Meetings, milestones, parties, and praise

Well, here it is Sunday evening again!  The beginning of my week was marked by a huge project at work - getting all the papers and forms ready for a church conference, which was held Tuesday evening.  I was beyond relieved when it was all finished and the conference was over.  

On Tuesday I was mindful of being without my sister Janet for eight years.  In reminiscing, I looked up the last email I got from her two days before her very unexpected death.  It was about the plans for my taking my intermediate chorus (grades 3-5) to do a program at Messiah Village where she was pastor.  Here's part of the email:

"I will work with the set up person to see that we have three levels with our platforms--one of them being on the floor. The piano is already on the right side. It is a new grand piano. We will wait to reposition it until you get here so we have it the way you want it. Just bring the master of the song sheet and we will make them here in my office which is across from the chapel. I will be there when you arrive to suggest where the bus can be parked. Can't wait!! I'm promoting it every chance I get."

Of course, she wasn't there to meet us when we arrived, but we DID go and do the program in the very chapel where we had held her memorial service the day before. Eight years have now passed since then, and I still miss her intensely. She was SUCH an amazing woman and a wonderful big sister and so much fun to be with!

I was delighted this week to find my favorite tea, Candy Cane Lane, in stock at a Weis Markets.  I bought 10 of the 11 boxes they had in stock!  I still had three left and my sister Mary Ellen had bought me two boxes recently, so I should be good for the year.  In case you don't know, this has been my VERY FAVORITE tea for at least six years or more, ever since I was first introduced to it at Weavers Natural Foods in Manheim.  It is sold in stores only during the holidays.  So I try to stock up, but when I run out, I do order it by the case directly from Celestial Seasonings.  I like it THAT much!  It's a decaf green tea, peppermint and vanilla flavored.  So it's good and it's good for me and it makes my throat feel good.

My big push the last half of the week was to get all my regular work and activities finished earlier than normal so I could leave for Lancaster County on Friday morning.  I was going to a girl sleepover in honor of my sister-in-law Faye Stauffer's 60 birthday.  But I was also having guests here while I was gone!  Dick's nephew Eric Stauffer, who graduated from Penn State, was coming up from Charlottesville, VA for the Penn State game.  His friend Daryl Ebersole from Lancaster County was also coming up, and they were both staying here Friday and Saturday nights, batching it with Dick till I would get home Saturday night.  

I left here around noon on Friday.  It occurred to me before I left that I had not been to Lancaster County since October 1st.  I was quite sure I had never been away that long in 61 years!!  I drove first of all to my brother's auto repair business near Manheim, where my sister Mary Ellen is the office manager.  I got my two boxes of tea from her and we chatted for a while.  Then I went to the mall to do a little shopping at Kohls.  From there I went to Dick's parents to see them and had dinner with them.  Then I went to my stepmother Mary's and visited a while with her.  

The girl sleepover was held at a cottage at the MCC headquarters in Akron.  I got there around 8 pm.  Everyone else was already there - Faye, whose birthday we were celebrating,  Carolyn Stauffer, Deb Stauffer, Faye's sisters Jean Martin and Joyce Hess, and Faye's sister-in-law Glynette Lentz.  

Here's a picture of us taken the next day.  Left to right:  Deb, Faye, Joyce, Carolyn, Jean, Glynette, me.

The kitchen/dining area.

The sitting area, complete with a gas fireplace.

This jigsaw puzzle got a lot of attention, here by Carolyn, Deb, Faye, and Glynette.  I have no patience for puzzles unfortunately.

Faye's sisters Jean and Joyce catching up.

On Saturday we shopped till we dropped at Stein Mart and Wegmans near Downingtown and then at MCC's Ten Thousand Villages gift shop in Akron.  Here we were eating lunch at Wegmans.

Saturday evening Faye's daughter Krista came and made a delicious dinner to serve everyone.  Other local female family members - nieces and stepmothers, also came for the evening.  

Because I needed to be back to lead praise and worship at church this morning, I left the girl party shortly after dinner was over.  It seemed like a very long drive home, all of it in the dark.  But I WAS thankful I wasn't going the other direction.  There had been an accident above Harrisburg, and the traffic coming from Penn State's game was backed up and standing still for many, many miles.  

I got home around 10:15 pm and found these guys, Eric and Daryl, looking right at home! 

I guess there was a good football game on TV.  Don't guys ever get tired of watching football????

Daryl left early this morning, but Eric stayed for church and had lunch with us and Anthony and Lori and Austin.  Eric told us the AMAZING things God has done for him and his wife Suzy since they stayed with us a year ago.  He needs to write it all down sometime.  It's that amazing.  Suzy went to see a Broadway show this weekend with her sister while Eric was up here.  We enjoyed having him here so much.  

Austin came here to take a nap with me this afternoon - which I REALLY needed.  Speaking of Austin, here's his latest quip as posted by Anthony on Facebook this evening:

Anthony: "Austin, stop stepping on that box, you'll break it"
Austin:  "But that's what I'm trying to do!!"

This evening I led our monthly praise service at Fillmore.  And now I am one very, very tired lady and my bed is calling my name.  This week is Thanksgiving, right??  Well, I guess I'll be starting a new list in the morning.