September 26, 2009

Strite cousins with little Ashton Keller.	Sunday morning we overslept a bit and had to scramble to get everyone ready in time for church.  This was our fall counsel meeting service so we did not have Sunday school.  Bro. Gary preached during the regular Sunday school hour then we had our "Open Counsel" during the regular preaching hour.  It was refreshing to hear the many testimonies of God working in the lives of our brothers and sisters.  This service is always such an encouragement to me.  After church we came home and Ina Sue made us a deluxe salad with grilled chicken and cheese biscuits.   We got in some wonderful naps in the afternoon then went to church in the evening for a service on the topic of "The Present, Opportunities that are here Now."
We ate at Burger King on the way to Virginia.	It was a beautiful Fall day on Monday.  After breakfast and family devotions, I headed in to work and Ina Sue started on the laundry.  She got all the laundry done along with entertaining and caring for the children all day.  What a wife!  She also made us a scrumptious supper of Saucy Curry Chicken, baked macaroni & cheese, and green beans.  A nice evening together at home.
Rehearsal supper with the bride & groom in foreground.	I made us fried corn meal mush for breakfast Tuesday.  We all enjoyed it but Landon is a huge fan.  Ina After I left for work, Ina Sue got all the children dressed then made a trip to the post office in Olar then over to Betty & Carolyn Heatwole's.  They had invited them to come over and bake cookies together with them.  They even got to stay for a lunch of grilled hamburgers.  The children got their afternoon naps then Ina Sue packed them up and drove them in to meet me at the shop.   We were invited to Nevins for supper in Hephzibah.  We had wanted to get together with Laura & Sheldon one last time before they moved to Canada.  It was really nice of Nevins to invite us there with them.  K.K. fixed us a wonderful supper of pork on flour tortillas with all the fixins.   It was fantastic food and a very nice time for us and the children.  We are sad to see Sheldon & Laura move so far off but are happy that they are following God's leading.  It was almost 12:00 before we got back to Govan.
Keith's "Rachel" getting her teeth ready for the wedding.	Corn mush for breakfast again on Wednesday then back to the work grindstone for me.  Ina Sue said she worked hard all day but didn't feel like she got anything accomplished.  I certainly know what days like that are like.  In the evening our small group went to an older lady's house in Denmark for a cottage meeting.  I thought we had a really nice evening together and enjoyed sharing with her.  Ina Sue took some food along for a snack afterward.  Muffins, fruit, popcorn & tea.
The wedding coordinators.	Ina Sue made us breakfast burritos Thursday morning.  I'm pretty busy at the shop this week.  I have work that I need to do in the shop but have needed to spend nearly all my time on calls.  Ina Sue spent her day cleaning house, washing clothes, ironing, and packing up for our trip.  I came home to a supper of sausage & peppers stir fried over cheese grits.  Delicious!  After supper Ina Sue took the children for a walk while I did an evening service call then drove back in to work for several hours.
The bridal party.	We got up Friday morning and finished our packing.  On the road to Virginia by 9:00.  On our way to Denmark our "Check Engine" light came on in our van.  We made a quick stop at Byers Tire so that Joe could check it out for us.  When he looked up the error code and he told us what it meant we remembered that Ina Sue had left the van running accidentally the last time we got gas.  Evidently, having the gas lid off while the engine is running could cause the error.  Thankful it wasn't something worse, we got back on the road again and made pretty good time the rest of the way.  We got to Mt. Crawford around 4:30 and relaxed for just a little before going to the Pike church for Dallas & Rebecca's rehearsal and supper.  Donna Beery fixed us a delicious meal of lasagna (chicken & regular), garlic bread, broccoli salad, fresh fruit and dessert.  After supper we went upstairs and Ina Sue helped with the rehearsal.  She and Jeanne are supposed to be the coordinators for the wedding.
Evening with Uncle Pauls and other relatives.	Saturday gave us a pretty rainy day for the wedding.  We dropped the children off with our friends Anthony & Christina then drove over to the church for a 10:00 wedding.  It was a very nice wedding.  Bro. Ellis had the message and Clair Heatwole performed the ceremony.  The reception dinner was held at the Berea school.  Someone did a very nice job on the decoration.  Not elaborate but classy and pretty.  Dinner was Dilly rolls, grilled chicken thighs, gourmet potatoes, green beans, salad, and angel food cake with ice cream & thickened berries for dessert.  Dallas & Rebecca made a beautiful (and very happy) couple.  After the reception we went back to Papa's for a short rest.  In the evening Uncle Pauls came over for supper and a visit.  Uncle Lee's dropped by later to visit.