It is just after 5:00am, Grandpa is in fixing breakfast. Buster is not sure what he is doing. He was in with me but then ran out with Grandpa. Now Buster is back with me, curled up on one of Grandpa's pillows.

Yesterday Grandpa and I had a funny and embarrassing experience. We both have appointments at the same time with Dr Joe. Our appointments are at 3:00 so Grandpa has to take 2 hours off of work. Well Grandpa comes and picks me up. I am all ready and we head out. We walk into the doctor's office and the receptionist welcomes us. The receptionists all know us very well there. After she has welcomed us she then askes us if she could help us. It dawns on us then that we have the wrong day! Our appointments are on Wednesday, not Monday!!!!

Today is Young Men's. Grandpa will be discussing the new Duty to God booklets that have come out. These books are the program that is equivalent to the Young Women's personal progress program. He has been trying to decide how to go about it. We were discussing all the food ideas that might be good, because if it is something to do with Young Men, you really need to have food to get there attention. We talked about pizza, but Grandpa decided it was too messy and he didn't want to take a chance of anyone messing up their book with pizza sauce. He is thinking on having cookies. One of the things that he is going to do is; there is a space for a picture so he is going to take a picture of each of the boys on our camera. Then later I will print up all the pictures from the disk on photo paper and we will give all the Young Men their pictures to go in their books.

I am not feeling the best today. I am coming down with something. I have an earache and sore throat and tight chest. So instead of exercising, I rested. I did lift the weights for a few minutes.

Today has been a full day. I still haven't gotten done everything I wanted to, but still it has been a good day. Grandpa and I went to the Temple this morning. I was really nervous about going because of the way I am right now. I prayed for help and I was truly blessed! It was a great session. After the session we had lunch at McKees and heard some sad news, they are going to close down. After lunch we went to Latter-day Harvest so that Grandpa could get a journal. Then we had to pick up something from the Fudge Factory. We then went into Keokuk to get gas for the car. While we were getting gas for the car I could see the movie marquee at the mall. I noticed that Knight and Day was playing and thought it would be fun to go and see that movie. When we got home we worked on some lists that Grandpa needed for the Bishopric. We finished with the lists just in time to go to the movie. We enjoyed the movie.

Well, I am going to have to end for now. I am so tired I am falling asleep even as I am talking. So silly

Yesterday Grandpa and I went to Quincy. Grandpa had labs that he needed to get and I had an appt. with Dr Ozment, my Rheumatologist. We checked in at Qunicy Medical. Grandpa went up to the second floor and I waited on the first floor to be called in for my appointment. I got called in for my appointment and Grandpa still hadn't come back. I thought they probably must be busy up there. Dr Ozment came in noticed that I got a haircut, and asked where Grandpa was. I thought this was really something because he has so many patients and I only see him every 3 months and sometimes my appts are even just every 6 months. I think that I started going to him in 2007. So it has been about 3 years, which means at the most he has seen me about 12 times. I don't even notice when Grandpa cuts his hair sometimes. So I thought it was interesting that he noticed that my hair had been cut, and that Grandpa wasn't with me, because Grandpa always comes to my appts with Dr Ozment. Anyway, Grandpa finally made it in. When he told Dr Joe's nurse that he would be down in Quincy because I had an appt with Dr Ozment and could he have his labs there, she said that wouldn't be a problem she would set it up. Well the problem came about that when Grandpa said that he would be in Quincy because I would be having my appt with Dr Ozment he thought that they would call and set up the labs there at Quincy medical. Well, Dr Joe is with Blessing Hospital which is just down the street a little ways. So when Grandpa said that he was going to be in Quincy, they naturally thought of Blessing Hospital. So when Grandpa went to have his labs done, there was no order for them. After quite awhile had passed, they finally called Dr Joe. He told them what he wanted done and Grandpa was able to get his labs! Whew, that was confusing. I hope you can understand it!

My appt went well with Dr Ozment. He encouraged me to follow thru with the cardiologist. He impressed in me how important it was to have things watched closely because heart disease is one of the biggest killers in people with Lupus. He said that it would be good for me to use the cane. He also gave me a prescription for a wheelchair. The wheelchair will be a manual one that I can use when there would be a lot of walking. He told me to set my next appt for 3 months.

After we were finished at Quincy Medical, we went to eat. Grandpa hadn't eaten all day because he had to fast for his labs. We went to Taramisu's to eat. They have wonderful food, but it is a bit pricey. We can't go there very often.

On the way down to the visit I read out loud to Grandpa, and I read on the way home too. We are reading the book "Digging up the Past". It is a good book and we are enjoying it.

Another thing that I did yesterday was to take a walk to the Library. I used my cane and that helped alot. I walked to the Library, and found that they didn't open for a half hour, so I sat on a bench outside the Library for a few minutes and then I walked back home. Today Lisa Miller is coming and we are going to go for a walk. I want to take Buster, so if we walk to the Library we would have the same problem as I had yesterday, I wouldn't be able to go in. I really want to see if the Library has the books that Aunt LuJean reads. I know that they probably won't carry any of the LDS authors I like to read, if they do it would really shock me. But if I take Buster, I won't be able to find out today.

I just asked Buster if he wanted to go for a walk. He looked at me for a few seconds turned his head away from me and went to sleep. So much for thinking he would be excited about going for a walk.

Oh, I forgot to mention, I took the step and cut my hair. Lisa Miller made appts for her and I do get our hair done on Wednesday. It seems silly that such a thing as a haircut is so important. But it really does make a big difference in things. This style really feels good, and I think this is what I am going to keep.

This morning Grandpa and I listened to the Conference talk given by Elder D Todd Christofferson. It made me think about how much I love the scriptures and what a void my life would have, if I had them taken from me. They are truly the word of God. They give me strength, and courage. I am grateful that they are a part of my life and that at any time I need to, I can go to the scriptures and learn from them. I feel the importance of reading from the scriptures daily, so that I can live close to the spirit and be in tune to receive promptings in my life.

Where to start, where to start! We are having so much fun with Tim & LuJean and Allison! On Wednesday Tim worked with Grandpa at the Newell K Whitney home. Before that we all met at the McKee sandwich shop in Nauvoo. Grandpa had gone to work that morning so he came from work, and I rode in with the Hofheins. Great Grandpa and Grandma Pierce also met us there, but they had already eaten. We all really enjoyed the time we had to visit. As we were finishing up our meal, Great Grandpa Pierce slyly walked up to the cash register and paid for all of our meals! We were all very surprised and very thankful for his and Great Grandma Pierce's kindness. While Grandpa and Uncle Tim went to work, LuJean, Allison and I, went to Great Grandpa & Grandma Pierce's home so they could take a tour of their home. Then we went to Jacob and Tally's so we could have a tour of their home/apt too. Also while we were at Jacob & Tally's, Jacob copied off a disk of pictures of the temple and things that he had taken, and also a friends pictures were on it too. After we left Jacob & Tally's we hurried to go grocery shopping so that we would be home before the "guy" made it home. We did it too. They got home just after us. So then we were deciding what to do with the evening. We saw that SALT was playing at the theater so we went and saw it. It was very suspenseful!

Thursday we went into Nauvoo and saw the Women statues and saw the play Just Plain Anna Amanda. After the play we went on a carriage ride. We all enjoyed it alot! Then we stopped in at Annie's frozen custard shop and all got some frozen custard! As always it was yummy! Then we had to hurry home so we wouldn't be late getting there because Jacob & Tally were coming at 4:00. We ordered pizza from the Casey's in Hamilton before we left Annie's frozen custard so that it would be ready to pick up on our way home. Well they were slow with the pizza and Jacob & Tally beat us home! We ate dinner and played games! It was GREAT!

Yesterday, Friday, Grandpa & I got up early to go into Nauvoo for the farewell breakfast they were having for the missionaries that were going home in August, which was being held at the outdoor theatre. There were alot of missionaries going home when you include all the YPM's (Young too. Also the Carthage Jail site Sister missionaries were leaving too. The breakfast was set up with three rows of tables, with each row being three tables long. Each row of tables was set up with food from one end to the other end with food! And the food was YUMMY! After we ate we sat and watched the a program. The YPM's, which made up the missionaries who were in the plays and those who were in the brass band did a musical number from what the puppets do just before Just Plain Anna Amanda. On of the Couples that were leave had wrote a song and performed that. All of the Senior missionaries did a really funny musical number. The Sister Missionaries did a spoof on one of the comedy routines from Sunset by the Mississippi that was hilarious! The reason that we went to this was that one of the Senior missionary that is leaving is one of the painters that work with Grandpa. Grandpa is really sad to see him leave because he is such a good painter and worker!

When we got home we all planned to have a low key game day and it started that way and it finished that way, but we took a detour in the middle. Uncle Tim really wanted to get some pictures of him standing at the Joseph and Hyrum statues that are across the street from the Temple, so we all decided it would be fun to go in with him. We worked it out to be in Nauvoo when Jacob woke up. ( He works nights so his schedule is all weird, most of you can relate to that!) It was nice and Jacob did a great job! Then we all went back to our house, including Jacob and Tally, and played games. We taught Tim & LuJean how to play, Hand and Foot. They loved it. Well at least LuJean loved it, Tim, had fun just being there. He is not the biggest fan of playing games.

Today we slept in. It is now just after 11:00 and I haven't even gotten dressed for the day. When we're all ready, we are going to go into Nauvoo to see some sites, go down the Trail of Hope, and to go to the Fudge Factory. Then we're hoping that when we get home there will still be enough time to play Hand and Foot, LuJean is addicted.