So far this week we are really having summer weather. I love it! But they say it will change tomorrow and our daytime temps will dip into the 50's and 60's. But even that is okay compared to winter. I've been conscientiously getting back to a daily walking routine. A few months ago I felt unable to go around the block, but I'm now back to my two-mile route.
One thing I've been dealing with is finding shoes again. Three years ago, just when I was ready to really get into longs walks with Austin in the stroller, I had a second plantar fasciitis injury. That was when I found the amazing Saucony Omni 9's that felt like miracle shoes. I've been wearing them ever since! I realized they didn't feel quite as great as they used to, so I assumed I could just go back to the amazing Rapid Transit Sports in State College and get me another pair. Wrong! Silly me! Didn't I realize that these shoe companies keep making new and improved versions of each shoe every year? Except that the reviews for the Omni 11's were really, really bad. People were begging for the Omni 9's to come back. Oh dear!! I thoroughly browsed Amazon and Ebay and every website that even mentioned Saucony ProGrid Omni 9's to see if anyone, ANYONE, had my size. One did, and I was so excited as I started to fill out my information to order them. But alas!! It was a sports store in Australia, and they do not ship internationally. Rats!
So to Rapid Transit I went.... and went and went. Bless their hearts, they took so much time with me, trying to find shoes that felt good. I bought a pair of Brooks, took them back a few days later for a half size larger, and took them back also a few days later. Walking in them made my plantar fasciitis kick up worse than it had in three years! GRRR. That time they let me take two pairs home to try. I gave each of them an honest try, but after a week took them both back. I was starting to be afraid the guys thought I was a pathetic old woman who just needed to feel doted over, hahaha!! That time I tried a lot more Sauconys, and eventually settled on the Saucony Hurricane 15's. He put gel insoles into them. I'm definitely keeping these. But, I confess, my old ones still feel better.
This week at Houserville there was MORE activity. The church is a voting location, and Tuesday was election day. The church has a Vote and Go Cafe. Free coffee all day. Lots of goodies. Fresh-off-the-grill sausages and hot dogs. And the BEST homemade mac and cheese ever! My contribution was my peanut butter chocolate chip rice krispie treats.
This is what the sanctuary looks like, set up for voting.
The goodies.
Hanging out, shooting the breeze, having fun, working on cutting tags for the Mommy Shoppe.
This morning was warm right at the start, and I enjoyed my coffee on the porch looking at my GREEN mountains. Oh, Summer, can you please stay a long, long time?????
This week started out COLD!! There were two mornings that we actually had frost warnings. I think it was Monday afternoon that I checked the temp around 4:30 and it was only 49 degrees. In the middle of May!! About the only thing I could find to laugh about was this cartoon on Facebook, haha!
As the week progressed the weather got warmer and sunnier and so did my mood! One morning I woke up at 5:30 and was delighted to see this amazing sunrise. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these long days!
Some days when I walked, the beauty was almost breath-taking.
A huge highlight of the week was my sister Rose's college graduation from Kennesaw State University, Georgia on Thursday. She gave us the live link, and I was able to sit at my desk and watch and listen to the whole thing just like I was right there. As they got to the W's in the education majors, I got my phone ready to take a picture. And there she goes - Rosalie F. Wichterman!
I was just
bursting with tears of pride and joy. Here she is afterward with Bob
and three of their children - Katie (next to Rose), Maribeth (blonde
hair), and Olivia. Katie graduated from Kennesaw two years ago and got
married a week later! Maribeth just finished her freshman year at
Kennesaw. Their son Matt is a student at a college in Savannah, and
daughters Julia and Christy are in middle and high school. I think
Olivia just finished fourth grade. Somehow in the midst of all that
Rose has managed to complete four years of college and graduate with
honors. AMAZING!! She home schooled their children for years, until she
became a student herself. Now she'll be an amazing early elementary
teacher. Her students will be very blessed to have her.
On Thursday evening I helped in our church's Mommy Shoppe as they got things ready for Saturday. I've been learning how to use a tagging gun for the first time ever. That thing gives me fits sometimes! On Saturday they were open for shopping, and once again I helped out. The ministry is really flourishing as word has gotten out into the community about it in the last year. Moms can come in and get a bagful of clothes free for each of their children each month. If they get more than that, things can be bought at yard sale prices. We had a busy four hours. We also have a corner for the kids to play while the moms shop. I hung out there sometimes.
Last evening we had an unplanned hot dog and s'mores roast in Anthony and Lori's back yard. Dick had been doing some work at their place, I had been downtown and called him and found out Anthony was building a fire. So it was on. There was just a bit of a chill in the air, and it was perfect for sitting around a fire. We had such a good time and hope to do it much more often.
Today Austin came here for his nap. I napped too. Later we met up with Anthony and Lori at Applebees. Houserville was participating in a fundraiser there again today. With Houserville's coupon, 15% of the meal price goes to the church. I got the Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad again. Soooo good!
And that about wraps up the third week of May!
As I looked ahead to Mother's Day this year, I wasn't sure what to expect. Anthony, Lori, and Austin are away on an extended weekend trip in Atlanta, so being with them was not an option. Nobody had plans to come to our place in State College, but I had my Sunday morning responsibilities at church, so going anywhere for the weekend was not an option either. I was just about to feel sorry for myself, that I, the mother of seven and grandmother of eight, would possibly spend Mother's Day without any of them. Then I found out Sam, Jenn, and Sammy would be at her parents near Harrisburg for the day, and that Destiny would not be going to to her mom's for the weekend as I had assumed, so we planned a little day trip, which turned out to be a very fun day.
As soon as church was over at Houserville, we hit the road toward Harrisburg. I just couldn't wait to see Sammy, and he did not disappoint! He was sitting on a porch chair, not expecting to see us, and his reaction when he did was priceless. I just love that he knows who we are. And his hair is starting to curl! (Sorry, the curls do not show up on these pics.) I could have just eaten him up! So I sat down beside him as we examined the flowers from Sam.
He hammed it up the whole time we were there, but we couldn't get one of his big smiles for the camera.
We stayed for maybe 45 minutes, then we headed for Pottsville. Frank had told me he would cook me a meal for Mother's Day, even asked me if I had any requests. Because I knew he makes the best pork and Puerto Rican rice and beans, that's what I requested. But he already knew I would, and had those things already on the menu.
While he cooked and Dick napped, Destiny and I had some girl time. We headed to the mall and straight to her favorite store - the pet store. She went crazy with my camera! Here are three of the best shots.
She had permission from Frank to get a hamster, so she picked one out. Here's "Little Guy". He's actually Little Guy II. A few years ago she had a hamster by that name. We had an absolutely hilarious time in the car when she got him out of his little box. She just couldn't wait to hold him, but oh my!! He was nervous and dropping little turds non-stop! She had shorts on and they were dropping on her bare legs, freaking her out. Thankfully I had wipes in the glove compartment. We were just screaming laughing.
He was much happier at home in his little nest!
Here's a pic of my personal Mother's Day chef!
And the incredibly scrumptious food he cooked. He also made apple crisp served with vanilla ice cream for dessert!
Is she taller than me now, or is it just that top knot?
How do these kids grow up so darn fast???
Last week I started going through a box of old photos that I've never really dealt with. Most are duplicates of ones I have in my photo albums, but I found one that must have been given to me from someone else, taken just before Destiny's third birthday. It just cracked me up. We used to say she looked like the little girl in the Monsters INC movie with her pig tails!
I heard from all our children throughout the day in one way or another, even Miki in Sweden. On our way home from Pottsville last evening I got the sweetest wishes of all via this video.
This bouquet is a combination of the flowers from Sam and from Frank.
The bouquet on the left was from Lori before they left for Atlanta. And the lilacs were from Dick. He bought a ladder on Saturday in response to a Craigslist ad, and the lady offered him lilacs from her bush as well! I just love lilacs and have strong, nostalgic feelings about them from my childhood.
It was a very good day indeed.
Well, another sister weekend is history already. This was the Pennsylvania sisters - Doris, Mary Ellen, and me. The others - Barb in Idaho, Betty is New Hampshire, and Rose in Georgia are too far away for more than one gathering per year.
Yesterday I met my sisters at Nittany Mall. We shopped at Macy's, each finding a good deal or two. And we ate lunch at an Italian restaurant in the mall.
From there we went to the Penn State Aboretum. I cannot believe I have lived up here for almost four years and have never been there before. It is BEAUTIFUL!! Right now the tulips were the most prominent feature, but I want to go several times this year as more and more flowers bloom. There are so many areas with lots of benches for just sitting and taking it all in. The weather was PERFECT - bright sun, a gentle breeze, but not extremely hot.
Because this was graduation weekend for Penn State, there were many graduates and their families taking pictures and even having picnics. We felt very under-dressed compared to most of the people there!
Mary Ellen on the left, Doris on the right - for those readers who don't know my dear sisters.
From there we went bargain hunting, first of all to my favorite used furniture store, Pete's Used Furniture. Mary Ellen and I each found an item we were looking for. Then we spent a long time at the Goodwill Thrift Store. I laughed when I started looking at blouses and very quickly found three that had been in the bags of clothes I had Dick drop off for me earlier in the week, haha! Two of the blouses I had gotten there last year! I almost picked them out again. Just kidding! When we left there we were in deep conversation and were almost home when Mary Ellen reminded me that her car was still at Nittany Mall! Oh my! So to the other side of town we went to pick up her car.
Dick had been babysitting Austin for the afternoon while Lori was at a graduation and Anthony was out of town for a college roommate's wedding. Lori and Austin joined us for dinner.
In the evening we watched the movie Guilt Trip. Barbara Streisand played a widowed mom and Seth Rogan her adult son on an eight-day road trip together. I thought it would be more of a comedy than it was. It did have lots of funny scenes but also some very touching ones, especially at the end. Mary Ellen missed parts of it as she snoozed on and off! I think my laughs kept waking her up. It was getting too close to midnight when we old ladies went to bed. None of that talking half night like we used to do!
Our sister-in-law Nancy had ordered Mary Ellen to be sure to get a picture of us ladies drinking coffee on my porch. Thankfully it was a very sunny morning, and even though the temp was probably not even sixty so early this morning, the sun made it feel just perfect. We sat there for a nice long time after Dick dutifully and patiently took many pictures with all three of our cameras!
At Houserville House of Hope we sang an acapella trio rendition of My Jesus, I Love Thee during the offering especially for the older members of the congregation.
After church we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch. I kid you not - I have been to this Cracker Barrel three times and have been seated at the exact same table every single time!
Then we came home for a little more relaxing and some more picture taking and a few more laughs before they had to hit the road for home.
This one pretty much says it all. I will not repeat what was cracking us up at this particular moment!
