Healing and Blessings Continue

I had no idea what a challenge this surgery would be.  Not only did it HURT, but I was frustrated with the things I could not do on my own.
I was grateful for the things I could do.  I managed to master driving one handed, the hardest parts were turning the key to start the van and removing the key after turning it off.  That freedom was HUGE and kept me sane.
But my splint was still my constant companion. . .

Ugly swollen fingers . . .
I could not straighten my arm much less scratch my nose. 

It was hard to hold my arm up or let it hang down so I had to prop it up constantly.

I went to my first doctor’s appointment (after surgery) and he took the bandages off. . . what relief!  But then he put it right back on after admiring the stitches and removing a few pounds of cotton.

I was blessed by a wonderful friend (and visiting teacher) who came over and cleaned my kitchen (I was living with nothing but males  who don’t *see* dirt and messes the same way I do. . .)

A clean kitchen can really lift your spirits!
(Note I still could not take a shower because the stitches were still in.  Why did no one tell me about this horror?)
A several weeks after surgery, I was instructed to remove my splint a few times a day and *try* to straighten my arm. 

What do you mean that’s not straight?

And then my friend came back and cleaned my bathroom!!!!!  (tears of JOY!)

I was going a bit stir crazy and just wanted to go somewhere. . .anywhere.  How lucky are we to live so close to Tahoe?  So off we went. . .

That was the end of that hike. . . but I could totally see a tennis court in the distance. *sigh*
Another friend. . .another blessing!  Everyone deserves some sunshine a box

So many little things helped me endure this tough time.  I felt so guilty that so many people were doing nice things for me.  I didn’t HAVE to have the surgery (but I really wanted to be able to use my arm pain-free . . though at this time, I doubted it would ever be that way.)

A Short Venture into New Hampshire

We spent the night in New Hampshire.  We did not get to our hotel until after dark, but when I looked out the window the next morning, I was awestruck with the view. . . .


David’s last area was Laconia, New Hampshire.  He only spent a few transfers there (the other three areas where he served, he spent a lot more time.)  But he had been serving there only a few weeks prior to our trip, so no one really missed him YET.
This is where he lived:

We visited a few people that crossed his path while he was there (though we didn’t get pictures of them all.)

Lighthouse!

We decided upon a side trip on the way back to the hotel. 

We went through a little town called Stockton Springs to get to Fort Point Lighthouse.

We didn’t have enough cash on us to pay the day use fee so we took a quick peek (with enough time for a few photos!)


We drove by Perry’s Nut House so many times that we HAD to stop and check it out.

We did not leave empty-handed!

Later that day, we met up with a gal that David met on his mission.  She would play games with the missionaries at a game store on their p-days.

Picnic at the Lake

Although we have lived near Lake Tahoe for over a decade, we have not spent much time at North Shore.  A friend told me about a spot they like to have a picnic dinner so we decided to try it out while Allie was still around.
We picked up some sandwiches and headed to the picnic tables.  Paul picked one out for us.
 
It looked like a good one. . . no one else had claimed it and it was pretty peaceful all around.

The views were breathtaking:

Allie had the chance to play with her new camera (that takes panorama pictures.)


Paul enjoyed the get away.

We even had a couple of bear sightings on the way home!

Busy Day!

After leaving the Sacred Grove, we headed into downtown Palmyra to the Grandin Press.

It was fascinating to learn about the first printing of the Book of Mormon.

From there we went to the Whitmer Farm.

This is where much of the translation of the Book of Mormon took place and where the church was organized.  To think we were able to stand in the same room as these original saints did was humbling.

From there we headed back to Canada and a much easier border crossing!

Jennifer’s mission boundaries extended to the area known as Thousand Islands.  We decided to see the area by boat.  We boarded in the town of Gananoque (Gan a knock way). 

The boat ride took us along the Saint Lawrence Seaway.  One side was the US and one side was Canada.


We saw the world’s shortest international bridge.

The houses (mostly summer homes) were amazing. 

The contrast really struck me between the humble beginnings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Whitmer farm house and the excessiveness of the opulent homes where perhaps nothing quite so significant took place.