To my friend Lisa Olech

I'm a believer in if you say it, it will happen. Sheesh! For me that happens all the time. Like never tell someone who is going to go home and paint to not fall off a ladder. Sure enough it will happen...and in my case last winter I did. But it doesn't have to be all bad.

I want to tell you a little story. HA! That's a funny line coming from a writer.

I want to tell you the story of how I came to buy my house and about the glass art that came to hang in my window. A few years ago I had sold the house I owned and had thirty days to get another place. Thirty days seemed like a long time, so cool, no problem.

That was sooo NOT the case.

Who would have guessed it would be so difficult to find something that I liked and suited me. What exactly was I looking for? I wanted a house that was new or newer, had an open floor plan, wood floors, and a kitchen with granite countertops. No big deal, right?

So I visited about a eight homes, including ones that were older houses and had a lot of charm. Charm from a distance that is.

Anyway, I was almost at the end of my ropes when I had to go on a business trip. While I was in Kentucky, my real estate agent visited a few places that I had asked to look at and she would let me know if they were worth me seeing them. By this time she had gotten a feel for my taste and that worked for me. Well, she did not see a dang thing worth my time.

At the end of my week in Kentucky, my team is all packed up and at the airport and we are chatting away about plans for the weekend. Someone asks, "What are you doing this weekend, Denise?"

"I'm going to buy a house."

A couple of chuckles, a scoff or two, and someone says, "Yeah right. Just like that." He snaps his fingers. "Your going to buy a house."

I responded, "Yes, just like that, I will buy a house this weekend."

I arrive home Friday evening, get onto my computer and start looking at some listings that my real estate agent sent me. I picked out three and sent them to her. She replied back and asked, "If you could have everything in a house you wanted, what would it be?"

That was easy. "New, open floor plan, wood floors, granite countertops in the kitchen." Then out of the blue I added, "A rock wall and an apple tree."

Yeah, okay, funny, ha ha. Real estate agent thinks I am a hoot and we make plans for visiting three homes Saturday morning.

Here is where I tell you, "If you don't ask for it you won't get it."

The first house we saw was a new house in an older development. As we walk up to the front stairs I am immediately impressed by the nickel-finished oustide lamps and how they match the finish on the door know. Hey! It's the little things that make us happy. We walk in and holy cow we are greeted by wood floors and an open floor plan. And unbelievably, every fixture in the house is actually nickel-finished. What can I say these are the details that make a good builder.

Anyway, the wood floors go everywhere including the stairs except the bedrooms. In my mind I am high-fiving my real estate agent. We get to the kitchen and see granite counters. Oh my goodness I have died and gone to heaven. Yeah, no.

I check out the library. HA! Yes, my house has a small library, which I love. What writer wouldn't like that?

Next we travel outside to see the deck and the back yard. We're standing there and I hear this clanking noise followed by screams. "What is that, I ask the builder?"

"That's the old roller coaster at the amusement park."

Wicked cool! Then I glance down and see a rock wall that runs along the side of the property. Heart does a quick jump in chest. I love rock walls and am completely enthralled by them and how they came to be and who built it for what reason.

When I turn around to look at the grounds I see a bunch of Forsythias and this big tree. I pointed at it and asked, "What kind of tree is that?"

"Oh, that's an old apple tree. The whole place used to be an apple orchard."

Tell me you would not be having a heart attack, hyperventilating, and doing the happy dance all at once. Because remember, I just got what I asked for.

And yes, I bought my house that day! As I said I would. To top it off, my oldest friend had just returned from overseas some place and he called. I told him I just bought a house and he had to fly up to see it. Duh! Of course, he did. To me that was a sign.

Now, how does any of thise relate to the image of the glass art at the beginning of the story?

I have this wonderful friend and fellow writer slash glass artist named Lisa Olech. I asked her one day if she would make me a piece of art. She said yes.

As Lisa called me on the phone to dicuss what I wanted, which, I had no clue at the time, I relayed this story to her. I told her how my apple tree and rock wall became my symbols for my future. They became my symbols for throwing it out there and getting what I wanted.

One of those things was a yard/garden that I had always wanted, the house that I had dreamed of, and lastly, but maybe more importantly to me, is I got my first book published. That apple tree became my symbol of me and my dreams.

This blog post is dedicated to Lisa Olech, a friend, artist, and writer. Thank you for capturing my dreams and symbols and allowing me to see their beauty every day. You are a talented lady and I am happy that you are in my world of friends.

Hugs and kisses! And I'm ready for a new piece of art.