Friday Memorial: 9/11

 

If you’ve been reading here very long, you know that 9/11 is an important day to me. It was the first “marking” event of my adult life, and that has led to a heart- need to remember this day every single year.

                I wonder sometimes why it matters to me so much. I did not personally know anyone who died or was injured that day. I don’t live anywhere near the crash sites. I have concluded that it matters to me so much because there was so much I did not comprehend on that day 25 years ago.

                I worked at IWU back then, and once a month, on Tuesday mornings, we had division meetings. They were breakfast meetings for fellowship and information, and that day, the meeting took place in a conference room in the gym. I remember that one of the Admissions guys came in and told us the World Trade Center had been hit by planes, and I had no idea what he was talking about. I didn’t even know what or where the World Trade Center was and could not comprehend the magnitude of his news.

                Way back then we didn’t have social media, and we didn’t have a news tab on our browser. Getting information quickly felt a little bit impossible. Somehow, the office next to ours acquired a tiny TV with rabbit ears and set it up in their office space. I would sneak over throughout the day to try to learn the latest, but all the news felt disjointed and confusing.

                My parents were on vacation (on Mackinac Island) and didn’t have cell phones, so I couldn’t reach them to ask questions or tell them how scared I was about this strange news I couldn’t understand. My on-again-off-again boyfriend was out of town for work. My roommate was AT work (overnight). I was alone and terrified.

                So I think that watching the documentaries in the following years helped me fill in the blanks for what I could not understand in 2001. And as I began to fill in the blanks, I began to hear the stories. Stories of real people. Ordinary people.

                Somewhere along the way, I made a promise in my heart that I would sit with the stories. Every year. I can’t do anything to change the outcome of those stories. But I can be a person who sits with them and hears them.

                And so I do. Every year on 9/11, I work from home, and from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to bed, I watch the documentaries. I listen to the stories. (Often they are the same ones every year, but I still sit with them.)

                Almost two years ago, during our anniversary trip, Ryan and I visited the 9/11 memorial in Shanksville. I walked beside the wall of names, touched every panel, and read the names out loud.

                I hope to one day visit all the memorials.

                But today I will simply remember. I will sit with the stories. I will hear the words and look at the faces and probably cry over the enormity of it all.

Thankful Thursday: 90 Years

 

A little over ten years ago, we threw surprise birthday party for Mom. She was about to turn 80, and we wanted to give her a special day. My sisters and I planned a cookies and canvas party, and we held it at our house in Kokomo. I had so much fun reading back through this post that showed the planning, and this post that showed the party!

                A decade later, celebrating looked a little lower key, but nevertheless, we celebrated Mom’s 90^th birthday this week!

                This year has been a tough one for her. Dad’s multiple health events this year have led to significant decline for him. I don’t write a lot about it here, because honestly, I’m not sure how to do that in the most dignified way. It’s not really a secret so much as just hard to know how to share in a way that honors him – and her, too.

                They’ve moved, they’ve wrestled with changes in their health that they can’t even really fully understand, and I know it’s been hard for them. Unexpected.

                And yet here we are, entering a brand new decade with Mom.

                My sister and brother-in-law came to visit on her birthday and brought McDonald’s and pie…so that was pretty much the best day ever!

                Ryan and I visited a little later and brought a balloon and some roses.

                Had to get some pictures with the birthday girl!

                Dad was quiet but was having a pretty good day and spent time celebrating her.

                The day after her birthday, Swiss Village had their annual Friendship Walk, where employees and volunteers take residents for a walk through the community around the building. I would have loved to have been part of it, but I needed to attend a funeral, so Ryan talked Mom into participating in the walk!

                Mom would insist that you know she does NOT need a wheelchair, but it was a long walk, so she happily rode. She still walks for regular things, though.

                These two. 😊

                It’s a good start to the new decade, I’d say!

Wednesday in the Word: A Hug

 

Today I want to tell you about a moment last week – a moment in which I felt God’s kindness so intensely, it almost felt like a little hug.

                As you know, I’m teaching Acts in our fall Growth Group (ladies’ Bible study). Last week I sat curled up on the couch, buried in Bibles, commentaries, and study books, taking pages of notes and getting more excited about what I learned as I dove in deeper than ever before.

                Right in the middle of the excitement, notetaking, adrenaline, and joy, I received some tough news. It took my breath away in a different sort of way, and I sat, still buried under books, trying to figure out how I even felt. I started to pray, and I told God I really did trust Him with the news at hand, but that didn’t make it easier to hear or accept.

                I glanced back down at my Bible, which I had been highlighting just a moment before. The very next words ready to receive a purple covering? “You will make me full of gladness with your presence.”

                Big gulp.

                In all honesty, in that moment, I didn’t feel full of gladness. I felt excitement for what I was learning mixed with deep hurt.

                And in that exact moment, God reminded me that full gladness doesn’t come from any set of circumstances. It comes from His presence. And whether my day brings excitement or heartache, I can still be full of gladness because He’s there.

                I feel this might be an ongoing lesson. That day wasn’t the last hard day. I have to come back to this verse often to remind myself of the truth of its words. But there was something wonderful about seeing those words in the very moment my heart needed them. A hug indeed.

Tuesday Tales: Celebrating 165 Months

 

Last Wednesday was our 165^th monthiversary, and it was not the sort of day that made it easy to fit in a proper celebration. Even as fiercely as we try to protect our monthiversary days, life and duty still call, and when they do, we do everything we can to make time for each other in the craziness!

                And so it was that we got up at 5 a.m. to squeeze in a workout before the busy day. This doesn’t happen every day. Our current-life-season goal is three days a week. And even that is sometimes a challenge. But we got up and worked out, and I bet you can’t even tell I hadn’t had coffee yet! 😊

                Ahhhh, looking much more human. We ate breakfast together, got ready, and before hurrying out the door to work, we took Lexi on a morning walk. The lake was calm, the temps were perfect, and we had some good talks while she sniffed every inch of the road ahead of her.

                I had a meeting at the coffee shop, so I got a special “I love you” Americano to bring to Swiss Village for Ryan on my way home. He took a break with me when I arrived so we could visit my parents. (I love him so much for many reasons, and right now his love and care for my parents is very high on that list.)

                We went back to our respective work chores for the afternoon, and then I picked him up from work so we could ride together to church. I’m teaching a women’s Bible study, so he visited my teaching room while I set it up…

                …and then I returned the favor in his GriefShare room!

                We had just enough time to gobble up the dinner I made, and I collated study papers for the men’s Bible study while we ate!

                This is life, and I wouldn’t want to share it with anyone but Ryan. I am grateful that even though it was a busy day, we at least got to work in the same spaces for part of the day!

                I love you, Ryan! Let’s see if month #166 give us a little bit more date opportunity!

                And you'll see more about this later on this week...but a HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY TO MY MOM!!!

Menu Monday: Nourishing Body and Soul

 

                Good Labor Day morning to you, friends! If you are enjoying a long weekend, I hope this bonus day is extra good to you. Ryan and I are excited for our day (which, to be fair, will be spent at home doing more work than resting) and then a four-day week! 😊

                Here’s a look back at what we enjoyed this week.

Monday: Ground Turkey and Peppers with Salad

What We Did: I browned ground turkey (but you could use any ground meat) in a skillet with three bell peppers and some seasonings. I used oregano, garlic, and seasoned salt, but you could use whatever. We had simple garden salads on the side!

Tuesday: Grilled Tilapia with Sauteed Zucchini and Summer Squash

What We Did: My plan had been for Ryan to grill the tilapia outside on the grill, but it was 4000 degrees out there that day, so we did these inside on the Griddler, and they were superb! I had some zucchini and summer squash from our garden, so I sauteed them in a pan with some seasoned salt!

Wednesday: Air Fried Chicken Thighs with Leftover Sauteed Veggies

What We Did: This was our monthiversary dinner, and Ryan loves chicken thighs, so I air fried them and had more of the sauteed zucchini and summer squash from the night before. And we ate this standing up in the church kitchen with about ten minutes to the start of Growth Groups.

Thursday: Homemade Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with Salad

What We Did: I made no-breadcrumb meatballs with ground turkey and egg! Baked them for about 25 minutes and then simmered them in crushed tomatoes with Italian seasoning. We had salad on the side with garden tomatoes! (This recipe made twice as much as needed, so I also have some in the freezer!)

Friday: Culver’s

What We Had: This was our date night and Ryan had a Culver’s craving! I have not had a burger in a long time, and I decided I was just going to do it, so I did! Sneaked a few of Ryan’s fries, too, and we did have ice cream.

Saturday: Chick-fil-A

What We Had: This was NOT in the week’s plan! We ended up running back to town for the mirror I told you about, so we stopped at Chick-fil-A. I had a cobb salad and Ryan tried the chicken and waffles the commercials have been telling us about for days. I liked the salad. He said the chicken and waffles were just okay.

Sunday: Steak and Baked Asparagus

What We Did: Ryan grilled some steaks and I baked asparagus with sliced almonds. Pretty tasty!

Sunday Scrapbook: Moments from the Week

 

It’s a holiday weekend! Last year we were up in St. Ignace this weekend, preparing to walk the Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day. This year we are home enjoying rest and projects. What are you doing on this long weekend? Here’s a peek back at the week we just had!

Last Sunday I spoke at church about reminding others of their faith…reminding ourselves to use our God-given gifts and power…reminding each other to pray for those around us. I do not know what it was about that message that created the level of spiritual warfare I faced ahead of delivering it, but it was next-level. I was kind of glad when that one was behind me!

Can I just tell you how much I love my new laundry basket? It makes me SO HAPPY. I found a permanent spot for it in our bedroom, and when it’s not busy hauling clean laundry, it holds some little quilts!

I will have to do a whole post about this eventually, but Ryan finished the overhaul on our kitchen island this week. I adore the outcome. It brightened up the room, and the permanent feet are an upgrade from the bed risers we’ve had it perched on for the last two years! (Those were a creative and affordable solution that we don’t regret, but this is lovely.

We celebrated another monthiversary this week. I’ll tell you about it soon, but don’t overexpect, okay? Between work and church responsibilities, we did very little creative dating for this day. But you know what? We spent it together as much as we could, so three cheers for that!

Thursday night we decided to go out for a walk. Poor sweet Lexi has not gotten as many walks as usual, partly because we were gone a lot and partly because of the excessive heat! The sky was darker, so I checked the radar, and it promised we were good for the next hour. So…that was a lie! But we did have fun walking in the rain.

Friday evening we had a date night! The week had been extra long for Ryan in work hours, but he was up for a date night, so we headed out to eat and to do a little shopping. (He was a gem and dropped me off at Hobby Lobby to enjoy quiet, mindless sauntering while he went to Aldi.) I had the best time looking through the aisles and finding fun things I might want to buy…but didn’t. And then we found coffee and headed home. It was a grand evening.

Remember how I said I looked at Hobby Lobby for fun things I might want to buy but didn’t? Well…had some non-buying remorse on Saturday, so we drove back that afternoon to get this gorgeous full-length mirror!!! The one we’ve had for years is pretty utilitarian, and we didn’t have a good place to permanently put it in our house. But this one is gorgeous enough to be prominent, and I happened to think of the perfect place for it. SO EXCITED!

Saturday Suggestions: Inspirations for Your Weekend

 

We’ve made it to a long weekend, and I am so glad. I finished up my final paper for my class this week, so unless the professor sends it back with things to address, I think I’m done with this class! I have a couple weeks off before the next one begins. I’m hoping to catch up on some scrapbooking and blog reading in the interim! And today I bring you some things I stumbled upon recently. Ready?

I AM SO TEMPTED to get these faux mums for our exterior. I’m generally not a fake flower person for the outside, but I have the worst time with mums. They are great…until they’re not. They are gorgeous until the blooms die and then it’s just over. I don’t ever feel like I get my money’s worth, so it intrigues me to think of the endless bloom offered here. But then I would have to store them from year to year. But would it be worth it to not have to buy new ones every year? Oh the conundrum!

I am a big advocate of writing notes and try to do it often. I know it isn’t everyone’s thing to do, but I regularly find that those who receive them really love them. So I wasn’t surprised to read this piece and the impact the author’s handwritten notes have had on their recipients. If you have even a couple of minutes to give it a try, do it!

I love voting on options – don’t you? KariAnne posted ten years of porch décor (she changes it up each year), and I had to scroll through them to see which was my favorite. Before I tell you mine…which was yours? My favorite is based on what I could envision on our porch. I really liked some of her other ones, but they wouldn’t fit here. My favorite for what I could imagine working at our house? 2016.

Hard times hit us, don’t they? And we compare our hard times to the hard times of those around us so we can classify who really has it better or worse. But this post about Psalm 23 reminds us that “the valley of the shadow of death” can be about many different scenarios. (When I took GriefShare, I observed that many of the things I learned applied to hard life seasons, even if they weren’t the death of a person I knew and loved. Job loss. Friendship betrayal. Those things and more can feel like a death.) If you’re in a dark season, read these words and let them comfort you!

Two years after my year-long-capsule-wardrobe adventure, I still love having a minimal number of choices in my closet. While I don’t stick to the hard core capsule like I did that year, I still try to buy things that mix and match easily. (And I’m sure I have more combinations in my closet than I even realize.) I got the whole idea for the year-long adventure from the Penny Pincher Fashion site, and while they do have a 2026 capsule for your perusal, they’ve also put together this smaller version for fall. If you need some outfit combo inspiration, check it out!

If you’re a grandparent and don’t live close to your family, here are some great ideas for staying connected across the miles. I always enjoy seeing what grandparents do to establish and maintain relationships with their grandchildren, and this piece offers great insights on that!

Friday Fun: Let's Go Shopping!

 

Today’s post is almost two weeks behind, but I had so much to tell you about so many other things that happened first! And I’m excited to share with you today’s story.

                I don’t even remember now how many years Kari and I have been friends. I remember how we became friends, but I don’t know exactly when it happened. I was working at IWU in the Financial Aid Office, and Kari’s mom, Sandee, worked next door in the Business Office. Our jobs overlapped quite heavily, so Sandee and I were often in each other’s offices hashing out this or that about a student’s aid or bill. Sandee also adopted me as a third daughter, and I was happy to have her for a second mom.

                When I’d go over to talk to Sandee, she’d often tell me how something I said or did reminded her of one of her actual daughters, Kari, and I’d say, “Well tell Kari I said….” And then Kari would send a message back, and we played that game for quite some time.

                I should add this was back in the day of Yahoo instant messenger. Remember that? Our office used that to communicate between the front/back offices so we could know if someone needed us, and sometimes we sent messages to the Business Office as well. One day, while relaying a message to Kari, Sandee said, “You guys just need to become friends and give me a break. Ha!” So she gave us each the other’s IM handle and with that…Kari and I became friends.

                The messenger days are long gone, but we now text and email all the time – daily, really. We’ve prayed each other though all kinds of things. Her boys were young when we were set up as friends (ha!) and they’re adults now. We’ve prayed over houses and moves and jobs and health and parents and all manner of burdens of the soul.

                We both absolutely hate it that we live so far apart. But we do, and we see each other once or twice a year, maybe.

                Kari loves to shop for antiques, so we decided to a thrifting/consigning/antiquing day this summer. She offered to drive up here, and I made up an itinerary for us to follow to get to all the spots!

                We failed to get a photo at our first stop. Womp womp.  There’s a brand new coffee shop in Bluffton, called The Well. I had met a church member there a few days before our outing and knew Kari would love the shop, so we started there. (You can enjoy this photo of Ryan and me at The Well before Kari arrived. He dropped me off and went to work, and I wrote a sermon while I waited for Kari to get there.)

                Kari and I walked from The Well over to the next block to shop at my favorite consignment store, Fraction Apparel and Home. I found several pieces of clothing there – as well as a few house pretties. Kari found an old school desk that was so cute and SO HEAVY. I carried it to her car, and it’s way heavier than it looks.

                We drove to Monroe to shop at an eclectic little place called This and That. Forgot to get a picture there, too. I wanted to take her to the Shaka Shack, but it was about to close, so we went on into Berne.

                We went to one of my favorite thrift stores, Et Cetera Ecke, and I found a few more treasures there.

                We took a break for lunch at The Filling Station Coffee Haus, and it was quite yummy.

                Then we went to Cuckoo and Co in Berne. It’s a newer shop that houses lots of vendor booths. It was Kari’s favorite stop of the day, as I was sure it would be.

                They have a fun mirror!

                We both found GOOD stuff here.

                Our last stop of the day was a new place in Geneva called The Slanted Mercantile. It’s housed in the sanctuary of an old church, and the floor slopes downward (where the pews sat)…hence the name. No finds for us at this location, but we had fun.

                Our day was over all too soon, and Kari had to drive back home. I can’t tell you how much fun I had and how good it was for my soul to have a whole girl’s day out!

                Thanks, Kari, for making the trip!