Our Palm Sunday weekend

 We woke up to a windy freezing cold Saturday morning in Pennsylvania!  Our Easter egg hunt day!  Ugh!!  They had hit 80 degrees on Thursday!!  At least it was sunny!  

Also I did not mention in my previous post that Dick was feeling increasingly worse as we flew home on Friday.  Constantly running nose.  Actually sometimes a bleeding nose, which is not uncommon for him.  And his ears were killing him.  He finally took his hearing aids out at some point.  He woke up Saturday morning with a very rough sounding voice.  But bless his heart, he was in charge of setting up the sound system outside the church for the egg hunt, so he went there to do that.  (I will add that he went to Convenient Care on Monday and was diagnosed with and treated for an ear infection.) 

I dressed like I was going sledding!  I hate being cold.  As expected, it was a fun event.  Here are some pictures.  

Getting the instructions.

We had the littles at one spot.

The elementary kids were in front of the house, which we call "the annex." (It holds our church office and the classroom for the teens and tweens.)

The older kids were behind the house.  They were required to use grabbers to pick up their eggs.

We were back at home just in time to watch Sophie run the 100 meter and later the 200 meter.  I just love watching her on my big computer screen.  As she stood there waiting her line-up I reached out and touched her.  She seemed so close, and I miss her.  She has been recovering from two ham string injuries, so her times aren't what she would like.  Lisa was coaching at her own high school track meet, so she had asked me to record Sophie's events.

These amazing pictures were from the coach's Instagram post. 

Sunday morning was our Palm Sunday celebration.  The kids processed in waving their palm branches, and later in the service they sang with the choir, a song titled "Wave Your Palms."   There were quite a few choir members and children missing for whatever reason.  Also, next year I'm gonna tell the choir they can sing without their music if the kids can, hahaha!  I guess it would help if I wouldn't go away the week before Palm Sunday.

Out in Portland there was a big event!  Christy and Alana took the kids to a real live Blazers game!!  And they won!  We were hearing the anticipation of that game all last week while we were there!  

We had BLTs for lunch on Sunday, because we're trying to use up stuff from our freezer (the bacon).  But the tomatoes didn't taste that great, so they were a bit of a disappointment.  Nothing like fresh tomatoes. 

Monday I was back to my normal routine - grocery shopping, cooking, picking up Hunter and Austin, and taking them and the food to their place. I made chili with all the fixin's and cornbread muffins.  I gained a pound from eating some of it!

Dick was working on job applications.  There is one at Sam's Club that he really wants.  

I also had a long phone call with our daughter Miki in Sweden.  She had a health scare last week.  I miss her so.  I so wish she could come here for a visit again.  She sent me a video of a song her gospel choir will be working on.  The choir director told her that when she came across this song she immediately knew that Miki would be the soloist because the lyrics were so aligned with Miki's testimony.  I'm so thankful she has that choir!!

Last day in Portland, trip home

Our Thursday in Portland included doing more laundry, starting to pack, more puzzle time, but no cooking.  It was a sunny day (not very warm though) and after camp we took Brennan to his soccer practice.  He was having a good time, and I really liked his coach.  He had a good strong voice, and he was clear with his instructions.  They practiced skills for a long time, then played a short game.

Alana and Christy came to watch him too.  I thought we would grab food at something like Burger King afterward, but Alana said she was treating us at El Sombrero, our favorite Mexican restaurant in Portland.  My quesadillas were SO delicious, but I was trying to be careful how much I ate, considering the fact that I would be in a plane for many hours the next day!

I completely forgot to take a picture of us at the table!!  Ugh!!  When we went outside I remembered, but it was too late then.  Christy said she would take a selfie of us.  I LOVE these!!!  Can you find Brennan in this one?

After Brennan was settled in bed we finished our packing and hit the sack.  

Friday morning was all business!  We tried to keep Brennan moving through his morning routines so we could take him to camp and then come home to get a Lyft to the airport.  

I wished we could stay till Jeremy and Mike would come back from their trip on Tuesday.  I hate that they will come home to an oven that doesn't work.  And adding to that, Dick left his iPad there, so at some point they will need to mail that to us.  I really hate to add that to their list of things to do on top of jet lag and being hit with real life at work and at home.  I knew the kids would be fine with "Aunties" Alana and Christy taking over for us.  They had big plans, which I'll show you later. 

We got to the airport more than two hours before our flight, just the way I like it.  We have TSA pre-check, so we went right through with no lines. We had a long time to relax, find something to eat, fill our water thermoses.  But I decided to wait for coffee till we were on our flight.  

It was a beautiful day for flying.  First of all we had views of several mounts, not sure which ones.  

Dick was at the window this time, so I didn't see everything.  I napped a bit and worked on a blog post.  

Later, after Dick had to use the restroom I switched seats with him and got these pictures as we neared Chicago.  Do you see the two other planes in this photo?  

I love the Chicago shore line.

We had some anxiety about being very near the back of a very large plane, which meant taking a long time de-board.  Our next flight was in just a little over an hour, and we knew we would have a LONG walk.

The airport was packed with people coming and going, but we took off single file and HIKED IT through that airport!!!  Forging through the crowds, passing people, trying to avoid bumping into people coming the other way, dodging a cart full of cardboard just as a piece of it fell off.  But we did it!!  I was kind of proud of us, lol!  And happy that my plantar fasciitis has not been acting up.  Here's a picture I took from the internet as an illustration.  I certainly could not take a picture while I was walking at that speed!

We were on the very back row of the small plane that took us to State College.  When we got there around 9 PM we called an Uber.  We live just six minutes away from the airport.  Several neighbors had offered to pick us up, but I wasn't in the mood for conversation.  I just wanted to get home and start unpacking. 

We sent this picture to our WhatsApp chat group (Jeremy, Mike, Alana, Christy) to let them know we were home. 

From Portland we got a picture of Brennan still puzzling!  You can see how that puzzle JUST fits on the table, the exact same width.  NO pushing it!!

And from Spain, this amazing cathedral!

 Next post will be about our Easter Egg hunt at church on Saturday.

Weekdays on Grandparent Duty

 I’m writing this while flying home on Friday. I can barely remember Monday!  It’s good I took a few pictures. 

It was Spring Break in their school district, and Brennan was signed up for “camp.”  The program, which runs during the summer and also school breaks, is called Champions. He does better with structure and activity and variety, rather than having too much free time. 

So on Monday morning Dick and I took him to the elementary school where camp was held.  I took this picture before I left.

Tasha wanted to make dinner that day, so we took a fun trip to a nearby grocery store.  

Miss Clara, a hired aid, picked Brennan up from camp around 2:00, and they spent a long time doing puzzles with Grandpa. They finished the first one, and got started on the second - a 1000 piece puzzle!!

The finished one:

The new one:

I helped Tasha to make her dinner, mushroom chicken, cheesy rice, and air-fried asparagus.  It was a meal she remembered her biological grandma making. It was scrumptious!!

We had contact with the dads who were on a long layover in Atlanta.  They sent us this picture when they had boarded the flight to Spain. 

Tuesday started out the same. We took Brennan to camp.  I probably did some laundry and cleaning. Then we went to Fred Meyer for groceries, which turned out to be an adventure.  There are numerous Fred Meyers, one which was no longer in business, another that was just a gas station. Finally we found one that was a beautiful grocery store!  What fun we had on the way there and as we were shopping.  Tasha is really fun to be with. 

We made molasses ginger snaps when we got home. They turned out flat for some reason, but they were still yummy. 

We picked up Brennan from camp, and the “puzzling” continued for hours.  

Meanwhile Tasha and I made meatloaf, which we put in the oven to bake.  We had big potatoes ready for baking too. At some point I realized that the oven didn’t seem very hot. We tried turning it off and preheating it again, but no luck. Wahhh!!

So we improvised. Their microwave has a “bake” button, which turns the microwave into a regular oven. We managed to fit the meatloaf pan into that.  Their air fryer also has a regular bake setting, so we were able to put the big potatoes into that.  We were also making brown butter broccoli, and I usually cook the broccoli in the microwave. But since that was already occupied, I cooked the broccoli in a pot on the stove top.  

Everything turned out pretty well!  “Aunties” Alana and Christy joined us for dinner and loved it all. Whew!!  That was a bit stressful. 

Wednesday was a beautiful sunny morning.  Before we left to take Brennan to camp I decided to go across the street to take a picture of their house. I discovered later that I had taken four lovely close-ups of my face because my camera was reversed, lol!!  So I had to try again!

Once again we decided what we would make for dinner and took a trip to the grocery store.  As usual, a fun time!  Here’s a picture to prove it!

I did lots more laundry and cleaning. When Miss Clara arrived with Brennan the puzzling started up again. This time Tasha joined in. I didn’t really need her help with the white chicken chili I was making.

 Sibling love - or maybe teasing!

Christy and Alana joined us for dinner again.  I served the chili  with avocados, tortilla chips, and shredded Monterey Jack cheese. 

Brennan’s evening was “made” when Alana pulled up the Braves game on her phone.  He is such a fan!  When he watches a game, he wears his jersey!

Each morning we started the day with a FaceTime call from Jeremy and Mike.  Of course it was midday in Spain.  Here's a picture I snapped when we were talking one morning.  They also have sent so many beautiful pictures!  

I finished up this post here at my computer after we got home.  We have a big Easter Egg Hunt at church tomorrow, but I'll try to make another quick post about our past two days.

Our Sunday in Portland

 I give up trying to get my font all the same and lining things up properly.  Blogging on my phone is really, really frustrating!!

Sunday was another beautiful sunny day! Still chilly, but sunny. 

But first!  A new puzzle needed to be started!  750 pieces.  Grandpa always connects with Brennan via puzzles   It’s so interesting how Brennan, who typically has a short attention span, stays focused on finding puzzle pieces. Even I got drawn into this one for a while.

Meanwhile, Jeremy and Mike were at the dining room table working out details of their trip to Spain.

We ate leftovers that day, so no cooking or food pictures.

In the afternoon we spent a long time outside.  It was so beautiful and invigorating.

Best picture for last!  Walking down the street near their home and seeing Mount St. Helen!!

Late afternoon Jeremy got the idea that he really needs a pocket in his favorite jacket - big enough for his cell phone while traveling.  I started ripping a seam, and he cut off a sleeve from a tee shirt to serve as a pocket. 

And he got’er done!!  

They left for the airport that evening.  First they would fly to Atlanta, then to Spain. Brennan cried, but was over it in no time. I think Jeremy minded it more than he did. 

We watched a funny movie with Tasha starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, but I can’t even remember what it was called. 

Our stint of “taking over the household” was off to a good start!