Went to Richmond, VA

This weekend Alan and Nathan and I went to Richmond, Virginia to see Gian and Andrea. We got to see the city they live in and spend some time with them. Andrea and I went to Time Out For Women. It was like a mini women's conference put on by Deseret Book. They had speakers and musical numbers for the presentation. It was fun and inspiring. Some of the speakers told some pretty funny stories about events that changed their lives and there were some serious topics also. I am glad I was able to spend some time with Andrea. It seems like when children move out of the home the time we get to spend together is precious little. I am glad she wanted to spend the time with me. It was good for Dad and Nathan and I to get away. Nathan still doesn't feel well and even though going away from home isn't always easy for him it was still good to get out. We had to drop Alan off and the airport to catch a plane to Mexico, he just got back from Singapore and then at the end of next week he is going to Isreal again. I think he gets really tired of the traveling and we get tired of it too.

Remembering

I am watching the Fox News Channel program that is remembering the 9-11 terrorist attacks on our country. It brings back many memories. I remember being in DC on that day and the unfolding of the events. I went with a group of women to the Smithsonean to see some quilts they have preserved there. We stepped off of the metro very soon after the plane hit the pentagon (one woman in our group saw the smoke coming from there as our metro stop was very close to the pentagon). There were all kinds of sirens going off and I remember thinking wow I didn't know DC was such a crime ridden city. We went to see the exibit and that is when we heard what was going on. They almost didn't let us in the building, but finally they did and said we would probably have to leave soon. We did stay for a while but then they finally emptied all of the buildings in the area. It was errie when we came out because the city had been desereted while we were in the building. I could almost imagine tumbleweeds rolling down the street. The really unnerving thing were the snipers on top of all of the buildings on vigilent watch. We couldn't go home because the metro was shut down so they could check for bombs. Nathan was in school and I didn't know how he would get picked up and where he would go. Alan was out of the country. Fortunately Bob Stull was able to pick him up and take him to the Stull's house until we got home. Alan wasn't able to come home for several days. Some of the video they showed today had vidoe of some of the people that were jumping out of the burning buildings. What a horrible decision those people had to make.

Swallow a Camera?

Yup, you heard it Nathan has to swallow a camera. It should be interesting. It will send digital pictures to a receiver he will wear, to show pictures of his small intestine. At first we thought he would have to retrieve the camera (yuck) but, the doctor cleared that up and the camera will be "disposed of". Wish us luck!

Are we alone?

We went to the temple today, it was nice to go, it has been too long since I have been there. I need to make an effort to go more often, it is nice to be in such a peaceful place where I can feel the Lord's spirit so strong. It was kind of crowded because it was a Saturday, and usually they have weddings on Saturdays. Afterward we went to the visitor's center to see a display they have of photos from the Hubble space telescope. The pictures were amazing. I have seen a few of them before, but there were a lot more there. There was one picture that had 8 billion stars in one galaxy and another picture that had 10,000 galaxies in it. As the scriptures tell us in Moses, the Lord created more planets than we could count. So, do you think we are all alone out here? It is amazing to see the pictures of a portion of it. We live in an incredible age of technology.

Cooking for Nathan

Cooking for Nathan lately has been a little challenging. He has to eat fat-free, wheat-free and low sugar. I think he is going to be eating a lot of rice products, besides a lot of fruits and vegetables and chicken. I won't complain about him eating more fruits and veggies, but the rice and chicken will get old soon I fear. Fortunately Roots has some gluten free (basically wheat-free) products. The problem is they are expensive, so when I was in there the other day I bought a cookbook for easy wheat free cooking. It should give me some ideas. I hope all of this effort pays off some day. Wish us luck.

Exercise Efforts Renewed

I am renewing my efforts to exercise more, I bought a fan to put next to the treadmill so it won't be so hot, that should help. We have our air conditioner on but it can still get hot on the treadmill. I have also gone to the lake a few times earlier in the mornings so it isn't as hot. I am looking forward to fall. I love the fall here, it is just the right temperature and it isn't rainy like spring or too humid like summer. (I hate the humidity). I have been studying a lot on Lyme disease and just read that: Lyme disease causes metabolic/endocrine dysfunctions that lead to weight losss or commonly chronic weight gain. I have been wondering lately if I might have a chronic Lyme disease. I was reading about people having hot and swollen joints that have Lyme and a couple of years ago I have a lot of problem with that with my thumb joints and my big toe. The doctor tested me to Rheumatiod Arthritis and Gout, both negative. I wonder if I have been suffereng with Lyme also. Maybe on my next Doctor appointment (which should be soon) I will have her do a Western Blot test for it.

Frustrated

I am getting more and more frustrated with Nathan not feeling well. I don't know which direction to go and which doctors to trust. I wish the answers were more clear cut. I pray that Nathan will soon get some relief.

New Tooth

I had dental surgery today for an implant. I was really dreading it, I have had one done before and the pain medicine didn't work very well. Today went well and I am surprised that I haven't had to take any pain medicine since I got home. I can't bite on my front teeth for 3 months, that should be interesting! Wish me luck.

Cautious Optimism

We are being cautiously optimistic about Nathan. A new doctor that we have been seeing has told us that Nathan has a couple of things that could be his problem. He tested positive for an Amoeba that he probably caught when we were in the Dominican Republic a few years ago and he also tested slightly positive for a few coinfections that come with Lyme Disease. The test showed he has had Lyme Disease in the past but it is not acitve now and he still tests positive for Babesiosis and Ehrlichiosis. We will begin treatment for the Amoeba today and see how that goes and then treat the others when the first treatment is well underway. I am keeping my fingers crossed and a prayer in my heart.

Happy 4th of July

On Saturday the 4th of July we were invited to a barbeque at the home of some of our friends in our ward. There were about 8 couples there. It was fun and there was lots of good food. We enjoyed being able to visit with our friends. A few of the people there have come to live in the USA from Canada, and after the meal was over our host asked everyone to tell something that they like about America. It was interesting to hear the responses from everyone. Our friends from Canada that are now US citizens are very patriotic and happy to be here, (and we are glad they are here). It was good to hear good things about our country, especially after all of the negative that is being thrown our way all the time by the liberal biased media. It is good to hear good things especially by people that have experienced other countries. Happy Birthday America!

At the library

Cherise, Jennie. Nathan and I went to the library while we were visiting them, see our visiual evidence we have recorded for posterity. Cherise and Jennie go to the library a lot and they joined the summer reading program. It reminds me of when my children were little ,we went to the library all the time and joined the summer reading programs. I think the prizes my kids liked the best were at the library in Ohio, where the prize they got after reading so many books were ice cream cones with eyes on. We read at bedtime almost every night back then. Oh, the memories!

New Arrival!

I was watering my plants again today and when I looked into the birdhouse lo and behold, there were some new faces in there. I had to hurry and take this picture before the mother bird came back. I hope you can see the babies on this picture, I am taking pictures with my phone because I haven't figured out how to transfer pictures from my camera yet.

Birdhouse Invasion

I got home from Utah last night and today went out to water my plants on the front porch and when I went to water the plants in front of this birdhouse something scared my by flying out of the birdhouse. Yes, I did jump for all of you that were wondering. I looked in the birdhouse and saw that it had been invaded and there are quite a few little bird eggs sitting in a nest in there. I hope our cat can't climb the pole on the birdhouse.

Bradford Pear Trees

Look at what Alan came home to the other night. Half of a tree in our front yard by the driveway broke off in a storm and landed on the house and roof. This is our third Bradford Pear tree that we have had to remove because of broken limbs falling. I am glad to get rid of them, while they are very pretty in the spring with white blossoms, they are dangerous and they also have very messy berries that fall off of them in the fall. I guess the nurseries in the Columbia don't have them for sale anymore because of their tendency to lose branches in storms. Goodbye Bradford Pears!!!!

Going Out West

Nathan and I are headed to Utah this week. We are going to the annual Carter Campout. I think this year we are going to go "real" camping at Gooseberry. Nathan says that staying at the cabin doesn't really count as a campout. I just told Dad (Grandpa Carter) where we were going and that we were looking for a campground that was level without too many rocks so it would be easier for him to walk around on and he said, "Well, if I fall down I guess there will be plenty of people to pick me up". Way to have a positive attitude. He finally got his TV working with the new digital box. He has been without a tv for a few weeks and he said it was getting pretty boring reading Louis Lamour books for the 4th time. Anyway he said he was watching Little House On The Prairie (a show he said he likes) and a storm came up and wiped the signal out. I guess life is really rough when you can't watch Little House On The Prairie! He also said he was watching a show about Lions and Matt came and sat down by him and said,"Grandpa did you know that this show is in Spanish?" Dad said no that he couldn't really hear it anyway so it didn't matter.
Update on Nathan - we went to Dr. Karnsakul last week and he is going to have Nathan take big doses of Probiotics for a few weeks and see if that helps. Onward we go!!!!!
We are having the missionaries live with us. The church is having the missionaries live with member families more often. It saves a lot of money and they find the Elders obey the rules a lot better when they live with a family. Two Elders moved in last Saturday and one left Wednesday and a new Elder came on Thursday. So far it has worked out very well. They cook breakfast and lunch here and most nights they eat at other members homes. Sharing the kitchen seems like we are in college with roommates with everyone eating their own thing and doing their own dishes. Yesterday they asked if they could use the bread maker and make their own bread. We said sure, and then it evolved into they will grind wheat to make the bread also.
I have already hemmed one of the Elder's pants. I told him that the next pair I will teach him how to sew. He said his mom would die of shock if he came home knowing how to sew. I told Nathan, "Before you go on your mission I insist you learn how to cook and sew". Poor Nathan, I think he will get a lot of lessons from Mom after watching the Elders.

Getting Old?

For Mother's Day this year I got these great rocking chairs for the front porch. I have been looking for just the right rocking chairs for a long time. The most important consideration was comfort. I didn't want the really straight back chairs like I see on most porches around here. So,

one day while driving around I spied these rockers at a little shop by the side of the road. When I saw them I thought, those are just what I have been looking for. I took Alan back with me and when we sat in them I knew they were just the thing. Now, I wonder if this is making me feel old, just sittin' on the front porch rockin' away the time?

Just Getting Started

Hello, this is the beginning of my blog. I think this is a fun way to share what is going on in our lives. I just got back from my walk around the lake that is close to our house. It is very pretty and the honeysuckle smelled wonderful and there were lots of birds and geese. It was very peaceful and I love to go walking there. Here are a couple of pictures I took while I was there. There is a walking path around the lake that is approx. 2 1/2 miles around. As you can see it is very green from all of the trees and I might add all of the pollen.