Today is a rainy day but that is better than snow.  It might melt some of the foot of snow we still have in our yard.  Yesterday was a beautiful day with lots of sunshine and it got to 53 or more degrees.  The scent of spring was in the air.  I am certainly looking forward to spring coming.

Monday I had to take my new phone that I got from the insurance to get it reset with my contacts.  They did something to sync all of my Facebook friends to my contacts so I was frustrated with that but I have figured out how to not have them show.  They also got all the contacts from Backup Assistant.  So now I have all the old contacts that I had deleted and all the old phone numbers for those of you who switched phones and I now have to determine which ones are the current numbers again.

Sunday our dishwasher started leaking all over the floor after dinner and then it shut off and would not go through the cycle.  I called Sears to see about getting it repaired and the soonest they could come was Saturday.  It is under warranty and it will not cost us anything but I thought that was pretty slow response time and told them so but they said they had to give priority to people who did not have heat or needed something for survival.  I guess they do not understand that a person needs a dishwasher for survival.

Erick and Ryker in the big train

We spent the rest of the day doing things to get jobs.  Networking, filling our applications, calling people about the application to find out the hiring manager etc.  I applied for a position at DATC that would be good because they are just through the field so I wouldn't have to drive very far.  Larry also is applying for jobs.

Tuesday we spent most of the day also looking for jobs.  I had a Dr. appointment at 1: 45 pm because I have this feeling that comes to my neck every so often that feels like someone put a vise clamp by the right shoulder and then it lets up and radiates out down my arm and chest and back.  The doctor x-rayed my neck and said that I had a lot of vertebrae that are too close together so he sent me to physical therapy for 2 months and then I am supposed to go back.  I thought maybe it might be a symptom of my Fibromyalgia but I guess I was wrong.

Tuesday evening we spent teaching career workshop.  It was the last class.  We had 7 originally last week but we only had three come back so it was a small ending class.

Wednesday was a crazy day.  We started out working on jobs but I had consented to a free in home estimate for flooring from Sears when I called about the dishwasher.  They came at about 11:30 a.m. and finally left at 3:30 p.m.  Kirsten called me to go get Kyle from school because they were coming back from Primary Children's Medical Center with Taylor.  So I went to get Kyle.  I had had a prompting to look at my calendar but ignored it twice.  When I looked at my phone when I went to get Kyle I realized that we were supposed to be at the Ogden Cannery at the same time I was picking Kyle up.  I panicked and called them to see if we could come in late and they said that would be okay.  Kyle came to tell me that he did not need a ride only one of the girls in their car pool.  I told him that was fine and then just as the girl comes to get in the car a person from the DATC job that I had called a couple of times to find out about the hiring manager called me back.  I motioned for the girl to get in and she basically sat and listened to me have this phone interview over the phone when we hadn't even met.  She was nice enough about it when I got off the phone but I certainly had adrenaline pumping.  Then I went home and the flooring people had not left yet and it took about a half hour to get them to finish up.  Then we went to the cannery.  They were starting to thaw turkeys for turkey chunks but we got there in time to clean up.

Kirsten and Taylor
If you look closely you can see the steri-strips
 on Taylor's face from the dog bite

Kirsten stopped on the way home from Taylor's check up to visit John's sister and Taylor was playing with the dog and it all of a sudden bit her on the cheek.  Kirsten was pretty upset after all that Taylor has been through.  They were able to get her into a plastic surgeon at Tanner Clinic and so they feel like it should heal okay.  The Doctor said that it was cut in ways that should not show as she grows.

Thursday we worked at LDS Employment all day on our mission.  We also leave at about 10:45 a.m. to weigh in at weight watchers and have lunch.  I was happy to have lost 2.4 lbs.  Larry left his shoes on so he can weigh with his shoes on after this so he gained 1.6 lbs. but considering that his shoes weigh 2 lbs he probably lost weight from last week.

Friday we went to Mom's about 9:00 a.m.  The idea was to take her shoe shopping in the morning but when we got there she didn't want to do that so we went to buy bird seed and food at the grocery store before the Senior Lunch started.  Larry went over early when we got back because he wanted to play pool.  Mom and I and her friend Eula went about 11:20 a.m. so we could get there on time for bingo.  I won the first game again so that was weird. Maren called me just as they were playing Black Out so I didn't get to finish but it was better talking to Maren.   It was a good lunch and we had a good time with Mom and her friends there.

Heather, Erick and Ryker with Thomas the train 

Mom had to go get a perm in the afternoon so we visited with her while we worked and sent her to get her perm.  She said that she was too tired to go shoe shopping and not to wait for her so we went home about 2:30 p.m.

I spent the rest of the afternoon getting ready for a Family Tree class on Merging Duplicates that I had to teach the next morning.  Larry went and got the plastic covers for the lights in the kitchen that I have needed for a year and put those in.  He spends time everyday now trying to find things to fix up in the house.  It is looking better everyday.

We got up early on Saturday and were to the Family Search Center by 8:30 a.m. so we were able to set up well and have some time to breath.  The class went well and then I spent about an hour and a half helping a lady in the class figure out to merge duplicates and add and correct information for one family.  Just as she left a man came in wanting to learn how to find a name to take to the temple.  I showed him how to find people that need ordinances on Family Tree and what he would have to do to qualify them and so he was completely overwhelmed when he left but knew what he had to do.

Erick and Ryker getting ready to ride the train

We spent the afternoon waiting for the dishwasher repair man to show up.  They said that he would come from 1-5 and of course he got there about 4:30 p.m.  There was a hose clamp that had broken so that is why it was leaking and would not run.  Grateful to have it under warranty when I saw the bill.

Yesterday was Erick's birthday so we went over to take him his present and see them for a few minutes.  They had gone to the Hostler's train show in Ogden at the Train Depot so Ryker was excited about the trains they had seen.  They had some cute pictures of Erick and Ryker riding a little miniature train and of Ryker and Erick in  the big train exhibit they had there.  They even had a G size Thomas the train that they let Ryker hold one of the cars from.

Last night we watched a couple of "The Mentalist" shows on On Demand with Xfinity.

Today is Fast Sunday so we are fasting and waiting to eat until we get to dinner because that is when we ate last yesterday.  We had a good Fast and Testimony meeting today.  It seemed to me to center on the blessings of the Atonement in helping us not only overcome sins but in helping us with our weaknesses in life. I am so grateful for the Gospel and the fact that though faith I can obtain the help I need to overcome obstacles and challenges in this life.  Just recently I experienced this blessing in trying to work our some feelings I had about looking for work.

Tonight for supper we made Grandma Christiansen's Cabbage soup.  This is one of the first things that she taught me how to make of her dishes.  It is typical of Danish cooking in the Christiansen family.  Here is the recipe:

Grandma Christiansen's Cabbage Soup

2 pork hocks covered with 3 quarts of water

1 medium large potatoes cut in 1 inch cubes

3 carrots peeled and cut in slices

1 onion diced

1/4 head cabbage if large 1/2 if small

1 Tbsp. Salt

Put Onion and Carrot in with Pork Hocks and cook for 2-3 hours until meat is tender.

Add potatoes, cabbage and Salt and cook until tender.

It tasted so good.  The secret is to get the meat juices into the water for flavor.

Well hope you all have a great day tomorrow.  We already have more scheduled than we have time to do.