Who Knew What?

If my Dad hadn't passed away
six years ago yesterday we would 

have been on the phone in disbelief
at the news coming from Penn State

this week. 
Frankly, his heart would
have been broken....

at how far a man can fall.

It is beyond my comprehension
that crimes as grievous

as this man is accused of could go on for so 

many years with no deeper investigation

to the whispers and pleading accusations

of a few young men over the years.

To know that a student employee observed a

crime in process and for whatever reason was

not able to gain the attention
of his superiors takes me 

back to a time I was witness to a crime.

It was a patient in the
dental office where I worked.

As I passed by the room in which my patient

sat I saw him tucking
a prescription pad into his 

pants pocket.

It happened so fast that
I had to wonder if I had

actually seen what I thought I had seen.

I could have talked myself out of it if it 

weren't that the moment was
so etched into my brain.

The end result was that I
went to the doctors I 

worked for, 

who did the right thing by
confronting the 

patient and calling the police.

That was over a pad of 

paper which only would have 

hurt the one who took it.

Oh, for the sake of the children....

the many, many children
I wish the authorities that 

this grad student had gone to 

would have been so proactive.  

I can only imagine the images 

that must flash through this man's head...

the images that he knows he saw.

The guilt he must live with

each and every day.

I actually feel sorry for him.

Students are trained to leave it 

to the University officials.

Could and should he have done more?

I think so.

But, I understand the environment that 

caused him to remain quiet.

Who would have believed him?

He was likely assured it had been 

dealt with.

The ripple effect of one man's personal

demons.  It goes far and wide.

From the pain of those he has allegedly 

offended to the mighty at the top of a

famous institution.

So.very.sad.

Because of our connections to the

area and so many years lived there

we know people directly impacted by the 

media circus.... and by these actions.

Our thoughts and prayers are with them

as they deal with the pain and disappointment

so recently brought their way.

(((((hugs)))))

Last Night's Open House...

Now that was a treat!

My friend, Angel, made it worth the 

two hour drive!

She had more than 20 people come through

in our four hour time frame.

This meant that we only had about five

minutes when no one was there.

Pretty amazing!!

I was proud of myself for hanging in 

there with all of the big semi's on Interstate 81.

Talk about a small fish in a big sea!!

Wow!

Chelsea's little Mazda Protege is itty 

bitty next to those big boys!

I'm also pretty happy to have ended up back

in Lancaster on my first try

rather than Allentown or some other 

distant place that those roads

also go to.

Being pretty much a homebody I don't usually

wander too far without Warren.

But this was fun and having Chelsea 

along was great.

She loves to go, go, go!!

I have to say that this is one good thing

about our trips to Hershey over this past year.

I was totally comfortable getting that far.

Back to the Open House...

I wish you could have seen all of the 

adorable toddlers and kids that came along.

So precious.

I accidentally left my camera there last night

so I can't show you the pictures.

Bummer!!

Well, I have orders to fill and boxes to 

unpack so I'd better get to work!

I'm also hoping to get outside for a while today.

Just unpacking the car this morning

was very pleasant.  

The smell of Fall is in the air.

For.sure!

Is It Monday Already?

It is so interesting to have a cold at the 

same time as my friend, Melissa.

Facebook makes real time complaints

possible and ours are nearly 

identical.

No, I'm not going to share them 

here but I have definitely lost some

work time and church time thanks to

this pesky virus.

Uggh.

Yesterday I showed up at church,

against my better judgement, 

made the bulletins and began practicing

music with the teens and Mike and came to

the realization

that I really shouldn't be there.

So...I left.

Yep, let those impacted know

and came back home where

I slept off and on all day.

The rest of the family had a normal 

day at Sonrise Christian Fellowship.

A fellowship meal, 

A slide presentation by our Moms
about their 

mission trip to Guatemala,

a hike for some and rocket

launches for others..

They all came back happy as could

be and I was so thankful for 

a church that enjoys its fellowship 

so much.

Today, I am headed about two hours

west to hold an Open House 

with my friend Angel.

She is a fellow Etsian...

as we call ourselves.

If there was a way to push this 

until later in the week I would do 

it for everyone's sake...

however, Angel has done so 

much work and has invited so many 

people that 40 have said they are coming.

She has worked on her house, making it 

look like a boutique.

Me and my Robitussin are going.

We are taking Chelsea along

as muscle...lol.

I am very, very excited about this 

event and am so grateful to Angel for 

all she has done to make it a success.

I'll be refilling this for Angel on the spot this evening. 

That girl rocks!!

How Much Chocolate is Too Much Chocolate?

To say that my kitchen is not 

exactly functional for normal use 

right now would

be an understatement.

It is much more like a factory.

The boys come in and put their 

Hot Pockets in the microwave

or frozen pizzas in the oven

but regular cooking is rare

at this time of the year.

Sad.

But true.

So, the other evening 

Mom, Chelsea and I met Warren

at the Olive Garden.

Not our usual place to grab a bite

but it just sounded sooooo good.

Our server was one who seemed to 

be going through the motions 

enthusiastically.

What do I mean by that?

Well, she was very animated but you 

could tell that it was all canned, 

so to speak.

Very been there, done that.

I wasn't overly impressed but 

we weren't there to be entertained

so it really didn't matter.

However, as time went on 

there was a thaw in her personality.

She began doing special favors.

We began chatting and her sense of 

humor became evident.

Finally she left the bill and a huge

handful of mints.

Our eyes got big and we each had

a "few".  Then she came back and 

dropped another huge handful on the table

declaring that she couldn't remember if 

she had given us our mints yet.

We laughed and I showed her my 

empty wrapper and asked if 

we made those disappear if we would 

get more.

Well, that was all of the encouragement

this lady needed.

Next thing we knew there was a goblet

full of Olive Garden mints in the center

of the table.

So, we ate some.

Then she asked if we wanted 

any dessert?

I pointed out that I thought we 

had kind of "done that".

She put her head back and 

roared.  She also agreed.

We prepared to leave with goody bag

in hand when didn't that silly lady 

bring another goblet full to dump 

in our bag.

Sheesh!

Chocolate mint overload.

So....if only the story ended here it would

have been more chocolate than this family 

needed, but alas, it does not.

You know by now that our Chelsea

is just a bit of a Starbucks fan.

So, our next stop before heading home 

was our favorite Starbucks store.

One of our favorite barrista's was there for 

the first time in a while.

He said he was happy to see us since it 

had been a while and we told him that he

was the one who had been missing.

He agreed.

He'd been on his honeymoon.

We were so happy for him!!

So...

I'm standing there waiting 

for for our drinks to be prepared 

when this young man

walks over with two very 

chocolaty desserts and says

"Shhh....don't tell anyone, 

but these are for you."

Did I mention....

they were very rich and very 

chocolatey and we had just eaten

about a ton of Olive Garden mints??

Oh. Dear.

But what was I to do?

I thanked him enthusiastically

and took the chocolate.

We shared it.

It was delicious.

No mint.

Just caramel and pretzels.

I so appreciate the servers of this

world.  Their jobs are not easy.

Recognizing that they are humans

with families, lives and struggles

is a good thing.

It makes our interactions with them

so much sweeter.

"Hug" a server today....

they will be shocked!

O.k. so not literally.

But just try asking them about 

their day...and smile!!

Not everyone they deal with 

is as nice as you are.

Who knows,
if they happen to be cleaning
out the dessert case at the end
of the night they may choose
to offer something to you
instead of putting it in the trash.
LOL

Tea Light All Dressed Up!

So precious....

Each one burns 4-6 hours 

depending on conditions and whether 

it is a continuous burn.

I would covet your prayers this week.
I have some major decisions to make
regarding the candle company.

It is growing so quickly that I have
to make some major changes.
It would appear that God is
leading in a couple of areas of
growth but they are scary as can be!!

I need wisdom.
Doors to open and close
as He would will it.

Peace to be totally content
in His will.

Thanks!!

This Passage Fits

In what is a very busy and stressful time

of my year, one in which I delight

as well as struggle,

these verses put into words

what my heart has been feeling.

Psalm 28:6-8

Praise be to the LORD,
   for he has heard my cry for mercy.
 The LORD is my strength and my shield;
   my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
   and with my song I praise him.

 The LORD is the strength of his people,
   a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. 

I am so thankful for His leading.

The way He makes Himself evident.

His love and discipline.

He.is.good.

Is That a Frog?

Every time I open my mouth to speak

a funny croaking sound comes out.

Bummer.

Oh well.

Much to do.

I'll be in the kitchen if anyone needs me.

Hope you aren't dealing with 

frogs in your throat.

Seriously.