Time and Tea at The Royal Park Hotel

My friend, Nancy and I had tea for two at The Royal Park hotel in Rochester, Michigan just before Christmas and it was lovely. In a hustle bustle season, it felt wonderful to steal an afternoon for ourselves. 

My favorite thing about having high tea is that it requires a certain mood and pace that cannot be rushed.  The tea hostess at The Royal Park is Mary and she is a gem. Kind, efficient and delighted that you can enjoy tea under her watch, Mary makes her guests feel welcome. She gives her guests Time and Tea. The cell phones are off and we have the luxury of a good chat. Besides, sandwiches this pretty need to be savored.

The sandwich tier includes roast beef in pretty puffed popovers, piped egg salad and a cheddar cheese brûlée, all of which are picture-worthy. You can see the entire tea menu here.

Did you notice the pair of gingerbread men on the dessert tier? A sweet touch in December, and very delicious.

Nancy is a Catholic children's author, and we talked about writing stories, blogging and our desire to always produce meaningful content. We understand each other and it is always wonderful to hear Nancy's perspective on things. We had a chance to really talk things over under the guise of tea time protocol. 

If you can, make a reservation for tea with a friend. You will have time and tea - what more could you need?

St.Therese of Lisieux

This week I was able to make a dear friend very happy.

When I was in Paris, I shopped the Vanves flea market looking for something honoring "Saint Therese of Lisieux."

My friend, Nancy, has written a darling book about a fifth-grade girl who finds companionship and comfort by following St. Therese and her Little Way. Nancy loves writing Catholic fiction for kids and I really wanted to bring her something from France that she would cherish.

I found the perfect thing! A religious metal depicting Saint Therese that Nancy could wear on a necklace. I had the good sense to photograph the exact place I found it. So when we met for coffee, I was able to give her the metal, along with the photograph above inscribed "Vanves flea market, Paris, May 9, 2009."

She was thrilled and writes all about it in her blog nancybelanger.blogspot.com

Now it's my turn to say, "Mission accomplished."