SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23RD, 2011.....

Gorgeously beautiful FALL DAY here in Mt. Airy, North Carolina!  We started our day off by attending the Mt. Airy Ward about a 2 minute drive from our Hampton Inn Hotel on 601.  If the stop lights had all been GREEN we could have probably made it in about 1 minute!

We attended Sacrament Meeting only (which started at 9:30 a.m.) so we could work our way to Francisco to the GOINS FAMILY REUNION!  I wanted to go by the church cemetery on 89 on the way.  Just because......I am standing at the graves of my great-grandparents John H Jones and Susan E. Dean who were the first to join the church in 1872!  Almost 140 years ago!!!  That is quite the milestone I think.  This is my mother's grandparents.

 It was on to Franklin for the Goins Reunion......Wayne and I, with Polly McNeill's help, got the GOINS FAMILY CHART put up and the cousins started flocking around to find their names and check out their information.

 Wayne set his computer up and gathered more family information.  These cousins just LOVE this stuff!!!

 I even got to show off some of our pictures from Finland on my iPad!  They loved seeing the pictures.

 Polly McNeill is on my right and we were talking to a couple of other cousins.  Polly is the only other member of the church in the Goins line at this point.  She is just a cutie-pie!!

 After the reunion we drove down to PILOT MOUNTAIN.  Wayne couldn't remember driving to the top so we decided to do that since we still had some daylight.

 At one of the overlooks I got a good shot of the PEAK in the background.

 Wayne climbed on up to the top of the lower ridge so he could get a better picture.  I didn't climb there because I had gone there before and knew it was a bit of a hike up.  I was still in my Sunday clothes with my Sunday shoes on.....not a good combination for that hike!

 We decided we wanted to walk down MAIN STREET in Mt. Airy.....just to walk and look in the shop windows.  There were other folks out doing the same thing.  A great night for a walk.  Last weekend was AUTUMN LEAVES FESTIVAL and a lot of decorations were still up and the place was looking very festive!  AAAHHHH.....love this great town.

 They have a great POSTER this year too.......

 Looking north on Main Street.

 As it was getting dark and a little chilly, we headed back to the hotel.....love these flowers lining the walkway into the entrance.

Tomorrow......a little FATBACK, GROUND STEAK & SLAW, SAUSAGE AND LIVERPUDDIN shopping as we head back home!  It has been a great weekend!

IMPROMPTU

MARION REUNION

We had not seen Sharon or Faye in probably about 3 years so we made arrangements to get together for dinner at a local restaurant in Mt. Airy, N.C. so we could 'catch up' on lots of family things!  What a great couple of hours it was......we ate, sat and talked and just 'remembered' the good old days!  We decided we would have to do this every year when we come down for the Goins Reunion weekend!

 Us girls talked about our mother's and the good times they had living across the street from each other in their last years....talked about Annie Gay and Mel and Denise and Wendell and Carol and John Lee and Betty.....and all of our wonderful cousins!  Wish we could have a GREAT BIG OLE REUNION with all of them!  Wayne and Ronnie talked....well, whatever they talked about.  They seemed to have a good time too.  Lester was sick in bed and missed it all.  We missed having him there too.

What a great evening it was.....just talking and hanging!!  Left to right:  Me (Vicki), Sharon and Faye.  We will have to 'grow' the reunion for next years event??!!!  That would be great.

FAMILY REUNION

IN

MT. AIRY, NORTH CAROLINA

this weekend....

This would be the GOINS FAMILY REUNION.....my father's mother's side of the family.  We, of course, have not been to a reunion in the past two years with our being on a full-time mission serving in Finland.

It feels good to be back in  m HOME STATE!

 We stopped at the B & B PRODUCE STORE at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains and just before we crossed the Virginia / North Carolina border.  We always stop here to stock up on supplies like FATBACK, VANILLA FLAVORING, FRIED APPLE PIES....you know, the staples of life!

 Here are those DELICIOUS FRIED APPLE PIES right by the cashier!

 The leaves are at their PEAK of turning into those brilliant FALL COLORS this weekend.

It is going to be a great reunion weekend!

SORRY.....

I just had to add this picture.  This is a better view of the CURTAINS FROM FINLAND given to us by Sisar Multämakki.  I just love them and was anxious to get them hung in our newly remodeled kitchen!

She was sooooo sweet to give them to us!  Bless her little (or should I say BIG) heart!

Yet

ANOTHER BUSY WEEK

and it is only Wednesday.....

Our dear friends, Joe and Ginny Lambdin....Elder and Sister Lambdin now.....entered the MTC in Provo on Monday.  What a great event to have them there and headed to the Houston Texas Mission to be an office missionary couple in just 2 weeks.  They will be great and are super excited to be going there!

 On Sunday, October 16th we had our FIRST OFFICIAL FAMILY DINNER in our newly renovated kitchen.  Oh, it was so much fun.  I prepared bar-b-que ribs with whole kernel corn and cornbread 'sticks' along with mac and cheese and corn dogs for the grandkids.  I gave Tina and Elinn a break and I fixed all of the food myself.....except Tina brought a Red Velvet Birthday cake for Spencer and Jonathan (and me).

 This is a picture of my new KALEVALA NECKLACE from Finland that Sisar Multämakki sent me.  She is just the sweetest.  Hanging in the background are the lace kitchen curtains that she also gave me......a bit of Finland hanging right in my new kitchen!

 Wayne was able to get all of the flowers planted in the planters on the deck railing!  They look soooooo pretty.....KIITOS PALJON!

 Can't believe our oldest grandson, Tyler, is a Senior in High School this year.  He was recognized at the last home soccer game at Urbana High School last night......Senior Night......great poster that Jonathan made for him!!!

 And there was recognition before the game started as well.....far left are Tina, Tyler and Jonathan along with the other senior players.

 Jonathan helped out in the concession stand for a little bit.

 In our NCFA office today we decided to have a GIRLS FOTO......Wayne got all of us together and I think it turned out pretty well!!!  Left to right:  Lauren, Janelle, Me (Vicki), Rebekah (Bekah), Adria, Megan and Stacy.  We have a lot of fun working together.

 As we drove home tonight the FOG was rolling in......as shown by the 'disappearing' of the top of the Washington Monument!  It was pretty......

 I think this must be PEEK for the fall leaves....oh, so pretty.

 Got to love that GRIDLOCK rush hour we deal with every single day!!!  4 hours is just too long commuting every day......love our work but don't love our traffic!!!!

And the week marches on......Goins Reunion this coming weekend in Mt. Airy, North Carolina.  It will be fun to see everyone again after being gone for the last 2 years.

WOWSIE.....DOWSIE.....

WHAT A WEEK IT HAS BEEN!!!

On Saturday, October 8th we headed to the OLD Washington D.C. Ward Chapel building (which is now owned by the Unitarian Church) to have a look around to see what it currently looks like!  They allowed us to be able to do that and they were very kind in doing so.  

 We had a little GROUP FOTO taken on the front steps.  These were the doors we would so often enter by, and sometimes the smaller door on the side of the building.

 The building was certainly was in a more deteriorated state than we had remembered it to be.  And when we were meeting there as a Singles Ward, there was an ANGEL MORONI on top!!  It is now in a museum in Salt Lake City!

 Above is the brand NEW church being built also on 16th Street but toward the Maryland border about a mile or so from the OLD building.  After our tour we had a reunion DINNER at the Arlington Ward Chapel.  This is the building where Wayne grew up in the church.  It hasn't changed much at all!!

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9TH was another reunion of sorts.....

the ALLGAIER - LAMBDIN reunion!!!  It has been so many years that we have been good friends with Joe and Ginny.....about 35 plus years.  It all began in the Brunswick Branch when they were less-active and Wayne and I were their Home / Visiting Teachers.  Well, now they are going on a MISSION!!!  Yes, that is right.....and 2 of their 3 children have served on missions!!!

 Here is a little FAMILY FOTO after our dinner on Jonathan and Tina's deck!!!  What a great group!

OCTOBER 10TH.....CHINA DELEGATION WEEK AT NCFA OFFICE!!!

I have been helping to organize this 20-member delegation of Chinese Government Officials for several months now.  They all work in the Child Welfare Department.  They are indeed very influential in making decisions as to whether or not children from China can be adopted by American families.  Very, very important event!!!

These are our name tags with the Chinese letters as well as English.  Cool, huh!!

They arrived in the USA on Monday OCTOBER 10TH..  late in the evening.

On Tuesday morning we headed out to MT. VERNON to show them a little history before hitting the 'big stuff'!!  They are all such great people.  Only a couple speak a little English!  We have learned to use our sign language well from our Finland days.

It was then on to the U.S. CAPITAL.  Another group shot.  They seemed very impressed.....even with their jet lag going on.

After going to Senator Hatch's office and a tour of the Capital we had a scheduled meeting with SENATOR MARY LANDRIEU, Alabama.  She is a great supporter of Adoption and we had a great meeting with her.  And after the meeting, another picture!!  Of course.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12TH.......YES, my birthday!!!  It was a very special birthday at that because of being with this great delegation.  When we got on the bus on Wednesday morning they all sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me in Chinese!!  That was so cool!!!

We had a tour of the WHITE HOUSE.......last year Estonia, this year the White House.  What can I do to top that next year!!  Even the Secret Service who checked my ID at one of the Security Checkpoints wished me a Happy Birthday!

After the White House it was lunch at MCCORMICK AND SCHMICK!!!  In downtown D.C.  And yet, another birthday surprise at dessert time.....and another round of Chinese Happy Birthday!  I feel so special....

After lunch it was off to the CHINESE EMBASSY for another meeting.  We waited on the bus for them this time.....private meeting for just the delegation.

After the Embassy Wayne and I parted with the delegation so we could join Lu and Steven Duke (good friends from our Ward) for Dinner at CARLYLE'S in Arlington, Va.  It was also Steve's birthday so we had decided to celebrate together.......and after dinner it was off to the KENNEDY CENTER for a LesMiserables play.  It was fantastic.  It was the 'new' version.  We had seen the 'old' version about 5 or 6 times and loved it.  One of our favorites.  We liked this one too....just a little different.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13TH......it was time to get the delegation on the airplane and head them to Alabama....they will be visiting 6 states over the next two weeks.  Our President and CEO, Chuck Johnson, will be traveling with them.  MRS. CHU is the Delegation Leader and a very, VERY high Government official.  She wanted to have her picture taken with me and the flowers we gave her in her hotel room.  She is so sweet!!

And back to the office where I had basically forgotten about my birthday yesterday!  BUT....those gals in the office are great...they had a BIRTHDAY BANNER waiting for me over our office door!

Janelle said there was an 'emergency' in the conference room.....the delegation had left some things the night before when they were there attending a little reception!  Well, they sure fooled me!!!  Those little sneaky people in the office.  They surprised me with yet another little birthday surprise of shrimp, cheese and crackers and ice cream......

 I just can't believe what a great birthday I have had.  So many FUN....FUN.....FUN things.  And to top it off, Becky (our Becky Higgins daughter) put a HUGE birthday greeting and write-up about me on her blog!  There were over 150 birthday greetings from her some of her fans!  They are the sweetest people.  I was so touched and it definitely brought tears to my eyes!

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14TH.....back to work at the temple.  It has been several weeks since we have been there because of a medical conference we attended last week for Wayne in Lancaster, PA and it was nice to be back.  On the drive down this morning the traffic was painfully S - L - O - W!!!!  Rainy weather always makes the traffic go slow.  Probably a good thing.

Couldn't resist this.  A school bus field trip from Waynesboro, PA headed to D.C. no doubt!  Cute kids....What a great, GREAT week this has been.  We LOVE our work at NCFA and I love all of my family and friends for making my birthday so special.