Pioneer Day

On Tuesday, Deb and I said good-bye to an incredible woman. Bette Lusk, Deb's father's cousin and a mainstay at every Brower reunion, passed away on July 13 and her viewing was held on Tuesday, July 20. She will always be fondly remembered by me. She was always so welcoming to me, and always greeted me by name. She was a wonderful woman.

Then, on Thursday, July 22, we got the news that has been coming since the beginning of the year, Paige Jons passed away from cancer. She was such a fighter. Her parents were told that she would not live much past February, but she kept going. Her will to live was SO strong. There were many times when Connie and Bill told us that they said good-bye to their granddaughter only to have her rally. Her courage in the face of what she had to endure is such an inspiration. She will be sorely missed. However, she is now completely free of pain. It is such a bitter-sweet emotion.

The Olympics opened in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, July 23. No fans are allowed in the stands so the atmosphere is not there. The games were postponed from last year. I do not have much enthusiasm to watch much although I have watched some swimming and water polo.

We did not celebrate Pioneer Day in our usual way. Angie was in the Lava Founders Day parade so we went there to see her. At the same time of the parade, our ward along with the Downey 1st Ward had Breakfast in the Evening to celebrate Pioneer Day.

Today is Connie's birthday. We went to celebrate with her. It was a lot of fun.

Girls Camp

The week started off getting back to work. As I returned, I expected to be exhausted, but I was able to get back into the swing of things quite quickly.

The girls went to Girls Camp for the end of the week. Angie went up a day early as a junior leader. The reports from the girls was that they had a better time than expected. In fact, I asked Lilli what the most surprising thing was about Girls Camp. She said how much fun it was. Angie said that she was able to poop each day!

We had a visitor in our yard yesterday. While doing some yardwork, a raccoon went across our backyard. It went under the trailer. Cosmo went nuts when he saw the coon. The coon climbed up into the trailer chassis. It stayed there for a long time. I am sure it did not leave until it was dark.

Back to the Living

What a couple of weeks this has been!

It started off with our kitchen sink leaking. Come to find out that the disposal (which has not worked for years) is leaking and had to be replaced. Fortunately, when it went out we bought a replacement, but since I LOVE plumbing (sarcasm there), it was sitting in the storage shed. So, I had to get it replaced, but I needed some things from the hardware store so it took a couple of days to get it done.

Meanwhile, I got sick. Boy, did I get sick. On Friday, July 2 I woke up with a cough. It was really irritating, but I did not feel too sick other than a slightly sore throat. By the time evening came, I was feeling pretty miserable. I then spent the next two days in bed. Thus, I spent the holiday weekend in bed. Deb spent a little time with Connie and Bill, but for the most part she stayed home with me. Besides, Angie had to work every day over the weekend. Lilli stayed home with me but spent all of her time on the computer.

Since Independence Day was on Sunday, it was observed on Monday so I had the day off, but that also meant doctor offices were closed. I did feel a little better on Monday and got the new disposal installed, but it wiped me out.

Tuesday, I went to the Health West Clinic in Downey. I was told that I had onset pneumonia, given some pills to help fight it, and told to get bed rest. So, I took the rest of the week off. I am glad I did although I will have a TON of things that will need immediate attention when I get back to work.

While I was struggling with illness, Mom was really struggling with it. She had her gall bladder removed in Preston, but then the doctor got concerned about the blood readings from her liver. She was transferred to McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden where they cleaned out her liver. She eventually got home, but she is still tired. She is getting stronger each day.

Deb and I helped get the ward youth to an event in Pocatello celebrating the Pocatello temple. It was pretty good, but we sat so far back (on the grassy area) that it was hard to hear at times--especially when others around us would talk.

I went to church today. I will go back to work tomorrow. After four hours of church, I was exhausted. Hopefully, it will help me handle the eight hour day tomorrow!