This is the day!

It's podcast Tuesday!! We have a special birthday edition of Spill the Beans today...hope you enjoy!

Listen here

Guess what day it is?  Not hump day, that’s tomorrow. It’s Bekah’s birthday!!  So you know what that means?  I, Ryan, get my one chance a year to write the blog.  Honestly it’s really best.  Bekah is much better than I could ever come close to, but alas, onward with her birthday tribute. 

Let's start with some fun facts from 1978 (the year of the Bekah birth which is approximately 41 years ago), shall we?

-          My favorite arcade game as a kid was released, Space Invaders.  It was so popular upon its release that by mid-1981, Space Invaders machines had grossed more than four billion quarters.  I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that not a single one of those quarters were Bekah’s. 

-          Neiman Marcus sold an all-chocolate version of Monopoly.  The entire set was edible.  I doubt it would have been difficult to talk her into playing that one.

-          Until 1978, a tennis player was allowed to use absolutely any object as a racket.  I disagree with taking away that rule as I feel it really could have improved my game.

-          Post it Notes were introduced in a marketing campaign in 1978 originally named ‘Post n Peel’ and then sold nationally in 1980 as ‘Post it Notes’.  That is definitely Bekah appropriate.   

-          The Twinkie defense appeared.  Dan White killed Harvey Milk and George Moscone.  The jury agreed that he had diminished mental capacity from eating too many Twinkies.  Whew!  Fortunately that never happened to me when I worked for Hostess.

The young days of Bekah.  Interestingly enough, not much has changed.  Always going somewhere with lots of luggage, a big smile and cute as can be.  

Like all of us, she had a few awkward years, but I won't show you them all.  This is possibility one of my faves though!  The future Mrs. Bekah Shaffer!

As you can see, she improved throughout her high school, collage and young adult (sorry Bek, you're still young) years as she matured into a young woman.  But still no Ryan.  She's got a lot of living to do before I show up.

On to WBCL, where she really came out of her shell and became more aware of the gifts she had to offer.

I could insert about 100 more pictures here, but you may get bored...like Bekah.  I think we're losing her.

Yep.  Gone.

WAKE UP!!  HEHEHE...

I know I've told you all this before, but this girl is amazing.  She spent so much time preparing for marriage and it shows with how she approaches every day.  She's the Godly wife I need in so many ways and loves me way more than I deserve.  I love how she loves the Lord and studies the Word daily.

When we were helping my mother in the last few months of her life, she was so good to help with everything she could (all non-medical, she will be the first to tell you that).  My mother loved her cooking and looked forward to each meal she made.  She loved to sit and talk with Bekah, as she is a great listener and encourager.  Mom would often tell me how happy it made her as a mother that I married such a wonderful woman.  I couldn't agree more!

She's always willing to go the extra mile with me to help those around us.

 Sometimes kicking and screaming...but still goes and has a good time!

I'm so proud of her for trying to eat healthy and work out.  It's really more my thing than hers, but she still wants to be her best.

Which usually looks like this by the time she's done.  No judgment.  You can tells she works hard.

Her smile is contagious, her facial expressions are hilarious and she make me laugh every day...sometimes resulting with coffee coming out my nose!

 

Speaking of coffee...we've had a few of those over the years and are rarely seen without it.  There is nothing better than having coffee together and talking the night away.

Our adventures together have been so fun and might I say interesting at times...

Who could forget the ziplining?  Or even want to??

And you remember the waterfalls?

I'm so happy to be able to celebrate this day with you.  You are blessing to me through all these moments and the memories that go along with them.  I'm so grateful to be able to share with you in conversation over a pot of coffee, enjoying walks together, going on so many adventures, living through the great and hard times and I thank the Lord that I don't have to walk this life alone, but get to enjoy it with you.

Happy Birthday my Love!  This GUY Truly Loves YOU!

No Mo' Mo

Some of you saw this on Facebook last week and were worried, so I thought I would post about it!! :)

If you've been reading here at the old blogaroo for any length of time, you know two things about us. First, we tend to name our belongings (perils of not having children) and secondly, we have a couch named Mo. Let me tell you about Mo.

Back when I lived in Marion (which encompasses the first sixteen years of my adult life), I had the most awkward living room setup known to mankind. The house (though beloved) was old and designed before long couches and big TVs were staples in living rooms. There was one wall on which you could center a long couch, and other than that - full couches simply didn't fit. After trying (in vain) to make them fit, I gave up and bought my first from-a-furniture-store pieces. I got a fluffy loveseat and an oversized chair that I promptly named "The Fat Chair." That event took place just over eleven years ago now. I can hardly believe it! (You can read about my first grownup furniture purchase here.)

I still have both of those pieces. We still have both of those pieces. The fat chair is still holding up well, but the loveseat has reached a point in life where he really only has a future in a youth room or Goodwill showroom. He's lost most of his fluffiness, has water stains from dripped drinks, has a few pawprints from Phoebe and Braeya, and when you sit on him, you roll decidedly to the middle.

So about a year ago, we knew we needed to start thinking about replacing him in some way.

I'll pause that story so I can weave in the presence of Mo.

Also back in the Marion house, we didn't have a really good guest room. (Or to be fair, a guest room at all.) On our second anniversary trip (to Chicago) we entered our first IKEA and found this adorable couch that became a bed and was such as size and shape that we thought maybe...just maybe...it would work in our weirdly shaped living room.

It really was revolutionary. The couch was named the Moheda, and right there in the store, we took all the measurements so we could see if he would work in our living room.

And he did.

So we put up for sale the couch and loveseat of Ryan's that we'd squeezed into a spare room at our house, and a couple of months later, we piled in a truck with Ryan's mom and drove to the IKEA in the Cincinnati area to pick up our beloved Mo - which is short for Moheda. The next day, Ryan assembled Mo, and for the last four years, he has served us so well.

We moved him with us from Marion to our new home in Kokomo, and he fit in really well here in this living room of ours.

Until.

We started entertaining more. See, when we lived in Marion and commuted everywhere to work, we rarely had time to invite people over to our house. We were never at our house. The furniture needs we had were pretty much for the two of us and the occasional guest. But at our new house and in our new life-schedule, we enjoy having people over. In fact, we host small group at our house now. That means we have a living room full of a dozen or so for every meeting, and that's when we began to realize our need for different furniture.

I mean, there was our loveseat that was embarrassing to look at, and we tried not to think about the water stains and paw prints. And then the dear couple from our group who always sits on it would come in, sit down, and promptly roll into one another. Sigh.

And at this house, we have a proper guest room, so we didn't really need the pull-out bed part of Mo anymore. We almost always pulled him out on Sunday just for our own naps, but we didn't need him for a guest room. And we learned that while he's comfortable for our lounging purposes, he's not the most comfy small group lounging couch. Only about 3 people could easily sit on him, and they couldn't really sink in and sit back.

So over a year ago, we started visiting stores in search of something that might be a better fit for our house and current uses. We started saving up and looking for a deal.

Easier. Said. Than. Done. We sat on literally dozens (over a hundred?) couches and it was like being a live part of the Goldilocks and the three bears cast. Nothing felt right/looked right/seemed right. It was far too big a purchase to make without fully and totally loving the pieces, so we just kept looking (while we watched our friends continue to roll into each other every small group meeting).

Finally, around Valentine's Day, we found a couch we loved. It was a super comfy sectional, and we thought it would fit.

And right after that, Ryan's mom entered her last days of life, and things like living room furniture didn't really matter so much.

At the end of April, right after we got home from our cruise, Ryan had a couple of additional days off work, so we decided to go back to the furniture store and see how we felt about the couch.

Guess what?

They had some new inventory since our last visit, and we found something we liked even better. So with a very amused furniture-store-man watching on from a distance, we bounced around the store sitting, reclining, scrunching in...seeing how we felt. And at last, we found a sectional piece that fits our living room corner perfectly and should be a good fit for both our daily life with two and our entertaining life with multiple guests.

We're exhausted.

I put Mo up for sale (with an appropriate amount of fond sadness) but didn't expect the shocked response from some who weren't expecting him to go to a new home!!

Many people loved him, it turned out, and he is going to a new home very soon, where I'm assured he will retain his identity and be WELL loved. He'll get to be a couch and guest bed again. Our sad little roly poly loveseat will be donated, and in the meantime...we have moved in our new couch!!

He arrived on Friday, and we are absolutely in love with him. He feels like a blanket, and once again, Ryan and I can comfortably sit side-by-side to watch TV.

It took us over a year to find him, but he's so worth the wait.

OH! And by the way. His name is Al. Welcome home, Al.

The Shafferland Shuffle

Happy Mother's Day!! We've had so many people reach out to ask how Ryan is doing on this first Mother's Day without his mom, and that kindness has warmed our hearts. He's doing really well. I asked him to tell me how he really felt about this day approaching (without sugar coating) and he said he misses his mom, thinks about her every day, and is sad that he won't be able to wish her a Happy Mother's Day this year, but he's doing okay. He said he has no regrets about the time he spent with her, and all his prayers for her have been answered, so he celebrates her life and the years they did get to spend together!

Our Mother's Day will look different this year, because most who attended Mommapalooza in the past needed their day to look a little different this year. We respect that, but we are soldiering on with the holiday and invited another group of people to spend the day with us! We'll tell you more about it this week! Meanwhile....our week looked like this:

* Last Sunday at church, we helped get women signed up for the big ladies' night coming up in a few days. It was the final sign-up day, so we were hoppin'! It was a GORGEOUS afternoon, so we were able to take a walk in the sunshine, and that made us so happy. And since I suddenly find myself with quite a bit to scrapbook, I hunkered down at the computer and got busy completing pages!

* I had to giggle: when Ryan went to work on Monday, he took one of those crazy high school pottery projects my mom bequeathed back to me over the weekend. (If you heard the podcast, you heard about those.) He put it on his desk like a proud husband...bless him. It's his new cup holder, he says. I had a meeting at church that night - sort of a final push for details for the women's event, and while I was gone, I missed a beautiful sunset...but Ryan captured it! :)

* We went to help Ryan's dad at his house on Tuesday evening - after going for a run outside. I did pretty well on my run, actually! (And then did some hefty resting on the porch when I came home - ha!) But anyway...we worked at his dad's house. I painted the ceiling and came home with major neck pain. I had forgotten that ceiling painting doesn't like me very well.

* Wednesday was beautiful so we went on a walk, and we even squeezed in a few minutes relaxing on the porch! We worked at his dad's again that night. I walked upstairs to find Ryan sitting half outside the window doing some caulking. Of course. Because why wouldn't he? It's okay. He found me texting and painting later. :)

* I spoke at a church near Ohio on Thursday evening. On our way over, we spotted our first tractor of 2019. We've had so much rain this spring that the farmers haven't been able to get in the fields yet! We finally saw a couple on our drive! The evening went well, the ladies were gracious, and we were thankful for the chance to serve! (We went to this same church for this same event last spring!)

* Ryan played in the corn hole tournament at work on Friday - and he won his round! I was so proud of him that I jumped up and down! :) That evening we did all our shopping for Mommapalooza and then scooted to our niece's birthday party. It had a Paris theme and was quite an eventful party!

* Yesterday morning we sifted through our gift cards to see where we could eat breakfast and Cracker Barrel won! :) We shopped for some of our plants for the year (decided not to get them all since it's still so cold and rainy) and I spent the rest of the day cooking for Mommapalooza. Ryan was home helping me, and we knocked out SO MUCH WORK! Amazing what you can accomplish with a whole day at home, right?

The Saturday Six

One.

I stumbled upon this post this week with ideas for travel snack boxes. A protein version, a fruit version, and a veggie/hummus version. They all looked pretty good to me!

Two.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day, you know. (If you didn't know, this might be a good time to remember!!!) I found this really pretty tablescape for Mother's Day. If you're coming to our house for lunch, don't expect to find this (sorry!) but I still think it's pretty to look at!

Three.

I'm not a procrastinator, but doesn't KariAnne's story TOTALLY sound like something that would happen to me? Doesn't it sound almost like a version of something that DID happen to me when I tried to change my name at the SSA after I got married?

Four.

I haven't found a super cute tiny house for a while. This one wins this week's vote!! Hey Ryan!!! Wanna build this one together??

Five.

Several months ago, I featured a blog post about my friends Matt and Nadine who live in an RV full time and travel the country in evangelistic ministry. They have five kids who travel full time with them, and they homeschool and minister together as a family. This summer, they're making their way (in their RV!) to ALASKA for a combination of vacation and ministry. Nadine is blogging about their journey, and I find it fascinating to read! Here's the first post, which covers their first week of travel. Take a virtual vacation with them!

Six.

No time for reading this week...so I'm concluding the list this week with a wouldn't-this-be-fun sort of trip itinerary...to almost all the national parks in the lower 48! (This includes the two new parks added in 2019, including one in INDIANA!) This looks AMAZING.

The Longest Game of Hurry-Up-And-Wait

I've reached the end of my cruise recap, which probably makes some of you very happy! :)

We arrived back in the USA on Saturday morning, and we woke up in time for the sunrise. (BOTH of us woke up in time for it this time.)

And then we started to see land!

So the process for leaving the ship was as follows: we had to be out of our room by 8:30 a.m. so they could start cleaning them for the next round of cruisers coming in just a couple of hours. But we couldn't leave the ship until our deck was called. So we had to basically hang out in an atrium with all our luggage until they called our deck.

Super early in the morning, we went to breakfast, so we could have that out of the way:

He was going for crying. I told him it looks like sneezing.  After we ate, we went back to our room to pick up our luggage. Easier said than done.

And we proceeded to stand in that atrium for TWO HOURS, waiting for our deck to be called. (Bottom line: we were on deck twelve and they started with the bottom.) It was a fascinating study in people to watch stressed out travelers cut each other off for elevator rides.

They finally called our deck, so we herded downstairs and off the ship. The line to get through customs was forever long, as was the line to wait for the shuttle. I think we lost about another hour from getting off the ship to getting on the shuttle.

We weren't sure our bus driver was going to make it. He was not the most in-shape man (no judgment!!) and there were a LOT of heavy suitcases to load on that bus. By the time he got on there, he was huffing and puffing and struggling to breathe for real. I asked the guy next to me if he knew how to drive a bus...just in case.

The Orlando airport was nearly my undoing. I've always heard Atlanta is the one you want to avoid (and so far I have) but WHOA. Between departing cruise ships and end-of-Disney weeks, that place was packed.

Hello, security.

The monitor estimated 60-65 minutes to get through the line, but some guy moved us to a different line and we got through in 35. We had just enough time to split a McDonald's meal and grab Starbucks before heading to our gate. And I'm pretty sure we were only at the gate for about 30 minutes before boarding. I was SO GRATEFUL Ryan hadn't booked any earlier of a flight.

We ended up in the back row again, and this time Ryan lined up a movie for me to watch.

It did help that I practically know this one by heart, and it's really funny. The guy on the other side of Ryan checked on me partway through the flight, because Ryan told him I was anxious, and Ryan said to him, "Oh she's got her snack and her movie, so she's fine." I'm essentially an overgrown toddler.

There was a big box of Ritz Bits in the overhead bin across from us, and Ryan's other seatmate was so excited about them. Then the attendant told him, "Ohhhhhh sorry. That's for the next flight to Phoenix. You're a pretzel flight." That cracked us up so much!!

Ryan did get in a quick nap despite my anxiety:

And these two photos best sum up the difference between Florida and Indiana:

This would also be why I changed clothes in the Indianapolis airport bathroom. Goodbye, shorts. Hello, jeans AND jacket.

Eyeroll.

My sister and brother-in-law came to pick us up and returned us to our car. We drove home to a very angry cat! :)

And that completes our vacation recap. Thanks for cruising with us! (If you have any questions on our ship, ports, or anything else, just holler!)