Our Super Sunday

Sunday was a super day!  We had a wonderful time at both our church services in the morning, a nap in the afternoon, and a fun time watching the Super Bowl at Anthony and Lori's in the evening.  Dick is the only one of us that is a football fan, but we all got into the game.  We were cheering for the Broncos because of the possibility that it was Peyton  Manning's last game.  Also, there was number 11, Jordan Norwood, who was from Penn State and whose family had attended church at Unity, where Anthony and Lori attended.  

We also discussed baby boy names as we watched the game.  I suggested both Peyton and Jordan, but unfortunately both of those are used as girls' names, so they won't do, Lori says.  So Baby Boy Stauffer still remains nameless.  

And of course we had some good food too - bbq meatballs, spinach and artichoke dip in a bread bowl, veggies and French onion dip,  cheddar jack cheese slices with pretzels, regular chips for the dip, a variety of fresh fruit, and a tiramisu dessert from Wegmans.

Austin played basketball during the football game.  (-:

There was a beautiful sunset on our drive to their place.

Our choir song at Fillmore was a great hit.  Here's the video taken by our pastor's wife with Dick's phone.  She was sitting on the front bench, so the people on the back row are very hard to see.  In fact, my dear friend and office mate, Kristine, is completely hidden the entire time.  We need a riser!  And I am behind the piano, so you can't see me, but you can probably hear me, haha!

Today would have been my dad's 93rd birthday.  Ten years ago, on his 83rd birthday, my sister Mary Ellen and I spent the evening with him and Grandma Mary.  Of course we played Dominoes.  He was the BEST at that game, just as he was in so many other ways.  I know that I am rich in many ways because I am his daughter.  

Gotta run!  It will be a fun day at the office.  The pastor is making fasnachts!  Happy Fasnacht Day!

A trip down the February memory lane

I did not take one picture this week!  As I said when I posted on Tuesday, Dick and I were struggling with a stomach bug, headache, and fever.  We were really, really miserable Tuesday evening, and just pretty much slept all evening and night with lots and lots of blankets. 

We both definitely felt better Wednesday morning, with the fever gone.  Dick went to work, but I stayed home all day, even cancelled praise team practice in the evening at Houserville.  I made two pots of chicken soup - chicken rice and chicken corn noodle.  And worked on a lot of music prep for both churches.  

By Thursday I was pretty much back to normal and back at the office.  In the evening we had a fun choir practice at Fillmore.  On Sunday morning we are planning to sing "Oh Happy Day."  For a bunch of middle-to-older-aged white folks trying to sing a black gospel song, I don't think we're doing too bad, hahaha!!  I know one thing - we surely are having a lot of fun!  Maybe I'll have a video to share next week.

Today I have a Saturday to do a lot of catching up.  But guess what I've done so far?  I decided a few hours ago that since I had no pictures to share, I would do a post of pictures from each of the Februaries since I started blogging ten years ago.  

WELL!!!  Talk about a trip filled with memories and emotions!!  All kinds of emotions.  I had to send Lisa a funny picture.  I had to send my sisters a funny story.  I cried.  I sighed. I smiled a lot.  

So here, a few hours later, are the pictures I chose.

February 2006:  We took a couple of days off work to go to Florida to see this adorable, just-turned-one-year-old sweetie!!

Lucky Grandpa is going to get to spend time there soon for Sophie's Grandparents' Day in March.  I don't suppose he'll be pushing her on a swing this time!

February 2007:  On a snow day off from school I turned this.....

....into this! (plus a whole lot more!)

February 2008:  On the Sunday evening before a President's Day off from school, I had both sets of our parents, plus sister Mary Ellen at our house to play Dominoes.  I wrote that my dad was a PRO, Destiny learned quickly, and we had a blast!  It was such a mix of generations that whenever anyone said "Dad" or "Grandpa," several people would answer, hahaha!!

February 2009:  We local siblings celebrated my dad's 86th birthday at their house, not knowing that it would be his last one here on earth. 

And this little guy had made his appearance in State College, setting into motion the biggest transition of our lives. 

February 2010:  We had moved to State College and were living with Anthony and Lori.  I wrote that Austin would roll that toy and then the giggles would just roll out of him - over and over and over again!

February 2011:  We had moved to our own house by then, but this was taken at Anthony and Lori's.  I wrote that when I saw him sitting in his toy box like this, I asked if that was his new potty, and he said, "Poot."  Which was how he pronounced "poop"!!!!

February 2012:  Look who had entered the scene by then, in all his delicious chubbiness!!!

February 2013:  We took a weekend trip to DC for Jeremy's birthday.  It was a fun, work week-end.  It feels like ages since we've had time to spend a weekend there.

I don't miss the craziness of Jeremy's job at Regency Furniture, but I admit, I do miss touring his amazing set-ups at all their stores. 

February 2014:  Probably our snowiest year since we moved up here.  The picture is blurry, but I remember that the snowbank Austin was standing on was high, and he loved the challenge of trying to walk on top of it.

February 2015:  Look at the smily little diva that had wormed herself right into our hearts!

And the dream that had become alive for Anthony and Lori!  I took this picture last February on the day the inspection was held, and Anthony had told me I could come see it for the first time.  But I wasn't allowed to post this picture until many weeks later after the settlement had taken place.  I was DYING, haha!!

So there you go.   There were SO MANY more pictures I could have posted, so many more memories.  But if you have nothing else to do, and you're curious, you can just go to my sidebar and click on the February of each year.  And if you are a rather new reader and don't know our family, just check out the pictures on my sidebar to see who is who and who belongs to whom!

Now it's almost noon and I have much more to accomplish.

LOTS of pictures from our weekend down home

LOTS of pictures ahead!  All taken with my phone, unfortunately, since I forgot to take my new camera along.  We had a great weekend.  

FRIDAY
We arrived at Sam and Jenn's right around 8 pm on Friday.  As expected, Sammy came out to the carport to greet us.  Surprisingly, he had shoes on!  He often comes running out in bare or stocking feet,  no matter the temperature!

We sat around and talked for a while with Sam and Jenn as the kids played, then it was pajama time.  Sam and Jenn went out on a date while we stayed with the kids.  Bianca wasn't too happy about that at first, but in no time at all Sammy came and sat beside us on the recliner, and she relaxed and was soon asleep.

But not Sammy!  I think he finally went to sleep around 11:30!

SATURDAY
This was the beautiful view the next morning from the bathroom window.  It was easy to notice the increasingly higher snow banks as we drove toward their place Friday evening.  They are further southeast than us, and got the brunt of that nor'easter the other weekend.  A lot had already melted, they said. 

I got together with my Lancaster County sisters for brunch.

Doris, Mary Ellen, and I.  We are in touch regularly via FB and email, but we still had so much catching up to do.  Absolutely not enough time!

While I was doing that, Dick used Sam's car to go to Bjorn's place to check out his car trouble.  It was a simple fix, much to Bjorn's relief.  From there Dick went to his Dad's place and had lunch with them.  I was really disappointed to not get to see Bjorn or Dad and Arlene. Just too many people that we love down there, so we have to split ourselves up!  Grandma Mary is in Florida, so we couldn't see her, of course.  

When I got back to Sam and Jenn's, some of her family members were there helping to do some snow removal.  

Bella watched out the window and wanted to join them.  Sam did take her out some of the time.  

I tried to help Bianca to go to sleep for her nap, and she was totally content to sit in the rocking chair with me as I sang, but she was having no parts of going in her crib.  She probably didn't want to miss anything.  And I loved holding and singing to her.  

But then Dick got back, and we had another granddaughter in Reading chomping at the bit for us to come pick her up, so I handed Bianca over to Jenn's niece, and we went on our way.  

The snow on those Reading city streets was CRAZY, which is the reason I did not want to go there by myself.  People had very creative ways of shoveling out a place for their car.  

Once back at Sam and Jenn's, I got busy with dinner prep.  I had brought an unbaked lasagna along that I'd made on Friday, and we got some big, crusty loaves of Italian bread on the way back from Reading, which we turned into yummy garlic toast.    Destiny put  together a Caesar salad mix.   I was SO happy to have her there after not seeing her for five weeks.  Jenn's family was still there too, and we had so much fun talking.  I tried to persuade them to stay for dinner, but they had to get back home.  They live north of Harrisburg, about an hour away from Sam and Jenn's.  

Isn't Destiny just adorable?

Hanging out till dinner was ready.   Bianca was posing for my picture!

As Sammy said, we had a "family meeting" at the table, hahaha!!

After dinner we got out the game Zingo that I had given Sammy for Christmas.  I hadn't read the instructions very well, so it seemed like a boring game until Destiny decided to join us and read the instructions.  Sam and Jenn gave a few tips too, and suddenly it kicked into a much more competitive game.  Unfortunately, Sammy soon tired of it.  

I had fun watching Sammy's facial expressions across the table.  

Then we pulled out the Play-Doh.  

Some of Destiny's creations. 

Later we watched a movie, The Intern.  I LOVED it.  I took this selfie of Destiny and I on the couch, and didn't realize till afterward that we had caught Sam back there having his bedtime snack.  We had  good laugh over it.

SUNDAY

On Sunday morning I made a big frying pan of scrambled eggs with home fries, cheese, onions, and bacon served with English muffins.  

Around noon we left, with Destiny and Sammy in tow,  to go to Columbia High School (about 45 minutes away) to watch J'von play basketball.  Frank was there too with Jada.  Lauren had to stay home to do school work, so we didn't get to see her.  We had such a FUN time!  The game was close and exciting, and J'von is really, really good.  

And really, really good-looking!

Meanwhile on the bleachers.....

J'von's mother Danielle, with whom he lives, is on the other side of Dick.   

j'von is number 20.  I tried to get some shots of him in action (which was almost the entire game.)

Unfortunately, as many times as J'von's team ALMOST caught up on the scoreboard, they ended up losing.  

Here's a great pic of Frank with his three children.

Grandma and the kids.  Silly Sammy and stubborn Jada (don't be telling me when to smile)!

Grandpa and the kids.  Looks like Sammy had joined the stubborn team by that time!

We went to Friendly's afterward for sundaes and French fries.

Jada loved her sundae's chocolate ears!

Isn't this a really sweet pic?

Sammy gave his sundae two thumbs up.  In fact, I had to take several pics of him, because first he held up one thumb, then told me to take another one of  him holding up both thumbs!

This girl can EAT just like her dad!  I don't know where she stores it!

Back at Sam and Jenn's I tried to get another picture of Bianca, which is a very hard thing to do, since she's always on the move.  Jenn said most of her pics of Bianca are a blur.  Yep!  There's the blur!  She's such a funny girl, running, dancing, looking to make sure you're watching!  And TALKING!   She pretty much repeats whatever you tell her to say.  

Finally as we were saying goodbye, I got a good one.  She was saying "I love you" in the sweetest little voice.  

I took this sunset pic out their front picture window.  

 

We were home before 9 pm.  Yesterday we were fine, but today..... not so much.  We both seem to have a stomach bug and fever.  No throwing up or anything so far, but extreme nausea, bad headache, and so much trouble getting warm.  I just worked a few hours at the office, then came home to go to bed.  Dick  held out till his work day was over, but he hit the recliner as soon as he got home and hasn't moved since.  Sure hope this is just a 24-hour bug.  I'm just now feeling some hunger pangs, so maybe I'll try some applesauce.  

Sorry to end this blog post on such a "sour" note.