Nice Trip

Kris and Owen and I had a nice trip to Michigan. It’s been so long since Kris has been able to go and I was really glad that he was with me. I mentioned in a previous blog that we had lunch on the way up with Mark and Keri Kornelsen. We got to Dad’s house in good time and relaxed on Thursday morning.

Thursday we went to Pizza Hut for lunch and that afternoon we went shopping for some clothes at Maurice?s and then to Wal-Mart to get some ingredients for a casserole for lunch the next day. That night we went to my cousin Mia’s house for dinner. She and her husband Cory and daughters Megan and Libby fed and entertained us well. Poor Man’s steak…Mmmm!

On Friday I got up and made an enchilada casserole for lunch and to feed the next batch of travelers that would be coming in that night. We were pretty lazy the rest of the day. I watched a lot of TV. Around 4:30 we left to go to another friends house for dinner. Kem and I graduated together and her husband Rob graduated the year before us. They made some delicious burritos and we brought some pie and ice-cream to top it off. We had a great time catching up and playing with the babies. Their daughter Regan is bright eyed and beautiful. She was fascinated with Owen and he was fascinated with her toys. When we got home Becky and her children and my brother Joel had arrived at Dad’s. They were eating up the casserole and getting unpacked. It was nice to see Joel again…too bad I have to travel 8 hours to see him when he lives in Nashville.

Saturday was pleasant. We went to breakfast with everyone down in Shipshewana, IN at the Blue Gate Restaurant. Good food and good service. My brother Joel had had a particularly lucrative week at the restaurant where he works so he paid for all of our meals. Very nice! Kris and Owen and I stopped at the Great Lakes Chocolate Cafe in Sturgis on the way home where Kris was able to check his e-mail on a fast connection through their wireless system. It was a surprisingly nice place. I got a hot drink and went ahead and got Owen a smoothie and Kris a small coffee. Owen played pretty quietly most of the time but he was getting tired so by the time Kris was done he was definitely ready to go. We got home and put him down for a nap. Dad had requested meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner that night so I made the meatloaf and Becky made the mashed potatoes. We heated up some home-grown corn and I made some gravy too. It was a good meal…I’m sure it still wasn’t as good as mom’s but we try. Dad’s always ready to have someone cook for him.

Sunday we went to church. Dad went to his church and though I offered to join him he went alone. He said that there are a lot of things going on there and it just wouldn’t be pleasant to visit this time. I was sorry that he was discouraged about his church but I was glad for the opportunity to visit Firm Foundation. My sister Kristy used to attend this church and several of my family members are going there now. They have a fairly new pastor who seems very excited about growing the individuals of the church. They are getting ready to build a new building and they are growing in number as well. Good things are happening there. Unfortunately, I was only able to hear about half of his sermon because Owen wasn’t able to sit still in the service and I spent a lot of the time in the nursery. That afternoon was our Christmas party. Which was the main reason for our going to Michigan. Dad was the host this year so he invited everyone to “The Carriage House” and had a meal catered for the entire family. The food was wonderful and there was a good turn-out. Nearly 60 people including all the kids. We ate together, sang together and laughed a lot. We had a time to tell stories about Grandma and Grandpa, entertain each other with songs and snack all afternoon. It was great that we didn’t have to clean up after everyone, other than the polite pick up of trash and clearing of tables.

We left the next morning at 7:00 or a little after and drove through the snowfall that began even earlier that morning. It was blowing and cold but it wasn’t sticky so our travel wasn’t hindered. We got to Indianapolis by 11:00 and met my cousin Nathan and his wife Joi for lunch at Chili’s. They just had a son (Levi Robert Troyer) in October and he was a doll. Thick black hair and a little turned up nose. He slept the entire time but he was passed around a little. Dressed like a little man, I thought he looked like a miniature lumber jack in his plaid flannel shirt and blue jeans. Very cute. It was nice to visit with Nate and Joi and catch up a little on what’s going on in their lives.

The rest of our trip home was uneventful. We were able to get back in time for Becky to make it to Scrooge rehearsal and I was able to meet up with the Ladies Board from our church to have a Christmas dinner with them. It is so good to visit with those ladies. We have become a very small group but I enjoy their company very much.

Now we’re back to our little routine, at least to some degree. We are very busy with Scrooge rehearsals and things during the evening but our days are pretty much back to normal. It’s good to be home.