Sweet Summertime

I thought for sure a blog post was missing when I logged into the Mustard Seed today - how could it have been since March since I last wrote?!  It doesn't seem possible, but I'm so thankful for all of the goodness in these past 4(ish) months and happy to share a quick update on life with the Dillons!

It was a busy spring - all I remember from March is work and men's volleyball at Lancaster Bible College (Drew helps coach) and in April I think Drew and I had at least one or two "big" work events each week.  It was crazy, and in the midst of that everything defrosted outside and our new yard (which we had only seen in the snow) came to life - lots of grooming to be done and weekend projects to help us make it our own. All to say - the end of my first academic year at LBC was very smooth (and I'm cherishing the quietness of summer to cross some things off my to-do list at the office), Drew helped lead the event team at Hershey through a busy spring (and the marriage of his boss who then went to Ireland for two weeks amidst lots of events), and we were SO thankful for the impending arrival of SUMMER!

May was great - and stressful - and filled with some worry - it was a roller coaster.  The highlight for sure was traveling down to SC in the first week to spend a long weekend with the Gilchrists.  We got to meet our sweet and squirmy niece, Sadie Ann, for the first time, and did our best to keep up with her on-the-go brother and sister.  We loved every second of our visit and it was the perfect spring getaway.  We love the Gilchrists, that's all there is to it!

After our SC visit, Drew went on to a work conference in Atlanta for a few days and I returned to PA. To keep it simple, it was a tough few weeks.  I had a few very intense migraine headaches with complete tingling/numbing on my left side.  These would happen periodically (maybe once every 6 months) before I was ever diagnosed, so this wasn't something completely new.  However, 4 or 5 of these in 3 weeks suddenly became concerning.  Let's be honest, I was thinking the worst. We.were.terrified.  However, my symptoms weren't consistent.  So, I e-mailed my oncologist, he ordered a series of MRIs and so the last three weeks in May were...STRESSFUL. To be completely vulnerable with you, I let the devil get into my head, I had a complete meltdown, I was so scared.  And then, it was like a switch flipped.  I could feel the Lord just take my hand and say, "Sarah, we have been in the unknown together before.  This we know.  And I have NEVER failed you, I have ALWAYS protected you.  I KNOW this is challenging you, but you need to RE-LEARN to lean on me."

So, that's what we did.

Labs, scans and MRIs came back fine.  The "usual" tests were stable and the MRIs showed, nothing. They were clean.  Praise Jesus.  I'm now very aware of what can trigger a migraine and happy to report I haven't had one since.  And the tingling/numbing...a pinched nerve of sorts. I also learned that getting incredibly stressed can have a very negative impact on our physical well being. Oi vey. What a fiasco! Bottom line, I let worry get the best of me.

I'll go back for labs in August and provided everything is good I don't have the full work-up again until October.  Praising Jesus for that too.

I...we...learned a lot in May, and were reminded of His goodness, grace, provision, and protection over my life and our lives.

SO, amidst all of this - we had a pretty special day.  May 25 we celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary.  We had a wonderful day together - we worked in our yard and then went out for a delicious dinner to the place where we had our rehearsal dinner.  We did eat our thawed cake - it was good for being a year old, that's my only feedback there - haha!  We watched our wedding video and relished in the memories of our beautiful day.  I'll wish now until eternity that I could be back there for just 5 minutes.  It was the best.  But, living life as Drew's wife is pretty incredible, so I'll take that every minute of every day for a lifetime!

So, now to a summary of our summer thus far, it's been pretty sweet...

We spent 4 days in Tennessee with my parents, my sister, and our best friends Brooke & Bobby Rhoads (the couple that introduced Drew and I) - it was wonderful - we played in the water for 4 days straight. What a blast.

The Gilchrists are finishing up a two week visit at our house right now.  Time we wouldn't trade for anything.  We have had a blast with our three favorite kiddos and their mom.  Even better, we're headed to Fripp Island with them on Saturday (where their dad will meet up with us!) and Drew/Carly's cousin and her family for a full fledged family vaca.  We're pretty excited!

And one more bit of big news - Drew accepted a new position (and promotion!) with Hershey.  SO PROUD of him.  He's in his first week of the new gig, so there will be more to update after we get back from vacation and he has a few weeks on the books.  We're very excited and feel incredibly blessed for this wonderful opportunity.

I think I'll leave it at that!  Many of you probably saw this picture floating around on Facebook, but for those that didn't, here's a highlight with our nieces and nephew from the July 4 picnic we hosted at our home.

Drew and I hope everyone is finding some time for R&R this summer - look forward to checking in again soon!

Hugs,

Sarah

Welcome to 17 Cherry Tree Lane

Happy Spring!  I think...almost...maybe...okay we might get snow on Friday.  But nonetheless, I am choosing to embrace the 60 degree temps we'll see today.  Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, so my office is filled with Celtic tunes and the corned beef is defrosting for later in the week.  I've also decided that this week I'm taking back "Darling."  It's only right.  St. Patrick's Day was the perfect excuse for our family to get together - one of my Poppy's favorites.

I can't help but think about what Poppy Darling would think of us today - all seven "Darling girls" all grown up.  This weekend we'll gather to celebrate the April arrival of our very first BOY in the family since my dad was born - so excited for my cousin Kathleen and her husband Jason.  But again, I can't help what Poppy would think.  There have been weddings, babies, new homes, big moves, graduations, times with lots of laughter and plenty with tears.  I think he would be pretty proud - we've powered through like true Darlings, and at the end of the day we always have each other. Poppy loved toads.  It was one of his things.  This past Christmas at our exchange there was a frog wind chime - we all went crazy over it, I think mostly because it reminded us of him.  Needless to say, a few of us went to World Market later that week and bought our own.  I'm excited to hang my "toad" out on the patio this summer.  It's a great little reminder of the man who always brought us all together and loved us so much.

I'm happy to share that the week after my birthday - the big 2-5 - we made a trip to NYC.  Our patience was challenged as I was recovering from a stomach virus (one of the joys of working with college students) and Drew came down with the same virus the evening we were supposed to leave for the city - oh and we got about 10 inches of snow that day too.  I had a few meltdowns, as I've become quit accustomed to our NYC routine.  We travel to my parents the night before, Drew is always with me, then we drive in for an early appointment, pray for good news and then return to Lancaster.  So, I had to get a grip, put on my big girl pants and put my anxieties into the Lord's hands because let's face it, He's the common denominator in all of this.  He's the one constant.  He is ALWAYS there.

God is so good - I had a great report.  I didn't always understood tears of joy, but let me tell you over these past two years (yes, it has been over two years since my diagnosis!) I could quite literally cry tears of joy after the doctor says, "Things look very stable, Sarah."  I don't always hear much after that, I just sit in that chair and sink into God's abundant, unfailing provision, grace, and blessing on our lives.  Thank you, thank you.

So what does all this mean?  Things are stable?  It means that my scans are virtually unchanged since I was diagnosed in 2013.  I will return for scans and lab work in 3 months, as on of my lymph nodes was slightly enlarged, however the doctor is quite sure this is due to simple sinus congestion - something normal for just about everyone.  So we'll pray that the lymph node that looked slightly inflamed has returned to normal in a few months.  If all goes well, we can start to spread out the scans a little more.  My hope is that we could get to every 4-5 months as to reduce the amount of radiation exposure.  I will remain without treatment as I am asymptomatic.  I always love when they ask me about my energy level.  "Umm, Drew and I go about 110 mph every week.  So sometimes I'm tired on Friday nights, but I think that is expected."

To give a quick update on the Dillon household, we are well.  We are both loving our jobs and so thankful for our co-workers who have really become like family. Drew is finishing his second season as an Assistant Coach for the Men's Volleyball Team at Lancaster Bible.  We bought a house (hence the Cherry Tree Lane title, although sadly that is not our address), closed on December 24, left to visit our family in Georgia for 10 days and then came back to a snow-filled January in which we moved.  It was an adventure.  But we tried to keep perspective.  Two years ago we didn't know what was ahead.  To sit in OUR home at night with a cup of tea and the love of my life...it's pretty sweet.  I am blessed.

We're excited for the spring/summer and all that is to come - weddings - yes, more weddings! Vacation time with family and friends (we became an Uncle & Aunt again this past January - can't wait to meet sweet Sadie Ann!), warmer weather which means outdoor yard work...all great things!

We're so thankful for each of you, your continued prayers and unending support, encouragement and love.  You see us through it all, and for that we are so grateful.

Lots of love,

Sarah

This past Friday we enjoyed a date night out with one of Drew's high school friends and his girlfriend.
We may or may not have made our reservations for 8pm so we could come home from work
and take a power nap first!  Highlight of the evening?  Drew's friend owns a successful landscaping company in the area and offered some help - and these new homeowners have some seriously overgrown holly bushes that need some lovin!