Thanksgiving time of year

My friend, Lois, has spent all week listing things she is thankful for...10 a day. It has made me wonder if I could come up with enough things to be thankful for in 2 or 3 days let alone a week or two!! It is a great idea, Lois, but I don't want to steal it from you. I just want everyone to know that I am very thankful for my life this year. I am happy.

This past week, on Tuesday, I went to play soccer as usual. Unfortunately I did a VERY stupid thing along the way. AND to make it worse...I wasn't even there yet...I was still walking there. Sooo, I was dribbling the soccer ball and had made it to the school where soccer is held. It is kind of hilly by the school (not because Texas is hilly...at least not where I live at) but they had built up the ground going up to the school so there is a gentle or not so gentle slope going down the side. So I was trying to keep the ball from rolling down the hill and into the fence and tripped over it. I was holding onto a sack (with nursing covers and bags for the nursing covers in it) and a water bottle in my right hand so when I fell I caught myself with my left hand. There was immediate pain but what hurt so badly was my ganglion cyst. I ignored it and played (OK...not really played...only 2 others showed up and it was almost dark so we just decided on when and where to play next week) and then came back home. By the time I got home it was really swollen between by wrist and my knuckles. I have never gotten hurt so bad that I swelled like that. So I took 4 ibuprofen, wrapped it in an elastic bandage, put ice on it, and tried to keep it elevated (typical RICE treatment as I learned in PA school). I kept it wrapped for 36 hours and decided I had enough of that. It has been unwrapped ever since. It is just really bruised now and still very tender. Interestingly enough the cyst is gone. I guess the pressure from the fall made it burst...much better (maybe???) than surgery. Also...I know it is not broken. I suspected it wasn't but when I took Michael in to see the PA on Thursday I had him take a look at it just to make sure he agreed with my diagnosis. I have tried to take a picture but they don't seem to do it justice. OK...I downloaded the pictures...here is the best one:

On Friday night I went to see "Twilight". I took the boys. It was "women's night out" with my church but I hadn't told them I was going...plus I thought the boys might think it kind of strange to be sitting with all these women. Unfortunately we got lost...well let me back up. We left an hour before the show started because I hadn't been to this theater before. But I had the address PLUS had looked it up online at their website so I thought that I knew how to get there. Yeah. So we were driving up and down this street that the map said it was on but it wasn't there. Finally about 20 minutes before it started I stopped in at a Dominos pizza because hey...the delivery drivers should know where everything is. So the guy said he knew where it was but started telling me how to get there and all of a sudden says that he knows how to get there but can't tell me how to get there!! How frustrating. So he goes back to ask someone else to help me. There is a lady sitting there waiting for pizza and she says she can tell us how to get there and she does and we find it but by this time it is 5 minutes before it starts...a 7:05 show...so the theater is packed. And I hadn't asked my girlfriends to save us seats so there was NOWHERE to sit except in the front. So...Michael, Daniel, and I sat in the second or third row back on the right side (not even in the middle). Not a very good place...let me tell you. And afterwards Sarah said she would have saved us seats. BUMMER. But...the movie was good. I didn't like it as well as the book but that is probably because I've read all of them and know what is going to happen. But I might go see it again but arrive early enough to get better seats. Daniel on the other hand LOVED it. He hasn't read the book so I thought he would be lost but he liked it better than either Michael or I. So I would say it is worth going to see whether you have read the book or not. I will probably get the DVD when it comes out also.

Ashley again

I got some 5 year old pictures of Ashley...she is looking so grown up.

Ashley

Not only is today Veteran's Day but it is also ASHLEY'S 5th birthday!! Happy Birthday ...I LOVE YOU Ashley!! Some pictures through the years:

newborn 9 months

2 years 3 years

this one is my favorite 4 years

Grandkids!!

Julie posted some halloween pictures of her little ones which I downloaded and will post some of them here. 

 

My Grandpa

I am truly a middle generation and have been for the past 6 years. Since I don't know how much longer my grandpa will live I think it is time to make a tribute to him. My grandpa was born Dec. 4, 1905. That makes him fast approaching his 103rd birthday. He has seen a lot in his lifetime including the Wright Brother's fly their aiplane. That is an interesting story. He says that his dad took him and his younger brother(s) to a horse racing track in Kansas. He was not very old but old enough that it really made an impression on him. He said that they waited all day in the hot Kansas sun for that plane to fly. The plane was inside the track and all the spectators were outside the track. He says it was for safety purposes. Finally at the end of the day there was announcement that they couldn't get the plane to start and to come back the next day. So everyone went home but my great grandpa took them back the following day and he says that the plane took off, circled around the track, and landed back inside.

My grandpa actually missed the wars...he was the wrong age. He married my grandma and had 3 children; my dad is the youngest. When my dad was 4 years old he got polio. During this time period they were trying out new treatments for it and my dad was in the hospital with his legs wrapped in warm bandages. After he was well enough to go home my grandma would care for him. She had been sick with pneumonia the previous winter and had never fully recovered (remember, these were the days before penicillin). Caring for him wore her down even further and she contracted the polio too and passed away the fall before my dad turned 5 (his birthday is in Dec and she passed away in Oct). Fortunately my dad has no residual effects from the polio. My grandpa has now outlived 3 wives (he doesn't count one of his bad marriages). He lived in his own house and then his own apartment until last month when he finally moved into assisted living. I think that he is amazing. Here are some pictures:

Here is my grandpa, my dad (on the left), my aunt Bette, and my uncle Ben.

This is a four generation picture taken about 1984. Grandpa holding Diane (on left) and Julie (on right), me and my dad standing in the background.

This is a 5 generation picture taken in August 2007. My dad and I are standing in the back ground. My grandpa is in his chair and Julie is holding Caleb and Jennica.

This one was taken just a month ago. Diane took her kids to see her great grandpa right before he moved. Grandpa is seated in his chair and he is holding Aaron. Ashley is standing on the left. Elisabeth is standing next to Aaron and her great great grandpa. Diane is sitting in the front holding Callie.

We have many 5 generation pictures with Diane's family but I'm not sure that we have a single one with all 4 of her kids so I thought that this would be fun to put up.

Maybe...

I should post something but I'm not quite sure what. It has been a busy week. I am still very happy with my eye but I have been wearing my glasses quite a bit to see close up. They are progressives and since my far vision has always been good they work quite well. I go back to the opthomologist in about a week and we'll see if I will need new lenses or not. 

On Tuesday we had a Visiting Teaching Conference. It was good. There was a skit with a bunch of farm yard animals and they kept coming up with excuses not to go visiting teaching...like having problems with either their companion or the sisters they visit. Finally the farmer (our bishop) came in and scolded them and they all changed their attitudes. It was cute. We also had a special musical number which was fantastic. I think it was an original by Licy Rodriguez. I went visiting teaching myself on Tuesday and Wednesday so that is out of the way. I like visiting my sisters...especially since there are only 2 of them. It makes it pretty easy.

Sarah got some more fabric and yesterday we worked a little on nursing covers. We are going to start making a one-layer one with just the pocket on the front and maybe a corner with a piece of flannel for a wipe. Then we should be able to charge less for it...woo hoo!! We are hoping to get some pictures taken and up on a blog soon. I'll post when we have that done. I have also made a few more purses but right now am awaiting orders. 

Today is Aaron's first birthday...happy birthday Aaron!! Now my grandchildren are 6, 4, 3, 3, 1, and 1. But soon the 4 year old will turn 5. I will put up an updated picture of him on the side as soon as his 1 year pictures are available. He also has surgery tomorrow...I will be praying for all to go well.

I think that is about it for now.

Amazing

That is what I will call my new lens. I had no idea that the colors would be so bright and clear. When I had my patch removed this morning I had a pressure test (which I passed) and a vision test (20/20) with my right eye. I was so surprised. Also...for the first time in years I can sit at my computer and read it with no glasses on. I've got back my mid range vision!! My close up is better than it was but I will still need reading glasses. It will still take time for my eye to heal. I have 3 different kinds of drops that I have to put in 4 times a day. I am still working at getting the adhesive from the tape off my face. But looking back I just don't know what I was afraid of. All in all it was a good experience. Woo hoo!!