Around noon on Wednesday, June 25, we left Williamsport for the eastern side of Pennsylvania. That afternoon we toured Valley Forge. We followed the cell phone tour through the park. It was really neat and FREE! Valley Forge National Historical Park is nationally significant as the site of the 1777-78 winter encampment of the Continental Army under General George Washington. No battle actually took place here.
I don't think Chase wanted to pose as George in this little tiny figurine!
Carys likes to pose everywhere!
Landon is always the one to read all the information.
The above pictures are the United States National Memorial Arch, erected to commemorate the arrival of General George Washington and his Continental Army into Valley Forge. It is a simplified version of the Triumphal Arch of Titus in Rome (A.D. 81) which marked the capture of Jerusalem by Emperor Titus in A.D. 70.
I thought it was neat that the names of all the main generals are listed inside the arch.
This is the carillon of the Washington Memorial Chapel which is still an active Episcopal church today.
I wanted to get more pictures of the church, but the battery on my camera died! We headed to our hotel (free with my Hilton Honors points!) and then to the King of Prussia mall for dinner. It's the second largest mall in the U.S. We could never see it all, but we enjoyed a couple of hours there anyway.
We were blessed this summer when Greg received a contract position to work as the superintendent for a company in Ocala that was building an office addition to a hospital in Williamsport, PA. Though it is not a permanent position and therefore doesn't include health insurance, the money was good as well as the opportunity to make contacts in the construction world. So, he took the job. He worked for a week in their office here and then left on the Tuesday after Memorial Day for PA. He flies home every other weekend. He's staying in an extended-stay type of hotel which has a small kitchen (refrigerator, microwave, stove top, and dishwasher - I'd trade the dishwasher for an oven any day). This has allowed him to save almost all of his per diem. We decided to use the opportunity to take a trip to the area. After the craziness of his job situation this spring, we certainly did NOT expect to be able to take a vacation this summer. But sometimes God gives us more than we can ask or even imagine. :) So, we left on Friday, June 20, and headed for North Carolina. We spent the weekend with the Miskiewicz's and enjoyed our time there as we always do. Then on Monday, June 23, we left there for Williamsport. Greg was so excited to show us around. It's a nice town of slightly more than 20,000 residents. The mountains all around are beautiful. We enjoyed his guided tour as well. We ate at a local Asian buffet Tuesday night and got two of the strangest fortune cookie fortunes ever!
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Where has the month gone? I posted last on May 9, and it's already June 13. It's just flown by. The week after we got back, Greg got an offer for a contract position as a construction superintendent in Pennsylvania where a local Ocala company is adding a 4-story office building onto a hospital. After thinking about it and talking to a few people he respects, he decided to take it. He started Monday, May 19, and worked a week in their office here. He left for Pennsylvania on the Tuesday after Memorial Day. He will be there 6-10 weeks, but he flies home every other weekend. He was home last weekend. Instead of flying home this weekend, we're going to head his way. We're going to see friends in NC on the way up, stay a week and visit Philadelphia, Gettysburg and Niagara Falls, then visit friends in VA and SC on the way back. It should be a fun trip, but I'm used to having more time for planning. I have to get my act together this weekend!
On Tuesday, May 6, 2014, we remembered the life of my dad, Joe Murphy. He passed away on April 20, 2014, two days after the girls and I left Illinois at the end of a visit. He wanted to be cremated, so my mom decided to wait to have his memorial service until after Landon graduated. The service was so beautiful and began with this song off of Steven Curtis Chapman's newest album, The Glorious Unfolding.
Dr. Steve Phillips, the pastor of my parents' church, Winstanley Baptist Church, and Rev. Wendell Garrison, our former pastor there, officiated. The each had beautiful things to say and knew Dad well, so it was a very special service.
Landon read Revelation 21:1-7. I shared a few words, then sang "I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin accompanied by Chase on the guitar. Then Tina Dickerson, my sister's daughter, sobbed through a poem about grandfathers.
The service ended with this song, also from The Glorious Unfolding.
The church provided a meal for everyone who wanted to stay. Then we headed over to Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery for the interment service. It was incredible. There was a life honor guard, one of whom played Taps live. There were three sweet elderly gentlemen who did a 21-gun salute. It was really, really special. The pictures below are from that part of the service.
21-gun Salute
I was standing behind my mom, and Gerren was standing behind me. So, I didn't know that he was also saluting until I saw this picture. It almost did me in!
The flag was folded to begin with since it wasn't on a casket. The honor guard members unfolded it and refolded it, then the female went around the wall you see to play "Taps".
The speech the soldier said when presenting the flag to my mom was really neat.
The leader of the team that did the 21-gun salute presented my mom with a small bag containing 3 shells that represent duty, honor and courage (I think?).
My parents were married for 64 years, and it will be a tough adjustment for my mom.
Chase's 16th birthday was somewhat brushed under the rug because of our trip to Illinois for my dad's funeral. We traveled from Clarksville, TN, to Belleville, IL that morning. Greg was supposed to already be there, but he was flying standby and all the flights were full. He ended up having to buy a full-price ticket in order to make it for the funeral. It was 8pm before we picked him up from the Metro station. We headed for Chevy's to eat Mexican and give Chase her gifts. I promised her cinnamon rolls for breakfast and a dessert of her choice when we get home. Love you, Chase!
Chips and salsa - yum!
Chase and Landon
A card from Carys with $1 and 3 pennies taped inside
A little money from Grandma
Dad tries to cut the large bottle of beer out of the picture
On Saturday, May 3, 2014, Landon graduated from the University of Central Florida (UCF) with a Physics BS and a math minor. We're very proud of him. As of now, he's not sure what he's going to do next. He always thought he'd go to graduate school and has applied to UCF and FSU, but he is really tired of school right now and doesn't really want to go. So, he is going to find a job instead. He is still waiting to hear about graduate school as well.
Landon and his roommate, Andrew, both graduated today.
Tamar (Andrew's girlfriend), Andrew, Landon, and Dave (their other roommate)
April was an incredibly busy month. We had our church Easter event the Sunday before Easter on April 13. We met at the Lacefield's house and had a service outside followed by an Easter egg hunt and a potluck dinner. It was hot and the girls and I got slightly sunburned.
The Lacefields have a horse! Carys' favorite part of the day!
Resurrection Eggs
The girls and I left the Lacefield's and hit the road for Illinois to see my dad who was not doing well. When we got to Belleville Monday afternoon it was 39°. Sheesh!
My poor sweet dad was not responsive most of the time we were with him. These pictures are from the first day we were there when he was the most responsive. I kissed him and said, "I love you, Dad" and he said, "I love you" very clearly. On the morning of April 18, Good Friday, we went to see him one last time before heading back to Florida. He would not wake up or open his eyes, so I started singing hymns. His eyes popped open and he started tapping his foot. It wasn't long before he was trying to sing along. I probably sang for 30 minutes, and Dad was aware the entire time. It was a very sweet time that I will remember forever.
Mom told Dad to say cheese and he actually did
While we were in Illinois, we took a day and went over to see Gerren in Sedalia, MO, which is close to Whiteman AFB. Grandma Epie went with us. Gerren to us to lunch at an Asian buffet. Then we did a little shopping at Penney's where he bought Chase some tops for her birthday. Then we found a park so Carys could play for awhile. Finally we went to Panera for coffee before heading back to Belleville.
Beautiful old church in St. Louis
Guess which one of these people has been up for 36 hours?
It was windy!
On Easter Sunday evening at 10:45 pm, Dad went home to be with the Lord. What a wonder to think that he celebrated the resurrection face to face with Jesus!
