cheese balls and shaving cream.

I'm thankful today for many laughs with co-workers and parishioners.....I was able to sit in my office chair and proclaim how much I love my job.  Now that's a good thing....I can't remember the exact comment that made me say that, but it had something to do with planning the first confirmation lesson and working cheese balls and shaving cream into the lesson.  Good times.  There may be a poncho and some goggles, too.

Good times.

Until tomorrow . . .

four flippin' fast miles.

Highlight of the day:  this morning's run.

Yeah, so I had a great run this morning....my first mile was under an eight minute mile :)  

In the middle of mile 3, I started to hit the first day of school traffic.  Nothing could be better than a great smile from one youth and a wave with a 'hey Pastor!' from another.  

A great start to the day.  

And now it's time for bed. 

Until tomorrow.  

biking for ice cream.

After worship today a great group of youth and adults went for a great bike ride.
We hit the rail trial in Cornwall and headed to the Jigger Shop in Mt. Gretna....stopped for lunch and ice cream...and biked back.

On the way there I had the opportunity to get caught up with one of the high school youth....we talked about life, school, sports and drama....both the club and the day to day stuff in life.

Once there, I enjoyed a cheese burger, fries and a butterscotch Jigger Sundae. (yum!)

On the way back I biked with two 8th grade girls....we literally coasted for more than half of the way back.  It was great fun.

Such a blessing to be outside on a beautiful day, spend time with some great youth from the congregation and eat some tasty treats.

So, yesterday I finished reading The Happiness Project It was a good read.  It's fun to join others on their 30 day, or in this case 12 months of adventures.  I did pick up on a few things that I liked....like laugh out loud...I know I do this from time to time, but last night I took advantage of it.  I was having a hard time falling asleep after multiple lattes so I stared playing with the cat...needless to say I got a few scratches on my hands...and eventually she left....but low an behold about 10 minutes later she bounded onto the bed to attack my feet.  All I could do was laugh.

Here's wishing you many laughs . . . and ice cream, too.

Last day....

So, this is the last day of staycation...and I figured I'd give a little recap of the day as I watch the end of Ghostbusters.  (For those of you who are fans....in a second, Ray is going to not be able to help himself and think of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.)

So this is what I hoped for yesterday:

(anticipated) Day Five:
Sleep in.   CHECK
Buy new running shoes

Enjoy a scheduled mani & pedi appointment. 

Nap....? - (didn't happen....but that's okay)
another tasty dinner...

Finish the Happiness Project Book. 

I tried to finish it on the porch, but the wasps were attracted to my muffin from Panera, I finished inside with a cat on my lap :)

A bonus is that I also got a few loads of laundry done and pulled all the clothes out of my closet that were either Large or in the double digits.....here they are:

Now they are in a box for a good will drop off this week.  

Get a solid night's sleep before returning to work on Sunday morning.  I don't think this last one will be a problem.  

I'm hoping to get back into a regular blogging habit, too.  I picked up some helpful gems in The Happiness Project....and one of the things she did was start a one sentence a day journal....with that in mind, I hope to blog more than one sentence a day...but I won't be struggling to come up with a long post each day, rather I'll just make sure something comes up...

Thanks for reading.

Until tomorrow . . .

best laid plans...

Stay-cation, all I ever wanted...
Stay-cation had lots to do today....
Stay-cation meant to spend time at home....
(my apologies to the Go-Go's)

Okay, so I believe it was on Sunday evening that I put together my 'stay-cation' agenda.  I'm a gal who loves a to-do list.  In fact sometimes making the list is an item I get to cross of said list, but I was gearing up for a stay-cation.  After a summer of traveling for work (which was tons of fun) I was ready for some time at home, just to regroup.

The agenda I put together looked a little something like this:

Lots of time with Billy
Tackle spare room (sort through old summer clothes and other piles in this extra room)
Trip to Goodwill (to drop stuff off and to shop)
Brew (beer) and smoke (meats or fish)
Trip to the craft store so I can complete at least one of the many craft projects pinned on my pinterest page.
Run, Run, Bike and Run some more!
Read a few books *on the porch swing with a glass of wine
Blog!
Sort through wall decor & hang it up (after being in the house over a year and a half)
Print some pictures and frame them for friends.
Passport.  (you know, just in case)

It seemed, not overwhelming...and not a to-do list so I wouldn't feel as if I had to get all of those things done, because here I am, with one day left....and this is what has been accomplished.

Stay-cation Day One:
30 mile bike ride
Billy and I hung out for 5 minutes....then he proposed.
The rest of the day = sharing the news with family & friends....and a celebratory drink at Canal Street Pub (the site of our first date)

Day Two:
3 mile run
Grilling out
Spending the afternoon at St. Peter's Village for engagement photos
Dinner and a flight at Victory Brewing Company.

Oh yeah....dinner: Indo braised short rib with tortillas (app), then we split the Smokestack Lightning Pizza (pulled pork, caramelized onions, smoke jalapenos, smoked cheddar, scallions and a hop devil bbq sauce)  and the House Smoked Boar Bratwurst Sandwich.  Yum times 2!!!

And then dessert at home... brought to you by Victory....

and made with the wort from their Hop Devil IPA.

Day Three:
Trip to craft store (cork board and mod podge is in my possession)
Chinese buffet lunch with my fiance and future Mother-in-Law
Brewed Engagement IPA
Enjoyed leftovers from Victory...and finished up the ice cream.

Day Four:
6 mile trail run
Shopping excursion to Goodwill and Old Navy.  (some good purchased in both places)
Read a chapter of The Happiness Project on the porch swing with glass of wine and tasty bread and seafood spread.
Had a great chat with my neighbor/friend.
Cooked a delicious dinner of salmon, fresh green beans (with balsamic & bacon), local tomatoes with oregano & basil from my garden, and wild rice.

(anticipated) Day Five:
Sleep in.
Buy new running shoes.
Enjoy a scheduled mani & pedi appointment.
Nap....?
another tasty dinner...
Finish the Happiness Project Book.
Get a solid night's sleep before returning to work on Sunday morning.

In a word, this stay-cation has been epic.

Balance?

Today in our staff meeting we were asked, "How do you find balance?"

It was a question that seemed to throw us into the giggles...seeing as summer seems to keep us even busier than that school year with weeks of VBS, music camp, day camp, the National Youth Gathering,    a few weddings, oh and vacation time?  

I am truly thankful that I just returned from a great vacation. 

It was a vacation with family, food, rest, running, more family, more food and more rest.  

We talked, we laughed, we watched birds, we just relaxed.  

When I got home my cat, Marley, reminded me that she was happy that I was home.  Even though it was super hot and humid, she insisted on cuddling.  She napped and I had a few days to read a book.  

It seems easy to see balance when I'm coming off of vacation, but we'll see how I continue to 'balance' work and personal refreshment as the summer continues.  

 

I did hang up a hummingbird feeder yesterday and by evening a local hummingbird had found it.  

Today I watched as he went to the feeder and back to a tree in my yard and I discovered the nest. 

These pictures were taken from my front porch. 

I was trying to read, but lost focus as I just watched the nest and it's owner....

Hopefully you can see the little guy/gal in there.  I don't have the best zoom and didn't want to infringe on his/her space.  

I do think it was very cool that the bird came to the feeder (on the porch) as I sat on the porch swing. 

I realized that there are bits of balance I can find each day.  It's good to sit and read.....or not.....but to take the time just to be.  I did get some errands done, but the laundry can be put away tomorrow....but taking a moment to rest and breathe....that needed to be done today.  

Until the next time . . . 

taco tuesday = epic fail.

Okay, I must admit...my Monday eats weren't the best.  I had a great 5 mile run, followed by some chocolate milk...and then snacked through the day...and didn't have much of an appetite.  I did devour some cheesy mac & broccoli for dinner, followed by a hershey bar- in preparation for yesterday's trip to Hershey Park.  


I rode rides like a champ and had a blast people watching with friends.  
We finished the day at Red Robin where I enjoyed a Troegs Pale Ale...brewed just a few parking lots over from the restaurant.  That's pretty local...even if it was at a chain restaurant.  

So today, I was totally in the mood for tacos.  The ground venison was thawed, I picked up some tasty local veggies....

Yup....it's a purple pepper. 

I had the venison browning, the peppers and tomato was diced, I had already realized I was making my own taco seasoning....but then I opened the fridge....and had no cheese.  Arg. 

So, I went to plan B: Sloppy Joes.  

I dumped the diced peppers and tomato into the ground venison, chopped up some onion and added that too, and let the veggies soften up.  

I went to add tomato sauce, but the remainder of pasta sauce in my fridge had a touch of fuzz.  So, I added tomato paste, ketchup, some water and chili powder.  I let it simmer for a bit...then tasted it and realized I wanted something more like a BBQ flavor.  So I added some brown sugar and apple cider vinegar and let it simmer for a bit longer.  

I popped some whole grain buns in the oven to warm them up....alongside some sweet potato fries.  

And this is how my tacos turned out:

Pretty delish for a botched up taco tuesday, dontcha think? 

Until tomorrow's tasty treats . . .