Happy One Year Anniversary to Deb and her
Friday Foto Friends!!
I have an entire week to make up for, but I won't go day-by-day. Let's just say the trip up to Ohio went well. We stayed at a Clarion Hotel for the first time and were very pleased. It was nearly new, clean and comfortable. The "free" breakfast included hot biscuits & gravy as well as the usual waffles, boiled eggs, yogurt, etc.
The cotton fields were ready to be harvested!
Mountains ahead!
We saw some beautiful colors!
Jo Anne made Marzetti for dinner. There were seven of us: Jo Anne, my sister Patti and her husband Greg, and niece Sara and her hubby Matthew. We were well fed and loved catching up on everyone's news.
Monday morning we had to get up early to get to the funeral home (in Greenfield, OH, an hour and a half away). The family 'viewing' time was from 10:00-11:00. We got there around 10:30. Calling hours began at 11:00, the service was at 1:00 and we went right to the cemetery from there. It was all over by 3:00. There were over 80 people who came!! The funeral director had to add chairs. Grandma would have loved it. Old neighbors from where she and my grandpa lived before he died and she married Grandpa Dale. The ladies from her Lydia's Circle at church came. Relatives from her side of the family who I had never met before. One little old man (and I mean LITTLE) marched right up to me, stuck out his hand and said "Hi! I'm Peanut!". I said "Hi Peanut! I'm Terri." I still have no idea who Peanut is or how he was connected, but he was one of the pallbearers.
I sneaked a couple of photos. The flowers were beautiful.
We (siblings) were hungry when it was all over, so decided to head for Columbus and the Columbus Brewing Company, which is a favorite of Sara and Matthew. The food was delicious. A few of 'us' enjoyed some of the different beers. I'm not a beer drinker but did have a cocktail. We had the place to ourselves, mid-afternoon on a Monday.
My sister Patti and her hubby Greg.
Niece Sara and her hubby Matthew, and S-I-L Jo Anne (Sara's mom)
Me and Joe
Sara and Matt had to head back to Sandusky (where they live). Patti and Greg had to head back to McConnellsville (where they live) and Jo Anne had to put up with us for another night in Pickerington. We enjoyed a quiet evening with her.
We actually had a pleasant drive back south and made it through Atlanta without even a slow-down. Unheard of!! We did stop at the same Clarion Hotel that we stayed in on the trip north. Still very nice, but their internet and WiFi were down which is why I am not caught up with your posts and couldn't post before we got home yesterday.
It was very dry in Tennessee and Georgia and there were fires in a few places.
Scary and dangerous.
We were greeted with this arrangement at a Georgia rest area. Cute!
We stopped for a too-quick overnight visit with my sister, Tammy and B-I-L Bruce, in southern Georgia, so our last two days on the road were shorter drives for us (4-5 hours each). Tammy and Bruce are doing well, but not well enough for Bruce to go on a long road trip. She had a pot of chili on the stove when we arrived and fed us well. Tammy and I were able to go out for an hour or so while Joe stayed with Bruce. There is a new Walmart near, so we did a little shopping. I didn't take one picture while there! Too much talking and laughing going on.
Before Grandma's house and her belongings were sold last month, Jim (her younger brother and caregiver) packed up some boxes for "you girls" of nic-nacs and photos he thought we would like to have. Jo Anne and Patti had been through them, so we loaded the rest in our car to take to Tammy's house. She and I went through things and I was so happy to get a few pieces of Grandma's milk glass collection. I also took photos of many of the photographs, some that I'll share in a week or so here (throwback Tuesdays).
We arrived home to three very content cats. Our wonderful neighbors took such good care of them! Ordered pizza for our dinner and are looking forward to a three-day weekend before going back to work on Monday.
I will work on catching up with your posts. I thank you for your visit today!! Happy Friday and congratulations to Debbie, at Breathing In Grace, for ONE YEAR of Friday Foto Friends!!
Peace & hugs!
So glad that you were able to enjoy some family time while celebrating a life well lived. Our little house is about 30 minutes from the Dalton Exit on I 75 so maybe we can work out a visit there when you are going north again. Forest Fires are still burning in North Georgia. I keep up with them on the US Forest Service Chattahoochee Oconee National Forest Website. Last night they posted that the fires are contained. Praise the Lord...as dry as it is, it is so dangerous.
ReplyDeleteArlene, I would so love to meet you and to see your 'little house' when it is completed!! We can sit on that porch and get caught up while enjoying the view! Let's call it a date!
DeleteThank you for sharing the photos of y'alls celebration of a life well lived. Ohio is pretty. We usually have nice Fall colors here too but Georgia is scary, bone dry this year. We're all praying for rain. Welcome back! And hope your three-day is enjoyable and restful. Blessings ~:)
ReplyDeleteTerri, you are such a great writer! I felt like I was on the trip with you!! I know it was a sad time, but being with your family must have been enjoyable. Enjoyed all the fotos!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had a nice family visit even though the reason for the trip was sad.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your long weekend!
Looks and sounds like everything went very well. I know you were glad to be there and see old friends and family. I am thankful you are home, safe and sound.
ReplyDeleteLinda, I'm just sorry we didn't have time for a visit while we were going through Chattanooga! I thought of you!!
DeleteYour post brings out the importance of love and family.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you had time with family even at a difficult time.
Lovely photos but the fires are really scary. They get out of hand so quickly.
Hope your weekend is wonderful.
So glad you had a good visit with family, even considering the circumstances. You and your sister look so much alike. There's nothing like family and you surely don't take yours for granted. I think that's just awesome. I know you're glad to be home, though....safe and sound with your contented fur babies! Thank you so much for linking up each week....you're precious! HOPE you have a restful weekend...you need it!
ReplyDeleteIt is good to have family and to see them.
ReplyDeleteGlad to know you made it up and back again safely, and that you had a good visit with family and friends. Funerals are never easy, but the are a good time to see loved ones we never see any other time. Looking forward to seeing your pictures of the things you brought home, along with the old pictures! (((hugs))) to you today. Rest up and just breathe.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear you're back safe and sound ... and were able to add some pleasant family moments to your books of memories.
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with the Clarion brand, but wow! ... how our guests let us know about their displeasure (and many expect us to refund their stay) when our WiFi internet goes wonky. I expect you and Joe are much more polite!
They were down too, and supposedly so was the entire town. There wasn't anything they could do so getting upset and angry wouldn't have fixed anything. We slept well in a clean room (part of Choice Hotels) and won't hold it against them.
DeleteYour grandma had a long life and loved and was loved. I'm so glad you had such a nice trip on a sad occasion, but know you are confident your grandma is now secure forever. It's good to see you back. The pic of you and Joe on Facebook is fabulous.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the details of your trip Terri. I'm glad it all went well and you and Joe are back safe. Funerals can be hard but when it's an elderly person that's had a good life it's can be lovely coming together with family and friends and reminiscing. Nice to have some keepsakes to remember her by too.
ReplyDelete