Here we are at April 3rd, the first Sunday of the month.

 TERRY

Terry woke me up about 7:00 AM and is now reading the paper.  I would say she is same same.  Yesterday she said she would be open to going on a wheelchair ride today around where we live so I may take her up on that, we will see.  It is currently cloudy so we may get rain.

Well it is Sunday so I may just dial the clock way way back and write about a major decision Gail and I made in the spring of 1972 and what came of it!

I started teaching in the fall of 1969 and immediately took to the idea of using visual ads in teaching as my students were deaf.  I read an article in early spring of 1972 about a workshop in Lincoln NB for teachers of the deaf which focused on visual aids.  I applied and got a grant to go to school.  That was the first step towards getting my MS degree.  Actually I guess that is not correct.  I had taken the GRE test a year earlier so I had that out of the way.  

We found a person who would rent our home during the summer and we took off to NB with the idea of camping during the 6 weeks I went to school.  I have written about that but can say camping and sleeping in a tent with a 2 and half year old and 6 month baby was an adventure but we lived through it with no damage so to speak.  That launched me towards my degree.  Over the next two years I took some classes at Lake Region Community College and then in the summer of 1974 I enrolled at UND in Grand Forks with a goal of majoring in learning disabilities and a minor in administrative work.  Over the next three summers 74,75 and 76 I spent in Grand Forks taking classes during the summer.  One summer I stayed with Gail's Aunt and Uncle.  One summer I stayed with some community people and the last summer I rented an apartment.  We intended to have Gail and the boys stay in Grand Forks with me that last summer but it did not work out.  During the school year of 75-76 I conducted my research paper which compared test scores of students who had an educational program in the dorm with students who did not have a program.  Finally with cap and gown, Gail and the boys AND Mom and Dad I received my MS in the summer of 1976,  It was so nice of Mom and Dad to come and take it in and then we had a picnic afterwards to celebrate.  Mom and Dad even gave me a graduation gift, a gun case which I still have.   I then settled into the office of Director of Education at the school for the Deaf.  I served in that capacity until we moved in the fall of 77.  

As I think back on those days I tend to wonder how we did it all with me being gone during the week.  We needed to plan and save as at that time I was not getting paid during the summer months so it was a HUGE challenge to plan ahead so that the summer bills could be paid but we made it work.  Gail had the boys by herself and they were more than a handful at times.  I only remember once where she called me and said I had better get home before she killed someone.  I will not say who!!!  We felt that we had things under control at that time.  I was now getting a better salary and I really loved my job.  BUT as life has a way of changing, our desire for a Christian Community grew and we decided that God's plan for us was NOT for me to stay at the school but rather move to St. Paul where I was offered a job out of the blue.  We immersed our selves and family into People of Praise.  It also brought new things for the boys in terms of school and sports.  AND I should add that it also brought into Gail's life her dream, a baby girl!!!  I would not say Cynthia was God's reward for pursuing what we felt God intended us to do but I will not say it was an accident!  There may be more details in later readings.  BUT I will say that the move was a total life changing event for us.  Yes, if I were able to go back to the fall of our move, 1977 I would so some things differently BUT what use is there is saying, "what if?'  When I weigh the good and not so good of that move the scale is way way up on the GOOD so we will leave it at that.  

Here was our home for 6 weeks at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.  We only used the pick up camper if it rained for cooking.  Other wise we cooked over the fire pit.  As I went to school during the day Gail took the boys to swim lessons at the Y.  We even invited some of our new friends over for dinner! Taking the tent along was a last minute decision but it was a life saver as we slept in in the entire time.  The camper was too small.  We left a day earlier than we wanted as a huge band of gypsies moved in and took over the camp ground!  We did not like the cages with snakes in!!!  We were forever grateful to Grandpa and Grandma Saunders as they lent us their pickup and camper.  To this day I am amazed that Gail would put up with me going to school like that.

We have a cloudy day with temps near 90.  The weather shows that by late afternoon we have a 90% chance of rain which could mean no tennis tomorrow!  I need to get on the courts as I have not played now for 3 days and this old body does not take long to get rusty!  I think we got put on overflow again on Tuesday. 

Actually the NO tennis for a few days came at a good time as I have not felt well for three days now.  I do think I am feeling somewhat better today but I have had this dizziness for some time.  Today I have been able to be up and around for over an hour with no signs of it so that is good.

Well here it is a bit past 9:00 and I am finished writing.  I do have some FP left so will linger on the computer for a time and look at Facebook which I admit is often a waste of time but!!!