The People You Meet Along the Way - Hannah Mercer

I started scrapbooking in 1998, shortly after my grandson was born.  To this day, I have not scrapbooked all my photos of that little guy's life. (Yeah, he turns 21 this year).  But after the birth of my 2nd grandson many years later, I realized that when I focused on getting those photos, I missed out on moments.  That was more important to me, so I started putting the camera down and enjoying each moment, committing it to memory.  I've never been good with selfies either.  Same reason.

So it wasn't until Leanne at From Chaos Comes Happiness started posting about our trip to Plains, GA that I realized there were so many people I met that made it a memorable trip.  But because I was "in the moment", I failed to get pictures of all of them.  Nonetheless, they made the trip memorable, so I'd like to tell you about some of our new friends in Sumter County. 

Like Hannah Mercer.  Hannah is a Barista Trainer for Cafe Campesino, and she gave us a tour of their facility.  We got to meet some of the workers who roast and package the beans.  The story behind the founding of Cafe Campesino is so heartwarming. It started with a wheelbarrow of dirt that was dumped on a coffee bean plant during a Habitat for Humanity program in Guatemala.  Click on the link to read more.  Let me tell you, you'll have a whole new appreciation for fair trade purchases! 

I love that phrase "inspire conscious consumption"

This is Hannah!

    

After our tour, Hannah led us in some Latte Art!!  So much fun!  Leanne, the ultimate fearless artist, picked up a brush and jumped right in.

   

I'm not so much the artist, but I was lovin' the canvas!

Yes, Leanne made sure Frida Kahlo made it to the coffee cup!!

What a fantastic adventure at Cafe Campesino!  Oh, and while staying in Americus, we were right across the street from a Cafe Campesino retail store.  So that's where we had our breakfast and met up with Nicole for our next adventure.  

Southbound and Down...On our way to Georgia

As I mentioned in the last post, Leanne over at From Chaos Comes Happiness and I took a road trip to visit our friend Nicole from Destination Unknown.  This trip began last fall, as Leanne, her sister Laura, and I just started talking about the road trip and Laura reached out to Nicole to start the planning.  Shortly after, Laura was diagnosed with a rare, metastatic ovarian cancer and by December, we had lost our dear friend and sister.  But Leanne and I, in our year of healing, have decided to honor the plans that Laura had made.  So on March 31, 2019 we headed out.

Day 1 - On the road nice and early  - 4:15 a.m. CDT
This was the first road trip Leanne and I took together.  We were kind to each other for, I'd say, 45 minutes.  Just kidding.  It was sweet!  And we got to witness an incredible sunrise!

Along with some snow.  South of us.  Still trying to process that!!

Anyway, I will say that Leanne is a top notch navigator, although she did laugh at me for printing out the Google map directions.  "Dear Peg, don't you know that we have maps on our phones?"  But the printout came in handy for those short turns.  (You see, that lady on the phone app can't talk fast enough.)  

After 13-14 hours on the road, we finally met Nicole, our long time blogger friend.  Finally, face-to-face, "damn, you are real" moment.  And we stayed at the Plains Inn.  Talk about quaint!!  Seven rooms, each with its unique and authentic design, based on decades from 1920-1980.  Leanne took 1970, otherwise known as the presidential suite, and I stayed in the 1950s room.  How adorable is this!  And there's so much more history to this building.  I'll save that for another time!!

And there is a community room where we had a continental breakfast, coffee and good chat with other guests.  I had such a wonderful chat with a gentlemen who came into town to deliver the eulogy at the funeral of his long time friend.  And honestly, after talking to so many people in town, we eventually started calling it "the funeral" since everyone in town knew about it!

From the balcony off the community room, you can sit and enjoy the beautiful garden on Main St.  Seriously, if ever there was a place that epitomizes Main Street, this is it!  Captured my heart!!  Want to see more of those adorable rooms?  Check out the Plains Inn website, scroll down and click on each of the decades. Will I go back?  You bet!  I could spend a week in this little town!!  If I was writing a book, this would be my getaway!!  

Did you know you can subscribe to my blog and receive notification whenever there's a new post?  Just click on "Subscribe" on the right and you'll know each time I post!  What better way to keep up with this incredible adventure we had!!

When a Blogger Meets a Blogger!

When I started blogging in 2009 (I can't believe it's been 10 years), I used it as a way to express myself.  My posts have never been mind-altering, deeply insightful writing.  More just everyday, get to know me and my life posts.

But as you get to know fellow bloggers, women (mostly) you've never met face to face, you form friendships.  Virtual, cyber friendships.  But you know a lot about their lives, their struggles, their joys, and their passions.  Blogging served as an outlet and a support system.  Once in a while, you'd get to meet one of your blogger buddies, and it's always so comforting to hug this friend you've just now met in person. 

Fellow blogger and dear friend, Leanne at From Chaos Comes Happiness, and I have decided to go ahead with plans that began in the fall of last year.  We, along with her sister Laura, started making plans to head to Georgia to visit our blogger friend, Nicole of Destination Unknown.  When Laura was sick, those plans got put on hold. Once she passed, Leanne and I thought it would be a great to honor the plans that we had made.  It's what Laura would have wanted.

So next month, we are headed to Plains, GA, home of the 39th President of the U.S.  To learn the history of the area, try some boiled peanuts, catch up with our friend, and make it a "memorial" roadtrip.  Laura will be with us in spirit.

Can't wait to share the awesome adventure with you! 

Looking Forward

So I started 2019 back in December 2018.  As we were caring for my friend, Laura, I ran out of my daily meds and needed to get in to see my doctor for refills.  That's when I found out there were some major changes in my health.  So 2019 started with doctor visits and vows to take care of myself.  Getting to the gym has been difficult this month, since my calendar was filled with doctor appointments, but there's always the treadmill at home. I'm putting this out there for all to see so that I work on accountability.

So here we are on the last day of the first month in this new year and I'm doing well.  A whole lot less doctor appointments and I'm feeling so much better.

Chicagoland is nearing the end of this crazy polar vortex that brought us temperatures of -24.  Most people stayed inside and we endured! I did the same, but since I really, really dislike the cold, my mind was really here:

Atlantic sunrise

  

Our sub-zero temps really get me thinking about the spring and getting back into the garden.  I'm looking forward to these popping up.

Spring bulbs from Costco and Menard's

And this lady will watch over my garden this year.  She's 4 feet high, and ready to welcome the birds, butterflies and bees.  She will join this one that I found last year.  This little one is about 3 ft. high.

They make me happy.  They fill me with peace.  And when you fill the bird feeders to welcome the birds, and when the milkweeds welcome the monarchs, it feels like all is right with the world.

Yes, I'm ready for spring. And after this polar vortex stuff, I'll bet many of you are as well.

Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Life

Sometimes, the words you have are the best you'll ever have.  This is a repeat from 2012 and 2013.  Now more than ever, we need this man and what he stood for!

Today we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday.  He had a dream.  A dream that certainly couldn't be fulfilled overnight.  A dream not just for himself, but for mankind.  "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but the the content of their character."  Isn't that beautiful?    

I'm glad that I've witnessed in my lifetime a shift in how people/races interact with one another.  One man spoke up to voice what others felt in their hearts and moved us to the healing that humankind so sorely needed.  You see, as long as we hold those prejudices and hates, we are not free.  We are shackled by those hates; that anger.  And until we decide that what's on the outside really doesn't matter and that the only thing that matters is what's in someone's heart, we will never be free.  He said it best when he said: 

..."Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom to ring -- when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children -- black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics -- will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Whether or not you have the day off today, have a wonderful day!  And just send a quick note of gratitude to your higher power that we were blessed to have heard the words from Dr. King's heart. 

It's Good (and Healthy) to be Back...Again

Last time I posted was in August 2017.  It's not like I've had nothing to say!  I think it's just making the time to say it on this page.  As the last days of 2018 exited, it was cause for me to say "good riddance."  Those of you who know me know that I lean toward finding the positive in my life.  But last year....whew!!  One for the books.

In April 2018, my middle sister lost her fight with cancer.  Younger sister and I took some trips to see her, aggravate her, care for her.  Y'know...sister things!  As much as we weren't that close, losing her had more of an impact on me than I would have imagined.

Then in November, a very good friend, and sister to Leanne at From Chaos 
Comes Happiness, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive ovarian cancer.  She was gone within a month.  I was grateful that I was able to help in caregiving for her.  But that one took a lot out of her family and friends.

Unfortunately, all too often caregivers forget to take care of themselves.

That changes this year.  This year, I take care of myself.  So that I can better take care of others when they need me.  So I'll be blogging more, and sharing my insights into this 365 day journey around the sun that we call "Life".  It's good to be back.  I leave you with this sunrise.

Daytona Beach Sunrise

Peace and Love to you!  It's good to be back!!