Pennsylvania Vacation

Okay, folks. The AC is back on...hallelujah! So here I sit at the keyboard, ready to give you some vacation details. Oh and btw, it was a transformer that was blown on the AC, not the mother board. So after 3 days of being hot and sticky, I now have cool air:)And the transformer wasn't nearly as expensive as a mother board would have been. So that's a very good thing!

Hope I don't bore you with details, but here goes. On July 21st, I flew to Harrisburg, PA, via United Airlines. This was my second trip to fly by myself, so I felt that I was getting to be an old pro at it. My layover was in Chicago, an airport in which I've had some VERY unpleasant experiences. But this time everything went smoothly...I didn't even have to change terminals. And of course, Indianapolis was a breeze. My flight got in a bit early to Harrisburg, thereby surprising the friends who were to pick me up. But I waited patiently at the baggage claim until Mark and Elizabeth arrived. Fred, Elizabeth's husband, was unable to come get me, due to having to get up at 2am! And my flight wasn't scheduled until 9:48pm. So Mark was kind enough to come with Elizabeth so she wouldn't have to come alone to the Airport. It was so nice to see them! I hadn't seen Mark since April, and hadn't seen Fred and Elizabeth since December. After dropping Mark off at his car, Elizabeth and I had a little late-night snack at Taco Bell, then drove to her house. We then proceeded to talk for a good bit, and went to bed just before Fred got up for work.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we didn't do much. We caught up on each other's lives, and a good deal of sleep. We also did some weeding in Elizabeth's garden, and got quite a bit done. So that was nice, and I really didn't mind working in the garden.

On Thursday, we went to Penns Creek, PA, where Fred was involved in a ministerial meeting. Elizabeth and I sat in on the morning service, ate lunch with Fred, then drove to Selinsgrove to the mall. Elizabeth and I go way back in the shopping department:) We started shopping together when we were both students at GBS, and the trend has just continued since then. Pretty much any time we're together, we find a mall somewhere. So I found a couple of good bargains at Bonton, and then we drove back to Penns Creek, ate supper with Fred, and sat in on the final business session. We then drove to Mark's parent's home, and visited with them until late. It was very enjoyable sitting on their front porch, just soaking in the peace of the beautiful countryside, and visiting with friends. I also got to taste some wonderful pickles that Mark's dad had made, and was inspired to make some of my own on my return to Indiana. Mark showed us a multitude of pictures he had taken, and that was very nice. Below is a picture of the sunset we enjoyed from their front porch. Beautiful!




On Friday, Mark rented a car, and picked me up to drive to Lancaster. Fred and Elizabeth had gone to her ultrasound appointment in Chambersburg, but then called and weren't far behind us on the road. So we pulled over and did some shopping on the way, and they met us for the drive to Lancaster area. We stopped at the Green Dragon, which is a gigantic flea market that is open on Fridays. It was very neat. If I had more time and money, I could have spent alot there. There was so much to see. It reminded me of the Covered Bridge Festival that they hold in Northwest Indiana every fall. We also stopped at a wonderful candy store, and purchased a small snack to fortify us for our drive:) Yum!!! I can't remember the name of the store right now, but it is definitely worth stopping at. It was quite warm that day, and we were very hungry. We arrived at Shady Maple Buffet at 3:15, definitely ready to eat. If you have never eaten there, you need to start planning your trip. And yes, I agree, you should be hungry when you go. But I will not be skipping breakfast, and then waiting all day to eat. Those of you who know me well, know that is NOT a good idea.lol.... Well, the food was delicious, and worth the wait. We also spent a good bit of time in the massive gift shop downstairs, but I again refrained from buying anything. We stopped at an outlet mall in Lancaster on the way home, and I did get a book there. But that's it...promise. A very fun and full day.

On Saturday, we met Mark at his apartment, and then drove to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. Wow...what a beautiful place! It is such a neat place to visit. They had a James Madison impersonator there that day, and we got to hear him speak. They were also having special Civil War activities in the town, had some re-enactors there. So that was cool. Again, a very warm day, so we stopped mid-day for root beer floats. We were feeling a little wilted prior to that, but that seemed to revive us. I will post some pics of Harper's Ferry below. We got to tour several very old buildings, including Saint Peter's Catholic Church. After we were done at Harper's Ferry, we drove to Hagerstown, Maryland, and enjoyed a dinner of pizza buffet. We then drove on to Gettysburg, and went to Christ Church, where they were having a candlelight service. It included remembrances of a Civil War nurse, a wounded soldier, poems by Walt Whitman, and lots of Civil War music. It was great. Mark thought I might enjoy it, since I am a nurse. And he was very right! The church was used as a hospital during the battle of Gettysburg. I would like to go there again sometime. The people even served refreshments outside afterwards, cookies and rhubarb punch. It was very good. We then stopped at Friendly's for ice cream, and headed to wal-mart, then home.








So there you have just a few of the pictures from Harper's Ferry. The famous arsenal where John Brown was captured is the second picture down. And I think you can figure out which is the James Madison impersonator:)

On Sunday, I had the privilege of attending Fred and Elizabeth's church, and Mark came to join us. I didn't slack just because I was visiting. I played the organ, and sang a trio with Fred and Elizabeth. But I didn't mind..it was fun. After the service, we all ate dinner together...a very good dinner too, I might add. I was going to fix my famous "Canasta Cake," but we were out so late every night, that I just didn't have time. It takes a good 2 hours if you're not doing anything else. So we had strawberry shortcake instead, and it was very good. That evening, we went to Newville Bible Methodist, which was cooperating in a VBS with Fred's church. That was fun. I hadn't been to a VBS in forever! Afterwards, we visited and ate supper at Fred and Elizabeth's. Below you will find some pictures of the "Fearsome Four." Well, anyway, maybe we're not fearsome, but we did do alot together and had a blast doing it:) These folks have been gracious enough to consent to me using the pics on my blog. Thanks, guys!




It was hard to say goodbye, but on Monday, I flew back to Indianapolis. Sometimes I hate it that I live so far from most of my friends. My closest friends live in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, Colorado, etc. I do have some friends in Indiana, but now that Kristin and Mark B. have moved, I don't have anyone to pal around with that's not a relative. Not that there's anything wrong with my relatives:) I love them dearly, but sometimes it's nice to hang with folks that aren't related to ya. You know what I mean. Well, I had a long delay in Harrisburg, but that was okay. My flight out of Dulles, in Washington DC was quite a bit later. So I didn't miss a flight, and again everything went very smoothly. We got into some turbulence, actually came through some storm clouds on the way back into Indy, but overall, everything was very enjoyable. It was nice to see my family back in Indy, and we had a delicious dinner on the way home at Gray Brother's. And of course, Snickers was ecstatic when he saw me :)

So there you have it. Vacation is over, and I'm a little down about that. I'm a person that needs something to look forward to, some break in routine. I also thrive on being with my friends, and knowing that I probably won't see them for awhile is depressing. But God is helping me, and I am very grateful for the wonderful vacation I had. And school is starting again soon. So I will be ultra-busy once again. I am hoping to return to PA in December, to meet Fred and Elizabeth's new baby, which is due Dec. 8th. I will get to be "Auntie" again, and that's always happy! December just seems so far away right now. But I will get over my slump, and I WILL get excited about school starting. At least I think I will:) I will try! If you think about it, just say an extra prayer for me, okay? I would appreciate it very much.

Well, I hope I haven't bored you completely. Just wanted to blog about vacation while I still had the time. This evening, I did a little shopping, and talked to friends on the phone, and blogged. Tomorrow, I have piano lessons, and a meeting with the principle, not to mention prayer meeting. Thursday, I have a seminar to go to about cardiac and pulmonary rehab(fun, fun!) And Friday, I work as usual. However, we're planning a cousin's night for friday night, games, pizza, etc. So I do have something to look forward to for this weekend.

Well, my hand is going numb. Snickers is asleep in my lap with his head on my hand. This has made typing challenging. So I'm calling it a night. Love to all my friends!

Blogging excuse....a good one, too.

I was planning to post a vacation blog this evening, but things have run amuck. While doing the weedeating today, Dad accidently cut into the AC wires. He then tried to tape them up, apparently frying something in the process. My cousin, Michael, who has some background in AC, thinks the mother board may be shot. Yip yip yahoo. Anyway, it's very hot upstairs....so the vacation blog will have to wait a little longer. We have 4 fans, fortunately, and will be having a pajama party downstairs this evening :) It's WAY too hot to sleep upstairs. Those of you who know about my propensity to be cold all the time, will rejoice that for once, I'm NOT COLD!!!!! So there you have it. Another excuse, another delay.

'night.....

Yet another Nellie update...

Ok..just to keep the blogging police(you know who you are) at bay, here is another brief update. Remember the "chug" I mentioned in my last post? The one that Nellie had developed? Well, that chug was actually a coil that had gone bad. It has now been repaired to the tune of about $250! Yikes! In the past 2 months, I have put between $900 and $1000 into repairing Nellie!!!! That is not a happy thing, especially as she only has 61,000 miles on her. But I am very thankful that I had enough money in my savings account to pay for the repairs, and I didn't have to go into debt for it. Now hopefully the little bugger will run like she's supposed to for miles/years to come :)

As some of you are aware, I have been on vacation in Pennsylvania. However, this is not a blog about vacation, and I am up to my eyelids in laundry and unpacking. I hope to have a blog up about vacation soon...complete with pictures. There! You happy now? Sure hope so!

Later....

Nellie Update(provoked by Steve H....)

Once again, Steve Hight has put me under pressure to update my blog. So here goes. Thanks, Steve :p

This is to ease your mind about Nellie. Yes, she is home, and being well-cared for. I was able to get her back on Wednesday afternoon, 2 days later than originally planned. But she is home, and running fair. She seems to have developed a new little chug in her engine, but hopefully things are going to be okay.

Well, I know this is brief, but didn't want to leave you hanging any longer:) So far today, I have played the organ for a funeral, worked out at Curves, and now am headed out to mow the yard. I also plan to study for my ACLS exam that I have to take on Thursday. So there you have it: my day in a nutshell. BTW, it was Bro. Wayne Pierce's funeral that I played for. He attended my church, and he is already sorely missed. He was a true saint of God, and is no doubt singing praises around the throne right now. Around our church, Wayne was known as "The Candy Man." He always had candy in his pockets for the children, and was always sharing a joke, or giving someone something from his garden. He was always quick on his feet(at age 91) to shout "Glory, glory, glory," and to take a little trip around the church when he was blessed. There is an empty spot in our church, but Heaven is certainly a richer place today!

Autopsy report

Yep, faithful reader, I did receive the autopsy report on poor Nellie. If you did not read my previous post, Nellie is my SUV. I don't understand everything they told me, but will give it a whirl. First, Ford called and told me that my spark plugs were "foul." They were going to change them to the tune of $265 + tax, and I could possibly get my car back last night. NOT! So they change the plugs, and then realize that Nellie still won't start, has no intention of starting. So with further investigation, they found that the power module is out. They said there is like no communication going on in my vehicle, and it's completely not driveable. They said it's dumping too much gas, etc. The good news is that it is covered under the factory 80,000 mile warranty. I told the girl that I didn't buy the extra warranty(never do!) But apparently, Ford covers this problem anyway! Thank the Lord for large blessings! The bad news is that I probably won't get Nellie back until Monday, due to having to order from the vendor, and with the holiday thrown in. Fortunately, I am able to borrow my mom's Impala while mine is being overhauled. Her car needs work too, but it's gonna have to wait on Nellie to return home. Her brakes are funny...well, maybe NOT so funny, as the car acts like it's having a seizure when you try to brake :) Also, her windshield wipers are stuck in the up position...annoying but liveable. They do work if you turn them on and keep them running nonstop, but the minute you turn them off, up they go. It's been a great conversation starter :) So that's all I know right now. I think I'm glad I decided to fly to PA later this month. I figured it would be cheaper, but I am also a little leery of driving huge distances alone and maybe having car trouble.

Well, gotta get ready for church...see ya!

Awaiting autopsy

Okay...I'm not awaiting autopsy, Nellie is. Who is Nellie, you ask? That would be my car. My green '05 paid-off Ford Escape. I'm a little bitter, because I just had my 60,000 mile check-up to the tune of over $400. Just wondering if they missed something at our routine check-up, or if something just quit suddenly.

I worked days yesterday in oncology clinic, got off right on time at 4:30. Headed to the bank to cash a couple of checks. Car started like a dream, no problems. Got my money and heading for Bloomington to help Steve clean out his apartment. Little Nellie decided to give up the ghost while I was pulling out of the bank lot and back onto the road. No matter how hard I tried to start her, all I got was chug-chug-chug. Some kind man pushed me into an empty lot across the street. So I was no longer blocking the road, the bank drive, and in danger of being killed. Thank God for triple A! I called, and the wrecker was there within 10 minutes. Mom had come to get me, and I thought it was gonna be longer before the wrecker got there. So I sent her to the grocery store to get her few items, then she was coming back after me. Meanwhile, the wrecker gets there, gets Nellie loaded, and his job there is finished. He wanted to know if he should take me somewhere, was I safe there? I assured him I would be fine. So I unloaded my stuff onto the grass and waited for Mom. I felt a bit like a vagrant standing there on the curb across from the bank :)I was relieved to see her coming quickly. It was unfortunate that I didn't have some cardboard. I could've made a sign asking for money, since I was directly across from the bank! Turn my little misfortune into a money making venture.
So I took Mom back home, changed clothes, picked up Kim, and we headed for Bloomington. Picked up Steve and ate at the Texas Roadhouse. Yeah buddy! Good eats. And then we proceeded to clean like a house afire for the next 2.5 hours. The place looks great and should pass his landlady's expectations. He moved out last weekend, and she was going to charge so much for every little thing left uncleaned. So he shouldn't incur extra charges, other than the ones he already knows about. So all in all, it was a full day.

Now I sit and wait on the phone call that will reveal Nellie's fate. I surely hope it's something simple and relatively inexpensive. Whatever it is, I'm sure to have to move money out of my savings account and into checking. I doubt the approx. $40 bucks in my checking is going to cover it, and I don't get paid again until Thursday :) And so life goes on. Just wanted to give my faithful few readers a tiny tidbit to chew on :)

Later....

Yep, I'm still here....

Hello, hello. Now don't get your hopes up for a big newsy blog....I hate to say "I'm busy," but I AM!!!! This is merely to appease those of you who have gently reminded me that my blog is sadly lacking(you know who you are...lurkers included.) Therefore, it is with great joy that I make the following announcement: I am still in the land of the living! Yes, indeed, my friends, still alive and kickin'.

Now you may ask what could possibly keep a single person so busy? I'm glad you asked :) Right now, I am heavily saturated with wedding music, wedding music, and more wedding music. One of my bestest friends, Heidi, is getting married Saturday, and yours truly is playing for the wedding. So I went through the wildness of end of school activities...recital, graduation, awards night, grades, etc, to immediately immerse myself in wedding music. Hopefully, after Saturday, things will not be quite as crazy. Although I will have preparations to make for the coming school year. Sigh...it seems the busyness never ends. If you think of me, I would SO appreciate prayer for the wedding Saturday. I really want to do a good job, and help make Heidi's day extra-special. Thanks a bunch!

Oh...I might just do one catch- up thing. Some of you are aware that I attended a Booth Brothers concert in April. Wow!!!! That sums it up best, just Wow! If you get a chance to see them in person, do not delay in purchasing your ticket. It WILL be worth it, I promise! I could listen to them everyday...sometimes I do :) The music was lively, uplifting, but spiritual. God's presence settled down on the place in a beautiful way, and I felt conviction, encouragement, hope for the future, etc. I was moved to tears at one point, when Michael Booth was talking about trusting the very heart of God. I left inspired to live closer to God. Oh, and btw, I also got autographs from all 3 fellas :) That was very happy. The only downer was that I forgot my camera :( Anyway, if you haven't experienced the Booth Brothers, you should go to www.boothbrothers.com. And you should go there now....

G'night :)