Happy Halloween from the Harrell's!

This year for our annual Sunday School costume party, we decided not to go with a standard couples costume.  Chris felt "inspired" to dress up as our Sr. Pastor at church (Pastor Clint Pressley).  We drove around all day on Saturday to locate all the pieces of his costume (which mostly came from the ol' faithful Value Village and Party City).  My costume, on the other hand, was completely homemade (by both our hard-working hands) and it is by far my favorite cosstume of all!  I chose to go as a Bun in the Oven (lol).  I felt it was quite appropriate this year :)  Even though my costume required a little more "creativity", Chris still took home the coveted "Best Costume" award at the party (for the 4th time in a row).  Man he's good!

Tis the Season!

I know that it's still WAY too early to be thinking about Christmas, but I saw these 2 fabulous ideas on Pinterest today and I knew that if I didn't blog about them I would totally forget about them altogether!

First: A Christmas card AND newsletter in one!  I just love the idea!

Unfortunately, this will NOT be the year we will send these out.  Can't say I can even think of 10 good things worth listing on this card.  But next year will certainly be better (topping the list will be the birth of our child!).

Secondly, there's the smells of the season to help get you in that special holiday mood!  I just love when my house smells of apple and spices - reminds me of being at home in Raleigh and all the wonderful Christmases we had together as a family.

A Home Makeover

Our house is in serious need of a home makeover prior to the baby's arrival.  I just know that if we don't get it done before then, it'll never happen!  Here are a few ideas I found on Pinterest today that I really love!

Towel Rack - Guest Bathroom


Oil Rubbed Bronze Fixtures


Wall Photo Gallery
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Master Bedroom

These are just a few little projects to help get us started (well . . . except for the whole bedroom makeover - but we've kind of got the ball rolling for that already anyways).  But before we can even tackle this small list, we have to finish our kitchen remodel, paint our 2-story foyer, and replace all the flooring downstairs (and eventually upstairs as well).  All within the next 6 months!  OH!  And create a baby nursery as well!!!!  Yikes!  There goes our social life for a while (lol)!

Sadie, Sadie, Pretty Lady

Meet my Sadie-girl!  Isn't she just precious?!  I could eat her up I love her so much!  4 years ago, while strolling through the pathways at Birkdale Village on a beautiful fall day, I saw her for the first time.  There she was, basking in the sun on the bright green grass, just as snuggly and precious as you can possibly imagine!  She was there as part of a dog-rescue/adoption awareness event and I knew right then and there that she NEEDED to be a part of our family!!!  We weren't looking for another dog (we already had Autumn), but something about her just struck a chord in each of us and we signed the papers that very day to bring her home.  What a delight she has been everyday since!  Sure, we've had our up's and down's . . . like the time when I walked into the house after work and saw the projectile poop all over my dining room wall, or when she ate nearly all of Chris's brand new rainbow sandals (just given to him as a Christmas present days before), and yes, there's always the incessant barking everytime she wants to go outside or play . . . but 90% of the time, she as perfect as a little angel and we couldn't feel more blessed!  She has added an element of joy and overall comfort to our home that has been missing for a long time and I can absolutely say that she has become more than just a dog to both of us, she is our best friend!

With great sadness, however, I must report that we received a phone call from her Vet yesterday informing us that she has been diagnosed with Lymphosarcoma (cancer of the lymph nodes).  My heart just sank.  We knew this was a possibility as we observed her over the last few weeks, but was really praying that it was only an infection and with time would simply go away.  We noticed the symptoms about a month ago.  Well, one major symptom really.  Her glands under her neck were quite swollen, but they seemed to vary in size on any given day.  Some days the swelling wasn't as bad as others.  So about 2 weeks ago, Chris did some basic research online and read that it could be anything from just an infection to, of course, cancer.  I had the day off of work on Monday, so I called in an emergency appt. at the Vet to have her looked at.  They took her blood and a sample of her white blood cells to send to the pathologist.  She said we'd know more in a few days after the results came back.  And even though she's in excellent health otherwise, she was fairly confident that the problem was indeed cancer.

So after countless hours of sobbing my eyes out (for like the hundredth time this year alone!) and spending every possible minute I have with Sadie, we have resolved to meet with the Oncologist to have her observed and staged and to go through our treatment options.  We don't want to impede on her quality of life in any way, but selfishly we'd like to prolong her life as much as possible.  You'd never know it to look at her, she's just as healthy and playful as any other dog of her age, and fortunately it doesn't appear to have spread to any of her internal organs, so we're hopeful that we'll be able to find a non-invasive treatment that will add to her quality of life for the remainder of the time we have with her, and not take anything away from it.

This is terribly depressing news for us indeed.  We have both become VERY attached to her over the years and it is unimagineable for us to think about life without her.  So as silly as it might sound, your prayers are certainly coveted . . . once again . . . as we deal with yet another bout of depressing news.

Chris & Sadie snuggling in the mtns last Thanksgiving

The girls first trip to Mt. Mitchell

Our precious little family of 4 (2010)

Mel's 30th Bday - Part II

Well, the big day has officially come and gone.  Already I've been asked how it feels to be 30.  Truthfully, not much different than it did when I turned 21 (which somehow depresses me when I really think about it) - lol.  My biggest regret about turning 30 is that I've concentrated so much of my adult life on growing up too fast and dealing with adult concerns way before my time, that I completely lost out on the plethora of opportunities that were before me while still in my "prime".  But nevertheless, life's difficult roads have led me to where I am to today, and for that I am still grateful.

Birthday weekend was wonderful.  The weather was gorgeous and it made me thankful to have been born in such a beautiful month of the year!  My mom and her sweet puppy dog (Cupcake) came to visit :)  Chris threw in a few surprises for me as well :)  The biggest surprise, I have to say, came from my sweet friend/co-worker, Kelly Norris.  To my extreme shock and awe, Kelly gave me a KitchenAid standing mixer for my birthday!!!  Dumbfounded does not even begin to describe how I felt when I unwrapped that box!  Sheer generosity just oozes out of that girl and I am extremely blessed just to know her!  But to give a gift like that is truly above and beyond and I don't even know how to go about thanking her for such a gift.  To help get the juices flowing, however, I did make my first batch of homemade Strong Family chocolate chip and pecan cookies with my new mixer (just for Kelly) . . . and they were amazing!  Chris said it was the best batch I've ever made!

But the very best moments of my 30th bday came from 2 very special people.  First, my mom.  It's been a difficult year for us all and the passing of my dad is still a very large and very real hurt that we are all trying to heal from a little more each day.  With that in mind, while at my celebratory dinner on Saturday night, my mom hands me a gift wrapped box.  Not really having any clue what it could be, I gingerly opened the box and found a small, black velvet drawstring bag inside.  I loosened the strings and pulled out a gold chain and a gold cross.  At first all I could see was that the chain was broken. And then I took a good look at the cross and realized that that cross necklace belonged to my dad when he was much younger.  It had broken so many years ago and he stopped wearing it.  But now I had the opportunity to weld it back together again and bring it back to life.  So many thoughts ran through my mind in that moment and it was terribly hard not to start crying right there in front of God and everybody.  So I kept my composure but made a mental note that that moment was what would make my 30th birthday memorable for the rest of my life.  Secondly, there's my precious husband, Chris.  After 8 years of marriage, Chris understands that for me, it's not the money spent or the number of gifts bought (although I DO love presents!), it's the little things that come straight for the heart that matter most to me.  There have been times in our life together when we have felt very estranged b/c other obligations have kept us from spending as much time together as we would have liked.  Therefore I always tell him that the gifts I love most are the cards he gives me b/c he always writes the most beautiful, heartfelt messages inside - a gift that shows me how much time he takes to leave everything else behind for a little while and focus solely on me.  So this year, for my 30th birthday, my overly-creative and oh so thoughtful husband made me the most wonderful card (one that I'll have with me for the rest of my life)!  He spent 3 days working on it!  It's ginormous too!  Easily 3 feet tall!  He made it out of foam board and all the craft supplies you can possibly imagine (lol).  My spare room upstairs is littered with paints, scissors, ribbons, markers, glue, stamps, etc . . . but it's so worth it!  I just LOVE it!  Now, the question is, where am I going to put it?!  I could leave it on display for a while, but it's gotta go somewhere eventually (lol).

All in all, my birthday was lovely and I realized just how fortunate I am to be surrounded by people in my life who love me uconditionally, know me wholly, and value time spent together more than dollars spent.

Here are a few snapshots of my 30th birthday:

My very own KitchenAid mixer! Wowzers!

my surprise ice cream birthday cake. The guy at Baskin Robbins wrote "31" instead of "30" - it was quite a revelation to discover I had aged another year already (lol)

Flowers my boss, Jim, had delivered to my house on Saturday

Stargazer Lilies are my favorite!

My AMAZING homemade birthday card from Chris :)

Mel's 30th Birthday - Part I

It's a big thing, turning 30.  Typically not something anyone truly looks forward to.  For me, I had a much different idea of where I'd be in life by the time I turned 30.  Married, 2 kids, stay-at-home mom, China adoption underway . . . it's funny how God can sometimes have entirely different plans for your life!  Needless to say, other than being married to my fabulous husband Chris, none of my other hopes and dreams have been fulfilled (yet).  The journey has definitely proven to be more arduous than anticipated back when I dreamily concocted "my" plan for my life at the ripe ol' age of 21!  However, one thing that HAS gotten better along the way is my relationships with others.  For so many years I searched and searched for "real", genuine, selfless, and unconditional friendships.  I was tired of the popularity games, constantly wondering whether or not I still made the cut among my current group of friends.  But with age comes insight and discernment which helps me choose the people I surround myself with more wisely.

One of the best blessings in life is finding those kinds of friendships in the workplace.  Our jobs may not always leave us feeling happy or confident, but the people you work with can be the one thing that changes that experience entirely.  I am fortunate to have many WONDERFUL friends at my workplace!  People who I truly believe are interested in sharing life with me, not just for now, but for always.  They're genuine and kind and always looking out for the needs of others around them.  Specifically speaking, there are 2 delightful young women who make my days SO much brighter at the office!  Jessica and Kelly have easily been what's kept me going on the days when the going gets tough.  Sometimes I wonder, if it weren't for their companionship, humor, and overall friendship . .. would I even make it through one day?  Oftentimes the answer is a resounding no!

This morning, as I walked into the office, I saw my sweet friend Jessica sitting at her desk.  This caught my attention as she is not normally in the office quite so early!  And as I rounded the corner towards my office cube, I suddenly realized why she was there.  My sweet and thoughful friend happily decorated my workspace with streamers, balloons, and gifts for my 30th birthday!  WHAT A SURPRISE!!!  It just made my whole day (AND the idea of turning 30 that much more bearable)!

Birthday Decorations!

Birthday Balloons!

She also gave me the funniest card . . .

Birthday Card

 . . . it's so fitting b/c I'm always complaining about how I can't accurately type via IM chat anymore b/c my nails keep growing so fast and are so long that i misspell everything all the time! lol (a personal pet peeve!).
But what made this card even funnier is what she wrote on the inside:

"Dear Melody, I thought this card quite captured our friendship at work! :)  I feel so blessed to have met you . . . it's not very often you find someone who shares a passion for 90's hip hop, Broadway musicals, AND Psalty the Singing Songbook! . . . " 

I just thought that was the funniest thing ever . . . and absolutely so true!

So today I feel like one very special girl . . . not b/c of the attention I received, but b/c of how blessed I am by the friendships around me.  Friendships are absolutely what make life easier to walk through every day (no matter what it might throw your way), and if you're lucky enough to have even one good friend to share life with, then you're just plain lucky enough.