What are the most popular names for Amish women and girls? We answer that question with 21 examples, their origins, and the stories behind their meanings.

Ever wondered what happens to an Amish person if they choose to leave the church? Learn more from our podcast.

This is the first episode where we depart from our typical interview structure to answer questions we've been getting from commenters and website readers. Learn a little bit more about Amish & Mennonite vocabulary (including Pennsylvania Dutch / "Dietsch") here.

Alex & Chris talk to each other about COVID-19 and becoming first-time dads just as the outbreak struck the United States. It's been a long, weird road — and it's probably not the "standard" way of starting a family.

Emily Gertenbach’s office is more than just a workspace. Walking through the door, it’s impossible to miss the collection of books next to her desk, the handful of mementos hanging from the shelves, and the obligatory Macbook that makes it part workspace, part home, and part museum. Each item tells a story, whether it’s part of Emily’s personal history or a herald of what’s to come in her future. Lancaster Newspaper press credentials, a copy of the 2019 Associated Press style guide, an owl mug that looks like it shouldhave a name of some kind — they’re all small pieces that point to two big facts about Emily’s life.

Shewrites, and she does it well. But she’s not a novelist. She’s a marketer. And very recently, she’s 100% self-employed.

Part entrepreneur, part pragmatist, Emily’s home office is organized and structured in the same way you’d expect a company. Everything has its place, and everything improves her ability to reach far outside her office walls and beyond Lancaster City to press a lasting imprint on the corporations and lives she touches.

With a career that’s taken its share of twists and turns, a supportive husband, and a strong appreciation what she’s both earned and been given in life, Emily Gertenbach may best be summed up in one word.

Dauntless.

Lancaster, meet Emily Gertenbach.

Today, I want to highlight one of the best coffee shops in town, Passenger. Passenger is located on South King Street just before Penn Square, right across the street from the Lancaster Newspaper building (appropriately enough).

Passenger is important because they’re more than just a coffee shop. They’re a collection of some of the most positive and kind people I’ve encountered in the city, regardless of whether they’re on or off the clock.

I always remember Passenger because it’s the last place I went the day before my wedding, when I was nervous and jittery and thinking about all the things that could go wrong. The barista and I started talking, and he shared his own story about what it was like to get married, what he’s learned along the way, and a whole lot more.

It was the best unsolicited advice I’ve ever received, and it was purely because the advice came from a point of mutual connection. It wasn’t some shoehorned message to get me to buy more coffee. It wasn’t some weird ordering snafu where I said “small” and they tried to get me to say “tall.”

It was genuine.

With that kind of personality and connection running the place, it’s no wonder they have some of the best coffee in town. If you’ve ever wanted a small pitcher of coffee to pour into your own cup, this is the place for you.

And if you only just now learned that that was a thing, this is still the place for you.

And yes, I’m writing this and editing the episode in Passenger right now. So, yeah, I’m a little biased.

Anyway, check out Passenger on South King Street near Penn Square or their new location on Plum Street in the old firehouse. They’re good people.

Let’s get back to Emily.

I’d like to thank Emily for taking the time out of her Saturday morning to record this episode. It’s worth noting that the episode itself is about three months in the making, and it took a lot of rescheduling for us to get everything worked out. She stuck with it, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

If you want to work with Emily, look her up at egcreativecontent.com and reach out to her at [email protected]. She could be just what your business needs to make a lasting online presence.

If you’d like to tell your story on Lancaster Limelight, you can reach out to the Gents of Lancaster at any time.

Just email us at [email protected]. We read everything we get, and we reply to everything we read.

We can’t wait to hear from you.

We haven't updated in a while. Here's why.

The mind of Micah Aumen is always running at full speed. Whether he’s focused on being the best statistician possible or reflecting on his life’s goals, you can see the gears turning as he talks.  

It’s obvious he’s spent years incubating the ideas that he discusses, especially those that tread into existential territory. They’re the thoughts of someone who realized — and continues to realize — that there’s always more to learn and experience in life.  

You may not expect that from looking at him. With a fine beard, shoulder-length black hair, stainless steel piercings, and preference for Thai food, you may have met someone who at least looks like Micah outwardly.  

But when he speaks, you’re not just meeting a new person. You’re entering a unique conversation about life, relationships, and how to deal with all of it — one that you haven’t had before and you may not ever have again.  

That’s Micah. He’s a rich vein of dichotomies, apparent contradictions, and sometimes even opposing values — but he’s figured out how to make that work, and he’s figured out how to make it uniquely him.  

No matter who you meet in Lancaster, you probably haven’t met anyone like Micah before.  

Lancaster, meet Micah Aumen.  

When you walk into the home of Ben Foultz and Lauren Moritz, there’s no doubt that you’re in a home. The home presents itself in the collection of eclectic belongings that speak to their personalities  — a Nintendo Switch, the Dark Souls board game, sheet music for the guitar riffs to Hallelujah, five different machines to make a cup of coffee, and a couple stray bottle caps for the cats.   

It’s a place to get together, play a few games, and enjoy time with your friends. It’s a place of memories with old wedding invitations decorating the refrigerator. It’s a place of expression with half a dozen works of art from Lauren’s grandfather.  

The space that Ben and Lauren share is all the more impressive by the chance encounter they had that started their relationship. With Ben being a native to Lancaster City and Lauren hailing from small-town New Jersey, their first meeting was unlikely, to say the least.  

One thing is for certain — they share a general quirkiness and a strong sense of fun that makes it easy to smile when you’re around them. And even though they have very different backgrounds and stories that led them to where they are today, they both describe Lancaster in the same way.  

Home. 

Lancaster, meet Ben Foultz and Lauren Moritz.