Runaway Spreader!

I have always been grateful that we have not had any serious accidents on our farm. Technically, we don't live on a farm, (at least not one that has livestock) but we do have a lot of farm equipment and of course the trucks are going in and out of the driveway all the time. We have had our share of rolled trucks and tractors and other mishaps, but thankfully nobody has ever been seriously hurt while operating the vehicles. I realize that most every job has its dangers, but farm equipment and trucks just seem to be a little more hazardous and I always breathe a prayer of thanksgiving at the end of each day when all the trucks and tractors are safely home.

 

We live on a hill. The house and the shop are separated by a hill and then if you go up the road to our compost facility and Josh's house it is another steep climb. With the boys running their business out of the shop and Steve using it as well, there is often not enough space at the shop to park all the vehicles. Over the past several years, they have made a place between Josh's house and the compost where they park the overflow of equipment.

 

Yesterday, Josh drove the tractor and manure spreader up the hill and backed the spreader into a parking spot. The spreader had injectors on and he put the injectors into the ground and then blocked the back wheels of the spreader with a piece of wood. He unhooked the tractor from the spreader and everything was fine. He really didn't give it a second thought, as this was something he had done plenty of times. As he sat in the tractor, talking on the phone, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. The spreader was moving! As he watched horrified, it picked up speed and hurtled down the hill. At first it looked like it would miss the shop and then it turned to the right and headed directly for the shop. It rolled over an embankment that surrounds the shop and slammed into the roof and side of the back of the shop. It hit the floor at an angle so fortunately it stopped and didn't continue out through the front. Thankfully, this isn't the main part of the shop but is a section that is only used to park trucks. It was empty so no other vehicles were damaged.

 

Steve was working in the top part of the shop that was farthest away from the impact. He heard and felt the crash and thought something had exploded. He of course went to investigate and soon realized what had happened. As he stood there looking at it, he suddenly thought, "I hope Josh is alright." He looked up to the top of the hill and with relief saw Josh driving out his driveway. He said Josh was pretty shaken up and kept saying, "I just can't believe it. I just can't believe that happened."

 

That is how accidents happen. So quickly. Of course, after everyone had time to get over the shock and assess everything, thankfulness is our biggest emotion. No one was hurt. No other vehicles were involved and it was the "best" section of the shop to be destroyed. Your mind goes to what could have been--trucks could have been parked there, someone could have been in that part of the shop, Josh could have been run over--and you just shudder. Insurance will pay for the damage and life will go on. We are so fortunate.

 

After I got home and surveyed everything, I texted Josh: "Looks like you had an eventful day." He responded, "That's putting it mildly." I think that pretty well sums it up.

Not exactly the way the back of the shop should look.

It's final resting place.

Another angle.

You can see the path it took down the hill and how it turned slightly to hit the shop instead of miss it.

A closer up of the path.

My Two Grandsons

I've seen the saying, "At Grandma's house is where cousins become best friends." For these two little guys, no matter which grandparent's house they are at, they will have each other. That is the benefit of being a double cousin (just in case you didn't know, my two oldest sons married sisters). I have the feeling that Mark and Awstin are going to have a lot of fun times together.

I have had both Alexis and Lydia to my house by themselves overnight and Mark seemed anxious to have his turn as well, so on Tuesday evening, I brought him home to spend the night. Since I keep Awstin every Wednesday, it seemed the perfect time for him to come, so he would have a playmate. He was so excited and talked nonstop in the car, jabbering about this and that. After we got home, he played contentedly by himself for awhile, then we had snack and he went to bed without fussing (just the way Grandma likes).

In the morning, after a breakfast of waffles, we waited for Awstin to come. It was special to see how delighted they were to see each other. They ran off together happily and pretty much stuck by each other's side throughout the day. There was a little bit of an issue with sharing the tricycle but for the most part they did really well. Of course Mark's vocabulary is a lot bigger than Awstin's but they managed to communicate. Who needs to say words when you are just playing?

I love to ask Mark what his name is.  Can you understand what he says? Hint: he is named after both grandpas.

Awstin likes his nuggets covered in catsup :)

 

 

The tricycle got used a lot.

 

 

Mark gives Awstin a hand (or a push)

 

 

Dropping stones and running up and down a hill is fun!

 

 

Watch your head Awstin!

 

     Another thing they both enjoy is playing in vehicles. Fortunately Grandma took the keys out.

            I love Awstin's expression here. It's like, "what do you mean we can't go for a drive?"

What fun to have a cousin close to your age. I love seeing my grandchildren not only be cousins but friends and I hope my house provides many happy memories for them in the years to come.

 

Happy 4th Birthday Lydia!

This sweet little girl is 4 years old today! On Sunday evening we went to her house to celebrate and she greeted us in her pretty purple dress. She was all dressed up for the occasion! The name Lydia is often associated with purple and purple is definitely her favorite color.  We enjoyed a meal together and then birthday cake and ice cream. One funny thing was that Lydia didn't want to blow out the candles. She acted kind of bashful and only gave a couple half-hearted blows. There were other people around to help her though and the candles were soon extinguished.

 

After the meal, she opened her gifts. The highlight was definitely the bicycle that her parents got for her. Her expression was priceless! She was so happy. She couldn't wait to try it out and hurried out of her purple dress into clothes more suitable for riding. She found it a little difficult to navigate but I have no doubt that she will soon have it mastered. The rest of the evening we just enjoyed watching the children play and visiting with each other. They even got their bunny "Hop" out of his cage to play with. The poor little thing was scared out of his wits at all the little hands touching him but he endured it pretty well.

Here are some pictures:

As always, Kristen's cake creativity is amazing!

Pure joy!

"This is harder than I thought."

 

Poor Hop

 

Mark & Hop

 

 Hop sniffs Alexis' jeans

 

 Hannah was happy too :)



 

Almost disaster. I thought the ribbon was gong to catch fire.

 

Mark shows me how well he can jump rope :)

 

What a fun evening. I'm glad these little people have birthdays so we can help them celebrate!

5-10-15 --The Wedding!

After seven months of anticipation and planning Megan and Jeremy's big day arrived on Sunday. In a previous blog, I wrote that one of my biggest fears was that I would wake up on her wedding day with a debilitating headache. I don't get them very often, but when I do I have no warning and not much can be done for them.  I am so thankful to report that I had no headache whatsoever and was able to enjoy the day fully. Praise God!

 

The preparations began in earnest on Friday evening. I cannot express in words my gratitude for the two ladies that spear headed the decorations. Becky Gochnauer and Diane Eby are amazing. Becky had experience in decorating for her own daughter's wedding and had helped with the décor at two of her nieces weddings as well. She masterminded the planning and Diane chipped in with her creativity and together they created a masterpiece. They even recruited the men to help.

Phil, Dave & Steve figuring out their next move.

 

 

Dave helps Becky cover the Fair Book display

 

Really cute table covering that Megan saw on Pinterest and Becky put together for her. It  held the cupcakes.



 

On Saturday, they were back at it again. This time Becky brought her sister-in-law, Pat, along to help. These three ladies worked tirelessly.  They decorated the Chapel at Black Rock as well, but I wasn't there to take any pictures. 

The bridesmaids arrived and set the tables.

On Saturday evening we had rehearsal at Black Rock Chapel and then came back to the Hoffman building for dinner. Afterward, the bridal party practiced walking in and sitting at their proper places at the head table.

 

 

The bridesmaids slept over at our house on Saturday night and on Sunday morning Steve made them breakfast. It was bittersweet. These girls have been to my house so often in the last fifteen years and it is sad to know that it will never happen again in this way. I love these girls. Each one holds a special place in my heart and I am so glad for the friendship they gave to Megan over the years.

 

After breakfast, the girls headed out to get their hair done and I went to my hairdresser as well. Kathy has been doing my hair for over twenty-five years and didn't even hesitate when I asked if she would consider styling my hair at 9:00 on Sunday, Mother's Day morning. A true friend!

 

Toward noon Steve and I headed into Quarryville.  He hung out at the Hoffman building where some last minute decorating was going on and I dropped in to see how the girls were doing. The two hairstylists were just finishing up hair and Melissa was helping the girls with their makeup. The bridesmaids soon slipped into their dresses and then we all helped Megan get into hers. I can't really describe how if feels to see your daughter standing there in a wedding dress. She was absolutely  beautiful!  Emotions came to the surface quickly and a few tears were shed, but they were happy ones.

 

I headed back over to meet up with Steve and the girls left for Black Rock. The photographer had already met up with the groomsmen and was taking some pictures of them at another location. Megan hid out in the basement of the Chapel until her groom arrived and then they met in the woods for the "first look." After that it was pictures and more pictures.  All of the family pictures and most of the bridal party were all taken before the wedding.

 

I had decided not to take any pictures and to just enjoy the day camera free but I did end up grabbing my camera for just a few. Afterward, I wished I would have gotten one of all my grandkids together. They were so dressed up and all looked so cute.

 

Alexis loved being the flower girl and did a fantastic job! The dress she wore was the one that Megan wore when she was a flower girl in her cousin Steve's wedding in April 2001. The dress fit perfectly!

Father and Daughter (love this picture!) 

If you look close you can see the bunny ears Josh is holding up.

There is just something special about older brothers :)

 Both sets of grandparents are named Marlin & Elsie - Unbelievable! 

 

The Wedding Party

 

 Check out Jeremy's boutonniere. Megan saw that on Pinterest as well and her florist had a great time putting them together for the groomsmen.





That's all the pictures I have. When we get the pictures from the photographer, I will post some more. I definitely have to post some pictures of myself in my dress that I blogged about struggling to find. I did get many compliments on it, but then what are people supposed to say to you at a wedding?!?!

 

The wedding was very simple and beautiful and totally them. They wanted it to be relaxed and it was. I had one moment when Steve walked her down the aisle that I thought I might lose it, and a few tears crept out of my eyes and down my cheeks. Thankfully, I was able to take a couple of deep breaths and check my emotions and soak everything in and enjoy the ceremony. Megan just beamed and Jeremy smiled. It was special to see the excitement in their eyes. We are so happy to welcome Jeremy into our family. He seems more then willing to accept our craziness and we love having him around. His goofy humor fits right in with all of us.

 

They rode in a limo from the wedding to the reception and decided to make a stop at Turkey Hill and buy slushies. Here is the picture with caption that Jeremy posted on his Facebook wall.

Stopped in at turkey hill in the limo with my wedding party and wife! Thanks everyone

I would say that picture pretty much sums up the day.