Christmas Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

It's hard to believe that just a year ago we spent the holidays in Northern Ireland with Sean's family and now it's another Christmas season. The year went by so quickly. In March, Sean completed his first full year at Cummins Power Systems. It's very challenging but has wonderful opportunities for him and he enjoys it tremendously. The job has a few perks for which we are thankful. One of them being a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in May. Ah, the good life! In July we spent about 5 days camping in the Poconos with Marci’s parents, cousins, aunts and uncles. It was so nice to get away and relax for a while. We made a huge decision this year to have a house built in Kissel Hill Commons in Lancaster. At the end of August, we packed up and moved in. We love the space and have enjoyed painting and decorating, making it our own. In October Marci celebrated her 10th year college reunion. It was great to be back on Messiah College's campus and see old friends. She’s now in her eighth year at Brecht Elementary in Manheim Township and still teaching second grade. She’s taken on some roles involving mentoring other teachers in technology projects. Both of us have been busy with our church, Lancaster County Bible Church. Sean has been playing electric guitar two weekends a month and Marci is part of the vocal ensemble for one of those weekends. Recently, Sean was asked to switch one of those weekends to our new Harrisburg satellite campus. It's been a great opportunity to serve. In November, the Steeles (including Mom and Dad) headed out to San Jose, California to visit Glen and Amy. We had our Thanksgiving dinner in their lovely home and enjoyed visiting local tourist spots. Finally, Marci is looking forward to traveling with her mom to see her sister in Phoenix. Lori, Michael and the boys moved there in May and have since gotten married and bought a new home. We miss them terribly, so we're heading out that way on December 26.

That's our year in a nutshell. These and more fun details can be found at our blog http://www.seanandmarci.blogspot.com. There are even pictures for those of you who need them. We wish you a wonderful Christmas and pray God's blessings for you all.

Love,
Sean and Marci

Ahhh . . .

Ahh, I sit here finally relaxed. I made it through a few crazy weeks of working (that means children going slightly crazy because Santa is soon coming), planning a little party, Christmas shopping, wrapping the gifts, typing a Christmas letter to be emailed because I just don't do cards, and taking care of Sean through nosebleeds, vomit and a sinus infection. But I've survived and now it's time for a little R and R. While Sean plays all 8 (yes, I did say 8!) Christmas Eve services, I plan to have some by-myself-time. I probably will throw in a little food shopping and laundry and packing for my trip to see my sister, brother-in-law and nephews in Phoenix. But other than that I plan to sit on my toosh and read a book, drink hot chocolate and be lazy. Ahhh . . . !

It's Christmas Tree Time of the Year

Because of the freezing cold rain, Sean and I deviated from what I had hoped would be a tradition of going out and cutting our own Christmas tree at a local tree farm. Instead we visited Stauffers and, again because of the bone chilling drizzle, very quickly chose our tree, had the guys wrap that netting stuff around it and load it into our car. This year we were able to get a taller one because we have the space for it. So with the tip of the tree dangling out of trunk and the trunk precariously tied down, we headed home with the heater blowing full force. Once we arrived home, Sean wasn't so interested in putting on the lights, so that became my job. However, he whole-heartedly hung the ornaments. Here is the finished product.

So, the Christmas spirit has inched its way into the Steele house. The decorating is complete. Maybe now we should consider some Christmas shopping!

Thankful

I am so thankful that we were able to go to San Jose for Thanksgiving. Glen and Amy opened Hotel Steele for the 6 Steele's and our friend Steve. Sean and I had a very smooth trip out to California on Wednesday and stayed until Monday morning, when we took a very early flight back home. The days included wandering around Los Gatos, eating a very yummy turkey, a visit to Trader Joes so I could get my favorite chocolate truffles, snacking and drinking tea, a day in San Francisco, a little wine tasting at several local wineries, the Body Worlds exhibit at the San Jose Tech Museum, and dinner at the Cheesecake Factory near Santana Row. Besides all of the tourist-y activities, we enjoyed family (and Steve) time back at house, while the men rocked at Guitar Hero. Amy and I made a valiant attempt, but were booed off by the cyber-fans on the game. As it always is, vacations must come to an end. Sadly, Sean and I made the trek back home with ease. It wasn't until we got our car and started the drive home from the Baltimore airport that we experienced any delays. We hit rush hour traffic on the beltway. Welcome back to reality!

Thanks, Glen and Amy, for a wonderful time.

Click here for some photos of our trip . . . Thanksgiving Vacation

Painting Again

After a little hiatus from the painting, we began again. Our brilliant white walls were causing us to feel as if we lived in an institution. Sean suggested we spend this weekend painting. Here we go again. I had Friday off of work, so I managed to do the entire lower level. That includes dining room, entry way, hallway and part of the stairs. On Saturday, Sean joined in and we completed the upstairs hallway. This was a bit treacherous since the one wall is two stories tall. I made Sean take care of that. It was his idea to paint and not hire someone. I have to say, he did a good job. We finished around 4:00 Saturday afternoon. The painting prompted a decorating binge so we went out and bought a rug for the entryway and Sean created a little "area" on our landing. Next on the agenda, the red study. I can't wait.


Some snapshots of Sean . . .

Planes, trains and cranes?

So this past week I had the opportunity to go on a little adventure. And since people are always asking me what I do for a living, this little story will help clear things up.

In a nutshell, I sell Cummins industrial diesel engines. Big ones, small ones, new ones, reconditioned ones, for everything from road paving equipment, agricultural machines, military equipment, power generators, cranes, forklifts, dump trucks, mining equipment, logging equipment, hydraulic pump equipment etc etc etc.

A few weeks ago, one of our customers asked me if it would be possible to re-power (in simple terms, replace the engine) in a container stacker. That machine looks like this:


The job of this equipment is to run around a rail yard, and unload containers off of trains, and onto and army of waiting trucks.

Cool, isn't it.

That's the neat part of what I get to do, one day I'm in a rail yard, the next day I'm in a factory. One day I found myself in the bottom of an open pit coal mine, standing in the bucket of a huge shovel.

Well, the only issue with this project is that the machine is located out in Columbus, Ohio - a 6 hour drive from home.

"That's no problem" our customer, Keith told me.
"We'll just fly out on my plane"
"Your plane?"
"Yes" he replied, "I have three of them, you know"

Next thing I know, Wednesday morning I am standing outside a hangar at Lancaster Airport, ready to board.

Here is his airplane:

Sweeeeeet.

So we flew, first class, all the way to Ohio in just under 2 hours. Flying in a small plane is much more fun. You really feel like you can reach out and touch the clouds.Mike (our resident engineer) came along for the trip, here we are sitting in the back seat.


The flight back was even better, we flew out in between these beautiful, huge, puffy, cumulus clouds. They were like giant castles in the sky.


Anyway, here are a few more pictures of the Crane. Mike and I had to climb up to the top of the thing to take a look at their electronic setup. This is the view from up above, where the driver sits - not for those afraid of heights!!!


Here is the engine compartment, this is what we are going to take out and replace with a shiny new Cummins.

Anyway, so there is a day in my job. Here is the shameless plug for our corporate website:

www.cummins.com

Big thanks to Keith for being a great guy, and a class act.

Sean.

A Little Jazz Anyone?

Last evening Sean and I joined our friends Brian and Aimee and headed to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Cyrus Chestnut, a jazz pianist, performed with two other men. One played an upright bass and the other, a small drum kit. Tables were spread out for people to sit and enjoy the music. We chose to sit on the grand staircase that lead to the second floor. So with wine and drinks in hand we sat back and listened to a fantastic performance. Later, when we were walking through the museum and taking in some exhibits, Mr. Chestnut walked by. If it wasn't for Sean stopping him to shake his hand and compliment his performance, the other three of us would never have noticed such a great performer walking by. Here's a clip I found of him on YouTube.

Lately

We're still here. Just haven't blogged in a while. We've been busy like everyone else. Both Sean and I have been working hard. I have a student teacher this year and that adds a different element to the mix. Sean has been working on a big deal at work. We haven't done much to the house. I believe we've hit a stand still. That's okay, considering Sean kept saying we were bleeding money right after we moved in. Hey, it needed to be beautified.

This past weekend we attended my 10th year college reunion. It's hard to believe that ten years have flown by. Sean allowed me to drag him along and meet a bunch of people who he would forget about within 5 minutes. He was a trooper! It was great fun seeing old friends and catching up. I think I only called one person by the wrong name. I did pretty well remembering who most of them were. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures. Take my word for it, we all pretty much look the same as we did back then.

My Lawn Boy

A very important purchase was necessary when we moved into our new home. The lawnmower! We never had need of one in the past, but now we had our very own lawn. Sean made his decision within 2 weeks of living here and went out to visit Sears. He came home with a lovely, orange Husqvarna. I do believe mowing the lawn is now one of his favorite past times. Creating a manicured yard has become his passion. He puts on his grass-stained sneakers and a pair of old pants and off he goes. In between lawn mowing days, he brings out the sprinkler and waters the lawn. He researches ways to do away with the lawn rust fungus that has taken over the neighborhood. Then he implements his plan. After a few days, there he goes again. Time to mow the lawn. Now, I'm not complaining in the least. You see, I haven't even touched the precious Husqvarna. I sure do love my lawn boy!

Notice orange powder on Sean's pant leg . . . that's rust.

Priceless

Our new favorite TV commercial. Enjoy!

Update

So here is the latest update on our home.
The living room is coming to completion!!! Marci is yearning to finish at least 1 room, and we are almost there. Last week, we made the plunge and installed a flat screen TV. Wow, what a difference. I have decided that there are a few things in life that are worth it. A huge tv is one of them. Installing it on the wall however, is not the easiest task. This took a few tries with Marci helping me to fish wires and cables thru the wall. The end result is worth it. Other additions include a new console under the TV, and a kitchen table.

Our lawn is not doing to well, it is covered with an orange sort of fungi called "Lawn Rust" The good news is that our entire neighborhood also has it. I have discovered through some diligent searching on the web that it is common for new lawns to be susceptible to this after a long dry season. Oh well.

Last night I read an article in National Geographic about the effects of global warming, and then I went to sleep worried and depressed. It got me thinking, is there ever any good news anymore? All you hear in the media is sad, depressing, bad news. Global warming this, Iraq war that, Hillary vs Obama, climate change, oil prices up over $80, mortgage market in turmoil, democrats hate the president, republicans don't care, Iran building nuclear bombs, radical islamist want to kill us, terrorism, blah blah blah.

On and on.

So I typed in "good news" in google this morning, and I found this website: http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/ All they report is, good, positive news, about things happening around the world. They have an article explaining how 3 million mosquito nets are being distributed around Zambia, to help save countless lives from the threat of Malaria. This is great news!!!!

I am convinced that there is more good left in humanity than bad. All I need to do to see this is look out of our front door every morning and see the gathering of moms and dads waiting with their kids for the bus. They chat, shake hands, protect their children and bring a sense of community. This is good news. I wake up in the morning, and I am healthy and live in a lovely home with a wonderful wife, this is good news.

I have a savior who has freed me from the clutches of misery, death and sin.

This is good news.

Sean.

Wildlife

Already we're attracting all manner of wildlife. Okay, not all manner, but your regular every day rodent, the mouse. Sean terminated the life of a little one the other day with the lawnmower. A complete mishap and total accident. He felt quite bad about it actually. And now we have a new inhabitant in the garage . . .

Baby bunny! He's very cute, but could pose a threat to future gardening endeavors. He took up residence behind the garbage tote on Friday. We left the door open for a few hours and now . . . no bunny. Our biggest concern was possibly running over him, but we seem to be in the clear. Sean plugged up their little burrow yesterday. Let's hope they'll be gone for good. Is that wishful thinking?

Interior

Here they are . . . photos of the interior of the new house. You've asked. We deliver.


Click the link to check them out . . . Interior

Math

Like Sean, I thought I'd do the You Tube video posting too. It's a cute one and right up my alley with the "take aways." I'm a little concerned that a 4-year-old has to do subtraction. Must be something from No Child Left Behind.

Business Time..

So have you heard of "Flight of the Conchords?"
A friend of mine introduced me to these guys last week. Basically it 2 funny guys from New Zealand that write their own funny songs, and play guitar. Hysterical.
They have come up with such hits as "albie the racist dragon" and "business time" 2 of my personal favorites.
Who knew that a dragon could also be a racist. Please click on the link and enjoy.



Our new home is coming along, it seems to be more "home" than "house" now. I have had to mow the grass at least 4 times since I bought the new mower. Not a bad thing, since I purchased the self propelled version. What a luxury! The mower basically pushes itself, all I do is walk behind and look like I am pushing it. Our new kitchen furniture will arrive tomorrow. I cant wait, as currently our breakfast nook looks like an arboretum. Marci has stashed all manner of plant life there, till she can find a place to put them.

A few days ago, a nice lady in the mall told me that I look like Donnie Osmond. I just looked at her and said "Yes I hear that all the time" In my mind I thought, isnt that nice? That's better than being told I look like Sam, (the eagle muppet who reads the news) - someone did tell me this before.

On a sad note, I lawn-mowered a mouse today.

Sean

Back to School

Reality is setting in as I type this. Tomorrow is the first day of school. My full class of 25 students will arrive in the morning. I'm ready for them physically, but mentally, I'm not so sure. With just moving into our house and all of the busy-ness that comes with that, I feel that I could use a bit more time off. We spent the entire Labor Day weekend either at Home Deport or painting. The word labor fits quite well this year. Welcome to home ownership! There is always something to be done. But I love it and am so thankful to have this home of ours. And yes, in spite of the lack of enthusiasm I feel about going back to school, I am very thankful for a rewarding and great career that I have. So, off to bed I go, for a good night's sleep to be ready for the first day of school.

p.s. We've had requests for some photos of the interior of the house. We'll get some of those up here soon.

Casa de la Steele (The house of Steele)

We'll we are finally in.
Thank you Jesus.
To say that I woke up on Sunday with every muscle aching in my body would be an understatement.Now comes the fun part. Not that loading and then unloading the u-haul in 104 deg F heat wasnt very fun,we are going to slowly turn this big house into our home. Hanging pictures, arranging furntiure, and painting are next on the agenda.
And so dear friends, we will spend the rest of the next few weekends spending more money.
When we lived in a townhouse, I could never understand why our friends would say "not this weekend, we are busy doing stuff around the house"
Now I fully understand.

We bought bedroom furniture on sunday. Our old stuff - rather my old stuff, needed to go. Last time I tried to move the
dresser I ripped the lid off. I got a stare from my wife, that said it all. You know, that one where she just looks at you and raises her eyebrows, and then walks away. (its like women save those up for special occasions)

Also I found that driving the u-haul was as exhilirating as I thought it would be. Especially when it is 24 feet long, has 273000 miles on it, and has half a turn of play in the steering wheel.

That is the latest for now,
We'll keep you updated.

Sean.

Moving On Up

Moving day dawned bright and unbelievably hot. And let's not forget the unbearable humidity yesterday. Yuck! Our amazing friends joined Sean at the old townhouse at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday to begin hauling our treasures and some junk into the big U-haul (see Sean's previous post). I got lucky and didn't have to sweat it out with the rest of them because I needed to meet the furniture delivery guys at the new house. Somehow, they managed to get it all out and on the truck in record time. The crew arrived soon after at the new house, and we unloaded as quickly as possible. I happened to glance at the clock as we were all beginning to eat our lunch after it was all over. It read 11:22 a.m. The move lasted less than 2 1/2 hours. Unbelievable! The neighbor across the street wants the names and numbers of our movers. She was completely impressed as she watched them work yesterday. So . . . Amy, Jodi, Greg, John, Daryl, Ryan, Phil, Leon, and Lindsey, I know we coerced you with the promise of food and beer. But you are awesome and we are so thankful to you for helping us in spite of extremely uncomfortable weather. I also want to say a huge thank you to Erin and Mom Steele for their help with packing, painting and hanging blinds. You made it so much easier for us to get things accomplished.

And now Sean and I are here. The long wait is over. We love our new home and are so thankful for God's blessings. His timing has been perfect through it all. We'll be in touch with our new address and all that good stuff.

And, finally, what you've all been waiting for . . . the U-haul photo. It's not the best quality, because I had to use my phone. Who knows where the camera was during the whole process! Here he comes . . . the best U-haul driver around!

And here he is! Ready to get that bad boy unloaded!

Cheese Please...

So Marci and I are sitting on our bed. Its about 8:30 pm, she is reading a book about some Amish lady, and I am watching a program of the history channel, all about, well.....cheese. Yes this is a typical evening for us these days! Not that I love cheese so much, there is honestly nothing else on tv. And who said that married life is boring.
Our apartment has been stripped bare, all of our old bedroom furniture is gone. Thanks to the boys and girls club - did you know that for a mere $30 they will cart away your old furniture, and give it to a needy family? Marci had to help the poor guy cart all of our stuff out of the house and into his van ( I was away at work)
Just 2 more days - till we sign on our home. Thank goodness, I was getting tired of making decisions, and always stopping by the house to check up on the way home from work.

I have rented the biggest U-haul I can find to move us, the 24 foot version to be precise. Overkill? Yes. Will I have to make a second trip? No. Now you see the method to my madness. Last time we did this, Marci thought I was crazy, especially when she saw all 24 ft of the U-haul coming around the corner. How any average american is allowed to drive this thing on a standard drivers licence is beyond me, oh well - I dont make the rules, I just drive. God bless America.

Marci and I were driving around this weekend listening to sirius radio. I have recently discovered the joy of bluegrass music - actually I just discovered the bluegrass channel. After listening to days of the "high lonesome sound" of the hills of "kintuckee"
I was struck at just how brilliant bluegrass really is. It seems to have an irresistable combination of musicianship, speed, jazz, and great lyrics. So I made up my own song that I have been singing for my wife, and all around the house. It goes like this -
Imagine it in a whiny, high, nasal, country tone:

"A lock of your hair is all I have left"
"its not from your head - its from your armpit"

Peace,
Sean.

Counting Down

We're on the home stretch. Next Friday is settlement. That's 7 days, folks! All we want to do is live in our new home and sadly, we've become very impatient. Currently, we're living in squalor and amid boxes. Who wants to clean around boxes, or even bother cleaning when we'll have to do a big job of it when we move out of the townhouse. So we just keep turning a blind eye to the filth.

On a happier note, I have new photos of the latest developments on the house.

Seeded front yard (backyard too) and mailbox. We can get mail! Landscaping probably will be finished after we move in.

Can't wait for Sean to use the new appliances to cook dinner for me.

Fireplace and ceiling fan in the family room functioning properly. And note plush new carpet. I walked around in my socks. Ahh, such squishyness!

Little concerned about this light fixture. Looked smaller in the store. But I think I like it.

Funky breakfast nook lighting.

The Scoop on the New Digs

Only 2 and a half weeks and we will finally own this bit of real estate. Here are some photos we took this evening. As you can see the driveway has been paved and the topsoil is in place. However, that still needs to be graded and seeded. Our house number is even posted above the column. It makes it seem so real.


I love this next picture. Already Sean's at work cleaning the countertops! The cabinets were installed last week and we're pleased with the results. We can't wait to get our stainless steel appliances in there.


A little glimpse into a bathroom. This is the master bath and note the 2 SEPARATE vanities. Loving that! I apparently have issues with sharing. Oh, and toilets are now in place. Not quite ready for use, but sitting in position.

The banisters are finished. This is the view of the little round window from the inside. Also, a very good view of the very white walls. We can't wait to get a bit of color on them.


So, that's the latest. Breaking in is getting harder to do. Soon the neighbor kids won't be able to fit a little hand through the hole in the front door. We're sure they'll install the deadbolt in the near future. And the little window well for the basement that has been broken for a while will most certainly be fixed soon, making it difficult for me to shimmy down through it (thankfully there are no pictures of that). We are just ready to stay permanently!

Guinness is good for you....

Last week, Glen and Amy flew out from sunny San Francisco to spend some treasured time with us, friends and family. So, in order to celebrate their visit we all went out for dinner to my new favorite place in Lancaster, Annie Baileys. 5 Reasons why its my favorite new place are as follows:
1: Our other favorite place "Kalhouns" closed down. :(
2: They serve chilled Guinness.
3: The fish and chips is amazing - Marci let me try a bite of her dinner.
4: They serve chilled Guinness.
5: The authentic Irish charm is really cool.

Interestingly, last time we flew back from vacation in Ireland, I sat next an Irishman who is a good friend of the guy who built Annie Baileys!

We had a great time. Here are a few pictures.

Amy and I

Mom and Dad

My hot wife

Inside.

Other events this weekend included us watching the new Harry Potter movie.
3 reasons I really liked it:
1: We sat so close to the screen, I felt I was in the movie.
2: Last night I dreamed that I actually was Harry Potter.
3: Stadium seating at the new movie theater, with seats that actually lean back easily - its about time.

Another observation I had at the cinema - Why don't they just get to it and build a footrest behind every seat? Surely this would solve a lot of the typical movie-going issues we all face. It would spare the seats from greasy, popcorn laden shoes, and solve the problem of the 7 year old kid behind you kicking your seat.

In other interesting news, our house is in the final stages of delivery. My daily inspections are going well. I fear that soon however, we will not be able to break in anymore, as the deadbolt will be installed shortly. It seems that after some lengthy negotiation with Marci, my hope of having a riding mower is slowly slipping through my hands. Oh well. I guess she is right. My other compromise was for us to buy a goat and name him Kubota, or John Deere, that way our lawn would trim itself. That also was shot down during final stages of approval. Who cares what the neighbors think, I say. Think of all the carbon emissions from lawnmowers we would save in America if every household had a "Lawn Goat" Hmmm......

Oh well,
Take care everyone.
Sean.

Breaking and Entering

There they are . . . the little culprits caught in the act! Meet our new cute little neighbors, our "key" to getting into the new house. They have been used by many a desperate soul wanting to see the latest work on their homes. The poor kids have even been used by their parents! Oh well, they love it and even fight over whose turn it is to put a little hand through the deadbolt hole and reach around to turn the lock on the doorknob. I do hope they will not be led into a life of crime because of this!

This picture was taken last night when Sean and I wanted to inspect the house and needed an "in." Note the newly painted charcoal gray door. The garage door is also freshly painted. At this point we have the flooring in the kitchen, dining room, entry hall, and bathrooms. All trim is in place and stark white painting is complete (We'll remedy that when we move. Can't afford to pay the builder to paint). The banister has been stained. Doors are attached. The stove, dishwasher and microwave are sitting in the middle of the kitchen ready for installation. We think the only big things left are installing cabinetry, laying the carpet, paving the driveway, putting in the lighting, installing the plumbing fixtures, and landscaping. Of course, there's a million little finishing touches they must do. But we only have 4 weeks!

Stuff

Well, friends, we haven't posted in a few days. But honestly, there hasn't been much to tell. Sean went back to work after our nice little vacation and I had a few days of inservice at work and caught up on my scrapbooks. My intention to start packing for our big move while Sean was at work fell through. I just couldn't get motivated. So, this weekend I brought him on board with the packing thing and we checked the basement off of our to-do list. It is now cleaned and organized with boxes ready to grab and go on move day. Ahh!

As far as the progress on the house, it's happening. It's just harder to see now that the work is mostly inside. They did pour the concrete for the patio and the sidewalk that runs along the street. It looks like they're starting the walk that leads to front door. We have a garage door too. Because Sean has devised a new way to break into the house without the help of the neighborhood children or climbing ladders to get through windows, we were able to see that they're laying the board down to prep the floors for the vinyl and carpet. We don't quite have the budge for the hardwood or tile floors that we so desire, but in a while we'll become dyi-ers and do it ourselves.

Here is the floor plan for our house. As you can see, it's basically a big box, but we're going to like our big box. Actually, this floor plan is the opposite of ours. Just flip this around and you've got our house. See, we have a guest room, so come visit!

Spruce Lake

Sean and I spent 5 days in the Poconos at Spruce Lake Retreat. My family has been vacationing there since I was three years old, although we did take a summer off here and there for other trips. But Spruce Lake has been a big part of my growing up years. My mom's sisters, their husbands, my cousins and now their children also have been camping there for years. We have so many memories of playing together on the playground, swimming in the pool, paddle boating, hiking back to the Wilderness Camp, watching fireworks, sitting around a campfire, eating ice cream and candy in the snack shop, making mountain pies, and playing games in the sun room. I can think of many more memories of the things we used to do, but that would take too long to list them here.

My cousin Patti and I then

My cousin Patti and I now

I knew Sean would enjoy the restful, relaxing atmosphere, so after my 12 year hiatus from the campground I took him back last year. We had so much fun, that we made the trip again this year and mooched sleeping quarters in the camper off of my parents. Roughin' it in my parents' air conditioned, TV ready, surround sound equipped camper is my kind of camping. Click here for some family snapshots and beautiful scenery. Spruce Lake Pics

Lots of MOOlah

So last week we had dinner with our very good friends, Eric and Heidi. They live on and operate what has grown into a huge dairy farm, in pristine Lancaster County. They now herd a total of almost 750 cows. Not surprisingly, we had large steaks for dinner. When I asked Heidi if we were eating one of their former "employees" she simply smiled and nodded.
After dinner, Eric took us on a tour of the new facility.
I took some pictures....
Cows live here:
The amazing thing about the barn, is that it features what could be called "the worlds largest toilet." At the push of a button, thousands of gallons of water flushes through the center of the barn, washing away all manner of poo and dirt. This keeps the barn spotlessly clean, and all the ladies fresh and happy. The cool part is that all the water is recycled, and the whole process is very eco-friendly.

Next: Cows get milked here..

This is the milking parlor, each cow has a special tag that is read by a scanner. The amount of milk produced is logged, and tracked by a computer. If it detects any problems, on their way out it singles out the cow into a special gated area. Very cool.

Next:
Milk goes here...


Thats a whole lotta milk..

And finally off to be processed.

So now you know where milk comes from.

At the end of the day, each cow gets a nice warm hug and a kiss from Heidi.

Just like this.

Needless to say that the farm is lovely. We had a great time.
Thanks to Eric and Heidi for a great evening!

Our House

We got back from the Poconos last evening (more on that to come), and on the way home we made a pit stop at the new house to see the latest progress. Lo and behold, the front of the house was finished. Well, almost. But they did finish the siding and put up the shutters. The porch has pillars, which will eventually be painted white.

We were so excited about the outside that I insisted that we see inside. Unfortunately, the doors were locked. That left only one option. Sean would have to use the ladder that happened to be lying in the drive and climb in through the kitchen window. He must love me so much, because he did just that. The camera was in his pocket; and since he was head first through the window and above me on the ladder, I couldn't get any good shots of him or of his legs sticking up and out of the window. But I did get a good "after" shot, slightly dirty and not smiling so much.

It was worth it though. We got to see that all of the taping, mudding and spackling is finished. Looks like they'll start sanding soon. A little over 6 weeks and we'll be in our new place!

If These Walls Could Talk

We have walls! Sean and I stopped by the "construction site" on Saturday to find a crew of 6 Mexican men working on our house. When we stopped by again Sunday to see what they had accomplished, we realized they had drywalled the entire place and had done a great job! They're amazing! On Monday evening, we noticed that the seams were taped and someone had started mudding (I sound like I know what I'm talking about, don't I?). Now all they have to do is finish mudding and spackling, finish putting siding and shutters on the house, install cabinetry and appliances, finish the trim and fireplace mantle, install lighting, lay the flooring, install plumbing fixtures, attach doors, put up railings and banisters, paint, blacktop the driveway, pour concrete for the patio and sidewalk, install a garage door, grade and seed the lawn, and landscape the yard. That won't take very long, right?

Foyer and Kitchen

They added the little circle window and put the curved molding under the porch roof.

Good Food, Good Friends, Good Times

On Sunday evening Sean and I enjoyed dinner out with great friends. It was partially an anniversary celebration and partially a chance to spend time with our friends. We had dinner at Lily’s on Main, a lovely establishment in Ephrata, PA. Who knew that the little town of Ephrata held such a gem! I would describe Lily’s as casual fine dining. The atmosphere was retro, yet classy. The service was exceptional, and the food was delicious and beautifully presented.

John and Jenny

We went there on the recommendation of John and Jenny, who had their first date at Lily’s; and later John proposed to Jenny in “the romantic corner,” a little table for two where it all began for them. If you’re ever in the Lancaster area, I highly recommend my favorite new restaurant. And thanks, Daryl and Erin, for the generous and kind treat. We love you!

Daryl and Erin