Cliff's b-day

Today is Cliff's 25th birthday. Julie had an open house party for him. She got him a Wii and we got him another remote & games for it. Tim was there. He set it up. He was hilarious making the characters look like Cliff and Julie. We took turns playing tennis. It was fun, but I can see how it could become addictive. Mom, Scott, and the girls were there too. Destiny was very good at beating me in tennis. Amy & Lucas and Alicia & Alex came by later. It was my first time to meet the guys - they were very nice and handsome too. Chris & Desiree and the girls are still in Disney World - they will head home on Sunday. They have had a great time. It's been an exciting week!

Went to the Fair

Worked on the newsletter today. Got some music together for an upcoming wedding. Then tonight we picked up Ms. Deb and went to the Fair. We looked at the exhibits, the birthing center (nothing being born at the time, some on the way), and then visited some friends (The Murphys) who had beef cattle. We had a pulled pork sandwich which was delicious. Got a piece of pie before we left. Had a wonderful time, but am tired and headed for bed...

Lazy Day

I don't know why, but today I was just exhausted. Don't know if it was all the traveling or what. Tried to load the new software on the home computer. One program loaded fine, the other one didn't. Will have to get Cliff to help me - keeps saying a file is missing. Don't know why since it loaded fine on the new laptop. Go figure - technology is great when it's working, but oh so frustrating when it's not. Going to bed and looking forward to a brighter day tomorrow...

We're Home !

We got home this afternoon. We had stopped in Williamsburg at the Pottery Factory. It sure has changed since years ago. Then we drove onto Fredericksburg and spent the night. We looked at some of the outlets there today. Still didn't find any dishes, but did find a couple of pillows I'd been looking for in an orangey red shade - got one plain and one with stripes. Had dinner with Mom tonight at the new Pizza place in Urbana. I got spaghetti - it was good, but I couldn't eat it all (didn't care for the garlic bread - it was more like just the hard crust, soft part removed). Our new cabinets will be delivered next week...we are getting closer to a wonderful new kitchen!

Laptop has stroke!

How dependent we become on modern technology. I'm still doing the weekly church newsletter while I'm on vacation. My old laptop had a stroke...lost some of its important faculties. John was listening to me bless it and threaten to throw it off the 13th floor balcony. The cursor would float up into the corner. I would have to shut down the computer, restart, and try again. I would do one action and it would start again. Trust me, checking one email, shutting down the computer, and starting again is a VERY LONG process. We were in Greenville, NC, at a hotel and I was trying to finish this week's newsletter. The cursor started to float, but this time was different. When the cursor floated, so did the document. Then one of the graphics just moved off the page along with the cursor - that was the last straw. I was about to save the document and was afraid I would lose all of my work. I quickly saved it. Re-opened it, fixed the graphic, saved it, and emailed it to myself. I knew that we were going to see my sister, Dina, the next day and she had a computer I could use to finish it. When we were going out to dinner, John just pulled into the Best Buy and said let's check on one. (We had priced one in SC, but the tax rate there is high.) We ended up buying a new laptop that was on sale and that is how this new post has been created. Had a wonderful visit with Steve and Dina in their home. We talked and laughed until we were so tired we had to go to bed. This morning Dina and I compared laptops, programs, etc. Then we all went to lunch. After lunch, they returned home and we headed up the road. We're in Williamsburg tonight. In the words of Patrick Henry (I think - I've been out of school too long) with a modern day twist: Give me a working laptop and a good connection or give me death !

Myrtle Beach

We are in a beautiful oceanfront condo in Myrtle Beach. It is so relaxing to look out at the ocean and think how awesome God was to think of oceans. The sound of the waves just releases any stress you have. The complex offers a lazy river, a pool, and of course, the ocean. Plan to partake of all of them. We also saw some folks driving a golf cart on the road. We are going to check out a golf cart rental. We stayed at a complex once before where you could rent golf carts and we thoroughly enjoyed cruising in the late afternoon/evenings. Well, I'm off to enjoy God's creation...

Internet problems..

I'm back in touch. I had internet connection problems at one hotel. It was baffling because I could get on at some locations and not others. Got to Myrtle Beach and tried to get on at a Starbucks, but it wouldn't let me. Then I had John pull in to different hotels to see if I could get a connection from the parking lot. You know I can't stand to be without my connection to the family and email (besides I'm still doing the church bulletin for each Sunday even while we are gone). I think I've found the solution after visiting Best Buy here in Myrtle Beach. I won't go into the details, but the guy did some tweeking and I believe I'm good to go now. You know me - I have to chat with everyone. I said we were visiting from MD, he said he was originally from Philly. I said I've been there. He wanted to know if we were vacationing. I said yes, we were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary and my hubby had just retired from being a police officer. This guy had been a police officer in Philly. The best part: After he "adjusted" my computer, I asked what we owed. (John had seen a sign that said diagnostics was $59.) He stuck out his hand to shake my hand and then John's. He said it is the least I can do for a fellow police officer. As we were walking away, I told John: I'm really going to keep you now - you're even more valuable than I thought. Only kidding, I was going to keep you anyway, forever...