It's the Weekly Recap!

* Last Sunday, Ryan and I spent the entire day (after church of course) at my house working on wedding stuff. We were so busy! We had to sort and put away the shower gifts, write thank you notes, finish the wedding program, and much more. We didn't get as much done as we wanted, but I think we stayed plenty busy, and it was just so nice to have an entire day together!! And here is a picture of our hard-won burger that evening. We decided after trying two separate locations to get it, it was photo worthy!

* Monday evening was a chore palooza...cleaning up gifts, writing more thank you notes, working on wedding stuff...you name it. I hated not seeing Ryan. That's never a good night. But it was a productive night. AND...got my new Bible...for the marriage season. I love new Bibles for a new season. And in true Bekah fashion...the bigger the Bible, the closer to God. (Not true, but I say it anyway.)

* Tuesday we had the chance to celebrate at work, because my good friend Sheryl had a birthday!! She brought in quite a spread of food and we had little treats all day!

That evening I went over to my friend Marie's house for wedding makeup coaching. If I were getting married here, Marie would be doing my makeup on my wedding day. But since I"m flying the coop, she taught me to do it myself. Think I can remember it for the next two weeks?

* Wednesday night, Ryan and I graduated from premarital counseling. And our pastor said he envisioned a very happy marriage for us. SWEET! That's what we like to hear! It was so great to be able to spend the evening with Ryan. We didn't get to see much of each other this week (we HATE that) and we really treasured that time.

* Thursday evening was my work bridal shower. Can't wait to show you the full realm of pictures from that one. It was a household shower and we got some REALLY cute stuff. SO excited. I'm overwhelmed by how generous my friends are and how many new, beautiful things Ryan and I get to begin our married life with!!

* Friday morning I was late to work because of this little interstate mess:

ICK!! But in a year and a half or commuting, that is the first time I've gotten stuck in traffic on the way TO work. Not a bad deal!!! Friday evening I FINALLY got to see Ryan and we even went out for a blizzard! (Shared.) (And I ate less than half.) (Sigh. Must fit into a dress.)

* Yesterday my attitude was putrid. PUTRID. I think I had, in the words of my former secretary, reached my saturation point. For the record, this had nothing to do with Ryan. He was actually quite wonderful about the whole thing. I appreciated that. But anyway, I got so annoyed I actually voluntarily went into the yard and raked leaves (a chore I swore about 3 years ago I'd never do again in my natural life) and bagged them. Oh how I will regret that later. But on the flip side, I did some serious pre-marital nesting, including filling these FABULOUS new organizers I got at my most recent shower:

Pinterest Inspiration: I am sorry to report I was unable to fit in a Pinterest Project this week. But I assure you I was not absent FROM Pinterest.

Bachelorette Party, Part B!

And now...the conclusion of the matter. After we finished dinner, sparkling grape juice toasts and presents at the Dash In, we moved on to our next adventure! We planned to visit DeBrand Chocolate for dessert. They happen to have 3 locations in Fort Wayne, and as we were en route, we discovered that some cars were going one place and some were going another. WOOPSIE!! So we did some fast thinking and tried to route everyone to the same place.

In case you're not familiar with DeBrand....

Oh be still, my beating heart. Lovely, lovely chocolates. Many lovely chocolates. I ended up buying a little smattering of truffles to share with Ryan. (Oh my goodness. How in love am I? I'm sharing CHOCOLATE!!!!)

As we waited for everyone to gather in one location, we did a little photo shoot outside. :)

The location we ended up at was too small for all of us to fit in there and eat dessert, so we had to find a plan B. There HAPPENED to be a Coldstone Creamery there and it HAPPENED to be open late...so....

There's Faith with her cup-o-goodness!! (And a banner growing out of her head!)

They only have little round tables, so everyone sat in little groups around the store, which was really busy since it's next to a theater and apparently a movie had just let out. :)

Finally we were all just pooped (it had been a very long and full day for this bride-to-be!) so we headed out. On the way out, we borrowed someone outside the theater for the official full group picture:

Thanks, ladies, for making it such a fun evening for this girl!!!

(And by the end of the night, my feet hurt SO badly that I really couldn't even feel them anymore. Lara snapped this picture of me limping back to the car, along with Sara, who walked with me - either because she felt sorry for me or because she hurt just as much!)

Bachelorette Party, Baby!!

One of the reasons my best friend came home for the weekend was because we were going to have a bachelorette party! She planned it from a great many miles away and did a FANTASTIC job. Want to peek into the evening? (Warning: some gift pictures may be left out because...well...you know.)

I spy a gift table!! :) My friends are so generous...really appreciated their many gifts that night. Not only these in the bags, but also their gifts of time spent with me...words of encouragement...and just all they've invested in me over the span of time I've known them!

We started out at The Dash In - a little quaint cafe/coffee shop in downtown Fort Wayne. They have a back room where we gathered for the party. It wasn't a private room, so toward the end, there were other customers in there. I'm sure they appreciated our hoopla. :)

Anyway, here are my girls!

And here is the bachelorette!

We ate dinner first (I did the old soup and salad trick so I could enjoy dessert later!) and then they toasted me with sparkling grape juice, which is one of my most favorite things in life! And I wore the tiara and sash the whole night. Was I embarrassed? No way. Loved it. The girl behind me in the picture cracked me up. If you look at all my pictures really fast, you can nearly see her entire conversation in hand motions. I seriously don't think she knew we were there - the entire time.

Perhaps an odd picture to post but this one is safe! :) One of my gifts was this big 31 bag, which was filled with things for our honeymoon...for on and off the beach. GREAT idea! And the bag has our names on it, which I also loved!

Here's another gift I can show you - and a great idea for a shower gift! It's one of those vinyl wall sayings. LOVE IT. Can't wait until we have our new house and can put it up! And as you can see, the girl in the back is still chatting it up.

 

Getting married has allowed me to move from princess to queen...and now I have the chocolate to prove it!

Picture from Faith - of the two of us this past New Year's Eve, when we had our little Hawaiian luau for two! And in the back...mystery girl is now a maestro.

SUPER cute picture frame filled with a beach scene that includes our names and wedding date inside some hearts drawn in the sand. SO cute. Perfect!!!

And there were many, MANY more well-loved gifts that I just can't show you!!!

New.

Before I tell you about the bachelorette party...thought I'd share this from my heart.


I had scarcely made sense of the alarm and the snooze button when I heard Him.

Abba's Voice...the one that had seemed so silent for so long. Certainly more for my lack of listening than His lack of speaking.

His predawn words to me were so simple. But so needed. So craved. He whispered to my soul the words of Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

I snuggled deeply into the bed that will be our bed, but that morning I lay alone in the middle, pulling the covers tightly around me, and I whispered, Can I? Can I really do this? This wife thing? This meshing of lives and supporting of dreams - can I do it? Not for a lack of desire to do it, because I ache to be his wife. But do I have what it takes?

His gentle Voice spoke again. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

And I know. I can. I can love Ryan as he needs to be loved. I can run beside him in pursuit of his dreams. I can honor him. I can serve him. I can humble myself before him. I can laugh and cry and create memories and everything - anything - else God pushes into my path because He strengthens me.

After more whispered words and several more bouts of the snooze button, I got out of bed. And after a full day, I crawled back in and stared at this:

The new Bible.

I like a new Bible for a new journey. And I would say marriage qualifies for a new journey. It rested on the edge of my bed, pages still crisp, cover unmarred, and filled with words I know by heart, yet they await, fresh and unread from that page.

I opened the front cover and saw this:

I saw a blank for a name. My name. My name that in 2 weeks will be brand new. Brand new because I claim the name of my love.

The pages after...for marriages and births and deaths...also blank. I wonder whose names will fill those blanks in this journey? No way to know. No way to know anything that lies ahead, but it's enough to know that I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

The Bible is new. The name is new. The journey is new. Who knows what will transpire in the time I use this Bible? Who knows what promises I'll cling to and truths I learn as I walk, hand in hand, with Ryan?

I don't know.

But I know this:

And Then There Were Presents

Now that game time is over...thought I'd show you some pictures of the shower gifts. Some will...ahem...not be on the blog because they were not as family friendly. But they were definitely loved! :)

Okay this first picture is blurry, but I have to share it anyway. Not sure if I've shared this on the blog before, but here's the story. My Mom has always said, anytime she sees someone wearing something a bit low cut... "That needs a dickie." Do you even know what a dickie is? It's like a mock collar you tuck in under your shirt.

When I tried on dresses, she kept saying "It needs a dickie." So one of the first gifts I opened - from Mom and Julie - was a dickie. I was SO cracked up by this thing!!!

Apparently I was still laughing from the dickie...for this one.

Cute little 31 bag (that I already have multiple plans for) and some REALLY cute slipper boots. That leads to another embarrassing story. Sunday night, Ryan and I were watching football and working on wedding stuff and we got the biggest craving for a burger. So we spontaneously went in search of a burger. The first place we tried had broken registers and couldn't sell food. The second place was right next to the Walgreens that had a picture order ready for us. And guess who (thinking she was only going to a drive thru) was out running around in polka dotted jammie pants and these boots? Oh yes. He found that MOST amusing.


LOTS of Victoria's Secret - and this is the one that is blog-friendly.

I was so excited about all the VS stuff. I've actually never owned lingerie from there and now feel that I have arrived. I love pretty stuff like this, so I'm really really excited to wear it!


Asking Mom if this one is modest enough...

This one was cute too! I did ask for some pretty lounge-wear for the house. Most of mine is leftover from the fat era and much of it has also been sweat on profusely in workouts of days gone by. Attractive for a new husband, no???

This one is also so appropriate, as Ryan is a morning person and I am not. Prayers appreciated.

Got lots of lotion and body spray - and I love that! The really fun stuff that I would be unlikely to spring for on my own because I'm too cheap!!

Also got LOTS of candles and I'm excited about those too. It's how I heat my house in the winter!!! :) Good thing Ryan and I have similar thoughts on a too-hot house.

Lingerie from the Emperor's New Clothing Line. Hee hee hee.

Really cute picture frame - it's a shadow box with shells in the front. Perfect for beach wedding pics, no?

This little pillow was from my sister and niece out in Kansas. It was probably the hit of the shower. The pillow says "When she opened her eyes, she awoke to her dreams." Melt.

At the end - a visitor!!!! I'd asked him to stop by after work so he could meet some of my friends. He looks so good!!!! Man, I'm so proud of him!!!

And this picture is just flat out awful of me, but I adore it of him. I love the way he looks at me. This is how he always looks at me. With such love. :) So thankful to be marrying him!!

Hope you enjoyed visiting the shower! Next up: the bachelorette party! :)

Wanna Play a Game?

Since you're attending my bridal shower by blog, I thought you might like to take the game offered. Answers are provided at the bottom - but DON'T YOU CHEAT!!!!!

HEY! I said stop it! NO CHEATING!! (Ryan - I'm especially interested to hear how you did on this quiz.)

Tell me how many you got right and you'll win an invisible prize. HA! :) And if you had any especially funny answers, tell me those too.

READY??

1. What is Bekah's given name?

2. What is her favorite color?

3. What is her favorite food?

4. What is the name of the book Bekah wrote. (STOP cheating!)

5. What is her least favorite household chore?

6. When is her birthday? (My mom got this one WRONG! Can you believe it?)

7. What is her favorite movie?

8. How tall is Bekah?

9. What is her shoe size?

10. How does she like her coffee?

11. Where does she like to get her coffee?

12. What does Bekah like to do in her spare time?

13. Where did they go on their first date?

14. How did Ryan and Bekah meet?

15. What would Bekah say is Ryan's best feature?

You thought I was going to put the answers RIGHT HERE after so you could cheat, didn't you?

People. Not my first blog post.

So while you ponder.....

 

Okay. Now for your answers:

1. Rebekah Joy Freelan. Always told Mom that Rebekah Cranky Freelan would have been a lot easier to live up to.

2. Purple. (Poor Ryan. He's so graciously moving into my purple palooza bedroom. And he hasn't complained.)

3. Pizza. I had several complaints that the answer wasn't chocolate. Chocolate is a great answer. But I was trying to think of the one food I could eat every day for every meal and never get tired of it - and that is pizza.

4. His Advent: Still His Greatest Gift

5. Dishes. I would rather throw them away and buy new ones than wash them. And I may or may not have done that once or twice in my lifetime. Don't judge me.

6. May 14th. Born on Mother's Day. Made her work on her own holiday.

7. Where the Heart Is. Has Natalie Portman in it. Movie about the Wal-Mart baby. Ironic that anything to do with Wal-Mart would land on my favorites list, isn't it? :)

8. 5'6"

9. Size 8. Or 8 1/2. Or 9. Depends on how the shoe is made.

10. With cream and sugar. Another great answer given at the shower was "all the time." LOL!!!

11. Starbucks - or really anyplace that sells it. Not a coffee snob.

12. Scrapbook. Or kiss Ryan. But my mom was at the shower, so I went with scrapbook.

13. It was an all day date, so acceptable answers included: White River State Park, the Canal, the zoo, and Red Robin.

14. Technically we went to school together throughout elementary and high school but we really didn't know each other until we met at church.

14. The real answer? Hiney. And let me tell you the expression on my mother's face when I announced THAT to everyone while standing in a church. (I'm SORRY! It's TRUE!!!!) So I quickly changed it to smile.

How did you do?? How many did you get right?

A Virtual Bridal Shower

Saturday was another first in the land of the engaged FreeShaffers...a bridal shower!! Since so many of you said you've loved going along this journey with me, I thought you might like to go to the shower via blog post! (And don't worry. I won't post any of the ultra embarrassing pictures.) (Maybe.)

And this may take a couple of posts. Hope that's okay!

My shower was held at Greentown Wesleyan Church, and Ryan's mom was the mastermind behind it. She did an AMAZING job. I so appreciated her hard work!!

The shower had a coffee theme. Hmmm. Wonder what inspired her to do THAT!?!?! :) All the tables were decorated with candles and coffee beans. Loved it so much.

 

This was the first time I'd seen my Aunt B since I got engaged, so she wanted to see the ring. Boy that was a tough request to fill... :)

The lovely ladies of my family in attendance. Of course you know my Mom...and then Julie came up from Indianapolis for the occasion...and Aunt B, too! :) I think Mom failed to get the scarf memo...

This is "Grandma Sue." She has been a longtime friend of our family, and she goes to church with Ryan and me. Back in my desert days, she listened to my cry for hours on the phone and prayed valiantly for me. She figured out before most at church that Ryan and I loved each other and said she loved the idea of the two of us together. Nita asked her to pray over our food and the shower - and I loved being prayed for by Grandma Sue! (She said I could call her that...and since my own grandmas are in Heaven now, I'm so grateful for her!!)

I call this piece - Bridal Smorgasboard. I kept telling myself...remember the dress. You have to fit into the dress. Don't get too fat for the dress. :) All the food was so good. We had breakfast casseroles and French toast bake and fruit salad and breads and muffins and..and...and...

...and COFFEE!! HELLO!!!!!!!

Before we started the main part of the shower, Grandma Sue asked if she could share something. She told a story that she'd told me back when I was in the desert. You can read the full story here if you want - very very cool redemptive story.

Anyway. So she told that story to all the ladies present - which were a mix of my family, Ryan's family, and ladies from church. Everyone had tears in their eyes when she finished speaking - and I just so appreciated what she had to share! Thanks, Grandma Sue!

And then we played a game called...how well do you know Bekah? I was a bit afraid that I might not know myself all that well!! :)

Everyone working diligently on their answers....

Getting ready to give the answers - with my future mother-in-law, Nita. Isn't she beautiful?

Singing a little opera. Okay just kidding. Reading the answers. And you can't see it but I still have a firm grip on that coffee cup!! :)

So that's the bridal shower...part A. Hope you liked it. I think tomorrow I'll let you take the quiz. See how well you know your bits girl!!!! :)

It's the Weekly Recap!!

Last Sunday, Ryan took me to my first ever Colts game! He LOVES football and I'd never been to a pro game before. So he found us some tickets and off we went! I still understand (ahem) NOTHING about this game, but I made a fun day of it anyway and just adored being part of something he loves so much. Even better...the Colts WON! 

* Monday night I got to meet more of Ryan's extended family and that was one loving bunch. They welcomed me to the family with many hugs (and pizza) and I loved it! I did not take pictures so they wouldn't sit around 40 years from now and talk about that day the crazy Bekahrazzi girl showed up with the camera. :)

* Tuesday night I had dinner with Jenny - for the first time in a LONG time. I'd missed her! She brought a little gift for Ryan and me - our very first "Mr. and Mrs." gift! LOVE IT!!!

Then I went home and Ryan came over to help me work on the office. It was a MESS. (Seriously. Hoarders should have showed up.) We worked for a couple of hours and got it whipped right into shape. So thankful for a fiance who isn't afraid to jump in and help (and in truth, does a way better job of it than I do).

* Wednesday night: night #2 of premarital counseling. We learned how to argue. Yes. I actually needed lessons in that! And after that...we had a little coffee/dirt pudding date. MAN it was good. (Random trivia fact: dirt pudding was the very first thing Ryan ever made for me. Good choice. Way to my heart = through a dirt pudding filled tummy!)

* Thursday was the only day we didn't see each other this week - sob. I hate those days! But I got a lot done, including stopping by Rachel's to get my wedding jewelry.

I did a little wedding shopping for odds and ends and then many chores at home. It was a good night to get stuff done but I much prefer nights that include Ryan.


* Friday night I lost several years of my life in line at Meijer. It seriously looked like Christmas Eve in there. Good GRIEF!!! I put on Facebook that if I didn't make it out...people could send my Christmas cards to Meijer, attention aisle seven.

Then Ryan and I road tripped to Indianapolis to pick up my best friend, Lynnette, who came in for the weekend to be part of my wedding shower and bachelorette party! SO glad to see her!

* Yesterday (and I'll post much more about this in the coming days) I had my first ever bridal shower and bachelorette party! Such a WONDERFUL day to be able to spend with my friends. They loved me so well! Here's a sneak peek:

Pinterest Inspiration: I found this one this week when I hunted around for Thanksgiving ideas:

Source: thedatingdivas.com via Rebekah on Pinterest

You write a message on a piece of paper and bake it into a crescent roll. I just bought a tube of dough - this girl doesn't make rolls from scratch. (That's my Mom's gig, not mine.) And I printed the little free printable for Ryan - because I appreciate him so much! OH! And I rolled the dough in cinnamon and sugar before I baked it - just to give it a sweet edge.