September Fun

September brings two family favorites: Cox Farms Fall Festival and the Maryland Renaissance Festival. The Renaissance Festival actually begins at the end of August, but it's usually very hot the first weekend(s). This year we went Sept. 10th to the Renaissance Festival so that Josiah could come. Cox Farms Fall Festival began the following week, and once he started working at the Fall Festival, he would have fewer opportunities to go with our family.

First, the Renaissance Fair

Above: me in my Renaissance costume

and a flower wreath in my hair.

I got my costume at the Fair that day.

I had wanted one for years.

Below: Josiah with a Renaissance Jester.

Above: the Tournament is always a fun event to attend.

Below: Josiah and Jordan watch a Fair Magician do some tricks.

Second, Cox Farms Fall Festival

Kick off weekend had Josiah help with training new employees

at the Cox Farms Fall Festival. Above you can see him at the rope swing.

There are lots of places you can take pictures on the farm.

Below: Jordan on a tractor. The tractor doesn't work, of course.

Jordan treasures the leather jacket he was wearing. He would

never wear it to do work of any kind, let alone farm work.

July was Awesome! Part 2 (finally)

The main reason for Jeanne, and Mike & his family coming to visit in July was for Josiah's Eagle Court of Honor. It was a wonderful event, and many friends came to share Josiah's special day.

However, we also planned some fun things to do as a family for the days after the Court of Honor. On the day after, we got packed up and headed north for New York. We stopped at Hershey, Pennsylvania and took the free chocolate factory tour. Mike's car still had a problem with overheating and needing coolant, but we got on our way after the tour and got to New York late that night. We were camping at a very nice campground, and we let them know we'd be arriving late. We were setting up our tents around midnight, but we finally got settled in.

The next day Jordan, Josiah, and I played with the kids at the campground, and Jon, Jeanne, Mike, and Lena went to the Nauvoo temple. That afternoon we went to see the Smith Farm, the Sacred Grove, and then went to the Hill Cumorah Pageant that night. Above are most of the family in front of the Smith home. Below is a photo of Jon and me sitting in the Sacred Grove.

The Sacred Grove is beautiful, but it is also a very quiet and reverent place. Even though there were many youth groups there, it was not noisy. I heard one or two people call out, but they were the exception. Most people seemed to feel immediately how sacred a place it is and spoke in quiet, hushed tones. It was very much like being in a temple.

We also went to see the Grandin building, where the Book of Mormon was published, after the Sacred Grove and before the Pageant. Many years ago as a young woman, I was in the Hill Cumorah Pageant, but I'd never actually gotten to see it before.

On Saturday we packed up, visited the Hill Cumorah itself, then went to the Peter Whitmer Farm. After the Whitmer Farm, we said goodbye to Mike's family, and they went to Kirtland, Ohio before returning home, while we headed south to go to our own home.

Driver's Training and Disaster Week

Despite the title of this post, the two are not related, except that they both occurred in August.

I had every intention of telling more about our wonderful July as my next post. There was Josiah's Eagle Court of Honor (the main reason for his siblings and nephews/nieces visit), our trip to the Hill Cumorah Pageant in Palmyra (New York), and the visit right after of Thalita, the Brazilian girlfriend of our son Jordan.

However, August was as busy as July was, and somehow my blog never got updated. First of all, we got Josiah signed up for Driver's Training. If he didn't take it in August, he wouldn't be able to get his license till he turned 19. Neither he nor we wanted him to wait till then. However, because I'd been waiting to sign him up till we had some free time apart from all the visitors, the only class he could get was in Springfield, which was an hour's drive each way, during rush hour in the morning, and the lunch hour when it finished, both bad traffic times for our area. The class itself was 3 hours. After the first day I took my scrapping stuff. As much as I love to read, I was much happier scrapbooking. I got a lot of pages done during those class times. The class plus the driving time to get there, however, took 5 hours out of my day. And then the next week, Behind the Wheel began in the afternoon, which took additional time out of the day, and we tried to get in practice driving in the evenings.

It was on the way to one of his Behind the Wheel classes when the first disaster struck. We were stopped at a traffic light, and suddenly the car started rocking and jiggling like we were on a moon bounce. Josiah and I both thought something really weird was wrong with the car. It didn't last long, though, and by the time the light changed to green, everything was back to normal. Josiah was the one driving to his Behind the Wheel class, so I was a little nervous the car would start acting up again while he was driving. Stopped at a light was one thing. Having it happen when he was driving would be another. It wasn't a problem, though. The car was fine. Then Jordan called and that's when we found out it had been an earthquake of 5.8 magnitude.

Now, some may wonder how we could be so dumb as to think something was wrong with the car. First of all, I've never experienced an earthquake before. Secondly, my cars have weird problems, the kind mechanics have never heard of before. Like the time when our previous minivan would suddenly switch to low gear every time I turned on the windshield wiper. The mechanic really didn't believe me on that one, but I told him to take it for a test drive and see. Sure enough, it did it to him, too. It was a computer glitch. So it wasn't that unreasonable to think it was just another weird problem with my car. I wasn't looking around me to see everyone and everything around shaking. As soon as the car started rocking, Josiah and I immediately looked at each other, and he asked, "What is happening with the car?" I had no idea. It just never occurred to us that it was an earthquake till we heard the news from Jordan.

Thankfully, our home seems unhurt, but apparently there was some superficial damage to the DC temple as a result of the earthquake, with the tips of four spires broken off. At first we just assumed that the report we heard was confusing what happened to the National Cathedral with our temple, but both buildings were damaged in our 5.8 quake. The local news media didn't see fit to report about the damage to the temple, so we heard that from other family in other states first. The Washington Monument also apparently cracked in spots near the top. If the earthquake had been longer than 30 seconds, there would have been a lot more damage. There were some aftershocks in the days following, but not strong enough to be noticed.

With the hurricane reaching our area just a few days after, most on the East Coast were feeling a bit jinxed, but our neck of the woods came through pretty well. We lost our power only for a second. Literally. Then it came back on, and we had no other power outages, thankfully. No tornadoes, either. The weather radios were quiet in the night, which was a pleasant surprise. We expected to hear alarms for flooding and tornado watches/warnings, the usual thing we get when a big hurricane comes up the coast, but not this time. We got some heavy rain and strong winds, but we got blue skies and sunshine after. It was nice to have a calm ending to Disaster Week. Not everyone was so fortunate.

July was AWESOME! Part 1: The Beach

Our daughter plus our oldest son and his family arrived July 2nd, so we started out the month with a houseful! Our home is small, but somehow we all fit, and it was wonderful having everyone. On July 4th we had originally planned to go to see the fireworks in DC, but the grandkids really wanted to go to the beach. So we planned a one day trip, and on Monday morning we packed up and drove 4 hours to a quiet beach that is part of Delaware Seashore State Park. We arrived about 2:00 p.m., and everyone was very, very hungry, so the first thing we did once we got set up was get out our picnic lunch.

After lunch, the grandkids played in the sand, and jumped

waves with their grandaddy, aunt, and uncles.

(Grandad may not be in these pictures, but

they did a lot of wave jumping with him.)

Little Keith and Allyssa had a great time digging in the sand.

Unfortunately, our afternoon was cut a little shorter than we had expected. A thunderstorm came up rather quickly, and although we had started to pack up when we heard the first rumble, a lifeguard drove up to us and told us to get our canopy down immediately, because the metal poles made it a lightning rod. (Our canopy was the tallest on the beach!) We got it down and threw things in our bags. We didn't care that everything was in chaos. We tried to get the little ones to hurry, but they didn't want to leave. Then a huge bolt of lightning hit very close by, with a very loud clap of thunder, and even the children ran at that point. We were drenched before we made it to our cars, and we sat waiting in our vehicles, hoping the storm would be over quickly so we could go get cleaned up at least a little. We did get a chance to rinse off inside the bath house, although we had a little trouble finding our clothes and toiletries because everything had just been thrown quickly into the cars.

Then we headed to Ocean City for our traditional ice cream treat. Our car led the way, but before long Mike and his family were no longer behind us. We got a call on my cell phone. Mike said, "Our car is overheating." They had to find a gas station with some coolant. We pulled over at a McDonalds, thinking it would be an easier place to meet them once they got what they needed. The skies poured, and we hoped it would clear soon. It didn't. They did join us, but had to wait to get out of their car because it was a "Noah" rain. Finally they came in, and we had some food. It wasn't where we'd intended to stop for our dinner, but it was a haven in the storm. By the time we finished eating, we were able to go to our cars without getting drenched, and we continued on till we found a Candy Kitchen that let you do your own ice cream sundaes.

On the way home, Mike's family had to stop again, but he said to go on ahead, and they would meet us at home. While driving home, we saw fireworks, and they were pretty good ones, so we stopped by the side of the road as several other cars had done. We didn't take pictures, but it was nice to see some fireworks on the 4th, too. They were suprisingly good fireworks, too, although we couldn't figure out what town in Maryland was doing them. Even though we stopped quite awhile, we still got home before Mike's family did. They arrived a bit later.

Most Wanted

Our ward used to do a fun activity each year called "Find the Advisor" at a local mall. The Youth leaders (Advisors) and other adults would try to disguise themselves while groups of the youth tried to find them. It was a fun and often funny version of "Hide and Seek" with those who were "hiding" staying in plain site. No one was allowed to hide in stores. They had to stay in the hallway. Over the years, though, the area of the mall where our ward had the activity got a bit rougher and less safe, so the tradition ended because none of the other malls were willing to give permission for the activity.

This year it was revived again, but with some of the youth being part of those in disguise. The name was changed to "_______'s Most Wanted" and was done at a mall in a better area. This first picture is of most of those in disguise just before going out into the mall hallways.

Below is the picture of the "best" disguise, meaning almost none of the youth groups found her. She is the Young Women's President, and she put her grandkids in their stroller and was definitely one of the hardest to recognize.
Jordan was the scary looking one. He wore a fauxhawk, used super glue and magnets to simulate brow, lip, and ear piercings, and although you can only see one of them, we even drew fake tattoos on his arms with a sharpie. His hair was sprayed black, and he grew ten days worth of facial hair which we darkened with my mascara. As he walked along at the mall while texting on his phone, girls would look behind them, see him, and scatter out of his way. The Starbucks cup in his hand had hot chocolate in it. Three of the four groups recognized him, more than he had expected.
Josiah tried to blend in by looking a bit more ordinary. He rarely wore his glasses at church, and we sprayed his hair blond. He was disappointed that all four groups found him since being ordinary is theoretically supposed to be more likely to be overlooked.
Half the fun of the activity was coming up with the disguise. We spent a lot of time in the days beforehand hunting for parts of the planned disguises, and it was all over in such a short time.

Frontier Culture Museum

Near the first part of May, we went to see the Frontier Culture Museum. It was quite a drive to get there, but we'd passed by the signs for it many times while on long trips, and I'd wondered about it each time. We finally made the trip just to go see it. It was a delightful afternoon!

There are two sections to the museum, which is not your typical museum. Nearly all the exhibits are actual homes that were taken from their country of origin: England, Ireland, and Germany. They also had an Irish blacksmith's forge, also an original building, centuries old. The buildings had been in use, and the homes actually lived in for centuries. When scheduled for being demolished to make way for something more modern, each brick or piece of wood was numbered and carefully disassembled, brought to Staunton, Virginia, then put back together to become part of the Frontier Culture Museum. It gives visitors a chance to see and hear how the early American settlers lived before they left their country of origin, and what hardships had caused them to leave their homeland. The English, Irish, and German were the main groups of early colonists that helped shape America into a unique nation. The slaves from West Africa also had an influence, and a West African home compound was re-created for the Museum, since their type of home would not withstand the centuries.

In the second section are American homes, also mostly original homes dating back to the 1800's. Visitors learn how the immigrants adapted their native ways to their new homeland, and how they influenced one another.

It was an enjoyable and well-spent afternoon.

Above, at an American home of the 1820's, Josiah and Jordan

learn that carding wool isn't as easy as you might think.

Below, Jon looks on as the docent of the English

farmstead explains about how cheese was made.

Below: Louise by the English homestead. Off to the left is the kettle

and fire for cleaning the wool, a tiresome and not particularly enjoyable

task. Sheep grazed in a nearby field. Everything produced here is made

the way the farmers had done it centuries ago.

Cherry Blossoms

Our missionary son came home on March 24th, just in time to see the cherry blossoms. Josiah, his friend Quinn, Jordan, and I went to DC on March 29th to see the beautiful trees in bloom. Quinn had another friend they were meeting, so Josiah, Quinn, and Sariah went off to enjoy themselves, while Jordan and I walked around the tidal basin in front of the Jefferson Memorial. Above you can see the two of us sitting on the side tiers at the Jefferson Memorial. The statue of Jefferson can be seen in the background.

Above and below are a few pictures of the tidal basin, paddle boats, and cherry blossoms.

The cherry blossoms formed a natural frame for the Jefferson Memorial in the above photo. You can also see one of the many paddle boats that were out that day.

The curve of the tidal basin with the Washington Monument is one of my favorite sights. The top photo is another one of my favorite views.

I was a little sad that my husband couldn't be with us on this beautiful day. It was the one day during the peak of the cherry blossoms that had decent weather, which is why we went. It was a Tuesday, so there weren't as many people as there might have been, but there were still quite a few. We arrived early in the afternoon, and stayed till nearly 6:00 p.m.

Josiah and his friends walked to Chinatown for lunch, went to one of the museums, walked to the edge of the tidal basin, then walked up to the Botanical Gardens, which was closed by the time they got there. They didn't see as much of the cherry blossoms as Jordan and I did, but Sariah had never been to DC before and wanted to see more than just cherry trees in bloom.

For my part, since this might be our last chance to see them if we move later this year, I wanted to enjoy the cherry blossoms as much as I could. Jordan and I walked and talked and had a wonderful day. The only sad part was that our family didn't all go together as we have in past years.

My family will be glad to know.....

I finally bought new curtains for the family room! After getting 26 to 27 years of service out of the old ones, I decided to trash those dust catchers and get something new.

Next on my list of things to update/replace: the fridge!

I have a new toy, and I'm losing weight because of it!

I was at Costco getting a few groceries a few weeks ago, and I saw a demonstration on the VitaMix. I've seen the demos on high powered (expensive) blenders at Costco before, and I usually steer clear of them. However, on this particular day, no one was around watching the demo, and she had smoothie samples. I was kind of hungry & thirsty, so I went over and got a little cup. Mmmmmm, pretty good. The gal whizzed up something else for me. After all, no one else was around, so I got special treatment. After that she did a soup. By this time a few other people had gathered around, and I was really impressed, but I told her the price tag made me choke. She told me to look up their website. Normally they're more, but Costco sells them cheaper, and they're only there once a year.

Well, I wasn't about to spend that much money without doing a little research, and not without discussing it with my husband. I went home and posted on message boards asking if people owned a VitaMix, how did they like it. Everyone loved theirs except for one person who had gotten a defective machine. Most people said they've had theirs several years. I found out a dear friend has had one for ten years. They last a long time.

Then I went to the VitaMix website and started reading about it. The testimonials from cancer survivors impressed me, along with those who use it for weight loss. I talked to my husband, and he told me to get it. So I went back to Costco and bought it, still kind of gagging at the price.

I've used it every day since. Most of the fruits I've been using are lower on the glycemic index. Because I'm fixing a lot of smoothies, I'm getting far more fruits and veggies into my diet. I add fresh spinach leaves to the fruit smoothies, which may sound gross, but it doesn't hurt the flavor. I've always struggled with eating enough fruit and vegetables before. One pleasant surprise is that I'm NOT craving refined sugar anymore. And I'm losing weight! I've lost about a pound a week so far. I'm eating healthier all around, too.

Now maybe I could have gotten the same benefit from some other brand for a similar machine and paid less, but I love my new toy! It's super easy to clean, and it's an awesome machine.

Now if I could just get myself to start exercising, I'd probably lose weight even faster. I'm not really fat, but I do weigh more than I ought to, and I once was super skinny. I don't want to be skinny again, but I'd certainly like to slim down a bit, and I'm delighted to be losing at a gentle but steady pace.

And I thought I liked snow......

I love snow. It's beautiful, and as long as my family and I can stay nice and warm, I'm quite happy to see it fall.

Even when we've had significant snowfalls, we haven't lost our power. In the many years we've lived in our all electric house, we've only lost our power during a winter storm once. Until now. This makes twice. We got six and a half inches is all, but it was a thunder snow (with thunder and lightning), and the snow was very, very heavy & wet. Sleet got mixed in with it at the beginning. Traffic was horrible according to the news reports, although thankfully my husband was smart enough to decide to work from home that day (Wednesday). Our power went out about 8:00 in the evening. When I called the electric company to report it, I got an automated message saying they were aware of the problem in our area, and we should have our power back by 8:46. Less than an hour didn't sound too bad.

Unfortunately, it was 17 hours, so it got a bit chilly. We filled a large cooler with snow, opened the fridge once to take out milk and cheese, and closed the fridge within 30 seconds. With the milk and cheese in the cooler, we were able to open it as often as we wanted. Friends put their milk outside, but they had to keep opening the door and let cold air in each time. The cooler worked great for us.

We could have used our fireplace to keep the house warmer, but the smoke might have triggered an asthma attack for me, so we decided to wait till the temperature dropped lower. The temperature didn't get below 56, and we survived pretty well. Thankfully, the power came back on at 3:00 in the afternoon. It was going to be a colder night Thursday night, so we felt very grateful to have our power back.

Now we're toasty warm again, but they're saying we have another storm just like this last one expected this coming Wednesday. Ick.

Living better than kings

It's been a bit cold lately. While we haven't gotten nearly the amount of snow that our unfortunate neighboring states to the north have gotten, it's still been rather chilly.

So when is a furnace likely to go out? When it's very cold, of course. Our furnace started making a funny noise yesterday. Then it stopped blowing out any air, which meant no heat either.

We didn't lose our power, though, which was a blessing. We have a wood stove fireplace, but it can trigger an asthma attack for me, so it isn't our first choice for heating the house anymore. My son and I went and got three portable electric heaters, which helped a great deal. The house never got cold, although the temperature did drop to about 60 degrees. It started working again when our electrician friend came to check it. Of course. Then it stopped working again today, but we had a comfortably warm night. The furnace has been fixed now, and we're warm and cozy.

I realized last night how often we take for granted such things as heating and air conditioning, and plumbing, and computers, and so many other blessings.

No wonder people in less affluent countries think all Americans are rich. To a great extent, we are, whether we live in a big house or not, whether we drive a fancy car or something simple.

We may not have servants, but we have conveniences and technology that make our lives easier and more comfortable. We may not have castles, but our homes aren't drafty, and we have indoor plumbing along with the heating and air conditioning. We don't have jugglers and acrobats to entertain us, but we have TV with cable, and favorite movies in our home DVD collection. We can easily communicate with anyone we want via phone or internet. We don't have personal chefs, but we can make our own gourmet meals or bring it home from a local restaurant. Most people have dishwashers that make the cleanup easy, too.

Although we still occasionally have health problems or dental issues, modern medicine and scientific advances have made it possible to live longer, healthier lives--at least if we eat smart and exercise. (I need to work harder on that last item.)

All in all, we have it pretty good. I'll take my life over that of any of the kings and queens of old.

Any day.