A full couple of days

On Monday, we fully expected to be attending Bible study but that was not to be. Pastor was offering a stewardship session for some folks who only had Mondays available. Nuts!! But, as Judy said, just because we aren't having Bible study it doesn't mean we can't have lunch. So four of us did just that.

Before Linda arrived, I had talked to Justin about where to take her this visit, which restaurants or types of foods we'd not tried. I thought about Mojo's BBQ or even Sonny's, just kicking that idea around. Sure enough, at Michael's suggestion, we went to Sonny's where they offer a Senior's Special at lunch time. I asked the waitress if she would let me order at that price and she said she would, since I am not yet 62 or older. We each got a meat, two sides, bread, and our drinks for $6.99. That can't be beat! Linda again grabbed the ticket and paid for my meal. She is the best!

We added my leftovers to the collection in the fridge, which we had for dinner that night. Justin joined us for dinner on Monday evening, again a bountiful array of leftovers to be enjoyed. I re-arranged some of the stuff into smaller dishes in order to squeeze it all into fridge. Eating it up at dinner doesn't hurt either.

Tonight we went to Koko's (Saigon Tokyo) and enjoyed a wonderful meal. They are so good to us there, can't be beat for customer service. Justin and Linda tried 'Tracy's Tuesday special' which was hot 'n sour soup. I was fine with some wontons but that means most of my dinner came home with me, of course. All three of us brought some food home and we have one more day with Linda, to eat it. 

I nearly forgot to mention that Nancy W. called to see if wanted to have breakfast at Grumpy's this a.m. Twice in a week I have felt Grumpy! We picked her up and off we went, this being her first time seeing Linda on this visit. After our nice breakfast, we stopped at Goodwill because Nancy had reported seeing rubber stamps on the shelf there. None were to be found but Linda did take some Halloween-style costumes for her granddaughters to use for dress up play when they come to her house. Such fun for them.  

Linda and I watched another movie, one I've seen before, called "Everybody's Fine". It was kind of hard to watch, though I knew what was coming in it, and it has a somewhat happy ending. I really like it, and hope Linda will too, once she's had time to soak it in. Good night all!

Pictures from Oktoberfest

This is a shot of one side of the table, with me posting behind Linda. From left is Fran (her hubby, Rick, is out of the picture), Cynthia, Linda, me, and Phyl (Cynthia's husband) 

This photos show our laden table with Mark and Patty on my right, then Ollavan sitting next to Nancy M. with Bill and Bob sitting at the kids' table. 

Besides the dishes Linda, Justin, and I made our guests brought food to share. Rick and Fran brought pork loin which he had smoked; Phyl and Cindy brought German chocolate cupcakes; Bob brought a German chocolate cake; Bill and Nancy brought brats which were cooked on the grille; Ollavan brought creamed spinach and red cabbage with pork; and Patty 'n Mark brought cheese soup with homemade pretzel rods to dip in them. Oh my goodness, was that ever good!!  We had plenty of cabbage in various forms, pork, desserts. It was a fantastic night!!!

A football day

This morning Linda and I went to Bible study and worship. Everyone was glad to see Linda again, and she distributed the hugs she brought from Mom. Ethel is still traveling so Linda didn't get to see her this time. After worship, our group went to Chili's for lunch, like usual. The nice manager, Katie, put the Packer game on for us to watch while we ate. Sadly, I had misread the TV Guide online and thought it was on national TV today, but, alas, I was wrong. At least we got to see the 1st quarter!

Linda has been hoping and hoping for a lovely sunrise, and this is as close as we can get here this visit. We'll take it!

When we got home after lunch, we added our to-go boxes to the already bulging refrigerator which is laden with last night's leftovers. I couldn't get everything into the dishwasher when we cleaned up after the gathering so I did another load today. Normally don't care to leave a messy kitchen but I made an exception, because we were tired! Linda and I each watched the Packer game on our laptops, not live but on their website, where one can follow sort of play-by-play. The Packers beat their nemesis, the Bears, 13-10!  

Just before the game ended Michael sent me a text message saying they were showing the end of the Packer game after a previous game so we caught that. And then the Jaguar game came on. At first the game was going well, the Jags tied with the Chargers at the half....well, that was the end of the scoring. Thankfully the coaches put in the rookie QB which was a good thing, even though they didn't score again with him. Linda and I enjoyed leftover for dinner, a regular smorgasbord of delights, to make up for the sad football game. At least, I was sad...

For our entertainment we watched a movie I'd borrowed from my neighbor, Kathy H. "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" is the title. I had seen the previews for the sequel when last at the movies and wanted to see this one first. Now I am ready for the next movie. Some said they didn't care for it, but I really liked it, and think Linda did, too. It was good day of rest --- starting at church and ending on the sofa!

We started out Grumpy!

This morning Linda and I went to have breakfast at Grumpy's, which we like to do at least once when she's here. We got there early enough to not have to wait for a table. I got some razzing from the staff because there were only two of us today (I guess I usually come with a group or something) but that's part of the charm there. Again, Linda grabbed the bill. It's another grumpy day but at least we had some Grumpy's!

I have to back up a bit---on Thursday Linda and I stopped at Publix for a few things for the Oktoberfest dinner which is tonight. She and I worked on our creations some yesterday and last night so we don't have to do it all today. That would wear me out, so I pace myself. Linda made pumpkin bars which she is frosting with cream cheese frosting, plus sauerkraut with pork cut into it, and then, as an after-thought, pumpkin dip for ginger snaps. I am making German potato salad. 

So, today, after our Grumpy breakfast, we stopped once more at the store for a few items for tonight and then got busy in the kitchen. We took turns working on our recipes, and Justin joined the fun as well, making his delicious cooked cabbage, at my request. We ladies did some work, and then sat down, do some work and then sat down, so as not to tax ourselves too much. It was a wonderful rhythm. 

I have the tables dressed, asking Justin to put up a 'kids' table' at the end of the dining table so we can all sit at once. It looks a little tacky but I want us all to dine together. Nancy W. let me know she could not make it, having double-booked herself for a friend's birthday celebration. Nuts! I will miss her and the treat she was bringing---bacon wrapped hot dogs! Yum!  Now we rest until it's time for people to arrive....I'm so excited!!

Let's have a tea party!

Today our group of ladies met at Basketique/Over the Second Cup Tea Room for lunch. A feast for the eyes and the tummies!

 Our table settings

Appetizers and strawberry soup first course

Second course of delights including the 'walking salad' of a lettuce leaf wrapped around pickled carrot and asparagus, which is wrapped in prosciutto ham and Swiss cheese. And I love it!

 Here are the more filling sandwiches and main course foods including chicken salad in tortes, pumpkin bread rolled in pecans, deviled eggs, and other treats I cannot recall. I eat them all except the eggs---there, I draw the line! I also drink one cup of tea, as required by the hostess, and then she gives me Diet Coke in a lovely tea cup!

 Here's Linda and her matching soup

 Terri and Betty digging in

 Here is Judy! 

Our group picture of Terri, Betty, Linda, me, and Judy, taken by Pat. 

Terri was working from home today so she could allot the time to meet us for lunch. It was wonderful, just wonderful! Pat, the proprietress, did not have muffeletta on hand for Linda so arranged to ship it to her home once it came in. Such good customer service for Linda!

The first full day ends

It ends with happy tummies! Justin, Linda, me, and Mike S. had dinner at The Club tonight. His birthday was on Tuesday and since he is having sort of a rough couple of weeks, I wanted to do something special for him. This was perfect! He has a long history of restaurant working, in the kitchen, so he greatly appreciated the fine dining we enjoyed, on Casual Night! Three of us had the Delmonico steak and Linda had the sirloin. Mike was quite impressed with the whole thing, the special attention we get there, and all that. I had a credit on my account due to a new member joining under me so this evening really didn't cost me a thing, but brought a bounty of enjoyment. 

Linda at Mimi's Cafe

Linda and I went to Bible study this a.m. after stopping at Dunkin Donuts for a dozen. I had a coupon burning a hole in my pocket to use for them. The study was good, of course, as we are back in our booklets from CPH, Good News, looking in depth at Psalm 23. From there we drove to Mimi's Cafe, a place I'd not yet taken Linda. It was a bit drizzly so we dined indoors. Normally I like their meatloaf but today both Linda and I had soup and a sandwich. The corn and cheese chowder is so filling, with me taking half my sandwich, a 5-cheese grilled cheese, home with me. Linda treated us to our lunch. It was great and she enjoyed the ambiance of the place. 

The sun finally came out around 11:00 a.m. when we got out of Bible study. Linda had gotten up at 6:30 to watch the sunrise but I told her she could have slept a few more hours! The forecast for this week is not a good one, sad to report, looking at rain every day. At least the temperatures are still warm, it would be worse if it was cold on top of gloomy. Hopefully we have some spectacular ones for her to enjoy while she's here. 

The sun did come out a bit this afternoon so we ladies went out to sit by the pool. I was brave enough to stand in the water up to my ankles but that was it---tooo cold for this girl! Linda is accustomed to the warm water pool at the Wellness Center where she does her fitness routines so this water temp would not do. 

Very cleverly (accidentally!) I got my tablemates all in one picture!! The rest of the photos can be seen in my Facebook albums under Linda's September Visit

Once back indoors we settled in with our machines until such time that we watched The Five. Justin came home from work, exhausted, of course, and got cleaned up to go to The Club. I reserved a dining time which would suit Mike since he was working on the other side of the river and had to get home to clean up for dinner. We timed it just right, too, because we all arrived at The Club at the same time. I am so glad he enjoyed himself, and in fact, he wrote me later from home, thanking me for a night he "will remember for a long time." Aw, shucks....Love it!

Linda's here!

After a long day, especially for Linda, we are settled in our rooms and ready for sleep. Linda arrived on schedule, flawless traveling for her, thankfully. The only downside was a grumpy man seated next to her on the 2nd leg of the journey but hey, that's okay. His loss because he was out of sorts. It was the shortest flight of the day so it wasn't so bad but I know it's hard when the person in the next seat is unpleasant. But the ride to MKE went well, she got the car securely parked, got the shuttle to the airport, arranged for her wheel chair ride to the gates in each airport and settled in. Love when it all works out!

As for me, I had a meeting this late morning/early afternoon at The Club. The Republican Women's group had a speaker from the Secret Service who discussed one of the important aspects of their business (not only protecting the elected officials) which includes identity theft. That discussion left me feeling quite uneasy when he reported all the ways this affects people. Yikes! After the meeting, I asked him about the recent interlopers at the White House and he admitted it was embarrassing for the 'Service'. He went on to explain that the most recent case where the man got into the White House was not as bad as it seemed. The man was known to the agents, was a 'regular' person of interest to them. The decision was made to not sic the dogs on him on the WH lawn and also to not shoot him on the front porch in plain sight of people. I accept his explanation but we'll see what the press does with all this.

This afternoon when Linda and I were done watching The Five we walked over to The Club for Happy Hour. A few of my neighbors were there and we joined their table. Justin was making dinner for us so I wasn't going to order an appetizer but when the waiter said they were offering batter-dipped onion rings tonight, well, I gave in!  Oh, my! They were just wonderful---better than the strings I normally order. Linda and I shared the order and I offered some to my table mates as well. Only a couple people helped themselves. 

Our dinner was home-made chicken cordon bleu and was simply delicious. He uses a rotisserie chicken and then adds the other meat and ingredients. In no time at all he's got it put together and tastes great. We have enough leftovers from that for another meal this week. I hope we are home enough to enjoy it! We watched Jeopardy! together and then some Fox News and other shows before going to bed. Linda is setting her alarm to wake her for the sunrise in the morning. I hope she gets to see a nice one for her trouble!

On the bright side...

....Linda sent me this photo taken of my mom today at the booty parlor. They go together to have their hair cuts and then go to have lunch somewhere. Mom looks forward to their outings as does Linda. She no longer has her mother so she appreciates her time spent with mine. And I love it that she takes good care of my mommy for us! 

Isn't she cute?

Four years ago today....

....something happened that I might never get over, but I am getting better about it

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

What a nightmare!

Today was supposed to be simple fix, and a new bathroom vanity with sink in place. Or so we thought! Butch assured me I should go to Bible study, that he could handle it, etc. and I knew he could. He is THE MAN when it comes to the plumbing in this building, even though he is not technically a plumber or electrician. He is a handiman who can do about anything. When I left he was removing the ceramic tile from around the vanity top. On the way out I spoke to Connie about getting a key for Gus's unit as he was in CO, since the cut-off valve for the 'stack' with my unit is in his foyer. Who knew?? We all do, but Connie had to get the key from Hugh. As I walked away, I said to Connie, "I am sorry for making extra work for you...." and she said it was no problem. Little did we know!

*

During Bible study at Victory, I got a phone call from Maggie. I stepped into the narthex to take the call. She said, "Are you at home?" and I said I was at Bible study. "Did anyone tell you what happened?" Nope! It seems that Butch had shut off the water in Gus's unit for our stack as well as shutting off the main. Hugh was with him when he did this. Butch went upstairs to remove the offending valve and pop!, the pipe snapped and water was shooting everywhere. It seems there was yet another cut-off valve in Gus's unit which no one else knew about until today. Meanwhile, water is flowing into my guest bedroom, where Lynn just stayed, and also down the inside of the wall to the units below mine. I am so glad that I do not live on the 5th floor!

*

By the time I got home, folks were busily mopping, sopping, hustling, wet vacuuming in all three units to try to get the water up. Tracy's, just below mine, got the worst of it, with inches of water on her hardwood floors in nearly every room, and water running out her doors. I feel sick just writing about it. It was great the way everyone pitched in to help, and I even sent Justin a text asking him to come over. He was helpful with the heavy lifting and such, and giving hugs to highly distraught mama!

*

On the way home, I had the presence of mind to call my friend, Aaron, who does water remediation and he was geared up to get over here and start working. In about an hour he had fans and blowers and dehumidifiers going in the units. Conversations and such have taken place with the various insurance companies and now we wait and see how the floors and such respond to the dehumidifiers. Tracy and Cassidy are staying at the Holiday Inn, since their house is non-habitable right now, with all the fans and such running, and their kitchen torn apart. They can certainly use my kitchen for cooking and their insurance pays for the hotel.

*

There is so much more to tell but I am incredibly tired and hurt all over from hauling boxes and bins, more work than I do in an entire year. Tracy insisted on us going to La Napolera for margaritas and dinner, and I grabbed the bill. After all, it's the least I can do after this terrible ordeal. I am so tired, must go to sleep. Please ask the Lord to allow Tracy's floors to be okay for the most part and say a prayer of thanksgiving for my wonderful, helpful neighbors who came to the rescue today, and for Connie, too!

Getting all excited!

I am so excited that Linda is coming!!  She arrives on Wednesday afternoon, scheduled in such a way that I can still attend my Republican Women's meeting, pick her up from the airport, and get back in time to go to Happy Hour at The Club. That is the plan unless there are some flight delays or traffic interfering. Justin has gotten the guest room all straightened away while I did the bathroom polishing for her visit. We want our friend to be comfortable and cozy!

Linda likes to have breakfast so I have the coffee maker out and running through its cleaning processes.  Linda and I had to replace the previous coffee maker a few visits back. It only gets used when company is here. I run some vinegar through it the first time and then water with vanilla flavoring the second time. Oh, how pleasant the house smells after that! Always triggers the idea of company coming to me...She said to only get a few bananas for her breakfast and eggs. Linda will fry an egg to have on toast and some fruit, taking care of herself, since she gets up much earlier than do I. She sets her alarm to see the sunrises which is quite a worthwhile sacrifice of sleep to see.

I dashed about with the dusting wand to freshen things up. The last time it was done so thoroughly by the nice Haitian lady, Marys, only a month ago. Not having had the doors open reduces the amount of added dust to the surfaces so the dust wand handles it nicely. Justin has his fancy schmancy vacuum cleaner to touch up the floors, but not until the last moment so they stay nice. People at the pool are counting the days with me, knowing how excited I am for Linda to get here. I am always like this before company comes!  Ollavan is especially happy because Linda brings her cheese curds from WI!

Bad football day...

...but nice day at the gallery! Sadly, I did not win any prizes at Great Hang Ups for my entry in the photography show, "My Home Town", but it's not too late for people to vote for my piece. It is most certainly true that it's an honor to be nominated, or, juried in, as the case might be. Whew! I am presently 6 for 6, with one being shown at the Thrasher Horne Center in 2008. Not yet having a submitted piece juried out. So, I am careful what and where I enter exhibits. Keeping my head down, as it were. 

Morning Lights The Club

This photo was taken in September of 2010 before The Great Flood happened. Kerry, my sister, was here visiting from WI and was on the bulkhead fishing in the early morning hours. Usually I was yet in bed at this hour of the day and didn't see The Club in this light. Had to grab the shot and am so glad I did. She caught some fish and I caught this photograph!

While we were having the opening reception, the Jaguars were struggling to get some points on the board against the Colts. People have been clamoring for a change in quarterbacks since the preseason with the coaching staff resistant to bringing their rookie in so quickly. The Packers were having an equally hard time as well, with both teams ending up with losses when it was all over. Ugh! I did get to see the fly-over jets in formation going up the river as I drove to Great Hang Ups. Earlier in the week the Met Life blimp flew over The Club, supposedly here for the first home game of the season. 

Justin made mini-cherry pies for me to take along to the opening reception. He is a sweetie for doing this for me. This a.m. he made mini-pizza muffins to take along for tailgating with his friends, always a hit. His muffin pans get a workout around here. I did manage to secure a few of the pies to bring back home with me plus a few pieces of others' treats to enjoy when watching the end of the game. Next week will be a dandy football Sunday with two games on for us to watch---the Packers and the Jags both aired locally! We will be couch potatoes here and perhaps pizza eaters, we'll see!

Going a bit bug-eyed

As I am seated at my desk eating dinner (Justin is gone for the evening) I am also staring at a screenfull of faces looking back at me. Justin wants my computer to be backed up in such a way that if he threw it into the river, I would not be missing anything. That sounds a bit dramatic to me but I get his point. He wants to make sure I don't ever lose my photos. My computer has multiples of many of my pictures simply because when I've gone from machine to machine over the years, the photos were moved en masse with the documents being transferred. It is labor-intensive to sort through them, let me tell you.

So, my technology guy, Justin, got me set up with Picassa on my big computer, transferring or saving all my photos there. One of the blessings of Picassa is that it offers face recognition so it's my job now to assign a name to every face that shows up on my monitor. The thumbnails show up 28 at a time, and include faces in crowd photos which is quite annoying. 

The doors on the Baptistry 

Last night Justin spent some time on it and the software was even picking out faces impressed on the Baptistry doors in Florence, Italy. That's easy enough to just click the 'x' in the corner and eliminate it. He scolds me for taking so many pictures at the pool, claiming they are all the same. For all I know, they might be!

Time spent in the kitchen

My house smells so good today from the food cooking. And I did it myself this time. Brought out the slow cooker and started cutting up vegetables and dropping them into the broth. I got a recipe for pasta fagioli from Facebook, a favorite from Olive Garden. I got out my Pampered Chef blitz hacker to chop up the carrots and onions so I made quick work of that. Once all the ingredients were in the cooker, it was full to the top.

At one point my doorbell rang multiple times which tells me Connie is at the door. Yup, she had a delivery from the UPS man. She will often intercept him and bring the packages up herself if she knows we're home. What a surprise for her to find me toiling in the kitchen! The box she brought contained Justin's newest purchase, yes, something with a plug, but not a communication device. Instead, he bought a sandwich maker, used for making grilled cheese sandwiches. Oh, that guy!

Tonight he was going through my photos on the computer and telling me about a program where all the photos will be grouped together by person, by date, by location, etc. which will make it easy for him when it's time for my funeral. Yes, we are morbid like that. I told it was lame of him to have me doing the leg work on this project. Justin was telling me that when I die and he inherits this place, the first thing he is going to do is get rid of all the kitchen tools and start over new. I begged him to spare the Princess House and Pampered Chef items, and he said he would. But everything else is gone. 

He told me that the sandwich maker was coming and I said, "Oh, good! another kitchen appliance!" He knows that I have a low tolerance for things being kept on the kitchen counters and he said he was going to put it there. At that point I declared that this was a mad plot by him to hasten my demise so he can throw my stuff out. Some of the kitchen stuff is nearly antique, gifts from my shower and wedding, and until they fall apart, I am keeping them! Even if it kills me!

I wish this photo showed more of Linda---it would be perfect to see her face, too!

While playing with the pictures he found one particular shot of me taken at Alayna's graduation party. Linda's husband was playing with my camera and got Linda to do something to me. He was counting to three and then on three she was to yank down the front of my shirt. Grabbing at my top in laughter and surprise, my mouth is open. He said that this is my perfect picture for my funeral, and if Peggy, my dentist, is there she can say, "Those are MY teeth!" Oh, that guy! 

Church and football---a good day

This morning I went to church for Bible study and worship. We are studying the Ideal Church which is basically a stewardship-themed class, all the different ways we can serve our Lord and His church. Following Bible study and worship, our group went to eat at Chili's, as usual. Justin went to Jesse's house to watch the game with him, leaving right after church. 

Today the Jags were up against the Washington Redskins (yes, I said "Redskins"!) and were soundly defeated. Yes, defeated is the perfect word to describe how the Jags fans feel. Like my friend, Duane, says, "They are rebuilding" and have been for many years. One of the announcers said today that the Jags' team is made up of the youngest players in the league. Is that good or bad? Sigh...Poor Gretchen!

On the bright side, Julia from Great Hang Ups let me know yesterday that my photograph submitted for the "Home Town" has been juried into the show. Yay! and whew!  I am now 6 for 6 entries being submitted and admitted into shows. I know someday it will happen that my piece is juried out (even Dee gets juried out sometimes) but until then, I breathe a sigh of relief and thankfulness. The opening is the 21st so I will have to come up with a treat to take. Maybe Justin will make something....And I will be hostess as well so will have to rush right from church/lunch to the shop. In my case, it is truly an honor to have been nominated (juried into the show) and if I win a prize, that is icing on the cake!

What a great witness!

Today on Facebook I saw a link for a news story where a member of an anchor team on a local newscast somewhere in OH made an announcement. The show was ready to wrap, his co-host and he were sitting off to the side on chairs, knee to knee. He said that his cancer had returned and was advancing rapidly. He had only a few months, if that many, to live. His female co-host was softly weeping, which made me wonder if this was news to her as well. Anyway, Dave said he was entirely at peace with what was to happen to him, and he was prepared to meet the Lord. It such a wonderful testimony of his belief in the Lord, saying, "I am in God's hands." And then they signed off. Wow, powerful and moving! I pray he does not suffer long.

At my home church there is a young man who is suffering with an inoperable brain tumor. He has a wife and two young children he will be leaving behind. It is heart-wrenching to think of what he will have to go through and wondering how his wife will get along after he is gone. She has a strong family support system, and, of course, the congregation there for her, which helps greatly. In his case also, I pray he does not suffer long.

Justin has been working on my computer and my phone, trying to coax my phone to recognize the newly reset password for my e-mail account. We'd gotten a notice the other day to reset them to avoid being hacked, but the phone won't accept the new address. My boy is relentless in his endeavor to get me access to e-mail from my phone. It is rather important if I am not at home. He is so capable when it comes to things like this. 

Linda and I are cooking up plans for her pending visit here next week (yikes!). So far we are going swimming, to Bible study, out to eat, and even hosting a party for Oktoberfest! She loves to cook and bake so is thinking of what to make for her dish to share. I will likely make the meat dish since I don't have to transport it. Maybe a pork roast or ribs...hmmm? I better get moving on inviting folks, planning on the usual gang from the pool for this event, since Linda had such fun with them all in May when she was here. This is so exciting, I love people around the table!!  Auf weidersehen!

Enjoying the pool side

It was a grand and glorious day at the pool today, at long last. The water most assuredly could have been warmer for my tastes but thanks to the sun beating on me, I endured! It was great to see everyone again, well, at least those who are not working or otherwise involved. Bob was there doing his version of laps, swimming back and forth the width of the pool instead of the length. He said he has lost weight over summer doing this so good for him!

One friend, Janet, stopped where I was sitting to introduce me to her visiting niece. Pam had wanted to go out on the sailboat but Janet declared it was too hot to do so. Now that's a problem! It was 91 for the high and I guess just sitting out on the water with no breeze doesn't work too well for sailing. I bet her niece wondered what in the world was going on---too hot to go boating??? Yeah, I know...

Thankful that my neighbors, Hugh and Maureen, with the assistance of Connie, put the flag up in remembrance of the terror attacks on 9/11. We can see this from the pool, of course, and is admired by many.

Last weekend my friends, Bill and Nancy, went on a sailboat adventure with another couple from the pool, Charles and Kathleen. It was a beastly hot day and not windy at all, but off they went. They ended up having to use the little motor to move the boat from Point A to Point B, which was incredibly slow, and miserable, according to Nancy. I was concerned for them going out at 6 pm, fearing bad weather would come up like it usually does, but they were fine, except for the slow movement. They were telling me all about it today at the pool. 

Other friends from the pool, Tim and Stephanie, were telling their boating stories as well, only theirs were funny. At least to us, perhaps not to Tim. They took their pontoon boat out one day and ended up having the motor fall off. They had to call around for help, glad to have their cell phones along, and had service. Finally, they got hold of Charles who came with his jet ski to tow them back in. It was not a simple fix for this either, since the engine falling off pulled the fuel line out, etc. Tim tried to make the repairs himself but to no avail. His wife says he is not the handiest guy, which might explain why the engine fell off in the first place. Man, that was some funny stuff!!  A good day of laughing when at the pool, don't even mind the pesky love bugs!

A day of remembrance

Today is the day we remember the Muslim terror attacks on our soil, using this nation's airplanes to attack the financial district, the hub of our military, plus the foiled attempt to hit the US capital building in Washington, DC. Our nation remembers the souls lost in the buildings, on the planes, those doing the rescuing, and those simply walking down the street, minding their own business. If that had not taken place in 2001, the same year that Timmy died, I'd say this event was the worst thing to happen that year. Pastor Hoyer had preached a powerful sermon that New Year's Eve, looking back on the terrible events of 2001, but my former spouse and I reflected back to the loss of our son instead....

I checked for programs on the cable channels recounting that fateful day's events, thinking I might even stay home from Bible study to watch them. I found nothing in the daytime hours, so I went to class. When I got there I expressed my desire to watch the shows which recap where people were when the attacks came, who survived and how, and memorials for those lost. I liken it to biting on a sore tooth, watching these programs offered every year at this time. A couple of the guys in the group basically scoffed at my wishing to watch the shows, asking why I would want to see them, urging in not so loving ways to just let it go. Nice!  And that, my friends, is why this can happen again in the future!

A vertical rainbow on the river this afternoon, another remembrance that God made for us, His Promise

Not to be deterred, I did check the TV Guide on-line to see what was being offered the rest of the day, finding more programs later in the schedule. Good! But first, I accepted an invitation to join some friends for dinner at Pasta Market. Mike S. had told us that they'd had a one day forced close following a health inspection (Yikes!) so we wanted to show Sam our support by going in to eat. Unfortunately, Mike had a meeting at church tonight but Michael, Judy, Betty, and I were able to go. We were the only dine-in guests so I am quite glad we did go. Sam told us he is bringing in deli service to provide sandwiches and other type fare in hopes of gaining more customers during the lunch hours. Plus he is getting a refrigerated glass case for displaying his desserts. Now, that's a good idea because seeing sells!

I ordered a personal-sized pizza for my meal and this is what Sam made for me---a 12" pizza!!  Obviously, I had leftovers...

Treated like royalty

Last night Justin and I had dinner at Koko's (Saigon Tokyo Bistro), the first time being there in a while. They miss us when we let too much time go by between visits. It is hard on me to not have them open at lunch time anymore because I would have lunch there at least once a week with my friends. They simply could not justify having the lunch hours and it was hard on their staff as well. We want them to stay in business so I will go as often as I can to help keep their doors open. We generally get two meals for the price of one each so the cost is not exactly prohibitive in that regard. 

Tracy, one of the owners, is so good to us, as are the chefs and wait staff. They automatically bring Diet Cokes, know I like two dishes of yumyum sauce, and take onions only for my dinner veggies. And, the chef gives Justin my shrimp appetizer without me having to say anything. More than once as we've left the restaurant with our to-go boxes in hand Tracy or Chris tells us to "have a Kimmy Day!" So cute! Tracy thanks me for posting such positive updates on Facebook, appreciates starting the day with a Bible passage (her daughter finds them for her, she said). This is why I want to keep Koko's open! 

This morning's dramatic sunrise

This morning I went out to water exercise class, braving the now chillier pool temps in order to get a work out. It was said once that shivering is a way to burn calories so I was burning away well before the class got underway. Once we get used to it and start moving around it isn't as bad, but even splashing water on ourselves (myself) in our routines will cause more shivering to result. I wonder how many calories I burn by complaining? I sure do my fair share of it when I am cold, believe me. It was nice to be sitting in the sun while drying off.

There is no need to make dinner plans tonight since we have leftovers to enjoy. Makes for an easy and quick meal for us, after Happy Hour, that is. Not sure I will have any tapas tonight, we'll see if they offer a special or not. Justin can easily polish off both our boxes of leftovers if he wants to, if I do decide to have something with my friends at HH. Right now I can't even think about it but later, all bets are off!

An upcoming gallery show

We have had more than our share of rain of late, today included. I waited as long as I could to head up to Great Hang Ups, so between showers, away I went! The piece I entered in the upcoming photography show was juried in (forgive me if I am repeating myself) so now I had to go up to the store to pay my fee for the framing. All the frames will be the same size and color which is cool, and much easier for Julia to do the hanging in the shop. We are getting the frames for about half the cost of retail so I've got no complaints there. I had hoped to get there before noon to see Dee but I missed her. She leaves to take lunch to her husband but the rain held me back. Shoot!

I am also going to be the hostess for the opening reception which is the 21st so I'll have to rush there from church to be on time. The artists in the show generally do bring something to the opening. I am asking Justin to make some of his mini-pies for me to take to the reception. It's finger food and a sweet, which everyone likes, including me. Justin will be going to the football game that day so I'll have to take the treat to church with me and keep it cold in the fridge. Hope I won't forget it there!

After my time at Hang Ups, I stopped at Publix, glad the rain had ended. I had such a nice time shopping there, always a good experience at Fleming Island's store. Not that other locations are bad, I simply am more familiar on the Island. Not familiar enough, however, because I had to ask two different young men for help finding something, or reaching something from a high shelf. I made note of their names because if a customer reports good customer service, the employee gets a free sub sandwich for their reward. I hope Josh and Chris get their sandwiches! I am making a new-to-me recipe, Pasta Fagioli, like they serve at Olive Garden. Had to find some ingredients I don't normally purchase and the fellas helped me out. 

As I drove home, the heavens opened once again, so I had to unpack my perishables from the car in the pouring rain. I had packed them in such a way as to make the sorting easier once home. Too bad Connie wasn't around to lend me a hand but I managed to get what needed to be kept cold upstairs. That is a job! Makes me feel badly for my sister, Lynn, who has to carry her groceries up a flight a stairs. I am so thankful for our working elevator, for which I paid dearly several years ago!

A meeting of the minds

Tonight we had Ladies' Group at church for which I had written and printed the right Minutes this time. Last month I was in WI and thought I had sent Terri the Minutes, but it came to light that they were not sent. Probably a good thing I failed to send them because they were 'saved' under the wrong month. Ugh! Am I getting old or what???  I have to check and double check things these days because of making foolish mistakes like this.

Anyway, we had a good meeting tonight with much to discuss regarding the upcoming Fall Rally. We ladies need to provide the continental breakfast on the morning of the Rally and dessert for the lunch. Chefs Mike 'n Mike are making lunch---smoked butt and side dishes---the best Rally food in the North Florida Circuit!! I cannot wait! The Rally speakers will be staying with me so I will have to make things ready for them, after Linda leaves, that is.

This morning many of these same ladies met for Bible study at church, having an excellent class. We had such good give 'n take, sort of like when Michael used to do our classes, talking about Martha and Mary. The discussion was whether Martha should have been scolded or if Mary was falling down on the job of being hostess for Jesus, etc. I have felt sort of bad for Martha (yes, I know the 'one thing needful' that Mary was getting) and wish that the story of her powerful witness about the resurrection followed more closely in the Bible than it did. Obviously not rewriting the Bible or anything but those of us who are hostesses and know what needs to be done for guests understand Martha's distress, and those who are hungry for the words of the Lord also understand Mary's settling in to listen to Jesus speak. Like I said, it was a great discussion today, and it felt so good!

For our lunch today the ladies kept asking, rather in general, where we were going to eat. I kept saying, "Wherever you decide..." because neither Judy nor I want to be the ones to always pick. But, no one would commit so finally it was determined we'll go to our stand-by of Longhorn, because Jackie likes it. I do, as well, but don't want to always be the one making the decision. She doesn't like having to pay for her soda which used to be free when ordering on the kids' menu, but she's gotten used to it now. That was one reason we were going other places for lunch, such as the great deal we get at Dairy Queen. It's okay to switch it up once in a while---I can adjust!

A little peek into the past

Justin and I had a most depressing afternoon, at least it ended up that way. First we went to church (I went ahead of him for Bible study) and then attended worship. After church he headed right off to Jesse's as they were tailgating before settling in to watch the 1st game of the season for the Jaguars. Justin had made some wings this a.m. before church, baking them, and then they deep-fried them the rest of the way at Jesse's for their lunch. Sounds good, but not as good as Chili's for the rest of us!

The game started out great, though I didn't actually get to see the first quarter since the restaurant had the Dolphins game on instead. When I got home I found the Jags were ahead 7-0 which was a delight to see and at half-time, the  announcers on the TV made the remark "It's all Jacksonville here in Philly..." with a score of 17-0. Well, THAT was short-lived!!! I don't know what happened in the Eagles' locker room but they came out ready to play, and ended up defeating the Jags 34-17. The first half belonged to the Jags, and the 2nd half was all Philly. Sad sad sad!

Justin came home after the game, of course was perturbed at the outcome but with leftover chicken. He had made a 7 layer taco dip yesterday which he decided to have for his dinner while I simply had some cucumber salad which I had made on Friday. Not much of a dinner for either of us but it did the trick as far as I am concerned. We had a good visit before he retired to his room and I came to my desk. Then, he came back in here and was looking for something on my necklace rack in the bathroom, announcing, "Yes, you still have it!" He came out carrying a dusty but lovely bracelet he had given me for Christmas 7 years ago. 

                                         

He asked me if I can still wear it or if it has gotten too small (he meant that in the nicest possible way). I told him I didn't know if it did or not but I could not ever put it on by myself due to the way it fastened. I laid my arm out and he attempted to affix it to my wrist. His big 'man hands' struggled to push the bead through the loop and I eventually tried to help him, managing to get it hooked. It was not tight but we really had to squeeze my flesh to get it fastened. I wonder if one of my jewelry-making friends could fashion a different type of fastener for it so I could wear it. 

The reason he was so interested in this particular gift to me is because it is the first item Justin ever purchased using his Amazon account. Somehow he could do a look-back to see his purchases and this is what he found. He sent me this picture via e-mail to show me his purchase and the bracelet I have is exactly like this one pictured. It was fun for him to do the look-back to see what he has purchased over the years, now using the Prime for purchasing which gives free shipping. He even bought his text books on Amazon which was wise. Justin is not only a shrewd shopper, he is also thoughtful, knowing my likes and loves quite well. One year I got the marvelous gift of water detectors from him for Mother's Day which have afforded me peace of mind on rainy nights such as this one!

Busy hands are happy hands!

We had all ages show up to work on getting things ready for the upcoming Fall Rally. On the far end of the table the ladies are working on cutting ribbons which will be used for the Prayer Rock to be assembled later. On this end of the table Alicia and I are stuffing the folders with a tablet and pencil obtained through our Synod. Later mission pages and other pieces of paper will be going into those folders.

This project was complicated and it took two ladies to tie the ribbons and get the tying thread through the bows to later be affixed to the bookmark and secure the Prayer Rock to it. I was glad I didn't have to work on that project! My part of this was to type the prayer, using one Judy C. had gotten at a previous LWMS event. Then, I sent the finished prayers to our members, the Nardi's, who printed off, laminated, and then cut the book marks for us. Judy punched the hole for tying the ribbons and rocks. Many hands touched each of these table favors. I hope we get a good turnout for this Rally!

At the other table our younger helpers had put the prayer labels on the cut-outs of Africa which Janet and her friend from MI had taken care of while on vacation. The missionary coming to speak serves in Africa which is why we had Janet cutting them out. Sarah and her friend are out of the photo but were the ones who helped do the labels. So we had our oldest member, Gretchen, plus one of our younger members, Sarah, helping with this task. Alicia is now in confirmation class...how time does fly!

We ran out of the tying string which I was cutting on the far end of the table so Janet took off for Jo Ann's to buy some more. While she was gone, it became evident that the ladies were running short of 'rocks' also, so I called Janet to see if she was still in the store. She had just left and had to go back in to find the right sized beads to use as rocks. Once she got back I started cutting the tying strings again and in no time at all, the project was completed. Thanks for running to the store, Janet! And thanks to Judy for getting everything else organized the way you did!

This is one of the completed Prayer Rocks, color coordinated by Gretchen, which each guest at the Fall Rally will have at their place at the table.  On the table you can see the reel from where I cut the lengths of tying string to secure the rock 'n ribbons to the bookmark. In about 2 hours time we had stuffed the folders, affixed the labels to the cutout of Africa, and made 90+ Prayer Rock book marks, with no bloodshed!

Stayed up too late

The game last night was torturous to watch, the Seahawks beating the Packers soundly. Ouch! I was optimistic before the game and chatted with Linda and Kerry periodically through the game, especially after Justin went to bed. What a disappointment it was!  It was kind of fun watching with Linda because she was ahead of me somehow (on DISH) and would see the play before I did. They were having terrible weather up there, flooding and torrential rain storms, with power outages in areas due to trees falling. Door County, WI really got clobbered and as a result some areas had sewage backing up into homes and businesses. Yech!

Before kick-off last night Justin and I saw this lovely rainbow, right outside our windows

Today I was at the pool for a while, a quiet time since school is in session. By mid-afternoon, though, the families came trickling in, the private school kids still wearing their uniforms. The bathrooms were busy with rapid clothes changes and stops at the cabana for a bag of chips and a soda for their after-school snack. Still in the mid-90's and before the rains come---it's a good day to be at the pool! 

Justin is so sweet to his mama. He was going to Whitey's after work with his boss and Jesse for the half price appetizers and was hoping I'd be okay for dinner. He even offered to make me something before he left. Thanks, Sweetie, but I think I can manage. And I did, nicely! 

Tomorrow is a work day at church as we get things ready for the Fall Rally we are hosting. Judy C. had asked me to write a prayer which would be printed on labels and affixed to a cut-out of Africa. Writing the prayer was the easy part, getting the labels printed kicked my butt. No matter how many times I tried, the sheets would feed crookedly or the text overlapped onto the margins or the next label. UGH! Plan B was to ask the church secretary to print them for me, which worked great. Justin got me this printer for Christmas a couple years ago and it doesn't have a left margin guide for the paper. Labels are too expensive to waste so I deferred to Lynne for this job. 

I forgot to mention that Nancy W. and I had lunch at Ruby Tuesday on, of all days, Tuesday. She was running errands as was I so we met up for a late lunch. On Wednesday Terri T. asked me to meet for lunch which is odd since she works during the day. She happened to be working from home so was able to meet at Grumpy's for lunch. We went over a few things from the LWMS Convention and the upcoming LWMS Rally, with her previewing the prayer. Our group has no official chairperson but do have several who know what is going on and have attended the organizational meetings. My job, besides writing the prayer and getting the labels printed, is to house the guest missionary and her husband. I can do that!

Shopping like a rock star

This morning I made my way over to Victory Lutheran for Bible study, talking to Mom as I went. She was waiting for storms which were expected so she wouldn't have to water her flower pots. I hope she gets her wish. We were minus a couple of people but the class was still good, as we study Psalm 23. Last week we covered the first paragraph in our booklet and stopped there. Today, we finished the page!

On the way back home I stopped at Winn Dixie for some groceries. I had read their ad and saw many items listed as 1/2 price or or BO/GO. Ever since Justin was sick last week, we have been 'trying' to eat better so I stocked up on, of all things, vegetables! I had several recipes for which to buy veggies and other ingredients. We used to eat out more often than we do presently. Justin enjoys cooking so much, we dine in more often than not. If I made the meals and ate them by myself, I could make them last at least half the week. It doesn't work out quite that way now with both us eating from the recipes.

In one aisle, a friendly man about my age and I were both looking for beans. I asked him if he saw something marked as "white beans" and he pointed to them for me. I told him that I didn't know beans...ha ha! Then he needed help finding garbanzo beans and I pointed them out to him. He gave me a short lecture about the benefits of these beans, the ratio of protein to fat and how he prepares them. 

The man also explained to me that the reason he was thin was because he is out of work, has a master's degree, and can't find anything in his field. If he was in military it would be similar to logistics but he is private sector. He recently had an interview in St. Louis but had not heard back from them yet. And, as he looked at my cart with hamburger and a roast, he told me he rarely eats red meat any more, the beans are better than beef. I bet not but okay...All this in the bean department!

The nice man in the meat department helped me find the bratwurst (I am used to shopping more at Publix!) and smoked sausage. He said I should have taken a larger "buggy" but I prefer the littler ones and didn't expect it to be overflowing. Two cabbages, celery, cauliflower, onions, cucumbers, and potatoes take up lots of room in the small carts. Plus, they had Diet Dr. Pepper on sale which took up the bottom level of the cart. I managed to work my way to the register without losing anything or breaking the eggs I had balanced on top. At the check out, the cashier had her helper get a large cart to stack my stuff in. 

When I got home, I had hoped Connie would be lurking about as she often is when I get home from the store. Nope, so I took the items which needed to be refrigerated upstairs with me and left the rest for later. By the time I got that first load up to my kitchen I feared my arms would be longer from the weight of the bags. Yikes! I went down about an hour after I got home and carried up all but the last two. That's enough for one day---Justin carried the rest up when he got home. He asked me if I took someone else's bags because these had veggies in them!! Funny guy!!!  I am only doing it for him so he won't get sick again....plus I like cauliflower!