Going home

The week was winding down.  Thursday evening, the temperature had RISEN to -6 with a wind chill of -24!  We decided to go to Arby's for supper.  We had been cooped up long enough,.  Claire got her Arby's!  

 Would you believe we actually saw people out WITHOUT coats?  Are they CRAZY!!??

There was school on Friday and after school, Hannah had play practice.  Hannah is going to be such a very cool Genie in the Aladdin play they are putting on!

She ate supper at play practice.  Sophia wanted us to go to her favorite restaurant.

I took them back roads with GPS.  The girls were sure Nana was NOT going the right way.  Claire said she did not like this adventure.  I told her adventure is FUN!!!   How I love to go places I have never been before!  I assured her we wouldn't get lost.

Adam and Jill made it back to Milwaukee.  They had to dig out their car.  Luckily they had a shovel in the trunk and their car started!  

The next day I said my goodbyes to my sweet granddaughters.

Jill drove me to Appleton.  The airport there is a smaller one.
They had to de-ice our plane.

I had to laugh.  The person driving the truck was the same lady who gave me my boarding pass, and also the lady who scanned our tickets as we got on the plane and now she was driving the truck!  I guess in small airports, you have to be a jack of all trades!

 My seatmate was a young fellow who had been in Kuwait, serving our country.  We had such a good conversation.  This day was Ground Hog Day and my morning devotions happened to be on learning lessons in the shadow.  Isaiah 49:2  There are lessons that can only be learned "in the shadow of God's hand".  This man had been in the shadow of war.   Some face the shadow of illness, mourning or financial fears.  To be in someone's shadow, you must be close by.  Stay close to Jesus' side, in His shadow, where He will cover you.

Lord, be with this young man and help him to heal from the flashbacks he experiences and some of the struggles he shared with me.

The lady in front of me was absolutely terrified of flying.  She had closed her window and was just stressing.  I put my hand on her shoulder.  "It will be alright.  You'll be fine." I spoke to her.  I silently prayed for her.  At the end of the flight, she said, "I slept the whole way!"  Thank You, Father for your care over her!

In contrast to Appleton airport, when I landed in Chicago, I think I had to walk 2 miles to my next gate.  I got a good workout!

The plane ride was fun as I interacted with a young mother and her 3 year old.  When she came on board, she panicked when she saw she was sitting across the aisle from her child.  I offered to let her take my seat so they could sit together.   A family from the Netherlands with their children was sitting behind me. They had been on planes for 21 hours!  The kids, perhaps 2 and 4, were so well behaved.  When the flight attendant passed out water, I had a good chuckle as all the children had to blow bubbles in their water.

Al met me in Wichita.   It was a balmy 62 degrees!  And I was wearing fur!  Ha!

Al said the fridge was bare, so we went to Rib Crib.

Good to be home - for awhile, anyway.  Another trip on the horizon!

What one does when it is -50 windchill!

When Jill had asked me to come to their home to help while they went to the conference, I said "Of course!"  I asked for a schedule of what all I would need to do.  Oh my goodness!  Cello and violin lessons, piano practice, play practice almost every night, youth group, crossing guard duty, 2 basketball games, a spelling bee, and a hair appointment for me.  Wow.

BUT...

almost everything was cancelled due to wind chills of -50 degrees!!  There had been no school on Monday due to so much snow and now no school for 2 days more days; no lessons, no play practice....

SO

we baked cookies

played dolls

practiced our instruments

learned splatter painting with a toothbrush

played school - Claire loves to be the teacher!

did experiments like making popsicles out in the snow

and throwing boiling water into the air to see it vaporize!

Claire made a slushy from snow and grape juice

We exercised to a dance video I brought

Made home-made pizzas

waitress Claire

and Hannah updated the chalk board with a new verse

I was sad to miss out on the basketball games and the spelling bee!

Meanwhile in Florida.... 

When things go wrong

On Tuesday, the girls were able to go to school.  

Claire just loved climbing the mounds of snow after school 

while we waited for Sophia as she did crossing guard. 

Before I took the girls to school, I had had my devotions.  A couple of verses that I had read were "Do not fret...Trust in the Lord" and then later "Be anxious for nothing"  and "God is in your midst".  His presence was to be a constant calm in me.

I guess I needed that reminder because there was much to fret over that day!  First off, the internet was down.

Do not fret.

When I took the girls to school, I dropped Hannah off and then Sophia was showing me how to get to her school a different way than I had done before.  I didn't know the street to turn on until it was too late.  I couldn't slam on my brakes because the car would skid on the snowy roads.  So we took the next road, but boy, it got us a little lost!

Do not fret.

Good thing for GPS on my phone!  It got us to their school just before the 2nd bell and they weren't tardy.  

When I got back to the house, I wanted to work on some sewing for Dress A Girl but the sewing machine was acting up and  bunching up!  

Do not fret.

I called my husband in Kansas and Allen helped me figure out how to get the internet up and running.  Then I downloaded the instruction manual to Jill's sewing machine and was able to fix the situation and sew the dresses.

 Claire wanted me to come have lunch with her.  She told me she'd like Arbys and that it was located by Culver's.  Well, she didn't know that it was at the location clear on the other side of town.  I had only allowed time to run to the Culver's location close by.  When I went to look on-line where exactly it was, I realized the oops and that I wouldn't have time to run to Arby's.  Sorry, Claire!  But she was just happy to have Nana come for lunch and didn't mind the Culver's.

Do not fret.

I went to the school and parked where I normally do, thinking I could go in the door I usually pick them up at.  It was locked!  Where do I go in?  It was the wrong door for during the day.  I found the right door but it was a little distance - not bad, but considering the COLD - not so fun.

Do not fret.

When I had gone to have lunch with Claire, the garage door wouldn't come down!  After calling Adam, I did as he suggested and it came down.  But later, when I went to pick up the girls, it again would NOT come down, no matter what.  So, he had me bring it down manually (I had to climb up on a chair to reach the door to slide it down.  Not easy for a 63 year old!).  He was able to get someone from church to come help fix it later.

Do not fret.

After school, when we got home, I thought Claire looked a little peak-ed.  I felt her and she was running a fever.

Do not fret.

Then that day, I also got news from dear friends in California that he had cancer, stage 4.  My heart is just broken.  Then I thought, there really is no reason to fret or be anxious.  The Lord is near.  He is in our midst.  Ever present.  I thought of a devotional from Anne Graham Lotz and it rings so true to me.  

The Narthex to Eternity

“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”  John 17:3, NIV

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Westminster Abbey in London. It is a grand cathedral where many of the kings and dignitaries of England are buried, and where the kings and queens receive their coronation. The narthex is small, dark, and cramped—just a brief space to pass through between the outside door and the door leading into the cathedral itself. I can’t imagine anyone visiting the abbey and being satisfied to stay in the narthex. I also can’t imagine anyone who would make an enormous effort to stay there with no thought to passing through to the glory of what lies beyond.

Your life and mine here on earth is like the narthex to a grand cathedral. Our lives are simply an area to pass through on our way to the glory of eternal life that lies beyond the door of death. Physical death for a believer is simply a transition into real life. And it’s God’s purpose that you and I live forever—with Him.  - From the book "My Heart’s Cry"

Some of us have already purchased the ticket and are just waiting for the door to open to that very beautiful cathedral!

                                              Do not fret.

Frankly, I was ready for Tuesday to be done.  What would the rest of the week bring?

                                              Do not fret.

                                              

Snow day

 It snowed about 12 1/2 inches on Monday.  School had been called off the day before in anticipation.

It was just beautiful!   Big, large flakes.

The city was johnny on the spot, clearing roads.  In Kansas where we live, the city does not clear our residential streets.  This snow plow came by twice that day that I saw.

 No school means lots of playing.  Claire wanted to make a movie.  She calls them "Claire's Night Out." 

 I told the girls they could stay in pajamas all day if they wanted.  We had lunch in the basement and watched "The Waltons".   

We made cookies.

 Claire has a dairy allergy so she put skittles in hers and dairy free chocolate chip cookies.  And we didn't use butter.

The girls wanted to play outdoors.  The windchill was -10 degrees.

I checked to see how long it was safe for them to play outdoors.

The site I checked said 20 minutes.

So off they went to play!

 That evening, some people from church came with their truck and snow plow to scoop off the driveway and a couple of guys shoveled the sidewalks.  Many thanks!!

 On Tuesday, the sun was out and the kids went off to school.

 See what a good job the city did?  It was no trouble getting around!  Well, unless you were this guy.