Our last week of May

 A whole week has already gone by since we got back from our Florida vacation!!  It's been a happening week, and I've taken a whole lot of pictures and videos.  

Elizer's daycare is fully staffed again, so he is back in "school" four days a week.  After I picked him up on Tuesday Destiny met me at "airport park."  I had promised Elizer that we would go there so he could ride his scooter.  What a great time he had!  

He's really good at it too!

On Wednesday I took pictures around our house and decided it must be purple season!

It was Anthony and Lori's 20th wedding anniversary that day!  We have the BEST memories of their wedding day right here in State College.

I got a card and cut flowers to take over to them, and FINALLY got to see their rhododendrons!  They had been fully blooming the week we were away, and I was glad they had not died before I got to see them.  Aren't they absolutely stunning??

When I brought Elizer home from daycare that afternoon he immediately tried out a new piece of "exercise equipment."  We had bulk pick-up here in our community last week, and Destiny found this down the street! 

After we came inside I noticed that he looked really tired.  I asked if he felt ok, and he said no, his mouth hurt.  I realized he meant his throat.  He also felt feverish. After a long resistance, he finally took some liquid Tylenol.  I thought he was going to take a nap, but before long he got off the couch and was back to full steam!

I was really busy on Thursday catching up on our laundry and prepping for choir practice that evening.  But I did get this sweet picture.  Dick had mowed our lawn on Tuesday while we were at airport park, so Elizer had missed his weekly ride on the tractor.  Dick gave him a ride before he got showered for choir practice.  The highlight of Elizer's week, as you can see in his face!

On Friday he was my boy all day.  I decided to take him up to the airport, earlier this time so we wouldn't miss all the big planes like the last time we went.  We had the greatest time!  We were able to watch a plane drive right up to the doors, the ramp being pushed over to its door, and people walking down.  Elizer was standing right beside a little girl his age who was waiting for her grandpa to get off that plane!  

Later we watched that big plane at the top of my collage take off.  What a thrill!!  It was so loud, driving so fast, and then up in the air it went!  Can't wait till we can take him on an airplane sometime.

Back at home I gave him a bottle from our local Pregnancy Resource Center.  Our church is participating in their baby bottle fund raiser this month.  This year the bottles have slots in which to insert the coins.  So I got out my can of loose change and Elizer had fun putting the coins into the bottle. 

I cleaned off the wheels of his scooter and he parks it in the "garage" under our kitchen table, then takes it for a spin from time to time.  I thought it was hilarious of Friday how his clothes matched his scooter and helmet. 

After his nap we went for a walk and to the playground below our house.  Then we hung out on the front porch for a while.  We were watching a little bird in the feeder.  The picture on the right is of the moon up in the sky.  Can you see it?  Elizer spied it, so I took a picture of it. 

Destiny texted me after work wondering if I had cooked dinner.  I told her I was still on the porch with Elizer and had to think of something to make.  I really didn't feel like it, so I was glad when she wondered if I wanted to meet her at Chen's Mongolian Buffet.  Dick had gone over to Anthony and Lori's place to mow after work, so I met Destiny at Chen's.  When we drove into the parking lot, Elizer spied the miniature golf course across the way.  He was disappointed that we were going into the restaurant instead.  He said, "I want to do something fun."  

So after we ate at the buffet we decided to check out the mini golf course.  I didn't even know it was there even though apparently it's been there for many years!  The weather was perfect and we had so much fun.  I didn't golf, but I had fun watching them and taking pictures.  

I liked this section!  

This was the last hole and our favorite. 

On Saturday morning Dick and I went shopping for groceries and flowers.  Then we came home and got to work.  He dug up a bunch of our tall grasses and lilies.  One of his buddies was going to take some of them.  It's so much work each year thinning them out.  It's just unbelievable how much they spread and how thick they get!  We can't keep up.  

We want to turn the flowerbed in the front into a rose garden.  We have two that have survived from 2021, one from Sam (paprika colored) and a red one.  Last year our beautiful yellow hybrid tea rose had not survived the brutal winter, and I was SO disappointed.  By the time I wanted to buy another one there were none to be had. Last week I bought a pathetic looking one at Walmart and a bright pink one.  I ordered another yellow hybrid tea rose from College Gardens.  I also bought a beautiful yellow miniature rose at Walmart (bottom right photo.)  Can you tell, I love yellow roses?  

Anyway, after all that, Dick and I were digging stuff out of that flower bed on Saturday, and what to our wandering eyes did appear?? The one that had not survived from two years ago seems to be shooting new growth!!  (Bottom left photo.)  We’ll be keeping an eye on it!

In the evening Destiny and Elizer, Lori and Hunter joined us for a cookout. The weather was PERFECT!  Elizer and Hunter had fun together, and we adults enjoyed a lot of catching up. 

When we were carrying things into the house the boys were doing a duet with our toy guitar and saxophone.  Hunter loved that guitar!  No playing preset songs for him. He was playing the buttons that each play a single note. He was making up his own tunes and rhythms. Might he be related to Anthony?

After church the next morning we went to Waffle Shop for brunch with Destiny and Elizer.  As always, Elizer had to start his meal with a lemon slice!

There was a fireman’s carnival at nearby Boalsburg, so we went there for a couple of hours after Elizer’s nap. Dick had gone over to Anthony and Lori’s to check his trail cams, so he was meeting us at the carnival.  

Well. Boalsburg is a quaint little town, and parking for the carnival was wherever you could find a spot. The spot I found required parallel parking. Oh dear.  I used to do quite well with shorter vehicles, but NOT with this van!  I asked Destiny if she wanted to park it. She said she has no idea how to parallel park a van. I had no choice but to try. GOOD GRIEF!!!  I backed against the curb at least five times. Destiny got out to try guiding me, but she was doubling over with laughter every time I backed into the curb. An old man stood and watched us. Ugh!!  Eventually I got it done. And believe me, I was very parallel parked. Both front and back tires were no more than an inch from the curb!!  

The carnival was really fun. And really expensive of course. 

After the carnival Dick and I took Elizer to meet Alex and his dad and his dad's sister from Utah and his grandma from Puerto Rico.  They have a houseful this week!  After we left our meeting place, Dick and I drove to pick up a pair of brand new work boots that Dick was buying from someone on FB Marketplace.  It was getting dark before we found their place, and it was a bit unnerving to be on unfamiliar back roads after dark.  Along the way we had beautiful views of the Susquehanna River and the sunset.  

We did find the person selling the work boots, and they were just what Dick wanted - steel toed Timberlands, brand new for half the price.  But we had over an hour's drive home!  We needed gas and eventually found a Sheetz gas station.  Dick ordered an ice coffee as usual, but the place was super busy and it took them over 15 minutes to have his coffee ready!  I suddenly remembered that I had to make a pan of peanut butter rice krispie treats for the next day, but I didn't have enough cereal or peanut butter or marshmallows!!!  And Walmart would be closed by the time we got back to State College.  It felt like a horrible very bad no good night!  But alas, as we pulled away from Sheetz, there on the hill behind it was a huge Walmart!  And it was open!  So I got my stuff and we headed home, getting there after 11 pm.   I made the rice krispie treats before I went to bed and ate too many of them warm because I was feeling like I deserved them, hahaha!!  

Monday was Memorial Day, and we were planning a trip to see Frank and the girls.  We picked up Destiny around 10 am.  She was crocheting as we drove!  We went to Reading (about a 3-hour drive) to pick up Jada, Alaya, and V'anni from Lauren's house.  (She and Frank separated last summer, unfortunately.)  We had a carload of Collazo girls! 

At Frank's place he was grilling hamburgers, hot dogs, and shish kabobs.  I played chutes and ladders with Alaya.  V'anni sat nearby watching something on a phone.  

Destiny and Jada went to the store to buy water balloons.  I had never seen anything like this.  Have you?  Genius!! 

It was a hot afternoon, so water balloons were a great activity - until someone got hit too hard.  

We left around 5:30 to go back home.  Here are the cute "Woobles" Destiny crocheted - a dino named Fred and a heart.  

There was a lovely sunset as we approached State College.  Here's a picture of me trying to get a picture of the sunset, hahaha!  

Today I did my annual bleach job on our porch chairs.  I realized these chairs are 18 years old.  I think I'll keep them till they're 20, then maybe get new ones.  Destiny said she wants these when I'm done with them, lol!  Here's a before and after pic.

Now I just need to figure out when I can ever sit and relax on my little side porch.