A Week of Best Evers: Northern Lights, The Rolling Stones & More!

Have you seen the Northern Lights?

We had quite the Northern Lights show in the Northwest. I learned that seeing the Northern Lights in Seattle was possible due to a sun shower and other elements in alignment. My only other experience was on a tour in Iceland. We saw The Lights, but they hadn’t blown us away until NOW.

Holy cow. I walked out onto our deck and looked through my iPhone, and honestly, I had never seen such brilliant pink, aqua, and neon green lights in the sky before in my life! I kept squealing and running from place to place in my yard at midnight! I will never forget this Northern Lights experience. Did you see them where you live?

It was so worth staying up late a couple of nights in a row. The first night was the best, but I wanted to ensure my camera captured the experience in the best way possible. I was not disappointed!

THE DRAMA OF IT ALL – WOW. 

Speaking of Drama – The Rolling Stones Concert – Seattle May 15

How about being 80, singing your heart out, and dancing for 40,000 people? We had the privilege of seeing The Rolling Stones once again! They delivered as always, but seriously, how can they continue to be so incredible? Their music stands the test of time, and their lyrics are ingrained in our culture. This was my husband’s 26th Rolling Stone concert, and I have seen them 20 times!

Mick was lively and engaging, and the rest of the band sounded fantastic. Watching octogenarians sing, smile, run, jump, dance, and entertain the rapt audience was impressive and inspiring. If they can still do this so successfully, the rest of us mortals can continue to soldier on and do great things as well.

We smiled, laughed, and danced. “It’s only rock and roll, but I like it.”

Best Book EVER

Since we are talking about a week of Best Evers, I have one more for you: The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese is the best book I have ever read. That is quite a personal declaration! I probably read about sixty books each year, ranging from memoirs to fiction and historical fiction. Reading fills my soul and also helps me to be a better writer. We always need to keep working on ourselves and learning!

All 715 pages were the most heart-filling, emotion-driving gift of words. The story is broad in scope and follows several generations. These characters enjoyed great love and endured such heartbreak all within pages of the other. Their emotions were palpable. I actually cried several times while reading! I never do that.

I just kept saying to myself, ‘These words are warming my heart.’ I haven’t experienced this type of reading moment ever before from a novel. I have read many outstanding tomes, but this one was so much more than any other book. 

My description of this page-turning novel is not a review but a tribute to an extraordinary bookish moment in time for me. This book is for people who appreciate the nuances of the English language and want to revel in the brilliance of this author. I was so sorry to see this story end. I have also read Abraham Verghese’s other novel, Cutting for Stone, which is also in my top ten! I was so enamored by the whole experience that I went looking for a video interview with the author and found this one with Oprah.

I would love to know your favorite books or ones that have stayed with you years later!

Dear Friends Came to Visit!

This week couldn’t have been more special! Our friends Ann and Steve Teget of the Postcard Jar came for dinner. We will travel together next week on our Alaskan Cruise, and they came to Seattle early. 

What a treat! We had a couple of travel plans to enjoy together, which COVID foiled, so we had not seen them since our time in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, in 2019, when we visited the hometown of the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. That trip was so memorable, and Steve and Ann were instrumental in our successful time there! Steve and Ann are experts on Pawhuska and also own the adorable Air BnB – Postcard Place.

I am getting super excited to cruise to Alaska with my daughter Alex. The Postcard Jar group has 84 people joining together for a spectacular adventure. I can’t wait to share it with you. You can follow along on Instagram => HERE

On the Travel Connections Podcast:

Want to save money on travel? Listen to my newest episode with The Points Mom, Cindy Greenstein. I have already implemented several of her tips and I am on my way to saving money and using my credit card rewards much more efficiently! A must listen!

 

I will leave this letter here and look forward to sharing our next couple of weeks in my next newsletter, which will come out on Monday, June 3, instead of the prior Friday – We will still be cruising!

 

Travel safe,

 

Suzanne