It Made My Day- Party Canceled

Hubby and I just got back from a little vacation to Deep Creek, Maryland, in part to celebrate my birthday, and in part to just get away and relax. We saw a lot of amazing stuff along the way, so much so I am contemplating an entire series of blogs just for vacations and trips, but we saw one thing, in particular, that was SO awesome, I made him turn around the car, so that I could take a picture.


Best church sign ever. It made my day.

Explorations: The Book Sale

I know I just talked about the library not that long ago, and in that post I mentioned the used book sale. Well today I ventured to the sale with my friend Jen. From what I gather, the books for the sale are donated, and all proceeds benefit the Kittanning library. As the ladies mentioned to me, the state cut the budget pretty severely, so it is critical that the sale brings in decent revenue for the library, in order to purchase new books.

Because neither of us had been there we were a little unsure where to go. We approached the library and saw a sign directing us to the Grace Presbyterian Church basement. Since it was a simply gorgeous day today, we walked down the block to the church, descended the steps, and entered what I imagine heaven must look like.


Seriously, you know that euphoria that chronic over-eaters feel when the enter a buffet, like the Golden Corral, or Old Country Buffet? Well that was what I felt when I walked into the sale.

I had my own little Veruca Salt a la Willy Wonka moment. I wanted everything in there. My first priority was to find some stuff for Hubby, since he was stuck at work, so I sauntered to the Politics table. I tried to text him to get approval for a book, and realized I had no signal, so I decided to maybe I should just go for it, depending on the prices. Hmm, I thought, where is the sign....

WHAT, YOU ARE KIDDING ME, I thought. Blink blink. I looked around again.
Time for some serious shopping.

About 30 minutes later, I had quickly perused the tables, and decided I had better get out of there fast, or I was never going to leave. I found Jen, and we wrapped up our browsing. I went to the table to check out. The woman counted up my books and said, "that will be $8.50 please."

I said "No."

She said "yes."

I said "Please take $10, I feel like I am stealing."

She happily accepted my ten dollars, and and I gleefully accepted my loot:


The sale is going on today until 6 pm, and tomorrow 9 am-12 pm with crazy price reductions, something like $3 per BOX of books. Seriously K-townsfolk, and those of surrounding areas, stop into Grace Presbyterian Church and pick up some books for a good cause. It is a win win situation.

Defying Gravity

Lots of things have been changing, or are on the verge of changing, in my life, for several months.

I am now a wife, and am learning what a marriage is, and that while Hubby and I work as a team, not all marriages do so. Some people do not understand that when you hurt one of us, you hurt both of us.

On top of that, I am a stay at home wife. For the first time in years, I have not been working full time for a few months now. It was a big adjustment at first, but Hubby is actually the one who encouraged me to do it, to allow myself time to really find my passion. He encourages my writing, and supports all the healthy changes I am making. And despite what some people may think, I am not relying on him for my sole financial support. I actually prepared for this, and am still paying my own bills, not that its really anyone's business.

We are now dog owners, and it is teaching us so much about ourselves. I fall more in love with Hubby every day, seeing new found tenderness in him.

I am strengthening my relationship with God, and trying to follow where He leads. Some people want to mock this. Eh, fine by me. And I know some people may be hurt by the decisions I make. That part is actually not so fine by me, but I have to trust that everything is going to work out for the best in the long run. If someone really loves me, they will love me no matter what.

I am making wonderful new friendships, and strengthening old ones. Sometimes I push my friends away, afraid to appear weak to them. I am trying hard to break this habit. I pray my friends will be patient.

I feel like a new chapter in my life is starting. If this were a movie or a t.v show, it would be time to que a new musical number. So I have decided to take on a theme song for this time in my life.

The song is called Defying Gravity, from the musical Wicked, and it perfectly describes exactly how I feel right now. For those of you who are unfamiliar, have a listen to Lea Michele from Glee perform it:



So, in short, I think I'll try defying gravity. And you won't bring me down.

It Made My Day- Do Not Yell

Tonight, I had to stop and get gas, and normally, I do not use the Sunoco, as the Sheetz is so much more convenient (and has delicious MTO food), but the Sunoco was on the way, and I was riding on fumes. So I pull in and see this sign on the pump:



I have to say, to the owners, THANK YOU! Thanks for standing up for your employees, and thanks for having to guts to tell your customers they are being whiny babies. Maybe if we would all act like adults and pay for our gas, this would not be a problem, but noooooo, a few rotten apples spoil the bunch. It is nice to see people reminded that the world does not revolve around them.

This made my day.

Small Town Elements: Helping Hands

Last night I had the privilege of not only witnessing, but being a part of, one of my favorite things about small town life- helping hands.

Last night I got to help out by participating in a fund raising event for The American Cancer Society. Let me give you the back story.

Last fall, our friend Jason started dating Erin. It was a crazy time in life for me and Hubby, having just moved into the house, and only a few weeks to go until the wedding. Then we had holidays and the Snopacalypse of 2010, so it was not until a couple of months ago that Hubby and I really got a chance to start spending time with Erin and Jason as a couple.

Very quickly, Erin and I became good friends, (Hubby loves her too!)and she became a great source of support for me, in millions of little ways that she did not even realize. Now, I was finally able to support her.

The group is named The Aud Squad, because it was started in honor of a local woman named Audrey, who is a cancer survivor. (We happen to live on the same street as this woman, yet another thing I love about small town life, these little six degrees of separation). This year, two more survivors were joining the Squad, one of which was Erin’s aunt, Jane. Jane has been more than just an aunt, she is like a second mom to Erin, and Erin’s whole family has really come together to support each other during this time. Now was our chance, as Erin’s friends, to support her, and Jane, and everyone we ever knew who had battled cancer.

The benefit was a Pittsburgh Penguin Tailgate Party (LETS GO PENS!!!) and for a donation, you got a raffle ticket, and all the food and drinks you could ask for. But not just any food. Hot dogs. ALL KINDS OF HOT DOGS.
Me personally, I settle for what is commonly known as a New Jersey Dog, or Texas Tommy, which is a hot dog with cheese in it, wrapped in bacon, and deep fried. YIKES. I added onion and coleslaw, and it was amazzzzzing!
There were also chips, veggies, and of course desserts.



We had a chance to buy more tickets of raffle items, and with sales people this adorable, who can resist?


There was a chance to sign up for the Aud Squad’s Relay for Life Team, or to purchase various items, with proceeds going towards the American Cancer Society.


As you can see, everyone had a great time.


I can not imagine a better way to have spent a wonderful afternoon with friends, and neighbors, doing something that makes you feel so good, and helps people you care about. Take a look at the AUD SQUAD!!!


If you or anyone you know has battled cancer, and you would like to help, there are a couple of things you can do. Erin sells Pampered Chef merchandise, and they have some special s coming up in May called WHIP CANCER. You can find her personal website here.

Also, anyone who would like to help support the Aud Squad with donations for the American Cancer Society can contact Erin via email, wvuangel at hotmail dot com .

Take a look at some of the pictures both Erin and I took at the benefit, consider donating, and please please please leave a comment letting me and everyone else know of any loved ones you have or had who battled cancer so we can keep them in our thoughts and prayers as well!

To Erin and Jason, we love you guys so much, and consider ourselves blessed to have you as friends. Your love for each other and for Jane is truly inspirational!

It Made My Day- Sonic Slushie

Yes, yes, yet another new series. This one is just fun, whimsical things I see, hear, or experience, that just make me laugh or smile.

So, yesterday, Hubby and I were driving to Pittsburgh for a friend's birthday dinner party. We had some extra time, so we stopped at a mall along the way to buy a pet carrier for our dog. As we were leaving the mall, I saw something that cause me to make Hubby turn the car around.

It was so, so awesome, that I begged him to get his picture taken with it. Being the wonderful Hubby he is, who would do anything to make me happy, he agreed.


I love my Hubby. And it made my day.

Explorations: Cummings Candy and Coffee

Yesterday, Hubby had an appointment to get new tires put on one of our cars, and the tire place he chose was in Butler PA, which is about a 30 minute drive from where we live. Since it was a beautiful day, I decided to go with him, and while we waited on the car, we could walk through town. On the way out the door, I grabbed my camera, and jokingly said "You never know what we might see along the way". How fortuitous that was.

We dropped the car off, and began walking up Main Street, and there it was....

I asked Hubby if we could go in, and he said we could. I walked in and felt as if I were transported back in time. I fell in love. I saw an older gentleman behind the counter, and asked if he was the owner. He said he used to own it, but now his son owned it. I asked if it was ok to take some pictures, and he said, sure thing.


This is the gorgeous interior. Dark rich wood booths and tables, and mirrored walls all around. It feels so warm and inviting. We decided to order a coffee and sit in the booths. Hubby said, this is the perfect place to write, making us both instantly wish we had our laptops.

As you can see they have a large offering of coffee drinks.

All served at an old school soda fountain style counter. It totally adds to the charm. Here, Hubby is ordering us 2 iced Almond Joy coffees. We loved them. We are pretty sure some of the ice cubes were actually made from frozen coffee, which was a nice touch.

Along the opposite wall, there is a counter containing a number of different home made candies and various types of coffee available for purchase. It all looked so delectable.


There is still an old style scale in use...

as well as an old fashioned cash register.



You can see why I fell in love with this place. The only real hint of the modern was this sign at the entrance:


So, I did indeed visit the Cummings Candy and Coffee website, and encourage you to do the same. You can find much better pictures than mine, the hours for all 3 locations, and a bit of history about the oldest family run business in Butler PA.

Better yet, just go visit Cummings Candy and Coffee on Main Street in Butler. It will put a smile on your face. Just look.....