There was music for every taste. In Crackertown there was Bluegrass. The couple below was having a great time kicking up their heels to the music of dueling pianos. At other places there were traditional Spanish music and a Salsa dancing competition, also an R & B tent, and as we were leaving they announced that Southern Gospel music would soon be starting in the prayer tent.

On Monday morning Jeremy and I drove back to Lisa and George's place. I was glad to see the house by daylight. Here's the front entrance.

As you walk toward the front door, this little walled-in patio is on the right.

This is one of the views when you enter the front door. Actually, the dining room table is just left of this photo, but I didn't get a picture of it.

Look at that! The house comes complete with a butler, ready to serve you, ha, ha!!

The spacious kitchen.

The breakfast nook looks out onto the screened-in patio.

The family room is right next to the kitchen (actually, it's all one "great" room.) I'm sure Lisa would like me to remind you that they just moved last week and she does not have the decorating details finished.)

A peek into Sophie's bedroom.

There's no question - Jeremy is the #2 man in Sophie's heart.

Here's Dexter in one of his favorite spots. (A more favorite spot would be right next to a warm human body.)

Sophie and I played "doctor". Since George had an ear infection (he really, truly did!) she put a bandage on his ear!

She showed me how she plays Hop-Scotch on the big, long patio.

Sophie and I had fun drawing pictures on her easel.

This was her silly face for Jeremy's camera.

Sophie was trying to hide behind this ottoman when she knew I was going to snap a picture. But I caught her!

Home and heading for bed

I got home from the Harrisburg Airport this evening just before 11 PM and I'm heading straight for bed. I am still fighting that stupid cold and I feel miserable. Hopefully tomorrow evening I'll be able to post more about my time in Florida and post pictures.

My Sunday

Yesterday morning I went to church (Grace Family Church) with Lisa and George, and as usual I was SO BLESSED to be there. Their music and the pastor's message always seem to be just for me.

After church they drove me to Jeremy's house. I forgot to mention in my previous post that Lisa's high school friend Tera is visiting from Arizona. So we split ways for the rest of the day. Lisa and George had places they wanted to take Tera to see. I had a scrumptious lunch with Jeremy at Olive Garden and then spent the rest of the day at the Florida State Fair with Jeremy and several of his friends. What a fair - everything from the historic to the crafty to the farm element to the live music of every genre to the carnival rides and games to the FOOD, FOOD, FOOD!! Oh. My. Word. Anything that could be fried was fried, even Pepsi!! And chocolate covered everything, even bacon!! The absolute best food we ate was the ribbon potatoes fresh out of the hot oil. Just unbelievably delicious. I'm sure we walked many, many miles yesterday. Thank goodness I brought my walking shoes along or I would never have made it. The weather was just perfect - in the seventies and not a bit humid.

I stayed at Jeremy's overnight (he and I talked until 2 AM). Later this morning we'll drive up to George and Lisa's and I'll spend the rest of the time there. I'm eager to spend more time with Sophie.

Good trip today (minus my camera)

My flights from Harrisburg to Charlotte, NC and then to Tampa went very smoothly today. I had a long hold over in Charlotte, but my library book, Redemption, by Karen Kingsbury kept me well occupied.

Jeremy met me at the airport and we immediately went to Lisa and George's beautiful house to which they just moved earlier this week. It was so wonderful to see all of them again. Sophie took me on a tour of the house. We ate dinner in their big screened in porch, then celebrated Jeremy's birthday with a delicious ice cream cake, complete with 29 sparking candles that almost set off the smoke alarm!

Twenty-nine years ago at this time I was laboring! I thought I would be having a Valentine's Day baby, but he wanted his own special day and waited until 45 minutes after midnight to arrive.

On the way to the airport this morning I was exclaiming over the beauty of the white plumes of smoke against the blue sky coming from Three Mile Island. Dick said, "You brought your camera, didn't you?" Stunned, I said, "No, I didn't." I could not believe it. To top it off, after I had checked in my luggage I looked at my cell phone and saw that it was on the last bar. My charger was in my luggage. No camera and potentially no cell phone by the time I got to Tampa. I was near tears. You'd think I had never traveled before. So I used my phone very sparingly and Jeremy assured me I could use his camera while I'm down here, so everything ended up okay. I just have to learn to use his camera, and also how to use this Mac computer for posting pictures.

It's been a long day, and everyone else has already hit the sack. Good night!

Florida, here I come!

We're heading for the Harrisburg airport now. Birds, please clear the way when my flight takes off, ha, ha, ha!!

Getting ready

I'm almost ready!

1. Everything is set for the sub who will teach for me on Tuesday.

2. The music is all ready for Sunday morning at church, to be led by my assistant worship leader (and former student) Joe.

3. Most of the laundry has been washed.

4. Destiny is here now and there are fun plans for her this weekend, some of the time with Dick and some of the time with her daddy.

5. My house is clean, thanks to my dear, dependable househusband.

6. The weekly bookwork and bill paying is done.

Now I need to decide what to wear in warmer weather.

And get some sleep!

(And I have to stop thinking about birds flying into the engines of my airplane tomorrow.)

Boring, but busy blogger

I'm sorry I'm being such a boring blogger this week, but I am just working every minute to be able to go away this weekend. And I'm just too sleepy to write much . I'll brighten up this page a bit, however, with my favorite picture of Austin from the album Anthony posted here today. Doesn't he look like he's getting ready to say something to that elephant?

Feeling better!

I am feeling so much better! I pretty much just have an annoying tickle in my throat from time to time that makes me cough like crazy. But that will soon be gone too, I'm sure. Last night I went to bed before Dick did. (He was still watching TV in the living room.) I tried really hard to fall asleep before I would start coughing, but I didn't quite make it. I kept thinking that I need a menthol cough drop, but I didn't want to get out of bed to get one. Then I thought maybe I could call Dick on my cell phone and ask him to bring one to me. Wouldn't he have loved that?? But apparently I must have fallen asleep before long.

I'm working, working, working this week to get everything done at school and at home before I go to Florida on Saturday. I'm SO looking forward to it.

All the little details about my cold

Well, I made it through a day of five music classes and one chorus period without singing a note. I just pulled out CD's with songs the kids know that they could sing along with. And they probably did more seat work than usual. I drank a lot of water and orange juice and tea today, continued with my Zicam and Halls Defense Lozenges, and ate very, very little. I remember reading one time that the body can work at fighting germs more effectively when it doesn't have to also work at digesting lots of food. I don't know if that's true or not, but I'm willing to try almost anything to get over this cold ASAP. Well, almost anything. I remember one time many years ago when someone told me that to get rid of a cold quickly she puts a clove of garlic inside her cheek all night long. I actually did that one time when I was desperate, because our singing group was going on a weekend trip of church programs. I think my cold did disappear quickly, but I also got an ulcer inside my mouth from it.

I do think I'm feeling a lot better than I did last evening.

Boy, I bet all of you are just riveted by this post about my darn cold, aren't you?? Aren't you glad I only get one every five years? Ha, ha, ha!!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Tomorrow my dear dad will have his 86th birthday. The "locals" of our family got together this evening to celebrate it. He never ceases to be an inspiration to us, especially the grateful spirit that he displays, no matter what hardship he endures. We love you, Dad, and we thank God for allowing us to still have you, your influence, and your inspiration in our lives.

My step-mother just finished making this quilt. Many, many fine stitches, yards of thread, and hours went into the making of this beautiful creation.

Ray came home for the weekend for the first time since Christmas. Destiny always enjoys having him here.

I was so hoping that we would be able to go to State College for a day this weekend to see precious Austin. But Dick was scheduled to work at Advance Auto Parts both days, and he needs to take whatever hours they can give him. As it turned out, I would not have wanted to hold Austin anyway, because of this cold I have. Yesterday my chest felt like it was burning, this morning it had settled in my voice, and now I feel it more in my head. Hopefully it's working its way right out the top of my head! I did lead worship this morning, but the other vocalists on the worship team sang melody with me instead of harmony since I could not sing full force.

This afternoon I was able to get my Sunday nap. Dick was at work, Ray was with friends, and Destiny played very quietly with her babies, which I greatly appreciated.

And now I am more than ready for more sleep.

Feeling defeated

I hate admitting defeat, but this morning I feel defeated. My throat is scratchy, my head hurts, my nose feels stuffy... I have not had a full-blown cold for five years. At the very first symptoms of a cold I fight tooth and nail to keep from getting it - for obvious reasons. I'm a music teacher and a worship leader, and it's hard to sing when you have a cold. Well, I fought tooth and nail yesterday to fight this thing off. I probably ingested illegal amounts of Hall's Defense Lozenges (with vitamin C, echinacea, and zinc), Zicam Rapid Melts (same ingredients), and green tea. And of course Zicam nose gel (not ingested, in case you're worried!) But this morning I feel like crap. I know there are other things I haven't tried yet, like Emergen-C, as I read on someone else's blog. So I will be going to CVS today.

I know that they say you can't get a cold from being cold - it has to be a germ. But there is no doubt in my mind that being cold can make those nasty germs work better and faster, at least in my body. The last time I had a cold was in 2004. We had been helping Jeremy to paint at his house in Lancaster City one February evening, when we discovered that our Explorer had been broken into. We called the police and then waited for them to arrive, which they did not do for a couple of hours (broken car windows and stolen cameras are low on the list of their priorities at 10:00 PM) Jeremy's house was cold, because it was big and old and he could not afford to keep it toasty warm. As we sat and waited, I could feel myself getting chilled to the bone. A day or two later I had a full-blown cold which lasted for at least four weeks.

So the other day when we were sitting in the school gym for our CPR class, even though I had my coat on and I heard the PE teacher say that he had turned the heat up to 70 degrees, I was cold. I could feel that chill going into my bones, and I was thinking, "I'd better not get sick from this."

Well, time for my next cup of tea.

Is that a smile?

Anthony posted more pictures of Austin last evening here. This is my favorite. Look at that dimple!!

Also, Miki posted her "I did it" list here. She's funny, as usual.

And by the way, for those of you wondering about me being in a movie and riding in an ambulance, I answered your questions in the comment section of the previous post.

Gotta get ready for school. Have a good day!

I did it!

Earlier this week my friend Tonja tagged me for with this fun meme. The point is to make bold the things you have already done. Here's my list, but there's a part of me that wants to add my own stuff! No, I have not been to Paris, but I have been to Sweden, way up above the arctic circle. I have not been on a cruise, but I did traipse all over the island of Jamaica, singing in little country churches and rafting down a river. I never climbed to the top of the Statue of Liberty or stood in Times Square or attended a Broadway show, but I sang at the Bowery Mission numerous times and even went to the top of one of the Twin Towers (I can't even remember what we used to call it), getting a breath-taking view of the city in every direction. I never bungee jumped, but I did go on a zip line a few years ago!

Okay, here's the list:

Started your own blog
Slept under the stars
Played in a band
Visited Hawaii
Watched a meteor shower
Given more than you can afford to charity
Been to Disneyland/world
Climbed a mountain
Held a praying mantis
Sang a solo
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris
Watched a lightning storm at sea
Taught yourself an art from scratch
Adopted a child
Had food poisoning
Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
Seen the Mona Lisa in France
Slept on an overnight train
Had a pillow fight
Hitchhiked
Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
Built a snow fort
Held a lamb
Gone skinny dipping
Been to a Broadway show in NY
Ran a Marathon
Been in three states at once
Ridden in a gondola in Venice
Seen a total eclipse
Watched a sunrise or sunset
Hit a home run
Been on a cruise
Seen Niagara Falls in person
Visited the birthplace of your Ancestors
Seen an Amish community (I live there!)
Taught yourself a new language
Had enough money to be truly satisfied
Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
Gone rock climbing
Seen Michelangelo’s David
Sung karaoke
Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
Visited Africa
Walked on a beach by moonlight
Been transported in an ambulance
Had your portrait painted
Gone deep sea fishing
Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud
Been to Grace Kelley’s grave in Monaco
Gone to a drive-in theater
Been in a movie
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business (Stauffer's Country Home, a B&B)
Taken a martial arts class
Swam in the Mediterranean Sea
Visited Russia
Served at a soup kitchen
Sold Girl Scout cookies
Gone whale watching
Gotten flowers for no reason
Donated blood, platelets or plasma
Gone sky diving
Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
Bounced a check
Saved a favorite childhood toy
Visited the Lincoln Memorial
Eaten Caviar
Pieced a quilt
Stood in Times Square
Toured the Everglades
Been fired from a job
Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
Broken a bone
Been on a speeding motorcycle
Seen the Grand Canyon in person
Published a book
Visited the Vatican
Bought a brand new car
Walked in Jerusalem
Had your picture in the newspaper
Read the entire Bible
Visited the White House
Killed and prepared my own meat
Had chickenpox
Saved someone’s life
Sat on a jury
Met someone famous
Joined a book club
Lost a loved one
Had a baby
Seen the Alamo in person
Swam in the Great Salt Lake
Been involved in a law suit
Owned a cell phone
Been stung by a bee

Winter Wonderland

We probably got ten inches of snow last night, others in the storm's path got 12, but not very far away at all, there was not a flake of snow!! Our local weather men are saying that it was the first time in 100 years of weather history that such a freak thing has happened! It was an absolute winter wonderland around here.

My name is Jean, I am certified in CPR, and I can help you!

Our school dismissed at noon today for an in-service day for the teachers. We took a four-hour (plus) course on CPR for children and adults. If you're going to get a heart attack, or choke, or get an injury, our school is a good place to do it, because now we all know what to do, ha, ha!! It was a very long afternoon, and I think we all felt like our brains were fried till it was over, but as always, we had a lot of fun in the process - one of those bonding times. I was delighted that even in my old age, I got 100% on the test at the end.

Not even a delay???

Last evening our little town was in the path of a narrow storm that dumped a whole bunch of light, fluffy snow. This is what my deck looks like this morning!

I went to bed, assuming we would have at least a two-hour delay today, if not a closing. But no such luck! The school district we live in is indeed closed today. However, the school district that my school is in, just a few miles away, does not even have a delayed opening today. How crazy is that? I guess that just shows how very narrow this storm really was!!

Surprise snow

We had flurries off and on today, but nothing that accumulated. This evening I was working on music prep here at the computer when I happened to look out the window at the porch. Was that snow? I looked out the back door and discovered it was really snowing, and in fact, there were already several inches on the ground! It looked SO beautiful.

It seems that every time we get snow this winter, it is immediately followed by rain or freezing rain. But not this time. I looked at the forecast online and it said we were to get a coating to an inch of snow this evening. Guess those guys are surprised too. As much as I hate driving in the stuff, I would so enjoy one BIG snowstorm - the kind that keeps you home for several days. In '96 (I think) we got 3 feet of snow with wind. I'll never forget the drift in our driveway that was as high as our garage roof. Our mailbox was almost completely buried too.

I'm so excited! I booked a ticket to Florida today for President's Day weekend. I have not been down there since July - probably the longest since Sophie was born four years ago. I decided that as crazy busy as my spring always is, I'd better go now. Lisa and George will be moving into their beautiful new home the week before. Also, Jeremy's birthday is that weekend. I can hardly wait!

Drowning in music!

Music, music, music! I feel like I'm drowning in music! But I guess there could be worse things to drown in, right? There's just so much preparation to do in order to teach all the choruses and groups their music for the Spring program and Jr. High Festival and worship team programs. And then there's the worship team at church too. But what I really want to do is visit my grandchildren.

This past week Jeremy has been "burning the candle at both ends" in an effort to keep up with his regular classes and his job at Barnes and Noble, in addition to getting his portfolio together to hand in to the university where he hopes to be accepted into the architecture graduate program. He has put in hours and hours and hours and hours resizing his drawings to the proper size required, designing the entire portfolio to look completely professional in its presentation. He has had lots of confirmation that his work is well above average. He also had a substitute teacher in one of his classes who graduated with a degree in architecture from the university where he is applying. She is well acquainted with everyone there and took Jeremy to meet the professors a few weeks ago. HOWEVER, there are only 45 spots and several hundred applications!! Today was the deadline and he got his portfolio and transcripts delivered just in the nick of time. Now he has to wait until April to find out if he was accepted or not! After he got all his drawings printed out on professional paper at Kinkos this afternoon he called me. This was his way of expressing his opinion about things - "Mom, my portfolio looks freakin' amazing. If they don't accept me they're retarded." Ha, ha, ha!! That's Jeremy! And I agree!

For another laugh, go to Lisa's blog and read about Sophie's day.

And in case you think I've forgotten about that precious baby up in State College, I HAVEN'T!! I talked with Lori last evening, and she said they went to a Super Bowl party for a while and Austin slept through everything until one of the big plays when all the men yelled their heads off. I hope we can go up to see him one of the days this weekend. Anthony just posted a few pictures of Austin getting his "necksercise." I had sent them a picture of Anthony at 3 weeks holding his head really high and told them to show it to Austin so he can see what he has to do to keep up with his old man. Looks to me like they must have shown it to him, because he's really got that head up in the air in the last picture!

Way to go, Steelers!

Well, all you southerners rooting for the Cardinals, I'm sorry, but Pennsyvania rules!! Way to go, Steelers! Not that I watched any of it. I even missed Jennifer Hudson's National Anthem, which I cannot believe. But Dick was working at Advance Auto Parts until 7:30, and I wasn't even sure what time the game started. Destiny was watching a movie when the phone rang. It was Jeremy. He said, "Please tell me you were watching." I said, "Watching what?" "Jennifer Hudson just sang the National Anthem at the Super Bowl!!" he informed me incredulously. I had missed it. So I will look it up on YouTube now. Apparently she did a stellar performance.

My sister Mary Ellen rode along with me this evening when I took Destiny back home to Reading. She's not a big football fan either. It gave us a great chance to talk and catch up. And it gave Dick the chance to watch the game as soon as he got home from Advance.

Here's a picture of Destiny that I took yesterday when she was ready to go to her dad's for the evening. She got that purse from her mom for Christmas and she never goes anywhere without it now. It contains her glasses, her DS, her cell phone. Oh my. She's growing up too fast.

This afternoon the temperature went above 50 degrees! What a heat wave for us! It made the snow a bit slushy and Destiny was able to make a little snow man. But it wasn't long till his nose fell off!

Time to hit the sack now. Goodnight!