MrsDrPoe: The Weary Travelers' Pit Stop in Atlanta

On their way home last week, Mama and Papa Wolgemuth, Mr. Wolgemuth, and Ms. Veit (my cousin) stopped by our place for a brief visit. We relaxed for a bit watching Monk:


After a nice dinner, we watched "the owl movie" and played a rousing game of Mad Gab. The guys beat the girls, but we were pretty close. The next morning, the Poe Barber Shop opened up because Papa Wolgemuth was getting a bit shaggy:


Mama Poe wanted to take Sascha home with her, so she tried to get a little sneaky while packing:


On their way out of town, we stopped for lunch at Fabiano's Pizzeria. The restaurant was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives for their Jamaican Jerk chili- I got some to try. It was pretty good, but I preferred the pizza:


We enjoyed the visit, and, although it was short, it was a lot of fun!

MrsDrPoe: Visit to Pennsylvania

Last week after my visit to Raleigh, I continued northward to the great state of Pennsylvania to see more family. It was the first time that Mama and Papa Wolgemuth, Mr. Wolgemuth, Mrs. Luke and I made the trip together in five years:


Our first stop in the state was a grocery store- Stauffers of Kissel Hill. As soon as we walked in the store, we saw Pellman's cheesecakes, which is a company started by some of our extended family. We picked up an Apple Bavarian Cheesecake (it was fabulous!) and a bag of Gibbles chips (Papa Wolgemuth's favorite brand):


During our trek, we got a flat. After Papa Wolgemuth and Mr. Wolgemuth put on the doughnut, we traveled to Mr. Tire to get new rear tires. The service and price were excellent, and we would highly recommend them:


After that hiccup, we visited the (approximate) former homes of two sets of my great grandparents:


We ended up at my aunt and uncle's house (Mr. T. Wolgemuth and Mrs. R. Wolgemuth). They fed us some fantastic subs, and we had some great conversation, which ended with plans to go to a small diner early the next morning based on a two-year-old tip that a cousin of theirs frequented the restaurant for breakfast. We didn't find the cousin, but we ate some tasty food:


Following breakfast, we bid the Wolgemuths farewell and headed to Grandmama and Grandpapa Wolgemuth's house. We have several traditional activities we partake in every time we visit. The first is a grand hike in the woods. This year we saw several trees that had been attacked by woodpeckers. We also passed by the shale pit, beautiful views, a field full of black eyed susans, and some apples growing in the orchard that Grandmama Wolgemuth makes apple sauce with:




Sometimes we get a little crazy when we get out in the fresh mountain air:


We also enjoy swinging in their South American hammock and playing ping pong:



We read Calvin and Hobbs and The Monster Stick, look at some Magic Eye puzzles, and listen to some CW McCall too:


We Wolgemuths like our food; therefore, it only makes sense that we have PA culinary traditions as well. While we were shopping with one of my aunts, Ms. Lowry, we stopped at Gardners' candy store in the Nittany Mall to pick up some of their famous peanut butter meltaways. We always stop by the Penn State creamery on campus for a cone, and we try to pick up a grilled sticky too:


This year we were only able to visit two of our cousins and their families, but it was a very enjoyable visit over dinner and basketball. One of my second cousins, Ms. Veit, is a pretty fantastic player:


At the end of our trip, Mrs. Luke and I flew home to our hubbys:


It was a great mini vacation, and I'm so glad that we were able to go!

MrsDrPoe: The Lukes

For this installment of Poes' Pals, I'm cheating in that these friends are also family. Please meet...the Lukes:


Mrs. Luke is my younger sister, so obviously I've known her my entire life. I've known Mr. Luke for many, many years as well, since before they started dating. The Lukes and I went on many a band trip together in high school, and our friendship continued to grow when we all entered into various engineering programs at Mississippi State. When Mr. Poe joined the party, the four of us worked together as members of a co-ed honor fraternity, and we occasionally went out on double dates. I also worked with Mr. Luke for several years and lived with Mrs. Luke and Mr. Fargus for a while at school.

Mr. Fargus is an Australian shepherd mix. He acts like a grumpy old man, except when his Mommy's around. He loves to go on walks and to eat doggie ice cream (blueberry vanilla is his favorite flavor). He also enjoys taking up the majority of the bed or couch or whatever he may be sitting on, and he hates when people mess with his tail. He's a good boy, and he looks out for his Mom.

The human Lukes are great people. We love their company and enjoy hanging out with them very much. Mrs. Luke is one of the most intelligent and hard working people that I know. She graduated with a 4.0 in Biological Engineering at MSU and is currently working on her DVM. Mr. Luke is also super intelligent and an extremely genuine person. He is currently working on his masters in material science. They work wonderfully together and compliment each other nicely.

On January 1, 2011 and after 6.5 years of dating, the Lukes were wed in North Carolina. Mr. Poe and I were very thankful to be part of the beautiful ceremony. It's hard not living right across town from them like we did when we were all undergraduates, but we definitely enjoy getting to see them whenever we can!

MrsDrPoe: Spiritual Summer Challenges Update

Good morning all! To start this Theology Thursday off, I'd like to update you on our progress with the family mission statement and summer Bible reading challenges I discussed a few weeks ago. The reading is going well; I've adapted one of the plans for myself, and it was worked out great thus far. Mr. Poe and I have also finished our family mission statement! Grammatically, it's a bit simplistic, but I love the symmetry:

We are the Poes.

We serve the Lord, Jehovah.
We serve our neighbors.
We serve each other.

As Poes we multiply words,
but we prefer numbers.

We are growing.
We are content.
We are blessed.

We are the Poes.

Have you accepted the challenges? How are you progressing?

MrsDrPoe: Family Mission Statement

This Theology Thursday, I keep throwing down the gauntlet. You guessed it- I have another challenge for you! But first, a riddle:

He could not see, but he knew what he would be...what did he have though he didn't?

...vision! Goals are what drive us all to do what we do. The apostle Paul had one: "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" Phil 3:14, and it was this goal that caused him to serve and teach others while giving up personal freedoms and enduring persecutions. Last night was the final class on the fruit of the spirit in marriage, and in class we discussed the benefits of creating a vision for our marriage, a vision for our families and/or a vision for ourselves and how we could create this vision through a family mission statement.

Mr. Maxson states that, "A personal or a family mission statement gives you a map, a compass, and a rudder. Like a map, it lets you know where you want to go. Like a compass, it gives you a sense of where due north is. Like a rudder, it gives you a sense of control over where your life is heading." Basically, we make a statement that defines who we want to be and how we want to relate to God and our neighbors, and even though we may not always be the person in our statement, we have a tool to help us get back on course to being that person.

The process of developing this statement involves brainstorming about various considerations (principles that govern our behavior, how will we serve others, our ultimate goal, etc.), and summarizing these ideas into a general "statement of purpose." One example from Stephen Covey's book, "Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families," is:

Our family mission:
To love each other... To help each other... To believe in each other... To wisely use our time, talents, and resources to bless others... To worship together... Forever.

Mr. Poe and I are still working on our current "Family Mission Statement," and I think that if the Lord blesses us with children, we will have them help us write a revised version so that the kids have a sense of ownership in it. Do you have a personal or family mission statement? If not, my second challenge for you is to develop one. Are you up for it?