GAL PAL GETAWAYS!

What does a "Gal Pal Getaway" look like......

I already know that a sweet friendship refreshes the soul. (Proverbs 27:9)
For T-cups--it's a mystery trip known only to one who plans the trip. Destination usually revealed at start of trip but not this time. New jaunts were explained upon arrival. Those in back seat felt as if we were somewhere beyond our state---California, maybe.

A Full Circle of "Tennessee Treks, Trail and Back Roads"included.............Walking Tall Trail, Civil War Trail, w/ catfish at Hagy's, Amish wagon rides,

RR crossings,

Hoopee Rides....

and lots of cuisine from old timey boardinghouse to mealhouse....

.....dips from Capt'n Rodneys (REAL Capt'n Rodney joined our Pic.)

not to mention fried pie sundies at Soda Pop Junction

and hominy casserole & collards-- plus baked apples with a little of the Lynchburg"product" stirred in and a touch of the "product was tasted in the REAL whipped cream on the buttermilk pie at Miss Mary BoBo's......

to RH Cafe with lobster  rolls. Champagne was also available.

.....Even met Bubba at 9 Back St. (backroad address) Mulberry, TN lavender farm.

Banana pudding for the Banana Pudding festival.

BREAKFAST! BREAKFAST! BREAKFAST!

1 Banana w/ 1 Egg--Delish! we had to try it to believe it.

Feasting and feeding on God's Word after breakfast!

"New" Long Island friends at Marcy Jo's Mealhouse community table

So grateful we ended each day for Triple R---Rest & Relaxation at the Ranch--filled with cows, horses, chickens + 1 rooster, a baby doll sheep, a mini horse, a mule named Duke, bee hives,

an amazing "she shed" 

& LOTS OF PORCHES.

"Full Circle" Ranch, no less.......

...a place to refresh one's soul! **

**Trip Addendum---A few hours after we returned Saturday one of the gals had a stroke. Tuesday another gal had gallbladder surgery. Life Lesson learned----enjoy  the  moments God gives---because our days are gifts from the hand of God. (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13)
We could be of good cheer knowing that God was in the plan (Mattie Dear) Even in those scares & struggles, there was fullness of joy in His presence as we prayed together for each other! (Psalm 16:11)

LEAVENWORTH

Leavenworth.........and I'm "NOT" in Kansas anymore! 

But......I am in my cuddle duds!
There is snow! Lots of snow!!!
A true winter wonderland.
No wonder Leavenworth, WA was voted today the #1 Best Small  Town in America for Christmas.
Just click the link to see it and 19 other " best town" candidates.

Snow continued all day. Carolers, Santa, Snowmen, Elves and folks in crazy shoe-shaped hats walked the streets. Music groups performed all day at The Gazebo in the town center. Stars were carried in along with placards proclaiming being "born again" as the mayor reminded each of the importance of following the One who lights the way.
Prayers were offered in His holy name and all gathered together there sang "Silent Night"---3 verses!
How blessed I was to be there with friends to share this snowy day.  

HIGH! HIGH!! HIGH!!!

HIGH!!! HIGH!!! HIGH!!!......605' high. I said I was NOT going up!!
That's what I told myself long before I even boarded the plane for Seattle.
As my family knows, my feet hurt when I am high above the ground.
Bridges. Ridges. Skyscrapers. Elevators. Helicopter rides. Hotel rooms with a double digit number.
My head swims. My feet hurt. The tingling starts at my feet and goes all the way up----so, as I've aged, I've chosen to avoid very high places.
I know the spirit of fear is not from the Lord but was this endeavor in the sound mind category which He does provide? (2 Timothy 1:7) My mind was spinning just thinking about it.

My friend Gigi had planned this trip and reserved this "upward excursion" to the space needle as part of our fun. The 10 mph glass elevator ride to the top (on a very WINDY day) was a little unnerving to consider as was my fear of being in a place that might be considered a "soft target" by Isis.
The Paris massacres had occurred as I was leaving Turkey a few weeks ago and just 16 hours before I left for Seattle, 14 people were killed in San Bernardino, CA in a terrorist-style attack.  I checked the area for unattended backpacks. If I could sweat, I probably would have been doing that as well.

But.....I also don't like to hurt someone's feelings. So.... I went. I prayed. I peeked over at the downtown Seattle skyline and Puget Sound and across at Mount Ranier. I returned to earth and seriously considered kissing the ground.

This pic is a FAKE backdrop tho you can probably tell---'cause our hair isn's flying!!

No more High! High!! High!!! for me so don't even think about asking.....unless of course I'm worried about hurting your feelings.

Home Again!

2015---T-Cups "take" Natchez. Trip #15 May 26-29

NOT to be confused with "red hat" gals---ours were color co-ordinated.

What a great trip---thanks to Peggy, our fearless & fantastic leader

....friendship, fun and of course ---food.

A Cuppa Necessi-TEA

......And what does the LORD require of you But....to love kindness, And to walk humbly.... ?(Micah 6:8, KJV)

A cup of tea, fast internet connection and a trustworthy best friend are some of the bare necessities of modern life, according to a Daily Mail internet survey. Also included were television, iPhone, and a car. Naturally, a cup of tea was #1, as the survey was done among the Brits. As a tea lover, I concur. I would also add a crossword puzzle to my list and a FRIXiON Clicker 07 erasable pen. 

This past week I have experienced life in a place with no daily weather reports, (unless one requested them)----we just walked outside for a temp ck and looked up to see the cloud cover---or lack there of. At home, the weather can tend to rule conversation and scheduling. 

I knew little of the world's happening---Seattle slayings or Ebola possibility until I returned home. It was a welcome respite from the barrage of negative news which tend to overtake our media and can make me feel sad and helpless.

No cell reception, limited TV (by choice) and a car that stayed "mostly" parked was very welcome. We tooled around in a golf cart. Even food, which is a universal necessity, was "eating what was at hand." (OK, so much of what was "at hand" was delivered by Chef, Simon.) But....bacon and eggs and a simple grilled cheese are equally good to curb one's hunger.

Much of the preceding list was "tongue-in-cheek" as a way of emphasizing some of the less important things which many folks consider physical necessities. What about spiritual necessities?

But God.....has a way of narrowing down true necessities to kindness and humility----using those "times away" to draw one unto Himself. Heart preparation can occur in the still moments so that the bulldozer of God's Spirit can arrive and begin to touch our soul each day in a new way. True relational necessities linked and strengthened with those spiritual chains of shared-faith.

Sharing morning devotions around a table after laughing over unique breakfast choices, think "sweets." Sharing and caring. 

Celebrating life.....whether in song and dance with "toasts," or in the simple acts of a Scrabble game or singing hymns with lots of la-la-las when no one can quite remember all the words.

Doing dishes together at the sink. Pooling our minds together to come up with a crossword answer or just a random fact that somehow escapes our memories.....until later. Then, we're free to shout it out, without condemnation.

A cuppa spiritual necessi-TEA sweetened with relational integrity and served with kindness and humility.

Driving the Delta (& beyond) with Friends

12/6/13 From Memphis, the Gateway to the Delta, with Peabody ducks, Felicia Suzanne's and the Orpheum via Holly Springs (Phillips' Grocery) and Oxford (Square Books, City Grocery and Faulkner's home,) my California friends and I ate our way through Greenwood, MS, the heart of the Delta, via Alluvian Hotel's, Giardina's, Crystal Grill, Lusco's and Delta Bistro. Think, lots of oysters, LOTS of onion rings, and enough fried foods to equal "15 pounds of bacon."

A crush to wash down a Phillip's Grocery greasy burger. 

Giardina's oysters 3 ways

 Broiled shrimp with Lusco's famous sauce.

On the Road Again

6/6/13 Hooray Hooray, it's finally the day.! T-Cups Trek #13 begins today. It's my annual girls' trip with five FUN friends---can it still be called a "girls" trip when all are in their 60s and at least 3 are Medicare card holders!!!

Each year it is like a "great escape" for us---no responsibilities, errands, babysitting or  work. This year it's a "mystery trip" and I'm the only one who knows where we are going---scary thought.

Blues Highway Trip started with lunch at The Gallery in Merigold, MS (chocolate cobbler for dessert) & shopping at  McCarty's pottery.

Hot tubs at the Shack-up Inn come with an "outward motor" & guess who has to crank it??? 

A cold cokey cola at the Crossroads of the Blues---Highway 61 S and 49 E---think Delta Blues singer Robert  Johnson. Do you know his story? We do!

Location! Location! Location!---Revealed

6/17/10 Because I got e-mails and voice messages and people stopping me at church and asking at a luncheon, I assumed others wanted to know the location/destination of the “girls getaway” this year. Where did we go? Not far and that’s a good thing because it took over 12 hours to get there. Most folks probably can drive to Oxford, MS from Memphis in 1½ hours. That’s what makes our trips fun.

We actually eat our way to and from a destination so before we had even arrived we had a red, white and blue breakfast, tastes from 11 different buffets at Paula Dean’s, snacks on a riverboat and fried dill pickles at the Hollywood in Robinsonville, MS. (Hadn’t been there since son Buddy’s 21st birthday) It’s now owned by Memphian Mike Young and he was actually there to greet us.

But our destination was so-o-o perfect, you'll want to check it out! Castle Hill, Hwy 6, just outside of Oxford. We had the guesthouse to ourselves with its wraparound balcony, screened porch and swimming pool. Nighttime swims were great because it was dark and no one else intruded on our fun. Most (I not being one of them) played 9 hole ‘til after midnight.

Morning devotionals began with “Jesus Calling.” Imagine that. Pam also shared something motivational. “Stay Positive” was one of them. She must have realized I needed help with my “No Whining” rule. How special to begin a day with prayer from encouraging friends, continue the day with laughter and end the day with “real talk” about “real life” and feel safe and accepted---by both the Lord and the friends. “Friends are the family we choose for ourselves” was a quote from Pam’s devotional. How appropriate.

On Wednesday after a day of antiquing and searching for back road potters, we cooked dinner with chef Hal and sous chef, Rick---both younger than all our kids, but so delightful. Under their tutelage we made French bread, our own fettuccine and amazing veggie and white wine sauce and chocolate mousse. The mousse almost didn’t make it to the fridge to set up because we kept tasting the Belgian chocolate & eating the “real” whipped cream before we did the folding in. It was the highlight of the trip.

On the way home we stopped at a great “hole in the wall,” Yocono in Exile in Abbeville, MS ---only to be surprised by our hubbies who came to celebrate with us---and pick up the tab!
But guess what---we let them ride back in their car and we rode together, not quite ready to give up the “best yet” trip. BTW, we always say that---‘til the next time.