Now that was a weekend!

I'll start off this post with a gorgeous sunrise I caught out my dining room window one morning last week.

We had a great weekend, even with all the driving back and forth.  But before I write all about it, I need to share the wonderful follow-up to my mysteriously missing earring!  On Friday morning I had a email from Grandma Mary describing her treasure hunt.  I'll just share my Facebook post here.

FOUND!! The rest of this story is so much better than the beginning of it in so many ways! Grandma Mary is my hero!! She was determined to find my lost earring and went to great effort in her treasure hunt, even getting down and unscrewing the cover off the heat/AC grate under the bathroom sink, looking down the hole with a mirror and a flashlight - to no avail. Then she noticed that the vinyl flooring was pulled up just a bit at the bathroom sink cabinet, so she pushed and prodded under there and FOUND IT!! 

Now I had noticed that pulled up vinyl also and had put my fingers in there the other evening, but obviously, I was not as determined as this almost 88-year-old woman, hahahaha!! Her telling of this story, complete with a vivid description of her struggle to get up from the position she was in, and her apology that she doesn't have a hole in her earlobe to try it on, is the funniest thing I'll read all day. She gets the prize for determination and comedy!!

These were the tools of her trade!!

What a hoot!  The Zimwit family and many others are so RICH to have her in our lives!   She is the greatest combination of sweet and funny EVER!

And now on to our weekend.  On Friday Dick and I left from his shop at 5:30 and drove to Sam and Jenn's place, stopping first at Weis Markets to pick up some small deli, fruit, and veggie trays I had ordered.   Jeremy, Mike, and Miki were already at their place and Bjorn arrived later.  How appropriate that the Women's World Cup game between US and Sweden was on TV!  Unfortunately, the game ended 0-0, but there were some exciting moments.  Miki didn't care which team won - she's a duel citizen!

Of course, I was way more interested in Bianca and Sammy than the game.  This little missy is getting amazingly good balance on her feet.  I thought I was going to see her first steps alone at one point, but then she changed her mind.

Sammy could hardly wait for the game to be over because he had been promised some fireworks.  I don't know which was better - the fireworks or his exuberance!

As Miki and Bjorn were getting ready to go back to Deb and Fred's for the night, Miki was showing Jeremy her illustrations for the children's book she is writing.

Of course the children were the first ones awake Saturday morning!  Even though it was after 11 when Sammy fell asleep, he was whispering, "Time to wake up, Mahna!" at 6:30 AM.  What is up with that???  At least he was whispering, hahaha!

Bianca found one of her favorite spots when she woke up.  What a sweetheart!!  Of course, her daddy was still in bed.  When he comes through the room, it's all over for whoever is holding her.

I know I say it all the time, but I'll say it again - Sam is such a good dad.  Now he has two to pin him down!

Molly and Watson were along with Jeremy and Mike, which made Sammy a very happy boy.

Bianca charms us no matter her facial expression, haha!

What a great way to bath a baby!

Sporting an adorable outfit that Jeremy and Mike had given her for Christmas.

I caught this fun video when Sam and Sammy were playing outside.  What pleasure a Tonka truck can provide!

I decided to try out something different from the normal fare I usually cook when we're together.  A few weeks ago Lori had found a quesadilla recipe that we absolutely LOVED!  So I went to Weis on Saturday and got the stuff I needed.  There was one important thing missing, however.  You really need a griddle, which Sam and Jenn did not have.  So Dick went to Walmart and got that.  I can't believe I didn't take a picture of the quesadillas.  Just trust me - they were a BIG hit, and it certainly will not be the last time I make them when we're together. 

Around 7:00 Dick and I said our goodbyes.  I really hated to leave.  We were having such a good time.  But I do have Sunday responsibilities - which I also love, by the way.  

We stopped at Grandma Mary's to get my FOUND earring, then hit the road.  Till we stopped at Dick's shop to get his truck, it was after 10:00 when we got home.  We went to bed as soon as we could, because there was another huge day, with more driving, ahead.

We had a good Sunday morning at our two churches, then left directly from Houserville to head back to Lancaster County.  I had packed a lunch so we wouldn't need to stop.  You may remember that I had mentioned that Dick's uncle Clarence Stauffer (Dad Stauffer's only brother) had passed away last week.  We were going to his memorial service at Landis Homes where Clarence and his wife Grace lived.  

We were really glad to be able to go to the memorial service.  Clarence's son Dave Stauffer is Dick's exact age - they are just a few weeks apart and always went to the same church.  (WHY didn't I get a picture of Dave and Dick together????)  Uncle Clarence was the pastor.  Dave and his siblings went to Manheim Christian Day School, as did I and all my siblings, so I always knew them too.  So we were eager to catch up with cousins, but we did not think about all the other people who would be there.  Because Clarence was a pastor as well as one of the founders of Manheim Christian Day School, it was like a gathering of all the people from my past.  

Miki was there too and took this picture of me talking with a very key person from my past. 

Miss Martin!!  Would you believe she is 88 years old????

Emma came to teach at Mannheim Christian Day School in the mid-fifties before I was even old enough to go to school.  She was my fourth, fifth, and sixth grade teacher.  Later she was principal of the school and I worked under her.  There was also a year or two when Lisa was in the early elementary grades at Manheim Christian, and we had moved to East Petersburg, that Miss Martin would stop at our house on her way to school in the mornings to pick up Lisa and an older girl named Michelle that I babysat.   I think she left the school in 1989, and I have seen her only a few times since then.  It was just unbelievable to see her and experience the vibrancy that she still has!

Back to the Clarence Stauffer family.  Please keep that family in your prayers if they come to your mind.  At the same time they have lost their dad - he was 94 and it was expected - there is another member of the family that will probably be joining him soon.  His youngest daughter Joyce was unable to be at the memorial service because she is nearing the end of her battle with cancer.   Her dear young adult children are dedicating themselves to her care.  Just a year ago Joyce's husband died unexpectedly - from a heart attack, if I'm not mistaken.  Those kids will need a LOT of tender loving care.  It really feels like way too much for any young family to lose both parents in a year's time.  My heart aches for them.  Joyce's sister Nancy and her husband as well as brother Dave and his wife are providing support and care too.  My heart also aches for Aunt Grace, Clarence's wife.  She lost a beloved son-in-law a year ago, and now her husband of 71 years, and soon her baby daughter.  I cannot imagine.  

And now it's time to get busy.  Have a great week!