Happy things #13

Tonight I need to post a multi-part happy thing. I had a lovely afternoon hanging out with my husband. After some work at church and some storing up of food, we ran a few errands. We stopped by JCP to see Patrick and arranged for him to meet us at J.K. O'Donnell's when he got off work. We did a little shopping and I compared grips on a few possible replacements for my Ruger.

Then we went to JK's.

This is one of my favorite relaxing places to go.  They have a great beer selection and good pub food. I like to sit by the window and watch people downtown.

Happy thing #1, my husband of over 27 years, who I do not get to see nearly enough of.

Happy thing #2: Dragon's Milk. This is one of my favorite beers, but because it is expensive it is a very occasional treat. Tonight's date was one of those occasions.

Happy thing #3: Patchy. Who also does not see enough of his father. I really enjoy watching these two together. (By the way, this wasn't posed. I love it.)

Happy thing #4: My dinner. A Lamb Pasty. I get cravings for this thing.

So lots of happy things all in one happy evening.

Multi-tasking gone wild

So, while waiting in the green room I heard one mom talking about a guy she saw driving down the road talking on one cell phone and texting on another. This morning on my way to work I saw something that beat that.

I saw a guy talking with a blue tooth, texting, and SHAVING. Yes, shaving.

Random thoughts

Relatively pleased with the article that came from my interview last week with a reporter from the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. She was slightly wrong on Patrick's reading age, but I think it was more a matter of me not being clear as we were talking. But over all she seemed--unlike other reporters I've dealt with--not to have the story already written in her head. She didn't take my words and torture them to mean something different, or quote me out of context. She seemed to comprehend what I was saying, and she reported it accurately.

Was inside the new addition at Trinity English Lutheran yesterday. Wow. Aesthetically pleasing and maintained the integrity of the building. Very nice.

Spent the whole day shopping Saturday and only managed to add to my list.

There are a ton of bulletins to be printed between now and January 1.

Parkview Field

Last Saturday night we went with a big group of our friends and family to Parkview Field to see the Tin Caps play. Jonathan sang the national anthem, which got us all there, but we will definitely go back. It was a blast!

The stadium is beautiful and designed so that when you go to get concessions, or walk around, you can still see what's going on. You don't go into some dark concourse to get a snack. There was lots of other entertainment during the game, keeping the little kids happy. And the baseball itself was really enjoyable.

I love being downtown and I love being able to see downtown from the stadium. After the game two of the boys were hungry--having so much fun that they didn't ask for food at the game--so we went to King Gyros.

I've been to lots of ball games at pretty much every level, but this is the first time in a long time I've been ready to go back soon. It's a great value for good family entertainment. (Cheaper than a movie!) I'm even looking at getting partial season tickets next year.

The boys and Winston.

Never a dull moment

I had a lot that I wanted to get done today. I've been doing battle with a sore throat for the past couple of days, and it has slowed me down a bit, so I was hoping to catch up. The morning was already committed, so I planned to try to get some running around for the silent auction done this afternoon.

I headed out, deciding at the last minute to wear my wool jacket over the top I had on with my jeans. That turned out to be an extremely good decision.

I have been driving one of our minivans, because the fan in my car isn't working and I'm waiting for Colin to look at it. Today I was driving the Silhouette, which is right at 190,000 miles, and has a few quirks. The gas gauge hasn't worked for a while, but I just use the trip odometer to keep track of how much gas I have.

Apparently I lost track.

As I was pulling up to a stop sign--on my way into Jefferson Pointe, for those of you familiar with Fort Wayne--the van started running roughly. When I accelerated to pull away, the van died. In the middle of the intersection. My initial assumption was that the van was dead; I didn't even consider that I might have run out of gas.

So I sat there, flashers on, door open, trying to figure out what to do. I wanted to get it out of the way, but obviously couldn't do it alone. I managed to push myself backward with my foot so that I was at least back out of the intersection. A few people honked at me, before they figured out that I couldn't move. Most just ignored me. Finally a lady stopped to see if I needed help and offered to push. As soon as she stopped, three more people did, and I was shortly pushed into the JP parking lot.

I started thinking, and remembered that Monday I had only put in $10 worth of gas because of problems with the pump. Duh! So I walked across the four lane road and the Wal-mart parking lot and bought a gas can. Then back ascross the parking lot to the gas station for a gallon of gas. Then back to the car.

I could NOT figure out the gas can. After about ten minutes of messing with it--and after getting gas on my hands--I finally worked out the secret, and got it to work.

Got into the van. Prayed that the gas was the problem. Turned the key. It started and died. Tried again. Started and died. Again. Waited a few minutes. Again. This time after I started I really stepped on the gas. And it kept running.

Needless to say, I drove straight to the gas station and filled it all the way up.

At this point, I had lost over an hour. I had been in the wind and my hair was flat. I was sweaty from walking. I smelled like gas. I was no longer in the frame of mind to go beg for donations. So I went home. Afternoon wasted.

Now the good things about the afternoon. I wore the jacket. The van died less than a block from a gas station--with a nearby store that had gas cans--where it could be pushed into a parking lot, not by the marsh, or out by our house, or on the highway, all of which could have easily been the location. There were several people willing to stop and help a stranger. It was a beautiful sunny day for a walk. All in all, a fairly painless reminder NOT to forget how much gas I put into the car.

Pancakes tomorrow!

Don't forget to go get your free short stack of pancakes at IHOP tomorrow!

Here in Fort Wayne, when you make donations they will benefit A Hope Center.

Here and there

Spent last night at a racetrack and casino. If you think that doesn't sound like my usual taste in entertainment, you're right, but this was a special occasion.

We went to Hoosier Park in Anderson to meet a couple of my really good friends from high school and their wives for dinner. Afterward, we walked over to the bar that was in the center of the casino to meet up with a few of our other classmates. It was great to see the guys. It had been 15 years since I had seen them and I have missed them. One of the wives didn't make it because she was at Grandma's with the three year old and twin one year olds. Amazing how we can be at such different points in our lives!
I can't say I would chose to go back to the casino. Noise, smoke, flashing lights. Did I mention noise? But the restaurant was pretty good, especially for Anderson.

I woke up this morning to find that my car had been broken into. We had a crime wave in our part of town last night, and a number of cars were broken into. Mine was literally broken into. One of the back windows was smashed all over the backseat. They threw the contents of my glove compartment and center console all over the floor. Patrick had left his wallet in the door pocket and he lost a fair amount of cash, a few gift cards, his ID, and his debit card.

I'm feeling really out of sorts today. I wish tomorrow could wait a day to come, because I just really don't feel like seeing people and I have to teach my class tomorrow.

This and that

I love a good Lutheran wedding. Each wedding I go to leaves me with a favorite moment. My favorite moment during this wedding was during the vows. All of the pastors looked so happy! Two of them were absolutely beaming! Also, I was extremely impressed with the caterer that did the reception. The food was excellent and you could tell he took pride in his work. So if you need a caterer in Fort Wayne, give Splendid Fare a call!

My summer is going too fast. My projects are all partially done. My house is a wreck. And it's coming up on canning time. We're going blueberry picking this week. In addition to making some blueberry jam and freezing LOTS of berries I'm going to make some blueberry syrup. We are getting a bumper crop of zucchini and we are going to have tons of acorn squash, so I probably will be pureeing and freezing some of that. I'm almost glad the tomatoes are running late! I planted some Romas this year for sauce, and another variety that is supposed to be good for juice. Then we have two volunteer cherry tomatoes and three bushes of heirloom slicing tomatoes.

Today I'm making some zucchini cookies to use up a couple of monster zukes that got away from us over the weekend. Last year we added some mini chocolate chips to them. Awesome!

Good times

DoRena's wedding was a beautiful celebration of Christian marriage. She was an absolutely lovely bride! It was a gorgeous day.

After the reception we enjoyed the company of Susan and family, RPW and family, Debbie and family from Texas, and some other fellow homeschool friends. It was so wonderful to get to spend time with everyone.

This morning we had the continued company of some of them in church. I have to admit I got a bit teary at one point being there sharing the Lord's Supper with so many good friends and my church family, receiving the chalice from our former pastor and friend, who does not at this point have a church. It was good to see him doing what he has done so faithfully over the years.

As if this wasn't enough good stuff for one weekend, we enjoyed lunch at Mad Anthony's with the Texans. (Yes, I got my seafood unwrap.)

Of course there was a bit of a letdown when we came home. After days full of excitement and friends, normal is going to seem a bit quiet. (We also managed to fit Jonathan's vocal recital and pizza with the grandparents in on Friday night.) The kids and I went for a walk, enjoying the lovely weather and our nearly-completed walking trails.

I'm glad I'll be out of town

The Clintons just can't stay away from Ft. Wayne.

First Bill came to visit and now it's Hil's turn. Her choice of location strikes me as strange, and will doubtless cause some nice congestion in an already very busy commercial area with a convoluted traffic pattern, especially coming as it does on Friday evening.

I am thankful that I'll be safely out of town before her arrival.

Flying through O'Hare

When I plan a trip, I try to avoid O'Hare if at all possible.

My poor husband spent the equivalent of almost two full days waiting, because of delays at O'Hare, on various trips this winter.

Tonight, when I told the hubby that Bethany was supposed to be in Fort Wayne a little after 10:00 he asked, "Is she flying through O'Hare?" I answered in the affirmative and he snorted. Yes snorted! "We'll be lucky if we see her before tomorrow."

Guess what? Right now her flight is delayed by 80 minutes. If it is pushed back just a little bit more, we won't see her until tomorrow.

The speed of life

Sometimes the days fly by so quickly that it just amazes me. The past few days have been like that.

Yesterday the Lutheran Liturgical Prayer Brotherhood had their retreat at Redeemer. We were there most of the day doing one thing or another. The boys attended the chant workshop that they held, and then we got to enjoy their chanting at Vespers last night.

I've been spending way to much time lately thinking about money. First, we are engaging in a Total Money Makeover. I'm working hard to get all organized so that we can really start doing everything the right way in February. It's hard work! And I'm sure that staying on our budget will be even harder.

I'm also trying to get all of the year-end stuff done at church. I hate the software that we use. I know that it has its plusses, but I mostly run into the minuses. I'm sure it would help if I were a financial whiz, but I haven't even balanced my checkbook for years.

(And yes, that is going to change.)

Of course there's lots of fun happening. We are looking forward to the arrival in town of Susan and a couple of her kids. They are coming for the annual Theological Symposia at the Seminary.

Having an extra "daughter" in the house has added another level of liveliness.

And a lot of junk food.

I'm loving my iPod.

And my house is staying clean, mostly because when we're home I never sit down.

Life is good.

I love cemeteries

Okay, I may not love all cemeteries, but I love the country cemeteries where earlier generations of my family are buried. (The one above is Elhanan Cemetery in northern Wells County.)

For a history buff like me, who is also part of a close family, family history is a natural interest. I have been researching for over 10 years now, but moving to northern Indiana five years ago really reinvigorated my searches. Both of my parents are from the county to the south of Fort Wayne, and the last immigrant ancestors of mine arrived there in the late 1840's. Our families were among the early settlers of three northern Indiana counties: Adams, Allen, and Wells.

This gives me an enormous feeling of connection to this part of the country. I love finding the homes that family members lived in, seeing the churches the attended--and often helped build--and walking through the cemeteries where they were buried. I love finding newspaper snippets about their comings and goings, reading their letters, and seeing their names on old plat maps.

I love the cemeteries for their serene country settings. I love the signs of the faith that was an important part of their lives. There are eight cemeteries that I know pretty well, now, but each time I go I seem to make a new connection. There are a few I have yet to find. A beautiful fall day is the perfect time to go search.


My great-great-great grandparents, Joseph and Anna Harrod moved here from WiIlliams County, Ohio.

Their son Enos and his wife Hester have one of my favorite headstones. Enos and Hester's daughter, Alta Jane Harrod Ruhl was my great-grandmother and I was named after her.

Photo Hunt: Smelly

The penguins at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo are cute, but they sure are smelly!

Join the Saturday Photo Hunt!

Living in the past

Those photos sent me into a genealogical frenzy, the likes of which I haven't seen for a while. I have spent the better part of the past four days deeply engrossed in a couple of my family lines.

I have figured out a lot about the photos and I am going to post on my genealogy blog about that in a little while. We are fairly certain that we know where the house in the picture was. If you are familiar with the intersection of Coliseum Blvd. and Lima Road in Fort Wayne, you've been there. That was the site of my great-great-grandfather Louis Bracht's farm in the early 1900's.

All of this sent me to the library to look at other records, and I have learned much more about this branch of my family.

Since I was going to the library to look up Bracht obituaries anyway I decided to look at some other branches of my family who might have ended up in the Fort Wayne paper when they died.
In one of those I found that an ancestress had brothers with a different last name than her maiden name. Several hours of research later, I had discovered even more family ties to Allen County than I knew that I had.

This photo is Flora Bracht Hildebrand, the same woman who is holding the baby in the middle of the old picture. In this picture the baby she's holding is me.

Quick filler

This is mostly a nothing post so that my friend Pastor S. doesn't have to see Bethany with the a-blaze orange hair any more.

Vacation Bible School has been going on this week, plus my brother-in-law and his wife have been in the states from Australia, and I've actually been working a bit, plus I've had two extra kids in the afternoons, and we had our church council picnic, so it has just been a busy week!

I have several photo-inspired posts to come over the next few days.
We went to the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo Monday:

Mamapalooza Fort Wayne

I had a wonderful weekend with some of my fellow confessional Lutheran homeschooling moms this weekend. Good food, good conversation, and a lot of laughter.

This was doubly great for me because it was at my house and one of my favorite things is having people come here. I love to feed them. I want them to feel at home, and, hopefully, comfortable. (Plus it gave me a great excuse to buy some new sheets and towels!)

To read more about our weekend, and to see lots more pictures, visit Polly.

The sound of men singing

One of my favorite sounds on this earth is the sound of male voices singing. A couple of times a year I have the privilege of being at the seminary for a service with a full-ish chapel. Today was such a day, and in spite of the mediocrity of the hymns and the less-than-wonderful Divine Service II from LSB, I did get to enjoy the full volume singing of This is the Feast and one hymn.

Those voices singing those songs in that setting always give me goosebumps.

Back from another planet

As Bethany mentioned yesterday, I went to the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale. It was quite an experience!

This event was going on the week we moved here five years ago, and I had heard about it from people in Illinois, but I didn't realize what a big deal it is until after we had moved here.

People fly here from out of state, because they figure that they'll save enough money to pay for their plane tickets. Women fill multiple garbage bags with purses totes, etc. The company had to set a $2000 limit on what individual customers can buy after shoppers on the final day last year didn't have merchandise to buy.

I was fortunate to have been given a ticket for the Tuesday afternoon portion of the sale, before the actual event begins in earnest, and was among the first few hundred people into the sale. Even at that early hour, there were women who were disgruntled that 200 women would enter the Expo Hall before them. Everything was either 25, 50, or 75% off the retail prices. It was amazing to watch women moving down the aisles at top speed grabbing the desired items and shoving them into bags.

I had a good time.

I have a few Vera Bradley pieces that I've received for gifts, but a Vera Bradley sale isn't where most people who know me would expect to find me. I didn't have a particular agenda, so I was able to take my time and look around. A lot of the fun was watching the women who were almost in a panic that they might not get the piece that they wanted. I did manage to find some great Christmas presents at 50 and 75% off.

I bought a black microfiber bag that I had been looking at. Since I got it for $15 I'll enjoy it a lot more than I ever would have if I'd paid $60 for it.

I'm trying to imagine getting as worked up about a sale as these women were. Maybe it's because I don't have the collector mentality, but I really can't think of anything that I'd be that excited about getting in to buy. (Okay, maybe if it were 75% off really good cookware.)

Maybe.

Almost like a vacation

This past week my wonderful wicked step-father went on a golf outing, so my mom got to come for a visit. She left yesterday morning, and, even though we were here the entire time, I feel like I just came back from vacation.

We did have a lot of fun. We went to the Naked Clay Cafe and painted pottery. We played Mexican train dominoes with a couple of friends from church. We went shopping. Twice. We went out for Mexican food for Jonathan's birthday. We watched the looong version of Pride and Prejudice.

I guess it was a bit like a vacation.

So today I've been washing windows and screens.