We got up this morning, hopped in the van and ran down to some little cafe somewhere for breakfast. (Don't ask--I haven't a clue where we were. I never do when we're in Pennsylvania!) Then we headed toward Belleville. We stopped somewhere along the way at an Amish homestead to buy some fresh peaches. Very fresh. Half of the family was still picking peaches in the orchard while the others were selling what had already been picked. I haven't tried any of them yet, but they smell delicious! Last year (or was it 2 years ago?) we bought some peaches from some Amish folks up here and they were hands-down the best fruit I had ever had--sooooo sweet and just melted in your mouth. Yum! We'll be able to take some of these ones down to Mom & Dad's house and we're hoping they'll make the trip and still be good.

Belleville was fun, as always. I refer to it as the "Amish market," but that's not exactly accurate. Lots of folks of all sorts go and set up booths there (flee market style), but several of them are, indeed, Amish and there is lots of fresh produce and the like. Then there are the scruffy guys in tie-dye t-shirts puffing on cigarettes--obviously not Amish--selling anything and everything. Joe & Sam made out with some more toy weapons (just what we need!), a cop set for Joe and an Army guy set for Sam. Katie came away with a pink hat, then later on at a country store on top of a grocery store (for real--there's a little grocery store with a "balcony" that is filled with Aunt-Sue-like country decor and such) she found an apron with slots for crayons and a notepad. Naturally, Grandma insisted on buying it for her. James found a belt at the market for $5 and I picked up some fresh honey. We bought a jar there last year that was fantastic and we've just about made it to the end, so I thought we should get another one. Did you know there are different flavors of honey?! I mean, the honey tastes different according to what flowers the bees feed on. Crazy, hu?! They had several different kinds, ranging from Clover (which I have, indeed, heard of before--but that was the only one!) to Blueberry to Goldenrod and all sorts of things. I tasted the Orange Blossom and the Wildflower and was amazed at the difference. We went for the Wildflower. It is a much darker honey and I just liked the flavor better. Believe it or not, the Orange Blossom one actually tasted sort of citrus-y! (Maybe it was just in my head?!) Anyway...

We saw lots of Amish folk and I took several pictures, but you have to be careful about that sort of thing because they're so weird about pictures. Most Amish people won't let you take their picture at all, some of them thinking that you will "steal their soul" if you do. We, of course, know that to be hogwash, so I snapped some pictures anyway! But I don't want to make them uncomfortable or offend them, so I tried to be discreet. I did most of my shooting from the hip. ;-) Unfortunately, the dial-up connection here is way too slow to bother with trying to post pictures. They'll just have to wait.

We got back this afternoon, then James and I ran over to "Aunt Barb's" house for James to try on the suit pants she had hemmed for him. We had a nice visit with her, then came back to the house to find "Aunt Mary" here for a visit. The kids spent most of the day with their Grandpa Norman outside. They played on the plastic "fort" (everything is a fort to my boys--more specifically, everything is the Alamo!) and the swingset and they rode the tricycle and other wheeled toys down the driveway over and over again. We all hopped in the truck and drove "up back" to where the barn is and Grandpa took each of the kids for a ride on the tractor, which they love. They had a picnic outside tonight, too. What a day! They were so filthy and smelly--they had to have showers before bed! They were out in no time. They had a late night last night, an early morning and a very long, full day with no naps. They've been having so much fun.

I'm not sure what's on the agenda for tomorrow. Time will tell. I'm starting to get really excited about the Assembly and am hoping to find some more "alone" time to pray and read and such in preparation. I was able to find some extra time for that today and it was so nice. I want to be ready when I get there, not just walk in distracted from "vacation" time, you know?! Anyway, that's all for tonight!

~Becki~