" Grateful for the little things, the big moments & everything in between." 💖
Good morning from sunny NYC! It's soon time for us to get ready and leave for Lincoln! Catch a bus, I suppose. Once it's some cooler, I reckon we will walk again! Always look forward to singing with the boys at Lincoln and cheering hearts and souls, and sometimes we are the ones refreshed!! Isn't that funny how that works? 😊
Last Tuesday's singing was special, hardly any refusals....in ICU, we sang for this one man and he said after we were done, another one? So we sang another song....his family started laughing after the 2nd one, telling us we'd better go....he'll want another one!!! 😊 A man came to where we were singing and wanted us to come to his Mother's room, she was in critical condition, and they were wanting prayer. So we gathered by her doorway and Ron closer to her bed and he prayed a prayer....we all said Amen.... after singing, Ron and I went to Venchi.... it's a chocolate and gelato place!!! Close to Central Park! Had a little time of just relaxing and indulgence....😍 Bought some chocolate to bring home! Spencer made supper.... sausage, shrimp, corn and potato sheet pan supper! Delicious! Just saying, Tyson loved the shrimp 🍤!!
( Back from Lincoln hospital, was a good hour spent singing...had a couple of interesting encounters! We got to a patients room and he was proclaiming loudly in there....then he started to pray! A nurse walked by and she said don't go in that man's room, he may need a song....but... anyway Alex didn't get that memo and asked if we could sing....? He said sure, but started to belt out his own song!! He is very loud....so we started to sing, Joys are flowing like a river, since the comforter has come.... Blessed quietness, Holy quietness....he told us to be quiet, but we just kept on singing and David showed him by doing shhhh to his lips, that he should be quiet. He knelt down on the floor in front of the boys and listened and was quiet till we were done! But then just let it rip again!!! The nurse walked by and thanked us quieting him for a bit!! Another room, the man said excuse me.... thought we were walking around with the Bible, no I told him, it's a Christian hymn book....well anyway went off into a rant about the Torah, Catholic's, never heard of Mennonite, he was Hebrew, he claimed....so we sang him a song too....and him and his room mate both thought it was so good!! Another lady said we brought joy to her! )
Wednesday, August 13.... Bible study in the evening, topic was God's Great Peace, David was leader. Eric and Tony were our attendees....sing out and then supper later. I fixed chicken Alfredo, Caesar salad and Texas toast. Had interesting conversation around the supper table.... about Heaven, angels and all kinds of questions!!
Thursday morning we went shopping....it went super fast and easy!! I baked cinnamon rolls in the afternoon and had Sloppy joes for supper....we had it at 6, instead of 7. The guys wanted to go play tennis at Central Park. So we went over there too....well you have to belong to the club, to play there....so they went to another place, I forget where. That wasn't to be either...so they gave that up and went to Macy's instead!! Plus Raising Canes & gelato!!! Ron and I came on home from Central Park. We were in the area of the lake and it was a beautiful evening! Although wind still and humid. You can walk around the lake, it's a distance of almost 2 miles, we want too sometime, maybe when it's cooler!!
( There has been company in the apartment this weekend. Stan and Marilyn Ensz from SD....they left this afternoon. Also Eric and Raeanne spent a night... Rogers children. )
Friday evening, I was making steak fajitas, with leftover grilled steak.... refried beans and homemade tortillas....we also had guacamole and chips. Oh, the tortillas were a pain this time.... first dough pile, they were dry and funny textured. So I made another batch, too sticky! And then the press gave all kinds of fits!! Store bought tortillas were looking real good by that time! Anyway, right close to 7... there Stan and Marilyn were home, when we thought they were busy...so off the cuff, we invited Rogers and Stans to join us! Those impromptu evenings are really special !! And there was enough food for all. Guys got up from the supper table and went to play tennis again. Us 6 sat and gabbed...then basically left the kitchen in a mess and went to Penn station to Anita's for gelato! I had matcha flavor gelato, tasted too healthy for me! 😁 Don't get me wrong, I like matcha drinks! The kitchen had indeed seen a " maid " while I was gone! Some of the dishes were washed and dishwasher was running. I thanked the boys and they said it was David, needing a validation!!!
Saturday morning we slept in a bit.... believe you me, I wouldn't have at all, if I had known the next hour! I was planning on Hartford unit guys joining us at 9 for breakfast....well we became aware that they were getting here shortly after 8!!!!! I went into high gear..... bacon was in the oven and I quickly stirred up coffee cake and made fruit smoothies... but you know a coffee cake takes about so long to bake...I was delighted when the 8 boys decided to go down stairs for awhile, have you ever had 8 hungry guys looking at you??? I'm not sure what went wrong with the memo about when they would be arriving! They are a fun bunch of boys also... I could claim them too! Doug from Suncrest, Travis from Scenic Ridge, Jace from Ballico and Brock from Dalhart. Had a fun time at breakfast, then they all left for the day. Ron and I cleaned up breakfast and dishes and then we went to Roosevelt Island to Israel Wengerds market....Eric, Bernice, Elizabeth and Josiah were all working! We took along the little cart with us... brought home sweet corn, peaches, pears and apple cider. ( Stan's and Rogers went too! ) In the evening for supper we met the 8 guys. At Patsy's.... it's a pizza place, we caught a subway train to 125th, then a bus, then walked 7 or so blocks. Patsy's is in a old building, has character and GOOD pizza! We ordered 5 pizzas, the first ones were mostly inhaled!!! 😂 We ordered 1 more and then a Nutella dessert one!! 😋 We loved those Hartford boys, so said goodbye....they went to catch the 8:12 train back to CT.
Sunday.... ( Rogers were at Fleetwood for the weekend...a wedding. ) We were 31 for worship and lunch! Laurence had opening to SS and Rueben had the sermon on Forgiveness, it was good. I heard several say, it was just for them!! Lunch was grilled chicken and wedding potatoes. Green salads, brown bread and 2 peach desserts. Chicken and potatoes were all gone! Alistair was back after his 5-6 weeks hiatus in Europe! We left mid afternoon for Fort Totten. Kendon's and Laurence's in 1 rig, Clay's took Tony and Shelly with them and unit guys and us in mission van. A 30 minute drive....we walked and walked, hauling supper, camp chairs, ice chest and table. Found a spot to rest upon.... some of us, most of us walked to the fort and found it locked 🔒!! Supper was grilled chicken wraps, chips and veggies and dip. Chocolate chip cookies....there was rain coming....so pack out we did! A few raindrops did hit our heads and when we all got into our rigs and Laurence's on the bus, then it poured!! Kendon's came on back over here....the guys all sang off of the projector and Kaitlyn joined them at the last. I read many books to Olivia and Thomas sometimes joined us for short periods of time. Last we looked at I Spy.... then they all started to eat, whatever they found.... down to cold cereal with milk!!! Was so much fun!! Later, after Kendon's left, men folks all down to tract room to get ready for Mondays route.
Monday afternoon, Elmer and Mary Ellen came around 4:30.... It was Tyson's orientation.... guys all down to the fellowship hall and Mary Ellen and I talked and talked.... supper was haystacks, roasting ears and watermelon salad. Mary Ellen brought a box of peaches... awesome! She also brought peach angel food cake....she whipped cream and we also had peaches. Fun evening... they left after supper, we cleaned up kitchen and guys sang quartet for awhile and then we practiced songs for Wednesday evening.
David is cooking this evening... I think it's Indian food!!
Talking about going to Martha's bakery afterwards!!! 😄
Looking forward to Friday morning... Weston, LaNae and family are coming!!! 🥰
News from 762 St. Nicholas Ave, signing off for now!
Love, Mama Carol