Random Sunday night offerings…

• God was strutting His stuff with tonight’s sunset.   The clouds were amazing!

• I’ve decided that paying bills before one goes on vacation is just flat depressing.  The upside is we are going on vacation and I.can’t.wait!  It’s been a rough couple of months here and I can’t wait to have DH all to myself for a few days. Remind me I said that after 14 hours in the vehicle together.  I think I’m going to make him turn his phone off. Another good thing is that where we are heading, the phone service is pathetic.
• The new job is going well.  I moved into my “new office” in early May and am finally feeling settled. The first month I was in a temporary space which had negligible work space compared to what I was used to working in.  Now I have a nice big work space, a private office and a window!  During any of the jobs I’ve had in the last 20-ish years, I’ve never had a window or an office to myself.  Is this heaven?  Pictures of the new office to follow once I remember to take my camera to work with me. 
• We have been extremely dry in these parts this summer but we’ve now received a couple of rains in the last few days.  It’s amazing how fast things perk up with rain water.  Water from the hose just doesn’t do the same. 
• And I’ll leave you with this story my DIL posted on Facebook last night. I’m sharing this with her permission. 
  I almost fell out of my chair laughing.  Out of the mouths of babes (5 yr old granddaughter & 4 yr old grandson) ……. 

kids: hurry mom, we better shut all the windows, its going to storm. are storms good mom?
mom:rain is good and helps the corn grow. kids:what about tornadoes....are they good or bad mom?......o never mind i know the answer. they are good because there's too many people and God has to kill them off somehow. don't worry mom......if you get struck by lighting I'm sure neighbor Amanda will feed us until daddy gets home so you don't have to worry about us.

What those little minds don’t think of!  Love those grands of mine!

Have a wonderful week!

Hodge Podge–Volume 80

I haven’t participated in Joyce’s Hodge Podge questions since I can’t remember when.  These questions seemed easy enough (right up my alley) that I thought I’d give it a go this week.

1. How many students were in your high school graduating class? a whopping 67! 
Did you know most, if not all of them?  Yup, every last one of them.  Small schools are great because you know everyone and everyone knows you.  However, small schools are not so great because you know everyone and everyone knows you.  Honestly though, I wouldn’t have traded growing up in a small town and small school for anything.  I was very fortunate as we never moved so I was in the same school system K-12 and my boys were in the same school as DH & I for K-12. 

2. What was the last thing you photographed?
Son Joe & DIL Kristen live 2 hours from us so Sunday morning we met at a halfway point for breakfast to discuss an upcoming motorcycle trip. Yea!  As I walked across the street this is exactly how these two were standing so I had to take a picture.  Think they’re related?  The only thing different in their stance is Joe doesn’t have his hand in his pocket.

3. Pickles-love 'em or loathe 'em? If its love what's something you eat that needs a pickle?  I love pickles, especially kosher dill spears.  A burger has to have pickles and I love to wrap one up in a slice of ham to eat as is.

4. What's a stereotype you seem to perpetuate without meaning to? 
that women are not mechanically inclined. 
In the dictionary under non-mechanically inclined, you’ll find my picture.  I don’t care how it runs.  As long as it runs, I’m good with it.  Good thing God blessed me with a very mechanically inclined husband who can fix just about anything.

5. Ever been horse back riding? If so is it something you enjoy? If not, do you have any interest? Did you watch the Kentucky Derby? Will you be watching the last leg of the Triple Crown this weekend? 
Wow, Joyce, that’s lots of questions for just one question!    As a small (and I do mean small – 2 – 3 years old) child we used to have horses and go on trail rides.  There was a group that would get together on Sundays, go for a ride and end up at one of the farms to have a picnic.  Some rode, some rode in buggies or carts.  As soon as I was old enough to reach the stirrups, maybe 4 years old, on my pony Midnight, I rode by myself (with adult supervision of course).  When I was about 6, my sister (yea, I’m blaming her) didn’t tighten the saddle enough on Midnight. The saddle slipped around, hung underneath and my foot was stuck in the stirrup so I was drug across the pasture.  Scarred me for life I tell ya!  So to all but the first question, the overall answer is no!

6. What's your favorite 'wedding' movie? 
I think Runaway Bride and Father of the Bride are a close tie.

7. What is one 'tourist attraction' in the USA that you'd like to see in person? 
I would love to make it to all of the National Parks in the continental United States some day.  I’ve been to a few of them and no matter how many times I go back the Smoky Mountain National Park, it has my heart.

8. Insert your own random thought here. 
I was pulled here kicking and screaming but am now in the world of smart phones.  And shhh, don’t tell anyone but I am really kind of liking it. 

Go on over and check out Joyce’s answers.

WWII Vets with Honor Flight spontaneously cheered by travelers at Reagan...

Well worth a watch. Look what happened at Reagan National Airport when an Honor Flight arrived. These men were truly honored.

I’m thrilled that people actually stopped what they were doing and took the time to “be all there.”  What that must have meant to these soldiers!