Spring Has Delightfully SPRUNG!

Happy Easter!

This past Saturday I had the wonderful opportunity to enjoy lunch with my best buddy Sharon and my friend Ann. We had an incredible lunch on the pier of The Oceanic on beautiful Wrightsville Beach. It was a stunning, sunny day and we laughed and shared and giggled and gossiped and a grand time was had by all. It was a LONG lunch because we had much catching up to do. Isn't it a precious gift to have friends who you may go a couple of months without seeing but can pick up right where you left off and never miss a beat? I'm just so grateful for the time we shared, the ocean, the wind and the connectedness I felt.

Early Monday Morning, I headed for Raleigh and an all-day training meeting right in the middle of the big city. It was great to learn a new technology and I was the ONLY female in the mix! I felt like a princess. Actually, I had a really nice time and learned a LOT, in addition to meeting some fantastic and genuinely kind professionals!

On Wednesday Evening, I came home to discover that I had received a very long box with an unsigned card. Justin told me that it had been delivered earlier. The card may have been unsigned, but the text contained a hint and so I e-mailed the primary suspect to discover that the beautiful, gorgeous dozen long-stemmed white roses were indeed from my friend in Northern England - dear, sweet Alistair. What a treat to find waiting for me after a very long day at work. Thank you so much Ali, for thinking of me and warming my heart. It made the advent of spring even sweeter than it already is.

I have so very much to be thankful for every single day. In fact, we all do.

In the morning, I will be heading back to the Raleigh Metro Area for a wonderful visit with my daughter Katie, who flew into the capital city this afternoon with John's fantastic aunts and uncle. This Easter weekend, like last year, will be spent in the company of John's New York based Aunts, Daria and Melanie, his Uncle Bill, along with his beautiful mother, Nina - who lives in Cary and coordinates EVERYTHING with such style and grace.

Tomorrow I'll be enjoying time with Katie, who I haven't seen since she and John flew back to Manhattan on New Year's Eve, and then a lovely dinner will be savored at Bloomsbury Bistro in downtown Raleigh, and then we meet again at Nina's home on Easter Morning, for a sumptuous brunch (and Dunkin' Donuts coffee!), before the New Yorker's fly north and I take I-40 heading South. The plan it to meet up with my parents, Justin and Stephanie around 5:00 for Easter dinner at a restaurant yet to be determined. A day filled with family and friends, celebrating the Resurrection of a loving, benevolent Creator, and giving thanks for more blessings and gifts than I could possibly merit.

I wish everyone reading this a contemplative holiday filled with love, smiles, blessings, gratitude and a pair of eyes and beating heart that is open to the gifts of our existence, and the ability to filter out the minor annoyances and static that don't realistically deserve a passing glance.

Now, that's not ALL that's gone down here on Nottingham Lane. For instance, I didn't mention how I had to buy a new waterbed mattress, situate and fill the thing up. That was a picture that thankfully never got snapped. Nor did I fill you in on how I came home from lunch last Saturday and replaced the inner workings of the upstairs toilet. Seriously! It's working like new! I mean, I couldn't even believe I did it! It was my first successful plumbing repair job and it works like a new one!

I also didn't mention how my Dad's data-rich hard-drive suffered an irreparable loss which even took out his external backup drive. That was painfully difficult to realize, given how much genealogy research he had, representing YEARS of work. We took it to the professionals and the professionals just scratched their collective heads at what could have caused it. Of course, my Dad took it like a trooper and got back to work loading up his new one. That was a lesson in resiliency I will never, ever forget.

On a more serious note, there is my Mom. She had a CAT scan and MRI run a couple of weeks ago and she received one of those calls from her physician that no one likes to get. I have been FORBIDDEN from writing too much about it for now, but we have an appointment this Wednesday with her doctor to get more information and details. She's been in a great deal of pain and still manages with style and grace to go about each day, hardly skipping a beat, but we're very concerned and we'll be exploring her options after our discussion with her doctor. Prayers are welcome and appreciated.

I'll write more after I return from visiting Katie in Raleigh and I'm sure I'll have a photo or two to post. More news later.

My best wishes and heartfelt thanks to everyone reading this post.