New Years Eve 2015

We really went grocery shopping today...meats, cheeses, veggies...from Sam's and Costco. When we got home I cleaned out the freezers from outside, divided meat, and generally put things away. We are starting our new year with a resolution to finally get our physical selves at the best they can be - weight, fitness, health, etc. The things we did today will go a long way towards helping us achieve those goals.

We relaxed afterwards. Rich isn't feeling very well. My guess is that the initial steroid boost is wearing off and he's feeling the illness.

We asked Bob to meet us at Shoney's for their late nite breakfast bar to celebrate the new year, even though we would be home before midnight. It was good to catch up with Bob. We haven't seen him since we left and it was nice to hear that he'd had a good Christmas.

Rich and I had seen that Shoney's was doing their breakfast bar tonight and spent a little bit of time remembering a New Year's Eve long ago when we lived in Sumter, S.C. Cherstin was perhaps 4-5 years old and so excited to go out to Shoney's for New Years. She saw the bacon and that was all she wanted. I bet she had two pounds all by herself! She went back to the bar over and over and over - all with such glee.

All in all it has been a good year - full of happiness, excitement, and joy. We have three new baby granddaughters, a new Eagle Scout, two new baptized members of the church, Joey and Carlie have moved safely to Alabama, two new soon to be here granddaughters, a couple of car accidents that only injured the cars - not the beloved daughters in them, we have travelled thousands of miles safely, and there have been health challenges that have been borne well and while not yet over in all cases - there are reasons to hope and be grateful. Happy New Year!

New Years' Adam

We were up and moving fairly early as Rich had an appointment with Dr. DiMeo (pulmonologist) this morning as a follow-up. I really, really, really like Dr. DiMeo. He is thorough, concerned, supportive, and very knowledgeable. And, the biggest bonus of all, he really listens to us and doesn't discount for one second anything Rich says about how he feels. When we were up at Wanda and Robert's some of the kids developed ear infections, lung and respiratory coughs, runny noses, and sore throats. I had a good 10 days where I didn't feel great either. I had hoped that he wouldn't get it, and this may very well be something else, but Dr. DiMeo suspects that whatever it is was probably viral and his lungs and immune system just respond by allowing the viral to override and soon the normal bacteria a person is exposed to has full reign. His FEV1 was down somewhat today and so he gave Rich another steroid injection and ordered him on doxycycline and a long prednisone taper. He will follow up with him in two weeks. I'm guessing he'll have a few weeks of trying to get over this, but with any luck, we have caught it early.

Rich had a training appointment at the gym and a therapy appointment later in the day. He decided to go to both but he is tired tonight. Sleep will feel good.

I worked on smocking for Eve's dress and while I did that I vegged on Halmark movies that I had recorded over the course of the month. Rich teases me that he needs to get some screen cleaner for all the "sap". LOL

Tonight I had the opportunity to catch up on what's going on in Karen and Dave Hamblin's family. I count it a huge blessing that Cherstin and Dan found each other and the Dan came with Karen and Dave :) How blessed we are to have such wonderful friends! I guess the kids had to marry so that we could meet them!

I also caught up with Cherstin and Dan for a few minutes. I have been waiting to hear about the results of the MRI that was done on Dan for his back. Evidently there are some bulging discs and he is being referred to the spine center in downtown Anchorage. I'm so hoping that this is as great an outcome as before.

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Worked on Eve's dress, did some grocery shopping, made some leek soup for lunch and Julio came over and made chicken fajitas and watched a movie. Not a very glamorous day...or even eventful, but really a great way to recover from all our busyness.

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We got up early to get the car into Alamo on time as Rich had an appointment for his Xolair shot right after. We made the deadlines, both of them.

Then, headed home and relaxed for a few minutes and Rich prepared to head to physical therapy and I started to get things ready to start Eve's blessing dress. I actually got it pleated. Now I just need to get the smocking and beading done. I wanted to start other portions but maybe I'll just quilt Adam's quilt first...who knows...not me!

Desi called with the news that she's having kidney stone problems again. She and Mike ended up in the ER and at least she got a script for pain meds and urged to get into her dr in the next couple of days.

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Today we left Wisconsin about 5:30 am. We traveled as quickly as we could to Indianapolis Airport to turn in the car and pick up a new one. We met our deadline, just barely.

 

After getting the car we went to Jack in the Box for some lunch and headed home.

 

We listened to Glenn Beck's Miracles and Massacres on the way home. Thanks, Cherstin, for audible! :)

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We tried to pick up and put things in order - at least a little bit - hoping that as we packed the car we would be able to get out early in the morning with little difficulty. Rich helped Wanda take out the tree and she collected Christmas decorations throughout the house...I think she's ready for new beginnings. LOL!

Rich, Mary, and I ran into Madison for a few errands and then hurried back to Wanda and Robert's as Phil and Hannah had arrived. I tried to make peanut brittle but Wanda didn't have a candy thermometer and I'm afraid it was a little, ever so slightly, burned. It was still good...but definitely not perfect.

Robert and the boys came home from their activity at the church and we settled down to watch "The Cokeville Miracle" - it was a movie that was released earlier in the year but didn't make it out to our area and was made by LDS filmographers about a true story that happened in Cokeville, Wyoming. It was really, really good.

Rich wanted a few more minutes holding our newest granddaughter, Eve Lucy.

Aren't they adorable????

Well - Robert and I played our last series of Dr. Mario before I return in a few weeks. It's amazing that we have been playing Dr. Mario for 19 years - every time Wanda has a baby.

 

Christmas Day

I really had a hard time going to sleep last night. I don't know whether it was excitement or what! LOL. By about 2:30 am I think I finally drifted off but it wasn't a restful sleep and it seemed that I was awake off and on for the next several hours. Bekah arrived just about 5:15 or so. The boys (Sam, Mo, and Adam) and Ruth had gotten up a few minutes before she arrived. They were so excited. It seems it wasn't that long ago that our children were in that same place. Rich came wandering out as the rest of the kids awoke. Wanda and Robert were the last to finally appear and I so wandered back in time to the place where it was Rich and I in the same place and I just wanted just a few more minutes of sleep. However, I can only imagine how bone tired they both are with a new baby too.
It wasn't too long and serious gift unwrapping began. I think Rich's hi-light was the t-shirt that Desi and Mike sent him...something about a daewoo. They had wanted to see Rich open it so I facetimed them so they could witness his reaction and I don't think they were disappointed.

Cherstin had helped me purchase an Echo from Amazon for Rich. Amazingly, Robert also got one but his worked. Who would have thought that the power cord was not included for Rich's? He ordered one today.
In the afternoon Hannah and Phil, with the boys, arrived. They were excited to share their day with their cousins. I think it's one of the Lord's tender that these two families live close enough to be in the same branch, to spend time together, for holidays, family celebrations, and just because they're friends. In quizzing them about their "other" cousins - they know of them, know some of them, may even remember a name or two or an experience - but these cousins really know each other.
Robert had purchased a ham, Hannah did cheesey potatoes and a pomegranite salad, and I made 7 layer salad and then we sat down for supper. After all the sugar - it was scrumptious!
We cleared dinner and then we, the adults, sat down an played a few games. Wanda and Robert had given me Banagrams and so we played it. They had also given Rich a game with Jelly Beans - but the kids found the jelly beans! LOL!!! Robert had a game - can't quite remember the name but it is kind of like (but not really) Apples to Apples. And then we ended with a couple of rounds of Skip-Bo. It is one of the things I love to do - play with family. I think I shared with all, at some time during the day, that one of my favorite things about the holidays is the period from Christmas to New Years when we often sit down and play games, put puzzles together, chat, and laugh. When I stop and consider the genesis of my experience with this period of time - I wonder if it isn't related to my first Christmas in Germany - when I had broken my ankle and my brothers and parents spent that time playing monopoly and Flinch (a game very similar to Skip-Bo but introduced in 1905) with me. I love the fact that family takes central stage and spending time together without the stress of life and the rituals and schedules that take the usual precedence are somewhat suspended. This also happened when we had our children as Rich was often off the entire week (or at least a good portion of the time) and we could just relax and enjoy one another. I so enjoyed our Sunday Dinner games when we lived in Denver for the very same reason. Just love it!!!