Is it October 31 or Novermber 7 - or both???

Okay, I think I have created a new definition for "double-minded" - the ability to live two different days simultaneously. Either that, or I have sunk to a new level of confusion!

By way of background, let me say that I have been aware since the beginning of the school year that picture day would be Wednesday, November 7. But for some reason I had in my mind earlier this week that picture day was this week. On Monday after school I had to go get my new driver's license photo taken. When I left there I decided to go check out the nearby Salvation Army thrift shop. Being in no particular hurry I browsed for at least an hour. My best find was a Liz & Co. sweater, black with lots of embroidery and beads (pictured below). I decided when I got home that it would be perfect (after washing it of course) for my school picture.

But it did need a mock turtle neck to complete it, so Tuesday evening when Dick said he was going to the Verizon store I asked him to drop me off at the mall so I could get a mock turtleneck top for my school picture "tomorrow." I quickly found just what I was looking for at Kohls.

So this morning I did my hair and make-up just right for my picture. At the very same time I was very aware that this was Halloween as I listened to the news and heard them talking about it. I even prayed for the people from my church who will be providing a "safe house" tonight for people who have come out of Satanic backgrounds.

I got to school and was surprised that the kindergarten classes were going on a field trip on picture day. Their teachers were dressed in their most casual clothes. I also thought it strange that nothing was mentioned about it during staff devotions. I didn't want to bring it up lest I would sound like a teenager that's overly eager to have her picture taken. When devotions were over I went to my desk and took a look at the school calendar. Sure enough, there it was - picture day on November 7. There were a few teachers standing there and I said, "Are we not having pictures taken today after all?" They said, "No, that's on November 7." I got a momentary look of confusion, then realized that all in one morning I had thought it was October 31 and November 7 simultaneously.

Wow, I guess I should be worried, but I have been giggling about it to myself all day. Even funnier - I knew that it would get too warm today for that sweater, so I took a different top along to change into after my picture. So I changed tops during a break in my schedule. Later one of the teachers looked at me and said, "Did you change clothes since this morning?" I assured her I had. She said, "I was beginning to wonder about myself." She was wondering about HERself? Ha, ha, ha!!

But hey, isn't this a nice sweater no matter what day it is?

I hate cold weather!!!

Fall has arrived. Actually, this morning it felt like winter had arrived. All in two days I had all these firsts: yesterday I wore pantyhose and closed-toe shoes to church for the first time since Spring, this morning I wore a coat for the first time, as well as socks and regular shoes, AND I had to scrape ICE off my car windows before I could drive to school. The secretary at school hates cold weather as badly as I do and we always like to joke about when we're going to move to Florida. So when I got to school I told her, "Well, Deb, I'm officially depressed." And I proceeded to tell her about all my cold weather "firsts." She agreed that she's officially depressed also. Of course we're kidding about being depressed (sort of!), but we still hate cold weather.

But I do have to admit that I slept REALLY good last night. Our bedroom was cold so I put an extra quilt on top and I slept straight through until my alarm clock rang. Rare indeed. That is cold weather's one redeeming virtue as far as I'm concerned.

I said on Saturday morning that I would write a Saturday Story later in the day. I actually started to write it when I realized I had already posted that story one other Saturday - the one about the time I got into the wrong car with the wrong man. If you never heard that one, go to my Story Saturday label and scroll down to May 26. This coming Saturday I'll post a story about my Pimp Wagon. Ha! I'll bet I got your attention on that one! Now what would a good Christian lady like me have to do with a pimp wagon? I guess you'll just have to wait until Saturday to find out!!

Our weekend

Saturday evening our church had our annual "barn" party and pig roast. However, due to the heavy rain we had for several days, the party was held at the church instead of a barn. People were asked to dress in animal costumes. They had an animal parade where they each modeled their costume. It was a lot of fun. I went to school and got a butterfly costume from a previous musical for Destiny. She looked so adorable.

Our pastor and his wife - Lady and the Tramp!!

Noah introduced each animal as they modeled!!

Even our cooks dressed up!

This little sweetie pie didn't need a costume - she was all smiles for her proud Grandpa.

Destiny has just loved having Tuwana here this weekend. They played dress-up, played with dolls, and dressed the blow-up tiger she won at the "barn" party.

We got a good laugh over this view of the tiger!

This morning Tuwana played guitar and sang with our worship team. The year she taught at our school she was on our worship team at church, so she enjoys joining us whenever she comes to visit. She and I sang a duet as a special this morning.

She left to return to VA when we were ready to leave for our Christmas rehearsal at 5 today. Now it's 8:00 and we're soon ready to take Destiny back home.

Getting to hear Joyce Meyer

All week long I was thinking that I would be going with my friend Tuwana (who is staying here to attend the Joyce Meyer conference in Hershey) this morning. Usually Dick goes to a football game on Friday evenings and is home Saturday mornings, so I figured that's when it would work best for me to go with Tuwana, since we always have Destiny here on the weekends and someone would need to be here with her. However, Dick reminded me Thursday evening as I was busily cleaning the house for Tuwana's arrival, that he switched his Saturday schedule at Advance Auto Parts from Saturday evening to Saturday morning because we are going to our church's barn party Sataurday evening. I couldn't believe it. Joyce Meyer is in Hershey - 45 minutes away, I have someone staying in my house who's going to hear her, but I can't go. My dear husband would have decided to give up going to the football game, I'm sure, but he didn't have to make that decision. Yesterday the rain became increasingly heavy and the game was postponed!

So after school I went to Lancaster to get Destiny (Friday traffic is always horrible), called home to Tuwana and asked her to please wait for me because I'm going along with her to the evening session and would she please put a frozen pizza in the oven because I was starving, I got home, grabbed a piece of pizza, Dick arrived home from work, and Tuwana and I hit the road - the WET road. Wow, I hate driving in the rain. Meanwhile we were listening to the local Christian radio station who had someone at the Giant Center telling how full it was getting, that even the "peanut heaven" seats were filling up. We finally got there and walked a long distance in the rain, the two of us crowding under my big umbrella, getting our feet wet. Once inside we did climb the stairs to peanut heaven, but there were still seats up there, thank God.

The worship was led by Hillsongs London and I didn't really know their songs so it was hard to enter in until they slowed things down a bit. But that was okay. Joyce was every bit as good as she is on TV - SO funny, but so full of extremely powerful, helpful, applicable, rememberable truth. I just love listening to her. She is not just a bunch of "fluff". She stirs me up and fills me with motivation. One time last night she said, "Stop wishing you had what someone else has when you're not willing to go through what they did to get it. People say, 'I just wish I knew the Word like so and so.' Well, then STUDY it!! Or they'll say, 'I just wish I had peace like so and so.' Well, look up all the verses on peace and start putting them into practice." She told, as she often does, about how years ago she would so easily become upset by everything and lose her peace over the smallest things. As she's grown in her walk with the Lord she has worked really hard at not letting circumstances destroy her peace. Then she gave a neat example of when she knew she had really grown in that area of her life. They were getting ready to leave the house to go to one of her conferences. She reached up to get something off a shelf in the bedroom closet and a box of things that Dave has kept (he's more of a pack rat than she and likes to save things in boxes) came falling down and spilled the contents all over the closet floor. She showed how she stood there and looked at that stuff and took a moment to compose herself and then said, "Well, I guess that stuff will still be there when we get back," and she closed the door and left. Like I said, the things she teaches are really, really down to earth and helpful.

When it was over Tuwana and I walked to my car in DRIVING rain. At first we almost thought we couldn't find my car, but we did. We were so glad to be out of the rain. I think it took at least 45 minutes to get out of the parking lot, and the drive home was no fun. Driving in the dark and rain has to be about one of the worst things. We got home about 11:20. Dick had taken Destiny swimming at the rec center and she was sound asleep of course. Tuwana and I ate and talked and listened to CD's until 1:00. She is also a worship leader at her church so we just love sharing our favorite new music with each other.

Later today I'll do my Saturday story. It's one many of you have heard before, but not all. I told it to Tuwana last night when we were hunting my car. So check back later.

Thursday

As I usually do on Thursdays, I went to pray with our pastor's wife this morning before I went to school. It's down to just the two of us because the others who used to come have jobs that prevent them from being able to come. I'm so glad I can still fit it in. I really need to start a diary of the things we have prayed for and the ways we've seen God move. It's amazing.

After school I had my every-six-weeks hair appointment, and Dick went straight to a job training thing after work. Now I've done my blogging and there's one big thing left to do. I have to clean my house. I really don't feel like it, but I have a guest coming tonight. A friend from VA who taught one semester at our school a number of years ago is attending the Joyce Meyer conference at Hershey and will be sleeping here. I'm hoping I might be able to go to the Saturday morning session with her.

Below is a picture that someone took yesterday when we had the entire student body (about 150 kids - we only go to grade 8) sing two songs for the grandparents at lunch time. On this picture I was introducing our songs, Indescribable and Mighty to Save. The pictures she took while they were singing got too blurry. I guess it's hard to get a good picture of a moving target!

Blog Friends Forever

"Presented to awesome BLOG owners who keep their readers excited about their posts. Their blog posts are interesting (NOT spammy) and worth reading and keep their subscribers looking forward to each and every post."

There are lots of shirts, etc. with the initials BFF meaning Best Friends Forever. Now there's a new meaning for those letters - Blog Friend Forever. Today Kat (justabeachkat) gave me this award, along with Tracey (show me state...of mind), Tonja (gatherings), and Dianne (glasses of grace). After our fun meeting in Pensacola in September Kat and Tonja decided that we are the charter members of the "B" Club. The "B" stands for: beautiful, boistrous, babbling, blogging babes. I'd like to add one more "B" word to that list - blessed.

It's the craziest thing how friendship starts and grows and deepens in this land of Blogs. My dear friend Cheryl (cherdecor)was the first person I ever knew who blogged, and it was because of her that I got started. I just wanted a place to write and share my pictures with family and maybe a few friends. Cheryl was my only commenter for a long, long time, bless her dear faithful heart. Then I discovered Mary Ann (buckeyegirlie)and recognized pictures of some of her family members, and we quickly developed a bond on many levels. I met Kat through Cheryl, then I met Tracey the day we both commented on Kat's blog for the first time. I met Dianne through Tracey's blog, and I'm not quite sure whose blog Tonja commented on first, but I soon knew she was a kindred spirit. There are so many other wonderful women out there, but I just don't have the time to keep up with them. But the ones I mentioned here have become so dear to me, and it's all because of you, Cheryl! Also because of blogging I have been keeping up with my cousin Joanne better than we ever have in our entire lives. Our daughter Miki in Sweden and my sister Rose in Atlanta seem closer than they really are as well, because of blogging. Do I sound like I love blogging? Yes I do!!!

We had a fun Grandparents Day at school today, but I'm too sleepy to write any more tonight.

Foilage and fires

I have nothing tremendously interesting or profound to share this evening. So I'm sharing this beautiful picture my brother sent me from a road trip he and his wife took last week. We have not been seeing much beautiful autumn foilage this year due to our extremely warm temperatures. Today is October 23rd, and I had the AC on in my classroom all day long! Even this evening when I came out of the gym at 8:30 it felt warm and humid. We were supposedly getting rain today, but it didn't happen. They're saying it's still coming, followed by cooler temps. I won't mind cooler nights, but I love these warm days.

Aren't the fires in Southern California unbelievable? How helpless everyone is in the face of the draught and wind!

When it rains on your party....

Remember the other week when I was down at Lisa's and she was busy getting ready for a big party at their house? Well, the party was last evening - a costume party for Sophie's friends and their families. There were to be about 60 people altogether. Not only did Lisa spend many hours doing "house" projects, she also went to great lengths to plan and prepare games and outdoor activities for the children, including a hayride behind George's lawn tractor. Altogether she had nine activities set up in their back yard. Everything was planned and ready to the T. The guests started arriving and then the unthinkable happened. After weeks, or maybe months, of draught, it started to POUR. And it continued to rain heavily the entire evening!! There was nothing to do but pull out Sophie's toys and put some of them in her bedroom, some in the living room, some on the back patio, and some on the front porch, and just let the kids play! Lisa said everyone had a great time anyway - all 51 of them!

I think you can count seven children in the picture below, although some look more like big stuffed animals! I believe Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz was there as well!

Lisa also sent me pictures from a little program they attended last Friday at Sophie's preschool. She goes to a nearby Methodist church's preschool two mornings a week. They did little songs with motions. How familiar that feels to me, except none of my students are quite that young. How I would have loved to be there to watch them! Sophie has the sweetest singing voice. (She's the one in orange.)

And one more picture sent to me from my sister Doris of her precious, little granddaughter Paityn. I just want to kiss that sweet little face!

Our weekend

On Saturday Dick spent hours digging holes for the posts for the ramp he will be building from our deck to the new walk. I think we have discovered why the previous owners had just a cheap, short plywood ramp. The soil here is shale and as hard as a rock. Even with a post hole digger, a drill, and a digging iron it took a lot of back-breaking muscle. He still has two more to dig and he's not looking forward to it.

Meanwhile the lumber for the ramp is patiently waiting!

I stayed home all of Friday evening and Saturday with Destiny, trying to give her plenty of rest, tea, and pampering to help her kick the cold she has.

Here she's modeling the one outfit I bought her the other day. The skirt was from Goodwill, originally from The Children's Place. The top is the one I got at Kmart. Today she wore this to church with her black boots. What a little preppie!

This evening she blessed my heart in the deepest way. I'll be taking her back home tomorrow morning before school, so she's sleeping here. After I read from her little Princess devotional book and we prayed, she said she wants to be baptized. (This morning at church three children, each a year or two older than her, were baptized. It was a joyous, celebratory time, and Destiny was sitting right up front with me watching it all.) So when she expressed her desire this evening, I asked her if she understood why those children were being baptized. She didn't, so I explained it. Destiny has often heard about Jesus' sacrifice. In fact, any student of mine who learned the words last spring to the song, How Deep the Father's Love, has heard a vivid explanation of the cross and what it means to us. But I have never felt that Destiny had gotten to the point where she understood the personal aspect of it. After I explained baptism to her this evening she said again that she wants to be baptized. I asked her, "Did you ever tell Jesus that you believe He died for your sin and ask Him to come into your heart?" She said she had, so I asked her when she did that. She answered, "One time at my mommy's house, and I was in my bed and I was crying, and I put my head under my pillow and I asked Jesus to come into my heart and make me happy so I wouldn't be sad anymore." Well, as you can imagine, tears came to my eyes and my heart was deeply touched. She may not have completely understood salvation, but she did understand Who to turn to when her heart was aching. I could just sob thinking about it. Anyway, I did help her this evening to ask Jesus into her heart for the forgiveness of her sin. My cup overfloweth!

Of Airplances, Airports, and Restrooms

Of Airplanes, Airports, and Restrooms

Traveling by any means requires the use of restrooms. In the past five years I have done most of my traveling by air, and using the bathrooms has at times been a challenge and at other times an embarrassment.

In June 2002 I took 20-month-old Destiny with me to visit our daughter Miki and family in Sweden. It was a huge undertaking, no doubt, but I was desperate to visit them, we could not afford tickets for both Dick and me, and at that time there would not have been adequate child care for Destiny if I had gone without her.

We left the Newark, NJ airport at 7 PM on an 8-hour flight to Stockholm. By 11:00 she was sound asleep on my lap. I had probably gotten two hours of sleep when they started waking us up with hot, lemon-scented wash cloths for our faces, readying us for our soon-to-be-served breakfast. Hmm, I really had to pee. What to do? I couldn't leave her in my seat. So, believe it or not, I took her along to the restroom, her head on my shoulder, and in that teeny, tiny airplane restroom I somehow managed to take care of business. She slept right through the whole thing!

Two weeks later we said our goodbyes to Miki and family and took the one-hour, early morning flight from Umea to Stockholm. And Destiny fell asleep again just before we landed. I had hoped that our luggage would go straight through to Newark, but no such luck. This was post 9/11, and security was tight. I had to claim our luggage and recheck it for the next flight. Getting a luggage cart, I laid Destiny in the basket part of the cart with her head propped on my backpack for a pillow, and loaded our luggage. And again I had to pee. But alas, what would I do with this huge cart? I couldn't let it sit unattended, and the restroom door near baggage pick-up didn't even look wide enough for the cart to go through. Oh well, I would just wait until I had checked in our luggage. I traipsed through the humongous, very-under-construction Stockholm airport, pushing my cart and sleeping child, and "holding it". As I neared the international flight area I could NOT believe my eyes. The lines for checking luggage were LOOOOONG!! It's a good thing I didn't realize how long at that point. TWO HOURS later it was finally my turn! At that point Destiny stirred for the first time! (God is good!) I asked the lady that checked my luggage where the nearest restroom was and she told me in no uncertain terms that I had no time to stop at a restroom. I was just to wait until I was on board. The way to my gate was long. At one point I had to use an elevator and when I got off I noticed a restroom sign. I decided I didn't care if I missed my flight and I ran, pushing Destiny in her little umbrella stroller to that blessed relief station. Ahhhh!! And I didn't miss my flight either, lady!

Last fall I flew down to Tampa for a few days by myself when we had a day off school. It was the first time I had ever driven myself to the Baltimore airport and navigated the long term parking/shuttle thing without Dick. It was still early in the morning when I finally got there and had my bag checked in. With a couple of cups of coffee in my system, you guessed it - I had to pee. My cell phone rang as I walked toward the rest rooms. It was Lisa checking in on me. As I walked in to the rest room I remembered an article I had just read in the paper about how annoying it is to listen to someone talking on their cell phone in the next toilet stall, so I decided to stand at the sinks until we were finished talking. I was facing the mirrors as we talked when I noticed a MAN coming out of a stall behind me. I had mindlessly walked into the men's room!! Thank GOD I had read that newspaper article and only went as far as the sinks! Imagine that poor guy listening to me talk on my cellphone in the next stall!

And as you know, I just flew to Tampa last week, and I have one more restroom story. On the flight down I had to go. As I waited for someone else to exit the restroom, an attendant was coming back through the cabin, cleaning up. She found a magazine on an empty seat and asked me if I'd like to have it. It looked like a good one, so I said I'd take it. Then it was my turn to go in. Okay, what to do with the magazine in that teeny, tiny little cubicle? I put it up under my arm, lowered my capris, etc, was about to sit down, when to my astonishment I noticed that the door had swung open!! Apparently in trying to figure out where to put the magazine I had not closed the door properly, or even locked it!!! I considered flushing myself down, but that little hole didn't look big enough for me! (Just kidding!) There was no one waiting when I came out, so hopefully everyone in the airplane had their heads turned forward at that particular moment!!

And that, folks, is the end of my bathroom humor for today.

What teachers make

Below is something that was emailed to our staff today. Needless to say, we loved it! WHAT TEACHERS MAKE The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?" He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach." To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?" Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began...) "Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental. You want to know what I make?" (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.) ''I make kids wonder. I make them question. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions. I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't everything. I make them read, read, read. I make them show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator. I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity. I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe. I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America. Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life." (Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.) "Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant... You want to know what I make? I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make Mr. CEO?" His jaw dropped, he went silent.

Looking for authentic Christianity

It's hard for me to put into words the thoughts that have been circling around in my brain this week. I feel like I am observing us Christians from the outside, and what I see is so dreadfully unsettling. I open my Christian magazine and see yet another high profile couple getting a divorce. Another worship leader is stepping down due to moral failure. I watch the news and read my newspaper and learn that another well known leader is stepping aside due to financial discrepancies. I hope I am not putting myself on a perch and looking down at those who have failed. I too have failed many, many times. I despise the pointed finger, the worry about our own "whiteness", as Oswald Chambers puts it, and I don't want to be guilty of that. But I have boys who need to see examples of authentic Christianity. And my heart just grieves at the lack thereof.

Where is the relationship with Christ that influences our lifestyles and our relationships with each other and with the needy and with our enemies? Is Christianity just another big business where the top dogs compete for the numbers and the money and the power while the little dogs exist without any noticeable Christian influence in their lives?

A verse was rattling around in my head as I pondered these thoughts this evening. I looked it up and found it in Micah 6:8. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. I used to aspire to be a great writer, speaker, singer, etc., but not anymore. I would far rather live a Micah 6:8 life that my children and grandchildren could see as real and sincere. At the same time I long to see more of the power of God at work in my life, but I want it to be real. I'm tired of hyped up power that turns out to be the manipulation of man.

Christians, let's purpose to bless our descendants with a faith that is REAL!

Gone all day, but not on vacation

I think our neighbors must have wondered if we were away on vacation today. After leaving the house this morning at 7:15 I didn't return until 10 PM. Dick left earlier than I did and returned later. So where were we all day?

After work Dick and a co-worked went to a class at Stevens Tech in Lancaster to get their emissions testing re certification. The class was from 6 - 10.

I went to Lancaster after school and picked up Destiny for the evening. We went to a Goodwill store and she played with toys while I picked out some cute skirts and tops for her for church. We ate at a nearby Wendys. From there we went to the retirement home in Lancaster where I sing with some other ladies from church once a month. Destiny was so fascinated by the elderly people. There is one feeble woman who has the most amazing voice and she always sings along with us when we get to her hall. She often looks like she's about to cry when she sings. I think it really touched Destiny's heart. Then we went to a pharmacy to get an expectorant for Destiny's chest cold, after which I took her back home. On my way home I stopped at Kmart and got another top to go with one of the skirts. And then I finally came home and carried a day's worth of stuff into the house and caught up on my emails and blogs and now I posted and now I'm going to bed. Gooooooood night!

The Spirit of Christmas

Today I want to thank Kat who passed on the Spirit of Christmas award to me. I'm surely glad that the Spirit of Christmas is not described as having all the traditional Christmas things done well in advance. I would NEVER deserve that one. My focus is always on the Christmas programs, both at school and at church. Everything else gets done by the seat of my pants - if it gets done at all. I do not have a a big group of blogs that I read, and Kat pretty much passed this award on to the very ones I would have. However, if you read my blog - in other words, if you're one of my lurkers - consider yourself awarded!

What is the Spirit of Christmas you ask?

Quite simply it is those that have a generous and giving nature. Those who care about others. Those who have a kind word to say or a broad shoulder to lean on in the times that others need that. Those who display the "Spirit of Christmas".



I would like to say that the spirit of Christmas is not only about giving and caring. It really is about humility and sacrifice. I never cease to be overwhelmed by the thought that Jesus willingly left His highly exalted position in heaven to come down on this earth as a human baby. And, being God, he KNEW what he would be facing - the rejection, the temptations, the hatred, the cruel death on the cross, the weight of the sins of the whole world, the Father turning His face.... Whenever I have questions and doubts about God's ways, I go back to his sacrifice, and once again, I KNOW He is LOVE.

An award and a "happy list"

I want to thank Lynne for honoring me last week with the above award. It means a lot to me, because the path we have chosen for our family has been different than that which many of our peers have experienced. It's easy to look around with some jealousy at the apparent easy lifestyle that others have with their small uncomplicated families. But I confess that I never wanted to be normal. So God made sure that would never happen!! Below is a poem that was given to us by our foster agency some years ago. I have it hanging in one of our bathrooms (no significance there, except that the frame matches that bathroom!!)

A hundred years from now....
It will not matter what my bank account was,
the size of house I lived in,
or the kind of car I drove...
but the world may be different
because I was important
in the life of a child...

I also liked the post that Kat did recently titled "Small Bits of Happy". This evening I came up with a few things that make me feel happy and content.

*a Sunday afternoon nap
*seeing children worship the Lord
*sitting on my deck or front porch, watching the trees and listening to the birds
*camping with Dick's family
*doing anything, whether special or mundane, with just Dick and me
*spending an evening or weekend with my sisters
*when our children and grandchildren come "home"
*cuddling with Destiny
*looking around at my house when it's clean
*falling asleep in a cold bedroom, backed up against Dick, with a lot of heavy blankets on top

My day of rest

I stayed up so late last night to post all my trip pictures that I ended up doing a VERY unusual thing this morning. I skipped Sunday School and only went for our worship service at 10:30. I had already arranged for the youth worship team to lead this morning. Usually we arrive at church by 8:30 for practice, so only getting there at 10:30 felt very strange indeed. Destiny is fighting a pretty bad cold, so it was good for her to get some extra sleep anyway.

After church there was the monthly fellowship meal. I totally hadn't thought of it, so I hadn't brought any food. But there was plenty of food anyway, as usual, so we got a free meal that I didn't have to work for. Boy, it's good everybody wasn't on vacation the past three days!

At 5:00 today we had our first practice for the children's Christmas musical at church. We didn't really practice - just watched the DVD of a children's choir performing it. I'll have plenty of help with this undertaking. One teen girl will be in charge of the drama, another will be in charge of the choreography, a mom wants to be my "right-hand girl" with props, etc. We have men who always build the best sets. For a small church, we are BLESSED with so many talented, eagerly willing workers. I love it!



We took Destiny back home this evening and got some groceries on the way back. And now I must shift gears and switch back to school mode.

My short, but sweet trip to Tampa

As I wrote on Thursday night, I left home at 4:00 AM that morning for the Baltimore Airport. I arrived in Tampa around 10:30 where Jeremy met and picked me up. Unfortunately, my camera was in my suitcase and we didn't think to dig it out, so I didn't get any pictures of the lovely old Italian restaurant where we ate lunch in Ybor City or of all the other old and beautiful buildings we saw as we walked around and talked. We also had fun at the mall for an hour or so before we went to Lisa's. Once there, I played with Sophie and talked with Lisa and George until I just couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. Goodnight, Sophie!

On Friday Jeremy and I took Sophie to the zoo while George was at work and Lisa worked on some painting projects. We had a really fun time, and to make it even better, the weather was not as hot and humid as it had been the past week.