My parents stopped in later.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Sunday, September 03, 2006
A good laugh
I must add this funny little story to the events of our day. In our haste to leave early enough to meet Lori in Harrisburg, we decided to meet my sister Mary Ellen at Erb Mennonite Church, instead of waiting till she got to our house. We approached the church from different directions at exactly the same time. She grabbed her cell phone, pressed the number for "Jean" (or so she thought), and upon hearing the "Hello," said, "Hey, open your trunk and I'll put my things in it quick." The person on the other end of the line said, "Where ARE you?" Lo and behold, she realized she was had not dialed me, but her friend Jan in Mobile, Alabama! Jan recognized Mary Ellen's voice telling her to open her trunk quick!! I could hardly stop laughing when Mary Ellen told me that. It still makes me giggle every time I think about it!
Blues on the Block
This evening our son Anthony's band, Holy Smoke Blues, played at a block party hosted by a church in Orwigsburg, PA. It's an annual event, and the second time Anthony's band played there.
We were planning to leave around 3, but found out Anthony's wife Lori needed a ride there. She had been at a conference in Washington D.C. this weekend, and the lady who drove was not getting her home in time to leave State College with the band. They were heading up 81, and we figured out that if we met Lori at Harrisburg when they got there around 4, we could make it to Orwigsburg (north of Hamburg) just in time for Anthony's 5:15 starting time. Everything went like clockwork until just before we got to Orwigsburg. Dick noticed the blinking lights of a police cruiser behind him! So 15 minutes later we drove away with a $100 traffic violation fine, and we made it to the end of the block in Orwigsburg just as Anthony's band was starting their first song!
We had a great time there. My sister Mary Ellen went along too. There were so many fun things for children to do, as the pictures below will show. The small-town friendliness of the church people was wonderful, the food was good, and Holy Smoke Blues were really smokin'!! Destiny was worn out and fell asleep on the way home. We were home shortly after 9 PM.
How nice to know we can stay home tomorrow!
We were planning to leave around 3, but found out Anthony's wife Lori needed a ride there. She had been at a conference in Washington D.C. this weekend, and the lady who drove was not getting her home in time to leave State College with the band. They were heading up 81, and we figured out that if we met Lori at Harrisburg when they got there around 4, we could make it to Orwigsburg (north of Hamburg) just in time for Anthony's 5:15 starting time. Everything went like clockwork until just before we got to Orwigsburg. Dick noticed the blinking lights of a police cruiser behind him! So 15 minutes later we drove away with a $100 traffic violation fine, and we made it to the end of the block in Orwigsburg just as Anthony's band was starting their first song!
We had a great time there. My sister Mary Ellen went along too. There were so many fun things for children to do, as the pictures below will show. The small-town friendliness of the church people was wonderful, the food was good, and Holy Smoke Blues were really smokin'!! Destiny was worn out and fell asleep on the way home. We were home shortly after 9 PM.
How nice to know we can stay home tomorrow!
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Time to sit down and update
My feet are tired after cooking for several hours, so I'll sit and update before I clean up the sink.
This morning my sister Mary Ellen and I went to see Ebenezer Mennonite Bible School near Spring Grove, PA. This was our last place before we make a decision about where the Witmers will get together next summer. Ebenezer is a former elementary school that a conservative Mennonite group bought. They are turning it into a Bible School, and rent it out for family reunions, etc. It is incredibly spacious and very clean, has central air-conditioning, and is only 5 miles from Codorus State Park. It doesn't have the lovely setting that Mt. Olivet (the place we looked at last week) has, but it has many other advantages, including the price.
I cooked several meals for next week again. Tomorrow after church we plan to go to Orwigsburg to hear Anthony's band play at a block party put on by a church. They played there last year, and it was such a fun event.
We have gotten really good rain from this storm. I just hope it's finished by tomorrow. I felt sorry today for people that might be camping this holiday weekend. Hopefully they'll still get some nice weather.
This morning my sister Mary Ellen and I went to see Ebenezer Mennonite Bible School near Spring Grove, PA. This was our last place before we make a decision about where the Witmers will get together next summer. Ebenezer is a former elementary school that a conservative Mennonite group bought. They are turning it into a Bible School, and rent it out for family reunions, etc. It is incredibly spacious and very clean, has central air-conditioning, and is only 5 miles from Codorus State Park. It doesn't have the lovely setting that Mt. Olivet (the place we looked at last week) has, but it has many other advantages, including the price.
I cooked several meals for next week again. Tomorrow after church we plan to go to Orwigsburg to hear Anthony's band play at a block party put on by a church. They played there last year, and it was such a fun event.
We have gotten really good rain from this storm. I just hope it's finished by tomorrow. I felt sorry today for people that might be camping this holiday weekend. Hopefully they'll still get some nice weather.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Happy Birthday, Lori
Last evening I was too sleepy to write anything. We have no school today because of Labor Day weekend, so I want to write what I wanted to last evening. Yesterday was our daughter-in-law Lori's birthday.
When our children were young I heard someone say that they prayed for their children's spouses when their children were young. I started to do that too. So far it has been extremely gratifying to realize who I was praying for back then, and the things God was doing in their lives to prepare them to marry my children.
In the summer of 2002 Anthony started talking about a girl who was "just a friend", someone he just really enjoyed being with. She attended the same church he did in State College. The first time I met her we really "connected" and I wished she would be more than just a good friend for Anthony. A month later Anthony told me he was seriously considering that this friendship was something that could lead to marriage. She met both Dick's family and my family that fall, and the overwhelming opinion was, "We like her a LOT!" They were engaged a few months later and got married in the most unusual, but incredibly meaningful wedding on May 24, 2003.
Lori's parents came from Jamaica to Long Island, where Lori grew up. They belonged to a conservative, close-knit church. After high school she attended college and went on to get her bachelor's and master's degrees, and ended up at Penn State to get her doctorate, specializing in childhood obesity. She attended Unity Church of Jesus Christ where our son Anthony had started attending in 1999 after he graduated from Penn State. And you know the rest of the story!
Lori is now a professor at Penn State and hopes to become a mother in the next year or so. She is beautiful inside and out and just glows with warmth and love. She's a good singer, a great cook, has a "green thumb", and is TONS of fun to be with. Wow, I do love how God answered my prayers!
On Sept. 22 I'll feature our Swedish son-in-law, and on December 12 I'll feature our Floridian son-in-law. I couldn't have done better if I had picked them myself!!
When our children were young I heard someone say that they prayed for their children's spouses when their children were young. I started to do that too. So far it has been extremely gratifying to realize who I was praying for back then, and the things God was doing in their lives to prepare them to marry my children.
In the summer of 2002 Anthony started talking about a girl who was "just a friend", someone he just really enjoyed being with. She attended the same church he did in State College. The first time I met her we really "connected" and I wished she would be more than just a good friend for Anthony. A month later Anthony told me he was seriously considering that this friendship was something that could lead to marriage. She met both Dick's family and my family that fall, and the overwhelming opinion was, "We like her a LOT!" They were engaged a few months later and got married in the most unusual, but incredibly meaningful wedding on May 24, 2003.
Lori's parents came from Jamaica to Long Island, where Lori grew up. They belonged to a conservative, close-knit church. After high school she attended college and went on to get her bachelor's and master's degrees, and ended up at Penn State to get her doctorate, specializing in childhood obesity. She attended Unity Church of Jesus Christ where our son Anthony had started attending in 1999 after he graduated from Penn State. And you know the rest of the story!
Lori is now a professor at Penn State and hopes to become a mother in the next year or so. She is beautiful inside and out and just glows with warmth and love. She's a good singer, a great cook, has a "green thumb", and is TONS of fun to be with. Wow, I do love how God answered my prayers!
On Sept. 22 I'll feature our Swedish son-in-law, and on December 12 I'll feature our Floridian son-in-law. I couldn't have done better if I had picked them myself!!
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Blessings from our sons
I had a good day at school. I had Middle School Chorus for the first time. They sang "Here I Am to Worship" and sounded good already. That's my favorite age group, as you can probably tell!
This evening I went with a few other ladies from church to sing at a retirement home in Lancaster. Dick was here to do the bedtime routine with Destiny.
I have received some good news this week from some of our sons. Last evening Jeremy told me about a great opportunity he had yesterday to do a house call for a business person who will probably be redoing four rooms in his home. It will most likely end up being a huge project for him, which will probably result in recommendations of Jeremy to others. His boss at this new job is really impressed with Jeremy's work and is doing everything to help Jeremy become a success. That is in comparison to the boss he had at Lazy Boy who seemed jealous of Jeremy's talent and did everything he could to keep Jeremy from getting ahead. It's such a breath of fresh air for him to be encouraged.
This morning Ray called to tell me that he has finally gotten a second shift position at Kunzler. He has faithfully worked 3rd shift there, including many 19-night stretches, for a year now. This new position comes with a pay raise and the assurance of having overtime during the week, but WEEK-ENDS OFF! He is very happy about that. I am so proud of him for sticking with working nights all this time.
This evening we got an email from Sam that brought tears to my eyes. He works as an accounts manager for Pall, Inc. in Exton. Today was his annual review. He has been doing very well the two years that he has worked there, and he was really hoping for a big pay raise, a new position, etc. He did get an average raise, but he was told that the corporate office had decided not to create the new position he was hoping for. HOWEVER, the review itself just blesses my heart. He said his manager had nothing but good things to say - that he had surpassed everyone's expectations, he had set multiple company records, she had never given so many top scores to anyone, they acknowledged his flexibility and commended his work ethic. (This is the Sam that I practically had to drag out of bed every morning just to get him to graduate from high school!!)
What else he said in his email blessed me even more. And I quote. "I worked so hard this past year. I held myself to a higher standard than anyone else, and when I didn't feel like working, I thought about you both, and reminded myself that Dad and Mom don't feel like working all the time, I'm sure of it, but they do. So be proud of the fact that you set the standard for hard work that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Thank you so much, Mom and Dad. You guys are the absolute best."
And we were also blessed the other evening by Anthony's immediate response to my email about Dick's biopsy results. "We'll be praying for him faithfully." The best thing is that we know he will be.
Now that's enough to keep me going for a while!!
This evening I went with a few other ladies from church to sing at a retirement home in Lancaster. Dick was here to do the bedtime routine with Destiny.
I have received some good news this week from some of our sons. Last evening Jeremy told me about a great opportunity he had yesterday to do a house call for a business person who will probably be redoing four rooms in his home. It will most likely end up being a huge project for him, which will probably result in recommendations of Jeremy to others. His boss at this new job is really impressed with Jeremy's work and is doing everything to help Jeremy become a success. That is in comparison to the boss he had at Lazy Boy who seemed jealous of Jeremy's talent and did everything he could to keep Jeremy from getting ahead. It's such a breath of fresh air for him to be encouraged.
This morning Ray called to tell me that he has finally gotten a second shift position at Kunzler. He has faithfully worked 3rd shift there, including many 19-night stretches, for a year now. This new position comes with a pay raise and the assurance of having overtime during the week, but WEEK-ENDS OFF! He is very happy about that. I am so proud of him for sticking with working nights all this time.
This evening we got an email from Sam that brought tears to my eyes. He works as an accounts manager for Pall, Inc. in Exton. Today was his annual review. He has been doing very well the two years that he has worked there, and he was really hoping for a big pay raise, a new position, etc. He did get an average raise, but he was told that the corporate office had decided not to create the new position he was hoping for. HOWEVER, the review itself just blesses my heart. He said his manager had nothing but good things to say - that he had surpassed everyone's expectations, he had set multiple company records, she had never given so many top scores to anyone, they acknowledged his flexibility and commended his work ethic. (This is the Sam that I practically had to drag out of bed every morning just to get him to graduate from high school!!)
What else he said in his email blessed me even more. And I quote. "I worked so hard this past year. I held myself to a higher standard than anyone else, and when I didn't feel like working, I thought about you both, and reminded myself that Dad and Mom don't feel like working all the time, I'm sure of it, but they do. So be proud of the fact that you set the standard for hard work that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Thank you so much, Mom and Dad. You guys are the absolute best."
And we were also blessed the other evening by Anthony's immediate response to my email about Dick's biopsy results. "We'll be praying for him faithfully." The best thing is that we know he will be.
Now that's enough to keep me going for a while!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)