Old Sturbridge Village

Tim and I did a little sight-seeing a couple weekend ago. We went to Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, MA. It is a "living museum" all about life in New England in the 1790-1840 time period. There are 59 buildings on 200 acres where you can meet people that are dressed for that time period and know many of the historical facts pertaining to that time. There is a working blacksmith shop, cobbler, water powered saw-mill, grist mill and carding mill as well as a print shop, tin shop, pottery maker, and cooper. We had a wonderful time (it sure was a lot of walking, though). I'm going to post some of the pictures from our day so you can enjoy some of the sights we saw.

A Most Interesting Weekend....

Julie, Beth and Wanda

We spent this past weekend with the family that owns the truck we drive. They belong to a German-Baptist Church. I wasn't exactly sure what that meant until we spent some time with them and went to church with them Sunday. What a fascinating experience! I am going to try and relate our church-going experience with those of you that are interested!

We arrived at the meeting house at about 10 til 10AM. Our hosts pointed out that if we needed to use the restrooms we would have to go to the outbuildings (and it would be MIGHTY COLD). The men and women sit on opposite sides of the church. We were told we could sit together, but we wanted to follow their traditions as much as possible, so for the first time since we've been married Tim and I didn't sit together in church. Another of their traditions is that they greet one another with a holy kiss (fortunately for us that does not include "outsiders" so we were able to greet with a handshake). The benches were just simple wooden planks...one to sit on and one across the back for a bit of support. (Let me just insert here that I REALLY appreciate the cushions on our church pews!) The service began at 10 with a song. They do not use instruments, but sing in 4 part harmony. It was beautiful, just a bit slower than I'm used to. They each have their own little hymnal which they are responsible for bringing along with their Bibles to the service. After the song, a minister stood and read a chapter from the Bible. Then, we sang another hymn, then knelt for prayer (my rear end was welcoming the break from that wooden bench). Next, another minister got up and read another chapter from the Bible and talked about praise and how important it is to continually give God praise. Then, the main speaker for the morning got up, read another chapter from the Bible and started his sermon. It was a wonderful message full of depth and meaning! He used many more scripture passages throughout his message. (Tim and I were both amazed at how much scripture they read during the service). After his message (by now it was about 11:30) we knelt for prayer again (big sigh of relief). Then, the final minister got up and summed up what had been preached that morning. Finally, we sang another hymn and then we were dismissed. The entire service lasted 2 hours (not much different from our Sunday School and church combined). I thoroughly enjoyed the service (I'm thinking I may have to bring a cushion with me if I go again, though).

There were about 250 people in the service, many of those were young people. It was really interesting to find out about their youth activities and singings. Their worship and traditions are VERY similar to the Amish churches, but their doctrine is much closer to ours. We had a great time visiting them and learning about their faith. I can hardly wait to go back and visit again!

As you can see, we had much laughter! :o) These girls were a real hoot! You may notice Wanda's two girls did not wear coverings or the hand made dresses. They are not baptized members of the church yet, so they do not have to follow all the rules and traditions of the church.

Bibles And Cell Phones

I just read this little article and thought I would share it:

Do you ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phones?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we turned back to get it if we forgot it?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to our children as gifts?
What if we used it as we traveled?
What if we used it in case of an emergency?
Oh, and one more thing, unlike our cell phones, we don't ever have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill!


This little article really challenged me! I thought I would pass it along. :o)

Playing Ball in the House?? Shame On You!

Visit with Family

Just before Christmas we were able to meet my Aunt Jenny and her daughter, Katie for dinner. It is one of the "perks" of our job. I try to keep track of who we might be near and take the opportunity to spend some time with them. We had a nice visit (they brought me homemade Christmas cookies)!

San Francisco

We had a fun day just being tourists!

We didn't take the time to go to the aquarium, but I would like to do so someday.

Pier 39 is the main "tourist trap" at Fisherman's Wharf.

Lots and lots of shops to spend money in...

And a giant Christmas tree to put you in the mood to spend $$$ :o)

Have you ever seen a double decker carousel? I hadn't!

It was soooo cold. I thought this poor little bird looked frigid!

The famous Alcatraz Island

A performer at Fisherman's Wharf

Some of the street performers we saw (there weren't too many out on this blustery day).

The San Francisco Boudin Sourdough Bread Company is a YUMMY place to visit. I had to take several pictures of them making bread in differents shapes. They are really artists! :o) It was fun to watch the demonstrations as well as smell the yummy bread baking!

View of the city

The famous "street cars". We rode on them a couple times during our visit.

This is Lombard Street. It's kind of hard to tell from the picture, but it's the crookedest street in the US. :o)

The next two pictures are just to give you an idea of how steep the roads are in Frisco. We hiked up and down a few of them. (whew)

In California Again

We're in San Francisco this weekend. Tim and I are going sight seeing down by Fisherman's Wharf today. I may even get some pictures to post! (I know they've been a long time in coming).
Anyway, until then I found some holiday eating tips in a paper my parents get called the Fish Wrapper and thought I'd share them with you...
1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a buffet table knows nothing of the holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving real snack food.
2. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
3. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
4. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
5. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-lb plate of food.
6. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in a variety of shapes and sizes, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.
7. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
8. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have SOME standards.
9. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

:o)