Untitled

Heading to bed. Rich had his surgical procedure this morning and did pretty well - except they did have a bit of difficulty getting his blood pressure to come up in the recovery room. It's happened before so not unusual...but it makes him struggle more than normal, for sure. He's been tired this afternoon but I think that's to be expected.

I worked in Eve's dress.

Desi called and reported that her OB appointment went well and things are looking positive...even with the kidney stones. So far...so good!

Tonight they'll be inducing Hannah - my prayers are with them. I sure wish there was some other way to get a baby here!

Untitled

Well - let's see.... I taught my Institute class, went with Rich to an appointment with Dr. DiMeo, worked on Eve's dress, took a few phone calls, and exercised. I guess it was a fairly productive day but I am certainly feeling pressure about Eve's Dress. Rich also went with Bob, his brother, to some kind of furniture store - for what, we don't know! LOL! And he also put in a new furnace thermostat. He also got a call about a show time for his back surgical procedure - it's early in the morning. I'm hoping that this procedure will provide the kind of relief he so needs. It did 6 1/2 years ago...I hope it's the same this year.

My eye acuity seems to be better but have a black floatee that's kind of driving me crazy - it's like I'm chasing a gnat everywhere! I don't see Tommy for two weeks - perhaps it'll have resolved by then.

Dr. DiMeo was really pleased with Rich's progress today. His lung functions were much better and he was down 15# in two weeks. However, he's concerned that his spleen may be enlarged so they will be doing an MRI on his abdomen in a couple of days. It's probably nothing.

Georgia is doing a little better...that's good news.

Heidi once again has double ear infections. Ugh! However, they are keeping an eye on her and if she has another one in a few months she'll be a candidate for tubes.

Desi was struggling with the kidney stones today. I will be so glad when she finally sees the nephrologist at the end of the month...and I'm sure she will be too. I think she sees her OB tomorrow.

And, Hannah is being induced tomorrow - but not till 7:45 pm!!!! Who INDUCES labor at that time of night??? At the very least - we should have Samantha here soon! I'm just praying that things go well for Hannah and Sam and that Sam is a happy, happy, peaceful baby.

Untitled

This morning I worked on Eve's dress. I thought I was doing pretty well and would continue to work on it this afternoon, after I got back from the eye dr., but I just didn't have the vision to do it. Tomorrow is another day and I better find a way to really start moving some mountains or getting this done is going to take a miracle!!!! LOL

I had a minor eye surgery that will eliminate the clouding that has been developing under the left lens of my eye. I had the right eye done several years ago and it has done fabulously and I see no reason it won't be the same for this one. However, it has taken all day long for the anesthesia and dialation to clear my vision and reduce the glare. It is nearly midnight and I am finally feeling confident about reading! Yikes!!!

With that said, I am hitting my mattress as I need sleep and to be able get up early tomorrow.

Week 2, Question 2 - Writing My Life Story

When and where were you born? Describe your home, your neighborhood, and the town you grew up in.

I was born in the U.S. Army Hospital at Ft. Devens, Middlesex County, Massachusetts on Friday, 16 January 1953, the oldest child and only daughter of my parents Barbara Jean Roskelley and Joseph James Pehrson. The president of the United States was Harry S. Truman; Niagra, a movie directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotten, and Jean Peters, was one of the most popular movies of the year, and The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas (which sat on my folks book shelves my entire life) was one of the best selling books. Besides being a momentous occasion for me and my Mom and Dad, it was also the day that the Corvette was presented at a car show that took place at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. And, since my husband loves all things Hitler and WWII, on this day in 1945 Hitler went to his bunker, following a number of defeats and alllied forces approaching Berlin, where he would stay with Eva Braun, his companion, for 105 days until they committed suicide.

My Father was stationed at Ft. Devens, but lived off-post in a small hamlet named Ayer. One year (1998-99?) we took Desi, Cherstin, and Felicia back East to see Washington, D.C., Gettysburg, Valley Forge, Church History sites in Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Ohio, and drove all the way to Maine, stopping in Massachusetts to see Plymouth, Salem, and of course, Ayer and Ft. Devens. The hospital has long been torn down and we didn't know much about the exact home that Mom and Dad lived in in Ayer...but we found the street and I really appreciated the time we took to look for these places. The area is so beautiful and it didn't look like it had changed much over the 50+ years...although I'm sure it had!

It is ironic that last year, as I was doing my visiting teaching, I learned much about my Mom and Dad from this period.

My companion and good friend, Emily Sammons, and I had long had an elderly sister on our route, Mary Turner, who we dearly love. A beautiful painting of a 'great ship' hangs over Mary's fireplace and it has always reminded me of the ships that my brother, Mike, has painted. I asked Mary about it, as such paintings are not found in this region much, and she told me that she and Bob (her husband) had had the painting since their early marriage and it reminded her of home. When I asked her where "home" was originally, she told me Maine. When I asked where in Maine, she told me Grey. At the time Felicia was dating Tom and I knew he was from Maine but didn't know where or even his last name. But I told Mary that he was from Maine and she got excited and asked if it was one of the Bibbers from Grey. While sitting there I looked on Felicia's page and found out that Tom was indeed a Bibber and from Grey! What a small world!!!! Mary then proceeded to share that Tom's folks and and Mary and Bob had joined the church the same year in Grey and lived in the same branch and even been visiting teaching companions at one time. How ironic is that????

Fast forward to last year. Emily and I were visiting with a new sister on our route, Wanda Barron. Wanda and Mary are contemporaries and since we had just come from Mary's home, Wanda was anxious to hear about how Mary was doing as she and Bob were having some health issues. I shared what I could with Wanda and told her that I was fairly certain Mary wouldn't call me unless the situation got dire because of her old "Yankee Independence". Wanda nodded in agreement and then asked if I had known that she had lived in New England at one time. I hadn't but told her that I had been born in Massachusetts and she told me that she and her husband had lived in Massachusetts when her husband had been stationed there in the army. I told her that my folks had been there for the same reason but they had lived in a little town called Ayer. She said that she had lived in Ayer! I was beginning to wonder if it was my folks...but what would the odds be? She shared that there had been a "little LDS couple that had lived in an apartment over theirs and in fact, they even took us to church in Boston once." I had remembered that my folks had lived in an upstairs apartment but couldn't remember much more. We shared our message and checked on her and then left.

A few hours later there was a knock at our door. There stood Wanda with a very funny expression on her face. She asked me what my parents last name was. I said, "Pehrson" and she interjected, "spelled really different, huh?" I then spelled my maiden name and she asked me my parents first names. As I said, "Joe and Barbara, although Mom went by Bobbie often back then", she gasped in amazement and exclaimed, "I changed your diapers!" LOL! Evidently Mom had been expecting me in January and she was expecting her son in February...so Mom let her practice changing my diaper and giving me a bath or two. She also told me that Mom had enlisted her to help her hold a little play/teaching group of the neighborhood children once a week...it wasn't until she and her husband joined the church that she realized that my Mom had been having Primary with the children! That is so like my Mom...always on alert to help and make things better for everyone! She told me that Dad was even the one that drove her to the hospital when she went into labor. By March, Mom and Dad had taken off for California as Dad had orders for Korea. Wanda told me that although she and her husband hadn't joined the church then, when the missionaries had come tracting through when they lived in Knoxville and had just had a baby, she had known the church was true then and they had joined. They became stalwarts in the church here and in fact, her son-in-law was Rich's counselor for several years. Through the years she had tried to get in touch with my Mom and Dad but hadn't succeeded. I bet Dad and Bill are having a good time now! I take real comfort in the knowledge that my Mom and Dad have ALWAYS been an "example of the believers" and that when we least expect it, we may be lighting the path for someone and not even know it!

So - I didn't finish the second part of that assigned question and because I grew up in several places...I think I'll answer that part over the next week....

Untitled

Worked on Eve's dress but decided to close shop early tonight. I was starting to make mistakes and know it's just that I'm tired. Sometimes things just roll that way.

Rich and I went to the gym this evening, before close. He walked the track and I did water aerobics. I almost didn't go...just tired...but I'm glad I did.

Heard from Flee - Georgia is doing a little better. YES! All of my kids are in my prayers...just some are more urgent, I guess!

Rich worked on his Sunday School lesson all afternoon. I think he's pretty excited about it...going to do some kind of jelly bean game twist. I'm sure it'll be loved by the kids!

Untitled

Did my Friday cleaning, worked on Eve's dress, fixed supper, had visiting teachers, attended a RS Presidency meeting...Rich had a training and therapy appointment...and we both went to the gym for about 45 minutes. All in all - I think it was a pretty productive day.

Felicia called this morning as Georgia was have difficulty - coughing non-stop. She and Tom ultimately decided to take her in to her pediatrician and the poor little thing has pneumonia. She's on a round of antibiotics, steroids and nebbing. I'm hoping tomorrow is a better day for her!

Hannah shot a selfie today. She's 38 weeks with Samantha...and beautiful! And VERY pregnant! LOL!

Enzo is continuing to improve. Hallelujah!

Untitled

Yea! Got the beading and smocking done! Tomorrow I can start the body of the dress. Hoping to get the bodice done.
Went visiting teaching - both of the sisters we saw today are 74. I'm getting to the age that I don't consider 74 all that old any more. However, these two are. I wonder why some seem to age so well and others don't? My companion is 74 too but she seems no different than a 50 year old. I don't know how much we'll be of assistance, but we'll try.
Rich bought me a big, industrial type of fry cutter and deep fryer for my birthday. We tried it out tonight with sweet potato fries and schnitzel. They were yummy.
Also headed to the gym this evening - I did the nustep for 20 minutes and the water walked another 20. I have an early RS pres. mtg tomorrow so I'm hitting the hay. Good night!

Q

It is Glory's 15th birthday today! She is growing and becoming one remarkable young woman! This is a pic of Reah's birthday but she is always loving, generous, and kind...just as she is here. (Besides - Joey hasn't posted one of her birthday that I know of! ;) She got her learner's permit today and it very excited about that! It's a birthday to remember, for sure! When Rich and I called to wish her a happy birthday, she answered the phone and, once she realized who we were, said, "My Dad isn't here, Grandpa." To which he responded, "That's ok. We didn't call to talk to him, we called to talk to you." There was kind of a confused silence on the line and then she laughed and admitted that that she'd forgotten for a mi ute that it was her birthday! LOL!!! Except that she a redhaired beauty, she kind of reminds me of a true blonde sometimes...very smart and an airhead all at the same time! She is just precious! Happy Birthday, Glory!

Untitled

Today I smocked and beaded most of the day. I only have two more rows to do and then I'm ready to do the bodice and attach the dress to it, do the lace work, sleeves, bonnet, slip...ummm...I really need to get a move on!!!!

Rich had a training appointment today and then tonight we headed to the gym and worked out for a little over an hour. It was nearly midnight before we got home.

Wanda called today with the news that Eve indeed has triple X syndrome and their pediatrician wants to screen for hypothyroidism. Neither she nor I know or understand the significance or the link...but little Eve will definitely be in our prayers. I'm hoping the results of the tests will be back soon and be of good news.

Cherstin texted that Enzo's rash is probably viral, according to her pediatrician. I wish they could get him a referral to a pediatric pulmonologist.

Felicia also called and in our conversation she said that Noah is feeling better. Yea!

And - the Family Newsletter was published!!!! yippee!

Untitled

It's nearly 1 am and I am just now getting to post. It has been kind of a hectic day. Taught my institute class, fought Walmart AND the post office to get birthday boxes in the mail and had our RS Meeting (Enrichment/Homemaking??? can I just say calling it "meeting" is stupid - there's nothing to denote it from one meeting to another!), and then went to the gym for 30 minutes of cycling and 30 minutes of water. I'm tired and looking forward to my bed! LOL!

Hannah called this afternoon with the news that her dr. will induce her next Wednesday if the baby still hasn't come. An ultrasound projects the baby is well over 9 pounds now and I don't think the dr. wants to take any chances. Unfortunately they have scheduled her to be at the hospital at 7:45 pm so there is every chance she (Samantha) won't be here until Thursday. In some ways its too bad she doesn't come on Phil's birthday - the next day - but I guess it is just a tradition - Phil came the day before my birthday too!

Cherstin called - Enzo has a terrible cough with awful breathing issues. He's back on steroids. But now he has a terrible rash on his arms and legs. Who knows what's up with that.

Felicia also called, just to catch up. They are home after having spent the holidays with Desi and Mike. Noah and Georgia are both getting over ears, throats and coughs, but they are still sick...getting better...but whiney, fussy, and miserable sleepers. Ahhh...the joys of motherhood!

Any day now I know that the kids are going to get the yearly calendar done and I can't wait. And I can't wait for the newsletter either! :)

Untitled

Today was kind of a lazy day, in that I didn't get much activity in during the day as I sat and smocked and beaded for most of it. I figure I have maybe two more days of smocking and beading the dress and then a day or two to smock and bead the bonnet. But I need to get the dress finished so that I can start the lace bands and pleats. I could do the yoke now...but the pressing matter really is the dress and I only have two and a half weeks to really nail it down.

Rich had a training appointment this afternoon and physical therapy. He really seems to be feeling better and I am relieved for that.

After supper we headed to the gym and worked out a bit. We would have done water but he has new patches on his shoulder from therapy and they won't come off until tomorrow evening. So he walked the tread mill and a few times aroung the track. I did a combination of bike, elliptical, tread mill and track...all in all, I got in 54 minutes. Not too bad.

I also worked for a little while on my Institute lesson this evening and have more to do, so I am going to close this and do that...and it is nearly midnight already!

The Sabbath Day

Church began at 9 for us. I had to be there early to get at least a few minutes of organ time in before the congregation started arriving and I started prelude. I ended up not using pedals and using the coupler for the first time in over a year. I just wasn't familiar enough with two of the songs to feel confident in playing them without wrecking the service. One of the hymns was great with the pedals, but I've played it before. Can I just say how much I've enjoyed learning this instrument? And even though I am still in the learning stages, I find great satisfaction and joy in this endeavor.

I got a new RS Meeting Coordinator last week and I am thrilled. Even though she only just got the calling she had publicity and everything prepared for our meeting this Tuesday evening. Yea!!! She has some health issues but if we can get her a good committee then I think she'll be able to function without too much stress. I cannot even begin to express my joy as this has been such a huge headache for so, so, so long. I spent the second hour of meetings talking to her, getting her keys to the building and closet, and running down a nursery toy closet key. I think she is about set and I know she'll be fabulous!

Rich's Sunday School class seemed to go really well. He has a great bunch of kids and they all participate. He recapped the lesson for me on the way home and he seemed really pleased. He may be an unothodox teacher but the kids seem to love him and he loves them...and I'm willing to bet they won't forget the lessons! He played a parody on the old "What's My Line?" tv show and called it "What's My Crime?" and tied up the hands of one of his students and had him be William Tyndale. He then had the kids ask questions to elicit info about Tyndale. Rich had the kids consider why the opposition to him and the Bible was so fierce and how it was similar to the opposition that Joseph Smith encountered for the Book of Mormon.

I got to RS and needed to conduct. Our meeting only had about 20 Sisters - but there is a lot of illness and travel from the holidays. I'm hoping that everyone gets home safely and that all who are ill get better quickly. Sue Urbach taught the Presidency message on prayer and did a very nice job. There was lots of participation and I know that she usually sweats bullets about that...I'm pretty sure she was happy.

In anticipation for the Sunday Meeting change I had decided that I would do some family history stuff and so came home to get underway. However, that ended up being a total loss as my computer died. Rich has worked on it all afternoon and evening to try and restore, reload, and whatever else needs to be done. Once he has that done I can only hope that my genealogy files are safe.

Before I left to go to Wisconsin I taught my Institute group about record keeping, journals, histories, and the like. I challenged them to keep a journal, blog, vlog, or some other way to record the doings of their lives. I handed out some great talks given by general authorities through the years as well as some ideas on things to write about that I had found at FamilySearch and a couple of other sites. The one from FamilySearch is geared more towards writing your life story - and notes that with their 52 questions you can write your story in 52 weeks. Although I am trying to be more diligent about writing every day, and I will certainly spend some time remembering things from my past, or the past of family members from time to time, I think I will use Sunday evenings to answer these 52 questions. So...here goes....

Question: What is your full name? Explain why your parents gave you that name.

My full name is Wanda Karen Pehrson Bainbridge. I don't know that there is any other reason for the name "Karen" than that they just liked it. However, I was named after my Grandmother, Wanda Bingham Roskelley, as a way to honor her and to remember her. Obviously the "Pehrson" was my father's last name and I chose to take my Husband's last name, "Bainbridge" when we married. My assumption about the order of my name is that Wanda Karen was more fluid than Karen Wanda...at least to me it is. LOL! I have always gone by "Karen" though, but vowed I would never call one of my children by their last name since it is such a difficult thing with school, records, etc. But, wouldn't you know it...I did it to one of my own...Sarah Cherstin Bainbridge!

When I was pregnant with Desi, I had been doing quite a bit of genealogy on my father's lines. I searched and searched for my father's great grandmother, Cherstin Samuelson, in Danish and Swedish records. The Danish records used a more typical spelling, Kerstin, but the Swedish records had two ways to spell her name, Cherstin and Kjerstin. By the time I found her I was in love with her and I loved her name. I was pretty certain that should be the name of our daughter, if the baby I was carrying was a girl. And - Desi was a girl AND she was born on Cherstin's birthday, no less!!! I really wanted to name her Cherstin Elizabeth (Elizabeth for another ancestor) but we had had such difficulty getting pregnant and keeping the pregnancy that Rich wanted to name her Desiree. She quite literally was the desire of our hearts. I couldn't fault him with that...but I still wanted Cherstin.

The day following her birth, Rich brought the kids to the hospital to meet their new little sister. He suggested that we propose the two names and let the kids have a say too. I was game. What I didn't know was that he had hatched a plan with them that if they would vote for "Desiree" he would get them Slurpees on the way home from the hospital! LOL! The results of the vote obviously went in his favor and we had a beautiful baby girl, Desiree Dawn Bainbridge. Rich assured me that we could use Cherstin Elizabeth for our next baby, which he was sure would be a girl.

When I was pregnant with Cherstin, I was sure to remind Rich that the baby's name was settled already if she were a girl...and prophetically...she was. However, Wanda was extremely anxious that we name her "Sally". She was just a toddler when Joey was born, and she had wanted to name the baby, if she was a girl, "Sally", and if he were a boy, "Rachel". Obviously I was not going to name Joey "Rachel"! She was terribly sad about that but when I was pregnant with Phil, she wanted the same thing...and I still wasn't going to name my son, "Rachel" - imagine that!!! By the time that Desiree was born she was pretty into the trick they were all playing on me and was all for, "Desiree Dawn". She was 10 when I was pregnant with Cherstin and I hadn't realized that she was still harboring the desire for "Sally" if the baby was a girl but she voiced it over and over...we knew it was important to her. However, I wasn't a fan of Sally. It was so "old fashioned" and besides...it just conjured up memories of the old "Dick and Jane" reading series that I was taught from. I really didn't want it. Rich and I poured over baby name books trying to find a way to honor Wanda's desire...and then we found out that "Sally" is a knickname for "Sarah"...I was okay with "Sarah" but I still wanted "Cherstin" and "Sarah Cherstin" seemed to flow better than "Cherstin Sarah" to me...and as I type this...I don't really know why because either way seems okay now. Perhaps it was because of the years that I had spent loving the name "Cherstin Elizabeth"...who knows? What I do know is that I violated my vow never to call a child of mine by their middle name (except when I was angry or frustrated at them :) and we called our precious baby daughter, Cherstin. Not only did we call her by her middle name, but we gave her a spelling that would prove difficult for most people to read or pronounce. My great-great-grandmother was born in Sweden and imigrated to Denmark...hence the different spellings. Had we given her the "Kjerstin" people seem to have less trouble with that, but we kept the way it was spelled on her birth record, "Cherstin". Even my Father had difficulty when he saw it written, asking, "Why did you name her 'Cheer-stin?'" I had responded quizically, "What? You don't say 'Cheerstmas'...this is the same thing!" I hadn't even considered that it would be such a stumbling block, perhaps because I had been so involved in the research that the spelling made sense to me. But Cherstin has spent her life telling people her name, over, and over, and over again...then when they see it in print...it's back to helping them learn how to say it again. And, when, as inevitably happens, there is a medical record, school record, church record, etc. that prints her name, Sarah Cherstin is it and she ends up fighting that battle too. For a time, when she was younger and in school, I think she just got tired of it being so difficult, that she went by Sarah...it was infinitely easier! Perhaps to honor me, she ended up going back to Cherstin...or maybe because it was to honor her great-great-great-grandmother. Needless to say...Cherstin Samuelson has not been forgotten!

Flowers

I got a few things done today that needed to be done...cooked, puttered, practiced the organ, set up the RS room, went to the gym for exercise and water work, and I watered my flowers.

 

As I watered my Violet's today, I got to thinking about my flower stand - actually my Mom's and my Grandmother's before her. It's been around as long as I have, I think. At least I remember it when we would visit my Grandma when she lived on Bonafacio in Walnut Creek, California. I was probably four and I remember laying on her couch and being fascinated by it and the beautiful flowers that it held. My Gandma and Mom were natural nurturers - they nurtured every kind of living person, animal, and plant that I know of - and violets were a specialty of both of them. I don't know that I can ever recall either of them not having a glass with a "lid" of wax paper or Saran Wrap with a leaf stuck in the middle of it, growing roots. I guess that's what they were so special at - giving space, care, time, and love to grow roots...to any in their sphere. I think it's a testament of Mom's ability to love unconditionally that my former sisters-in-law Lynne and Barb would come to visit her when they were in town, and both came to her funeral. My flower stand provides structure, beauty, art, balance, and safety so that my violets can grow and bloom their hearts out. I love it and my flowers and the women who loved me.

New Year's Day 2016

We spent much of the day relaxing and enjoying a new tv series while I smocked and beaded Eve's dress. Rich slept in after having a pretty rough night...he didn't even wake up until 11:30. I think he really needed it and I think he seems to be feeling a little better.

I received an email with Sunday's Sacrament Mtg program showing that I was the organist. Hmmm...I wasn't aware of that. I felt somewhat annoyed because had I known at the beginning of the week, I would have practiced every day...but since I just found out today, Rich went with me this evening so that I could put in some practice time. I'll have to practice tomorrow too as a couple of the songs are not familiar to me and I'll need to work out pedaling. I know I shouldn't be frustrated...but I am....

After practicing we headed over to the gym. We walked in at 10:25 pm, swam/walked/arobicized for 70 minutes, sat in the hot tub for 5 minutes or so and then showered off and left by midnight. It felt good to get back in the water and I'm hoping we'll both sleep well tonight.