Weekend Fun

Last Thursday I had the privilege of giving a home perm to my niece, Emily.  Emily is getting married on September 24 and I wanted her to sign a disclaimer before we started just in case it was a disaster!  I didn't want to be held responsible for a bad outcome.  Anyway, we had a great time talking as we rolled, rinsed, sprayed, waited, rinsed and rinsed!  She is a brave woman.  I do believe it turned out just fine and it was an honor for me to have her trust me to do it.  You see, my mom is the "perm giver"...Emily and I both wondered just how many perms mom has given in her lifetime...too many to count!  With mom in Florida Emily had to settle with me doing it.
Friday night Tom and I enjoyed a date night at home.  I had been to the grocery store that day and purchased some fresh scallops...one of our favorite sea foods...and decided to make a special dinner for two.  After dinner we played our usual Skip-Bo and Tom's temper flared with me beating him quite badly!  He did come back on the second hand and beat me with a much closer finish.  He has definitely kept his competitive spirit!

Saturday morning Julie McIntosh picked me up to go to the Worthington Farmer's Market.  What a beautiful morning we enjoyed together.  We were not able to get everything we wanted so we have another trip planned.  I was able to get some delicious sweet corn and some organic cheese.  Julie came home with a watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, apples and honey.  Thanks Julie for a fun morning!

After getting home from the Farmer's Market, Tom and I loaded up our bikes to meet up with Dave and Lori Muschott for a trail ride.  While unloading the bikes Tom scraped his shin which started to bleed.  Lori jumped into first aid mode and had band-aids ready!  We rode about 10 miles with Tom keeping up the whole time.  It was a perfect temperature in the shade of the trees and with the breeze of the ride.  What fun we had.  Lori had prepared a very healthy lunch for us when we returned.  We treasure their friendship and so enjoy our common interests together.  We definitely will be doing that again on into the Fall until the snow starts to fly.  It was great exercise for Tom as well as me!

One they way home from biking I had a voicemail message inviting Tom and I to dinner at Kevin and Anne Marie Weakleys!  Tom said "yes" he wanted to go and thought after his nap he should be rested enough.  So we enjoyed the evening with the Weakley family and Homoelle family too!  Anne made chicken Parmesan (that was amazing) along with a delicious Cesar salad.  I picked up some bread from Raisin Rack and made a fresh fruit salad.  Suzanne brought dessert and had Tom in mind with Organic Raspberry Sorbet with fresh red raspberries that Tom thought was out of this world.  Thank you to our friends for understanding and accommodating Tom's new eating habits...we both appreciate it.  After dinner the Weakley girls, Katherine and Megan, wanted to see the "boys" have a dance off to Wi Dance!  They made Mr. Homoelle wear some special "props" to help with his dance moves!  He was a good sport.  So Kevin, Tom and Kent hit the dance floor and we all laughed until our cheeks hurt...what a special memory.

I can't remember who "won", but I'm sure if you ask them they will be sure to remember!  We are so thankful for the wonderful friendships the Lord has blessed us with...we are blessed.  Just when we were about to leave, Troy, Julie and Emma McIntosh stopped by.  We are just sorry that Troy wasn't in on the "dance off"...now that would be fun!  Next time...

What a fun group...notice how equally tall each of the gentlemen are!?  I think some of the younger men must still be growing.

Sunday we were blessed by our new pastor Mike Yoder's pledges to God, His Word, his family and now us as his extended family.  We are looking forward to this new chapter at Grace Brethren Church - Polaris.  What an honor to see Pastor Jim and Triceine and Mrs. Plaster join him on the platform as Pastor Yoder honored them for their commitment to the same.

Matthew left on Friday afternoon for a "surprise" visit to see his friend Katelyn.  She was quite surprised to see him when he showed up at her work late Friday afternoon!  My brother lives not too far from Katelyn, so it's nice for Matt to spend the night at their home when he goes to visit.  Matt called on Saturday to ask if he could spend the night Saturday night also.  He went to church with my brother's family and then enjoyed a round of golf (& humble pie) with my nephew Braden.  Matt has been playing some great golf this summer but not so on Sunday.  Braden is a high school junior and plays on the varsity golf team at his high school.  I'm sure it was a great feeling for Braden to beat his "big cousin" for a change!

School starts tomorrow, August 23, and I know it will be a big adjustment for Tom with the added people, noise, names to remember and much more activity.  He told me yesterday that he's a little nervous knowing he won't know people's names.  I know that God will give him the grace and stamina to see him through.  We continue to take one day at a time...that's all we can do and all that God asks.

"Give us today our daily bread."

Matthew 6:11

This morning in "One Thousand Gifts" I read:

"All fear is but the notion that God's love ends.  Did you think I end, that my bread warehouses are limited, that I will not be enough?  But I am infinate, child.  What can end in Me?  Can life end in Me?  Can Happiness?  Or peace?  Or anything you need?  Doesn't your Father always give you what you need?  I am the Bread of Life and My bread for you will never end.  Fear thinks God is finite and fear believes that there is not going to be enough.  In Me blessings never end because My love for you never ends.  If My goodnesses toward you end, I will cease to exist, child.  As long as there is a God in heaven, there is grace on earth and I am the spilling God of the uncontainable, forever-overflowing-love-grace."

Please be in prayer with us as we meet with the surgeon, Dr. Zerick, on Thursday.  Once again we have accumulated some questions for him and we trust that we will get some answers or at least some insight to them.