Our Memorial Day weekend - chock full of fun!!

Big weekend coming up again!  My sisters (Mary Ellen and Doris) are coming!!  So even though I should be cleaning my house like a crazy woman, I must get this blog updated before I have all the stories and pictures from this coming weekend.  

Now, going back to last Friday.  Dick and I needed to get some flowers at Lowes after he got off work, and Lori and Anthony met us there to give us the boys.  As I said at the end of my last post, it was their 16th wedding anniversary, and we were keeping both boys overnight and Saturday.  

Shopping for flowers was a little interesting with the boys, haha!!  Austin has very strong opinions about flowers, and when I didn't see things his way, he had five more reasons why I should!  He REALLY wanted me to get the big marigolds.  He just loved those bright yellow balls.  But I wanted impatiens for the front of the house.  So I obliged, and we got those marigolds to plant around Dick's shed.  After we had checked out and paid, he spied an envelope of red sunflower seeds.  He absolutely loved the picture on the envelope and begged me to get them.  So I did.  I remembered the amazing red sunflowers that Jeremy grew last year.  So we will try it too!

We had a really fun time with the boys.  They took a long bubble bath in our big tub Friday evening, then we had some ice cream.  It was really late when they finally went to bed, Austin in the guest room, and Hunter on the cot at the foot of our bed.  It was Hunter's first night away without either of his parents, but he was perfectly fine.  He slept all night.  Well, it wasn't a long night, haha!!  I think they were both up by 7:00 AM!

(Because I have SO MANY pictures, I put them into collages.  If you want to see any of them more clearly, they do get bigger when you click on them.)

Dick had off work Saturday morning due to the holiday weekend.  So he was busy working outside in the flower beds.  Austin stayed home with him while I took Hunter along to the grocery store.  

He was so fun to have along!  When we arrived at the store he saw the big letters on the front - GIANT.  He spelled it out and wondered what that says.  So I told him.  He kept chanting those letters, and of course he saw them inside the store over and over again.  We were probably there at least 45 mintues, because I needed a lot of things, and he was spelling everything he saw and wondering what that says.  

While we were gone, Austin had fun playing with the cats.  A favorite thing he likes to do is build obstacle courses for them to climb over.  We laughed when Cocoa decided that the obstacle course really made a good place to take a nap!

Here are some adorable, short videos of Hunter.  In this first one he was spelling balloon.  He had asked me if I could blow up a balloon for him, then he proceeded to spell it - correctly!  I cracked up, because I remembered the time, as an adult, when I was so excited to participate in a spelling bee at a parent teacher night at Manheim Christian.  I considered spelling to be one of my strong points.  WELL!!!  I went down on the first round because I spelled balloon with only one L!!!  I was so mad at myself!  

I took these two videos when I was reading to him before his nap.  I just can't even take the sweetness of his voice singing right in tune and his careful enunciation of the words!

While he napped, Austin and I played LIFE.  For the first time ever I beat him!  Even though I had FIVE children and they didn't all fit into my little yellow car!  I finally ended up retiring at Millionaire Acres! (In my dreams!)  Amazingly, Austin took my win gracefully.  That is progress for him!

After Hunter woke up I took the boys to Tallyrand Park in Bellefonte.  (Dick was mowing over at Anthony and Lori's.)  Unfortunately, clouds were gathering as we drove there, but the rain held off long enough for us to have at least half an hour at the park.  It's such a beautiful park.

When we went to the playground area, I stood at a place where I could watch Hunter on a play set and Austin walking the rails looking for special rocks.  He had brought a baggie along for that purpose.  He has endless patience for this!  And he did find some really beautiful ones.  

There were no other children on the little play set, but Hunter was perfectly content climbing and sliding all by himself.  (He really is the most content child I've ever met.)  For about the last ten minutes before the rain started, he was sitting (top picture of this collage) at the wall of the play set that had shapes on it.  I couldn't tell for sure what he was doing, because I also had to keep an eye on Austin.   

When it started to rain, we made a run for the van.  On the way home I asked Hunter about the shapes on the play set.  I wondered how many shapes there were.  He said there were six shapes, and he then proceeded to name each one and what color it was!  

Someone recently asked who teaches him all these things.  The answer is that it seems as though he doesn't forget anything he hears.  He really has some kind of an unusual memory!  A year ago he was just finally learning to talk.  We are as amazed by him as anyone else!

Anthony and Lori came to pick the boys up around 6:30, about the same time Dick got home from mowing at their place.  After they left I got busy cleaning up, dusting, and vacuuming before the next crew would arrive on Sunday!

On Sunday morning we went to our service at GBRV, then to the service at Calvary.  We did not hang around long afterward like we do sometimes, because Anthony and Lori and boys were hurrying off to a lunch with their small group, and a thunderstorm was threatening any minute.  It rained HARD on our way home.  

Sam and the kids arrived at our house soon after 1:00.  Look what they saw first when they walked in the door!  Jenn had bought this for the cats a few weeks ago, but the kids had never yet seen it. 

Sammy was excited to show me the books he had gotten at a used book store the day before.  His favorite was a book of the presidents of the United States.  His favorite was Abraham Lincoln.  As we discussed how he died, Sammy asked why he had not been protected by the police.  That question led Sam and I to do some research and we found the most interesting stuff about the missing police officer who may have been taking a break in the bar when the assassin entered and did his terrible deed.  I just love how Sammy loves history! We told him that he asks really good questions. 

Before long the kids were asking to go to Discovery Space, so Sam and I took them there while Dick caught a nap.  No end of fun things to do there!

In the evening we went over to Anthony and Lori's and then over the mountain to Doan's Bones BBQ for the first time this season.  As always, the staff there greeted us like old family friends.  We just love them so much!

There are always fun things to do while waiting for that scrumptious food!

I should have gotten pictures of the amazing fries and baked beans and burgers and ice cream, but the only food I got a picture of is my Dam Fish Sandwich!  I order that every time, and it never disappoints!  It's huge enough to take half of it home for the next day, and it's just as good then!

After we got home the kids could hardly wait to get into the tub!  Believe it or not, since it was a holiday evening, I let Sammy talk me into teaching him how to play Life after they were finished playing in the tub!  It was probably at least 10 PM by then.  Then Bianca wanted to play too! They just loved it!  It was getting way too late, and of course we still were not finished, so Sammy helped me to carefully carry the board into my bedroom where the cats couldn't mess it up.  When we got up in the morning and the kids had had some cereal and bagels, they could hardly wait to bring the board out to finish the game!  So we did!  Sammy ended up the winner!

Meanwhile I was frying bacon between turns, and then I made an egg and hash brown scramble for the guys.   

The kids were so eager to go over to Anthony and Lori's, but Dick and Sam had work to do in the flower beds, so sometimes the kids were outside with them, and other times they came inside for other activities.  It was a beautiful day out there. 

On Saturday and Monday, Dick dug up and gave away so many lilies!! In fact, some of them made their way back to Anthony and Lori!  That's who our original lilies came from in 2011.  They reproduce like crazy!

Later in the afternoon, on our way over to Anthony and Lori's place we stopped at Wegmans to pick up some things.  The children remembered that this is the store that has the overhead train.  When they finally saw it you would have thought they were at Disney!  They were so excited!  (They were standing in the cart - not recommended, haha!)

When we arrived at their place, Austin was finishing up another origami project.  This time I know the name of it - icosahedron!   The last time I posted a picture of him with his creations, one of my friends asked me to find out what pattern he uses.  So I asked him.  He said, "Just tell her to look up 'How to make an icosahedron' on YouTube."  I said, "Well, what if she doesn't know how to spell that?"  He said, "She doesn't have to spell it.  Tell her she can just speak it into the google microphone."  Well, alrighty then!  Why aren't we all that smart??

It was a beautiful evening for a cookout!  Two other families joined us and we had the best time and so much delicious food.  Their place is so perfect for families.  The water table and sand table for the little ones, hammock for all ages, tree swings, the pond.  

Sammy and Bianca had fun learning how to use the tree swing.

Austin was having a great evening with his friend Will.  They spent a lot of time at the pond.

And then, FINALLY, what the kids had been waiting for all day long - the hot tub!  They had so much fun!  Hunter was absolutely cracking up at everything the kids did.  I have never seen him so crazy before!

Finally, because it really was a school night (bummer!), Sam and the kids had to leave.  And as soon as we could help to get things cleaned up, we left too.  I was on a mission!  I had three days before the next crew arrives!

My first order of business on Tuesday was to finally get my outdoor furniture scrubbed and the porches cleaned.  There was rain from time to time, but I got everything done by mid afternoon.  What a satisfying feeling!  

Next door, there is now a big dirt pile, which is not beautiful at all.  I'll be glad when a nice new house goes in.  Well, maybe I will be.  I kind of like not having anyone right there.  But at least the house will look nicer than a dirt pile.   

We, like so much of the country, have been having wild weather.  So many heavy rain storms and thunderstorms.  We've been fortunate to not have the high winds and tornadoes that many others have had.  I took these pictures at Anthony and Lori's yesterday when the sky just unleashed on top of us.  The photo of the rhododendron was taken as I was leaving later.  There are two bushes like that one that bloom after all the others are wilting.  They are a deeper purple and so very beautiful.

You're probably tired of watching my videos, and some of you are tired of rain, but here's a video I took from Anthony and Lori's porch yesterday.  It was pretty spectacular!

Ok!  Now, I need to finish this up and get my house whipped into shape!  The sisters are coming!!  Can't wait!!  And we're to have great weather, woohoo!!

A wedding, a concert, graduations, an anniversary, the great outdoors!

It's been a beautiful week!  Before I go back to my activities and pictures from this past week, I'll share one picture from Anthony and Lori's porch that I took on Monday.  More pictures of the rhododendrons will follow later in this post.  This really is the most beautiful time of the year!

Last Friday evening I went to a wedding rehearsal at GBRV for which I was pianist, then I came home and dusted and vacuumed my house like a crazy woman.  Sometimes I feel like my house is dirtier than it's ever been and other times I feel like it's cleaner than it's ever been.  These grandcats really keep me on my toes, I'm telling you!  Here's a picture of them that says a lot about the way things go.  Cookie, the old man, always getting first dibs at the food bowl while Cocoa, the feisty girl, sits politely by to wait her turn.  But don't feel too sorry for her.  She is a royal pest to him.  She loves picking a good fight. 

The wedding on Saturday was the pastor's daughter Kelsea and her fiance Rob, a really sweet couple.  Pastor Calvin asked a friend of his to officiate the wedding so that he could be just "father of the bride" for this special day.  There was some rain in the forecast, but when the wedding was over and they went outside for the receiving line, it was gloriously sunny!

Dick and I did not go to the reception because we needed to go right to a rehearsal at Mt. Nittany UMC.  We stopped at Burger King for a lunch on the run.  Mt. Nittany's praise team leader, Christian, just graduated with a music degree from Penn State and will be moving to Nashville.  He wanted to have a last concert with all who had ever played or sung with him, which we did a few years ago when the praise teams from Houserville and Mt. Nittany combined for Wednesday evening services for about 9 months. 

After the rehearsal we ran home to get out of our "wedding clothes."  Then we went over to Anthony and Lori's for a cookout.  What a beautiful evening!  As we were getting stuff together in the kitchen to take down to the patio, Hunter was entertaining himself with his alphabet letters on the fridge.  He never ceases to amaze me!

We got to see a lovely sunset while we were out there.  We finished the evening in the hot tub, but no pictures of that. 

On Sunday we went to our service at GBRV, then to Calvary's service.  We recently became aware that a couple our age from Lancaster County, Jim and Sheryl Leaman, have lived in State College for the past seven years and also attend Calvary.  Their daughter Angie, whom I met at the Thursday morning Bible study, kind of connected us via Facebook.  We never really knew each other, but we have many similar connections to places, people, and experiences.  So on Sunday morning, as Jim and Sheryl were leaving the 9 AM service and we were arriving for the 10:45 AM service, Angie officially introduced us to each other.  WELL.  When you put two couples together who have so much in common, including the fact that both men love hunting, you don't just say "Hi" and "Goodbye!"  We stood there and talked for at least half an hour and could have gone on for so much longer!   But no picture of us!

As it turned out, we had already missed all of the opening worship songs and the announcements, and Dick and I were feeling like we needed time to breathe before we had to be at Mt. Nittany UMC at 1:00,  so we went home to relax for about an hour.  

We had a great concert that afternoon at Mt. Nittany.  Christian played piano and led most of the songs, which meant I could harmonize to my heart's content.  I played piano and led six of the songs.  Dick played bass guitar the whole time.  There were three guitarists and a drummer.  And six vocalists.  The songs from the concert have been running through my mind all week long. 

Here's a picture of us afterward.  Christian is the one in the front center.  I'm so glad our paths have crossed.  

The heavens broke loose as we were driving home afterward!!  When we got home it was raining and storming so hard that I decided to wait it out in the car.  Dick ran into the house, but I'm not that crazy!

We were home long enough to change clothes, then headed over to Anthony and Lori's again.  On the way there we stopped for some groceries.  I meant for it to be a quick stop, but alas!!!  This store, which I have often said no matter how often I shop there, I just cannot memorize their layout, is changing everything AGAIN!!!  I wanted to stand there and scream, "NO!!!"   I know that these things are dictated by the Weis authorities, but seriously.  Are there no women in the ranks to help them arrange things the way a woman thinks???

That evening we were babysitting the boys while Anthony and Lori hosted a Game of Thrones watching party in the barn.  We stayed indoors because it was so wet outside.  Austin was busy making these amazing origami creations.  The other picture is bedtime with Hunter - reading, of course!

I was over at Anthony and Lori's place Monday through Wednesday, and the rhododendrons just got more beautiful each day.  I have taken so many pictures!  Here are the ones from Wednesday.  They're too beautiful to put into a collage.

I had a little bit of time each day to sit on the porch.  It was so wonderfully serene everywhere I looked!  

Even my tired old feet felt serene!

One day while I sat out there I had a little fun with some Snapchat filters.  I decided this must be a couple named Jean and Gene, hahahaha!!  

Tuesday was primary voting day here in PA.  Once again Houserville House of Hope had their Vote and Go Cafe open for the voters.  Dick and I both stopped in to help and were also there to clean up at the end.  I didn't think of taking any pictures till we were finishing up.  My friend Amy is the driving force behind this wonderful event twice a year.  Her mac and cheese is the best I've ever eaten.  And the sausages her husband grills are the BEST, and the aroma fills the air outside the church.  In the few hours I was serving people I can't even count the number who said that this is the main reason they come to vote - to get the good food, hahaha!

On Wednesday evening Bianca graduated from preschool.  Jenn sent me these adorable pictures!  And many even more adorable videos, which we haven't figured out a way for me to share.  When she walked down the aisle at the beginning she stopped to kiss Sammy!  On the video you can hear people giggling and Sammy saying, "I guess she must love me!"  Melt my heart!!!

Another graduation that took place this week was my niece Merida.  She graduated from Simmons College in Boston.  It seems impossible to our family!  Betty (my sister, who now goes by Elizabeth) and Scott didn't start their family till she was 40.  We have SO enjoyed watching Merida and Isaiah grow up.  Now Merida has already graduated college and Isaiah just finished his first years of college. 

Here they are with Scott's beautiful mother.  Sadly, his father passed away this past year.  I love the graduate in her bare feet, haha!

Around here our irises are blooming, the hosta is getting big, and the blue salvia is just starting to bloom.  Dick plans to do a lot of planting annuals, thinning out perennials, and mulching this holiday weekend.  We just can't believe how THICK perennials become in just a few years.  

Today is Anthony and Lori's 16th anniversary.  We have such fond memories of that day in 2003.  We're keeping the boys overnight tonight.  It'll be Hunter's first time without Mommy or Daddy.  But I think he'll be ok.  

Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!

New house, new job

Okay, here's the post I promised about the new things happening in the lives of our Florida family.  

Last November when Lisa, George, and Sophie came up for Thanksgiving week, the very first evening we were together over at Anthony and Lori's we heard that they might be selling the lake house and moving.  Of course our first reaction was "WHAT????"  Then we listened and heard about the school change that Sophie wanted to make for high school and that the athletic director at Calvary Christian High School in Clearwater, where Sophie wanted to go, had been following and was interested in Lisa's track coaching success.  Of course he was interested in Sophie as an athlete too.  

Things continued to develop after Christmas, their little lake house sold, they found one to buy that was closer to Calvary Christian, and the very weekend that the rest of us were at Bjorn and Jess's wedding, they were moving!  

Lisa did not make a public announcement on FB about it until this past weekend when I was down, because she didn't want it to take away from the track and field season at their current school, Carrollwood Day School.  She knew I would be chomping at the bit to post pictures of their house, and since track season had officially ended the weekend prior, she made a public post on Saturday.  

Sophie will be a 9th grader at Calvary Christian next year and Lisa was offered a full-time position teaching health and personal fitness and coaching cross country and track and field.  So it's a whole new phase for their family!

So here are the pictures I took of the house.  It doesn't take long for Lisa to give a house her signature touch.  It is so beautiful and very comfortable.

The view from the street.

Inside the front door. 

The living room.

The huge fireplace and TV wall.

Views of the living room from the upstairs hallway.

View of the living room from the lanai.  The sliders completely open, I guess like pocket doors, so that the lanai becomes an extension of the living room. 

The kitchen.

The dining room.  Lisa hopes to someday take out the wall between the kitchen and dining room for a more open space.  

George's office.  He's happy to have an office that doesn't double as a guest room!

Sophie's bedroom, which opens to the lanai.

Across the hall is another bedroom that is Sophie's study area and hangout room when friends come over.  I did not get a picture of the side of the room where her desk and keyboard and TV are. 

The guest room where I slept. 

The upstairs hallway.  Lisa's office is at one end and their bedroom is at the other end.  (She won't let me show any pictures of her office, lol!)

The outside view from the hallway windows.

Lisa and George's bedroom.  That door leads to their absolutely amazing master bathroom.  There are also two walk-in closets!

And now downstairs and out to the screened-in lanai, which is across the entire back of the house.  They own about two acres of woods and wetland behind their house, so they will not need to worry about having neighbors behind them.  Just the deer, which they have often seen!

Needless to say, they are very happy here, and I totally look forward to our next visit.  

Icing on the cake after my visit was when Lisa was officially introduced and welcomed in Calvary Christian's newsletter this week.  It's so amazing how this job uses the certifications and degrees she has accumulated since high school.  Her college major was in nutrition, and she'll be teaching health classes.  She is a certified yoga instructor, and she'll be teaching girls' personal fitness.   And she has taken many workshops and trainings in strength and mobility and speed for runners, which she'll continue to use in her coaching.  As with any new job it feels a bit intimidating, and I'm sure the first year will have plenty of learning curves.  But she has what it takes and I'm so very proud of her.  Here's the article in the school newsletter.

Calvary Hires Lisa Haag as Head Coach for Cross Country and Track & Field

Clearwater, FL (May 15, 2019) Calvary Christian High School is pleased to announce the hiring of Lisa Haag as head coach for the school’s cross country and track and field programs. Haag takes the leadership of these programs which have been led by staff members who will remain with the programs as assistants, including Stacey Simmons, who has led the track and field program for the past six years.

Coach Haag has served as the Head Track and Field Coach at Carrollwood Day School for the past three years, and has been a part of their program for four years. Coach Haag brings a lot of experience and success in garnering student enthusiasm and participation in the sport. Her work to increase the student athlete participation in track and field at CDS by 300% caught the attention of Athletic Director Darrell Don. Don said, “CDS quickly became a quality program under Haag’s leadership. People were taking notice of the success of their teams. Head of School, Mr. David Kilgore, met Haag at an event and noticed her love and concern for the students on her teams and believed she would be a great fit at CCHS. Kilgore said, “With Calvary’s enrollment being over 600 students in 2019, I am confident Coach Haag’s passion for the sport and her interest in seeing students participate will greatly increase our track and field and cross country numbers. We have been blessed with an outstanding facility on campus. We were ready to have a coach for these sports on campus full-time to build the programs with more student participation.”

Coach Haag stated, “I’m honored to be a part of the Calvary Track & Field & Cross Country teams. I look forward to continuing to build on the strong foundation that has been laid for both of the programs by the previous and current coaching staffs. My goal is for Calvary’s individuals and teams to consistently be in competition for state championships each year.” Calvary has had success in cross country and track and field competing in the FHSAA 1A assignments. The school has had individual state champions, as well as athletes earning medals at the state level in both cross country and track and field.  

The school will host a “greet and meet” gathering for Coach Haag on Monday, May 20th, 6:00 PM at the new Anderson Athletic Center. Students and parents are encouraged drop-in between 6:00 and 7:00 PM to meet Coach Haag and welcome her to the Calvary family. Coach Haag will begin on June 3rd by overseeing the summer strength and conditioning program for girls. 

Calvary Christian High School is a 9th – 12th grade high school with over 600 students enrolled from Pinellas, Pasco, and Hillsborough Counties. The school offers an outstanding college-preparatory academic program that is accredited by SACS, FCIS, and ACSI. For more information, please visit the school’s website at www.cchs.us, or contact the Director of Admissions, Mrs. Donella Woodbury.