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 :)