Christmas Lights at Cheekwood!

 I love it when we can find some unique Christmas lights on our anniversary getaways, and this one did not disappoint! In my research, I learned about Cheekwood Estates, which is a 55 acre botanical garden and art museum. It was originally the home of Leslie and Mabel Cheek - back in the late 1920s. In the winter, they have a mile of holiday lights you can walk through, and we decided to make that one of our fun treats while we were gone (Thanks, Mom and Dad, for the anniversary gift!) 

They had timed ticket entry, and we learned if we went to the very last slot (8:30 p.m.), it was cheaper! That's our love language, so that's the one we picked. It also wasn't super busy at that time, so that was nice!! I just did pictures with my phone, so some aren't amazingly clear, but the memories are clear!

Our first stop was visiting the two reindeer: Tinsel and Tinkle! Guess I only got pictures of one. Whoopsie!

The lights were so pretty - and so varied! Some were over water with reflections. Others were on arches or scattered throughout yards. We decided we couldn't imagine how long it took to wrap all the trees in lights!

I think I was wearing a t-shirt, two sweaters, a scarf, and a hat, but it was not freezing like it was here in Indiana, so I WILL TAKE IT!!!!

Staring down statues...

Tunnels of lights are always my favorite:

He turned circles so fast that he made himself dizzy. A career in figure skating is probably out. 

Dancing snowflakes on the side of a hill...

Reflections...

I loved this little gazebo! I wonder how many people get engaged here! I was actually pretty bummed to not see a proposal anywhere on this tour. We've seen proposals on at least two of our anniversary trips. I'm always such a sap for them.

This is the mansion and museum. We did not buy tickets to go in this one, but I thought the outside of the building was so pretty!

See what I mean about the wrapped trees??

I loved this little gazebo too. Another great proposal spot. None taking place. ;) 

This was the chandelier in that gazebo:

So many trees!

Had to get one more picture of it - with the steps.

This made me smile. It was a stone library. There were stone bookshelves all around it. Even had a dog made of stone on the other side of one of the chairs.

Our high school colors!!

The only part of this entire excursion that was sad to me was that we were too full to participate in s'mores! They had a patio with little fires, and you could purchase s'more kits and enjoy a treat. But we were SO FULL from dinner that we had no room left for a s'more. So sad!!

According to their website, the estates feature a festival for each season, so no matter when you visit, you can find something fun to enjoy! We found it very enjoyable and would highly recommend!

Our 9th Anniversary Getaway...to Nashville!!

Alrightie! I'm finally ready to start telling you about our anniversary getaway. It started a week ago today, and I'm already SORELY missing the temps of our destination: Nashville, Tennessee! 

Neither of us had ever been TO Nashville before. Through it, yes, but never to it. We had the best time, and I'm so grateful Sean and Sarah covered things here at WillowBridge so we could get away.

To be honest, the start of the trip wasn't great. In typical fashion, we had a situation to work through at WillowBridge the NIGHT BEFORE we left, and I wasn't even sure we should leave. But Sean and Sarah stayed on task with it after we departed and kept us updated, which eventually allowed us to rest and enjoy. 

We had a BEAUTIFUL day to drive! So sunny. And we had a Shafferland funny immediately into our trip. We wanted to stop at a Subway to get breakfast sandwiches to eat on the road, so we found the nearest one on our route...but we had no idea they actually REMOVED AN EXIT from the interstate in Fort Wayne. Where we planned to exit is now all grass! Okay! Next Subway. We drove to it, and it was closed. Okay! Next Subway. We called to make sure it was open and they said, "We are, but you should know that we don't have any eggs." Okay! Next Subway. By this time we were an HOUR into our drive and I was hangry. We got to Subway, and guess what? Say it with me: no eggs!! Apparently it's like a thing at Subway in general. At least Indiana ones. We no longer cared.

In a strange twist, we encountered ZERO traffic jams this entire trip! We made it to the Kentucky line, which you'll just have to imagine because THERE WAS NO WELCOME TO KENTUCKY SIGN. You're killin' me, Kentucky.

We passed through Louisville and reminisced about the anniversary we spent there just a few years ago! 

Tennessee was much kinder to us...we felt very welcomed.

We stayed at an Airbnb, and you guys, it was so cute!! It used to be a one car garage, and the homeowner had it converted into a little hotel room type Airbnb. Want to see?

The entry was very private - and we even had our own little courtyard!

Here's the main living space. I loved the little couch table - and the actual table could expand if needed!

Over in the corner was everything we could need for a kitchenette.

And the bathroom was a step-up room over to the side. I think it might have originally been the mud room in the house? It was very nice!

That's a barn door on there! We really loved this Airbnb. The host was so kind and accommodating, the space was super clean, and we felt completely safe. It was about a 20 minute drive from where we stayed to the heart of Nashville.

We were pretty tired after getting up so early to travel, so we took a little nap and then decided to drive toward the city to get some dinner! I was glad we were going INTO the city and not OUT of it. So much traffic! And such a pretty sunset over the skyline.

Do you guys know about Crumbl Cookies? I started following them (and drooling) about a year ago after one of my Instagram friends posted about them. I've been wanting to try them, and I found that there was a Crumbl in downtown Nashville! The cookies are served warm and fresh and are HUGE. Seriously each cookie is the size of a donut. So we went there first. We had the place to ourselves and got right in and out!

Except for chocolate chip and frosted sugar, the flavors rotate every week. We had hot chocolate, red velvet, snickerdoodle, and pancake. I loved them all - even red velvet! (We also ate them very slowly over the course of several days and split each cookie so we could sample everything.) 

After we purchased our cookies, we headed out to dinner, which was a Pinterest find for me! The restaurant is called the Ainsworth, and it's in downtown Nashville. I hoped it was okay that we didn't make reservations (because I wasn't sure what time we'd be hungry) and it was definitely not a problem. We had almost the entire place to ourselves. There was a small party in a side room - and then us. While I felt really bad that this fabulous restaurant wasn't busy, it was also really nice to have a private dining experience! The booths were so fancy!

We shared this, you guys, and OH MY WORD. It's one of their signature dishes. Take a look, and then I'll tell you about it:

That sandwich is a fried mac and cheese patty with a burger on top, with a slice of cheese on top of that, and then a serving of mac and cheese on top of that. All on a bun. With seasoned fries on the side. 

Not. Kidding. 

I went into a literal food coma when we got home!!!

Here are a couple of pictures of how pretty the outside of the restaurant was:

We had one more adventure that evening, but I'm going to wait until tomorrow to tell you about it. 

Currently...

 I had planned to launch into anniversary trip stories today, but alas, we got home just in time to go back on duty Friday night, spent all day Saturday messing with broken internet AND moving in two new tenants, and spent all day yesterday getting said new tenants settled. Have I had time to think or look over my pictures? Solid no.

Plus I'm trying to get the last touches put on the Christmas cards so I can mail them out - and menu plan so we can grocery shop - and prep for two more tenant interviews this week. I'll be lucky to change my socks and brush my hair!!!

So today...I'm hopping on the Currently...series to see what it is, exactly, that I'm currently doing! (These posts are inspired by Anne's blog.)

I'm currently...

...decorating... nothing, really! Our apartment is decorated. The community room is decorated. The landings are decorated. The outside of the building is decorated. Yes, indeedy! I think we are about done decorating and are into just enjoying all the decorating we did!

...feeling...frazzled, a bit. For all the work I do to get ready for Christmas ahead of time, I'm still feeling behind. Cards are not out yet, I still have a decent amount of shopping to do, and there are still many things to do here at WillowBridge for Christmas plans. I felt this same way last year, so it must just be a thing with this job. It'll come together. I'm not worried. It's just not as seamless as I'd like. Picture is a throwback to when I was trying to figure if I liked the two-tree look on either side of the TV. 

...sending...the cards! Just as soon as we finish prepping them. The cards turned out great, the letter is written (though the internet outage slowed me from printing them all as soon as I wanted) and I'm mid-addressing. Ryan's going to help me seal them and stamp the return address and then they can go out! I'll show them to you here in a few days! Meanwhile...this was last year's card prepping party!

...smelling...coffee!! Yes, it's 10 p.m. but we're both drinking coffee!! Last cup of the night. And it's DELICIOUS!!!!

...wrapping...NOT A SINGLE THING YET. Please see point #2 above. We do have gifts. And wrapping paper. Have we started? Nope. So I guess there is no picture on this one!

So in summary...currently...we need to GET IN GEAR!!!

Sunday Sentiments

I learn many valuable life lessons from Ryan. 

Many.

One of his qualities that I love most is his perseverance. He does not give up - ever - unless there just literally is not a solution, and even then, he'll hunt to see if he can find one hiding somewhere.

We were gone all week celebrating our anniversary, and when we came home Friday evening to go back on duty at WillowBridge, we discovered the internet had been out for a few hours. Sean and Sarah had messed with it and tried to get it going, but it wasn't working. Though annoying, this wasn't terribly surprising. Internet here isn't always known for its reliability. 

But when Ryan got up early yesterday morning to find it was still out, he immediately got on the phone with the company to see if someone could come take a look at things.

In an unprecedented move, we brought in not one, but two new tenants yesterday, and we were on duty alone, while Sean and Sarah enjoyed their two-day weekend. Let me just tell you: trying to bring in two new tenants without the internet is an interesting endeavor. All the forms we needed...all the orientation materials...all the handbook materials...all of it was online.

We limped through the day by sparingly using our limited personal hotspot that we purchased this summer when we were out camping. Not all campgrounds had internet access, so this way we could have it if needed upon occasion. Fortunately, Ryan hadn't canceled it, and that saved us this weekend. The Lord gave us a bonus blessing of miraculously letting our printer work. It shouldn't have. It's wireless and wouldn't connect to the hotspot, but it printed every document we HAD to have for these move-ins.

After three failed attempts to get someone out here to work on the internet, a really nice gentleman finally arrived, and he got to hear a whole lot about WillowBridge orientation as he worked and we made presentations to our new tenants (and our old ones too...they came voluntarily!) in the next room. Three HOURS after arriving, he left without being able to fix the problem.

There we were with a building half full of tenants - some brand new - and none of them able to watch TV or play games or do anything else online. Bless them. They tried being resourceful, but they were missing their routine as much as I was missing my Christmas movies and blogs! 

The internet guy left about 8:30 last night and as I slumped into a seat to do paperwork (paper still works!), Ryan rolled up his sleeves and headed back to the WillowBridge office. He moved furniture, took things apart, unhooked everything, and started messing with anything he could find, determined to fix it.

A couple of hours later, one of our tenants showed up to see if he could help, and just as he asked the question, Ryan spun around in his chair and said, "I think it's fixed. I have no idea what I did, but I think it's working." 

I could have cried. I mean, I think we all could have - for very different reasons. But I was so proud of Ryan for his determination and drive to fix the problem. 

And it wasn't about the internet - though there is that!! It was about the reminder to keep pressing for an answer, even when it feels hopeless. 

I share the story with you today to remind you to keep pressing. If you're like me and not as gifted with tenacity as Ryan, maybe you need that encouragement!!! 

The Saturday Six

 

One.

Feelin' crafty? I thought this post had a good selection of DIY gifts for Christmas! I'm pretty sure I won't have time for it this year on my end, but it sure would be fun if I did! Any of you like making your own gifts?

Two.

I love - no, ADORE!!! - a good Christmas home tour, and I enjoyed this one so much. So very cozy. (As much as I have no earthly clue why we left Tennessee to come back to cold Indiana, I am glad to be back with my own cozy Christmas trees!! It's just so comforting. 

Three.

I love reading about an adventure, and this one was extra cool - at least to me. Tamar went to see the balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade - up close and personal - even one as it was being inflated! What a cool experience!

Four.

If you're giving money this Christmas and want to make it a little cuter for the giving, here's a folding technique that gives you actual little money trees!!! Adorable. 

Five.

If you have a dog in your home - or have friends who have dogs - here's a gift idea! I have also seen this done with sweatpant material and denim, so I guess depending on how strong the dog is... ;) DIY tug-of-war toys from old t-shirts!

Six.

I do love a good Bates wedding, and even Instagram couldn't deliver pictures fast enough yesterday. I had to find the magazine that got the first pictures so I could see them! Pretty bride!

Holy Kintsukuroi

 

Thank you SO SO MUCH for your anniversary wishes to us yesterday. We had a wonderful day together. Cannot wait to catch you up on our anniversary getaway fun! 

But until I can do that, I wanted to tell you about the gift I gave Ryan! We try to stick to one of the traditional gift themes for each year - and one of those for #9 was pottery. Pottery is significant to us - in stories I don't think I've ever shared on the blog. But it is. And I wanted to think of a way to honor that in a new way. 

The gift I gave him was accompanied by this letter:

***

I’m not sure whether or not you remember this, but a few years ago at a retreat, I spoke about the Japanese art of kintsukuroi. The word kintsukuroi means “golden mend.” It’s an art form where the Japanese take broken pottery and put it back together using a lacquer resin laced with gold or silver.

            They believe that the flaws mended with gold become part of the object’s design, and some believe the pottery to be even more beautiful because it has gone through the process of being broken and repaired. The cracks become merely a symbol of an event that happened, rather than the cause of its destruction.

            I said then that I believe Jesus is in the business of holy kintsukuroi. And now, especially after this year, I believe it even more. And I believe YOU are part of His holy kintsukuroi in my life.

Isaiah 61:

            The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and to provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. (vv. 1-3)

Luke 4:

            Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

            Listen to this: Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (vv. 16-21)

As I said that day to those women: Jesus doesn’t always keep us from cracking. And there’s no shame in cracking. Let the Jesus inside you leak out through those cracks and serve as a witness to all around you.

            But Jesus won’t leave you cracked forever. He will come along to repair what’s been broken, and when He’s done, the scars of your cracks will be lined with the gold of His holiness, proving that you are more beautiful because of your brokenness. Your worth is greater because of your hurt. You overflowed the Jesus within you and then He came to bring healing and beauty to you.

            The apostle Paul writes, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of our compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)

For all that has been unspeakably hard about this year, I believe our cups overflow. Whether they overflow from the gush of blessings that pour out like a season of suddenly or whether they overflow by leaking out the cracks of anguish that rip our heart, they overflow. This much is sure.

            I am reminding us both…as you hold your cup up to the Lord, don’t get discouraged. If you don’t feel the rush of pouring from His pitcher, don’t get discouraged, put down your cup, and walk away. When that season of suddenly begins, you want to be right there, positioned to catch what He pours.

            And if you feel that everything He pours in just leaks right out through the cracks of your brokenness, don’t give up. Let the Jesus inside you leak out and bless those watching all around. And trust and believe Jesus to come do some holy kintsukuroi in your heart.

            Whether you’re gushing or leaking, allow that overflow to comfort the hearts of those around you. Be Jesus to them.

            Ryan, thank you for being part of the mending God has done in my heart – not just this past year, but in the past decade. And every time you see this gift, may it remind you that we are both broken and mended by Him, but we are also part of the other’s mending.

It's just a little dish - for coins or keys or whatever. But it represents all that is holy and good about the life we share. And I am so grateful. 

Memory Makers

Happy 9th anniversary, Ryan!!!

Nine married years have flown by at an unreasonable speed - a speed I begged for when I was single. But apparently single years aren't allowed to exceed five miles an hour. 

These nine years, though...they have been a joy and delight. Just a couple of days ago, when we left for our anniversary getaway, I noticed just how often we mentioned memories we had made together on other trips. I decided that is my favorite thing about having been married for nine years: we have reached a point where we have an entire bag FULL of memories we can look back on and enjoy together. That was something I remember looking forward to in those early years as we made the first memories. I couldn't wait to say, "Remember when we....?" And now, here we are!

Today, in honor of our 9th anniversary, I want to share 9 moments from the past year that stick out in my memory. They remind me of different reasons why I love Ryan and this life we share!

1.  We love small town life, and one of the things we love about OUR small town is the sledding hill! Last winter, on a particularly busy work day, Ryan took me aside and said we were going to take a midday break to sneak out to the sledding hill and enjoy a mini-date. In our work, this sort of intentionality is imperative, and I appreciate it that he makes US a priority, even in the middle of the madness. 

2. One of the hardest moments this year was getting the phone call that Allen had died so unexpectedly. Watching Ryan process that grief, listening to him speak at the funeral, and observing his unwavering dedication to the logistics of settling the estate (still ongoing) has reminded me how much heart and soul he puts into EVERYTHING - even the hard things. Maybe even especially the hard things. 

3. Finishing our renovations on Abby will always be one of my favorite marriage memories, and it's certainly one of my highlights from this year. When I look at the side-by-side pictures and see how far we brought her, I am amazed! Though the results are a combined creative vision of both of us, the bulk of the sweat equity went to Ryan. He was able to do things he didn't even know he COULD do - like upholstering! Seeing this dream through to completion together and then getting to enjoy it? This was huge for this year!

4. I realize our choice to celebrate monthiversaries may not be for everyone, but I am so grateful that Ryan enjoys it as much as I do and that he puts effort into making these days memorable! This year we reached triple digits, and it was even more fun to celebrate! Thanks, Ryan, for making the second day of every month a special memory!

5. One of the things I love most about Ryan is his work ethic. I have watched him - consistently - give a thousand percent to WillowBridge, caring for the building and grounds as though he owned it personally. I would imagine some of our former tenants remember the times he spent on the front sidewalk, on his hands and knees, scrubbing grease stains with a scrub brush and dish soap. (We had received a food donation and the pan dripped as it was carried up the sidewalk.) He works from early morning until late at night to make sure the property and vehicles are always clean, mended, and looking their very best. It's not just about what he's doing. It's about his integrity, and I love him for it. 

6. We have made a thousand memories this year investing in our little buddy...and let me tell you: he LOVES Ryan. He likes me a lot, but when Ryan is in the room, the world stops, and Ryan is the only one that matters. Ryan is SO good with him. Plays with him, helps feed him when he comes over to stay with us, and prays for him. 

7. Ryan invested in our variety show act more than anyone else in our group - including getting back up and finishing the act on a super-sprained ankle. We are four months out from his injury and he's still healing slowly. I will forever hate the song he fell on (I grimace every time I hear it) but I will forever be proud of him for how he pushed through the pain for the good of the group. And I will forever be proud of how diligently he did ice foot-baths, laps, wrapping, resting, elevating, and his own physical therapy in the days and weeks after the accident. He's amazing!

8. Camping has a hard work element to it that no one talks about. Sure, it's fun to set up the campsite with the lights and rugs and chairs, but there's also backing into the spot, hooking up the sewer hoses, leveling the rig, building the fires...and so much more. We had a great time on all our camping outings this year, and one big reason we did was because Ryan learned to do all those things so very well! We had some of our best talks and times of rest on these trips this year, and I'm so grateful.

9. And as we just talked about this week, one of our favorite things about this season is working together. We love getting to spend every single day together. We love knowing what makes it difficult and not having to explain it to the other. We love supporting each other and helping each other through the hard days - and celebrating the good ones!

So, Ryan, happy anniversary! Thank you for loving me so well - in mundane and major moments. These last nine years truly have been my greatest joy and honor. I am so thankful for you. I love you so much. I love every memory we've made. Thank you for choosing me, and thank you for living your vows so faithfully every single day! You're my joy. 

Welcoming the Unknown

Today is not the first day of Advent in church terms; it started this past Sunday there. But in a December-countdown sort of way, and in the daily readings of the book I wrote several years ago, this is the beginning of Advent. On that first day, I wrote about Mary and spent some time imagining all that would be asked of her that she did not know the day she found out she was to be Jesus' mother - or even the day He was born.

And while I don't ever suppose that I should compare myself to Mary, I hope you'll stick with me for today's analogy.

Tomorrow marks our 9th wedding anniversary, and we are excited to celebrate, of course, because we love celebrating EVERYTHING! But as we prepare for tomorrow, I'm remembering nine years ago today. It was quite a day...driving all night, long traffic jam, feeling super sick from all the weird sleep and fast food. But I didn't really care about any of it, because I was just ready to marry Ryan. I was ready to be his wife, ready to begin this new life we'd dreamt about, ready to see if marriage was really as wonderful as I hoped it would be.

It definitely has been.

But there was so much that day I didn't know. There were so many hard life moments ahead of us that I never could have fathomed. There were losses that would crash over us. There would be changes we couldn't anticipate. There would be adventures I know I never could have imagined. 

We never could have known that inside of 9 years, we'd have said goodbye to two of our six parents, moved to our third city as a married couple, own an RV, and work together in ministry? We never even could have known that I'd leave radio and Ryan would leave physical therapy. 

But on that day on the beach, when we said our vows, we welcomed that unknown completely. And if I could rewind and redo, I'd not change a thing. I'd welcome every bit of the unknown. While I can't ask Mary the same thing, I have a gut feeling she would have the same answer. She would still have said yes.

I am grateful Mary said yes to the Lord's assignment for her. I am grateful I said yes to Ryan. I am grateful to have had someone to walk through all those unknowns with. I am grateful for this life we share. 

As you begin this December, I encourage you to keep your heart open to what the Lord has for you - unknowns and al!