Inherently Lonely

I have a huge family and except for a few times in my youth when I would have given anything to make them all disappear, I wouldn’t have it any other way. If my immediate family can’t help me I have aunts, uncles, cousins, and all kinds of friends we have adopted into our family who would be there for me in a heartbeat. It’s an amazing feeling to know you have that kind of support system.

I imagine that because I have the wonderful family I do that’s why it makes it hard for me to comprehend what it would be like to have no family at all. We have a friend who for many, many years hasn’t had any family. That is hard for me to fathom. However, I guess if two only children with little family marry and have children who never marry and one of the children dies young then the surviving child would literally have no family, just as he does. Imagine not having one living relative. There are probably more people than I think who don’t have a family. Literally not having a family is different from choosing to distance yourself or break away from your family though. At least then, you know they are out there.

I would think that it would be very lonely to know that you are the only one of your family left. I imagine there were times when he was very lonely, but he never let it show around us. I watched as an amazing man created a family of his own. He has several “children”, “grandchildren”, and “great-grandchildren” who couldn’t have loved him more if they had been related by blood. He has formed relationships with people who love him as if he was their own flesh and blood.

My family has taught me that blood doesn’t matter. We officially in Marijka’s case, and unofficially in lots of cases adopt people into our family all the time. My parents have taught me that generosity is never ending. Therefore, if you or someone you know is looking for or in need of some unconditional love and acceptance just send them our way I’m sure my parents we will be happy to bring them into the Anderson fold.

How lucky am I to have been shown by two wonderful parents that kindness, service, and generosity are things that you should freely give. What wonderful examples they have always been and continue to be to me. I am very fortunate to be surrounded by people who care about me.

Update on Kyle's Foot/Abby's Visit

Kyle went to the doctor yesterday and his blister is already healing. I did an excellent job treating it during out trip. The doctor was quite impressed with my inginuity. I bought sponges and taped them over the bandages on the back of his foot so the pressure of the shoe wouldn't hurt his foot and if it oozed too much it would also absorb it.

Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know that we aren't looking at any more amputations or anything like that.

On another note, and I'm so mad we didn't take a picture of us but, I was able to meet up with Abby for a quick visit while she was here for a doctor's visit. She looks good and is holding up as well as can be expected after losing Shane. She's strong and she will be okay with time. She is awesome and we love her.

Day #11 - Our Adventure (last day)

We are on standby for a flight leaving here (Indianapolis) tonight at 7:00 pm and then from Detroit around 10:00 pm. We talked to the hotel manager and he agreed to let us stay as long as we needed and he didn't charge us anything for it. You don't run into that level of kindness everyday.

We got right onto the flight out of Indianapolis with no problems. There was plenty of room on the plane. The 2nd leg was a crap shoot. It was a small plane and a lot of people were in the area. When we got to the gate and checked in with the lady there she told Kyle, "no problem, just have a seat and wait". I would not have made it through the airport without Kyle's cane. I ended up using it to get through both airports and it was a life saver for sure. He probably could have used it with his huge blister/sore but never said a word. He takes good care of me.

We were to take off around 10:00 sometime, but there were several different "mechanical difficulties" and things were delayed more than once. We ended up getting home early Monday morning and we were both exhausted. By the time we got the car and everything loaded and got home we'd had it. Then the 3 cars at the house were parked so close in the driveway we couldn't get our luggage through. I was bugged because Kyle's car was even on the the driveway. I don't get why he can't park on the street. It's one of those issues he has a "thing" about it that make no sense to me but make perfect sense to him. I grabbed what bags I could get through with and hobbled in the house, got ready for bed and hit the sheets. Somehow Kyle got it in the house, but I'm not sure on those logistics.

And that my friends is the story of our summer vacation. If you made it to Day #11 then you are very dedicated and enjoy a great friend reward which I hereby bestow upon you.

Day #10 - Our Adventure

There was no possibility of Kyle and I getting on a flight home today so we had the day to do whatever. With the strength in my legs being what it was, we agreed we would drive downtown and look at a few of the monuments and then go back to the hotel for the rest of the day and chill out. We were also looking for some t-shirts. The only ones we found were at Walgreen's quite by accident.

We drove by and saw the Scottish Rite Cathedral. It is an amazing cathedral. The architecture was beautiful. I tried the doors but the church was locked up.  I wish we could have seen inside.

Then we went and saw an amazing monument that is dedicated "To Indiana's Silent Victors". It is a rememberence of all those lost in the American War's up through 1886. It lists the number of people who served and those who died in Service. It is quite an amazing piece of architecture. Inside is a gift shop and elevator or stairs that to up to look at the top. In the bottom is a civil war museum. I didn't realize Indiana was that involved in the civil war, but there is this monument and several other small ones around town.

Of course right across the street I spotted The Chocolate Cafe and had to check that out. It resulted in some Chocolate/Peanut Butter Ice Cream in a waffle cone and a delicious chocolate covered rice crispy treat. After that I couldn't walk any more and we went back to the hotel. We were at the LaQuinta Inn by the airport for the night and it was a nice room.

Day #9 - Our Adventure

So for the excitement today I woke up this morning and went to move and had excruciating pain in my legs, especially knees. When I tried to walk I had no strength in my knees. I barely made it into the bathroom, then I didn't have enough strength to stand up so Kyle had to help me. I had to spend the day resting my legs.

We didn't make it to the 2 main sessions at the convention. But late in the afternoon Kyle and I decided to try to make to the last session. So with my braces, and Kyle's help I was able to get to the closing session and the team dinner that night. They were of course a lot of fun and I was grateful I was able to get to them. It was fun to get to know the members of my team better. BettyJo is a great director and always makes things so fun. She had fun little motivational gifts for us. Her husband Darin is awesome and they are a great couple. We are so glad we made the effort to go to convention this year.



Day #8 - Our Adventure

 

The convention started at 8:30 this morning. It was team day so we all wore our matching team shirts and bling. We had checkered bandannas we wore in different ways. I wore mine as a headband.

 

There were lots of new products announced and it was fun to see what is coming in the future. Grace Adele is changing 80% of their product. There are fun new colors and styles of purses. The will be on the website starting August. All the current product is 10$% off in the month of July. Visit my website here: https://kamiwillis.graceadele.us/GraceAdele/Home  I love all my stuff from Grace Adele, but I especially love my wallet. It was worth every penny.

 

I'm also really excited about the Scentsy Buddies. We now have Forest Buddies to go along with the Safari buddies: There is a Beaver, Owl, Raccoon, Fox, Bear, Owl, and a darling Turtle. They are discontinuing the baby buddies. I love all the buddies. They are all so cute and smell so good.

BettyJo walked across the Stage as a director and looked so cute. She is such a wonderful lady and I love her a lot. One of the deciding reasons I decided to come to convention was to see and catch up a little with her. I'm so glad she is feeling better.

 

 

After the convention our Star Director Lisa took us to dinner at Harry & Izzy's downtown . It was so nice of her. I had the steak, and cream brule  and it was delicious. After dinner we went over to the Scentsy Family Store. It took a couple of hours to check out, but we got some fun stuff. My legs started hurting so I went and got the truck and came back to pick up Kyle.

Day #7 - Our Adventure

We got up early and headed for Indianapolis. We got there and went straight to the stadium and registered. From there we went through the Fazolli's drive thru, grabbed some food, got checked into the hotel, changed clothes, and made it back to the Stadium for the opening Bash and the Kelly Clarkson concert. The concert was really awesome. She did a great job. I thought it was great that she didn't wear shoes. She was barefoot the whole time. She just has the cutest personality.

It was a nice night and we had a great time. It was a great kick-off to the convention.

Nauvoo Temple at Night

After the pageant we drove around the temple and took some pictures. In my opinion here are some of the best ones.
 

Day #6 - Our Adventure

Stick Pull

Today was the day of the pageant. We slept in a little later and then went over to Nauvoo. It was a beautiful day with cloudy skies. It was in the 90's and the humidity was really high. We had sweat pouring off of us, as did everyone else. We felt bad for those wearing the costumes.

Dancing

Saw cutting & Branding

Gunny Sacks

We went to some of the shops and picked up a few things we wanted, but hadn't bought before. We got us a Christmas ornament and a few other things. I had an epiphany in the store. I was reading a plaque that said, "Someday everything will make perfect sense...someday." I turned around and there was a picture of Emma and Joseph. No one went through more trials as a couple than them and she stood by him every step of the way. I may have treated wounds on Kyle I never thought I could touch, but Emma pulled tar and feathers off of Joseph and who knows what else. What Kyle and I have gone through doesn't compare to what they did. Joseph and Emma are my new idols. I bought a keychain and a little statue of the two of them to remind me when times get hard for us, Emma and Joseph made it through worse.

 

At the burying grounds

Burying Grounds

We went to the Nauvoo Hotel for dinner and the buffet was delicious. We really enjoyed it. We had a little time so we drove up to the old Nauvoo burying grounds. There was such a special feeling there. There are a lot of the monuments we couldn't even read, while there were other markers that were new, as ancestors had put them in to honor their families. It was a special place. We passed a guy in the area who told us he rarely sees anyone up there and wondered how we knew about it. It's right on the map they hand out.

 

We went down to the County Fair they hold before the pageant. They have a lot of the old games and activities done in the days of the pioneers that you can participate in: stick pulling, dancing, rag tying, quilting, log cutting, hoop spinning, gunny sack races, and more. 

 

Right before the pageant

The pageant was really good. They did a really excellent job. I'm glad we stayed to see it. They basically showed the development and the exodus of Nauvoo after Joseph Smith was murdered. They showed the building of the temple and formation of Relief Society. It was very well done and we enjoyed it very much.

 

In this picture those in white/glowing have passed on.
It was kind of freaky.

Day #5 - Our Adventure

Today we got up early and got a good start. We had breakfast at the hotel and then headed for Nauvoo.  I took tons of pictures today so I'll try to limit myself. The day started out dreary, rainy, and cloudy, but in the early afternoon cleared up and the sun came out (coincidently exactly how they described the day that Joseph Smith was killed). We started at the Brickyard where we learned how they make bricks and received a souvenir one to bring home.

 

We then went to Lucy Mack Smith's home and met Sister Readfield. We were visiting with her upstairs as no other group had come along yet. We were discussing what we had done so far and we mentioned having gone through the temple and she was saying what a special experience that must have been and Kyle told her it hadn't been that great and she soon got the gist of the story out of him. At this point she decides we need to go back and have a good experience and her and her husband are going to take us. Because today was Monday the sessions end early and we couldn't make it work. She was just so sweet, it makes me teary to think of how important it is to her that Kyle have a good experience here in the temple.

 

From there we went over to walk around the Joseph and Emma Smith homes and Nauvoo House. I was able to show Kyle where the prophet and Hyrum were originally buried before being moved to where they are now with Emma.

We moved onto the boot and shoe shop, saw the big water truck they use to keep all the flowers alive, toured the original Browning gun shop, the post office/store, the print shop where we saw how they printed "The Times and Seasons" which precluded "The Ensign", and visited the tin shop.

 

 

From there we went to the Visitor's Center and got a schedule and decided we had time to go down to Carthage, get dinner, and be back in time for a show on the outdoor stage. Along the way we saw a Ford F450 6x4 along the way and Kyle now has a new dream truck, perfect for pulling his dream 5th wheel travel trailer. It was pretty awesome looking. Here is a picture for your enjoyment:

 

 

We happened to get to the Carthage Jail at the same time as two family reunion groups so it was fairly crowded. I enjoyed it more this time than my other visit, since then I got literally soaked to my skin. For those of you who don't know the story of how Joseph Smith was killed in the Carthage Jail it was in the Ensign last month: http://www.lds.org/ensign/2013/06/two-witnesses-three-days-and-the-aftermath-of-the-martyrdom?lang=eng

Kyle and I then ended up driving to Hannibal so he could say he had visited the birthplace of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. We finally had our first really good meal of the trip in Quincy at a Mexican restaurant. We went into a Dollar Tree to restock first aid supplies for Kyle's blister and ended up waiting in line FOREVER!!! Kyle left me unattended in a clothing store and I "accidently" may have purchase a couple of things off of the clearance rack. Due to all of this we did not make it back to Nauvoo to the show. Tomorrow night is the Nauvoo Pageant and I'm praying for decent weather so we don't get rained on.

 



The window Joseph fell out
of after being shot



The mob shot the lock off of
the door. That is Willard Richard's
walking stick behind the door.

The bullet hole in the door thru
which Hyrum Smith was shot.

Day #4 - Our Adventure

We didn't do much of anything today.  Okay I did a whole lot of nothing today. Lucky for me it was Sunday and most things were closed. I don't have any control of when I get a migraine, but I think Kyle is pretty annoyed with me.

I tried to get him to go explore and he eventually left. He explored Fort Madison, the river boat that is across from our hotel, and from the looks of the sack when he came back he explored McDonalds. I know he's bugged because I didn't get anything from McDonalds. Of course if I had asked him to bring me something back he would have.

 

One of the trains that runs by our hotel every
hour and honks it's horn. Day and night might
I add. It's pleasant and is driving Kyle crazy.

Day #3 - Our Adventure

Today is the first we have had the internet since our first night. It's a long story but has involved us having to change rooms today just for that reason. We are in a nicer room, but I'm also paying more for it. When I finally get hold of the manager of this place we will be having a chat.

 

I was so excited yesterday because we were doing a session at the temple in Nauvoo! Kyle agreed to go even though it would be the first time he didn't have someone to help him with his clothes and things. I could tell he was really nervous.

 

This is hard to write, because I don't want to reveal too much about what goes on in the temple. There was only one male and one female officiator and they were in the front. Kyle told them at the beginning this was his first time alone and he was nervous. The male officiator said not to worry he was presiding over the session and would take care of him.

 

So I notice when we are going through the first part Kyle has his clothing on the wrong shoulder and nobody has noticed. So I get the attention of the lady and tell her. Now I wish I would have just left it alone. So the guy goes back and tells him and helps him take it off and just tangles it up and gives it to Kyle and walks off. So Kyle is struggling to straighten it out and get it on. There are 2 young guys behind Kyle and from my view I think they are both helping him. I even caught the eye of the one who turns out to be the "dirtbag", as Vicki so eloquently called him, and tried to convey my desire for him to help Kyle. Kyle finally gets it straightened out and on and the guy right behind him helps a little.  Kyle looks a little upset and I feel bad.

 

We continue on and switch things to the other side. Kyle does fine, but it takes him a little longer. Again the guy behind helps a little.

 

Kyle started through the end of the session ahead of me and was already in the Celestial room when I got there. When I get over to him I can see he is crying and very upset. I pull him over to a chair and sit with him. I ask what is wrong and he says he can't talk about it right now. We had plans to spend some time and pray together about some specific things. I ask him if he needs to leave and he went down to the dressing room.

 

After we got out of the temple we walked down and back the main street with the stores. We got some custard, which didn't even compare to Nielsen's. We stopped for some fudge, which is divine.

 

Once we got back in the truck and headed out for Keokuk in hopes of somewhere to eat and the WalMart I asked if he was ready to talk about it. He got all teary again and said when he was struggling the first time the guy behind him said, "Hurry up retard you are holding us all up, we have places to go." The guy next to him told him to be nice it was Kyle's first time. The second time when they changed the clothes and the guy behind Kyle was helping the guy told him, "Not to help the retard, he needed to figure it out himself."  Kyle said all he wanted to do was get up and walk out. I told him if it was me I probably would have. He said he knew how important it was to me and he just wanted to get through it.

 

So then he gets to the end of the session and is so upset he can't remember anything. The officiator helping him was not nice and upset Kyle even more. Another gentleman then takes charge and coaches Kyle thru everything and gets him through.

We ate at a Chinese buffet that was pretty good and then went to WalMart and got a small cooler and some more snacks. Basically the temple part of the day was a bust!