My Weekly Letter ending on 2/14/11

Monday, February 21, 2011

Dear Friends and Family,

Last Monday evening after Bob got home from pre-recording his Thursday SMU class, we went up to the Church so he could do a couple interviews then we went to Fuzzy’s Tacos for dinner.  It wasn’t the best.  When we got home, I continued to read the latest book that I’d downloaded to my Kindle called “Eragon” by Christopher Paolini.  I didn’t stay up too late reading.

Tuesday morning I had a Relief Society presidency meeting up at the Church.  Afterwards I went to Walmart to do some shopping.  When I got home, Bob had already left to catch a flight to Los Angeles.  I put all the groceries away then messed around on my computer for a while.  Then I started reading on my book again.  Bob called me when he landed in LA and again when he got to his hotel.  I didn’t want to put my Kindle down so that I could go to bed, but I had to since I had Temple on Wednesday and needed a good night’s rest.  It got up to 80° here in Weatherford on Tuesday. 

It was 62° when I got up on Wednesday with 87% humidity.  I got ready and went and picked up Sharon and Marsha for the temple.  It was nice to be back after being absent for two weeks due to ice storms.  I had a wonderful day at the temple.  We had a nice slow drive home.  There was much more traffic than usual.  We just missed being in an accident, but made it home ok.  We ate supper at the R&K Café then I dropped Marsha and Sharon off at their homes.  Sugar was sure glad to see me when I got home.  I had planned on reading all evening, but didn’t.  Bob called me.  He was tired.  I talked with the missionaries when they got home and then went to bed.

Bob woke me up with a call from California on Thursday morning. It was warm and humid again here.  I bathed Sugar then worked on Visiting Teaching and on my computer.  I did talk to Cookie on the phone.  Her second daughter, Heather, had had a hysterectomy on Wednesday.  Cookie and Alton were in Arizona with Heather.  I read on my book while doing laundry then took a nap.  When I got up, I finished the laundry and then worked on a calendar to figure out when Bob and I would be home and not home from now until the middle of June.  We’re not going to see much of each other in the next few months.  Bob called me around 8:30 saying he was fixin to take off at LAX for DFW.  It got up to 82°.  I almost felt like turning on the a/c, but resisted.  I did turn the ceiling fans on.

Bob got home Friday morning just before 1.  It is nice to have him home even if it is only for a couple days.  He left this morning for Mobile, Alabama again.  We slept in and then changed our AT&T accounts—both cell and land line.  We didn’t get rid of our land line, but now we cannot make long distance calls on it and we don’t have caller id--just the basic phone.  Since Michael is on Karen’s parent’s cell plan now, we added Stephenie to our cell plan.  I couldn’t believe how long on the phone it took us to do that.   That afternoon I read on my Kindle, took a nap and read some more.  Bonnie and I texted each other.  She started her new job.  She said it was better than the surgery center in Las Vegas.  Later Bob and I went into town.  He had to interview someone so I read while he did that.  Charles called me while I was waiting on Bob.  When we were done at the Church, we went to Walmart to do some shopping.  We got Subways while there.  It got up to 85° and was humid on Friday.  I actually put on short pants because long ones were too hot.  When we got home from town, I read on my book until I went to bed.

Charles came over Saturday morning to barrow a car.  He was having Jorge fix his truck—actually it is Robbie’s truck.  He stayed a while which was good.  I wished that they didn’t live so far away so that they could come over more often.   Bob called Tonia.  They were all sick including Dan who is still up in Wyoming.  Dan was sick enough that he went to the ER.  I had done the ward bulletin on Friday, but Bob and I found out on Saturday morning that the Dallas Temple president and matron were coming to speak, so he had to call and cancel the speakers that had been asked and I had to change the bulletin.  At least I hadn’t printed it out yet.  Bob called his mom to see how she was doing.  Her missionaries dyed Lucy’s hair green.  I booked my flight to Utah.  I’ll leave here on April 21 and come home on May 10.  I’m going to babysit Lucy while Grandma goes on a trip with her sister, Pauline.  Later Dorias called.  Matthew and the twins have the flu even though they got the shots.  I continued reading my Kindle until time to go to an YW Valentine Fund Raiser/Dinner.  It wasn’t very well attended.  Afterwards I went to run off the ward bulletin.  I got 20 copies done when the Xerox machine started jamming up.  So the first 20 families at Sacrament Meeting got the bulletin on Sunday.  When we got home, I continued reading until bedtime.  Eric called.  He is fixin to take his second of five CPA tests this coming Thursday. 

Sunday morning I had planned on putting a big ham in my Crockpot, but it wouldn’t fit in either one of my big ones so I had to put it in the oven.  Sacrament Meeting was really good.  I enjoyed the talks by our temple matron and president.  Afterwards I went home to check on the ham—it was done!  So I put it in the car and took it up to the Church for Linger Longer.  Sunday School was almost over by the time I got all that done.  Our Relief Society lesson was really good also.  We had plenty to eat at Linger Longer.  The five missionaries sat with me.  When I got home, I changed cloths and finished reading “Eragon” on my Kindle.  That was such a good book.  I then downloaded to my Kindle the next one called “Eldest” and started reading it.  During that time Dorias, Stephenie, Bonnie and I were texting each other.  I also talked to Mark.  I love modern technology.

Bob got up and left this morning.  I got up and fixed Buckwheat Pancakes for all five missionaries and me.  I found out that Buckwheat isn’t made out of wheat and it is gluten free.  The pancakes were really heavy.  I don’t know if I’ll make them again.  My Grandma Smith used to make them and I liked her’s.  I talked with Dorias for a while this morning then got ready to go to IHOP with Trish.  I didn’t eat there—just visited and drank Diet Coke with them.  After IHOP, I went to get my nails done.  They were getting too long. They look and feel so much better now.  I also talked to Bob and to Mark.  Bonnie texted me telling me that she’d just got off a 5 hour shift at one job and had to be at a 12 hour shift at her other job in six hours.  It’s a good thing that she is young.  Later Elder Struhs and Elder Stanworth dyed Sugar’s hair again.  Her body is blue and her head is red.  Charles called me.  They might come over later.

Well, I’m going to get this going.  Hope that you have a good week.  I’m going to have a busy week.

My Weely Letter ending on Valentine's Day 2011

Monday, February 14, 2011   (Four years today since our Chapel burnt down)

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy Valentine’s Day

Last Monday evening I watched TV shows that I’d recorded:  NCIS, Castle, the Mentalist, CSI-LV, CSI-NY, etc.

Tuesday morning I got up and drove into Fort Worth to the NAS/JRB (the old Carswell AFB) and picked up our three month supply of prescriptions.  We were supposed to pick them up last week, but we were grounded due to the ice storm.  When I got back to Weatherford, I stopped at Super Save and got some groceries.  Elder Struhs and Elder Stanworth were home eating lunch when I got home.  I fixed me a sandwich then went in and took a nap.  It was almost 60° and windy, but sunny.  Later Bonnie texted me to tell us that she got a second job working at a Surgery Center part time.  She was hoping that she would get enough hours at the ER that she wouldn’t need a second job, but it just hasn’t worked out that way.  I also talked to Bob that afternoon and Michael.  Michael doesn’t like the new vice principal as well as he liked Dan.  He also said that Megan is really crawling and is starting to pull herself up and will let go.  It won’t be long until she is walking.  Dorias texted me to tell me that Rebecca will be having oral surgery on March 16.  I’m going down to babysit the boys that week.  That evening I visited with the missionaries when they got home then I went in and watched TV until I went to bed.   It started raining around midnight and the wind was really blowing hard.

When I got up Wednesday morning, it was 11° outside and all the rain that we got the night before was frozen with a light covering of snow over it.  The wind chill was -6°.  All the schools are closed again.  They were closed four days last week and now again this week.  And the temple was closed again.  I was bored so went back to bed until noon.  When I did get up, the sun was out and it had warmed up a bit, but it was still very windy.  I messed around on my computer for a while then finished reading “Lightning Thief” on my Kindle.  When I was through with that, I started reading “True Grit” on my Kindle.  Later that evening I watched TV until I couldn’t stay awake so went to bed.

Seth woke me up Thursday morning wanting me to go to breakfast with them.  I got ready and went.  Marilyn came also.  We ate and visited until 11:30.  Bob called me to let me know that he was driving to the airport to catch his flight home.  When I got home, I worked on visiting teaching for a while.  Robbie came over for a few minutes on his lunch hour.  I then read on my Kindle.  Bob called to let me know that he had landed at DFW and was heading over to SMU to teach his class.  I later met all four missionaries at Alvin Ord’s for supper.  Their sandwiches are sooo good.  When I got home, I read until I went to bed.  Bob got home around 11.

Friday morning it was right at freezing when we got up.  Bob went into Fort Worth to Elbit and I finished reading “True Grit” on my Kindle.  I couldn’t believe how it went right along with the John Wayne movie.  Then I downloaded “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett to my Kindle.  Dorias called and we talked a while then Bonnie texted me.  Jarom and she were on their way to go camping near Conroe.  That did not sound fun to me.  I then started reading my new book.  When Bob got home from work, we went to eat at Rosa’s Café and then we went over to JCPenny and he got him six new shirts.  When we got home, he left again for a meeting and I continued to read my book.  Bonnie texted me the following: “I kept smelling a chemical smell.  Jarom couldn’t.  Then I noticed my toes where finally warm.  Then Jarom noticed my feet were smoking.  All the glue separated and the rubber melted.  We laughed.”  I told her that’s what she gets for buying cheep shoes.

Saturday morning Bob went and got Seth to come help him around the house.  They washed my car and hunted for gophers.  I didn’t do much of anything all day long except read.  I enjoyed myself, but didn’t get anything else done.  I did finish up the ward bulletin for Sunday.

It was “such a beautiful day in the neighborhood” when I got up on Sunday.  I got ready and went to my meetings.  When we got out, it was up to 72° and sunny—not a cloud in the sky.  A friend of mind sent me an email with a link to YouTube.  It was a Flash Mob in Australia singing “We Are Australian”.  I can’t get that song out of my head.  It is beautiful.  I don’t know how many times I’ve listened to it.  I read most of the rest of the day on my book “The Help”.  It was such a good book.  I finished it before I went to bed.

This morning Seth called me to wake me up so that I could go to breakfast at IHOP.  He likes to do that.  We had a nice visit—Trish, Tonia, Marilyn & I.  On the way home, I went to the bank.  Bob had left for Fort Worth when I got home.  I visited with the missionaries then decided to download another book to my Kindle—“Eragon” by Christopher Paolini.  I think this Kindle is a curse.  That’s all I want to do is read.  I’ve never been an avid reader before.  When we got married, Bob would tell me that if I’d read 100 pages in a day, he would do the dishes for me.  I guess after 41 ½ years…..

Well, I better get this on to you.  Hope that you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day.

My Weekly Letter ending on 02/07/2011

Monday, February 7, 2011 (The 42^nd anniversary of Bob and my first date.)

Dear Friends and Family,

This will be a short letter as NOTHING has happened this week except sub-freezing weather.  So much for having 80° weather last week.  Global Warming!

Last Monday evening the temperatures started dropping and we had a thunderstorm and rain around 10.  During the night I was awakened several times by ice pellets hitting the windows and the wind blowing really hard (40mph). 

When we got up Tuesday morning, everything was white and all the schools and businesses (including DFW) were closed down due to the ice.  We had snow flurries all day long with high winds.  Amber posted on Facebook that it took her three hours to get to work there in Jacksboro.  She could have walked faster, but would have frozen to death.  They got a lot more snow and ice than we did.  Dorias (San Antonio area) called and they had had a pipe burst so had no water.  They’ve been showering at the local YMCA.  I was notified that the Dallas Temple had closed after 10am on Tuesday and they would let me know if we should come in on Wednesday.

Wednesday it was 11° when we got up.  Everything was still closed and the state was having rolling blackouts.   The missionaries were told not to go out in their cars.  The Stephenville missionaries were involved in a multi car accident due to the ice on Monday—no one but the cars was hurt.  Bonnie (Houston area) called to let us know that they had no water due to frozen pipes, but they hadn’t had any precipitation.  I wanted to make some homemade bread, but got out voted so had to make cinnamon rolls instead.  That evening I received a call from Robbie.  I guess Mineral Wells got hit a lot harder than we did—more ice plus about six inches of snow.  He hasn’t been able get to work all week long.  That day was also Marsha Norwood’s 64^th birthday and Groundhog Day.  What a way to celebrate your birthday—snowed in.

Thursday it was 16° to 20° most of the day.  The ice cannot melt if it doesn’t get above freezing so everything was still closed.  Bob told me we were getting power from Mexico to help ease the burden.  I finished my marathon of watching 104 episodes of Law and Order-SVU that afternoon.  I think I started the Friday before. That evening our missionaries walked down to the Carter’s for dinner.   We tried our luck at going into town.  The roads were icy, but ok if you took it slow.  They had sanded a couple really bad places.  We went by Walgreens to pick up my prescriptions then were heading for Rosa’s Café for supper.  We saw the Spanish missionaries walking, picked them up, took them to eat, and then dropped them back off in town.  We got a new missionary.  He is Elder Gutierrez from Houston, but was born in Honduras.  He moved to Texas when he was six.  When we got home, I read on my Kindle for a while.  I’m reading “The Lightening Thief”.  It is a lot easier read than the last trilogy that I read.  Bob is lucky because he can work his regular jobs from home.  His SMU class was canceled Thursday evening because SMU was closed.

Everything was covered with a new blanket of snow when we got up on Friday.  It was Cookie’s 65^th birthday.  Man she’s getting old.  It snowed until mid morning then the sun came out—the first we had seen it in at least five days.  It was really pretty on the white snow.  Dan was supposed to leave Wednesday for North Dakota to work in the oil fields, but couldn’t.  Instead, he left Friday afternoon for Wyoming to work there.  I cannot imagine how much money the area is losing due to this weather, especially the people in the Arlington area with the Super Bowl XLV this weekend and all the pre-activities that were planned.  By mid afternoon on Friday the temperature had risen above freezing so things started to melt.  I talked to Cookie for a while.  Alton is doing much better now that they have his blood sugar regulated.  Bob and I went into town that evening.  The roads were mostly dry.  Walmart shelves were empty.  We had to get 0% milk and no fresh vegetables.  By the time we got out of Walmart, the parking lot was a sheet of ice.  Bob found out about 9 that evening that his all-day SMU class for Saturday was cancelled.  

The sun was out when I got up on Saturday and it was above freezing once more. The missionaries were allowed to drive again.  They were excited.  I found out that two of my missionaries are engaged.  Elder Nathen Pope will be married in the Bountiful Temple on May 27 and Elder Jarom Stephenson will be married on April 22 in Lethbridge Alberta Canada , but I don’t know which temple.  Bob and I cleaned the house then I had to go with him to babysit while he had an appointment with a sister of our ward.  I worked on my Visiting Teaching Report while I was up at the Church and some more when I got home.  It got up into the 50’s and most of the snow and ice melted.  Bob started pruning our fruit trees.  I don’t think he cuts enough off, but that’s my opinion.  I took a nap.  When I awakened, Bob almost had supper ready.  We ate, cleaned up the kitchen, and then we watched the John Wayne “True Grit”.  I can’t decide if I like the new one or the old one better.  I do know that Glen Campbell isn’t a very good actor. 

Sunday was a Regional Stake Conference including all of Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.  Everyone that had satellite in their buildings could watch it without coming to the Stake Center.  Consequently, we had Weatherford 1^st Ward, Weatherford 2^nd Branch, Hudson Oaks Ward, and Mineral Wells Branch.  Then at the last minute, the Granbury 1^st and 2^nd Wards showed up.  Their Chapel was flooded due to broken pipes.  Because Mineral Wells had to come, Robbie and his family sat with Bob and me.  It was a good meeting.  Afterwards, both sets of missionaries came over.  They were supposed to eat at the Rose’s home, but we speculated that the Rose family went to the Super Bowl XLV game in Arlington.  I just cooked more so that the missionaries could eat with us.  Bob left for the airport around 5 to catch a flight to Tallahassee again (Flights are better to Tallahassee than Mobile).  He will be back next Thursday night after he teaches his SMU class.  After he left I went in to watch the Super Bowl XLV—Green Bay Packers vs Pittsburgh Steelers.  The first half of the game was VERY boring, but the second half was only slightly boring.  Green Bay won 31 to 25.  I wasn’t for either team.  I did like the commercials which are usually the best part of the game.  After the game I watched a couple recorded shows then went to bed.  It was raining.  Bob called me while he was driving from Tallahassee to Mobile.

This morning was sunny when I got up.  All the snow was gone and Jorge was working.  I was thinking of Bob and realized that today is our 42^nd anniversary of our first date.  We went to San Bernardino, CA to a VERY boring movie.  I think it was “Don’t Drink the Water” with Jackie Gleason.  (I think that I slept through most of it, but Bob didn’t know).  Afterwards we went for pizza then stayed up til 4am while he taught me “Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo” in Spanish.  I still know it.  He had just been home for about six weeks from his mission to the Northern Mexican Mission.  Later Seth called me and asked me to meet him, his sister (Reagan), his mom (Tonia) and his other Grandma (Trish) at IHOP for Brunch.  When I was done there, I went to the bank and then up to the Church to get my report for Visiting Teaching for January.  When I got home, I worked more on Visiting Teaching.

Well, this turned out longer than I’d expected.  Hope that you have a great week.