Time with our mothers

These guys take good care of us!  We went out on Saturday night for Mother's Day knowing Sunday would be crazy.  We experienced The Watering Hole.  It was very good.  A nice ending to a restful day by the pool!

Sunday morning found us singing this hymn.  I am so thankful for the home in which I was raised and the home where we raised our children.  It was never about the roof and walls, but about the foundation of God's Word in our life...the starting point that governed our whole thinking process.

A kind token given to mothers at church as we left.

And all too soon...it was time to say "Goodbye!" and head back to Orlando to fly home.  We stopped at Wawa for gas and a last yummy mint mocha drink.

As we drove...our flight got delayed from 7:59pm to 8:35pm.

It was a good thing.  Security was so backed up and slow...actually inefficient which surprised me!  It is Orlando...an international airport...where thousands of people from all over the world travel.  Detroit does an awesome job moving people through quickly.  Orlando needs to upgrade their systems and machines!  Yikes!  We got another delay notice to 9:05pm.  We got something to eat at Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs.  We are all about trying things and this was pretty good.

Finally boarding...knowing we would land by midnight.  We landed at 11:59pm!  But then sat at the gate for 25 minutes waiting for someone to come put the gate in place.  Surprise!  We thought they knew we were coming.  Ha ha!  Uff da!  We pulled into our driveway at 1:30am.  The dogs were glad to see us and our bed felt good.

 

Out and About and All-around

Mom Cheryl and I did water aerobics on Friday morning.  That was fun and felt wonderful!  Mom Karen picked us up and we went for a lunch and shopping expedition!  We tried the Orange Creamsicle Frosty at Wendys.  A little disappointed as I was expecting more orange flavor, but it was refreshing.  Something about being in Florida makes me crave citrus flavors!  It is probably our huge lack of all things sunshine up north!

We stopped at a couple favorite spots.

Dad suggested Mexican food and so we enjoyed Azul for supper!

Now I am ready to go to Mexico again!  

We came back and I got busy with some baking again for the freezer.  Mom likes to have yummy things to share with others.

The house smelled so good and, of course, we had to sample a fresh from the oven cookie or two while watching the basketball game!

Monster cookies and peanut butter cookies on the agenda for this bake.

I cheated and made bars since the dough was pretty crumbly this time.

 

Tripping south

Ted had a business trip to Orlando for the NPE 2024 plastic exhibition and he invited me to tag along.  We flew out of DTW Wednesday morning and landed at 11:15am in Orlando.  We got a car and he kindly drove me down to Sebring on Wednesday afternoon.  He turned around and drove back up to pick up a co-worker from Belgium and they made their way to the Orange County Convention Center to see 2,100 plus exhibitors with 55,000 plus other attenders.  The exhibition lasts for five days with over 120 countries represented.  He will join us in Sebring on Saturday to celebrate Mother's Day before we head home on Sunday evening.

Our rental car..."Look, Ma, no hands needed!"  

The closest we will be to Disney...till Ted found out the hotel he is at is across the street from Disney property.

We stopped and got our first sandwich from WaWa...and I got the mint mocha iced coffee drink!  Mmm...imagine my surprise that it wasn't just a "seasonal" drink.

Mom is up and around and pushing to do more each day.  I went with her this morning as she played for chapel.  She could not find her piano glasses, but you would never know it.  We are still in the process of looking around for the misplaced case.  So far...we know they are not in the freezer or fridge!  Uff da.

The words of this song hit my head and heart this morning as we sang.  The old hymns are a blessing...especially when you pay attention to the words that speak so much truth.

Mom had a CT scan today.  I kept her company as she drank the required potion.  Dad took her for her scan and it was quick and painless.

I kept Mom company and we had lunch together.  

Tomorrow...it looks like a shopping expedition is on the schedule.

First day of exhibitions...

Ted shared screen shots of their total steps today...

Ted had many more steps than his co-worker.  

I made Dad and Mom breakfast for supper.  Suggested by Dad. 

I ended the day with a batch of chocolate chip cookies with nuts.  Requested by Mom.

 

The man behind the works of art

If you give this guy an idea and some wood...he will make a beautiful piece of art for your home!  Uncle Jon's craftsmanship has touched each home we have lived in all these years.

He has added to his repertoire over the years!  And the pieces are stunning!

Getting ready for a big show May 18.

He made our queen-size bed frame 24 years ago.  We upgraded to a king-size bed recently and we commissioned him to make the same style bed frame for our king mattress.  It is gorgeous!

I added a beautiful custom cutting board.  Each one he makes is a little different.

A beautiful weekend in the Illinois countryside!

Home safe and sound and ready for a good night's sleep!

Aunt Betty's homemade raspberry jam and apple butter and farm fresh eggs to make our visit continue.