2012 Recap

I really like being able to look back at all the many blessings that have come my way.  2012 was a great year full of friends, family and fun.  Here is a small sample of what happened last year.

January
- I held my 3rd annual New Year's Day meal at my house.
- I went to PA once.
- I bought a new set of living room furniture.
- I went to Florida with Marlene for my birthday.

February
- I tried yoga again (very unsuccessfully).
- I went to PA once.
- I played a lot of Just Dance & spent a great deal of time with some good friends.

March
- I made pierogies with Deana.
- I went to PA once.
- I was in a car accident (not my fault).
- I went to eastern Europe with Deana, Laura & Rachel.

April
- Lalana came to visit me.
- I went to PA once.
- I went to a "Lost in the Trees" concert with Deana & Lalana.
- I started a step class.

May
- I went to New Jersey to visit my brother & his family.
- I went to PA twice.
- I went to a "Legwarmers" concert with Jami & Marlene.
- I went to the DC Greek food festival with Deana, Erin & Marlene.

June
- I attended a week of work training in West Virginia.
- I went to PA twice.
- I went to Chicago with Deana, Holly & Teresa.
- I went to another "Legwarmers" concert with Marlene & Deana.

July
- I went indoor climbing with Deana & Holly.
- I went to PA three times.
- I went to Utah to visit my sister & her family.  While there, I also got to attend Laura's wedding.

August
- I went to Kirtland, OH with Deana & Marlene.
- I went to PA twice.
- Erin came over and taught me to make scones.

September
- I installed a new faucet in a bathroom of my grandmother's house.
- I went to PA once & to the fair with my dad.
- I went to an "Owl City" concert with Deana

October
- I went to Boston with Deana.
- I went to PA once.
- Lalana came to visit me.
- I celebrated 16 years free from cancer.

November
- I started taking a kickboxing class.
- I went to PA twice.
- I went to the beach with Deana, Mandy & Marlene.
- I went to Utah to visit my sister & her family.

December
- I had to move up my 4th New Year's Day dinner.
- I went to PA three times.
- I bought a really expensive camera.
- I went on vacation to Antarctica. 

Many other "normal" days were enjoyed spending time with such good friends that fill my life. Writing all of this down helps me to know how much I'm loved.

Utah - July 2012

   

At the end of July I went to Utah with double purpose - to see my sister's munchkins and to go to Laura Hanna's wedding.

Laura was beautiful and it was fun to wear the matching dresses with the girls.

I had outings with my sister (pedicure & ice cream), my neice (craft store), and my nephew (Toys R Us).  We also went to swimming lessons (three times) and to see the Lorax movie (dollar theater). 

It is always good to see the family and it was such a fun bonus to join in Laura Hanna's joy :)

#13 White Christmas

This past weekend I spent my time in PA visiting my parents. On Saturday night we all sat down and watched White Christmas.

I may be feeling a little sappy, but the singing was magical and the dancing was even better than the last time I watched this movie. I love the romance! The men are so handsome, well dressed and charming. The women are a little silly. Who wears makeup to bed? Let alone red lipstick :)

I had such a good Christmas weekend. My mom made me a double batch of chocolate cinnamon rolls. We had steamed shrimp & potato salad for Christmas eve and ham & parsley potatoes for Christmas day. We also got to watch Amy's kids open their gifts on Skype.

I'm so grateful for the birth of Jesus Christ, and thankful that I could celebrate His birthday with my family.

Mammaw

A Great Lady

Published in York Daily Record & York Dispatch on September 9, 2011

Mary L. (Smyser) Rentzel, 86, of Spring Garden Township, died Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at York Hospital. She was the wife of the late Allen H. Rentzel. A graveside service will be 10 a.m., Monday, September 12, 2011 at Susquehanna Memorial Gardens, 250 Chestnut Hill Rd., York, with the Rev. Barry Stough officiating. A funeral cortege will form at the main entrance of the cemetery at 9:45 a.m. Heffner Funeral Chapel & Crematory, Inc., 1551 Kenneth Rd., York, is in charge of arrangements.

Born May 8, 1925 in Mundis Mills, she was the daughter of the late Henry and Laura G. (Miller) Smyser. She was employed with Doespun for several years as a cutter until her retirement. She loved the beach, cooking and making dandelion wine.

Mrs. Rentzel is survived by one son, Ron E. Rentzel and wife, Suzanne of York; one daughter, Sandy A. Lutz and husband, Nathan of Lewes, Del.; eight grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandson; one brother, Nelson Ahrens of Jacobus; two sisters, Janet Rentzel and Kathleen Tome both of York; one uncle, Raymond Miller of Carlisle; and several nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Disabled American Veterans, Attn: Gift Processing, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250.

New Jar

Today I'm finding joy in small and simple things.

Like a fresh jar of Goober Grape. I know I've talked about this product before but I just wanted to say that today it made me smile again.

Another item to note - yesterday when I was talking to my nephew on the phone, he reminded me that I need to come visit him and while I'm there I should probably take him to see a movie. I love the honesty and "straight shooting" of a four year old. Wouldn't the world be a simpler place if we could all just say what we think & how we feel?


Lastly - this past Tuesday I was able to experience my first earthquake. It was a 5.9 magnitude earthquake centered about an hour south of my home. I was working, listening to some loud Daughtry on my iPod, when I noticed that my water bottle was dancing on my desk. By the time I realized what was happening the earthquake was over.

I'm in the mood for a good disaster movie - anytime you want to come over and watch "The Day After Tomorrow" just let me know. That would make me happy too.

Pappaw

A Good Man

Taken from the York Daily Record on June 23, 2011

Allen H. Rentzel, 90, of Spring Garden Township, died Tuesday, June 21, 2011, at York Hospital. He was the husband of Mary L. (Smyser) Rentzel. The couple celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary on May 2, 2011. A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday at Susquehanna Memorial Gardens in York Township.

Funeral Cortege will form at the main gate of the cemetery at 1:45 p.m. Full military Honors will be provided by York County Veterans Honor Guard at the start of the service. The Rev. Barry Stough will be officiating at the service. Heffner Funeral Chapel & Crematory, Inc., 1551 Kenneth Road in York, is in charge of the arrangements.

Mr. Rentzel was born in Dover, on July 7, 1920, a son of the late Paul E. and Annie B. (Henry) Rentzel. He worked for many years in roofing and siding and then retired from Fincor Corporation where he worked for 16 years. He served in the 9th Armor Division in the U.S. Army in WWII. He loved fishing, camping, gardening, and metal detecting on the beach.

Along with his wife, Mr. Rentzel leaves a son, Ron E. Rentzel and his wife, Suzanne of York; a daughter, Sandy A. Lutz and her husband, Nathan of Lewes, Del.; eight grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandson; two sisters, Phyllis Livingston and Catherine Eisenhower, both of Dover; and nieces and nephews.

Memorial contributions may be made to Disabled American Veterans, Attention: Gift Processing, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250.

Food is Love

I learned a great truth from my Mamaw as a little girl. Basically is boils down to the simple statement - Food is Love. This always leads me in two different directions. One - If you love someone, you will feed them. (Whether they are hungry or not.) And two - If someone loves you, they will love the food you cook. I know if your last name isn't Rentzel you might not understand this, but trust me, it is true.

My Mamaw was born in 1925 and grew up in Glades, PA. She is a strong, giving and loving woman, rich with opinions and traditions. She is also one of the best cooks in my life. Some of my favorite dishes she makes are - Hog Maw, Chicken Cacciatore, Fried Livers & Mashed Potatoes, Red Beets w/Eggs, Potato Salad, Lemon Sponge Pie, Chocolate Cake w/Peanut Butter Icing, Chocolate Peanut Butter Easter Eggs, and Poof (Watergate Salad).

This past Christmas she kept telling me how much she liked my new shoes..... so I bought her a pair to match! She asked me if a "Grandma can wear silver shoes with sparkles?" and I replied that they can wear whatever they choose.

I love her so much and I'm so blessed to have her in my life. The silver shoes look good. Right?

Thanksgiving

I went to Utah for Thanksgiving to visit my sister and her family. It is important to note that I have been campaigning for the "favorite Aunt" title since Margaret was born almost 8 years ago. This tactic used to be easier when I lived in Colorado. I was an easy one hour flight, or 8 hour drive away & I found myself in Utah almost every two months. But now that I'm living in Virginia I have to put in alot more effort. The flight is almost 4 hours, and I would NEVER drive. I am only averaging two trips a year. Even though my time is limited - I still get a pretty good reception. I love spending time with the munchkins and I often wish I lived closer to them.

Stephen is the newest bundle of joy. He is already a year old and he is so fun! I only had two previous meetings with him, so I was worried that he would be shy. But my fears were unfounded. We had so much fun together. He is at the mimicking stage. I was so tired the third day of the trip and he was staring at me when I happened to yawn, (I may have forgotten - been too lazy - to cover my mouth) from that point on it was our new inside joke. He would open his mouth to the point of shaking - and then laugh, laugh, laugh. He loves to try and do everything the older kids are doing & he also loves to wave at himself in the mirror.

Seth is almost four and he is growing up soooo fast. We had an outing together and he is so cute and convincing that he suckered me in without much of a fight. We ended up at the grocery store - where he talked me into using the "car" cart. I wanted to buy him a gift - so he settled on a puzzle box. We also decided together that we needed some sugared cereal and some pretzels.



Margaret - Well it is crazy to me that she is almost eight. The two of us went out one evening. We started at the craft store - where I offered to buy her whatever craft project she wanted. We walked around the store at least 4 to 5 times. Sometimes it is hard to make a decision. We talked about what she would like and came up with the brilliant idea of her own "chapter" book. They didn't have what she wanted at the craft store - so we ended up at another store where we bought a journal. The lined pages & fancy cover equaled the perfect start to her masterpiece. One last stop at an office supply store to buy an erasable pen because, and I quote Margaret, "I would really like one. I know they exist. A girl at school has one."

Margaret, Seth & I also went to see a movie. It was a good adventure. We all sat still, watched the movie and made it back to the house without injury. Although later, when asked, Seth said it was a little scary.

I love my sister - she is one of my very best friends, and to top it off she has three amazing kids (and a pretty cool husband). Thanks for everything Amy!

Dad

Recently I had a "Day of Fun" with my Dad. I planned the whole day about a month ahead, but I wouldn't tell him what we were going to do. I don't believe that he is often free to have a day without responsibility and I was SOOooooo excited to be able to surprise him.

We started the day with a fly fishing lesson from this guy. My dad has confessed in the past to wanting to learn and I tucked that info away for just this kind of day. All the equipment was provided so all we had to do was show up. We each caught one fish (mine was bigger) and I also ended up "catching" my face. Yikes! Good thing Rob was using barb-free hooks.

After lunch here - we then went to the shooting range for a little target practice. It was my first time shooting a handgun and I was honestly a little nervous at first, but I ended up liking it. We each had our own target and my Dad was tons better than me.

My Dad admitted to having a great day and I had so much fun trying new things, especially with one of my best friends. I love you Dad!

PS - I bought both of these fun activites from this web site. I'm addicted.