I am still grinning from ear to ear. . . .

We now have two cars in the garage - as of last Friday.  I am so pleased.

 After I signed the papers and we left the dealership, nobody could see me grinning ear to ear as I drove my beautiful new red Hyundai Sonata. But I was.  Paul followed me in the SUV.    It's really just what I wanted.

 The Sonata is a mid-size four-door car.   Mine has some bells and whistles including a back-up camera, which I really really wanted.  It amazes me  how much easier it is to see what's behind me when I back up.  We have quite a long drive-way here and the camera helps a lot.

 It's easy to keep in the middle of the driveway and not back-up into our mailbox on the left.  (I never did that - except once,  at my friend Ruth's - and earned me the nick-name Crash-bang . . . . C.B. for short. Her husband, Wes, calls me that all the time.) It's wonderful in parking lots like Walmart. 

So, again there's been a lapse in my writing.  I've been busy, but nothing to write home about.  LOL. 

Written after I've finished:  Good Heavens - that's a lie.  There's a lot of stuff going on! :0)

My red sonata has gold/tan seats.  I didn't think I'd like that interior color, but it has grown on me.  The rest is black inside.   Paul teased me he said the NY orange and black license plates would clash with my red color, but now the license plate balances out with the car seats! Gold, mustard, tan - same color group.

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We spent Memorial Day in Corning with a BBQ.   It was good to see the folks there.  We hadn't seen them since we got back.  Everything is well.  Lue also came.  It was nice to see her.  The BBQ was a spur of the moment thing.  We were glad to be able to go. 

Friday night we took my beautiful car to the Montour Moose Club Fish Fry.  We hadn't been there in a couple of years.  What a disappointment.  The fish was terrible. We're so glad Paul's joining the Elks in Watkins Glen.  It's like night and day.   

The next day, Saturday,  we were invited to Sharon and Dave's church for dinner.  Sharon put on a mac n cheese with fish stick dinner (the fish sticks were 100% better than Friday night's dinner) with a movie afterwards.  The food was delicious.  Sharon makes the greatest mac n cheese.  There were 30 (?) people.  (Small church.)  Ida told me that she helped with the cupcakes, and made the signs: chocolate with chocolate, chocolate with vanilla, vanilla with chocolate, vanilla with vanilla. 

They used the sanctuary for the movie - Because of Wynne Dixie.   Someone had rigged up dark black plastic curtains to keep out the light.   Some of the kids brought their sleeping bags and lay up front.  The movie was cute. A dog story.  I remembered it somehow.  I may have read it a while back.  It was a nice way to spend a Saturday evening.

Sunday, we went to Ida's soccer game. 

Their manager brought donuts to bribe them.

 They've been having a problem with winning. Those donuts looked great and it worked. As Paul said, the team has improved since last year.  And we were very happy that we were there to see the first game they'd won this year. 

 The game was held in way in the back of B.C.Cate K-2 School where Ida went.  There's a nice fairly new playground  and I'm hoping I remember that when my grandkids come for a visit in August.    It doesn't seem possible that Ida will be in 6th grade next year.  Where has the time gone?

Brenda's on vacation now from school.  She flew from California to Florida yesterday and is now visiting a friend in Englewood.  From there she'll go to Gainesville for the next part of her Florida trip.  It's the start of our family exodus down there for Brenan's  high school graduation this coming weekend.  It's wonderful how Paul's children get together for celebrations. . . it doesn't matter where they are, if it's at all possible, they go. 

 I have Brenda's travel plans on my calendar for this summer, and they tire me out.  We're pleased she'll be flying in from California to see us, later on, via Washington D.C.. 

Speaking of Florida:

I've had a couple of phone calls with my cousin, Alice, in Venice.  I called her Saturday and last night.  My cousin Carol is having neurological  problems. So - she spent a couple of days and nights with Alice.   BUT Carol says she's been away long enough and wants to go home.  So perhaps she's there, or on her way.   Her son Eric, who lives on Long Island, was going to call Carol last night at Alice's, just after I hung up.  It's not easy for him being so far away.  Carol and Alice went to four doctors yesterday.  God bless Alice. 

Paul just received an e-mail from Mike and Edna's daughter - she and her husband will be coming to the family reunion on July 12th.  Good!  They'll be staying for a couple of days more and wanted to know of things to do in the area.  On the top of my head . . . Wineries, fishing, Corning Glass, Rockwell Museum. . . 

This week Nancy's "home alone" with her mother-in-law, Jane, who is helping out with the kids.  Dan is at a conference all this week.  Jane just retired from teaching in St. Louis.  How wonderful that worked out!

Did I mention that Nancy got a promotion?  She is now the Associate Dean in the College of Graduate Studies and Research at North-Eastern Illinois University, effective June 1st. I am so proud.

Paul put a wood oak floor in our kitchen/ laundry area.  It is simply beautiful.  What a difference that makes from the white linoleum we had down.  He's doing the finishing touches now.  Every time I walk in the house from the garage, I marvel at how good a job he did and how wonderful it looks.  I guess I shouldn't marvel - he always does a good job.  But I do.  Every time.

Speaking of carpentry:

 Paul's been wanting to do for Habitat for Humanity for a long time. . So Wednesday morning he went to Montour Falls and joined the workers working on a little house off the main road.   Paul says it's about the size of our garage.  I agree.  We saw it on Thursday after lunch with Lue, Ruth and Sharon P.. (We have a big garage. But I could see it from the size of it, it could be a small house.) .  They can certainly use his expertise.  Wouldn't you know they were working on subflooring - after he's been working on our floor for so many days.  His back was aching after that. 

I just got a phone call from my good friend Marcia in NC.  It was good to talk with her.  Hal's going through health problems.  I guess that's par for the course at our age.  I can thank our lucky stars that we're both in good health, or am I jinxing us by saying that???  Knock on wood.

So - I guess I did have a lot to talk about. 

Paul's heading out tonight for his Watkins Glen Elks Club Dinner and Initiation Ceremony. 

 Right now he's still banging in the kitchen floor. 

It's funny - Gracie walked on the wood part of the floor the other day while he was putting in some of the flooring.  She could feel the banging vibrate under her.  I've never seen her scramble so quickly to get off it and hide under the table in the DR.  She had no idea what was going on under her feet. Paul had to pick her up and sooth her.   She's more used to it now.  It doesn't phase her.