April 27th and before

I am sorry that my posts have been so sporadic.  I just am too tired to stay up late here with what we have to do.

Today was the Sabbath and so we went to church.  I was not aware that it was Fast and Testimony meeting today so we did not fast.  I think it would not have been but it is Stake Conference next week so they had it early.  It was a good meeting.  Nathan bore testimony of the importance of going to the Temple this week and he was quite composed.  The kids were late but they were really good when they got there.  We went to the Marriage and Family Relations Class for Sunday School and they were talking about the principles of getting along with each other in dealing with Finances.  They quoted a lot from Nathan Eldon Tanners classic talk Constancy amid Change.  In Relief Society they talked about Bonnie Oscarson's talk in October 2013 Conference on Be Ye Converted.  They pointed out that one important thing that parents need to remember is that they need to set the example for their children of going to church every Sunday so that the children will know that they are converted and have testimonies strengthened each week by those who they associate with.  The Relief Society President told of a time when she was younger when she was tempted to stay home because her husband was always out on assignment but when she prayed about it the Lord told her that she needed to set the example for her children and others.  She says that many times she has come away feeling that her cup was not replenished because of problems of the day but that she knows that her children are stronger because she had the courage to go to church even when it was hard.

The kids went home with Sara today after church.  We were all tired I think because we all took a nap after lunch.  Even Nathan took a nap and he doesn't usually because he says it is too hard to wake up after and it doesn't seem worth it.  But, it was worth it for me.

When I got up I had a text from Kirsten asking how I was doing so I called her and we talked for quite a long time.  It was a good talk.  I can see that she is being blessed already because of our mission.

Thursday we worked all day except for when we went home for lunch.  I didn't get all of my work done that day so I felt a little frustrated.  I turned in the curriculum before I left and they were satisfied with the adult books but they wanted me to expand the youth books.  It would be very simple to do that if I had the time to work on it so I thought maybe I could work on it for an hour a day so I tried to do that in the morning, but I don't know if it is worth it even though it would mean an additional $2800.00 and they will not pay me for the youth books if I don't finish that.  So I have been spending a lot of time in prayer this week.  Larry says he doesn't think I should worry about it, so there is no pressure there.  It is just hard to give up that much money.

Thursday evening Nathan committed to go to help in the nursery for Relief Society Enrichment so he decided that we would forgo the WW Bingo night for the week.  Larry came also and he and Nathan helped in the nursery and I went to enrichment night and we all got dinner there.  There were not too many from the ward that came but it was a good time to get to know some of the sisters in the ward we are going to be attending.  I talked to a lot of people but towards the end I talked with a sister that had just moved here from Richfield, Utah just a couple of months ago.  She was frustrated because she had just moved here for her husband's new job and then after moving here her adult son was diagnosed with adult onset schizophrenia she is frustrated trying to deal with that being here and then of course she is frustrated with all the newness of moving.  We had a lot in common to talk about.

I was surprised that Bishop Alonzo was also in the nursery with Nathan and Larry.  In fact it was all young men and men in the nursery that night.  I don't think I have every seen that in Utah.  It was good for them to experience I think.

Friday I went to the office in the morning and got caught up on the work I had not finished and finished the work for the day.

Nathan wanted to go to the VA to get a paper signed for an application to use a handicapped bus system called VIA trans.  He had to turn it into a doctor and he did not get it before we went for his appointment last week.  When he got there he asked if he could talk to a couple of the doctors and he was actually was able to see Dr. Baig.  We also had an interview with Veronica Gonzales his new case worker at the VA and met her for a few minutes and Nathan talked to her about his concerns.  So it took most of the afternoon. 

Then I had to go to a lady's house back where our ward is about 30 minutes away so she could look at my hair to decide what color she needed to buy so she could do my hair at her home on Saturday.  Nathan rode with me out there and was a big help in finding her house.

Friday evening Larry and I were invited to President Slaughters house with three other couples that are new to the mission for dinner.  We all introduced ourselves and got to know each other.  All of the couples except the Williams's that work with us in the office were 2nd marriages like Larry and I have.  I thought that was interesting.  One couple that are now from Grantsville were originally from Vernal.  They were DeNyle and Leslie Williams.  I know I have known DeNyle sometime before but I cannot remember when.  I was suprised to find out that Leslie was the daughter of Dr. Ray Spendlove and the sister to Brian Spendlove and Val Schaefermeyer who were all in my ward before I moved to Kaysville. Val's husband Mike Schaefermeyer was my last Bishop in Vernal. We all laughed about it being a small world in the Mormon Church.  It was a fun evening.

The view from out patio.  One of the deer the kids saw

Sara had asked if the kids could come and spend the night on Friday night so they got there just a while after we got home from the dinner.  They brought a movie "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2"  We watched that while I worked on some referrals.  Luckily they all wanted to go to bed relatively early.  Maggie crashed in the car on the way over and didn't wake up until the next morning.

Isaac and Sammy watching the talent show

Saturday morning Nathan got up about 5:00 a.m. with some problems. I was surprised that the kids did not wake up. After we took care of that we just stayed up and Larry had to run out to get milk because we were out. The kids woke up as we started breakfast but almost ignored breakfast because they could see three deer in the wooded area behind our apartment.

Larry and I went to Weight Watchers while Nathan stayed with the kids. When we weighed in we had both gained weight which was not surprising because of all the dinners during the week that we went to and ate more than we should have.  But at least I did not gain back all that I lost last week.  We actually made it to the meeting without getting lost also.  We are starting to understand where a few things are and not need to use the GPS.

Larry and Nathan at the dinner.  It was our Pday

Nathan texted us that they were going to the pool that we have at the apartment so when we got home we headed to the pool.  Although by this time they were in the Hot Tub because it was a cool morning.  Only 74 degrees!!  My Utah friend will laugh at that.  They played around for a while and then we went back to the apartment.  I played the My Little Pony game with Isaac and Maggie again and they had a good time playing with the toys that they brought.

Larry says it is 96 outside right now at 7:43 p.m., so there Utah.  I am glad we have air conditioning!

The candles that Maggie liked

I took the kids home at about 1:00 p.m. and went to get my hair done.  She was a lady recommended by the ward.  She just does it in her home but she is not too expensive either.  She did a really good job and it looks great.  It was fun getting to know her because she is in the ward, but I was frustrated to find out that after school gets out she will not be doing hair until September because she is going back to Utah and Idaho to visit family in the summer and she is expecting a baby soon.

It took until 4:00 p.m. to get my hair done.  Then I hurried home.  It is a 28 minutes drive so I got home about 4:40 p.m.  They had a ward party and talent show that evening and we had promised the grand kids we would take them.  I remembered that I had to take a salad and so it was a rush made salad and we were off.

The Talent Show and dinner was so fun.  They cheered and clapped for each act and they just had fun.  The lady that had planned it had gone to a lot of work.  She had some kind of votive candle with fake flames on the tables and Maggie really liked those.  They had little children perform and lots of youth and even the Bishopric sang "Called to Serve".  It was a fun evening.  I got some of the fringe decoration for Maggie to take home and she said that she looked like Rapunzel.  Many of the kids got down on the floor to watch and then started dancing and such.  I put a picture of Maggie dancing on.  I hope it works.

April 23 and before

Today Nathan and I spent most of the day at the VA Hospital.  He had an appointment at 10:30 a.m.  Before he left his physical therapist came here to the apartment.  When we got there I was able to drop him off at the front but then I drove around for 20 minutes looking for a parking place. They usually have valet parking but there is construction going on at the entrance so that is not available right now.  It was a good thing we got there at 10:00 a.m. because I would have been late if I had arrived at 10:30 a.m.!!

Nathan went into his appointment almost immediately after we got there.  It was an evaluation for counseling.  Initially the had me come in but then Nathan got upset when I answered a question and so I was asked to leave.  I went to his Wounded Warrior advocate to talk to him and to fill out some paper work.  I got some things off my chest talking to him and I was able to fill out an application for help with care giving there and also the pay voucher for travel time.  Then I was able to talk to the the Dr. for a few minutes later.

Then we went with the WW advocate and he helped Nathan get his VA ID and showed us where to sign up for care giving and he had him fill out an application for what he called a clothing allowance but it is really an allowance to be reimbursed for your assistive devices like the wheelchair and a leg brace.  While Nathan waited for them to get to him in to get the ID I went down to talk to the lady about care giving support.  I filled out the application before so I just turned it in and she said that it would probably process by summer.  So until then I guess we are just doing what we can do.  I should not be ungrateful however.  I am just lucky that the program is there to help, but it is frustrating because we could use the help now.

By the time that Nathan finished up his application for the ID it was 2:00 p.m.  I was hurting and hungry but I thought we should drive to the next appointment and then find something to eat.  We got to where it was according to the GPS in my phone and so I went to look for something to eat.  There was nothing so we started to drive back.  Nathan gets upset with me if I do not follow his directions so he was upset with me when we went back because I did not turn where he told me because I did not understand his directions.  When we got to the place we could not find the suite so I called the office number and she said that they were in a building 5 exits down on the freeway.  So we got back in the car and went to where she told us. 

When we got there it was another psychiatrist that had been set up for us by Warm Springs.  Nathan talked to him and I called to get hold of Nathan's advocate to see why he was going to two psychiatrists in the same day.  It seemed like a waste of time to me and seemed like there are too many people trying to stir the pot to get the help that Nathan needs.  I couldn't get the advocate on the phone so maybe I will find out something later but it seemed like a useless visit to me.  The Dr. came out to talk to me for a while and when he went back in he said something that made Nathan mad and he has been kind of mad all evening at me so I don't know what the problem is but I am supposing the Dr. said something about needing my help and Nathan likes to be independent as much as possible.  He told us that he only had a receptionist part time and that she doesn't often answer as we were leaving so I felt like it was a blessing that she had answered when I called to find out where we should be.

Nathan wanted the address of some friends so we drove to their home to get the address after that.  I insisted that he stop and get something to eat as I was starving.  We got some smoothies at Jack in the Box because it was almost time for dinner.  I was glad that I had taken two sodas and some fruit in my purse to eat because I do not feel well when I do not eat regularly and it helped me to survive the marathon.

After that we went back to the apartment and I had several calls to return to missionaries with problems for me to solve or with referrals for me to enter.  Luckily the referral system is on line so I was able to get those in while dinner was cooking.

I was so tired I wanted to go to bed after dinner so I layed down to take a nap.  Larry went grocery shopping because we were getting low and Nathan spent time texting trying to find someone who could help him run some errands tomorrow that still needed to get done.  He said that he found someone so maybe that will work better.

Yesterday I finished most of my work in the first hour that I was at the mission except for updating the war board (a diagram of cards showing where each Elder and Sister are and what their assignment is.) President Slaughter came in and we had a meeting together with him and the other couple in the office.  That lasted until about 1:00 p.m.  Larry and I then went home and got some lunch and then I had to go with Larry to get a new car that was in and drive our car back to the office.  When we got back I had a baptism to enter and Larry was working on getting the car out to who needed it and trying to solve the problems for three accidents that have occured in the last two weeks.  No one was hurt but the cars were damaged and needed to be fixed.

Nathan and Larry in front of the San Antonio Temple

At four we had to leave and go home because Nathan had volunteered to help with the baptisms at the temple for the youth in our ward.  We helped him get dressed.  We teased him because his pants were so tight they were hard to get on.  I told him they must have been bought when he was skinny last July, but of course that is not true.  We did get them on him in a fashion and they looked okay but he is going to have to lose weight or buy some new ones.

We arrived at the temple and the people determined that Nathan could confirm some and that he could be a witness.  They didn't need us so we went and did some initiatory while he was helping with baptisms.  It was a good feeling to be able to leave him in loving hands and he did so well.  I enjoyed the initiatory ceremonies but it was surprising that they only had two rooms for the ordinances.  It felt good to be in the temple.

After the temple I told Larry that I wanted to go somewhere to eat where we could relax and sit and eat.  Nathan suggested a Brazilian Steak house that he had been to so we went there.  It was a wonderful experience.  Much like Rodiso but with much more emphasis on service.  And the food was wonderful but they do not have grilled pineapple so I missed that.  It was really a fun thing to do to top off the night at the temple.

Monday was a typical day at the office.  It feels good to be able to get my work done with time to spare.  Although after lunch I began to wonder because I had several referrals coming in and there were some baptisms that came in the mail.

Maren had her nose operated on and she was really in pain and the pain pills made her sick.  She called me at the end of the day and I was so sorry for what she was having to go through.  I was so glad that Shirley was able to go back and help her.  Maren has wanted the work done on her deviated septum for a long time and Shirley is a very competent Grandmother and worker.  I told Maren to let her take care of things and rest.  I hope that she listened.

Monday night we did not so anything special we were all so tired that we just went to bed.  I find myself exhausted at the end of the day so if I am not doing something to contact you I am sorry.  It is a good tired because we know that we have worked hard each day but we are learning a new level of work that we have not experienced for several years.

April 20th and before

Isaac flying

Well I could not stay awake today in Sacrament meeting.  I am sure it was my fault because the Elder that spoke had some good things to say.  I am sure it is because I am taking too much Trazodone.  They had a return missionary speak that just returned from Argentina.  Apparently he was one of Sammy's teachers before he left on his mission because Nathan invited him into Primary to listen to Sammy give his talk.  Sammy did a good job giving his talk but the person helping him whispered the talk to him so he whispered it to the audience until he got to the end and he whispered, "In the name of Jesus Christ,"  and then he shouted "Amen".  Typical Sammy.

We took the kids home after church to keep them for a while.  Larry had not felt like going to church because he was sick.  So he had cooked chicken and had a vegetable made and we had fruit salad from last night so we were able to get them fed quickly.  They had brought a whole sack full of things that they got from the Easter Bunny so then they began playing with the things they brought.

David Hanging out on the Slide

They have a tradition here that I had not heard of.  It is Fiesta time here in San Antonio.  They have these brightly colored eggs call "casdcons" that they throw at each other and they break up into confetti they come in egg cartons just like eggs and look like eggs .  The kids brought some but I make them go out to the patio to throw them at each other.  It looks like it is fun but a huge mess.

Maggie on the swing

We also played a My Little Pony Rainbow game.  They have to spin a dial and depending on what the ponies land on they try to build a rainbow before the sky becomes completely cloudy.  It was a fun game but Isaac and Maggie thought it was more fun to throw the rainbow block pieces at each other!!

We had set up to

Maggie and Sammy Rolling Eggs

Skype with Nikki and the kids between 5-6:00 PM.  When the kids were still here at 5:10 p.m. I decided to just Skype anyway.  It was good to see the kids again.  Myles has grown a lot.  He ran across the room tonight and he was barely walking when we were there in September.  Abbie read us a book about 10 scoops of ice cream.  She is reading well and in September Nikki said she had no desire to learn.  It was good to talk to Lexie and Ashton.  Lexie has been in a couple of plays this year in school and is sewing several projects Ashton told us about what they got for Easter.      Sara came to get the kids while we were talking to Nikki and the kids.  So they were able to talk to them for a few minutes also.  Nathan spent some time talking to them also.  We talked to Nikki and the kids for about an hour.

We then took some time to relax for a few minutes.  After that we had some dinner.  Then we talked to Kirsten and her kids for about 45 minutes.  Taylor was cute.  She was excited to see Grandpa at first.  Kirsten said that she misses coming to our house and watching Disney Jr.  Kirsten also talked about their getting together with Erick and Heather and rolling Easter Eggs in Logan.  Apparently Ryker and Taylor really had a good time rolling eggs together.

David Set to Roll

Sammy with a yolk to roll

On Saturday Larry and I went to Weight Watchers.  We got lost again with the GPS so I went into the website and looked for different directions and we finally found it.  We actually stayed for a meeting.  A person that we had met in December at the meetings in Schurz was working there and she actually remembered me.  I lost 4.4 lbs and Larry lost 1.0 lbs which is a miracle because we are faced with constant temptation to eat things that are high sugar in the mission office.


Sara brought the kids at about 1:30p.m. and we initially went to a park that is just down the road from the apartment to see if there was a place to roll Easter Eggs but there was not a place so we went to a place below the apartment where there appears to be a small dam.  It was pretty steep but the eggs rolled easily on some tire tracks that had compacted the grasses growing on the hillside.  David was the first to have an egg go to the bottom of the hill but eventually they all had one that went to the bottom.  Nathan and Larry watched from the turn off road and I went with the kids.

Running up and down the hill

Larry and Nathan watching from the road

The kids were too tired to go back to the park after climbing the hill for so many times so Nathan suggested that we get Frozen Yogurt and they were excited about that.  David suggested that we go to Orange Leaf a company that sells Frozen Yogurt.  When we got there I realized why they liked it so much.  It was really built with children in mind and there were lots of choices and toppings.  We had a great time and we ate so much yogurt and toppings that we really were not hungry for dinner.

Larry felt like he overdid though and so that is why he did not feel good this morning.

Riding with Dad after Yogurt

Sammy with his baby Furbee

On Friday I had a big order come in from the distribution center at the mission office so I was unpacking boxes most of the day but I also had baptisms to enter and referrals to enter. I was frustrated because I thought I had ordered on pad of some forms that Larry needs for his job and I got one paper.  I thought I had ordered 10 packs of Baptism and Confirmation forms and got 2 and a half boxes.  I think that I ordered 250 thinking that I was ordering the number I needed and those ended up being packs.  It is frustrating that they are inconsistent about how you have to order them.  I think I can send the excess back.   It was a busy day.  Larry got some bike rakes that he had ordered in as well but he did not have to unpack them.

David and Sammy playing

Friday we had a couple from the mission the Studevants come and visit with us at lunch and bring a lunch for us to eat.  They are a military relations couple and they want to help Nathan.  We found out that they are serving the mission from home and live here in San Antonio.  They thought that they could help Nathan get a VIA tram pass to ride the handicap bus.  After they came Nathan went down to the business center and printed out an application.

Maggie throwing rainbow blocks at Isaac

Nathan had a friend invite him to go to the show with him on Friday evening.  So he went with him and Larry and I had the night to our selves.  It was a funny feeling.  We went and bought dinner because we were tired from the Mission office.  We went to Whataburger with some coupons that came to the office.  I was shocked at the size of their hamburgers.  Then we took my new phone to the AT&T store at the mall to have it set up and transfer my contacts.  That took about 2 hours so we went home after that and watched a "Bones"  TV show while waiting for Nathan to get home.  It didn't take long. He and Jason went to see "Frozen"  which surprised me.

Well Larry tells me it is lights out for missionaries so I will close for now.

Taylor and Kyle coloring Easter Eggs

Taylor and Kirsten

Heather, Ryker, and Jon Rolling Easter Eggs

Erick, Ryker and Taylor Rolling Easter Eggs

Erick, Ryker, Easter Bunny, Jon, Taylor

April 17th and before

The weather is crazy in San Antonio.  If it says it is going to be 80 degrees in Utah then it is usually sunny and bright.  Today it was supposed to be 80 in San Antonio but it was cloudy and drizzling rain all day.

Nathan reading to Maggie at the house

Today I was able to talk to some of the people that help Nathan find ways to get help.  I am gradually learning all of the things that he is involved in so I can help him.  He got his VA disability determination papers in the mail a couple of days ago and so he has been busy getting me to help him with some of the paperwork that he needs to do.  I have also helped him with paperwork for the divorce so we have been busy this week.  I was impressed today because he went to the business center here at the apartment today by himself and printed out the papers he needed to apply for a school loan waiver because of his disability.  We filled them out tonight and they are ready to go.  He is really very adept at working with the computer and Ipad and his phone.  He has also been very helpful in helping to navigate through San Antonio.

I love the expressing of love on his face in this picture

We were supposed to have lunch with some Senior Missionaries that have taken Nathan under their wing because they are military relations for the church at Fort Sam but she got sick today so we will meet with them tomorrow.

Larry had several problems with the cars that he had to deal with today.  He had to drive to an Enterprise dealer that was about 20 minutes away to sign some papers because they would not take the credit card over the phone.  He has to meet with the AP's tomorrow to go over the spread sheets.  With his job he gets about 4 phone calls an hour about something to do with the 97 cars that they have in the mission.

One more of reading...looking down to read the words

Work at the mission has become comfortable for me.  There is something new I have to learn each day but there are a lot of things that I am comfortable with.  Today I learned that the full time missionaries cannot go into the jails and prisons but there is a mission for Seniors in Salt Lake that sends out materials like Books of Mormons and writes letters to people in prison and jail.  It is okay for the ward and stake missionaries to go into the prisons but not the full time missionaries.

I think it is interesting that they get the day off of school for Good Friday here.  I guess every place has their important days off that are different from other areas.

Yesterday I took the morning and helped Nathan with some papers for the divorce and went to the bank and changed his address and had a paper noterized for the divorce lawyer and went to the post office and put in change of address for Warm Springs and for his home temporarily.  We also went to Warm Springs and talked to them about forwarding the mail that comes.  I had to go back to the office in the afternoon.

Larry finally got so sick with the cough and congestion he had that he went to the VA as soon as we woke up yesterday at 6:00 am and he was there until about 1:00 pm seeing a doctor and getting his prescriptions transferred to the VA here.  They said that he had bronchitis and gave him an antibiotic and some medicines for the congestion and cough.  He said that he is not completely better but then I remember when I felt that way so I have faith that he will get better.

We worked the afternoon at the mission office and then we went to HEB, a Texas grocery chain that is everywhere here and a pretty good store, to get groceries for a while after dinner.  It was late when we got to bed and we were all too tired.

Tuesday was a pretty normal day at the mission office.  Nathan wanted to go out and read to the kids that evening and surprise them.  Maggie really enjoyed having him read to her and was dancing around very happy.  Sara was not so happy and Nathan got upset.  I realized that it would be better if he was not around her much because he gets really upset with her when she is around, which is understandable.

I received my new phone yesterday in the mail but did not have time to go get it switched over today.  Maybe tomorrow.

April 14 and before

Isaac in his ninja suit

Nathan downloading a game with Sammy

Sleeping Maggie

We have three of Nathan's kids with us tonight.  Isaac and Sammy are playing and Maggie is asleep on the couch.  Nathan found a fun game for them to play on the Ipad where they can take pictures of themselves talking and making funny pictures.  Isaac is dressed in a ninja costume that Nathan got for him.

A sister in the mission with Sister Williams and me

Today was the first day I felt competent at the mission office.  I was able to help Sister Williams learn how to make an order for Stationery and as I was doing that I figured out why we could not get the scanner to scan a document to the computer.  After much trial and error I found out that the ability to scan to the computer had been disabled.  I finished all of my referrals and was able to help Sister Williams and then input the weekly reports to two different programs for data on Baptisms.

Larry with Elder Williams the Housing and Finance person in the middle

Larry spent a lot of time working out things for a recall on certain Chevy models and helping the missionaries that were involved in an accident on Sunday.  He also had to order some bike racks for some of the mission cars.

We usually start our day at 6:00 a.m.  Nathan usually needs to get up then and I help him get into his wheelchair and then he goes into his bathroom and goes to the bathroom and showers all by himself.  Usually Larry and I read from the Old Testament made Easier and have our morning prayer while he is doing that.  Then I go in and help Nathan get dressed while Larry gets dressed.  Then Larry makes breakfast which is usually cereal and I get dressed and then when we are all dressed and have eaten then we leave for work at the mission.

At a Senior couples dinner we had on Monday the 7th

We go to the mission about 8:30 a.m.  Nathan is alone for about 3 hours usually.  He does various things by himself during that time.  He may have therapy or he may do some therapy on his own.  He likes to have Star Trek on or sometimes another movie for background noise he says.  He also writes a lot of letters and texts people and other things on his phone and Ipad.  We come home and eat lunch with him about noon but it can vary depending on what we have to do at the office.  Then we leave until about 5:00 p.m.  but sometimes it is later.  Nathan is usually alone but sometimes he has visitors and he has been having the missionaries come and talk to him lately.

Brother and Sister Sturdyvant the military relations missionaries have options to help Nathan

Tonight we went to a barbecue place on the way home called Two Brothers and got some Texas Barbecue and had that for dinner.  I think that Nathan and Larry really liked that.  Usually in the evening we have dinner and work on projects that need done and then we listen to conference talks with Nathan and then we go to bed.  I only have to help Nathan in bed because he does not have a headboard to pull himself up to because he is stubborn and does not want to have any hospital beds.

Nathan at the Senior Dinner everyone fell in love with him, many have military backgrounds

We had our phones on silent and so we did not get some texts from Nathan so we didn't know he wanted to go to the house to see the kids tonight so he had texted Sara and asked her to bring up the kids here.  David stayed home because he had homework to do.

Last night I found several pictures that I had taken during the last few weeks so I thought that I would upload those and talk about them.  We have a few pictures of the dinner that we went to at Keith and Chris's when they have their whole family over for dinner.  It was good to see their family before we left.  He has a grandchild Tregan that talks as much and is as friendly as our Abbie.  He also has a granddaughter Jenna that looks enough like Maggie that they could be twins.

At Keith's house for dinner before we flew down.

We also had to help get the meal for lunch and dinner for when the new missionaries come in.  The last Missionaries came in on April 2nd.  We had a long subway sandwich for the lunch and we talked and then the missionaries were taken to the Alamo and challenged to give away a Book of Mormon while they were there.  Then they came back in the evening and we had a dinner of Texas Barbeque and they visited with President Slaughter.  They took pictures in his backyard and we were included because we had just got there the week before.

Keith and Chris's Grandkids

Apparently the Senior Missionaries get together after every transfer for dinner so we were able to go to San Marcos for dinner with them and Nathan was invited also. We ate at a restaurant called Grins It was fun to get to know many of them and they really were good to Nathan.  Elder and Sister Sturdyvant the military relations couple came to church this week in Nathan's ward and are wanting to get involved in helping him with the different programs that are offered also.  Although Nathan has many advocates trying to help him get what he needs.  Tonight Sara brought him his packet from the VA about his retirement so he has been reading that.

Keith's granddaughter Jenna looks like Maggie I think

The final pictures are of the grandkids swimming in the hot tub in our apartment community building.  It was cooler that day so they stayed indoors but this last Saturday they swam in the pool.  But my phone is damaged so I was not able to take pictures of the pool.

Compare to Jenna, this is Maggie

One last thing.  Friday night I mentioned that I was concerned about the money because our renter had not paid.  On Saturday I was praying about how I was going to make things work.  I didn't get an answer right then but I went to take Nathan in the van to get a new phone charger and all of a sudden the idea came to my mind of how we could get the money that we needed immediately.  It was amazing.  It is truly wonderful how the Lord is taking care of us on this mission.  We feel his help everyday.  The Gospel is true and the Lord truly does bear you up.

The new missionaries that came into our mission on April 2nd

Elder Presser and Me with President and Mrs. Slaughter and the new missionaries

Sammy, Isaac, and David enjoying the hot tub at the apartment

Maggie enjoying our hot tub

April 11th and a little from before

Today was one of the most peaceful days of the mission.  It was quiet at the office and I got all my baptisms entered into the Convert Data Entry System and all of my referrals sent out to the missionaries in the mission.  We even made it home for lunch relatively on time at 12:30 pm.
I then worked on learning the email system they use at the mission and sent off an order for Mission Name tags before I went home.

Larry spent the day trying to figure out why they do the mileage system they way they do in this mission and then he got a recall at the last minute on some of chevy cars we have and had to start calling the missionaries.  We are all still learning in the office but it was really pleasant today.

Often the mission assistants are there in the office in the morning and so I have to find something else to do while they use my computer.  But they are such great people.  They are always so friendly and always wanting to know if they can help.  Nathan decided that he wanted the missionaries to come and teach him that are in the ward that we live in and they came the other day and worked with him and apparently Sara showed up and they taught her too.  They were pretty excited about it.

Nathan at Warm Springs

Nathan moved in with us on the 1st of April as he had to be out of Warm Springs because he has had a change in care associated with his retirement.  It was a pretty overwhelming experience.  He just came home and we had no facilities for him.  I had to help him shower and go to the rest room but now he has a bar between the shower and the toilet he can do all of that by himself.  I just have to help him dress some and he has some good ideas on how to help him.  I generally have to help him get into bed also but that is a good time because he seems to enjoy that time. He is adjusting pretty well but I am not understanding how to get him the help he needs.

 I feel like the whole load of taking care of him was dumped in my lap but that is not true.  I just do not understand the military system of care for the veterans and it is hard to figure out in three days.  Nathan wanted to move home but Sara needed some place to live until she can get a job and the house needs to be remodeled some before he could be there.  We showed him the apartment that we had for the mission and they told us that we could have him move in with us and it all seemed to be the perfect thing to do for now.

Larry and I with President Slaughter

It was frustrating for the lady that was training me that I had to go to different things for Nathan to get him settled but I did learn a lot and she has been kind enough to talk to me now she is home when I come upon something I cannot do.  It was also frustrating for me because I knew that I needed to be there to be trained and I also knew that I needed to get Nathan setteled.  On the day of new missionaries coming in I knew that I needed to go so I could learn what needed to be done but at that point Nathan did not have his bar in the bathroom so he could be independent about going to the toilet.  I thought that maybe he would be okay but that morning I realized that he would probably fall if he did not have someone there to help him.  I prayed to Heavenly Father and realized that I could call Bishop Alonzo and ask him to help me.  He is Nathan's bishop and we are attending his ward. He was busy but he said that he could add me to a facebook group that the ward had created and I could ask there.  Before I had time to do anything except say yes to his request for friendship so he could add me to the group a young person in the ward had said that he could help.  When I called him he said that he could stay all day.  I felt like it was a blessing from Heavenly Father because I should have called earlier but he knew that I was not aware of what was going on until that morning and he provided someone that I could trust to stay with Nathan.  Reed Johnson stayed with Nathan that day and most of the next until we could get a bar put in for Nathan and that bar made all the difference for his independence.  But Reed should have many blessing for being able to come that day also if I have anything to say about it.

Nathan wonderful new handicapped equipped van

Wednesday and Friday were Ethan and Kallise's birthdays this week.  I finally was able to send them a card and we scheduled a time to Skype on Sunday.

Showing Nathan's van.  He rides in the passenger side

One thing that was frustrating about the last two weeks was that I didn't have the computer to do many of the things that I usually do.  Sending Birthday cards is one of those things and I am so glad to finally have the computer back with a charging cord so I can do those things.  Nathan needed some help with documents to fill out and we needed to order internet and I needed to find out about my prescriptions being transferred and I had to contact people and it was hard to do without a computer.  Luckily I got a phone just before we left that was easier to use the internet on and I was able to do much of that on line on the phone, but then I dropped my phone and it did something to the graphics and the screen the graphic float like ink and the screen is much darker so I can't see it in the light outdoors.  I have been trying to get a new one through insurance and they are making me upload all kinds of documents on line to prove that I am who I am to get another phone through insurance so that just added to my frustration. 

Often when people would call or we needed to find out something we were using the phone for GPS and so it could get a little hairy when someone would call and we were trying to find our way somewhere and Larry couldn't hear the GPS so we have been lost more than once. Sometimes though it was just because we had problems understanding the GPS.  I don't know what we would have done without the GPS though because San Antonio is such a big city and I really can't figure out the landmarks.  We have finally figured out how to get to the mission office from where we live and we can get to Nathan's church and his home without to much frustration but often we have turned on the GPS and we have been amazed that it guides us to go the opposite way of what we thought. 

Today we just came home after working at the office and ate with Nathan.  We were burdened down because we have little money left and our renter cannot pay her rent so we are at a loss as to how to manage our money when it is not there.  But I have to have faith that it will work out.

April 10th

Nathan outside after the Bingo night at the Warrior Family Support Center

Isaac playing on the playground at the WWFSC

I am so sorry that I have not posted for so long.  We ended up staying with Mom over the weekend and then our car could not be fixed because the wrong part came in.  So we were trying to decide what to do and we had a chance to fly to San Antonio last minute on the 25th and take a few things.  I could not find my computer charger and so I finally had to leave and when I tried to do blogger on my phone it would not let me connect to the email I have associated with this account for blogger.  So I was stuck waiting for the time when we would get our stuff that we had left behind.

Nathan, Lorianne the recreation counselor and Isaac

To make a long story short when we waited another week and then they told us it was impossible for us to fix our car and we should just trash it because it was too old at the dealership my brother Keith said he wanted to take it to a mechanic that he knew and see what they could do.  In about a half a day they determined where the problem was and disconnected the safety alarm and the car was running fine.  Which is what Larry and I wanted them to do in the first place but we have decided that the young kids do not know how to fix the cars that are older.  So eventually last Sunday we received our car and all the other things that we had packed for the time we would be here.  And things are beginning to settle down a little bit so I don't feel quite so overwhelmed.

Isaac and Sammy playing at the pond at the WWFSC

I will have to gradually add all the things that have happened in the last three weeks because it is already late and we have to get up early.

Today we worked at the mission from 9-10:15 am and then Larry tried to go to the VA to be seen for the cough that he now has and I went with Nathan to a stroke support group at the Warm Springs Rehabilitation hospital where he was for about 2 months before he moved into our apartment with us.  It was a good presentation about how much nutrition and sleep and exercise contribute to your health and can help you overcome the effects of a stroke.

David sliding at WWFSC

David relaxing across from the pond

At about 4:45 pm we went back to the house and got Nathan to take him to a Wounded Warrier and Family Support Group Bingo Night that they have every Thursday at Fort Sam Houston.  Different groups fix dinner and they always have chocolate milk shakes and then they play six games of bingo and people win donated prizes.  They always have a cow prize of some kind and they have several dinners and a build a bear of some kind.  The wounded warrior can bring all their family with them and it is just a fun time.  Isaac came and played with us tonight and he was given a car bank by the bingo moderator before everything started.  We have yet to win a prize but it is fun and as we don't have to pay anything so it is not gambling.


We got home and had several phone calls and Nathan wrote a letter on his Ipad and we listened to a Conference talk and had prayer and then we went to bed except for me.  Hopefully I can write more tomorrow night but it is late and I need to get up early in the morning.

David telling his dad good bye

Nathan laughing with his boys before he has to leave.