It started out as a regular, old, boring Monday. I worked on laundry, made weekly menu and shopping list. Then I left with Ken to go shopping, but first we had to stop at TB for him to do some paperwork. It was supposed to take a few minutes. Supposed to.
While he waited for an employee to come and finish the papers, we met a young man in the dining area. He is from Ukrainia/Russia and was here to apply to attend USAO. He was such a sweet, eager young man and he was going to stay at TB pretty much all day waiting for his ride. So we invited him to join us for dinner this evening in our home.
This meant a change in my dinner plans. A little extra food at Walmart, a stop at Braum's for ice cream (the best!). It also meant I needed to go home and straighten up a little more than usual. Guest coming!
His name is Viktor, and he's Jonathan's age. He's currently staying in Norman with a friend while he's waiting to hear from USAO. He was working in Russia as a journalist and has already traveled to different parts of the world (Istabul! The North Pole!). He's here to get his bachelor's degree in journalism. He was so fun to have visit; the kids really enjoyed him, too. I told him to keep in touch. It was like having another son!
Tuesday July 10, 2018
Seriously, I cannot get out of my house for one minute without a mosquito attack! My arms and ankles are covered in bites. Between them and my shots, I'm constantly itching! Another reason to seriously dislike summer.
On top of that, I think my top crown in my mouth needs replacing. It's above the one tooth that I've already gone to the dentist about - the one with the infection. I've known that one above has needed replacing for a while now - it's pretty old and wasn't done well in the first place - but now I'm having pain in it, too. Good thing I'm meeting with the endodontist on Thursday!
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
The "Mom" taxi was busy again. Jonathan had work at seven; Analiese had to be at TB at eleven. I spent my home alone time sweeping & mopping. I think I must be a lousy sweeper, though, because I find more stuff on the floor AFTER I mop. It's frustrating.
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| Water tower near the town cemetery |
Analiese had YWs at a member's home this evening where they learned cake decorating. I dropped her off there and then popped over at the church to practice the organ and figure out stops for the hymns on Sunday. I didn't stay long, though, because for some reason the a/c in the chapel doesn't reach the organ. I was dripping sweat and informed the Branch President that I needed a fan up there.
So I went back over to the member's house to hang out with the YW leaders while the girls worked on their cakes.
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| Analiese and her cake. She learned tonight how to frost a cake properly! |
Thursday, July 12, 2018
It was an up and at 'em early morning. My endodontist appointment was in Norman at 7:30 (!), and I had to leave the house an hour before that. I got up at six, intending to take a shower, but Jonathan beat me to it, since he had work. So I covered my horrific hair with a bandanna, loaded up on the deodorant, and left.
I'll say this: the doctor was a competent straight-shooter who let me know all of my options (from repair to extraction) and their chances of success. His office staff were super nice and helpful. But the news wasn't good. He thought there was enough tooth left (!) on the bottom to be able to re-do, but it wasn't a "slam dunk" (his words, not mine). The top tooth also needed redoing, which I figured, but so did the one behind it! Ack! Plus, I have to pay for each one out of pocket - $900-$1200 EACH - and then apply to my insurance for reimbursement. This is just for the internal root canal work, it doesn't even include the crown replacements that the dentist will have to do! Oh, it hurts in so many ways! I told them frankly, this is going to be a loooooong process; we'll do it as we can afford it. I've scheduled the first one for August 1st, the day after we come home from vacation. Not ideal, but considering they wanted to do it the day BEFORE I left, I can live with it.
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| Pom sits comfortably on my chest, aka the "shelf" |
Friday, July 13, 2018
I know that the Lord not only looks out for us, but when we allow Him to use us for good, He will prompt us by His Holy Spirit to help look out for others. Take Viktor, our dinner guest from Monday. I felt God's love for him so strongly that I knew there was more for us to do besides provide him a dinner.
Wednesday, I had the feeling that he needed somewhere to live. It's very expensive to live on the USAO campus, so I asked him about it. He said he'd been looking but hadn't found anything yet. So I spoke to Ken and Jonathan (because it would be his room he'd be sharing) about Viktor staying with us. They both agreed contingent on our property manager and landlady agreeing to the arrangement.
Today, I got their approval. I texted Victor with the good news and he was ecstatic. It seems he had to find another place to live immediately because his friend in Norman was moving to Texas on Sunday. He may have to rough it on our couch for a few days while we arrange space for him in Jonathan's room, but I really know that this was supposed to happen and Ken agrees!
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| Pretty faces in a neighbor's yard! |
Saturday, July 14, 2018
I took both of my children to work this morning, then I went back home to get a few things done and ready myself to leave the house around 9:30. I fueled the van, dropped a sandwich off to Jonathan (he'd left it in the van), and then headed to Altus.
For a funeral. A sad reason to return and visit people, I could not deny "mourning with those who mourn" with a special family who lost their son and brother in a horrific car accident. They had asked me to lead the music during the funeral - I would have done anything for them - and I could barely keep it together as I sat on the stand and watched grief move across their faces. I tried biting my cheek or tongue to stem the flow...but it didn't work. It was really hard to see!
Between the funeral and the luncheon scheduled at a local hotel, I dropped by the library. My ex-boss/friend wasn't there (out of town), but I did see some co-workers I'd missed on my last visit. It gave me a moment to be away from the heavy emotions before going on to the luncheon. I also stopped by the newly-built Hobby Lobby; apparently the founder of Hobby Lobby is originally from Altus and wanted a store built there!
The luncheon was a little easier, as they focused on celebrating the life, not focusing on him being gone. They had a trivia game about him that had us all laughing and smiling. The lunch part was very nice, too, since Walmart donated a lot of food to the event. The young man had worked for ten years at the Walmart in Altus and was well-loved. The family presented me with a shirt they'd made for the close family members and friends. I felt honored; they are a good, close family that Ken got to know when he first came to Oklahoma. They adore Ken, who had befriended the deceased and had been the home teaching companion to the younger brother. Jonathan and the younger brother got to be close friends, too, when the young man came back from his mission. There's a lot of wonderful history there. I was glad I could do something to be a part of this sad, but necessary and important day.
Sunday, July 15, 2018
Today is Day Two of no anxiety medication. I had too much to talk about yesterday to mention it before. But on Friday, I went to the pharmacy to pick up the prescription, only to find out that it hadn't been filled. Someone made a mistake - the doctor or the pharmacy - whoever did made a mess! The script was written on June 12, with two refills and an expiration date of June 21st! They wouldn't even have let me refill the second that close together, even if I had done it then! They were going to try and contact my old doctor in Altus who wrote the prescription, and I tried calling my new one but their offices were closed Friday.
The main thing is: I'm out of my medication until someone straightens this out (Monday I will be making calls). I am not sure how this is going to affect me for the next few days. I've been taking the citalopram for seven years now!
Vikor moves in today. Jonathan is picking him up in Norman after church. We will have to sit down and talk about expectations. Not that I'm worried or nervous; this is for everyone's benefit.
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