OK, so my bag is not quite packed, but Gary assures me that HIS is, and all of the Christmas gifts and other sundry stuff that we have accumulated during our two weeks here is already filling the back seat of the truck. Gary figures he might as well remove the rear view mirror since it won’t be any help in the drive to Ohio.

My two weeks here (and Gary’s week and a half ) have been just delightful. Of course, the first week was spent in busy anticipation of the Abby’s wedding, the wedding weekend was full of family and “warm fuzzies” (not to mention the wedding), and this week was just a sweet gentle time of kick back and recovery from the busy-ness of the wedding preparations. We did a little shopping (where I was able to finish up the Conrad Christmas Shopping), did a little reading, ate a little too much (Joie hasn’t quite figured out how to cook for two instead of seven!), watched all 6 hours of Pride and Prejudice (we let the guys watch all six hours (or so it seemed at least) of Gettysburg) and ended most days with a quick match or two of Speed Scrabble. (We never keep score, just try to use up all the letters. So although it’s always a tie, she really wins with words like VORTEX and FRENZY to my VOTE and ZOO. sigh.). I took a day to meet my buddy Janet in Lancaster where neither of us really had any shopping to do, but we did enjoy our time together. I did manage to pick up some fabric for a baby quilt for Maddie, so that was pretty fun!

But tomorrow after church (and a church luncheon – more eating!!!!), we head west to Ohio. The truck has continued to have mechanical problems, but we THINK we might have finally fixed the problem. (The operative word here is THINK. I guess we’ll know for sure tomorrow when we start her up and drive to church.) Although it will be hard to say good-bye (well, Fitz will probably be happy to have Joie to himself again), we are very excited to be heading out to Toby and Tammy’s for Thanksgiving. I’m sure I’ve said this before, but between meeting little Maddie, seeing those other darling grandchildren, hugging all my dear children (I haven’t seen Lara in 8 months!), well…..guess you could say I’m just a little psyched!

Here’s a little sampling of pictures from these last two weeks – some wedding, some sightseeing, some just ’cause I thought it looked pretty cool. If you’d like to see the whole batch, check them out here.
But to start at the beginning……
Here is the view on our approach to Charlotte-

And much to my delight, Fall was still in full swing during our time here -

And the wedding? Well, to be honest most of my pictures were of people looking at other cameras, but I did manage a good one of all the Fitzpatrick Siblings -

Christiana, Jon, Abby, Mike, Hannah
I think they turned out OK!
And here is one of my favorites of the bride and groom….ah, interacting with the flower girl (niece Molly Fitzpatrick) and ring bearer (nephew Pierson Bookamer)

And remember the “sisters” picture in my last post of Ellie, Hayley and Maddie? Well, here are the three sisters that were at the wedding~

Elna, Joie and me!

Better head off to bed – I still need to finish packing!

Here she is – Madelyn Saige Conrad! We can hardly wait to meet her (and hug the rest of them too!)

The new “sisters” -

And the whole family -

I have a very special affinity for this new little one. We share not only birth order (we’re both the 3rd daughter), but she was born just one day shy of my birthday. I think we’ll be good friends!

The wedding was wonderful. It’s a very special wedding when folks can’t decide whether they’re “friends of the Bride” or “friends of the Groom” because they know and love both of them. I have lots of pictures that I’ll be getting uploaded over the next couple of days, but right now we’re just hanging around in the afterglow of a beautiful weekend. The gang here at the Fitzpatrick’s has thinned out. All the siblings have returned to their respective homes (Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia), and Elna & Henry are on their way home to Vermont. So the house is quiet, the living room is full of “stuff” that now needs to be sorted through and put away, and we were all very happy for the after church nap. Gary & I are hanging around for this next week before we head to Ohio to meet Maddie (and distribute those hugs) and celebrate Thanksgiving. And we do indeed have so very much to be thankful for!

Little Maddie and Mom (Tammy) are doing well, and trust me, pictures will be following soon! And of course we’re very excited that we’ll actually get to meet her in just a week or so!

And on the wedding front…..
the Big Day is tomorrow, and we’re in pretty good shape. The reception hall is all set up, the church is decorated, and the family is beginning to arrive! After a mere 26 hrs. on the road, Gary arrived yesterday about 11:00am. My sister and husband arrived from Vermont just before dinner, and Chris (sister of the bride) arrived just around 1AM.
Today’s agenda:
Finish decorating the foyer at the reception hall (that includes the appetizer table and gift table and finding just the right homes for our 6 giant ferns).
Cutting and arranging 36 or so loaves of tea breads (for said appetizers)
Cutting 25 pineapples
LUNCH WITH JUST THE SISTERS (that would be Elna, Joie & Me)
And any other miscellaneous detail “stuff” that will crop up!

It’s getting pretty exciting around here!

But mostly we’re excited about that beautiful new granddaughter! Such blessings!

Greetings from Green Park, PA!
I made it safely to chilly Pennsylvania, the suitcase is unpacked, and I’m busy making lists for Joie and Abby (the bride)! Right now we’re catching up on laundry and finishing up a batch of some very delicious cheese straws. (We’re using our grandmother’s recipe – so that’s pretty cool!). Later we’ll head out to the store – you know, that list!
Lots to do – just wanted to say hello!
(and Happy Belated Birthday to Connie!)

Not too much to report here in Bonifay, but I thought you might enjoy these pictures that I took during my walk one day last week. I think the cow is trying to say something, just not sure what!
I’ve finally put the sewing machine away, and now I’m busy packing and organizing for our trip north. I’m still doing just odds and ends around campus, but I do think I have identified the Best Job on Campus. Serving Dinner. Yep, the kitchen manager and helpers do all the prep, get everything ready to go, and then they go home. We step in, serve these hungry boys dinner, get all the thank-yous, and then leave the mess for the kitchen detail. Yes, indeedy do, now that’s a great job!

Back to the packing…….