BUSY week

This was a very busy week for me.  First off, because of an annual church conference taking place next Tuesday, my work at the church office is a lot more than usual, getting things ready for the conference.  In fact, because I really have no idea what I'm doing, I have shed some tears.  I hate feeling lost and incompetent.  I'd take a classroom full of kids any day.

This was election week, in case you weren't aware of that, hahaha!  At Houserville, which is a voting location, we had a Vote-N-Go Cafe, so people who came to vote could also pick up some food to either take home or eat right there in the cafe.  Some of the ladies put in DAYS of work beforehand.  Over last weekend, while I was having fun in Pittsburgh,  they baked up a storm of yummy baked goods, the sales of which benefited our church's Mommy Shoppe.  They cooked lots of chickens and deboned them.  On Monday they made gallons of chicken corn noodle soup, ham and bean soup, baked potato soup, chili, sloppy joe meat, mac and cheese, and cherry and pumpkin pies.  I went there after work on Monday and cut up 50 pounds of baked potatoes for the soup!  And of course, all that cooking means mountains of pots and pans to wash!  On Tuesday I went there after work and helped to sell food.  In addition to the things I mentioned above, the men were outside grilling sausages and hot dogs, handing them in through the window when people gave us orders.  When they were running low on things, ladies would go down to the kitchen and make more rice krispie treats or mac and cheese (the best I've ever tasted, by the way), or run to the store for more sausages and rolls, or run home and bake more brownies.  I'm telling you, this church knows how to feed a crowd!!  

On Wednesday it was thirty years that my mom lost a vicious three-month battle with pancreatic cancer.  That was a dark time in our family's life.  For just a brief time during those three months, Mother was allowed to come home from the hospital, and we were hopeful.  Here's a picture we have from that brief time, taken at a family gathering we had at my house.  My sister Barb had had a baby boy a few weeks prior, in the same hospital that Mother was in.  In this picture my sister Janet was holding baby Eric, Mother was admiring him, and Janet's son Scott was looking on.  It's the last good picture we have of Mother.

That was the day before my 31st birthday.  On Thursday I had my 61st birthday.  It was a full, regular Thursday - working at the office longer than usual, piano lessons, and Fillmore choir in the evening.  Actually, Dick took a good picture of the choir surrounding me and my cake, but I forgot to get it from him.   I did get birthday wishes from each of our kids, either by phone, Facebook, or text.  Even an awesome video of Sophie and Lisa singing three different versions of Happy Birthday to me!  Miki sent her birthday wishes in Swedish, so I had to go to Google Translate to figure it out.   She said she's trying to keep my gray cells activated, haha!   This is my official "61" self portrait.

The earliest picture I have of myself is this one, taken at nine months.  Looks like I had a big mouth right from the start!

Today I'm catching up here at home and eagerly looking forward to Sam, Jenn, and Sammy's arrival late this evening.  And they're bringing Destiny along!!  I haven't seen any of them for so long!!  Look at this little ham!

I haven't seen Austin all week, which I HATE!  So today I'm picking him up from preschool and bringing him here for a couple of hours.  They're going to Philadelphia this weekend, so I gotta grab him while I can!  His latest words of wisdom were these:  "But I like candy.  That's how God made me!"  Couldn't have said it better myself!

Pittsburgh Kidney Walk weekend

On Saturday afternoon we got on the Megabus at our local Walmart and headed to Pittsburgh.  The bus was not full at all and we could each have two seats to ourselves to sprawl out.  So much better than driving.  The bus dropped us off at the convention center in Pittsburgh where Jeremy and his friends Mike and Daryl picked us up and took us to a great Italian restaurant, Piccolo Forno, where Mike's dad and stepmother had made reservations for all of us.  The food was exceptional, and we had a great time with at least two or three conversations going on simultaneously! 

We spent the evening and overnight at Mike's dad's lovely country home.  Mike's stepmother Marian is the ultimate warm, welcoming hostess and we had a great time being together.  

We were all up bright and early, eating a light breakfast and dressing in many layers.  The temp was in the thirties!   Here we are, waiting for the Kidney Walk to start at the Pittsburgh Zoo.

This was Mike's team - Walking for Life.   Mike's high school friends Jim and Colleen with their three sons and Colleen's mom are on the left of the group.  I just loved those boys!   I could swear I was looking at the photographer when the picture was taken, but apparently not!  Jeremy, Mike, Dave & Marian, Daryl, and Marian's friend Veronica completed our team. 

We were especially fascinated/troubled by the behavior of these painted wild dogs.  They seemed to be almost attacking each other and were very agitated and noisy.  Imagine our horror when we saw on the news later in the day that a two-year-old fell into their midst just a few hours after we had seen them and was mauled to death.  I still cannot stand to think about it.  

By the time the three-mile walk was finished we were beginning to warm up a bit, but we were HUNGRY!   We decided Five Guys would be just the perfect place to go with three energetic little boys.  I don't think burgers and fries ever tasted so good to me!

We said our goodbyes to the rest of the team, then headed across town to meet up with a very special friend we had not seen for a long time - Amy Gorno.  Her dad Tim was our pastor at Grace for six years, and Amy and Jeremy were like brother and sister.  We had such a WONDERFUL time at a little cafe.  So many memories, so many twists and turns in our life journeys since then to share with each other.  Lots of laughter and some tears.  It was hard to say goodbye after a few hours.  

Mike, who grew up in Pittsburgh, wanted to take us to the Mt. Washington lookout.  Wow!!  We went on some steep streets that could rival some of Bellefonte's best!  But it was worth it!  Of course, it was not a sunny day (I can't remember any of those anyway), but it was a great view of the city with its iconic river and bridges.

It was getting even colder by that time!  We were glad we had our warm clothes on from the Kidney Walk.  

The guys dropped us off at the convention center to meet our bus, which was supposed to leave at 4:40.  But there was a delay of about 45 minutes.  We probably stood in line in the cold for an hour and fifteen minutes, but as you can see, we were in a sheltered area and we were REALLY thankful for all the warm layers we still were wearing.  So it wasn't too bad.    We didn't have any snacks with us for the trip home, but those burgers and fries from lunch stuck with us till we got to the Subway inside Walmart where the bus left us off in State College three hours later. 

We walked into our house at 9 pm, tired and happy.

Pittsburgh Bound

We have been looking forward to this weekend for quite a while. We are traveling by Megabus to Pittsburgh today to participate in the Kidney Walk at the Pittsburgh Zoo tomorrow morning. Some of you may remember that two years ago Jeremy's friend Mike, after suffering from kidney disease for several years, received a kidney transplant from his sister Linda. They have both experienced excellent health since then. Pittsburgh is their home town, so this year he is sponsoring a team for the Kidney Walk there. We'll have a fun time I know. The Megabus goes directly from State College to Pittsburgh for just $15 each!  Can't beat that!

Goodbye Sandy!

Well, Sandy is winding down in this area, and we have been very blessed. My heart is aching for the many who experienced Sandy's fury and devastation. You know it's an epic storm when they say that the stock exchange is closed two days in a row for the first time since 1880-something! 

The wind was loud, and it's still raining. But really, I'm quite sure we have had stronger wind gusts in thunder storms than any we had in this storm.  

So now we have plenty of batteries and freezer boxes of ice, and we won't have to do any last-minute supply shopping before we go Stauffer camping next summer!  We're stocked for survival!

And best of all, the storm passed in time for me to be able to still have my six-week, VERY necessary hair appointment, which is where I am right now. 

As I said last time, we were planning to make a quick trip Sunday afternoon to see Destiny and Sammy. It's been So LONG!!!  But when we left church it was already raining quite heavily, then we realized there were a lot of football fans leaving town, which always causes a traffic back-up on the two-lane stretch. Suddenly our quick trip looked long and more difficult than we were in the mood for. So we decided to turn around.  I felt so disappointed. 

We made up for it by stopping at Anthony and Lori's to pick up Austin. He loves taking his Sunday nap at Grandma's house. After our naps we chilled together on the sofa while Grandpa watched his football game from his recliner. I call this photo "The New Bonding."

 

My regular week and a little more

I guess this was a rather uneventful week.  I still can't think of anything to write about.  Hmmm.  We had warmer-than-normal weather, which I loved.  I got a good walk in every day, trying to be ready for next weekend when we go to Pittsburgh to participate in the Kidney Walk.  I got a nice amount of prep done for my next Music@Home DVD.  I worked at the church office, had a good practice with our praise team at Houserville, gave piano lessons, had choir practice with the Fillmore choir, paid some bills.  

Oh, I almost forgot that on Monday morning I kept Austin because his daycare was closed.  We had a fun time going to the library for story time and then to the grocery store.  But I didn't take any pictures.  

Today we went to someone's house who was advertising free bushes and grasses, and Dick dug out several of them and planted them at our place.  He's a good, strong man!

We're glad we don't have anything but evergreens as we look at all the leaves some people have to deal with.  This is our "evergreen street".

We used to have lots of leaves at our farmhouse.  Dick would rake them up and put them on a tarp and pull them behind the lawnmower down to the fence row behind the barn.  This picture is not of leaves, but of grass clippings, both done the same way, and often with a little one going along for the ride.  On this picture it was Destiny. So cute!

And now all the news is about Sandy, the frankenstorm.  We got some things ready today in case we lose electricity - batteries, water, Coleman fuel, kerosene for our kerosene heater.  Hopefully we won't need any of it.  I wish the storm would surprise everyone and go out to sea instead of inland. 

If the forecast looks like things will hold off till late Sunday night, we are hoping to make a quick trip after church tomorrow to see Destiny and Sam, Jenn, and Sammy.  We shall see.

For the Beauty of the Earth....

For the Beauty of the Earth - that's the title of an old hymn.  It also comes to my mind all the time these days.  I just can't stop taking pictures.

I made this collage to post on Facebook the other day.  It also makes a really nice photo for my computer monitor.

I'm glad God likes bright colors and lavish beauty.

Harvest Festival, baptism, praise service - a good weekend

I was so torn about what to do on Saturday.  For quite a while I have been looking forward to attending a reunion of girls who attended the church I did as a child and teenager.   But having just returned from our vacation and with so much to catch up on, both at work and at home, I just couldn't imagine taking the time to make the trip to Lancaster County.  Neither could I imagine missing it.  Lori called Friday evening and invited me to go with them to a harvest festival at a local fruit farm.  She said Austin had been asking and asking to see us.  Well, that tipped the scales! 

Saturday morning started out nice and sunny, though chilly.  Here's a picture I took soon after we arrived at the festival.

Next we went to the rabbit-petting station, but as we were there the sun disappeared, a brisk breeze picked up, and we were miserable!  Does this melt your heart like it does mine?

Thankfully there was a nice indoor area to get coffee, hot chocolate, and goodies.  

Sunday morning was really special at Houserville House of Hope.  The two special needs ladies, Fran and Juanita,  who attend our church, as well as my guitar player Kael, violin player Ashley, and female vocalist Vanessa officially became members of the church.  Kael was baptized as well.  Afterward, during the offering, Ashley sang Kari Jobe's song No Sweeter Name so beautifully.  It was a very emotional time for me.  I have come to love each one of these dear people so much.  None of their lives are easy, but I've watched them hang onto and personalize the promises in the lyrics of our songs, and I've seen the church love them to pieces no matter what until it has truly become their family. 

Fran and Juanita.

Kael, Vanessa, and Ashley with Pastor Renee.  (I wish this picture were as clear as the one above.)

 

On Sunday afternoon Austin came here for his nap, and I got a good nap too.  

In the evening we had our monthly praise service at the Fillmore church.  Pastor Calvin (new to Fillmore since July) played drums with our team, a talent we did not know he had!  His wife Trina shared her personal testimony, which was tremendously touching and powerful.  Guitar player Ross, who is a professor at Penn State, had invited one of his students (who is from India) to come to the service, and she did, bringing one of her friends, also from India, with her.  So that was really cool.

It was a really good day.

Florida Vacation, Days Six and Seven - from Tampa to DC to Home

On Tuesday morning we had a sweet time at breakfast with Sophie.  We were playing songs on the piano apps on our phones!  But then we had to say goodbye to her when it was time for her to meet the bus.  It felt really, really hard to realize that this long-anticipated time with her was already over.  

Lisa had left very early to work at the Yoga studio, so around 9:00 George took us to the studio, we got to see around it, said our goodbyes to George, then Lisa took us to the airport.   I felt like crying as we said goodbye to George and to Lisa.  They gave us such an amazing vacation and we enjoyed being with them so very much.  I told them that they had spoiled us rotten.  They reminded us that I had kept up with the dishes and folded laundry.  Lisa said, "That rates really high on my spoiled scale!" 

We flew to BWI.  I was sleeping before it ever took off, as is usually the case.  When we arrived in Baltimore, we contacted Jeremy, and he gave us directions to one of his stores near DC where he was working that day.    Here he is with one of the office girls at the store. 

We left our truck parked there and went with Jeremy to his house.  We saw this on the way!  His apartment building was just five blocks south of the capital, now the house he moved to is about eight blocks north of it.  

Here are some pictures of the house.  It's an old row home owned by his boss and he has orders to refurbish it!   There were no curtains, so the very first thing he did was make some.  And he added some art work.

He put up these shelves at one end of the kitchen to provide more storage and a place to put the bar stools.  

Dick stayed home with Molly, his dog, while Jeremy, his friend Mike, and I walked to a grocery store.  I had decided to make a pot of vegetable soup. Jeremy was just thrilled to be getting his picture taken in the grocery store.  Can't you tell??

Here's what we found when we got back.

The soup, served with crusty bread, just hit the spot for all of us.  Later we watched a movie and then hit the sack.  He has a guest room now and two bathrooms, which makes him happy to more easily be able to have people over.  

Wednesday morning I made scrambled eggs with peppers, onions, potatoes, and veggie bacon.  Dick fixed the washer, which had gone crazy when a load of sheets had gotten off balance.  Around 11:30 we left for Jeremy to take us back to our truck at the store.  And then we had to say goodbye again.  

We were in no big hurry, so we stopped a few times for lunch and rest rooms.  As we drove on 99/220 from Altoona toward State College, we decided it was beginning to look like home.

Turning into our community.

And then as we got to our house, I saw what I was dreading - my dead marigolds and roses!

I was so glad I had taken a picture before we left.  Here's my before and after collage.

But there is no doubt that the frost that killed my flowers also did wonderful things for our fall foilage.  My mountain is starting to burst with color even on a cloudy day!

And that's the end of my vacation posts finally.  Now I am trying to figure out how to catch up at work and at home and get to see Austin and Destiny and Sammy and that little Jada who is growing too quickly already.  And there's a Sunday School reunion I wish I could go to down home on Saturday and we're having our praise service at Fillmore Sunday night.  I feel a little overwhelmed thinking about it all.  Can I just go back to having vacation, please???