It seems I only just laid down and already I am up, typing away! It is light outside and Fox 'n Friends is underway so it's alright for me to be awake. I cannot recall precisely what was on TV when I went to sleep although I do believe it was The O'Reilly Factor, which is exactly what I woke to this a.m. In my dreams during the night, people were making plans, sort of, for the end of the world to come this weekend. My sister, Lori, bought a bunch of wallpaper which was put on a big sale for the end of the world, 'just in case'. Sunday morning we will know if she can use it or not! One of the participants in Monday Bible study brought along a flyer he got in the mail, which featured a photo of a billboard near Orlando which proclaims the world is May 21. Rats, I spent money on a plane ticket for after that date! Justin heard us talking about this topic at Trivia the other night and he said I should not even worry about it, I won't have to pay for the ticket if the world ends. How true that is!
We were joined at Trivia on Tuesday night by Cary and Nancy, members at Victory with Stephanie. They were going out of town on Wednesday so wanted to eat out the night before to avoid having leftovers and such to deal with. Once again, we all brought something to the table, with even Jesse coming up with a correct answer this week. Sadly, we had competition unlike last week, but we did not win even 3rd place. The group behind ours won first place, the first time we had seen them there. Ringers!!! One of the questions was to name four actors who won Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in their lives. We only got one right, Denzel Washington, which Nancy contributed. We totally missed stars like Gene Hackmann, Robert DeNiro, and someone else. That's why we do not always win!
Cary and I had the pot roast open face sandwich, served with real mashed potatoes and gravy. Oh, my, it was good! I brought about 1/4 home with me and frankly, it did not reheat very well. The potatoes were okay but the meat seemed rather chewy the second time around. It was the special that night, as often I will try the special since I have no 'regular' choice at Johnny Angels. But there I do often have a scoop of ice cream with hot fudge on it, no whipped cream because I am cutting back....Justin had a chocolate and peanut butter shake, which he had me taste. I am not crazy about that mixture, even though it is like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Just not a fan!
The sky is beautiful this a.m., but no sun has broken through yet. A few buildings north of here, yet on the property, is where my friend, Sharon, lives and she regularly captures the morning sky and posts the photos on Facebook. She is a talented lady: professional photographer, RN, musical director at OP Methodist, and is basically a very nice lady. We do not see each other when choir or bells are in rehearsal as both of us are tied up on Wednesday nights! I cannot wait to see her morning posting today, should be lovely!
At choir rehearsal, we had a full house of singers including Carol who answered the impassioned plea of her son. One family who has rejoined the church after years away has a young daughter, about 9 or 10, who wanted to come to choir. I had to let her know it was for confirmed members only but encouraged her to sing with the Sunday school kids. Robbie said last night that he wished he could put together a children's chorus, with 'enthusiastic' singers but we do not have enough kids to do that.
Having Carol there to sing alto with Debbie freed Kristi to sing soprano which works out better since I will be away for one of the anthems. Whew! I hated to leave them in a lurch, but it cannot be helped. For Holy Trinity Sunday we are singing Psalms 150, an oldie but a goodie. Our friend, Gordy, who directed us on this anthem many years ago, had us moving around on the sheet music---men here, women there...the copies are quite marked up, making it hard to know when we are to sing. Robbie has changed it back again, to women singing the women's parts and men, their own, but with all the markings, it gets almost comical. Robbie is a true director, making us learn the anthem, and not simply sing it. Draws us out, and makes us better. Kristi complimented him about that last night, and I told him later, how, when he was talking to us, I thought, "I love that guy!" He loves me too, so we're even! I will miss singing for Ascension Day, at least singing at Good Shepherd. I will get to sing at First German, from the pew!
Today is full day beginning with Bible study at Victory, lunch with my Justin, and perhaps a stop at Payless Shoes at the Town Center Mall since Erica works there. She might not be working when we are there, though, since she is still in high school. Two weekends ago she graduated from FCCJ with her AA in business but has yet to graduate from high school! She is bright and beautiful, choosing to attend Wisconsin Lutheran College this fall. Erica made friends with a young lady who came to Jax from WLC to help with canvassing, etc. this year and is going to be roommates with Erica. Sweet! Her grandparents and auntie live not terribly far away in Janesville so she will not be all alone 'up north'. Erica is a dear young lady and I will certainly miss her...
Yesterday was my grooming day so I went to see my friend, Barb, for my full-moon haircut. She was telling me about her daughter and son-in-law moving up here from South Florida soon. I was so happy for Barb and her husband, having them closer (living with mom and dad at first!) and lending a hand with their grandson, Nicholas. He has a form of autism and her daughter is quite pleased with the program offered at Fleming Island Elementary. Now, they just need to find jobs and get health insurance benefits to be all set. I know Barb is so glad to have them up here, it's been a long time coming. But then Barb dropped a bombshell of having breast cancer!! What?? She had found the lump herself over a month ago before leaving on a cruise and has been running to doctors and specialists in order to determine the course of treatment. It appears to be a contained cancer, similar to what Judy R. had, but the surgery keeps getting put off day by day. She was to have already had it but now it is scheduled for next Friday. A tear sneaked out as she told this news, but then she told me how her daughter cried for 10 minutes when Barb called her with the news. A few more trickled down but I wiped them away quickly, apologizing to Barb for them. When we parted company, I hugged her and wished her the Lord's blessings on the surgery. Her surgeon is the same one who did my last one, just before Timmy died. I know she is in good hands.
This evening I am having dinner with Judy J. and Linda H. with whom I used to dine every week when we still had Bible study during the week. We do not see Linda much as she takes her mom, Iva, to church at Keystone Heights most of the time. Iva is in a rehab center in Starke after experiencing some falls at her home. Linda works in Mandarin so it is on her way home to stop for dinner with us. She was hungry for 'comfort food' so Cracker Barrel it is! Must remember to take a jacket!
