Sunday, February 12, 2017

Dear Family,

I told you all about going to get my blood tested. I sent the results to Dr. David Hansen who is our new mission doctor plus I told him about the testing I do for blood sugar. This is the message I got back from him.

From: David Victor Hansen

Subject: Re: Blood Tests

With your blood sugars running as you describe, that is excellent. 6.8 is mildly high but if you continue to just adhere to your diet awareness and exercise and so forth you should do just fine until you get home in seven months. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any further questions.

I read this response to you Dad while rolling my eyes and he burst out laughing. Right now we are more or less hibernating and not doing much exercise at all. If by continuing to adhere to my diet he means a couple or a few mini candy bars a day that is exactly what I’m doing.

For dinner today I’m making Hawaiian Chicken, potatoes, rolls, corn, salad and orange rolls for desert. The AP’s and Zone leaders are coming over.

We were never so happy as when the Patriots won the Super bowl. If they would have lost I’m not sure Elder Buchanan would have been able to survive. So for his sake Dad and I turned into Patriots fans.

Last Monday I got ready with Dad and went to the office. Monday is the Volunteers P-day so there are several that come to the office to write home. My stomach started hurting so I decided I’d rather be home. I drank some real coke which we’ve been told will kill the germs. It started working and by the afternoon I was fine. Sometime after lunch I got a text from the AP’s that said to look outside my door. Elders Quarnberg and Buchanan had left a bag of candy along with a sweet note on my doorstep. Their Awwww factor just went up.

Although in the office Elder Buchanan is telling Elder Quarnberg that I said that Elder Buchanan was my favorite, and that I like him more than my grandkids. Elder Quarnberg loudly proclaimed that Elder Buchanan was lying. It gets a little wild in the office.

Tuesday was our Visa trip. We got to the office just after 4:00am. We planned on getting on the bus at around 4:30am. The sisters were being picked up by the bus before coming to the office. They couldn’t see it anywhere. We waited and waited then called the driver. He said he’d been out there for a while. So the sisters went looking again and found it. Apparently they didn’t know to look for a mini bus. There were 12 of us going. The trip went really smooth this time, except it was freezing. It was around -14 at the border. The Russian boarder you stand outside, in line, as they go through your papers, slowly, one by one. Then the Kazakhstan boarder had a building you go in. The trip down takes about 2 to 3 hours and we were going in and out of the border for another 2 to 3 hours and then 2 to 3 hours to get back home. By the time we were done standing in line my toes and finger tips were going numb. Thank heavens they only interviewed one of us. I made some blueberry muffins and some orange muffins for everyone.

I’ve produced another PowerPoint for President O. It’s for a Branch President training. Sasha translated it into Russian. Then he gave me another one to do on tithing. I’ll start that this week but there is no hurry on it. President and Sister O are going to be gone next week for a Mission President’s training.

Friday I went to the store, Metro and went to the pharmacy to get some glucosamine. I asked for two and when I got home I discovered it was in powder form in individual packets. I wish I knew enough Russian to take them back. Oh well, I just mix them with Juice in the morning.

Our district meeting was on Friday and I was about ½ hour late because I had been at Metro. Dad had to give my spiritual thought for me. It was about looking to the good or being positive.

On February 24 the Samara district is having a Ball. You can wear clothing from all eras. They will have to be okay with what I have because I’m not buying a Ball gown.

Dad and were sitting in the living room today and he says to me, “Have you prepared your talk?”

I said, “What talk.”

Dad, “The one we might get asked to give today.”

I looked though some things but couldn’t settle on anything so just went back to my study. Dad thought about it and came up with a few ideas. We walked into our Church and the Branch President asked Dad to speak. Wow, talk about listening to the Spirit!! You certainly don’t have a lot of time for your talk when you use a translator. He got to bless the bread during the sacrament today also.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, we just didn’t get out and do anything. Dad did take some great sunset shots.

Happy Birthday to Kelly and Britti.

First date and a driver’s license coming up for one of them.

Love you all,

Mom