June 29th - Friday - On the Run!

This has been an on-the-go kind of day.  I got a haircut and then headed over to Lisa's.  Her car was in the shop and we were going to pick it up after lunch.  We went to Pizza Hut for lunch.  I believe that pizza is Brook's favorite food of the moment.

We got down to pick up the car only to find out that although it was supposed to be ready, it wasn't finished.  They said try around 2:00 - but that created the problem.  Brooks was already asleep in the carseat and needed to go home and nap.  So, we just left the car and Lisa and David had to make arrangements to pick it up in the evening.

I then headed out to do a couple of errands - only to discover that we had forgotten to take the second carseat out of my car.  That meant another trip back to Lisa's so she would have both her carseats.  I only have the one and we have been saying we need to get a second - that just proved it! 

By the time I got home, I had just enough time to get cleaned up and then we went to the temple for Angie's endowment.  That was a wonderful way to end the day.  We also did the sealing of little Selma Carolina Person to her parents.  She is my grandfather's oldest sister that I just found a few weeks ago. 

After the temple, we went to Chili's with Richard and Angie.  We had a great time.  By the time we finally got back home, it was time for bed.

Whew!  What a day!  Busy, but wonderful, too.

June 28th - Just another Thursday!

Boy, my blogs seem to get more boring as the days go by!  Fortunately, I am enjoying my journey just fine - too bad it doesn't retell with much excitement!

Besides the usual straightening, couple of loads of laundry, and other stuff, I worked quite a bit on family history.  I am trying to get the Ancestry tree up to date with my personal file, since I added all the Swedish stuff.  I also got a copy of some pages from a book that my cousin sent to me by snail mail.  He had made the copies from a cousin in Sweden.  I am looking forward to studying it more.

Tomorrow is looking to be a very busy day, so I think I will be thankful for having had a couple of quiet days just for me!

June 27th - Back to Family History today!

I had a quiet day today, so I was able to finally do some work on genealogy again.  I didn't accomplish anything, but I tried.  It was fun to get focused on it again.  With summer so busy, it is hard to get more than an occasional spot of time to work on it.

I was so tired today - not sure why.  For the first time in months, I actually took a nap!  I must have slept for two hours - it sure felt good.  I don't think I am getting sick and I haven't been staying up later than usual - I wonder if I am just getting old?

Good/bad news - they found the missing body.  It has been nine days since the boat accident and it was getting harder everyday.  Now they will be able to have the funeral for both boys together.  So sad.

June 26th - Quiet Day Didn't Last!

My day started off quiet and normal.  I had the second load of laundry in the washer when Lisa called and said they were going to Chili's for lunch.  She had two coupons for free lunch for the kids with an adult.  Needless to say, I dropped everything and met up with them there.

Ashby and Brooks already had their big bowls of mac and cheese and were having a ball.  It turned out Ashby ate maybe half her bowl and some of the fried apples, which was actually a pretty good lunch for her.  Brooks, on the other hand, emptied his bowl and wanted more.  He then proceeded to finish everything that Ashby had left.  He can sure pack it away - glad their meals were free! 

When we had finished with lunch, it was decided to come over to grandma's house for Brooks nap.  He went right down to sleep and Ashby made a fort with the couch cushions and a blanket and was lost in some world of her own.  Lisa decided to take advantage of a couple of hours on her own and took off.  We had a great afternoon.  Brooks slept for over two hours and woke up happy and playful, as usual. 

So my quiet day turned into a fun and busy day!  The kids are so cute and they just make me laugh!

June 25th - FHE

We had our Empty Nesters Family Home Evening tonight and had a great time.  We had about 16 people there which is a great attendance.  Bridget, who is the force who keeps us going, also teaches seminary, so she enlisted the group to help prepare some candy wrappers for her class.  Each wrapper had a scripture mastery with the key words printed on it.  We cut them out, and glued them around mini chocolate bars.  It was fun, because we all got to keep talking while we worked.  She is now set for seminary and will also send one set of the candy bars to Kyle, who is just leaving on his mission, although we decided to wait until a little later when it has cooled down a little.  He doesn't need a box full of melted chocolate!

The rest of my day was so-so.  I straightened up the house, ran by the library, and also dropped off the soup order.  I worked on family history a little bit, but mostly I must have been lazy, because I can't really account for having accomplished much.  I was busy all day, though!

June 23 - Love Sundays!

This has been another great Sunday - my favorite day of the week! 

As I walked in the door at church, Bill was waiting for me.  It seems they needed a music director again.  So, guess who got drafted?  The talks were good.  Sunday School was good.  The Relief Society lesson was good.  I enjoyed talking to my friends and I was especially excited because a new teacher was called, so I am now fully staffed with teachers again. 

When I got home, Lisa and the kids were there, but David had some visits after church so he came later.  We finished up dinner preps and as soon as David got there, we sent him out to start the grill.  Our menu today was cedar plank salmon, yams, grilled zucchini, crook neck squash and onions, homemade bread (well, bread machine), and an almond pound cake.  The cake was in memory of Judith, as she is the one who gave me the recipe and it is both Lisa's and my favorite cake!  Bill managed to get home as we were finishing up.

Once everyone was finished with dinner, the kids were anxious to get out into the backyard.  They put on their swimsuits and played in the little pool.  Ashby had all the Barbies in with her and Brooks was playing with the running water from the hose.  We hadn't been out too long when Ethan from next door came bounding out his back door and ran to the fence with the biggest grin.  It seems that he had been watching for some time to see if Ashby was going to come out, so he could play.  He and Eric came on over, as well as Chad, their dad.  They all played for a while and had such a good time. 

I had a friend stop by to drop off a food order and she had a piece of pound cake and sat with us for a while.  It was fun to chat with her and she enjoyed seeing the kids having such a good time.

Once everyone had left, the kids stripped down and headed to the bathtub, where they played some more.  They do love water!  Then it was time for them to go home.  It was another very enjoyable Sunday!

June 23rd - Busy Saturday

I decided that I had not really cleaned the house in a while, so it was time.  In the middle of working so hard, I got a reprieve.  Yeah!  Lisa and the kids were on the way to the mall to play and did I want to come.  Well, there is only one answer to that question!

We met up at the wall and the kids played in the playground for quite a while.  Ashby was in some world of performing, I think.  She was twirling and smiling and bowing and making sure the sun hit her like a spotlight.  I do think she is smitten with the stage.  She even told Lisa that she was really missing ballet on the stage.

Brooks, on the other hand, was consumed with the train.  Every time it came by, he went wild, pointing and signing and waving.  In between train appearances, he was at a full run around the play area.

After they tired of playing, we headed to the food court for chicken and rice for lunch.  We stopped at the little cars on our way back and they both played in them for a while.  Ashby was particularly fascinated with the ice cream truck and kept taking orders and fixing us our ice cream cones.  Brooks was still fascinated with the train and went through the same routine every time it came by.

Then it was nap time and every one headed home.  That meant I had to finish cleaning, which I did.  I spent some time on the computer, as well.   It turned out to be a pretty productive day - but to tell the truth I like the quiet ones when I do what I "want" to do, not what I "need" to do.  Even so, I always love a clean house!

One sad note - I didn't make the connection to the two little boys that were killed on Lake Lanier last week to people I knew.  I knew the family were members of the church in Sugar Hill.  I did not realize that they are the grandsons of Gary and Kay Hansen.  Gary was our home teacher back in the 80's when we all lived in Roswell.  His children were all young in those days and I haven't kept up with them as they have grown, so I did not know that one of their daughters had married a Prince.  I do know another daughter, Channy, but just hadn't made the connection.  My heart has been heavy over the whole incident and now it is even heavier.  

Jun 22 - Not Quite So Quiet, But Sort Of....

We had a RS presidency meeting today, so that always takes a good chunk out my day - between preparing, having the meeting, and doing some follow-up.  We are all going to be gone at different times between now and the end August, so we probably won't have another face-to-face meeting until August.  Of course, there is always email to keep things going!

The rest of the afternoon was the quiet part.  I did a little genealogy, plus some other things at the desk and got four loads of laundry done, including the sheets changed.  I was so tired later that I relaxed in the recliner and watched the rest of Sense and Sensibility.  Now that is the way to waste time!

Lisa called this morning and we talked a few minutes.  Just a short after we finished talking, the phone rang again and this time it was a little voice, speaking some unknown language!  I thought it was Ashby at first, but I can usually understand at least some of what she says.  I am wondering if Brooks got the phone and hit redial.  I will have to ask Lisa when I talk to her next.  If that wasn't the case, we are being invaded by aliens!

June 21 - Mostly a Quiet Day

The RS president and I did get out to visit another sister who has recently moved into the ward.  Other than that couple of hours, I was home the rest of the day.  I did all the expected list of things, finally doing a bit of genealogy after a week on the go.  I also watched the rest of the Bramwell episodes.  I must say that a great series ended rather poorly.  The last season left a lot to be desired!  I was so tired in the evening that I didn't feel like doing much so I watched the beginning of Sense and Sensibility.  Jane Austen is always a quality escape!

Jun 20th - Crafting with Ashby!

Had a busy day today.  I got some laundry and odds and ends done in the morning.  Then Lisa dropped the kids off around noon.  She stayed long enough for us to fix lunch and to get Brooks down for his nap.  Then she left to do some things on her own.

Once it was all quiet, Ashby announced that we needed to go make some crafts - upstairs!  That is where my craft room, such as it is, is located and she was determined.  So, of course, that is exactly what we did!  We pulled two chairs up to the desk and started making "pictures."  She had a ball picking out pretty paper, using the scissors, gluing, drawing, coloring, finding "gorgeous" stickers and other embellishments.  We made about 5 different pictures, which were to give to grandpa and mommy.  She was so animated and excited it and it was a riot making our "crafts" together.

We had finished by the time Brooks woke up and they were playing when Mommy got back.  She stayed just a little while longer, before they headed home for dinner.  We had a very fun day!

Bill had to help drive youth to Stone Mountain for the laser show this evening, and since I was already tired, I just sat and watched several episodes of Bramwell.  Then I finished reading my book, The Night Circus.  It was an interesting book, even though mystical topics are not really my favorite.  The characters and situations were different and it was pretty good.

Jun 19th - Visiting Teaching

I visited one of my sisters today.  However, my companion just forgot.  She sent me an email later saying she has just not managed to get organized with four kids home for the summer.  I do know how she feels - but that was a different time in my life!

I had a nice visit with Lisa.  She and her family had spent a week tent camping in the Georgia mountains and had a blast.  It was fun getting the run down on all they did.  She is also heading into a tough time ahead.  She has a friend and her daughter who will be coming to live with her for a year or so.  And now she has her aunt who is disabled and suddenly without a home who will also be coming to stay with her until things get worked out.  Sounds like more stress than I could handle!

I made my run to the bank and got my checks deposited and then spent the rest of the day at home.  I did a list of odds and ends - not much worth retelling. 

So is was a fruitful day, although not all that exciting!

Jun 18th - What Happened to my Stay At Home Mondays?

Most of my Mondays are stay-at-home affairs - getting the house straight after the "wild" weekend, catching up on stuff, etc.  It didn't happen today!

Since the kids didn't come over yesterday, because we were all at Aunt Joyce's, there wasn't much to do around the house.  I had several computer things to handle in the morning, including planning a trip to CVS to pick up some specials. 

I was just finishing that up when Lisa called and said they were heading to Catch Air and did I want to come.  You don't ask me twice if I want to spend time with the grandkids, so I was on my way.  They have more fun at that place, both of them running, jumping, sliding, laughing, and having a ball.  It helps to have two adults there, since they go in different directions!  Ashby is pretty independent, but it is still good to keep an eye on her.  Brooks has to be watched constantly.  It was a lot of fun.

After an hour or so of playing, we went across to the Chik Filet for some lunch.  The kids were both very tired, so after lunch they headed home for some naps. 

I, on the other hand, decided to get my shopping done while I was out anyway.  My first stop was CVS, where I picked up a basket full of specials; with coupons and Extra Bucks, I saved $36.25.  Plus I received $18 in new Extra Bucks to use the next time I come.  Not too bad for someone who can't get into couponing.  I then made a stop at Kroger to pick up a few things that we needed and then headed for home.  With all of that, I still forgot to deposit the checks in my purse, so I will need to make a trip back to the bank sometime this week.

I was just putting things away at home when the RS president called.  She was going to visit one of the new sisters in the ward and wanted to know if I would like to come with her.  She picked me up a little after that and we visited Kendra and spent perhaps an hour with her.

By the time I got home, I was tired!  I had been on the run most of the day.  Fortunately, Melanie gave me a pan of dinner, so I wouldn't have to cook (like I cook much anyway!)  We have a friend who does catering and there had been a surplus prepared and she had brought some of the unopened pans home and we each got one.  So dinner was warmed over grilled chicken, spaghetti with a tomato and spinach sauce, and green beans.  It was really good!

Thus, my quiet day turned into a bit of a whirlwind, but it was a great day.  No regrets, except that I didn't touch my family history stuff - maybe tomorrow.

Jun 17th - Happy Father's Day!

Because it was Father's Day, the bishopric didn't have regular meetings this morning, just a short one before Sacrament Meeting to be sure everything was set, so Bill was home most of the morning.  However, he had to give a talk, so he spent a good bit of his time putting finishing touches on it.  He did a good job, by the way.

We are pretty low key on holiday things, so we didn't do anything special for breakfast.  We don't usually even do much for gifts, but I did get him a Tabernacle Choir CD called Glory and a book.  The book is the story of baseball player Vernon Law and the year his team won the world series.  I don't remember the team or the year, but Bill was really excited about the book, as I figured he would be, and he remembered that world series.  Now he has a beach read for our Florida vacation next month.

After church, we came home to change and then to head over to Joyce's for a family get together.  To our surprise, Richard and Angie, some good friends, were sitting in our driveway when we got home.  They had been out taking a ride on their motorcycle and stopped by.  We invited them in for a few minutes and had a great time chatting with them.  Angie joined the church a year ago.  I spoke at her baptism and was her first visiting teacher.  When they married last fall, they moved into another house that was just far enough away to be in the other ward.  She was really excited because she got the final signature on her temple recommend and will be going to the temple for the first time in the next week or two.  They wanted to be sure that we knew and to invite us to attend with them.  We are very excited about that.

After they left, we went on to Joyce's.  Everyone in the Atlanta family was there, except for David S, who is out of town.  We had not all gotten together since Christmas, so it was nice to see everyone.  Lisa and David and kids got there after we did, since they had to wait for Brooks to finish a nap (he would have been unbearable otherwise!)  Ashby was so excited and she and Lizzie played all evening and had so much fun.  Brooks loved that Aunt Joyce has a sunken living room, so you have to go up and down a couple of steps.  He was up and down those steps a hundred times!  Not to mention his exploration of the rest of the house and the entire back yard.

It was a very nice Father's Day!

Jun 16th - Cleaning Day.....

Well, at least it is Saturday so it is supposed to be cleaning day!  I did do some things, like straightening, dusting, mopping kitchen floor, 3 loads of laundry, etc.  But I made it as little as possible!  My knee is so much better, but it did start to feel tender after I had been doing for a while.  I used that as my excuse to stop!

I spent a lot of time at the computer, as usual, with blogging, couponing, indexing, RS emailing, etc.  I also spent a lot of time working on my Swedish documents.  I got through a few more.  It just takes so much time to figure each one out and make sure I am getting the correct information.  They are getting easier to figure out, but it is still hard to read the handwriting.  I got an email from my cousin who was so excited because he had finally found the ocean passage for his grandfather.  Some of the information I had sent him helped him focus his search more precisely and there it was!  I also talked to my friend Jill on the phone for a while.  She had not heard about Judith's passing until Friday morning, just before the funeral, and was so disappointed that she had not been able to come.  It was good to catch up with her, though.

In the evening, I was checking to make sure I could make Judith's almond pound cake in the morning and discovered we are out of sour cream.  We are never out of sour cream!  It was too late to run out to the store, so I guess it will have to wait until the first of the week! 

Bill had forgotten that he had to chaperone the stake youth dance, so he took off in a hurry and I spent the evening at home.  I watched a couple of episodes of Bramlett before I hit the bed with my scriptures and then my book.

It was a good day!

Jun 15th - Goodbye, Judith!

My friend Judith passed away Wednesday night.  She has been in Our Ladies Perpetual Care hospice in Atlanta since November.  I have tried to get down to visit her about once a month.  I did some of her family history for you, because she wanted it so badly.  I got the message on Thursday morning of her death.  The funeral was held today, so there was very little notice.  I am glad I checked the obituaries in the paper this morning, or I would have missed it.

I first met Judith when she started working for Genex..  I started at Genex about 1993, and she started probably sometime during my first year there.  She became a good friend.  I trained her in the job and eventually, she became the person who knew the most about workers comp and state fee schedules.  We worked together again the last few years at Medicorp. 

She was famous for her cooking.  She loved to bring food to the office - including her angel biscuits with bacon or sausage, cookies, birthday cakes for every birthday, and tons of other stuff.  One of our favorites was her almond pound cake.  It was the cake I always wanted for my birthday!  I am planning to make one this weekend in her memory.  She was generous in sharing the recipe years ago.  It never quite has her touch, but it is my best effort.

Judith had some hard times in her life, but she still always had a smile and a warm hug.  My life has been better because I knew her.  I will miss her.  Goodbye, Judith!

Jun 14th - Mostly Genealogy Day

I am still hobbling around with my knee, so this was a "take it easy" day.  It is better, but I can tell it is going to take some time to completely heal.  My one excursion out was a run to the library - well, make that a limp to the library.  I returned 3 books and picked up one. 

The rest of my day was spent at the computer - with my leg propped up (you know, the E elevate part of treating a knee injury.)  I got through about five of the Swedish documents and picked up some new information, including two more generations back.  I am very excited about it.  I have maybe 15 more documents to study and then I will be finished with what Sister Nilsson has sent.  I also communicated some more with my cousin.  He sent me copies of postcards that my grandfather and his sister sent back to Sweden when they were on their way to the US in 1914.  Way cool!  The Swedish family had saved them and one of the cousins gave them to him when he visited there.

I also spent a good bit of time in the recliner (this was the R rest part of the treatment.)  I am in the middle of watching Bramlett, a British series about a female doctor in Victorian England.  It is quite good and I watched a couple of episodes in the afternoon and another couple in the evening while Bill was out helping someone who is moving into our area. 

By the way, I didn't do any of the I ice part of treatment - just didn't seem necessary.  I considered the C compression, but didn't do that either.  I am thinking it might be good to invest in a knee bandage, but I will see how it is tomorrow.

So - rest and relax.  I must say that is a great way to spend a day! 

Jun 13th - Day with the Kiddos!

I am really limping around with my knee.  It got worse as the day went on, but I figure that all a doctor would say is RICE - so I am trying that on my own for a few days.  There isn't any pain except when I stand or try to walk.  I figure it is probably a lateral pull and will need a few days to repair itself.  It obviously isn't anything all that serious.

Even so, when Lisa called and said let's do lunch, I was there!  We had taken the car in to get it serviced and the battery changed, so Bill dropped me off at Mimi's to meet up with Lisa.  He was working at home - finally changing out the garbage disposal that has been seriously leaking for a while.  I had one of the Mimi coupons for a free entre with the purchase of an entre, so that is a good way to do a nicer lunch.  The kids were both really good.  They both had mac and cheese and ate a ton.  Brooks eats so much now that he can't share with Ashby anymore. 

After lunch, Lisa had to bring me back home and they just stayed so Brooks could take his nap here.  While he napped, for 2 1/2 hours, Ashby played outside in the little pool.  She had a bunch of Barbie dolls, and one Ken, and played with them in the water for a couple of hours.  She gets so lost in her imagination - it is fun to watch.  Lisa and I just sat out there and talked.  We don't get a lot of just chatting time with the kids around, so it was enjoyable.

When they called that the car was ready, Lisa and Bill went out to get it and Ashby and I kept playing.  We had gone in the house and were resting on the couch when Lisa got back.  Brooks slept the whole time and finally woke up shortly after she got back.  They then had to head for home to get dinner, etc.  It was a really fun day.

After they left, I worked on my Swedish documents a little and got through another one.  I have more details to add to my family tree now.  It is so fun!

June 12th - Finished the Books and More Genealogy

Top priority of the day was to finish the business books.  Got them done - not without some problems - and everything is now in balance.  Of course, the problem was "user error" and it is no wonder he couldn't figure it out.  I will worry about it all again in a few months!

I spent a good bit of time on the Swedish genealogy.  I got a nice email back from my cousin and I was looking up some things in response to his questions.  It is fun to do genealogy, but it is even more fun when there is someone else who cares about it, too!

I had planned to go to book group tonight, but when I got ready to leave, the car wouldn't start.  Bill spent the next while working on it.  The battery just needs to be replaced, so it isn't anything major - just a nuisance!  The downer is that when I was getting out of the car, my shoe caught on the crack in the driveway cement and wrenched my knee.  It took a bit before I could even stand on it.  I then limped in to tell Bill about the car.  I will probably be limping for a few days until it heals.  Darn!

June 11th - Balancing the Books - Ugh!

I only balance the business books a couple of times a year.  Bill keeps up with the checkbook online with the bank every few days, so we know there aren't any problems.  However, I do have to put it all into QuickBooks and do a reconcile periodically.  We need it correct when it comes time for taxes every year.  Today when Bill checked online, he said he couldn't get it to match.  That meant I had to work on it.  UGH!  I will have to finish tomorrow, but I got three months reconciled - just two to go.  The question that came to mind, though, is why is it that he is so accurate in keeping things recorded, except for one error made right after I balanced it the last time?  I did it in March and on the very next entry, he failed to subtract the check he wrote.  I haven't found any errors since.  I guess that is one of those "Murphy Laws" things.

Besides spending all that time on the books, I also got through five loads of laundry, straightening the house again after the wild weekend with the kids, a little indexing, and some other things.  I got an email back from my cousin about little Selma.  When he got my email, he dug through his Sweden box and found a note about her, but he had never added her to his family group record.  So she has been found and his note confirms that the information is correct.  He had asked a bunch of other questions, so it took me a while to respond to him.  That was all the time I had to work on the genealogy.  Maybe tomorrow!

I finished another book, Blue Asylum by Kathy Hepinstall.  Interesting - Civil War era, insane asylum, tropical island, not really insane or what is insane, early days of treatment for mental illness seems almost inhumane, etc.  It was pretty good - not great.

June 10th - Sunday Roundup

Another great Sunday - repeat, repeat, repeat!  The young man leaving on a mission, who went to the temple for the first time yesterday, was one of the speakers.  He leaves shortly to begin serving in the Nevada Reno Mission, a brand new mission.  He did a good job.

The rest of the meetings were also good.  I was particularly happy to have found a substitute to teach in RS.  It took a lot of requests before someone accepted.  I have a little trouble understanding that - other than those that were out of town, of course! 

Got home to find the kids here, as usual.  Brooks had just awakened and was not happy.  He was still tired and hungry.  He eventually calmed down once they fed him, but he was touchy the whole time.  He still laughs a lot!  Ashby was excited to find some new toys and books on the table when they got here.  I had purchased a couple of close out Disney things and she was thrilled.  Plus, two more of the Dr Seuss bookclub books had come this week. 

Bill got home just long enough to eat and then had to leave again for the youth fireside.  Meanwhile, the kids took a bath and played there for a long time, before putting on their jammies.  They left a little earlier than usual since Brooks was so tired.  He was probably in bed not long after they got home!

I had a chance to check emails, etc., after they left.  I was just getting ready for bed when Bill got back.  He said the fireside went well and was well attended.  It was on modesty and the parents had been invited as well.  They played part of a presentation from John Bytheway.  The problem, of course, is that those who are the problem don't see themselves as being a problem.  But you have to keep reminding everyone or it gets out of control!

June 9th - Little Selma Christina Persson

I spent most of my day on this Swedish genealogy.  I can see clearly that Selma Christina was definitely the oldest daughter in my grandfather's family.  She died at 2 years old of scarlet fever, before the second child was even born.  Somehow, she never showed up again in any records.  Of course, I haven't seen all the records.  The entire family is listed in a household examination in 1896.  All nine children are listed, including two who had died.  Their death dates were listed, so it was all very clear.  However, little Selma was not on the list. 

It really makes me wonder why.  Was it just too hard for the parents to remember her?  Losing any child is hard, but losing the first would have been extremely heart wrenching.  Perhaps since none of the other children would have remembered her, it was easier to just forget her.  It is unlikely that she was ever really forgotten, but with nine children coming after, it would have been easy to bury it deep.

Which brings me to my thought here.  Joyce, my roommate who made this genealogy connection, let me know that she had not sought out this person.  Rather Sister Nilsson had sought her out and was the one to bring up genealogy as she shared how much she had loved serving in the Family History Center in SLC.  Joyce had felt prompted to tell her about my Swedish heritage and it went on its own from there.  One of the first things she found was the birth and death records of Selma Christina.  I don't believe that things this important are just coincidence.  I feel sure that little Selma or her parents Johan and Kristina, or perhaps akk, were the ones who wanted to make sure Selma was found and sealed to her family.  I have added her to the family and already have my sheet ready to take to the temple.  What a wonderful experience this has been!

The last half of my day was at the temple.  We have a young man from our ward who is about to go on a mission and this was his first time to attend the temple.  A large number from the ward attended.  In fact, the full session was almost all people from our ward.  That was a great experience right there!

We ended the day by stopping at Red Lobster for dinner.  I indulged with the crab alredo.  It is my favorite, but also the least healthy and most fattening, so I don't get it as often as I would like.  It just seemed right today!

June 8th - Church service & genealogy

We had our first RS presidency meeting in over a month!  Melanie has been recovering from surgery and we have been limping along as best we could until she was ready to take charge again.  Well, today we finally met to try to get all of us back on track.  We have a number of things that we need to work on and it was great to be able to be together to begin to address some of the issues.  Needless to say, we had a good meeting. 

In the afternoon, I worked on my new Swedish documents and got through several of them.  I can see the name I want in each document - it helps that she told what each document was about when she sent them.  Even so, I am having to figure out what all the information is.  I discovered the Google translator and that has helped me figure out some of the headings.  I was able to read all of my grandfather's birth document.  I also found a couple of families in household enumerations.  The most interesting was that she found a birth certificate for a sister of my grandfather that I did not know about.  She was the first born and died before age two of scarlet fever.  I have both the birth and death documents and she is clearly a child of the same parents.  I thought there were nine children - turns out there were 10!  All the others have been sealed to the parents and I didn't even know this one existed.  I am anxious to get her name prepared to take to the temple so the family can be complete.

So, I guess that about filled my day - church service and genealogy.  A good way to spend a day!

June 8th - Loving the Swedish genealogy!

So I sent my pedigree chart and a family group sheet to the sister in Sweden that Joyce had met.  In return, I received copies of nine documents of my family history.  Wow!  She says she will have more to send.  She has access to the Swedish records online for free and is downloading the appropriate pages and emailing them to me.  I can then download them and study them on line and/or print them out for my records.  I am very excited!  I have printed out the documents and will be working on them a little at a time.  After all, I still don't read Swedish, so it takes a lot of effort to understand each document.  I will probably do most of the studying of the documents online, since I can zoom in and see everything better.  Anyway, this is an exciting happening for me!

Besides the family history things, I didn't do much around the house.  I did do my usual computer related things, including a little indexing, blogging, etc.  I also took breaks at mealtimes and watched a movie called Sarah's Key.  It was really good - about the French Jews who were rounded up and shipped off to camps.  One little girl hid her brother in a secret closet, promising to return to get him as soon as she could.  She didn't understand what was really happening and by the time she was able to return, the child had died.  It was told as a flashback story and I thought it was quite well done.

I am hoping that I will find some time to start working on my new documents tomorrow!  We shall see.

June 7th - One Month to Go!

I know that we shouldn't look so much to what is happening in the future that we miss the joys of today.  However, it is one month from today that we will begin our two weeks in St. Augustine and I just can't help looking forward!  Every year, as we drive away, we always say, "Just 50 more weeks until we go to Florida."  Now I can say, "Just one more month until we go to Florida!"  Hurrah!

I am still enjoying the joys of today, though.  Lisa called and I met her and the kids at the mall for a couple of hours.  They love the play area.  Brooks is now getting around so well that he just takes off - always running - and laughs the whole time.  At one point, he was running around one of the climbing toys and laughing out loud every time he came by us.  He just kept going round and round like he was on a carousel.  So funny! Later we walked to the food court for lunch and finished with a ride on the real carousel.  It was all very fun

At home, it was laundry day - 5 loads!  I had waited until Bill got home since he would be bringing all of his dirty clothes from the trip.  It took me all day - what with the interruption to go the mall and all!  Besides that, I was at the computer most of the rest of my time.  I worked a lot on genealogy on the Person (the Swedish) line.  My roommate Joyce, who is on a mission in Sweden right now, has made a contact with someone who knows a lot about Swedish genealogy.  I am making sure my information is as up to date as possible and will then send her a copy of the pedigree to see if she has any suggestions on how to verify everything. 

I finished a book, too.  It was I Am Forbidden and it was pretty good.  It is about an orthodox Jewish family from the time of WWII to the present.  During my meal breaks, I finished watching the movie Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.  I had read the book a couple of years ago and liked it.  It had some historical problems, but I still had liked the look at 19th century China and the life-long friendship between the two women.  The movie was awful.  I have said before that one must not judge a book by its movie and that is true here.

So I have enjoyed today while I look forward to the future!  I think that makes it a great day!!!

June 6th - Bill Made it Home

Bill made it home late tonight, so I am no longer all alone!  He had a great time and I am glad he went (and glad I didn't!)

I was pretty busy all day - washed the sheets and towels (all the rest of the laundry will be waiting for me tomorrow, what with the load he brought back!), cleaned the house better than usual, worked on genealogy, did a little indexing, plus a long list of other odds and ends. 

I was in bed reading when Bill got home.  His plane was delayed taking off by an hour or so, so it was after 11:30 by the time he got home.  I have just about finished my book.  At the rate I was going, I thought I might actually get it finished before he got home, but I didn't quite make it. 

It is always nice to have him back.  We had talked on the phone, so I had already heard most of what he had been doing.  We were both so tired at that point that it wasn't long before we were zonked!  It is amazing, though, that it still makes a difference in how I sleep just having him back.  Now back to normal tomorrow!

June 4th - Genealogy Day

The day started off cloudy and dreary, with rain every so often.  You know, the kind of day when you just want to curl up in bed with a book!  I didn't do that - instead I dove into working on genealogy.  I have been doing so many other things lately and haven't spent much time doing what I really enjoy more - genealogy!  So, today was the day.

I worked on a number of different things, but my focus was on the Swedish line.  I have some information on that grandfather's line, but none of it is documented.  Much of it came from distant family in Sweden which my mother was able to get.  However, I still want to document to make sure it is correct.  I have decided that doing research in Sweden may be over my head!  I didn't really make any significant headway.  Oh, well.  I will keep trying and at some point I will figure it out.

I have put my Bacon-Wesco book to the side for the moment.  I am still not happy with the Ancestry.com book, so I am still deciding just how I want to do it.  Besides, I want to add the 1940 census to the information.  I have been doing mostly the Iowa census when indexing and, according to Familysearch, it is about complete.  Hopefully, within a few days or weeks at the most, it will be accessible. 

In between the genealogy stuff, I did most of my usual things around the house, so it wasn't a completely worthless day! 

June 3rd - Sunday and Not Alone!

Bill is still in NY, so I had another alone day, but it didn't stay that way.  When I got home from church, the kids were here, only half of them sleeping today!  As soon as I opened the door, Ashby came running to give me a big hug and kiss and my day was perfect! 

Lisa and I got dinner put together - grilled boneless beef ribs, baked potatoes, peas, homemade bread.  After dinner, we mostly just sat around talking and watching the kids play - again!  How boring are we?  But watching the kids play is the most entertaining few hours I spend.  They are so funny.  Ashby was all excited about her new doll - an American Girl knockoff, which she got as a reward.  She named the doll Ashby, so we spent the rest of day saying "Little Ashby" or "Big Ashby."  She loved it!

Church meetings were also good, so it was a very nice Sunday.  When the kids left, I checked my email and then went to bed to read.  I have started a new book, I Am Forbidden, and finished Part 1.  I think it is going to be pretty good.

June 2nd - Saturday Alone!

Well, the wedding is today and Bill should be having a great time - at least I hope he is!  There was a breakfast this morning, the wedding in the afternoon, and the reception in the evening.  Saw a couple of pictures posted on FB and looked like it was a grand time.

As for me, I was busy here at home.  I did some of my usual Saturday chores - straightening, vacuuming, planning Sunday dinner, etc.  I also worked an hour or so on my water storage supply.  It was time to empty and refill the old containers.  I used a lot of the old water for watering my plants, etc., but there was still more water than I needed.  Now they are all full of fresh water and dated and neatly back on the shelves.  I also inventoried it to make sure I had the proper amount stored.  Everything looks good.  I still have the water barrel that is not filled.  I am not sure how to convince Bill that it is important!  Even without it, I have the minimum suggested amount stored.  I just think the minimum is not really enough!

It was such a cool, beautiful day today that I wanted to be outside a little, too.  So I took a little time and deadheaded a bunch of the flowers.  Hopefully, that will encourage them to keep blooming.  I also trimmed a few other plants that were in need of it.  That was just about enough outside work for me!  I love flowers and a beautiful garden, but it is not something I like to do.

I did a bunch of stuff at the computer, too.  I took my lunch and dinner breaks and watched Little Dorritt, my latest Netflix choice.  It is the old Dickens story and is just as one would expect - dark, dreary, debtors prison, and full of unbelievable coincidences.  I have never read the book and, while I will watch the rest of the series, I will certainly not bother reading it.

I did finish my latest book - stayed up until midnight to do so.  It was Heaven is Here by Stephanie Nielson.  I had reserved the book from the library based on a recommendation from someplace, Goodreads maybe?  Anyway, I didn't realize it was the story of the young Mormon mother who was burned over 80% of her body in a plane crash.  I had heard of her before and have seen a video of her, but didn't realize this was her story.  It was quite good - a lot about hope and the power of family to help us heal.  Well worth reading.

And thus I had my very busy day all alone!

June 1st - Temple Trip

One of the sisters I visit teach is a young single.  As a teenager, she went through a rebellious stage (so what else is new, right?) and married someone that was not the best choice.  After realizing where she was heading, she decided to turn her life around.  After her divorce, she came back to stay with her parents and to get her life back on track.  Since then, she has been doing so well. 

About a month or so ago, she got her partriarchal blessing.  She has been called to teach in Primary.  She is looking into getting into graduate school.  She has found a full time job in her field.  She and her sister just moved into their own place. 

Tonight was the crowning jewel!  She went to the temple for the first time.  I was one of the members who went to show her our support and love.  It was a wonderful experience.  There is always a peaceful, joyful feeling in the temple and to share that excitement with someone going for the first time, just makes it so much more so.

Thanks for letting me share this great event with you, Kristi!

May 31st - Prepared to Be Alone for a Few Days

Bill left this morning to go up to New York/New Jersey for his niece's wedding.  He had a rough start, but I guess he made it finally.  He lost his cell phone yesterday and has looked high and low for it.  He kept trying to call the number, but never could hear it ringing anywhere.  That meant he had to start the day by getting a new phone.  Since it is his business phone, he can't just let it go.  He got that all taken care of and everything transferred over.  The big loss is his phone number list.  They can't transfer that when the old phone is missing. 

Then he called a few minutes AFTER the plane should have taken off.  It seems they had boarded and then there was some kind of a problem with the door - wouldn't seal properly or something, I don't know.  They made them deplane and they were waiting until a different plane could be found.  His new phone doesn't have much of a charge, so he only talked a minute.  I never did hear from him later, so I am assuming he finally made it.  He would have called for me to come get him if the flight had been cancelled and no alternative found.  Hope he had a great night at Gail's!

As for me, I went by and picked up the food storage order and got that all sorted and emails sent for people to pick up their things.  The rest of my day was pretty much same a normal.  At least, it seemed normal until evening.  It is always a little hard to shut up the house, turn out the lights, and go to bed alone. 

I finished another book on CD today.  It was called The Beginner's Goodbye by Anne Tyler.  It was a little strange, but I actually liked the book.  Yesterday I finished reading Calico Joe by John Grisham.  It is a baseball book and I liked the story, but got a little bored with the detailed description of baseball.  Of course, the story wouldn't have had the impact without those descriptions, so I read them.  On TV, I finished watching the Land Girls series.  It was OK, but not so good as the other things I have watched lately.  Fortunately, it wasn't that long. 

Well, Bill will be back next Tuesday, so I have a few days to fill.  We will see what the week brings!