Still have Covid antibodies

December 15, 2021 | Stacy

One good thing that came out of this mess is I was compelled to start donating blood back in March 2020. Along the way the American Red Cross started testing for antibodies, and sure enough, those started to pop up after an upper respiratory infection last December.

Since moving to SC, the Red Cross hasn’t been an option, but I’ve been able to give via The Blood Connection. They have been testing for antibodies, but will stop doing so in the new year.

It’s cool that they are still showing up 12 months later.

A musical and fries

March 9, 2021 | Stacy

Today marked the resumption of rehearsals for the Music Man production that was abruptly brought to a halt last year when the world locked down. Johanna asked if we could have dinner at Wendy’s to celebrate. She said she’d been dreaming of Wendy’s for “so long now” and nothing else would do.

The best part was the Freestyle beverage machine was fully operational AND self-service made it so she could combine any numbers of pop flavors together for the perfect concoction of sugar.

So insanely grateful for any bits of our former activities.

(Mama also got to hang out in Hobby Lobby for a little while.)

Mickey Minnie Mask

January 27, 2021 | Stacy

I don’t like masks. I almost never wear them outside of work. But if I have to wear one, I am tickled to wear the one my friend Lynn made me and sent me from Scotland.

CBS – techno-version

September 16, 2020 | Stacy

Katriel, Nan, and I headed to Canandaigua on the 9th to pick up our CBS books for this year’s study. It is nothing short of AWESOME how much of an effort the leadership dove into in order to provide such comprehensive start-up bags for the kids’ programming. With labelled envelopes to open at specific times through the months, this is clear that our loving volunteers poured themselves into the ministry.

Marie and Tab even got ESV Scripture Journals of the Gospel of John.

There were glitches (oh – Zoom – you never knew you’d be so popular),

But there was a lot of gladness, too.

I’m going to get a lot of exercise going up and down the stairs between girls as the technology comes in and out, but it is totally worth it.

Camp Cherith day two

July 21, 2020 | Stacy

We woke by 7 to a glorious morning and headed off to breakfast by 8AM. We came back to our cabin to do our devotions, and then we went to our first activity, which was swimming. I didn’t take my camera. I sincerely enjoyed, to the core of my being, my conversations with the two women who are swim instructors/life guards. One was from FL and one from IL. I was so soothing to talk with them and find they felt the same way I do about this “pandemic” and the lockdowns. They also were so encouraging to my reluctant swimmer and they played with Katriel and their cool toys. Our family had the WHOLE POOL to ourselves.

We headed back to the cabin to prepare for our next activity.

ARCHERY!

Our wonderful archery instructor does this FOR FREE every summer as a ministry. God bless these leaders. I am just in awe.

My girls are naturals!

Tab shoots left.

I even took a turn.

WE WERE HUNGRY!

Then we went outside for our post-lunch devotional activity.

This one focus on how we need people in our lives to support and encourage us.

We had cabin quiet time. Here she is reading her Bible storybook to me.

Finally we had a craft period.

Again, we had a lovely adult leader who met my girls where they each were at for crafting. Different than at home, where mom is all about calculating the mess, our leader was all about helping them see their vision come to be.

We hurried back to the cabin for swim suits and we were at the Tuck Shop the moment it opened for our daily ice cream.

Tab used free time to read while we hit the pool again.

Dinner was delicious.

We played on the lawn a bit.

Then a game before campfire games.

Our family was the only group to finish the map relay race on time. Tab is an expert mapper. (It runs in the family.)

Devotions and treats.

And SLEEP!

A very covid party…

July 13, 2020 | Stacy

Celebrating with William this year also meant getting to go to a party center for the first time since this whole “pandemic” started. We had to wear masks, but otherwise it was celebrating as normal.

After pizza and cake in the building, we got to play arcade games and use the outdoor attractions.

Mr. Hoyt took Katriel on the go karts.

Hanny was surprised to find some of her HCTC friends are also William’s friends. They did some mini-golf.

Even I rode the bumper cars…

It felt so good to celebrate William’s milestone AND to do real life things!!!

July 4, 2020 (A/K/A People Make Me Happy)

July 5, 2020 | Stacy

First – I want to show the cake Tabby made on 7/3… The silly cake crumbled under her frosting efforts. So we HAD NO CHOICE but to eat the cake and make a new one.

July 4th was warm and wonderful.
We did some errands and took care of some yard work and prepared for GUESTS!

OH yes – 2020 – hear that? GUESTS. HUMANS. FELLOWSHIP. FRIENDS.

And then it was so much fun having people around, I didn’t take many photos.

Jeff and William joined us and we realized it was the first time Stewart and Jeff were able to talk in over a year!!

Oh – and there was FOOD too. Lots of yummy food.

We were joined by Stewart’s girlfriend, Noelle, and her family. It was lovely to get to know the Nortons.

Noelle had a thoughtful gift and a funny card.

Cake number 2.

Land of the free, home of the brave and NO MASKS at my house…

WE WENT OUT!

June 23, 2020 | Stacy

Praise the LORD, the sky is blue and the big girls and I went out for lunch and shopping. Oh – yeah – well – we do have to wear these infernal masks in order to comply with the mandates, but we got to go out and eat and shop.

It is great to be able to do things again.

On one hand, these outings humble me. They help me recognize how many privileges we enjoy in this country, that people around the world can’t even begin to understand. Fast food? Air conditioned department stores? Frozen treats? The things we have lost are truly the extras in life.

On the other hand, these outings make me so angry. How dare our officials manipulate us like this?! They were elected and now they are using data against us. I strongly believe all the parties that be are using the lockdowns to manipulate the election in November. Will they use this fear mongering to push for mail-in voting and are they already tampering with it?

It was fun to be out.
It was sad to see so much product at Kohl’s deeply discounted to move it, and to make up for months of lost sales.
It was sad to see TJMaxx all but empty as they had little product to see.
It was great to see the cloud lift off my girls for a few hours as we laughed our way through life some more.

Stewy’s stuff and swimming fun

June 10, 2020 | Stacy

Stewart has started two work. Praise the LORD for the provision of jobs for him.

He works Monday through Friday 7AM to 3:30PM at Mendon Ponds Park doing park maintenance. He has added this to the job he started two weeks ago at FedEx as a sorter. That job goes from about 10PM – 1AM. He sleeps in between, and he leaves his stuff lying around for his sisters to mess around with…

His cap and blue light glasses –