Good food, fun, family, and football!

It's been fun and very meaningful hearing from a lot of my readers this past week after writing my ten-year anniversary post on Monday - some here in the comment section, some on Facebook, and others via email.   And now, back to posting the ongoing family diary!

Yesterday we left Dick's shop soon after he got off work at 12 and headed for Lancaster County.  We had a two-fold purpose for this trip.  Anthony was also leaving at about the same time to go see a truck with a snowplow that was for sale in Lancaster County.  He wanted Dick to check it out before he decided whether or not to buy it.   We met at a Sheetz just off 283 near Mount Joy, and Dick went with Anthony from there.  

Our plans were to meet Frank and Lauren and the girls at Old Country Buffet near Lancaster at 4:00, so I had time to kill.  I started driving toward the Park City Mall, thinking I would just walk around for a while.  When I was almost there I got a text from Destiny wondering what I was doing.  They were all at Frank's barber in Lancaster City waiting for his cut, and she was bored.  I was just a few miles away, so I drove there.  

Actually, I was really eager to see them, but I also knew that the barber was directly across the street from a house that Jeremy had owned and lived in from 2002 - 2004.  It was a grand old three-story row home, and I had helped him do a lot of painting in that house.   I was curious to see it.  I pulled up in front of the barber, opened my window and took this pic.  Jeremy's was the first house on the left with the tree in front of it.  That tree was much smaller back then.  

It was also great to see Frank for the first time in a year and give him a hug.  I took Destiny and Nicayla (Lauren's daughter) with me.  We weren't sure what we were going to do, but we ended up going to Barnes and Noble in the same shopping complex as Old Country Buffet.  There were so many fun things to look at, but the most fun thing was the Lego table!  

I was intrigued by the Fisher Price toys for sale.  My kids had all these things when they were little, and I had no idea they were still available!

We kept in touch via text messages and shortly after 4:00 we all converged in the parking lot at the same time - Dick and Anthony, Frank and Lauren with Jada, and me with the older girls.  Anthony was happy to announce that he was indeed buying the truck/snowplow.  (That will be a vital means of survival for them this coming winter!)  I invited him to join us, but he had other shopping to do and later a 20th high school class reunion to attend.  

We were so thankful we had not come earlier, because three busloads had just left!  They were scrambling to refill everything, but at least it wasn't crowded.  Our big disappointment was that the soft ice cream machine was broken.  But there was so much other delicious food to eat - way too much!

It's not easy to get a none-blurry picture of Jada!  She's always on the move. 

Nicayla and Destiny - two peas in a pod!

Destiny and I made sure to get our usual bathroom selfie!

From there we went to watch J'von's football game in Columbia.  It started much later than the 6:30 we were expecting, and the balmy weather did not stay so balmy after the sun went down.  We did a good bit of shivering!  Jada's not on this picture because she was too busy "visiting" with everyone else she knew!

While we waited for the previous game to end, I was at the nearby playground with the girls.  

J'von's team in action at last.

Here you can see the back of J'von - number 20 on the left.  Same number Frank had in high school!

There he's right in the middle of the huddle. 

Destiny took this panoramic view of the field with her phone.

Unfortunately, about half way though the game J'von got an injured shin and had to sit out the rest of the game.  It was so cute, when they were checking out his leg at the ambulance, Frank and the girls stood sympathetically watching.  

Another of Destiny's shots.  Grandpa and Grandma - still going to football games.

J'von's team won against Mountville, 33-20.

J'von was going to Reading with them for the weekend.  There he is, squeezed in with all the girls!  (My camera flash in the darkness nearly blinded Destiny!)

Dick and I hit the road then and got home at midnight.  My 5:30 alarm came way too soon this morning!  Amazingly, I did not feel sleepy at all during our church services.  And we caught up this afternoon with a two-hour nap.

Here are some pics from earlier in the week.  Autumn beauty is coming to Stauffer Acres (as Anthony calls their place.)

Miki posted AMAZING pictures of the Northern lights in Sweden. 

Yesterday morning, as I came out from the bedroom, the sun was streaming through my kitchen window, and it made me happy, so I snapped this picture.  I do love my archways in this house. 

And now it's time to get started on next Sunday's music.