Our week with the boys and the surprise ending

Well, I am indeed doing this weekly update from California. Some of you know that this trip has taken unexpected turns, but that's another story for later.

First I need to start with Austin's birthday last Tuesday. As we've done the past few years we went bowling, because that's what he wants to do on his birthday. This time it was a small family affair. I took a lot of great pictures, but I discovered after we were all finished bowling that my camera had again had a malfunctioning memory card (second time), and I did not have any of those pictures! Huge disappointment! I then took a few pictures after we were finished with the game. Austin was the youngest one bowling,

and he outscored his mom,

his dad,

his Uncle Gary,

his cousin William,

and his grandma and grandpa! This grandma didn't do too bad though!

On Wednesday evening after our worship service at Fillmore, Dick and I went to Anthony and Lori's airbnb room for the night. Anthony would be leaving very early for the airport in the morning (NAMM show in Anaheim, CA) and I wanted to be there to help Lori get the boys and herself out the door for school and work and daycare.

On Thursday night we again went there to sleep after choir practice at Fillmore. On Friday morning Grandpa had some time to play with the boys before going to work.

I gotta share the funny text messages I got from Lori that day. She was using Siri while driving, and Siri just doesn't always get it!

On Friday evening we got over to their place earlier and had some time to hang out and play before bedtime. Austin and I went bowling, LOL! I did not do well at all in this game!

Lori FaceTimed Anthony, and Hunter was just TOO CUTE when he saw his daddy!

On Saturday I went home to pack, pay some bills, do a bit of laundry, etc. Dick took Austin to the Y later in the afternoon for some rock wall climbing. Later he dropped him off at his Uncle Gary's place for the night.

When Dick and I and Lori said goodnight later we had the best laid plans. This is how it was supposed to go:

Since Lori had not been able to get me on the same flight as hers, and since mine would be leaving 45 minutes before hers, and since I am completely anal about getting to an airport EARLY, I would drive myself to the airport. Then Dick would drive Lori and Hunter to the airport later. He would pick up Austin from Gary's place later in the day and get him to bed, staying there for the night. Anthony would be arriving home around midnight. It would all work out!

It was VERY foggy when I quietly left their place in the wee hours of Sunday morning. The app on my phone still listed my flight as "on time." Lori's, however, was already delayed an hour.

Before long mine was also delayed an hour, and when I got to the university Park Airport I stood in a very long line as they worked with each person individually to figure out a new plan. I learned that no flights had been able to leave the day before. One woman told me she had sat in a plane at this airport THREE HOURS on Saturday, and it never was able to take off! I also found out that a number of people would be driving to the Philadelphia Airport rather than taking the chance of not getting there at all.

As I waited in line I got a phone call from American Airlines with an updated schedule for me. I found out that after leaving Philly (if I ever got there) I would be having a layover in Dallas. Nice. One more state I had never been in before!

Lori's flight with United kept getting further and further delayed. We were constantly texting. Amazingly, my flight called for boarding, which we did, but then we sat. Apparently there had been the required 1/4 mile visibility when we boarded, but it had decreased to 1/8 mile. This was my dreary view as we waited.

And then we took off! It was actually beautiful after we got above the fog.

When I arrived in Philly Lori had found out her flight was cancelled, but she was working on an alternate plan with a different airline.

While I was in Dallas she said she got a flight with Delta, but would not arrive until around 11 pm. That meant I would wait at the San Diego airport for about 6 hours, but I didn't even care. I would read and probably doze.

This was my view in Dallas - the only time I saw sunshine.

I kept hearing a baby that sounded like Hunter on my last flight, and I couldn't wait to kiss his sweet face.

But alas, that would not happen! Upon landing in rainy San Diego, I turned my phone off airplane mode, and there was a message from Lori that her flight had been cancelled!! She could fly out on Monday, but since that was the biggest workday for the grant review board, she and her colleagues decided it would be better for her to participate by phone than to miss it while flying.

She and Hunter would not be coming!! And here I was all by myself for no reason! I could not stay at the hotel without Lori being there, so she booked a different one for me, keeping in mind my love of picture taking, bless her heart. She booked the historic Lafayette Hotel, apparently famous for Bob Hope having slept here!

But first of all my phone was dying, so I plugged into a floor outlet near baggage claim. Then I needed to walk in POURING rain to the place for taxi pickup!

I was more than relieved to finally arrive at the hotel and my room to try and recover from such a crazy day! The day had become even crazier when Anthony got as far as Detroit, but could go no further due to the weather conditions in the east!!


And the rest of the story and many more pictures will be on the next post! Hopefully I'll be doing that from my computer at home.

Ice, choir, full moon, lunch date, sweet boys, a birthday, and California!!

It's Tuesday AGAIN and time to do my weekly update.

Our weather has been warmer than normal this past week.  Not WARM, but just warm enough to have more rain than snow, but cold enough to freeze the rain, which is not a good thing.  Last Wednesday was a really icy morning.  Schools first of all delayed two hours, then closed for the day because the temperature did not rise as quickly as expected.  By mid-afternoon all the ice was gone.  When I took the dinner I had prepared over to Anthony and Lori's, their hill was wonderfully bare.  But I discovered they were all at home, having been unable to go anywhere with the ice that was on the hill earlier.

So that was a nice surprise.  I rarely get to see anybody when I'm there on week day afternoons.  I even had time to play with the boys until I had to leave for church at Houserville.   Hunter is growing like a weed and getting around and up and down more each day.

I spent a lot of time last week working on new choir music.  I arranged an SATB version of an old song from my teen years - Try a Little Kindness.  We sang this in Choraleers back in 1970, and when I listened to it recently I was struck with how appropriate the lyrics are for today.  On YouTube I found this beautiful Glenn Campbell rendition of it at a concert in 2002 with the South Dakota Symphony.  Someone commented that this was the best performance of this song ever, and I agree.

So we had our first choir practice of the year on Thursday evening and started working on it - didn't quite sound like this - yet, haha!  

On Friday I was leaving Anthony and Lori's about the same time Dick was leaving work, and since I knew there was nothing ready for our dinner at home, we decided to meet at Texas Roadhouse.  We had a gift card to use, and it's pretty much our favorite place.  Apparently it was everybody else's favorite place too that evening.  The parking lot was absolutely full and I needed to park at a nearby business instead.  

On our way home I saw the hugest moonrise EVER.  I totally regret that I did not stop right where I was and take a picture.  But you know - other cars and all.  So I kept driving, couldn't see it for the trees and hills in the way, kept driving, catching glimpses of it, finally got to the top of a hill where there was a church parking lot to pull into.  But alas, it had moved up away from the horizon, no longer looking as huge, and there were clouds in the way.  I took a picture anyway.

When we got home we started the sad process of un-decorating.  I love my Christmas stuff and I love the way my house looks with all my Christmas stuff.  But there was one reason I was happy to be putting it all away.  The corner of the living room where we put the Christmas tree is normally our toy corner.  All those toys go into my office over Christmas and they are in the way every time I need to get music on and off my bookshelves, which is often most of the time, but really often over Christmas.  Small house problems!

Sunday morning was another icy one, however not as bad as Wednesday had been.  We did have church at Fillmore, then went to Calvary.  I'm starting to actually remember a few people's names there!  It helps if you tend to sit in the same general area each time and they do too, haha!  

We brought the boys home with us for Sunday afternoon.  I even got a nap while Hunter napped and Dick and Austin worked on our marble roller.  Dick got his nap in the evening while watching football, LOL!

Uh-oh!  Grandpa is showing him how to play a game on his phone already!

When Anthony and Lori came for the boys after their movie they hung out for a while.  

He's thinking about exploring. 

He more than thought about it!  He tried using some buttons and even found a cord to pull on.  Oh dear.  He just refuses to stay in one place anymore!

On Monday there was no school because of Martin Luther King Day, so I took the day to go to Reading to spend some time with Destiny.  I missed having her here the week between Christmas and New Year like we used to always do.  

We did two of our favorite things - eating at a Chinese buffet and shopping at a used clothing store, this time Plato's Closet.  

When she got into the van the sun shone on her hair, showing the "eggplant" color.   I said, "Bend down again!"  And I snapped this picture.

We had a lot of fun together, even if I had to compete with her cell phone sometimes!  

Selfie problems!

I was telling her about the two years prior to our wedding when Dick was in Voluntary Service in New York and letters sent by snail mail was our primary means of communicating.  (Phone calls were too expensive.)  Dick was not a prolific letter writer, so it was not an easy two years for me.  Of course, Destiny has heard that story before and could have told it to me.  Yesterday I was emphasizing that we had no cell phones, no internet to easily check on each other.  She said, "Wow, you lived before the internet!"  I said, "Destiny, your dad lived before the internet!  We didn't get a computer until he was in 10th grade!"   She said, "Well, you and my dad really use the internet now!"  I said, "Yep, we're making up for lost time!"  

I dropped her off at 4:30 and would so much have loved to stop in at Frank and Lauren's to see the little girls.  But I knew that there was a freezing rain forecast again to start at midnight, and just in case it would start earlier, I really wanted to head for home.  About half way home the rain started and I felt scared.  I called Dick and he assured me that the temps were to stay above freezing till after midnight.  That made me feel better until I saw flashing signs a few times about a weather change and road conditions.  I was glad to be home safe and sound at 8 pm.  

On Sunday when Austin heard on TV that Monday would be Martin Luther King Day he immediately quipped, "And Tuesday is Austin Mitchell Stauffer Day!"  And indeed it is!  Today is his 8th birthday!  The schools in the area even started two hours late today in honor of his birthday, haha!!  We will be celebrating later at the bowling alley.  

I laughed out loud at Lori's description of him on her FB post this morning:  "Happy Birthday to our Austin!  He is fun-loving (high energy), opinionated (argumentative), a future leader (strong-willed), and a great conversationalist (never. stops. talking.)  Couldn't imagine life without him!"  

If I do update this blog next Tuesday, it will be from California!!  I have never been to California before, but I will be spending a few days in San Diego with Lori and Hunter.  Lori will again be working with the grant review board she is on (same thing she was doing in DC when we were there in October).  And I'll be caring for Hunter.  We leave early Sunday morning and return next Wednesday evening.  

Sibling Weekend

I should be at this very moment getting a broken tooth pulled, in preparation for some bridgework I'll be having done.  But I looked outside about two hours ago and saw that the snow was coming down heavily and I chickened out.  So I rescheduled.  Now if it had been a hair appointment......

The snow seems to have stopped, but they're calling for freezing rain later, so I'm glad to stay off the roads.  Besides it's time to update here anyway.  Here's what it looks like outside.  Just a nice fresh new coat. 

As I left Anthony and Lori's place at 5:00 last evening, I was so happy to realize how daylight it still was.  I feel like we're over the hump.  I think I hate dark evenings more than I hate cold weather. 

Here's a sunset picture I took from their deck on Friday before I left for home. 

This past weekend we had two family events down home, so I got a substitute for Sunday morning at Fillmore so we could stay overnight.   We left from Dick's shop at noon on Saturday, stopped at Sheetz for gas and lunch-to-go, and made our way toward Lancaster County.  Alas, we were not far out of State College when our van started seeming to "miss."  Like a bad spark plug connection or something.  Thankfully, Dick being a mechanic, knew how to handle it, but he knew something was wrong.  It did not feel good to be going so far in such extreme cold (around 20 degrees!)  

We made it to Sam and Jenn's.  Dick immediately went in search of a place to "read codes" and fix the problem.  Less than an hour later he called and said he was on his way back and the van was fixed!  He had gone to Firestone where they read the codes and determined that it was a bad coil.  Dick went to Advance Auto Parts, bought the coil, and replaced it himself.   Being an auto mechanic has not made us rich, but it surely has saved us time, hassle, and money many times over!

At 4:00 we met at Kountry Kitchen near Manheim with my PA siblings.  This little restaurant is right next to the farm where our family lived when we were kids.  Some of us remembered picking potatoes in the field right behind the restaurant.  Back then it was just an ice cream place.   We had a grand time, and I'm afraid we were a bit loud.  Can you imagine such a thing?

My sister-in-law Nancy, a photographer extraordinaire, could hardly stand it that she could see orange peeking through that blind, but the blind was closed.  I said she should do like me and poke her camera between the slats, hahaha!  My brother convinced her that there would be another sunset.    We had so much fun.  And also a chance to get caught up better than we can via FB.  At least that's what we ladies did at our end of the table.  I'm not sure what the guys were talking about all that time. 

From there we went to Grandma Mary's for a short visit and some family singing. 

Dick and I went back to Sam's then, but we were facing another unpleasant emergency.  Dick had started to have pain in a tooth the day before.  He decided he would call and get an appointment on Monday.  However, the pain had been getting increasingly worse throughout that day, despite pain meds.  As we relaxed in the living room I heard him sigh from time to time, and he said, "It's going to be a long night."   It was obvious he had an infection.  Sam and Jenn said that there was an urgent care facility just down the road open until 8 pm.  It was now 7:00, and we decided to go.   It was a lovely, almost new facility associated with Lancaster General Hospital.  How nice to find that they had Dick's info in their system!  Of course with our Lititz address and phone number and outdated insurance.   They were able to give Dick an antibiotic right there and told him to take higher doses of ibuprofen to get ahead of the pain.  We were out the door by 8 pm!  

His pain became more tolerable and we actually had a fun rest of the evening being entertained by Sammy and Bianca.  Just no end to their cuteness!

I had brought some of our books along to read to them this time, including this favorite, "We Eat Dinner in the Bathtub."  More about that later!

On Sunday morning we just took it easy.  I made French toast and sausage for breakfast.  Dick and Sam took the kids outside to play, but it was FREEZING!!  Sammy soon came inside, but Dick said Bianca wanted to stay outside!  What a girl!

Once inside they pushed their play furniture all around the chaise and said it was their secret hideout. Bianca was painting with that play dipper!  Sammy was guarding the castle.

At noon we left for the Stauffer Christmas dinner.  We no longer hold it at Grandpa's house - too many people and too loud!  This is the 3rd year we rented a room and the gym at Manhiem BIC.  

A few pictures I took as people gathered. 

We had a baked potato bar.  Grandpa and Grandma went first. 

It was Grandma Arlene's 85th birthday, so we decorated her Eclair dessert!

We sat at a table with Bjorn and Jess.  We had SO MUCH catching up to do, since we had not seen them since September.  And they went to Sweden for Christmas!  Here he is with our niece Laura's little Brinley.  Is this not ADORABLE???  And they both have red hair, hahaha!!  Please notice Bjorn's necklace!  He's so great with kids.

A lot of the guys and kids worked off their dinner in the gym.  This is what makes this location so ideal for this very active Stauffer family.

I learned a new card game - Four Down.  I'm not much of a card player, much more of a Scrabble and word games player.  But this actually turned out to be a lot of fun.  Of course, it helped that I was dealt a really good hand, haha!  

Bjorn and Jess were going to a Hershey Bears hockey game, so they had to leave a bit early.  It was so great to be with them.

A few others had to leave early too, so unfortunately, by the time I got around to taking group pictures, some were missing. 

First off, Grandpa and his boys.  He still has trouble getting them all to cooperate sometimes!  Missing of course, is Bob, who lives in Minnesota.  

Looks like they all got the red and green memo!

Fred and Deb's family.  Missing is Mark's wife, who had to leave early for a baby shower.  Also son Eric and family who live in Virginia. 

Jim and Carolyn's family.  Missing is their son Greg and his wife who had to leave early because of his job. 

Steve and Faye's family.  Missing is their son Ryan and his wife who live in California.  

Dick and Jean's family.  Missing is their entire tribe, hahaha!!

When we left we saw this covered bridge across the way and decided to stop by for pictures.  This bridge was originally right next to the Stauffer farm.  When Dick and I were dating we called it our kissing bridge!  Sometime in the 70's it was very carefully moved to this park in town.   On Sunday Dick pulled the van right up to it, I put my camera on the dash, set the timer, and ran!!  We were so intent on looking to see if it was still blinking that we never even thought how appropriate it would have been for us to kiss at our kissing bridge!!  We'll just have to go there again sometime!

We went back to Sam's so Dick could take a short nap before our drive home.  Bella napped too, right on my legs!  We kind of matched!

Now, remember I said there would be more later when I shared the picture of the book I was reading to Sammy and Bianca, "We Eat Dinner in the Bathtub."  It is the silliest book, and the grandchildren just love when I read it to them.  It turns out, it looks like we really do eat dinner in the bathtub!!

When we decorated for Christmas, I put a lot of our regular decor items in this huge storage tub that normally holds Christmas decorations.  It weighed a TON, and I just pushed it into the guest room.  However, when we were getting ready for the kids to come for Christmas, I told Dick, "I guess you'll have to take this heavy thing out to the shed now.  I don't know where else to put it."  He said,  "We could put it in your tub!"  (We almost always use the shower anyway.)  So he hoisted that heavy thing into the tub and said, "There!  Now put a tablecloth over it and set some flowers on top."  So I did!!  

We still haven't put our Christmas stuff away.  Since we no longer get a real tree it doesn't seem as urgent or annoying to have the tree up.  I just love it.  And besides, we weren't home much at all the past two weekends.  We'll get around to it one of these times.  

Have a good rest of the week!