Music City, USA

A weekend trip to Nashville proved to be a hit with our family. We went with no agenda, thinking we would just wing it once we got there. Turns out it was a good plan. Having never been there before, we had no idea that our hotel was so close to the heart of everything until we arrived.

We decided to just walk around the area, and we weren't disappointed. We toured the Ryman Auditorium. The guys (including Verne) loved visiting the old record stores on Broadway St. We enjoyed hearing the music coming from every nook and cranny as we walked. During the day, we popped into a few places and had a longer listen to the entertainment.

We had a leisurely dinner, and walked again after dark. Mac was itching for some night life, so

the guys walked around again at midnight. Abigail and I were too tired, but enjoyed the view from our room.

We ended the weekend by arriving back home to a Black Forest Cake that Autumn made for my birthday.

Adventure of a Lifetime

He's packed and ready to go. From home, to Chicago, to New Mexico by train. Collin will be gone for 16 days- 12 of those will be spent on trails, carrying everything he needs on his back. If you've never heard of Philmont, you can check it out here.

Staycation

Verne is on vacation this week, but we are staying home. Ahhh... just the way I like it! Not that I don't enjoy going away, but there is something very relaxing about not having to pack. We've been getting plenty of sleep, and I've been getting lots of kisses from my beloved sprinkled throughout my day.

I've been admiring these late hydrangeas in my front flower bed and decided to cut a bunch for the table. I was unaware until I looked it up on the internet that this is the color that they need to be before you attempt drying them. Too late. I already placed them in water. That's fine. I'll enjoy the fresh green color while it lasts.

We put an above ground pool in at the end of May, and have been getting swim time in nearly every day. Abigail and Collin are practically ready to jump in as soon as they wake up in the morning.

I generally wait until after lunch when the water nears 86 F.

Splash!
I sat at the dining room table this morning, and played lifeguard through the sliding glass door while I worked on crocheting a hat. I've had to rip it out about a billion times, but it's going well now. I needed total quiet for counting, and it seemed that I'd get to the middle of a row when someone would walk up to me and start a conversation. Perhaps this is a lesson in patience?


Verne worked in his gardens this afternoon, and I walked out to admire his work. There is such beauty in the garden!


Laundry has to be done even on vacation!

And it smells heavenly when it's brought inside.

Verne harvested two cabbages for supper, and was kind enough to cook, too!

Onions in the garden
You can find the delicious recipe for this three ingredient meal at Mama's Fixins.

Cabbage, Bacon, and Noodles.

And because he's always so sweet to me, I made Verne Hot Fudge Cake for dessert.

Flower Envy

This flower doesn't belong to me. Unfortunately. Nope, it's actually in my parent's backyard. In Pennsylvania. I took this photo, and an even better one when we were back visiting. I have poppy envy. And peony envy, too.

Pennsylvania

I've been busy catching up on the house since we've been back from our trip. We painted before we left, and I left the house in quite a mess. It almost feels like we've just moved in, and I've got so much to do. It is fun re-arranging the rooms and seeing everything take shape.

Most of our time in Pennsylvania was spent with family. We're the only ones who no longer live there, and our days were filled with getting reacquainted with loved ones. We arrived Tuesday and settled in bed before too long. Wednesday, we went to visit Verne's Grandpa. He celebrated his 94th birthday last Friday, and is doing very well.

After leaving Grandpa we stopped in at Brown's Country Kitchen for lunch. This is the restaurant where I once worked. Verne came in one evening, and asked his friend who the new girl was. His friend told him my name, and Verne told the friend that he was going to marry me. The kids enjoyed seeing where our first encounter took place.

After lunch, we drove to see my grandfather. He held my hand, and Abigail's, and walked us all over the assisted living home. We looked at the flowers, and the children took turns playing songs on the piano for anyone who wanted to have a listen.


Thursday, we visited Verne's grandpa again. He was in good spirits and was surprised to see us two days in a row! We left Grandpa to visit Verne's grandma. Every time we are there we play a game of Trouble on a vintage board.


We stayed for lunch, and had a great time. Grandma is still very spry . She'll soon be 86.
I asked Verne if we could drive through Volant and New Wilmington. He was happy to oblige. We stopped at the old mill, and several shops. Autumn was tickled to see so many Amish up close and personal.

We stopped in an Amish quilt store, too.


From there, we drove to our old home in Grove City where we visited with our neighbors, Mary and Nancy. We lived beside them for five years when the children were very small. They used to call her Grandma Mary. The visit took them by surprise, and they couldn't get over how the children had changed.

We grabbed a quick supper and drove out to see Verne's aunt and uncle. His cousin came over with her three young'uns too.


Friday morning before heading to my parents we stopped at the local hardware store. This has always been a highlight of our visits for they still have an old-fashioned penny candy counter. Only this trip the penny candy was being sold for $4.99 per pound. What a disappointment!

We enjoyed the sunshine and took a walk to see the horses. Daisy was intrigued with them, and they were with her.


I got to visit with my three brothers as well as my parents, my nieces, and my nephew.


We left for home Saturday morning, and boy did it feel good to crawl into bed that night!

Getting Away

Verne works such long hours, and I was glad to have him home with the family for an entire week. We enjoyed a leisurely Christmas, and then on Thursday morning, we drove several hours to a little vacation. It was heavenly! No schedules to keep, just strolling, enjoying the Christmas lights, and delighting in the fact that we were all together.


First stop: Bass Pro ShopsThis is not just a place for hunters and fishermen, but anyone who enjoys the outdoors.

Next stop: a music store. Mac got to jam on several acoustics. He's trying to narrow down which one he's currently saving for. Right now, it looks like it's going to be a Taylor.

After checking in to our hotel, we went for a stroll. Across the street from our hotel was this amazing inn. We went for a little tour. Wow!


It looked like a castle, and was beautifully decorated.



After dinner, we went for a drive to view the Christmas lights. Here's one fabulous display that we saw atop a hill.

We drove to the top of a mountain and watched the skiers and ice skaters before descending again.


The highlight of our trip was going to the Dixie Stampede for the Christmas show.
The food was amazing, and the show was wonderful. If you ever get the chance to go, it's very much worth it.

We're back home, safe and sound, and thankful for the time that we were able to get away. I hope that you are having a great weekend as well!

A Gibson Les Paul and Buddy Jewell

Click on the pictures to enlarge them

Have you ever taken a large family on an overnight trip and all stayed in one hotel room? It's not easy! Did you know that most hotels only allow four per room? Sometimes five. Never six. My husband does not lie when he makes the reservation, he simply tells them that we will be bringing sleeping bags.

So, Verne and I are in one bed, the girls share the other, and the boys are in sleeping bags on the floor. Let me tell you that we often wonder why we are paying so much money for what is guaranteed to be a lousy night's sleep. It's a three ring circus getting everyone in and settled. The night is always full of giggles, and fun, but not much sleep.

And have you ever noticed how hotel bathroom mirrors seem to stay foggy forever? Imagine after six showers in a row! Does anyone have any tips for me? I certainly am open to them. We don't want to get adjoining rooms.

Even with the fitful sleep in the hotel room, our trip was a huge success. I was in awe of the way my children showed love toward one another.

Verne's colleague picked him up at the hotel at 8:15. This left the children and I with the car. After everyone showered and ate, we headed out the door to the music store. It was just about a 20 minute drive, and Mac was fairly quiet as we travelled.I could tell that he was very nervous when we walked in the door. The store is also a warehouse that ships guitars, and so from the outside, it looked huge. When we entered the store, the showroom really didn't look very big. The guitars were beautiful though. Martin, Gretsch, Taylor, Gibson. They also had quite a few banjos, and mandolins, and a few violins. Mac looked a little disappointed. The guitar that he was after was nowhere in sight.

After just a few minutes, a man behind the counter asked if he could help us. When Mac told him that he was interested in the Gibson Classic Antique with the fireburst finish the man wanted to know how we had heard about them. Mac told him that he had been researching on the internet, and found this store. Mac had emailed them, and they had replied to him that they had the guitar that he was looking for.

The man smiled and said, "I'll let you talk to him." After Mac explained his story to the next guy, the man led us through the customer service into a back showroom. Mac thought that he died and went to guitar heaven.


There in a huge room of Les Pauls his eyes found the right guitar even before the man who worked there did. When the man handed the guitar to Mac, it was love. My eyes welled with tears as I saw my son finger the instrument that he had saved so long for.

For those of you who have any interest in guitars, Gibson is doing a Guitar of the Week this year. The guitar that Mac purchased was the Guitar of the Week for week 2. There were only 400 of them made! Most of them are already gone. Mac got the only one that he could find in the United States. There are still a few available in Great Britain.

To my surprise, and that of the salesman, Mac asked to play several other guitars. He wanted to compare the intonation and feel of the different instruments. No comparison.

I was so proud of Mac. He did all of the talking. And bargaining. He asked if they would give him a strap and strap locks. They agreed without blinking. He asked them to lower the action just a slight bit. Again, they agreed.

God is so good. The man who waited on us asked the children where they went to school. When they replied that they are homeschooled, he smiled big. His daughter is homeschooled as well. He talked the language and the curriculum, and I knew he was telling the truth. We were treated like royalty during our trip to this store.

While Mac played for awhile, I took pictures. Lots of them. They were so accommodating. They were bringing me $ 15, 000 banjos to photograph! They had a room with locked cases of guitars, banjos, etc. that are some of the rarest in the world. They led me in , asked if I wanted the lights dimmed, cases opened, etc. I told them that I would work with the current conditions, but thank you. (I didn't want to be responsible if the 80th edition BB King guitar with 24k gold fell over!)


The other children patiently listened to Mac play, and looked at the other instruments. When I suggested that we should go, and find something for the other children to do, they all said that they wanted Mac to take as much time as he wanted. They didn't mind. They were excited for him. After we got home, Autumn hung on his every note. She ooohed and aaaahed. I was very touched.

So, Mac bought his guitar. We told them that we would pick it up later in the afternoon, as we didn't want to leave it in the hot car while we shopped.



Verne ended up meeting us earlier than we thought and we did a little sightseeing. Being from a rural area, we enjoyed the city life for the afternoon. We visited the Hard Rock Cafe, and looked around. Outside the Cafe, they were setting up for a concert of some sort. As we were leaving, Autumn said, "Mom, I think that's Buddy Jewell!" (a country singer for those of you whom might not know) I looked, and he did look like Buddy Jewell, but I wasn't sure. Abigail said, "I'll go find out!" So, off she went to approach this man who by this time was climbing a small staircase to get to the stage. She yelled, "Hey, are you Buddy Jewell?" The man turned around and asked, "Who's asking?" I pointed to Abigail. He descended the stairs, extended his hand, and said, "Yes. I am. What's your name?" Well, the little girl who had been so brave just a minute before was suddenly star-struck!

Buddy was extremely friendly, and came around to meet the entire family, even letting us take pictures with him. I was very impressed by his gracious demeanor.

Yes, it was a wonderful day! Go here to read Mac's take on his new guitar.

The Long Trip Home

I'm back to blogging in the car. Well, actually it's a van. Anyway, we left the beach house at 8:30 this morning. We dropped the keys off at the rental office, and were on our way.

God is so good. We had a week of absolutely gorgeous weather. Last night it rained. Hard. This morning it poured. Tropical storm Barry hit the east coast. We left at the right time. Thank you, Lord, for enabling us to enjoy the beauty of your creation and enjoy the weather! We had to drive through some very hard rain, but by the time we got to Winston-Salem it quit.

We called my aunt and uncle while we were two hours away, and asked them if they'd like to meet us for a late lunch. Aunt Janet also called Sheila. She and her two children, Ron and Brieanna, met us too. Grandma was happy to see her daughter , if only for a short while.

We've made good time, and have about another hour to go. It will have been a 14 hour trip. Poor Grandma. It's a really long ride. I passed the time working on strawberries and a small quilt. I got alot done! It's too dark to work now.

The beach was beautiful, but it was good to go through the Smoky Mountains (we still are) and see landscape that is familiar. I got tired of the sand. I prefer good old-fashioned dirt. Wow! I never thought that I would say that!

I can't wait to get home. We'll have to stop at the grocery store for milk and bread before we get there. Chester, our cat, will be happy to sleep with us tonight. I can't wait to hug him and hear his purr. I'm also anxious to sleep in my own bed. The beds at the house were VERY comfortable, but I really enjoy my own pillow.

Thanks to all of you who travelled along with us this week. It was fun to share what we did with you, and even more fun to read your comments. You are all wonderful. We especially appreciated your prayers for our safety while we were on the road.

It's true what they say, "There's no place like home!"

All Good Things Must Come to an End

We spent the last day of our vacation relaxing. We were in the pool by 9:00. Well, most of us were, anyway. Autumn slept in until about 10:00. Grandma sat on the deck and read and watched us swimming. We played water volleyball for several hours before lunch. Can you believe that the entire family played against Verne and he still won?



After lunch we went to the souvenir shop and Grandma bought all of the kids and Verne a t-shirt. She bought me a blown glass dolphin, and one for herself.



We went to the beach, but didn't stay long in the water. It was chilly!



After we left the beach, we went to the Barefoot Quilter where I bought ten fat quarters of pretty fabric. Yea!!!



We came home and showered, and I started laundry. Verne cooked an excellent supper of pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, and juice. Mmmmm. We even have leftovers for breakfast.



We've been busy tidying the house, sweeping out the van, and packing. We have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow, so we'll be in bed early tonight.

Day 5, Vacation on the Outer Banks

Today we lounged around all morning. We enjoyed lunch here at the house, and then packed in a full day.


First, we went to Jockey's Ridge State Park. Jockey's Ridge is the tallest natural sand dune system in the Eastern United States. Located in Nags Head, it is one of the most significant landmarks on the Outer Banks, North Carolina. This was an amazing site to see. It felt as if we were in the dessert. We climbed and climbed to reach the top of the dune. The dune is constantly changing, but it is always 80-100 feet above sea level. Since this is a highway away from the ocean, this is unbelievable! We flew kites and watched as hang-gliders practiced. This was quite a workout! Walking in the sand is not easy.


Next, ,we went to Roanoke Island. I think this was my favorite trip of the week. The island was so beautiful, and lush. The small towns were very quaint and old-fashioned. It didn't seem "touristy" to me. We went to Fort Raleigh. Over four hundred years ago, a colony of 112 English men, women and children settled on Roanoke Island, attempting to establish the first permanent English colony in the New World. Their governor returned to England for supplies. He was delayed in his return. When he returned three years later, the entire colony was gone. The houses had been dismantled, and all of the colonists were gone! Not even a skeleton was found.


Then we went to the waterfront in Manteo. We walked around and toured the small lighthouse. We stopped at a small playground and allowed Abigail to play for awhile, and then we headed back home.


Verne made my linguine with salmon sauce for supper. We then enjoyed a swim in the pool, and a soak in the hot tub.


One more day to enjoy...

Tickled

I'm tickled. Tickled that my children actually say things like "God's creation is awesome." They are thinking about their Creator and all that he has done. Oh, this is good news to a mother's heart.

I'm tickled. Tickled that even though we are having a wonderful time, everyone agrees that it will be nice to go home. I know many people, children and adults, who can't wait to get out of the house, and don't want to go back. It thrills me that our family enjoys our own home.

I'm tickled.

Summer Vacation, Part IV

Sleep late.
Leftovers for lunch.
A trip to the beach.
Collecting shells.
Riding waves on boogie boards.
Cheddar wurst.
Angel food cake with fresh strawberries.
A swim in the pool.
Relaxing in the hot tub.
An outdoor shower.
Mock Pina Coladas and Strawberry daiquiris.
Air hockey.


This is the life!

Day Three of My Summer Vacation

We woke early this morning and headed out of the house at 7:30. At Vanessa's suggestion, we drove south to Hatteras Island, and then took a ferry to Ocracoke Island. First, we stopped by Vanessa's house to borrow a book on the island of Ocracoke.

She welcomed us into her "beach box" as she calls it. It was as cute as she is. And ladies, her scriptures on her doorways and window frames are even better in person. We got to meet her three boys, First, Second, and Third. What a delight to finally meet Vanessa and her family. She was just as I expected her to be. We agreed to meet back up later in the day after we returned from Ocracoke.

The ferry ride from Hatteras to Ocracoke took about 40 minutes. Collin asked one of the attendants how fast the ferry travelled and how far it was from one island to the other. The ferry travelled about 12 mph, and the islands were about 6 miles apart. They are actually closer than that, but the ferry has to travel in a curvy line because of shallow waters in certain places.
Once on the island of Ocracoke, we travelled about 9 miles and then stopped at a beach. The sand was soft, and the water was warm. We found some beautiful shells. It was hard to leave, but we had lots more planned.

Upon arriving at the village, we went into the Ocracoke Preservation Museum. Next, we walked up into the village further and visited a few shops. We ate at Jolly Roger Restaurant. It has no walls. All of the seating is outside, and the birds and boats are right there. I had a blue fish sandwich. The fish was caught just this morning. Yum!

Next, we walked to Teach's Hole. This is a small museum dedicated to Edward Teach, also known as the pirate, Blackbeard. From there we went to the British cemetery. Here, four British servicemen are buried. They perished off the coast when their boat was bombed by a German submarine in WWII. The US Coast Guard keeps the cemetery up. Just across the street was Candyland. The man there makes and sells hammocks, and we were happy to test them out. We bought a small bit of candy to bring back for Grandma. She loves her fruit slices!

Our last stop was the Ocracoke lighthouse. It wasn't open for climbing, but we were able to go inside and look up. Wow! The lighthouse was built in 1823. The steps need replacing, and the cost will be well over 2o million! They've decided to put it off for awhile.

We drove back to the ferry and crossed back over to Hatteras Island. We called Vanessa just as we were exiting the ferry. We met back up with her at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. We climbed all the way to the top. It's equivalent to 12 stories. Vanessa shared some local history with us. She brought some coral to give to the kids, and made us a big plate of her famous brownies to take back home. (No one could wait to try them and everyone had one when we got back on the road. Mmm. They are yummy!) She is so sweet. I wish we could have spent more time with her.

We arrived back at the house around 7:00. Everyone quickly used the bathroom, we grabbed Grandma, and headed out the door to Barefoot Bernie's for supper. The food was delicious. I had looked for eateries on the net before we got here. I chose Barefoot Bernie's because the owner is a Pittsburgh Steeler's fan. I knew that Verne would be pleased. The food was wonderful and the prices were good. We even talked to the owner and discussed the upcoming season.

We stopped at a "touristy" store that sells t-shirts, souvenirs, and such. All we bought was some kite string and an OBX sticker for Mac's guitar case.

Home again. It was a full and enjoyable day. Mac said it was his favorite so far. I know that we will all sleep well tonight!

Vacation Day Two

I slept until 9 AM! Ahhhh. What a luxury. I would have slept longer, but Verne's cell phone rang and woke me.

I did a load of laundry, and we poked around until 11:30. We had a quick lunch and headed to the beach. The weather was glorious. High 70's, sunny skies.

The water was cold, but no one cared. The kids enjoyed the waves and finding shells. Verne, Mac, Collin, and Abigail were buried in the sand. I was turned into a mermaid. That is I was buried from the waist down, with sculpted fins. I was even covered with beautiful seashells!
Grandma came along and enjoyed the warm air and sunshine. She didn't get in the water, but she got close a few times as the waves rushed in. The highlight of the afternoon was seeing loads of dolphins off the coast. I was thrilled! I didn't expect that.

We came home from the beach around 3:30. We quickly used the outdoor shower, and jumped in the pool and the hot tub. Gram sat out with us then as well.

Verne is a real peach! He sat in the hot tub for just a while, and then came into the house for a shower. He then prepared another delicious dinner while we played. He called us all to a beautifully set table. Square plates featuring tropical parrots, table runner, and placemats. Dinner was spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, iced tea, lemonade, and ice cream sandwiches for dessert. Mmmmm. I really am getting spoiled. He cleaned up the kitchen while I did more laundry.

We were all tired, and watched Flushed Away. I thought it was a flop. Oh well. I continued on with the laundry, and visited with Grandma. She's tired too. But happy. I think that she is having a good time.

Tomorrow we are leaving grandma here while we take a day trip. We'll be doing a lot of walking, and she needs a rest anyway.

We are driving south and heading to Ocracoke, and Hatteras. I get to meet Vanessa aka Beach Girl from Yahweh's Retreat! She has been so sweet sending me loads of info on things to do once we got here. I told here that she would make a great vacation planner. Thanks again, Vanessa!

Day One

I do hope that no one thought that I was trying to put Grandma down in my last post. I simply think that real life needs to be talked about. Every day is not a rosy picnic. I think it makes me seem more real to let you see what really happens in my life.

Our first full day of vacation in North Carolina was absolutely wonderful. Verne, Abigail, Collin, and I went for a walk this morning. We had quite an adventure. We saw a huge snake in the water. It was actually quite scary. (This was in a marsh, not the ocean.) Then we saw LOADS of turtles sunning themselves on a bank. We collected pine cones along the way. Sometimes the quiet moments are the best ones. I can't wait to post pictures. There is no way to plug my SD card into Verne's laptop, so I have to wait until we get back home.

We were in the pool by 10:30. Grandma sat out with us and enjoyed watching the children play. She gets tan so... easily. It's not fair! There was a game of water volleyball as well.

Since everyone was wet I carried sandwich fixings down to the pool. We enjoyed lemonade, turkey and ham sandwiches, dill pickles, and cookies. Yummy.

This afternoon as Grandma rested a bit we went to the beach for about half an hour. We collected lots of shells, and waded in the surf. It was beautiful.

When we arrived back at the house we enjoyed a refreshing Popsicle, and talked and relaxed. We cranked Andrea Boccelli on the stereo while Verne cooked tacos for dinner. He even made a cake for dessert. What a great guy. He's taken over dish duty for the week, and wants to do the cooking.

After supper, we went back to the beach for just a short time. It was getting dark, and we enjoyed the waves crashing on the sand. There was hardly anyone there. Mac spotted a crab, and scooped him into a bucket. We brought him home to show Grandma.

Tomorrow we'll head back to the beach. Grandma is coming too. We'll return the crab, and wear our suits this time so we can enjoy the ocean water.

Off to play Pictionary!

Happy Memorial Day!

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service.

Relaxation. That's what we have on the agenda today. I've been up since 5:45. I did sleep well. I'm starting to think that I don't require as much sleep as I once did. I seem to wake early nearly all of the time now.

We arrived at the house around 7 PM. After oohing and ahhhing for a while, Verne and Mac carried all of the luggage in. Then we played musical rooms. The house has four bedrooms. Three king size beds, and a queen. When I reserved the house, I figured that Verne and I would take the master suite. The girls could have one king bed, the boys could have the other, leaving Grandma with the queen. Well, Grandma immediately complained about the steps.

After using the potty, she looked in what was to be her room. I was in the boy's room, when she came in and exclaimed, "My room does not have a chair. Everyone else has a chair but me! I need a chair to sit and read and watch TV."

"Okay Grandma. I noticed that too. We'll give the girls the queen bedroom, and you can have theirs. It has its own bathroom anyway. That will be better for you. "

So I showed her around her new room, and discovered that in God's providence her "new" room even had a built in shower seat just like her room at home. Perfect for her. I thought that she would be thrilled. She doesn't have to climb over the tub edge to get in, as there is just a small lip to step over. I was feeling very satisfied when:

"There's only one problem!"

"What Grandma?"

"Every other bedroom has a TV, and this one doesn't!" She looked like she was going to bawl.

"Yes, Grandma, it does."

"NO! It doesn't!"

"Yes, Grandma, it DOES!"

"Well then, where is it?"

I opened the armoire at the bottom of the bed. "Oh," she muttered.

"Anything else I can get you?"

"No."

I left, but brought her a set of sheets a few minutes later. "Grandma, I'm setting these here. Verne and I have to go to the grocery store before it closes. I will put them on for you when I get back."

Verne and I left the kids to play air hockey, and Grandma was watching Sunday night baseball. I also gave the kids their sheets and told them to make their beds. Grandma wandered to find Autumn.

"This king size mattress is too heavy for me. I need help. Your mother didn't put my sheets on for me." My back hurts, and I CAN NOT do it myself."

Autumn made the bed for her.

When we returned from the grocery store, we all pitched in and put away groceries. Then we had air hockey tournaments.

Grandma didn't want to come downstairs. She was content to watch the baseball game in her room. When I went to check on her, she asked, "Are all the bedrooms on this floor?"

"No. Ours is upstairs off of the living room."

"Oh. Don't you want to be down here with the kids?"

"No. We want the master suite upstairs."

"Oh."

Everyone was in bed by 11.

And so, today we plan on hanging out at the house. By the pool. In the hot tub.

On the Road Again and Tales from Childhood

We're hitting the pavement again. The sky is blue and the air is warm. It's a great day for travelling.

We woke EARLY this morning. My sleep was pretty broken. That makes two nights in a row. I hope that I sleep well tonight. At least I know that I don't have to wake up early for anything tomorrow. Yippee!

I jumped in the shower right away, so as not to disturb anyone else. Verne woke shortly after, and so the bathroom procession began. Amazing. We don't even get ready that quick at home, and we have multiple bathrooms!

We had looked online and found a church to worship at before we left home. We attended Providence OPC at 1o AM this morning. Everyone was warm and welcoming. The residing pastor was in Haiti, and so we heard a man from Greenville Theological Seminary in SC. Mr. Craig Beaton. Is he familiar to you, Patrick? It's wonderful to travel far from home and still be able to worship with other believers. Can you imagine what heaven will be like?

Grandma stayed back with Aunt Janet and Uncle Dink and continued visiting. After worship, we made our way back to the house, and Verne once again loaded the van. We were back on the road within half an hour. We've a long drive ahead of us yet. About 300 miles.

Okay, so last night I told you that I would share some stories with you. Here goes:

Sheila and I are only six months apart, as I already said. This was wonderful and awful. She moved from PA to Houston, TX in about 3rd grade. Every summer, she flew back to PA. We spent the entire summer together. We would go to my grandparents house, stay for about a week, and then we'd go to my house for a few days. When we left Grandma's, we'd pretend that we were going on a trip. My house was the hotel. We had an in-ground swimming pool, and a pool table. It seemed like an easy thing to pretend.

We got into a fight one time. Okay, there was much more than ONE time, but there was this one time in particular. We really got into it. I told her that she couldn't be my cousin anymore. She said that she didn't care, because I couldn't be hers either. This escalated into a cat fight. Yes, you read it right. We scratched each other very badly! We eventually made up, and wandered into the house. My Aunt Janet gasped, "What happened?" We said, "Oh, we had a fight, but we're friends now!"

One time we had been to the beach at Conneaut Lake. We went back to Grandma's house, and went to the basement to shower. Being little(4 or 5) we got in together. After the shower, I hung my towel on the rack. Shelia flung hers up over. I proceeded to tell her that she needed to be neater, and hang it up properly. (My kids say that I haven't changed.) Well, Sheila got mad, grabbed the towel, flung it up in the air, and said, "Fine. YOU do it!" Let me tell you that when she flung that towel upwards, the WHOLE towel rack fell off the wall! She looked at me, I looked at her, and scolded, "You're going to be in sooooo..... much trouble!" She pleaded, "Please don't tell. I can fix it!" Needless to say, she couldn't fix it and we BOTH got into trouble.

We used to camp out in my backyard, and slept in a tent for days. We had everything that we needed. Snacks, drinks, a small battery powered lamp. We used to take the Sears catalog out with us and make lists of everything that we needed to make our tent more homey. Oh the fun.

By this time, we had moved from the house with the pool. Now we lived on a small farm. We could swim in the creek, but we often opted to cool off in an old cast iron tub that was used to water the animals.

We played in the neighbor's barn. There was a rope swing tied to a beam. You could grab the
rope and jump from the hayloft and land in a huge pile of hay. It was so much fun. Well, Grandma decided that Sheila shouldn't do this because she was so far away from home. She might get hurt. I admit that I taunted as Sheila watched me swinging and jumping. She couldn't stand the temptation any longer and climbed into the loft, grabbed hold of the rope, and jumped. Giggles of glee escaped her until she landed. On a rusty old nail. Right through the bottom of her shoe. "Don't tell! I'll get in big trouble!" I promised. Well, by this time I was about 12, and I wasn't stupid. Later that night,Sheila started to get a red line going up her leg from the puncture site. I immediately told my mom, and we had to take her to the ER for a tetanus shot. Yes, we both got in trouble again.

As I got older I flew to Houston for the weekend several times. (My dad worked for US AIRWAYS and we flew for free.) Sheila continued to arrive back in PA each summer. The last time she came to stay was the summer after our sophomore year of high school. We grew apart after that. We can still talk, but we have different interests, life views, etc. Oh, but the memories are good!

Dinner at Olive Garden

Becky, Please stop running around the table! Sit down, and behave.

We arrived at Aunt Janet and Uncle Dink's house. Sheila was there, too. We enjoyed several hours on the deck, and then they took us out for a yummy dinner at Olive Garden. We are on our way back to the house now. Abigail did spill her drink.

Uncle Dink treats Abigail just like he did me when I was younger. Sheila and I are six months apart in age. She's older than me. When we were younger she thought that was great. Who's laughing now? The children have enjoyed hearing stories from our past. Sheila and I spent every summer together. She's an only child, and I was the only girl, so we had loads of fun. And fights. Boy did we fight. I'll tell you some more stories tomorrow!

Thanks for travelling along with us!

PS- Ruth, the laptop has a wireless internet card. Ain't technology grand? Oh, what poor English! It IS vacation!

We're on our Way!

We've travelled 222 miles so far. We've left two states behind, and we're in North Carolina. Yippee! We just finished up having lunch at Zaxby's in Asheville. My southwest club sandwich was good.


The mountains are gorgeous, as are the flowers growing alongside the road. There are thousands of red poppies everywhere.


I 've been in North Carolina, but not for years. The last time I was here, I flew in from Pittsburgh, PA. Mac was 2, and Autumn was 9 months old. I flew by myself with the two children to see my cousin, Sheila. Boy was that an experience!Try carrying two little children, a carseat, and luggage all by yourself. Not one person offered to help me. I was 22.

That was 14 years ago. I think that I'll enjoy this trip a little more. I know that it will be less stressful.


Isn't technology amazing? To think that I can post on the internet while Verne drives is amazing.


Thank you to all of you who have lifted our family in prayer for our vacation and travel mercies. Your prayers mean so much to us!