I am WOMAN, hear me ROAR.... meow ;)

It's official. I am WOMAN, and hear me ROAR! I just did one of the craziest, most daring things I have ever done in my life! Little ole me, from my little ole town, in a little ole city, ventured into the BIG city! And not just one city, but SEVERAL cities! Newark, New York City, and Baltimore, just to name three. You got it! I went on a road trip.



My dear friend, Anna and I have been trying to arrange a visit with each other. What could be better than two girly girls, doing girly girl things while eating chocolate and sipping tea? Well, let me tell you, NOTHING!!! There is nothing better than enjoying a kind heart, sharing stories and treats with a friend as lovely as Anna.

What could make it better you ask? Well... stitch markers could!! I have been wanting to buy some pretty stitch markers, but have yet to find ones that I really wanted. SO, I'm not really the artistic type, and I guess I'm not really creative, so it never even dawned on me to attempt to make my own. This was Anna's brilliant idea, and boy am I thankful!

We went shopping for beads ( c'mon, what kind of visit would it be if we didn't go to a craft store? ) at Joanne's. WOW! Now that is a store for girls!! We don't have that store where I live, so it was just a huge treat to go there! They have everything a girl could want to play with while snacking on Oreo cookies. ( yes, we really did have Oreos, and of course, they were double stuff! ) We saved the chips and M&M's for the next day! ;) I had so much fun making these stitch markers, what a fun way to spend the afternoon. Anna made hers in about an hour, and they were beautiful. Me? Well, not so fast. It took me the whole 4hr Anne of Green Gables movie to make mine.

I will tell you as I told her, that had to be one of the most relaxing and lovely afternoons I've ever had. Was it the treats? Was it the fun girly beads and crafty stuff? Was it Anne with an E? Was it my special friend Anna? The answer is yes. Add all of those things together, and what does it spell? P-E-R-F-E-C-T. You got it. Perfect. I was in a state of bliss. I'm a very lucky girl. A beautiful friend who shares such a love for Jesus, a passion for crochet, and a sweet tooth for all things yummy. And to top it all off... she loves a good cup of tea. If that doesn't spell perfect than I don't know what does! Now we just have to teach her how to cope with late nights ;)

I can't say it enough, it was so quick and so spur of the moment, and I am blessed that I had the chance to get there. I'm so thankful that God gave me the gift of my trip to see Anna and her family. Isn't He awesome??? THANK YOU!

It certainly was a crazy trip, though! Oh MY what was I thinking when I decided I could do that drive?! If only any of you were able to see me in my car LOL, it was a sight. I was lost so many times! And it just happened that I always managed to be lost in a place that I couldn't dare step out of my car for directions without something serious happening to me! I want to know who named convenience stores convenient. They AREN'T. Goodness, I couldn't get a stitch of help from them at all! They would just shoo me away and tell me they didn't know where anything was. Ok, and it didn't help that I was asking for a road that went West, when apparently it only runs North or South. Gee... thanks.

And, since Anna didn't mention it in her post (and I'm surprised she didn't because she is still teasing me) I guess I'll have to step up and mention it in mine. I give the term "female drivers" their bad name. YUP, ladies, it's official. You can blame me for men thinking we are hopeless behind the wheel. Who do you ask, you are wondering? Well, just go to the "convenience" store in Marlborough, Mass. and ask the clerk. She'll gladly tell you about the girl who approached her late on Sunday night asking if she was in New Hampshire only to be informed that no... actually she is in a entirely different state. ugh. Ok.. now that was embarrassing. Good one, Amy. Real bright.

We all had a nice chuckle out of that silliness, but to my surprise, that wasn't going to be my only fun for the night. Nope! I guess my night had lots of fun prepared for my amusement purposes. I'm really not thinking it was for my fun, more like the fun people would have laughing at me when I tell them just how sad and pathetic I must have appeared on my travels! It all began at about 3am. I had been driving since late in the previous afternoon, and I was really getting exhausted. Well, I'm pretty much afraid of my own shadow, so when it was time to pull over for a quick shut eye, you can only imagine how I was feeling in a dark parking lot just outside of Newark. Yup... paints an interesting picture, doesn't it? But of course, I am woman aren't I? And meow? Nope not this girl. I ROAR. So, I can do this. Yes I can. Well, no, really I can't. Just ask the girl and her boyfriend who scared the wits out of me banging on my window asking for money. Yeah... for some odd reason, I just didn't see the humor in that. I don't think I reached in my wallet so fast in my life. I also don't think I ever slammed that car into gear so fast and got onto the I95 with such a great speed! ROAR? ok maybe not. But I can make one fierce meow.

Moral of this story? I'm not sure if there is one, lol, but what there IS... a girl who reached deep inside and found the will to get in her car and go against the odds. And I did it. Me. Yup, Me. I'll remember it for the rest of my life, and I will be thankful everyday. Ok, so part of being thankful is that I didn't die in a ditch somewhere of a heart attack because I was afraid of anyone who looked at me! I'm proud of myself. Yay, me! I did it!! Ok, you got me again. It was God that did it :) He just gave me the fun of using me as the vessel. I'll cherish this trip forever. I learned so much, and I've been so inspired. There's still hope for me. God showed me that. Have I mentioned lately that He is pleased with me, and He has good things planned for me? Anna reminds me of that everyday. I'm so fortunate to have a God that loves me and a friend that loves me enough to remind me. I am blessed.

So, that's what my week has been like. Exciting, crazy, scary, adventurous, uplifting, encouraging, loving, endearing, and best of all.... fun.

Have a beautiful day everyone, and remember to tell someone how much you love them. You'd be surprised what it can do.

I love you, Anna. This has been a week of a lifetime, and I can't wait to do it all over again this summer. It will be my turn to treat you and take care of you. And we can do it all while sipping our cordial on the front porch of our cabin on P.E.I

I can't wait. xo

By the way.. I'm wondering if the cop that pulled me over on the turnpike is still laughing at me for asking in tears if he could only help me to get back on the I95 North, only for him to tell me that I am already on it. No wonder he didn't give me a ticket. He probably thought I didn't have the wits to read it. ;) Yup, I am a female driver.