Finally catching up

Jet lag is for the birds. The older I get, the longer it takes. We have been back in the states for almost 3 weeks. We stayed several days in the Seattle area before even attempting the drive home. My internal clock is wound too tight and having trouble getting back on schedule. Still, it is better each day. I sleep well and at the approximate "regular" time, but I feel wiped out most of the time.

Amy's family

Egg display-Rothenberg

Amy's house

Amy's back deck

Spire

church square-Spire

Today I finally downloaded my pictures to my computer. It will take awhile longer before any editing is done, maybe all summer at this rate. But I will share a few, as they are.

Too tired to care

We arrived home last evening after a month in Germany and Washington. I slept 12 hours straight, found something to eat (rice crackers and peanut butter) and made a pot of coffee. It has taken all day to empty suitcases, do a load of laundry, and go through e-mail. Mail will have to wait till tomarrow. I need to doa grocery run. We are out of almost everything. But I am fading, so it had best be done soon. I will post a few details and photos later in the week.

Prompting

Most of us have heard of and have experienced the "prompting" of the Holy Spirit. PTL for it, what a blessing. Yesterday, I had such an experience.

While still in recovery from my surgery and not yet able to walk, let alone drive, I received notification that my drivers license would need to be renewed prior to my birthday. There was no way I could do anything about it at the time, so I put the notice on a shelf above my desk and promptly forgot about it. But yesterday morning, the upcoming deadline just popped into my head. So I started looking for the notification. It was, of course, right where I had left it. They say timing is everything and I believe it.

We are about to embark on a journey, a trip for which I need to drive 175 miles both at the beginning and the end of a month long vacation. My license is still good for the first leg, but would have been expired by three weeks for the trip home. Not acceptable. So I went down and went through the process of renewal, got a worthless temporary license (also expires before we return), and hopefully my new one will arrive before we leave. It is supposed to take 5-10 days. We leave in 7. If I had waited even until Monday, odds are we would already be gone when it arrives. On the off chance we miss it, I will have Chris mail it to Rick's house so it will be waiting for me when we get back from Europe.

I truly believe the prompting of the Holy Spirit saved the situation. It certainly wouldn't be the first time and most likely not the last. PTL. Boy, I hope I haven't forgotten anything else of importance! By the way, at 72 years old I still passed the eye exam and do not yet need to wear glasses to drive. When the Lord blesses you He doesn't hold anything back.

getting close

Time is passing very quickly. It always does, when you are either having fun or preparing to do so. We leave on our trip Saturday March 17. That is only a little over a week from now. Our bags are not actually packed, but most everything is either in the bags or on the bed beside it. Several lists have been checked off, or have but a few items yet to complete. Most are things that, by their nature need to be "last minute". But then there is always an item that just can't be located. This time it is a silk screen.

We told our granddaughter we would bring Richard's printing equipment for her to use in connection with her art work. But I have looked till I am blue in the face for that thing, and it is not to be found. No I did not throw or give it away! I am pretty sure I saw it a few months ago when cleaning in the old furnace room, but where is it? Chris even helped me look for it last week. Big breath, try again. Ask the Lord for His direction. It will show up.

Mean while, I have shopped for requested items. Our medication has been ordered and most received. Arrangements have been made with the airline for handicap loading and seating. TSA rules have been down-loaded and reviewed. A couple Dr. appointments needed to be changed to after we return home. A note from the Dr. has been secured that will authorize carrying of refrigerated liquid medicine and syringes and verifies that both Richard and I have artificial knees. Bills have been paid ahead. Taxes completed and the annual VA benefit form submitted. I visited the bank and changed the password on both my Visa and debit cards, telling them when and where we are headed to avoid any problems getting funds, should we need them. I called our health insurance company to also make sure they knew where we would be and to verify protocol should, God forbid, we require medical assistance. We have made arrangements to stay a few days with our son in Washington on either end of the flight. He will take us to and pick us up from the airport. We will be stopping by one granddaughter's on the way to Seattle and another will visit us there. Both granddaughters have new little ones that we have yet to meet. Our grandson Chris will be house sitting. We are taking friends to dinner tonight as a thank you for all their assistance while I was recovering from my last surgery. And finally, I have called a meeting next week for the church group I head up, to discuss several outstanding issues. Have I forgotten anything important? I hope not.

Traveling at this stage of our life is a challenge. But it is not impossible. We so look forward to seeing loved ones that could be seen no other way. That makes all the hassle so worth while. Will it wear us our? Absolutely. We will probably be down for a couple days when we get there and at least a week when we get back. Would we do it all over again? In a heart beat, just not real soon. What's the saying, we're getting too old for this? Well, maybe so. But we aren't about to just lay down and die. Our family is our life. We need each other. You never outgrow the need for a hug and a face to face with those you love.

More good news

Some weeks are just so so. Some are never ending same ol same ol stuff. Some are filled with frustation. And then there are those that just take you by surprise. We had been thinking about going to Germany for over a year now. One thing and then another got in the way. It just didn't look good for this year either. Fares were terrible, fuel was going up again, making it unlikely those fares would be headed in the right direction. We were prepared to postpone again. Then early in the week we got a call from our daughter telling us she was not going to mail our traditional Easter package, we were just going to have to come get it.

So arrangements are in the works for another trip. We won't be doing any touristy things this time. Not only are neither of us in good enough shape, but our daughter is in the middle of a long term commitment that requires her to be home for a substantial number of weeks. So we will just chill. Quite frankly, that sounds really good to both of us right now. Our major concern is the travel part.

We are flying non-stop so won't need to worry about changing planes, but the trip will be hard on Richard. Last time we did this he was really sick for several days on either end. Please be in prayer for him this trip. We do NOT want a repeat.

Our grandson Chris will be house sitting while we are away. He is going to school on line and working here one day a week already. This will be a break for him. He can bring his computer and take his time with the routine work. We will leave plenty of stores for his use too. He will have to cook though.

Richard and I are looking forward to seeing our grandkids after three years. We haven't even seen our daughter in two years. A visit is way over due. Thank you Amy and Juergen. We appreciate you more than you know.

A good week

Last week (Saturday) Richard took a nasty fall. It took him almost half an hour (even with my help) to get back up. Needless to say, he was sore and exhausted. But he is OK now. Several people have been praying for him.

Tuesday was Valentines Day. I had been saving a couple of rib eye steaks in the freezer for a special occasion, this was it. They were great, but big. We only ate about half, saved the rest for another meal. The gleaners gave us two chocolate covered strawberries and some flowers. It was a nice day.

On Wednesday Carmen stopped by for lunch and a visit. It is always nice to visit one-on-one with our grand kids. I made beef stew and we took a stroll around the yard.

Chris come over on Friday and did some yard work. His help is making such a difference. He has been pruning fruit trees, cleaning the vegetable beds and even spread some grass seed.

Some old friends came by for a visit on Friday afternoon. We hadn't seen them in several weeks, so was nice to catch up.

I got caught in a drenching down pour yesterday. I had to change cloths and go to bed for awhile, just to warm up. But I'm OK. I'm so glad Richard wasn't with me. He is cold even in a warm house.

We will be gaining a new great grandchild on Friday. Lissa is scheduled for delivery that day, if she doesn't go into labor before that. It is scheduled due to difficulties last time around. Our new little girl doesn't yet have a name, but we will know soon enough.

Hope your coming week is great.

yarn mural

The Lilly Pond

I finally completed the afghan I promised Lissa for her new little one. She wanted a Lilly pad, I gave her just a little bit more. Shelley called it a Monet and I guess that Lilly pads are what he was noted for. It was fun to do and kept me busy while recovering from surgery. I am now learning to walk again and it will soon be time for real work. The afghan took +/- 100 hours to complete, including tucking in all those loose strands on the back and blocking the whole thing. But Lissa seems pleased and hopefully the baby will like it too. It was actually a lot of fun.