Backlog Behemoth

Don't worry, calling this post a behemoth is a bit of an overstatement. I do have some catching up to do, but it's not as bad as I'm making it sound. Let's start late last month in Yuma. Yes, Yuma. Who goes there? Well, I for one do—pretty regularly. But only because it's halfway between here and Southern California and one of the only outposts of civilization on that route. (It's basically where I stop for gas.) But I digress. This time it wasn't for gas that I stopped in Yuma but to meet up with Bob and Kelle. We needed to do a handoff of some of the things Kelle and I are taking to Iowa next month for Mom's funeral (we're driving; our husbands are flying), and long story but it seemed like a better idea to get me the stuff sooner rather than later. So Brad and I drove over and we discovered that Yuma has a halfway cute historic downtown. The four of us had lunch and made a nice adventure out of what was otherwise a long day of driving for everybody.

My dad made a lot of stained glass windows, and thankfully when Mom sold the house we removed six of them. (The rest stayed with the house as they weren't installed in such a way that it would have been feasible to remove them.) Brad and I now have two of the windows (an identical set), and shortly after we got them Brad realized that we have two windows in our dining room that are almost the exact same size. So he's been hatching a plan to install Dad's windows and recently he got the first one completely (and successfully) installed. It wasn't easy and it took some construction, but he did a great job. As you can see, he used hinges (the same ones put on by my dad) so the window swings open as it was designed to do. 

The second window isn't in yet, but will be soon. It's directly opposite from this window and it's the same design so we'll have symmetry. 

The window itself (and its surrounding case) is exactly as Dad made it, and Brad didn't have to add or subtract anything from Dad's work. He did have to switch out the glass on the house's exterior window and make changes to the house's window framing, but once he did that Dad's window fit like a glove. It looks great and is a beautiful reminder of a special person.

Other big Harrison news of late is that Mary got a job teaching at her neighborhood Baltimore Public School. She sent me this picture of a space that she was supposed to work in, then after she sent it they reassigned her. But you get the idea. She will be a reading teacher for second grade, which is pretty much exactly what she loves to do. I don't know if I've mentioned this before but her neighborhood is in the part of Baltimore near Fort McHenry (where the Star Spangled Banner was composed) and I love that the school where she'll work is called Francis Scott Key Elementary/Middle School. She'll be walking to work as the school is a half mile from her house, which I think is practically the definition of a great commute.

Brad and I spent last weekend in San Diego with my Aunt Joyce. Kelle and Bob came down for brunch on Sunday. We met up with some other friends and had a beautiful day together outside. Joyce was in her element.

I'll conclude this post with something that everyone is missing in their lives: a bit of Dutch Wonderland. 

Yesterday Peter and Jessa met up with her brother Josh and his adorable daughter Amelia and they made a day of it at Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 

After the year we've all had, I think we all deserve a little bit of Dutch Wonderland in our lives.