a life of whimsy

-Receiving a stunningly beautiful stole in the mail.  My Grandmother ordered it for me (THANK YOU!!) and it's reversible green (for ordinary time) and purple (for Lent/Advent).  I am delighted with it, and it's made to suit my height and size.  Jan Laurie makes these creative, delightful stoles.

-An email from my friend Ri in New Zealand in which she described an upcoming hike.  Rather than saying she hoped for good weather, she said she "hoped the weather didn't turn to custard."  Ha!  How amusing.

-Seeing a lone and very speedy turkey race through the church parking lot.  

what a hoot!

-My dear friend Ruth in Belfast sending me a belated birthday surprise.  I just love it.

-Skyping with my nieces and hearing them shout "Weeeezzaaa!" when my face appeared on the screen.  So precious.

-Hearing an owl hooting from way up in a pine tree in my backyard this morning.

-The random urge to pirouette in my kitchen (love those hard wood floors).

-This yummy cake.

Billbo's Birthday

a wee bit o' green

-Moss growing on a huge tree in my backyard, carpeting it in green velvet.  The tree must be at least 30 feet tall, and the moss goes as far up as I can see.  It makes my back yard feel a bit more enchanted.

-The way most of my Sunday morning handshakes have turned into hugs.

-Listening to Thistle & Shamrock on NPR (Irish and Scottish music) and feeling the different experiences of my life come together.

finding home

-Light making raindrops on branches glitter like diamonds.

-Getting to catch up with my good friend Kevin.  It's wonderful to live relatively near wonderful old friends.

-A stray dog wandering into my yard in the middle of a rainstorm. She was a little shitzu and I kept her overnight and then looked for her owner.  I didn't have much luck and she escaped out of my front door, bolting down the street (twice).  Apparently, on her second getaway, she went home because I heard from a neighbor that she was back with her owner now.

morning glory

-A fiery sunrise behind wintery trees.

-Meeting a teenager from the church for coffee and being impressed with her strong sense of self.  In a world where teenagers are told more and more who to be, this gal with blue-streaked hair and dreams of being a writer isn't afraid to be herself.

-Going to a clergy gathering and seeing my friend Jeremy from seminary.  It's wonderful to walk into a room of would-be strangers and immediately get a hug from an old buddy.  During the lunch, I had a moment where I looked over and thought how interesting it was to have served in different places and wind up back in the same room again.

make new friends, and keep the old

-Beginning elder training with a little get-to-know-you activity (which one man dubbed "happy time" ha) and watching the room transform from sleepy coffee sippers (myself included) to chatty, laughing friends.

-A much-needed delightful nap in the middle of the afternoon.  I can't remember the last time I had a nap.

-Receiving a phone call from Berlin—my dear friends Andrea and Tilmann— to let me know that they're coming stateside in March/April and want to meet up.  How exciting!

it's a winding road

-Mary the Magical Music Director surprising me with a cup of coffee.  She's the best.

-A day full of visiting with folks, building new friendships and learning people's stories.  I love what I do.

-Driving on a winding road lined with pine trees as sunlight reflected off of a lake.  (I would've taken a picture if it weren't for those aforementioned winding roads!)

Tranquilitea

-Sipping a cup of camomile tea while reading a book and listening to the rain outside.

-Wearing my favorite trench coat to ward off the rain.

-Meeting a new colleague and enjoying the easy conversation and warm company.

-The first few moments of a worship service at my church, where my nerves give way to a calm sense of peace.

2012, you're splendid

Hayden loves his Auntie Jen.

I had such a brilliant time with my friend Jen here for New Year's!  We've decided that 2012 is going to be a fabulous year.  We got the new year off to a great start by exploring this fun area and just enjoying each other's company as we cooked yummy food and caught up.

Downtown Southern Pines is so charming.  I quite liked this sign. :)

For a bit of culture, we went to see a movie (My Week with Marilyn) at the stunning Sunrise Theater.

For a different type of culture, we had a divine (and oh-so-healthy) Southern breakfast at Angie's Breakfast Barn.  There were copious amounts of "More coffee, honey?", huge homemade biscuits and gravy.

A fiery sunset to send Jen home again.  I'm absolutely delighted by the friends I have in my life.  Thanks so much for coming, Jen!  I loved every minute. 

While here, she even helped me get my final boxes unpacked and set up my little listening area with my record player.  The tree paintings were my Nana and Papaw's and I've always loved them (wee bit Middle Earthish, no?).  The frames were pretty big and we just popped them out to discover they looked better just as canvases. 

Life is full, full, full these days y'all.  Full of rewarding work, extravagantly generous people, relaxing sabbath days with the windows open, cuddles with my little fluffy guy, good books to read, and plenty of sermons to preach.  Carolina's treating this 30-year-old very well!

What an epiphany!

“Success is like reaching an important birthday and finding you're exactly the same.”

-Audrey Hepburn

30 love

It's a big day, today, y'all.  This lil gal is 30!  I'm having a lovely birthday so far.  I also had a brilliant time with my dear friend Jen for New Year's and will be sure and blog all about that soon.  Life's blissfully busy these days, and I'm loving it.  I do believe 30 is going to be a fabulous year!