Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool Festival

I've always wanted to make the trek to upstate New York for the famous Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival. It's been on my road trip to-do list for so long, that I decided to replace Siberian trans-continental train ride with easier-to-accomplish-attend Rhineback on my 102 Life List. (Crossed off!) I had the oppto attend last weekend with four of my Degenerate Knitting friends. What a treat!

I was most looking forward to enjoying the scenery, the fall leaves, a peek of the Hudson River Valley, eating some good food, and hanging with friends. I didn't even need to get any yarn. The only thing I wanted to buy this year was (avert your eyes, my vegetarian friends), was a sheepskin, and some type of apple treat.

Early Saturday morning, I found my sheepskin from the local and family-owned Weston Farm. Their cute and friendly son, and namesake for the farm hand selected my sheepskin for me. Right before I bought it, there was the cutest two year old girl laying upon piles of sheepskins a la Princess and the Pea in the largest display of bliss I've ever seen. That sold me immediately.

The weather was quite temperate, and I was very comfortable at 25 weeks pregnant with maternity leggings, flip flops, a t-shirt and my favorite (but somewhat snug now!) denim chambray shirt.

Everyone was so lovely, and people just started conversations with you wherever you were sitting, eating, or lined up. Natalie, (my talented friend who spins gorgeous yarn) and I met a hilarious Canadian mother and daughter, while I kept her company in an hour long line to buy fleece. It was like Disney World, but nobody was mean or cranky.

I shared an apple pie a la mode with Robin, and brought a caramel apple home for dessert. My budget was in line, so I treated myself to one skein of Creatively Dyed Yarns, since I cannot pass up her unique skills and colors that match an explosion of the universe.

On the way back to our hotel, Robin, our photographer of the bunch, really wanted to snap some photos of the Hudson River Valley. We were near a Vanderbilt Mansion, so enjoyed an impromptu stroll on the estate before sunset. I thought it was neat to see this historic setting that inspired the Hudson River School Painters.

Being the driver, with as much fun as we had, it is always good to be home again and relax after an action packed weekend. I also just wanted to test out my new sheepskin and see how comfortable it would be in it's new home!

Mike is already trying to steal it...

Making Friends in Adulthood

Many of my friends have expressed how hard it is to make good friends in their twenties and thirties. I agree that it can feel as awkward as dating at first! Unless, there is  an activity. Honestly, I think that activities are the secret to making friends at any time in your life. You all have the excuse of being there to mingle, whether it's a volunteer group, kickball league, pub trivia teams or my favorites: book club and knitting group. I've definitely mentioned my lifelong friends made over the years thanks to Wednesday night knitting circle at Rosie's Yarn Cellar.

Weekly pub quiz (or Quizzo) in Philly for years introduced us to a wonderful group of men and women, and where I met my delightful Arch-Nemesis.

As a volunteer co-chair for the Delaware Valley Green Building Council, I made great professional connections, but realized that no matter what age, people usually bond post-meeting by eating, drinking beer and cracking jokes.  They can hold their liquor and  still speak quite intelligently on sustainability, energy grids, local government and policy.

So what does this have to do with crabs? Particularly Maryland Bay Seasoned Blue Crabs?

Last year, through friends of a friend, I added another wonderful group to my Philadelphia network, the Book-It Girls. A friend started a book club, and even though all of them don't enjoy reading as much as others of us, it has become a long-lasting and tight-knit group. What a welcome surprise as I entered my 33rd year. I'm actually one of the older ladies in this group, so it's nice to have younger group of friends, especially as many of my friends are having babies, moving away, etc. (I realize the irony of this now that I am having a baby...)

The members of our book club attended a Bridal Shower / Bachelorette Weekend in Annapolis, Maryland this weekend to celebrate our founder's upcoming wedding. We attended a laid back shower in an open barn with gorgeous weather. One of the girls even brought along her 2 month old twins and husband.

After the shower, we went to an All-You-Can-Eat Crab dinner, then dancing and drinking (excluding me!) past midnight. It was a blast, and my baby bump and I enjoyed breaking it down on the dance floor while I'm still feeling good!

It may sound sappy, but it makes me so happy to have amazing friends in my life, and still be meeting new ones unexpectedly over the years. Not being from Philadelphia, we had to create a new network almost from scratch. After 8 years, we're still meeting new people, and seeing how intertwined all of our groups of friends are. Knitting overlaps with Sustainability and Book Club, etc.. until they're all just friends.

The Book Club girls have become the kind that you feel comfortable to talk about anything with, to have slumber parties in hotels, and to go buck wild on an epic breakfast on the road trip home after your abs hurt from laughing 24 hours straight.

Lesson learned: when moving or looking for new friends, join a club! Good times.