Weekly Letter ending 12/13/10

Monday, December 13, 2010

Dear Friends and Family,

Monday was a fun day.  As I mentioned last week, it was Elder Burt’s 21^st birthday plus it was P-Day so both sets of missionaries were over here all day long doing laundry, writing letters and playing pool.  I fixed a really nice dinner for all four. After they left to go to the Single’s Branch Family Home Evening, I got a birthday cake in the oven for them to have when they came home for the evening.  They really enjoyed it.  Elder Burt is sorta shy, but mischievous.  You never know how to take him.  I think he had a good birthday.

Tuesday morning I got up and went to IHOP for Breakfast with the Girls.  We had a really sparse turnout, but had fun.  Kayla Calderon came after we were all finished eating and was just sitting around visiting.  She told us about a place here in Texas that they go to every Thanksgiving (Fri-Sun) in Elm Mott called Homestead Heritage which is just about nine miles north of Waco.  The people in the community sorta live the United Order.  Her family really enjoys going.  You can go any time during the year and take classes.  Bev told us that her sister went a couple weeks ago and learned how to plow fields using mules.  Everything is hands on.  I think it would be fun to go.  Anyway, on the way home from IHOP I stopped and filled up with gas.  When I got home, Bob had gone to Fort Worth.  I put the Christmas music on and enjoyed myself.  I worked on my Visiting Teaching report—making lots of phone calls, texting, and emailing.  I wish that my supervisors would do their jobs.  All four missionaries came home for lunch.  After they left, I just wasted the afternoon away.  That evening Bob had another business dinner so I just watched TV until I went to bed.

Wednesday was temple day.  Sharon, Sherrina (Sharon’s youngest daughter), and Marsha went with me.  I was the veil coordinator for the day.  Everything went well.   Charlene Pope and Jim Norwood met us at Antonio’s for dinner.  When I got home, I watched Biggest Looser and a couple other shows before Bob got home.

We were supposed to go to Dorias’ in Boerne on Thursday morning, but Bob had to work.  He usually only puts in a few days a month at Elbit, but he’s had to go almost every day this past couple of weeks.  The money is good, but I miss the husband.  I did laundry and cleaned the kitchen in the morning then went into town to do some errands—cleaners, Walgreens, Walmart, and then by the Church to do my Visiting Teaching report.  While in town I noticed that Blockbuster has moved to College Park and an Anytime Fitness Center is going into the old Blockbuster on South Main.  Robbie got here soon after I got home.  He picked up Eden’s coat that she had left here over Thanksgiving weekend.  After he left, I did the Ward Bulletin.  Bob finally got home a little before six.  We hurried and packed, loaded up the car, went to Walgreens to pick up my prescription, and then we were on the road.  I drove as far as Lampasas then Bob drove the rest of the way.  We saw a lot of deer along the sides of the road.  We got pulled over in Johnson City for Bob driving with his high beams on.  He just got a warning.  It was almost 11:30 when we got to Boerne.  We stayed up talking to Dorias, Mark, and Matthew.  Finally I went to bed.  We were on a blow up mattress in their living room.

We couldn’t sleep in Friday morning  because of Mark going to work, Matthew and Rebecca going to Seminary and then to school, and Dorias taking the twins to kindergarten.  Later we went into town to run some errands.  We finished off at Bumdoodler’s for lunch.  Afterwards, I stayed at Dorias’ while Bob and she went to pick up Richard and Robert from school.  That evening we went to Rebecca’s choir concert.  It was pretty good.  Dorias had substituted for the choir teacher for 10 days ending this last Tuesday.  The students presented her with flowers since she had helped them so much for the concert.  Afterwards, all of Dorias’ family, plus Matthew’s girlfriend, and Bob & I went to a Mexican restaurant in San Antonio.  I ate too much—as usual.

 

Saturday morning we visited a while then Bob helped Mark take the pod off their car.  When they were done, we hit the road.  We took our time going home.  We stopped at the wildflower place between Fredericksburg and Johnson City and we stopped at the BIG rocking chair place near Santo.  I got a text from Charles.  They had just boarded the ship in Galveston for their Christmas Cruise.  This time they took Sadie with them.  When we got back to Weatherford, we went to the Pure Water Station to buy a stand for a 5 gallon water bottle, but they didn’t have the kind that we wanted.  Later we went back into town and looked at two other places, but couldn’t find them so we’ll just order one online after Christmas.  When we got home, Bob got ready and went to his monthly Bishopric Training Meeting.  I wanted to go to bed, but it was too early.  So I went in and watched TV until he got home.  We watched together for a while then we both went to bed.  Bonnie started her new job at an ER in Katy.  She is really excited about it.

Sunday was a hard day—it was worse than fasting.  I could only consume clear liquids from midnight Saturday until midnight Sunday.  I know it was only mental that I felt like I was starving to death because I could at least eat Jell-O and drink broth and diet cokes until midnight last night. Why was I doing all this?  It wasn’t for a diet, but because I was preparing for a Colonoscopy for this morning.  Then at 5 Sunday evening I had to start taking these pills and drinking TONS of water.  Anyone who has ever had a colonoscopy knows what happened next.  I couldn’t eat or drink anything after midnight.  Yuk, the hazards of getting old.  I did go to Church on Sunday and that helped keep my mind off of it for three hours.

We got up this morning and were at the hospital at 8:15 for an 8:30 procedure which didn’t even start until after noon.  Everything went as expected.  Don’t remember a thing which I am glad.  Bob talked to Robbie while I was under.  Landon broke his foot so Robbie was putting a cast on it.  We stopped by Walgreens on our way home.  Bob fixed me something to eat then I slept the rest of the afternoon.  While I was sleeping, Bob and the four missionaries (Collins, Romero, Burt, and Struhs) put the Christmas tree up and decorated it. I’m not putting out all my decorations because we won’t be here for Christmas.  If the weather cooperates, we will be going to Laramie, Wyoming and South Jordan, Utah.  If it doesn’t cooperate, we will just be going to South Jordan.