This past week, my sons were both at camp, so my husband planned a getaway for just the two of us. I believe it is the first trip he has planned since our honeymoon. He was enthusiastic about the itinerary and teased me with hints of a few secrets in store for me. (P.S. I really dislike secrets.) We stuffed the car with our stuff (including a camp stove and sleeping bag for one night at a … [Read more...]
July 4th with Family
I apologize--this is my first time being late with a post. We just returned from a long weekend away, visiting family in Illinois over the 4th and the fact that it was my day to post slipped my mind until this morning. So, very quickly, I will just share that we had a lovely time visiting family--family that we see all too rarely: my younger brother and his wife and daughters, as well as aunts, … [Read more...]
Dancing Away the Birthday Blues
Yesterday I “celebrated” my 50th birthday. In the months leading up to the dreaded day, I knew I might be bummed about it, so I decided to plan an evening of “Desserts & Dancing” (two of my favorite things) with some of my friends. I figured, if chocolate and dancing wouldn't chase away the birthday blues, what would? I enjoyed myself, and I think everyone else did, too. My teenage sons even … [Read more...]
It’s the People that Matter Most
For my last few posts, I've shared photos of some favorite moments during a recent trip to England. As I mentioned, the memories that stand out most are not the many interesting sights we saw, but the people we connected with along the way. Like the reader, Katie, who took us horseback riding around her family’s stables, then to tea at her mother-in-law’s 500-year-old cottage. And like Linda, the … [Read more...]
The Kindness of Strangers
One of the places I really looked forward to visiting during our recent trip to England was Great Chalfield Manor, the estate that inspired the manor in my new book The Secret of Pembrooke Park (December 2014). We arrived more than an hour before the last tour at 4:00, but were told by a man and woman working the table at the gated entrance that the tours were all sold out for the day. The man … [Read more...]