Erin's Graduation

     With each of my children's senior years, I have been concious of "lasts"... the last Christmas concert, the last sporting event, the last competition, etc.  Since Erin is my youngest, the '" lasts" were much more poignant this year.  They were not only HER "lasts," they were mine as well.... the last time I would watch a high school concert, play, volleyball tournament, competition, or spring concert.  The last high school banquet.  The last time I would drive one of my children to Hartford Christian Academy.  The last high school graduation!  Needless to say, I savored each event even more this year.  I have always enjoyed watching my children participate in school events, (or Little League, or gymnastics, or drum corps), so I knew that I would miss doing so.  Erin served as the captain of her volleyball team, sang a solo in her Christmas concert, played the lead in "Little Women,"  placed first in two vocal competitions, and graduated valedictorian of her class.
   HCA has held their banquet the day before graduation for the past several years, so it has become a part of the graduation.  Erin and I bought her dress on Good Friday, and went to lunch at Panera Bread to celebrate her birthday, which was March 21.  (We had already had a family celebration but I wanted to do something special for both Janet and Erin, whose birthdays are two days apart.)  We picked up the dress just a week before the banquet, and it didn't need alterations!  We chose her shoes and a cropped sweater to go over the dress.  Her dress was a light coral/peach, and her sweater was tan to match her shoes.  Caroline did her hair, and she looked gorgeous! As I have for the past two or three years, I made a pancake breakfast the morning of the banquet.  We took a few pictures at the house, then traveled to HCA to take pictures there before the students left.  Caroline came with me, and we went to Starbuck's afterwards.
     Ever since Caroline's graduation, we have had a tradition of taking the graduate out to breakfast on the morning of graduation.  Al and I took Erin to Mahaney's, a little breakfast shop in the Poquonock section of Windsor.  Al came with us, as did Caroline and Janet. Dave, Becca, and Noelle could not be there for graduation, so they were not there for breakfast either.  They would come later in July for Erin's graduation party.  The seniors did not have to be at school till noon on graduation day, which is why we've been able to take the girls to breakfast.  We also had a small gathering of our church family for pizza at our house just before leaving for graduation. 
  This year, the kidnergarten graduation and school awards ceremony was held on the same night as the high school graduation.  The kindregarten program was forst, and they are always so cute!  The seniors watched from the doors of the auditorium, out of sight till their processional.  Erin was the only girl in her class, and her last name begins with A, so she was first in line.  She carried a rose as per HCA tradition, and looked lovely.  Of course I cried when she came down the aisle, and during her speech.  After the salutatory speech, the awards were given out.  Erin got the Fine Arts award and the Valedictorian award.  I was so proud of her when she gave her speech.  She was the same irrepressible girl she's always been... bubbly and full of enthusiasm.  She shared many memories of her class through the years, and her prayer that all of them would be found in God's will years from now.  How proud and thankful we were to see her get her diploma! We were thankful not only because Erin was graduating, but because God had made a way every year for our children to attend Hartford Christian Academy.  He provided not only the finances, but the transportation help we needed every year when we prayed that He would.  Thank God for his faithfulness and mercy!  I know that we can trust our Lord to continue to provide through their college years, even when we cannot see the way, because He has provided for us up till now.  We love you, Erin, and we are so proud of you!

Easter and a Trip to Pennsylvania

     This Easter we had a special treat.  Becca, Dave, and Noelle came up for the whole weekend!  I traveled back to Pennsylvania with them for a few days too.They arrived Friday at around two, and Noelle kept her eyes closed for fifteen minutes when she got into our house as a way of maintaining her space.  She let us hug her, but she refused to open her eyes! 

When she did, she began a game of "The Monsters Are Coming," which involved her saying "the Monsters are coming!"  and all of us hiding from the monsters. In subsequent games she decided that one of us was the monster, so she dragged the"'monster" into a cage!  Yes, Grandma took her turn being a monster!
    Our church has a Good Friday service each year, and our choir sings.  Noelle loves music, so Becca brought her to hear us practice.  She wanted to stay in the service to hear the song as well, so Becca let her do so.  Erin actually brought Noelle in and we could not find Dave, Becca, or Al, so Noelle sat with me in choir for a few minutes.  She perched on my lap like a little doll, and would have stood beside me while we sang without complaint if Dave and Becca hadn't come in before we had to sing. 
     Saturday I had to work, but when I came home we  "made eggs" with Noelle, and then I made Easter baskets for the three younger girls.  I gave the older ones flowers and a little bit of candy, and I had already sent Dave and Becca a Cold Stone Creamery gift card, but I had a little shirt to give Noelle, along with a little lollipop. David was in Yemen so I had already sent him a care package.  The older girls put together an egg hunt for Noelle and Erin.  I also took some time to go over Erin's competition pieces with her, as she was headed to Nationals early Monday morning.  Noelle wanted to watch, so I let her, and she was fascinated.  Then she looked at Dave and Becca's wedding picture, and I had to tell her who everyone was.
     Sunday morning, we were up early.  I made corn muffins for breakfast, so that we could grab them quickly.  Caroline did Noelle's and my hair, and Dave, Becca, and Noelle, Janet, Caroline, and Erin, Janet, Al, and I went to Sunday school.  Caroline joined us for church.   We all enjoyed celebrating the Lord's resurrection together, and once again Noelle stayed for the music and then went into the toddler room.  After service I hurried home to put dinner in the oven.  We had ham with raisin sauce, mashed potatoes, and salad. Al and I also had some grilled chicken, because he can't have ham and I'm not supposed to have too much of it.  We also had invited a friend who doesn't like ham or pork, so he had chicken as well.  Missy and Eric,  and Gail and John came over too, along with John's brother, Michael.  For dessert I made a lime pie and a no bake cheesecake.  After dinner, the kids had their egg hunt, and Noelle was so adorable as she found the eggs Caroline and Gail had hidden just for her!  We ate dessert and played a game.  We went to bed early because the next morning Dave, Becca, and I were leaving early in the morning for Pennsylvania!
     We were up very early the next morning and got on the road around six-thirty or seven.  I had to get Erin to school by 5: 15 (according to what SHE told me and what was on the slip), as the students were leaving for the National Fine Arts competition in South Carolina.  We left at 4: 15 and stopped at Dunkin Donuts for a breakfast and drink for her and a coffee for me.  We were almost there and it was close to 5: 15 when Erin's cell phone rang.  She said, "We're almost there," and I heard the teacher say, "You  should have been there by 5: 00, Hon."  When we got there, I apologized to her teacher and said that Erin had told me 5: 15, and that the slip said they were leaving at 5: 30.  He said maybe it did, so everything was OK.  I said goodbye to Erin and watched the bus leave.  It was exciting because she was going to be singing her solo at Nationals, but also bittersweet for me because this was the last time I would see one of my kids off to Nationals, as Erin is my youngest and she is a senior.  I got back to our house at a little after six, and left with Dave, Becca, and Noelle a little before seven.   It was surprisingly cold, as the week before had been warm right through Easter, so Noelle and I wrapped blankets around us in the car.  I sat next to her in the back seat, and of course we stopped at (surprise, surprise!) Dunkin Donuts for coffee, and donuts for Noelle, Dave, and Becca, and a bagel stick for me. (Noelle had milk.)  Well, the blankets around me and Noelle inspired an ongoing game of "the monsters are coming,"  which since we were in the car involved pulling the blankets over our faces to hide from the monsters.  She also asked me to read her some books, which I did.  In the middle of the books, she would announce, "The monsters are coming!" so I would have us hide behind the book.  Sometimes I would tell her, "They can't get us because we're in the car and they can't get in the car," but she would say, "They're coming!  They are!"  Then I told her that they were in the trees and couldn't reach us, to which she replied,"I see them!"  We stopped at Hershey Chocolate World and went on the ride.  Noelle LOVES the singing cows and what fun to see her reaction!  It was COLD in Pennsylvania!  I was not expecting that, as the weather in CT had been quite warm, but by the time we got to the house all i wanted to do was snuggle down in a blanket to get warm!
  Rebecca was sick Monday and Tuesday so she stayed home from school.  We watched movies, read books, and generally relaxed.  Wednesday she went back and I watched Noelle.  In addition to "The Monsters are coming," Noelle had another favorite game.. "Your arm is broken!"  She has a doctor's kit to which she added a wrapper from a skein of yarn as a cast.  She would put the cast on my arm and tell me my arm was broken and proceed to decorate my arm with stickers. On Tuesday we were doing  this and Becca decided to take us to the library.   When we were ready to leave, I told Noelle that  my arm wasn't broken anymore, and I took off the "cast."   She said, "Yes!  It's more broken!"
    Thursday was my last day at Dave and  Becca's , as I was taking the night bus back to Connecticut.     One of Noelle's favorite babysitters came over, as it was her regular  day to babysit and I wanted to visit with her.  We had a tea party with Noelle, which Dave joined when he stopped home, and Linda and I also had some real tea while Noelle had her snack.  We went out into the yard even though it was cold, and we drew on the patio with chalk.  We made a whole playground!   Miss Linda is VERY creative.  Noelle used to call her "Grandma,"  partly because she looks a little like me  and partly because Miss Linda is Noelle's best friend's grandmother, so Noelle hears him call Miss Linda "Grandma" all the time.  I had met her several times and it was nice to have a visit with her.  When Becca came home and Miss Linda left, Noelle, Becca, and I played Legos.  We built "Bethlehem."  (Noelle's idea.)  She makes up very elaborate stories during her play. 

  I had to catch my bus at 6: 30, so Dave, Becca, and I left in time to go to Cracker Barrel for dinner.  The shuttle bus that takes people from Hagerstown to the train station, bus station, and airport in Baltimore leaves from the Sleep Inn right across the driveway from the Cracker Barrel. so it was easy to go and wait for the bus after dinner.  We sat in the hotel lobby and waited, playing with Noelle the whole time.  When the driver came to pick me up, I said, "Noelle, Grandma's bus is here.  Give me a hug and a kiss."  She would not give me a hug or a kiss because in her mind, if she didn't hug or kiss me,  I couldn't leave.  I said, "Noelle,  Grandma has to get on the bus to go to Connecticut.  Give me a hug and a kiss!"  Very seriously and quietly, she said, "I can't let you."  When Dave told her Grandma had to go back to Connecticut, she said, "I can't let her."  Oh, that broke my heart!  I told Noelle to write me a letter, and that I would write her one.  I got on the shuttle, and we waved till the shuttle turned the corner and we couldn't see each other anymore.  Ten minutes later I got a text from Becca saying that when they asked Noelle what she wanted to do next, she said she wanted to write a letter to Grandma, and that she was weeping the whole way home!   It is VERY hard to say goodbye, as we live so far away from each other.    Two or three days after I got home though, I got a letter from Noelle and I sent her one back!  I loved sharing in her transition from toddler to little girl!

Erin's Musical Club Competition

     Last summer, I began working with Erin on pieces for her Fine Arts competition in March of 2012.  She had to have me teach her the pieces, and of course I gave her instruction in vocal technique as well.  In order to ensure that she had the pieces memorized well before competition, we began early.  I also need to be careful that we do not put too much strain on her young voice. We made a trip to the University of Hartford bookstore, where we looked at music and settled on pieces.  We decided on "I Will Sing New Songs of Gladness" from Biblical Songs by Antonin Dvorak, and "Vedrai, Carino" from Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  When Erin had learned the pieces, she began working with her accompanist at school, who would be playing for the Fine Arts competition.  While Erin was working on the pieces, the music director at school got a flyer from the Musical Club of Hartford, announcing a scholarship competition.  The director handed Erin the flyer and said, "Here, Erin, I thought  you could do your competition pieces for this."  Erin agreed, so we began working on the music in earnest.  I figured that it would be good preparation for the Fine Arts competition and a good experience for Erin.  I knew she had talent and that she had a beautiful voice, but I also knew that many of the other students would have far more training and experience than she had.  I talked to Erin about this and she understood.  She was accepted to the competition and her accompanist agreed to play for her.  I went to one pf her practice sessions to show the accompanist the tempos we had taken, and where she needed to slow down or speed up.  Everything was going well until the week before the competition, when Erin came down with a cold!  We prayed, gave her medicine, and lots of fluids.  By the next week she was better and had her voice at full strength.  We left church  few minutes early the day of the competition, and arrived at Hartt a few minutes before she was scheduled to arrive.  She registered and was given a warm up room.  I sat in on her warm up so that I could take her through some vocal exercises before she practiced her pieces.  Her pieces sounded great in her warm up, and I knew that she would perform well.  I could not be in the room for the actual audition, but I could hear her and she sounded good.  One of the coordinators asked me if Erin was my daughter, and I said yes.  She answered,"Lovely!", so I knew that Erin had sung well, but how she would stack up against the other students in the vocal category I did not know.
     The coordinators told us that they would be calling the winners and the honorable mention winners by 5:00 that afternoon.  When we got home, Erin and I began taking down the Christmas tree and putting away ornaments.  She kept her cellphone on her and turned on the whole time.  At 3:00, Erin looked at me and said, "Mom, I don't think they're going to call me."  I said, "Well, we knew that going in, but you sang well and I'm proud of you."  She said she didn't need a pep talk, and I knew that, but I wanted to encourage her somehow.  Then I looked at the clock, and said, "Erin!  It's only three o'clock.  The last audition was at two.  I don't think they're finished tallying the scores yet."  She agreed, and we went on putting ornaments away.  Not ten minutes later, the phone rang.  I said, "That's probably them,"  and when I heard the voice on the other end say, "Erin?"  I knew it was not someone who knew her. We were expecting to hear that she had gotten third place or honorable mention, but then I heard Erin say, "Really?" so I knew she had placed.  Then I heard her say, "First place?"  and  saw her grin and put her fists up in the air, and I was so thrilled that I yelled at the top of my lungs!  She won a five hundred dollar scholarship!  At the end of January the winners performed in a concert in West Hartford, so we all went to hear Erin sing.  She did beautifully, and we were so proud of her.  There was a little bio of each winner in the concert program as well as in the Hartford Courant article about the concert.  She went on to place first in Female Vocal Solo at the AACS Fine Arts Competition at school as well.  I am so thankful to be able to take something I enjoy so much and impart it to my daughters.  I have always believed that if I were faithful to use the gifts God has given me to help my children, that God would supply whatever was lacking, and I am seeing Him do just that.

Christmas 2011

     It has taken me forever to write this post, mainly because we had many things  going on after Christmas.  This Christmas was beautiful and joyful, but also our first Christmas without David here.  His unit was deployed overseas at the end of October, just before Missy's wedding.  This was also Missy and Eric's first Christmas as a married couple.  Merry Christmas to Mr. and Mrs. Eric Burns!  I was blessed to have Christmas Eve and December 30 off, even though we're not supposed to ask for days off during the holidays, and I got a very early shift the day after Christmas.  We did all the traditional things.... the cantata on December 11, Erin's concert on December 16, and Janet's concert at Manchester Community College  on December 17.  Right after Thanksgiving I began my usual baking, with extra thrown in for the cantata and Erin's concert.  And then, of course, shopping, done between work, church, concerts, baking, cleaning, and getting everyone where they needed to go! We had no Wednesday church service that week because of Christmas Eve service on Saturday, and Dave, Becca, and Noelle arrived Friday evening just in time for dinner. I woke up early on Christmas Eve, as usual, and Becca and Noelle were not far behind.  I needed to run to Stop and Shop, so they decided to go with me.  We had waffles for breakfast, and then I went with Becca and Noelle so Caroline could cut Becca's hair at her salon.  She brought Noelle so Caroline could show her off.  While Caroline cut Becca's hair,  Noelle and I walked down the sidewalk to the pet store.  She loves animals and we enjoyed seeing the birds, hamsters, and fish.  Then a customer walked in with her dog and Noelle got so excited!  She LOVES dogs.  We went home and had lunch, and soon it was time to go to the Christmas Eve service. I love our Christmas Eve service and reflecting on the most precious gift of all,  the gift of God's Son, Jesus, to be the sacrifice for our sins. After the service, we went to Glen and Lisa's house to celebrate with them,  It's a long-standing tradition to have Christmas Eve with Al's family, and it is always a great time.  Glen's house can be chilly, as it is so big, so Al and I were sitting on the couch with a blanket over us.  Noelle was between us, and she reached up to me, ran her hands over my face, and said, "You're beautiful!" What a precious gift that was!  Glen had lobsters for everyone, as well as two GIANT lobsters.  Noelle was fascinated with the giant lobsters, and worked up the courage to touch them.  When Glen cracked them open so we could eat them, she became quite concerned.  "The lobsters are broken! " she said.  We told her they were supposed to be broken.  We got to see a video of David's unit wishing their families a Merry Christmas, and Becca and Dave made one of us wishing David a Merry Christmas.  Guess what Noelle said to her Uncle David?  "The lobsters are broken."  The videos were on Facebook, so we could see his and he could see ours.  We got home late, about 1: 00 am, and everyone went to bed but me.... I had to fill the  stockings.  I got to bed at about 2 am and woke up around 7 am to get ready for church. We opened our stockings before getting ready for church,  then got dressed and went to the service.  Missy and Eric, and Gail and John, met us at home at around 1:00.  I put the turkey in the oven . put out some snacks, and we opened gifts.  Two of our friends from church joined us for dinner.  Oh, yes, I forgot, Missy and Eric ran late because they had to visit a friend in the hospital.  But we got the presents opened in time for dinner, and we had a nice time with our friends and family.  Somehow everyone managed to include stickers in Noelle's gifts, which sort of drove Becca and Dave crazy, because Noelle likes to put stickers on people as well as on paper! After dessert and after our friends left and Noelle went to bed, I reluctantly went to bed as well, because I had to work at 5 am. I always hate to go to bed on Christmas night, because I do not want to end the day,  Dave and Becca and Noelle met me on my lunch break the next day and took me to Friendly's.  I got out at 1pm, and came home. I put on my new pajamas that Caroline had given me and my new bathrobe that Al had given me, intending to take a nap and then spend the rest of the day in my PJ's.  That, however, was short-lived, because Dave and Becca and Noelle returned from shopping and Noelle decided to climb on me.  There's no resisting that!  Also Noelle wanted a sandwich so I made her one.  Just as Dave, Becca, and Noelle were leaving, Al decided to call the doctor about what we thought was either a toothache or a sinus infection,for which he had gotten antibiotics he night befre, but the medicine was not helping.  He had to go to the emergency room, so I got dressed and took him.  Well, we sat there for eight hours before anyone saw him, but he got stronger antibiotics and a pain medication, and by the next day it was better.  On December 30 we went to my sister Betsy's to celebrate Christmas with my dad and sisters, another long-standing tradition! My dad is always so pleased to have his whole family together, and we always have a nice time with them. My nieces and nephews are growing up and it is fun to catch up with them.  New Year's would bring Erin's Hartford Musical Club competition, her Fine Arts competition, the school play, and of course, decisions about college and her graduation.  It would also bring David's return from overseas, and the end of his enlistment in the Marines.  We're trusting the Lord for the road ahead for all of us.

Missy and Eric's Wedding

After a very stressful, power-less week, Missy and Eric's wedding went off beautifully! By the day of her wedding rehearsal, every place that needed power for the wedding had it, including the hair salons, the nail salons, and her house. The day of the rehearsal started in a crazy manner, though.... someone hit her car and she had to borrow mine, so Al and Caroline had to drive me to do my errands that were in preparation for the wedding. I had to go to Stop and Shop, and to find a nail salon with power. Actually, Gail decided we should have our nails done at Buckland Mall near her apartment. Al was preparing to drive us there, when Dave and Becca showed up. So we all went to Gail's. Caroline met us there, and she, Gail, and I went to get our nails done. Erin and Janet went to Gail's apartment with us so Caroline could curl their hair in preparation for their up-dos the next day, but we ran late so that didn't happen. Our nails took longer than expected, but somehow we all managed to get to the rehearsal on time. Getting that large a bridal party together to rehearse is quite an undertaking! We went right to the dinner afterward, at La Notte in East Windsor. Eric's uncle took pictures, and Missy and Eric had gifts for the bridal party and parents. It was fun to meet all of the bridesmaids and groomsmen, and some of Eric's family. We had to be up early the next day, as Missy wanted the women at her house to get ready at 9 am. Caroline went to her salon to have her hair done at 8:30, and Al drove me and the younger girls to Missy's. Caroline had been able to pre-curl Janet's and Erin's hair at Gail's after the rehearsal dinner. We stopped at Stop and Shop first,so that I could get bagels, banannas, orange juice, and cream cheese. We got to Missy's, had breakfast, and began to get ready. Amanda, one of Missy's bridesmaids, did my makeup first, while Caroline did Becca's hair. Then Caroline did my hair. Meanwhile, Missy and her bridesmaids went to their salon to have their hair done. Everyone looked really nice. I got to know some of Missy's bridesmaids and Meredith's mom. Meredith is Missy's best friend and was her maid of honor. The flower girls, Sage, Noelle, and Riley, were there as well, looking adorable. Sage asked me to take a picture with my camera, so I took a picture of her. She said, "NO," and pointed to her mom. I thought she wanted me to take a picture of her mom, so I did. She said "NO, I want to see Sagie!" She wanted a picture of her and her mom together, so I took one and showed it to her. Riley was a perfect young lady, and Noelle didn't quite steal the show from her Auntie Mimi, but she came close! Missy's photographer impressed me because he was everywhere at once without ever being in the way! Everyone looked so lovely all dressed up for the wedding, and Missy was every bit as stunning as I knew she woud be. We all cried when she had her dress on, and when she opened the necklace from Eric that used to be his mother's, we cried even more, because Missy cried! Al got there just in time for pictures outside by the fence. It was COLD! The bridal party got into the limo to go to the church, and Al and I drove in his car. At the church, we stood in the vestibule waiting for the bridal party to arrive, and had the opportunity to greet some guests as they arrived. I was relieved to see that my dad and sisters and Al's brother and sister arrived on time. The only one missing was our son, David, who would have walked me down the aisle. He is a Marine reservist currently overseas. However, my nephew, Patrick, did a fine job of filling in for him! Becca made a tape of David congratulating Missy and Eric on their wedding before he left for his deployment, and they played it at the rehearsal dinner. Anyway, Eric's dad and his fiance were seated, and then it was time for Patrick to walk me down the aisle. I smiled at my sisters and their families as I walked. My dress was a deep sapphire blue with a full skirt, and with the hairstyle Caroline gave me I felt very regal. I sat down, to wait in eager anticipation for the bridal party to proceed down the aisle. All of the bridesmaids were lovely, and their deep magenta Gerbera daisy bouquets really stood out against the espresso brown of their dresses. The groomsmen escorted the bridesmaids down the aisle. It did tickle me that my very petite Janet Marie was escorted by a very big guy, and I found out later that Missy and Eric had done it on purpose! :) Next came the flower girls and ring bearer. Avery held Sage's and Noelle's hands as they walked down the aisle. Sage and Noelle looked SO serious, and they were adorable. When the flower girls got down the aisle, I took Noelle to sit next to me till Becca got to our seat. Riley, the older flower girl, walked by herself and was a perfect little lady. Then came the maid of honor, Meredith, in a short dress the same color as the bridesmaids. Then---- we all stood up as the bride, our beautiful Melissa, walked down the aisle. I had begun to tear up when Patrick walked me down the aisle, but now I was REALLY crying, so happy for Missy and Eric, loving Missy so much, and glad she had found her love. Patrick read the first Scripture, then Eric's cousin read one. When Missy and Eric said their vows, Missy cried, which made me cry again. The ceremony was short but lovely, and Al and I had the opportunity to greet more guests as we waited for Missy and Eric to come out. Then we went to the reception while the bridal party posed for pictures. When they got to the reception site, Missy and Eric posed for pictures with the family. Her photographer got many candids too. I took pictures as well, but not at the ceremony. When we were ready to walk in to dinner, Missy made me put my camera and cluthch purse in the bridal suite, so I couldn't take any more pictures. We walked in to dinner before Eric's dad and fiancee, just ahead of the bridal party. Then each bridesmaid came in with her escort, and the moms or dads brought the ring bearer and flower girls. Missy came in with a Yankees #1 on her finger, while Eric came in with a Red Sox jersey over his tux! Then came the toasts, which made me cry, and Missy's and Eric's first dance, which made me cry even more! She is so beautiful and they are so deeply in love. Noelle began to dance as soon as she heard the music, and all the bridesmaids wanted to dance with her. Grandma even danced with her! She didn't stop the whole evening. Al and I danced together for a couple of dances too, which we've never done before. We were very conscious of the blessing and miracle God had given us in sparing his life last year so that he could dance with Missy and me at her wedding! We sat at the table with my dad and sisters, and with Mr. and Mrs. Glen and Barbara Anderson. Barbara and I used to teach at the same school, and Missy and Becca are friends with one of her daughters, so they know Missy very well. My dad kept looking at my fingernails, which were polished with light sapphire with white and silver accents. I normally don't do things like that, but I wanted something to match my dress. We enjoyed spending time with our family and friends.   Missy and Eric cut the cake without getting any frosting on each other, and afterwards was the father-daughter dance. Al chose "I Loved Her First," and of course that meant more tears! The reeption ended at 11, and we helped to gather the gifts and pictures to bring back to Missy and Eric's apartment. We were going to stay there, while the bridal party stayed in the hotel across from the reception site, but Al went home after dropping us off and said we had power, so we went home. The next day we went to breakfast with Missy, Eric, and the bridal party. When we got home, Glen and his family and Lisa and Patrick were there helping to clear our yard of downed branches and trees from the storm, so we had pizza with them. Missy and Eric left for their honeymoon in Antigua early Monday morning. After the week they put in, they deserved every minute of it! Praise God for making a way for them to have thier wedding on their day, and for providing power just in time! Praise Him for bringing the two of them together! Praise Him for sparing Al's life from his heart attack so he could walk his Missy down the aisle and dance with her at her wedding! I pray that He would ever bless and keep our daughter and our new son-in-law. We love you, Missy and Eric!

October Snow

Snow in October is infrequent but not uncommon in Connecticut. What is rare is a snowstorm in October that paralyzes the entire state for a week! We had such a storm the last Saturday of October, one week before Missy's wedding. The weathermen were calling for a foot of snow. I thought, "Oh, well, it will all be melted and gone by Friday, the day of the wedding." I was right about that, but wrong about the effects of this storm. Since there were still leaves on the trees, the branches became very heavy and many limbs were broken, landing on power lines. That meant power outages all over the state, with many towns being one hundred per cent out of power. I worked that day, hoping that I would be allowed to leave before the storm got bad. No such luck! First of all, we were very busy. Secondly, the snow began earlier than expected. I left at the end of my shift, and it took double the time to get home as it normally does. I saw many wires hanging low over the streets, and no street lights, as the power had already gone out. I arrived at our dark, cold house to find Caroline and Erin huddled under their blankets, waiting for me to come home. First, I lit a candle to give us some light. Then, I lit a burner on our gas stove to boil water for hot chocolate. Then, I located the ingredients to make dinner, lit the other burners, and proceeded to cook by candlelight. We only had one small candle so it was tricky. Well, Al got home with Janet and we ate dinner. He located two flashlights, and we found a few more candles. I washed dishes by hand in the dark, and then we went to bed because it was dark and cold. We kept warm by layering clothing and blankets. Sunday morning we woke up to a winter wonderland, but also to downed branches and power lines. It was much easier to deal with the power outage when it was light out! I made pancakes, and we made hot cereal for two neighbors and brought it to them. Everything in our town and the surrounding towns was closed, so we couldn't get supplies. Even the Walmart where I work was closed! The main concern we had was Missy and Eric's upcoming wedding.... would they still be able to have it? How would we manage without power? As the week wore on, we were able to get some limited supplies by going to towns farther away from home, as they had power. We also found out that Missy and Eric were going to have their wedding no matter what, so they spent the week trying to figure out alternatives. We were thankful that we still had hot water and a way to cook, because so many didn't have that. I missed work on Monday because Walmart was still without power. I worked Tuesday and was off the rest of the week because of the wedding. On Wednesday I went to Buckland Hills Mall with Al, and we sat in a Starbucks with him. Brewed coffee tasted so good, and it was so nice to be in a warm place. I brought my computer with me to catch up on Facebook and email, hoping to communicate with my son who is overseas. We met Janet, Erin, and Caroline. who were at the mall buying wedding gifts for Missy, and gave them my computer to use. Then Al and I got lunch. When we got home, I went to a laundromat in East Windsor to do laundry. We slept in the downstairs room of our house from Sunday night on in order to keep warm. By Thursday afternoon, every place that needed power for Missy's wedding had it, though our home did not get power till Friday. God answered our prayers to provide for Missy and Eric's wedding, and He brought us through the challenging week.

Pennsylvania, Visit with David, and Noelle's Second Birthday

Over Labor Day weekend, something very rare happened in our family, something that usually happens only at Christmastime. We had ALL SEVEN of our kids at THE SAME PLACE at the SAME TIME! David was on leave, so he went to Dave and Becca's house for a visit and we went there to visit him, as well as Dave, Becca, and Noelle. He got there the Monday before Labor Day, despite a cancelled flight on Saturday due to Hurricane Irene, and Al, Janet, Erin, and I got there late Friday afternoon. Missy and Eric were to join us late Friday night, and Gail and Caroline arrived late Saturday night. Anyway, when we arrived on Friday afternoon, Al dropped us off, checked us into our hotel (the Hampton Inn right down the street from the house), and returned to the house. We went out to Ponderosa Steak House at David's request. Dave could not go to Ponderosa with us because he had another engagement. Here I need to explain that when I refer to our son, I say "David", and when I refer to our son-in-law (Becca's husband), I say "Dave." Ponderosa has a buffet which you can get either by itself or with an entree. The younger kids (Noelle, Janet, and Erin) got just the salad bar and the adults got the salad bar with an entree. David was very diligent to make sure Noelle ate her dinner. Then he got her some ice cream-- traditional for an Aldrich Ponderosa meal. We spent some time back at the house and then Al, Janet, and I went to the Hampton Inn to sleep. The next morning, after breakfast, we went back to the house and spent the day playing with Noelle, who dragged us into her room,showed us all her toys, and asked us to read books.She also played hide and seek with us, hiding in some unlikely places as well as her "sheep house", a play tent where she keeps all her stuffed sheep. Another thing she enjoys is climbing into her ball pit and tossing the balls out for us to throw back in. Sometimes she tries to get us to get in the ball pit with her, so we oblige by putting our heads in, though Janet and Caroline can fit all the way in because they're so tiny! David regaled us and Noelle with his harmonica playing as well. Auntie Mimi and "Uncle" Eric (who will soon have the quotes removed from his title) had arrived late Friday night, so they also entertained and were entertained by their little niece. Saturday evening I went to a family picnic with Dave, Becca, and Noelle, while the kids went mini-golfing and Al rested at the hotel. Noelle loves playgrounds, and it was all we could do to get her to come off the playscape to eat. When we had to take her from the playground to go home, she cried! I gave her a bath while Becca finished her birthday dress complete with princess hat. Noelle loves her bath, but does NOT like getting her hair washed.After Noelle went to bed, Dave, Becca, and I watched a movie till everyone else came back, Then Al picked up Janet, Erin, and I to return to the hotel. I decided to check on Gail and Caroline, who were en route. Since it was nearly 11 PM, I hoped they were almost in PA. Gail said that they were in New Jersey and had gotten lost. Al said he would call them and help them, so I went to the room. When he came back, he said they had been playing a trick on me! After breakfast at the hotel on Sunday, we went to church in Hagerstown, at Dave and Becca's church. Then we changed and went to their house for Noelle's birthday party. Becca decorated the house with stuffed cows and black and white balloons, and Gail decorated a cake in the shape of a cow. She also decorated cupcakes to look like a cow's pasture. When we lit the candles, Noelle kept pointing and saying "Look at my cow cake!" with her adorable giggle! She opened lots of gifts, even though Becca had said that gifts were not neccesary. Being the first grandchild for our family and the first girl grandchild for Dave's family means that there is a myriad of willing spoilers! Our gift to her was a remote control car designed for children under three. I told Becca about it, and she told Dave, who said, "I'll bet it's pink!" It was, but we did not get it because it was pink. Becca had said that Noelle likes cars and that one was the only one that was appropriate for kids under three. After the birthday party, all the siblings went to the Olive Garden for dinner while Al and I babysat a very overstimulated Noelle. I gave her her dinner and talked to her about going to bed. I said, "After dinner, we're going to put your pajamas on, brush your teeth, read you two books, put you in your bed, sing, pray, and snuggle you." She looked at me very sweetly and asked. "Will you play with me?" I said' "Yes, I'm going to play with you by reading you books." When we were done with the books, she again asked if I would play with her. I said that I was going to ply with her by singing to her and snuggling her. We did so, and then we prayed together. I snuggled her a little more, and then said good night. I was amazed that she stayed in bed even though she was not asleep when I left her bedroom. On Monday before we left for Connecticut, we all went to Lake Tiberias Wildlife Park, which Noelle loves. Missy and Eric did not go, as they had to leave early for Connecticut. David held Noelle for much of the safari ride, helping her feed the animals and telling her how much he loved her. We all held sort of took turns holding her, snd she told us the names of all the animals. At one point, after the safari ride. we were listening to a presentation in the Reptile House, and Noelle got restless. I took her for a walk to look at some lemurs behind the reptile house. They started shrieking, so we figured that they did not like having us in their territory. When the park attendant asked us if the lemurs had scared us, I said, "No, it was more like we scared the lemurs." Well, when we met the rest of our family at the petting zoo, Noelle proudly announced to them, "I scared the lemurs!" I was amazed that she knew the names of so many exotic animals. After the petting zoo, we had to return to Connecticut, which meant saying goodbye to David, who had to return to duty as a Marine. That was hard, but I'm very proud of him for serving our country, and I love him because he is my son. I love his tenderness toward little ones, his courtesy toward the elderly, and his grin that shows up when he's teasing or particularly happy. I love his desire to serve his country and protect people such as his current and future family. God be with you, David, We'll miss you and we'll be praying for you!

Pennsylvania Visit and David's Visit to Connecticut

Over Memorial Day weekend, Al and I traveled to Pennsylvania to see David, who was going there before being activated with his Marine Reserve unit. Actually, I took a night bus down on Thursday night, arriving on Friday morning, and Al and Erin came Sunday night and picked us up, as David's flight back to Tallahassee to rejoin his unit was scheduled out of Bradley up here in CT. I was very grateful to his sergeant for booking his return flight that way, as it gave us extra time with David. David had already been with Dave, Becca, and Noelle for several days when I got there. Melissa, our third daughter, had also been there to see David before he went back to his unit. The bus ride was peaceful and uneventful, but the bus was delayed out of Hartford, and the station in NYC was crowded. I met a nun who was also traveling to Baltimore, so we chatted while waiting for the bus in NYC. She was from Enfield, and often shopped at the Walmart where I work in East Windsor! We stopped at a rest stop just over the Maryland border, where I was able to get a cup of Starbucks coffee, (I would have gotten one in New York but the cafe there doesn't have decaf and the Dunkin Donuts there wasn't a 24-hour store(!)), and we rushed to make sure the bus didn't leave without us. I was relieved to see that the driver was coming out just as I was taking my coffee away from the kiosk! We got to Baltimore about 45 minutes later. Last time I took the bus I discovered that the gas station down the street from the bus terminal had a little coffee shop in it, so I went there for coffee and breakfast, as I had a three hour layover in Baltimore. (I brought plenty of books with me!) Dave, David, and Noelle picked me up in Hagerstown and we went to their house. Becca came home a few minutes later and after lunch we went shopping at Walmart. Saturday, we went back to Walmart as Dave's family was coming over, and we had a nice visit with them. David also helped Dave dig in his backyard as they were getting ready to build a new patio. We shopped at Walmart, which Noelle calls "the banana store," and David bought me a box of candy. He gave a few pieces to Noelle because she was fussy. We also made a donation to the veterans, and got poppies, which David put in Noelle's hair. After visiting with Dave's family, we went to a Hispanic church service in which Dave and Becca were helping with music. David rested at the house and met us at the ice cream parlor afterwards. After church on Sunday, we went to Gettysburg , and then to Cracker Barrel, an Aldrich-Gettel Pennsylvania tradition. Noelle had us coloring with chalk, reading books to her, and playing in her ball pit with her. She would throw the balls out and we would throw them back in. Al and Erin came Sunday night and after visiting , brought us home to Connecticut on Monday. David visited friends and my sister and her husband came to visit him on Wednesday while I was at work. There was also a tornado warning in our area. My sister and her husband left just in time, and I was very grateful that there was a Marine in the house who would know what to do! We had a gathering for David at our house after church on Sunday evening, and he returned to his unit on Monday morning. I was very glad to see him and I missed him when he left. He had just been promoted to Corporal before his leave, so he was excited about that, though nervous about his new responsibilities. I pray that God would watch over him and give him the skill he needs, and bring him home safely to us! David, if you ever read this.... love you, proud of you, praying for you!

Gary's Wedding

Al and I arrived in Charlotte at 11: 30 am on May 20, after a beautiful airplane ride (my first). We ate lunch at the Wendy's in the Charlotte airport, which is beautiful (as is Detroit's), and then left the airport to take a shuttle bus to our hotel. Outside the airport was a statue and a flower garden, so I took a couple of pictures. It was HOT! We got to the hotel and waited for them to get our room ready. After a rest, I went swimming in the pool, then back to the room for a little nap. Then Al and I took the shuttle bus to the car rental place to get a rental car, then we went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Back at the hotel, I went to sleep and Al picked David up at the airport, as he was coming to the wedding from Florida. He stayed in the room with us. We went to Gary's wedding the next day. It was beautiful, and we saw some friends there whom we had not seen for a while. Sarah, Gary's bride, came down the aisle singing----- which made me cry!Her bridesmaids looked lovely, and Sarah looked lovely and radiant. The joy and love on her and Gary's faces was amazing. We had to leave the reception early to get David to the bus station for his trip to Pennsylvania, and return our rental car and get back to the airport for our flight home. The flight was nice, but I didn't like JFK airport in New York. You'd think they'd have a coffee shop open at nine o'clock pm, but they didn't. Our flight from New York took a long time because of the rain, but we got back to Windsor Locks at 11: 30 pm and Janet picked us up. Fortunately, I didn't have to work the next two days, and I could look forward to seeing David in Pennsylvania the following weekend!

My First Airlpane Ride.... and a Friend's Wedding

A friend of our family invited us to his wedding on May 21. Al and I wanted to see him get married and meet his bride face-to- face, though Al had already met her. We decided to fly to Charlotte, North Carolina, as the wedding would take place nearby. I was excited to see our friend's wedding, but I was also excited because this would be my first plane ride. Al has flown numerous times on business, but I never had. I always thought I would enjoy flying but never had occasion to do so. Work dragged that week, as I was anticipating our little "mini-vacation." I was also looking forward to having some time away with Al, as we had been going "full blast" since after Christmas, in addition to his recovering from his heart attack. I spent the week packing and getting the house ready so that the girls would be comfortable while we were away. We left on Friday morning, May 20. Janet dropped us at the airport at 6:30. We went through security smoothly and quickly, despite the long line. I watched Al carefully as I had never done this before. We found our gate and waited to board. We ran into our friend's parents and sisters, who were on the same flight! It was a pleasure to see them, as we had not seen them for a few months. We visited while waiting to board. When we got on the plane, I thought it looked like a bus except that we would be in the air instead of on the ground. Al gave me the window seat, right over the wing. Well, when we took off, I realized that this was nothing like riding a bus. We taxied down the runway and then sped up. I saw the plane lift off the ground, and we could see Route 75 and our neighborhood. Then we had to fly through some clouds, but when we reached our altitude, we had beautiful, sunny, blue skies with an entire landscape of clouds below! We could also see the ground sometimes and the towns and trees looked like little toy villages. The clouds looked like big snowdrifts, as if you could scoop up handfuls and have a snowball fight! God's creation is amazing! I never imagined how beautiful a "cloudscape" could be when viewed from the other side. We landed in Detroit at about 9 am, with a 10:30 flight from there to Charlotte. (Go figure.... we flew from Bradley in Windsor Locks to Detroit for a connecting flight to Charlotte.) I actually didn't mind, because Detroit's airport is beautiful. Also, it meant another flight. I haven't figured out one thing though. When we're up there, I know we're moving very fast, but it seems as if we're standing still! I wonder why that is?

Pennsylvania Visit .... April

While Erin was competing at the National Fine Arts competition, I went to Pennsylvania to visit Becca, Dave, and Noelle. Originally Al and I had thought of going to South Carolina to see Erin give her speech, but because of the price of gas, we decided to go to Pennsylvania instead. Anytime I can visit with my family it is a blessing! We had hoped to spend the week together but Janet needed my car to get to class and work. Al came down with me and spent the night, then returned to Connecticut the next day. I stayed a few more days and took the bus home. I loved spending time with Al, and I also loved having Noelle to myself (except for Dave and Becca) for a few days! We both had been in desperate need of a vacation since his heart attack, and the prospect of a vacation in April got me through many a day of work! I actually got to babysit Noelle a couple of times. We blew bubbles, ran around outside, read books, sang songs, and snuggled! Another thing we did was play with play dough. I made several of the Sesame Street characters for her, and a little snake. Becca had written about how Noelle had asked her to make those characters. When I had made them, I made a face that was supposed to look like Noelle. Becca said, "Oh, look, Grandma made Noelle!" The next day when we played with the play dough she asked me to "make Noelle." We had some precious bonding time, and she followed me all over the house. She sometimes asked me to hold her or do things for her instead of Dave or Becca, and if I was not in the same room with her she would call "Grandma!" It was so cute to hear her talk and see her running around doing so many "little-girl" things. The day before I left, Becca and I took her to a park. She loved the play scape, especially the tunnel that led to the slide. Part of the tunnel had peepholes in it. Becca followed Noelle through the tunnel while I waited to catch her when she came down the slide. I stuck my hands through the peepholes. Noelle thought that was funny. Later when she was eating dinner, she said, "I go to the park." At first I didn't realize what she was saying, but then she said, "I go down the slide." Then she said, "Grandma's hands." She actually remembered that I had stuck my hands in the peepholes! It was hard to leave the next day, but I felt better knowing that I would see them in a week just before Easter!

Book Review: Lilly"s Wedding Quilt by Kelly Long

Lilly Lapp, in love with a man who loves someone else. Jacob Wyse, a jilted suitor turned horse thief. Lilly's mother, who suffers from depression. Jacob and Lilly's impulsive engagement and subsequent marriage. In Lilly's Wedding quilt, Kelly Long brings characters and circumstances together to create a personable and interesting story.
Lilly encounters Jacob and attempts to provide first aid for a gunshot wound he has suffered. When they arrive late to a wedding together, the people of their Amish community raise their eyebrows. When police interrupt the reception to question Jacob about a stolen horse, Lilly says that he had been with her the previous night. To protect her reputation, Jacob says that they had been discussing their engagement. Lilly quickly agrees, though she knows that Jacob still loves someone else. To further complicate matters, Lilly's mother disapproves of their engagement. Lilly likens the unusual circumstances of her and Jacob's marriage to the pieces of a quilt, which when they are stitched together, make something beautiful. Lilly and Jacob learn to trust God to put the pieces of their lives together to create a loving marriage. They also learn how to let God work in the life of Lilly's mother. Kelly Long's portrayal of their journey is tender and her characters are tender and varied. The reader eagerly turns pages to find out how each situation is resolved.
Lilly's Wedding Quilt is written by Kelly Long and published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville: 2011. This book was provided free for review by Thomas Nelson, Inc., and I have received no other compensation for writing this review.

Erin's Fine Arts Competition

Every year, the school our children attend is involved in a New England
regional Fine Arts Competition for the Christian schools in the New England region. Our children have always participated, and this year was no exception. The difference was that only our youngest, Erin, competed this year because our others have all graduated. Erin chose to do a dramatic speech, academic testing in math and English, a ladies' ensemble with five other girls, a vocal solo, and her choir also competed. This was the third year Erin was in the choir and ladies' ensemble, the second year for dramatic speech, her first year for academic testing, and her first year for vocal solo. She has done humorous speeches in previous years, but last year she decided to try the dramatic speech. She loves acting! She has always placed at the state level for her speeches, doing better each year, but she had never placed at the regional level. The ladies' ensemble has placed for the past three years. When Erin was in eighth grade, Caroline and Janet sang in the ladies ensemble, and Erin joined as a freshman, after Caroline graduated. I was a little apprehensive about Erin's vocal solo, as she has never taken lessons, but I told her that if she was willing to work with me, I would help her. We also had a friend of ours play the piano for her once she learned the song, so that Erin could hear the accompaniment and get used to singing with the piano. Another friend listened in to one of her practices and gave her some pointers as well. I worked with her on learning her pieces and on her vocal technique as much as I could,usually once a week, and more often as we approached the actual competition. I also had her listen to her songs over and over online, and discussed the meanings of the songs with her. She showed me the transcript of her speech, and we discussed the emotions she would need to portray in it, but she would not go through the speech with me. She did that on her own and then with two of her sisters who took a speech class in high school and who also have acting experience.
The week before the competition, Erin came down with a nasty cold which also gave her laryngitis. She missed three days of school, and one of her teachers suggested that she drop her vocal solo. Erin was determined to compete in all of her categories, though. She returned to school the Monday before the competition and practiced her solos, her ensemble, her speech, and her choir pieces. By the day of competition she was healthy and her voice was back to full strength. She sang her solos first and did very well. Her speech was ten minutes after she finished her solos. I was glad she hadn't had to to her speech first, as the intensity of the piece she chose would have tired her voice and made it difficult to sing. Her speech was a prequel to the "Phantom of the Opera", portraying Erick (the Phantom) as a little boy. It was very powerful and Erin gave it everything she had!
She left the audience speechless and in tears. I thought, "Lord, whether or not she places, she just nailed that speech!" We watched other students from Erin's school, including her best friend, who did a humorous speech. Then we watched the small vocal ensemble, and they sang very well. They had won the regional for the past three years, so we hoped they would again. We then listened to the other female vocalist from Erin's school. She is an amazing singer and we loved hearing her. After lunch, we listened to the choir and some choirs from other schools. Then it was time for the spelling bee, followed by the regional awards ceremony. I hoped Erin would place in both her speech and her solo, but one never knows. I prayed that she would at least place in Connecticut for her vocal solo, and that her speech would place first in Connecticut so she could take it to Nationals. They announced the speech category right after the academic testing categories. The first speech category they announced was Dramatic Interpretation..... Erin's category. Third place.... not Erin. Second place.... not Erin. At this point I prayed that she would still get first in Connecticut. Then I heard the name of the first place winner for the New England Region....... Erin Aldrich!!! She was crying as she went up onstage to get her award, and so was I. I gave her a hug just before she sat down. Her best friend placed third in New England for her humorous interpretation. The other female vocalist from Erin's school won first in New England. Erin placed third in New England for her vocal solos. Not bad for a girl who was sick the week before and who does not take formal voice lessons! And she was a week shy of sixteen years old! The ensemble and choir both placed first in New England as well. Erin and her friend both placed first in Connecticut for their speeches, and Erin placed second for her vocal solos, with her classmate placing first. Erin also got a third place in Connecticut for academic testing in math. Their ensemble and choir also placed first in Connecticut. We were very proud of Erin, and very thankful that the Lord helped her! She and some of her classmates will be competing at Nationals in a couple of weeks. I'm hoping we can go to see her perform, with stops in Pennsylvania to see Dave, Becca, and Noelle on the way down and back!

Al's Birthday!

Every holiday or birthday we have where Al is there to celebrate with us is precious now. Not that they haven't always been, but they have become doubly precious this year because we are once again reminded of God's grace in sparing Al. At this writing, he is doing VERY well.... the most recent report from the cardiologist is that his heart is functioning at 87 per cent capacity, and the portion of heart muscle that was dead is beginning to come back! Anyway, Al's birthday was an opportunity to be especially thankful that God has given him another year! All our kids who live nearby or at home came to help us celebrate. We had roasting chicken, salad, and baked potatoes, and salad. I made a fat-free devil's food cake with seven-minute icing, which was good except that the girls thought the icing was too sweet. We gave Al a pair of jogging pants and a shirt for exercising. That was on his actual birthday. Al's sister, Lisa, came on the Sunday after Al's birthday, and brought fat-free manicotti, so Gail, Missy, and Eric came then. Gail made a low-fat cake for that dinner, so we had a double birthday celebration for Al and Lisa. I made a salad for that day too, but I didn't have enough lettuce, so Missy called it an "unsalad"! It was good though, and we had so much fun visiting with Lisa. We gave Lisa a Willow Tree figurine which she liked a lot. I've always loved celebrating birthdays and holidays with my family, but even more so now!

Christmas 2010, part 3

The Christmas post is in three parts because we are blessed with so much family with whom to celebrate. Christmas Eve with Al's family, Christmas Day with our children, and a few days after Christmas with my family. This year we also celebrated with Dave, Becca, and Noelle a few days after Christmas because they wanted to begin establishing their own Christmas traditions in their home. Dave, Becca, and Noelle arrived at our home on December 28. December 29 was the day we had planned to travel to Massachusetts to celebrate with my dad, my sisters, and their families, but because of Al's heart attack, they traveled to Connecticut. Melissa and Eric were able to come too, and Gail came after my family left. She would have come earlier but she had car trouble. We had so much fun with Cindy, Sue, Betsy, and their families. Sue's son Corey is only eight years old and such a cutie. He and Noelle love each other and were so much fun to watch together! Sue brought her little Italian Greyhound, George, who is really funny! Noelle loved him too, and George was very patient with her! I made chili, and Sue brought sandwiches. Betsy brought cheese and crackers, and I had made pie and cranberry bread and cookies for dessert.
After dinner, we opened our gifts to and from my family. We decided to open our gifts to and from Dave, Becca, and Noelle after my family left, so as not to overwhelm anyone, especially Al and Noelle! Anyway, after the gifts were opened, we played "Apples to Apples" and "Catch Phrase." While we were playing, one of our friends came to help fix a slight leak in our baseboard heater in our bedroom. I think he was a little startled by all the noise and all the people, but we introduced him to my family and tried to make him feel welcome! My dad always enjoys having all his daughters and grandchildren together in one place, and he also enjoys being with his GREAT-granddaughter! Betsy and Steve and my dad had to leave early because one of their kids had to be somewhere, but Sue and her family stayed a little longer and were able to see Gail and her boyfriend when they came after getting a rental car. It was fun to play the games, and we've discovered that the games are great ice-breakers. Anyway, we opened gifts after that, and many of them were for Noelle! Auntie Gail got her a ball pit. When Noelle opened the ball pit, Becca said not to open the package of balls. Noelle said, "Peese?" to Becca, who said No. She then came to me, held out the package, and with a cute smile, said' "Peese?" again. I told her, "No, sweetie, your mommy already said no." Noelle then proceeded to hold the package of balls out to Auntie Missy(Mimi in Noelle- language), with her adorable grin, big blue eyes, and her "Peeese?" Guess what Auntie Mimi did? "If Mommy says No, ask Grandma. If Grandma says No, ask Auntie Mimi!" I got to cuddle her to sleep that night. That's my favorite part of being a mom and a grandma! Thursday night we had birthday cake and a gift for Dave, and they left Friday morning. Christmas time is always the hardest time to say goodbye, because it's usually a few months before we see them again, although Nonno got to see them during one of our big snowstorms in January! Besides the most precious gift of Jesus, God's Son, my favorite gift is always time with my family, especially with those who live far away. I pray that these gatherings will be used of God to bring our loved ones closer to Christ.

Book Review: Couples Who Pray by SQuire Rushnell and Louise DuArt

The subtitle of Couples Who Pray is "The Most Intimate Act Between a Man and a Woman". Rushnell and DuArt prove this point quite effectively with the testimonies of various couples who pray together regularly, as well as statistics showing increased marital satisfaction among couples who regularly pray together. The book opens with Rushnell and Duart's personal testimony of how God has moved through their prayer time as a couple, followed by an introduction to other couples whose testimonies are included in Couples Who Pray. Next, the reader learns some statistics on couples who pray together versus couples who do not. It comes as no surprise that the couples who pray together report greater joy in every area of their marriage. The reader also sees how God improves and enhances the marriages of the couples who are featured in this book.
Rushnell and DuArt also propose that each spouse forget about "50/50" and commit to giving 100% to their marriage. This proposition is an expansion of the testimony of one of the featured couples, whose testimony is included in the book. The proposition is challenging, but the reader is reminded that he or she must rely on God to do this. There is more in this same chapter about communication, which readers will find helpful.
Next, the readers are invited to take the "40 Day Prayer Challenge", so named because the authors believe that it takes forty days to form a habit. Following this invitation, Rushnell and Duart make a case for the power of prayer by directing the reader to consider the power of God and the truth of the Scriptures.
There are also instructions about forgiveness, warnings about threats to a marriage, and practical tips on praying for finances. Finally, Rushnell and Duart share six practical steps to a happy marriage, and some results of couples who pray together regularly. The link to "The 40 Day Prayer Challenge" is provided, as well as a survey for each spouse.
The advice in Couples Who pray is helpful and practical, and the testimonies encouraging. The reader will enjoy reading each of the testimonies. The couples included in Couples Who Pray comes from a highly successful and prominent careers. It is reassuring to remember that even highly successful people have struggles and need to depend on God. At the same time, the reader may wonder how the 40 Day Prayer Challenge could work for everyday working couples. It would have been encouraging if the authors had included such couples in their book. Also, while the statistics are convincing, they are somewhat dry. The reader would benefit from more instruction from the Scriptures.
Couples Who Pray is written by SQuire Rushnell and Louise Duart and published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville: 2007. A copy of the book was provided free for review by Thomas Nelson, Inc., and I have received no other compensation for this review.

Christmas 2010, continued

After a beautiful Christmas Eve service at our church, we traveled to Al's brother's house for our Christmas celebration with Al's family. They made low-fat, low-sodium dishes for Al to eat, along with some regular dishes. The fish chowder (healthy) was delicious! We had a great time, as usual, and Gail brought her boyfriend, John. It was his first time meeting Al's extended family. We left there at midnight, Al and I each driving our own cars in order to make more room for everyone. Missy and Gail drove their cars too, but we had David with us, so we needed both our cars. We got home at 1, and Al went right to bed, but I filled stockings. It was before close to 2 before I got to bed.
Despite the late bedtime, I woke up before 7 on Christmas Day. I prepared the turkey to go into the oven and put the stuffing into the crock pot to cook. (We couldn't have ham so we made turkey instead.) In order to make it festive, I put cranberries in the stuffing. Cooking it in the crock pot was a suggestion from a friend of ours. She also suggested stuffing the turkey with orange and lemon slices, with onions and a sprig of rosemary. It came out good! Once the turkey and stuffing were cooking, I began preparations for our traditional breakfast of scrambled eggs and grapefruit, with oatmeal and cantaloupe for Al. When everyone woke up, we opened our stockings and ate breakfast. To my surprise, I found a scented candle in mine.... Al had slipped it in while I was filling the other stockings. Missy and Eric and Gail and John arrived just after we got dressed. After setting out snacks and making coffee, we sat down to open our gifts. Al read a Scripture, as he does every Christmas morning. It was a particular blessing this year! As we opened our gifts, we found a few unexpected surprises. For example, I had gotten (by request) boots for Janet and shoes for Erin, and one of the girls had gotten shoes for Caroline! I think Gail got shoes from someone as well. I was surprised and tickled to receive several gifts from John, as well as from Gail, and a pair of red Scottie dog pajamas from Missy. It touched me that she remembered how her grandmother used to breed Scottie dogs. Last year she gave her little niece, Noelle, a stuffed Scottie dog for the same reason. Well, finally we had finished with all of our gifts except a long rectangular package from Al to me, which I assumed was a bathrobe (one of the ideas I had given him), and then the surprise gift we were all anticipating from the girls to Al. Well, he brought me the box, and I opened it. I immediately saw that it was not a bathrobe. I saw these cylindrical drawings on the box and thought, "oh, good; he got me glassware.... we always need that! But this is a strange way to pack glassware!" Well, as I actually began to open the box, I saw the words "Personal Computer" written on it. I STILL didn't get it.... I thought "why would they pack glassware in a personal computer box?" I was floored when I opened the box and found..... an HP LAPTOP, the very one on which I'm typing this post! Well, needless to say, I was thrilled. It was one of those "I'd love to have it but it's impossible" things. Al said, "Well, that was the big gift for this year," little knowing what Missy, Gail, and Caroline had in store for him. They went downstairs ahead of us, and he followed, with me close behind. I got there just in time to hear him say, "ALL RIGHT!"and see his face when he discovered..... a TREADMILL! I had known about this for a couple of weeks and had been given the assignment of NOT letting him buy one. It was very difficult. The day we got the Christmas tree I had to enlist the help of one of his friends who was trying to tell Al where he could get the best deals on treadmills. Dinner was suppose to be at two, but we didn't actually eat till four. After dinner we played some games and had dessert. then Al helped me set up my laptop and tried out his treadmill. We had so much fun, and since the next day was Sunday, I did not have to go to work. We enjoyed the "afterglow" of Christmas in our church service with our brethren in Christ..... always a blessing, and we still had Dave, Becca's, and Noelle's arrival to look forward to on Tuesday evening. I even got an extra day off on Monday because of a heavy snowstorm!

Christmas 2010

What a blessing to commemorate the birth of our Savior! As we prepared for our celebration, we were ever mindful of God's most precious gift to us: His Son, the Messiah, Jesus Christ. We were particularly mindful of God's grace to us as a family, as Al was able to be with us and celebrate with us. We are still celebrating his life and his continued recovery from his heart attack. Because I was on leave of absence from work till December 13, I was able to do my shopping and baking at a more leisurely pace, a little at a time, while Janet or Caroline or Erin was home to keep him company. He was also able to be alone for brief periods of time while I ran errands. We did several things together, such as going to his rehab sessions, shopping at Trader Joe's for healthy snacks, and coffee (decaf) at Dunkin Donuts. I also kept him company while I wrapped gifts in our den while he worked online. We enjoyed participating in our church's Christmas program. "Lessons and Carols." We also enjoyed participating in our nursing home ministry, attending Erin's Christmas concert, and our Sunday School Christmas party. Caroline and a friend of hers put up the outside lights for us. Al could not do much of the preparations, in terms of shopping or decorating, so most of that fell to me and the girls.... including cutting down a Christmas tree the afternoon before "Lessons and Carols." Caroline and I went to a tree farm to cut down the Christmas tree. Al asked for one between seven and eight feet tall, and not too fat. Since I like a nice cone shape to a tree, it took a while to find one that would fit both our specifications, as well as one that would meet Caroline's approval. The weather was COLD that day, we had a deadline, and some of the trees were growing on a slope, so we had quite the challenge. Finally we found one that we thought would work. We borrowed a saw from the farm's owners ( they have the saws there for customers to use) and proceeded to cut the tree down. Well, neither Caroline or I are very tall (both of us are under 5'4"), so it was a great adventure! We got it cut., and then proceeded to lug this seven foot tree to the shed to pay for it. The young man in charge tied it on top of Caroline's car and after paying for the tree, we drove it home. We did decide that we needed some Dunkin Donuts hot chocolate to warm us up, so we stopped on the way home. When we got there, Al had a friend visiting to play Stratego. We asked him to help us get the tree into the back yard, and Al offered to help. We said NO, and I rushed upstairs to enlist Erin's help. She's tall, so she would be able to handle the tree well. I said to her, "Get outside NOW and help with the tree before Dad gets to it!" She did. Meanwhile, Al was insisting that he could handl the tree and we were insisting that he must not! His friend looked at him and very sweetly said, "Brother, you're not helping." Well, we got the tree onto our back porch. The next day, we had a friend of Al's sister's at the house helping with some (non-Christmas) lighting issues, and he helped us get the Christmas tree into the stand. Al and the girls put the garlands and lights on, and the girls and I did the rest! I was so thankful that the Lord provided people to help us when we needed it!

Book Review: An Amish Love by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, and Kelly Long.

An Amish Love, published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville,2010, is a collection of three short novels. Their titles are: A Marriage of the Heart, by Kelly Long; What the Heart Sees, by Kathleen Fuller; and Healing Hearts, by Beth Wiseman. Each novella portrays its characters genuinely and personably. The Amish setting creates a delightful, wholesome read, as always. Throughout all three stories, the message of forgiveness by the grace of God is clear. The characters in An Amish Love struggle with their own sins and with losses through the sins of others against them. As the reader sees the characters seek God's help in repentance and forginevess, he is encouraged to do the same in his own life. As he reads about the forgiveness and restoration that God brings to the characters in An Amish Love, he is given hope that God will do the same thing in his or her own life. Each novella portrays its main characters at different stages of life: a young married couple, single young men and women, and an older married couple.
The love of the characters for one another is undergirded by God's love for each of them as they see their human love for one another tried by different circumstances, showing the reader that when our human capacity to love is not enough, God's love will prevail. An Amis Love was provided to me free for review purposes and I have received no other compensation for this review.

God's Protection

We are always thankful to God for all he has blessed us with, but this Thanksgiving we have an extra-special reason to be thankful. On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, Al had a heart attack. We did not realize that he was having a heart attack until we got to the emergency room, where they took him in right away. When the cardiologist came to talk to me before he put the stent in Al's artery, he said, "This was not a small heart attack; this was a BIG one. He's lucky to be alive." After quickly explaining the risks involved and the procedure he would be doing, he left. I had been a little scared before, but at this point, I was terrified. Since I was all alone in the waiting room, I knelt down by one of the chairs and through tears, pleaded with God not to take Al from us. then I called Caroline on Al's cellphone, told her what was going on, and said, "Drop Janet and Erin at church and get down here with my cellphone. Then I called the church to ask them to pray. I thought of asking the secretary to send someone from the church to be with us, but I was too timid. However, I did not have to ask her. She sent someone anyway.... Erin's best friend and her dad! They arrived shortly after Caroline, Janet, and Erin did. I also called Gail, who said she'd be there as soon as her shift ended in an hour, and Missy, who cut her visit with her best friend short and drove all the way from Boston to be with us. I had called Dave and Becca earlier to ask for prayer, and after we got to the hospital I called them again to update them. They got there later that evening. Meanwhile, Al was praying as the doctor was inserting the stent and Becca was praying, along with their church and ours. A couple of hours after Erin's friend and her dad arrived, (during which time they comforted us, made us laugh, and assisted us with some logistics), The doctor returned to say that the procedure had gone well. He said we could see him in an hour or so, and that it was a miracle that Al was still alive. I was a little concerned about what it would be like to see him after the surgery, as I'm not used to seeing my dynamic husband in a hospital bed, especially with tubes and wires attached to him. But when we went into his room, he was awake and talking with us.... even making wisecracks with us! I said "Thank You, Lord: he's still the same Al!" Missy had already arrived in his room and while they were alone, Al told her how God had spared his life and given him His peace when he prayed. Missy cried when she heard that. I know the Lord is using this trial to touch the hearts of Missy and Gail. I saw Gail become very soft-hearted as well.We also got to share the Gospel with Gail's boyfriend, as well as with one of Al's nurses. What amazed me the most, besides the miracle of God's protection of my husband, was the outpouring of love, prayer, and support extended to us. Because of friends and family in other states, we had not only our own church praying for us, but various churches across the country! When I got home from the hospital each night, I would listen to phone messages and read Facebook messages of encouragement and support, and it would make me cry. How beautiful to see the "consolation of the Holy Spirit" working through the body of Christ! Also comforting was having Dave, Becca, and Noelle there Sunday night into Monday. Dave and Becca were able to bring Noelle into the hospital on Monday to see her Nono, as she calls her Grandpa. "Baby cuddle therapy" is a wonderful thing.... and Noelle was doing the same thing for her grandpa as Becca did for HER grandmother when Al's mother had cancer. Al was discharged from the hospital the day before Thanksgiving, and needless to say we had a beautiful and precious Thanksgiving as a family! So far he is recovering well. I am so thankful that God spared his life, and for the prayers of the saints!