Remembering An Autumn Trip

It is about 47 degrees here today.  A sunny but cold day with an overnight expectation of 33 degrees.  I was looking through some of our pictures and thinking of warmer times.

I ran into some of our pictures from an October trip to Fall Creek Falls State Park.  They definitely reminded me of warmer times.

Walter and I Sport Our Church Senior Adult Shirts

We joined with other church members to go to a local state park where we enjoyed walking the grounds, seeing the falls that give the park its name and eating at the buffet.

Main Falls

It was about 85 degrees the day we visited the park.  There was a constant stream of water moving over the falls.  I have been there when there was a whole lot more water but it was a dry time in Tennessee so not so much water that day.  There are several falls within the park, each beautiful in its own way.

These pictures served to make me remember warm crisp fall days.  We have a beautiful state and always enjoying touring it.

God is good!

Busy Week Prior to the Christmas Musical "JOY"

I have been very busy this past week.  On Wednesday we had our Women on Mission Christmas meeting with a covered dish luncheon.  After that I had a meeting at the Senior Citizens Center with the director and the President.  I have been voted in as the Vice-President for the coming year.  I am to get the program for each monthly meeting in 2014.  We exchanged ideas with each other about that and also some items each of them had for the center.  We have a lot of work to complete in the upcoming year.

The first Wednesday of each month is senior day at the grocery store and we get 10% off of our purchases.  We did our monthly shopping and got it home and put away just in time to go to church.  Then after church we had our last choir practice.  It lasted until 9:00.  I was exhausted by the time we returned home.

On Thursday I helped my friend at the church by folding bulletins for 320 people.  We are expecting a full auditorium for the musical "JOY".  Then my her granddaughter and Walter met us for a Mexican lunch.  There is nothing I like much better than meeting friends for a meal and a long time of chatter.

On Friday I worked with five other people to cut and sew 20 angel costumes for the musical.  A local decorator let us use his workshop.  We cut and sewed the outfits from lining material that he donated.  It was the first time I ever serged a seam, much less on a professional serger.  It took a little while to get used to it.  After a few tries I was able to sew a good tight seam and the work went fast.  I didn't realize that the machine cuts the fabric and then sews the edges at the same time.  I had a lot to learn.  I was a little afraid of cutting or sewing my finger but no injury happened.

The Handmaidens knitted the gold scarfs that were around the angels necks.  I knitted two of them.  They added a little sparkle to their costumes.

Some of the Angels Waiting in Costume before the Musical

That evening we went to a local production of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" play.  There were ten of us that attended.  Then after that we went to Shoney's for hot fudge cakes.  It was late when we got into bed that night.

Saturday we went to Brandon's first basketball game of the season.  His team lost the game but he had a couple of nice rebounds.  Maybe next Saturday his team will win.  We had a full rehearsal of the church musical after that.  We took a short nap to recharge for the night.  That evening we took a recently widowed friend of ours to the play "Tuna Christmas" at the Murfreesboro Center for the Arts.  It is always a hilarious performance every time we see it.  Our friend had never seen it, and she truly enjoyed it too.  We had a good meal at an Italian restaurant prior to the show.

Sunday we had two performances.  We had a full church.  The musical was wonderful with several nice solos.  The young people made great angels.

Our New Spotlight Highlights the Angels and Baby Jesus

We had a real baby in the musical.  It was our pastors grandson, Ben.  Our pastor joked that it was his first time in church and he had to play Jesus.  No stress there! 

The Choir in Performance

We sang nine songs.  That is Walter in the red bow tie.

Close Up of the Choir

Walter & I Show Off our New Sweaters

And we even took a little time to get our picture made in front of the decorated tree in the church welcome center.

God is good!

Braces

Yesterday grandson Austin had a baby tooth pulled and braces put on his teeth.

First Full Day of Braces for Austin

He visited today and we asked him to smile into the camera.  These braces will help make a beautiful smile for him.  He is lucky to have this treatment available for him.

I was raised in the 1950's.  I visited the dentist about three times during my childhood.  No braces were ever suggested for me.  My family couldn't afford them if they had been.  I had teeth that grew over themselves.  My family called them elephant tusks.  Eventually they were pulled.  No other treatment was suggested.  The dentist just told my family that the newer teeth would grow down into my mouth in the right place after that.  Braces would probably have helped me to have a prettier smile if I had been offered the treatment.  However I did have a few cavities filled along the way.  Most of them are still in my mouth now almost 50 years later.

My daughter was told she needed braces so we got them for her.  The dentist tugged on them so hard that her mouth was so sore.  When we left the dentist's office we stopped to eat at a buffet.  She got some pineapple fibers trapped in her braces.  It took a long time to get her teeth and braces clean.  Every time we had an appointment her braces were tightened and she would hurt for a while afterwards.  I remember feeling so sorry for her. If she had a tear it would break my heart.  She was brave and tried to never complain.

Well the generations past and the rites of passage continue.  I hope Austin will take care of his braces and emerge from the experience with wonderful, straight, perfect teeth.  His smile needs no work.  It is perfect just as it is.  I get to say that since he is my grandson!

God is good!