Big weekend ahead

I had several things I was going to write about today, but time has slipped away.  We are packed up and leaving for a three-day weekend in Lancaster County.  Tomorrow is the annual Christmas program at Manheim Christian where I taught for 25 years.  I have not been back at all this school year, so I am very, very eager to see everyone, especially my former co-workers. 

Then on Saturday we'll be having our annual fondue with some of our children.  And on Sunday morning there will be a little children's program at church (which I am not in charge of) and a candlelight service in the evening. A packed weekend!

Below is something I've been working on this week - my literal cut and paste family portrait.  (Or like I said earlier today, cut and scotch tape!)

That's the crew!  And like I said last year - the size of each head has nothing to do with that person's value, hahaha!  Just the size of the head in the picture I cut it out of!  

Well, we gotta hit the road!  I'm sure I'll return with many pictures on Monday.

Of gyms and snow and texting

I haven't remembered to take any pictures these past two days, and nothing too noteworthy has been happening.  I did join the gym that Anthony and Lori belong to and was delighted to finally use an elliptical last evening.  It even had a personal TV, so that makes the time pass much more painlessly!   I was going to go again this evening, but realized when I got outside that it was snowing pretty hard, so I chickened out and turned around.  I think it stopped soon afterward, but I was afraid the roads would get icy.  I wish I weren't so afraid of driving on slippery roads. 

I just have to say how much fun it is to live with Lori.  I'm sure a day does not go by that we don't text each other, whether it's between work and home, or downstairs and upstairs, or  State College and Lititz.  Sometimes it's about Austin and sometimes it's just nonsense. Recently she told me that when I don't understand the abbreviations people use on Facebook, like lol, I can look them up online in an urban dictionary.   I've been getting quite an education.  I've learned what "lmao" and "lmbo" mean.  Since I always say, "laughing my head off," I told Lori that sometime I'm going to write "lmho" on Facebook.  She looked it up, and sure enough, it was already in the urban dictionary!  

So today she texted me, "What time did A go to sleep?"  I texted back, "Which A?  Just kidding.  He was sleeping by 2."  She replied, "Lmho"   Well, I just cracked up when I saw that.  Anthony just  happened to be walking through the kitchen at the time and I told him why I was laughing.  I said,  "I feel like making one up."  So I texted back, "Lletwtb."  She replied, "?"  So I sent her the interpretation, "Laughing loud enough to wake the baby."  She texted back, "Hahahaha.  Wait!  Be quiet!"   

You probably had to be there, but anyway, that's just an example of our nonsense. 

My Sunday

I ended up spending Sunday in Lancaster County.  It was not Dick's weekend off or my regular Sunday to lead worship at Grace, but my two assistant worship leaders were going away together for the weekend, and I was unable to work out any other arrangements.  I thought I would just go down early Sunday morning and return home in the afternoon, but as last week progressed, the weather forecast (freezing rain) made it clear that I would need to travel Saturday evening.  I did not go to Reading for Destiny, which made for a shorter drive.

Unfortunately the freezing rain became an issue in Lancaster County as well.  It had just started right before I left for church at 8.  I drove v-e-r-y slowly and, thankfully, did not have anybody behind me riding my tail.  I am so afraid of driving when it's icy.  People who came later had more trouble and came upon several accidents on their way.  We had fellowship meal after church, and by the time that was over, the temp had gone up to 35 degrees, so ice was not a problem.  But, oh, the cold rain was just HORRIBLE!!  I had hoped to go visit my step mother, but all I could think about was going to our Lititz house and staying dry and warm for the rest of the day.  Which is exactly what I did.  I napped, looked at the entire Sunday paper for the first time in months, watched a lot of boring TV (we just have basic cable at that house now, so if you don't like football, there aren't too many interesting choices), talked to my stepmother and my sister and Dick on the phone, checked for email and facebook updates on my phone, and went to bed early.  

Oh!  And I can't forget that I stopped to buy gas on the way home from church, and while I was filling up, my phone rang.  It was Sophie!!  She just talked on and on and excitedly told me that it was 80 degrees and they were on their way to the beach - while I stood there waiting for the slowest gas pump in the world to fill up my car in the 35 degree rain, hahahaha!! Oh, but it was so much fun talking to her.

And speaking of Sophie, reminds me of my birthday wishes for George on Saturday (see previous post.)   As I drove to Lancaster County on Saturday evening I remembered that I wanted to give  him a phone call.  So I dialed and got his voicemail.  When I got home there was a message from him that they were in church when it rang.  He had forgotten to silence his phone and I called during a prayer!!!  Now I really got him back for calling me "bro", hahahaha!!

Sam and Jennifer are now following the slow death of the amazing flowers they gave me for my birthday, so of course, I took a picture of them as soon as I arrived Saturday evening.  Here they are at five weeks, the one side showing sure signs of death:

But hey, that rose bud isn't looking too bad for five weeks, is it?  And here's the other side, still looking beautiful:

I guess cold temperatures must be the fountain of youth.  Does that mean that those of us who live up here in the north will last longer than the ones in the sunny south????

I had a nice, dry drive back home to State College this morning.  In fact, the temp today is quite mild for us - in the forties!

Happy Birthday, George

This morning I looked back at my December posts from a year ago.  I decided to see what I was doing on December 12 last year.  And there was my son-in-law George's face, and I was suddenly reminded that today is his birthday.  Then I proceeded to see how many ways I can wish him a happy birthday today.  Unfortunately, I did not put an actual card in the mail a few days ago, but I could send him one online.  I also wished him happy birthday on my facebook update, I wrote him a facebook message, I emailed him, I texted his phone, and now I'm going to feature him here.  Oh, and I guess I could give him an actual phone call too.  Hey, why not skype while we're at it???  Good grief,  who needs to be together these days to stay in touch, hahahaha!


George is awesome.  There's no better word to describe  him.  So I'll leave it at that.


Here's my favorite picture of him and Lisa.  

He's such a great dad.

 Remember this - almost five years ago? (Ahem.  Look at all that hair!)

On top of the mountain in Hawaii.

And now I have two more pictures to post to get him back for calling me "bro" today.  After I texted him I got a text message back that said,  "Thanks, bro."  Then another that said that he thought the text was from Jeremy instead of Jean.  I cracked up.  I must say I have never been called "bro" before, hahaha!

Here's George dressed for a redneck Halloween party this past October, thanks to Lisa's creativity and Jeremy's artwork.

And look at this face full of mischief back in the seventies!! (Except you probably can't see it because I cropped this out of a school picture!)

Baby line dance

Who needs the gym when you can do a line dance with the baby's CD?

As is to be expected, Austin is becoming very aware of music and rhythm, and he definitely recognizes quite a number of songs.  I can hardly wait till he sings.

He's also getting stronger and stronger, and shows a definite interest in climbing.  Oh, I just know my life is going to be getting very interesting.  

We are having BITTER cold, windy weather.  The wind literally shrieks around the corner of the house and blows our trash cans everywhere.  It sounds for all the world like an old fashioned blizzard, but we're not getting anything but flurries.  Thank God for a warm house.

Your very Word, spoken to me

This past Sunday I led the song Breathe for the first time in a long while.   It's been around for over ten years, but it is still filled with the anointing of the Holy Spirit.  As we sang the words, "This is my daily bread, Your very word, spoken to me," I considered that kids may not understand what that really means.  So I asked the people to think of scripture verses that had given them life at certain times of great need in their lives, ones they had hung on to in order to survive.  Wow!  As I softly continued to play the song, verse after verse after verse came pouring out of people's mouths.  It was just beautiful.

As with most people, the book of Psalms is often the one I turn to when I am troubled.  Sometimes at night I have trouble turning my mind off.  Recently I heard someone say that counting backwards from 100 helps them to get to sleep.  So I have been trying that.  Last night it occurred to me to start at 150 and go backward through the Psalms, stopping at the ones that have verses I have either memorized or at least know the general theme of.  It was great.  Not only did it help me to get sleepy, it comforted me as well.  

Here are the ones I thought of last night.  It makes me want to study now, because I know there are tons more verses that have been tremendously meaningful to me over the years.  I just haven't memorized which chapter they're in.

 

Psalm 145:8  The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.

Psalm 139: 13&14 For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Psalm 121:1&2  I lift my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 119: 105  Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Psalm 116: 44&45  But He took note of their distress when He heard their cry;  for their sake He remembered His covenant, and out of His great love He relented.

Psalm 100: 1-3  Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.  Serve the Lord with gladness.  Come before His presence with singing.  Know ye that the Lord He is God.  It is He that has made us, and not we ourselves.  We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.  (King James Version)

Psalm 95:1  Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Psalm 91: 1  He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Psalm 88:13&14  But I cry to You for help, O Lord; in the morning my prayer comes before you.  Why, O Lord, do You reject me and hide Your face from me?

Psalm 73: 26  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 69: 1&2  Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.  I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold.  I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. 

Psalm 63:1  O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Psalm 51:10 - 12  Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from Thy presence and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation.

Psalm 50:23  He who sacrifices thank offerings honors Me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.

Psalm 46: 1  God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.

Psalm 37:4  Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. 

Psalm 24: 9$10  Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.  Who is He, this King of glory?  The Lord Almighty - He is the King of glory!

Psakn 23: 1 - 3  The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.  He makes me to lie down in green pastures;  He leadeth me beside still waters, He restoreth my soul.

Psalm 19: 1  The heavens declare the glory of God;  the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

Psalm 8: 2  From the lips of children and infants You have ordained praise. 

Psalm 1: 1 - 3  Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of the mockers.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers.

Pictures and more pictures

We were in Lancaster County again this weekend.  Of course, the first thing I must show you is the flowers that are now four weeks old (the ones Sam and Jen gave me for my birthday and are loving the cold environment of our Lititz house.)  For the first time, some of them are showing signs of decay.

However, on the other side, they look almost as fresh as day one!

A very fun event this weekend was the drama production at Manheim Central High School on Saturday evening, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.  Destiny and I had listened to this book on CD this fall, as well as The Best School Year Ever, featuring the same family, the Herdmans.  So we could hardly wait to see it.  My sister Mary Ellen joined us, and so did our son Frank, Destiny's dad.  It was a very special evening.  Three of my former students had main roles, Will Gray, Alyssa Nissley, and Derrick Kreider.

The other big event of the weekend was the snow.  We got several inches of beautiful snow, but thankfully, most of it accumulated on the trees and grass, not the roads.  I took a lot of pictures with my cell phone on the way to church Sunday morning.  Enjoy!

Sunday afternoon, Destiny was thrilled that she had built a snowman all by herself for the very first time.  He was just a snowbaby!!

Afterward we enjoyed a movie marathon - we watched The Black Stallion and The Black Stallion Returns back to back.  They are such fantastic movies. Destiny has always loved horse movies. She also loves apple slices for a movie snack.  Can't get much healthier than that!

While we were in Lancaster County enjoying the snow, Anthony, Lori, and Austin were enjoying the snow here in State College.  They took such wonderful pictures, I'm just going to post them all.  Again - enjoy!

And while we here in PA were enjoying our snow, down in Florida a certain favorite little girl of mine decided  that she would like to have straight hair instead of curly, so her dear mother put her through the whole nine yards of hair straightening.  After it was all said and done, Sophie decided she likes it curly better, which we all agree with, but she's a beauty even with straight hair.  Here are the pictures they took.

And that's all, folks!

Back in a classroom

I had a different kind of day from my normal routine today. On this windy morning I hit the road for Lebanon Valley College, about two hours away. This is what the sky looked like, and there were times I could feel the wind trying to push my car sideways! Once again I enjoyed Christmas music, especially Amy Grant.

So why was I going to college today? I had received an invitation from Wendy, a former foster care caseworker. When Sam, Frank, and Ray were foster sons in our home, Wendy was their caseworker. Without a doubt, she was the best one we ever had. Believe me, a caseworker is not a teenage boy's favorite person in the world, but Wendy broke that stereotype. Wendy has been teaching a sociology course on child abuse at LVC this fall, and part of the course included the foster care system. She found that many of her students had very negative stereotypes of foster parents, so she decided to invite me and another long-time foster mother to come and talk about our experiences.

Here's Wendy on the right with Ann, the other foster mom. Wendy treated us to lunch at a neat old restaurant near the campus. Look at that piece on the wall!

It was so great to reconnect with these two, and then to have the chance to share our hearts and experiences with the students. Actually, it was just fun to be around students again, especially ones that weren't falling out of their seats or putting their hands and feet in everyone else's space!

I had a good drive back and got home just in time for a few hugs and kisses with our little go-getter before he went to bed.

Thirty things I'm grateful for

Because I know some of you probably read my updates on google reader and never get to see the things on my sidebar, tonight I am posting the list I have compiled on my sidebar in the month of November.

Out of my experience this past year of spending a lot of time with my dad at doctor visits and then helping to care for him before he left this earth, I have decided that a grateful spirit is one of the most attractive character traits a human being can possess. In the most difficult moments of my dad's life, it was still a joy to be with him because of his unquenchable grateful heart. I am challenged to learn from his example.

This Thanksgiving month I want to use this space to list something each day that I am grateful for.

1. My love relationship with God because of the Cross.
2. My loving, funny, hard working husband.
3. The spiritual and emotional blessings that have been passed down to me because of my dad's passion for God and compassion for people.
4. The three children, Lisa, Anthony, and Jeremy who joined our family by birth.
5. The four children, Miki, Sam, Frank, and Ray who joined our family in their teen years.
6. Each one of our adorable, unique, and very special grandchildren.
7. My precious stepmother, her faith, her humor, her love.
8. Our amazing children by marriage - Krister, George, Lori, and Thyda.
9. Dick's job and the entire process that God used to bring him to it.
10. My amazing job as nanny for the sweetest baby boy in the world.
11. Our troops, past and present, who perform their duties, from the mundane to the treacherous, for our freedom in the United States of America.
12. That I can be still and know that He is God and that He is fighting for me.
13. The wonderful memories I have (many of them very funny) of my sister Janet, who died suddenly while sleeping five years ago today.
14. Weekends that are not jam-packed with activities and responsibilities.
15. Praise and worship music and the way it waters my soul.
16. Scripture verses that I can hang onto and be strengthened by when life is uncertain and difficult.
17. Friendly, encouraging emails from Destiny's teacher.
18. Sunny November days.
19. An uneventful November 19th.
20. My comfortable, reliable car.
21. Belonging to the "Zimwits."
22. Our church family and the way they love us and affirm us.
23. The free turkey I picked up at the supermarket today.
24. My iPhone, and the generosity of Anthony and Lori for making it possible for me to have it.
25. The gift of laughter.
26. Wonderful relationships with our extended families on both sides.
27. Warm, freshly made applesauce with cinnamon on top.
28. Technology that enables me to so easily stay in touch with our children and siblings everywhere, as well as many friends.
29. Messages preached from the Word of God that both challenge me and deeply touch me.
30. Another month of safe travels.

From here to there and back again

Monday was a work day for Lori, so I was here with Austin and Destiny.  Here's Destiny when she finally woke up after 10 AM!!  She has always had an internal clock like a teenager's - late to bed, late to rise.  Of course, that's only when she doesn't have to get up for school or church. 

One of the things she enjoyed while here was this amazing chess game.  Jeremy had gotten it for Anthony years ago when he was on a missions trip to Zambia.  Destiny didn't play chess, but those wooden figures provided her with great "scope for the imagination."  (Can you tell I was listening to Anne of Green Gables yesterday?)

Lori came home from work earlier than usual so that I could leave to take Destiny home.  Days ago they had started forecasting snow for Monday evening, and I was so concerned, knowing that's when I would be taking Destiny home.  But there was no snow at all, and very little rain either.

After taking Destiny home, I went to my sister-in-law Deb's house near Manheim for a Stauffer women get-together.  We have often done this when our men were at the hunting cabin.  In fact, they used to all come to our house overnight - women and children.  We'd sit up and talk almost all night.  Last evening we were yawning by 9 PM.  What is up with that????  

Pictured below: Jim's wife Carolyn, Bob's wife Doris, Fred's daughter Laura, and his wife Deb.

Grandma Arlene, Steve's daughter-in-law Kim, Bob's daughter Judi, Steve's daughter Krista, and his wife Faye.

There was even  a fourth generation Stauffer there last evening - Steve's grandson Eli, son of Joe and Kim.  He was all smiles, thinking that all our chatter was directed at him!!

I was disappointed that Lori and Austin didn't come along.  I  hadn't realized that so many of the "younger set" would be there.  It would have been such a long drive for Austin, though, since I had to take Destiny home first. 

I went to our Lititz house over night, and look what greeted me once again - the flowers from Sam and Jennifer, now three weeks later and still looking great!  (I promise  you, these are not silk flowers!)

I had an easy drive back to State College this morning - no rain or snow again, thank you, Lord.  I had one of my Manheimm Steamroller Christmas CD's cranked up.  I love it!