100th Post!

I really wish I had something amazing to say for my 100th post -- but I'm sort of hitting a blank here. It just snuck up on me!


So, here are a few things that have been on my mind today:


The influence of good friends is indispensable. I would be an entirely different person if I hadn't met a few choice friends over the years.


The smell of Autumn air is the best scent in the whole world!


Cookies are magic: they disappear on their own. Especially when they are chocolate chip cookies made with both semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips.


Road trips are the best! When I was a kid we road tripped at least once a year, usually more. The drive is half the fun with all of the crazy car games, songs, and stops at random places on the side of the road to see something that may or may not end up being interesting. Whenever my parent's got lost on the road we would just shake it off as an "adventure." I've taken that lesson with me into just about everything. Adventures are a regular part of life -- any little upset or bump in the proverbial road is a lot more exciting when labeled an adventure.

I get to road trip this weekend to Fort Collins, Colorado! I'm going with, and to visit, time-worn best friends and some new friends. These are people who have influenced my life for good since the moment we met -- even though we didn't exactly start out with high hopes for lasting relationships. It's funny how things turn out. Sometimes the people we least expect to see again are those who end up sticking around forever and those we expect to remain friends with are the ones who disappear quickest. In any case, I'm really excited to spend quality time with people I adore.

We are going to enjoy the majesty of this beautiful season in the lovely Colorado mountains. When I was in England this Spring the thought of a "camera" for scents kept popping into my head as I visited gardens or got caught in the rain. Autumn is better! I wish that I could bottle the smell of this Autumn to be revisited next year some time when the air is hot and still.

Today I baked something like 16 dozen cookies. Chocolate chip, toffee chocolate chip, and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, to be precise. To ensure that these cookies have a life beyond tomorrow morning (yes, my family does eat chocolate chip cookies for breakfast -- doesn't yours?) I took the precaution of baking during the day when everyone was at work. I also made sure to bag up and hide the cookies I mean to take to Colorado as gifts to the family I will be staying with this weekend . . . and the family my friend is staying with . . . and for the car ride. I made a lot of cookies!

So, this one goes out to good friends, road trips, Autumn, and cookies!

Stay awesome, everyone!