Thanksgiving Weekend

I could easily write about the weather as it's been cold and feels like January. Thanksgiving weekend was busy so I need to concentrate on getting my thoughts down on paper before I forget what happened.

A week ago I made two pumpkin desserts to take to Thanksgiving dinner at Joe and Nancy's house. We had the luxury of sleeping in the next morning since we didn't plan to arrive at the Martin's until about 4 p.m. Ray started the day by getting some exercise as he walked to purchase the huge Indy Star edition for $5 so he could work on "The Big Crossword Puzzle." The puzzle and clues take up two entire pages of the Star. He's worked on the Thanksgiving puzzle several years in a row but has never finished one. There's a good chance he will this year. Since I had a cake mix that had been sitting on my shelf for some time and was a chocolate and orange I decided to mix it up to take along for our Thanksgiving meal. I swirled the two colors to get a marble effect.

Daxson (18 months) & his Dad Nathan Gabehart

Stephanie (Chris' spouse), Joe, Samantha (Joe's niece),
 Maria & Chris (Joe's siblings)

Nancy & Margaret

There were a few other people there that I didn't catch on camera: Kylie, Jayden, Dustin, etc. and of course the five dogs! We had lots of food and Joe's turkey that he cooked in a smoker was delicious and moist. 

On Saturday morning we were on the road by 7:30 with a planned stop at Bob & Veronica's home in Mundelein for lunch and overnight. Our destination was the wedding of great nephew Brian Frericks to Katina at 1:00.

Four flower girls and three ringbearers
(not all shown here)

Here comes the bride!

Saying their vows

Since the reception didn't begin until 5:30 we drove from Crystal Lake back to the Zielke's house giving me the opportunity to change into my party dress with time to relax. The reception was at a Country Club about 30+ minutes away. We were seated with other family members and enjoyed a meal of minestrone, tossed salad, cordon bleu, mashed potatoes and steamed veggies followed by cake with a dip of ice cream. Several toasts were offered including one by the bride's father. His  Father-Daughter dance was one of the best I've ever witnessed. Obviously, it was choreographed and well rehearsed.

With predictions for snowfall on Sunday, we decided to leave for home earlier than planned. Before leaving, however, Veronica served a delicious breakfast of waffles, eggs, and bacon. She also made sandwiches for the road which came in handy later. Precipitation in the form of rain greeted us as we began our journey. Traffic was unusually heavy for early Sunday morning as we crept through downtown Chicago. Eventually, we reached I-65 and hoped we would have an easier drive for the last phase of our trip. That was not to be. Maybe heavy traffic at the end of a Thanksgiving weekend is the norm, but since we don't usually travel then we couldn't be sure. Traffic slowed down in one area because everyone had to merge from three lanes to two. After we had passed that we thought we wouldn't have any more problems. Because we were driving slowly we enjoyed our sandwiches and even found the rest stop really crowded with a minimum of parking spaces available.

After the rest stop, we decided to leave the interstate and try another route home. Our roadmap showed Route 55 as a parallel road and almost a straight shot south. The traffic was definitely lighter but the slower speed added to the length of our trip. Did we make the right decision? We'll never know. Route 55 is strictly rural passing through several small towns. We drove through miles and miles of fields already harvested. I know Indiana is known for its agriculture, but this area definitely proved it to me. This was not like the farming area where I grew up. I'm glad that we drove through this area even though our trip home, combined with the slow traffic, added more than an hour to our trip.

Cold Weather Has Arrived

Lately, our temperatures have been below normal and we experienced the season's first storm but escaped the snowfall that some parts of the country experienced. Instead of snow, we had an ice storm! Our car and parking area were covered with ice so we didn't venture out until Thursday noon to play cards. Not much had melted by noon so we used scrapers to remove ice from the windshield and chunks of ice fell off the car doors when they were opened.

Saturday afternoon found us heading to Pack Away Hunger's facility for a packing event. Kids at last June's VBS learned about Pack Away Hunger and feeding the hungry. Since then we were looking forward to this event. We were hoping for a four generation photo: Grandmother, Daughter, Granddaughter, and Great-Grandson. But plans don't always work out as hoped. Jayden had his first wrestling event and was not available to help pack. But the rest of us enjoyed the time together as we worked non-stop from 1:30 to about 3:30. Jayden had a successful debut in his young wrestling career. He had a pin!

Kylie and me (left) and Nancy & Ray (right)
We shared the assembly line with a young family;
their two young boys are hidden behind Nancy

When we left the packing event the timing was perfect to stop at the Greenwood Library's Greenwood Aglow and Kris Kringle outdoor market. The weather had moderated and was pleasant. A huge crowd of families with small children were there to get a photo with Santa, try their hands at crafts and get a ride on a wagon pulled by horses.

A pair of beautiful black horses pulled the wagon!

Sunday was the 62nd anniversary of Concordia Lutheran Church. It's hard to believe, but I've been a member for 50 of those 62 years. The women of the congregation served a meal at noon. We had many good helpers for preparation and cleanup.

The day before, another group decorated the tables.

The Colts game was underway when we arrived home and it was great to have a big win over Tennessee for the 4th win in a row. The Saints game came on next and they also won handily.

Today's a Holiday!

Actually, the holiday was yesterday, but Federal employees have a day off today. We won't have mail delivery today but is it my imagination that more emphasis is given to Veterans Day than when I was younger? During the NFL games, some teams recognized veterans by wearing drab olive on the sidelines and the sportscasters acknowledged them during the broadcast. Many restaurants offer special discounts or even free meals and it goes on and on. It's good to know that these men and women aren't forgotten but sadly too many carry the effects of their service for the rest of their lives.

The past week has been pretty ordinary, but two things stand out when I look back. First, we dropped our dental insurance about a month ago. We were definitely paying a lot of premium and not getting many benefits. When I was called the billing department about the statement we received after my dental implant surgery, the customer service rep was very helpful and took the time to explain about dental discounts, not that they offer discounts for implants (I wish). She had helped her mother get a discount card. There are several companies that offer them but she also said many dentists offer their own. Taking the cue I called our dentist and we'll probably purchase a discount plan from him for routine cleaning twice a year. If we don't have any other dental bills, it's cheaper then purchasing insurance.

Second, I've been wondering why I hadn't received a pair of boots I ordered in September. I'll have to admit that my investigation was backward. Instead of contacting the vendor first I contacted the credit card company and they are going to send me some paperwork. A day or two later I went to the vendor's website and asked about the order using their contact page. (I couldn't find an email confirmation of the order.) Within a short while, I received an email with a tracking number and learned that the boots have been in Chicago since Oct. 11. Then on Saturday, I discovered how to ask a question USPS.com using the tracking number. Because of the holiday, I didn't think I would have an answer for several days, but this morning I received a reply that my package arrived in Indianapolis at 12:16 AM today! My boots may arrive in time for our first snow of the season but why were they in Chicago for a month? I'll never know. Thank you modern technology for tracking systems and the like!

Now that the election cycle is over and we're not subject to negative campaign ads anymore ads for claims for accidents and injury have returned! Since we voted early we didn't have to wait in long lines that some had to face on election day last Tuesday because Johnson County did have problems in some voting centers.

Finally, the Colts were able to win a third straight game yesterday but their next game is also against a division team, Tennessee, and it won't be easy.

Stay warm and dry everyone. The outlook is for cold and wintery conditions.

Road Trip, Voting, etc.

Last week's weather was a mixed bag--we had rainy days and some beautiful ones. Late one morning we stopped at Concordia and spent an hour picking up sticks that were scattered on the lawn as the result of windy conditions. I spent most of the time deadheading some of the perennials preparing the landscaping for the coming winter while Ray carried the sticks and twigs to the curb where the city will pick them up.

On Friday morning we headed north to Fort Wayne for the annual Concordia Educational Foundation luncheon. The endowed fund honoring my parents that Gloria, Judy and I set up years ago helped three students with financial support for this school year. Two of the recipients are now seniors but only one was able to come to the luncheon. I have found it interesting to see the development in the maturity of the students especially if we have supported them over their four years at Concordia.

Immediately after the luncheon, we were on the road again. On our way to Fort Wayne, we were slowed by an accident and were concerned that we would be late. A large semi-tractor trailer was upside down in the ditch and it looked like someone had crushed it like we sometimes do when stepping on a soda can. I wondered if the driver survived. On our way home we saw three deer that did not survive a collision with a car or truck. Several construction sites also impeded our travel in both directions.

We had decided beforehand to stop at one of the early voting sites as we neared home. The driveway was partially blocked and realizing there would be a long wait we bypassed the stop. On Saturday, after I returned home from the LWML Fall Rally and had lunch, we returned to the same site and again found it was crowded but this time got in line. Exactly one hour later we had cast our votes but, unfortunately, we still have to listen to campaign ads which are now meaningless to us.

At the LWML Fall Rally, I learned that sex trafficking is now considered the #2 criminal act in the U.S. A new center opened recently in Indianapolis with the mission to be a Christ-centered residential campus committed to healing the personal and building the professional lives of women coming out of human trafficking. Hope Center Indy received its first residents in August 2017. Currently, in the state of Indiana, there is no aftercare center for women coming out of human trafficking over the age of 18. In the entire U.S., there are less than 500 beds available in residential aftercare program for women coming out of human trafficking. [Quoted from the Hope Center website.]

Last night we set our clocks back and with the extra hour, Ray decided to stay up to watch the Oklahoma/Texas Tech game. He actually gave up and recorded the final quarter and watched it this morning learning that Oklahoma was the victor in a very close game. Since the Colts had a bye this week, the game to watch was the unbeaten LA Rams at New Orleans. The Saints pulled out a win in a very exciting and close game. The Rams' dream of an unbeaten season burst.

A year ago I completed my 10th Monumental Half Marathon and decided that I wouldn't run again in 2018. However, on Saturday I felt some mild regret that I didn't participate this year but that feeling is lingering only for a little while.

Captured today -- a day or two ago the colors were even brighter

In another week, most of the trees will be bare and I'll miss the landscape that was so beautiful the last 10 days but looking forward to next spring when the trees bud and new leaves appear.

A beautiful reminder of fall