long time coming :

change. it seems that everything around me is changing. !!!!! 

a quick run down of the more concrete things that have occurred: i ran the house for a weekend by myself. i cleaned bathrooms, made beds, and planted hazelnut seeds. i listened to people fret over money, and car trouble, and loved ones' well-being. catherine went back to school. i decided to stay until next spring or summer. my girls from chicago visited: paige moved home for a month before she moves to thailand for six months. audie and rosie are moving out of their apartments and to their parents' houses. i've been hiking, and running, and reading, and cleaning. i made friends that go to bars and rock climb and play instruments and go to medical school. i have an interview for a super flexible part time job in lewisburg, which brian works at now. i mailed handmade cards, received packages, and ordered books. i've been swimming in the river, getting excited for autumn, and scared for winter. overall, im so amazed at how much i love being here. most days, im so happy and grateful for the things i get to experience and people that surround me. 

because i have spent the week reading on the porch and eating amish baked goods i had planned to wake up by 7:30 today and work through the morning. when i rolled over to see 8:50 on my alarm clock, i slightly panicked. however, i soon remembered where i live and where i work. there is a real sense of calmness, perspective, and security here. waking up late doesn't ruin a schedule, but has allowed my body what it needs. the work always gets done and more importantly, the people always feel loved. 

miss and love you all. 

facelift

                           

here are some photos of the things that dad donated! flowers, hanging plant holders, and tube lights for the entry arch. 

i was so excited to get everything up today. the ladies that volunteer from the prison helped me decide everything and do it. having their advice and assistance made it all that much better.                                                                                            

i really love the changes and think it adds a lot to the front of the house! 

not pictured are two other plants that are on the top terrace of the front garden area. there are a lot of weeds and other greens, but i'm so happy that now there is a little color too. 

thanks dad!!! xoxox 

family day

this past weekend was family day at the camp, which means we had a full house. there were people everywhere, calls to cancel, and hopeful drop-ins looking for beds. although the weekend was crowded and at times overwhelming, the guests were super helpful and grateful. several of them had never stayed with us before...delighted to find what a clean, accommodating place the hospitality house is. 

on saturday, i got to pick up my own family member to join the fun! dad planned his trip just a few weeks ago. as we arrived to alderson on saturday evening, the house was in full swing: packed with guests, food on the stove, and beds to be made. after a quick pitstop in my room to drop his bag, i put dad straight to work. we made beds, emptied trash, and cleaned toilets while introducing him to several guests that were also awaiting his arrival. 

dad got to eat dinner and visit with guests all saturday night. he chatted with families from rural north carolina, siblings from cleveland visiting their mom, and lots of others. 

we spent most of sunday being handy around the house. some of this was simply making beds and sweeping floors, but i found a few other projects for dad to help with: hanging pictures, fixing ceiling tiles, and repairing lightbulbs. once again, house dinner on sunday night. 

although monday is normally the major cleaning and rehab day, we hit the road! after a drive literally over the mountain on dirt roads during which we saw a bear, we made it to sandstone/new river gorge bridge national park. we spent most of the morning just driving around, letting me get acquainted with the area. eventually, we made our way up to fayetteville, where the new river gorge bridge is.  we got lunch at a little restaurant that had been recommended by a guest and then went out for a hike! it was awesome. we had views of the river, mountains, and bridge. (there were all kinds of places for rock climbing... i gotta find somebody to take me!!) after being attacked by mosquitos and gnats, we were exhausted. 

tuesday, we had a good combination of productive house work, relaxing exploration, and good food. on our trip in to lewisburg, dad purchased some tube lights and lots of flowers for the front of the house!!! i am super excited to get everything up and will post pictures sometime this weekend or next week of the facelift. 

now, it is back to work for me!! dad and i got a lot of projects done around the house, but skipped some of the regular cleaning. brian and kathleen are gone this week, and catherine just left for a conference as well....leaving me to head up the house alone. so far everything is going well, but i don't have any guests yet! i'll be picking up the first group tomorrow from the airport and holding down the fort until the weekend. that means cooking by myself. please send me all of your julia child and ina garten vibes, i'm a little nervous! 

miss and love you all. think about you all the time. xoxoxo