Buh Bye

Not really, but I may not post for a while, because I'm going back to Idaho, then back here, and so on. I don't have Internet access in Idaho, unless Alex's computer is available (Danny and Melinda's boy). I'm flying there - hot dog! I love flying! My blog won't show me the pics I uploaded for some reason, but I believe they were of Tut, Deedee, Jeff, Julie, Tut, then Stephen (serving on St Pat's Day), then Mark and Tut playing, Tut being disgusted, and the picture on Phillip's blog of his group in Afghanistan. I believe Phillip is in the back row, holding a rifle or something similar.

Take care, and I'll see some of you soon!
xoxoxo

blah blah blah blagggh!

That's how I feel rt. now, after days spent on the phone trying to figure things out. Now our phone is dead and I'm charging it. Mark is super-busy at work. At least with the phone out of commission I can get a break, but without resolution of different insurance matters, I still feel up-in-the-air. I know you know what I'm talkin' about!
I think I'll go back to school...but online, so I could miss days. Also, with a voice adapter maybe? Something so I can type.
Or I'll get a job online. I love to do copy editing, if I could get work doing that.
Who knows? I'll keep working on a problem until I find a solution or things change (often that happens - but I'm kept busy and out of the way in the meantime, trying to solve things myself ;).
Nothing has changed here, btw. I'm just venting about the phone/receptionist/answering machine system that we often have to deal with in life. It's the modern Mormon Crickets, and we have to keep fighting them as long as we can, even if Heavenly Father might be sending seagulls our way.

Playing Catchup

Hi! I did get to go down on St. Patrick's Day, but there really wasn't a party, by the time we got there. I did wear green, tho!
Also, my arm is getting better! We've figured out that it's "drop wrist" from radial nerve compression from my bad shoulder being strained. I'm avoiding strain on it and then my shoulder doesn't get inflamed and swollen, which puts pressure on that nerve. We figured it out on the internet. Never heard of drop wrist before!

Fri. night we went on a little date to see Limitless. We really enjoyed it. Sat. am Mark cleaned and then we went to Barnes and Noble - what fun! Sunday we went to church, Monday night we stayed in our apt., this a.m. I got to make cards and she'd saved all mine from the times I'd missed! Then I visited some with Melissa and Deedee and Julie over half-submarine sandwiches downstairs.
Oh, the residents and I played a group game of Are You Smarter Than a Fifth-Grader? I was getting all of them right, but then had to leave to eat lunch. We only had one question left, but don't know if they got that one.
I love it when Julie's here for her weekly 2-day visit. She's so funny and nice! I wish you could meet all our friends here.

Tonight Julie and Deedee took Jeff and us to the Olive Garden. We had fun, and this time I just got stuffed mushrooms and spinach and artichoke dip. Mark got fettucini, and we didn't get dessert. Whew! ;) Believe it or not, we have been eating modestly lately, as part of our plan for being in a certain prayerful frame of mind. I really enjoy that and hope to do that as much as possible, while we continue on our way.

I have more to say and pics to post (some) tomorrow, but it's really late here rt. now, and I'm pecking this out with one hand.

Oh, Megan, I caught up with Top Model! TTYL about it!

I love you all!
xoxoxo

Happy Green!

Hi!
i was so glad to see that Phillip posted today! Head on over and leave him a comment, wouldya? The link is on Baked Asia. He arrived safely in Afghanistan, as part of an advance team.

Have you been watching the news on Japan? It shows how easily one situation can precipitate another, and so on. Things can happen so quickly, and you don't even have to be in Oz!
I feel so bad for those that are stranded in the cold, especially with babies and young children. That was always a fear of mine. I'm praying for them and our troops in Afghanistan, and Seth and Leto, and on and on. Heavenly Father must be really busy right now!

I haven't done anything since my last post, except laze around. Can't do much else, because my arm and hand haven't improved. It's possible I've had a small stroke, but it could be a pinched nerve. I haven't done anything yet, since I missed the window of the first few hours - I was asleep during that time. Not gonna worry about it. Talked to the nurse here.

They have a St. Patrick's Day dinner/party downstairs today. Mark won't be off for the beginning, and don't know if we'll go. If we do, he can help me get ready, lol!
I love this time of year, when the earth wakes up. It's been 83 degrees or so lately, but cooled off last night. That was too warm too soon, record-setting, rather than normal for here.

I may add pictures on here later, so check back! Oh, and we had spaghetti for lunch yesterday, and meatloaf (more like Salisbury steak) last night, for all you foodies. :)

Love You!
xoxoxo

Third Post Today

Hi. Did I mention that my left arm is numb? I woke up that way - probably a compressed nerve that will improve with time. Meanwhile, I'm pecking out posts; that's about all I can do. I can't even wheel my chair!

I hope the earthquake in Japan gave you an even greater sense of the importance of emergency packs, etc. The Red Cross has a website that gives you great ideas for 72-hour kits, etc. Also, keep some cash in zip locs in your kits, and keep your gas tanks full and supplies in your car. In almost every picture of survivors that I see, they could sure use one of those packs, for water, food, fire, medicines and 1st-aid kits, ponchos, hand warmers, transistor radios, flashlights, socks, and on and on.

So keep working on those kits and other things we've been instructed to have, even a little each week. I just think how much we could help others at a time like this one in Japan.

Love You!
xoxoxo

PS

I think I forgot to say that Melissa is staying on here! Yippee! She'll be part-time now, with an assistant. That's what she always wanted!
Also, Tut has started sleeping like a human, at night. He lines his body up like ours, and sleeps beside me with his head close to, usually on, the pillow. It's so obvious that he thinks he's human, just one of us. Haha. Isn't that cute?

Yay! Mark's Birthday and New Grandbaby!

Hello! Well, I guess you all know about Brooks' and Megan's new baby - she's so precious! You can see pictures on Face Book.:) I'm so excited for them to have a new family member, and also to use all those ways they prepared for Sabriel. :)

I had such a bad Friday (and Thursday)! Japan had a huge earthquake, in case you didn't know, but that wasn't the main problem for me...it just added to my general anxiety, caused by not sleeping, which was caused by terrible neuropathy pain. I know, that is a teensy problem compared to people dealing with a disaster, but it was truly awful. The sleeplessness makes the neuropathy worse, which makes the sleeplessness worse, and so it goes. Yikes!!
I finally slept some on Saturday a.m. and that helped so much! Good thing, because that was Mark's birthday! We had so much fun on his birthday. First, we went to Best Buy and got a simple little Kodak camera that was on sale. It's memory card has a thousand pics, so I won't run out. Isn't that cool? I found out from Megan's friends that visited Idaho that that's what they had, and they were right. For my purposes, I don't need fancy.
Then, we went to Wal Mart and bought three 5-gallon gas cans, oil, antifreeze, and drinking water. We're trying to get ready to at least make it out of the desert, should we have a big disaster or social/economic breakdown. With the car's tank full and the extra 15 gals., we should be able to make it to Idaho. That's such a relief to have that much done, at least.
We also got two shirts for Mark for his birthday. Then we went to see The King's Speech, the first movie we've seen this year. It was quite good, but I was disappointed with the gross misrepresentation of Edward and Wallis who were painted as complete, idiotic villains. There were many historical inaccuracies pertaining to them and the abdication. The leads were all wonderful in their roles and I loved the period costumes and sets.
After the movie, we got sandwiches (the movie theater was in Red Rocks Casino) at Capriotti's sandwich shop and we watched a roulette table for about 20 mins. Then we picked up Dove bars at the convenience store near our residence and went on home. Doesn't that sound fun?

Congratulations on the new baby, Haroldsens, and good night all!
xoxoxo

Let's see...

Howdy! Hope you've all been fine (I can imagine someone reading this in the future and thinking, "Fine? Fine? Oh yes, we've been fine...You left us with all these papers and junk to go through!")
We're doing well, especially 'cause we got more Reliv. Gosh, it makes such a difference in the way we feel: first, I notice I have better fluid balance - not so puffy, yet not dehydrated; second, I can eat anything I want, like grapes, nuts, etc., without getting a tummy ache; third, I start to feel what I would call "chipper," like a kid; I don't know how else to describe it; fourth, I don't crave anything, which saves on the food bill and calories.
Over time, I notice that my nails and hair are growing faster and much stronger, and I don't look like I'm going bald anymore (that's always nice). Don would be proud (he's the one who first told us about Reliv, way back when the company started).

Okay, so enough about that.

Last night they had a Mardi Gras party here. I missed some things during the day, like card making (no! that's so sad!), tossing Mardi Gras beads from the main balcony, and making Mardi Gras masks. Ah, well...you can't do everything!
My friend, Marie, gave me an extra mask that she had started, and I only had time to put a couple of embellishments on it. They were simple, plastic masks - good starters for a fun March project, though!
For the party, they had Jerome Dean again. He waved to me and said things to me when I got there, over the microphone. That was fun! They served us jambalaya with a crusty sourdough bread. It was tasty, but I saved the shrimp in mine for Mark - yes, I'm a somewhat picky eater. At least I ate something with shrimp in it. Usually I only eat large, butterflied and deep-fried shrimp, but that's a whole 'nother story.
They also had Caesar salad (I tasted Mark's - for some reason they didn't bring me one, but Mark brought me cole slaw and giant olives!). For dessert we had Boston cream pie and ice cream. It was so smooth and delicioso!
DeeDee, Jeff, Melissa, and Julie danced with residents and each other, and I got to meet Heather and Hector, from the buildings across town. Heather is their administrator and Hector is Chief Financial Officer of the business. They were quite friendly and relaxed, and they sat across from us at our table.
Mark had been in a four-hour staff mtg. with Don, Julie, DeeDee and others, so they all were delayed in their arrival. What a big mtg.! They mostly went over budget matters, and Don had lots of different ideas they went over. I can't imagine sitting through something like that, although Bishop's Youth Council mtgs. in Decatur came pretty close to that!
We left early and were so glad when we were home in our cozy bed, watching King of the Hill cartoons (I love that show - Mark can take it or leave it).

Today I need to make phone calls and look things up for Medicaid, checking with the neighbor on how the house is doing, etc. I've put those things off for as long as I can. Waaawaaah!
I have to hurry, because I need to go to Karaoke at 2 p.m. Julie says that they have 23 guests touring in a group, from the Jewish Senior Center, and they'll be there, so it'd better be entertaining today. Haha. Julie and DeeDee are always entertaining when they're there. Julie is only here 2 days a week now, and I miss her. She's busy, busy when she's here, so we don't have free time together, but I'm kind of happy for her to be with her family and out of the building. But just kind of...

I can't think of what else we've been doing. Saturday we didn't go anywhere, Sunday Mark went to church, then had to run home to do something for work, then go back (I overslept, but I really needed the rest. That was the first good rest I'd had in a long time, since I had tried going without my c-pap machine, 'cause the mask straps made my hair flat. Silly, I know. Oh well... :)
Monday was kind of nondescript, as I recall. Maybe I've blocked it out. lol
Oh, I got my hearing checked at a free screening they have here each month. It turned out that I miss out on hearing consonants and my brain tries to fill the words in. They adjusted some hearing aids to my test results and it was amazing how crisp things sounded! And there wasn't a delay while I tried to figure out what was said. Wonderful!
The tester said it gets worse with time if you don't correct the problem, because your brain learns to ignore it, so someday I hope to get the hearing aids (they're really invisible and they keep adjusting them for you, too) and not have to ask what people are saying repeatedly. Even if I'm on Medicaid, it's probably not severe enough for them to pay for, but I have my vays, bwahaha!

Also Monday, I got to know Marie better. She's a resident in 218, down the hall from us. She's the one I think I mentioned, an archaeologist. Anyway, I found out that she also holds the most world records in aviation! Six hundred and fifty-some speed records for different flights from here-to-there. Isn't that amazing? You can find pictures of her and articles on the Internet - she's Marie McMillan (I know she doesn't mind people looking her up).
She came in our apt. for a bit, and she showed me hers, which is almost all furnished in marble - her headboard, chests, tables, etc., are all molded and carved heavy marble, in a beautiful cream color. She's so unassuming that it's surprising to find she is accomplished AND fancy! lol

Well, that's about all. I've emptied my brain for now.
What have you been up to? Tell me!

xoxoxo

Embraceable You

Hi. Thanks for your comments and sharing the words that you aspire to. (I respond back in the comments, so you might want to check them out again later.) Anyway, your words and our words really help me to see things as they really are, and to have much more peace and understanding. They give me such a greater eternal perspective, and love replaces fear in my heart.
And there's a lot to fear, when you don't have that perspective! Heck, yeah! All kinds of possibilities. But we know who we are, and a bit of what we're here for.
Don't keep it to yourselves - share who you are with others! It will make such a difference if you just let go and fully express who you are.

It reminds me of a flower blooming...embrace those qualities within yourself. Nurture them. Share them with others. As you do, it will be like the sun coming out~

I love you!
xoxoxo

A Night to Remember

I have to tell you about tonight: Mark had a gift card to Olive Garden and we went there to eat! It was the best OG I've ever been to - the service was great and the food was hot and delicious. We basically ate appetizers and dessert, taking Mark's meal home in a doggie bag. I ordered an appetizer sampler, with stuffed mushrooms, zucchini, and toasted ravioli. Also, spinach and artichoke dip and some spicy sausage/potato/onion soup. Mark ordered the Tour of Italy, with endless salad and bread sticks. His platter (!) came with lasagna, chicken parmesana?), and fettucini alfredo. My favorite was the stuffed mushrooms. They were so hot and juicy inside, with a creamy, cheesy filling. And the dip was hot and delicious too. Anyway, it was glorious. And then, dessert! Ahhh...Mark ordered the chocolate strata cake and I ordered a baked caramel-almond biscotti, cream, and sliced apple concoction, with vanilla ice cream on top. We shared, and we both preferred what I ordered, although the strata cake was plent dark and decadent, haha. We had so much fun! I kept feeling like I was on Defending Your Life, with the wonderful surroundings, and any cares far away. We even pretended it was true, and we talked about what that would be like, to know your earth life was over and you were together. Whew! Heady stuff! So now we're back here and Tut is bawling us out for being gone so long. Oh, I forgot! After eating, we went to Barnes and Noble and looked at books. It was a quiet one, like the Idaho Falls store used to be. You know that I already think that that store was Heavenly, so it went right along with the Paradisiacal Living theme of the evening. Melinda says that Phillip called her this a.m., to let everyone know that he got to Afghanistan all right. Phillip, if you read this, I'm waving hi to you and hoping all is well with you there. We pray for all of you! And guess what? We got some Reliv and we are both taking it! Hooray! And I am drinking water! I've found that Nestle water, ice cold from the fridge, is delicious! My kidneys are so happy about that - who knows what I will do tomorrow, with Reliv and H20 on board? DeeDee gave me around six beautiful beading books, left to the bldg. by the resident's daughter that I told you about, and I will get some beads, etc. from her - I'll just take a few, I told her. I want to just take enough to honor the offer, without feeling like a vulture. Does that make sense? There are oodles of certain beads, so I'll take some of them. Next time I'm in Idaho, I'll have to get my supplies and I can make some gifts! I also want to get my clay supplies - you can make gorgeous beads from clay. I meant to ask you in my last post, what words do you aspire to become? Would you mind sharing your thoughts about that? Love and Hugs! xoxoxo

Breakfast and Sticking With The Plan

Hi! I ate breakfast downstairs at eight this a.m. I liked going down so early: it feels homey in the dining room, and like the whole day is before you still. Morning light is so soothing. It makes the people's faces softer-looking, and they are still slightly rumpled-looking, or else bright and freshly made up. I gave Roscoe a dog biscuit, so now he likes me especially well. He's so cute - I'll have to get a good picture of him. (Btw, Mark's been so busy at work, he hasn't been able to get pictures for me, but I asked him to this morning. Hope he gets to do that!) I felt like I was in a California reality series when I had breakfast. I really took advantage of the choices here: I had a scrambled egg (theirs are actually tasty), sliced avocado, a banana, and strawberries, along with sparkling cranberry juice (I have club soda with some juice added) and my own little teapot of hot cocoa. Doesn't that sound divine? It was. The strawberries were like none other I've had - perfectly red, al dente and unblemished, although they didn't have a lot of flavor. The avocado was perfectly ripe and evenly peeled and sliced, with nary a spot to spoil its beautiful colors. I munched and poured and drank my cocoa, happily reading my book in leisure. Wow! So much for frozen meals - this is service! Lol. I couldn't help but think about the Nazis during the war, at Eagle's Nest, Hitler's aerie and second headquarters. While the rest went hungry, they dined on special delicacies squirreled away just for them. I also thought of the rest of the world, including our country, and how they eat what they can get. They probably (like me, before) have no idea how the privileged class really eats and lives. But I didn't let it stop my enjoyment of the meal. :) I really get a good view of things living here. There are really, really nice people here, but I don't know much about their lives or how they got their money. Some were probably pretty powerful; I know some were high up in the military. And now they are retired, living the good life, but they are also shrunken and bent, barely staying in their loose clothing that used to fit, dependent on others to dress them and take care of their other needs. Some are couples, with an able, active spouse staying with their invalid mate. Many are both disabled. I see them using walkers, then wheelchairs. Then they die. They decline or sicken or go suddenly, but they all die. It's inevitable. When I observe this progression from wealth and power to old age and death, it is striking how little the money mattered, after all. It may have been a tool for doing good, even, but we all leave the earth the same way. I was talking to Mark this morning about what adjectives he would like to describe him, what words he would aspire to. I told him I would like: gracious, kind, intelligent, fun, loyal, imaginative and affectionate. Open to life and to people, as much as possible while maintaining my sanity. Also humble and grateful. I told him that I would use these words for him: tenderhearted, intelligent, obedient, a gifted teacher and healer, hard-working and dependable, loyal to the truth, fun, grateful, generative, insightful, and a people-person (over four feet tall and not in crowds ;). I asked him if those words were what he would aspire to, and he said yes. I told him that's how he already is, really. We become what we admire over time, with God's help. Isn't it funny how we don't appreciate what we actually are? We are simply children of God. That's all and that's enough, with His help. We can do this thing. And we can leave this earth with what we have become. I'm sticking with The Plan! I love you all. xoxoxo