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!