The Blue Talon & The Lilleys

Al & I made our way to Williamsburg Thursday. We had a late lunch at The Blue Talon and then headed over to the Williamsburg Lodge to meet Paige & family. Christy and her family were all here from Tennessee, so we were able to see everyone!

It was a brief gathering, but loud, fun and filled with laughter. The girls are growing so quickly! Ellie is into horseback riding and Caroline is into being Caroline.

Al & I had intended to go over to Busch Christmas Town since we didn't get to go last week, but we both were ready to head home.

Curled up in bed and watched the update on the computer of the basketball game VCU vs Akron! It was quite a game....one second left...one basket made...they one by one point! Go RAMS!

Allie received her living assignment for Columbia and is thrilled she will be on the first floor of the older building and she'll have a KITCHENETTE!!!

It's New Year's Eve and quite at the Romaine's.....

Bevell's Hardware

Just before Christmas Allie & I traveled to Blackstone, VA to Bevell's Hardware Store. I had been told about an incredible Christmas model train village that they set up for the season. It was more than we ever expected! SO MUCH FUN and so much to see.....and it's just set up in the local hardware store. Apparently they have been doing this for 30 years. We ran into two old friends.....Debra Bailey from Workcamp and SANTA....so Al joined them for a photo. I wish I could put all of the photos up.....here are a few. One of the girls....one of a locomotive....one of the actual drive in theatre that was playing....Maybe I can find a way to link all of the pics to the blog....Hmmmmmmm.

Family Time

I am so ready to crash for the night, but just had to post the new pictures. They are of Christmas Day and then the day after Christmas when we all get together. It was a wonderful time! I cannot stay up another minute! Enjoy the pics and I'll write more soon!

Too Warm For December

It's way too warm to be December! It should make being at Busch Garden's Christmas Town fun tonight though. Usually we are freezing with gloves and scarves! Allie, Ben & I are heading down there this evening for a few hours of fun.

The photo is of Al's dear friend Jonathan who has been in Mozambique since September with the Peace Corps. He and 17 others were just sworn in and sent to their individual villages. They had planned to meet up for Christmas this weekend. Tragedy......5 of his Peace Corps friends were in an auto accident....two of the girls were killed. It's very hard since he is so far away.......

I went to the grocery store REALLY early and bought the turkey and fixins for our big meal with family the day after Christmas. Most of the presents are wrapped.....it's nice to have most of the holiday time to have down time!

I visited more residents for camp on Tuesday, and met some WONDERFUL people for the kids to be with this summer. And it's official, there will be a Palestinian youth group from the GAZA STRIP......I am SO excited!

Heading to Williamsburg! ;)

Christmas & Close Friends

What a wonderful evening last night! It was cold. We had a fire in the wood stove and lots of goodies to eat. On the deck we had the fire pit going with giant marshmallows to roast for smores! It was a perfect time with close friends and old friends.

I think we may head to Blackstone to the hardware store this week to see the BIG train display. Everybody at church was talking about it....so, I think we'll make the journey!

Well, I must get the graham crackers & leftover marshmallows off the deck before the racoons roast them tonight!!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Yes, the John Deere finally was delivered! Boy did we have fun the first day as u can see by the photos! Everything is happening at double speed now. The days are speeding past us!

Five of us went down to Donk's for the Christmas Show this past Saturday. To my surprise, some members of my high school Class of '70 were there! It was SO wonderful to see all of them. I had forgotten and left the battery pack for my camera at home, so hopefully another picture will turn up on someone else's camera.

The tree is up, most of the presents wrapped or ordered and we are getting ready for a small party here this Saturday to celebrate Christmas and Allie's leaving for Atlanta. Should be fun....we are going to bring the firepit up on cinderblocks on the deck and had the fixings for smores plus other goodies!

I just called LOWE'S to talk with someone in Corporate about the reasoning for pulling advertisement from the show ALL AMERICAN MUSLIM. I really didn't want to jump the gun on this, but their explanation was very misleading. Online it has turned into a firestorm of hate and ignorance. Once I get some understanding on why they pulled their ads, then I can talk about a decision as to whether we'll purchase anything from LOWES again.

Well, I must get my parts in gear and head out into the world.....we need food in this house!

Entering the Season....

We are entering the Christmas season fast and hard! We are also dragging a big sinus infection with us! John is over his, but me....It's just hanging on!

The pictures are of the Prince George Christmas Parade....Ellen with the PGHS marching band, Alicia on her phone and Santa just happened to show up in his pick-up truck! It was a gorgeous day!

We are hoping to go to the DONKS Christmas show this weekend....and we are having a little get together on the 17th for Christmas and a farewell before Al heads to Atlanta next month.

The registrations for new churches should start rolling in soon....

Our little Louie (little vagabond dog) has been thru a couple surgeries and is doing TERRIFIC now. He is so much fun!

As you can tell...I'm a little distracted right now....will write more later!

Giving Thanks!

Well, it's the day after Thanksgiving....I am a slug! Yesterday was terrific...all the time in the kitchen was worth it. Allie even baked an apple pie for her friends...peeled the apples & everything! Jeffrey came up and spent Wednesday nite....the Scudders came over. We celebrated Alicia's final chemo & Jeffrey's birthday. We also had "British Crackers"....thus the picture of Jeff in a paper crown!

The picture of Allie with Louie tells the story of his ordeals the past week. I thought we might lose him. He had surgery again...bladder stones...even a trip to Midlothian to the ER vet at 4am one morning. He's rounding the bend now tho....so thankful.

Allie & I went to Ellen's PGHS Powder Puff game and photographed. That explains the pic of Ellen with the moustache in shorts...by the way, the Junior Class won! Hooray!

No Black Friday shopping for me....I am a crocheting fool right now making gifts for everyone! Made the cutest hats with the Columbia Theo colors...made three - one for Allie & one for Joseph & his wife, Leah.

Our plate is full for the next couple months....it's all good tho. Guess we are trying to cram in as much as we can before Allie leaves. Thankful she has been feeling pretty good....

Still have the fallen big tree in the back yard...oh well, priorities!

Dear friend & workcamp staffer, Victor, is in the ICU unit at St Frances....they aren't sure what is going on, so prayers are going up at a steady pace from all the kids.

Looking forward to a quiet weekend....

wi
th

The Wood Stove Is "A-Going"

Lots of Workcamp Babies being born! This is only a sampling! A more on the way! It's so much fun when they bring all these little ones by camp!

Fall is officially here....John & I have given up on keeping up with the leaves. I'm scooping out the pool regularly...going to leave the cover off like last winter. I love looking down the hill at it all year long.

Allie & I have been going thru her tubs & boxes, condensing them and labeling them for Atlanta. She is beyond psyched about going to Columbia. We plan to rent a truck. She'll drive her car filled with "stuff" & I will drive the rental. We leave on January 22nd. We plan to stay at Edyth's overnight...it's a little more than half way. I will fly back on the 25th. I am so excited that I get to see the school!

Alicia has her last chemo the Monday before Thanksgiving! By Thursday, she'll be feeling pretty rough, so all the Scudders are coming here for Thanksgiving. We'll prop her in the big lounge chair, fill her with turkey & drugs.

John is preparing a sermon on King David. Just did one on Church History, but I think it just went over everyone's heads. My hubby is just a little too brilliant!

Al had planned a trip up to NY/NJ to see friends & family, but with all that is happening and saving her $$$ for school, it just didn't work out. She'll make it happen sometime after all this transition.

Lots coming up in December.....Donk's Christmas Show, The Prince George Christmas Parade, Busch Garden's Christmas Town, Christmas Eve Service. And then in January...a get together at Linda Dugent's, a big annual family gathering at Aunt Janet's in Martinsville, and then Al & I hit the road.

I REAAAAAALLLLLLY want to get in a lunch date with Paige....we haven't seen each other in a long time. I couldn't go the last time we tried to coordinate...:(

John & I just finished watching "Saving Private Ryan" and I have shell shock just from watching the moving. As Lindsay Driscoll says..." It's the best movie I never want to see again". It was very fitting that we watched it on Veterans Day even tho we didn't schedule it that way. I think EVERYONE man, woman & teen should be required to watch it.....whew!

Well, I attended the "Church Of The Inner Springs" this morning and am now off to Walmart to beat the "after church" crowd. Wish me luck!

Prayers Answered!

Incredible news....Allie was accepted into the graduate program at COLUMBIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY in Decatur/Atlanta, GA. She will be studying towards a M.A. in Theological Studies (languages & history). She is walking around in disbelief! It has been such a long hard wait for her to find her direction. This happening is very sweet!

John & I went to Gregory Memorial Prebyterian church in Prince George yesterday. Their 11am service was done by this past summer's workcampers. They are always so inspirational and it always reminds of why I do what I do. It was all very moving.

Al was planning a trip to NJ/NY to see family, but has decided that work is taking precident now and with maybe a trip in early DEC to Georgia to check out housing, etc, she is pulling back. Hopefully she'll get to go sometime in the near future.

John is preparing a series of sermons on CHURCH HISTORY.

The wood stove is cranked up and we are ready for Halloween tonight. We don't get trick or treaters anymore....all of our neighborhood kids are all grown up! I am going across the street tonight to take pics of our neighbors who have created a HAUNTED DRIVEWAY for the kids!

I am crocheting like crazy while the TV is on. I am on my 4 afghan....giving as Christmas presents. It is so relaxing for me to do and I feel productive when the TV is on. John & I have been watching some really great movies lately....

Gotta scurry....errands to run!

Just A Rainy Day...

The photo is several years old. Bob, Karen & I goofing around when we were in Mississippi during one trip.

I have put off doing some paperwork long enough! I MUST attack it today...I am not usually a procrastinator, but I guess these past few weeks my true colors are showing! Gotta take care of business!

The highlight of my day yesterday was talking with SISTER JAMES REGINA in Maryland. She and three other sisters were involved in a horrible, fatal car accident....another sister that we dearly loved, SISTER LUCILLE was driving and passed away. It has been over one year. I tried talking with her on the phone not long after the accident and she was not well and making no sense. It is a miracle that she survived and is back to her spunky self. She is now confined to a wheelchair, but that's not affecting her heart and mind at all. She is someone I am very thankful for.

Al works a half day today and then heads to Richmond with friends. Had a glitch with VCU yesterday...seems that at first they said they hadn't mailed a transcript to Atlanta....then two phone calls later, they had....hmmmmmm. Al's going nuts waiting on all of this! And it trickles down to me....I wasn't anxious at all at first....now that the wait has become longer, anxiety grows!

An old friend, Debbie Healy, joined Facebook yesterday. Good to be in touch with old friends!

Church of the Inner Springs

It's Sunday....John is playing in the Fort Lee Club Championship Tournament....me, I'm at home in my pjs attending "The Church of the Inner Springs" :) The pic is of one week of staffers all donning black fake mustaches. Funny!
Louie keeps a watch at the bedroom window. We had a deer actually starting to come up the deck steps the other day. I getting ready to go down to the pool and vacuum and clean up a little. We are hoping to have a YaYa firepit tonight by the water. Alicia goes for another chemo tomorrow, so we hope to have a little down time!
Allie is planning a trip to NJ/NY to see family sometime early November. I sure hope she hears from Columbia before she goes! Waiting isn't easy.
Oops, forgot tomorrow is Columbus day...no mail, no bank....Hmmmmm

I Love Fall

Yep, here's the little hisser I killed with a shovel....nope, the hammer was not my weapon of choice. I just put it by the snake so folks could get perspective on it's size in the photo. Now I have mothballs sprinkled EVERYWHERE!

I have let so much time pass by that there is so much to catch up on in the blog. Our Tuesday nite Bible Studies are fun...we talk about so many things. Really learning a lot about the attitudes and values of the folks that come. I am surprised and love it!

Al has finally moved all her "stuff" home for a few months. She is planning on going back to school spring semester so she won't be here long. She's waiting for the final word from Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta/Decatur, Georgia. No, not a Divinity program....they have an excellant language/history department - Master of Theological Studies degree. She is really trying not to get her hopes up.....but it looks very good!

I'm wrapping up all the loose ends of Workcamp 2011 and treading quietly into Workcamp 2012. Already picked the theme song, working on the brochures and doing some pre-work before I start looking at houses in November.

John's son, David, landed a prestidious job and now has an office in D.C. and one in Paris. He's in France right now and Al is making plans to go over sometime with him. Loooooooooove Paris!

Figuring out what to do with the driveway....the foilage is closing in and getting a "bush hog' is really expensive. We'll figure it out!

Spoke at the Petersburg Rotary Club meeting the other day at the Pburg Country Club. Still have a hard time believing how Olde South that place is.....whew!

It's about this time I really begin missing our workcamp friends. So glad we have a wrap-up meeting in October along with the board meeting. It gives us a chance to say hello before the holidays. This registration begins Jan 2nd so we begin talking more often. We are coming up on the 25th anniversary celebration of some sort. If we count incorporating, then the anniversary falls in 2012. If we count from the first TCW camp, then it falls 2013....we'll talk it over and see what works!

The day is waiting....

Too Much Time Gone By!

I can't believe that I have let so much time go by without writing! Sooooo...I guess we have been really busy. Let's see:

- I killed a huge copperhead snake over two feet long at the front steps. The photo is of Allie, Jonathan & Jeremy....Jonathan left for 2 yrs in Mozambique/Peace Corp. This was taken at his farewell party. The other photo is of little Louie....he was totally traumatized by the groomer after this pic. Al has completed the admissions process for Columbia Theo Seminary in Georgia....just waiting for the admissions board to meet. Al is getting a steady stream of substituting in Colonial Heights this semester.

I am crocheting away...making Christmas presents.

I am sure there is MUCH more to write, I just can't remember it. Will look it up in my journal and write more in a couple days....

Rain, Rain & More Rain

The pic is of Alicia & me at her son Ben's wedding. She is over half way finished with the chemo now...then radiation.

Al is making plans to leave tomorrow for NC/GA. She is heading down I85 and spending the nite at Edyths. Then on to Decatur to visit Joseph & Leah at Prebyterian Theological Seminary....yep, she is applying to several for her Masters. Will keep u posted.

I have been spending my days shuffling things around in the house to squeeze Allie's things in. Who knew she could accumulate so much stuff while living in Richmond. It's good tho. It's forcing me to clean out areas of the house I had forgotten about....and finding old treasures....like a flash attachment for my camera. Going to try it out today.

John's birthday was good...quiet...all of his kids called so he was thrilled. He preached that morning at Tabernacle and it was "eat lunch at church day" so we had a great time. He & I don't like to talk about birthdays much anymore....

I have been enjoying way too much time on Ancestry.com. I have things I SHOULD be doing, but the lure of typing in genealogy is too much! Love it!

Jeffrey's been really sick with kidney infection...he's better and made the first day of school. I will check on him today too. Geez...I better get going!

Trying To Be Normal

I love this picture of John....studying...Will laying beside him. Wish we had electric power to read by. Today was a good day...each day gets easier as we get into the rhythm of living like Laura Ingalls.

Al and I spent a good part of yesterday afternoon packing up the remnants of her things at the house in Richmond. She and a friend borrowed a truck and hauled the final pieces of furniture today. We loaded it into the house in the dark.

We do have a new little generator, but it's just been hard to find gas to run it. Hopefully tomorrow will bring electricity!

Keith Spain came by today and helped John remedy the gaping hole in the driveway where a bit tree uprooted. They just cut the tree off hoping that the stump/roots would just plop back into the hole. Of course, it didn't. Keith went and got his truck and rope and pulled the tree stump back into it's hole! We didn't know he had come back...he texted that it was finished and we never heard a peep! Yep, there ARE "angels among us!"

P.S. I now have to fasten Will's diapers with duct tape so they will stay on :)

Good Night IRENE!!!

What a day! John, Allie, Jeff & I awoke to a bit of chaos. Hurricane Irene was supposed to slam into the Tidewater area....but instead, she decided to visit us....and when I say us, I mean Deer Run Drive! We had one major tree across the drive, John's little plum trees were uprooted & on their sides, but the biggest miss of all was the HUGE OAK tree beside our back deck. Irene uprooted it and slammed it to the ground, thankfully AWAY from the house!
We had parked Al & Jeff's cars down at the circle so we could have a vehicle in case trees fell across the driveway (which they always do during a big storm). Sherry had called to say that a huge pine tree just missed Al's car...power lines are all gnarled down there....multiple trees across the Hass drive and yard and a big oak fell into their pool and flattened their gazebo.
John & I cut thru the tree and cleared enough room for the cars in the driveway while Allie went out to scavange batteries & water. She came back empty handed.....with all the power out, stores and service stations had no goods nor gas.
John went to Prince George Christian to preach (I couldn't believe they were having church!) while Al & I scrambled in Home Depot and bought a generator. Later in the afternoon, the two of us went almost to Crewe to get gas....Petersburg was no place to be if you were sane. Cars lined up for literally miles....police rerouting traffic around Wawa....
We made it home....hooked up the generator to the refrig and the three of us headed to the pool in our bathing suits for baths. We fixed dinner by flashlight and all curled up in the bedroom with the fans and tv. We were "living high on the hog!".
Once we get this generator thing figured out we'll be able to shuffle appliances a little more easily. I'm thankful for at least being able to contact the outside world with cell phones and facebook. We're thankful for the cooler evenings too...our generator isn't big enough to run the air conditioning.
Tomorrow, Al & I head to Richmond to finish packing up the final tubs from her house and bring a load home. She and a friend are borrowing a pickup and trailer Tuesday and bringing the final pieces of furniture. She also has a class at VCU tomorrow nite if the school is open....
So, ...an airplane fiasco, an earthquake and a hurricane all in one week. Don't think I can top that anytime soon!
P.S. The photo is of circle up one morn at workcamp....we sing "Sweetly Sings the Donkey" to wake everyone up, so one of the staff decided to bring a REAL donkey to morning sendoff. His name is "Donkey".

What A Summer!

The photo is from when Allie & I went the THE BLUE WILLOW tea room back in March. So much fun! Al is finally back from England. She had a wonderful time out in the England countryside but her journey home was not without a hitch. NEVER, I repeat, NEVER fly DELTA or any airline operated by Delta. Bottom line, she had to spend the night in Queens, NY.....I had to drive to Dulles to pick her up the next day. Story too long and involved to write, so just know that if you ask me about it on the phone or in person, you're gonna get a mouthful!
Yep, we experienced the EARTHQUAKE yesterday! Al & I had just brought back a load from her rental house in Richmond. She retired to her bedroom to eat lunch & watch a video....I plopped on the bed beside napping John to rest a bit. The bed started shaking like crazy...looked down and the floor was wavy....loud banging like an unbalanced washing machine was in the bedroom. It was the large hutch with TV banging against the wall. Al yelled from her bedroom to get into the doorways....John gathered up the dogs....it actually wasn't scary...just WEIRD!! Totally no phone service for awhile afterwards too.
Now we are awaiting a visit from Hurricane IRENE.....and NO, I don't believe this is the end times!!!!!!!!
I now put diapers on WILL...yep, diapering the dog. It's so much better than the alternative though! Our little buddy is happy, fun, but blinding and deaf.....the vet tells us we'll just know when it is time.
I love that I'm getting projects done around here. Today is treat the pool, a couple other things and then heading to a matinee to see THE HELP with neighbor Debbie D.

Alisha is having a good week. She is with children's camp at Camp Kehukee :)
Lovin the cooler weather!!!!

It's Quiet Here....

It's pretty quiet here ....John is speaking this morning at Prince George Christian, Allie is somewhere in Dover, England. Louie & I are snuggled here in the bed getting ready to dig around on the Ancestry.com.

I've tackled a few projects around here and am getting ready to mulch the front yard beds. Maybe something will set a fire under my butt later, but right now, it's overcast outside & muggy and the bedroom is really comfy!

Talked with John's brother, Mike who is still in the hospital in NY. He's battling lung cancer, congestive heart failure and chemo....& he's positive and fighting. Thank God for Nat, who is keeping tabs on him for all of us.

I hate it that we are missing Alyssa's wedding up there, but we can only be so many places at once. I know it will be precious.

Any of the photos I post are probably some view of workcamp & the people I love dearly from there.

Lots of Info!

The photos are just some WORKCAMP shenanigans! So much is happening and so much is going on that I'm spinning! Allie did not get into the history grad program at VCU because of her lack of history credits, etc. They don't have a Religious Studies grad program, so she is applying at other schools for the spring. She is moving home, taking a couple of classes at VCU in Religious Studies and substitute teaching until spring.

OH, and did I mention, she is headed to London on Tuesday....with a side trip to Sofia, Bulgaria.

Yep, she will be staying with my cousin and checking out King College's Religious Studies grad program, visiting family, checking out London and then flying to the "mother country" for a few days and staying in a hostel. Looks like from the DNA tests, that's where the largest concentration of J2b folks are....

John is speaking at Prince George Christian church a couple of Sundays in August while their pastor is away. He was wonderful with the adult groups at camp!

I need to figure how to put the links to this summer's photos on here....Hmmmmmm.

I am enjoying some down time. I have a couple of projects I'm looking at while Al is gone....we'll see.

Tomorrow is a Tabernacle Sunday and it is the first Sunday of the month so we all eat lunch together :)

It Is Finished!

This picture of Jeffrey (just before the last morning staff meeting ) says it all.....we are all depleted.....fidgity....tired....anxious....and HOT! What a month of JULY tho! WORKCAMP 2011 was incredibly wonderful, but right now, we are ALL too tired to talk about it! So, here's the photo of Jeff.....I am sure we'll all come around soon! xo

The InBetween Week

This inbetween week is always a killer for me. To top it off, I have some sort of sinus infection yuck. I am able to get an amazing amount of work done tho. Al drove down to Edyth's for a few days to hang out with the Pruitt/Taber gang. They went out on the boat today and are all going to the Harry Potter final movie tomorrow night. Then Edyth, Cass & Al are heading back to Pburg Friday night. We can all hang out by the pool before heading back to workcamp on Saturday.

John has been asked to speak at Prince George Christian Church for a couple of Sundays in August. He went to the dermatologist today and it was good.

Alicia is back in the hospital. The chemo is kicking her hard.....I am afraid to go up to St Mary's because her white count is .2 and I don't want to give her anything...:( I hope she comes home soon....

So...basically, for the next few days I am typing my little fat fingers off!

Can't wait until Saturday....not only is the camp bulging at the seams with kids, but a lot of my family will be there.....Jon David is a handyman, Jeff for music, Allie on staff, and my two nieces with four friends will be campers....LOVE IT!

Incredible!

What an incredible week of workcamp! Here's a link to click on to see a sampling of the photos from week one. Much more to come!

https://picasaweb.google.com/114815804566080581089/Workcamp2011Week1##

Here We Go!

One of the photos is from a workshop we held last week for workcamp churches if they weren't able to put together their own. The second photo is of Allie picking blackberries. We found a wild blackberry bush down by the pool and that started the obsession. On the way home from church the other day, I saw cascades of blackberries by the road. I have been back twice now...Allie made muffins with some of them. It really takes me back to when Grandmother used to dress us in long pants & long sleeved shirts & we would go & pick blackberries for her to make jam. So much fun!

I have butterflies in my stomach....it always happens the week before camp. It is a mixture of anxiety, dread and just plain yuck! Once I see all the other folks that are on staff though, it all just melts away. I have learned just to expect it and deal with it.

Al still hasn't heard from VCU graduate school....nor the job she applied for. She is really dealing well with being in limbo....it's tough!

Tonight we put up the walls in the gym....Thursday the building inspector takes a look at it. I take a van load of "stuff'" to the school tonight.....John has Bible Study tonight at 7pm. I have many loose ends to take care of, but yet, here I am typing on the internet! Goofy me!

It's Always Something!!

The picture is of Allie & our newest little addition, Louie. He is MUCH better after his surgery for kidney stones. It was rough going for a little bit, but he is a scrappy little fellow who had to finn for himself for quite awhile. We have fallen madly in love with him. Our other dear pup, Will, is now pretty deaf....and his sight is going...but he still knows routines, plays and eats, so he's happy with Louie around too.

Working at home has it's advantages, but disadvantages also. There's always something that comes up to distract me away from what I need to be doing. Day before yesterday, our satellite TV went out....Direct TV came & gave me the news that there was no "line of vision" for the satellite beam....the trees in the distance had grown too tall for the signal to get over. They suggested DISH network because their satellites were in a different part of the sky. To make a long story short, "Bryan" from Dish Network spent most of the day with us installing a new system....he was more than terrific & John is happy with THE DAILY SHOW tonight! So thankful....it was looking like we were going to have to live like the Amish!

Paul B. came today & spent the day with Allie around the pool. It's ALWAYS good to have him around!

Alicia felt the best she's felt in a long time tonight. Ellen is coming home from a week long retreat in NC tomorrow.

Jeffrey was awarded 3rd place in the STATE level school bus ROADEO competition in Norfolk today. They said he touched a cone with the bus....cost him 50 points....otherwise he would have won. Third place isn't bad for the final state competition tho!!!

There are ticks everywhere! Everytime I go outside....I find them! UGH!

Movin' Right Along

The photo is from one of the mini-workshops at Billy Clark's. It's so exciting to see brand new teens. One little guy's hands were trembling when he used the tools. I can't wait to see him come in from the job on Monday of camp with his hat on backwards and a big grin on his face!

There are so many details to take care of, but this time of year is always very challenging & emotional for me. Added to this is little Louie, our little found yorkie. He had kidney stones & was not in good shape for several days. It's hard to see a little animalsugger & not know what to do!

Al's endo has been rearing it's ugly head lately so that's been difficult to watch. Al is very good at handling it, it's just hard.

Alicia is facing a difficult time, but I think she is doing terrific considering. Her total body PET scan was clear, so her cancer is staying at Stage 3c.....next is chemo & radiation.

I have LOVEd going out behind the pool & picking wild blackberries. It reminds me of when Grandmother used to dress us kids up in long sleeves and we would head out to pick buckets & buckets of wild blackberries for her to make into jam. I think Al & I will make some little tarts today!

I am SO looking forward to being with my workcamp family & my own family in JULY! IT is such a blessing for me!

Treading Water!

Photo is of Edyth & I in Morganton, NC the other weekend for Joseph's wedding. I am feverishly sending out tshirts in the mail. The workshops in Colonial Heights at Billy Clark's are this week.

I've finally finished assessing houses for both camps...well, I just need one for week #2. We have some wonderful residents for the kids to get to know this year! It's going to be SO MUCH FUN!

John delivered a tough sermon this past Sunday. He "came out of the closet" and talked about his support of gay rights. I hope to get it up and on his blog later today. Just much to do, much to do!

P.S. I HATE TICKS!

I've Waited Too Long To Write!

All of the photos are from Joseph & Leah's wedding this past Memorial Day weekend in Morganton, NC. Joseph is Edyth's nephew that is studying at Columbia Presbyterian Seminary in GA. It was one of the most fun & memoriable weddings I have ever attended! Such a terrific time with friends.

I have waited almost a month to write in this journal, and now I just don't know where to begin recounting everything. Allie has applied for grad school in VCU's History department. Her ideal is to get in and then get into another university that has a religious studies program. That's where her heart lies right now.

John has been making changes by leaps & bounds. He packed up and headed to upstate NY to visit friends and family ALL BY HIMSELF the other week! So proud of him as he scooted down the driveway in his new little Honda Civic. He is overcoming a lot! After he returned, he went down to Hampton to have breakfast with Annie and some of her family! This Sunday is a pretty controversial sermon....will talk later.

Jeff, Jon David and family came up for some pool fun and food on Memorial Day. The nieces are coming to workcamp this year with three friends and a teacher from their school! Jon & Jeff will BOTH be on staff this year! LOVE it! Elaine plans to come up a couple days & help out the "cuisine team".

The new tshirts are in and are quite a sight! Out theme this year is "It's A Big World....SING LOUD!" I'll try to post a photo of the new shirts.

We a loving our "little boys". Will, our porky Yorkie, is going to be 13 years old this month. And our little new found 6 year old Yorkie, Louie, is the total opposite. John & I are having lots of entertainment and laughs from them!

I guess the biggest story is about Alicia. She had a double mastectomy. They took out 19 lymph nodes & there was cancer in all of them. She is back in the hospital because of diverticulitis that flaired up after she came home. This is really tough, but I have hope....I hope she does....

We are really enjoying our Tuesday nite Bible studies...we have them every other week. It's a great little discussion group. So many different personalities!

OK....I'll stop for now. Workcamp is calling and June is crunch month for me....so much to do! It's all good tho! It is a godsend.