On Duty

I am at my parents house on pet and plant duty. I came over this morning during sunday school hour to let Maddy out since mom and dad left so early and I did not know what time I'd get home from second service. It was tempting to not go back for 11:15 service. I need to run around tomorrow...and every other day, to water all the plants.

Tomorrow I have to take Maddy to the groomers. Sure wish they could brush her teeth! This dog's breath smells horrible, like garbage. Stinky! Lucy, their cat, is pretty low maintenance. Give her food, water and open the garage door for her in the morning and close her in at night with her treat. Sometimes she comes in the house. She enjoys curling up on the green chair in the living room. The white couch is OFF LIMITS to both pets!

I have other errands to run tomorrow for both mom and for me. At some point, I need to run by my house to take care of my baby and make sure Allie has food and water.

The Day From....

Today has been rather stressful...at least some of it. Around noon, I went to the bank. When she asked for my ID, I realized my ID holder with my life in it suddenly disappeared. I thought I dropped it behind the counter. I asked the teller to look for it, she didn't see it. I looked in my car, in my purse and all over. Oh the stress! It contained my license and other critical items like my bank card. Houston, we have a BIG BIG problem! I cancelled my bank card. I traveled to the DMV in Ladson and shelled out ten bucks for a replacement license. Amazingly, I was there less than an hour. I got home around 3:30. Shortly thereafter, I received a call from the bank. A customer found my ID holder and its contents behind the sign on the counter next to the teller. I didn't even notice the sign when I was there and it certainly didn't occur me to look there. Needless to say, I headed back to the bank to retrieve it. WHEW! What a relief!!! I felt better but was still feeling the stress of the situation. I told mom and a few of my friends that I didn't know if I needed a drink or a double dose of Prozac. Decided on the drink. Mom fixed us strawberry margaritas. YUM!

I'm hoping for a good weekend!

Taking Care of Business

This week is almost over! I am trying to get some household things done. You know, those fun chores like vacuuming and dusting. I will be on "pet patrol" while my parents are on their cruise. My duties will also include watering a LOT of plants! Of course, if it keeps raining like it has been, Mother Nature will take care of that for me!

Some other "business" I have to attend to is preparing for our young womens circle meeting on Sunday night. I want to find a devotion to share at the beginning of the meeting. We will need to decide who is bringing what for the reception on June 7th when our new associate pastor is installed. Our group is in charge of bringing coffee, creamer, sugar, etc. My other circle meets next Tuesday night. I will need to contact some of our members to remind them of the meeting. We also have coffee hour this Sunday. I already have those little white powdered sugar doughnuts that the little kids love so much!

Sunday will be a BUSY day! Since it is Pentecost, we have to sing at both services. Honestly not something I am looking forward to!!! Makes for a very long morning! We are singing "Worthy is the Lamb" and "In Remembrance of Me." Our director also has a few of us playing bells during the refrain on the psalm. Our circle meeting is at 6:00. I hope to already have everything prepared on Saturday. I will have enough to do with church and taking care of stuff between here and my parents house.

Busy Tuesdays

Tuesdays are often my busiest day during the week. Sometimes I have appointments or just errands to run in the morning. In the afternoon, I work in the church office. I often have something going on at night...womens circle, bunko, book club, etc. This morning I am going to get allergy shots. I've been doing this for several years. I see Dr. Finn, his office is in North Charleston. They have taken very good care of me! I am allergic to dust, pollen and cats. Yeah, I know, I have a cat. I'd been getting allergy injections for a few years when I decided to get her and asked the allergist before I even looked. He said it would be ok since I had been on maintenance for a while and as long as I continue the shots. After receiving injections, I have to wait in the office for half an hour in case I have a reaction. I try to bring a book with me and the thirty minutes goes by very quickly when I am reading! This morning I also need to head to the library to return a book and look for City of Thieves. I hope the large print edition is still available.
Tonight my other book club is meeting. We are discussing Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. There are two stories going on in this book but the primary focus is set during WWII. A young girl named Sarah and her family are taken by the police and they end up in a concentration camp. Before they leave, Sarah locks her brother in their secret hiding place and promises to come back to get him. She keeps the key very close to her. It is some time before she can get back to him and you can probably imagine the end result. It is a good book but a heartbreaking story.

My grandma...

My dad is coming home from Ohio today after being with his mother for a few days. Grandma had a heart attack a week ago this past Saturday. Very scary at any age but especially at 85. She has been at Lutheran Hospital in Indiana. They performed a Heart Catherization last week. Grandma seems to be doing better and for that, I am grateful. I hope she will continue to improve, gain strength and try to eat more. Prior to entering the hospital, she has been at "The Gardens", an assisted living facility in northwest Ohio. With her many health concerns, grandma knew she did not need to be living alone. We have other relatives in the area as well...my aunt, cousins and their families. Grandma celebrated her 85th birthday on April 17th. Mom and Dad were up there to help her celebrate and to also get her permanently moved into The Gardens.

Grandma Z is the only grandparent I have left. She has always been very special to me. I am the oldest grandchild. Grandma has always been a role model for me. She has always done for others. When she was able, she was very involved in church. She took friends to their appointments or picked them up for church.

This picture was taken back in April...this is my dad, Grandma Z, and Aunt Lisa.

Adventures with Allie

I love my sweet little cat. She likes to "help" her mommy make up the bed. I was putting the quilt on my bed and she stayed in the middle. All I could see was a little lump. Silly girl. Then she wiggled up to the top and her head was poking out. Allie is such a wonderful little companion. She really has a sweet little meow. Until I take her to the vet and she starts sounding agitated and distressed and the fur is flying. She doesn't much like it when I pick her up either. I get the protest meow..."Noooooo, don't pick me up." She tells me when her bowl is empty. She meows at me if I fix cereal or am drinking milk, she wants me to share. If I open something like a can of soup that has a pop top, she starts meowing, thinking she's getting a treat. I got a picture of her "helping" me today.






Allie is a shy girl. She runs upstairs when someone comes over. She has to know it's safe before she'll come back down. Allie does not like the vacuum cleaner either. She hides under the round table or under a bed. I went upstairs earlier and found her under the bed. Don't know what she was hiding from. Tried to lure her out. No luck!

Just a typical Sunday

Today our choir sang at the late service which begins at 11:15. I really prefer the 8:30 service. We sing at early service the first two Sundays of the month and the late service the third and fourth Sundays. When there is a fifth Sunday, Tom decides which service. However, this month the fifth Sunday is Pentecost, a festival service. This means double duty for the choir. And double duty means a long morning...singing for both 8:30 and 11:15 services. When I serve as the Assisting Minister, I often serve at both.
Today was a relatively normal day. I arrived at church early to bring muffins for coffee hour. I have been on the Relay for Life team for at least five years. There are several of us on the church team. It was our turn to host coffee hour. Next week one of my womens circle groups will host.
Our anthem for today was "Lord of the Dance." We have sung this numerous times in the past but Tom found another arrangement that we do not like as well. Instead of the men singing or having a tenor/bass soloist, the men spoke one of the verses, they were supposed to speak slowly and in a "spooky" voice..." I danced on a Friday when the sky turned BLACK...it's hard to dance with the devil on your back...they buried my body and they thought I'd gone....BUT...I am the dance and I still go on." As we've been rehearsing this anthem, I've heard people ask if we were going to sing it for Halloween. Luckily, the drama and "spookiness" was really toned down. My mom sings in the choir too and she wondered if/how we'd do this with a straight face. I didn't hear any negative comments on the anthem from the congregation. In fact, I heard a lot of positive comments. You just never know.

Book Clubs

Good Morning! As I mentioned in a previous post, I am in two book clubs. One of them is meeting this morning. Both groups consist of members from our church. Some of us are in both groups. Today we will discuss Loving Frank by Nancy Horan. This is a fictional story about a woman who has an affair with Frank Lloyd Wright. The book also talks about women's rights. My biggest problem with the book is that the print in the paperback edition is TOO SMALL! In addition to discussing today's selection, we will also choose a book for next time.
One of my favorite authors is Dorothea Benton Frank. She has written Sullivan's Island, Isle of Palms, Shem Creek, Pawley's Island, etc. The last two I mentioned are probably my favorite. It's neat to read a book and recognize landmarks where you have been. Our womens group at church travels to Litchfield Beach every year for our retreat. Just before we get to the inn, there is a place on the corner called "The Eggs Up Grill." In Pawley's Island she mentions that restaurant. Another favorite author is Jodi Picoult. Her book My Sister's Keeper is coming out as a movie at the end of June. I loved the book so I will definitely want to see the movie! I recently read Handle With Care. The story is somewhat similar to My Sister's Keeper.

Had a good discussion at book club on Loving Frank. We looked at best seller lists and decided to read City of Thieves by David Benioff for next time. I already looked on our library's website and I am thankful they have it in large print!

More about Amy

Ok, so I've introduced you to my family. Now I want to tell you more about me. I am very involved in my church. I sing in the choir and often serve as Assisting Minister. That is often nervewracking but it's also an awesome experience. I love assisting with communion and working closely with the pastors. I'm involved in womens groups. Actually, I am the co-leader of our New Song circle which consists of young women. I also volunteer one day a week in our church office. I'm involved in two book clubs so I certainly enjoy reading. Once a month I play bunko with a group of women, mostly church members. It is great fun!

I love music and singing. I have sung in choirs for years. I did the band thing in middle school and high school but I'd rather play than sing. I played handbells at church and still fill in when needed. I studied voice for five years....two years in high school and three years in college. If I could afford it, I'd go back and take lessons again. We have a great choir director who is very professional. Tom has brought some wonderful music to our church.

Here is a picture of my beautiful baby girl, Allie...short for Allegra.

Introducing...

Good Afternoon! For those who don't know me, my name is Amy. I am a native of South Carolina. My family and I have lived in Summerville for fifteen years. Before that, we lived in Walterboro, about 30 miles from here. I grew up there but was actually born in Spartanburg. I live close to my immediate family which includes my parents, brother and sister-in-law and two adorable nieces. You will hear me talk a lot about my family and about my church, St Luke. This is my family and I on Easter Sunday.

Both my parents are from northwest Ohio. We still have family living there. Mom and Dad will celebrate their 40th anniversary on June 14th! They are celebrating by going on an Alaskan cruise. Mom is a retired high school Art teacher. She was also the Yearbook advisor for many years. She is currently working at Sarah's View. It is an awesome gift shop in Summerville. Dad is an an engineer who works for the electric company in Charleston. He has worked for the company for over thirty years.

My brother's name is Matt. He works for an environmental consulting firm in Summerville. My sister-in-law Janet is from Aiken. She teaches 1st grade at a private school here in Summerville. My niece McKenna is six and will start first grade in the fall. Megan is three and a half, she will be four in July. Here is another picture of some of the Zielke girls from Easter.