This spring, I learned of a lavender farm about 50 miles away, so we decided it warranted a girlfriends' trip to check it out during its peak bloom time.

All girlfriends' trips must begin with food and/or coffee.  So before we headed to the lavender farm, lunch at this charming eatery was in order.

That's me on the left, with girlfriend buddies Linda and Brenda....

A few miles out of town, we arrived with great anticipation of lush fields of lavender stretching on forever.

A wonderful little gift shop heightened my anticipation...

It smelled heavenly inside, with lots of unique lavender-themed items.

I felt a bit like Forest Gump...lavender bunches, lavender oils, lavender sachets, lavender artwork, lavender perfume, lavender butter, lavender lotion, lavender-you-name-it...

But when we finally spied the lavender fields, I have to admit it wasn't quite like the vision I had in my mind.

Apparently all the spring rain has not been good for the lavender growers.

And something about the black plastic down the rows just doesn't fit my romantic vision of lavender fields....

But it was still quite a lovely place....

Despite temperatures in the low 90s, we enjoyed strolling across the grounds....

...then headed back to the gift shop for a treat of lavender iced teas and lavender cookies.

Quite a unique taste and very refreshing!

Following the purple color scheme, this luscious hydrangea beside our table.

We had a delightful time visiting and laughing together as Brenda drove us back to the church where we'd met that morning.

As we drove into the church parking lot, we had a new appreciation for the bed of LAVENDER growing there!

Actually, the lavender around our church (which Kim has planted and nurtured) is more beautiful and fragrant than the "fields" we drove 50 miles to visit.

We could have stayed in Sulphur Springs, ate at the Iron Kettle, and roamed through our own lavender garden.

But that would not have been nearly as memorable and fun as our adventure...

...in search of lavender.