Monday, Monday, ba da, da da da. Well, I don't remember anymore of the song, I just woke up with that song in my head. So silly. Anyway it is another Monday morning. It is supposed to be a sunny day. Right now it is 70 degrees and it is only just after 6:00 am! Jacob, Tally and Maggie are coming this afternoon. I am looking forward to that. Also today I will be going to the YMCA. We have to go later because the schedule changed because of all the summer classes. So we won't be leaving until 11:00.

Yesterday I went to all my meetings. It was very nice. I enjoyed being there and participating. It is always nice when I can attend. I was very tired and short of breath when I got home. I really need to get myself built back up!

Yesterday at church Sister Trapp came up and asked me if I was really serious about helping put up fruit. She knows my needs; that someone has to come get me and bring me home, that I have to be sitting. But if I am sitting I can get alot done after instruction! I need to get some pint jars to bring!

I just looked up that song that I was thinking of. It is a Beatles song, it was also sung by the Mommas and the Papas!

It is very late Saturday night but I decided that I really need to get back into the habit of writing in my blog.

Today has been a fun day. Grandpa & I were able to spend most of it together. In the morning we went to Hamilton City Park and watched the Vocal Point group from BYU perform. They really did a great job. We took Buster with us to the park. It was his debut being out amongst the crowds to see how he would do. He did really well. We were so happy. One funny thing happened. Vocal Point was singing a song and were acting like Zombies in at at one point they were trying to be very scary and as if on cue, Buster barked!

After the park we stopped at Subway and got a sandwich. We drove out to Carthage and parked in the shade of a big tree by the Carthage jail. We ate our sandwich there. After we ate our sandwich, Grandpa got out to take pictures of all the fence that had been painted. The paint was supposed to make the fence so it wouldn't rust, and was supposed to last 15 years. Well it has only been a year and the fence is rusting all over. Really sad.

We came back home and dropped Buster off because we wanted to go see the new Dollar General store that just opened here in Hamilton and it was way to hot to leave Buster in the car. It was in the 90's. They said with the heat index it was like 100 degrees outside! The Dollar General is like a little grocery store. We picked up a few things, and will probably use it as a quick stop, for when we just need something when we are in a hurry.

Next we went into Keokuk to see if we could find some photo albums like the ones I have all the kids wedding pictures in. I don't have any to put Jacob and Tally's wedding pictures in. The store actually has one and they said that they would order another one in for me. It was alot more expensive then what I got the other ones for so I told them I would get back with them. Grandpa and I checked online when we got home but couldn't find any as cheap as at that store so we will have to go back and get them there.

When we got done at the store we went to get gas in the car. While I was sitting in the car waiting for Grandpa to get the gas, I noticed that "The Karate Kid" was playing at the Theatre. We decided to go check it out. When we got there we found that the show started a half hour earlier. So we decided we would catch it another time.

Since we were in Keokuk and right close to "The First Wok", we decided to stop and eat. I can't remember what the dish was called that we had, but like always, the food was good.

Our day was full, and very enjoyable.

Oh, I wanted to mention something exciting that I finally can do. Uncle Dennis walked me thru the process in Utah, and when I came home I was able to get the printer in the office to work from my laptop! I had tried, and tried before, but it just wouldn't work, but now it works!

I am home now. Yesterday when I got off the plane and they wheeled me up the ramp, I had a very nice surprise! Grandpa got permission to meet me down at the gate! It was so good to see him!!!

The day after Grandpa left for home Great Grandma and I went over to Aunt LuJean's for a slumber party. We went over before noon to play games with all her girls. We had a really fun day. That evening Uncle Tim and Aunt LuJean, Anna and her little ones, Allison, and Great Grandma and I were all that were left at the house. We went down to the family room and watched the movie "Double Jeopardy", it was an edited edition. During the day I just wasn't feeling really well. Then as we watched the movie I started chilling really bad. If that wasn't bad enough, I then had to run to the bathroom because things were wanted to come from both ends! :( I got horribly sick and was in so much pain. Great Grandma started getting sick during the night too. :( It was decided the we just go back to Great Grandma's place. We were sooooo sick! On Friday I was beginning to feel a little better. I had something stuck in my tooth, or at least that is what I thought. I used floss to try and get it out, but had no luck. Well on Saturday when I woke up it felt like I had a horrible toothache, and my cheek was swollen. I did some rinses with hydrogen peroxide to help. By Sunday my cheek was really swollen and I had an abscess. I could feel it affecting my eye! By that time I new I needed help, so, I called Dr Joe and he called in an antibiotic for me! Uncle Robert took me over to Walmart to pick it up. I hate going on Sunday, but for something like this I know it is alright to do. Anyway I was very thankful for the antibiotic. It worked great! By the next day the abscess was almost gone.

Great Grandma wasn't getting well. Uncle Robert gave her a shot of phenergan to help with the nausea. The day I left he gave her another shot of phenergan, and started an IV. The IV wasn't in for long. Today when I called she was very tired.

Back to the day I came home. Grandpa wanted to change the way we went home from St Louis. He wanted to go to Keokuk to pick some things up we needed. Well on the way home we got caught in a horrible rain storm! Grandpa could hardly see out the windshield. Thunder and lightening was coming so strong that we felt the car shake. After awhile the storm finally let up. We were getting close to Keokuk when we noticed water going over the road. It wasn't too bad so we went further on the road. Then it got higher and alot swifter and we knew we couldn't go any further. We backed up until it was safe to turn around then we went back and went up further and caught another road that led to Keokuk. Well after we had traveled for awhile we realized we were back to the same flooded road we were just on. Sooooo we turned around and went back and up even further. This time we ended up on a really winding road that seemed to go on forever! Finally the road ended and we were just 3 miles outside of Keokuk! We picked up the things we needed and went home. It was great being home!

When we got home I went into the living room and sat on a chair. I was really quiet so that Buster wouldn't know I was there. Grandpa went in our bedroom and opened the door to his kennel. He ran out of the bedroom and straight for the dining room. Just before he got to the dining room he stopped and turned and ran right to where I was! He was very glad to have me home. He kept licking my face, and licking it!

I loved my trip to Utah, I already miss everyone!, but I am glad to be home.

I don't know where to begin!

On my birthday, Grandpa and I went on a double date with Uncle Tim and Aunt LuJean. First Grandpa and I picked up Aunt LuJean and then we went over to visit with Great Grandma. While there of course Great Grandma told us to get some candy bars out of the box she has that is full of all different kinds of candy bars. So we each took some for the movie. Then we went to McDonald's and bought some snack roll-ups to eat for lunch and LuJean and I put them in our purses along side the candy bars in our purses to eat during the movie. Uncle Tim met us at the movie Theater. We saw the movie, "Letters to Juliet". We all loved it! Tim and LuJean had already seen the movie, but they still really enjoyed seeing it again. We all enjoyed our lunch and candy bars we brought to eat during the movie too.

For my birthday, and to celebrate Father's day for Grandpa, Matt and Karen made a really great dinner. We had a roast that Matt had been marinating and then grilled on the barbeque. Karen did roasted vegetables and fee fries. We also had salad and five in one salad. It was a great meal. Then for dessert we had a birthday cake that Karen had made. It was really good too. After dinner we watched a movie, I think it was "The Princess and the Frog", but of course I fell asleep. When I went online I was surprised by all the birthday wishes. It was fun to end the day seeing those.

Friday afternoon we went out to spend time with Josh, Brenda, Daylan, Breanna, Rachael, Emilie and Clara. We went to see Josh & Brenda's new place. It is really a cute apt. They have it fixed up nice and it feels cozy and welcoming. Then we all headed over to Jason & Rachael's house. On the way Grandpa and I stopped at a Taco Time to pick up lunch. We all enjoyed lunch. We were all pretty full. We even had enough to put in the fridge for Jason to eat when he got home later that night. After dinner we taught Josh & Brenda, and Rachael how to play "hand and foot". The kids had fun playing while we played. We only were able to play one round and it was time to go.

Saturday Grandpa had some projects to with Matt. While they were doing their projects I went with Great Grandma Lemon and Aunt LuJean to do a little grocery shopping for the get together that was for later in the evening. After grocery shopping we went to Great Grandma's and we played dominoes. Later on Grandpa came over and Great Grandma, Grandpa and I watched the movie "Bedtime Stories". Well once again I feel asleep. What I saw of the movie was cute. Then it was time to go over for the get together at Laron and Ann's. We had a BBQ. Everyone brought their own meat, and something to go with the meal. Great Grandma bought the meat I chose while we were shopping. She also paid for the grapes and the cinnamon taffy that I decided to bring for the get together too. The get together was great. We got meet Kim for the first time. She is really a great person. After we ate and talked we were able to watch our old family movies. Uncle Robert had all the old movies and was noticing that they were becoming very brittle so he had taken them to someone who could transfer them all on disks. Robert then made copies for each of us siblings. It was a very special gift from him that I will sure cherish. We had a ball watching the movies and reminiscing and laughing. It was a great evening!

Sunday Grandpa and I went to Sacrament meeting with Matt and Karen, McKenzie and Maddisynn. It was really nice to be able to be there with them. After their Sacrament meeting Grandpa, Matt, and I went over to the Sacrament meeting that Robert, Kris, Dennis, Mel, Holly, and Great Grandma usually attend. Great Grandma Lemon didn't feel good and wasn't able to go yesterday, but everyone else was there, and Tim and LuJean came and then there was Grandpa, Matt and I. It was very touching for me to be there with everyone!

That evening we scheduled a family get together at Jason and Rachael's house. On our way there Grandpa and I stopped off to see Uncle Jody and Aunt Trinda. We had a great visit there. We saw everyone except for Tanner who is one his mission. We were a little late getting to Jason & Rachael's house, because on the way to Jody & Trinda's, Grandpa took the long scenic route. But we really enjoyed the drive and we weren't to late. At the get together we started out by giving out the little gifts we brought everyone. And we gave Brenda the gifts Jacob and Tally had sent for Caitlynn, and for Daylan and Breanna. We also gave her gifts for Caitlynn. Racheal had spent a lot of time on a banner that said "Happy Birthday Grandma" It was really neat that she went the trouble to do that. She also did a birthday cake for me and actually put 50 candles on it! We ate some tortilla chips which some homemade salsa dips that Jason and Rachael had made. I am not really sure what the names of them were, but they were really good. For dinner we had pizza. Jason made the pizzas. The pizzas were really tasty. All of it was really great and we all had more than we should've eaten, and there was still 2 pizzas left. While the kids played we adults played "hand and foot". We had a lot of fun and it was sad that the evening had to end.

Today we are planning to go to a little indoor amusement park. We are going to meet there at 3:00 pm and sometime during the evening we will be getting dinner. Everyone is really looking forward to being there.

Oops! I was so tired last night that I couldn't even think straight. So as you can see, I didn't write in my blog. I guess writing while on my vacation is going to harder than I thought.Yesterday we found out that grandpa had forgotten to plug in his cell phone. When we got to Utah and we were going to call we found that his phone was almost completely dead! So we couldn't call anyone. We went to the distribution center and bought us some new garments. By then we felt like we were starving! Since we had gotten up that morning we had only eaten about 5 cherries apiece and had a ginger ale on the plane! Anyway we decided to stop and get a quick bite so we stopped at a Burger King. But before we ordered we realized it was the time we said that we were going to be at Great Grandma Lemon's and we knew be had better find a pay phone so that she wouldn't worry. When Grandpa ask where he might find a pay phone the man told him he could just use his cell phone. When we talked to Great Grandma Lemon she said that she wanted to take us out to eat. So we went and picked her and Aunt LuJean up and we went to Jim's Restaurant. The food was really good.
After we ate we went back to Great Grandma Lemon's house to pay Chicken Foot dominoes!

By the time we got to Matt & Karen's it was 6:00 in the evening. We ate dinner with them. We had meatloaf, potatoes, and salad. It was very yummy. Then we watched "Planet 51". I am sorry to say I can't say much about it because I was so extremely tired that I fell asleep right from the start. Grandpa kept telling me that we should go to bed, but I wanted to be with everyone.

This morning I woke up and Grandpa gave me a card and wished me happy birthday! Oh yeah it is my birthday! I am 50!

Today we left on our trip!!!! We did alot of the packing the night before. It is a good thing because when I woke up I wasn't feeling very good at all. I had the cards made up on the computer for my VT but I still needed to transfer the file to my desktop computer and print them up. I also had to print the address labels for them and put them in the envelopes and mail them off.

We took Buster over to where we are kenneling him. Dr Robinson did an evaluation of him and he gave him a pill for fleas and tics, he said they give that to any animal they are going to kennel. Then they had to put him in one of those small cages for a couple of hours to make sure he didn't react funny to the pill. We called a few hours ago and they said that Buster was doing really good. One of the workers there had just been back to play with him.

Halfway to St Louis is the town Hannibal. In Hannibal there is a Golden Corral. I was so excited thinking it would be like the one we eat at in West Valley City. It was only half the size and then they still had a smoking section. The saddest thing was that the Desserts were over in the smoking section. But the food was pretty good and the service was great.

When we were checking in we could see behind the check in counter that my oxygen concentrator had been delivered. We were happy to see that. We found out that the free continental breakfast that we were planning on doesn't start until 6:00! So we won't get any breakfast. But they have a little place with vending machines, so we are hoping to be able to find something there. The first shuttle doesn't start until 4:30. Since we are only a short distance from the airport I think we will be alright, since we got our boarding passes online already. So for now I will end and tomorrow will be an awesome day!

I can't believe it, I missed another day doing the blog! I feel bad. I will have to just catch up where I left off.

Sunday as you can well imagine, even for as much fun and how much I enjoyed Saturday, I did pay for it on Sunday. I came home again after Sacrament Mtg. I really wanted to stay but knew this is what I should do. I came home and mostly slept until Grandpa got home. Just after he got home, our home teachers, Bob and Pauline came by. I love their visits!

After Bob and Pauline left we realized we hadn't done the programs for the next 2 weeks for Sacrament Mtg. We got them done the best we could and the info we didn't have they will type in, or announce it over the pulpit.

We didn't get to bed until about 10:30, and Grandpa had to go to work this morning. Grandpa likes to listen to music to go to sleep, but for me, what relaxes me more than anything is to be able to put a good movie in. Last night I was so tired and wound up, I knew I needed to put a good movie in or at least watch TV. Well those things would keep Grandpa awake and it was late already. Sooooo.... I turned the music on. (We put a cd in our dvd player that Grandpa can listen to at night.) Then I came up with an idea for me. I knew that I could put a dvd into my laptop to watch, but I was to tired to hold anything. Then I thought that I could use the little bench by the side of my bed and watch one! It took me more time to set things up, than for the time I actually watched the movie before I fell asleep!!! Silly, silly me!

This morning when I woke up it seemed too light outside for what it should be when we normally get up. Well it was!!! Grandpa forgot to set the alarm!!! So Grandpa had to rush to get ready for work and eat breakfast. We had to even cut our scripture time down to just doing a favorite scripture.

Well, it was interesting yesterday morning, about the time I was to leave for the pool, instead of Lisa pulling up in the driveway, Lori had pulled up. She brought back my Angels Don't Knock series for me! She also checked out more books. As she was walking out, I noticed that she was limping. She was having problems with her heel. I still had one of my heel guards so I loaned it to her. I sure hope that it helps. Which reminds me, I should see if the one I loaned Lisa has helped her.

Just a little after Lori left, Lisa came. On our way to the pool, she mentioned that she needed to do some shopping. She wanted to know if I wanted to go before or after. I asked if she had alot of shopping to do. She said that she had a bit to do. I asked if she wanted to shop instead of go to the pool. She was happy with that, so we went to Hyvee's. I decided to get a few things too. I got cherries, some apricots, and a cantaloupe. As I walked past the meat counter I decided to pick something up for dinner. I spent time looking and asking questions. I finally made my decision, I bought some brats for dinner.

After we finished at Hyvee, I asked Lisa if I could go to Walmart to see if they had a tee-shirt for Buster. Well they had one that just matched his collar. He looks really cute.

The weather has been so weird this week. It didn't not follow the forecast at all. When it said it was supposed to rain it didn't and today was supposed to be sunny and now today the forecast has changed again and it is supposed to rain. So I am not sure what it will end up doing. It is getting really cloudy outside, but yesterday was the same way and then by afternoon it cleared up and was sunny!

After Grandpa left this morning I decided to give Buster a bath. Last night he was scratching a bit. He doesn't have fleas, and his skin doesn't seem dry, so I am not sure what is causing it. So anyway I decided to give him a bath and see if that might help. So far so good, but the real test will be later today.

I am going to the YMCA today. Afterwards, I really need to start looking at what I am planning on bringing on the trip to Utah!

Well, it is a little earlier than last night. I think I am just getting really excited about our trip! 6 more days!!!

I was able to get things all set up for Buster for Keokuk Veterinary Clinic where he will be kenneled while we are in Utah.

I also got my oxygen concentrator set up for the trip too. Lincare is even going to bring a concentrator at the hotel we are staying at.

Today I spent time putting info into my palm pilot. I am learning it is great to have the info there but it can be tedious getting typed in.

It never did rain today. It is funny that it would look so much like rain all day and then not rain. By this afternoon the sun came out and it was very nice outside.

Dr Joe's Office called with Grandpa's appt for his thumb. It is scheduled for the 30th of June with a Dr in Ft Maddison. This dermatologist is one that Great Grandma Pierce has seen and she says that he is a good one.

I have been taking care of all these things as I have been sitting here on my bed using my laptop, and calling on the phone by my bed. Well, when grandpa got home from work I was going to show him what I had been working on today on the palm pilot, but I couldn't find it. Grandpa and I searched it, and found it! I was sitting on it! When I went to turn it on, it was completely dead!!! I killed it when I sat on it! How funny is that?! I sure hope that it comes back!!

I sure don't know what my problem is, but I have really gotten out of the habit of writing my blog first thing in the morning.

Today Lisa, Tally and I were going to go down for our mammograms at Blessing Breast Center, but there was a big chance for severe thundershowers with a chance of micro burst with could include big quarter sized hail. I felt very uneasy about going, so we postponed our trip down to Quincy. It turned out to be a beautiful day this afternoon. I was beginning to wonder why we didn't go, but then Grandpa called and he had to go see the doctor this afternoon and if I went to Quincy I wouldn't have been here to go with him. It turned out to be a wonderful afternoon and evening for us.

Grandpa had to have his thumbnail looked at. I would describe it but let it just suffice for me to say it is gross! Well Dr Joe said that he had to go in and see a dermatologist to have it taken care of. So they are going to call the dermatologist and get back with us with the appt time. While we were at Dr Joe's he came in saying something about tacos. Dad and I thought tacos sounded really good, so we ran a couple of errands, picked up the antibiotic that Dr Joe ordered. I read the book Grandpa and I are reading to Grandpa, while he made our dinner. Dinner was really good, and for dessert, once again, we did smores! After that we read until "So You Think You Can Dance" came on. Then we watch that. Buster was funny this evening as I was laying down to read, and later as we watched TV, he was curled up at my shoulder and side. It was really cute. He used to be afraid to do that, now it seems he enjoys it.

It was sure hard to see Grandpa go back to work this morning. If I had my druthers, he would be able to stay home every day!

After Grandpa left I was going to get right on the blog. Well, as you can see that didn't happen I fell back to sleep. I woke up when the phone rang. I was in such a deep sleep it would have been comical for anyone watching me. At first I didn't know what was going on and jumped up out of bed. That scared Buster and he jumped down from the bed and ran out and got on what he thinks is his chair in the living room. I finally got the phone answered. I am glad I got to it before the caller hung up. It was a member of our Ward. Well, he actually isn't a member of our Ward yet, he is planning on being baptized soon. He was needing help navigating the Church site. He wanted to listen to the Book of Mormon. So I was really grateful that I could help.

After that I needed to make a call to Lisa about the plans tomorrow, but my Ward list was incomplete on my palm pilot so I needed to import the the Ward list to the Palm program on my laptop and then "Hotsync" the file to the palm pilot. Then I had all my numbers! I was so excited that it worked! I talked to Lisa and our plans are set.

Buster is now back, sleeping by me as I write the blog.