Music and insurance

 

Life is not slowing down!!  

Last Saturday (November 15) was our annual gingerbread house decorating party at church.  Hunter went somewhere else with Lori that day, but I went anyway to take pictures and see what everyone was doing.  It was a bit early in the season for this activity, but Curt and Louise, who head it up, will be leaving for Florida soon for a few months. 

On Sunday morning we had a wonderful time at church.  First of all, for me, it was the Sunday for the praise band to be there, so that always makes our music so much better.

Then there was a Quilts of Valor ceremony.  Ten veterans received quilts in honor of their service to our country.  My good friend Peg is an avid quilter, and she was the emcee for the ceremony.  She always adds humor and so many personal anecdotes.  She read a bio of each person as they received their quilts.  We learned SO much about each one that we never knew.  There were definitely tears shed.

On Monday Dick took the day off work, and we went to talk to an insurance broker about our ever-increasing Medicare Supplement premiums.  We started in 2016 (when I turned 65) with Mutual of Omaha.  It seemed affordable then, but the premiums have dramatically increased each year.  We are now paying $787.70/month for the two of us, PLUS $130/each for our Part D prescription insurance through Humana which will soon increase for 2026.  

This insurance broker said she would never recommend Mutual of Omaha for a Medicare Supplement, because they are notorious for starting out at a reasonable premium, then making dramatic increases each year.  Well darn!!!  I wish the broker who advised us in 2016 had been smart enough to know that then.  GRRR.  

She was doubtful we would be accepted by any other insurance company for a supplement plan due to some of the medical issues we have had, so she showed us a Medicare Advantage plan.  We have been mulling over things this week, talking to my friend at church who recommended this broker to us, and also to my sister Mary Ellen who encouraged us to go through the medical underwriting process to see if any other company would accept us for a Medical Supplement plan.  

This evening we had a phone appointment with the broker. She took us through the questions for medical underwriting.  Then she submitted them to Humana for a Medicare Supplement plan she was recommending.  I was accepted, Dick's is pending.  She said they will probably be calling him in a day or two with more questions.  The premium would be so much lower than we are paying now.  I am PRAYING Dick will be accepted!!  

On Monday evening we had a concert at church by the Nittany Knights Barbershop Chorus.  An older gentleman from our church has sung with them for 50 years!!!  However he was not able to be at this concert.  He is very ill in the hospital.  In fact just yesterday he was moved to a nursing home.  He has sung with my choir for over a year now, a beautiful tenor voice. I am SO SAD!!!!!

On Tuesday morning we woke up to a complete surprise!  It was icy, so schools were delayed two hours.

The rest of the week was filled with cooking and Christmas program planning and practicing.  Not only is my choir working on a musical, but the children will have a program too - both on the same day, December 14.  The children will present theirs in the morning worship service, and the adults in the evening.  I'm in charge of the music for each.

Our weather was cloudy for 13 days straight!!! When I saw the sun on Saturday I was ecstatic!!!  I even sat on the front porch for a while!

I splurged a bit on Saturday when I saw an ad for a personalized book for kids.  I submitted some pictures of Elizer just to see what it would look like.  WELL!!!  When I saw the preview of the book, do you think I could resist???  

So this is Thanksgiving week!!  Destiny said they'll be coming!  I guess Thanksgiving and camping weekend are two traditions she feels she can't give up, even from a distance.  

I have SO much to do before Thursday, and not just food prep.  Music prep and food prep are the themes of my life!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Baby Shower and Birthdays and SNOW!

Since the time change I've been getting to see some beautiful sunrises from our kitchen windows.  When they are spectacular like this I go out to the front porch for a better view.

We've had some REALLY windy days and nights this past week.  After one very windy night I found my front porch pillows had been blown to the side of the house - thankfully not down the street!  Our trash can had been blown off the side porch too.  As you can see, we have leaves.  Not our leaves however.  We don't have any trees except evergreens.  But the wind has a way of bringing our neighbors' leaves into our yard.

Saturday was a big day!  There was a baby shower for Destiny at the East Petersburg Community Center - same place we had our Witmer gathering two weeks prior.  I had been watching the East Petersburg weather forecast for two weeks and PRAYING for a warm, sunny day.  And that's what we had!!

We were the first ones there around 12 noon, followed very shortly by Destiny's mother Enid.  And then Destiny arrived with her sister Jada.  They had been at their dad's house in Reading overnight (our son Frank.)   Because my sister Mary Ellen is an East Petersburg resident, our reservation had to be done by her, so she met us there with the key and she also helped with some of the setup.  

Before long that stark room looked like a baby girl party!

Dick ran some errands (ice, water bottles, a balloon pump.)  And THEN he went on the best errand - to pick up Elizer from his daddy's house where he had been for the previous two days.  I was SO eager to see him - first time since mid-August!  

I think Sam and Steph and the kids were the first guests to arrive.  They soon got busy with the corn hole game Mary Ellen had brought. 

There is new playground equipment in their park, and Dick took Elizer there.  He met up with our friend Kevin Harley, husband of Wendy - my dear Manheim Christian Day School co-worker.  They have four beautiful daughters who were some of my best singers.  I follow each of them on social media.  WELL, Kevin was there with three of their granddaughters, and Elizer had so much fun with them! 

I was helping to slice apples for the apple bar.  I can't believe I didn't even take a picture of it.  Caramel and all kinds of goodies to dip into.  After everything was set up and ready, Destiny got dressed and her mom helped her to do her hair. 

We had a lot of food!  Enid's brother Steven brought some good yellow rice and chicken.  Enid's mother had made pasteles, which we boiled in a big pot (you can see it in the picture above) for an hour or two - tripping the breaker and causing a panic!  But Dick got us back in business again.  I had made two kinds of cookies and also brought veggies and dip and chips and salsa.  Destiny got a big pumpkin pie and some mini individual pumpkin pies from Costco.  And of course there was cake.  

I was so busy I didn't get pictures of everyone or all the food. 

Lori and Hunter came.  Frank came with Alaya and V'anni.  Their mother Lauren was there with her older daughter Nicayla and her friend.  Destiny's brother J'von came with his girlfriend Leslie.  Destiny's friend Amber, who had come along from Indianapolis, was there, and was such a big help in setting up.  Destiny's sister Keshila (Enid's daughter) was there with her husband and two children. Enid's sister Perla was there with two of her adult kids and grandchildren.  Ozzy had worked for Frank for a couple of days and he came with him.

There were some really fun, hilarious games.  I sat at a table with Lori and Hunter and Sam and Steph, Sammy and Bianca. We had lots of laughs.

Elizer was having fun with all the kids, but especially with Keshila's son.  They were doing activities at the next table, and Lori and I were listening to them talk.  I said, "Oh my goodness, I could just eat him up!!  He sounds so cute!"  

Hunter and Elizer obliged us for some pictures!

I almost forgot that it was my birthday!  74 years old!  Destiny got everyone's attention and brought out a cake that Dick had gotten for me.  It was so much fun to have so many grandchildren together singing "Happy Birthday" to me!

Official pictures!

Lots of people helped us to clean up when we were all finished.  We were a tired bunch!  Destiny, Ozzy, and Elizer were going to Frank's house in Reading overnight and leaving the next day, so we had to say our goodbyes.  Such a short time together!  Sigh.

As we always do when we're in East Petersburg, we checked out "our" house.  Our first house.  We bought it on our 7th wedding anniversary in October 1978.  This view is from the back, which faces the park.  The front of the house is right up against Main Street with only a sidewalk between.  The picture on the left is when we lived there, the picture on the right is current.  

We went to Mary Ellen's house for the night and to church with her in the morning - James Street Mennonite Church in Lancaster city.  It's a wonderful church, and we felt very much at home.  They have excellent musicians!  I took a picture of one of the hymns we sang.

Mary Ellen made delicious white chicken chili for our lunch.  After lunch Dick took a nap and we sisters talked about end-of-life issues.  We're at the age where such things need to be discussed.  I appreciate her thorough guidance.

Then we said our goodbyes.  And of course we needed some pictures!

It was nearing dark (which comes TOO early now) as we drove toward home.  Beautiful skies!

We had a stop to make along the way home!  It was Sam's birthday!  We met them at our favorite place - Brother's Pizza in Newport.  As always, we had the most fun together in our cozy corner up on their balcony. 

I wanted a picture with Sam, but first of all we had to clean the food out of our teeth, hahaha!!  Steph was across the table snapping away.

Sammy's hair has really grown, and it's SO curly!!  He could have a good fro if he wanted, haha!  Bianca was her usual delightfully dramatic self!

I even had a birthday balloon to bring home with me.

On Tuesday morning we woke up to SNOW!!  NOOOOO!!  It was a terribly cold, windy day.  Yes I know, it's pretty. 

I decided it was time to use the electric fireplace.  And while I was at it, I added some "seasonal" music.   But I'm really not ready for all that.

On Wednesday evening, instead of our monthly baking class at church we had a glue gun party!  We glued a bunch of gingerbread houses together so that on Saturday when we have our gingerbread decorating party for the kids, they can just have fun decorating instead of taking so long to keep their walls standing up.

That's all till next week!

Halloween and first week of November

Last Friday was a windy Halloween day.  So our church's Trunk or Treat was moved indoors.  These were my favorite Halloween-ers, of course!

 

Lots of fun!

Then we came home, and Austin went straight to the piano.  Hunter stayed on the front porch to give out my snack bags to kids that came by.  I love to greet the neighborhood children, but it was so cold and windy I really was glad Hunter wanted to do it.  Besides, Austin wanted me to listen to his songs - all seven or eight of them! 

Here's one called Speed of Light, which he really does seem to play at the speed of light!  How I wish I had his long, nimble fingers!

Saturday was a stay-at-home catch-up day.  It started with this gorgeous sunrise. 

I took these pictures from inside and outside.  Those red bushes are really showing off!

On Sunday afternoon Anthony came over and helped Dick to cut down and load up the last four tall grasses.  His pickup truck is bigger than ours and so much easier to load the grasses onto.  He took them home to his burn pile.  We were so thankful for his help and his young muscles!

Here are a few more Fall leaf pictures I took this week.  We haven't had the most brilliant show of leaves this year, but there are some.  My favorites are always the red and yellow.

On Tuesday morning Dick and I went to an appointment for him at Geisinger in Danville, about an hour-and-a-half from here.  On the way there the sun was blasting in our eyes, but on the way home it was much nicer.  Lots of views of mountains and trees, but not spectacular this year.  

I was reading some of my old blog posts to Dick as we drove - from November 2005, November 2010, November 2015, and November 2020.  It's crazy how many things we'd forgotten.  I'm so glad I wrote it all down, but what good is it if we never read it?

I've been trying to get a new picture of our church for the Facebook page, and I was hoping to have more colorful mountains in the background, but so far that is not happening.  I took this picture yesterday.

So today is Thursday, and I will again be practicing piano for hours while I do our laundry. Then we'll have choir and Christmas musical practice this evening.  

I'm excited about our weekend coming up - a baby shower for Destiny!!  They drove in from Indiana yesterday and are staying in the Lancaster/Reading area.  Elizer is getting a couple of days with his daddy.  We'll go down on Saturday morning and help get things set up for the shower.  Then we'll stay at my sister Mary Ellen's on Saturday night.   

That's it for this time.