Middlebury, Our Favorite Vacation Spot

We have been talking all summer about going to Middlebury again. It is one of our favorite places to go for a short get-away vacation. It is rare that we take a whole week at a time anymore, unless it is a long trip far away. Gas prices have prevented that. We love Middlebury near Shipshewana because of the Amish influence and simple life. The Amish always keep their land and homes so neat and nicely landscaped. The Essenhaus Inn is a delightful place, decorated with quilts and lovely paintings and the decor is cheerful with flowers and fine wood furniture. We stay in the old part of the Inn and it has a large living room that your room leads to. So Chuck will get up in the morning and go out there and read, while I take a couple extra minutes to sleep.

Our room leads to this greater Living room that guests can use. There is a microwave and coffee is always hot. Sometimes people play games at the tables or read in a rocking chair.

Our room 109 showing beds, TV, 3 windows, table and desk It has an adjoining bathroom area with clothes closet, sink, and closed bathroom area with sink, tub with jets, shower.

In the main lobby there are chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies besides. There are little areas to sit throughout the Inn and a wonderful pool and hot tub area. Our room was extra spacious and very cozy this time. We left Sunday afternoon, following church and lunch, and arrived about Supper time. We found this little restaurant, up town, once before when we were there. They had the Amish beef and noodles and Chuck couldn't resist the sour cream blueberry pie with crumble top. So I gave in and got Cherry. We got back to our room and enjoyed a game and caught up on our mini computer. It was great to sit by the little wrought Iron stove heater and then take a bath in the tub with jets, like a Jacuzzi. The bed was so comfortable and we slept so sound.

Living room area with chair and sofa and fireplace

The next morning we had breakfast in the great room where the Inn provides breakfast. We went shopping at the shops around the Inn. I was excited to get some good buys. I love to look at the many displays and get ideas for decorating. In the Quilt shop there was a new craft, of course, and I found some Christmas presents for some of the kids there. Later we went out town a ways and found an antique shop that also had good buys.

Chuck sitting at a wagon wheel table on milk can seat, at the Antique shop in Shipshewana

Painted room divider at the antique shop, painted on both sides.

In the evening we connected with some friends in South Bend to see if we could get together with them for dinner the next day. They said they could come over on Tuesday so we decided to go to the Essenhaus and have chicken dinner. It was so fun to talk with them and catch up on our lives.

Terry and Chuck walking over to the Essenhaus Restaurant 

Susan and Terry Bucholtz at the Essenhaus Entrance

All of us eating our yummy chicken dinner and having good fellowship

We called a couple other people too and found out that there was a new baby born on Sunday. Phil and Deb Jerome are now grandparents. Lauren had a sweet baby boy, Jackson Philip. We wished them well. They were on their way to the hospital to see their new grandson. (7.5 lbs, 21" long)

Jackson Philip Bennett, new son of  Kyle and Lauren Jerome Bennett  

We were able to go to the flea market on Tues. morning, but did not stay long. Many vendors were not there, and we only wanted to check on a few things. Chuck did get himself a yellow hat to go with his yellow car. Do you know how hard it is to find a yellow ball cap? I think there were only 2 in the whole place.

We got back home on Tues. night around 10 PM. and as usual we were glad to be back home. We have the kids over on Wed. night for dinner and this year Cyndi and her family are joining us. To make it simple we just had pizza and salad because we had been away. I didn't get a chance to wrap Karson's presents but gave them to him anyway. He didn't care and liked them just the same.

Karson with his Lego kit and Art tote

We found out why some of our tomatoes were not surviving. While taking off some of the dead leaves, I ran into 3 tomato worms. I brought them in and put them in a dish to show the kids. I also gave them some extra food to eat, Kale, and they ate it fast plus the green tomato.

Tomato worms

 Today they didn't look to active, so I'm afraid they have gone into dormant mode and may spin a cocoon or rather a chrysalis. They become butterflies, not moths.

On Thursday we got a call from Chuck's sister Margaret that they are camping at Portage lake and would like to go to supper with us on Friday.

Margaret and Richard eating dinner with us at Cracker Barrel 

Savannah was to run in a race, for track, at Ella Sharp Park at 4PM. It was her first home meet and we wanted to see it. So when Margaret and Richard got here we decided to take them for a ride in the new Mustang and go see Savannah run. We got there just after they had started.

Savannah, Sam and Julie's daughter, coming in number 88 out of 150
She is in 6th grade in the Jr. division 

Savannah, waiting to get her certificate

We cheered her on and then made a beeline across the field to get to the finish line to see her come in. It was about 2 miles she ran and she did pretty well. She came in 88 of about 150. We were proud of her. After that we went to dinner with Margaret and Richard. It was good to share with them and we had a great meal at Cracker Barrel. They headed on back to their camp site then, at Portage Lake. We will see them again on Sunday with our girls and families. I plan to have soup and sandwich for them when they come.

Our Saturday was filled with more activity. A college friend of ours, Welby Foster, had passed away and the funeral was at the church. Chuck was able to go before he took off for the bus run, taking the men's soccer team to Goshen. I spent the day cleaning and getting things ready for Sunday's meal. We keep busy for sure, but are so thankful for good health and friends and family to share with. The older we get we realize how important building good relationships with friends and family is. So many have troubled marriages or trouble with relationships in their family. We have had some stressful and trying times, but nothing you would call troubled. We have had some great family times and memories.

God's handiwork during my favorite time of year, Fall.

I was reading a blog by Ruth Dennings Jackson this week. She has decided to write a book called "The Best is Yet to Come."  The essence... we tend to think that happiness lies in the past, that the future holds scary and fearful things, certainly not wonderful things. I am anxious to hear what Ruth writes. I tend to agree with her. We are living in some of the most blessed times of our lives right now. Not to say there were not great times in the past, but we never dreamed of what it would be like when our family was raised and the great blessing of living near them would be. But here we are, and every day is a new adventure and we couldn't ask for it to be any better. Yes, I know, their are more aches and pains. We try not to focus on them too much. Besides there are even people that have the same ailments, and we can talk about it, together, with them and laugh some or figure out some remedies. Last week I ran into someone that goes to the SA Field house everyday to swim. The Dr. said I need more exercise, so I may end up going swimming too. There is an instructor and they do water aerobics. Sounds like fun to me. I had a chance to encourage some people this week and that makes me happy. Fall is here, and I love the colors. God you are such a wonderful artist. Have you seen His handiwork in your neck of the woods?

God's creative art, each leaf is unique.