The Yearly Ritual

We are getting ready for a yearly jaunt back to our home town in PA. We have a smaller trunk this year and more STUFF than ever....due to the addition of Sophie. We were thinking of getting her a suitcase. She has her toys and her ear solution and her food and the spray stuff in case of an accident...her leash....dishes (we want her to have familiar dishes to eat from..haha). The list goes on and on. Jim has to take his keyboard as several have mentioned they want to get together for a jam....he always enjoys having others to play with. I am trying to narrow my list down. I didn't take much to NJ and found myself in a pickle when I found out I was going to church. I won't have sister Lori's closet to raid so I better take clothes for different occasions. You never know what will come up. Thankfully we won't have to worry about Halloween parties or Ice Skating attire this trip.

I will have to take some grubs because I always join the fitness center when I am there. It used to be the hospital where sister Lori was born....I will never forget that day. I was in third grade and nearly killed myself on my bike. I was just 8 and not allowed to ride on the road so was tearing down the heaved sidewalks of Mill Street and I went over one that shot me up in the air and I came down and hard and had a mini wreck...but that didn't stop me.... but whenever I go to the fitness center that crosses my mind. I pulled my bike up in front of Mom's window and she held the new sister up for me to see and she was sooooo cute. But now that very spot is where people work out. There are weight machines in front of that very window. Walls have been removed to make a huge room.

I like the fitness center because they have all the different weight machines and the ellipticals, bikes, rowing, skiing, tread mills.....stretching stuff...it is just great. I go with my parents and sometimes alone. Once you join you can go whenever you want and it is about two blocks from Jim's Dad's...where we stay. Well, everything is about two or three blocks away...haha. There is a lot to be said for small town life....especially with the gas prices soaring.

Better get busy sorting, sifting, scrubbing...all the stuff I scurry around doing before we leave. We like to come home to clean sheets and a clean fridg. We will pack the car tonight ...roll out early and hit it. Please pray for our safe travel. Thanks.