A little more relaxed

Believe it or not, we've had TWO count 'em TWO days home without leaving the house once. It has been so, so nice to actually be home. We are getting some chores done, and reading and cooking and baking. 

So while this is a short post, it's a happy post. Finally.

My grandmother

used to say, "Things get better. They really do. If that weren't true, everyone in the world would be walking around crying all day. Grief never goes away, but it does get better."

Thank you, Joy!

Joy explained to me how to change the side bar color of this blog and now it looks just right! Thanks, JOY!

My toothaches apparently came from trauma from my last orthodontic adjustment. That adjustment hurt like no other. My mouth was really sore. It seems because of that, my bite was off from the shifting teeth. The tops and bottoms were knocking against each other. Hooray for my dentist who fixed it! There was more stuff from that adjustment but you don't need to hear all that. It's much better anyway.

My ring is still beautiful.

I just love the colors of this blog. It's ME!

Crazy days

Here are some things that are going on:

- work is busy because lots of volunteers and staff are in Buffalo for the plane crash.

- I have a toothache, well actually two toothaches and they came on all of a sudden and today I have to go to the dentist for help!

- Larry presented me with this gorgeous anniversary ring and I love him (and the ring.) At the jewelers, he placed it on my finger just like when we got married and I cried and then I kissed him. The owner said, "THAT'S the kind of reaction we like to see!" 

- Harley the Puppy next door was outside barking this morning for Larry to come out and play. So Larry gets on his coat and goes out. Is that dog spoiled or what. Or is it Larry that's spoiled?!

- My shoulder surgery was supposed to be last week. Back in December, I KNEW I shouldn't have it done, but it didn't make sense not to. There is a tear. It needs to be repaired. But something told me not to do it. So I prayed about it and I felt that the answer was to go to my primary care physician for his opinion. I went. He said if it doesn't hurt, don't fix it. So I went home and prayed about it again and felt that the answer was not to have the surgery. So I cancelled it.

Then our friend got sick and then he passed away and if I had had the surgery, I could not have been there for his wife. 

What I learned is this -

If you get a prompting that doesn't make sense, listen. If it does make sense, it's easy to obey. But when it doesn't make any sense, that's when it's so important to pay attention. 

I am so glad I did.

At peace

Our friend Bob had a grand send-off today, with a wake full of friends and family yesterday and then a beautiful funeral this morning. 

This is one of the picture boards, the one with his grandkids. Although we are all sad beyond belief, we have peace knowing that there is eternal life. We'll see our loved ones again. We just MISS them so awfully much when we can't see them.

I think I'll go hug Larry!

Blog experts

Okay all you blog extraordinaries. I need help. 

As you can see, I changed the look of our blog and I love the new colors. 

ALTHOUGH.

If any of you can tell me how to change the green color on the right side, like where the weather is and the archive, I would be happy. I don't even know if it is possible but if anyone knows, it would be you young whippersnappers. (I'm feeling old lately!)

Today is Saturday. It has been a very hard two weeks and I'm glad they're almost over.

Two good men

These are our friends Barb and Bob Ford, Christmas Eve 2008. Bob passed away on the 11th. His funeral is Saturday.

These are our friends Christine and Matt Burnett. Matt died this year on January 25. This picture was taken in 2005 right after baby Maria was born in a fast and furious birth.

We love these good people like family.

I'm sorry that these last few posts have been sad. It's how things are going and it's how I feel. We pray.

Saturday afternoon

This has been a really hard week. Our friend is so sick. His wife finally decided to spend nights at our house for a while 'cause we live closer to the hospital. She is so awful tired.

The weather got really nice today. We're not freezing our buns off! The January thaw came in February.

Tomorrow is Ward Conference, so I don't have to teach my Gospel Doctrine lesson. That's a real blessing.

I'm craving a cheeseburger.....and lots of chocolate. 

There is too much sadness around

In the past year or so: My Aunt Nickie died, my Aunt Mary died, my cousin's fiancee died, our friend Gary died, my cousin Joyce died, our friend Matt died and now another of our dearest friends, Bob, who has been fighting lung cancer for two years is in ICU fighting for his life. 

Plus so many other things.

It's too hard and I don't know what to do.

I guess this is when you leave it to the Lord and He carries you. 

I did WHAT???

Well, here it is. My most embarrassing moment. Hang on to your hats.

Our team responded to a house fire Tuesday. Pictures are here. We drove to the scene and parked and began to do all the necessary things for the clients and firefighters.

After a while, I needed to move the Red Cross vehicle, which is an RV for heaven sakes. The thing is huge. So I put it in reverse to back up a bit. Then I hear a horn. And then we feel a "THUD." 

Oh no. Oh no. What did I hit. So I climbed out of the driver's seat and a sheriff's deputy came up to me. 

He says, "You hit my car!" 

I hit a cop car??!  

Yup.

Well actually I bumped it. Or tapped it. But it did make a teeny little miniscule dent in his fender. Holy mackerel. 

Good thing he was nice. He said he had to call his sergeant but not to worry. 

Oh sure.

ANYway, the sergeant comes and thinks the whole thing is hilarious. Here is this middle aged midget, driving a monster truck that bangs into one of his deputies. He asked me for my driver's license and then for the registration for the vehicle. What? I don't even know where the registration is! He says don't worry he'll get it off the tag. Good grief.

So the story ends that everyone was fine, they were all so stinkin' nice about it and probably are still laughing their tails off over this one.

Don't ever hit a cop car.  It's too embarrassing.

Birds help deal with the January blues

This pretty cardinal was hanging out in our backyard yesterday. We rarely see them so this was a treat. I didn't want to scare him away so I took the top photo from inside, looking out the back door. Then I quietly went out on the deck but sure enough, he turned around. But the picture is still kind of cool. Cardinals are just so pretty.

Is it the January blues?

All is well, but I'm in a blue funk. Not sure why.

Got called to a fire Friday night at a senior citizen apartment complex. The building that burned was under construction and vacant, but the adjoining building has lots of tenants. We went to serve refreshments to the nearly 100 firefighters, and then we walked over to the building where the tenants were all staying in the lobby. The fire chief wanted them all together in case they had to evacuate. Poor folks, they were tired and worried, so we brought them lemonade and hot chocolate and cookies. Thankfully, the fire was contained so they were able to go home to their apartments. There are photos here.

Time to go work on next week's lesson, so I'm not in a panic as next Sunday gets closer!

My heart is heavy

I'm sorry. I am not happy with the new administration. The treatment Pres. Obama gave former Pres. Bush in the inauguration speech was appalling.  The minister praying that "white will embrace the right" was terribly offensive. I'm sad and worried.

But ya know what is right about our country? I can say how I feel about the administration, yet not worry that someone is going to come into my home and take me away for treason. I may offend a few friends and give myself some gray hairs but my opinion is safe.

Take that, all you people who think America needs to be "remade."

Plane in the river

We were watching Larry King tonight. We learned that getting all the passengers out alive wasn't luck. Everyone did their jobs and did them right. Real heroes for sure.

Maybe we should actually WATCH and LISTEN to the flight attendants next time they do their spiel. Could save our lives.

Entering the 21st century

I am convinced that Facebook is a conspiracy to prevent me from doing my genealogy.


Even Larry has joined.


This is too much.


Should I give the cat her own page?

Tentative smile....

With friends like you guys, how can I stay mad?!

I felt like this:

but now I feel like this:

and aiming for this:

Good night...

Mad

I woke up this morning after a bad dream and now I am mad. I woke up mad and am still mad. Grrr.....

Warning.

This is a grumpy post.

The orthodontist put some new kind of torture braces in my mouth and I was BLEEDING. So I took my wire cutters to try and trim the stupid things and messed them up. So now they are worse than before and I'll have to go in Monday and confess. 

Everyone is annoying me just being in the house.

My feet are cold.

My lesson for tomorrow isn't quite finished yet.

All I want to do is read all day and be left alone!  THAT ain't gonna happen. 

I'll be better soon. 

Somebody send me a joke.

The first week of 2009

1/1 - stayed home

1/2 - ran errands and went out for lunch with Larry

1/3 - went to a lovely wedding reception

1/4 - church and visiting teaching

1/5 - that's today, I'm getting a haircut, and on call for RC

Is this the most boring entry ever? I COULD take a picture of my hair but it would scare the pants off you.

In the midst of all this I'm taking down the Christmas stuff, preparing my Gospel Doctrine lesson and trying to figure out if I'm going to cancel the shoulder surgery. It doesn't hurt anymore. Go figure.

The moon and Venus

A New Year's Eve gift from the heavens. This is the crescent moon and Venus, giving us a lovely show this evening.

Happy New Year!

The good, the bad and the ugly

The ugly: I helped out at yet another fire yesterday; this one caused by a candle. Two families are homeless. Monroe County Fire Wire has posted some pictures here.

The bad: The dog died in the fire. A fireman carried him out to his owner.

The good: When I got home, I found these presents under our tree. Larry had taken his mother grocery shopping and saw these marked down 75% in the Christmas clearance aisle. He knows I love Santas, and he thought the ornaments were so pretty. He said they reminded him of ornaments his grandmother used to have. That Larry. I am blessed.

Teaching in the dark

Whenever a weather front comes through with temperature changes, wind usually comes with it. Well a front came through yesterday so there was this big wind storm here in Rochester. The winds were so strong that trees and power lines came down. So there we were in Sacrament meeting, having a lovely program by the youth when the lights went out! So we continued on as we normally would but with the curtains opened in the chapel to give a little more light. It was quite nice!

 But then it was Sunday School time. Some of the classrooms don't have windows which meant they were pitch dark. So they combined classes. And what ended up happening was that I had about DOUBLE the people in my class, in the dark, teaching by the light of the windows! For adults, we are a rowdy bunch so we had a blast ( a reverent blast!) as we finished up The Book of Mormon.

Our power at home was out for four hours.

Quite the day.