A Splendid Night Out

Saturday, July 20, 2024, Joe and I attended a bonfire at our friend, Juli’s home. I have written about Juli in the past as she is the owner of Hidden Gem Spa. Her magic hands have been instrumental in keeping the skin on my face and neck healthy.

Juli has sold her ranch and will be moving about an hour north of us. While she has no plans to continue her spa business, she will be coming three times a week to Rogers to see clients in her  behavioral health therapy practice. Rogers is about ten minutes from us.

The other good news is that while she cannot keep her rescue horses at her new home, she will have them at a boarding facility near her. The horses have been beneficial in the animal assisted psychotherapy segment of her psychotherapy practice.

Joe and I were delighted to meet Juli’s other guests, Angie, Pam and her son Caleb, and Mr. B. (I did not get contact info for Mr. B., so I do not have permission to use his name). Mr. B. and Angie have been helping Juli with getting the ranch ready for the new owner. He was a gracious and kind man in his early sixties. I later learned he was introduced to Juli by Angie.

Angie and Mr. B. became friends when they met at a non-profit event as volunteers. The organization is One Good Deed, their website is https://www.one-good-deed.org/. Their history is a terrific read, an excerpt: “started by a small group of neighborhood moms who dedicated one night a month to their friendship was the seed of One Good Deed.” Each month they focus on one project that benefits others in the Minneapolis area. Their mission statement: “Building kinder communities one good deed at a time.”

At one point everyone went off to feed and medicate the horses, Angie and I stayed behind and talked. She is an avid reader and we chatted about the book she is currently reading, she shared details about her trip to Ireland in 2022, and listened to me go on about how much I loved living in Egypt the year we were there. I feel like I have a new sister!

Pam and Juli went to high school together here in Minnesota. Pam now lives in North Carolina. She was accompanied by her teenage son, Caleb. Caleb’s neurodiversity includes a gift for the best hugs! That young man gave me a wonderful goodbye hug that I found soothing. Pam sent me photos she took of Juli and Caleb with the horses and the moon on Saturday night. Pam landed in my heart when she, at Caleb’s urging, told a ghost story around the firepit. Her story was funny and sweet. She obviously loves creativity. In addition to the following photos, she shared her Stampin Up website SunnyGirlScraps blog at https://sunnygirlscraps.com/blog.

Caleb has been taking riding lessons and has a joy for the horses. This was the first time he met Juli's horses.

And a sampling of Pam's moon photos:

We were enjoying the company so much that we suddenly realized it was 10:00pm. Joe and I are usually in bed by 8:30pm or 9:00pm. The time we spent with these wonderful people went by quickly.

This evening reminded me of another amazing evening Joe and I had with one of our neighbors on July 5^th. It was a driveway birthday celebration for the husband of the family. (I really have to work on getting permission to use their names – this family has become a huge part of why I cherish the neighbors on our block – they are so inclusive of us). We got to meet a few of their family and friends and there were two mechanical engineers present so that made for interesting conversations.

When I am counting my blessings, the people we are meeting will be on the list.