Updates on Dreams and Goals for August 2023

 

Another month has come and gone, and with it, the shift of another season. We’re still playing tug of war here – between the super hot and humid days of summer and the first glimpses of fall weather. We have a few trees in our line of sight that have begun to lose their green hues, and every now and then, the weather swings from can’t-breathe hot to almost long sleeve weather! Indiana is so confusing. Or maybe it’s just confused. I’m not sure. Either way, it’s been a full and good month of reaching some beautiful goals and seeing dreams come true. Here’s an update on how the goals went this month!

 

ONE. Do my best at the conference where I’m speaking. I gave it my all! If I had to assess the conference, I would say it went well – and that has nothing to do with me. It just seemed that the ladies were having a good time in fellowship and learning together, and that is the mark of a good conference. I prayed so hard over it and am trusting the Lord used my words and the rest is up to Him!

TWO. Try a different workout routine. Well, the routine I found that I thought we would like was NOT a keeper. I ended up figuring that out before I even brought it to Ryan. The workouts for real were not the same as the previews, and it was painful. (Not painful like a workout that "hurts so good.” Painful to endure.) So I went back to the drawing board and found another one that seemed like it was worth trying, and so far, we’re hanging in there with it. It might be too soon to tell, but I’m hopeful.

THREE. Do some second-half-of-the-year planning. We did this! One evening, while we drove toward a date night, I brought along the planner and we mapped out the big picture of the second half of the year. We landed on a destination for our anniversary this year, we talked over some of the things we wanted to accomplish before the year was over, and we put a few things on the calendar! I feel better now, knowing the general direction of the next few months.

FOUR. Spend more time reading. I didn’t spend as much time reading as I hoped, but I definitely spent more time reading than I had been! I also spent time exploring some other books that I hadn’t been able to pick up and look through yet, so that was a win!

Here are a few other things that I did this month, even though they weren’t on the official goal list:

I ordered new inventories of books so I would have a fresh supply at the conference. I should be good to go for a while now!

I completely finished a project that had gone on much longer than I anticipated, and I’m glad to be able to say it is done. (Not because I didn’t like doing it – but just because I wanted to mark it off!)

I started and finished our birthday trip album, and I got completely caught up on all my other albums, too.

We enjoyed some down-time at home that included kayaking and taking in beautiful sunsets.

We helped with the Back to School bash at our church and both of us had fun using our gifts in unique ways.

I had some big firsts at work – learning new processes and helping to train other, newer coaches.

We learned to mill our own flour and began trying our hand at breadmaking.

All in all, it was a good and productive month, and I am pleased with all we were able to accomplish. Excited to see what September brings!

One Year Later

We are coming up on the one-year mark since I first saw this sweet little lake cottage listed for sale. That day remains one in my memory that feels like a million years ago while also feeling like yesterday.

            It feels like a million years ago, because it feels like we’ve always lived here. We’re finding our rhythm and routine in this place, and it’s hard to remember a time when we didn’t wake up and look at water rippling beneath our pier.

            And yet I remember that day in such living color that it surely was just yesterday. I remember sitting in our car, looking up an address and finding this house had been listed just twenty minutes before. I remember a few days later, driving up to it with Ryan and wondering if we had just driven up to our home.

(Picture is from the day we first found the house - but before we had seen it in person.)

            I remember seeing the rooms in their tug of war between inhabited and empty. The home was a newly acquired vacation home for the gentleman who owned it, and he hadn’t fully settled here. It was a landing spot for weekends, peppered with extra furniture, yet not quite formed into a home. He needed to change his plans before he even brought most of them to fruition.

(The first picture I took of the house...when we toured it the first time.)

            He grieved and celebrated all at once. Selling, for him, was the death of a dream coupled with relief. He had plans for this place – plans he had drawn out in a notebook. In random spots around the house, he’d started to manifest some of those plans, but then his circumstances changed, and he needed to sell.

            Sometimes people ask us if he’s been back – if he’s seen what we’ve done. If he has been back, it’s just been to drive by, and we haven’t seen him. I’ve wrestled with whether or not to write him a letter and thank him for choosing us to steward this house. Would it make it harder or easier for him to see the things we did? Some of these ideas were born from dreams he’d shared with us. Is it too hard to see someone else live your dream? Or would it bring him joy to know that his dreams weren’t in vain and some of them have come to pass?

(The same space...now set up as our home.)

            Because I don’t know whether it would bring comfort or pain, I haven’t reached out. But sometimes I think about him and wonder if he would love seeing what has taken place in this year. Sometimes I hope he will stop by someday.

            But for now, I celebrate this year that has passed. I celebrate the changes we’ve been able to make and the memories formed. I celebrate the new adventures and the blessing we’ve been able to share with others. I celebrate the new friends we’ve made in our little lake community.

Random Thoughts

 

Today I have all the most random things running through my head, so these words will be a free ride through my mind! Hang on…and maybe you’ll find something helpful in there!

            I am quite an advocate for not hanging onto things you never use. But happily, not following my own advice has benefited us nicely this summer…in the form of a fancy kitchen knife! Years ago, Ryan’s mom gifted us a knife that she said would be perfect for cheese or tomatoes. It stayed in the drawer, and I rarely remembered we owned it. But when we moved away from Kokomo, I couldn’t bring myself to part with it, because it was one of the last tangible gifts she gave us before she got sick. I kept moving it with us, and this year we started using it. We use it all the time now, and I’m so glad we kept it!

            Speaking of moms…this week marked seven years since my mom’s surprise party for her 80^th birthday. I watched the videos again and remembered how much I loved that day. It was the first time Ryan and I hosted an event in our Kokomo house, and it was one for the memory books. She had NO idea the party was for her, and the whole day went off perfectly. That goes down as of my favorite hosting events ever.

            It wasn’t our event, but our neighbors across the lake hosted a big party Saturday night, complete with live music. I didn’t know most of the songs (which shouldn’t shock anyone), but I enjoyed hearing the it from the comfort of our patio! A free concert just for us.

            We’ve enjoyed our patio so much this summer. Some days, we only have enough time to sit out there for a few minutes, but we try to take every opportunity to drink a cup of coffee, watch a sunset, listen to the cicadas, watch the eagles, and catch the occasional fish flop in the water.

            Fish reminds me of our trip to Michigan this summer, and the fish boil we went to. That will always be one of my favorite vacation memories, and I’m so glad we chose to put that on our itinerary.

            I’ve been thinking about our decade of trips this week. We have made some sweet memories in these ten years. I’m learning more and more what matters most to us on a vacation, which helps us know where to plan to go next. We love seeing the beautiful scenery God has created!

            I actually worked on our someday dream trip this weekend. It will take me years to plan it, so I try to work on it a little bit at a time. Planning trips is one of my favorite ways to recharge my brain. After I spoke at the conference this weekend, I needed something to keep my brain busy so I didn’t overthink everything I said.

            During the conference, I shared a bunch of pictures from the stories of my talks. Of course, with stories covering so many years, there was an array of hair cuts and colors. Other than the neon orange mistake, I don’t regret any of the cuts or colors I’ve ever had. I have liked some more than others, but they’ve all been a fun way to change up life.

            It may be time to look to a change again. I haven’t decided yet. Stay tuned (in a few months). We’ll see what happens when I have my next salon visit!

            So there you go. Random thoughts from my mind today.

Chosen Conference

 

I told you yesterday that I spoke at a conference on Saturday, and today I thought I would share a few pictures from the day!

            The conference had a little over 200 women in attendance – from 28 churches over 5 different counties. It was held at a church in our area, so that made it easy for travel!

            The ladies who did the decorating did a fantastic job. I remembered their skills from last year (when I helped with the planning of this same conference) and they did not disappoint this year. The stage, photo booth, tables, and entrances were gorgeous.

            The worship team from the church that hosted the conference did the music, and they did a beautiful job with. The food crew did a great job serving tasty meals, too.

            I had a book table in the front, and Ryan helped me by running the money part, so I could concentrate on talking to people who came through.

            One of my favorite parts of the conference was the service project. Steele Farms (where we went to the flower patch this summer) provided flowers for the women to make little bouquets. In my second session, I challenged them to share that bouquet with someone who impacted their life, and to not just give them the flowers, but also a bouquet of words to say how much this friendship encouraged them.

            I also gave them an example of what that might look like (through the ugly cry of Lucy Ricardo-esque tears) by sharing how my dear friend Julie has impacted my life. I gave her some flowers at the end of it, and we BOTH cried!

            I spoke once in the morning and once in the afternoon, and it was a privilege to get to do so. I don’t take these opportunities lightly, and I had prayed so hard and long over every word I said. I am trusting the Lord to do a work in any place where my efforts fell short!

            I also had the chance to see some friends who live in the area! A couple of friends from our small group came, several from our Sunday School class were there, and church friends came too! I also got to meet new friends, which is always my favorite part of any event.

            So grateful for this day and for Ryan’s support. Love him so much!

Sunday Sentiments

 

Yesterday I had the privilege of speaking at a women’s event called The Chosen Conference. I’ve been preparing for months and was excited to share the message God had put on my heart.

            Many things go into a day like this one. The planning committee had worked so hard to organize a day that would allow women to fellowship, deepen friendships, enjoy good food, create a fun project, worship together, and listen to teaching. They did a great job, and I heard so many women say they enjoyed the day!

            I enjoyed the day too – and part of the reason I did was because of all the hard work that Ryan did, largely behind the scenes, to make it run so smoothly.

            Leading up to yesterday, Ryan listened as I ran through my sessions, making sure everything made sense, and timing me to make sure I was on track. He helped me carry book boxes and a bucket of rocks into the church and get them all set up.

            And then when yesterday arrived, he started the day well by making sure I did not oversleep. (I may have missed my alarm the first time it went off.) He made my coffee, drove us to the conference so I could study my Bible while we went, and then he prayed over me before we got out of the car.

            He took pictures all day long so I would have what I needed for the scrapbook.

            He ran my slides while I spoke.

            He was the first one to meet me every time I came off the platform, encouraging me with hugs and affirming words.

            He ran the book table so I could talk to the women who came up to share their hearts.

            He took pictures for groups of women who wanted to use the photo booth, and he grabbed pictures of me with friends who came to the conference.

            He went to the car to get my flat shoes between sessions when the cute heels proved impractical.

            And when the day was done, he carried all the things back to the car, drove me home, and told me to put my feet up while he grilled dinner.

            I am so thankful for the way Ryan dives in to serve in ministry with me. I share these words with you today in part because of my gratitude. But I also share them because they’re a great reminder of how we all work together. Anything done for the Lord can only be done when people band together to make it happen. I may have been the one speaking to the women, but I could only do so because Ryan was right there with me, co-laboring.

            He blessed me with all he did, and I hope that I step up to do the same anytime I have the opportunity to help someone else.

            We all need each other. Let’s not forget that!

Saturday Suggestions

Good Saturday to you, friends! Today is conference day for me, so if you are inclined to pray for strength and God to be at work in the hearts of the ladies I serve today, I would not turn away your intercession! But while I speak...here are some finds for you! 

ONE. 

This blog popped up on my Pinterest feed, probably because it has ideas for an Anne of Green Gables party. But the whole theme of the blog is recipes inspired by books. I kind of want to go back through all my favorite novels now and find the food references to make a fiction-inspired recipe book!

TWO. 

Is it even a week on this blog if I don’t share some sort of house tour? I clicked on this one because it’s a beachy cottage, and you know I always love gleaning ideas from those. But this one made me do double and triple takes, because the color scheme is all blues and greens. It feels like most cottages right now tend to be white in paint color, furniture, décor, the whole bit. I really loved the soft ocean feel of the blues and greens together. At first I wondered if I might start to feel it was too much of those colors, but after two or three looks, I found that I really loved it!

THREE. 

This past spring, after my sister and brother-in-law stayed with us for a night on their way through town, they gifted us the cutest little solar lantern for our new patio space. I have loved that lantern all year long. It’s not huge, and it’s not flashy, but it brings the most adorable amount of ambience to our yard every night. I found this one (not the same but equally cute) on a post this week and it reminded me that as stores put things on clearance here at the end of the summer (retail) season, it’s a great time to look for little lanterns and pillows to pretty up the yard and patios. Yard sales are winding down around here, but clearance is a cost-effective way to add to your space if you have a decorating wish list!

FOUR. 

Back in the day, I never had a naked dining room table. I always had a centerpiece on it, and as time went along, those centerpieces grew more elaborate. I eventually found that they interfered with the ability to use the table for eating, because I couldn’t make my way around all the centerpiecing. (Yes, I know that isn’t a word.) I got away from it, other than having a small plant in the middle of the table, but with fall coming and our table sitting directly in front of the picture window, I feel like I want to try a little harder with the decorating in that space. I don’t want to return to the elaborate pieces of yore. I want something simple and fitting to our style in that room. (AKA no orange.) This piece gives some great inspiration for all kinds of centerpieces and helps me know what to pull from around our house – or what to look for at the Goodwill!

FIVE. 

I’m sure I’ve mentioned on here before that one of my career dreams was to be a teacher. Clearly, I never did, but I am always a junkie for reading curriculum and unit studies – and looking at classroom spaces. It will never get old for me. And while we’re talking about classrooms, may I just add that classroom décor has come a LONG WAY since I was in school. I have a feeling if I had become a teacher, decorating my room each year would have probably be one of the projects I loved most. Check out these…some of these are crazy amazing! (And I know, some of you teachers would add, “and unrealistic.”)

SIX. 

This one doesn’t need fanfare or elaboration. It’s a good word. Read it.