Royal

The apartment felt almost like a palace with this incredible bouquet of peonies showing off their stunning beauty and filling the room with their sweet scent.

In my dreams I might have a peony garden overflowing with blooms like these. 

But in real life, it is my neighbor friend's neighbor who has the most impressive peony patch in the neighborhood.

Oolala.

Lake Shenandoah

On a recent work trip in Virginia, I looked up a nearby hiking trail that looped around the mini Lake Shenandoah. Vicky, Kris, and I squeezed in a quick visit between two sessions of our full schedule of meetings. 

There's nothing like a dose of fresh air, especially after hours of sitting and wrestling with topics like world peace.

photo by Vicky

celebration

It wasn't the first snowstorm of the year, but Sharon's bridal shower last month seemed like an occasion more than worthy of fresh cinnamon rolls.

 

birthday brunch

These special sisters came for brunch to celebrate my birthday :)

favorite

After much consideration, I settled on this photo as my favorite waterfall shot of the entire collection from last week's hiking excursion in Ricketts Glen. Twenty-one waterfalls in about four miles leaves one in awe. The beauty was unspeakable. To be present was to be filled to overflowing.

the crisp air. the colored leaves. the incredible views.

the sky. the wonder. the company.

-it was a gift-

Pole Steeple

I forgot to download the map for our recent hike to Pole Steeple, so navigating was a little tricky

(my hiking app notified me when we were off course... but we couldn't see the map to figure out how to get back on course!)

Pole Steeple is a popular hike in the area, but I'd never hiked it before. The main Pole Steeple hike is steep and brief, and we opted for a less popular longer loop that combined three different trails.

 Now that we know how to navigate this loop, we can show you around if you want to come check it out sometime.

After (almost) a Decade!

Heather, Malinda (+ baby), and I recently met up for an unofficial decade reunion.

(!!!)

October will mark 10 years since Heather and I moved to Zambia. 

Upon arrival, we met Malinda who had moved to Zambia a couple months earlier (her house was down the road from our house).

After we all moved back to the States, we wound up living in the same neighborhood for a while, and we're still general "neighbors" within an hour of each other.

It was a treat to spend a steamy afternoon together with these two ladies.

After a 4 mile walk on the rail trail, we topped off our visit with chocolate milkshakes :).

Click here and here and here for a trip down memory lane with these two.

new journal

I recently started a new blank journal (thanks to Sharon),

one with a witty cover page.

visiting Longwood Gardens

Last week I took a personal day and Sara and I spent the day at Longwood Gardens. 

This was my first time to visit the Gardens, and I hope it won't be my last!

We had a lovely day together.  

(though it was a lot of car time for the two littles)

So much to see and explore!

Playing in water was so.much.fun.

His favorite part was watching the big crane working on an expansion project at the Gardens :).

one time we had a charcuterie break at work

It was amazing.

birthday tea for Vicky

Vicky's celebrating her 50th birthday all year, and asked for a tea party as one of the celebrations.

Such fun!

Yesterday evening, we had an extra special tea party celebrating Vicky. 

[No thanks to COVID, I discovered I forgot what it's like to enjoy a little social event periodically.]

What a sweet gift.

As we were sipping tea, someone asked if the tea cups had stories. As I shared where each of the tea cups came from, I realized my tea party dishes represent numerous special people and places from my life.

Grandpa would be especially delighted to know how many of the dishes on the table for tea were gifts from his auction buys.

A woman I met once, over a decade ago, when we were both volunteering in Oklahoma probably has no idea her tea cups just recently participated in this lovely birthday event in Pennsylvania.

And you might be surprised to know the mini porcelain "rice bowl" on the table once belonged to a great grandma I never met.

What makes tea parties so special?

The amazing friends? The delicate china? The tasty treats? 

Tea served from a pot?

Space for something impractical?

The extra-special-not-just-ordinariness of it all?

~probably all of those things~

#cheersfor50years

Hilton Head weekend

Kristen and I spent a weekend together on Hilton Head at the end of September.

Time in a lovely, peaceful setting surrounded by beauty and good company was good for the soul.

breakfast on the patio each morning :)

Hiking at Boyd Big Tree Preserve

This past weekend's outdoor exploration was to Boyd Big Tree Preserve just north of Harrisburg.

I was too busy swatting flies to take pictures along our 4 mile loop hike.

We did, however, manage to kill a handful of invasive Spotted Lanternfly insects. 

It was fun to explore a new area with varied trails.

Rocky Ridge take II

Sharon and I spent a couple hours Monday morning on the AT (Appalachian Trail), hiking up to Rocky Ridge and scrambling boulders atop the ridge. 

Last November was our first time to hike up to Rocky Ridge, but this time we hiked in from the opposite direction.

Colors of Love

A close friend's son passed away suddenly last month. 

On Friday, I picked and arranged 29 mini garden bouquets to cheer up the space where the meal was served following the memorial service last weekend.

There are lots of times I don't know how to express my care to loved ones who are grieving,

but in this particular case, picking and arranging colorful bouquets felt like one of the best ways to say,

"I love you."