Florida vacation - days four, five, and six

Friday was a very laid-back day. Lori did not have to go to her conference and George took off work. He made us his famous chocolate chip pancakes, and as we ate we noticed that an egret had welcomed itself to Lisa's poolside!  That was a first, but it looks right at home, doesn't it?

 We did an all-girl shopping trip to Maxwell's, then Anthony and Lori took Austin, after his nap, for a quick trip to a children's museum. Meanwhile, Sophie and I worked at the kitchen table on making ourselves into paper dolls. What fun and funny moments we had! Her paper doll accidentally had a leg torn off, so she gave it a cast. But that wasn't quite good enough. It needed a wheelchair, which she proceeded to make with toilet paper rolls, hahaha!!! Her creativity is incredibly reminiscent of Lisa's childhood creations, and I just LOVE it! 

And here we are - cool Memaw and Sophie with the broken leg!!

Another priceless moment of the day was when Anthony was playing around on Sophie's little guitar as the kids played. Sophie came to me and said softly, "Anthony's GOOD!" I said, "Yes, he IS good. He's famous too." "He IS??" She was awed. "I knew he teaches guitar lessons, but I didn't know he's famous!" 

After a while I realized she had disappeared. I found her in her playroom just as she finished writing on a paper. She read it to me and told me it's for Anthony. It said, "My uncle's famous. His name is Anthony. He plays guitar. He even teaches lessons. My name is Sophie and I writed this article."

Here's a picture of the kindergarten version of it, done completely on her own. Her teacher would be proud, and so were we. Especially Anthony, haha!!

A few more random pics from the day:

George mowed the yard.  Here's what he looks like in dirty, sweaty clothes.  Plus a better look at that hat he found in State College a few weeks ago.

Sophie was proud of her train stations, complete with a restaurant in the middle.  What a sweetheart.  I miss her.

 We all went to Chik-fil-A for dinner and playtime. Apparently everyone else with young children thought that was a good Friday evening option, so we didn't stay for much playtime. I had one of their cones for the first time. Wow!!!! They taste more like the homemade ice cream of my childhood than anything I've ever bought.

We went back home for one more evening of fun in the pool. George's mom came over, which I always enjoy. 

I got Sophie to take a picture of her mommy and daddy and her two memaws. After several "nice" ones she wanted a "silly" one!! (I'm not sure why, but my pictures aren't very sharp on some of these.  Gotta check the settings, I guess.)

On Saturday morning Anthony, Lori, and Austin left at the crack of dawn, but my flight didn't leave till afternoon, so I had time for sitting around and talking with George and Lisa. 

Anthony and Lori had forgotten their umbrella stroller, so I was privileged to take it with me - minus a baby to put into it!  Before I was able to check it in at the gate at the Tampa airport, I had to figure out the best way to carry it through the airport - Hang the heavy thing over my arm?  Roll it in front of me?  Pull it behind me?  Open it up and sit my purse in it?  When I was standing in line at a take-out place, a woman tried to pass by me, but the stroller was sticking too far behind me and she couldn't.  She looked at it, then at me, and said, "Are you missing something?"  We both laughed as I told her my situation.  Eventually I was able to check it in at the gate all the way through to Harrisburg, so it was no problem.  Just funny.  

I got to Harrisburg around 8:30 PM and drove to my sister Mary Ellen's house in Lancaster County.  My sister Doris came over for some sister time.  It was fun, and we stayed up till past midnight, even though we were all too sleepy and too old for that.  

Doris went home after midnight.  In the morning Mary Ellen and I had our own time of worship at the piano. 

From there I drove to Reading to pick up Destiny, then we made the three-hour trip to State College.  It was nice to have her company and to have the chance to catch up after three weeks apart.  I stopped at a truck stop for a twenty-minute nap at one point. 

We got home around 4:30 to a nice, cool, clean and cleaned-up house.  Bless Dick's heart.  He worked every single day that I was gone and still had things looking so nice for me to come home to.  The weather was so hot yesterday, but when he got home from work at 6:15 he quickly got cleaned up and we were out the door for the praise and worship service at Fillmore. 

It was a good, although hot, evening - more people than the one in May.  And having Ross play guitar so Dick could play his bass was also fun.  Destiny even sang a little solo before the prayer time, one she had done previously at Grace.  They loved having her there and welcomed her with open arms.  

I'm so sleepy today, but there will not be much rest for the weary this week.  The big annual Witmer reunion is coming up this weekend and there is lots to prepare for!  Isn't summer awesome?

My Florida vacation - the first three days

I am home once again after six days of vacation.  Because I led worship at a praise and worship service this evening as soon as I was home, I'm just posting pics from the first three days tonight.  My eyes and my brain want to go to bed!

After George picked me up at the airport on Tuesday, we went directly to Sophie's gymnastics class where Lisa was. Sophie's a beginner, but learning quickly. 

We got take-out at Subway and went to their house to await Lori, Anthony, and Austin's arrival, which was probably after 9 PM. Sophie and Austin were so delighted to finally see each other again.

Wednesday morning Lori and George had to leave for work and Lisa had to go teach a Yoga class, so Anthony and I hit the pool with the kids. To our amusement, Austin's primary interest was throwing every poolside toy into it.

There was plenty of time after Austin's nap for more play. While Austin loves Sophie and the dog with all his heart, he is a two-year-old boy, all boy, so it was not all peace and joy! Unfortunately he thinks it's fun to kick and poke and pull - hair, fur, tails..... It took constant supervision, but thankfully there were plenty of adults most of the time, even with Lori at the conference.

After a taco salad dinner and getting the little ones to bed, we had a fun time sitting around talking and laughing until way too late. 

Thursday morning Lori didn't have to go to the conference until after lunch, so they all went to the community pool where there are more young-child things to do. Austin was looking like a cool little man!

I decided to stay home and take advantage of some me-time. Sitting by a lovely pool with a very good book is about as good as it gets.

Right after lunch Lisa taught a Yoga class by her pool. I observed and kept Nilla Bean from licking the women's legs! 

Anthony had lunch in Tampa with one of his customers and Austin was napping. Sophie was in the dining room with the six other kids that came, having their own Yoga class. 

Later in the afternoon we had another fun time in Lisa's pool. Nilla Bean never, ever tires of games of fetch, and it just looks so cute when she swims across the pool with her treasure in her mouth. Austin got braver as the week progressed, especially after having the little "life jacket" on. And Sophie is a total fish, trying her hardest to give swim lessons to this very frightened grandma!

That evening we grilled make-your-own pizzas and had a nice, long iChat visit with Dick.  

 After the kids were sleeping Lisa lit all the tiki lights around the pool, and we had the loveliest time out there, sitting around the pool or in it or in the hot tub. Again, I felt so sad that Dick was missing it all. I also missed having Jeremy there. For the last seven years he was always part of our trips to Florida. 

Loving Florida, loving this book

I had a good day traveling to Lisa's in Florida yesterday. I bought the book, The Help, at the Harrisburg airport. I just LOVE it!

Just a few cell phone pics this time.

From breakfast goodies to grilled pizza

It was a good weekend.  Dick had off work.  On Saturday morning I had my women's prayer breakfast.  We had such a precious time together.  Both laughter and tears.  Plenty of coffee and goodies.

Dick finished the project he's been working on of getting electricity connected to his shed.  Now he could work out there all night if he wanted, hahaha!  If only it were big enough for working on cars!

On Saturday evening we practiced with Ross, the other guitar player at Fillmore.  He'll be playing with us at the prayer and praise service on Sunday evening.  Dick was playing bass guitar for the first time in months, and we three sounded good together.

Sunday morning we went to the early service at Fillmore.  I sang Finally Home for the special number.  When I heard that song on the radio years ago, I decided right then and there that I want it sung at my funeral.  So when Judy (our pianist and choir director at Fillmore) asked me to sing Sunday morning, she wanted me to come up with some ideas.  We got together last Wednesday evening and went over several songs, including this one, and we both decided it was our favorite.  Here are the lyrics of the chorus:

Just think of stepping on shore and finding it Heaven!

Of touching a hand and finding it God's!

Of breathing new air and finding it celestial!

Of waking up in glory - and finding it Home!

From Fillmore we went to Houserville UM where I subbed for the pianist.  Dick and I did Laura Story's Bless the Lord, O My Soul for the offertory.  She writes such good stuff.  I know I posted these lyrics a few years ago, but here are some of them again:

You give and take away for my good, 

For who am I to say what I need?

For You alone see the hidden parts of me

That need to be stripped away.

And as You begin to refine,

I'm learning to let go, to rely

On the One who walks with me.

As hard is it may be, 

You're teaching me all the while to say,

"Bless the Lord, O my soul!"

In the evening we went to Anthony and Lori's for grilled pizza.  I am usually the cook, but NOT because Lori doesn't know how to cook, believe me!  She made barbecued chicken pizza.  Oh. My. Word!  It was absolutely scrumptious!  We will definitely be doing that again.

Of course, swinging high and running around was far more attractive to Austin than the best pizza in the world.  There has to be at least one adult on active duty with him on the loose!

Dick and I went grocery shopping and stocked the cupboards and fridge with plenty for him to eat this week while the rest of us go to Florida for a few days.  I really hate it that he'll be here and working the whole time we're down there.  I'm so glad he has next week (going to Ohio to see Bjorn) to look forward to. 

More lilies, more Austin pics

I have much to do in the next few days, but I want to just post a few pics and let you know I'm alive!  First of all, the lilies are showing off profusely just now, and we're so delighted with them.

Dick had a couple of days off this week, which is always special for Austin.  Too bad he decided to look down just as I snapped the picture.

He loves going under our picnic table - he calls it his "tunnel bridge."  He is extremely fascinated with bridges.  Up here there are so many because of the highways that have been made through our mountainous terrain.  He just loves them, especially going under them.

Last evening I babysat while Anthony and Lori went out.  I gave him his bath.  Here's what he would look like if he had straight hair!  Still cute, of course.

And this is what one of our bathrooms looked like after he was here yesterday.  He sailed these lids like frisbees into the bathroom one at a time.  He just loved when they bounced off the shower curtain.  

He seriously looks at every round (sometimes other shapes too) light object as something to turn into a frisbee.  Which is okay most of the time, but not always.  When I picked him up from morning preschool the other day, I noticed all the children sitting in circle time were sitting on laminated hearts with their names on.  All the children but Austin, that is.  After they were dismissed I asked the teacher if he doesn't have a heart.  She said that yes, he does have one, but as soon as they give it to him he sails it into the air.  And then it becomes the teacher's.  I guess that could become quite a circus of a circle time if every child was following his lead.  Maybe I'll have to start making the lids an outside toy.  Then I'll never be able to find them when I need them!!

Fourth fun, family, friends, food, and fireworks

July 4th turned out to be just the kind of day I needed - except that Dick was not able to get off early as we had hoped.  But he did have plenty of work, which we are always praying for every other day.  Because I wasn't sure about the parking and location of everything, I went to Anthony's show about an hour early.  The weather was perfect - a bit overcast and a nice breeze blowing.  The stage was set up near Beaver Stadium, as you can see in the picture.

I think the band was doing their first song when Lori arrived with Austin and her nephew William, whom she had taken along to Long Island (she came directly to the show without even going home first!)  It was SOOOO cute when Austin discovered that it was Daddy up there on the stage.  He wanted to get up there and play Daddy's guitar like he's used to doing!

But he contented himself with pushing his stroller around and chasing William in circles, as Lori said they had been doing all weekend!

Eventually we were joined by Lori's friend Sherrie and her ADORABLE two-year-old twin girls.  They soon became the show, and they knew it!

They got right up there with the dancers and showed their moves!

Austin just kept pushing his stroller.....

and occasionally taking a break.

But then he saw the twins' older brother jump over the the orange cone, and he desperately wanted to do the same.  Anthony gave him some assistance a few times, and his face looked like he'd have scaled the moon!  (I have cute videos of everything, but they're taking too long to upload.)

After a while William's parents joined us too - Lori's brother Gary and his wife Liz.  They moved from Long Island to State College a year ago. 

In the evening Dick and I parked in a field near the stadium to watch the fireworks. It would have been a great view, but I was feeling a bit freaked out by the tall grass we were sitting in.  And a little sorry that we were going to be watching them among strangers.  

Then Anthony called and told us they were going to someone's house to watch fireworks and we were welcome to come too.  Which we did.  There were lots of people from their church and lots of good food and lots of fun.  Just what we needed - even though we were much further away from the actual fireworks.  No question about it - State College puts on an AMAZING fireworks display!

Our Fourth of July

This has been a very unusual Fourth of July weekend for us.  Dick has worked all weekend, including today.  For the first time ever, we're praying they have no work today, so he can leave at noon and take half  a vacation day!  There is a big 4thFest up here today, and Anthony's band is playing at 2.  I don't know if Lori and Austin will be back from Long Island on time for it, and I really don't want to go all by myself.  

Last evening we missed the big concert and fireworks at Longs Park in Lancaster for about the first time in 25 years.  I don't even know how they could have it without us, hahahahahaha!!!!  Late yesterday afternoon Ray called and said, "We're in Philly heading to Longs Park.  Where are you sitting?"  I said, "We aren't even there!!  Dad works this weekend and we're in State College."  He said,  "What????  You guys always go to Longs Park."  See what I mean???  So we missed our chance to see Ray and Thyda.  I admit I shed some tears this weekend.  But to make it feel like a celebration, I splurged and got steaks for us to grill last evening.  I don't think I bought steaks for at least ten years.  We just don't eat red meat ever.  But last evening we did.  After working all day, Dick came home and grilled those steaks, and along with baked potatoes, a wonderful breeze blowing across the porch, the birds singing their hearts out, and a lovely view of the mountain right behind us, we had a nice, intimate celebration.

 

And we topped it off with the best summer goodness of all.

This evening we'll get to watch the fireworks up here.  Supposedly they're synchronized with music if you tune your radio to a certain frequency.  That sounds pretty cool.  But nothing quite takes the place of those live cannons during the 1812 Overture at Longs Park.  And being with my sister Doris's family as we have done ever since our children were young.  And Destiny.  She's been there with us every year since she was born.  Okay, I'll get over it now.

I've had plenty of things to work on.  Anthony and I are finally starting to work on a music project we've been keeping on the back burner ever since we moved up here.  I'm subbing for the piano player at Houserville UM next Sunday morning, so I have music to prepare for that.  We'll be having another prayer and praise service at Fillmore in two weeks, and this time we'll add another guitar player from our choir, so Dick will be able to play bass.  So I've been doing the Power point slides and getting all the lead sheets arranged for that.  We'll practice with him next weekend when he gets back from vacation.  

Before I leave for a few days of vacation.  YES!!  I'm going to Florida for a few days!  Lori has a conference in Clearwater next week.  So she, Anthony, Austin, and I are going down and staying at Lisa's from Tuesday till Saturday.  As you can see, Dick and I are still taking turns with our trips to Florida.  He was there in January, now it's my turn.  We dream of the day we can do these things together.  I'll get back just in time for our prayer and praise service Sunday evening, the 17th, hopefully bringing Destiny with me for the week.   That week Dick will be doing a road trip for few days to Canton, Ohio where our Swedish grandson Bjorn will be participating in the Four Nations cup USA Football tournament.  And the weekend after that we'll go to southern York County, PA to be with my family at our annual reunion at Ebenezer Bible School.  Lots and lots and lots of my family will be there.  

So you see, there is much to look forward to!

Flowers and big back yards

I don't know if I have ever been so happy to have flowers blooming!  Dick worked so hard to transplant many, many daffodils, tulips, and lilies from Lori and Anthony's gardens.  The daffodils and tulips immediately lay over and wilted.  The lilies looked like they wanted to do the same for the longest time.  But at last all those buds are s-l-o-w-l-y beginning to open up.  We discovered that the flower bed on the border of our lawn is actually ours, and the green things that sprouted profusely are some kind of lilies too - tiger lilies, maybe?  I'm so flower challenged, it's not even funny.  They were all dead by the time we moved here last August, so we were pleasantly surprised.

Here are some close-ups of some from Lori.

Meanwhile, at Anthony and Lori's, a major transformation took place in their back yard this week.  When they bought their house eight years ago it came with a wonderful, big pool.  We so enjoyed coming up here at least once a summer to have fun in the pool, especially Destiny.  However, a few years ago they discovered that the pool needed major, very expensive repairs, and after considering all the options over the past few summers, they decided they'd rather have a big back yard than a pool.  I don't think we had any idea just how much room that pool and the surrounding landscaping took up until it was gone!  They could put a ball diamond back there, haha!  Here are some pics.

The pool in its heyday.

The pool covered over when we moved up here two years ago, as it has been ever since. 

 And now, all the possibilities of a big back yard.

 

Austin has been missing his beloved girl cousins!  He asks for Sophie and Destiny all the time, bless his heart.  This week when I would walk into his morning daycare to pick him up, he would look at me and immediately say, "Destiny?"  Yesterday I had my clean laundry in a wash basket at the sofa ready to fold.  He decided to help me by getting into the basket and picking out each  piece individually and throwing it onto the sofa.  As he did so he would say things like,  "Pawpaw's sock."  "Destiny's shirt, Destiny's jammies."  It was so cute.  Then he tried to help me fold wash cloths.  When he did one he would say, "Other rag," and I would hand him another one.  Lori left with him this morning to visit her folks in Long Island for the weekend.  I miss him already.