Bye Bye 2012!

Here we are New Years' Eve 2012 already - my how time flies! Here's a review of our 2012:

Celebrations:

We bought our first house! According to the papers we bought it officially on December 16, 2011, but…. we didn’t actually move in until January 2012, so we will count it as a celebration for 2012! J

After many, many months of scans, MRIs, blood work, visiting multiple endocrinologists and surgeons across northern California, Stephanie finally received confirmation of no Thyroid Cancer! Every six months for the rest of life she will have to get scanned and have bloodwork done, and will have to take medicine every day, but is 100% healthy. There’s nothing quite like a health scare to make you realize how truly fragile and precious life is – we are so incredibly thankful for the miracle worked on our lives and pray for the health of all our friends and family going into 2013!

 

Vacations:

We made frequent trips to all the great areas within driving distance of our home – Napa Valley, San Francisco, and Tahoe. We snowshoed, camped, and went wine tasting – we are so incredibly blessed to live in this area!

 

We enjoyed a weekend getaway to Monterey, CA in April with just us two.

We took a week off over Memorial Day and headed to San Diego where we spent a week with the Lohmeier side of our family in a beach house on Pacific Beach – lots of fun and so relaxing going to sleep with the sound of the waves every night!

For 4^th of July, we traveled to Bickleton, WA to see the Mains side of our family and so that Dee could drive his beloved car home now that we have a garage for it! We had a lot of fun in Bickleton visiting with family.

In December we traveled to Oahu, Hawaii with the Lohmeier side of our family where we stayed for a week in a beach house in Lanikai. We had so much fun biking, kayaking, hiking, and enjoying all the beauty Hawaii has to offer. It was a vacation we will never forget!

 

 

 

 

 

Anniversaries:

We celebrated our two year anniversary – oh how time flies! These have been the absolute best two years of our lives and we thank God every day that we found each other!

 

Favorite Moments:

Getting a clean bill of health!

All our travels with our family and the incredible memories made with those we love most!

Finishing unpacking our house and enjoying having a place entirely our own

 

Thoughts on 2013:

We know 2013 will be a blessed year, and we are so incredibly excited for it to begin.  We haven’t yet decided what vacations we will plan, but we’re having fun throwing out ideas – Europe is top on our list. And we plan to expand our family with a puppy!

 

We wish all of our family and friends a very blessed and wonderful 2013. Love you all!

 

Love,

 

Steph & Dee

 

Camping in Tahoe

Northern California is by far our favorite part of the country. We don't take advantage enough of the fact that we live a mere 1.5 hours from Tahoe, but this summer we did. We partnered up with our friends, Brandon and Teri, and Dave and Leslie, and spent a weekend in paradise. Between the three of us couples, we had all the necessities to eat home...I mean, campsite-cooked meals, which made it even more fun!

When we arrived we were stunned to see the beautiful lake-side spot we had...

We got to cooking dinner right away, well Chef T did...

The next morning, we awoke to find that we forgot our hot air baloons at home. Just kidding :) We were apparently sharing the site with the Reno Hot Air Balloon Club.

That day, we did the Lock Leven Hikes...insane verticle climb and 8 miles round trip, but so worth it for the three different, and beautiful, lakes at the top!

We were exhausted to say the least after that, so we hung out at camp for the rest of the afternoon...

And after a little friendly wrestle match...

We had s'mores and got rid of our boxes in the bonfire :)

Labor Day 2012 Fun

Labor 2012 was a blast! Our brother, Johnny, and his girlfriend, Janella came to visit us from Arizona and we had a fun NorCal labor day weekend!

We of course had to go to Napa Valley, since Johnny is now over 21, and went to our favorite vineyard - Pineridge. Anyone who visits Napa, we would highly recommend it! It's one of the few vineyards with caves, and tour and tasting of the caves as well. Beyond beautiful!

We had lunch in Napa as well, and enjoyed the beautiful 79 degree weather...especially considering it was 100+ in AZ.

We then went to San Francisco, where we enjoyed the festivities at Pier 39, including our favorite Sea Lions. Here's Steph and Janella with Alcatraz in the background.

The next day, we went shopping and decided to try out a place called Skyzone, which is basically a warehouse of ginormous trampolines...insanely fun! I mean, you can literally jump off the walls!

Lastly, we want to Color Me Mine, which had just opened up and painted some pieces to remember our fun trip. We made a chip and dip bowl (shown pre-glaze below), while Johnny and Janella made a cookie jar. So fun!

We had so much fun and were so sad to see them leave!

August & September = The Months of Miracles

It's officially been way too long since we last posted, but such is life I guess...you have periods where you're running around so insane that - poof - two, three months have flown by.  But all is perfectly well with the crazy Mains' :)

We have been very open about the health struggles this year brought us, and we just can't thank everyone enough for all of the prayers and support through it. Being told you have a very high chance of cancer and then being told you face serious surgery makes you evaluate every piece of your life. In hindsight, I'm so thankful for this speedbump put in our lives. It truly has added so much perspective and so many blessings that could never have existed before.

We are ecstatic to report that in the months of August and September, Stephanie went for her surgery consultation at UCSF. After reviewing all of the past year's labs, scans, and biopsies, the surgeon confirmed that one of either two things were happening: either a tumor was in fact growing on a parathyroid gland (which are themselves no more larger than a grain of rice), or all of them were overstimulated for some unknown reason. She would either remove the tumor or reduce the size of each gland. Before doing so, she ordered a final MRI and bloodwork.

I'll never forget the phone call I received telling me that ALL signs of the disease were gone. There was no longer a visible lump on my parathyroid, and my blood levels were all restored to within the normal range. After 15 months of bloodwork being taken nearly every six weeks, I was shocked. The surgeon told me I was one of very few, and even joked I should play the lottery that day (I didn't). I knew it wasn’t something of chance, but something of a miracle instead. I have never doubted the power of God, and never will.

I will have to get checked every six months for the rest of my life, but that's nothing.

After countless doctor’s visits, countless needles, countless ultrasounds and scans, and thousands of dollars, the entire ordeal is o.v.e.r. Praise God. I’ve had no anxiety about it since. Many incredible things have come out of this experience, for which I am so grateful. One of which I am going to pour my heart and soul into – my passion for health – for REAL food, for food being the quickest form of medicine or the slowest form of poison. I’m currently working on a project that I can’t wait to unveil in the next few weeks, and I truly hope it changes people’s lives for the better.

We hope everyone had a wonderful summer. Ours sure ended great with this miracle, and we are so incredibly excited for fall and winter and to embrace them with no fear of our health, but with thankfulness for this beautiful and rich life we live.

Love,

Steph & Dee

GFDF Lamb Meatballs with Mint Pesto Zucchini Pasta

GFDF Lamb Meatballs with Mint Pesto Zucchini Pasta

 GFDF = Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free; Paleo-Friendly

This is one of my absolute favorite Paleo-friendly dishes, loaded with protein and 2 full servings of veggies! If you love lamb, you will LOVE this dish! It takes about 30 minutes total to prepare, which is inclusive of cooking time.

 

Adapted from “Make It Paleo” by Bill Staley and Hayley Mason

 Ingredients:

·         1 lb ground lamb

·         1 tsp grey sea salt (the best for you, but can use regular too)

·         1 tsp pepper

·         1 tsp garlic powder

·         1 tsp oregano (fresh is best, but you can use dry)

·         1 egg, whisked

·         4 medium zucchini

·         1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         Salt and pepper to taste

·         Mint Pesto (recipe below) 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first 5 ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add in egg and stir well.

Then, form meat into golf-ball-sized pieces and place on greased metal baking sheet

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

While meatballs are cooking, prepare the zucchini pasta by first cutting ends off of zucchini. Then, using a mandolin, or cheese slicer, cut zucchini into “noodles.”

Saute zucchini in a large pot with 1 tbsp olive oil, 3 cloves garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Saute until zucchini is soft and noddle like.

Toss noodles with mint pest, then top with lamb meatballs and serve.

Ingredients for Mint Pesto:

·         2 packed cups mint leaves

·         1/3 cup walnuts

·         ½ cup EVOO

·         Juice of ½ lemon

·         1 tbsp lemon zest

·         ½ tsp grey sea salt

 Directions:

Add mint leaves to a food processor. Pulse mint first to break up the leaves, then add walnuts and continue with a couple of pulses. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth.

Happy 4th of July!

Ahhh...4th of July. That time of year when it is so stinkin' hot outside you're almost willing to walk around naked. That time of year when you see the red, white, and blue flying everywhere it should be at all times. That time of year for pool parties, BBQs, and fireworks! Well, we did none of that this year...

Instead, we took advantage of the vacation days and went up to visit the Mains side of our family...oh, and of course we can't forget to mention that it also entailed Dee finally getting to take his precious car home. I call it the old crappy car. Dee calls it the old love of his life. Whatever you call it, it's old, has no A/C, and my ass has never sweat so much riding around sitting on white leather in the middle of the July heat with no A/C. But it means the world to him since it was his first car, and he and his dad fixed it up, and now it will forever be with us since we finally have a 3 car garage to store it!

My favorite part of the trip this time? Aside from replenishing our Huckleberry supply :)...we visited the Bickleton Carosel Museum where I got to learn so much more about my hubby's home town, his family, and the good ole wheat farmin' ways.

That's right. I married a farm boy...and proud of it. He comes from one of those idyllic towns where everybody knows everybody, almost everyone is a wheat farmer, and families all live on the same farm, yet they can't even see each others houses because there's more than 7000 acres of WHEAT! Oh, and I can't fail to mention that his HS graduating class was all of I think 6 people. :) Here's Dee right outside his parents house...

The museum stores the original carosel horses that are nearly a hundred years ole. Here we are with my personal favorite one...

The museum also portrays much of what makes Bickleton...well, Bickleton. That'd be mostly farmin'! Here's the fam. My father in law is the one in the white T-shirt.

Trucks, combines, and tractors...oh my!

The museum also houses the rules women teachers had to abide to in 1915. Needless to say, no way would that have worked for me...I could agree to everything except #4 forbidding women to loiter in ice cream stores.

We also spent time with the nephews!

My absolute favorite part of the entire trip was getting to read and learn all about Dee's grandma, Ethel Mains, in the town museum. I wish so very much that I could meet the incredible woman who I now know is the reason my husband is so full of childish humor, laughter, and smiles. The one thing everyone said about her was that she was so very kind, friendly, and always laughing...and that's Dee!

Hope everyone had a great fourth!

Love,

Stephanie & Dee

Mmm Mmm JUICE!

I have fallen in love all over again with our juicer! We separated for a good year. I grew sick of what a pain in the you-know-what it is to clean...you know. I already have to pick up after a husband, but a juicer on top of it all? Ha...I kid, well sort of. :) Little did I know, all I needed was some strategery (thank you G Bush for my all time favorite word!).

Juicer Strategery:

• Plug and fill up your sick with warm, soapy water.
• After dumping out all the pulp from the juicer pieces into the trashcan, plop them all into the soapy water.
• Ta-da! Now, you can juice at the optimal time (for breakfast) before work in the morning, let the dishes soak while you're at work, then easily/quickly wash them at night. Then, wake up and repeat!

There is nothing quite like the way you feel after drinking fresh apples, lemons, oranges, beets, carrots, celery, asparagus, spinach, and ginger all in the form of a refreshingly cold glass of juice. I truly, honestly, feel amazing. I feel like I have a stocked up arsenal of antioxidants, flavanoids, vitamins, and minerals ready to combat any signs of fatigure, stress, or sickness that may creep up in the day! Not only do I feel better, I look better too. My hair, skin, and nails no doubt benefit from it.

It's also the perfect way to use up any fruits or veggies you weren't able to eat during the week - just throw them in the juicer and drink them before they go bad. I've created some really tasty blends this way!

There is no better lemonade than fresh apples and lemons (both with skin on!) juiced...perfect for summer! Much healthier than that crappy powdered mechanically engineered lemonade you buy in the store too...not only are you drinking the fresh juice from both fruits, you are reaping benefits from the skins and seeds juiced as well!

So, if you have ever been considering a juicer...go on, buy it! It may be somewhat pricy up front (I think Costco is selling a newer version of our model for $85), but it is way worth the investment in your health!

Mmmm Mmmmm...JUICE!

STEP 1:

STEP 2:



STEP 3:

Magnificent Monterey

“Men for the sake of getting a living forget to live.”  ~Margaret Fuller

Like many, we have been busy this year…busy, stressed, spent. Somehow the days go by in a blink, the weeks go by in a yawn, and before you know it another week starts all over again with a renewed hope of this week finding time for some relaxation and fun.

We cannot believe this year is already a third over. It’s amazing how fast time flies when you factor in the stress that comes with making a living…and ironically, you are so busy making a living that you forget to actually live most of it. Last week, we were both at our breaking point. The stress of everything was overwhelming, and we decided right then and there we needed to stop and enjoy some of what we work so hard for.

I made a huge personal step forward in relinquishing all control of planning every second of our lives, and told Dee that if he wanted to he could plan our whole weekend. He of course did, and he of course made it all a surprise.

Saturday morning, we woke up, packed our bags, and hoped into the car for what I thought was just a fun weekend getaway…little did I know how romantic it would end up being as well.

About 5 minutes into the car ride, not able to hold the secret from me any longer, Dee spilled the secret to me that we were going to Monterey and that our weekend would consist of:

·         Staying in a luxury hotel right on the ocean

·         Going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium

·         Couples massages and relaxing at the hotel spa

·         Dinner at a lovely local restaurant

·         And whale watching

It’s amazing how long the weekend actually felt. We both had such an amazing time and realized we need to do this much more often. We vowed that so long as we are kid-less, we would do a weekend getaway every other month.

Here’s a link to pictures from this weekend. We captured it all…the hotel, the amazing aquarium, relaxing in the hot tub overlooking the ocean from the spa, and even a humpback whale! J

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101416725876881.3085665.10011637&type=1&l=b31fcdba01

Cowboys & Angels

Dee and I frequently text each other throughout the day. When you spend all of 8 hours together a day, including sleep, texting when you're apart keeps us smiling. Last week, he sent me a text asking me to buy a new country song called "Cowboys & Angels."

As soon as I heard it I knew why...it's our new song.

Romance. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlPgV1v2w34&feature=related

Our March Madness & Happiness

Sigh…so few posts for the month of March. We had good reason though…or at least excuses. Ready? Here they come…March Madness & Happiness!

Madness:

·         We made great strides in making our house a home – complete with Dee spending a full weekend digging up the dead backyard grass and re-seeding. Thank you two full weeks of March rain, and we now have grass! Ta Da! Also bought additional and much needed furniture…pics to come hopefully this weekend!

·         Dee worked 60 hour weeks for pretty much the whole month while…

·         I heard that I got the much wanted Supply Chain Strategist job I interviewed for at HP, and I started mid-March. Translated into Stephanie terms…begin 3-6 months of working crazy insane hours to learn as fast and as much as possible.

·         Lost count of how many different doctor appointments came and went…opinions, tests, scans,…waiting….more waiting….more opinions….madness.

Happiness:

·         Mom & Dad Lohmeier came to visit! They conspired with Dee to surprise me, which was so great. We had such a blast spending 4 days with them and were so glad to have our first house guests! Miss you already mom & dad!

·         I met with the first surgeon (being advised to get two surgeon opinions) just over a week ago. The second, and who happens to be one of the best in the country, I cannot see until early June. The good/great/incredible news? He doesn’t believe I have cancer! Apparently, there are two different types of calcification originations. One like mine that starts in the thyroid and encroaches on the nodules is apparently rarely cancerous he told me. Ones contained to only the nodules are almost always cancerous. This is what my endocrinologist had told me I had. The bad news? It doesn’t sit quite well with me that I have a drastically opposite opinion from the surgeon and endocrinologist, albeit a much better outlook if I go with what the surgeon says. For now, we are clinging to what the surgeon has told us, and are looking forward to the second surgeon’s analysis to better understand where exactly we stand! I was also told that I will still have to have surgery to get the parathyroid tumor removed; but, they want to wait for it to grow a little bigger first. All in all, praise God!!!

So, there you have it. Our March madness and happiness summed up. April hopefully brings more happiness…and more blog posts! ;)

Surprise!

Life is all about those special memories. And forever will I treasure the special memory of the surprise my sweet husband and most amazing parents in the world concocted.

For the record, I loathe surprises…mostly because I ALWAYS figure them out beforehand. J

I was working from home on a very busy Thursday. A couple hours into the morning, Dee texted me saying a surprise would be delivered and I needed to keep the curtains closed  - the guy would be delivering “it” around 10:30.

Okay, flowers? No, he knows how ridiculous I think it is to buy flowers anywhere but the grocery store. A puppy? No, he’s smart enough to know I get to pick the puppy. What could it be? A real surprise!

Around 10, I got a call from my dad to say that the trip they planned to come out and see us and the new house in two weeks would have to be postponed because my mom had to go out of the country on business again, and that I should call her later because she feels awful about it. I totally fell for it, since my mom travels around the world for business all the time, and I was totally crushed! Little did I know at that point, my parents were in a rental car just around the corner from our home.

Nearly in tears that the event I’d been looking forward to for two months was now not going to happen, I heard the doorbell ring.  Oh great, who cares what this surprise is…I’m in a bad mood! Opening the door, there were my very best friends and parents shouting “so we came today instead”! We hugged and laughed, and I of course cried with excitement!

Little did I know that from the time they booked the flights in January, they worked it out with Dee to be a surprise in coming two weeks earlier than they told me. Sneaky.

I quickly went and canceled all my meetings for the rest of the day and week, and went officially on vacation for a wonderful 4-day weekend with 3 of my most favorite people in the world!

We had SUCH a blast. We hiked around our new neighborhood biking/walking path, went out to eat at all our favorite local restaurants, visited our favorite Pineridge Winery in Napa, and did a day full of shopping shopping shopping at the Galleria, the Fountains, and of course our favorite place…Costco. J

I’ll never forget that surprise – it was a much needed happy escape from the stress of life lately. I couldn’t have been blessed with a better set of parents in the world. They’ve grown into my very best friends, and it is one of the hardest things in the world, living so far away from each other. Luckily, I also couldn’t have been blessed with a better husband that understands and adores the incredible relationship and friendship I have, and he is growing into quite quickly, with my parents.

Love you mommy & dadders!!!