A Simple Woman's Daybook~May 3, 2011

So, For Today...

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Outside my window...the sun is actually about to go down. It has been a beautiful day but I have been inside most of the day working on genealogy. I am at the Family History Library, there are hardly any patrons at the moment and I just need a break from census records and ships' passenger lists. The view from the window here is San Francisco across the bay. So pretty. It seems our home away from home anymore.

I am thankful for...A man named Steve that stumbled onto some research I had done and asked a simple question about Jim's Italian ancestors. Through communicating over the past two days we have learned so much about the Ferreras in Tasso, Italy. It is like the heavens opened up and dropped all of this right on us. This man has researched and worked on the records in this area going back 360 years over a 42 year span. We are so thankful to have this new information and have added many to our records, or I should say we will when I get time to add the data to our family file. He actually knows the same Velma and Franco that Jim and Gloria went to visit in Tasso.. Is that remarkable? If you have ever tried to find ancestors...you know that it is.

I am praying for...inspiration for the talk I am giving on Mother's Day in church.

From the learning room..it is important to do things when prompted or when you just feel you should. Sometimes opportunities are lost if you talk yourself out of acting on something.

I am reading...well, truth be told I have not had the luxury of doing much reading lately. But I am still working on A Promise at Sorbibor. In a word...EXCELLENT! A memoir of an 85 year-old survivor of Sorbibor, one of the secret death camps in Poland during WWII. There is so much to be learned from people who have overcome the unimaginable and learned to love and forgive in spite of it. And I am also quoting myself from last week and the week before on this one in case you are wondering.

I am hearing...computers clicking, someone coughing, ladies talking quietly and the air-conditioner. My brain is going a hundred miles and hour trying to sort through all the papers I printed and brought here from Steve. Not much noise here in the library. I like that.

I am quoting..."Charles de Gaulle's axiom that no individual is irreplaceable is wrong. Our cemeteries are full of indispensable people." Allison Gilbert

From the Kitchen... As little as possible.

Today if I could change one thing...Better ways to use our time to get more accomplished. I have just met this man who is an attorney, father of five, and has hours to do copious research and document it all and I wonder what I have been doing all my life? Do you ever wonder how some people get so much done in a day? I do. I think we are pretty productive and then I meet someone like him and I wonder...

I am thinking about... How weird it was to go to my friend memorial service last week. I knew him when I was very young and working at The Standard Oil Company. I thought at least a few of our co-workers would be there. Nope, not a soul. How odd that seemed to me when a person devoted 35 years to his career.

However, I do realize many of those co-workers have pre-deceased him. I was probably the youngest person in the department. I realized that a lot of the people that were important to me in those early days are now gone. It made me sad as I did not ever see them again. Especially considering how many times they had passed through my mind over the years and how much they influenced my life.

Don lived just a few miles from us (which I did not know), he died of cancer. I did not know he was sick, I wish I had so I could have gone to see him. I passed by his street many times and didn't know. Another oddity, he lived right next door to one of my friends from church and neither of us knew the other one knew him until the service when we ran into each other. Regrets at just not keeping up with people that once mattered a great deal..and still do, that is what I am thinking about.

I am wearing...A tan jeans skirt, a yellow tee with a floral over shirt in green, yellow and a light orange. I have on a green and yellow bracelet, a peridot ring and earrings and this is where it goes south...my necklace...a flash drive on a lanyard!

I am going...to go to Mc Donald's drive-thru and get an ice cream cone with Jim when we leave here tonight at 9:00 PM. I know because we do it every single week, without fail. We are creatures of habit, he and I.

I am missing...my mom and our kids..Mother's Day is coming! Hope yours is blessed!

One of my joyous pleasures...taking pictures of beautiful people, places and things. And looking at pictures that trigger so many memories.

Pet Peeves... People that litter, people that always think in the "me first"mentality. People that think they are above the law or the rules that everyone else is following. People that are loud!

One of my favorite things...When Jim makes any meal!

An enjoyable movie I have watched lately...Dan in Real Life...so sweet.

I am curious about... How the President can take credit for a killing from continents away. He may have planned it, worked with the Navy Seals, even ordered it, but he did not accomplish the deed. That took a group of patriotic, highly trained, courageous individuals in the military. Could this have anything to do with an upcoming election year? Just sayin'!
Around the house...things are bit out of whack. Yesterday spending all day on Family History threw off my grand plan. Oh well, tomorrow is another day and it was well worth the diversion for the great information we have been given.

A few plans for the rest of the week...tomorrow I must work on my house, bills, and my church assignment for Sunday. I'll be giving a talk on Motherhood in church. I look forward to it, it is a subject very close to my heart. Thursday and Friday night the City with friends and Saturday remain to be seen, probably wrapping up plans for my talk and preparing something nice for Jim's mom for Mother's Day. I will go to a WW meeting, get groceries, laundry... all the usuals.

Here are some photos and some thoughts I am sharing with you..No matter how busy we get it is important to have some relaxing, fun times. A person needs more than just work and sleep. Brigham Young said we should split our time equally between work, wholesome activity and sleep. Who is for it? Working and running all the time is not where it's at. Period. It is downright unhealthy.
The photos below are some previews of some photos from a fun getaway on the weekend. We didn't have much time but we still took a quick jaunt to the City and had a picnic. It was fun to visit one of our favorite, most nostalgic places. I have the post almost ready...maybe tomorrow. Can you guess where we were?

The blog with the best marriage advice for the Royal Couple this week...was written by my friend, Marie, over a A Year at Oak Cottage. She has such a lovely, uplifting, blog...you should go and meet her if you haven't already. Find her advice here! Also I love the post she did on the Day Of The Wedding. Thanks, Marie!