Destiny Week 2016

This was what I called "Destiny Week 2016."  One of these times she will have a job and will probably no longer be able to come up here for a week at a time, so I was thankful we could work it out at least one more time.

She came along home with us from Camp Hebron on Sunday and spent the evening playing with our toys just for old times' sake.

Monday morning we were out the door before 8:30 AM to get some groceries and go to Lori's.   Destiny lives in "teenager time zone" so she slept all the way there and most of the morning!  I decided not to fuss about it and just be glad to have our afternoons and evenings together.

Someone was very happy to see me!!!

When I posted this picture of him on FB that morning, someone said that he is Austin all over again.  I thought of a picture of Austin and searched for it in my old blog posts.  There it was!  So I made this collage of the Stauffer brothers.

This moment was sweet while it lasted, but it seems that Hunter is beginning to notice when faces are new.  He soon stuck out his lower lip and had tears!

Later in the afternoon we went out for a visit to the Texas Blues Alley barn.

Hunter was awestruck by the tableture on Anthony's computer screen.  New intern??

After leaving Anthony and Lori's we stopped at Giant to get our own groceries and then to Walmart for some yarn and needles for Destiny's new project - a baby blanket for her sister.   That evening we started our first Anne of Green Gables movie of the week.  We didn't get through all of them this week, but at least three of them.  Maybe we can watch the rest of them later this summer.  To us they never, ever get old!

On Tuesday morning I went to work at the church office earlier than usual so I could get off by 2:00.  I also skipped my exercise class after work.  So we had plenty of time to do our favorite things.  First we went to the movies to watch Finding Dory.  What a sweet movie!!  Unfortunately, Destiny thought that her friends had told her that Dory dies at the end of the movie, so we were bracing ourselves for that the whole time.  But it turned out she didn't die.  We were glad.  

Destiny took this picture of us in our 3-D glasses.  Of course, we consumed a ridiculous amount of popcorn. 

Afterward we galavanted around, but I can't even remember where all we went.  I do remember we went to our favorite store, Goodwill, and found some really good deals there.  Then we went home and watched some more Anne. 

Wednesday morning it was early out the door again to the grocery store and Anthony and Lori's house.    I discovered Hunter really likes to watch the trees.  They are always moving.   Maybe sometime he'll see a deer out there. 

He and Destiny got better acquainted that day.

I think he likes her!

On Thursday I started early at the church office again and left at 2:00.  It was an absolutely beautiful day!  The neighbor girls across the street went with us to the pool.  I was delighted for a chance to lie on my towel and take a little nap!

They have added a new feature - a climbing wall!

Destiny on the climbing wall!

Lori picked Austin up from YMCA camp and joined us later.  

When we left the pool we went to the nail salon at Walmart.  The girls had fun.

I cracked up when I noticed Destiny trying to unlock her phone with her tongue as she was drying her nails!

On Friday I took Destiny home.  She did some more work on her knitting as we drove.  I'm so proud of her for learning how to knit.  I learned many, many years ago, but never kept it up.  So I was of no help to her when I got her some yarn and needles back in March.  I gave her an instruction book, and from that, and a YouTube video, she figured it out herself!

We stopped at a Weis Markets when we got to Reading because she going to her mom's house that evening and wanted to make lasagna.   We got all the stuff she would need, and when we came outside it was beginning to rain a bit.  In the few blocks between Weis Markets and Frank's house it started to POUR!!  There was not even a parking space right outside their house, and I apparently left my car umbrella at Sam and Jenn's recently, and Destiny had a TON of stuff to be carried in.  UGH!!!   We each made two trips from the car to the house and got soaked!!  My hair was beyond repair for the rest of the day, hahaha!

But once inside, I did get to hold this little darling for a while.  I even got to feed her.  She is so tiny, and seems even more so to me, since I'm used to Hunter now.  

And here's Jada posing for my camera!

Destiny with her little sisters, Alaya and Jada.  They all have Frank's thick, dark hair. 

I think I left there around 4:00, but stopped at a gas station outside of town to take a nap.  Then my contacts felt horrible, so I went across the street to buy a travel size of contact solution at CVS.  The trip home seemed unending.  I got into stop-and-go traffic on 81 near Harrisburg, which I eventually discovered was due to an accident.   When I got to my favorite Sheetz above Harrisburg to use the restroom it was so busy I had to sit and wait for a parking space to open up!!  I guess there were lots of people heading to the mountains for the July 4th weekend.  

We really needed groceries at home, so I decided to stop at Giant before going the whole way home.  I just hoped to go in and out as quickly as possible, hopefully not seeing anyone I knew because of the condition of my rained-upon hair.  

This is the story I wrote on FB last night: 

I've had a long day, taking Destiny home, running in the pouring rain to unload her stuff, slow traffic coming home due to an accident on 81, needing to wait for a parking space at the Sheetz gas station, probably due to July 4 traffic. But we need groceries, so I stopped at Giant before going all the way home.

When I got to the checkout there was only one lane open, so I decided to do the self check-out, which I feel very confident of since Destiny has taught me how to do the PLU numbers for produce. So I swiped my card. Didn't work. I swiped it again. Still didn't work. The attendant came to assist me just as I noticed I was swiping my Weis card. Others noticed too and laughed. I laughed too, too tired to care. I started scanning my items, needing to put those PLU numbers in for all the fruit I got, weighing some stuff, looking for bar codes on other items.

A customer in line came up to me and asked, "Do you want me to help you? I work here." I said, "I know what I'm doing. I might not be the fastest at it, but I do know how." I tried to laugh as I said it, but inside I was growling. I scanned my blueberries, and she said, "Oh, there's a coupon for that!" I acted like I didn't hear her, but she came over with the flyer and told me I should scan this coupon at the end. I guess that was nice of her, but really, all I wanted was to be left alone so I could get out of there and go home.

When I came outside to the parking lot I saw this next to my minivan.  I decided I should have that sign, hahahaha!!

I realize I didn't mention Dick one time in this post!  He really was here all week, enduring our Anne movies, eating the different kinds of chicken we got several times at the deli, because Destiny was always in the mood for chicken, but I was never home long enough to make any.  

Today was finally a stay-at-home day.  I even took an afternoon nap.  One last picture - I almost missed this glorious sunset as I sat here posting.