The Journey Inward

The weekend we’d been looking forward to was finally here! Four of my favorite people staying at my house for four days! The term 5eva was used more often than a bunch of 50 and 60 something year olds probably should have!

One friend drove up from Virginia and another came down from Massachusetts, both about 5 hour rides. Two were locals, coming from 15 and 30 minutes away, just wanting this precious friend time.

We kicked Thursday off by settling into bedrooms, then standing in the kitchen with a bevvy of appetizers and lots of conversation. One friend was running late.

We walked into town for Sip and Stroll, a third Thursday event that involves live music, food trucks, and a theme. It was beach theme night, but there were no cool breezes off the ocean here. It was brutally hot and we were dripping wet.

We found our favorite live music (and air conditioning) inside a brewery and settled in with pizza and beers. We sang along to the songs from our time and the singer seemed to love our energy from upstairs.

From there it was onto ice cream, where we stood in a long line, my other teacher friend and I talking to students and their families as they walked in or out.

We walked home and settled onto the couch for more laughs and sharing and connecting. There is nothing in the world like female friendship!

The beauty of close friends is that I felt no pressure to go out in this brutal heat and humidity to weed my gardens. I have an area of my kitchen ceiling that needs to be painted, but I didn’t rush to get it done before they came. My house was relatively clean and quite tidy, the bedrooms were inviting, the bathroom was stocked and that was enough. No judgment. Just love.

Photos: Flemington, NJ. 7.17.25 by LA