One more thing........

On Fox and Friends this early a.m. the hosts were all a'twitter, horrified that someone was actually trampled and killed at a Wal-Mart in New York somewhere. Excuse me, but why do you think the retailers advertise these huge sales as being "doorbusters"??? They are baiting people, throwing raw meat out to crazed shoppers, tempting them to come charging, in more ways than one, into their stores. Tell me, what did you think would happen? Was it only a matter of time? And just what is that is causing folks to kill one another in the stores? Anything with a screen and/or a cord! Indeed!

Another fine day!

It's dark out there, totally black, which should be great for the boat parade and fireworks display downtown. Lawcocks invited me to come to their hotel room on the river to watch the parade and such from the balcony. Since I didn't get to go downtown last night for the tree lighting, candle holding and caroling event which we generally go to every year we're in town, I considered joining them for this fun. Emily's sister and her parents also had rooms with river frontage which would have added to the enjoyment but I opted to decline.

*

Justin and I went to Palm Coast today for the baby shower of my niece, Tina, and got to see Marian as well as Tina's mother-in-law, Joan. We went down ahead of time so we could chat a while and even got to see Biff, who looks awful! My brother-in-law has emphysema, is terribly thin, all greyed out in his hair, whiskers, and even skin tone. When he breathed, it sounded as though he was humming, and I mistakenly asked him if he had a song in his heart. He said no, it was his breathing and then I felt badly for mentioning it. The good news is that he's finally quit smoking after all these years of struggling to breathe, the terrible coughing spells he'd have, and all that. I wish the ladies at the baby shower could have spent some time in the presence of Biff, perhaps they'd think twice about lighting up!

*

Maya was quite amusing at the baby shower, the grande finale being eating her cake with bare hands and getting the frosting in between her fingers, quite the hoot! Tina got so many nice things for the baby, some utilitarian and some for dressing or bathing. Our gift, Justin's and mine, was a musical ceramic piece, with an angel watching over a small child. It plays "Jesus Loves the Little Children" and written on the base of the piece was ".....before me", ....beside me", "....behind me", etc. I knew she didn't need much as far as baby stuff went since Maya is only two years old but felt an important thing was for both little girls to know about Jesus. Always workin'! Plus it makes the baby's room look pretty at the same time.

*

After getting upstairs, Justin called me right back to say he located his service folder from Victory and brought it upstairs for me. He just loved the worship and even the service folder was special. On it, different things for which to be thankful are written in a variety of text fonts, such as teachers that make learning fun, the color red, finding just the right words, breathing crisp mountain air, brats and saurerkraut.....Gotta love it! Even a mention of learning a new Bach piece!

*

The first order of business this a.m. though was to decorate the huge (i.e. scrawny!) CHRISTmas tree in the lobby of The Palace. In the parking lot last night as I waited for Lawcocks to pick me up for dinner, Chardonnay and her mom were walking through on the way to next building. Chardonnay asked me if I would be available to help decorate the CHRISTmas tree in the lobby today since the lady who usually "runs" that project has her nose out of joint and refuses to play along. I had a couple hours before heading to Palm Coast and brought down my apples to use on the tree, since she asked if I had anything gold to add. Rose, another neighbor, joined us as did Chardonnay's mom and her caregiver. It was not THAT large a tree and I wasn't really needed except to sing as we put ornaments and bows on our scrawny tree. Justin arrived and we went upstairs to get ourselves ready for the shower. It was fun to do the decorating but sure didn't need all of us doing it. When I came home this afternoon the lobby looked just beautiful, my apples adding just the right touch to our decor!

Capturing the moments

Pastor greeting folks after ThanksLiving Day worship, It was a lovely day!
Worship was also as lovely as the weather, wish more could have been there to share it, but for those of us who were, the Lord blessed our time together!

Here's a nice shot of Kathy and Brian, mentioned occasionally in the blog, two of the strong suits in our choir. Kathy is an excellent alto, and Brian, a great tenor, both greatly beneficial to the choir and for heartwarming purposes! Kathy called me Wednesday to report she's mixing me a CD of her favorite Christian music, since I shocked her by saying I didn't listen to Christian radio or CDs!

ThanksLiving Day con't.

All the meal prep was completed, except for microwaving the veggies, which is what I was doing when Pastor Kuske arrived. He brought with him a gift that he'd received that day, and I asked him, jokingly, if he was a "re-gifter". He laughed and said he brought it along for me to see, because he knew I'd like it. Jayne and Brett had given him a plaque made by someone near Frankenmuth, MI, using clay "forms" afixed to a horizontal board. He asked if I could tell what it was and in a second I could see it was the Lord's Prayer, expressed in symbols vs. words. It was amazing, I'd love to have such a thing! I'm going to ask Jayne how to get one because it is important for me. Lovely! He said it would be a valuable tool to use in confirmation class, to help kids get the visual from the Petitions of the Lord's Prayer. What a great gift!

*

Justin and Pastor chatted in the family room as we waited for our friends to arrive. Previously I'd removed the turkey from its baking bag and cut it up, placing it on the pre-heated steel tray to keep it warm. Just before serving I poured a bit of chicken broth over the top of it which sizzled like on a fajita pan. Yummy! My baked mashed potatoes and the stuffing were ready to go to the table as soon as the elevator dinged. Here come my friends, Owen and Olivia!!! I had the hot food on the table since Sandy called from the corner to tell us she was nearly there. All we needed then was Sandy who was parking the car, something Owen was not allowed to do evidently. He said he wanted to do it but was sent upstairs instead. Oh, it was wonderful to see them again!

*
I'd poured the real wine and fake wine, telling folks they could mix and match the glasses accordingly, rather than leave the wine pouring until all were seated. Most took the fake wine but a few liked the fake stuff better. As do I! Justin was concerned that the turkey breast I baked wouldn't be enough for us, but we even ended up with leftovers, just like the feeding of the 5000! My mashed potatoes, which were runny but good, and the stuffing, which was made with chopped celery and slivered almonds added, received rave reviews. I love nothing better than having people at my table and not gagging!!!!

"No Crying Over Spilled Milk"

ThanksLiving Day was wonderful, aside from being awakened by screams for help when it was still dark....Robbie played much of the service on the organ, when his usual instrument of choice is the piano. We used the Morning Praise Liturgy, one of my favorites, which I wished we'd use more often. After I took attendance, finding myself somewhat dismayed at the empty seats, I joined Justin in the pew. A few moments into the service. on Florida time, several more people arrived, including one family of six. Justin and I had to scoot in for one woman who came without her family. The lady that was going to join us for our feast later on, however, was nowhere to be seen, nor did I ever hear from her on ThanksLiving Day. Hmmm......I'd estimate we had just over 50 people there for worship, a bit shy of Sunday numbers. Someone commented that having church on a holiday was not such a good idea because it conflicted with meal preparations...........I'll just pretend I didn't hear that!

*

Wednesday, when I was out and about running my errands and cleaning at church, I'd decided to run in at ABC Liquor for a fresh bottle of Fire Fly, the tea flavored vodka I love so much. The last of my other bottle was used up the night I had dinner with Chardonnay when I simply poured the remainder into a jug of lemonade to take with me. One less thing to carry, you see. All I purchased in that shop was the bottle of Fire Fly and I felt a bit conspicuous as others were leaving with boxes of wine and other beverages. Never apologize for having simple needs! I placed my purchase in the backseat with my Creative Memories bag (remind me to go get that from my car later on.....) and went to Wal-Mart.

*

I couldn't carry all my groceries upstairs in one trip, but then Dave the Doorman met me in the parking lot and helped me get things to my condo. I could have grabbed the vodka, then, if I'd known I'd have help.

*

After worship yesterday, I was back here before Justin as he was stopping at Walgreens to get soda for us, a deal at 5 for $10. The trick however, was the cases were only 8-packs and not 12 for that price. Whatever, just get me the soda! I grabbed my purse and camera from the front seat and then pulled open the backseat door, when BAMM! CRASH!!, out rolled the bottle of Fire Fly onto the blacktop parking lot. Audibly I said, "Aw, no!" as I bent over to start picking up the shards of glass, but my head instantly went to "Don't cry over spilled vodka!"

*

Of course, shards of glass leads one immediately to imagine the damage one can do to a finger as she tries to scoop it into the bag........'twas merely a flesh wound, but I did manage to get much of the glass collected and put into the paper bag. There is a very good reason to use plastic vs. paper bags, let me tell you this right now! I figured to come back down with a bucket to swish the glass and vodka away from the two cars, mine and my neighbors, but Justin used the garden hose on the building to wash the black top and picked up the remaining pieces he could see.

*

As we sat at the table with Hilchey's and Pastor Kuske, whose plans had changed and could join us, I told the story of broken vodka bottle. Justin piped up about crying over spilled vodka and I just had to laugh as I told how that was the first thing that popped into my mind as I was cleaning it up! Are we related or what??? Pastor wondered if I'd be able to replace it before CHRISTmas and I assured him that I'd certainly get some again, if not from ABC Liquor then from my next-door neighbor, Ed, with the grille. Don't cry over spilled vodka!

A very early start to ThanksLiving Day

When Lynn, Lisa and family were here in August during our tropical storm, Faye, we had our windows and doors open for ventilation, especially when there was no electricity. People were coming around fairly regularly to check on us, see if we were leaking, asking of we needed anything as they headed out to Target. Hollaring from floor to floor, neighbor-stuff.

Afterwards, when I was in WI to help out with my father-in-law, I'd jokingly mentioned that Lynn should come down here to live, and Mom, too, of course, not joking. Lynn said no, it was too noisy in my building for her tastes. What? I am not aware of too much noise----noise, yes, sounds, yes, but usually not TOO much. I am aware when my upstairs neighbors arrive home and walk across the floor wearing hard-soled shoes, or slide their glass doors open but it certainly isn't on a level where it bothers me. Once in awhile I'll hear the downstairs neighbors talking on their balcony which is open air, but again, not bothersome.

*

Well, this morning, I was awakened by a man shouting, calling out for help in a frantic fashion. Since I sleep with my TV on all night long it could have been from there but once I was more awake, I realized it was not from TV but instead, coming through the wall of the unit next door to mine! That has never, ever happened before, never hearing side to side sounds. I wondered what was going on and then remembered that their master bedroom backs up to mine. The elderly man who is recovering from a stroke occasionally gets agitated and is quite restless so his wife sleeps in another room in order to get proper rest. Evidently Jack needed to get up for the bathroom or something, or was frantically trying to get his wife's attention. Wow, it was a startling way to start my ThanksLiving Day! I know his wife gives thanks because her husband has survived all his maladies and lives another day, but I'll guess she wishes he'd start his day just a couple hours later!

***************************************************************************

My evening got a bit screwed up last night as the plans to share worship and pie with Justin at Victory were changed. He called me, a bit upset, around 5:00 to report that his father and his girlfriend were going to attend church over there, too. I told Justin it was fine, I'd stay home and take care of a few meal preparations, but he said it was not fine, he knew I'd love the worship and Pastor's sermon so much. Justin knew he'd be uncomfortable in that situation and it hurts my heart to have him put there. He also told me, then, that he'd planned to come back over here with me after church and stay the night so we could go to church together today, but now he'd just go home and sleep. Nuts!

*

He called me immediately after church on his way home and was excited about the singing and the sermon. He kept saying, "You'd have loved it! You'd be crying!" Does he know his mama or what? The sermon text was the story of the Prodigal Son, how ironic! Justin said he saved a service folder for me because it has funny things on the cover for which to be thankful, like "chocolate shakes, warm sweatshirts, people who bring out the best in you"..............He said he knew that one would get me, bring on the tears! Rachel, the music director, played a wonderful intro and accompaniment for "Now Thank We All Our God", one of Mom's funeral hymns, and Justin said again, how much I missed. I realize our worship service today won't quite match the grandiosity of Victory's service because we don't have the amazing organ or the powerful speaker, but we do have the same Word, the same Gospel and the same hymnal---to God be the glory!

I rejoice!! My table will be full!

Whew, the morning began with a flurry of activity and I am so glad I was dressed when this fun started. The first phone call was from the church secretary, asking where "her" big stapler was put....nuts! I'd meant to take it back over Tuesday night but Bible study was cancelled again, and no trip was made to church. I'd already taken it to my car and all I had to do was put shoes on to head to church. Jackie was there sorting the pages from the new church directory so I gave her the stapler. The secretary sidled over (a "Seinfeld" reference) and took the stapler from her, used it, and then handed me the very first, hot off the press, new edition of the directory. Pastor got the second one.

*

As I headed out again, the secretary, who was working on the calendar and such, said she nearly put me on the schedule for church cleaning two weeks in a row, but caught the boo-boo and changed it. Good! It was then I remembered this is my week to clean--again--twice in one month!, and since we have worship tomorrow, I'd better do it now. So glad I grabbed a can of soda as I headed out my door this a.m.! While folding up chairs and carrying them to the back of the church, I was also talking on the phone with Justin about the carpet cleaning at the "old" place. Evidently the Realtor told them to have the carpeting professionally cleaned by the end of the month, Sunday. Yikes!

*

Justin was lamenting to me, wondering why this stuff always falls to him to arrange (and then trickled down to his mama!) but since I have that sort of contact, I made the phone call and got the First Coast Restoration people all lined up to take care of it. I guess the actual owners of the condo will have the electricity put in their name on Monday so if they need to schedule the shampooing for Monday, it's still okay with the Realtor. I hope that's the case anyway.

*

A pair of herons are flying along just above the water further out in the basin, quite beautiful. A boat or two dot the river as well, appearing to be fishing rather than just joy riding. I think, but am not certain, that the resident alligator is swimming diagonally across the basin toward the south. It's busy without being busy in the river today. So far no helicopters!

*

Since I was out and about this a.m. I decided to go pick up my Rx refills at WalMart and shop for some CHRISTmas presents for a little boy I've "adopted" through Art Guild, a child in foster care. A Wish List was sent to me for him and this guy, Austin, is a huge Spiderman fan. He also needed a jacket besides the other things on his list and I was hoping to find a Spiderman jacket for him, but not to be had. I got him a movie, pjs, and an art project in keeping with the theme on his List. Shopping for little boys in that particular department was usually quite difficult for me but today I managed nicely. A couple weeks ago I was helping Dee locate fabric for making banners at her church, and searched the fabric dept. in two different stores. Normally I avoided looking at fabric because often I'd see the kids' prints Mom used to make outfits for my two guys. Fortunately, the banner fabric is separate from the juvenile bolts, and I was 'proud' of myself for braving it and going in!!!! Time passing seems to make a difference, little by little by little, and not everyday!

*

After cleaning at church, as I headed toward WalMart, I remembered to call Hilcheys to find out when they were coming into town. Here they were in a service garage in Tifton, GA, getting work done on the car (not my big red car), after having car troubles on their way home last night. Guess they must have a hotel or motel in Tifton where they slept. Sandy had her daughter, Olivia, and another girl who attends college nearby riding back with her. I can only imagine how that went for them, going 10 miles an hour on the freeeway until they could find a service station!

*

The Hilchey family will be joining us at our festive table tomorrow and for this, I rejoice! I was so wanting to fill all the seats at my table and now, it will be! Pastor's family will be flying in to Jax ThanksLiving afternoon and they are having a pre-ordered feast from Publix for their dinner. I asked him if he'd like to come and have lunch with us, fill another chair. He said he'd probably have to go home after church and clean up the house, as his family has been away since last weekend. I can just see that!

*

Joanne just called and said she won't be coming into Jax at all tomorrow as she flies south from MI. Her flight lands in Orlando and then she needs only come as far north as Welaka where she is staying these days. I hope she is able to help her clients find something to buy as she works hard for them over the weekend. I told her to sell them MY condo, would be the second time I sold something to this couple, but they want to live at the beach instead. Wouldn't that have been just too much?!?!? This family had bought my home in The Preserve, then sold it and moved to CA, and now are coming back. I can't imagine anything more perfect than them buying my condo on the river. Too bad their minds are made up about living at the beach, but will plan to drive their son all the way over here to St. Johns....makes little sense to me. It would be incredibly convenient to live here at The Palace and be only a few minutes from the school. Come on, Joanne, you do your thing!

*

Mmmm, I just removed my two pies from the oven, one pumpkin and one apple. Besides my home smelling good, the heat from the oven as it cools down will feel good. The temperature is in the sixties by now, but the sun is behind the clouds and not warming me right this minute. Later I will steam my potatoes and get them mashed for our festive dinner. I like to do as much ahead of time as is possible to not having much rushing about to do before and when company arrives. The bird will gets its baking done when I am at church, needing only three and half hours to do its thing, unattended. Tonight I am going to Victory with Justin, at his invitation, for worship and then for a pie social afterward. Love it! After getting home from that, I can get my dishes out for serving and table setting, keeping the cat away from the dining room by closing the doors all the way around the room. I am ready to have a feast with my friends and my precious lamb, Justin!!!!!

A picture of snowfall in Sheboygan, WI

You're correct if you think it "looks" pretty, the first one usually does. After another foot or so, the vision somewhat changes. We will have low 70's on the weekend, something I look forward to greatly!

"He has a certain jerk quotient......"

What kind of statement is that? One of the announcers on Monday Night Football remarked how one of the Saints has this reputation. Bet his mama is proud! Yes, it is the Packer vs. Saints tonight and I only hope I can hang in there long enough to see half-time!

*

For some unknown reason, I had a dilly of a time falling to sleep last night which makes for a weary girl today. If I took a nap during the day, it might interfere with my sleep tonight so avoided actually falling asleep during my rest. Having "Seinfeld" "extras" play while I am resting is sort of self-defeating, because I can't look away, particularly for the deleted scenes and such. Too funny to miss anything even though they aren't going anywhere, you know?

*

It's chilly here in the family room so I am delighted that the computer generates heat from the bottom to warm at least my lap! Something I realized yesterday was it was the first time since Judy left that I'd even been in the family room, over a week without using this room. Probably for a number of reasons, not the least being my bedroom/office is so much warmer than is this room! Something must have happened on the river or else there are drills taking place because helicopters are going up and down on a regular basis with a spot light, since before dark. At one point I even saw one of those huge Army choppers with the hatch in the back fly over, but it was only a one-way trip, not the forth and back the others are doing.

*

Last week I was excited about the nuclear carrier coming to Mayport but now I guess there is some controversy regarding this decision. It seems other naval bases want a crack at having the carrier in their communities so now the games begin. The best thing that could happen for our part of the world would be to have the carrier and its battle group stationed here, the residual effects would be a blessing to the economy.

*

On the way to Bible study this morning, I stopped at the Post Office to purchase stamps to mail the Advent calendars to the congregation's children. CHRISTmas stamps must be relative because I had little to select from, limited to only a Madonna and Christ-child or nutcrackers. I took half and half, planning to use the Botticelli-styled stamps for my personal cards and letters. Here comes another helicopter again....I'm getting curiouser and curiouser about what's going on out there. Anyway, after the P.O. stop I headed to class for one of our last Bible studies of the year. We have only two classes in December and then that's it until next year. Doesn't that sound weird to be saying already? Time must go by more quickly after the age of 50!

*

Of course, we ended up at Longhorn for our lunch, to be met by Jackie, who wasn't in class at all! She stayed home to watch the news, CNN, because her niece was being interviewed regarding the markets. She is a hedge fund manager and must be well-respected because she is also going to be on "60 Minutes" this coming Sunday. In her inimitable style, Jackie wondered aloud just from where this family member got her smarts. She claims no one else in her family seems to have any sense at all---funny, isn't it? Just like a mom, doubting or second-guessing what the kids are capable of doing.

*

While dining, I was sort of back-to-back with a couple guys, but we are so engrossed in our own conversations that I didn't pay much attention. When they got up to leave I caught sight of one guy whom I knew, our "old" concrete guy. We hugged each other and he gave me his card so I now have his contact info again. I'd kept much of that when I moved from The Preserve house, but the Daytimer it was written in got thoroughly soaked during Hurricane Charley back in 2004. I then lost much of my contractor and supplier information when water backed up into the garage/storage area at the lake house and ruined many items, including my contacts' book. Stuff of little value survived, go figure!

*

After lunch, we ladies' parted company until ThanksLiving Day services on Thursday. I was off to the post office again after applying the postage to the cards; the Christian bookstore to get something for the baby shower on Saturday for my niece, Tina's, new baby; to the bank; to McDonald's for a soda; and then to the 'booty' shop for a haircut. I arrived ahead of schedule so dug through the storage hump in my car to see what was all in there. Such an incredible bunch of paper napkins and stuff in there, even cords for phones I don't have any more. Weird, since the car is only two years old!

*

On the way back to Fleming Island, I placed a call to Publix to warn them I was coming and they'd better get my turkey out of the freezer for me. The nice man in the meat department told me they'd already pulled them out and had one put aside for me----without even getting my name---they'd secured a bird for my uses! Gotta love that excellent customer service. I am definitely a Publix girl. Chardonnay says she is a Winn-Dixie girl but I'd sooner drive 5 miles than make WD my go-to spot for groceries. I'll run to WD if I just need something quickly but is not the first choice for me. One of our members works at this closest WD so it's nice to go in occasionally to say "hi", "always workin'", as Linda would say!

*

When I got to the car with my groceries, I discovered Justin had returned my laundry basket for me, which worked great for carrying my stuff upstairs. Heavy, heavy load, but got it all in one trip, including the other stuff from my outings. From church, I borrowed the big stapler for assembling the booklets for the Ladies' Advent service. I was warned to have it back there by Wednesday so plan to get the booklets put together and take the stapler back with me Tuesday night for Bible study. Don't want any trouble, right? Our Sunday service folders are now printed and stapled in such a way that no loose pages fall out, due to some complaints from parishioners. Whatever....

*

For some reason, could be the weariness, I find myself fighting a headache tonight, even after taking some pain relievers. Hmmm, might need to just call it a night and miss the end of this most exciting game. Quite a different story from yesterday's horrendous display! Such a good game, shame to go to sleep now, even though it's already 10:30 pm. My eyes might be tired because I worked on the newsletters all afternoon after getting home again, except for the brief rest before 5:00 pm. There is so much to do before the end of the month, with the two newsletters due out and all the stuff to orchestrate for the Advent service. Really, that part is taking care of itself, with the musicians lined up and music divvied up, ladies planning what to make for dessert, tables will be decorated on Sunday before the event.....I just have to print off the rest of the Scripture readings from biblegateway.com and we're good to go. Tonight I addressed the postcard invitations, will stamp and mail them tomorrow. Sure don't want anyone to miss out on this wonderful preparation for the Advent/CHRISTmas seasons!

"In the end, we're all fruit"

Can you guess what I just watched, with my ears, on TV? Yup, "My Big, Fat Greek Wedding"! For some reason, that movie never gets old for me.

*

I just hung up from chatting with Cliff and we both came to the conclusion to use the Fellowship Hall vs. the new classroom building for the Ladies' Advent Service. It was quite iffy whether or not we'd even have temporary electric power back there and no heat, and heaven knows I need my heat! We'll simply use the Fellowship Hall and pray we get everything cleaned up properly for preschool the next morning. If we are packed together a bit, that means we had a great turnout, right?

*

We also had to discuss some of the selections for the construction concerning the floor coverings and such. One of the older ladies, Fran, told me today that she was just soooo happy about the amount of painting they got done on Saturday. And then she has the nerve to thank ME for my work!!!!! Oh please...............

*

Justin came to Good Shepherd today to hear our songs and worship with us. The first hymn was "Jerusalem, the Golden" and I went to sit down next to him while it was sung, because I was afraid I'd throw the musicians off if I stood back at my podium to sing, and weep. I did just great through the first stanza but cracked up a bit part way through the second:..."Forever and forever are clad in robes of white. Jesus, in mercy bring us to that dear land of rest where sings the host of heaven your glorious name to bless." I can just visualize those gone home before us enjoying the blessed feast and singing hymns of praise unending, ever in the presence of our Lord.....wow!

*

The congregation also sang "In Christ Alone", and I could hear Kathy and Brian singing in harmony from behind us. I can't say if Justin heard it or not because it would have been coming on his left side, the deaf ear side. (I just realized that I had tears dripping onto my shirt from my previous paragraph yet!) I leaned over and told Justin to add this one to my funeral hymn list and he said, "I already did", as I told him this about 100 times before. Lynn, my sister, said today that she heard it this morning on one of the area radio stations, and has also listened to it on youtube. I told her about Pete's website so she can hear the "new" tune for "Jerusalem......" so hope she finds it tomorrow when she is at her computer. She's not heard it yet, the Thaxted melody.

*

Garnet was in church again today so I 'tracked' her down and told about being at the dog track on Thursday and how I wagered on her dog. She said they'd been sick, some kind of kennel illness, and weren't at the top of their game recently, but hey, the dog I bet on won so it's great! I encouraged her to attend some of the upcoming social and devotional events and she said she'd try. I hope she does find the time to come at least to the Ladies' Advent Service Sunday night. Wow, that came up quickly, didn't it?

*

Following worship, another of our members came up to me, a man who is, much of the time, on the shut-in list, and asked if I was "Kim". Now, we've already established this more than once but, knowing his poor health, I just went along. I said I was Kim, thinking he was going to say something about my sitting behind him and singing, which is what he usually thanks me for. But this time, he told me how much he enjoys the newsletter that I send out, "Keeping the Faith" for those members away from the congregation for whatever reason. He says he likes to see the pictures I include. I was on a roll today, let me tell you!!!

*

The ladies who have agreed to play the keyboard and flute for the Ladies' Service met with me after church to decide who would play what, a process that went quite quickly. I am absolutely delighted that one young lady, the flutist, is going to contribute for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that her playing will so enhance our worship. Sadly, our wonderful viola player will not able to attend as she is going camping over the ThanksLiving long weekend and couldn't promise she'd be back in time. I'm sad, not only because she can't play but also because she can't be with us. Sigh.........

*

Justin and I will be pleased to have our "old" friends, Wendy, Jonathan (who goes by the name Jon now) and Joshua at our festive table on Thursday. We also asked this other lady and her son to join us but she'd already accepted another invitation from someone in her son's class, otherwise she'd have loved to come. Brian and Kathy asked what we were doing for lunch today and I said we were coming home for chili and football......................so guess what! They came over and enjoyed chili, rolls, and lousy football with us until they just couldn't stand to watch another minute and went home! Ohhh, the Jaguars stunk today, it was almost sickening. Lynn called about 20 seconds into the game to see if we were watching because it was going all wrong in the first two plays of the game!!!! But, we loved sharing our lunch with them anyway, makes up for lousy football!

I'm such a dunce sometimes

Yes, only sometimes! In re-reading my posting from Friday, I see I failed to mention what exactly I did that was "creative", other than listening to "Seinfeld". After spending an hour and a half on the phone with a long lost friend, I had to rush right out the door, with no make-up on, to attend an Open House at the home of Lisa, the Creative Memories lady. I found her home with no difficulty, talking to my renewed acquaintance all the way there, and trying to apply eye make-up and blusher as I sat in Lisa's driveway. Finally my friend had to go as she was seeing a Thanksgiving program at Josh's school, perfect timing for me to go in for my "appointment" with Lisa.

*

Lisa showed me the wonderful things that CM has come out with this season, including a digital book she made about her father, in celebration of his 80th birthday. It looked so profession and was quite the tribute to her dad. Something to think about, that's for sure. I picked up a few things for my new best friend, Chrissie, as she is just starting out and needs some basic "tools" of the craft, as it were. I'd hate for her to go buy things on her own and end up with stuff she doesn't even need, like I did in my flurry of purchasing years ago. I also came away with some little gifts just for showing up, some tickets in for the "big" drawing she's having, plus a "make and take" item to work on when there. I passed on that, since I talked too much and rolled into the next person's appointment. Had a cup of hot cider and a sugar cookie, though, and great conversation, and came away with lovely parting gifts. Creativity comes in all shapes and sizes!

The smell of smoke fills my room

My room and laundry room smell of smoke, bonfire smoke, after my wonderful evening spent at the beach with the Olson's last night. I don't care how large a bonfire they could have built, it wouldn't have been enough to keep us warm. Even with blankets on, we were freezing. Hot embers landing on our feet didn't even help. But, I wouldn't have missed it for the world!!!!

*

The fingers of my red leather gloves are quite sticky from the s'mores we enjoyed and the tips a bit blackened from my reaching into the fire to move logs around to stimulate more heat. I might need to put red leather gloves on my CHRISTmas list if I can't get the blackness off of them. The marshmallow will most likely lick off! Fred, the firemaster from Linda's condo building, has been forced to use the more"accepted" fire pit, rather than the sawed in half water heater used last year for the bonfire. It was warmer, then, too, because of it being held in late April instead of mid-November, where we had a low temperature overnight of 30 degrees above zero.

*

Justin's move began and was over in less than two hours, costing more than I expected, but.........at least it's done with. I couldn't imagine those guys trying to move his large dresser or 50" TV in their cars or S-10 pick up, nope, wouldn't be a good thing to see or experience. His platform bed with all the drawers underneath. I can't even imagine the mess they have, at both places. The most odd thing was, that with all the confusion and such, neither of the other two guys in the quad even poked their noses out of their rooms to see what was going on. What is that about? I asked Justin if they were actually alive, and he said he could hear video games being played which really fills me with great joy and delight. Oh great! He was going to be dropping off my donations at the Yard Sale at Victory after the move was completed. As I thought about it, I did the thing we hated the most about the yard sale---my donations were unpriced!!!!!!

*

Justin is also coming over tomorrow to go to church with me, because our congregation is singing both "In Christ Alone" and "Jerusalem, the Golden", the second of which will be accompanied by organ played by Kathy B.; viola by Suzanne; and Robbie on trumpet. He had to regain "his lip" just to play this hymn, and I think he got it! After worship Justin is coming over here to watch the football game and eat chili. He asked me to make some of my famous chili complete with beer added, and also asked me to get some sour cream for him to add to his. This is something he tried at Jesse's dad's house and loved it, so I'll get him some sour cream.

*

I've been invited to dinner down at Chardonnay's tonight, having some sort of fancy beef roast she picked up at the Fresh Market. Four of us are having dinner together, with me being responsible for the dessert, of course. As soon as the call came in from Sharon, my mind immediately went to what to bring for dessert so when she asked me to bring dessert, I was so ready! We are also going to try our hand at Mexican dominoes, a game I'd played at church on game night awhile back. Justin said it sounds like something "old people" do, and I had no argument against that. At least it isn't maj jong! A visit to the store is pending as I need to get my pie plus a few things for our lunch tomorrow. It's just tooooooooo cold to go outside, only 47 degrees right now and windy!

A creative day all around

I am listening to creativity as I write, such a day! The episode of "you know who" is quite creative, where Jerry and George are having a terrible time trying to put together three sentences to present to NBC for the pilot, and they are hungry for an idea. They make me laugh, those two guys, actually all four of them. "Finally! My stupidity pays off!!!!" "Everytime I think I'm out, they pull me back in!" There are three sailboats, almost equally spaced, dancing along on the river as the sun is getting ready to set. I should be getting ready for my evening trip to St. Augustine for the pre-Thanksgiving gathering with the Olson's at their beach house, culminating with a bonfire on the beach behind the condo. Can't wait but, as Lisa told me last night, I must go regardless of the "chill in the air"....

*

Justin stopped by to pick up some donations to Victory's Yard Sale tomorrow. They got rained out last week and have to try again this week. I didn't take a single thing to Good Shepherd's sale but, to Victory's, yes! Justin is moving tomorrow, too, so it's a busy day on Kernan Blvd. When he called me this afternoon, he asked me if I was coming over to "run the move" or if he was going to do it, I told him he could run the show. I have sent my credit card info to the movers to avoid having to give my credit card to Justin and risk having it fall into the wrong hands or have some other evil befall it. It is so much safer to have it floating through the Internet for all the world to see than to let Justin pack it safely into his wallet!!!!

*

Time for me to head out for St. Augustine so must begin the layering process. Have a blessed evening all, as will I!!!!!

*

A day at the races

Or rather, a night! Last night was our Palace Third Thursday social event held at the Orange Park Kennel Club. We had a room just for our group, and the dogs ran a race themed "The Palace Classic". We got our picture taken en mass in the upstairs room rather than running down stairs to do it, which worked out well as one of our group, an elderly man, was in his wheelchair. The Hostess is going to e-mail it to me for use in the newsletter. Jessica also had her camera along as a back-up to the Hostess' photo.

*

With a total of 16 people showing up, those I would consider our "usuals", as in any organization, we had great fun and lots of laughs. A representative from the Club came up and instructed us on how to place wagers on the dogs, showed us the stats of each racer, and how winners are chosen, etc. I had no intention of doing any betting but as I read through the lists of Owners and Trainers, there was the name of someone from church who owns kennels and trains racers. Now, I was wagering! In my first wager, I spent $2 for the Crowe dog to win and and I won, too! $6!!! Whoooeee! In two more races she had dogs running so I could use the "proceeds" from my winnings to wager, but this time, her dogs didn't win. I had my original $2 which we used half of in placing a group bet, but that didn't work either. My last dollar went to place a bet, at the coaxing of Hugh, as he insisted I wager on a dog named "Tulin Kim". Kim didn't do too much toolin', making me at a loss of a dollar for the night.

*

The whole event cost me $1 because my lovely upstairs neighbors bought my meal and drinks to thank me for the all the work I put into getting the evening publicized and such. This was totally unexpected, and Travis told me he did it because I was a "cheap date", as I only ordered an appetizer and had one adult beverage. Some of the folks had difficulties with their meal service, such as undercooked prime rib steaks or having bacon added to a salad when it was requested otherwise. The Management was appalled at such a think, therefore, comped us all free dessert! I brought that home, too, as well as Chardonnays uneaten prime rib, baked potato, and half of my appetizer feast. The onion straws I ordered were not straws at all but Jessica liked them and helped me out with them. I am quite the connoisseur when it comes to onion strings so thumbed my nose at these onion peels. I wonder if that's why we were comped the desserts?!?!?!

*

Ever since Monday I've been trying to track down this young lady who came to church on Sunday and Bible study on Monday. She used to work in the church office when Pete was there, and, due to a falling out of sorts, her family sort of left the congregation. This wounded me because she had been quite supportive when Timmy died and afterward, and I simply adored her sons, especially little Joshua. He was the cutest little thing when he was born and when he was in the preschool, I'd always get special hugs from him, as shy as he was. They sort of disappeared for a while and now, ta da, here she is again. When I saw her come in, a bit late, Sunday, church had already begun but I went anyway to where she was seated in the back row and we hugged each other a nice long time. Good! Monday she stayed after Bible study to talk with Pastor so I didn't get a chance to speak with her then either. The search begins!!!

Perhaps I should explain.......

.......that Paul is not a soprano, but Emily certainly is!!!! Just wait----you'll see for yourselves................

The river is gorgeous tonight

The river is so smooth that I could bounce a quarter on it---well, nearly that smooth. The sun is beginning to set but the sky is still lit, as are the trees across the river. A flock of birds just flew in a line toward the south, not recognizable from this distance. When the sun hits a certain level in the sky, the roofs and windows across the river catch the light, making a reflection that is sometimes blinding. But only for a moment...

*

I am listening to a "Seinfeld" episode, enjoying the banter as Jerry and George try to get through security at the airport. George got teased by the man doing the searching (pre-TSA rules) for carrying body lotion in his luggage. As Jerry is getting "wanded" by another security guy, he makes the best of it by pleading: "Ladies and gentlemen, I implore you....." and he trails off with a grin on his face. Then he and George bicker about who gets to sit by the window on the plane, because George said he "called it". So funny!

Besides the reflecting windows and roof tops, the water looks to be a mix of colors, with rose and green being the most obvious. I'd love to take a picture of it but my camera is mad at me these days. My friend, Julia, might be able to coax the settings for me, since both Dee and she are familiar with this particular Canon. They win prizes in art shows, and I have to sweet-talk mine into messing up a shot of the moon! Ugh!

Justin had a rough, cold day today having to help his father chase down an escaping jet ski. Evidently it had worked its way free of the ropes on the floating dock and drifted miles and miles down the river. An officer from the Fish and Game Commission called to report that he'd found it near the Shands Bridge. It took the two guys about an hour and a half to get over to the site where it was found, and then another hour and a half to get the trailer, wade into the water to load it, and get the ski delivered again. On the coldest day of the year (so far) and Justin is out wading around in ice cold water to rescue an escaped jet ski! And now the water is rosy pink, dotted with leaping mullet----cool!

Did you notice how a few weeks ago all the news reports were about the financial crisis, ticking down the Dow futures, remarking about how low it is going, etc., etc. Now, it barely gets notice, I have to go in search of the wonderful news that the financial markets are dropping off the charts, but wait, there is a crisis somewhere else to be dealt with. In my search, I found a report on Drudge stating the markets are at their lowest since March of 2003. Somehow, I feel a tiny bit better.

*

I just love it that Jerry and George are sitting in the back of the patrol car scolding the officers for going on a call, when "they have an appointment". Where do they get the nerve to act up in front of the cops? Not the first time either. They are "going downtown" in Hollywood to talk to a detective about Kramer being sought as a seriel killer. On the way to the station, the cops get called to an address and when Kramer opens his door to about 20 people crowded into the hallway, he says, "Jerry! George! What are you doing here?" while the detective is standing right in front of him with a badge in his face. He is so "unaware" of what's going on around him.

*

My scrapbooking ladies didn't come today but I managed to keep myself busy in my warm, snug office. Venturing out into the cold rooms only long enough to get a soda or heat up some food for lunch, I'd rush right back and close the door to keep the heat bottled up in this room. I feel sorry for those who had to go out in the cold, cruel, world. Well, the sun has set and now lights replace the sun reflections across the river. It's nearly time for me to head out for choir rehearsal, and am looking forward to seeing Paul and Emily being there again since he's done with his classes for the rest of the year. It will be good to have help with the soprano parts, especially since I'll be gone over CHRISTmas, finding out what cold really is! Linda's new house has heated ceramic tile in the bathrooms-----think I'll stay over there when I'm in Manty, sprawled on the bathroom floor!

Baby, it's cold outside!

This is certainly "button up your overcoat" weather here this week. Judy R. needs to come back and bring some warm weather with her! Oh, that's right---it's freezing up there, too!

*

My feet are nice and warm in my fuzzy slippers, with my nails newly trimmed, buffed, and polished today by my little friend, Lisa. I drove to Middleburg just for her gentle touch and to also deliver Sandy's order from Southern Living. I really did mean to take her order over to her but got distracted by the chance meeting of Brenda W. who just happened to be at Lisa's shop when I arrived. We talked some prior to my appointment and again for about an hour following, playing some catch up. The builder's office where she works is being relocated to his home on Fleming Island because his business is dropping off so dramatically. I don't mind her moving closer to me but am sorry about the state of the building industry and how it affects so many people I associate with.

*

As Lisa and I chatted during my pedicure, she mentioned how hard her fiance, Jason, was working these days, not being able to use a fork lift any longer to move the heavy pieces of materials at his job. I'd love to know what that was about.

*

We talked also about ways people can cut back to make ends meet, figuring out where to save money, and I jokingly mentioned not getting our toes done any more. She said "Don't even say such a thing!", also laughing but we were both serious, too. These are the type of thing, although minor and normally infrequent, where folks can save money. Lawn mowing, pool cleaning, movie going, other extraneous expenditures that you can either live without or do yourself will whittle away at monthly expenses. It's the bigger chunks that are more difficult to do anything about!

*

On the way back from Middleburg, nearly into town I suddenly realized I'd forgotten all about going to Sandy's house. Oh, that Brenda! Oh, that Kim! I'd gotten all involved catching up with Brenda that I totally wiped Sandy from my brain. I called her house and got Bruce on the phone, where I explained to him what an idiot I was for not coming by. He put Jennifer on the phone and I asked her if she was coming this way in the morning. She was, and Chris will come up for the bag for her mom on their way to school. Later, though, she called back to say she was coming to Orange Park so I met them downstairs and I handed over the bag of goodies. It it now out of my hands (and car) and into theirs!

*

When I got back upstairs, I plugged in my electric heater, sat on my heating pad, and put my warm slippers back on my feet. Once the sun moves around the building and ceases shining in my windows, it cools off in here. Tonight is supposed to get below freezing inland and folks are being cautioned to cover their delicate plants and put shoes on their animals so they don't freeze tight to the ground when they go out to do potty........(I made up that last part...........)

Great news in the River City

The announcement was made today that Mayport Naval Station will be getting a nuclear air craft carrier based here, perhaps even the USS George Bush. This can bring nearly 3000 families to our area, and even though it's not close to Fleming Island at all, jobs is jobs! These people will be needing homes, food, clothing, schools, services of all shapes and sizes, and the economy will once again flourish! It's a blessed day!

*

Sunday was also blessed, as I mentioned having a little chat with Caleb and receiving greetings from Chris in NC during a snow storm. For our Bible study period we spent time going through the new Supplement, practicing singing the psalms and new/old liturgies. It seems ages old liturgies were being re-introduced through the Christian Worship Supplement (CWS), all this being spelled out on the bottoms of the pages for historical reference. It is all so interesting to think about, knowing the monks may have chanted or sung these same refrains 500 years ago...Robbie, the maestro, jumped between the MIDI and the organ to help us learn the melodies.

*

As part of worship, Robbie also sang the hymn solo, a single stanza, two-page Call to Worship from the CW. Immediately following the Words of Institution, the choir sang a communion hymn from the CWS and then went almost as a group to the Lord's table. A moving message in the stanzas and lovely refrain which the congregation joined in singing with us.

*

After worship I had to talk to a couple people before they ran off and it certainly felt good to have my choir robe on once we stepped outside! Layers, thank the Lord for layers! Since I'd missed the Building Committee meeting Thursday, playing hookie by going to see "Seinfeld" instead, I had to catch up on what is and is not happening on the classroom building. Ugh! I should have been at the meeting.......Anyway, some of the members were on the job today, painting the walls, helping to move the project along so we can get some stuff into the rooms. It costs us a small fortune to have those two temporary trailers which have since grown roots, so the sooner we get then emptied, the better!

*

It was my job to clean up after Holy Communion but both Emily and Debbie told me to take off, so I did! Judy J. waited around for me as I put a few of the items, the cloths and tables and carried the heavier things into the kitchen for Debbie. She uses a cane all the time now so has troubles carrying things without both hands available. Judy and I then headed over to Bob Evans Restaurant because she was hungry for comfort food. After a wait of 20 minutes or so, we were seated and placed our orders. Oddly, she didn't order any foods with mashed potatoes, which is what she was hungry for in the first place! My meal was meat loaf with mashed potatoes and green beans, and guess what! I ate every morsel on my plate! Only one other time did that occur in recent history and that was also the meat loaf, but from Cracker Barrel that time. Must be the meat loaf! Not as good as Mom's but close, very close!

*

On the way to church, I gave a call to B & B to schedule the move for Justin and Grove next weekend. The voice that answered certainly sounded like my Turkish friend, Saban, but there was not one understandable word of English from his phone to mine. I gave my name and telephone number, asking that Saban call me when he gets the message. About 20 minutes later before church started, Saban called me back and was apologizing right and left. Somehow or another he forgot and was speaking to me in Turkish, since he only got back here from there 2 days prior! We had a good laugh about that, especially after I told him I thought something was wrong with my telephone. I also told him I was only having him move Justin so soon because I wanted to see him again. I'd not seen Saban since he brought me my Turkish flag last fall, it bugged him that I had Greek stuff but no Turkish!

Photos sent by Judy

Justin and I having wwaayy too much fun in the decorated Clark's Fish Camp, for Judy's mini-reunion with her niece, Chrissie, and family. Isn't he a handsome young man?

On Friday night, the 14th, the scrapbooking ladies were able to witness the launch of space shuttle Endeavor. Judy's camera captured the flames as the sky devoured the Endeavor! I once again have camera envy, because I just love the shots her Canon can take!

This shot Judy took as she enjoyed her "early morning from the river room when I had my coffee and fast breakings". Doesn't she have a fine way with words?!
This is a shot of the moon rising over Mandarin the same night we witnessed the shuttle launch. As lovely as this is, I think our moon on Thursday night when we were leaving for "Seinfeld" was the most stunning. Gorgeous either way!

Some more pictures.........

On Wednesday, Judy and I went to the Thrasher-Horne Center to view the Art Guild display and see my piece hung in the show. I even received a "report card" from the Judge of the show, with my 'scores' average and above. Whew!!!! I wish I remembered what method I used to paint this one because it was done in no time at all!

Friday night I hosted the ladies for scrapbooking, while Judy visited with her niece, Chrissie, and knitted while the rest of us cropped and chatted. We had the wonderful opportunity of watching the space shuttle Endeavor launch just before 8:00 pm and it was spectacular. Judy was able to capture it on her camera, which re-ignited my camera envy again! Seated are Judy J., Chrissie, Judy knitting, Kelly T., and Twila.
This is a different angle of the group, better showing the "mess" on the table. No worries, we all know what belongs to whom when it's all over. I shared my supplies with Chrissie who is a novice cropper. It will be great to keep getting together with her and plug away at her album. Her mom is coming into town in January so it will be fun getting to know her as well. She is Judy's sister, Diane, from Arkansas, and will be sewing the dress for Chrissie's wedding which is in March.

A closer look at Chrissie first completed page in her album! It's a proud moment!!!!
Here's a photo of Tex Chappell, who many know as Daniel. Suzanne's family visited their friends' ranch recently and got to spend some time communing with nature and animals. Daniel wasn't wearing his fancy cowboy boots today but instead wearing some tough hiking boots to climb the fences. No flashing lights on these boots!!!

I am trying to get warm here!

I can't believe what's happening with the weather since Judy left! Our temperatures have dropped dramatically, with our high being "only" 62 expected today. Now do you get it, Judy? You know how wonderful it was last week when you were here, in the low 80's on Friday, dining el fresco, and then you went home..............

*

Many of my church family asked about the visit with my friend, if she got home alright and if she had a good time. Judy was well received by my friends who had some time with her. I am sorry that Christine and Brenda W. missed out on meeting and spending time with her but maybe next time, when they possibly come back for Chrissie's wedding in March!

*

A couple wonderful things happened at church this morning, one of which began when greeted by Cliff Douglas. He asked about my time with Judy and then mentioned that he spoke with his son in NC, Chris. He reported that it was snowing and the temps were in the 20's......oh, by the way, "tell Ms. Kim I say "hello"". Awww, I love it! Carol had shown me a photo taken of Chris's daughters at Halloween and I can't get over how big they're getting!

*

My dear friend, Jennifer, has a darling little boy whom I drive nuts by fussing over him so I am keeping my distance so I don't freak him out. I can't help it! Caleb is so adorable and just reminds me of someone I used to know, if you get my drift. Between Sunday school and worship, I was looking at the bulletin board in church and Caleb came toward where I was standing, a bit hesitantly. I looked up and said to him, "Don't worry, I won't talk to you" as he got closer to me. I figured he was going past me but instead Caleb came up to show me his little stuffed animal toy, a webkin bat. He wanted me to see it, explained that he can play computer games with it, and let me hold the furry bat in my hands so I could unfold the wings and such. I was so touched, this was big for him but bigger yet for me!! A day topper, in my opinion, a real blessing. I'll still be careful with him, because I don't want to scare him off again, but will simply admire Caleb from afar. The first time his family came to my house for the Super Bowl Party, Mom was here and she was taken with him, too. He asked to me come to his house and sleep over night. Haven't had many of those offers in recent years so his invitation is the most special!

And now my heart is raised again!

Only yesterday morning Judy and I were talking about my dear friends in Mexico, as I told her that more than once, when I've talked about them or even thought of them, ta da!, I hear from Rafi. Tonight, as I was posting my blog for the day, up popped an e-mail from them, complete with a photo of little Rafi learning how to ski. What a way to brighten my day and my heart! See, Judy....I told you this might happen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They want to know when I am coming to Mexico......hmmmm........let me think 'bout that!

"I've cried that cry...."

Safe and snug back in my own home after a day spent driving and seminaring (is that a word???). Very early this morning I was up, showered, and dressed before heading over to church to meet the rest of the group for our long ride to Tallahassee. Lynne drove her mini-van which fit our six attendees comfortably. At least, I was comfortable anyway! On the way over to "Tally" I was able to ride in the second row of seats next to Brian, while Jim rode in the front seat with the driver and Pastor and Rick in the way back. My cooler fit nicely between the feet of Brian and me, ready access is everything to me. On the way over I'd stopped at Sonic for my big drink which held me nearly all the way to Faith Lutheran.

*

We had such great showing from our church, while the host congregation had better attendance, as would be expected. Another area church had three men, interestingly enough, all Marines at one point in their lives. How fun! We went quickly through our prepared materials, with our group being the presenters' first time doing so. He came all the way from TN to do this so hopefully he's satisfied with how it went. Once finished with the material, we were encouraged to go through the workbook and make some plans for future reachings into the community. It was not a truly rich class as far as big ideas or direction, but it was beneficial to be reminded and encouraged to think "outside the box" when it comes to who is our community.

*

For the ride home, the guys hustled back into the van, leaving me to sit in the front seat, totally separated from my cooler. We did discuss briefly some of the high points picked up from the seminar but so many of my highly interesting remarks leaned more toward inreach programs, which means, that is where I need to focus. It's my favorite opportunity to serve so should run with that, I guess!

*

Brian and I decided to go have dinner after we got back to church, so he called Cathy B. to see if she'd like to join us, too. Lynne overheard our conversation so said she wished to come as well, since her hubby was working late. Only the four of us went to Olive Garden and after a short wait, were seated. Oh, it was just great to have this relaxing down time with them over some delicious pasta and salad. Yes, I had some salad tonight which tasted wonderful. There is just something about the tossed salad at Olive Garden!

*

Before long, I was home again, coming into my empty house----a reminder that my friend is gone! Boo hoo hoo! Now I am ensconced in my nightie and caftan, warming myself with my heating pad, and gazing over the river with the moon reflecting across the water. We had such great laughs tonight over dinner and all week long, it was marvelous! Thank the Lord I was blessed with a good memory!

*

Friday, when Judy was here, we had plans to go to a movie and then to lunch, perhaps to be joined by Judy J. Before heading into the theater, though, we decided to go look in the bookstore for a certain children's book she'd told me about. After some time in the store amid the shelves, it was time for us to go buy our tickets for "The Secret Life of Bees". I'd looked up the information on-line first so found the afternoon showing to be at 1:15. When I ordered them, the cashier said the show began at 2:05, and wondered where we got the information. Evidently another group of women also thought it began earlier, so I didn't feel too stupid. We went to try "5 Guys" burgers which recently opened but the other Judy couldn't make it on such short notice. Too bad about that but she did think she'd come by in the evening when we were cropping.

*

Soon it was time to try again for the movie, arriving in time to see some previews. Judy offered to treat to the snacks but since we'd just had lunch, I only took a soda. She had determined at home already that she was getting Junior Mints after reading the "Coffee Table Book" about "Seinfeld". It was a good snack to have a couple pieces of mint but just a couple were enough for me.

*

The movie was fantastic, very very good. At one point in the storyline, one of the main chararcters is so upset about something that happened to another character, and disappeared. The family and friends went out in search of their slightly unbalanced sister and she was discovered floating face up in a stream, apparently a suicide. The older sister pulled her from the water and I was hanging onto Judy as hard as I could. She'd forgotten about the drowning, making it impossible to give me a heads-up so it totally caught me off guard. And to hear the caretaker sister making the sounds only a horribly grieving mother can make..........Judy squeezed my hand as I whispered to her, "I have cried that cry....", which she acknowledged.

*

Later, when talking about it to Justin, he, too, said he had forgotten about the drowning but also said it was better to not be expecting it. He'd read the book this movie was based upon when he was in the 11th grade for required reading so is not in a big hurry to see the movie. I am incredibly glad Judy was with me at the movie and will miss holding her hand now that she is gone back to her sweet husband/best friend, Jer Bear!

The Seinfeld Chronicles

Here we are, Judy and I, watching the second to the last episode of "Seinfeld" before heading to the movies. This segment is called "The Chronicles" as it sums up the series' 9 years on the air, showing the highlights of each season in vignettes. The original title of the series was going to be "The Seinfeld Chronicles" which is why this hour long episode is so named. There ya go!

We already watched this once a couple days ago but it's on the same disc as "The Puerto Rican Day Parade" which I'd never seen. I wasn't totally blown away by that episode but truly like watching The Chronicle, especially prior to watching "The Finale". I don't want to talk about anything related to anything being final because, tonight, Judy goes home with her niece who will then take her to the airport Saturday morning. Ouch! Judy tells me that if she didn't have someone as wonderful as her Jer Bear to go home to...........................well, I guess I understand.

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Okay, now to the LIVE show we saw last night---it was a major hoot! It was all I could do to contain myself all afternoon, except when I took my little nap before our big night. Emily came here right from work while Justin met us at the Times Union Center. I almost couldn't wait to go in to find our seats and tick off the minutes until the show began. The first man to come out and warm the audience before Jerry's set was a man of color named Mario. He was funny, too, but I couldn't wait for the star to come out!

When it was Jerry's turn, he just came running in, exactly the way I expected him to appear. Much of the material was newer to me and almost all of it terribly funny. Some of the more memorable bits were about his mother in the minimum security assisted living facility where they get to watch the 24 hour prescription channel. Jerry goes on at some length about cell phones and our addiction to them, especially when it comes to the arrogance of the iPhone users and worse yet, the (sinister sound now...) Blackberry. A Blackberry doesn't allow people to have face to face conversations anymore, because even if a live person is in front of them, the Blackberry person pays more attention to the typed word vs. spoken word. Justin took offense, not really, about the iPhone jokes but even as Jerry joked about Blackberry users, the girl in front of us was text messaging to someone during his performance! Point made!

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Seinfeld touched on many everyday situations including attending the endless stream of children's birthday parties, feeling sorry for his single friends, which he doesn't have anymore because he's married, attacking a package of cookies, trying to take only one but ending up eating the entire column and then looking at the next row "over the wall".....you had to be there!

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Well, now I can't write anymore fun stuff because my heart is heavy----Judy has left my home. Her niece, Chrissie, has taken her across the bridge to Mandarin to spend the night. Saying good-bye was quite difficult, culminating an evening with a nice houseful of scrap booking friends. We even got to watch the space shuttle go up and Judy caught some great photos of it in the night sky. My camera refused to do so. As icing on the cake, we had a racoon climbing up and down the palm tree immediately outside my patio. My heart hurts tonight and I think I'll go cry myself to sleep, and soon, I hope, as I have an early start tomorrow for the Outreach Conference in Tallahassee!