Category Archives: The Adventure

Tales from our travels

From the plane to the party

No –  really.
Gary picked me up from the airport after my trip north, and we drove right to the 2024 SOWER Florida Rally/Reunion. He’d already moved Lizzie to the reunion site (Groveland, FL – west of Orlando) and the party was well underway by the time we arrived. In fact, we arrived just in time for the group picture!
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While what we both really wanted was a nap (I’d been up since 4:30 am to catch that 6:30 am flight home), we decided instead to give the cornhole tournament a try.
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We lost the first game, but (surprisingly) won the next two, and somehow became the first-place winners of the losers. Who knew there was such a thing? Our prize was being one of the first couples through the dinner line! Whooohoo!
The reunion party did not disappoint! We loved catching up with some of our old  dear SOWER friends, and we also loved meeting some brand-new couples! Two couples hadn’t even been on their first project!! I love to see the excitement as these new folks are beginning a journey that has meant so much to us!

We were inspired to “Stay Strong in Today’s World”,
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and enjoyed a musical evening with Dane Bailey,  the Singing Auctioneer,
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(who then did a grand job the next day being an actual auctioneer!).
We also enjoyed several meals together – all excellent, and all lots of fun!
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Someone just couldn’t resist!
We did manage to sneak in a much-needed nap, but it was just a quick power nap because we didn’t want to miss the wonderful fellowship with friends old and new that these SOWER Reunions afford.   We’re so thankful for the team that put all of this wonderfulness together! And for all the love that was in the air the whole time!

Almost caught up!
Steph

Better get started

on getting caught up before another week gets away from me! So I’ll start with my trip to PA, two weekends ago!

The reason for my trip north was to attend the funeral of my dear friend Connie. That day was special beyond words.  Reconnecting with old friends who also loved Connie, hugging and weeping with her beautiful daughters, remembering and reflecting on what a Godly, gracious, and very fun friend she was – well, those moments were priceless. I’m so very thankful I was able to be there. Too much hugging for pictures – they are all just beautiful memories.

But to make that part of the weekend work, I needed to solicit the help of my sister and her daughter, Abby.   (Airport pick-ups and drop-offs, accommodations, driving me about – you know, that kind of stuff!)
Such a fun way to start the visit – here’s Joie with three of her grands-
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and Fitz with the littlest one.
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It was a lovely start to the weekend!
Once we made it to Joie’s we got to work sorting through our Mom’s hope chest and a variety of other family history items.
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Look at this cute little family!
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Awww…
At the bottom of that trunk was this doll –
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dressed in a replica of my mother’s dress from her 1947 wedding.
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How very special! But what to do with it?? The doll was in some disrepair – the head showed some previous repair work and was no longer attached (but the eyes still worked!) and the legs and arms were quite cracked.
We’re hoping to put the dress along with a photo or two into a shadow box and maybe someone from the next generation will be interested in it. But right now we’re looking for a home for the doll. The one doll hospital I contacted said they already had plenty of these dolls (apparently she’s an early ‘Patsy Effanbee” doll). So we’re still on the lookout for someone to care for her! (Let me know in the comments if you’re interested or know someone who might be!)
It was a wonderful weekend! Another set of Joie’s kids came by on Sunday, and then on Monday we were on our way back towards Abby’s for my early Tuesday return to Tampa. Being able to sneak in some unexpected sister time this winter was a huge blessing.
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Thanks for stopping by – and for your patience with my erratic blogging these days.  Have a blessed Sabbath!
Steph

Where have I been???

Oh my! It’s been almost two weeks since my last post – and much has been happening! There have been RV moves, airplane rides, family and friends, hugs and tears, memories made, and memories remembered! I’ll try to catch y’all up with those comings and goings in the days ahead, but meanwhile – here’s a real-time update!

We’ve arrived safely at our March SOWER project location –  Hope Children’s Home,  located in Tampa, FL.

This ministry is less than thirty miles from where we were serving last month, but it certainly feels like a whole new neighborhood! We’re much closer to Tampa (Bad news – traffic. Good news – Costco is nearby!) and the ministry here is completely different. Here’s a little excerpt from the Hope Children’s Ministry’s website-

Hope Children’s Home cares for neglected, abandoned, and abused children – loving them and equipping them for the future.

Hope Children’s Home originated in Florida, and we have been rescuing children giving them a safe, loving, Christian home for over 50 years! We have an open 55-acre campus tucked away in the middle of Tampa. Among many buildings, you will find a fully-functional Christian school and six cottages where the children live. 
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We’re working with four other couples, three of whom we have never worked with before. So we’re looking forward to building new relationships and helping out at this very special ministry.

There may even be a baby to hug now and then!

Winding down

We still have several more days of SOWER work for this project, but since the next few days could get pretty busy, I figured I’d get a head start on the wrap-up!
Last week we ladies concentrated on rags. Yep – every housekeeping department relies heavily on rags, and when there are always towels that are not up to snuff for guests, why buy rags when you can make them? So we cut up towels and zig-zagged around the edges of a multitudinous pile of towel sections!
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One of us cut, and two of us sewed.
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It was a bit of a linty job
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but still fun to sit at the sewing machine and enjoy each other’s company.
As for the guys – well, they had a list of lots of smaller jobs, so I really can’t report on what exactly they accomplished. But I know they were busy –
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and they came home tired.
Oh – but I can report that the sign lighting job was a grand success!
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Speaking of lights – today we ladies joined the men at the start of the day in changing out all of the fluorescent lights in the kitchen to LEDs. It was quite the task, and our jobs were to be the hander-upper-tool-getters for the guys on the ladders.
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And I did get a rare picture of what appears to be men reading the directions.
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Shhhhhhh…..

It hasn’t been all work around here, but it’s getting late and that alarm is going off at 6 tomorrow. So the fun stuff will have to wait until tomorrow!
Thanks for stopping by!
Steph

My sweet Valentine

I’m rerunning a post about Gary from way back in 2010 because he is still this guy. My guy.
April 28th, 2010 – Gary
Before I continue with more “pictures of rocks”, I need to share a little something about Gary.
He turns 60 today.  [He’ll be 74 in April]
Many of you know Gary – you know what a hard worker he is, what a good job he did taking care of his family, and I’m sure you know how much he has loved these last five-plus [19 plus!] years that we have been on the road. But maybe you don’t know this about Gary.
He has become an expert at waiting.
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At Death Valley while I find just the right spot for that perfect picture.
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In Sedona as I climbed up to the cathedral view. (Don’t know why the hood is up!)
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At one of the small lakes in Prescott, AZ – as I checked out the shoreline.
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All bundled up waiting for the bus that wasn’t going to get us to the Grand Canyon rim for the sunrise.
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Or passing the time while I wait for the sun to set.
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Maybe he’s waiting for me to finish exploring some Hopi ruins.
It’s true that sometimes he walks on ahead, knowing that I’ll catch up once I figure out how to get that pretty flower into the picture.
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I don’t have any pictures of him waiting for me at various quilt shops around this big country, but he’s done it time and time again.
And always with a smile.
I think it has something to do with those verses in 1 Corinthians –

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Happy birthday Valentine’s Day, dear husband of mine. Thanks for waiting for me, and watching out for me, and putting up with my horrible sense of direction (along with just a couple of other idiosyncrasies), and for loving me even when I’m less than lovable. I’m so thankful you’re my Valentine!