O H little city

This little city weighs on me. 

I love my husband & our pup…

But we need an adventure.

We weren't created to live a bland life.

we were created to serve.

Today, Teeds & I are praying for adventure. 

xo, Lynn Raye

Friday {Finds}

My love for thrifting comes from years of treasure hunting with my grandmother. Lady Diane (as I lovingly refer to her) has an eye for home decor, antiques, and bargains. Even though we live far away from each other, we always keep up to date with our latest thrift store finds. Lady Diane's latest find is a beautiful piece of wall decor that she found at goodwill. I like how the picture sets an inviting tone for her entire living room. Check it out below! 

Proud to say that everything featured in this living room (minus the couch) is thrifted. 

My Grandmother is clearly the MVP of thrifting.

Love it. 

xo, Lynn Raye 

Exploring PA {Knoebels}

For as long as I've known Teeds, he's been talking about this place called "Knoebels". Knoebels is an amusement park located in Elysburg, PA. The park is free admission & is basically the best place on earth. I don't like to cheat on Disney World, but frankly… I can't afford him. Knoebels is like Disney's handsome mountain-man cousin. He's got that down-home feel & hanging with him won't leave you broke. So anyway, Teeds & I dragged my bestie Vicki so she could fall in love, too! 

Safe to say, she had a blast. 

Knoebels offers fun for every type of person. Vicki and Teeds love thrill rides, and they had over 15 to choose from. I'm set at a more slow pace so Daphne (my pooch) and I watched the musical numbers and toured Knoebels by train… yes you read that right, the park is dog friendly AND pets can ride the train! There were also a ton of food and drink options. The park has a number of sit down restaurants and food courts. There were even a few vegan options which made me quite happy! I munched on a black bean burger while Daphne ate a hot dog. 

Vicki's Favorite Rides:

1. Impluse (pictured above)

2. Phoenix 

Taylor's Favorite Rides:

1. Phoenix

2. Twister

Lynn's Favorite Rides:

1. Black Diamond

2. Pioneer Train

I think Knoebels is a hidden gem in pennsylvania and worth a visit!

xo, Lynn Raye

Vegan Comfort

I used to think that going vegan/vegetarian would force me to give up my favorite comfort foods. Thanks to pinterest, i've been able to find some really good blogs that have AMAZING vegan recipes. Sometimes the recipes fail (because i can't follow directions), and sometimes…. they win. 

A few weeks ago, I made Vegan Pot Pie for Teeds & I and boy was it a win! 

The recipe is pretty simple and only takes about an hour to complete. 

Pot Pie is the perfect comfort food after a long work day. 

My attempt (photo below) doesn't look pretty, but tasted AMAZING.

Recipe can be found here!

xo, Lynn Raye

Doylestown, PA

My friend Alex & I were looking for a little adventure after a longgggg rehearsal. The two of us have had conflicting schedules and just wanted to spend the afternoon shopping, eating, & catching up. Her friendship is so important to me, and since I moved two hours away… I savor every moment with her. 

We decided to head to Doylestown, PA because we knew it would be a cool place to explore. Alex is GF/Vegetarian & I'm vegan, so finding a place to eat proved to be a bit of a challenge. We eventually stumbled upon Doc Bakers Farmulations on Main Street. All Raw, All Vegan, & All GF. We were pretty happy. We got juices, wraps, and a salad. The food was fresh, organic, and TASTY. We got to chat with the owner and his son about NEPA(where they used to live). It was such a positive place to be & ended up being the perfect ending to our day. 

If you're ever in Doylestown & need a healthy snack, Doc Bakers Farmulations is the place to go.

Your body & taste buds will thank you!

xo, Lynn Raye

{Marriage}

Four months ago I married my best friend. Four months ago Taylor and I became a unit & began navigating this world together. It has been the most beautiful and challenging four months ever. When I think back to November 8th, I feel so many different emotions. 

FYI-- Our wedding day was not the best day of my life… 

I was really sick.

I couldn't talk. 

I didn't sleep much the night before & I was kind of miserable. 

It was cold.

I hate PDA. 

My eyelashes didn't feel secure. 

Thing didn't go as planned. 

People from far away had to leave right after dinner and I didn't get to booty pop with them. 

Some people didn't even show up. 

I think at times, the whole day was kind of a mess. 

How crazy do I seem?

How ungrateful?

But it WAS a mess.

My wedding was a mess. 

It was a beautiful mess. 

It was a beautiful mess filled with highs and lows. 

Expectations that weren't met and surprises that blew the expectations out of the water. 

It was a pretty cool picture of what life actually looks like. 

We spent all of this time and energy preparing and planning. There were people who let us down, and people who went above and beyond.  A few months before, a family friend passed away and I didn't know how to keep moving. 

There were many meltdowns. There were many joys.

& in all of it, God remained good. 

He remained in control. 

That's life. It's beautiful & it's an absolute mess. 

As I reflect on the last four months & my life with Teeds, I can say with confidence that our wedding was not the best day ever. 

I don't think that best day or best life ever actually exists.

There's no such thing as your "best life now" (sorry Joel)

Truthfully, I'll take the messy days over the lies of the best days.

The mess means that God is working... the story isn't finished. 

Today, I am thanking God for my messy life and the messy wedding that brought Teeds and I closer than ever before. 

xo, Lynn Raye

Brian James

Yesterday we buried someone so important.

Someone that I loved.

My soul brother.

My friend.

When I think back to all of my memories as a child, Brian is there. 

Born six months before me, Brian did everything first. 

He crossed the street, rode a bike, and made friends with everyone while I sat by and waited for his "ok". 

To this day I can hear him, "Lynnie, COME ON! Just cross the street!" 

& When I wouldn't cross, he'd just put me and my dollies on his big wheeler and take me himself. When I moved back to Delaware for High School, Brian forced all of his friends to hang out with me. 

He was the ultimate pal.

Always up for an adventure...

He wasn't scared of anything. 

Everything he did, he did full throttle.

He got married young and laughed when people tried to tell him otherwise. 

He joined the AirForce and traveled to places I've never even heard of. 

He picked on his sisters and I, but defended us to the end. 

When Bree came into the world, he was smitten immediately. 

His mom was his BFF even when it wasn't cool. 

His family was his first priority & his cousins were his favorite people.

He got in touch with his sister, and went on and on about how amazing she was.

He loved everyone. 

He stood up for the little guy.

He didn't fit into any molds or standards that people try to make for us.

He was an artist, poet, athlete, musician, father, brother, friend, and airman all wrapped up into one dude. 

Losing him hurts. 

& I am sad.

In 2005 I wrote a blog post about his birthday party & it ended like this:

"so anyway we get out (of the movie) around 1130
and its snowing
so we skip to the car
arm in arm like bestfriends are supposed too.

then we're
jamming to pink floyd,
thinking about the past...
16 years and hes still my best friend.

from riding on his big wheeler
to riding shot gun in his moms van,
we have come a long way"

Losing him hurts.

& I am sad.

There will be a day when we'll be arm-in-arm,

 skipping around singing praises to God.

Eternity with Christ, and he'll still be my best friend. 

I can't wait.

In the meantime, Brian would want me to live full throttle. 

He'd want me to be the ultimate pal.

He'd want me to be up for every adventure.

He'd want me to be brave.

& I will.