Babysitting, Rooftops, Weekend Project

There have been a lot of wildfires burning here in Washington and the biggest one is about 30 minutes east of us. Our skies have been so smoky lately, our eyes burn and a lot of people get sore throats when they head outside. We can't complain though because there are so many who have lost everything. It's just heartbreaking.

 

 And now Hurricane Ian. I was watching the Weather Channel today and the storm surge is just crazy! The way the water has been drained from the bay?! It's scary. I've been praying for everyone in Florida.

 

Diana and Peter went up to Canada for a couple days last weekend and we watched Poppy. I never knew I could love a grand dog so much! And Sharaya's been sending pictures of the cats. I miss them more than I thought I would!

 

 

This was the view from their hotel room! They had a great time, I'm glad they were able to go.

We've been having some issues at work, there's an interesting smell in a few of the hallways, on different floors. Some say it's gas, others say a dead animal. We bought some detectors and ruled out gas. To me it's more of a stale / musty odor. We're in the process of installing new air conditioners and are wondering if it's coming from them so G, our maintenance guy and I went up onto the roof to see if was one of them but it wasn't. The mystery continues! But I love being up on the roof! Such a different perspective of the building I see everyday.

 And speaking of roofs, here is a before and after picture of our gutters. It's hard to really see the difference between the brown and the white in these pictures. We also had them put on some moss killer. It's been so nice getting these things done!

 

We've had an extremely old TV stand for years and just never really thought about getting a new one. It worked for us and I'm a 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' kinda girl. But I figured it was time. I mean, look at this thing! It's got a CD tower! 😂

So we ordered something on-line and began the daunting (to us) task of putting it together. And actually, it wasn't that bad! Took us about 90 minutes. And I love it!! Now I just sit in the living room and stare at it.

Before

 

After 

We had some rain today, the weather is definitely changing. I hope you have a great weekend. Can you believe it's October already?!

And What A Year It's Been!

Last year at this time, September 22 to be exact, we were in Boston at Diana and Peter's wedding. They had a small, private ceremony in Boston Common, then we went to Tresca's for a delicious Italian dinner. 

 

 

 

 

Then four days later the big reception at Cairnwood Estate in Pennsylvania. What a celebration that was! There were over 1000 pictures so I'll just choose a few to show you here. 😊

 (Credit to Landmarks in Lights for this photo!)

 

 

 

"Introducing... Mr. and Mrs. Bruno!"

 

 

 

 Since that day they have moved from the east coast to the west coast, got a dog, planted a garden... 💖 Happy Anniversary Diana and Peter. I love you more than you can imagine!

Theodore ~ Teddy

 I had a quiet and relaxing day today. Did some reading, worked on the puzzle, watched a movie. All day yesterday I was planning my day for work and then I'd remember that it was a holiday, woohoo!! That's the best feeling!

This week is going to be busy with both of our schools reopening. Just figuring out where everyone will enter and exit, creating one-way hallways, placing desks 6 feet apart... our gym is going to be used for P.E. all week but it's also being used as overflow for Sunday services and Prayer Meetings, group gatherings in the evenings... the logistics of all of this has kept some of us up at night.

Our maintenance guy is on vacation so he showed me how to fill and heat our baptistry for this coming weekend.

I just got an email from our Senior Pastor letting me know someone spilled their communion cup on Sunday so we'll need to clean the carpet in the Sanctuary tomorrow.

Plus, Thursday marks one year since my dad died. I've been thinking about him - and my sister - a lot. The hospice place he was at had a service that would create teddy bears out of your loved one's shirt or jacket or whatever. My sister ended up getting one for me and surprised me with it when she visited this summer.

 My dad wore this jacket a lot and this is what she gave them to make my bear.

 The ribbing on the feet and ears are from the collar and the wrists of the jacket.

As I was saving these pictures to my laptop I noticed the 'Hurricane' label was worn over my dad's heart; plus I quickly and randomly saved these pictures as Teddy... and remembered my dad's middle name was Theodore.

A Reason to Celebrate

This weekend was pretty special for us because it was the 1 year anniversary of Beth working at Little Caesars! It's the longest she's ever held a job.

Some jobs were too difficult for her to do, like cleaning the dining area at a McDonalds. I think she could have done it, but this was quite a few years ago and the only reason she wanted to work there was because she got to have french fries while on break. So that job didn't last long. :)

When she worked for Auntie Annes she had to stand in one place for over an hour and ask people if they wanted samples. She struggled to stand that long - without being able to move very much - and she was so shy it was hard for her to speak loud enough for people to hear her.

She did laundry at a group home for a while and did really well, but the manager began treating her unfairly, then wouldn't show up for meetings that she scheduled with me and the job coach. The last straw came when she accused Beth of taking a mop out of a bucket that was in a room Beth didn't even know existed. (Beth would go into the home, go to the laundry room and do laundry for a few hours. Why did the manager think she would go into a different room and take a mop?) That's when the job coach and I agreed to submit Beth's resignation.

But Little Caesars has been A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!! They love Beth, they stick up for her, they fight for her, they love having her there. Boy that does my heart good.

Beth decided she wanted to make some cooking to take to everyone at work. She said everyone loved them! I asked her job coach if her coworkers new it was her 1 year anniversary and she said that when Beth got there, 'C' announced to the crew and they all cheered and clapped! I just know Beth was beaming.

 

 

 

 

Then, at the last minute, we decided to drive up and surprise her! It's a 30 minute drive so we went over and picked up Sharaya and Allie and headed north. We walked in and one of the workers came over and asked if he could help up. When I told him we were Beth's family, he went to the back to get her. We could see her manager telling her it was okay, she could come say Hi and when she came out, there was a huge smile on her face and she yelled, "Bobbin!!" (That's her nickname for Sharaya, who was taking her picture.) :) Allie ran up and gave her a hug, it was awesome!

 

 

I'm SO thankful she has found a job that she likes and gets to work with people who like her and treat her well. One thing we noticed while we were there; the place was packed. So many customers, it was always full. And the crew was movin'! They were hustling and yelling orders and packing... there were probably 8 or 9 of them. And they were all guys. Beth was the only girl.

 

No WONDER she likes working there so much! :)  

Remembering Carly

Carly Elizabeth George

1-2-2002 - 4-23-2010

I've been thinking about them today.
Please remember them in your prayers.