My birthday week

I'll start with a few autumn pictures I took last week.  First one is a tree somewhere in our neighborhood.  I took it when I was walking one day.

And the front of our house.  The big flowers in front got hit by frost, but my hanging geranium is still hanging on, haha!  I do still have a few roses that have not gotten hit by frost yet.

Thursday was filled with music prep and laundry.  I'm starting to feel eager for our Christmas cantata at church to be over.  It's a lot to keep prepared for both Sunday morning choir songs each week and the cantata also.  And then I'm in Essence 2, the Gospel Choir I joined this fall.  I've spent a lot of time practicing those songs.  Thankfully I have no responsibility for that choir.  

Friday was my 73rd birthday.  I got a lot of things done here at home, including making a pot of chicken corn noodle soup for the following day.  

In the evening we went to Plaza Mexican Bar and Grill for my birthday dinner with Anthony and Lori and the boys.  It was PACKED!!! This was a home football game weekend.  We had a 45-minute wait, which wasn't too bad, really.  They put us in a corner booth, tight quarters!  But we had a GREAT time!!  

Lori gave me these beautiful flowers.

We ordered the table-side guacamole cart.  It was good, but I am forever ruined since Lisa took me to Casa Tina in Dunedin last month.  Their chips and salsa and guacamole were absolutely the best I have ever eaten, and what we had here on Friday evening did not compare.   

Anthony and Lori had asked them to sing "Happy Birthday" to me and they brought me this scrumptious fried ice cream!  I never had it before, and I loved it! 

What a great birthday evening!  The flowers looked so pretty on my kitchen table.

And even prettier on Saturday morning!

We had a big day planned for Saturday.  We met Sam and Steph for lunch at Brother's Pizza in Newport near their place.  It was Sam's 47th birthday.   We have been celebrating our birthdays together if at all possible for many years.  

We each got a hoagie.  The bread was so good!

We had so much fun together, as we always do.  I do believe this was the first we've ever been with Sam and Steph without the kids.  It was their weekend with Jenn.

So, interesting fact:  This year it is THIRTY YEARS since Sam and Frank joined our family as teenage foster sons.  That fall we celebrated Sam's 17th birthday and my 43rd!   These are pictures we took on that occasion.  Please pardon the boys' lack of clothes, hahaha!  

On the left Jeremy is standing beside me, on the right Frank is standing beside Sam.  

After we said our goodbyes to Sam and Steph we drove to Reading.  Destiny and Ozzy and Elizer had gotten there from Indianapolis in the wee hours of the morning.

How about that interesting building across the street?   

Elizer was so excited to see us!  And of course we were excited to see him too.  

He wanted to go outside, so we went to the little back yard and porch and had fun with him. 

Basketball with Grandpa.

We ate some of the chicken corn noodle soup I had brought along, and then we packed some of Elizer's things.  We were taking him to his daddy and grandpa near Lancaster.  He'll be staying there for a few weeks.  They had not seen him since his birthday party in August and were really missing him.   We said our goodbyes to Destiny and her mom and Ozzy.   I didn't get any picture of them this time.  I was so disappointed when I thought of it later.  

We dropped Elizer off, then made the two-hour drive home.  Dick found the Penn State football game on the radio.  We pass the stadium on our way home, and thankfully the game was not over, so there wasn't much traffic.  It was funny to pass the stadium and be listening to the game on the radio at the same time. It was LOUD in there!!  In fact, we could hear the noise from our house five miles away!

On Sunday morning we honored our veterans.  I think there were 17 present.  Along the side were banners with the name of each vet.  

We also had Communion, and as usual, some of the young teens helped to serve the elements.  My heart is always so stirred when I watch them.  They take the responsibility so seriously.  

In the afternoon I was working here at my computer and piano on the music for next Sunday.   As I scrolled Facebook I saw this adorable picture of Frank and four of his girls enroute to visit some of his bio relatives in Wilmington, Delaware.   Beside him in the front is Jada.  In the back are Raelynn, V'anni, and Alaya.  

From 6:00-7:00 on Sunday evening I went to the practice with Essence 2.  Here's a video of another one of our songs - Redemption Medley.  In this YouTube video the composer, Stan Spottswood, explains how and why he incorporated three old hymns in this medley.  I just love what he shares, as well as the song.  I'm pretty sure our choir will sound better than this one, because we are adults and there are some incredible voices in our choir.   

  

Stan Spottswood, as well as two other composers, will be here the day of our concert.  In the morning they will be holding a choral reading workshop, which we and others will attend.  They also will conduct us as we perform their songs. 

Last of all, here is a picture of the clouds on Monday when I was taking dinner over to Anthony and Lori's place.