Random Thoughts Tuesday

First off, can I just say I have the greatest friends and family ever? Things haven't exactly been easy lately, but oh do we feel loved on by so many! People may wonder, how can you say "God is good" in the midst of pain? He is the God that comforts {see 2 Corinthians 1:3-4} and he uses other people to bring comfort and joy, even when circumstances in life just plain suck. So, I just wanted to give a shout out to YOU! You know who you are. My mom. My sister{s}. My dear sweet friends. My church family. My Steve. And the list goes on. Even my pain in the butt goldendoodle brings comfort! When he curls up on the couch beside me and rests his head on my lap...I can't help but say, thank you Lord! You are good! Okay, maybe that sounds silly, but it's true! You just have to {do your best} focus on the blessings. Even when I am hurting, I can't help but feel blessed and thankful for my loved ones. Thank you God for providing what I need in the moment.

Secondly, I can't remember the last time I went to Wal-mart. Just throwing that out there. I usually HAVE to go there about once a month to stock up on bathroom essentials such as shampoo and toothpaste...they're just too expensive at the grocery store. BUT, I'm so excited that I discovered Amazon {let's just take a moment to thank The Lord for Amazon} also has most of these items for the same price, if not cheaper! I'm an Amazon Prime member {so worth the 80 bucks a year} so most of the stuff gets shipped for free in two days! Win win! Maybe you too can skip a trip to Wal-mart by doing this. You're welcome. 

As I type this I'm listening to Pandora. I'm singing along to the song I and Love and You by The Avett Brothers. Another great band! And guess what?! Allison introduced me to their great sound. Fun, easy to sing along to music. Bummer is I found out they're playing in Philly when we'll be vacationing in the Outer Banks. Well, that's not the bummer. The timing is just a bummer. Oh well! I suppose I have been to enough great concerts this year. Speaking of which...

Hear ye hear ye! The Olsen's are going to see 30 Seconds To Mars live in concert at the end of September! Score! The excitement cannot be contained. Mumford & Sons take two! Although this time we get to see Jared Leto {ladies, can I get a swoooon} instead of Marcus Mumford. We will have fun.  

Indeed, there will be much to blog about coming up in the next several months.

I gotta wrap this up because we're heading on over to Olsen Central for dinner tonight! Woot woot! We normally don't go more than a week without seeing one another and it's been...what...ten days?! Say it ain't so! A mid week meeting of the Olsen's had to be in order. Bonus, my brother in law can cook like it's nobody's business. Thanks, Matt! 

Have I mentioned before that I have THE cutest niece and nephew ever? It's true. And I'm not just saying that. It's a fact.

See?

I'll end with this thought. Lets try to focus on the good in our life, because let's face it, there will always be some sort of bad happening. On the other side of the coin, there is always something to be thankful for. You know how that song goes..."count your blessings...name them one by one...count your blessings see what God has done..."

Anyway...happy Tuesday! At least it's not Monday. See? I'm focusing on the good. It's not too hard. Just takes some practice :)

Random Thoughts Tuesday

Randomness. That's what I will write about on Tuesday's. Whatever is going through my mind I will attempt to spill out onto my blog. I know the excitement is hard to contain! Apparently this is what bloggers do. Pick a day of the week. Write about a certain subject or topic. I thought I'd create my own. Only difference is there's no specific topic OR subject. Bear with me.

Last night we had the whole house/termite inspection for our new home{eek!}. Overall it was very uneventful. Although, I may or may not have skipped around in the yard and did a ballerina twirl or two throughout the home. Other than some minor issues, and the fact that we couldn’t find the switch to turn the gas fireplace on, I’d say all went well! No signs of termite damage, either. Phew! I feel it's worth noting there was a 1990’s radio/cassette tape player mounted under the kitchen cabinets. The tape inside was the dirty dancing soundtrack. My only question is, since it’s attached, does this mean it’s ours?

Here’s another sneak peak of our future home. A lovely view into the backyard. Happy sigh.

Moving on...

What I’ve been listening to as of late: Fleet Foxes. I will say I have to be in the mood to listen to them. It will look as though Steve is in pain as soon as I mention them. It’s really not that bad, people! Steve is just critical and does NOT appreciate my taste and variety in music. Oh but his voice! {the singer, not Steve’s} It’s beautiful. SO WHAT if it’s a bit over the top in the “mountain music” genre?! {is this even a genre? I do not know}. My sister Allison introduced the band to me while I was visiting her in big, beautiful Montana. Ding ding ding! Now things are starting to make sense. ;) I will ALWAYS trust my sister’s taste in music. After all, she introduced me to The Lumineers. Enough said. Fleet Foxes' sound would be best enjoyed on a long road trip, or while enjoying nature on a hike in Glacier National Park with a granola bar in hand. Kidding! Sort of. I’m really into their album “Helplessness Blues” right now. A favorite song that I’ve had on repeat is this. I'm loving this album. Oh the sweet harmony! It's just pretty. Easy to listen to. My ears are happy. I’ve been singing it to myself all week. I just love music.

image via pinterest

The End.

we bought a house! almost.

What started out as a spur of the moment crazy idea on the deck at my parents house, turned into the pending sale of our home and pending purchase of our dream home! All within six weeks, mind you! Who says the real estate market is slow, anyway? Ha!

Preparing your home for the market is no easy task. I thought I was organized. I thought we didn't have clutter. I thought we would stick a for sale sign in our yard and call it done and done. I thought wrong. There was lots to do, people. I wanted to heed my agents advice and purge, minimize, and de-clutter. That was the beginning of May. Fast forward four weeks and our home is ready for the market! Not only did we organize and make our house look as "model home like" as possible, we added tile back splash in the kitchen{thanks Jordan!} and a brand spanking new faucet to complete the look. When all was said and done, we were proud as can be of the result. Only regret? Why didn't we do this sooner?!

Fast forward to mid June. No showings. No interest. The end of June rolls around and all we can account for is one measly showing. Frustration sets in and our minds get geared up for the long haul. And then, bam! We got four showings within one week! We were encouraged by the sudden interest in our home and prayed and hoped someone would love it enough to buy it. July fourth weekend I got a text from my agent saying a buyer wanted to look at it a second time! Long story short, our home is under agreement and we couldn't be more thrilled at how quickly and effortlessly it sold! All of our hard work paid off.

And so, the fun part begins! House hunting! I've spent hours and hours of my life watching House Hunters on HGTV{just ask Steve. Or my mom}. It was finally our turn to nitpick, tour homes, and enjoy the ride{at least this was the goal}. After looking at some not so perfect homes that we sort-of-kind-of convinced ourselves we liked, along came a new listing that would soon be deemed our dream home! As in never thought we could find or afford kind of dream home. We are over the moon in love with it. Steve and I both equally. And that's saying a lot. Of course it's not for sure yet...we need it to appraise, we need our financing to come through, we need inspections etc etc, but we're on the right track! And we can hope and pray and dream that it all works out.

A little bit about said dream home:

-The back yard is freaking amazing...a covered deck AND a huge patio. It backs up to a mini-forest{half of the lot is wooded} so there's lots of trees and privacy.
-The yard is fenced in. You're welcome Jacob.
-There's not only one, but TWO fireplaces. One in each of the TWO family rooms.
-It's move in ready...maybe needs paint in a room or two? Hallelujah!
-There's a rocket room. You're welcome Rocket Man.
-It has that warm-fuzzy-I-want-this feeling as soon as we walked through the door. This is important, my friends.

Okay, I'll stop now. I'm sorry if it appears that I'm showing off. I'm just very excited{!!!}. It's only the most expensive purchase of our 20 something lives. I can't tell you how many times I've texted "eek!" to my family and friends this past week. Just ask Laurie.

Here is a sneak peak of the back yard. The rest will have to wait until we are holding the keys in our hands.

Stayed tuned, so far things have been progressing without a hitch. Fingers crossed!

Next up, packing.

Happy weekend! :)

Relay for Life

Wow. It’s July! I apologize for my absence from the blogosphere. I guess I’ve been…busy? Pre-occupied? It’s Summer for goodness sake! I guess that’s about the best excuse you’re going to get for now. I know, not much of a strong case.

But here I am, right? That’s what counts. After much coaxing and begging from my  hundreds of followers mom and sister-in-law….here. I. am. {strike through words idea stolen from Laurie...given where credit is due.}

Let’s go back three whole weeks. The weekend of Relay for Life. This is what I will talk about today. It’s worth noting and worth highlighting. Even if it is three weeks late. It was an absolutely gorgeous weekend. Weather could not have been more perfect. Since the event was all outdoors this was a huge plus. Relay for Life is an annual movement that raises funds and awareness to save lives from cancer. Each year more than 4 millions people in over 20 countries participate. It is a time to celebrate with survivors what they’ve overcome. It is a time to remember those who were lost to the disease, and honor those who are currently fighting it. The event inspires participants to take action against a disease that has taken too much.  You can learn more about Relay for Life here.

My family has attended Relay since 2005. It was extra special this year because my mom was selected as the honorary survivor and my dad, the honorary caregiver. Heart bursting with pride! She shared her story in front of hundreds and did great. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the whole place. We are so so thankful that she is alive and well and with us today. Thank you Jesus.  Here is shortened version of her story:

I was born and raised in Lancaster County, most recently living in the Denver/Adamstown area along with my husband, Ben and our youngest of five daughters, Erin. We were living the American dream until one day at the age of 41 I discovered a lump and then had my first mammogram, followed by an ultrasound and biopsy. The nurse’s face became a blur when she uttered the words “you have cancer”. Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, a rare type of breast cancer. I was treated very aggressively, with surgery, chemotherapy, then radiation. “Hope has been my anchor”- May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him. -Rom 15:13a.

My first Relay for Life experience was in 2005, shortly after my treatments. I was encouraged by a friend to go to the survivor’s reception and was glad I did. Cancer was very foreign to me but I soon realized I was not alone. I continued to participate at Relay and regained my strength.  Then, 2 years later, I was diagnosed with Thyroid cancer. After surgery and nuclear medicine, I again was a cancer survivor! As time went on, I continued to take preventative medicine, along with yearly mammograms, but in 2011 I discovered a lump on my other breast. Could it be? Yes, cancer for the third time.  Another surgery, more rounds of chemo and another 6 weeks of radiation were ahead of me. We had more reason for concern because this time there were 14 cancerous lymph nodes, so they did further tests to stage the cancer. This was probably the scariest time of my life, but I am happy to report that the cancer did not spread and the final cancer staging was 3c.

After the treatments were over I remember a conversation we had during that time, my husband said, “Who gets cancer three times before the age of 50?” And my daughter, Allison, said without hesitation…”the ones that live!” We all looked at each other and thought, WOW, how profound! We have so much to be thankful for!

Today, I am a three time cancer survivor. I’ve celebrated 50 birthdays! I know I am a better, stronger person because of this journey God has walked me through. I am so thankful to Him, for my husband, truly my hero and best friend, my family, my friends and my co-workers at ENB for their love and support shown to me over these last 9 years. THANK YOU so much for your involvement at Relay for Life, I can truly say your efforts are not in vain. I’ll close with a quote from a Relay Newsletter, “My life will NEVER be the same, but because of cancer, it will ALWAYS be more meaningful”. Every day is a gift, cherish each moment. It has truly been an honor and a privilege to be your Honorary Survivor for 2013. 

-Lori Stayer

 The Relay for Life 2013 Honorary Survivor & Caregiver!

mom giving her speech 

cowokers, friends and family came to show their support

cutting the ribbon to start the Relay and survivor lap

leading the survivor lap with Team Lori!

Steve lighting mom and Amaw's luminaria

Dad's infamous marshmallow sneakers. kidding, dad! ;)

Love you mom and dad! You are truly an inspiration to me and so many others!

Happy July and happy weekend! :)



May is for Madness

Good bye May! Hello June!

We were running on fumes. Running on empty, really. May was the month of madness {how do you like THAT alliteration?}. Steve traveled for work a lot. Seemed he was gone a couple of days each week. All while I organized, cleaned, and minimized the house in effort to get it ready for the market by the beginning of June. Add on to that, the blog every day in May challenge. It really put a damper on my schedule. But, I was determined to complete the task at hand. I can proudly say I worked my rear end off. When the last week of May FINALLY rolled around, I took a step back to admire all that I{we} had accomplished. Organized whole house top to bottom? Check. Successfully hosted our out of country friends for a weekend? Check. Blog every day in May? Check{well, almost...I had to play catch up after said friends departed}. Had a home cooked meal ready for Steve every night? Fail. Sorry, hon. Cooking was at the very bottom of the to-do list.

Needless to say, we were very much anticipating a weekend away to the beach. We had been craving some uninterrupted relaxation. And, what better way to do that than soaking up the sun, eating a lot of good food, and sleeping in? Sometimes, it's just so worth it to spend the money in order to get away and experience some real R&R. I'm still basking in the glorious feeling of sitting on the sand, with a book in my hand and the sun beating down on my skin. Glorious. We had perfect weather, too. For that I am very thankful. It was just perfect in so many ways. In fact, its been a long time since Steve and I got away just the two of us. It was long overdue to get some quality one on one time with the hubby. No dog to worry about...no floors to clean...no grass to mow...no worries about our to-do list. It was magical. Even in little Rehoboth Beach. Just shy of a three hour drive away.

Hopefully June will be less hectic and more peaceful. Even if we can't get away for a weekend again, I was reminded how vital it is to invest time with just yourself and your spouse. The cooking can wait... ;)

oh krispy kreme. how i love thee.

downtown Rehoboth

view from our condo 

mimosas! naturally

  

nom nom

 

well well. Steve's sleeping

best. subs. ever.

 this is what we did all day Saturday

 thought we'd give this little mom and pop diner a whirl

day 31: the last best place

A vivid memory...I remember feeling like I could reach out and touch heaven. It was my first visit to Glacier National Park, Montana. Steve and I were visiting my sister Allison, and I was SO excited to see real mountains. I know there are many other beautiful places with big mountains, much bigger than even in Northern Montana, but I instantly fell in love. Big sky country they call it. The skies are SO blue. It literally feels like you’re in the clouds. I remember the first day we hiked to Hidden Lake on Logan Pass in the park{highly recommended by the way!}. I felt like Heidi in the Swiss Alps. I felt small and insignificant, yet free and alive. I felt just a tad closer to understanding how majestic and awesome our Creator God truly is.

And then there was THIS at the end of our trek.

I also keenly remember feeling oh so sick on the descent down the mountain to Lake McDonald Lodge. I had a case of altitude sickness - also known as AMS{acute mountain sickness}. It wasn't pretty. I remember laying on a bench outside and seeing Steve and Allison eating dinner together through the restaurant window. Looking back we all still joke about it.

Steve if you're reading this...which you better be!...can we plan a trip to Montana soon? Pleeeease??? :)

Tomorrow, I write about NOTHING! I'm taking a break from blogging for a bit. I survived the blog every day in May challenge! Thanks for sticking with me. Happy weekend and happy June!



   

day 30: let go

Today I react to the term "letting go". Rather than writing about letting go of your past or an unhealthy relationship, I decided to share with you a song. In fact, I would've included this in yesterday's post about favorite music. The band Red, is indeed a top contender. Last year we saw them perform this song live. It's safe to say that even though Steve isn't into music as much as me, he adores this band. I love this song, too, and it just so happens to be about "letting go". 

Let Go by Red

image source

{Tomorrow: a vivid memory}