Our Visit Sabbath & Sunday with Connie

Sabbath after we went to early church here, we drove up to Hunts in Madison for a visit. We have been anxious to see their house now that they're more settled in and wow - is it ever lovely! The leather recliners and sofa are really classy - and the Persian area rugs made in India. (Randy doesn't like to take pictures without people in them, so Connie and I had to cooperate to get any pictures taken...he took this one from the stairway going up to the 3 upstairs bedrooms, where we stayed.) We enjoyed a tasty stroganoff for Sabbath dinner and then kicked back to visit awhile as we let our dinner settle before going out for a 2-mile walk thru their neighborhood down to the lakeshore. It's a big lake. I told her they need to get a boat, but it's not on their wish list she quickly told me. Connie really moves when out for exercise, so we were hoofin' it to keep up!

This picture is in her spacious kitchen - she's decorated it so nicely with the grapevine across the top. I don't know that I'll ever experience what it's like living in a brand new house. But it sure was fun visiting Connie in theirs.

After our walk we enjoyed fruit salad and hot dogs for supper and a silk smoothie. We chatted with JoAnne on the phone a few times while there. Wish she could have been there too. It's thanks to her we got to know Connie and Phil. We look forward to August when all NAD teachers meet in Nashville - even JoAnne will be attending. Connie hopes to have her pictures hung by then and window treatments finished. She has the big wooden blinds up for privacy so isn't really in a hurry to do more just yet. Saturday night we played some Mexican train dominos - and Connie beat us both - but then again, she kept score :) It usually pays I've noticed, but it's still not worth it to me!!! Counting the dots on the dominos is enough math for me!


Randy helped one day last fall on Phil's woodshop out behind/beside their house so he was especially impressed seeing that. Phil is still settling into it and enjoying it. He'd gone to Arkansas to his brother's place this weekend to bring back some cypress wood to use on his woodworking projects. He makes some really neat musical instruments, and furniture. Sunday at Junior/Senior banquet at the TN Aquarium I'll be looking for his whale he made for a Cradle Roll Sabbath School division that's been donated.

Spring?

Ever since we got back from Colorado two weeks ago, we've been enjoying the gorgeous blossoming trees (thanks, Carrie, for this picture from your blog). Forsythia are in bloom everywhere and tulips and the rest of the spring flowers too. The Bartlett pear trees have already lost their blossoms. But this past week has been cold - down in the 30's at night and highs in the 50's. I've enjoyed the weather a lot though. It's to get back up into the 60's and 70's now this week, like it was before. Randy already mowed once - a week ago Friday. I guess it's time to get out the shovel and dig up my flower beds. My hostas are coming up already and daisies too. I love springtime in Collegedale.

CA's Class Basketball Games

The seniors guys and the sophomore girls won, but the Junior guys were in it to the end so we got to stay for it all since we're Jr. class sponsors.
The freshmen girls team, with Kristi on the front right (Karen S.'s niece) and my reader, Molly , on the left in the front. They battled it out with the sophomore girls in the championship game.

Busy Sabbath for us

Yesterday we went to hear our academy Week of Prayer speaker preach, David Achata, at the Third. He was such a blessing and many students responded this week. Our final chapel on Friday lasted over 3 hours, with about 2 hours of it being testimonials. (He's married to the daughter of my second cousin.)

After church yesterday we enjoyed having Breetski's and Urban's over (who we work with at the academy) for Sabbath dinner. It was fun getting to know them better. JC Urban is our school system treasurer and Terri B. teaches math. We went for a walk on the Greenway with Breetski's and then went to hear the Madrigals at Evensong. It was sunny and cool and a lovely Sabbath.

Then it was time for CA's class basketball games. Amy and Jeremy came to the gym to show us their spring break pictures they took at his place. I'm posting one here of them with his horse, Artie.

FL fun for Ryan

Ryan survived his first week at FLA,and has enjoyed getting to observe/help with Mr. Fulbright's PE classes. This weekend Nate is there so they went to Daytona Beach yesterday after church, and last night rode go-karts and went to the Daytona 500 track and saw some drag racing, etc. Today they're at Bradenton for a spring training game of the Blue Jays and ? I forget the other team. He hasn't emailed any pictures yet or I'd put them there.

Spring Break Colorado Trip

We were blessed with "clear sailing" on our trip out to Copper Mtn. near Silverthorne, CO. We got there Sunday afternoon, March 5, at about 3 their time after 22-23 hours on the road over the two days. Ryan and Xavier went night skiing with John (my nephew) at Keystone that evening. Randy and I took advantage of a little shopping time at the Eddie Bauer Outlet where I fell prey to some super "clearance" deals before going home to our condo at Snowscape to make supper for the hungry boys. We stayed in the same two-bedroom condo as last year that is just up the road from John's condo and very nice. The picture of Randy and I was taken in the living room.

They hadn't had any snow for 1 1/2 weeks before we arrived, so the first two days were less than ideal conditions, in spite of their 69" base. At least all the runs and lifts were open, but there was more ice than we liked - reminded us of skiing back east! Our last two days were fabulous skiing, with 8 new inches of snow falling on us as we skied Wed. and Thurs. The picture taking wasn't so good those two days, but the skiing made up for it! John was able to join us for these two days and took to the tree runs mostly with Ryan. I survived one LONG trip thru Randy's favorite tree run with the 3 guys - I thought I'd never live to tell about it. I warned John before venturing into the woods with them that if I fall, it takes me 3 days to get up. He soon realized there was more truth than poetry in those words. At one point when he was helping me up, he gave one final tug on my ski pole to get me up, and it was a bit much and resulted in me coming up all right, and toppling him! Then we were both groveling in the 5 feet of powder we'd fallen into. One of the pictures is of the two of us finally upright and me sipping a much needed refresher/juice after all that sweating!

It was hard to leave Friday. We were pleased that our 1/2 century old plus bodies stood up for the four days in a row on the slopes for 6+ hours a day, with no break to go in for anything but pottie breaks. We packed our bagel/granola bar lunches into our ski jacket pockets and ate on the rides up the mountain, as has been our routine over the past 8 years of spring break ski trips. Are we crazy or what!

We enjoyed the sleigh ride at Keystone Monday evening where John works. The vegetable platters and stew and biscuits were once again extremely tasty, and the ride on the sleigh that John "drove" was so much fun. The cabin was new this summer that we ate in and bigger than the other one. Thanks, John, so much for allowing us to enjoy that trip highlight once again. Randall does such a good job of singing and strumming that guitar. Xavier and Ryan didn't recognize much of his music except for the John Denver selections, but Randy and I did and enjoyed every bit of it.

We left for home in a miserable snow storm Friday morning at 6:45 and were relieved to get out of those treacherous road conditions after 1 1/2 hours when we got to Denver. The rest of the trip home was on dry roads with blue sky on Friday, and some clouds and drizzle yesterday. We pulled in about 6 last evening.

We were up till about midnight helping Ryan pack up for his trip to Forest Lake Academy today. The Bonneville is loaded and ready for "flight." He'll be student teaching there until April 28. And when he gets home, he'll be graduating from college on May 7. How can that be possible? Then in June he's off to drive boats at camp again, Nosoca Pines this summer in South Carolina.