Afternoon Tea and Kelle Hampton.

On vacation we stayed in an amazing bed and breakfast called The Ballastone Inn.  It was one of the most fabulous places I have ever stayed.  Hands down.  Every corner was decked out with ornate decoration, orchids, and small touches that made you feel like you were a Southern Bell getting ready to sit on the front porch with a glass of sweet tea.  It was absolutely beautiful and I love beautiful things. 

So anyway, everyday at the Ballastone we had afternoon tea complete with tea sandwiches and tiny little scones.  The china convinced me that I made a mortal mistake not registering for my own complete set on my wedding registry.  I talked myself down by telling myself that it would probably get dusty in some corner cabinet with all the other things that I don't use on a daily basis... nonetheless it was a wonderful dream... I actually had visions of Caleb and me sipping tea from our china while eating little tea cookies...

And on second thought, why shouldn't everyone have a tea set, eat baby scones, and drink tea on Sunday afternoons?  

As the end of my week of sipping tea and practicing the art of doing nothing neared an end, the anticipation of the grand finale of my vacation grew greater and greater.  I had an even better tea party in the making.  The highlight of my Monday, Wednesday, and Friday is often reading Enjoying the Small Things, the blog written by life lover Kelle Hampton.  In a previous post I shared the link to the site for her new book Bloom in which she beautifully shares the birth of her second daughter Nella and her journey in "finding beauty in the unexpected."  After recruiting a group of ten ladies to pre-order copies of her book, I was given the pre-order incentive of a Skype session with Kelle.

Meeting Kelle through Skype definitely stirred up more nerves and emotions than meeting Paula Deen on my vacation earlier in the week.  You see, Kelle's blog provides me with balance.  Working as a therapist in mental health can be difficult, and it is easy to forget that, no matter what, there are beautiful, wonderful, and amazing things surrounding us even in the "small things."  You just have to look.

Thanks to my mother-in-law, Kim, we had the most wonderful tea party at my dear friend Jessica's home where we held the session.  Kim's friend, Donna, graciously allowed us to borrow her mother's fine china (much like the set I drooled over earlier in the week) to make our evening special.

I keep trying to think of all the words that I could use to describe how special it was for me to Skype with Kelle.  She has really changed my perspective.  Chatting with her for 30 minutes reminded me why I love reading her words so much.  She was lovely, inspiring, and ever so insightful about this thing we live called life.  

This last picture is a little dark, but still fabulous due to the amazing faces that we are making:

It was an amazing end to an amazing vacation that left me looking forward to the adventures in which Caleb and I will soon embark!  Details to come!!

Savannah and Charleston: Walking and Sitting.

People keep asking me what I did on vacation.  My most immediate response is, "We went to Savannah and Charleston!"  But then my response is followed by another question... They want to know, "But what did you do?"  And then I think for a minute.

My response usual ends up sounding something like this:

Well, we ate breakfast and Caleb would read (I had a book too, but usually I just stared at it).  Then we would sit.

I assure you this is Cranberry juice... I don't make a habit of having wine at breakfast... although
that might not be sooo bad on some days... ;)

I stood in front of things that I though were pretty and begged Caleb to take my picture.  He hates picture taking.

And then we would walk.

Followed by some more sitting.

And looking at more beautiful things.

Ans then if that got to be too much... there was always some more sitting to break up the looking beautiful things... however, I must warn you that the sitting also happened in beautiful places.

Now, I can sense what you are thinking... this walking and sitting is not for everyone.  But what if you were walking and sitting at places like this?

Oh.  I guess I shouldn't leave the part out about us flying a kite.  We flew a kite.  At the ocean.

With the addition of taking a few tours, eating at fabulous restaurants, and meeting Paula Deen... this is pretty much what we did.  How lucky am I?  I think that being able to do nothing but enjoying the beauty of a peaceful place with someone you love can be the best vacation of all.

More on my vacation later!

Sometimes the simple things are the best things.

Vacation Itinerary

In one week Caleb and I will be on our way to Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina.  

I get kinda crazy about vacation.  I tend to get all caught up in ensuring that every little detail is perfect and then I get anxious that I have forgotten to pack things, that it won't turn out exactly how I have envisioned it, and that we will just end up disappointed.  Can we say Anxiety??

Regardless, vacation is my favorite time of year.  Can we classify it as a holiday?  Yes, I think so.  Vacation time is my favorite holiday of the year!  In an attempt not to have my usual last minute freak-attack, I have been slowing gathering all of the things we need and piling them in the middle of the living room floor.  

We have snacks in the basket, wine, plenty of sunscreen, and some feel good books.  What else could we possibly need?

The only itinerary we have for our vacation is eat at Paula Deene's restaurant, attending afternoon tea with our books, and aimlessly exploring the cities.  Ahhhhh...