Hello, friends! This is what Joe and I looked like 15 years ago. And this:
And this:
How can 15 years pass so quickly?
We went to Lancaster County to celebrate our anniversary this week. We actually went there on our honeymoon. We did a lot less this time. We headed out on Wednesday afternoon and got there in time for an early dinner. We stopped at Dienner's to eat. And we got there at just the right time. We were able to be seated immediately. But by the time we left there was a crowd waiting and they were handing out pagers. Joe got the buffet and I got the chicken dinner with stuffing and broccoli. Everything was good. Then we headed on to the hotel.
The only place we could find to stay was the Wyndham Conference Center and Resort. We had never been there before and I didn't know exactly where it was. So I ended up going in the wrong driveway, coming back out on Route 30, going in another wrong driveway, coming back out and finally finding where it was.
We were impressed when we drove up. But when we walked to the door I saw a spotted lanternfly. I tried to step on it, but it flew off. Then another. And another. There must have been about 50 of them. Not a nice welcome.
We went inside and there were lots of steps to walk up to the enormous lobby. And I mean enormous. We walked over to the front desk and had to wait for someone to even notice us. Finally we were able to check in and were given our room keys. I thought they were really cute.
We were beat so we just settled in for the night. The bed was very comfy. Wish it were my bed for every night. I took some pictures of the room to show you. This was the view from the bed. Our problem was that the remote did not work for the TV. Joe had to turn it off and on by hand (just like the old days). We had it off while Joe sat at the desk and joined in the online Bible Study he goes to every Wednesday night. I was beat so I just laid on the bed and actually fell asleep for awhile. When he was finished, we turned on the TV and found a Pittsburgh - Cincinnati baseball game. In fact, we watched two. One in the afternoon and one in the evening. We both love baseball so we really enjoyed that. Especially when Pittsburgh won the first game!
I had called down to the front desk and asked for another remote but no one ever showed up. So after the game Joe went down to the desk and they changed the batteries. I had already told them that was not the problem. Needless to say, it didn't work.
This was the picture on the wall. I really liked it.
And the really comfy king sized bed. We do not have a bed this large and it was great having room to spread out.
We had asked for a handicapped accessible room and they gave it to us. I loved the walk-in shower. It had a bar for me to hold onto and a shower chair so I could sit down as I do at home.
Thursday was our actual anniversary. It was a beautiful day. As you can see, the view out our window was the roof.
We slept in, but still got up in time to go to breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Joe got scrambled eggs, bacon and pancakes. I got scrambled eggs and turkey sausage. He had coffee and I had tea. It was crowded and we had to wait to get seated. We ate fast because we had tickets to the 11:00 show at Sight and Sound.
The show was Queen Esther and like all the shows there it was fantastic. Especially the costumes and sets. We had great seats. I don't think I've ever been that close to the side stage where I could actually see the actors up close and personal.
We were still full from breakfast when the show was over so we skipped lunch and went back to the room. Joe read the news online and I slept for about 2 hours. We were disappointed that they did not make up the room while we were gone.
When I woke up we decided we had better go to dinner since it was getting late. There was a rule in the hotel that no food could be taken into your room, so the microwave and coffee machine had been removed. There wasn't even a cup for us to use to rinse our mouth out when we brushed our teeth.
We thought we would eat at Katie's Kitchen and headed there. It was around 6:30 p.m. and I thought it closed at 8:00 p.m. But I was wrong and they closed at 7:00 p.m. Too late to get dinner.
I had read online about a new place called Agape Grill further on down the road, and I knew they said they were open 8-8. We headed there. I almost drove past it, but saw a sign and headed in. It was crowded. Mostly with Amish and Mennonite people. I always say if the locals eat there, it must be good. And it was.
They gave us a pager and we wandered around outside for a bit. The farm next to the restaurant had a field of goats. Lots and lots of goats. They were so cute.
It took us awhile to get seated and it took quite awhile to get our food. We both had burgers, fries and onion rings. I got water and Joe had a mango spritzer. I tried a sip of his and it was really good. There was so much food we couldn't finish it. But we couldn't take it with us because we couldn't bring food into the building. *sigh*
We were talking to the owner when we were leaving. The grill has been open for 10 months and business is booming. She goes to Philly a lot and asked for a recommendation of a place to eat. Joe and I told her about King George II Inn and she said she will check it out.
When we got back to the hotel, we got ready for bed. They had finally replaced the remote and we watched a Phillies - Chicago game. A great game. It was wonderful. And the Phillies won! It was a fantastic anniversary gift.
Friday was a little rainy but not enough to ruin the day. It sort of drizzled off and on. We slept in again and finally got up, got ourselves together and checked out. We went to Bird-in-Hand Restaurant for breakfast. It was great. Joe had a western omelet and rye toast. I had scrambled eggs, home fries and sourdough bread toast. I don't usually like toast, but this was so good!
After breakfast we met up with fellow bloggers Beatrice and Grenville from The Frog and PenguINN. They are just the best people and Joe and I had so much fun sitting outside and talking to them. I love meeting people who also blog. It was like we had known each other for years. And in a way we have. If you haven't read their blog, head on over there and visit with them. I know they would love that.
I really liked the fall display outside of the restaurant and had to get a picture of that before we left.
But we did have to leave. And so we did. It took us almost 2 1/2 hours to get home. About a half hour longer than usual. Traffic was bad even though we left early enough to miss rush hour. I guess there is never a good time on I-76.
We got home in time to have dinner and then head out to Bible Study. (We are studying Revelation.) Joe had bought some mini whoopee pies at Bird-in-Hand (chocolate, pumpkin and red velvet) and took them with us. They were a big hit.
And so it is now back to normal. Only not so normal because we are still cleaning out the house. And I have so many doctor appointments coming up. And I have to take the car in for inspection and oil change. And in two weeks we have a conference and a wedding to go to which will take us away for an entire week. And sometime in there I have a tooth extraction. And... well, that's enough isn't it? If you don't hear from me for awhile you will know it's because I am overwhelmed.
I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday. I will see you soon.
Kathy