Even More Miracles

Yesterday morning, Mark got a call from Lori (a former colleague and good friend), and she told him that she made a proposal to the owners of the Ammon building (Mark used to work there), that she would work for them as an office manager and marketer and Mark would be the Executive Director.  Crazy again, because we haven't heard from Bonaventure, but we found out that Lori wouldn't really be staying with them.  It was so strange not to hear back from them...and then, out of left field, comes this great opportunity.

We would live on-site (yay!) and the management would be left in Mark and Lori's hands.  Just what Mark would prefer!  A hands-off approach.

The bldg. is much bigger than it used to be, since it was added onto.  Many beds.  It's an exciting opportunity, and something we used to joke about.  So Mark explained about the phone call, to his boss and some others yesterday, and told them that this seems like the right time to step out of the picture.  Basically, it was his 2-week notice.  That means that today is my last in Vegas.  I'll just stay up in IF this time, to give Mark lots more room in the car for our things, when he goes up.

I'll miss Las Vegas.  I love the desert, and the people here have a great spirit about them.  There's so much to do, and it's always sunny.  On the other hand, it's not a place you could grow food or live at without air conditioning, so not somewhere I'd want to stay at in an emergency.   And Idaho feels so familiar and comforting.  Plus, my dr. is up there!

Dee Dee and Julie are on vacation in Mexico right now, so I'll have to just leave them thank you cards.  Also, I'll probably have to leave one for Melissa.  I'll pull out anything I don't want to keep today, so Mark won't have to haul it.

Mark will need to get our things packed up in Pocatello and rent a storage unit for most of it in IF.  At the Ammon place, you bring your own furniture, so we'll have to select what we want in our little apt.  We're hoping Mark can use the kitchen there when it's vacant in the evenings, just so he can make some of his specialty foods once in awhile.  That would be good for him, although we'll have to portion the food out over time if we want to lose weight (we're actually focusing on being healthy, rather than losing weight).

After we get the household things in storage and in our apt., we want to clean up the house and get a rental agent for it.  Seth will, I hope, be willing to find a foster home for Leto, so that he can come on up to Idaho Falls.  Maybe later he could visit Sandy and Jessie's or something, but it would be great if he could be around the family and attend our ward, etc.

I want to still focus on preparedness, etc.  Maybe we could make an extended-family emergency plan and work together to get things well in hand ahead of time.  It would be great if you all thought about this and then we could discuss it sometime.  Where would we meet, if need be?  How would we communicate?  We could prepare for some likely contingencies, so that we aren't just floundering to make sure we are all okay, if everything unravels, or there is a natural disaster or terrorist attack, deadly epidemic, or financial or govt. collapse.
I know that sounds dismal, but it's something I've thought about a lot, especially since Megan and Brooks are out in West Virginia now.  I'd like to have a plan for how we would react in terms of checking on each other and doing what is needful.  We should put atlases in our emergency supplies, I think.  Just in case we need to travel or chart what is happening.

I'm so happy that we'll be back closer to family and friends!  Melinda, that means I get a pick in Book Club! 

So, call me if you have any questions, okay?  We love you!
xoxoxo

Phillip's Vehicle Hit By an IED in Afghanistan

If you haven't heard, Phillip called Mark yesterday and told him that their truck was hit by (or hit upon) an IED, or Improvised Explosive Device, the killer weapon that his Army group finds and calls in others to destroy.  He said it took out their engine block, but they are all okay.  Can you believe that?  What a miracle, and waaay too close for comfort.
Please say some prayers of thanks for them, okay?  We never know what we are being protected from at any moment, and this really brings home the idea that we could get a phone call out of the blue and Phillip or his buddies could be terribly hurt, or worse. 
It's something I don't think about normally, but this makes it very real.

 We also learned yesterday that the owner of Mark's Memory Care building is selling that side of the business.  He just decided that a.m.  Crazy, huh?  This is great for us, because it will make perfect sense, then, that Mark will want to move on to a more secure, career-oriented position somewhere else.  . 
Mark will still have his same job in the meantime, but with different owners who plan on phasing out the Memory Care and Mark's job, eventually. 
We had no idea, and Mark was figuring on telling his boss about needing to move on, at the exact same time that his boss decided to sell and let Mark know about it.  They were going to meet up, and we felt it was best for Mark to go ahead and discuss it with him, but his boss made his announcement first.  Then Mark didn't need to say anything!  What a blessing!  Unbelievable.

On Monday evening, Mark and I went to a buffet for Father's Day and my birthday.  We went to one called Studio B.  It was clean and fresh, and there were a ton of choices, alot of them Asian.  And seafood, too.  I'll tell you more about it later, but I'm glad we got to have that experience.
It's one you have to have, just to say you did it. : )
The food wasn't crazy-good, but it was good.  I'd like to go back for their mac and cheese and their creamed spinach.  They were yummy, but I tasted so many things that I only got of bite full of them.  It was a tasty experience!

With that, I'll say Adios, and don't forget that I love you!
xoxoxo 

 

It's My Birthday!!

It's my birthday!  It's my birthday!  Wahoo!
This a.m., Mark greeted me with a big, round bowl of jello with  mandarin oranges in it - and he left it on the toilet seat for me to find, at which point he ran around in the baggage carrier, going, "Brrrm, brrrm!"

Then we sobered up and went to church, where my visiting teacher gave me a birthday bag with presents in it. : )
There was a honeysuckle/bitter orange candle, a little plaque that sits on a stand, and a beautiful little wooden box.  How thoughtful of her!

Later on, after church, Mark brought me watermelon from downstairs, and even later on, he brought up some lovely chocolate cake with ice cream!  (I already got my birthday present, which was a membership in "Glitch," an online game that is just in the testing stages now.  My Faunasphere friends went there, so it's wonderful to associate with them again.  It's a gentle game like FS was, and we water trees and garden and mine and have houses with chickens, pigs, and butterflies.  We build on our world with each other.  Anyway, it's something I want to explore, so I am delighted to be able to stay on and play!)


Someday this week, we'll go to a buffet here for my birthday and Father's Day.  We want to do a few things like that while we're here, just because they are musts when in Vegas.  We're looking at online reviews, to find the best buffet.  I'm excited!

Now Mark is asleep and I'm telling you about my birthday.  It's always so nice outside here.  I'll bet it's pretty where most of you are right now.  Blessings to all of you!
xoxoxo

Quick Note, Saturday Night

I didn't feel so well this afternoon (from the antibiotic  - and I'm eating yogurt, even), but was better this evening.  So glad, because we went out and I got my nails done, Mark got Velcro to secure my seat cushion (hallelujah!), and he got some red and yellow peppers and some celery, which he cleaned for me.  I'm eating them with Ranch dip, but at least they're healthier than chips!  Mmm good, too!
Mark spent all day making a luggage rack for our car and doing laundry.  Can you believe him?  He also bought us more water (I LIKE water, if it's fresh and not too blah, so I drink Nestle's bottled water : ).

I want to thank my readers and commenters, and I want to tell Bonnie that Megan is right!  I loooove having you read and comment on my blog!  Makes me feel closer to you, too. : D


Take care, everyone! 
xoxoxo

Hi!  I am feeling distinctly better today.  It's wonderful!  I've been on an antibiotic for a few days; I've thought something was wrong for the past month, so I've probably had something pulling me down, just flying under the radar.  Anyway, I feel like I may have turned a corner.  I really hope so!

We're waiting to hear on work in Idaho Falls right now.  That would be great, wouldn't it?  Mark seems like he's in shell shock, though, from all this waiting.  We went to see Super 8 yesterday.  It was a fun movie, with scary and funny parts.  Not for little kids (kind of like Jaws-scary), and had one really noticeable cuss word in.  The casting for the two main characters was brilliant - they were so good in their roles.  And likeable.

(I don't feel like I'm expressing myself well on my blog anymore.  Just rusty, I guess.  All my phrasing and vocabulary are trite and stilted.)

I got a craft knife yesterday (a box/carpet cutter) and can't wait to use it to make things!  I've been waiting on that for a long while.
Mark remade my seat cushion for me, by cutting strips of a piece of chair foam he had, and shaping them and gluing them together very carefully.  Then he glued them in the center of my cushion and made it so much more comfortable than it was!

I was watching part of the BBC's production of Pride and Prejudice last night, while Mark went over to work.  It was about 1 a.m.  I really like it so far.  It's longer and more detailed than A&E's production (which I also love).  Jane Austen's words just flow over the mind, with so much wit and wisdom contained therein.  I can't even express it, but it's like a wittier, more feminine Shakespeare.  I much prefer listening to it, even tho I do love Shakespeare.

Since I can't seem to write very well today, this will have to do for now.  Hope you are recovering well, Haley!  Everyone, get out in the sun if you can!  (Well, maybe not Phillip)
I love you!  Can't wait for more comments on my recent posts!
xoxoxo

The Wheat and the Tares (plus a link and a long dream)

Mark and I were just talking about the parable of the wheat and the tares, in terms of storing food.  We think that it's not just obedience to the call for preparedness that's important, but also our willingness to share when needful, maybe with those who didn't heed the call.  Will we have a willing heart?
Mark told me about the parable of the man who came to labor in the vineyard in the first hour, and another who came at the eleventh hour.  The master of the vineyard paid them both the same.  When the first laborer was upset, the master said, "What concern do you have with what I pay the other?  I kept my agreement with you."  (At least that's an approximation of what he said.)
What a wonderful lesson to think about!

                                                       __________________

I got my meds, and it's heavenly to be in much less pain and be able to sleep!  Wow - the contrast really makes me appreciate how much relief I'm getting from my medications.  We are so fortunate to live when those things are possible, not to mention having many activities available for the home-bound nowadays!

Still not hearing anything on jobs, despite another phone call today.  We are convinced that Someone is doing a Jedi Mind Trick on people, until the right and proper time.  Seriously!

Also, I have a dr. appt. with my old dr. in Pocatello (a reallly good one), and I'll just pay someone to make the trip, 'cause I can't find someone right there in I.F.  I'm very happy with that decision.  My aide talked about driving me there, so maybe she'll do it.  I'd hate for someone to take me if they had to drag along their kids for that long trip! lol  (although Melinda did offer, but I'm cking. on other possibilities first).

I cked. my bld. sugar a bunch today.  I just keep my bag right by me all the time. : )  Mine has just stayed over 600 for the last couple of months - no wonder I feel so weak!  I'm taking an antibiotic that might help with that.  I hope so.  I know I sound like a blithering idiot, but I just don't want to go into all the things we've been doing to try to address this.  Trust me!

Oh, and Mark took his national test today, for licensing as an administrator.  All he knows at this point is that he passed it.  Yay!

Here's an entertaining link for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKH74pYp0no&feature=related

It's an 11 yr. old girl first, and then a 10 yr. old girl;  the first girl is from the US and the second from Sweden.  They each won their country's America's Got Talent show, and I think both are great.  The Swedish girl is sooo pretty, and this isn't even her best song (look up her audition - it was awesome).  The American girl would be great on Broadway.  Anyway, enjoy them!

I can't forget a dream I I had a couple of days ago.  It was very long and detailed, but one part stood out to me in particular.  I was a male, and I went to a Victorian community.  I had a host, and was seeing stories  actually happening, live in front of me (my Victorian gentleman-host told me the stories).

In this dream, I saw a creek where something mysterious had happened during a school picnic.  One or more  young men had drowned!  I saw that there was an angry, villainous-type man that was there, sneaking around before the picnic and then driving away, as soon as soon as it was noticed that some were missing.  That scene then shifted to a museum-type room that held the clues to a great mystery, connected with a murder.  I could touch objects and people, and the story connected with them would come to life.  In some instances, I interacted with them (I hadn't interacted with previous people in scenes.  This seemed much more like I was right there with them.)
A suspicious (of me) old woman joined my host, warning about the danger of showing me more, but my host let me keep looking around
Then I found a large book, and my host told me that it held all the clues about murder(s) that had taken place in that community.
Looking through the book, I came upon an illustrated lady that intrigued me for some reason.  I touched her pocket, on one side of her elaborate dress, and she came to life looking  just like the illustration.  She reminded me of Betty Davis enjoying the part of a fancy lady.  She kept a parasol in one hand and a kerchief in another, which she would hold to her face at times.
Some young men in suits and bowler hats came up and were talking to us.  One wanted to show me more, and he took me to a different part of the creek (or another creek).  These creeks were green and murky, btw, and very shallow in parts.  There were also deep drop offs that weren't apparent from the surface.  The young man showed me that the lady had gone with him  to the creek we were standing by (at this point I became the young man who telling me the story), and they had talked about artifacts that were in the water still, even near the edge, but it was scary to try to retrieve them.
The young man had assumed that the lady wouldn't even touch the water, but suddenly she reached in with her gloved hand and pulled out a cup and some other small objects.  She seemed to delight in the process - it was creepy and quite shocking to the proper young man.
Even so, the poor guy stayed with the lady, talking to her, and they carried her artifacts over to another area where there was a small waterfall.  They saw a man climb out of the water and go behind the waterfall and to the top of the cliff somehow.  It was all very mysterious, and they thought he must be involved in the murders somehow, at the very least.
Off to the right there was an area with a small home and a gypsy-/circus-type trailer.  The trailer was draped in dark velvet that hung from  two swoops on either side of the door, making the roof very curvy-looking.  She said she lived in the little trailer, all alone.
The man tried to persuade her to come back with him and he would get a house for her where she could be part of a regular community.  She seemed sad, and a little tempted, but then started to say no.
At that point, someone in the little home started shooting pink firework bombs at him.  They seemed fluffy, in a way, and they streaked through the night sky, aiming right at him.  It was an obvious attempt to chase him away.
We came out of the scene and back to the museum house.  I was "me" again, and I wanted to talk to the lady.  I touched her picture and she materialized.  I wanted her to help me solve the mystery, and she was quite willing.  We looked at the artifacts she had gathered, as well as the people in the room with us.  I thought we should pay more attention to them, as well as other people that we saw in different scenes.
She wanted me to quit looking in the book, but I told her that it contained important clues.  I wanted to solve the mystery, and I also wanted to take her back with me!
That's the way the dream ended.  I woke up with a yearning feeling.  I want to continue this dream, and there's a good chance I will, based on my history with episodic dreams. : D


On a change of subject, Tut is always so needy, and he pouts if he feels neglected.  He watches tv, sits on my wheelchair while I use the facilities (if you know what I mean), and sleeps right by us with his head on the pillow, waits near us while we eat, so he can lick the remains off the plate when we're done.  Soon he'll be reading books or talking, I'm sure. 


Well, that's all for now, folks.  Thanks for reading, and take care!

xoxoxo

Late Sunday Night, and All is Well (as far as I know, lol)

Hellooo!  How was your Sunday?  Mine started out verrry slowly, as in achy all over and TIRED!  Mark went on to church without me, as I was not in the land of the living.  When he got home, he got us soup and fruit from downstairs.  The hot (chicken and stars) soup was so healing, and the watermelon chunks were crisp and refreshing.  Later on, I had some Cheerios and Mark got some popcorn from downstairs.  (Handy, that downstairs, eh?)  Anyway, I know most of you enjoy the food details, so there ya go!  Very unremarkable, but tasty! : )
Tonight we watched some top-ranked pranks on tv.  The best was one in which they made Hugh Jackman think he'd accidentally exploded his friend's house (complete with a real exploded house).  His face was so white!  Sorry, I don't have a link to that one.  Goodness, some of those pranks could have hurt someone!  But most were relatively harmless and funny.
We almost exclusively watch Turner Classic Movies nowadays.  No gross commercials, and some really good films.  What are some of your favorite oldies?  Besides GWTW, I enjoy Rebecca, old Shirley Temples, The Ten Commandments, The Egg and I, the Ma and Pa Kettle movies (they were based on the characters in The Egg and I, which author Betty McDonald said we a compilation of people they knew), and the old Alice in Wonderland from 1939 (I've never seen it broadcast on television since I was little, but I have a VHS copy I got on ebay).   I'm forgetting many favorites, I know...the old Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn movies, National Velvet and the Lassie movies, Father of the Bride, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Dial M for Murder, The Grapes of Wrath, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Giant, East of Eden, Splendor in the Grass, The Thief of Bagdad, the old Sinbad movies, Summer Magic, Pollyanna, To Kill a Mockingbird...so many great ones.  They're easier to remember by artist, really.
I love the 50's Sci Fi ones, like Forbidden Planet, When Worlds Collide, War of the Worlds, and The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Then you have all the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals.  And the Disney classics.  What a treasure trove of movies we have at our fingertips, basically!  No need to get desperate, right?  Even Rocky and Bullwinkle are on DVD nowadays. : D

To change the subject, Mark got so much done on Saturday (he usually does, if we're home).  He vacuumed and took out all the trash, prepared a lesson for Sun. School, did the laundry, cleared his dresser off, shopped, did the dishes, fixed us supper, gave me tests, shots, and medicine, made about a zillion containers of Crystal Light, cranberry juice, Reliv,  and Gatorade for me, studied for his nat'l. license exam, and ironed shirts, among other things.  He also went over to work, plus handled a bunch of calls from his work, took care of the cat, and gave me bubble gum when I whined.  What a guy! Lol

So, tomorrow is Monday (in about 27 mins.), and I hope to get my meds in the mail (I've been out of all but one for the past week or so, do to not having a regular doc, hence the really late nights, etc.).  Yay for the mail service, Mark's colleague (and med. physician to the elderly next door), and a good pharmacy back home in Idaho - actually, I've been doing remarkably well, considering.  And I hope to find a doc in IF who feels he can handle my case, once I'm back there.  The snafu has been finding one who is qualified, will take new patients, and who doesn't require private insurance.  If we got work back up that way, then Mark could take me to my dr. in Pocatello, btw.

But, I digress...tomorrow I also hope to get some letters written and mailed, and some more art-type projects going.  I've finished reading Paul of Dune, and am re-reading Dune for the umpteenth time (heck, I'm just getting the names straight, lol!).  Really, tho, I am getting to the point of understanding a bunch of the references and the vocabulary in the series.  I have The Machine Crusades, The Butlerian Jihad, and one other that I have still to read, but they're packed up in Pocatello.
Ah, well...something else to look forward to!

Now you are up-to-date and probably bored out of your skull, but what can I say?  I'm nothing if not a maker-of-lists extraordinaire!
 Don't forget to let me know some of your old favorite movies.
Hugs All Around!
xoxoxo

I'm Still Awake...Are You?

Hi.  Just posting to let you know that I'll be coming back to Idaho on the 17th instead of this week.
Also, we saw the new X-Men movie tonight.  It was a must-see for fans of their movies, because you get to see how things got started, plus it's a good movie overall.
It was great to get out and go somewhere.  We've seen fewer movies since I've been away from Mark so much, and they are sooo expensive, too!  We got nachos instead of popcorn, and they were just awesome!  A ton of Tostitos brand chips and a TON of this great cheese sauce.  Yummy!  We also took dill pickle spears with us, and I always have some jelly beans or something for low blood sugar.  Eating during the movie is half the fun!  Also, it was a relaxed and appreciative crowd.  Yahoo for going to the movies with your Lovey-Dove!  (Okay, I just made a soldier puke - sorry about that, Phillip...Just think of a happy place.)

I got to visit on the phone with Justin for a long while tonight.  He's going to give us one of his orange whistles that also store matches and other things, for our emergency supplies.  Cool!   He's also giving us some little knives for them, just to use until they break.  That way, we'll have something with us that doesn't need so much protection for the blade.  I have a good knife, too, that I got from Seth.  And we have a machete and other instruments of death and destruction that I can't tell you about without using them on you. ; )

We are still on hold, waiting to hear about jobs in the NW (OR or WA), Idaho Falls,  and Pocatello, any one of which would probably do.  We'll see.  (It's not like we're out of contact with them; it's just waiting on some info or decisions from them.  Fun, fun, right?)

I just love my hair since I had it done.  It looks so much better on me, and that makes me feel good!
Be sure and see my other two posts, and thanks for commenting!
xoxoxo

PS to last post - Link to a hilarious video

Ellen's Favorite Moments: Dennis Quaid is Here! - The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Is it June yet?

Wow, I am so behind the times, but loving being that way.  I don't mean I actually love being behind, but I love that disconnected feeling sometimes.  Do you know what I mean?
We went to Melissa's (the nurse that used to work here) mom's house Sunday for a Memorial Day supper.  We'd also gone to Melissa and Jeremy's home for Easter dinner, which was a big Italian meal (not the type of Italian cooking that we're used to - it's Northern Italian, which I don't care for, but the visit was a lot of fun.
Sunday wasn't quite as many people, but they were sure lively!  They are very vocal, and friendly, too.  We really feel welcome when we visit them, and I miss seeing her here at work.
I haven't seen anyone around here lately, since I've been staying in our room a lot.  We're waiting to hear on several situations rt. now, in terms of job offers (or not).  If we move, I'll be sad to leave Las Vegas, as I love it here.  On the other hand, as long as I'm with Mark, I'm usually pretty happy anywhere. : )
I'll be going up to Idaho in about a week now.  I'll let people know my itinerary.  I look forward to seeing the Idaho grandkids.  Wish I could see the others, too!
So I'll be gone over my birthday, but I'll be there for Justin's.
Not much else going on of note.  We had pizza tonight, and have soup from downstairs some nights.  Others, just Cheerios.  I'm going to post this as is for now, and maybe put another up tomorrow when I can think a little clearer.  I'm sleepy!
Lots of Love!
xoxoxo
PS  Phillip, if you read this, there's an email for you in our email.