Freezerburn & Moving On

Can I just say that some foods should NEVER be frozen or put in the freezer for so long! I just finished cleaning out my grandma's freezer and there was a heck of a lot of food with lots of freezer burn on it. I still have another freezer to clear out. Pretty much I'm filling up a garbage container. She thinks the food isn't so bad, but really, who freezes sour cream? That is just one example...

Now that I've told my roommates, I can write about this.... I'm moving!! I never thought I would move from where I am unless I was getting married, so this is a surprise to me, too. I've been in my current ward for 7 years. Yeah, that's a long time, but it's been amazing. I do not regret it even a little bit. I've learned so much from the people in that ward.

So, how did this come about? Well, before coming back from Christmas break, I was feeling like I was beginning a new ME-- full-time job, new car.... Then when I walked into my apartment, I realized that it would be a lot harder for me to be what I feel I want to be/need to be if I stay where I've been for so long. I need more personal space- my own room. I'd like my own place, but that is out of the question. I also feel like I need to be around older singles who are graduated like me. After looking around online for hours and asking around, I found a place that I was seriously considering until I got a phone call from my mom. As I stood in front of the door of the potential place, my mom told me that my grandma was in the hospital. As soon as she said it, the thought came to me that maybe I should move in with her to help her out. I went to visit her in the hospital and asked her about it and she thought it was a good idea, too. Since I decided to move there, I've felt at peace about moving, although I am a little nervous about the new ward. Hopefully it will be what I need.

My grandma was in the hospital for congested heart failure. She was retaining a lot of water, too, so both of those together made it very difficult for her to breathe when she tried to sleep. She is home now, but now she is lugging around an oxygen machine to allow her body to take in all the oxygen it needs to function. The doctor was very optimistic about her future, but my family and I kind of think it's only the beginning of the end. She now can only have 2 g of salt a day and foods that are low in vitamin K. That is part of the reason why I cleaned out her fridge and freezer. I also went shopping for her and I realized how many things have salt, canola oil, and soybean oil. She can't have any of those.

I moved some of my stuff in last night, stuff I'm not going to be using very much. I slept at her house in the basement just to get a feel for the place and see how I like it. I asked her if just knowing I was there made her feel better and she said it did. Granted, I will be gone all day and be social at night, but I will be there as much as I can. I can always invite people over to watch movies or play games as long as she is up for the company because normally she loves company.

I am VERY excited to live in her basement! I'm already thinking of things that I can do to make it warm and inviting. The basement is pretty big, but only half of it is finished. Two bedrooms and the bathroom are done and look good, I just have to get a dresser and add whatever things I want to. The first two rooms you walk into down there are not finished. She has all the supplies, it just needs to be done. It probably won't happen for a while, but I want to finish one of the rooms so it looks warm and welcoming. In order to do that, I need to get the electrical things done or fixed-- add plugs and fix how the lights turn on and off. I then just need help putting in the insulation and boards for three of the walls. One wall is just cement, so it needs the wood put in as well. It shouldn't be too hard, just a lot of work. The floor is cement and currently has random rugs and carpet to cover it, but I think that will be taken care of much later.

I hope I have some good home teachers who want to do some service!! :D