Plenty of work, plenty of winter

So what was I up to last week that kept me so busy?  Well, for starters, I got a late start, since Monday was taken up by my trip to Lancaster County for aunt Shirley's funeral.  As I said before, I am filling in as pianist at Fillmore UMC since Judy resigned at the end of the year.  I so much more enjoy playing with other musicians than alone, so I have gotten guitar player Ross and flute player Brenna to play with me, which means some extra time getting their music ready and practicing with them on Thursday evenings.  Then last week some choir members decided they really wanted to get together again to practice something, so I got a couple of songs prepared for them, and practiced with the choir on Thursday evening as well.  Of course, I always have practice on Wednesday evenings with the praise team at Houserville.  On that team I have guitar, bass, flute, violin, trumpet, and vocalists in addition to my piano, and I prepare all their music as well.  Prepping music and notebooks now takes up my Monday and Tuesday evenings and sometimes Wednesday mornings.  

I work at the Buffalo Run UMC Charge office on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Normally it's an easy, almost boring job.  But a few times a year there are deadlines by which data, LOTS of trivial data, needs to be submitted to district and conference level organizations.  I can't even tell you how much I hate that kind of stuff.  It just makes me want to run away.  Last week was one of those weeks, and I had to work on Friday to get it all finished.  Plus it was monthly newsletter week.  I ended up finishing those at home on Friday evening and Saturday.  At one point last week I felt like I'd way rather have a roomful of rowdy students than have to figure out and submit all that was required.   But I did it!!!  So glad that week is over.

I work at Anthony and Lori's on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays doing food prep, some days longer than others, depending what all needs to be done.   And Thursday late afternoons I have three piano students.  Anyway, there aren't too many idle hours in my schedule.  

But I'm so thankful for each job I have.  I'm especially thankful for opportunities to lead people in worship.  On Sunday morning at Houserville, the place was just filled with the felt presence of the Lord.  I love when He does that, and it so often happens when I least expect it.   

This week snow has been added to everything else.  It's starting to all run together in my mind.  I think it was Sunday night into Monday that we got around 4 inches, then again last night into today we got 6 - 8 more, plus some ice.  And then they're talking about another one coming on Sunday.   I'll post the pictures I took Monday and Tuesday.  None taken today so far.

We are also thankful for the job that Ray secured while they were in PA for Christmas.   He started on Monday at a firm in Harrisburg, an engineering position in the field in which he majored.  So far he is loving the job, even with all the travel challenges the snow has already added.  He also got a big "welcome to PA" - a note on his car that his inspection was 3 months overdue!  He'd been driving the car in VA all that time without knowing it, even had it here for almost a week over Christmas without Dick noticing it was overdue.  Dick ALWAYS notices that kind of stuff.   

So pray for him and Thyda.  She had re-enlisted with the Navy and is not finished until April 2015.  They knew that they would want to move home to PA when they're both finished in the Navy, and they really needed for Ray to be employed, so when this opportunity came up, they decided he should take it.   So for now he is living with her parents near Lancaster and she is still in Virginia Beach.  They have survived major separations before during deployments, but it does not make this any easier.  My heart aches for her. 

And now my pictures.   First some pics out my window Monday morning.

Next from my drive on scenic Rock Road on my way to Anthony and Lori's on Monday.  They look like black and whites, but that's because there's no other color out there!

On Tuesday I had to drive to pick up something for the office.  The sun was shining and I just had to pull my camera out again.  Sometimes I pull over to take a pic, sometimes I just open my window, point, and shoot without even looking.  I decided I need a bumper sticker that reads, "Easily amazed, camera-ready grandma.  May come to sudden stops without warning."

I put this one as my header pic.  I just love it.  (If you don't normally read this on my blog site, it's worth your while to go there just to see this picture up there all big and beautiful!)

Stay warm and safe, everyone!