COLD!!!!

The cold just isn't going away and neither is the snow!  Apparently another cold spell is supposed to hit after the weekend :( 

Allie and I packed her things for tomorrow's journey. I am so excited for her.  I am also excited to buckle down and get ready for the summer.  Will buckle down more about losing weight too:)

We enjoyed watching VCU beat Dayton at an away game the other night.  Tomorrow is a home game!  John and I have a date with the TV. 

 



New Year.....New Beginnings

Things are changing quickly around here.  Al received the final call of confirmation and she begins Monday at the "embassy" of the PLO Delegation to the U.S. on embassy row!  I am including the website at the bottom of the blog.  She & Ben are going up Saturday to check out the metro route.  She will be staying at David's near Dulles temporarily until she maybe gets something closer to downtown.  Lots of prayers requested please.  This is going to be incredible but a challenge!
Tuesday, I drove down and spent several hours with Sheila & Glenn Plott.  The time goes by so fast when I am with them!  We had a wonderful time sitting around the kitchen table.  Then I met Allie & Paige/Grover in Williamsburg at "Food For Thought" for a delicious lunch, exchanging presents and conversation.  Again, the time goes by so quickly when we are all together! 
We all got home just in time for the SNOW STORM!!!!  Lots of snow and cold weather so it isn't melting.  Schools are closed and everybody's happy!
John visited Lois' mom at Southside Regional Medical Center.  She's there with an infection.  Then I just talked with Bobby Allen....his wife fell in the kitchen.....broke her arm in 2 places and is having surgery at John Randolph this afternoon.  Whew......I also had an old school buddy get in touch with me last night.  He is getting his first chemo.....diagnosed very quickly with lymphoma.  I hope and pray that the rest of the year isn't sprinkled with these kinds of happenings. 
I'm distracted with Allie's events....going to help her pack for the week.....so excited for her!  Can't wait to talk with our Nablus friends about all of this! 
To explain, the U.S. doesn't recognize Palestine as a country.  It has two governing bodies:  The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) who's president is Mahmoud Abbas is the rational voice of peace for the Palestinians.  Then there is Hamas, the violent extremists who pretty much have control of Gaza.  With no recognition as a country, Palestine can have no embassy, so they have a DELEGATION with an ambassador appointed by the PLO president. 
This is the group Allie will be with.  There are 10 people in the office representing the voice of Palestine.  It is important and they were looking for someone that knew all the ins and outs of the area:  religious, political, historical, and current events.  My girl is so smart & knowledgeable. 
Here's the website for the "embassy".....

http://plodelegation.us/delegation/chief-representative/

THERE'S A LOT GOING ON!



There is So much going on!  Biggest news....Allie applied for an internship in Washington D.C. with the PLO Delegation to the U.S. and was offered the position yesterday!  Only hitch, she is waiting for the ambassador to interview and sign off on her application.  They told her she had the position, but that the ambassador likes to interview sometimes.  So, Al is waiting again....boy, does she know how to play the waiting game! 

We are holding off , but need to find a place for her to live up there SOON!  The position starts on the 27th and runs until JUNE 27th.  Hopefully through her job there she will come in contact with folks that may hire her permanently:)  Fingers crossed!

Workcamp is steadily filling.....groups are adopting crews for lunches.  I have been totally lazy about much of it.  I bought a new computer program for the finances....updated much, but I just have to get into it REALLY SOON!

Took Ellen to a doc appointment the other day...all is good. Her mom would be so proud of her.  She is such a balance young woman.   Kent started driving lessons this past Tuesday....only three more weeks and he can get his drivers license.  The pic below is from last night....Bing and Ellen came up and we all ate out at the local Mexican restaurant....it was so good to see them!

Well, Al and I will continue the waiting game.  Ben has to work late tonight, so we'll count the hours together :)



Happy New Year 2014!!!!

The new year is here.  All my family & friends know I am not one to bring in the new year with a lot of hoopla.  I must admit thought, I have never been so glad to see a new year arrive as 2014.  The past year has been a rollercoaster ride....and yes, there have been many highs!  There were far too many deaths and lows, so I am ready to grab the good from last year and high tail it into 2014!!

As you can see from the photo, John was a good boy so Santa brought him a bike.  Only trouble is we are both spastic now!  Santa should have brought a "girls" bike....getting up to speed with that bar in the middle is messing us up!  We'll get it though.  Right now it's just a stinking reminder that we are getting older!!

Sylvia came over to visit tonight.  She and Al have plans in the works with Father Ibrahim.  More later as that materializes. 

The workcamp registrations are rolling in.  I am neck deep in paperwork now.  It's all good though.  Just a little overwhelming.  I've REALLY got to get the website rolling....I'm having trouble uploading it. 

Jeff, Jon and family came up the day after Christmas.  It was good to be all together.  We all plan to head to Horsepasture on January 11.  I'm trying to set aside a time to meet with Paige.....and we'd love to head down to see Glenn & Sheila too. Work before play though.  I've been lazy the past few months and now it's time to hussle!