Keeping Christ in Christmas!

During this time of year, we spend time and money to decorate our houses with lights. Some lights twinkle on and off as if desperately calling our attention. Others shine in silence illuminating houses with colors. There are red, green and blue lights strung below and around eves and fascias. Making the homes cheery and joyful and inviting; all are announcing the birth of the Lord, Jesus Christ. After all, this is the Christmas Season!

Some houses have lights stung on the inside. Mary, for example, took some garland with holly and white flowers, wrapped it with a string of lights and used to decorate the mantle above the fire place. It looks beautiful, especially when the house lights are turned off. The mantle is lit up with the beautiful colored lights, while below a warm fire glows. I could sit all night and watch this scene.

There was another scene, illuminated, not by lights, but by a star, a little over two-thousand years ago. What a scene this must have been! In a lowly stable, was born the king of kings. The song writer wrote: “I did not go to Bethlehem, or hear the angels sing, but there was magic in the air that made me feel as though I had been there.” (Michael Mclean: The Shepherd: You were not there!)

Yes during this season we too feel the magic in the air and we feel as though we had been there, to witness the birth of the Savior. The twinkling lights remind us of that bright star that announced the birth so long ago!

Through the years this magic continues. It is a season when the Spirit of Christ permeates our being and makes us more understanding, more generous, more charitable. This is the spirit of Christ working in us more during this time of the year!

Christ himself said:”I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (New Testament | John 8:12)

This year, as we decorate our houses and as we decorate our Christmas tree, may we remember that light which shined on the manger and the young child, the son of God, who lay there. As we string our lights, may we remember that He is “the light of the world” and He will not let us walk in darkness.








Para mis amigos hispanos:

Durante esta temporada del año, nos esforzamos tomando tiempo y dinero para decorar nuestras casas con luces. Unas de las luces se prenden y se apagan, como si quisieran llamarnos la atención. Otras en silencio brillan llenando nuestras casas de colores. Unas son rojas, otras son verdes y aun otras son azules. Hacen que nuestras casas brillen con luz y las hacen que las casas se vean alegres y nos invitan a admirarlas. Las luces anuncian el nacimeinto de nuesto Señor Jesucristo.

Muchas casas tienen ristras de luces por dentro. Mary, por ejemplo tomo una ristra de guirnalda y le enredo una ristra de luces. Las colgó sobre la balda de la chimenea. Se ven bien bonitas, especialmente cuando las luces de la casa están apagadas y la chimenea tiene un fuego. Me gusta tanto que puedo durar horas admirando el fuego y las luces.

Hubo otra escena, iluminada por luz, que se desempeño hace mas de dos mil años. Pero esa escena se ilumino por la luz de una estrella nueva, que brillaba y alumbraba un establo. ¡Qué hermosa escena ha de ver sido! En un humilde establo, nació el Rey de Reyes.

Un poeta y escritor de canciones escribió: “Yo no fui a Belén, ni escuche los ángeles cantar, pero había magia en el aire que me hizo sentir como si yo hubiera estado allí.” (Traducido del original de Michael Mclean, The Shepherd: You were not there!).

Durante esta temporada, nosotros también somos participes de esa magia que nos hace sentir como si hubiéramos estado allí, presenciando el nacimiento de Jesucristo, nuestro Salvador. Las centelleo y titilaciones de las luces anuncian el nacimiento que se efectuó hace tanto tiempo.

A pesar de los años, la magia continua y nos llena del espíritu de Cristo. Ese espíritu nos llena de mas comprensión, nos hace sentir mas generosos y caritativos. Este es el espíritu de Cristo obrando en nosotros.

Cristo mismo dijo: “Yo soy la luz del mundo; el que me sigue no andará en tinieblas, sino que tendrá la luz de la vida.” (Nuevo Testamento| Juan 8:12)

Este año, al decorar nuestras casas y al decorar el árbol de navidad, nuestro deseo es que recordemos la luz que brillo en el estable y el niño que allí nació, el hijo de Dios y al poner las ristras de luces, que recordemos que El es la “luz del mundo” y que no nos dejara andar en tinieblas.

De los Alba
Mary y Eduardo
Les deseamos una Feliz Navidad y Un Prospero Año Nuevo

Snow falling: What a beutiful day!

I am looking out the window toward the back yard, watching the soft snow fall. What a peaceful sight. Everything is white and beautiful. The snow covers much of what may be thought of as ugly. It covers the ugly scars, he mud, the dirt, the asphalt, and so on. It looks beautiful with no tracks marring its soft blanket. It’s a beautiful day!

Overnight we got about 3 inches of new snow and it has been snowing all day. Who knows how much snow we will get? I love it! As soon as it stops snowing, I will go outside and start up my snow blower and clean the driveway and sidewalks. Sunday, I got the blower started and cleaned my driveway and also did the whole block. I blew the snow from everyone on our side of the street. Their sidewalks were clean when they came out to shovel or blow their snow. It was my gift to them, a kindness given without regard other than the pure love for them.

I appreciate my neighbors! They help make this a great neighborhood to live in. It is a quiet neighborhood, like the falling snow!

The beautiful snow reminds me that every day is a gift from God! Each day gives us another opportunity to take advantage of His atonement, repent from our sins and draw closer to Him. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…” (Old Testament | Isaiah 1:18)

I heard a wise person say, that the greatest gift we can give the Lord is to love and serve one another. I wonder: what I will do to help someone today. During this Christmas season, how will I serve others without selfish motives?

In all the years that I have lived in Utah and Idaho, with all the snow I have seen, I have yet to lose my fascination with it! It is so beautiful! I love to walk in it and feel the snowflakes falling on my face. When it snows at night I love to walk past a street light and watch the now as it comes into the light, drifting slowly in the wind as if dancing to some silent music. As the snowflakes drift past the light, it seems that they are alive, celebrating their own creative uniqueness.

People claim that every snowflake is unique and that no two are alike. With all the flakes that fall, how do they know that? What if they have kindred spirits, another flake that is just like them? Like two people who find each other seemingly by accident, yet they know that their spirits are bound for eternity, not just till “death do us part.” Watching the falling snow makes me feel that they are drifting, searching for that kindred flake. Take time to look sometime and see that they don’t fall straight down: they drift in the wind, as if searching for their kindred partner.

I love to watch the snow fall. I am weird enough that I even enjoy driving in it, especially at night! The lights from the car form cones of light that illuminate the falling snow. I love to hear the tires gripping the snow as they turn. Oh, and don't get me started about cutting doughnuts in the parking lot. What a thrill! :)

Have a wonderful day, and do something special for someone that is in need, make their life beautiful too!

Update on Transplant--Doing well

Here I am in the picture, 11 days after the operation.

I guess it is time to update this blog. It has been almost a month since my kidney transplant and things are going really well. I am so grateful for the many blessings that have come into my life. I appreciate all the phone calls and visits that have been made by friends and family. I particularly appreciate the many prayers that were offered in my behalf. They really work!

Since the operation, many things have been happening that were surprising. I expected that the operation would allow me to feel better, what I did not expect, was how much better I have felt since the operation. Before the operation, I was always tired and felt sick all the time. Now I have much energy and feel like I can do much and not get tired.

What a wonderful blessing this has been in my life. Jared d does not know how wonderful this blessing has been to me. I appreciate him even more than I did before. It is truly a great gift he has given me. I hurt when he hurt and I was worried about him the first couple of days, because he was in so much pain. It made me appreciate the sacrifice that he made for me!

Jared is back to work and has been working for the last three weeks! He is getting his strength back and will soon be up to where he was before the operation.
I have set goals for my self that deal with exercising. I started walking on the treadmill once a day for half-an- hour., and have been able to increase that to 78 minutes a day. Now I am walking 3 miles per day and I have felt the effect already. I am sure that as I continue, my insulin intake will decrease, as my body requires less insulin and is able to better metabolize the insulin I take. I am monitoring my sugar as much as I can, usually every two or three hours and have had great results; however, I am fighting a battle with the sugars because some of the steroids that they have given me make the blood-sugars jump dramatically. My goal is to have my A1c around a 6, but it will take me some time to get there.

For Thanksgiving, Mary prepared a great feast for my immediate family. I missed the big party for Dad’s 90th birthday on Thanksgiving Day because I am under restriction from the doctors to avoid large groups of people. That restriction will remain in effect until the end of December. However, if you wish to visit, you may, on the condition that you are not sick. My immune system is suppressed and I am susceptible to illness. So if you are sick, wait until you get better and then come visit, or better yet, call me on the phone!

I have appreciated all the help the family has given. They have taken good care of me and have watched out for me and for Jared. Jay was a trooper! On the first night he stayed in the hospital overnight and would go between my room and Jared’s to check up on us. He spent the whole night there.

Jessica was with me and Jared a couple of days also. She took time off work to make sure we were OK! She would look out for the sick ones as well as for Mary. I appreciated the visits from Jelena, also and all she did for us. Joel was in the hospital quite a bit of the time also. Thank you all for your help and concern.

When I got home, Mary took great care of me. She would help me dress and would pamper me more than I deserved. I am sure grateful for all she has done. She would not let me do anything until I was ready. She fixed my meals and made sure that I was getting all that I needed to heal. She would take me to my appointments and would make sure that I was comfortable as we traveled to and from home. I have sure appreciated her care! I love her more than I did before and feel the kind loving spirit that she has.

Once again, I want to thank all those of you who have expressed wishes and prayers in my behalf.

Patient Update

Dad and Jared seem to be doing well. They are anxiously awaiting their release from the hospital. We are hoping that Jared may be going home later today. It looks like Dad may be released tomorrow.

At this time, we are primarily concerned with Guelito (my dad's father) and Sylvia (my cousin), who are also in local hospitals. Guelito spent the night at LDS hospital. From what I have been told he has been asking for a diet coke - that is a good sign right? We hope he will be feeling better and be able to get out of the hospital soon. My aunts and uncles have been taking good care of Guelito in the hospital. Sylvia is at another hospital. We hope that she will start healing and feeling better soon.

More updates and some better pictures will be posted later today. We want to thank everyone for checking the blog and for all of the calls, text messages, emails, and well wishes. We have been blessed in so many different ways. Love you all!

On the mend

I spent all day at the hospital with Dad and Jared today. Dad is doing really well. He is up walking around. His kidney function tests continue to look great. He is in good spirits. He loves Mexican music and spent the morning listening to it on his iPod. Today he learned how to get in and out of bed without putting much strain on his incision. He also has this new trick for putting his socks on and taking them off. He has been a great patient!

Jared had a tough day yesterday. He was in better spirits today. His kids sent Froggy and Jeffrey to spend the day with their dad. Froggy is Lexi's stuffed frog. Jeffrey is JJ's stuffed monkey. The kids sleep with these stuffed animals. They love them almost as much as their parents. Jared and Dusty love Froggy and Jeffrey too, they have hosted birthday parties at their house for them.

Thanks for all of the visits. We had some fun visiting with family members and friends who have dropped by to say hello.

Patient Update

Hi Everyone, I am sitting here with my Dad in the hospital. He is feeling better and anxiously waiting for the Yankees game to start. He is in good spirits and had some visitors today. His doctor said that he should be going home on Monday. I have told my Mom to rest up.

Good news, the kidney seems to be working well. Dad's kidney function continues to improve. The doctors think he should be in the "normal" range by the third or fourth day. He has started the anti-rejection drug and has started wanting to wear red*. (Jared cheers for the U of U.)

The Doctor has said that Jared should be going home on Friday. Jared is doing well. He is still in a lot of pain but he is hanging in there. He has been able to talk to his kids. I think being able to talk to the kids has helped. The kids have been worried about their dad. Jared is a really good dad and his kids love, love, love him.

My Mom is having a good time at the hospital. We have tried to have someone up here with her all of the time. Dusty has also been taking good care of both Jared and my Dad.

I will continue to post more updates. Thanks again for the phone calls and visits. We really appreciate all of the love and concern.

* Just kidding about the wanting to wear red comment. I don't think Dad would wear red if it was the last thing on earth. Go TCU! Did I just say that? I meant Go BYU!

"Cute Kidney"

We just received news that Dad and Jared are out of surgery. The doctor just came down and told us that the kidney pinked right up and "looked really cute". They will be in surgery recovery for the next 1.5 hours and then should be moved up to their rooms. I will post pictures and a better update later tonight.

We would like to thank everyone for your support. We have been blessed and uplifted by the phone calls, emails, text messages, visits, and prayers.

Transplant Update

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick update on the kidney transplant. Everything is going well. We just received an update that they have removed the kidney from Jared. He should be finished up in the next half hour or so. My dad will be in surgery for at least another two or three hours. I will update the blog again once my dad is out of surgery.

A big thanks to my cousin Pere, who has been here with us. He was providing surgery updates from inside the surgery room.

THE MISSING CAKE CAPER!

THE MISSING CAKE CAPER—A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

Since I had been sick most of the day saturday, I asked Mary if we could go to Sacrament meeting in our regular ward and then come home after partaking of the Sacrament. We did so, and it was great to see some of the old-faithful members, you know the ones you can count on to take on assignments and to help make the ward a smooth running organization. These members strive to live the gospel and help others to do the same.

In the last bench on the south side were the Grimshaw’s, They always sit in the same spot, like many of the other families. It almost seems like when the chapel was built, seats were assigned and people sit where they “got their assignments.” It’s not really assigned seating, but I think that the familiarity of seeing the same faces around you week after week seems to help make attending church that much easier. We always look for familiar surroundings, and that at times makes our ward seem cliquish, though if you ask the members, they will tell you there are no cliques in the ward. It just seems that way.

When I was ward mission leader, it was difficult to bring an investigator and find a place for them to sit where the people would be friendly to them, first because they did not know them and then secondly because they usually would try not to speak loudly to maintain the reverence that is required at Sacrament meeting. New members had a difficult time fitting in with the culture until they got used to it and until they became familiar enough to stake out their own seating arrangement.

There is sister Olson with her two little boys, about 8 and 5, her husband probably went out on the opening weekend of the deer hunt so she sits alone with her children. You have one or more of those members in your congregation, out for the deer hunt each year around the 20th of October.

On the other side of the chapel, are the Muto’s with their full row of people, there are also many new young families, staking out their seating arrangements where they begin to feel familiar.

Mary and I like to sit on the first row of chairs in the overflow, so we took our spot and I wondered which family we had displaced since it had been a while since we attended this ward, and the families that sit there tend to come a little late. We will never know, but in the familiar row behind us were the Zito’s with their children, it made us feel welcome.

Having the bishopric acknowledge our presence and come by to shake our hands and ask about our mission, also made the place more familiar once again.

Just as the meeting was about to start, I signaled the missionaries to come by because I had a referral for them. They came and I told them that the Bautista girl at the end of our block is interested in being baptized, they got the information and said they would come by the house for more details…It made me feel more like a part of the ward again, doing a little missionary work. I miss the ward members and the ward!

The meeting got started and we partook of the Sacrament and heard two very good speakers selected from the High Council. They each chose or were assigned talks from last April’s General Conference. They talked on topics President Monson had shared and how we can apply President Monson’s messages to our lives.

After the meeting we excused ourselves and went home. Marry started fixing one of my favorite dinners, beef enchiladas and before long she had a full Mexican dinner ready for the family to eat. I did not know this, but she had invited the kids and grand kids to celebrate my upcoming birthday. She had been preparing the meal for a couple of days and keeping it hushed up so that I had no clue as to what was happening.

When Jared and his family came for dinner, that’s when I got the first clue that Mary was up to something, because Jared’s family brought a birthday card for me. Then it dawned on me all the preparations and all the work Mary had been doing was for a surprise birthday party for me. We had a great meal and enjoyed all the good Mexican food that Mary had cooked. We ate Mexican rice, refried beans (flavored with bacon grease), beef enchiladas, salad, and warm tortillas that she had made the Monday before. All in all a very good meal.

After the meal she brought out a small strudel cake, that had been cooked in one of those round bunt-cake molds, so the cake looked like a giant doughnut. Then the mystery began…

I had gone to the bathroom and upon returning Mary, somewhat irritated asked, “Did you eat part of the cake?” She held the cake in the serving pan with what looked like a perfectly cut wedge out of the round doughnut. I quickly denied any knowledge of the cake and I told her I had not even had an inkling that there was a cake in the house. I said, “Maybe it was Joel who ate it.” But Joel responded quickly, that he had not even seen the cake.

Following the progression of possible suspects, we then blamed Jared and Jacob, but they all denied taking a piece of the cake. The mystery thicked, who ate the cake?

About this time, Mary was beginning to get frustrated and announced that we would not eat the cake since we were not sure if it had come partially eaten from the store. It grossed us out to think that someone has eaten a part of the cake and then replaced the lid on the carrier. I thought how could Mary not see that a part of the cake was missing when she got it from the bakery, Thus this became the missing cake caper.

Like detectives, everyone came up with a conjectures as to how it could have happened and we were all resigned to not eating birthday cake. But Mary, the observant person she is, notice that the cake frosting had gotten on the top of the cake cover and started to look at the cake more closely. The cover was slightly larger than the cake, just enough, so that when she put it in the bag, the cake slid to one side and in so doing split apart and slid to the bottom of the carrier. A gap was left in the perfect shape of a wedge, as if someone had removed a piece and left the cake for the rest of us to enjoy. She took a knife, slid the cake back to the middle of the carrier and “Walla!” a perfectly formed round bunt-apple-strudel cake was formed.

She started laughing and showed everyone how the cake had slid and had made it look as though someone had cut a perfect slice out of it. Needless to say we were all relieved and laughed at how quickly we had accused each other of taking the wedge off the cake.

The MISSING CAKE CAPER HAD BEEN SOLVED! We all enjoyed a tasty dessert and had a wonderful laugh thinking about the missing cake wedge. As we ate the cake, we began smoothing relationships after having accused each other of eating the cake wedge and leaving the rest for the family…Egad!!!

A1c Results/Resultados del examen A1c

For my English speaking friends:

I went in to Diabetes Center and requested an A1c test today to see where my long term blood sugars are at and the results are at 6.3. I have been able to reduce the A1c from 10.1 on the 7th of May to 6.3 on the 28th of Aug. Results are encouraging and I hope to find out about the kidney transplant early next week.

Para mis amigos hispanos:

Hoy me presente al Centro de Diabetes para que me tomaran un examen de la azúcar con el resultado del A1c a 6.3. Desde el día 7 de mayo hasta ahora he bajado el A1c desde 10.1 hasta 6.3. Espero que la semana próxima me indiquen cuando hacen el trasplante de riñón.

Much happeing/Mucho Pasa

For my English speaking friends:

It has been a while since I last posted anything on this blog and I need to keep you informed and updated. I have been working hard at keeping my blood sugars down and have been quite successful. Toward the end of the month, I will have an A1c test done and I anticipate that I will be somewhere around a 6 on it. This will clear me for the kidney transplant that I want to have before I need dialysis.

I have been working on improving my woodworking skills and have built a couple of items for the shop and for the house. I want to tackle a major project next month, but I need to get a couple of tools before I do. I am debating whether to buy the tools, a wood edger planer and a pocket screw jig or whether I should just enroll in a night class and use the equipment at the school. I will decide depending on when they do my kidney transplant. If they do it early in September, I will be out of commission for a couple of months and will not be able to take the class. I might do it next semester. If they postpone it some more, then I will go ahead with the class. What a fatalist, just waiting on others to make the decision for me!



If I wait, I will have saved enough money to purchase the equipment I want and will not need the class, then again, I might want to buy a newer Canon 50D camera and spend my money that way! Decisions, decisions...

I have taken the grand kids to some of the "Build and Grow" workshops at Lowe's and we have had a lot of fun! It has become a "guelito" (grand pa)and grand kids activity every two weeks. The kids love it and I love taking pictures as they build their little woodworking projects. a pirate ship, a treasure chest, a helicopter and a power boat have been some of the protects they have built and it has been fun watching them as they leave the workshop the proud owners of something they built themselves.


Para mis amigos de habla español:

Hace un tiempo que no escribo para dejarles saber cómo van las cosas con mi azúcar. Todavía estoy esperando la operación del riñón. Pero he estado trabajando para que mi azúcar este más baja. Para el fin de este mes me harán otro examen del A1c y para entonces espero tener la azúcar coma a 6 puntos. Esto dará oportunidad para mi operación probablemente en septiembre.

He estado mejorando mis habilidades en cuanto la carpintería. Las últimas semanas me las he pasado haciendo unos estantes para el taller. El próximo mes quiero hacer un proyecto grande, pero para eso tengo que comprar otras herramientas que me hace falta. Estoy pensando comprar una máquina para planear los lados de la madera y también un sistema para atornillar torsos de madera y pegarlos con tornillos. Si no me operan en septiembre, voy a tomar una clase de carpintería para adultos y no tendré que comprar la herramienta que necesito. Pero si me operan en septiembre, entonces estaré fuera de comisión por uno dos mes no tiene caso inscribirme en la clase.

Si me tengo que esperar, entonces ahorrare el dinero para poder comprar la herramienta o tambien podre comprar otra cámara para tomar fotos. íQue fatalista! Espero que otros hagan la decisión según la operación. Si me espero, puedo comprar la cámara nueva de Canon, la 50D...



Las últimas semanas he llevado a los nietos y a Lexi a Lowe's para participar en un proyecto donde los niños construyen varios objetos de madera. Han construido un barco de piratas, un cofre de tesoro, un helicóptero, y un bote de carreras. Me da gusto llevarlos y tomar fotos. Después salen felices con lo que han construido. Se ha convertido en un proyecto de "Guelito" y nietos.

Building Projects/Proyectos de Construcción

Para mis amigos de habla español.

Bueno, mis azucares has estado muy bien, llevo un promedio de 130 en los últimos treinta días. Si sigo así, el A1c será como de 5.8 en agosto. Estoy cuidando mis carbohidratos muy cuidadosamente. Esto me está ayudando a mantener la azúcar muy baja.

Los últimos quince días me he pasado trabajando en varios proyectos. Mary y yo hemos estado remodelando el baño de los muchachos. Instalamos azulejo y wainscoting y puerta de vidrio en la tina.





También me he pasado el tiempo haciendo proyectos con los nietos. Hunter y yo hicimos un barco de pirata. Jakson y yo hicimos un barco de remolque y también hicimos un barco de piratas. Hoy hicimos un cofre del tesoro. Nos hemos divertido mucho.











Me mantengo ocupado con el trabajo de la Iglesia y como ven me divierto con los proyectos que hemos hecho los nietos y yo.

For my English speaking friends:

I have been keeping close tabs on my sugar levels and have averaged about 130 over the last thirty days. This translates to about 5.8 on the A1c chart. By August, I should be ready for my operation.

As you can see from the pictures above, I have been staying busy with many activities around the house. Mary and I decided to remodel the boy's bathroom and we have installed tile, wainscoting and a shower door on the tub.

I have also been doing several little projects with my grand kids. Hunter and I built a pirate ship. Jakson and I built a tug boat and a pirate ship and today we built a treasure chest. It has been a lot of fun working with the grand kids. In a couple of weeks, Lexi, Hunter and Jakson and I will build three helicopters from wood.

Aside from keeping busy with Church work, I have also enjoyed working with the grand kids.

Todo va Bien/All is going well

Las últimas tres semanas he mantenido la azúcar como a 125 mg/dl esto se traduce como al 5.7mmol/l si sigo así el A1c será menos de 6 puntos. El promedio de los últimos 30 días me ha resultado como en 6 así que vamos bien con la azúcar. Mañana tengo cita con la enfermera que me esta cuidando el progreso. Haber que me dice.

Las últimas dos semanas me las he pasado de electricista, instalando unos circuitos en el garaje chico que uso para almacenar mi tractor y algunas sierras que tengo. Un amigo me instalo la caja de los interruptores y de allí yo instale circuitos por todo el garaje. Puse dos luces grandes para iluminar lo más oscuro del taller. Una está sobre la mesa de trabajo. Esta semana voy a pulir la mesa y a teñirla para proteger la madera. Después voy a poner estantes para podre guardar toda la herramienta que tengo tirada, sierras, compresor, limpiador de presión y otras cosas que tengo que almacenar. Me paso buen rato en el taller.

Me recuerda mucho a la cochera que tenía mi tio Chuy. El siempre tenía un proyecto en el cual estaba trabajando. Por esa razón me gustaba ir a dormir con Guelita Caro. El Sábado por la mañana salía mi tio a trabajar en algún proyecto. Ya se ponía a instalar un circuito de luz o a mezclar cemento para algún proyecto. ¡Como me gustaba seguirlo y aprender de lo que él hacía! Creo que desde entonces me gusto hacer trabajo de electricista. Estoy arreglando mi taller y poco a poco va tomando ambiente. Me gusta trabajar en los proyectos del taller.

For my English speaking friends:

The last three weeks, I have been monitoring my sugar levels quite closely and have maintained an average of 125 mg/dl which translates roughly to about a 5.7 mmol/l on the A1c scale. Of course I have to sustain those lower levels of sugar to get my A1c below 7. If I continue that way, my A1c will drop below a 6. I have to maintain the lower averages for three months. Tomorrow I have an appointment with the nurse that monitors my sugar levels, I am anxious to hear what she has to say.

The last couple of weeks I have been working on my tool shed, where I store my lawn tractor and a few bench saws and other equipment. I have been installing outlets and light circuits in the shed. I installed two large lights, one over the work bench and the other in a dark part of the shed to help illuminate the area. They work out really nice. I am going to build shelves to store the rest of the equipment, compressor, pressure washer and other equipment that I have around the shed. I enjoy my time in the work shed.

I am reminded of my uncle Jesus, (Chuy), He always had a project to work on and I enjoyed tagging along to watch and learn from him. I think that is where I began my fascination with electricity and electrical work. One of the reasons I liked going to my Grandmother's house to sleep over was that on Saturdays, Tio Chuy would get up and start working on some project. He would install a circuit here or would mix cement for some other project. I loved to follow him around and was fascinated with all the work he did. That is one of the reasons I like working in my shed. It has turned into a small shop for projects etc.

Lowering my Sugar/Bajando la Azucar

Last Tuesday I had an appointment with the Diabetes Center to help control my A1c level. I was glad to hear that there are many things I can do to bring my sugar level under control. I have changed the way I give myself insulin, I was given a chart that indicates how much insulin I need according to the sugar level in my blood and also according to the carbohydrates that I eat. This has been giving me some great results. This last week I have tested my blood sugar 33 times and my average reading has been 150. If I can maintain this over the next few weeks, my A1c will be below 7%. I am encouraged by this.

Para mis amigos de hable español:

El martes pasado tuve una consulta en un centro de diabetes para aprender a controlar el examen A1c que indica el porcentaje de azúcar en la sangre. Mi meta es de bajarlo a menos de 7%. Esta consulta me ayudo para poder controlar la cantidad de insulina que me inyecto antes de cada comida. La enfermera me enseño como contar los carbohidratos que estoy consumiendo en cada comida. De acurdo con el nivel de azúcar que tengo en la sangre antes de comer, y con los carbohidratos que voy a comer, me regulo la insulina y esto me está ayudando bastante. La semana pasada me revise la azúcar 33 veces y tengo un promedio de 150 puntos de azúcar. Esto quiere decir que si puedo mantener este nivel por unas cuantas semanas, el examen A1c saldrá con un porcentaje de menos de 7%. Me da animo que este progresando.

Too Much Sugar?/¿Mucha Azucar?

Haga clic en la foto para verla en formato más grande!
Click the picture to see it in a larger format!


¡No sé porque los doctores creen que tengo mucha azúcar!

I don’t Know why the doctors think I have too much sugar!

Postponed/Pospuesta

El seguro no me aprobó la operación porque tengo la azúcar muy alta. Primero quieren que me baje la azúcar y luego me dicen si aprueban la operación o no. Lo que quiero hacer es evitar la diálisis, pero no se qué vamos a tener que hacer ahora. Más tarde me dicen que programa vamos a seguir para poder bajar la azúcar.

Por lo pronto estoy un poco desanimado, pero bueno es mejor para no dañar el riñón nuevo. ¡Así es la vida!

For my English Speaking friends:

My insurance has denied the operation and we are now officially on hold. I have no idea for how long, but one of the problems is that my sugar levels are too high and I will need to bring them down before the insurance will approve the transplant. I am waiting for information on the Diabetes Center, where they will let me know how to better control my sugar level.

For now I am discouraged, but I guess looking at the bright side of things it is better to bring the sugar under control and not damage the new kidney. Life goes on!

Last Tests/Los Ultimos Examenes

Today was a big day, Mary, Jared and I went to the Transplant Center and received our last labs and our orientation. We discussed the procedure for Tuesday and what to expect after the surgery. The process was explained in detail, so that we had a better understanding of what is supposed to happen during and after the surgery.

The other day, I got an email from Nancy, in New Orleans indicating how proud she was of Jared for the decision he made to be my kidney donor. She mentioned that she was proud of how he has grown up and of how responsible he is. As a father, I know how she feels. I am proud of him and how he has taken the bull by the horns and has not flinched. I love him even more than I can express for this decision to donate one of his kidneys.

I sense a nervous anticipation about this operation, but I can’t wait to have the procedure done. Jared and I will go to the Hospital on Tuesday morning at 5:00 a.m. and the operations will take place around 8:00 a.m. The procedures last around two hours and then we will be placed on the 10th floor of the Intermountain Medical Center. Jared will remain in the hospital until Friday, and then he will go home to continue his recovery. The nurses are all trained in transplant procedures and care of transplant patients. I felt reassured that the transplant team has performed 96 transplants in the last year and all have been successful.

Jared’s bosses have told him not to worry about work. They are going to pay him for his time as if he was working and he does not have to use his vacation time to cover his time off. They told him not to worry about a thing, when he returns, he will have an assistant to train or as he says to boss around until he recovers completely. WHAT A GREAT BLESSING.

Para mis amigos de habla español:

Hoy fue un día memorable, Mary, Jared y yo fuimos al Centro de Trasplantes para los exámenes finales, antes del trasplante del riñón. Tuvimos oportunidad de escuchar el proceso del trasplante. Nos explicaron todo lo que anticipaban que iba a pasar durante las operaciones y lo que debíamos esperar después de las operaciones. Nos describieron el proceso en detalle, así que, tenemos mejor idea de que es lo que nos espera el martes.

El otro día, recibí un correo electrónico de mi hermana menor, Nancy, de Nueva Orleans. Me mando decir el orgullo que sentía ella por Jared, al ver cómo ha crecido y como ha aceptado responsabilidad de su familia. Yo sé cómo se siente ella, pues yo también estoy bien orgulloso de Jared. Es un hombre responsable, que quiere a su familia, me da orgullo que sea mi hijo. Es realmente impresionante como ha tomado esta decisión, como dicen por acá, tomo el toro de los cuernos y no lo suelta. Le amo mucho, aun mas de lo que puedo expresar por tomar la decisión de donarme un riñón.

Estoy un poco nervioso con la anticipación de las operaciones que nos harán el martes. Pero a la vez no me aguanto para que terminen este proceso. Jared y yo vamos al hospital el martes a las 5 de la mañana y las operaciones empezaran como a las 8. Aproximadamente dos horas más tarde, terminan las operaciones. Después nos mandaran al 10º piso para la recuperación. Jared permanecerá en el hospital hasta el viernes, y después va a su casa para continuar su recuperación. Las enfermeras del hospital has sido capacitadas para cuidar a personas recuperando de trasplantes. Me dio gran consuelo saber que los doctores y enfermeras hicieron 96 trasplantes el año pasado y todos salieron bien.

Los jefes de Jared le dijeron que no se preocupara por su trabajo. Le van a pagar por el tiempo que este en el hospital y ni siquiera le van a cobrar de su vacaciones. Le dijeron sus jefes que no se preocupara de nada, que ellos le iban a cubrir el trabajo. Hasta hicieron arreglos para que cuando regrese a trabajar, le van a dar un ayudante para que lo entrene para hacer el trabajo que hace Jared. Según Jared le van a dar ayudante para hacerlo mayordomo y que lo esté mandando a todo. ¡QUE BENDICION TAN GRANDE!

La Princesa/The Princess

El viernes y el sábado de la semana pasada fuimos a ver a Lexi bailar. Gano el segundo lugar en su grupo. El baile fue excepcional, y ella se veía bien linda. Bueno es la nieta más bella que tenemos (es la única nieta). Nos dio gusto llevar a Hunter y ver como abrazo a su prima y le dio un beso antes de que empezara a bailar. Aquí les mando unas fotos…

For My English Speaking Friends:

Last Friday and Saturday, we went to see our granddaughter Lexi dance. She took second place in the competition. We were proud of her and of course she is our most beautiful granddaughter (only granddaughter). It was great to take Hunter and watch him go over to her and hug and kiss her before her dance recital. He loves his cousin. I am sending a few pictures for your enjoyment.