Saturday, February 11, 2012

Where Have You Been? What Have You Been Doing?

Yes, I did finally get my Christmas stuff packed up and moved to my rented storage area. I did it on Feb. 4th - and just to clear things up - I had taken down the outside decorations and lights quite awhile ago - but the manger scenes and indoor stuff was still up.

On Friday, Feb. 5th, my daughter, her husband and her friend and myself all left at 5:30 a.m. to drive to Washington-Crossing, PA. We were going so we could see my grandson perform the lead in the musical, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown on Saturday. We had so much fun watching his performance! His Dad had gone 2 hrs. early (with a good book) to make sure we got front row seats and we did!

Sunday was Superbowl day and we were crazy watching the game and seeing our favorite team, the Giants, win!!! Plus my daughters and Lindsay organized all the food - guacamole (sp?), pigs in a blanket, twice baked potatoes, and a great chili! It was one of the best played Superbowl games I ever watched.

Monday my daughter drove us all to Secaucus, NJ and we took the train to NYC!!!!! It was a perfect day - sunny - and brisk. Lindsay had never been to NYC so we got to do all the regular stuff - Rockefeller Center with the ice skaters, Tiffany's, seeing the Plaza Hotel and the Empire State Building - a glimpse of Central Park - then we headed downtown on the subway and walked around Greenwich Village/Soho area. We must have walked 10 miles! I loved being back in THE CITY!!! We headed back to Myrtle Beach on Tuesday - stopping at Arlington National Cemetery and then going to IKEA!!! Didn't get back until 11:30 p.m.

So today, Saturday, I basically stayed in all day - cleaning and reading. I've been re-reading the Narnia series and loving it - finished The Horse And His Boy today and it was just a fun read! My sister called me and asked if I wanted to go with her and my Mom to Cheeseburger Paradise for dinner and I of course said "yes!" Great hamburger - fun meal - though my Mom didn't like the music that was playing.

I'm also reading Abandoned To God - Oswald Chambers by David McCasland and it is excellent. It is a borrowed book so I can't make notes of favorite pages in the back of the book like I like to do - so I am filling a notebook with favorites - of course I am practically copying the whole book!!!!

It is late - so much for trying to have an early bedtime!

Psalm 4:8 "In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Very Late

Made the mistake of turning my laptop on at 11 p.m. and here it is 2:15 a.m. after spending time checking emails, facebook, the Centurion Forum and a couple of favorite blogs.

My Christmas decorations are still up - mainly because I haven't gone to my storage place to get the needed empty containers to put everything in. Tomorrow - I promise tomorrow after church I'll go and get them and start! Really!

This morning I went to a training session for Freedom Readers - a reading/mentoring program in my area for school children and I love it!!! Every week the child gets to pick and take home a book of their own. Once a week for an 1 1/2 hours - how simple can that be? Everyone that has been doing this was so enthusiastic - had so many creative ideas for engaging the children. I love reading to children and getting them "hooked" on a story!

Okay - stopping now - have to be at church at 9:30 a.m. for the first service and then the second service I am a volunteer with the 3-5 yr. olds - everytime my turn rolls around I whine and grumble to myself and then when I acutally get there I love it - and I know the young moms need a break - they do not need to be working in the nursery - they need to be in the "big church" getting fed. I really do believe that things are really skewed wrong - the older women should be helping with the children so the moms are getting fed and strengthened. Climbing down off my soapbox and going to bed. Thanks for listening.

P.S I am sick of all the political phone calls here in SC!!!!!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Thoughts About the New Year

Today is January 18th and I am really just starting the new year now. All my daughters came for Christmas with their families and dogs and we all had a good time. Then the week after we received word that a dear friend, Arlene Schroer, died. There is no easy way to write that - my daughter Lauren, her husband, Jonathan, the five yr. old and the two yr old twins and the yellow Lab and myself all drove down to Melbourne, Fla. for the funeral and just to be with the family. I know being there helped me more than I am sure we helped the family.

Then this last week another friend, Mark McDandle, died of a heart attack. He was an award winning surfer. He was very special person and this was a real shock to our church and community. Saturday there was a "paddle-out" with about 100 surfers participating. This past weekend was the Your Next Step Retreat with wonderful speakers that encouraged and I would say inspired but really the word "challenge" would be a lot better.

So - my Christmas decorations are still up - I have to go to the storage place and get all the containers to put all the stuff back in. I have been putting the stuff on the dining room table.

I just finished a really good book, Surprised By Oxford by Carolyn Weber. Loved the book.