Preparing for Arizona. 30 March 2017

I switched my P day to tomorrow so that I can fly to Arizona to visit my middle daughter's family.  It has been almost a year since I have been with them, so I am grateful to have the opportunity to visit.

After prayer meeting I had some time to work on my surname line, but the records are either missing for the years I need, or I am looking in the wrong places. There are a few more church records to check, but the ones I did today netted only a couple of people who are not yet connected.  I am glad i will at least get to enter them into Family Tree for the time later on when they may prove to be related.  I am surprised at how few of my surname show up.  I do know they went from place to place, I assume in search of better work opportunities.

Anyway, with the lack of success in Mecklenburg, I decided to return to the Eppingen book, and work on descendancy. I had a bit of a panic when the book was not on the shelf.  I went by the guests and other missionaries to see if anyone else was using the book--but no one was.  I decided to go and get some lunch, and during that time I was prompted to check another spot when I returned to the floor--and there it was.

I have gotten into the habit of putting that book on the cart that is supposed to be for books on the special shelves by the German reference desk.  Starting last week, the young elders have been given the task of keeping those books in order--and there it was!  I was very relieved to find it.  I spent the next 4 hours cleaning up a descendancy line, which went pretty well until the end-of-the-line ancestor couple.  There I am quite sure that the wife was merged inappropriately.  This is not entirely the fault of the person who did the merge, because the computer program from back in 2012 had flagged the two women as possible matches. I did not have time today to see if the microfilm was available, and check out the actual images.  I guess that will wait until next week.  But time is growing short for catching and resolving these problems.  There is a copy of the Eppingen book at the St. Louis County Library Headquarters in Frontenac, so I will not be entirely without access.  It is just that things are very much more convenient here!

Once I left the Library I went to some stores, despite rain.  I was able to pick up some things I need for the trip, as well as some items for when I get back home.

This evening, in addition to talking with my Sweetheart, I have been packing. That has been interesting as I have changed my mind about several things, including about how to pack them!  I also checked out where I could park. One of my friends offered to drive me to and pick me up from the airport, but my flight gets in after midnight on Sunday, so that just did not seem to me to be something I wanted her to do.  It was a very nice offer though.

Training Room Most of the Day--Less Certifying. 29 March 2017

This morning was spent entirely with the new missionaries, who are finishing up their second week in Training Room seclusion. We did take a few field trips to see various things on the floor--where to get Pedigree Charts in various languages; how to help Chinese guests get into the digitized records which go back to 1239; finding books that seemed missing.

I also had the opportunity to work with one of the new missionaries who was demonstrating proficiency in Family Tree.  He echoed my reaction to this with "I just spent 2 weeks on Family Tree!"  Most of the items he did, indeed, know very well, but I was able to share a few tips that will make his use of Family Tree more efficient.

I was pleased that in the afternoon I was able to repeat that Family Tree training/demonstration with another missionary after I enjoyed an hour of completing certification this missionary along with the sister who is taking my place as certifyer.  In fact, she did several of the modules with him, and thn, since there are some additional steps to finish the process, she took over the last hour of certifying--YAY!  She seems to like that process, so maybe today will have been the last time I have to be a certifyer.  That would be a big blessing.

Since another Trainer was scheduled in the Training Room when I was finishing up the process, I was relieved that she was willing to let me be there--she moved yesterday, and really did not even want to be there at all.  This turned out to be a win-win, since I got to do the Family Tree training, and she ended up providing another missionary with certification.

I was able to spend about half an hour sharing some insights on what other training/learning opportunities will be available once they are out on the floor.  This trio of missionaries will be a bit asset on the floor:  Spanish, Tagalog, Dutch, and Chinese  are some of their skills.

Today was Choir practice.  We sang nearly all the songs which are on the Easter program.  I chose not to stay afterwards to try out for solo spots in the singing of "Were You There?"  I would have if we were only singing for the program, but the first performance will be Monday--and I will be returning at 12:30 that morning from my visit to family in Arizona.  That just did not seem like a good idea, as I may not even make it to the Devotional on Monday.  I will work in the afternoon so that I will not miss the Trainers Meeting.

This evening I have been getting things ready for my trip.  Soon I will talk with my Sweetheart.  We talked briefly this morning, also.  I also talked with my youngest daughter and texted with my oldest.

My granddaughter was to have a family history activity this evening.  I hope she catches the genealogy bug!

I am hoping my granddaughter had a good time at her activity night, where she

They Wanted to be Found, I am Sure. 28 March 2017

I awoke about 4 and was not in a good spot. I continually wonder if I am doing the right research in the time I have.  After prayer, and reading from The Book of Mormon, I tried to sleep again--and it just was not working.

I got up and started looking for the marriage of my 4th great-grandparents.  I was a little confused over which set I was looking for, but I decided I would begin at 1780 and work my way back--and there they were:  28 January 1780.  Hans Jochen and Maria Dorthie.  Almost immediately I hit a conflict.  The 1819 Mecklenburg Census seemed to indicate that Maria Dorthis was born in 1732--which would have put her at 48 when she first married and when her first child was born!  Just not likely--but having found no birth record so far, that is what the record seemed to indicate.

At the Library I asked several people to look at the record, and to everyone the numeral looked like a 3.  But in the afternoon I asked someone else to take a look.  In the meantime I had noticed that there was a "5" on that census page--and there seemed to be a bit of a resemblance.  This experienced sister agreed it looked like a 3--but when I showed her the 5, we both noticed that, despite missing the top stoke, the numeral did not have the middle indention, so we concur that it is a 5.  Instead of getting married at 48, my ancestor married at 28--much more likely.  Now, where or whether I will find her birth record is an unknown, but at least I will not be looking 20 years too soon!

My Sweetheart texted me with some good news about our wedding--things are falling into place, despite some glitches.

Today was study group--we checked out records from South Africa.  Next week we will be bumped up to 2nd floor, and we will add a new member.  Three of us are leaving within 3 months, so things will be different.  I have certainly learned a lot in the 9 months we have been meeting, and I know others have, also.

I went to the temple late this afternoon, and did a session for one of my third great-grandmothers.  She was one I had released from temple file a few weeks ago.

I am slowly gathering things to take on my trip to Arizona.  I am hoping to have a nice visit.

One Month until Missouri! 27 March 2017

I woke up early again, so I did have a little trouble staying awake at times today, but I got to choir practice in plenty of time!  We sang a version of "Love One Another" for which we got a lot of positive feedback.  I was asked to say the closing prayer for Mission Devotional.  I got to talk with my Sweetheart on the way to the Library.

I had a couple of floor assignments today, and also got to help a couple of guests from Belgium.  I showed them the things on FamilySearch first, and then the Belgium National Archives--and they indicated they've already searched that, they just wanted to know what we had!

I was called on by a lot of the newer missionaries to help with various problems, and lessons.  One of the other Trainers could not figure out how to get some worksheets to open.  I knew we had to download them first to get them to go to fill and sign--but I could not remmeber how at first, and then I remembered the procedure.  As I told them--I mostly just muddle through until I get where I need to be. Then one of them said--"Yes, but you seem to be successful in muddling through!"  I think maybe that is why I am a Trainer.  I am just enough ahead of the new missionaries that I can figure out what they need--but I am not so far ahead that things come automatically and that I have forgotten what it was like to know almost nothing!

Sometimes now in the Trainers meeting I feel like I don't belong, as things are discussed that will not really be part of my life down the road.  I will miss having access to some of the training resources, and there are fellow missionaries I will remember with fondness.

My Sweetheart and I just finished a Skype conversation--what a blessing that is!  In one month I should be back in Missouri!!!

Cleared Up to Sing. 26 March 2017

I awoke fairly early this morning, and my allergy sypmtoms had been alleviated, even though my last antihistamine was yesterday.  I still had a cough at times, but the itchy, watery eyes, etc. were all clear. Today I was scheduled to sing my composition "Testimony of Christ", so I consider this change in my condition to be a tender mercy.

I did sing and was able to share with several people in the branch that the melodies are great for memorizing scripture passages--and they are available on You Tube by doing a search on my first and [current] last name.

One of the sisters from the International Zone told me she was a music major and knows a lot about music.  She said the melodies were very similar to Hebrew chants!  I know at least some of my melodies have been inspired, so coming from the same source that should not be surprising.  Anyway, my goal has always been to help others with these melodies, and apparently for some people today that goal was reached.

One month from today I will leave Utah.  I keep getting surprised by how quickly the time is going.

I talked with my two sisters tonight!  One can come to my wedding reception, but the other cannot. It was good to talk with each of them.

My Sweetheart and I will not get to talk for very long tonight, but tomorrow we will Skype--and that will be superb!

Certification Celebration--and More Eppingen Research. 25 March 2017

If my Research time was scheduled for the morning, I think I would have just slept all morning.  That was not the case--but this afternoon I did fall asleep for a while over the Eppingen research. And it was a good thing I was at the Library this morning early to set up, since the person in charge of prayer meeting and the in-service presenter did not make it in until the meeting was well underway.

I was pulled off the Greeter desk to translate some German words from a church record.  The occupation had to do with wood, the word for which I had just learned today from reading Das Buch Mormon, where, in the Alma war chapters, Captain Moroni was directing the building of wooden fortifications around the Nephite cities.  What was also amusing is that I did silently ask the question, "Why is this included in The Book of Mormon?" I know it really was not for the purpose of my learning the German word for wood so that I could partially translate that word in the occupation name--but it is fun to think it might have been a very distant, peripheral purpose!  I do know for sure that God is in the details of our lives.

Once my hour as Greeter was finished, I was asked to help a guest with German research--which technically started out as United States research, and then turned into probable English research.  I spent two hours with the guest, and confirmed with a more experienced missionary that finding naturalization papers was the next step--that would clear up whether the ancestor came from England or from Germany, and maybe offer other information.  I hope the guest has success in finding out more.

I was a little late getting to lunch, which I actually spent in front of a computer, beginning my own research.  Again I worked on Eppingen--and I seemed to have lost some people along the way, so I spent some time getting them back in order, and putting other families in order, too. I know I did not nap for more than an hour, so I figure I could count the nap as lunch, and the rest of the time as research.  Not that anyone really checks up on how our time is spent. But when it was time to leave I had gotten one line's descendency down to 1900, which is where I stop usually, as 1907 is the cutoff date for records without a death date being shown.

I was getting ready to leave when my Louisiana friend saw me and shared that she had passed her last certification for basic training.  I had already shut down the Training room computers, so we had to go back out on the floor to log her in and check that the system had recorded all of her checkpoints.  It had, so I got to turn in her signature page, and write her name on the whiteboard for having passed.

This sister has wanted me to go with her to a Polish sausage place--so I suggested we go in celebration of her passing certification.  She agreed, and we enjoyed our time and our food together.

I got back to the apartment just in time to pull up Women's session on the iPad.  I stayed awake for the first talk on not Leaning, but I was in-and-out for the other talks.  I wish I did better at this.

A nice talk with my Sweetheart was a good preparation for what will hopefully be a restful night.

I Think I am Not the Only One! 24 March 2017

As I entered the big store to pick up  fresh bottle of antihistamine, there was a huge display of various OTC allergery relief meds! This reinforces my conviTction that what I am experiencing is spring-time allergies. 

The newer antihistamine did offer some more immediate relief, although not perfectly. I didn't recall that this kind of med caused any negative reactions, but when I got home I definitely felt so tired I sat down and promptly fell asleep.  That is not a bad thing-and I may sleep in the chair tonight.

I was grateful that no-one needed the in-service lesson this morning.  I had forgotten my name badge, so I walked back to the apartment to get it. Then I had two hours as a Helper--but in reality I spent most of that time with getting a more experienced missionary started with the 

basic training.  The first hour we spent on getting her password updated! A lot of the missionaries who have been around for a while feel they need just to do what they have done for years, and resist the new ideas and training.  Considering my own reactions, I cannot say I blame them.  Nevertheless, there is a lot of good information, and new techniques which are helpful to learn. So I was able to commiserate--but still we got through the first module.

The rest of the day I spent shepherding the new missionaries.  I worked just a little on my Eppingen tangles, but my brain was fuzzy and while they were at a class designed to help them help guests from China, I took a nap.  That helped just a bit.

When they got back from the class we went on a field trip to experience the printers, print cards, microfilm and microfiche readers, etc.  

It took until 4:15, but I was able to turn in the paperwork for all three of those missionaries!  Not bad for four days' work!  Two of them have already gone on to more of the basic training.

As I left the Library I knew that if I went back to the apartment I would not get out again.  So I got in my car--which was warm inside, despite the sun-screens, and drove to the first store, where I got the fresh antihistimine--and a dollar box of chocolate covered marshmallow eggs!  I ate two of those before I took the antihistimine!

Then on to samples a the big warehouse store--and instead of a Polish dog and a soda. I got a big slurpee--that really tasted good! By the time I got back to the apartment, the sugar overload contrributed to my sleepiness.

My oldest has been working on finding a photographer for the wedding--and found that the wife of one of my recent bishops does that kind of work, and does not charge an extravegent amount.  This is a huge blessing.

I am hoping I feel better tomorrow with the fresh meds, so that I can work productively with the Eppingen records.

Still Fighting a Bad cough--Maybe it is Allergies. 23 March 2017

As I was talking with my Sweetheart tonight about not feeling much better, it dawned on me that my symptoms may well be allergy-related.  A few weeks ago when I had the same kind of symptoms, the weather had warmed up and plants were springing up. Although it was cooler and rainy today, yesterday I noticed that the trees in the courtyard are bursting with blossoms!

So rather than continue to down myriad Vitamin C tablets, I looked for and found the bottle of antihistamine tablets I brought with me, the kind I can take without getting drowsy or worse.  I took one and hope it kicks in soon!

My Sweetheart and I each extended some invitations today--and now realize we will have to be very careful with the remainder, as the seats in a sealing room are extremely limited.  However, we hope to accommodate everyone who is traveling to us from a distance, and also family and friends. I am grateful to those who have volunteered their help in various ways, and surely wish all could attend.

I slept pretty well last night, so although I tried to nap a bit today, it just did not work.  I decided after cleaning the oven [it is self-cleaning, so not strenuous] and doing two loads of laundry, that I would go over to the Library and work again on Eppingen.  I guess that was following the Spirit, because I ran into more tangled descendency lines.  I also found a couple of sisters to take to escalation--since I was researching on Thursday, not Saturday, I could just go downstairs and get it done.

The big advantage here in the Library is that I can go directly to the records in the microfilm.  It took me a while to locate the correct film, but on the third try I found the two brothers, a Michael, and a Philipp Michael, who had been mixed up in Family Tree.  It will not be an easy fix, as I think there are 11 children in that family, and each must be detached from the incorrect father, and attached to the correct father, before I can detach the wife and attach her to the correct husband.  But it will be worth doing.

I actually came across this family as I was trying to resolve another issue that I may have created myself a few months ago.  So the Lord can even use myl mistakes to point out other things that need to be fixed. At this point, I really just have one month left to work on these records--time is flying!

A Day in the Training Room. 22 March 2017

This morning I did not make it to prayer meeting--in fact I was probably at least a minute or two late getting to the Training Room.  I do not think anyone cared--and it turned out that I needed to be at afternoon prayer meeting, even though I had forgotten I was taking another trainer's place giving the in-service lesson. [She is out of town welcoming a new grandchild.]  In addition, the person who was to accompany the hymn did not show up, so I got to do double duty.

I spent the first 4 hours in the Training room.  Our three new missionaries are progressing nicely, but definitely still benefit from some one-on-one attention. One has completed Level 1 except for shadowing.  I set up a shadowing schedule for the morning, since tomorrow is my P day, and in addition to the Trainer who is on Leave of Absence, one of the Trainers is sick, so the three missionaries may pretty well be on their own tomorrow.

I am fighting a bad cough, myself.  I don't particularly feel bad otherwise, but I may just take it pretty easy for the next 24-36 hours.

I just finished talking with my Sweetheart, so I think I will cut this short for tonight, and hope for a better day tomorrow.

Seeing Some Weaknesses. 21 March 2017

As I gave the in-service lesson is morning I got off on a tangent as I shared some information about my great-grandfather and homeopathy.  This led to an interesting discussion with two of the sisters, one of whom had great success with homeopathy when she was raising her children, and the other also practices reflexology [foot massage for therapuetic benefits].  So although my tangent was probably inappropriate, I was glad for the results.

The in-service lesson also pointed out another weakness--the topic was one I was enthusiastic about, so I did it mostly without looking at the slides--and I missed a very important point along the way!  When someone raised a question I was able to include the point.  Later, when I was editing the PowerPoint I found that this was there--I had just not noticed it.  So I changed the text to a BIG black on yellow text box!

Later in the day I was reminded by someone that when I am passionate about something I tend to talk in a more forceful way that can lead to hurt feelings. In thinking about this I realized that this is a weakness that I will probably need the Savior's help to overcome, because unless it is pointed out to me, I don't even realize I am doing it. There have been some instances here on the mission where I have recognized this after the fact.  But perhaps it is with those I am closest to that I don't realize it unless it is called to my attention.

I suppose one could say it was also a weakness that I avoided going to a Certifiers Meeting because it was not listed on my schedule--and I did not want to go at all.  My position at the time was as the Trainer in the Training room--and there I was truly needed.  Our new set of missionaries [Yay! for new missionaries--3 of them:  a native of Holland, a native of the Philippines, and a native of Mexico] all needed help with parts of their training, and two of them needed to establish access to their mission email accounts.  So I was very glad to skip the meeting, and actually be useful.

Falling asleep during the temple session is an ongoing weakness--and today was no exception. But I had a nice experience anyway, as one of the couples I had been a trainer for were also there, and I got to talk with them a little afterwards.

I suppose that my lack of ambition to leave the apartment at the end of the day is a weakness--I had thought maybe of going to the store to pick up more inexpensive eggs, but I just did not want to do so once I got back.

One thing that I do not consider a weakness is to look forward to talking each evening with my Sweetheart.  Last night he called me at his last stopping place for gas, so that we could talk and pray before it got too late. I am so blessed by his considerate nature.  I did ask that he text me when he finally made it home--and he did that.  So tonight I am waiting for his call, as he was back to his shift at the temple before starting back to work. As someone told my daughter on Sunday--"He is such a good man!"  Amen!

I Have Got to Admit that I Cried. 20 March 2017

Today was my Hail and Farewell--and when the Goodbye song was sung, I did cry spontaneously.  It is not at all that I do not want the mission to end.  And were it not for my Sweetheart, I am not sure I would have made it through, especially earlier months. I feel I have made some difference in people's lives--not so much for guests, but for my fellow missionaries. I also recognize some growth and maturity on my part.

No, I don't want to stay past my appointed time.  But this is "a very special bubble" as our Goodbye song terms it. I am glad to have had the experience.  But I do not want to come back unless it is with my Sweetheart, and with the Lord's definite approval.  We will see where life and the Spirit take us!

My Sweetheart is traveling back to his home from a trip to visit his son's family. For both of us visiting family is a priority.  I so much look forward to seeing my Arizona family is less than two weeks, and this summer I definitely want to visit my Virginia granddaughter and her parents.  So travel is very much on our minds.

In addition to bringing me to tears, the Hail and Farewell vindicated my potluck food choices.  All but one of the 3 dozen hard-cooked eggs were eaten [and those shells just slipped off as easy as can be when I prepared them at lunchtime]. About 2/3rds of the chicken and rice was eaten. My Louisiana sister gave me some jambalaya to have for lunch tomorrow.  I think I am pretty well set for food for the week.

The apartment seemed rather warm last night, and I did not sleep extremely well.  I did not get sleepy during the day, but while the chicken and rice was heating in the overn I took a nap--and I am very glad I did. I might nap a little again while waiting for word from my Sweetheart that he is safely back home.

Cooking for Hail and Farewell Dinner. 19 March 2017

I spent a lot of time today cooking!  Tomorrow is the Hail and Farewell Potluck, and the organizer made a plea last week for main dishes.  I had two whole rotisserie chickens in the freezer, and still a lot of basmati rice, so I decided to make chicken and rice, in addition to the hard-cooked eggs [which did turn out beautifully].

I did not cook before attending the Tabernacle Choir broadcast.  After a nice conversation with my granddaughter I did a bit of indexing and then went over to the Tabernacle.  I actually got there a little before they opened the doors, so when I got in I headed up to the exact center spot on the back row of the balconey. I did enjoy the rehearsal from there, but I started coughing periodically, so I decided that for the broadcast I should sit somewhere else.

I ended up on the third row of the section to the south side which is as close as the audience gets at this point.  I enjoyed this position because I could make out the closed captioning on the monitor.  Sometimes the words just are not really clear to me, so I may end up with that strategy from now on.  The Choir was joined by the BYU Singers who did several numbers accapella, in addition to singing with the Choir.

When I returned to the apartment I got to work hard-cooking more eggs. I ended up with 3 dozen nicely done eggs. Then I also got the chicken sliced up to put in the rice dish before I headed off to church.

After meetings I cooked the rice with onion soup mix added to the water, and cut up celery, water chestnuts, and salted almonds.  I think that mixed with the sliced chicken the dish will be quite nice.

My Sweetheart's son posted a picture on Facebook of his Dad holding one of his sons. I sure enjoyed seeing that.  Next time he visits I should be with him--happy thought!  We will talk or Skype tonight, and tomorrow he will have the long drive back to Missouri.  At least the weather is supposed to be a whole lot better than it was when he drove out last week.

While I am waiting, I think I will attach some sources in my Family Tree. During Capstone training I was reminded that this is an important work to do for my generation.  Most of the finding of new information will be the job of the younger people.

Decluttering and Capturing images. 18 March 2017

This morning I took a large filled tote to the Swap Meet shed on my way to do the in-service lesson for Prayer meeting.  I spent some time figuring out which research to do, and then came back to the apartment.  Because of my Capstone training this week I got half a P day today, in addition to my Research hours.

I made some important phone calls, and got ahold of each person I called, which is maybe some kind of record!  I now have the building reserved for the Friday night before the reception--people who are more familiar with doing receptions indicated that this would be a really good thing.

Then I talked with my good friend who took care of my dog during the ice storm, and she will dog-sit again while my Sweethear and I are on our honeymoon!  What a blessing she was and is to me!

The other call was to my good friend whose letters always manage to reach me, even though other mail is iffy. I always enjoy talking with her, as well as reading her letters.

On my way back to the Library I dropped off a big armfull of clothes at the Swap Meet shed--so my closet is getting to look pretty good. Today I wore an outfit I had gotten at the last Swap Meet, and then forgot about.  It worked out very nicely for in-service, for research, and then for going to the temple.

I went through a lot of microfilm today, and cpatured images for 3 great-great-grand uncles, and 1 great-great-grand aunt.  I had found the records last week, but did not save the images, so I corrected that today. I was hoping to find the birth records of the parents.  I was unsuccessful at that, but I found what is probably the death record of my 4th great grandfather.  I did not initially capture that image.  In fact, I left the Library--and turned around and came back in order to get that done.  Now I need to get those images attached to Family Tree so that they will be stored in the Cloud! Now if I can only find his birth record--and the records for his wife....

I did go to the temple this evening as it was the International Zone Temple Night.  One of the differences between the Salt Lake Temple and the St. Louis Temple is that regardless of what seating position you start out in, you may end up earlier in line or farther back.  Last week I ended up earlier, which was a big blessing.  Tonight I ended up farther back, but it was not a huge problem. We had a pretty nice showing from our Zone.  I am glad I was able to attend.

Skyping with my Sweetheart tonight had some issues--our first connection was actually to my cell phone!  Not quite sure how that happened.  Eventually we were able to hear and see each other.  Because of my visit to the temple we were a bit later than usual, so it was not a long call, but it is so nice to see and hear each other.  We are less than six weeks out from my return to Missouri, and that will be the best.

Yesterday I bought eggs inexpensively, and then decided I needed to hard-cook them for the Hail and Farewell dinner on Monday.  I wondered if the high altitude would have an effect, so I checked on the Internet, of course.  I found that it does make a difference--except if you pressure cook them!  I have used pressure cookers since I was a pre-teen.  My Mom had pressure cookers nearly all her married life [she and my Dad married in 1932] so the use of this appliance is not new to me.  But to pressure cook eggs?  I had never heard of it.  On one of the blogs by a high-altitude cook, in a comment, there was a reference to the procedure, so I tried it last night with just a couple of eggs.  Today I went looking for more references--and even found out why it works well:  "creates a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the egg-inflating the little air pocket at the base of the egg and detaching white from the shell with pressure...."  Who would have thought?!!!

Did We Skip Spring? 17 March 2017

Today started out chilly in the morning, but by this afternoon it was downright hot in the sun! I decided to go to the grocery store to pick up eggs which were quite inexpensive--and I was glad I was able to find a shady spot in which to park!  I even used the windshield screens that my Sweetheart bought for the car last year when he came out to visit.  It is amazing what heat is generated under this mountain sun.

I was scheduled to do in-service this morning. This was not a hard one--a video from the BYU Family History Library on Record Seek.  After presenting that I headed over to the JSMB for the last day of the first section of Capstone.

Much of our Capstone training today dealt with The Family History Guide.  This is a FamilySearch approved resource, and I must admit I was quite impressed. It is, like FamilySearch, free to all and is available at thefhguide.com. There are so many activities available for every level of family history learner.

After Capstone I met with the sister who is taking  my place with coordinating the Young Elder Dinners. I took her up to the offices where she can get copies made, and deliver invitations to the Young Elders if necessary.

I went to the Library instead of going home for lunch because I had some Escalation work to get done--and that took more than half an hour. The program showed that there were more records needing attention than I had identified on my own.

Then on to the Training room, where there were some computer glitches to deal with.  The tech people did not get back to us, and I think we may have new missionaries to train tomorrow, so I hope they will not need the programs which are behaving poorly.

When I left the Library I noticed that my daughter had called, so I called her back.  The refrigerator was fixed today--with a new compressor, so it should be good for several more years. The service agreement has certainly been beneficial--a big tithing blessing!

This evening I gathered more items to take tomorrow to the Swap Meet shed.  I also hard-cooked some eggs using the pressure cooker!  They really did turn out well.

/A less than satisfactory cell phone connection at my Sweetheart's son's place resulted in our choosing to Skype every evening--definitely lemonade from the lemons!  Tonight we each used mobile devices--turned out pretty well, and lots easier than on the computer.

Census Fun, and a Very Old Artifact.16 March 2017

I decided to attend my zone's Prayer meeting before going to the JSMB.  I will be giving the remaining in-service lessons, so I wanted to see how the presentation on Record Seek worked out. We used a BYU Family History Library video by James Tanner, and I think it was pretty well received.  I highly recommend Record Seek, which attaches sources to FamilySearch and to Ancestry.com from other websites, and automatically generates the citations.

Capstone Training focused today on Census records.  I did learn a few things that will help me to help others with US research, and possibly with some descendancy research of my own someday.

After training I went to the Library to try to find my 3rd great-grandmother's birth record.  Although there are records available from the churches in the areas all around where the 1819 Mecklenburg Census indicates she was born, I have not been able to find her.  That was quite a disappointment.

The 1819 Mecklenburg Census proved valuable in tracking down her daughter-in-law's family, however.  Because of that census I could tell that the lines are not yet complete.  I hope to get a bit of help with this from family members.

I needed to ask for help from one of the volunteers who is a native of Germany, because a birth and christening record was written in a format I had never seen before.  The child's name was first, but the father was only identified by his surname, and the mother was just called the wife of the father.  However, I do know positively that it is my line because of that 1819 Census.

I had a short meeting with the sister who is taking over the responsibility of the Young Elder Dinners.  She is making the program work for her, and except for meeting with her for a short time tomorrow, she seems to feel she will not need my help any more.  That is very nice on one hand but feels a little strange, too. Each of the people I know of that has filled this assignment has had their own way of doing it.  I suppose that this is the way it is with most Church callings--we each get to learn the lessons we need by doing new tasks.

I am grateful that my daughter took care of getting the car licensed in good order. A worldly thing but very necessary in our current situation.

This evening I decided to attend a tour of the Church History Library.  One of the couples in our MTC group was assigned to work there, and our group got a special tour.  I enjoyed reading a little from a facsimile copy of the 1830 Book of Mormon.  It had no verses, so was written in paragraphs.  There were some chapters, but not at the same places as our more recent editions.  I like the paragraph style, and when I get home I will probably go back to using a version that is written that way.

At the CH Library I also got to see a fragment of the Book of Abraham papyri.  That is quite interesting to see.  I did get a picture of that with my cell phone camera which actually turned out fairly well.  The picture I took of a page from The Book of Mormon manuscript did not turn out nearly as well.  The 2200 year-old document was more clearly defined than the 187 year old one!

Phone connections with my Sweetheart have their issues from West Virginia.  We are hoping to use Skype to overcome the challenge.

More Good Capstone Training. 15 March 2017

It has been really nice to have a later start to the day, and still get done during daylight hours.  This morning I was able to talk with my oldest daughter, and that was very good.  My Sweetheart is on the road so we only talked very briefly around noon.  He's run into some snow and ice, so I am glad he is in a fairly heavy vehicle.  I will be relieved when I know he has safely arrived.

I stopped briefly at the temple to put names on the prayer roll.  It is so good to be able to just stop by.

I picked up some good information at the Capstone training.  For instance, I did not know that "define [term]" nets a dictionary definition in Google.  No more having to try to find an online dictionary!  It will do it for me!  And it even worked at least once with a German word!  Amazing! I also learned about Magnifier, although I had to swallow my pride and ask Cortana where to find it on my Windows 10 computer!

In talking with my daughter I learned that my granddaughter will be doing a family history class on Sunday.  This was great motivation to start looking for how to find my 3rd great grandmother's birth record.  I did not have time to look at the microfilm today, but tomorrow afternoon I will pursue that goal. I also figured out where her index was hiding in the 1819 Mecklenburg-Schwerin Census. I should not complain about the transcription as the writing on the document was very difficult--but John instead of Sofa made it really difficult. It is a blessing that Ancestry allows correction submissions, so now it will be a little less hard to find her.

The last presenter in Capstone today was a high energy former music teacher, so that class was fun.  The first two classes were definitely informative.

I had to go to the Library for just one hour today to present a Level 2 review.  There were only 2 missionaries who showed up instead of the 4 who were scheduled. I had worried a bit about it, but the three of us had a really good meeting.

Then I was off to choir practice and Mission Conference.  I am a little disappointed because I slept through the talk again.  Then we had choir practice until late afternoon, after which I went back to the Library to fix the two In-service Powerpoints that are due for the next two weeks.  That will leave me tomorrow free to search for my 3rd great-grandmother!

My Sweetheart just texted that he has arrived safely!  Time to offer prayers of gratitude!

Beautiful Day, Additional Learning. 14 March 2017

How did it get to be the middle of March already???!!! If it was not for this blog and my journal I would probably not have a clue that we are almost halfway through March.  I always date my entries, and this evening I was about to write 13 March, until I looked at the date display.

Today was my first half-day of Capstone training.  I really did not think I would learn a whole lot, since the classes have missionaries who have no family history experience, and those who have a lot of experience.  But I picked up at least 3 important concepts that somehow I had previously overlooked.  One of these solves a months-long dilemma, so I am very glad I paid enough attention to understand.

The classes are scheduled on paper from 8 a.m. to noon, but the reality today was 8:30 until 11:30.  This was good on both ends for me.  I had thought the classes were in the Family History Library--but when I checked the email after prayer meeting I found they were in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building!  It was about 8:05 when I arrived, but I was an early bird!

The presentations were well-done, and well-presented, but I did have some attention problems, as I wanted to clear up my Elsenz Conrad problem, which I was able to do, but at the expense of total attention to the speaker.  I was blessed to pick up on the key points I needed.  Then we got finished at 11:30, so I was able to go to Escatlation over in the Library and get the process started for the records my Sweetheart sent me.

I only had an hour on the floor at the Library, and I spent that whole time with a guest who needed some German translation done, along with locating the places identified in the records.  I was able to use the tools I have learned about over these past 10 months to do both the translations and the locations.

Then I was off to choir practice and Mission Conference.  Choir practice went well, and I had enough time to pass on some items to one of the missionaries who will be here for quite a while yet.  I had promised to bring her some of the extra flatware I have accummulated through the Swap Meets, but after 2 weeks I still had not done it.  I decided I would put it all into a purse I picked up at the Swap Meet, but was not planning to take back to Missouri with me, because it does not have a shoulder strap.  I had been using it to just hold change, especially quarters for the laundromat, but I could easily do without it.

I chose to do some grocery shopping and also shopped for some items to take on my visit to my Arizona grandchildren. Once I got back I got my load of laundry done, but it took a while to get that all hung up.

My Sweetheart and I talked a while this morning and also this evening.  He will be leaving early in the morning on a trip to the East Coast to visit his son.   We are hoping that the phone service will work out better this time than it did on his last trip back in September.

I got a call this evening that one of my friends back home is in the hospital again. It is hard to be so far away when that kind of thing happens.  I hope all will be resolved soon.

Another Early Monday. 13 March 2017

I awoke at 4 a..m. but slept well until then, so again the transition was not too bad to an earlier timefame.

This morning was brisker than I had anticipated, so I was rather chilly walking to choir practice wearing a short jacket instead of my hooded coat. [It did not help, of course, that my hair was still damp.] But I got to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building a few minutes after 6, and almost no one was there.  This gave me a chance to do some of our scripture reading for this week--2nd
Corinthians. Then more choir members gathered, and we practiced "Though Deepening Trials", an Eliza R. Snow hymn which we sang with conviction.

The speakers today at the Devotional included a couple from my MTC group.  It was good to hear the sister's conversion story, as she had some similar feelings to mine as she grew up, especially why there would not be a prophet today.  Like me, she was very delighted to learn that what she had been taught in her youth was mistaken.  There IS a prophet on the earth today! I am so grateful to have had a witness that this is so, not just once, but many times.

The walk to the Library is always nice when I can talk with my Sweetheart.  His trip to the East Coast is being delayed by the bad storm that is anticipated. That will make it possible to do our usual Monday night Skype call, an unexpected blessing.

The day at the Library went fairly quickly, as I needed to get 2 inservice lessons ready. I was not able to fix the PowerPoints today, so I have a fair amount of work to do on them. Since I have classes every morning for the rest of the week, finding time to do that will be a bit of a challenge.

I was planning to get some work done for my Sweetheart in Escalation, but my lunch time was shortened, and when I got there other people were already being served.  I can try again tomorrow. Escalation, where they fix Family Tree problems, is only open Monday through Friday 10-4. Tomorrow and Wednesday are Mission Conference, but Thursday afternoon is half of mt P-day, so that may be the best chance to get the work done.

The Trainers meeting followed a little different format today, but instead of getting out early we went over.  Some issues with Level 1 training got resolved, and i was reminded that I needed to check with my assigned trainees. When I did I learned that one of them passed certification--but when we checked the quizzes the program had not registered this.  As he worked though the quiz I realized that were I taking those tests now, I might probably not pass! I just do not always agree with the desired answers.

I actually got to help several guests today, and one of the native German volunteers transcribed the first page of a letter from my 2nd great-grand aunt to my 2nd great-grandmother, who had emigrated to America, either secretly or in spite of the objections of her family.  Rather interesting.

                                                                                                     

DST Transition Not Too Bad--with a Nap. 12 March 2017

Despite my worries, today was not a bad transition to Daylight Savings Time. Partly that was because although I usually get up at 6, on Sunday I don't get up until 7--so the new 7 was the old 6, and I did not feel the difference.  Tomorrow, when I usually get up at 5, and the rest of the week when the new 6 is the old 5 may well be a different story!

My granddaughter was sleeping still when I called, so I texted her about an hour later, and we had a good texting chat.  I was able to share with her the Tale of my 3 Conrads--and ask her to be on the lookout for an eventual resolution as to which one is our actual ancestor.  I also tried to use some of the texting abbreviations--and failed pretty miserably at that!

Music and the Spoken Word featured Alex Boye`, which was a treat.  I got to sit right in the middle as high as one could go in the balcony! No one bumped me out of that spot--although I hope before I leave I will get to sit in my old spot right by the tympany.  As of now that lower level spot has still not opened up.

I did some indexing when I got back to the apartment, and then took a nap.  That was providential, because for the first time in many weeks, I stayed awake during all three meetings.  The sacrament talks were so very good, and the Young Elders sang "A Child's Prayer" in such a wonderful manner.  I am very glad I did not miss a moment.

Three of us sisters got to participate together with 2 elders in a Preach My Gospel lesson on the Atonement.  We talked about how wonderful the Savior's sacrifice was, and how, although we can not understand how it works, we are all so very grateful to be able to apply the Atonement in our lives.

The lesson in Relief Society focused on the last week of the Savior's mortal life.  Again we were touched by the Spirit as we thought and talked about the wonderful Atonement.

One of the sisters mentioned something that I have observed also in myself--serving in this mission seems to increase one's mental acuity.  I actually experienced that in my internet Church Service Mission several years ago, also.  I hope that I can keep the Spirit with me when I return home, for I am quite sure this is the source of that blessing.

This evening I will supervise the sister who is taking over the Young Elders Dinners coordinating. I suppose this program has helped me with mental acuity--it has certainly stretched me!

Will My Real Ancestor Please Stand Up?!!!! 11 March 2017

I started the day a little behind, as I slept in until 7.  But other than missing a minute of talking with my Sweetheart--he called while I could not get to the phone--the extra sleep was probably a good thing.  I decided not to eat today--fasting is rarely a problem for me, and today was no exception.  That kept me from even thinking about the snacks in the break room, and also meant I did not need to take time for lunch.  I went from my position as floor manager right into research at noon.

As one of the more experienced missionaries told me today--she is a native of Germany--most of the time the children whose siblings bore the same name had died previous to the birth of the sibling. But I have found and scanned to my flash drive the birth records of all three of the boys, but I have been unable to find a death record for any of my the Conrads, except for the first-born! And he was 50+ years old when he died!  It may turn out that he is my actual ancestor, even though I find no marriage record for them either, just birth records for the children.  I think I found my female line--isn't that a switch! But the recorded name and date on the death record is just a little off for Maria Eva--did women fib about their age way back in the 1700s?  I don't know.  I guess this family will remain a puzzle until the Millenium!

I did get to the temple for the 5 pm session. Afterwards I debated going to the market--and decided that since I had not done my usual exercise this morning I would walk to my car, drive to the market and back [I had not driven all week, so the car needed to be used a bit], and walk back to the temple to pick up the completed ordinance card.  That worked out pretty well.

The down side of fasting all day was that once I started eating it was hard to stop.  It did not matter that it was late, I still ate quite a lot.  I hope that will not interfere with my sleep tonight!

I got a letter from my Missouri friend. It is fun to get her letters--and unlike a lot of other mail, her letters tend to make it through!

I enjoyed talking with my Sweetheart tonight, of course, and once the wheat I am cooking gets done I will head for a shortened night of sleep.  I think I mentioned this already, but I really do not like the transitions associated with Daylight Savings Time.  It takes me quite a while to get used to the changes.

More Tangles Discovered. 10 March 2017

The Trainer who will take my place asked me for the New Missionary Training PowerPoints.  She said they had been very helpful, and she will share them with new missionaries when I leave. That was very nice to know she appreciated them enough to want the new missionaries to have them--my work will not have been in vain.

On another front I almost felt like my work had been in vain.  The line with the three Conrads is still a mess.  It turns out that one of the Conrads was a twin! I was prompted to look at the actual microfilmed records instead of relying on the Ortssippenbuch--and that was one of the things I learned.  Because the birth and christening record was difficult to read, the records of the twins were combined into one person. Of course, the wives of the twin I had not known about are attached to his brother.  It will take some time to straighten it all out, but I think it is doable.

I got some temple work released from the temple during my lunch time.  I am so grateful that the escalation department does not close for lunch.  Someone is there from 10-4 each weekday.

Work interferred with our morning chat, but my Sweeetheart and I talked and prayed this evening--and I am ready to get some sleep!

Quite a Day at the Library. 9 March 2017

This morning my Sweetheart and I had a nice talk before I headed off for the Library.  I had determined that I will spend as many hours as possible researching before I head back to Missouri, and that I would also keep track of my searches better.

Mecklenburg-Schwerin is the land my surname line came from. My Dad had researched the Mecklenburg microfilms back in the 1960s, and I had revisited them in the 1980s.  But with the help of Ancestry's Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1819 Census, I now had other parishes to check.  I confirmed my 3rd Great-Grandfather's name and birth information, which confirmed my 4th Great-Grandfather's name; my 3rd Great-Grandmother's name and her father's name have been confirmed, but I have not yet found her birth record. In addition, I found another child for the couple, the only girl, who was born in 1821, so she was not on that 1819 census.

I still need to look for specific records for my 4th Great-Grandparents--but I learned something quite helpful today.  I should be able to do most of that research at home, because Ancestry has published a whole lot of the Mecklenburg Lutheran Church records, complete with indexes and browsable images!  This is so very exciting for Mecklenburg, but there are films available for many areas of Germany!  I truly felt I was led to this information, and I already shared it with one of the other study group members.  I asked her to share it with the study group next week, since I will be in other meetings next Tuesday, so I will not make it to the study group.

I decided to use the last of my Library time to work again out of the Ortssippenbuchs, and found another mess I will be able, I think, to clear up, now that I am relieved of worrying about the Mecklenburg lines.

A couple of calls came from my daughter today to let me know the outcome of the service call on the refrigerator.  She reported that about 15 minutes before the repairman came, the frig motor started running again!  However, it soon died again, and the repairman will order both a new compresser and a new relay switch.  He thinks it is the relay, but is getting the compressor to be on the safe side. I am just very grateful we decided to renew our service agreement. They are not supposed to be worth having, but this time it sure has been.

This morning I called one of my friends to ask a favor associated with our wedding--and she already had it covered.  I guess I need to be less fearful that people will feel imposed upon if I ask for help.

Sure enjoyed talking with my Sweetheart tonight--in 50 days we will be together again.  Then it will not matter how quickly or how slowly time passes, because we will face it together.

Beginnng Work on my Surname Line. 8 March 2017

This morning I started back to climbing the stairs.  I had stopped while I was fighting a cold, and then the snow came and the colder temperatures.  But I have been feeling much better this week, and the temperatures have risen a lot, so I felt I needed to start back before I lost my push to do so.  After all, it takes 3 weeks to make a good habit and only 3 days to break one! 

My Sweetheart and I talked only briefly this morning, but it is so good to hear his voice even for a very short time.

Before the shift started at the Library I put a microfilm on the reader which I thought was from the correct location to find my 2nd great-grandfather's birth record--but I was wrong.  The good thing about this was that I decided I would do some planning before digging in to the records.  I now know  which films I need to go to in order to find the appropriate records.  And I will keep better track of where I am searching.

Later in the day I found the death record of a 2nd great-granduncle which included the names of my 3rd great-grandparents, confirming that I have the correct family.  That record was actually online, image and all.  Since it is not on the familysearch.org site, I am a little unsure how to search for more, so I am in for some lessons on that!

I worked with spme of the new missionaries today to show them how to load microfilms on the readers, and how to use the print cards for the copy machine.  Those things seem so simple once one has done them a few times, but getting started with new equipment is stressful for me, so I like to orient the new people.

Choir practice went over today, as we are doing an Easter program and have a lot of new music to learn.  One of the pieces is a beautiful version of "Were You There?".  I like that one a lot.

After Choir practice I decided to treat this evening as my P day so I am free to just do research tomorrow.  I did a load of laundry, cleaned up the kitchen, and called my daughter.  She was finishing up getting ready for the refrigerator repair person to come tomorrow morning. I am glad we got to talk.

It was lovely to talk a while with my Sweetheart this evening--we are moving ever closer to being together!

A Nice Visit and Lots of Meetings. 7 March 2017

Last night my first visiting teacher, who now lives in Utah, called to let me know she was in Salt Lake City, and planned to come to the Library to see me.  It was not until I woke up this morning that I realized I had only one hour, from 11- noon, when I would be on the floor.  I texted--and she and her husband [the first bishop who called me to teach Gospel Doctrine back in the early 1990s] stopped in just a few minutes after 11!  It was nice to see them and to chat for a few minutes.  They are doing well, and are headed to the Midwest for a couple of weeks.

Most of the rest of the day I was in one meeting or another.  Study Group at 10, Recognition PotLuck [I actually missed the Recognition meeting, but did enjoy the pot luck], then a Certifiers meeting, Level 1 Review, ending with Prayer Meeting!  The first 2 hours I was in the Training room getting one of our new missionaries started on Level 1. It was a very full day!

I stayed after my shift to work on my Elsenz Frey descendents. I decided to quit after I began to notice I was making mistakes.  I had opted not to go up to the third floor in the natural light--maybe had I done that it would have gone better.  But I will work on this again on Thursday, maybe in the morning, saving going to the temple for late afternoon.  I am usually more alert in the morning.

Waiting now for the call from my Sweetheart.  We did get to talk a while this morning, which was so nice.  Last night he had sent me a picture of Spring Flowers, and I told him about the ones I have been seeing out here.  Nice to know that spring truly will arrive eventually.

The Snow Came--and much has already left. 6 March 2017

A very happy thought today--in 2 months my Sweetheart and I will be married!

Another cause for rejoicing--my replacement as a certifier has been determined, and she will alternate weeks with me until I leave and she takes over for good.  That means I have just four days of certifying left.  The same sister will be taking over some of my other duties. However, I do not yet know of a replacement as the study group leader. All in good time, I suppose.

The choir director was pleased with our presentation of "Come Unto Jesus", with traditional text, but an alternate melody.  I have to admit that I was somewhat wishing that the snow would continue and give us a snow day [my school nurse attitude showing there], but the storm had passed by 6 a.m. when I went to practice.  By 5 in the afternoon the sun was shining brightly, and had melted nearly all the snow off of my car.  I did consider going to the market--but went back to the apartment first, and talked myself out of that!

I had thought a trip to the market might be necessary, as I needed to make a dish for our pot luck tomorrow.  But enough of the cabbage and broccoli and onion and carrot was available to make a nice-sized slaw.

I decided to stay at the Library during lunch, and for most of the time I worked on my family lines.  I decided that tomorrow I would stay after and work for an hour or so also.  I am hoping that by putting in 10 hours or so each week I will get through all of the descendencies.

Tonight my Sweetheart and I will do our weekly Skype call, a very happy thought. In 2 months it will be very nice to no longer have 1300 miles separating us, but for now I am so grateful for the electronics that soften the separation.

Texting with my Granddaughter was Fun. 5 March 2017

Well, DUH!  Got to meet them where they are at, right?  My 12 year old granddaughter and I had what was probably our longest Sunday morning conversation  ever after her Mom let me know that she likes texting! I don't know all the cute shorthand stuff, but texting was my main means of communication with my Sweetheart for several months, so it definitely does not intimidate me at all!  And to actually feel like I was not imposing on her time--definite bonus! She spontaneously told me that she went to a Mozart concert with her Dad, and two concertos were on the program so I got to tell her I used Mozart concertos for two of my Psalm Melodies [Psalm 8 and Psalm 23], and that I had studied one of his concertos when I was a teen taking piano lessons.  That is still one of my favorite pieces to play on those rare occasions when I sit down at a piano to play just for me.

A couple of other things I have been worried about were resolved today.  I know:  Trust More, Fear Less.  If I would remember that, life would be more pleasant!

Speaking of pleasant, the weather was nice, though very windy, during the late morning and early afternoon. Now there is snow or sleet or something else not very pleasant, and the temperature took a nose-dive!

I almost did not get to do the Preach My Gospel Sunday School meeting, but was asked at the last minute to fill in--and was able to share some insights about Jesus Christ and the Atonement.

After the meetings I broke my fast with fried wheat and onions. Pretty tasty!

Then I met with the sister who is taking over my assignment for the Young Elder Dinners.  Things went well until she started having computer problems, and I realized I could not send emails without a wifi connection!

Once I came back to the apartment and got the emails sent, in just a few minutes my Sweetheart called.  Among other things we talked about was our honeymoon plans--very fun! For those who may not know, May 6 is our day!

Tomorrow is a very early one--unless we get a snow day!  So I am off to bed.

Wow--after 4+ hours I am still working on the Descendents of just one of the three Conrads! 4 March 2017

I made it to the 7 a.m. session at the temple, and it was a small enough session that I made it to the 9 a.m. session also.  That 9 a.m. session was about 80% full, and the 8 a.m. session also seemed large, as I saw that group at one point.

By doing the two sessions in the morning I had a brief time to get some items from the Swap Meet--mostly clothing.  Then I had a quick lunce, and off to the Library.

I had separated my Conrad Frey from his older brother yesterday, so today my task was first to make sure he was attached to his wife and children, and to detach his brother from that family.  Then I started on the descendency work. I no longer am attaching pictures of the Ortssippenbuecher [there are two now--one from Eppingen, of course, and the other from Elsenz]. I am including reason statemets that cite the books.

I took a break for a while when my daughter called to let me know of some important mail--and also that our refrigerator was no longer working.  We extended the insurance last year, and hopefully that will prove to be helpful.  The appointment is not until Thursday, so it is good that we do have some smaller refrigerators. Then back to work--until 4:45, which was just about the very last moment.

I went back to the apartment for supper, and some pre-Sunday cleaning.  When I finished I walked back to the temple.  I had left my temple card there, since it was not ready when I left after the sessions. The weather was quite nice today--not hot, but pleasant.  I was told yesterday that the up-and-down weather is a blessing out here.  When there is snow, and then the weather warms up before the next snow [we are due for several inches over the next couple of days] the snow melt is not as bad as if all of it melted at once.  That does make sense.

I Now Know How To Get Three Conrads Untangled. 3 March 2017

This was a very full day, and tomorrow will be busy also, so I will make this brief.

I realized this morning that I needed to play the keyboard for morning prayer meeting.  Actually it ended up that I served as chorister--and was scheduled to do the in-service lesson!  From now on I will need to make sure I figure on going to morning prayer meetings on Fridays. I did get to talk with my Sweetheart on my walk over.

I spent time as a helper this morning, but this afternoon was all in the Training room.

A happy happening was figuring out how to get my three Conrad Frey brothers put into their proper places in Family Tree.  By unmerging two of them and fixing the erroneous death date on the one, I think they can be untangled, and that is very happy news.

I went to the temple with a friend tonight and I will go again tomorrow.

That's all for now!

A Day in Eppingen [the book]. 2 March 2017

A couple of days ago I determined that if I had any hope of getting through my family in the Eppingen book I would need to spend more time than just during my lunch time, or an hour at the end of the day. From now on I expect to spend a good part of my P days at the Library in Eppingen [the book].

I had a very nice talk with my Sweetheart and also got a load of laundry washed and hung up before heading to the Library. Today was the trial run, in a way.  Earlier in the week I had gone up to the third floor to the snack room, and noticed how nice it seemed to have natural lighting, even by the patron computers.  So that is where I headed after picking up the Ortssippenbuch and my folder for the Young Elder Dinners [my replacement would come in the late morning to get more training].  I staked out a place in the corner, where I could work undisturbed.

I got in about 2 hours of work, and had a short talk with my daughter, before the sister came to work on the dinners. We prepared the sign-up sheets to take to Relief Society--actually she did most of that herself with just minimal instruction, while I prepared a template for the invitations for the current list of elders, companions and district leaders.  Then I taught her how to copy and paste to make the three documents for March. I was pleasantly surprised that she wanted to download them to her own flashdrive--and we will work together on Sunday evening to fill out the form for March 12, and get the emails sent.  Then she will have been through the whole process.  I am relieved to have someone ready and willing and capable of taking over this responsibility.

I worked in the Eppingen records about another 45 minutes before I decided it was time to take a bit of a lunch break.  I had brought an apple and cheese--and I bought a fudgesicle, too. It was probably the fudgesicle that brought on the sleepies about an hour later.  It did not help that the computer was not cooperating.

After a bit of a doze the computer was being more cooperative.  I worked until my daughter called again at about the same time I was feeling it was time for a supper break--this time a pint of chocolate milk and some fig bars!  The fun thing was that I only had a $10 and a $5, but the machines changed them--with coins!  So now I have a nice stock of President dollars, with 3 Sacagawea coins and 1 Susan B, Anthony!

After eating we continued to talk while I went back to the computer--there were almost no guests left after my supper, and none very close to where I was sitting, so I did not feel our conversation was disturbing anyone. It was close to 7 when I felt I had done enough work for one day--and we said goodbye.

Ordinarily my Sweetheart calls before he leaves for work, but he texted tonight to let me know he would drive there first.  So while waiting I have done some usual P day things--like wash the dishes, check on the drying laundry and clear off the table!  The desk is still not clear, but if I had to I could clear that in 5 minutes!

I am grateful I slept pretty well and longer than usual last night.  I know now that a salt gargle really does relieve an uncomfortable throat, and using pinches of salt throughout the day has kept the drainage from making more discomfort.

Hope you all are doing well.

We Have a Firm Date--6 May 2017! 1 March 2017

I made my last Mission Fund donation today!  1/6th of 2017 has already gone by--which is not a bad thing in my life, as it brings me closer to home and Sweetheart.  But still it is a bit of a shock.

My Sweetheart checked at work this morning and his new request for time off has been approved--so instead of waiting until 20 May, we will marry 6 May in the St. Louis Temple.  I was able to request that date today via a call to the temple, and have not gotten any word back that it will not work.  The person I talked to did not seem to feel authorized to change the date from 20 May to 6 May on her own, but we suspect there is little reason to be concerned that we cannot have that date. We are both delighted to move the date up two weeks, and it seems that family may find that to be helpful also.

I got to the Library a tad later than usual, but in time to hear a spiritual experience that one of the missionaries had many years ago.  I also decided to stay for the in-service lesson presented by another trainer who had some interesting insights on searching Google--and I found the death certificate for my grandfather which confirmed that although he died of pneumonia following the break of a major bone, the underlying cause was cancer.  I am glad that he was spared the pain and misery that cancer caused back in the early 1960s.

I was scheduled as Helper for two hours and after filling in as Monitor for a sick sister, I spent more than an hour helping a woman with finding names for the temple from her husband's Slovakian ancestors. She was pleased to find three, and also to clean up some of the records through merging.

I was supposed to have a meeting about Young Elder Dinners during my lunch hour, but the other sister called to cancel, so we will meet tomorrow late morning on my P day.  I plan to be doing research at the Library, anyway.  And today I got to go to the apartment for lunch--I ate the last of the turkey soup.

As certifier I was able to help two people complete their modules, including one of the new missionaries on my floor.

I decided that I would go to choir practice, since I seem to be able to sing OK. But instead of getting laundry done this evening, I have put that off until tomorrow morning. Once I talk with my Sweetheart I will probably head for bed.  It seems more rest is in order.