Unexpected Pleasures

Tea of the Day: Island Fever (Green, Iced)

Song of the Day: Tea for Two by Ella Fitzgerald

There is something wonderful about unexpected pleasures... the pure joy of finding and experiencing something new and fun that was not planned. Today I went out with a dear friend in an area I had driven through many times, but never really explored. It was great fun! I came across (unintentionally, really!) three different tea places...

First, I found a casual Tea Cafe that served a lot of unique iced tea blends. I tried something called "sunburst" tea with iced apricot tea, orange juice, and raspberry flavor. It was delicious! I never thought of mixing tea with juice before, but now I have lots of ideas for new things to try!

Secondly, I noticed a sign for a British Grocer and just had to check it out to see if they had decent scones. After pining over several shelves of tea imported from the UK, I ended up purchasing an authentic Scottish blend of black tea from Edinburgh and a jar of "pure butter clotted cream biscuits", which the British woman at the counter told me to "savor every bite" of. She was right, they are delicious!

Thirdly, I stumbled into the "Tranquil Tea Lounge", which is a modern take on tea with an Asian flair. They had over 85 different loose leaf teas to choose from - all of which were on display in tiny labeled glass bottles for you to sample smell. We ended up eating lunch there and it was very tasty. I had a small side salad with "black tea vinaigrette", a half-turkey sandwich with sun-dried tomato pesto, and a large glass of "island fever" iced green tea. The tea was fantastic. Then, for dessert, I tried their white chocolate lavender scone, which was also delicious. What a treat for my taste buds!

I am realizing the importance of taking time to simply enjoy life and forget your troubles for an afternoon or so. I am so thankful that God has placed such good friends in my life to enjoy the journey with! It is so nice to just sit down and enjoy a cup or a pot of tea with a good friend and talk about life...

I was definitely inspired today, and I can't wait to have my next tea party!!!! =)