow because it could be really, really, bad.  It'll probably have to be shortcut mode on most of the songs.  Perhaps things will be easier in the morning (after all, I am a morning person lol) and because we start the new schedule perhaps I can get there an hour or so earlier to practice some.

When we got home I put together organ stuff, fixed some supper, and made final plans for Primary music.  I didn't clean the house or shine our shoes but it definitely was a day to "get ready for Sunday!"

Cherstin texted me admidst this post to remind and encourage me to post :)  I sure love that girl!

Three Days In A Row! Wow!

Today has been busy and productive on most fronts.  Debi cancelled my training appointment, she wasn't feeling very well, so that enabled me to accompany Rich to his therapy appointment in Knoxville.  I didn't actually go to it - instead I ran to Jo-Ann's again for a couple of things I'd forgotten yesterday.  After therapy we headed to Clinton so that Rich could get his INR checked, however we stopped for lunch at Long John Silvers first.  The med-tech who did the test told him to tell me that he was perfect!  Lol. 2.5...can't get much better than that.  The pneumonia, antibiotics, and steroids have taken their toll for the last month or so, it has been running in the 6 range...worried he might bleed to death! Lol

Rich dropped me off at home to work on my quilts and he ran over to his brother's...some problem with his Social Security or something.

When Rich got home we headed over to the church so that I could practice the organ for church.  I'm going to need some practice tomorrow too!

Rich had invited "his boys" over to watch a few movies and have some pizza.   So we hurried home after picking up a couple of them and then I ran and picked up the pizzas.  While they were downstairs I hibernated in my sewing room and worked on Hyrum the Elder's quilt.  Right now I'm not convinced that this is going to be the right weight...I'll just have to see, I guess.  So, I have four rows done....eight more to go.

Hannah called tonight to share William's blessing on the food.  It went something like, "I thank thee for rocks so we can play hopscotch.  And I thank thee for ketchup to make the gross food yummy!"  Lol. What a hoot!  I just love that little guy!  Hannah also shared the status on the house...waiting for an appraisal now.

And, Cherstin and Dan are painting their home to get ready to sell it.  The pics she sent really make it look much brighter.  It's a lot of work but they'll be glad they did it, I'm sure.  The color they had before was lovely, but I think they're ready for a change too.

Two Days In A Row!

Must be some kind of record!  I am actually remembering to post!  Now, I just need to start taking pictures and learn how to upload, download, or whatever it is I need to do.  I can do it on my computer - except now Rich has disconnected it and done something funky and I'm going to need to learn how to do it all over again.  But, the real issue is that I seldom use my computer now...mostly just go to my iPad and I have no idea how to add anything from or to it.  In fact I get a message now saying I don't have any storage and I have no idea what it's telling me....

Today we left the house pretty early for Morristown where Rich had an acupuncture appointment.  I spent most of the trip over and back, and while he was in for his appointment, working on cross stitch.  

When we left Morristown we stopped in eastern Knoxville at the VA service center for a few minutes...Rich needed a letter of some kind.  We then made our way to Ft. Sanders West for his pulmonary rehab appointment.  While Rich was there I drove over to Jo-Ann's to pick up some things for Primary and for the quilts I'm trying to get done.  I was pretty thrilled to find the poly pellets for the quilt I'm planning for Hyrum the Elder.  Wanda had mentioned that she thought he would do well with a weighted quilt.  I investigated and found that they're about $100+ for just a baby/crib size quilt.  I found several websites with good instructions and I think I can make one for him pretty easily.  I know his favorite quilt is the old Harry Potter quilt made by Wanda for Robert years ago...and I found some blue fabric that reminded me of its "feel" and also a soft huggable fabric for the back.  I also found some fabrics that will help, I hope, with the quilts I have planned.

I got back to pick up Rich and we flew home so that we could get to the post office to get birthday cards sent...we barely made it.

I had wanted to go to the church to practice the organ but Rich was pretty tired from rehab.  I'll go tomorrow.  Instead I reheated some clam chowder from New Years and watched a couple of episodes of star gate sg-1.  

On the family front...I learned, enroute to Morristown, that Rebekah had had a car accident this morning.  Wisconsin and the entire north Midwest section of the country has been slammed by a major snow storm.  Bekah was going to seminary (that should have been cancelled!!!) and hit a very icy patch of road and the car slid, careening down an embankment, rolling several times, and landed upside down!  Thank goodness she was wearing a seatbelt!   There had been a guy following her way too closely for those conditions and at first it had unnerved her a bit...but then she decided to pay him no heed.  again, blessing, blessings, as she could have yielded to the temptation to accelerate a bit to get him off her rear...that would have been disasterous!  The guy saw the accident and didn't even come to her aid!  However, there was a guy behind him that did, and he also had a shovel which allowed him to clear enough snow to get her door open.  Luckily she is shaken but ok.  The car is another matter - totaled.  That is such a sad thing...she had saved and saved and saved to buy this little car and now it is no more.  But, cars can be replaced, Bekah cannot.  I'm profoundly grateful that she was spared serious injury!

While learning of Bekah's accident, we also learned that Joseph had had an accident on New Year's Eve too.  I don't know all the details but did get that he was safe, minor damage to the car, and we are profoundly grateful that he too was spared serious injury!

Felicia called with news that Noah had gained weight for his weight check!  Hallelujah! :). He weighed a whopping 10 lbs 15 oz.  He's growing.  I think the Prevacid is helping...just wish his pediatrician was more supportive.

Hannah called with the frustrating news that Winston has NOT gained weight.  He will be having another weight check in three weeks to see how he's doing.  Hannah believes that the problem may stem from them thinking he was past needing the Zantac as much as he has seemed more content and less fussy.  However, his pediatrician told Hannah that sometimes the reflux acts more to upset a baby's stomach at this age more than the pain in the early weeks of life.  Hence, he may not have the desire to eat because his tummy is not handling things well.  Hopefully that is exactly what the problem is and can be easily remedied.

And, Cherstin had called this morning as Lorenzo had a terrible night and he's already had two courses of antibiotics to clear an ear infection.  She ended up taking him in to their pediatrician for an ear check...but it was clear....  I know how stupid you can feel when that happens, but truly, I'm glad she took him in.  Later this afternoon Cherstin also had a root canal.  I hope she's feeling better!

And, tonight we, in eastern Tennessee, have had our first snow storm.  There is maybe a 1/2" but perhaps there will be more overnight.  But even this much is enough to shut things down here. Lol

2014

This year has seemed to fly by.  It seems like it was just yesterday that we rang in 2013...where did the time go???    So much has happened and we have so much for which to be grateful.   One of my resolutions is to write in my "journal" (aka blog) every day.  I believe I've set this resolution before but perhaps I'll do better this time.  Or not...but at least I'm going to take a stab at it.

Thought I'd take a moment and do a month by month recap of 2013 first, though.

January 2013

January was a pretty good month.  Rich was still trying to recuperate from the health problems that he'd had when we were in Denver in November, but really, he was starting to feel better and in more control.  He scheduled his surgery for the interstim for his bladder.  And, I scheduled my first knee surgery for May.  Both Rich and I saw Debi (the trainer we work with at the gym) several times a week and I also saw Kathleen for yoga.

February 2013

Just January repeated....

March 2013

Rich had the interstim surgery at Vanderbilt.  It is a type of pacemaker for the bladder and done in two surgeries, a week a part.  The pressures in Rich's bladder rise very high due to his breathing difficulties. The interstim sends electrical current to the sacral nerve and allows the nerves and muscles to relax enough to void thoroughly.  It is a medical device that is implanted in the buttock cheek, high enough that you don't sit on it though, almost in the hip.  It had electrical leads that travel to the sacral nerve and another out the hip to a control box.  If everything goes according to plan and it helps the patient, it is permanently implanted the next week and a very high tech control box is hooked up.  It was fabulous for Rich...until the day prior to the second surgery.  He didn't feel well that entire day and was sick enough that I drove us to Vanderbilt...that tells you all you need to know!  Lol. By the time we got there his temp was beginning to rise and his hip and buttock were bright red.  They called in the surgeon who believed that it was infected and they would need to pull it all out and clean out the infection.  They did just that, and took cultures and placed him on antibiotics by iv in the hospital over night.  The next day they released him to come home with antibiotics, etc. but he wasn't feeling any better the next day so I called Dr. DiMeo for an appointment.  He had us come in but warned us that more than likely Rich was going to land in the hospital...which is exactly what happened for the next week.  The infection had tested positive for MRSA and they gave him everything they had, it seemed, in their arsenal.  I packed his wounds for the next several months, ending the day prior to my own surgery on the 15th of May.

Towards the end of March Wanda called to voice concern about her Hyrum.  She believed she was witnessing a regression in his development.  She was obviously concerned so started the ball rolling to determine what she was witnessing.

April 2013

Rich was still recovering from his ordeal and I was still packing those wounds.  Sadly I was not able to travel to Wisconsin for the birth of Joshua on the 20th (also our anniversary) or Oklahoma for the birth of Lorenzo on the 10th (Chad's birthday too, and just a day shy of Cherstin's) due to Rich's health.  Gratefully Wanda had Phil and Hannah close by to provide support, and Cherstin had friends in their area too.   April was a pretty worrisome month also as Hyrum (Wanda's) started testing to determine or establish a diagnosis.  It was learned that he has some seizures on the right hemisphere of his brain when he is sleeping.  They have given a provisional diagnosis of autism although it may be something else...but the treatment is the same.  And, Felicia and Tom both received their MSW from Brigham Young University and started the arduous task of job hunting.  I so wished that we could have gone out for their graduation too...but we were still grounded.

May 2013

Still spent nearly half the month trying to get Rich back on track.  My knee surgery took place on the 15th.  I can honestly say I'm so glad I had it done...but it is not a procedure for the faint of heart.  It is brutal...there are no other words to describe it!  The first 3 weeks are the hardest...but scar tissue is an issue for nearly 2 years following the surgery and so is painful.  Rehab, rehab, rehab....  The tables were turned and Rich was taking care of me.  We have watched A LOT of tv this year!  Lol

June 2013

Joey and Carlie and the kids came to visit enroute to their new assignment in Monterey, Ca.  It was sad to see them go.  June also brought the birth of little (big?) Winston.  I'm grateful that Hannah's mom was able to come out from Idaho to be with her for the first week or so.  And, Dan spent a week in the hospital too, and then entire summer rehabbing his leg, probably from a bug bite...he cultured positive for MRSA too!   Other than that I spent the month rehabbing, although we did have the roof replaced :)

July/August 2013

More rehab!  And, Noah arrived a few days early!  I did well enough to travel out to Utah by myself - Rich still hadn't been given medical clearance to travel.  I was able to spend a few days with Cherstin, Dan, and the children, and a few days with Desi, Mike, and their children on my trip to Utah.  I really enjoyed my time traveling to Utah, seeing our little families, having the chance to be with Felicia, Tom, and to meet Noah, seeing my brothers and their families, being able to visit my mom and dad, my grandparents, and having the opportunity to see where Felicia and Tom were moving to...Tom had accepted a position at a company in Rock Springs, WY.  It was also nice to attend their ward...it's always nice to know about that :). On my way home I went the northern route and so I had another chance to see Desi, Mike and the kids and then headed to Wisconsin and spent a few days with Wanda, Robert, and their children and Philip, Hannah and their children.  Because I didn't have the opportunity to be at the births of Lorenzo, Joshua, Winston, or Noah it was sure a happy moment to meet these little guys for the first time.  We now have 30 grandchildren - 12 are precious and beautiful granddaughters and18 are magnificent and gentle grandsons!  How blessed we are!!!  I know Rich will be thrilled to meet them too.

September 2013

One the 3rd I had my other knee replaced.  I had made a silly assumption, that because I knew what to expect, this time would be easier....WRONG!!!  Lol. It was just as difficult, painful, brutal...but I'm so glad it is done!  I also had a laser eye surgery the following week.  It was a breeze!  I need to have 

October 2013

Rehabbing, rehabbing, rehabbing...both me and Rich!  And Rich started a 32 week course of pulmonary rehab too.  

November 2013 

Rehabbing still.  And, because we were still grounded medically we stuck around for Thanksgiving.  We invited Bob to go with us to Calhouns for dinner and came home and watched a movie...nothing spectacular but definitely enjoyable.  I also came down with a nasty respiratory infection.  I was worried that Rich would contract it, but he didn't.  The primary kids were very entertained as we practiced for the primary program as I had absolutely no voice whatsoever.

December 2013

Rich had another appointment with his cardiologist and pulmonologist and was given clearance to travel as long as he didn't fly!  Hallelujah!!!  He is still struggling some but by and large I think he's made significant progress. He also developed a terrible case of pneumonia and after three courses of antibiotics and steroids he is having to start all over again with exercise.  I think that is a bit depressing for him but as he continues to mend, I think his spirits will lift.   We spent Christmas at home, with Bob, and truly enjoyed the calls from the kids.  We did the same for New Years too.  All in all, I think we have been richly blessed this year.