Ellie's Quilt

The long promised pictures are here!
When I finished Ellie's quilt this summer I was also in the middle of packing up my apartment and fighting with the internet company over whether I had the right to internet that I had already paid for or not.
But the quilt somehow still managed to come together. There is always more that I want to do to my quilts, but they all look fine just as they are too. I'm fairly pleased with the way this one turned out. The flow of the flowers and yet the distinct squares created an interesting feel. It was fun to use materials from Ellie's old clothes and even some swatches from dresses I had made for the girls years ago. There are even squares that match the quilt that was given to me a year and a half ago.
Ellie, for her part, was delighted to have her blanket. She was thrilled that it was small (it turned out several inches smaller than I had originally planned, hopefully she'll grow up to be petite) and was happy with the colors and patterns on it. Always nice when you give someone a gift and they actually like it. ;)

Ohio...Pennsylvania...Ohio...Virginia...Ohio...

And soon...Minneapolis, Minnesota!
Further up and further in.

Maybe I should write a book: My Life in a Suitcase.
Maybe I shouldn't try to write on my blog before 8am.

But heck! there are too many maybe's in life to take advantage of them all. So, here I am. In all my glory. And having just learned how to decrease my chances for colon cancer from my nurse sister (she's studying for her master's so these important tidbits are fresh in her mind). And no, I'm not willing to share that with you. Not at this hour of the morning. Go have your coffee first. Obviously mine hasn't sunk in yet.

Okay, back to reality.
I am in Virginia right now. Visiting my oldest sister, Sarah, and her husband Bill for a few days. Then it is back to Ohio then to PA for a women's retreat (which I was just informed that I get to share/be interviewed briefly at), then Ohio and then the great trek out West begins. Sometime early next week I will begin my drive up to MN. I'm planning on taking a few days so that I can visit friends on the way.
After spending a week or ten days in various spots in MN, I'll drive up north into Canada. I'll probably head through Sask. into Alberta where I'll visit some more friends. And from there I'll begin the last leg of my journey down through WA and into Oregon. I'm looking forward to getting to Oregon. I'm looking forward to seeing lots of people along the way too, but the lure of not living out of a suitcase pulls strongly. Thankfully, I got a chance to bake yesterday and will get to again today, so that has helped relieve some of my baking withdrawals. But ya, living out of my car (which I recently described to someone as a big purse that you can live in--and it's true! It fits all the things that you always wanted to put into a purse but could never be bothered to carry--and the baby bassinet too.) is already getting old.

For fun

Some friends cut this out of their local paper and gave it to me in the middle of all my driver's license shenanigans. You probably need to enlarge it to get the full impact. :D

I'm not out my roommate's house. It is great to be here for a few days. My schedule only picks up from this point on out. After this, I'll be back in Ohio for a couple of days and then down to Virginia to visit my sister and her husband, then back to Ohio, then on to PA for a women's retreat and back to Ohio again. This is all within the next two weeks.
After that I begin heading out west. I figure I should end up in Oregon by the middle of October. Lots of people to visit on the way. Still ironing out my schedule for that trip. It'll be a lot of 1-2 days here or there and then moving on to the next spot for a few days. I am looking forward to seeing all my friends again, but do wish that I could do it over a longer period of time so that I could savor each visit rather than having to rush on to the next. On the other hand, I am just thankful that I get to see them all!
I would appreciate prayers for safety on the road as I drive the next couple thousand miles over the next six weeks. And energy and alertness. I don't think I can live on coffee forever. ;)

Freedom!

I got my driver's license today! Yeah! I passed, I passed! Makes me feel like a real adult.
After last week, I was fairly nervous today, but had practiced the maneuverability a lot and passed fine. I don't know why I wasn't able to pass last week, but I guess God knows. I was close, oh so close! But this way, I got to meet a bunch of people who I might not have otherwise--and I'll forever go down in their minds at the girl who didn't have her driver's license. Next time I come back to this area I'll probably be identified that way too. "Esther who? Oh! Learner's permit girl!" :D
I have to say though that everyone who has taken care of me during the past two weeks has been VERY gracious and kind. I have been well cared for and chauffeured and involved in many activities that I would not otherwise have been involved in. So praise the Lord for that and for getting my car fixed last week!