Sophie's Story

     We've been spending the past few days getting caught up on things. Yesterday the weather was good and we decided to take a day trip to Red Wing. We were thinking about bringing our bikes but decided not to because of the wind.     It was a nice trip down although we did get into a bit of discussion over the radio. We have Sirius radio in the car and C likes to listen to MSNBC. I on the other hand would prefer music of no radio at all. There is a lot of talk about the upcoming election and frankly I get anxious when I listen to too much of it. Since we had agreed to have a relaxing day C turned the radio off.    Since we got a late start, we had lunch first. I got a jalapeno dip burger with tater tots. C got a California burger. The restaurant was really short staffed. It took a while to get our food. It was warm but not  hot. They did have tater tots which was something of a miracle. They are listed on the menu but when I order them I ge...

      Several months ago one of the customer service managers brought something into the pharmacy to show one of the techs. It was a small plastic bag with a crocheted turtle and a note. After a short discussion, the CS manager left the bag. I went over to the counter to look at it. The note inside said keep going and don't give up. I wanted the turtle so I picked up the bag and brought it to my work station. When I changed work stations, I picked up the bag and brought it with me. Then I put it in my pocket.  I felt a little like the character Gollum in the Lord of the Ring books (but without the evil side). I didn't want anyone to take the turtle.     On my lunch break I took a good look at the turtle. He has a green shell with brown legs and face that had eyes glued onto it.  The note said the he was crocheted by one of the members of the Random Acts of Crocheted Kindness Facebook group. They crochet small items like keychains, wiggle worms and seas...

     We are about halfway through our trip and so far it is going very well. I've been able to spend a good amount of time in the hot tub in the pool area soaking away cramped muscles. C likes talking to other couples that are also soaking in the hot tub. It's fun for me to watch hi make new friends like he does.    Yesterday we visited a couple that are part of the amateur music scene here in Door County. They moved up to Sturgeon Bay a few years ago. We only intended to visit a couple hours and spend the rest of the time exploring parts of Sturgeon Bay. Instead we wound up eating a long lunch with them at the restaurant below their condo. We had never met, but is was interesting that we had several things in common. We just couldn't stop talking. When lunch was over we had an hour and a half before our dinner reservation.    Our dinner was at the dining room of a popular resort on the shore of Lake Michigan. It's a warm, cozy room. They put mocktails...

         It's that time of year again. Time for us to pack up the the car and head east to Door County. C looks forward to this all year and is always anxious when it  is time to go. He likes to leave early so we can get up there as soon as we can.     We have been doing this for 20 years. Our first trips were Monday through Friday only so I wouldn't miss too much work.. Eventually we stayed a week in Door County and one day in Green Bay. We had our trips cut short twice. Once because I messed up our reservations and once when C was asked to help at a baptism. (I was upset about the last one for a long time,)     When we first came here I was working full time this was the only vacation I got. I badly needed this week of rest in order to keep going at work. C and I both worked full time so we got to spend a lot of needed time together. One year we came here less than a month after a  friend of mine died in a car wreck and six months...

     I have always believed that God has a great sense of humour. I was reminded of this a few weeks ago when I was asked to be part of the leadership for the children's Sunday school classes in my ward (Primary). The reason why this is so funny is because of the five women who have no children in my ward, I am the only one with no experience when it comes to children. No younger siblings to care for, no nieces and nephews that I spent time with and no young stepchildren. In other words the one least qualified to hold this position.   The reason why I accepted this calling was because the Primary President had asked for me. She is a woman for whom I have great respect. She was the Relief Society secretary when I was a counselor. She must have seen something in me that she thought would be helpful to her. Despite my woeful lack of qualifications and my inability to deal with most people under the age of 55, I accepted the calling.    My first Sunday in Prima...