Thanksgiving Day

We were invited to celebrate Thanksgiving with Jadon's family this year...at his Grandma Mary's home. Mary and Paula had out done themselves...the tables were lovely!
It was wonderful getting to know our extended family...wonderful food and fellowship!

 Jesse(friend from church) Seth, Simon, Jeremy(Jadon't brother) and his family: Caleb, Jade, and wife, Kim...

                                          Scott, Shanon, Jadon, Joelle, Paula...

                                         Shanon, Jadon, Paula, Mary, and Emmanuel...

Seth's 24th bday!

                                                    Presents!

                                                    Shanon and Jadon

                                           Waiting patiently for his cheesecake!

                                          HB2U!! (notice Simon!)

                                         Dad and I enjoying the moment.

                                                                             Jadon and Seth playing around!

                                                   Love his fedora and smile! We love you, Seth!

He Got There and About My Day

I was up getting ready to for to be an Election Floater Judge when Joel called at 3:13am and read the card he was given (so they don't talk long!). He said "This is Marine Recruit Spaulding" (no longer a Poolee!). He said he would be getting his address out to us in 7-10days. Can't wait to get him a letter...I should start writing it now and have it all ready!

So, as I said I was up early and had to be a the Floater Staging Area at 5:15am to await and see where I would be needed. There was a room of about 50 + folks, all floaters waiting for assignments.
I was fifth person to be called. I was very glad that I was called, because it would have been a long day if I had to sit there all day!  I drove to a near by elementary school and checked in with the Chief Judge. She was so thrilled to have me there. The funny thing was the reason I was called because one of her Check-in Judges had not shown up. As I was walking in this guy walks in with me. He was an hour late.(had a  hard time getting transportation and ended up taking a taxi) He was the guy I was supposed to be replacing. Sue, the Chief Judge told me she was keeping me and called the Board of Elections and relayed that.

I  worked all the different positions when people went on breaks or lunch/dinner breaks. Did crowd control and helped break down after the night was over.
We had two polling books to check in people: run by Pat, Zephorah, Velma and Maynard.
Six polling stations run by Charlotte, Elaine(who had to go home halfway through-sick) and Dave
The two Chief Judges were Sue and Jack and then the extra pair of hands...the floater-Me!

It was a lonnnng day, but an exciting one watching the people continually flood in to exercise their right to VOTE! The precinct I was in had 1268 registered voters and over 800 showed up to vote!

I got to get to know some wonderful folks and found out what a small world it is...Pat and I knew some of the same church people! AND she lives across the street from my community!

Also a gentleman came up and introduced himself and said :I heard you just delivered a prime piece of Real Estate referring to Joel! He was in the military and had been for 17 years. Told me some pointers when writing to Joel...to always be positive. It was a nice thing for him to come up to encourage me. I wished him well as he completes his last three years!

After getting everything broke down and put in their proper place I was allowed to head home...it was 9:25pm! Long dayyyy for sure. I was glad to be home...ate a piece of choc. chip cheesecake and went to bed!

Today he left...

...for Marine boot camp and will be there for the next 12 weeks. He had a long day before finally boarding the bus.

They put the Poolees (name they are given till they get to boot camp when they are then called Recruits) up in a local hotel and then get them up early to have one last medical check. They then are taken to the MEPS. (Military Enlisting Process Station) LOTs more paper work had to be done because the computers went down that morning. So instead of getting to leave at 10am they had to hurry up and wait.
                                   Exciting to see him sworn in! 

 Then he got to eat lunch and his youngest brother and I were able to visit with him the whole time. Scott was able to get there after work an hour before he left and was able to visit with him, too. 
We got a quick photo in the swearing in room...thanks to youngest for taking this photo!

 
He was soooo ready to go and had heard a rumor that they were considering keeping them another night. Thankfully, the paperwork was complete and they were ready to go. They gave them a briefing and had them walk out of the room and to the bus.
The whole room clapped and cheered as they walked to the bus. I was able to run up and give on last hug before he boarded the bus.

  Joel, we love you and will be praying for you! See you February 12th for graduation!

Family gathering for our Marine Recruit!

Joel has had a busy weekend getting ready to go to boot camp. The music pastor at church, had to say something during service (since Joel was playing drums for the service) about Joel going to boot camp. The church family showed Joel *much love* over the past few days with comments on Facebook.
 
We had a family luncheon to send him off with some of his favorite foods. (sloppy joes, home-made french fries and Chocolate Chip Cheesecake made by his sister) 

Shanon and Jadon gave Joel a Bible that Jadon's dad, Emmanuel Ephraim had given Jadon when he was in ROTC. Shanon also wrote her brother a 3 page letter. She told him to read it later!

It was a fun afternoon...Simon and Seth fooling around while waiting to get photos...

 Shanon and Jadon...so proud of little brother!

 Seth and Joel always got to be making faces!

 Joel, Seth and Hannah

 Joel is going to miss Bentley...HIS cat!

Semper Fi, Joel! We love you...

 

The Canadians won!

Yesterday was our youngest sons last soccer game...and they won 4-0. Their stats for this fall season was 4 wins, 2 losses and 3 ties. Scott did a wonderful job coaching again this season!

They choose the name Canadians because of their red uniforms...great looking team and we are proud of the hard work they put into playing. Way to go #10!! We love you!

My Little Drummer Boy

Today, while Sandy, the SUPER storm was barreling through Maryland, Joel decided to get some practice in on his drums. So I taped a LONG song!

 It will be good to be able to go back and listen to it for the next few months, You see he practices two-three times a day in the basement and I will miss hearing the drums.

Joel leaves Monday, Nov 5th for Parris Island, SC . I know, I said he wasn't leaving till Dec. 10th, but they called and said a spot had opened up for the job that Joel wants....so what is a momma to say?
He started his journey to enter the Marines back in August and will be finally going to boot camp.
He is really excited and can't wait. I will keep you posted!

Sandy has arrived!

Sandy has arrived today, full of wind, rain and cooler temps. I am so glad that my dear hubby(who got up at 5am to go into work) was able to come home and stay in our warm and cozy home. Plus, he will be off tom'w as well.
Heard from our oldest DS...he was hunkered down in his little house in North Beach, MD and was warm, dry and still had power as of this afternoon.
Talked to DD and her hubby in Laurel and they are still with power.

I made a yummy dinner of roasted veggies, jasmine rice, and baked chicken breasts-seasoned with ranch drsg., mayo and panko bread crumbs. We are all having a quiet evening listening to the wind blow...at 11 pm its gusting 40 mph winds. Hoping the siding and pool cover stays on through the night.

Thinking of the song by Casting Crowns..."Praise You in This Storm"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ype1xE0wzsg

Four Weeks!

Wow, its been 4 weeks since I have blogged! Well, time to catch up.

Its been a very busy month with exercising, changing our diet to a more healthy way, middle DS getting called in for stand-bys to go to Marine boot camp 3 times, medical appts, and the cat got declawed. (I will share about the cat in  another post!)

In my previous post, I told you about our church doing a Bible study to help us be better, spiritually, mentally and physically! Well, the 6 weeks will be up this Friday. Have we done better, a definite *YES*! Scott and are toning up...he looks great and even commented he has had to tighten his belt one notch. My pants are loose though the scale says I have lost 5 pounds...but slow and steady, right! I want to lose and keep this weight off.
We walk every evening(except Fridays when we do Corefit-core strengthening  exercises) and have *ramped* up our walking.

Scott is still doing his running on Mondays, I had to drop out after the fourth week because of the pain in my left knee...I was walking even with the pain, but after a week my knee seems back to normal. I went to see my doctor to be sure it was okay and she sent me for an x-ray last Thursday. No results yet. I just think with my weight bouncing up and down on my knee was no good. The doctor said if the pain is that bad, running may not be for me. So, she also talked me into a physical, which I haven't had for a long time. I go next month. I did see my GYN also this past week, and I need a mammo done. So, I will try and schedule that and the blood work for my physical for this week. Momma needs to learn to take better care of herself.

Our son has Dec 10th as the date he heads to Paris Island, SC for boot camp, but the past month they have called him to go earlier because of possible POOLEEs not after to go and they have to fill a slot.(Poolees is what they call Marines till they go to boot camp then they are called recruits) Fortunately, things did not work out, they filled the slot quickly and he got a reprieve. He told his Gunnery Sergeant he wanted to wait till Dec 10th because he wants to be sure and get one of his three choices of jobs he wants. 
Here he is enjoying a family dinner/dessert we had before the last *stand-by* in case he went. He loves pumpkin roll, so his dear sister and her hubby, Jadon, brought his this.

                                     So happy he is still home!

Walk/ Run

Our church is starting a ministry program called CORE Fit this month and we are doing a Bible Study with a book called "Fully Alive" by Ken Davis. One of the things that you are suppose to do is try an exercise program and there are several choices. Scubby and I went last night to the Walk /Run program where you are following a 10 week program to learn how to run. Yes, I think I am the only *beginner* and grossly overweight, but that will change. The first night we did 30 minutes(5 walking, 20 min of 60 sec run  alternating w/ 90 sec walk, 5 min walk) Then a 5 min cool down stretch.

Scrubby did great...I love that man. He felt bad and wanted to run with me, but I said "No, you have to push and so what you can do".

I made it...I did more walking then running, but hope to build myself up as the weeks progress. We will meet twice a week (Mondays and Saturdays) and then we do one run on our own...which Scrubby and I will do tonight, since its the only night we have available during the week.

Funny thing, I was reading my devotional this am and my lower back was sore and I was thinking how am I going to run again?? The verse today was this...Psalm 119:32: " I shall run the way of Your commandments, For You will enlarge my heart." Not a coincidence!


** In case you were wondering..."Scrubby" is what scrap bookers call their hubby's!

Cozy Crop Gals Weekend

It was that time of year again to meet up with my CCGal friends in Lancaster, PA to craft away for 3 days and two nights! We came from PA, NJ, MD, VA and one all the way from Washington state! 

The story is, we met on an online card making website called Simply Sentiments(though no longer a website)...I arranged our first weekend in 2006 in this same house (thanks to Kate and her crew at Local Memories that have these homes to rent for the weekend) and we have met up every year(Three of us have been there every year!)

It is always fun to see everyone and catch up with each others families...good food, good crafting done and great fellowship, just a wonderful weekend!

See you next year!

Marines called...

As if there isn't enough going on these past few months, our middle son was sworn into the Marines on August 2nd!  He has always wanted to be in the military...but for the past several years he said he most definitely wanted to be a Marine.
He talked to his Grandpa and his uncle, both who were in the Army. His uncle even drove 6 hours-one way to go with him to get signed into the Marines.
He passed the ASVAB, and when he went for the Medical test
he had a cold...his lungs were not clear, so it was delayed till we got home from our vacation. We *prayed* him through it though. He was worried he would get disqualified...he passed the Medical when he got back home.
He went for his PT test and passed that and was sworn in that day. He was the first home-school student to go through that particular MEPS station(Military Entrance Processing Station).

He isn't scheduled to go to boot camp till Dec. 10th, but just got a phone call they had a spot open up for tom'w.!! As soon as he got off the phone though, his Gunnery Sargent called and said they filled the spot. YES, I did breath a sigh of relief. I am ready for when he does go, just was hoping we would have more of a notice. Dear son said that there was a possibility he still could get a slot within the month.
They are called Poolees till they get to boot camp...then they are called recruits. After boot camp, he will then be a Marine!

In the mean time, Joel is continuing to work his job at the library and goes to PT at the Marine station on Tuesdays and Saturdays to keep himself in shape.

                                        Marine Poolee Joel S.

Dear Daughter is Married! (Photos below)

Friday night came and went so very quickly! Can't believe that its over already! If I ramble on here, its because I was trying to get this down in writing before I forgot any details.

The wedding was beautiful! It went pretty much without a hitch, except for one! BUT it will be a wedding to remember!

The hitch....the flowers were late. The flowers were supposed to arrive by 4:00, so the church would be decorated and at 4:30 they were supposed to then go to the reception hall to deliver the 22 center pieces for the tables. By 5:00 they still were not there. The Flower shop was called and only the answering service answered. The operator called the 3 emergency numbers...no answer. So at 6:15pm we sent a few friends out to see if they could buy a bouquet of something at a local grocery store and another friend was on their way to the flower shop.

Dear Daughter was not phased one bit...she was so calm, cool and collected! The Mother of the Groom was so very upset...she had arranged for the flowers and felt the wedding would have to be delayed till the flowers got there. I kept telling her everything would be all right, though she felt that it would not. I felt so bad for her.

With no flowers in sight, our dear friend, Cheryl, went off by herself and prayed to the Lord...can you only imagine what happened next? YES! the flower shop finally arrived (with 4 helpers in tow) and had everything and everyone decorated within 10 minutes. The friends were called back to the church and the wedding started just a few minutes late.

The flower shop said in 22 years of business they had NEVER forgot a date...they thought that the wedding was the 25th and not the 24th. Thank goodness they had everything ready. 

The bride and groom arrived after pictures were finished at the church.
Dinner was wonderful a buffet of the bride and grooms faves...Ledos (Italian), Chinese and Chik Fil A! 

So many family (our family all the way from Ohio) and friends (a couple in the wedding party from California) were there to help celebrate this very special day. It was hard getting around the tables to thank everyone...but Scott and I tried to let everyone know how much it meant to have them there.

A fun part of the evening was before the dancing...Jadon, his dad, Emmanuel and Jadon's oldest brother, Jeremy, danced around and took off their jackets that showed the three vests that Jadon's mom, Paula, made for them...all rival football teams! Jadon- Miami Dolphins, Emmanuel-Dallas Cowboys and Jeremy- Washington Redskins. Paula also made the ties, that all the groomsmen wore as well as the boleros the bridesmaids wore. Plus, she hemmed and bustled Shanon's dress! She is an excellent seamstress.

I cried, yes, I did, when Shanon came down the aisle at church and when she danced with her daddy! What a blessing to watch our dear daughter marry the man God brought into her life...it was an emotional time for us as her parents, but we are so happy for Shanon and Jadon.

The happy couple were married and are now off to the Caribbean on a cruise.
They will be home on Saturday and we look forward to hearing about their week.

Photos below that I took (can't wait to see the photographer's shots!): 

Rehearsal Dinner

Dear daughter and future SIL in one more day!

Rehearsal at South Columbia Baptist Church, photos below:

So Much to Post About, So Little Time!

Went on vacation, came home, now we are 6 days away from our DD getting married...I promise to catch up here once the wedding is over! I will share lots of photos, I'm sure!

Have a blessed weekend!

Offer Accepted!

The people accepted out counter offer on my mom's house! Woo-Hoo!
Plus, they are working to doing the closing while we are out in Ohio the first of the month.
Praying that all goes well with this sale. This will be one less worry on my mind.

Offer on my Mom's House

We have an offer on mom's house! Please pray that it sells! The last one fell through due to the buyer wanting us to not only go a lot lower in price but also, pay for their closing and pay for the water/sewage assessment. We countered, but found they weren't willing to work with us.
So this past weekend another offer came in!
Praying this one will go through...so far we have countered once and they countered back. This is the last counter...we are set on the price(they countered on), they have to decide one more thing...if they will pay it or not. We even agreed to help them with some of the closing costs. They seem willing to work with us.

This is my childhood home...

My dress!

I finally got my dress for DD's wedding I wanted, in the color I wanted, and the price I wanted!!

I can't say enough about Zappos customer service. I found the exact dress at Mac*s. but to was too much for me to spend on ONE dress. I happen to put it in a search engine on Google and found it at Zappos. Got the size and color I wanted(and noted that the stock mentioned only one left in stock)...they sent me the wrong color. They had the dress in my size, but no more the color I wanted. So I sent it back and for my trouble, they refunded my money and gave me a $25 coupon! What I love about Zappos, too, is there Free shipping (and Free return shipping!) Unfortunately, the rep. said they probably wouldn't be getting anymore in. :-(

So, its been a month, and tonight I got an email that my dress was back in stock...and they had ONE of my size and color. I went on the site and ordered it right away! Its on its way here and I am hoping that this dress will be it! I will keep you posted!

DH's day at the beach

DH had another successful day at the beach.

He found a nice size shark tooth, an alligator tooth and an arrow head!
(I forgot to set them against a ruler!)

He also found all these little teeth...he has a good eye!

 

Then the best part for us was he stopped at a local produce stand and brought home some fresh homegrown tomatoes! :-)

Exercise!

Thanks to DD's fiance's mom who loaned DD their treadmill, I have been taking advantage of it for the past week. Every morning I get my tennis shoes on and get my self down to the basement and walk! Took Sunday off, but am doing my best to walk 6 days a week on the treadmill. It gets my heart rate up and I sweat A LOT!

It was hard getting on the treadmill this am...I worked outside weeding on Weds...it was so beautiful outside. I got a lot weeded...but boy were my thighs sore from all the bending!
I know I will get better as I use those muscles more and more.

Temps are going to be high the next few days...maybe I will get some exercise in the pool! :-)

Bentley's vet visit

Took Bentley for his second round of blood work. He did great. He seems to love traveling in the van. He will stand up and look out the window as if to say, "Wow, look at all this BIG world I have been missing". Haven't heard back from the vet yet...will keep you posted.

Eewwww Ticks! Snakes!

I have had to pull off two ticks off youngest dear son already this month! I use the liquid soap on a cotton ball and *mother* the tick and it does seem to help the tick to let go so I can pull him off. But I hate ticks!

Then last week when we were pulling off the tarp on the pool and we got it put away. I decided to pull weeds and out of the corner of me eye I saw movement along the back of the house 5 feet from me was a 4-5 foot black snake! I had a hoe in my hand and took a swipe at it...missed! It did a 360 and disappeared along the side of our property. I know, they eat rodents and should be glad we have one...but I hate snakes!

Then I had to kill a spider on the ceiling last night...did I mention I hate spiders, too!?

Happy Birthday, Honey!

                        Today is your birthday....na, na, na, na, na, nah, Happy Birthday to you!

                                                               ♥  We love you so! ♥