The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday...we started celebrating Ryan's birthday! Yeah it's not until April, but this year is the big 3-5, so I decided to start celebrating WAY early. He found his first treat...a card from me...waiting for him on the bed while he was getting ready for church! It's going to be such a fun few weeks leading up to his big day! We had the WHOLE DAY at home together - during which we may or may not have made TWO pots of coffee and watched a lot of TV. It was so perfect.

* Monday was St. Patrick's Day - which oddly enough, is one holiday I don't really celebrate. I normally celebrate everything that gives me a good reason to have a party. Not sure why I skip over this one!  Ryan and I got to be home together the whole evening, so I decorated the house for Easter and we filled out our March Madness brackets!

* Tuesday. Ohhhhhhh, Tuesday. We really probably shouldn't even talk about it. It was a long, hard day, and I had every hope, as I drove home, that the evening would be lovely, just like Monday. It was warm enough to run the cool air in the car {yay!!!} and then I came home to...the moat around the house. And the news that we wouldn't have water all night. And the mess. And the frustration. And the mounting bill. A few tears and dinner at Culver's did make the night some better. That Ryan. He's a saint to put up with me.

 * Wednesday, the plumbers came back and TURNED ON THE WATER!!! I was a happy girl. The yard is a mess and we'll spend a good number of months cleaning that up, I'm sure, but we are functional again. And I was OVERJOYED to find the first concrete signs of spring on the property: buds on the trees and tiny shoots of flowers pushing through the earth. Thank. You. Jesus! Ryan and I worked hard that night getting things done at home - so thankful for Ryan's help - especially when he goes to the store to buy hair color for me. Husband of the year!

* Thursday was a LONG day. Not in a bad way. Just a LONG day. Got up at my normal pre-dawn hour and packed up for the day because...I worked the Winter Jam concert in Fort Wayne. It was a really wonderful concert...but sad. because Ryan couldn't go with me. He left me the sweetest love note and a Cadbury egg in my lunchbox...which made me feel better.

* Friday evening was SO fun. We went to a Sunday School class party...our first "extracurricular" event at our new church. {We've been there almost a year.} We have started making new friends there and this gave us a chance to spend time with them outside of church. The food was so good, and it was just such a joy to be able to have a night out with a big group of friends. Much needed.

* Yesterday morning, we were both EXHAUSTED, but had to get up early so Ryan could work and so I could get ready to spend some time with my friend Amber. She and I had a Starbucks date followed by an extended visit to the Hobby Lobby. And then last night, Ryan and I went to our friends' house for dinner and a March Madness party.We learned a new card game AND I got a great new Pinterest dinner idea. Happiness abounded.