PLOT TWIST!!!

 

I hope I never get over God’s ways being so much higher than mine. The way He opens doors I never would have imagined and allows me to experience things beyond anything I could comprehend is both faith-boosting and humbling.

            Several weeks ago I was invited to record a series of training videos for work. They would be used to train Steering Committee members (which happens to be the kind of group I work with every day), and I could record the videos right in my home, using some software that was new to me. I set up a makeshift studio in our dining room, using our bathroom door as a backdrop, taped my scripts to my laptop screen, and recorded away. It took me about a day to get them right – and it was such a fun opportunity.

            Not long after that, I was asked to be part of some live training for new Program Directors. This adventure was more challenging, because training live meant no redos. All mess-ups were real time! Plus, the training I did wasn’t for a group of people I normally work with, so I felt very vulnerable in allowing the things I didn’t know to shine so brightly in front of about 30 people. They were all so kind, and even though the day felt messy in my mind, I guess it went better than it felt, because on that very day, I was invited to reprise that training in a video format.

            This time, I’d travel to a real studio with a teleprompter, lights, a videographer, and multiple camera angles. WHEW! That day was yesterday, but before we could even get there, we had some plot twists.

            I’d been watching the weather, because I thought we were going to get hit with some snow on Sunday. Of course we would! I had a driving event coming up…why would we NOT get snow? I was so relieved when the swath of snow went just to the north of us…narrowly missing our area. We “just” had rain. I celebrated it! And then Ryan reminded me that rain, if not given a chance to dry off the roads, turns into ice when the temp falls. And our rain kept going…and our temps kept dropping.

            We both feared I would have an icy drive to Ohio, so on Sunday afternoon we made the hard, yet responsible decision for me to drive on over, stay in a hotel, and be safe for a local commute on Monday morning. I cried from the change of plans and from leaving Ryan behind a whole day early. I threw all the things in multiple bags (don’t ask how much luggage I took for an overnight stay) and headed out.

            Traffic was fairly heavy, but I made it to the Columbus area without incident. I got all checked into the hotel and felt safe and warm in my room. I caught up on things on my computer, FaceTimed repeatedly with Ryan and Lexi, ate dinner in bed while watching a Hallmark movie (not the worst way to spend a day), and even read in my book!

            Monday morning came early – but not as early as it would have if I’d had a 2+ hour drive! I opted to stop at Tim Horton’s for some fresh brew, because the hotel coffee was not entirely amazing.

            I got settled into the studio and only through the help of my amazing friends and coworkers, we were able to knock out eleven training videos in under two hours. It was hard work, and learning to navigate a teleprompter was an adventure! (MANY BLOOPERS!)

            We finished up just before lunch – only to find out there had been an issue with the audio, and I had to reshoot all the videos! We decided to make the best of it and power through…and through the grace of God alone, we reshot them all in a mere thirty minutes. (We had worked out all the kinks in the first round.)

            I came home utterly exhausted, but as Ryan reminded me, I did shoot 22 videos in one day, so I was allowed to be tired!

            It was so much fun, and as I look at these pictures, I have to say that never would I have imagined I would one day shoot videos in a real studio. God has such plans, doesn’t He? Grateful to tag along and be part of them.

Random Thoughts

 

What a whirlwind of a week we just had! Lexi’s birthday, Thanksgiving, and lots of other stuff in between! I thought I’d welcome a new week by doing a little photo recap of some of the goodness we’ve enjoyed!

            We get questions now and then about Braeya. She is still with us, but her life is slowing down – way down. She sleeps most of the time and is content to have her space. But now that Christmas season has arrived, she enjoys sleeping under the lights of the main Christmas tree. It’s sweet to see her changing up her spot and spending more time with us!

            We officially finished our Christmas decorating this week and I’ll get the tour up soon! My favorite part was doing our family tree together. I read the stories, Ryan put up the ornaments, and Lexi did quality control.

            Ryan’s second boot camp class went really great! I am so proud of him for how well he’s doing in teaching the class, and I’m proud of myself for being able to do more than I imagined!

            We had a Friendsgiving with some of our friends from church on Friday night. I loved the coffee cup I found to use! We watched the movie Oscar, which is from the 90s. Have any of you seen it? It’s pretty funny!

            This is what happens when Ryan just wants a good picture of Lexi and she wants to be funny.

            Sunsets have been stellar this week.

            A good week indeed. Looking forward to wrapping up November this week. WHAT? How is this year almost over already???

Sunday Sentiments

 

I’ve been working hard on dreams and goals for the year to come. I’ve been evaluating the year behind me and daring to dream for the year ahead. I set aside most of yesterday to work on this, and one of the things I read about was a suggestion to take a moment to grieve things that didn’t turn out the way you hoped or dreamed in the year about to end.

            I almost dismissed it. Grieve things in a year that was filled with so much more good than bad? It seemed almost unkind.

            But I think it does matter.

            I thought of some dreams that crashed and burned. I thought of hard work that had to end. I thought of almost-changes that didn’t end up happening. Even if all those things were okay (or even right and good) it doesn’t mean there isn’t grief involved. It doesn’t mean they didn’t hurt.

            Sometimes saying goodbye to a year means saying goodbye to the things IN that year. And goodbyes aren’t always easy, even if they’re necessary.

            So I decided I would allow it. I will grieve the things that were hard in this year. I will be grateful that God shut the doors – for whatever reason – but I will allow myself to feel and heal from the hurt they brought.

            Yes, I know we still have a whole month left in this year. I’ll need it to keep sorting through all that happened and all that didn’t…and all I hope to see in the year to come.

            It’s been a good year, this 2023. I’m grateful for all of it. But I’m especially grateful for the permission I found in that little suggestion!

Saturday Suggestions

 

Well, we started our long weekend yesterday by OVERSLEEPING! I had the day off, but Ryan did not, and we woke up a solid three minutes after he was supposed to be on the road to work. Thankfully his hairstyle doesn’t take long to do, and I packed a lunch in record time. (And God bless a timed coffee pot that had already run!) He still made it to work on time, and I settled in to find you some fun things to read today. ENJOY!

ONE. 

I love praying for Ryan, and though I usually have no issue thinking of things to pray for/over him, I do love this list of ideas of how to pray for your husband for 30 days. (This works even if you don’t currently have a husband! Pray ahead! I sure did!) I am going to put this list in my planner and use it. 😊

TWO.

The season of giving homemade treats for gifts is upon us, and this little article has some cute and creative ideas of how to package them. Not only are they practical…they have a festive touch! 😊

THREE.

I wrote a while back about how Royal Caribbean is about to have a full world cruise that will last almost 300 days and go to all the continents. I follow an Instagram account of a lady who is planning to sail, but I’m trying to find some blogs to follow too. The entire thing just fascinates me! If you missed it the first time I wrote about it, checkout this overview of the trip from someone planning to sail!

FOUR. 

I found this one too late to pull it together for this year, but I’m saving it for next year! A photo-based Christmas countdown! This is a great idea if you want to do a countdown that doesn’t take up a lot of space or include daily gifts/food.

FIVE. 

Ryan and I have tried making gingerbread houses before, and I’m sad to say we are pretty solid failures at it. I don’t think it’s our next career. But these are some pretty cute ones if you want some inspiration for your own projects, or just some pretty things to look at today.

SIX. 

And finally – an actual year-round capsule wardrobe to inspire you, complete with an outfit for every single day. (Or it will be by the end of this year.) Brilliant!

Thanksgiving Day!

 

We had a special Thanksgiving Day yesterday. Historically, Thanksgiving has been a bit of a moving target for us in how we celebrate. Sometimes we’ve spent it with my family. Sometimes we’ve gone to Ryan’s family’s gathering. Sometimes we’ve done multiple visits in one day. (Remember the year we had four or five all in one day? And I don’t even like turkey!) Last year we were on the road headed to Florida on Thanksgiving, and our dinner came from Sonic.

            Yesterday we were with my family…all siblings home for the day! It’s the first time in many years that the entire immediate family has been able to be together for any kind of holiday, so it was sweet! (Missed our extended family!)

            We gathered at Mom and dad’s house, but the girls did the cooking this year. I thought we pulled it together pretty well!

            Ryan and I made the rolls…

            …and this cute turkey-themed veggie tray!

            We took green beans too, but they just aren’t as cute in pictures. Imagine them. 😊

            The table was full – of food and people!

            Lexi was happy to see her grandpa. She was happy to see everyone, actually.

            We enjoyed our food and conversation and squeezed in a few pictures before going our separate ways.

            Hope your Thanksgiving was a good one! We are grateful for ours.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

            Happy Thanksgiving, my friends! I know – when speaking to a broad audience – that this day is met with mixed emotions. Some of you have been eagerly awaiting it, whether for friends, family, or food. (Or football.) Others of you are struggling to find something to be thankful for in a hard season, and you just want this day to pass. I’ve had a year or two like that in my life.

            But whether you’re excited for today or dreading it, I want you to know that I am thankful for YOU. Thank you for spending time here each day…or week…or whenever you have time to drop in and read a few words. I am grateful you would take a moment to stop and see the thoughts from my heart.

            I’m also thankful today for the goodness I was reminded of this week as Ryan and I decorated our family trees. I thought back to the years before Ryan, when I cried my way through more than one Thanksgiving and struggled with disappointment in dreams yet unrealized. I wasn’t sure what life would look like someday, and as we recounted our memories, I found myself grateful beyond measure for the fun we’ve had, the memories we’ve made, and even the hard times we’ve survived.

            The little ceramic windmill we purchased in Holland, Michigan, reminded us of the trip where so much went wrong, but we came home with a scrapbook full of pictures, a mind full of memories, and a bunch of belly laughs. The Tulip Time Festival had no tulips, we had to wear hats and gloves on the beach in May, our first hotel reeked of toxic cleaners covering who-knows-what, and a lady at the fireworks heard me walking down a set of bleachers and told me she thought it was thunder. What do you even do with all of that? You laugh about it later and give thanks for windmill tours, second-chance hotels, and a delicious birthday cake.

            The snowflake with the alphabet on it reminded us of the year we did the alphabetical dates all year long. That was, hands down, one of my most favorite projects we’ve ever done in the dating realm of our life together. We saw some fun and unusual things that year: A Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert, the Biltmore in the snow, a sunflower farm, and more. What a fun year of memories!

            The moose with the maple leaf we got on the Canadian side of Niagara falls after a perfect fall day and the chance to walk across the bridge into Canada. That adventure was the end of such a fun vacation, and we have nothing but wonderful memories from our thousands and thousands of steps walked all around both sides of the falls.

            The multiple ornaments gifted to us in memory of Allen and Nita remind us of the good years we were able to spend with them before they passed away. Though we never imagined saying goodbye so soon into our marriage, we have no regrets from the time we spent with them, and the ornaments honor them beautifully. (Even hung the ornaments together on the tree, because that’s how they would have wanted it.)

            The little dinosaur snow globe reminds us of our first ever birthday getaway – to the Creation Museum. Back then we didn’t realize we were setting traditions, but we are sure glad we blindly leapt into some things we’ve kept every single year of the almost eleven we’ve been married.

            Our Route 66 patch ornament reminds us of the fun we had stopping to visit our entire wedding party when they all ended up living in Joplin, Missouri, a few years after we were married. It also reminds us of our future travel dreams, which include ALL of Route 66 one of these days.

            The Blue Bible ornament reminds us of the year we took the challenge to read through the Bible chronologically, and we had great conversations that stemmed from sharing what we read along the way. We’ve tried a number of different ways to study and learn as a couple, and this remains one of our favorites.

            The handful of ornaments that represent our wedding and first Christmas together were all gifted to us by friends and family and bring back the joy we felt on our beautiful wedding day and that first Christmas together, chaotic though it was. (Getting married, having a honeymoon, coming home, moving in together, and having Christmas all in a few days was quite the adventure!)

            Lexi’s first Christmas ornament reminds us of the year we had met her but she was too tiny to be at home with us. We went to visit right before Christmas and again at the new year so she would learn us and start loving us even before she was old enough to live in our home. She was so tiny!!!

            The little blue pottery Indiana ornament reminds us of the day we painted pottery with our tenants in celebration of one of their birthdays. It was a crazy day of trying to keep everyone happy (and I’m pretty sure we failed) but it also reminds us of a season when we teamed up to do challenging things to the best of our ability – and solely through God’s strength.

            The stories go on and on for the 122 ornaments we hung and stories we read as we placed then on the tree. (If you’re new here, the story of each ornament is written on a picture of that ornament. I read the stories, and Ryan hangs the ornaments on the tree.)

            We came away from that evening in awe and thankful for goodness in the fun and difficult alike.

            Today we are thankful for life, for the Lord, and for you.

            Happy Thanksgiving, dear friends.

            Much love,

            Ryan and Bekah

Lexi's Little Party

 

Ryan and I do not have this week off work, so Lexi’s birthday didn’t get to be a full day holiday, unfortunately. I had a meeting first thing in the morning, and then she spent the day watching Christmas movies while I did the rest of my work.

            But once we were done with work and working out, it was party time! She donned her Birthday Girl bandana, and I was so hoping she would let us put on the party hat again this year, but alas, the elastic in it had stretched out over the year, and it didn’t fit anymore. Womp womp! (This might be the peril of buying the cheapest dog birthday in a box that we could find.)

            I baked her a dog-safe cake and we stuck two candles in the icing. Ryan sang to her while I documented the event, and we both kept a careful eye on her proximity to the candles. (She finds them intriguing, yet appropriately scary.) Ryan blew out the candles, and sister girl was ready to chow down on that cake! (We only let her have about ¼ of it.)

            We did get her a gift, but we’re saving it for Thanksgiving Day, because it’s the kind of toy that will hopefully buy us some conversation time when she’s feeling crazy.

            We did some pictures with her, she got some birthday greetings – and even a FaceTime! – and then she crashed on the couch, partied out.

            Turning two is a big deal, and she savored it. We love her with our whole hearts and it was a joy to celebrate her!