Cramming it all into 48 hours

I think we are becoming experts at cramming as much as possible into 48 hours!  On Friday Dick and I left as soon as he got off work and drove straight to his brother Steve's house near Lititz without stopping - made it in two hours flat.  All of Dick's brothers and wives were there with his Dad and step-mother Arlene to celebrate her 80th birthday.  Can you believe this beautiful woman is 80?

A few candid shots around the table:  Jim and Carolyn.

Fred and Deb  - Fred's face is indicative of  the mood that prevailed most of the evening! There is never a Stauffer gathering without a LOT of funny stories and memories accompanied by loud laughter!

Doris and Bob from Minnesota, Steve and Faye.

Dick and I, Dad and Arlene. Not all of our memories from this year were funny, but we felt a great deal of thankfulness as we remembered the last time all the brothers were  together around a table in March after Dad's stroke.  

Because there were out-of-state family members from both our families in the area for the weekend that needed lodging, Dick and I decided to stay in a little motel.  I have fond memories of it, because six years of my childhood were spent on a nearby farm, and my older sisters had their first jobs there as housekeepers.  But those fond memories have been replaced, I'm afraid.  It was not dirty, but it was in dreadful need of repairs and updating.  And I forgot to ask for non-smoking.  So if any of you who were with us this weekend wondered if we have taken up smoking, don't worry.  We have not.  But our clothes just wreaked of smoke after being in that room.  

On Saturday morning we dressed up in our lovely, smokey outfits and went to this beautiful Westminster Presbyterian Church for the memorial service of Claire Wichterman, my sister Rose's mother-in-law. 

What a wonderful, inspiring service it was!  She was one of those people with a personality almost bigger than life.  Her three children and grandchildren were richly blessed to have her for a mother and grandmother.  Here is the card that was handed out to those in attendance.  I assume the picture was taken during their vacation in Florida over Christmas.

After the service a lunch was served.  Here are some pics of Rose's family, sitting at various tables with other members of the Wichterman family.  Rose and Bob,

their son Matt and daughter Maribeth,

their daughter Katie (who just got married in May) on the left, daughter Julia, a cousin, and daughter Christy on the right, and their Uncle Dick in the back.  Bet you haven't seen him that dressed up very often, have you?

Youngest daughter Olivia.  What a doll!

After we left Westminster Dick and I did some thrift shopping at a couple of our favorite spots - Secret Sneaker and Salvation Army.   We then went to Reading to pick up Destiny and back to the Manheim area for a family gathering at Grandpa Stauffers.

Around this long table in the basement we ate, talked, played games, and looked at a couple of photo albums I had brought along.

I was concerned that the noise level and the running and screaming of the children might be getting to be too much for Grandpa, but he seemed to take it all in stride, maybe even instigated some of it!

Laura's little dolly doesn't add much to the noise level yet, but can she ever get around!  Only nine months old and crawling all over the place!

I was surprised at how much time  Destiny and Morgan spent looking at my old photo albums.  It occurred to me last week - what good is it to have albums and albums of photos on a shelf that never get looked at?  I'm glad we adults could reminisce and the little ones could get a glimpse of another generation as children. 

Best of all, we sang around that big long table.  Here's a very short video - just the end of Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah.  Our nephew Joe recorded a lot more of the singing, and hopefully I'll be able to post more later.


Dick and I never stop being grateful that we each have a RICH family, musical heritage. 

We and Destiny went back to our smokey den for the night.  Actually, the beds were good and I slept well both nights.  

Sunday  morning we went to our home church, Grace Community Fellowship.  It was so good to see so many of our church family, to worship with them, talk with them, and EAT with them!  We finally hit it on a fellowship meal Sunday and did not need to rush off.  Even so, after we left I kept thinking of people that I did not get a chance to talk with, and of course, I'm realizing now that my camera stayed in my purse the entire time.  

We went from there to Dick's brother Steve's house again.  Just couldn't get enough of being with them, haha!  Actually, we had a mission to accomplish.  In the 80's we had a soft Christian contemporary music group called The Freedom Singers.  (Ray asked me one time if we were political, which so cracked me up!  Far from it!  The freedom part of our name referred to freedom in Christ.)  Anyway, for about two years or so, a friend Linda was part of the group.  Linda is now turning 50 and wants us to sing (at her party) a couple of the songs we used to do when she sang with us.  So we got together yesterday to practice.  It was a bit rough, but we decided on Dallas Holms's Rise Again and Silverwind's I Will Bless the Lord.  Her party is in February, and I'll try to get a video of our songs then.  

From Steve's place we went to Sam and Jenn's.  We had lots of good Sammy time and watched some good football.  Sam has turned me into a Tim Tebow admirer, so as much as I've always loved the Steelers, I was pretty excited as we listened to the end of the game on the radio while driving home later, and I heard the amazing ending to the game.  Sam offered to take Destiny home to Reading for us, so we were able to go directly home from their place.  

Oh, what a charmer!