New Years Eve

Well, I'm sitting here in my chair watching The Little Mermaid with Alair. We just got done eating popcorn. Kim is in his office working on his new computer. He was in here watching the first movie...Despicable Me2.

I think about the past, present and future. How I have raised the kids..who they are. Should I have done things differently? Probably at least some. I think back to my parents...things they did right and wrong. I know they did the best they could..and it was mostly good. I am very thankful for my upbringing. I even think back to my grandma...I only knew one. We live in their home. She was a character. She and my grandpa would fight in German so we wouldn't know what they were saying. I wonder what our kids will think of how we raised them and what kind of influence I will have on the grandkids. We had Sunday Dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's almost every Sunday. As our kids were growing, we had Sunday Dinner at either my parents or Kim's most Sundays until the car accident. Then it became easier for us to have Sunday Dinners and holidays. Now we have Sunday Dinners here most Sundays for whoever can be here.

I think about the health issues I have and how they will effect things. I can't walk very fast. I can't go up and down stairs very well. I need to lose weight and exercise. It is very expensive to heat the pool, but we did some financial things so hopefully er can keep it warm. I really like swimming. I also need to watch my diet closer so the diabetes doesn't get worse fast. I want to be around to see the grandkids  grow up. It's not easy raising another child. A nine year old girl. Sometimes I wonder if we did the right thing. Was it fair to her to have older parents? And sibling so much older than she? But I can't imagine our lives without her. But will I see her wedding? And her children?  I hope so.

This is the night to reflect on things. I'm not much for resolutions. I will just keep trying to do better at things and not try to be perfect. It is all in God's hands. He has blessed me so much with the family I have. I will also be thankful for all I have. I will trust that He knows what's best. I will try.

December 2014

Wow!!! Time really does fly. I can't believe how fast this year has gone.  With Kim's rotator cuff surgery in February; my new knee in April; going to the Black Hills in June and Nattapon going home the end of June.

It seems the older I get, the faster time goes. I really wish it would slow down some.  I had lots of projects for Christmas and now I need to start on the projects I put on hold in the fall.

I want to start blogging more and now that I finally have a new computer, maybe I will be more inclined. Hopefully pictures will go better also.

March 8,2014

Kim had his surgery on his rotator cuff last Friday.It went fine and he is trying to do all kinds of things. The dr. said driving was up to him....when he felt up to it. Emily went with him to Sanborn on Thursday and I watched the girls. After driving us home from the hospital in whiteout conditions, I'm not taking any chances.
  Today, Kratzers came over to go sledding and stayed for supper. It got to 40 and this was really the first and last time they could all go sledding. This has been such a cold winter. The huge piles of snow will be gone this week. I really am getting spring fever.
  I called Lakes Gas and asked what the price of lp is. 2.39....yay! I'm hoping to get the pool filled this month.I like the bike, but the pool is best.

Exercise

Since I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes last February, I have been swimming almost every day. Swimming along with diet have helped me lose 43 pounds. This happened by Aubrey's wedding in September. Since then I have had a hard time getting back in the swing of things. I hurt my knee and had to have an MRI. I will need surgery at some time. Kim needs shoulder surgery first. This month. Any way, I waited for the pain to go down,winter came. Below 0 temps and even colder wind chills. Then lp prices went up.  A lot. My weight also went back up 6 lbs. Today I broke down and bought a recumbent bike. I looked at several stores. They did not have the model I wanted in stock. Could not be found in stores within a 45 mile radius. My bike will be in next Wednesday. It will be set up and ready for pickup Friday or Saturday. I have a diabetes check the middle of March. I WILL LOSE THE 6 LBS. BY THEN!!!!

Life

Well,I really need to post more often.  I've probably forgotten a lot of things.

Allison and Chris and their kids went up to Grand Marais,Split Rock Lighthouse and Grand Portage with us. We had a really good time. We don't get to do as much with them throughout the year as they live 5 hours away.

I started sewing dresses for Aubrey and Troy's wedding. It was a wonderful day. Also the young lady in the front left is Nattapon, our exchange student from Thailand.

 The day after the wedding, Andy moved back home. Later he was diagnosed with PTSD from when he was on the fire dept. It has been discovered that boys brains don't fully develop until they are 25. He saw some terrible things and even though there was debriefing, it wasn't enough. He is getting help now and hopefully will be able to go back to his home at some point.He and Christine need marriage counselling also to work through everything.Andy was hospitalized over Christmas with confusion. He had an MRI, EEG. Spinal Tap and other tests. They all came back normal. The doctors decided it was probably caused by stress.

Before Aubrey's wedding,I had lost 43 lbs. and all my blood work was back to normal. Since the wedding, I hurt my knee and haven't gotten back into exercise.  It also got terribly cold for a long time and it has been too expensive to heat the pool. This weekend it is supposed to get fairly warm, above freezing,so we are heating it. I have to get physical. My blood sugar has been going up as has my weight. I now have to lose 6 pounds again.

Kim is having surgery on his shoulder next month. He fell when he was cutting wood and it just kept getting worse.

The top picture is all of  Aubrey's new family and the bottom is our whole family now. We gained 2 grandchildren,so now the total is 11!

I started volunteering at Alair's school.  Every day.  All afternoon. I really got to be too much.  I wasn't getting any thing done at home.  I enjoyed it a lot and still do. The kids are great and I get to do crafts when I am just watching them. I now get one day off a week and it helps a lot.

That's enough for now. I'm sure I will think of things I forgot, and when I do, I will have to write about it.  I will try to post more often this year.