Disney thank you

Mickey Mouse sent us a thank you for our recent vacation.

Registered voter

This came in the mail today. L's a registered voter! Since she'll be 18 by next year's presidential election she's able to vote in the primary. She's pretty excited.

Our energetic cats

Anniversary trip?

Starting to plan for a trip to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary next year!

Late August flowers

The coneflowers in our yard are finally blooming. Not as fabulous as they were last year, but at least they're blooming.

And a few zinnias are blooming behind the garage.

Senior style

Stylin' for the start of a new school week.

College send-off

L and I went out to dinner with these girls from church and their moms to celebrate the girl second from right leaving for college Wednesday. She's headed to Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. The girls have been in Sunday School and youth group together for years. L was a little sad she's the only one still in high school, but next year she'll be joining the college crowd.

Group hug!

Wandering cat

This is a neighborhood cat that's an indoor/outdoor cat. Lately, he's been wandering into our yard and sitting on our back porch. The other day our neighbor was sitting in the back yard with the cat on his lap! He's very friendly and tries to get in the house every time we open the door. Not sure August and Muffles would appreciate the intrusion.

He even jumped in the car when B and E were packing up to move back to school!

Back to college

E and B drove back to school this morning. B couldn't get his apartment key until noon, but they both moved in (next door to each other) and B sent me these pictures of his apartment:

The living room.

And his bedroom. E was supposed to send pictures too. Hmmm.

L was at work this evening so Andy and I went to Flapjack Brewery in Berwyn to use a Groupon for craft beer flights. We also got a pizza for dinner. The beer was good. We liked the pizza crust but agreed it needed more cheese.

Homework help

E and B go back to college tomorrow so L's getting a little math homework help while she can.

Blooming lilies

It took a few days but the lilies are in full bloom now.

Start of senior year!

It's going to be an exciting year for L!

Last of the Disney pics

Some random Disney pics:

L and Piglet at the Crystal Palace.

B relaxing on the People Mover.

E got a hole-in-one on this hole. I had her pose like the elephant.

Andy ventured to Magic Kingdom on his own for lunch one day to get fried pickles ... and this footlong hotdog. He said he ate all but about three inches of it. That's a big hotdog.

The Army men in Toy Story Land.

Allison took this picture of Cindy and a cute random kid on the bus.

While Andy and B were riding Test Track, I was sitting outside a gift shop in Epcot watching these bees and drinking a Starbucks.

Looks like I was using a filter on this picture but it was so hot outside and so cool inside that the camera fogged up. It happened a lot.

Re-arranging the arrangement

Andy and I left the floral arrangement his office sent for his mom's memorial service at the church so it would be on display at today's service. Rather than leave it for the church to dispose of, we decided to take it home and pull the flowers from it that still looked good to make our own, smaller arrangements.

There were a lot more flowers in it than it seemed. I got two pretty good-sized bouquets out of it. I'm hoping the lilies stay fresh long enough to open up.

Back-to-school shopping

E and I took L and her friend, A, back-to-school shopping today. We went to Target, Yorktown and Oakbrook Center. It's the second year we've taken A shopping with us and now, apparently, it's a tradition. L and her plan to do it again next year, with L trying to convince A that they should end up at the same college.

Remembering

Was lucky to have her as a mother-in-law and grateful the kids had her as their grandmother. I saved so many of the cards and letters she sent me over the years because she wrote the best notes in them.

Nov. 20, 1931, to Aug. 2, 2019. The service was in our church's chapel with a reception following in the parlor. Our Hospitality Committee provided the family with sandwiches and sides prior to the visitation and arranged to have a tableful of baked groups brought in for the reception. They sent me home with a lot and said the rest will be used at Sunday's fellowship hour after church.

These flowers were sent from Andy's office ...

... and these were from his longtime coworker/friend Jo, who was B's boss this summer.

The parlor was filled with photos including these three boards we put together Thursday night.

Disney Photo Pass pics

We decided not to purchase the Photo Pass for our recent Disney trip, but E upgraded her ticket to an annual pass (she'll be down there in October for a computer-related conference) and Photo Pass is included in that. Surprisingly, I didn't have one photographer in the park ask me if I wanted a photo. They were pretty busy though. Maybe you have to approach them. It was so hot I certainly wasn't going to stand in line for a photo opp. These are some of my favorites from the Photo Pass:

We were all excited to ride the new Slinky Dog coaster.

For someone who says she loves Splash Mountain, L looks pretty terrified of the big drop.

Pretty sure L told Cindy to look stoic for this picture in the Haunted Mansion.

It was L's idea to have us all look annoyed on the Pirates of the Carribean ride. The people behind us are looking at the camera and the people behind them aren't even paying attention.

Another goofy L shot as Allison is shooting in the Buzz Lightyear ride.

B was the top scorer from our group ... as usual.

L knows where the Photo Pass cameras are in most of the rides. Here she is showing the aunts where the camera is.

Andy and B in the Haunted Mansion. Not sure what they were looking at unless they were trying to find the camera too.

Space Mountain! Another favorite of ours.

We're all on the right side of this photo. B and I were in the front row. We waited around two hours to get on this ride. One of the towers was closed, which we didn't know, and it was hot. The ride seemed pretty short after waiting that long. After that, I limited my waits to 90 minutes or less.

This is on the Rock 'n' Roll Roller Coaster. Love Cindy's face on this one.

The picture we have taken before entering Chef Mickey's is usually pretty bad. I thought it came out pretty good this time even though L isn't looking straight ahead. The full-body shot was even better but Cindy had her eyes closed.

Disney desserts

I'm sure I wouldn't have gotten desserts at Disney if they weren't included with our dining plan. Their desserts are so pretty though you almost have to take a picture before diving in.

Ginger Mousse Cake at Tepan Edo.

A variety of desserts at Chef Mickey's. I tasted them but didn't finish all of them. My dinner drink had a glowing ice cube, my only souvenir from the trip.

Custard at the French restaurant. Is it my imagination or is the blackberry Mickey-shaped?

Crystal Palace buffet desserts.

Apple pie with ice cream at the Whispering Canyon Cafe.

German treats at the Biergarten.

And I finished off a week of desserts with Tiramisu at Tutto Italia.