Busy Weekend

We had a wonderful and busy weekend.  Our 10 yr-old grandson, Patrick Sean, was visiting with us.  Friday afternoon the three of us went to the Air Mobility Command Museum located on the Dover Air Force Base.

This is a picture of the tarmac next to the museum which is located in the hanger in the top center.  There are 19 restored aircraft inside and outside the museum.  I got this photo from the museum website.  It is a great museum and the admission is right, free.

Saturday was my 62nd birthday.

Margaret and Patrick Sean had a birthday cake for me, complete with 62 candles!  I am amazed that our smoke detector did not go off!

It is a wonder that the cake survived! (Chocolate Oreo, of course)

 

Patrick Sean shot a video of me opening his present to me, a bar of extra dark chocolate.

Saturday afternoon we drove to Lansdale, PA for the 29th annual TFC Bucks-Montgomery Chapter Pig Roast and concert

As always, the food was great.  You can just see Patrick Sean at the far end of the serving line in the yellow hoodie.  Margaret is just to the right of him.

Here is a closer picture of them.  Next to Margaret is Peg O'Hare, wife of TFC Director of Chaplains, Bunny O'Hare.  That evening there was a great Gospel Concert by the Mark Trammell Trio.  I brought two CDs and a video of them home.

I drove home after the concert.  This was my longest stint driving since my accident.  We were ready for a snack when we got back into Delaware and went to one of my favorite restaurants.

The Charcoal Pit is a 1950's hamburger and ice cream restaurant that I started eating at when I was still in high school.

Patrick Sean was fascinated with the table-side jukebox

"The Pit" still serves milk shakes the old fashion way, in the metal mixing containers.  I had a triple thick, double chocolate shake (chocolate syrup and chocolate ice cream).

Sunday afternoon we went to the Brandywine Zoo in Wilmington, DE.  Patrick Sean took a bunch of pictures of the animals there.

On the way home we stopped at another restaurant dating from my growing up days, The Dog House.  They specialize in foot-long hot dogs with a big assortment of optional toppings.

That evening we went to another Gospel concert.  This time we heard a great choir from the Smyrna AME church that came to our church to share their music ministry.  Today, Margaret and Patrick Sean drove to Philadelphia to tour the U.S. Mint.

Praise the Lord for a wonderful weekend.  I guess Patrick Sean enjoyed his visit because he was reluctant for Margaret to take him home to Virginia when it was time to leave this evening.  He wanted to stay a little longer.

In His name,
Chaplain Sam Houchins

Roller Coaster Week

Monday was a rough day, especially for Margaret.  She had to have our 16 year-old pet cat, Darn Cat (DC).  He had lost more than half of his body weight and the vet said all of his tests were negative, it was just old age.

Margaret holding DC shortly before he was put to sleep.
(see all of the photos)

On the up side of the week, our youngest grandson, 10 year-old Patrick Sean, is visiting us from VA for a week.  Tonight we went to watch a little league game.  Our church sponsors one of the teams and this was a good opportunity for us to check them out.

Margaret and Patrick Sean sitting in the stands.  The temperature was in the mid sixties with a stiff breeze, quite chilly.

The kids are really young.  The coaches operate a pitching machine to pitch the balls.  If you look closely you can see one of the bright orange balls in the air on the way to home plate.  If the batter doesn't hit a ball before their turn is over then a tee-ball stand is set up and they hit the ball on that. We had a good time.

Patrick Sean spotted this purple car and had to take some pictures for his mom, Sheri.  Purple is her favorite color.

(see all of the photos)

In His name,
Chaplain Sam Houchins

Anna's Baptism

Anna Marie Houchins is our granddaughter.  She was baptized September 9, 2008.

"My name is Anna Houchins. I'm 6 years old. I accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was 4 years old. Easter was coming up, and my teachers Mrs. Sawyer and Mrs. Beale told me about Jesus: about His birth, about Him teaching people, about riding into Jerusalem, dying on the cross, and Him rising from the tomb. Then God answered some special prayers I prayed. I loved Jesus, so on my Mom's and Dad's bed, I asked God to forgive me forever because what Jesus did. Now I get to go to Heaven. I want to be baptized because I love Jesus."

 

(if you don't see a video above)

Her dad, Sam 2, and mom, Liane, are standing with her in the water.

In His name,
Chaplain Sam Houchins

Happy Birthday

Last Saturday Margaret and I went to Arundel Mills, south of Baltimore, for a surprise birthday party for our friend and co-laborer Chaplain Hoppy.  Hoppy serves as the Lead Chaplain for God's Trucking Ministry at the TravelCenters of America in Jessup, MD.

Hoppy, on the right, was totally surprised when he arrived at the restaurant and found a group of us waiting for him.
Left to right: Linda (wife of Chaplain Tom), Evelyn, Jerry (head of God's Trucking Ministry), John (a truck driver), and Chaplain Hoppy

Chaplain Hoppy and Me
It was a wonderful party.  Hoppy is doing much better now and able to get around with a cane but makes sure he has someone with him when he ventures out.  He is now legally blind.  Controlling his blood sugar is still a challenge.  Hoppy recently moved into a larger room at the motel where he lives.  He now works part-time on the chapel (which is located in a room inside the truck stop).

Chaplain Tom, me, Chaplain Jim (Retired), Bonna (Jim's wife), Jake (grandson of John and Pat)

Chaplain Tom, driver John, Pat (John's wife)

In His name,
Chaplain Sam Houchins