January 18, 2022

 We are grateful for the people that fill our lives with most often good things but sometimes bring their concerns too. Still we are grateful and we love them. This week our nephew Mike Walker FaceTimed us along with his cute little family just to make contact. They are living in Raymond I believe and he is doing well as a realtor. Our precious granddaughter Jaydn has been having some difficulties and we have been trying to love and support her. Trevor, Tammie and Trey have been in Utah visiting the new baby and looking into having a house built for them in anticipation of their relocation there in the next few months. We have been enjoying their pictures of our new little Treyson. Trevor will be working for Intermountain Health and starting a consulting business of his own. Zach was playing hockey in Utah this weekend and able to join the family too. Cindy is back working this week after recovering from covid. Jack did his farewell talk on Sunday and we were able to FaceTime his setting apart at the Stake Center.  Oh, how we wanted to hug him. He is doing home MTC for two weeks and then will be going to the Provo MTC for a month before heading to Africa. Liza’s family are improving health wise after their covid epidemic. She still has Brendon’s sisters visiting and Ted now has covid. Larissa’s family all seem to be healthy and busy. We hear from friends and other family members regularly and we love and appreciate them too. Wonderful to have our lives full of good people.

We have had doctors’ visits this week and blood tests. We were concerned because Tom’s PSA jumped back up to 6.1 from 1.0 two weeks ago. The doctor in Germany warned that it might go up and not to worry so we are hoping that is the case. He also went to the eye doctor who told him he might have glaucoma so he was upset about that but I think it will be okay. We have gone on wee walks, did our Saturday Temple shift and done two Temple sessions. We watch our  five Come Follow Me programs each week and are doing the Self Reliance course together each Sunday. We try to stay busy and optimistic.

In preparation for our third trip to Germany next week we have decided to limit (not eliminate) our time in the Temple. The omicron variant is spreading quickly and, though it seems to be less sever, we are trying to keep Tom healthy as his immune system is compromised and we want to be able to go and to have him receive his next treatment. We are praying and we appreciate the prayers of others.

I am grateful for people who fill my life and especially grateful for Thomas Eldon Walker who fills my life with everything good.

January 11, 2021

 We had an exciting and life changing week this week because on Thursday, January 6th we became great grandparents when Justin and JayLynn had baby Treyson Tanner Walker. He is so precious and everyone is in love with him. He weighed 6lbs 7oz and has blonde hair. His mother did well and Trevor and Tammie are anxious to see him. We all are. He was induced about a week early due to a couple of concerns the doctor had for the baby and for JayLynn. Life is wonderful when a new baby comes into the family. 

Liza’s family continued with covid outbreaks until last count all of her own family except Bryson and Keaton have covid. Alissa’s family, except Patrick, and I think all of Courtney’s family were affected by the virus. Ted left to stay at his brother David’s and Brendon stayed in a hotel until he determined he had covid too and he returned home. What a time they have had. Cindy came down with covid last week too and she has kept herself isolated in her bedroom and so far is the only one in her family with it. This omicron variant seems to be running rampant and we know of people from the Temple that have been infected too. We do not want Tom to get it and we want to be healthy to make our trip back to Germany the end of January.

The Hardy family received word today that Jack’s visa for Africa had not come thru and that he would be doing MTC training for two weeks here and for four weeks at the Provo MTC rather than the MTC in Ghana, Aftrica. They are all a little disappointed but Cindy has been sick with covid and this will give her a little more time to feel prepared. He will go to his Hardy grandparents in Chilliwack for his two weeks of training here.

We have each had Doctor’s appointments. I met my new Doctor Song, who is replacing my retiring Doctor Brouwer, and we evaluated my medications and blood pressure. Tom saw Dr. Vrabec for his lupron injection. All his doctors are interested in his Germany treatments. They all wish the treatments were here. Tom also had his zometa infusion.

We received a lot of snow last week and our neighbors and the Sister Missionaries kindly kept our shovelling done. We had a difficult time getting to Abbotsford for Tom’s zometa infusion and ended up taking back roads to get out there and the freeway home. It is raining now and the roads are much better.

Jadyn had flown to Texas and driven to school at BYU Idaho with her friend Hyrum. They had two flat tires and after the last one a Good Samaritan picked them up and took them into town to get help. While they were gone their car was hit by a semi truck. We are so grateful that she was not there and that she is alright as she had wanted to wait in the car. There was snow but the roads were clear at the time.

I had a sore throat for several days last week and we made the decision to stay home from our Saturday shift at the Temple. Tom said his throat was sore too but we both seem to be doing better. I hate feeling worried about going places due to the virus concerns. The world is reeling under the strain resulting from two years of ongoing covid anxiety. Hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow. We are praying.

January 4, 2022

 A NEW YEAR! We are hoping and praying that it will be a happy and healthy new year. Liza ‘s family has had a rough start as they have a bit of a covid epidemic at their house. Brendon’s two sisters Alissa and Courtney are visiting for the holidays from Grand Cayman and Australia. Courtney’s husband was the first to come down with the virus, then Liza and several of the visiting children. Courtney’s family have been staying with Ted and Alissa’s family with Brendon and Liza but Liza has also had Courtney’s two girls part of the time and everyone has been socializing together. Brendon is now in a hotel trying to stay healthy for work and Ted has gone to stay at his brother David’s. What a situation they have! It appears to be the omicron variant which spreads very quickly and easily. Hopefully this variant will start to build immunity in people as it does not seem to be so deadly though highly transmissible.

We have had more snow this week and the sister missionaries and our neighbors have kindly kept us shovelled. Jean brought us some Chinese dumplings and Tom completed his Christmas Doors 1,000 piece puzzle in three days. We celebrated the New Year quietly on our own with A+W hamburgers, crab dip and other appetizers and treats. We are just not into staying up until midnight but the new year came anyway. We were only at the Temple once last week and that was for a Temple session as we had no serving times scheduled due to holidays and Brother Barrett came to do his Wednesday evening shift. He and Tom divide the Wednesday evening shifts within each month between them. Our Bellingham members are still not generally coming across the border as they have to pay to be covid tested each time. I had not planned on taking all the Christmas decorations down on New Years Day but I got started and couldn’t stop. This has been my tradition for years and in the past I would put a ham in to slowly cook while I removed remnants of Christmas but no ham for Tom and we were just on our own anyway. Trish came yesterday to cut my hair and I cut Tom’s a few days earlier. People phone us, message us and continue to do kindnesses for us every week and often everyday. Our weeks and our lives are full. We are now back to doctors’ appointments, tests and the Temple being open again. The holiday is over.

We are looking to another trip to Germany the end of this month and hoping to keep ourselves healthy for that and also while we are there. We are excitedly looking forward to our first great grandchild this week and chatted with Justin and JayLynn on Sunday. They are preparing for the baby’s induction on January 6, which is this coming Thursday. We have Jack leaving on his mission in a couple of weeks and Max getting settled in Australia and continuing to honeymoon. He needs to get a job and then they will buy a place. Lots going on in our immediate future and we feel very blessed.