Sunday Hodgepodge

I honestly have no idea what a hodgepodge post is in blogger world but I saw this on a blog I follow and thought it was a fun way to spend some time before leaving for church. It's rainy, cloudy, damp day here so here's some random info about me for you.  Thanks to Linda from over here for this fun meme. 

1. Last time you drove/flew 500 miles (ish)? 

The last time I flew was with my husband Dave and our youngest daughter Claire. We flew out of Montreal to Rome, Italy to celebrate her high school graduation in June 2017 as that is what she chose vs having a huge backyard bash with family and friends. The last time I drove about 500 miles was to Watkins Glen/the Finger Lakes area last summer.  Down and back home equals about 500 miles.  I would say the longest car trip we've taken one way is to Pittsburgh, PA which is exactly 500 miles from our home. We drove out in 2007 with our girls to visit the Carnegie Mellon Science Museum, watch a baseball game, visit the Pittsburgh Zoo and spend some time with my aunt and her husband before then driving across PA to Hershey and Gettysburg area. Driving to Pittsburgh and Acadia National Park have been our longest car trips.  Otherwise we fly. 

What's a place you'd like to visit that lies approximately 500 miles from your current location? 

That's an easy one:  Nova Scotia.  Yes, I realize we'd need to take a ferry out of Bar Harbor.....but it still counts.  It's been on my bucket list for years.  Now that I'm retiring from teaching, maybe we will actually get to do this. 

 2. Tell us about a time recently it felt like you were 'racing against the clock'.

I sometimes feel like that on the weekends or during week long breaks from teaching.  I try to fit in so much in a little bit of time off. Most recently though, it was at work right before Spring Break. I was "racing against the clock" to get all of our lesson plans/play set-ups organized so I could leave early per the director's instructions.  I sure worked fast that week!

3. Have you ever attended any really large sporting events? What was your impression of the experience?  

Yes, we have experienced quite a few large sporting events.  Our favorite one was seeing Papi play (David Ortiz) with the Boston Red Sox at Fenway in the summer of 2014.  Loved every minute of this.  I was so impressed with the cleanliness of the place and the jovial attitudes of the spectators.  Of course, we are HUGE Red Sox fans since Dave is from the Boston area and even though I'm from NY, I cannot stand the Yankees. Yuck.  Our other big ball game as a family was when we were in Pittsburgh in April of 2007 and went to the PNC park to see the Pirates and the Cardinals. Don't tell anyone but I was secretly rooting for the Cardinals cause I like their costumes....er....uniforms better. hahaha.  (A joke in our family).  Seriously though...ugh...it was freezing cold, we forgot to bring a blanket so bought one and then it went into overtime for 11 innings.  We left right before the end and I saw the Cardinals were winning. YAY!

4. Are you an iced tea drinker? If so, do you drink it year round, or only in the spring and summer months? Do you make your own or buy it bottled? Sweet or unsweet? Flavored? Lemon or no lemon? How about a Long Island Iced Tea?

I tend to drink iced tea when at a restaurant, if I don't choose a bottled sparkling water, or during the warmer months (May-October here).  I prefer my own homemade iced tea....I tend to use Peach tea although my sister Hope's comes out way better....i need to remember to ask her which brand of tea bags she buys.  I also sometimes make the instant powdered kind from Lipton with just lemon. I love fresh lemon, lime, or raspberries in mine.  And yes...long island iced teas!  yummy.  Been awhile since I've had one of those. 

5. April 20th was Volunteer Recognition Day...do you volunteer in some way? Tell us about it. If not, tell us about a volunteer you appreciate. 

I volunteer as a small group Bible study ministry leader for my church.  I have a group of 6 women and our next official book we are studying/discussing will begin on May 24th. I also co-lead as a volunteer leader with my husband for a couples group study.  We are just about wrapping that study up and will have a nice long break until September from those duties.  In the past, I have  been a volunteer parenting skills instructor for a crisis pregnancy center, a volunteer Sunday school teacher sub for our church (2007-2008) and a volunteer nursery worker and then Cubbies leader for the Awana program at our church (2005-2008).  I also volunteered numerous times when the girls were in preschool and elementary school as a room parent, PTA member, etc. etc.  All fun things but I'm kind of glad those years are over. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

It's not my thought but it comes from our What's So Amazing About Grace bible study we are doing with other couples by Philip Yancy, Christian speaker and author. He is so good!  Here's the thought he posed in chapter 17: "if grace is so amazing, why don't Christians show more of it?" and my own random thought this morning:  will God ever answer my prayer for my daughters to meet and date solid Christian men? 

That's all I've got!