Francesca Battistelli and Company!

Saturday night, Francesca Battistelli and the Afters were in concert in Fort Wayne, and I had the chance to work their concert. I was excited that the concert was on a weekend, meaning Ryan could go too!

They started with a Q&A session with all the artists for the evening. Francesca's husband (the guy on the far right) was in charge of that. There were so many people there - sort of felt like I was watching a press conference! :)

 Most of the questions were for Francesca. She has quite of following of little girls that you could tell just loved her to pieces and they all had questions for her!

 This duo is called City Harbor  and they were new to me!!

 Two of the guys from the Afters answering questions.

 And this guy was also new to me. His name is Kyle Sherman - and he was really nice. Met him in the hallway after he sang.

 Kyle sang first - I didn't get to hear too much of his part because we were still busy working at the table, but I enjoyed what I heard!

 Then City Harbor sang. I didn't get to hear anything of theirs except about the last 30 seconds during which I took this picture. But Ryan REALLY liked them and said he could have listened to them for quite a while. We were both impressed by her ability to play a keyboard AND a drum WHILE singing.

 Then the Afters took the stage. They were really good - I remember when their song Light Up the Sky was used on The Biggest Loser a few seasons ago!

 This guy was so personable - came out into the crowd a few times, even.

 I got to meet hem backstage...the guy over there on the right in the blue shirt told me he proposed to his wife on the radio - and they got married in Florida - a week after Ryan and I got married! Pretty cool!

 Francesca was the last act of the night - and she started out with Strangely Dim, which is her brand new radio single.

 Her band was really good - I enjoyed them.

 She and her husband sang the song Hundred More Years - which I remember hearing when I heard her at EWomen a couple of years ago. It's a great song.

 And I know you already saw it once, but I have to show you again! Love it when Ryan gets to go with me!

 We didn't get home until 12:30 in the morning but it was a great night - so glad we got to spend the evening together!!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday was Easter, and we had a great time celebrating with Ryan's family, but you already read all about that...so I will just share with you this picture that I took at our church...loved the way they had it decorated.

* Monday was the first day of April...and I survived the whole day without succumbing to a prank at the hands of my co-workers. And if you knew some of them, you'd know what a feat that is! :) Ryan and I had the evening at home, and we worked hard to continue our cleaning palooza. It's looking better...ever so slowly! Since it was the first day of a new month...time for a new printable in our living room frame!

* Tuesday was our four month anniversary, and we kept it low key. We had to work, and then that evening, we went for our first outside run of the year. I love it that he lets me go with him, even though I'm so slow compared to him. Loved sharing that together - before coming home for a romantic dinner of...leftovers. :)

* Wednesday evening I "had to" go to Cato to buy new sunglasses, after mine died this tragic death upon pulling them out of my purse. While there, I may or may not have found a number of dresses I'd like to try on...you know...for summer dates...just sayin'. :)

 * Thursday morning I drove to work to this gorgeous sunrise...oh man it was beautiful! I'm so ITCHING for spring to get here in full force! (Meaning I can wear capris and flip-flops.) That evening, Ryan and I had a great night of just talking. I so love it that he talks - very freely - and that we can have heart to heart chats all the time.

* Friday night we went to a birthday party for one of my blognonymous friend's kids. It was so much fun - and really the first time Ryan had been around that group of my friends for any length of time. Watching him play with the kiddos was such fun. He's a good husband and a good uncle!

* And Saturday...Ryan and I worked the Francesca Battistelli concert in Fort Wayne. It was a fun night - even though it was a late one! I'll tell you more about it next week, but until then, here's a picture of me with the handsome man after the concert!

Mis-Heard Lyrics and Other Adventures

I listen to a lot of music. Ev.Ry. Day. And because I work in radio, I hear a lot of the same music every day. So explain to me how it is that after I hear the same song 800 times, I still can't understand some of the words?

It's surely not that I'm old.

No.

That's definitely not it.

Can't be.

Maybe I'm just losing my hearing prematurely??

At any rate, here are some of my favorite mis-hearings as of late.

A few weeks ago in church, Sara {who was in our wedding} sang this song called Worn, by Tenth Avenue North. She had me in tears by the end of the song. The song, by the way, is played multiple times a day on our station. I hear it all the time. But apparently when she sang it, it was the first time I'd ever actually heard the words. Because it turns out the song does not say, I wanna know a pumpkin ride.

It never did make a lot of sense to me, but it's what I heard every time the song played. Turns out that line actually says I wanna know the sun can rise. That makes a lot more sense.


And it really is a great song. One of my favorites now that I know the words. If you've not heard it - take a listen:




Mom called me one day and said, "WHAT is this song your station plays about a wine glass?" I had no idea what she was talking about. So I asked a few questions...and it turns out she was hearing the Passion song "White Flag" - which features Chris Tomlin, and when he sings, "We raise our white flag," she was hearing, "We raise our wine glass."

And that's not the only misheard Tomlin lyric to hit our family. His own new song called "Whom Shall I Fear" has a line that says "The God of angel armies is always by my side..." But you know what I have always heard and still continue to hear? The God of Asian armies is always by my side. I've even taught my version to Ryan and every time we sing it in church, I watch to see if he messes that one up from stage.

I love Kari Jobe's music...but when her song "We Are" came out - I had to look up the words to find out what she was actually singing, because I knew she couldn't really be saying "Wake up, Creeper, lift your head." Yep. Creeper is actually SLEEPER. That sounds better.

And then there's this one, which my ears TOTALLY butchered. Sanctus Real's song Promises. Here's a peek at my ears vs real lyrics:

Me: He's alive, not dead, could separate us. (Good theology, bad sentence structure.)
Actual words: Neither life, nor death could separate us... (That makes a lot more sense.)

Me: Jesus is alive so hope has died. (HUH??)
Actual words: Jesus is alive so hold tight. (OHHHHHHHHHH.)

Maybe I really am old. Anyone else mis-hear lyrics like this?

Love Lives Here

One of the wedding gifts we received was a massive picture frame for four photos...and beside the photos are the words Love Lives Here.

The frame is grand in every way, and Ryan and I spent quite a bit of time deciding which wall to use and what other wall hangings to pair with it...it was quite the process. Not gonna lie.

I stared at the frame for so long wondering what pictures to place inside. Color photos? Black and white? Which ones?

I stared at those words: Love Lives Here. Which of our {approximately} four billion pictures accurately conveyed that love lives here?

As I sifted through albums of pictures, it came to me. I presented the idea to Ryan, and he loved it.

The pinky promise swear. When Ryan and I were dating, I went through a season when I worried that he, like the others I'd dated, would wake up one morning and think I wasn't worth the effort. Not worth the pursuit. I went through nights when after we would hang up the phone or Skype, I would sit in bed and beg God to let him keep wanting me. It was a good exercise in learning to trust God - and an even better exercise in learning to trust a man. This man.

One night, as Ryan and I discussed my fears, he told me he would "pinky promise swear" that this was forever. It became our little thing - the pinky promise swear - and when we had our engagement pictures taken in the park, he asked his mom to take a picture of us doing our pinky promise swear.

And I love this picture. It reminds me that even before he asked me to be his, he was committed to me - and he solidified it in a pinky promise swear.

My niece was given charge of my camera on our wedding day, and she followed me around like a good Cassie-razzi and snapped pictures of everything all day. As Ryan and I walked through the roads of our resort, moving from one photo-opp location to another, she snapped this picture of us holding hands.

I love it. I love to hold Ryan's hand - anywhere and everywhere.  While we watch TV...while we're in the car...always during prayer...during church...walking through parking lots...always. When I was in college, one of my roommates told me she felt like hand holding was a bigger deal than kissing, because it proclaimed to everyone in view that those two belonged to each other. I never forgot that. And each time Ryan reaches for my hand, it reminds me I belong.

We love to pray together. We love to curl up close and pray long and hard - really seeking the Lord together. It is such a privilege to pray for Ryan. I remember the first time I ever did so, out loud, in his presence. It was over the phone...on a rough morning for him, and I remember this unbelievable feeling of the Lord's presence resting on me as I prayed for him - hoping the words would comfort him. And I remember the first time we ever prayed together in person - both of us shaken {in a good way} at the end by the bond we felt in that prayer.

And on our reception day, we knelt at the altar and prayed together, even through the pictures Rachel took...and I love this symbol of the hands that hold mine in prayer even while his heart holds mine in prayer.

These photos say to me, to us, love lives here. Love lives in the budding promise of the pinky promise swear. Love lives in the grasping hands that declare belonging. Love lives in the hands clasped in prayer.

And for our big picture in the frame...this one...the ultimate outward symbols that we wear each day proving that regardless of where we are...love lives here.

Love lives in the promises we made when we slipped those rings on our hands. Love lives in the words spoken before God symbolized in the metal.

Love. 

Lives.

Here.

Wanna Play a Game?

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a bunch of our reception pictures on Facebook, and my friend Jenna had a blast going through all the "crazy Bekah face" pictures and captioning them with what she thought I might be saying in them. I cracked up. She was so funny!!

I was going to tell you what she said so you could laugh too...but then I thought...nah...let them have a chance too!! So...below here you'll find the pictures, and I've numbered them. Wanna play? Tell me what you think I'm saying in these. Seriously - I need a good laugh today! {And chances are, you do too!!}

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

 I actually do know what I was saying in this one so I can tell you if you're right! :)


12.

13.

Hit me! Give me your best Bekah captions! :)

Just Some Random Quality Time

Last week was a good week...but there were a lot of hard moments in it too, for Ryan and me individually. Too many days, we came home from work utterly depleted in heart and mind...and on those days, I was particularly grateful that we enjoy leaning on one another after a hard day. There were so many days in my life I came home drained and sat staring at a TV for the rest of the night...feeling sorry for myself. I'm thankful for Ryan's presence on those days now. I'm also thankful that even if we're BOTH drained, we can still be a support to each other and find joy together.

So all that said, here are some moments from Easter weekend (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) where we got to enjoy time spent together.

Thursday evening, we went to the hot dog stand for the first time this season. Ahhh, windows down, root beer in hand, listening to BLT...it was a good little unexpected dinner date. 

 Corn dogs for everyone! Celebrating national food on a stick day.

 And on the way home, he surprised me with a Starbucks treat!!

 After we got home, Ryan pulled our new hammock out of the box and assembled it in our dining room. We love love love our hammock! So comfy. So looking forward to weather being warm enough to take it outside!

 Friday night was date night. Ryan had to work all day, and I worked from home, so I spent extra time getting ready before he came home. I chose my new shirt he picked for me when we went Easter dress shopping. He loved it!

 We went to Ivanhoe's for dinner and to enjoy the inaugural strawberry shortcake of the year. Can you tell I was one happy girl to have this back on the menu??

 Ryan's first shortcake from there - ever. He loved it! {And for the record, we shared one. We didn't eat dinner AND both pig out on a shortcake!}

 Saturday was SO BEAUTIFUL so after we got home from work and errands, we went on a walk down on the IWU campus. It was lovely to be out in just our hoodies. No hats, and coats and gloves and...and...

 And then we grilled! Ryan is a good cook no matter where he's cooking, but he is REALLY good at grilling. He made us pork chops and veggies and they were so good.

 And that night...I made a little Pinterest inspired cheeseball for the family get together. :) It turned out really yummy!!

Ryan, thank you so much for living this life with me. Even on the hard days, my life is beautiful because I know I get to come home and spend time with you. You bring me so much joy! I love you.

A Peek into Our First Easter

Before I launch into today's blog post, I must pause to wish my husband a happy four month anniversary! I love you so much, Ryan, and you have made every day these past four months just an absolute joy! Thank you for loving me and spending each day investing in us!

Okay, blog post. I know, I know. You came here yesterday to see the Easter dress...and I was busy memorizing verses! But never fear...I shall not ask you to wait any longer! I'll jump right in with the official Easter photos and then let you peek into the rest of the day, too!

Well...y'all voted on the dress, and when I went to the store, they had ZERO of the options on the rack. So I went to Kohl's, and this was what we came up with after quite a bit of time of searching through the store. BLUE!!!

 With, I might add, clearance silver sandals. :)

And doesn't that husband of mine look awfully handsome himself?

He loves blue, and I love wearing my wedding jewelry, so this was the best choice for Easter 2013!

We got up early on Easter morning and got all ready {I banned him from seeing me until I was fully assembled} and then we exchanged Easter baskets. I had SO MUCH FUN putting together his basket and spoiling him with things he loves.

I also hid some chocolate filled football eggs around for him to find throughout the day. That was fun, too! :)

And he gave me an Easter basket, which I LOVED. Loved it so much. Got the cutest little beach cover up as part of my present. I can't wait to wear it!

We went to church {as always} - and after church, we headed to Ryan's side of the family for Easter lunch. There was SO. MUCH. FOOD. Oh it was good. I had little samplings of everything and was stuffed by the end of the day. But it was so good. And his family is so good to me. I was still meeting some for the first time but they were much fun!

Here's how we look when we're really full. I sort of glaze over.

After lunch, the grown-ups had an Easter egg hunt for the two kiddos in attendance. I was amused by the adults chasing around after the kids...with their cameras...

I was unaware of the pending hunt and obviously soft ground and those silver heels were not a good combo. So Ryan's aunt was nice enough to loan me some Crocs. Shoot - shoulda worn those all day! They were so comfy!

After the kids hunted...it was the adults' turn! This was a hard core Easter egg hunt. People on a dead run all throughout the yard. I found 7 eggs and felt that was a great accomplishment. {There were 91 in the whole yard.} When I gave up knowing the good hiding places, I just switched into photographer mode, with my favorite subject, of course:

After the day of celebrating, we went home and tried to sneak in a tiny bit of rest. We also watched the last installment of The Bible on TV and also watched the Marion Easter Pageant, because for me, it's not Easter until I've seen it!

SSMT: Verse 7

I remember the day I had my interview at WBCL. I remember driving through the unfamiliar streets of Fort Wayne, one eye on my newly acquired GPS, Calvin, one hand gripping a Starbucks frappuccino and the other hand gripping the phone. {I'm known to drive with my knees when I run out of hands.} Sunglasses in place, black ruffly dress and red peep toe shoes {and I don't even like peep toe shoes}...I felt like such a grown up. And somewhere, in the deep recesses of my heart, I had a feeling life was about to change.

And change, it did. And change it has...daily, it seems, since that first day of feeling all grown up in my red heels and black ruffly dress.

It has changed in ways I never imagined...and not changed in ways I thought it would.

I sat in church yesterday staring at my newly-cleaned-and-sparkling wedding ring and thought back to last Easter, which felt very hopeless at times. I never dreamed this Easter I'd be going to lunch with my husband's family.

Before we went to church yesterday morning, I sat in bed, journaling and reading my Bible...reading about the resurrection from the book of Matthew. And I found this verse:

...he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.

~ Matthew 28:7

Those words leapt to me. He is going before you. Regardless of the changes before me...and they are many...and they are largely unknown...He is going before me. He will go. I will see Him.

There is so much comfort in knowing He goes ahead. He went ahead that day in Fort Wayne. He prepared a job...and a whole new life for a girl like me. 

And He will go ahead now - into the mystery ahead - and I will see Him.