February 2011 Trip To Utah

If I thought the trip to Utah the month before was rough, it was a cakewalk compared to the drive over this time. We had excessive amounts of blowing snow and whiteout conditions on this trip. Some of these pictures will give a small idea of the conditions. The first picture shows what it was like just as we were leaving the city limits of Casper. These pictures were taken while on the interstate...
Surprisingly, it only took us about 8 hours to get to the kids house.

Personal Blessings From Paying An Honest Tithing

When I was laid off, one of the things that Joe and I decided was that no matter what, we would pay a full tithing. Our reasoning was how could we expect the Lord to look after us monetarily if we couldn't pay him just 10% of what we got. After all, the Lord himself said "Prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it"(Mal. 3:10). What would be the harm in putting the Lord to the test and see if he would deliver?

President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "We can pay our tithing. It is not so much a matter of money as it is a matter of faith. I have yet to find a faithful tithe payer who cannot testify that in a very literal and wonderful way the windows of heaven have been opened and blessings have been poured out upon him or her".

I can truly testify that this is all true as we have had it shown in our own personal life in so many ways over the past few months. I have been calling them "many, mini miracles" and I know it has been because of paying a full tithing.

- Joe has not had any medical emergencies since the first part of January;

- Because I was laid off, we were able to be approved for special financial circumstances from the hospital and I've been able to pay off all of Joe's medical expenses;

- Joe has been referred for evaluation to be placed on the national kidney transplant list;

- I've gone in to purchase medications for Joe and been told there was no charge;

- We received a letter in the mail recently stating that all of his medications are either $2.50 or $6.30 only;

- Joe's monthly disability check has been increased almost $100 per month;

- I had someone call me wanting me to work as a temporary, part-time person for them until I found full-time employment. I make my hours and come and go as I wish.

- I've gone to have my car run through the washer only to find it was broken and was then given a certificate for a free car wash at a later date;

- We made a trip to Denver to the University of Colorado hospital to meet with the transplant team. While there we stayed two nights, ate several meals, had extra gas expense with no financial strain.

- We made a trip to Cheyenne to see an eye specialist the next week with a one night stay, a couple of meals and gas expense with no financial strain.

- I've had all the brakes on my car replaced and was able to pay for all of the expenses of several hundreds of dollars in a matter of days;

- Joe has had eye surgery done on his left eye which has improved his vision considerably. He had been told earlier by another eye doctor that nothing could be done for him. He was going blind.

- Joe went to the dentist for the first time in several years and was pronounced not to have any cavities;

- We were told by the dental clinic that our portion of Joe's x-rays and cleaning would be approximately $130.00. When it came time to pay, we were told they had made a mistake and there was no charge.

- We have received miscellaneous refund checks in the mail that were totally unexpected;

- Thought I was getting a flat tire. Instead it was a unrepairable hole and I was given a new tire free of charge since my tires were still under warranty.

- Three weeks after the installation of new brake system, something broke while in town and this was repaired free of charge due to warranty.

- I've averaged at least one job interview every week as I've had two sometimes in a week.

- I've had other auto work done and was given a reduced rate on that when I came to pick up the car.

- Joe became eligible for a program that will pay for all of his transportation costs to any place he wants to go for whatever reason. So all bus tickets are now free for him. It will also pay our mileage should we need to go out of town for medical reasons.

There are so many other things that I can't recall at this moment and I'm quite certain there are so many more things that I'm not even aware of that we've been blessed by. I believe that the Lord has truly been opening up the windows of heaven onto us. Whether some of these economic changes end when I go back to work, I just know that they are helping us now during this time of unemployment.

President Hinckley also said that "The Lord will open the windows of heaven according to our need, and not according to our greed" and our needs are definitely being met at this particular time.

A Reminder About the Atonement

Today in Sacrament meeting, one of the speakers read the following story. I remember hearing it sometime in the past, but it still made a moving impression on me today...

There was a boy by the name of Steve who was attending Seminary in Utah. In this Seminary classes are held during school hours. Brother Christianson taught Seminary at this particular school. He had an open-door policy and would take in any student that had been thrown out of another class as long as they would abide by his rules. Steve had been kicked out of his sixth period and no other teacher wanted him, so he went into Brother Christianson’s Seminary class.

Steve was told that he could not be late, so he arrived just seconds before the bell rang and he would sit in the very back of the room. He would also be the first to leave after the class was over. One day, Brother Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. After class, Bro. Christianson pulled Steve aside and said, “You think you’re pretty tough, don’t you?” Steve’s answer was, “Yeah, I do.” Then Brother Christianson asked, “How many push-ups can you do?” Steve said, “I do about 200 every night.” “200? That’s pretty good, Steve,” Brother Christianson said. “Do you think you could do 300?” Steve replied, “I don’t know… I’ve never done 300 at a time.” “Do you think you could?” Again asked Brother Christianson. “Well, I can try,” said Steve. “Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I need you to do 300 in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you an do it,” Brother Christianson said. Steve said, “Well… I think I can… yeah, I can do it.” Brother Christianson said, “Good! I need you to do this on Friday.”

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, Brother Christianson pulled out a big box of donuts. Now these weren’t the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited–it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend. Bro. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, “Cynthia, do you want a donut?” Cynthia said, “Yes.” Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?” Steve said, “Sure,” and jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten.

Then Steve again sat in his desk. Bro. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia’s desk. Bro. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, “Joe do you want a donut?” Joe said, “Yes.” Bro. Christianson asked, “Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?” Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got their donut. And down the second aisle, till Bro. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was captain of the football team and center of the basketball team. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship. When Bro. Christianson asked, “Scott do you want a donut?” Scott’s reply was, “Well, can I do my own pushups?” Bro. Christianson said, “No, Steve has to do them.” Then Scott said, “Well, I don’t want one then.” Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, “Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn’t want?” Steve started to do ten pushups. Scott said, “HEY! I said I didn’t want one!” Bro. Christianson said, “Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don’t want it.” And he put a donut on Scott’s desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow. Bro. Christianson started down the third row.

Now the students were beginning to get a little angry. Bro. Christianson asked Jenny, “Jenny, do you want a donut?” Jenny said, “No.” Then Bro. Christianson asked Steve, “Steve, would you do ten pushups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn’t want?” Steve did ten, Jenny got a donut. By now, the students were beginning to say “No” and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve was also having to really put forth a lot of effort to get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved. Bro. Christianson asked Robert to watch Steve to make sure he did ten pushups in a set because he couldn’t bear to watch all of Steve’s work for all of those uneaten donuts. So Robert began to watch Steve closely. Bro. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students had wandered in and sat along the heaters along the sides of the room. When Bro. Christianson realized this; he did a quick count and saw 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it. Bro. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set. Steve asked Bro. Christianson, “Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?” Bro. Christianson thought for a moment, “Well, they’re your pushups. You can do them any way that you want.” And Bro. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled, “NO! Don’t come in! Stay out!” Jason didn’t know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, “No, let him come.” Bro. Christianson said, “You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him.” Steve said, “Yes, let him come in.” Bro. Christianson said, “Okay, I’ll let you get Jason’s out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?” “Yes.” “Steve, will you do ten pushups so that Jason can have a donut?” Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down. Bro. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those seated on the heaters. Steve’s arms were now shaking with each pushup in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. Sweat was dropping off of his face and, by this time, there was not a dry eye in the room. The very last two girls in the room were cheerleaders and very popular. Bro. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, “Linda, do you want a doughnut? Linda said, very sadly, “No, thank you.” Bro. Christianson asked Steve, “Steve, would you do ten pushups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn’t want?” Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda. Then Bro. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. “Susan, do you want a donut?” Susan, with tears flowing down her face, asked, “Bro. Christianson , can I help him?” Bro. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, “No, he has to do it alone, Steve, would you do ten pushups so Susan can have a donut?” As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Brother Christianson turned to the room and said. “And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, plead to the Father, “Into thy hands I commend my spirit.” With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, he collapsed on the cross and died. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten.”

Hi, My Name Is Carol Weaver...

...and I want and need a job. It's now April 24th and 94 days since I lost my job. To some people that might be totally devastating. I've lost jobs in the past and it definitely wasn't the best thing to have happened to me - at the time.

Many wonderful things have happened since the job loss and I hope that I can remember to record them so that whoever reads this sometime in the future (including myself) will realize how blessed I've been and that I can truly see the hand of my Heavenly Father in things that have occurred.

Let me begin with the actual job searches. I was so sure I'd be hired within just a matter of days. In fact, I felt quite certain I would be hired and working within one month because I have an excellent resume, initiative, wasn't afraid to do whatever, have lots of experience and several great recommendation letters. I don't think it's a matter of being cocky, it's just a matter of confidence in my abilities.

I've applied with the City of Casper, oil companies, drilling companies, a uranium company, natural gas companies, the college, an electric company, a health center, a hospice, medical facilities, pipe companies, a trucking company, a bank, the county, Head Start, and several other places. I've had interviews - not enough apparently, but I've got stiff competition since usually 80-100 people are applying for the same job.

I have at least been working temporary, part-time for an insurance company that allows me to come and go as I wish. Because of that, I've been able to pick Joe up from his dialysis treatments rather than have him ride the bus home in the afternoon. It's also allowed me to spend time with him on the non-dialysis days which has become very special for me. I've watch Joe heal, both mentally and physically, on a daily basis. I've watched him regain some of his strength and stamina and start to become a little happier each day.

My mantra is that Heavenly Father is making me wait for the "right" job to come along or he wants me to spend more time with Joe. Whatever the reason, I guess I'll just have to learn more patience.

Now it's time to get back to the want ads...

The Appointment Book

One of the first purchases I made after my layoff was an appointment book. I hadn't had much need for one in the last few years as I didn't do anything much other than my regular work routine. Yes, there were those doctor appointments that Joe had on occasion, but those were written on a hanging calendar, along with a collection of business cards from each doctor, dentist, specialist, aide, etc. After all Joe has had scheduled appointments with the nephrologist, the gastroenterologist, the cardiologist, the infectious diseaseologist, the optometrists, ophthalmologist, opticians, neurologist, anesthesiologists, family practitioners, surgeons, etc.

I realized though that life was about to change with scheduling potential phone interviews, face-to-face interviews, keeping track of contacts for the purposes of validating to the State of Wyoming that I was looking for a job, lunch dates, out-of-town appointments, etc. Add those to Joe's medical social life, it was time to get myself an appointment book and now I can't seem to live without it! Besides when tax time comes around next year, it will help document all the traveling and places we went.

Color coding has come into play also. Job interviews are shaded with pink highlighter. It makes it easier to pinpoint job interviews. Green highlighting is for those activities set aside totally for Joe such as dialysis or any normally scheduled activities he has on a weekly basis.

I also realize that by carrying around a paper calendar I am really dating myself. I have electronic equipment such a palm pilot or my phone or my computer which could keep up with this same information. However, there is a sense of security for me in that I can physically write down the information I want and need and delete it in the same manner. The only loss I would have is if I misplaced my appointment book. So, until someone can prove to me it's easier to do it another way, just look in my purse and there you will find my handy-dandy blue Weekly Planner.

Achmed and Walter

The day I was laid off from my job was the same evening that Joe and I had the opportunity to go to see Jeff Dunham in concert with his menagerie of characters. We had purchased tickets several months ago to go see the show. The night of the show wound up being one of the coldest ones I can remember and we had to stand outside with many others until the doors were opened. I thought we were going to freeze to death.

Jeff has many characters, but I'm showcasing my two favorite dummies. They are the reason I wanted to see them in a live show. I've provided a recording of a sampling of his show with each character. Listen at your own risk as these characters have a mind of their own, especially Walter.

Achmed the Dead Terrorist

Achmed is the skeletal corpse of an incompetent suicide bomber, whom Dunham uses to satirize the contemporary issue of terrorism. He is known for yelling, "Silence! I keel you!" to Dunham and people laughing in the audience. When mentioning that Achmed appears to be dead because he's a skeleton, Achmed responds, "It's a flesh wound." Although he frequently mentions working for Osama Bin Laden, Achmed claims he doesn't think he's a Muslim ("look at my ass! It says 'Made in China'").

http://youtu.be/1uwOL4rB-go

Walter is a retired, grumpy old man with arms always crossed in discontent. He has a brash, negative and often sarcastic view on today's world. He is a Vietnam War veteran and a former welder, and "doesn't give a damn" about anyone, especially his own wife and certain audience members. He's been married for several decades, and when Dunham asks him if he remembers the happiest moment of his life after Walter tells him he has been married for forty-six years, Walter responds, "Forty-seven years ago!" (Does he look a little like Joe to you)?

http://youtu.be/F-A5WCyDUwI

Travis and Lindsea's Wedding Reception

I am so disappointed about my pictures this night. My camera was not doing a good job for some reason (probably the photographer). Consequently, many of my pictures were unprintable.


Corey, Travis and his father, Dale.

Dining With Friends

Derek and I had lunch with old friends while Papa Joe was in dialysis. Starting left is Alisa Lyman who served her mission part of the time in Casper and was a frequent guest at our home. Then there's Derek and his cousin, Allyson and on the right is Teri Evert Zorko. I have known Teri for over 30 years when she lived in Georgia and joined the church.

She saw on Facebook that I was coming back to Utah for a visit and wanted to get together for lunch. She drove over an hour one way to meet me which I thought was just a wonderful way to show her love for me. Before we said our goodbye, she said that the reason she wanted to see me was that "we're all getting older and who knows if we'll ever see each other ever again". Isn't it great to have friends like that even if you haven't seen them for a very long time?

Then the following day, Joe and I had dinner with Alisa and Elena Merrill. Elena was Alisa's missionary companion while in Casper and consequently was a frequent visitor in our home also.

It's always so nice for us to meet up with old friendships every chance we can when we make a visit to Utah.

Taking Pictures

Joe and I took Derek to dinner one evening while his Mommy and Daddy went on a date. When he finished eating, he decided to take a picture of Papa Joe and Grandma Carol.

Here are the results:

I think he has future as a photographer.

Grocery Shopping With Grandma Carol

Derek and I got to do a little grocery shopping together. I just love how he was so good at "buggy surfing" and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Method 1 consisted of standing on the front and holding on with a death grip...

Method 2 consisted of nonchalantly draping his arms over the cart in a crossed-arm manner for a more intense conversation pose...

I always thought shopping was fun, but Derek makes it even funner!

Two Year Old Comparison

As I was sitting here trying to catch up on some blogging and posting pictures, I realized that I might not have done a comparison picture of Corey and Derek about the same about. This age is two this time.

So here is Corey...

And here is Derek...

January 2011 Hospital Visit

Yes, it's true. Joe wound up back in the ER on January 10th. It was his first visit back to the hospital since last November. I had tried calling him while I was at work. After attempting do do so for about 45 minutes and couldn't get him to answer the phone, I called the Sheriff's Department as I was told that they would send someone to check on him. Remember I was 45 miles away from Casper.

I told the dispatcher where to find the key so they wouldn't have to kick the door in if necessary. When the deputy arrived, he found Joe unconscious on the kitchen floor and called the ambulance took him away. The Sheriff's Department called me and then I left the field immediately to meet Joe at the ER. He had apparently given himself too much insulin and made his blood sugar go extremely low - 35. (He is no longer allowed to dispense any of his medications). When he collasped, he hit his head on a kitchen counter and during a seizure, he kept scrapping his feet on the bottom of the kitchen shelves .



He was finally released when he blood sugar returned to normal after several hours.

Goodbye RMOTC

On January 20, 2011 I was laid off (along with 26 others) from my job with Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center at NPR-3 near Midwest, Wyoming. This was due to the economic situation we have been experiencing in the United States. I had worked there since December of 2008 and it was my first and only job I had had since my move to Wyoming. In fact, I was hired for the job before we officially made our move from Georgia.

As of today, the U.S. unemployment rate is 8.8% and the Wyoming is 6.6%. When I first moved here, the state unemployment rate was 3.7% and the national rate was 7.6%. So, you can see that things have steadily gotten worse in the job market.

Pros about losing the job: (1) No longer will I have to get up at 4:00 a.m. (2) No longer have to go to bed by 10:00 p.m. (3) Get to spend more time with Joe. (4) Less stress and; (5) No more extreme cold, blowing wind and dirt out at the oilfield. I truly believe the two posted picture below totally personify what "cold" looks like!

Cons about losing the job: (1) Loved my job. (2) Miss most of the people I worked with for the last almost 2 1/2 years. (3) No steady good paycheck. I'll be on unemployment until mid July. (4) No benefits - no dental, no medical. I'd better watch myself, huh? and; (5) No more Fridays off so I can head out of town for long weekends!

So, I had to turn in my steel-toed boots, my hardhat and my safety glasses. What a great experience and opportunity it was for me working in an actual oilfield!

The following is an article that appeared in the Casper Star Tribune - our local newspaper:

Twenty-seven contractor employees at the Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center and Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 3 near Edgerton lost their jobs Thursday, as activities in the oil field change.
"That field is coming to the end of its productive life," said John Grasser, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy. He said the emphasis is shifting from production to environmental remediation efforts.
He said the reduction was prompted by the change in activities at the reserve, also known as the Teapot Dome oil field, and not by a need to slash the budget, even though the move will save about $3.6 million. DOE, like other federal departments, is operating under a continuing resolution until Congress enacts a new federal budget.
All the people laid off worked for Navarro Research and Engineering Inc., which still has 54 workers associated with the oil field in various capacities. There also are 13 federal employees.
Grasser said the layoffs should not affect ongoing projects at RMOTC. Last month, RMOTC spokesman Jim Nations said there were two ongoing projects at the Teapot Dome oil field -- a wind turbine project with Casper College and a low temperature geothermal test that has been operating since 2008. Nations was among those laid off.
Grasser said as activities move into the environmental restoration phase, it's not out of the question that more people may be hired in the future.
RMOTC also is no longer sharing project costs with partners, Grasser confirmed. In the past, the center typically would share costs through in-kind contributions, such as providing some labor or equipment essentially free of charge.
RMOTC is an energy testing center that works with companies to test new concepts and products in such areas as drilling, oil production and enhanced oil recovery.
"RMOTC will continue to be a test facility," Grasser noted.
Navarro Research and Engineering describes itself as a leading contractor for the Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration, providing a variety of services. The company is based in Oak Ridge, Tenn., but also lists an office in Casper.

More Blooming Gardenias

I may not be in South Georgia, but fortunately I'm still getting blooms from time to time on my birthday gardenia bush from Trina. And, they smell sooo good.

The Tifton Wedding Reception

We might not have been in Tifton, but we attended the wedding reception of Travis and Lindsea via Skype...

House Cleaning

I got a wild streak and decided it was time to get organized. Why is it that you make more of a mess when you're trying to clean up?

The bedroom...

The kitchen...

The office...I hate filing!!!

The living room/dining room wasn't too bad...

I would have taken "after" pictures, but I was too tired!

Heading Back Home

At least the roads were clear going home...

It never ceases to amaze me how wide open this country is out here.

Ready For Church

No words necessary on this one other than "couldn't you just eat him up"!


Yes, Grandma, I am handsome.