Recently, I took a few days off of work and Mom and I went on a road trip a few hours south. We've never done a mother-daughter trip before, but just wanted a leisurely vacation without too much driving and plenty of time to sleep in. We packed most of our food— a great way to save time as well as money especially if you're visiting an area with as many state parks as West Virginia. Monticello Neither of us had ever visited Thomas Jefferson's historical home in Virginia before. We … [Read more...] about Road Trip to Virginia and West Virginia
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Lit Camp Again!
It's always hard to explain what Lit Camp is. Two summers ago, I went to Lit Camp for the first time. Last weekend, I went again, and I enjoyed it just as much. "Lit Camp" is short for "Literature Camp" and it's an educational/social weekend for people would love literature, planned with a Christian worldview in mind. Anyone is welcome, but most of the attendees have Anabaptist connections and the average age is maybe thirty. It's not a "pack your tent" type of event. Here's where it's … [Read more...] about Lit Camp Again!
Mennonites Walk Into a Cathedral
Witnessing a Roman Catholic ordination was not something I had planned to ever do. Until just recently, I didn't even know the Catholics had ordinations. But on a beautiful Saturday morning in mid-May, the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia filled with a thousand or more well-dressed worshippers (standing-room-only) celebrating the ordination of nine young priests, and I was there too, loving the music and trying not to accidentally cross myself. A few weeks ago, I … [Read more...] about Mennonites Walk Into a Cathedral
Four Days in Downtown Atlanta and the World of Coca-Cola
"It's all over," said the woman sitting across from me on the MARTA train we were riding to airport. "Thank goodness!" Maybe everyone feels relieved when they leave the annual America's Mart, the largest trade show for gifts in the world. Traveling for work, flying, staying in hotels, eating in restaurants every night, are luxuries I never would have dreamed of as a child, and I try to remind myself every year when I visit Atlanta for the big show. But it's also a lot of work and … [Read more...] about Four Days in Downtown Atlanta and the World of Coca-Cola
Spying Out Washington, D.C.
"Oh, Susan. You've never been to the Spy Museum? You should go," someone told me recently. Later, I related the conversation to my friend Martina, and she said, "I've never been there either! Let's go, I'll drive!" So last Saturday was the chosen day for Martina and I to visit the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. I get to Washington D.C. about every three years or so, and there's always so much to see, especially for people like Martina and I, interested in news and … [Read more...] about Spying Out Washington, D.C.