Diamonds are...not... forever

What a LONG day! I have been up since 3AM. I made a HUGE mistake this morning and took my night meds instead of my morning meds. My night meds include a sleeping pill. By the time I got to work I was ready to go to sleep. I didn't sew for long when my bundle handler said to clock out. She had me clean and cover machines all day to get ready for shutdown. She said her goal was 2 fold...first to keep me awake and second to keep me from sewing over my fingers. Anyway we had our Christmas luncheon and left at about 1PM. Bill picked me up so we could go to the temple, but we had to run a couple of errands first. He dropped me off at JoAnn's fabrics to pick up some lace and while I was having it cut the lady said "It looks like you're missing the diamond from your ring." I looked down and sure enough, where my diamond used to be was a hole. I made a lot of noise and started crying, and kept saying "I've had that diamond for over 33 years. To make a long story short, after I showed Bill my ring and had a good cry he reminded me if he had to choose between the diamond or me, he'd keep me. We went to the temple and I was still feeling pretty sad about things. But then I found, as I concentrated on things of eternity in the temple, that I could find joy in the fact that material things are not the treasure, that the gifts that are forever are our families and the gospel and the plan of salvation and our Savior's gift of the atonement, our Heavenly Father's enduring love and the relationships we form here. I am so grateful for the knowlege of these things, for the "forever things" that are ours to cherish. When we finished at the temple it was dark and we walked the grounds and enjoyed all the lights and Christmas music. Then we rode "The Trax" downtown to the Gateway mall and visited a jewler. We decided to have a new stone set in and the ring repaired. I feel very good about this and decided I could accept this as a new gift, even tho I am sad to have lost such a long time friend. Well we completed our walk in the freezing cold and stopped at the Rumbi Island Grill for a bite to eat. (It is a Hawaian place) By the time we got back to the Trax station and rode the train back to Temple square we were quite cold and still had a two block walk to the truck. I am glad to be home and warm and on my way to bed...What a day!

Strange pheonomenon

Whee! I love it when I get home ahead of the storm! When we left work today the wind was really howling and it blew the vanpool around a little on the way home. By the time we reached Tooele it was raining...that was at 4PM. Within the hour the wind was really whipping around and the rain had almost stopped. Then we started getting incredible thunder and lightning...and SNOW! It has been awesome! It was like a blizzard with thunder and lightning, the snow blowing everywhich way and piling up pretty fast. (The news broadcast said this is actually very rare) Annie couldn't even get out her kitty door, the snow had piled up about half way, blocking it. (OK, a whole 4 inches, since it is at the bottom of our back door, but she still couldn't get out) I went out and shoveled the porch off and swept away the snow over her door. She of course went back to the living room and curled up on my blanket like any sensible cat should. Tomorrow is our Beehive Christmas luncheon and we go home right afterward...then we don't have to go back till January 2, 2008! I love Christmas shutdown! I am hopeful the weather co-operates with my plans to go home after Christmas and see G'ma and G'pa Danes. Bill can't go since he is teaching some stuff for the Holiday Merit Badge Pow Wow, so I'll only be gone a few days. I just don't want to pass up the opportunity to visit. Hope all of you are enjoying a wonderful season...I love your blogs... keep up the good work.

Are you my Mother?

While trying to unwind last night I recieved a phone call. It appears our health insurance decided they could save a lot of money if they hired a nice lady to be everyone's mother. They have all kinds of information because they have, of course, paid all our claims. So they asked me a lot of questions about my diabetes, related health, weight, excersise and diet information. Initially I was trying to be helpful and offered additional information, then she turned into the insurance Mom, and the conversation went something like this:

Ins. Mom : Do you get plenty of excersise?
Karen: No, I sew at a desk all day.

I.M.: Well, let's see, you could park at the far end of the parking lot so you can walk further.
K: No, I ride the vanpool, it drops me off at the door.

I.M.: Are there stairs you can climb?
K: No, it's like a warehouse and I have to sit at my desk and sew.

I.M. : There must be something we can do about your excersise.
K: Do you have to write something in my chart now?

I.M. : Yes, I'm helping you have a plan for wellness.
K: Just write down that I stretch every two hours and I will think about more excersise.

I.M.: OK, I'll write that down. Do You test every day?
K. : No, not right now.

I.M.: What's the problem here? Do you have a glucometer?
K.: Yes, I'just haven't done it for a while.

I.M. : Are you afraid of sticking you finger?
K.: No, I have no problem sticking myself.

I.M.: You don't have time? No that can't be it, it only takes 30 seconds.
K.: I'm just out of the habit.

I.M. : How can we get you back in the habit?
K....(a little frustrated now) If you could see me I am walking to my kitchen, I am getting out my glucometer, I am placing it on the table where I will see it first thing in the morning. It is on a pretty white doily and I will stick my finger in the morning before I go to work and I will record my sugar!

I.M. : (not seeming to notice I am being a little facitious) Great, I'll write that down. Now when were your eyes checked last?
K. : 18 months ago.

I.M.: Did you know that you should get them checked every year? Can you make an appointment right away?
K.: I cannot fit anymore appointments into December, but I will make one for January.

I.M.: Wonderful, when will you make that call?
K. (feeling defiant) In January.

(The phone call continues with more questions about my next follw up for diabetes...at least I had an appointment already and could assure her I would keep it, and questions about my meds,and lab results for cholestrol, kidney and liver etc)

I.M.: I will send you a reminder card of the goals you have set for your health, and will call you in about 6 weeks to see how you are doing.

Let me tell you all now...MY mother would LOVE this lady! I got up this morning and checked my sugar, it was 111. Not as great after the Christmas party we had at work....at 2PM it was 183. (Yes I even took my glucometer to work so I could keep up the good work) All kidding aside, I think I am grateful for the phone call because I really needed to get back on track. Another thing she asked me about was if I had any amputations yet ... not something I want to look forward to, so I guess I better start watching it more seriously. Other than that, we are all well and happy. Wesley moved back into the house last Saturday. We don't see much of him, but we do see his chaos everywhere. We are very happy to have him back especially at this time of year. There is music again, dirty dishes and piles of laundry....