Our last week of March and moving day

 Two weeks since I've posted.  That has never happened before. I can't seem to keep up with my life anymore.  I have been adding pictures here in hopes of finding the time to write, so today I will try to start catching up. 

This lovely sunrise was on Tuesday, March 26.  My lower back pain was a bit better than it had been the day before thankfully.

Here's a cute picture from preschool that day.

After school I took Elizer to Get Air.  He made it the whole way across the balance beam for the first time!

Sadly, our time there had to be shortened when he decided to be mean to a little girl.  I'm just keeping it real, lest you think he's always an angel.  

My first hyacinth brought me delight!

On Wednesday, March 27 I made chili and corn muffins and took some of them over to Anthony and Lori's after I picked Elizer up from preschool.  

Here are a couple of pictures from preschool that day. 

It was a sunny day and we stopped at the Benner Township Park at the entrance to our community on the way home.  I did not take one picture while we were there, and we were there a long time!  There was a young woman and little boy there.  The boys played so well together and I had a chance for good conversation with his stepmother.  I found out they live in our community and that she is from Mexico!  She had worked as a nanny in State College since she came to the US in 2021, then got married and is hoping to get another job soon.  She said she was a baker and cake decorator in Mexico.  We had fun talking about cooking.  What I think is Mexican cooking or restaurant food is not really authentic, hahaha!  I sensed that she might be lonely.  We exchanged phone numbers and I hope to reach out to her.

Elizer took a long bubble bath that evening, this time with the jets on. 

 

He and Grandpa had fun playing on the floor afterward while I got ready for bed.  I love that bubbling giggle!

Thursday was my choir prep and laundry day.  It was also Elizer's last day at preschool.  I felt very sad about that.  

I took him to the mall to walk around for a while.   We were glad that the pet store was still open.

 Then I took him to Destiny's place.  She had her car packed to the hilt and was leaving for her new place in Reading for a couple of days.  There was just enough room for Elizer in his car seat!  She also took Kobe, her cat.

We had choir practice that evening.  It was nice to finally have an evening completely devoted to choir practice instead of attached to the end of a Lenten service. 

On Friday I made Jamaican rice and peas and curried chicken, folded laundry, practiced my Good Friday music, took some of the food over to Anthony and Lori's.  In the evening we had our Good Friday service. 

I got a message from Jenn after we got home.  She said, "We are finally using our karaoke machine!"  And she attached this video.  I could NOT believe Sammy's voice had deepened this much just since he was here in February!!!  I love it!!!

Meanwhile in Gainsville, Florida Lisa and Sophie were at a meet that included both high school and college teams.  Lisa was there with the team she coaches, Berkeley Prep, and Sophie was there with her team from Miami University.  I LOVED this picture that Lisa posted!!

Saturday was a busy day of cleaning, grocery shopping, food prep, music prep and practice.  We did get to watch Sophie's 100 meter dash.  She was in the first heat, which included some REALLY fast girls!  Her time was 11:58.  

Destiny got back home that evening with a whole crew!  Her boyfriend Ozzy, her mom, her good friend Mariah and her boyfriend Yermison.   But not Elizer.  He was spending the weekend with Alex.  I was SO disappointed that he would not be here for Easter Sunday.  But knowing that the big move would occur on Monday, I knew it would be easier without him.  But I was really, really disappointed.  

Easter morning was our last worship service in our old building.  It was a full house!  

After church Dick and I headed to Walmart for some more food.  I had found out that at least one or two more of Destiny's friends would be joining us, and I wasn't sure we would have enough.  

We drove down Rock Road, as we always do to Walmart, and a plane was landing!  The airport landing field/runway is on the right, and we often see planes coming in.  It's so fun to be able to catch a picture at just the right time!

Back at home I got busy!  Destiny and her crew came and helped too.  We had ham, sweet potato casserole, baked corn, mashed potatoes, broccoli, salad, and rolls.  I had several kinds of pies for dessert (not homemade!)

Pictured here are (left to right): Yermison, Mariah, Enid (Destiny's mother), Dick, Destiny, Ozzy, and Victor.   A little later Anthony, Lori, Austin, and Hunter came too.  We had plenty of food for them as well!

Then it was egg painting time!

Anthony enjoyed a long converstion with Yermison about techie stuff.

After the eggs were all painted and the plastic ones filled with candy and money, Lori hid them outside.

Hunter and Austin hunted them, and so did Destiny (for  Elizer.)  

Anthony and Lori and the boys had to leave then to spend time with her mother.  The rest of us had a really fun game night!!  First we played Dictionary (our homemade version of Balderdash.)  Then I pulled out Blokus.  What a hit that was!!!  Round after round after round until almost midnight!!  It's addictive!!  

Monday was moving day times two.  Our church was moving things to the new building, and Destiny was moving to Reading.  Dick took a vacation day from work.  Destiny's crew had picked up the moving truck and had it pretty much loaded by the time we got there to help with the final cleaning.  I was the last to leave, and I said a tearful goodbye to this sweet little place that they had lived in for the past two years.  

Then I checked in at the new church.  The moving truck had not yet arrived there, but I got this picture of the sanctuary.

And a view out a window. 

Dick and I then drove to Lancaster to pick up Elizer from Alex's dad.  He slept the 40 minute drive to Reading, so I wasn't even able to have fun with him, boohoo!!  

Destiny's crew had the moving truck almost unloaded when we arrived.  Didn't take long for Elizer to wake up and climb into the back of the truck!

Enid and Mariah carrying the loveseat into the house.   Ozzy carrying a stack of boxes from Destiny's car.  And Elizer carrying the tote of blankets!   Yermison and Ozzy carried the sofa and the washer and dryer in, but I didn't get a picture of that.  

The moving crew!

Elizer took me on a tour, but I didn't take pictures.  We hung out until the sofa and loveseat were in place and the tired movers finally had a place to sit down.  I had brought some of our Easter leftovers for them to eat.  And then we had to hit the road for home!  It was 7 pm when we waved goodbye.  

I had extremely mixed emotions.  It was 10 pm when we arrived home.  We were ready for bed!

Tuesday was a rainy, gloomy day.  I had a hair appointment in the morning, then a meeting at church to plan the opening ceremony on April 21.

I took this picture of the stage, complete with piano, organ, alter table, and pulpit.  Isn't it lovely??

After the meeting I went over to Destiny's place to return the last keys to the office.  From there I drove to Walmart on the route in which I always drove him to preschool each morning.  And for the first time I cried.  I pretended I was talking with him like we always did about the things we saw along the way.  The sun or the lack thereof.  The cloud formations, the big trucks on the noisy highway, the crane at the hospital, the apartments we always called "The Lego Apartments."  And I realized what I will miss the most is just that - our conversations.