Brenda Sieglitz

Leisure

Finding Life in Ricketts Glen

I have wanted to visit Ricketts Glen State Park since I read this description on Wikipedia: "These sales left the Ricketts heirs with over 12,000 acres (4,900 ha) surrounding Ganoga Lake, Lake Jean and the glens area of the park. An area encompassing 22,000 acres (8,

Life

4

4 years in Heaven; what I hope is up there. It's been too long, too short, too something. Tears, minimal this year, emotion, in between, reflection, heavy. So much good has happened since you've gone. So much. Miss you Kev.  Glad for what you gave me,

Life

Dropping the C Word

I can recall 4.5 years ago when the doctor told Kevin and I that the growth they found in his esophagus was most likely cancerous.  We told immediate family right away the possible prognosis - everyone around us tried to remain positive and insisted the tests would come back

Life

Reflection and Loss

October is here and this is typically the month that throws me down the staircase.  But for the first time since Kevin's death, I didn't feel that apprehension, that warning that it was coming, that terror.  I feel a calmness; a sense that I have indeed

Leisure

Packing for the Adventure, Not the Destination

How do you pack?  And no, I'm not asking if you roll instead of fold (I roll when flying, fold when camping, no clue why).  I'm asking how you pack? Do you choose your clothes items according to what's on your travel itinerary?  Smart

Leisure

Nature's Church

I grew up in a church - I spent nearly all of my Sundays in attendance from birth until I was about 21.  Then, I began slipping.  I've attempted becoming involved or part of a few churches since my early 20s, but never have felt the commitment or

Life

Flight 93 Memorial

The remembrance and solemness that I felt pulling onto the National Park property of the Flight 93 Memorial was immense. I visited the memorial back in June on the way home from a work trip in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.  I was led through the rolling hills of Cambria and Somerset counties

Leisure

Where to Next? Harpers Ferry National Military Park, then Cuyahoga Valley...

My timelines for life typically never work out the way I hope they will.  It's probably God continuing to try and teach me about that whole 'control' thing and how that never really works out anyways.  Despite my intentions to have already visited Cuyahoga Valley National

Leisure

Protecting our Parks

If you know an ounce about me, you know my slight borderline insane obsession with the National Parks.  My list of National Parks, and units, visited includes: Grand Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park, Assateague Island National Seashore, Appalachian National Scenic Trail (small portions), Glacier National Park, Theodore Roosevelt National

Life

If We All Hold Hands, Nothing Gets Done.

Who do you turn to when you need to make a tough decision? If you are religious, you may read the bible, leaning into God's word to find the answer.  If you are political, you may make the decision based on your party's beliefs.  If you

Life

What I Wanna Do When I Grow Up?

I love my job.  Let me start that way.  But I still have stirrings about what the next 10, 20, 30, 50 years will hold.  The longer we live, the longer we work.  I foresee no plans for an early retirement in my future, and I'm OK with

Life

Loving You

I read my cousin Angela's blog today and was stirred as much as she has been about the work that goes on in our brains.  "Let's list our accomplishments with pride and share our failures with integrity.  We are not perfect, but if we are

Life

Recapturing the Essence of my Blogs

Tonight I tried to describe this blog in brief: it's about grief and travel.  "The grief of traveling?"  Well, not quite, but there's another topic to explore.  As I moved away from Crazywidow.info and this blog my thought was to focus more on

Life

Why a Car Can Mean So Much

Meet my new-to-me '09 Subaru Forester. A new-to-me car may not seem like a big deal to some.  But to me, it's a huge symbol of how far I've come.  I don't consider myself a super materialistic person, albeit I do love some

Life

Tears, Widows, and the Memoir

As I told the story of how I came to be a widow, I felt the tears well up in my eyes, my throat closing.  Just as I was recalling how Kevin had asked me to stay at Johns Hopkins that night, and the next morning I could feel his

Local

Inkling Media - Social Media, Marketing in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

On a snowy evening I met with Ken Mueller at his home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to discuss his social media venture, Inkling Media. Mueller evolved into the social media/marketing business via a combination of accounting, FBI interest and radio. Three venues that have little to do with one another,

Life

Passionate Grief...Gone

This past week I picked up the last of Kevin's items from my parents home.  Hockey bag, weight lifting equipment, his suit.  The suit I debated burying him in.  Tears welled up, but they didn't fall.  Emotion swelled, but I didn't break.  I felt

Leisure

Worthington State Forest, New Jersey in the Delaware Water Gap

One of the best opportunities to camp, hike and fish is at the Worthington State Forest in Columbia, NJ, just over the Pennsylvania/New Jersey state line. The forest borders the Delaware River and is set back on Old Mine Road in Columbia, NJ off of I-80.  Be sure to

Local

Review: Square One Coffee in Lancaster City, PA - Roasting for the Future

Josh and Jessica Steffy are the owners of a small coffee shop in the Eastern section of Lancaster City, Pennsylvania. As missionary leaders for YWAM (Youth With a Mission) in Scotland, they traveled all over and got to sample some of the finest coffees on earth. For them, coffee creates

Local

Hammerstroke & Fire - Metal Jewelry in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania

Wendy Edsall-Kerwin first discovered her love of jewelry and metals while in art school. After school she wandered away from her hobby until her own wedding brought her back in order to handcraft her jewelry for the big occasion. It took a few more years, moves, and some dedicated class

Local

July 4th Fireworks and Celebrations at Long's Park Amphitheater

Nearly every year, for as long as I can remember, my friends, family and I have visited Long's Park Amphitheater in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania for their phenomenal fireworks, music and fun Independence Day celebration. Most families and groups make a grand evening of this memorable event. We bring

Life

A Widow's View on the U.S. Healthcare Debate

My 2009 Associated Content Contributor of the Year Article: My late husband and I battled through U.S. immigration in 2006 to finally be wed on Feb. 3, 2007. He became a permanent resident in the United States, and in doing so, we both had to sign away rights to

Life

Tips to Begin to Move Forward After a Traumatic Event

When my husband passed on October 28, 2008, I felt the immediate need to continue doing the things he loved. Working out, learning ice hockey, and come summertime, surf fish in the Atlantic Ocean. But eventually, I stopped enjoying the gym as his workout buddies would come up and ask

Life

Meet Molly

The boy and I got a dog.  Yep, we live in separate houses, but we share the dog together. Meet Molly Molly has a past, kind of like us.  She's 6 years old, and the Humane League told us that her parent abandoned her with a roommate and

Leisure

Top 5 Travel Shoes for Women

When I came home from a 4-day weekend in Las Vegas, NV, my feet, back and knees were throbbing for days after. Wanting to be fashionable in the land of milk and honey, I did not pack even one pair of sneakers. It was the biggest travel mistake I have