Journal Excerpt: August 10, 2009 Canandaigua Part Two

1:15 pm Fascinating upstairs to Muar's, the refuge we used in yesterday's thunderstorm.

Yes, that's right, the paragraph at the top of this page says. "Hope the rain holds off...."Well. as planned above, yesterday Doug dropped me off on the edge of the business district and he drove on to explore the beach area. I was so excited. On the corner of the second block, I found a great little gift shop, "Goodie II Shoppe", and enjoyed exploring its nooks and crannies. The shop owner was very friendly and we discussed the instability of the weather,hoping for sunshine for my little window-shopping excursion.
I stepped into a back room to look at some fascinating books. Absentmindedly I looked up and out the window--it was raining torrents!! I couldn't believe it. It came so suddenly and violently.
Thankfully I had my phone so I could tell Doug where I was so he could pick me up. (I love cell phones! He never would have found me without my call.)

I was very disappointed, but since it nearing 2:00 and we hadn't eaten lunch yet, we decided to try the little beach-front restaurant. We braved the pouring rain to get in the front door, but it was well worth the soaking jackets.

Sooo cute--bright beachy colors that just make you happy to be here. We were fortunate to get a table in front of the window overlooking the lake. We had paninis and shared a Snapple. We noticed that a few people went upstairs so we ordered an ice cream cone (for me--Turtle Cheesecake and Coffee Heath) and a healthy oatmeal cookie (for Doug--he loved it) with a cup of coffee, and explored upstairs (where I am right now).

Part One: Journal Excerpt, August 2009. Canandaigua

Comfort Inn & Suites, Farmington, NY Near Canandaigua
August 9, 2009

Yesterday was Griffin's 4th birthday. He has been with us for four years. In one way it's hard to believe that he's four years old, and in another, it seems like he has been part of our lives for a long time.

He's such an amazing child. Alicia called Kaley on Thursday evening to say that the wheel had broken on her car. Griffin immediately headed for the door. Kaley asked where he was going--to find a wheel for Aunt Alicia.

In the basement he found a hub cap from Kaley's old car for Alicia :-)

On Friday evening, we met at Frank's--an Italian restaurant in Maine--for my birthday dinner. Alicia was a little late, but as soon as she came to our table Griffin looked up and said, "Shisha, did you get your car fixed?"

What an amazing thing for a four-year-old to remember and ask about. He really likes to serve and work, an observation I have already made in his father.

My birthday dinner was very nice on Friday evening--it was a bit poignant because by the time Doug's birthday comes. Ehrets will be residents of Souderton, PA :-)  :-(

It really is the end of an era--a beautiful era of having Kaley and Wes, Griffin and Lincoln available for all our birthday parties, spur-of-the-moment get-togethers, and "Can we stop in and see the boys?" afternoons. They won't be hanging out after the morning services anymore for "Hill-family get-togethers" and so that I can love on the boys.

Wow--the end of an era indeed.

Very sad, but delightfully exciting.

Thank You, Jesus, for the past and now the anticipation of the future.

Doug couldn't attend my birthday dinner because he had a wedding rehearsal. Those in attendance:

Tami, Brian, Alex, Kendra
Kaley, Wes, Griffin, Lincoln
Ryan, Macia
Alicia

Gifts:
--Murphys: a $5 DD certificate and a Dorothy Sayers murder mystery (a used book Tami got in an Ithaca bookstore)
--Ryan--an iron
--Ehrets--a 2-year subscription to "All You" magazine (coupons!)

After a delicious Italian meal, we went across the street to "Scoops" for an ice cream cone (Alicia treated me), then Alicia came home and fell asleep in front of "Sergeant York". Smile...

It felt good to have her at the house. She made us each a cup of tea and she curled up in the recliner, and I got comfy on the couch. A special moment together.

The next day (yesterday) we left around 10:00 to get to Treman Park fort he wedding Doug was officiating. Then we headed right out for the last 3 days of our vacation.

The hotel is new and very nice. We got here about 4:00, took advantage of the hot tub, then went downtown to explore Canandaigua by car. We found a fun place to eat--Eddy O'Brian's Grill. There was music and a couple of people dancing. One couple was about our age and they danced and danced. It made me want to learn to dance even more. When we got home I tried to find some video clips with dance lessons but didn't come up with anything amazing.

It's 12:30 on Sunday now. It has rained all morning :-( but the sun is shining now. We are going back to Canandaigua so I can walk the main street and do some window shopping. Doug is going to ride his bike around town, then we will go to a late lunch at a cute restaurant that we discovered last evening.

Hope the rain holds off because this is the sort of thing I love to do. [To be continued...]