Daddy Daughter Date Night 2017

Two years ago, after I'd resigned at WBCL, the very last station event I worked was Daddy Daughter Date Night. It was an emotionally charged evening for me, because not only was it my last event, but it was one Ryan hadn't been able to attend, and somehow it didn't feel right to me that he missed my last-ever event!

A few months ago, the station reached out and asked if I'd be interested in coming back to Daddy Daughter Date Night to serve as a volunteer photographer for the night. I said yes - and that's how this last Friday, I made my way back to Fort Wayne to see my work buddies!

Again, Ryan wasn't able to go with me (sadness!), and pretty much everyone I saw said, "HI! Great to see you! Where's Ryan?" LOL!!!

Thought I'd share with you a few pictures from our night!

Remember when I used to be part of PB&J in the morning? (Phil, Bekah, Jim). Well I found the morning team right away when I went in!

Clearly I should have taken the selfie stick! Larry (the news guy), Jim, Phil, and Phil's beautiful daughter Faith! These guys all picked up RIGHT where they left off two years ago - picking on me like you would not believe. I do miss them. They may have given me a hard time, but I do miss them. (DO NOT TELL THEM I ADMITTED THAT IN PRINT.)

I think I heard somewhere that the evening had sold out with 500 tickets. So clearly not all 500 seats are in this photo, but I wanted to get a picture of the room before it started filling up. The color scheme was so beautiful, and I LOVED all the lights!!

While I'm here, I'll show you the place settings and cupcakes!

 The photography team!!

Behind me is Jeri, who hired in right about the same time I did, and next to her (in the striped dress) is Dana, who answered the Mid-Morning phones for the last couple of years before I left. (She does many other things as well, but that's when we got to work together!) The three of us ran cameras for the photo booths, and the two girls on the right are Dana's sisters, who served as our lovely assistants!

I was surprised to actually see people I knew! I saw six people from my old church in Marion! One of them was my mentor for a while, so I had to get a picture with her!

My dear Cindy - I miss her so much!

The photography booths were open as soon as the dads and daughters came in, but when they served dinner, of course, most sat down to eat. So the photography team sat to eat too! We had just started, when we saw lines beginning to form at our stations again. I was so afraid if I walked away from my plate, the waiters would think I lost interest. UH NO!!!! So this was my attempt to hang onto my dinner!

It worked!

That cupcake...

The concert for the evening featured JJ Heller, and while I didn't get to hear a lot of it (chose to spend part of that time visiting with friends I never get to see), I was entirely impressed at how well she related to those girls!! Very personable!

At the end of the night, I did manage to get a few minutes to talk to this lovely lady right here:

Lynne!! We had a great (although quick) talk, and we remembered just how much we miss having long talks!

By the time I packed up my camera bag and limped (stupid shoes!!) out to the car, it was getting late, and by the time I rolled through a drive-thru for caffeine to get me home, I discovered it was going to be after 11 before I got home. Now, I'm not so old that getting home after 11 is late, but this was the first stop on a VERY BUSY WEEKEND, so I wanted to try to get a decent amount of sleep if I could!

So wonderful to see my friends, and so thankful they were kind enough to invite me back! :)

The Shafferland Shuffle

You guys, last Sunday seems like 20 million years ago! Seriously! (Ryan said Tuesday seems like 20 million years ago.) Guess it was a long week! Here's a peek at it:

* Last Sunday was our monthiversary! 52 months, baby! We celebrated with a little shopping, lunch out at McAlister's (pause to appreciate their amazing iced tea...), a nice walk in the sunshine, and some lounging on the patio. It was a gorgeous day, and we appreciated it!

* I mentioned this earlier this week, but Ryan's sister just got engaged not long ago, and Monday was a big girls-of-the-family planning meeting during lunch. His whole family is full of fantastic event planners, so I am confident they did not need me at all, but I went with my nerdy color-coded pens and listened to the beginning of the planning-palooza! We had gotten a gift card to Texas Roadhouse, so Ryan suggested we go there for dinner. I think he just wanted to fill up on peanuts. :)

* Tuesday was super busy, including a podcast interview for me and Tuesdays at the Table for both of us! We had Ryan's mom and Aunt Ruthie over for dinner, and after the meal was done, some of the wedding planning palooza continued at our house.

* I was so happy to see our oils order arrive on Wednesday, because Ryan was mid-cold and I needed to have him start feeling better! That night we went to hear our friend Brent Vernon, who was in concert right here in town! We hardly ever get to see him, so anytime he's within driving distance, we go! He did a great job, and it was fun to see him (and Sam the dummy)!

* Thursday was a writing day for this girl. I hunkered down and worked for hours!! That was also the day my brother-in-law's book showed up in the mail, and I was so happy to finally own my very own copy! :) Ryan was pooped when he came home from work (thankyouverymuch, cold) so he and Braeya rested on the couch for most of the evening. They're so cute!

* Friday was still a little chilly here in Central Indiana, but the sun came out and it made me SO EAGER for warm spring. I put my laptop right by the little patch of sun and sat in the warmth while I worked! And I noticed the pretty pink tree in the yard is starting to come to life! We stayed home all evening just to rest after a busy week. Tried to watch Dateline (don't be jealous of how cool we are) but we fell asleep in the middle of it. That might explain our poor, tired faces in this picture. HA!

* Yesterday I wore two hats at once. (Not literally, of course.) I was the speaker and photographer at a bridal shower, and it was just a blast! Good food, fun fellowship, and I enjoyed the day immensely! (More on this later.) While I was busy working, Ryan was busy working too - on the yard! He rolled and mowed it for the first time this season. Bring on the warmth!

Our Random Week

Ryan has been battling a cold this week and we have no idea where it came from. He was 100% fine on Sunday when we celebrated our monthiversary, and he woke up Monday morning sounding like a bass singer. (And it has just progressed from there.) What in the world!?!?!?!?! I've been doing my best to avoid it and have so far been successful!

It hasn't helped that the week has been quite chilly and rainy. The kind of week that makes you want to curl up on your couch in your jammies and read a book! (And if you change jammies to yoga pants, I did just that very thing!)

But anyway. Thought I would spend this Friday giving you a peek into the week. (A better peek than the shuffle gives.) Total randomness ahead. You've been warned!

Ryan's sister just got engaged, so wedding planning is happening in full force around the family. I went to a planning meeting this week, with my nerdy binder and colored pens, and I decided I'm too organized for anyone to handle. LOL! Don't misunderstand: no one was unkind or rude about my ridiculous level of organization. But they did stare a lot. I guess probably most people don't bring a whole fistful of marker pens wherever they go. So I loaded up on coffee and did a lot of listening. I think perhaps Ryan and I are unique in our organizational OCD.

Ryan makes me laugh. A LOT. And this face right here is one of my favorites. We were driving home one night (and don't worry...he was safely at a stoplight when I took this picture), joking around about something, and he broke out in his best fake-tears. So great.

We had Tuesdays at the Table this week: our first time in about a month, because of the cabinet overhaul. Ryan's mom and our Aunt Ruthie Woo Hoo came for dinner, and we did a lot of laughing. They are so funny!

Been running this bad boy pretty much nonstop, thanks to germfest/spring 2017. It smells good in here!

I've talked before about my friend Brent Vernon, who is a singer/songwriter/ventriloquist/author/illustrator/pretty much all the things. One very talented guy! He's from Florida and doesn't often get to Indiana, but when he does, I go! I usually have to drive an hour or more from home to hear him, but this week he was IN KOKOMO!!! So you can know we packed up, Ryan's cold and everything, and went to hear him!

(Funny story: the church was a super tiny country church and when Brent arrived in town he actually went to the wrong church. He had unloaded everything before he realized he was in the wrong building. He wondered why the people were giving him such funny looks!)

Some people get really excited about the ventriloquist part. Ryan loved it! (I love it too. Sam -the dummy - is hilarious!)

We hadn't gotten a whole group photo yet, so it was our night. I decided later maybe we should have put Ryan in the middle. That's a whole lotta shirt print going on between Brent and me! LOL!

I wrote about it a couple of days ago, but I finally got my OWN COPY of my brother-in-law's book. It's so good. Seriously. Proud of him!!!

So that's been the randomness of our week!

Full recap will still come your way Sunday, but I hope you enjoyed an extra look!

The Date Inspired by the Letter G

Yes, we're out of order again. :) And yes, we did TWO of these dates in one weekend! But this was totally worth being out of order.

The whole alphabetical date thing was my idea (okay, really it was Pinterest's idea, but I'm the one who has been doing all the planning), but shortly after we started doing them, Ryan told me he had a date idea up his sleeve. All I knew was it could fit into two or three different letter possibilities, and he would let me know when we needed to do it. I love surprise dates, so I didn't ask any questions or try to figure it out at all.

He said we would need to do it this past Saturday, as part of our St. Joseph County date. He told me the place he was taking me didn't open until 5 in the evening, so I could plan whatever for the day, but he'd need the evening for his surprise. No problem!

On the way up to South Bend, he told me he was a little disappointed because there had been a change in something regarding the date, and while he still thought I'd have a great time, I wouldn't have as great of a time as I would have before the change. I was utterly baffled. Could not figure out what it might be.

So while we were eating our meal at the cafe, he gave me a clue. He said something about someone who had been part of the date event wasn't going to be there, and it immediately clicked for me. I knew this was the "G" date, and I said to him, "Did you get tickets to see the Vocal Band?"

HE DID!!!!

This is the first concert we've been to since I left radio (when I went for free because I was working them), and this is also a HUGE thing because Ryan isn't a diehard Gaither fan. Not that he doesn't like them, but he doesn't get all giddy like I do.

I'd read a couple of weeks ago that David Phelps resigned (again) from the Vocal Band, and that's what Ryan meant about it not being as exciting anymore. He bought the tickets before the resignation news came, and he was sad I wouldn't get to see David, because he knows he's my most favorite! I was sad too, but I didn't care, because HELLO!!!!! GVB tickets!

That officially makes the G date a GIDDY Bekah attending a GAITHER Vocal Band concert!

Of course, after a day of hairnets, rain, winter hats, and running around northern Indiana in the cold, I sure didn't look my best. I was in jeans and walking shoes, with major frizz head, but sometimes you just gotta swallow your pride, you know?

The concert was held at the historic Morris Performing Arts Center, which is almost 100 years old! GORGEOUS old architecture.

I WAS SO EXCITED!!!

Even saw Nikki, a fellow David Phelps fan I first met back when I worked at the station. She told me David WOULD be there that night. WHAT?!?! Say it isn't so!!!

BUT IT WAS! He really was there! I texted my Mom to tell her he was there, and she responded "as is your husband." LOL!!!!! Yes, yes he is! But this was his idea, after all!

We sat about halfway back on the main floor and I was impressed with how well my camera did for pictures. (I did have to dodge a high-haired person a couple of rows up.) I was so glad I'd brought my zoomy zoom lens, even though I didn't know I'd need it!

 Charlotte Ritchie looked stunning in that black dress!

 They opened with Alpha and Omega, and I cried all the way through it. I always do.

YEP! There he is!!!

 This was only the second time I'd seen Todd sing with them. He's really good!

 And funny!

 Adam Crabb - also very good!

 Boom. The note.

 My most favorite band combo in recent years.

 This guy could plaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.

 Ahhhh, Wes. He took over for David when he left the first time, and I wasn't sure I could handle a replacement, but he's so good. I really like him.

 I figured I should make sure I had a picture of Bill! After all, it is his band. :)

Last song, big notes.

It was a great night, which Ryan made even better by surprising me again with David's new CD.

Thanks, Ryan, for making it such a great date. You rock at alphabetical date planning!! And I feel very, very loved. :)

92 County Tour: St. Joseph

It's podcast Tuesday, and our stories today go along with the blogaroo today and tomorrow. Enjoy stories and pictures at your leisure!

 Listen here!

This past weekend, we knocked another county off our tour list! We headed north, almost to Michigan, to St. Joseph County! This county (apparently just known as St. Joe County by those who live there) is named after the St. Joseph River, which runs through it. That cracked me up when I read it after we came home, because we saw that river multiple times and kept searching on our maps and GPS for its name, but couldn't find it. We even asked Siri! She didn't know either. Fail.

We were (as you can see from the above photo) not blessed with beautiful weather, but we're the Shaffers! We power through!

Here's a recap of our day. It took us about an hour and a half (maybe a little more) to get up there, and the first item on my visit list was the Shiojiri Niwa Garden in Mishawaka. I'd read about what a pretty garden it was, with its design a nod to a Shiojiri City in Japan, which has been a sister city to Mishwaka ever since some elementary school classes from the two cities exchanged letters back in the sixties.

Alas, when we arrived, the gate was closed.

Sooooo....no garden for us.

That was all I'd found to look at in Mishawaka, so we drove about 15 minutes over to South Bend, where we spent the rest of the day.

We started out at the South Bend Chocolate Company, because, well...do I even need to explain?

A locally-owned chocolate factory, this building houses not just the manufacturing of the chocolate, but also the shipping department, a little store, and a chocolate museum! As you can see, we wasted no time making ourselves at home:

They offer tours of the factory, and there are two kinds. For no charge, you can take a 20 minute tour that lets you go through the manufacturing and shipping areas and get a free sample. For $4.00, you can stay on the tour a little longer, try your hand at dipping a spoon, and take a guided tour of the museum. We did the paid version so we could get the full experience. Our guide was not overflowing with enthusiasm, but I don't think she was feeling well, and she really was nice, so we still enjoyed ourselves.

And our hairnets.

I mean, can you even IMAGINE having mixers like these in your home? No? Just me?

We got to see the rooms where they created the cream centers for the chocolates, the dipping lines, the sorting area, and we even got to sample the deliciousness!

The dipping was fun, too!

The museum paid tribute to ALL chocolate companies, not just this one. They have a huge collection of old chocolate boxes and tins, and even a box used by a vendor at a baseball stadium! They also have a map that shows all the chocolate manufacturers in the state of Indiana!

And yes, this would be Ryan next to a solid chocolate Santa.

It was fun to tour the factory and see how they do things, even though my hair began its slow decline after that hairnet adventure.

Next up? A drive through the campus of Notre Dame! Neither of us had ever been there before, and we were looking forward to seeing some of the landmarks the campus is known for.

The good news? The school was on its mid-term break, so campus was virtually empty, making a tour dreamy. The bad news? The gate-keeper told us you're not allowed to drive through the campus. I found this especially amusing since as he delivered that news, a car drove by us, right out of the campus. So yes, you are allowed to drive on campus, but apparently only if you have a permit, and we did not. Soooooooooooo out into the freezing cold rain we went, to explore campus on foot. It. Was. So. Frigid. I was trying to protect my camera from the rain by holding it under my coat. My hair was growing bigger by the minute. Not quite a lovely tour. And we would have loved to see even more of the campus, but it was just way too cold. I couldn't feel my feet by the time we got back to our car.

 My nearly perfect picture of the Main Building of the campus, with its famous golden dome. Had the rental truck not been parked in the doorway delivering something, it would have been perfect! Ha! We were too cold to come back later to see if it was gone. I read that this building was the third to be built on the campus - back in 1879.

 Next to that was the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, which is apparently magnificent inside, but we didn't even try to see if it was open, given the aforementioned cold and the need to HURRY!!! Still - a beautiful building on the outside!

 A HUGE statue of Moses. (Apparently he is also known as First Down Moses.)

 The Clarke Memorial Fountain, built to honor the school's fallen war veterans, but often called Stonehenge for obvious reasons.

 The famous football stadium, under construction, and complete with portapotties. :)

This piece is called "Word of Life" and is on the side of the library. You might have heard it called Touchdown Jesus, because its visible from the football stadium and the position of the hands have led it to be known as that. But I read here that it is technically neither a mural nor a mosaic. It is made up of 6700 separate pieces of granite and stands 134 feet high and 68 feet wide.

Our tour of campus came to a cold conclusion here, and we got back in the car in search of some pieces of the stomping grounds from the first years of my parents' marriage. They lived in South Bend, where Mom worked at a restaurant, and Dad taught at Greene Township School. We never found the houses where they lived or the school (I was starting to get hungry and cut our hunt short) but we did find this tiniest of restaurants where Mom worked over 60 years ago. She said it was brand new when she worked there. It's now called The Boss's Place and is still open, but it had closed for the day before we arrived.

Our coffee shop for this county was very unique! I wanted to find something a little different and happened upon this little place called The Chicory Cafe. I chose it because it had a NOLA atmosphere and food, and Ryan loves a nod to New Orleans! He went on a mission trip there before we started dating, and I thought he would really enjoy a reminder of that part of his life.

I didn't get a lot of pictures of the inside because, similar to NOLA, he said, it was kind of chaotic in there. Very busy - even after 2 p.m. - but totally worth the wait for the food! It was our only meal for the day, so we ate well!

A mud turtle latte for me, which was delicious. Fresh brew and beignets for Ryan:

 You can kind of see behind him there the Mardi Gras style decor!

I got a turkey sub, and Ryan got a Po' Boy, and we split the best mac and cheese we've ever had at a restaurant. Truly delicious.

This technically completed our tour, and our final adventure of the day will be chronicled on the blog tomorrow, but I want to at least mention where we went, since it was part of the county and was such a great experience that I'd totally recommend seeing anything here if you can!

We went to a concert at the Morris Performing Arts Center, which is this STUNNING old theater with amazing architectural details! It was built back in 1922 and has quite a history, which you can read about on its site. I'll tell you more about our night there tomorrow! For now - enjoy a few pictures!

 

Not our prettiest weather day, but we had fun anyway!

17 down, 75 to go!