December 2008. Noun: Christmas

December! I cannot believe an entire semester has passed (I'm still thinking in school time). What have I accomplished? I have been retired for six months and have been busy doing "something." My house is a little less dusty; I'm learning that planning a menu saves money at the grocery store; exercising regularly does keep off weight; snow is still beautiful -- we've had four snowfalls already; singing in the EFCH choir is awesome; having more time to get ready for Christmas doesn't mean that I am ready; sending and receiving Christmas cards is a way of keeping up with friends; Winter has finally come ("Can Spring be far behind?"); and I am loving NOT writing lesson plans!

The news stories this past year have definitely affected me. My 401k accounts have diminished, my brother died suddenly, gas prices have been the highest and lowest in the same year, I have a new African-American president, the names Michael Phelps and Sarah Palin are prominent, athiestic signs are next to manger scenes; and O'Reilly is still on his throne.

In spite of the good and the bad, I remain thankful for this wonderful season of the year when I celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God who was born to provide a way of salvation for me! As I think of His birth, I also think of his death, because His blood was shed for me. Thank you, Lord! I am humbly yours.

"Pampered" in Seattle with Sightseeing, Good Food, and Excellent MD Report! Noun: Gratefulness.

Renee and Philip treated Larry and me with a trip to Seattle this past week. Since Philip was scheduled for his MD appointment at Hutchinson, he and Renee included us in their plans with four days of sightseeing and exploring the surrounding areas in the beautiful Northwest. A diary synopsis follows.

Saturday: Great flights. Met up with Renee and Philip in Minneapolis. After arriving in Seattle (misty rain), we enjoyed Pike's Market, Iver's, Puget Sound, Olympic Mountains, Cascades, University of Washington's stadium (game in progress), University Square, and city of Seattle. Misty. Couldn't see Mt. Rainier.

Sunday: Brunch at the world-famous Salty's (across the sound from Seattle), the Point, Snowquamie, Salish Lodge, waterfalls, Philip's fly fishing spot near lodge, snow-capped mountains, ski lodge with no snow (rain instead), and Dick's Drive In. Rain and Sun and Clouds. Still couldn't see Mt. Rainier.

Monday: Lunch at the Wild Ginger (our first Thai food), MD appointment (good report - Thank you, God), Space Needle, Fran's Chocolate, Nordstrom Rack Store, walking and shopping in the city, and Dick's Drive In for burgers and fries. Sunny! Still no Mt. Rainier.

Tuesday: Renee's birthday!! She's a blessing. After opening gifts, Renee and the rest of us enjoyed the Bellevue Mall, Medina and Bill Gates' entrance to his home, the Ikon Grill in downtown Seattle where we enjoyed Seattle's attempt at fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese (wonderful mac and cheese), the West Lake Center, Nordstrom's, finding chocolate gummi bears, drinking Seattle's Best, and eating See's Candies. Rain! No Mt. Rainier.

Wednesday: Anacortes, Indian Reservation, Rockfish Grill (mmmmm sweet potato fries), Deception Pass, Happy Donuts, Ferry ride to San Juan Islands (saw dolphins and birds wrestling fish), Friday's Harbor (beautiful island), and Iver's. Rain! Rain! Rain! Still looking to see Mt. Rainier....running out of time.

Thursday: On a clear day, we could see all the mountains including Mt. Rainer which surround Seattle. We looked and looked..........to no avail. Across from the motel where we stayed was the bay in which sea planes took off and landed. We really enjoyed watching them every day! After a quick trip to Pike's Market for Philip's salmon to take home, we arrived at airport to discover that we had an hour's delayed flight. When we finally took off through the partly sunny, partly cloudy atmosphere, we saw it................Mt. Rainier from above, as well as Mt. Baker!!!!! I was excited! I was so excited that I forgot to take a picture.

After a quick goodbye in Minneapolis, Renee and Philip flew on to Memphis and we made it to Harrisburg where our dear neighbor, Larry, picked us up. Foggy!

Thank you, Renee and Philip, for a wonderful time. The best part was just being with you.

No Cell Phones Allowed!

AT&T Hasn't Made It, but I DID!!!!

YEAH! I reached a goal today! I made it on my bike to Mt. Gretna on the the trail! The fall colors and tall trees made the ride awesome and beautiful . When I turned right off the trail at Mt. Gretna to go into the little town to get a piece of pizza at the pizza shop, I was disheartened to see that the pizza shop was closed! (Monday/Columbus Day). I had already told Larry that he had to keep his phone close by so that he could drive up to the Mt. to pick me up. I didn't think I could do a "roundtrip." Well, I proceeded to call Larry on my cell phone and realized after several attempts that there was no cell phone service on the mountain! Stephanie, you forgot to tell me!!!!


Oh no! What was I to do?


You guessed it. I turned around, rode back to the trail, and biked back home. When I got about five miles from the Mt., I had cell service so I called Larry to assure him that I was fine and to tell him my predicament. I think I woke him up!


I told him I thought I could make it back home. Well, he came to a trail entrance about a mile from our house to pick me up.


Today I rode 22.22 miles! (1 hour 23 minutes one way). I am so proud! ( know, Stephanie and Lou. That is nothing to you, but a big deal for me.)

Contrast of Colors!

Just In Case You Don't Believe in Answered Prayer.....

Today has been awesome! I realize that I can still wake up just before the alarm is to go off at 6:00 A.M. Yeah! Had to get up and get ready to be at church at 8:00 for the one hour choir rehearsal before the 9:00 service, so had to get caffeined up for extra energy.

Today was a big day at church as Pastor Dave was preaching his last sermon as the pastor of EFC of Hershey for 36 1/2 years. The congregation was happy and sad as he has been a tremendous, humble servant of God. The worship service included "Blessed be Your Name," "I Sing Praises to Your Name," "Glorify Thy Name," "How Majestic is Your Name!" "Great is the Lord," "Turn Your Eyes," "To God be the Glory," "God is Great," "What Can I Do?" "How Great is our God," "How Great Thou Art," and "Mighty to Save." Every now and then, I could sing a note or two, but it was very difficult to sing without crying. Then I got to sing them all over again in the second service of the morning.

After the singing, Pastor Dave's sermon was on Gratitude: When I Think about the Lord. The simple yet profound points that he made were
That God can't love me anymore than He already does....
That God can't learn anything He doesn't already know.....and
That God has more to give than I've already received.

Then, my responsibility toward this profoundness is
That I should be willing to just receive whatever He gives
That I should trust Him for what I need (and I shouldn't need much), and
That I should not make things harder than they need to be!

Just a few hours after the service, I got to put "In Everything, Gratitude" into practice. I had time for only a ten mile bike ride in the afternoon. I made the best time ever (1:04), but there was a reason! Since my "bird experience," I never go on the trail without my camera. Well, today, I was going to take a picture of a particular scenic field with the colored leaves of the trees from the mountains in the background. When I got to the five-mile mark, I realized my camera was not in my pocket. I panicked!! It must have slipped out somewhere on the trail! There were numerous people on the trail today including horses, so my mind was creating all kinds of chaotic scenarios. I turned around and sped off, pedaling the hardest that I ever have before , all the while looking for the camera on the ground.

After two miles of constantly begging God to help me find the camera, I raced by an older couple leisurely walking along the opposite way from which I was biking. I was going so fast, they didn't understand me when I yelled "Have you seen a camera anywhere on your walk today?"

The lady yelled back, "What?" (I don't think they understood Southern accent.)

"Have you seen a camera?"


She looked at her husband and he pulled my camera out of his pocket!!! I was overwhelmed. They could tell, too. I told them that God had directly answered my prayer and he used them to answer it. They said it was a good thing I said something. My heart was overjoyed with gratitude.

So, thinking about the sermon this morning, I realized that I had probably made things harder than they needed to be by not putting my camera in a zippered pocket like I usually do; I know I did not necessarily NEED the camera (but it had been a precious gift); and I was SO grateful to receive what He gave, an answer to my prayer. Thank you, God!

TRAIL OF BEAUTY

Can you imagine the huge bird flying ahead of me on this trail?

Praise is the Noun for this Week!

I have had a full week! Though I love nouns, I am beginning to completely understand how a noun needs a verb and a verb needs a noun to make sense. I feel "praise" for all that this past week has given me. I ate a peanut butter longjohn for Louann from Roots Market (where I finally found some lima beans)! [Everybody needs to go to Roots. It is a huge market that sells produce and everything else imaginable on Tuesday's only.] I started a Bible study called "Stepping Up" by Beth Moore with a group of women from my church. After completing four days of my "homework," I am already on my ascent to I'm not sure where yet. I bought a beautiful dark pink crape myrtle to plant in the front of my house to remind me of NC where they are found in abundance. (I do miss NC.) But, the highlight of my week was the day I was on the Conewago Trail riding my bike. I was riding at a hefty speed for an "Oldtimer," when I saw something moving on the trail about forty yards in front of me. As I got closer, I realized why I should always take my camera when I ride. There was the most beautiful bird which began to fly in front of me as if I were to follow it. This bird seemed to be leading me out of the shadows into the light as it continued to fly for at least a half mile or more until we reached a road crossing where it flew into a field to my left. I was in awe of its size and wingspan. When I got parallel to it from the trail, I stopped to try to recognize what kind of bird it was. I will have to check with the Audubon book, but it looked much like a crane. As I followed its lead, I was reminded of the verse in Psalms that says "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge...." I feel praise for God's reminding me of the beauty of His creation in the midst of a very full week of activities.

Noun today is "Route 66"

Yes. Today marks sixty-six years of life for me. I feel blessed and thankful for my age and for the fact that I am in a new phase (or route) of life with my retirement, age, and circumstances. My husband and children are always so generous with their love, cards, and gifts. Plus, my neighbors came over to share ice cream and pie with me tonight. Of course my ice cream freezer is wearing out, so we had to eat regular ice cream versus homemade ice cream. Our Whirlpool Gold will have to do the "hard" work! Rode twelve miles on my bike today. The final mile home was the hardest, especially with the humidity that was prevalent today. Then, I joined the EFCH choir again (was a member over eight years ago). I have had a wonderful yet busy day, but a BHS senior from the Class of 2008 called me tonight to wish me a happy birthday. That he remembered me, much less my birthday, absolutely made my day.
66 and thankful

Noun for the Day: Route ??

I miss Branson! I love fall days in September! I love bike riding! I love red roses! (My husband sent me roses today.) Tomorrow I will be the number that comes after Route.................................
Stay tuned.....

Proper Noun for the Day: "Proud Mama"

Traveling down Interstate 81 through Virginia is a scenic drive. Wish tractor trailer trucks had their own highways, though! Larry and I went to Lynchburg to see Larry, Jr.'s, performance in the play Bat Boy. He played the mean veterinarian which was very out of character for him. The play was not what I had imagined; however, I enjoyed the music and will continue to think about the message of the play and how I can learn from it since I have not seen a play like it during my lifetime. Of course, I was a "proud mama" who glowed when Larry was on stage. We were fortunate to be with Stephanie too. She is such a beautiful young woman. (We missed you, Renee.) I had to return her dog Branson who has been with me for a month. The time together was short but wonderful.
Proud Mama

Noun for the day -- Shredder

I cleaned closets, files, and drawers all day. There were many precious memories which I found along with all the stuff that had to be shredded. Cards from my children when they were small had the sweetest messages; for instance, Renee loved me because I gave her candy before supper. Stephanie said she couldn't wait to grow up so she could get even with her dad for always teasing her. Larry said "I love you" many, many times. I will take the time to read all of their creations in the next few weeks. Shredding is very tiring, though.
From the Shredder

Noun for the Day: Retiree

I love verbs! While trying to think of a clever title for my blog, I thought that becoming a noun in life after being a verb for so long would be fitting since I had just retired from teaching high school English on July 1st. Time will tell if I will be able to pull it off. After thirty-three years in the classroom, I am finding that adjusting to a more relaxed schedule is nice, especially at 5:45 A.M. when I know I don't have to get out of bed. I do miss my friends from school, plus the contact with the students; however, I do not miss writing lesson plans. I am officially a retiree.