The Race Is On

Yes, Jeff Long is the Biggest Loser.....losing 180 lbs +, he's hard to beat. The bet is on though, BFF Pruitt! I am joining the Y today and starting a walking regiment and water aerobics! Uh Huh...next summer I will be lean and mean....ready for JULY Workcamp 2009 and then Al, Jeffrey, Drew & I are heading across the pond to see my British cousin Tim and wander around England, Ireland and Europe......no more dragging "Mama" around!
Today is filled with running errands.....
The photo is from Donk's Theater around the first part of September.....Lynda Smith had a little boy a couple of weeks ago....ADAM WALKER GRIEVE.......a bunch of us are planning to head down for the big Christmas show........and yes, I am already Christmas shopping!

A Lazy Sunday

I was beat yesterday from all the driving on Saturday.....and by the photo you can see that both JR and Will were happy to take a snooze during late Sunday afternoon. Al came down for a short visit. We chatted by the pool and then the two of us went to THE MAD ITALIAN......Dede wanted some veggie pizza and we neededto get a decent meal for Al before a lean week at VCU.

Tomorrow is back to the grind.....I used to love Mondays.....the key words there are "used to".

A Wedding In the Foothills of the Blue Ridge

The journey to Charlottesville was so beautiful. First I made my way to Farmville where Allie and Drew jumped in the van after we purchased some unbrellas. The day was gray and we didn't want to take any chances of getting soaked.
We REALLY took some backroads as we traveled north to Charlottesville....skimming along the foothills of the Blue Ridge until we reached our destination......Ashlawn-Highland, the home of President James Monroe. Guests trickled through the gift shoppe and followed the hedge and brick pavers to a huge outdoor building overlooking the skyline. Originally the ceremony was to be held in the gardens, but everything had been cautiously moved under roof. There were sheep, cows and peacocks....
Attending from the workcamp family.....the Philipkoskys & Adlers from Grace Lutheran in Chester, Daniel Taylor and the Fields from Norfolk.
Eliza was stunning in her "antique" dress....her hair adorned with a small peacock feather and her great grandmother's cameo was pinned to side of the dress. The ceremony was a mixture of new age and pagan..... readings and small ceremonial rituals from around the world. None of us had been to a ceremony quite like it. The music for the ceremony was a flute, cello, mandolin, violin and dobro......
At the end of the ceremony the two mothers opened a box and released butterflies. As Eliza and Bruce kissed for the first time as husband and wife, the monarchs fluttered in the air around them.
Al, Drew and & had lots of fun traveling together...lots of laughs and singing.
I've gotta learn how to use the Picasa web album so u can see more photos!

Rain, A Funeral & Brazilian Dancing

The Tom-Tom directed John and I to Stony Creek, VA yesterday.....we traveled to the land of mullets, long acrylic nails and McCain/Palin yard signs. Mr. Elmo Goodwyn passed away at 93 years of age. John had never met him, but apparently he was an old member of Tabernacle Church and they needed the pastor to say a few words. It was raining, so a graveside service in the field was too muddy....Mr. Goodwyn was laid out in the living room of his old farm house. About 30 people had gathered....there was a mixture of suits and camoflage. Afterward, they cleared the hallway to carry the casket to the hearse awaiting just outside the front door. We took the long way home through the back roads instead of the interstate....

Al experienced Brazilian dance/marshal arts in her Dance Cultures Around the World class last nite. She called and said she is now a Brazilian ninja and loved the whole tribal thing! She is driving to Hampden-Sydney this afternoon....Reality check: childhood friend, Leigh Barksdale is expecting .....

I am gathering steam for the weekend....packing...

W O R K C A M P N E W S

Pete A's paperwork paid off....Thrivent for Lutherans is giving us $5000

A Change In Plans

Alicia called early...she woke up in the wee hours of the morn with the stomach flu! Needless to say we don't want to go near her and her family! I will travel to Richmond around noon and have lunch with Al. Then she heads off to mentoring.

(Ben & sister Ellen at the Spring Cotillion at the Pburg Country Club....Happy Birthday, Bennie at VMI!)




W O R K C A M P N E W S....

Today is Ben Scudder's & Jared Carlson's bday....

I went to the Colonial Heights School Board Meeting last nite....Bob and Karen were there. The Kochuba family was there because KATIE was being honored as senior of the month. Stephanie Colb sat on the board last nite as a student representative. Dr. Kim Evans was there also. I thanked the board profusely....gave them all workcamp lanyards and stat sheets. It's not official, but I believe strongly that we will be at CHMS again next year!

Many are joining the Facebook group, PRESBYTERIAN ENERGIZERS ARE LIKE CLUBBING WITH GOD! It's great....we may even be able to pick up a few new ones for next year.

No,....we will not be making a trip to the gulf coast of Mississippi in February....

We talked about helping in Texas, but it's SO far away....

We will do another SMOKE DETECTOR BLITZ in Petersburg after the first of the year tho...

This time we share a meal together too! Fun day...

THE LAST DAY OF SUMMER

Yesterday was the last day of summer. The hummingbirds are gone south, the acorns have fallen from the big oak tree by the back deck and we'll be covering the pool when the leaves start to fall....

JR received a phone call last night. A member of our congregation passed away and his sister requested that John do his funeral....it will be a small graveside service out in the country. John didn't know him.....he was an elderly man that had been shut in for years. It reminds me of a "country" funeral that John did this past summer. After a few brief remarks, JR had to climb aboard a small skiff as the son "poled" out to the middle of the pond to scatter his father's ashes.

Allie says that her brain is "french-fried"....

W O R K C A M P N E W S

- Jennifer Cunningham (Larry's daughter) is marrying in October in Charlottesville where she is working on her doctorate at UVA

- Ricky Heinzman is a father ...little Alexander was born yesterday (Drew's his godfather)

- Pete A is working on the Thrivent Grant.....I'm working on the Pburg grant

- Gearing up for my presentation tonight at Colonial Heights School Board

- Another NEW church phoned for info to register 20 in January

Here we go!

(Anna Rossing , Minnesota - WORKCAMP 1991)

The Romaines.....Workcamp.....blogging.....

This is new territory for us, so here we go! Thanks to "Massimo" for sharing his blog and showing us how to share to LOTS of info, fun and news.

This will be a space for the Petersburg Romaines & WORKCAMP news since we are so entwined that we have no idea where one ends and the other begins!

This will probably be the longest entry since I am bringing everyone up to speed.

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The Petersburg Romaines have been both busy and enjoying the "down time" after this summer's workcamps.

J.R. has been in demand. First is his congregation at Tabernacle Methodist....his tight little congregation in Dinwiddie County, VA. They used to be a circuit riding church, so he only ministers there on the first and third Sundays of the month. Every first Sunday the church eats together afterward, and boy can those ladies cook! The last Sunday in August he spoke to a large congregation at Prince George Christian Church....much fun!

Then, September 14th he was asked to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church to speak to annual catichist retreat about "the Word". Some of the folks had heard him daily at the adult sessions this summer at workcamp, so they quickly invited him to their church!

J.R. now has a cold/flu.....but did that stop him from golfing this morning????? Not!

Allie is moving in about 100 directions at the same time. This is her last year at VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University). It's her plan to graduate in May '09 with a degree in International Studies w/ a minor in French. So, now the push is on for her. She lives alone in Richmond in an interesting old apartment only a block from campus. This semester she is taking a French grammer class and French literature/culture class... both are taught totally in French.....she is picking up her last science credit with an Astronomy class....and her final art credits with a class on Dance Cultures Around the World. She was snatched up for an internship with the Richmond Catholic Diocese office on REFUGEE & IMMIGRATION assistance. She works in the refugee area. Most of the refugees coming in are Iraqi women and children who have lost their sons, husbands and homes because of the ongoing war. Allie has had a year of Arabic & also Islamic studies so she understands the culture. As it turned out, she has been assigned a young Islamic family from Somali. She mentors an 18 year old young woman and her 21 year old brother. They have 2 younger siblings that have been placed in a foster home situation in Richmond. Their parents were killed in front of them and the children were brought here out of harms way after trying to survive on the streets. As their relationships grow, I will keep u posted! We are so proud of Al and her ability to see and feel globally. Allie continues to see and love Drew Murphy who graduates from Hampden-Sydney in '09 with honors. She anxiously awaits the DVD of Sex in the City!

I'm enjoying the "down time" if u could call it that. I've gotten back into genealogy again after 21 years (put it away when Al was born because it was TOO time consuming!). Alicia S. and I went to the state library in Richmond to do some research last Wednesday....then she , Al and I went for lunch at the STRAWBERRY CAFE. We're heading up to the Morman Library in Richmond this coming Wednesday and lunch with Al. Saw the moving "Ghostown" the other day with friends....don't bother...it was really bad. Bought a small portable fire pit to go by the pool so hope to set it up this coming weekend.....Speaking of weekend, Al, Drew and I are heading to Charlottesville for a big wedding at ASHLAWN...our sweet Eliza D. is getting married and it is going to be quite the happening.....can't wait to post the photos on this! See, this is where it all gets fuzzy....Eliza is one of our Workcamp daughters......so, now on to workcamping news...

WORKCAMP NEWS! Tomorrow nite I address the Colonial Heights School Board and express gratitude for the use of their buildings this past summer. It is our hope not to return to Richard Bland College but to stay in Colonial Heights for 2009! So, lift up your prayers! New churches from around the states are emailing for info for next summer, so I predict that the rush will be on January 2nd. It is a difficult time but exciting time to see who makes it in......Last summer we had over 360 campers and staff....repaired 48 houses.....built 14 wheelchair ramps......and installed smoke detectors . Looks like the old bandmembers to LIVEWIRE have joined up again, so they will be joining us in 2009 both Tuesday nites.