Tuesday Tales: Ryan's Birthday Celebration

 

                Last week was Ryan’s birthday, and while it felt a bit unconventional, it was fun to spoil him and celebrate his life.

                His Dad and stepmom wanted to treat us to dinner, so the night before his birthday, we met them halfway at Cracker Barrel. (They brought Grandma, too!)

Want to hear something amusing about our dinner? This Cracker Barrel is where we meet them for every meal we have with them. It’s in Gas City, right there in the same county where I lived for 16 years. And I never see anyone I know when we meet up to eat. How is that possible? What are the chances that I literally never see anyone I know? This thought crossed my mind as we sat down to dinner, and wouldn’t you know, during this visit, I saw three families I knew. And one of them was a former date. Whoopsie. (He’s very nice and we exchanged pleasantries.)

After we left, we made a wrong turn and decided, impulsively, to swing by Ivanhoes! Unfortunately it couldn’t be a strawberry shortcake night for me since I’d eaten dinner, but we did get ice cream! (Thank goodness they have mini shakes.) And did you even go to Ivanhoes if you don’t get a picture with Garfield?

Ryan woke up on his birthday with my cold. Oops. That wasn’t the gift I intended to give.

He had taken the day off work and the only thing he wanted out of life for that day was to organize the garage. It sounded like a terrible birthday celebration to me, but it’s what he really really wanted, so I told him to go for it. I promised to keep birthday fun coming his way throughout the day, and I did!

I got up and drove to the Shaka Shack to get birthday Americanos, ran through the Dollar General for Mucinex (nothing says Happy Birthday like a fresh bottle of cold meds!) and then picked up his favorite breakfast pizza on my way home.

He got busy working, and Lexi and I even joined him for a while to help with organization and cleaning. She was living her best life helping him!

While he continued to work, I came in and set up a little birthday corner for his gift-opening festivities. Lexi wanted to help with that, too.

He mentioned being frustrated with his office Keurig (our old one from our camping days) because it doesn’t have a water reservoir, and he doesn’t have a convenient water source to fill it every time he wants to use it. Since he’s moving to a different office, this felt like the perfect time to upgrade his coffee station!

It rained – a pretty, gentle rain – in the afternoon, so he had to finish his chores in the rain.

I left dinner choices up to him, and he didn’t feel like getting ready so late in the day, so we ran into Decatur to Soul Pig, a BBQ place we like but don’t get to eat at too often. We got a meal to go and it ended up giving each of us two meals!

He said it had been the perfect day. I was so happy he was so happy! (And the garage really does look nice.)

Saturday morning I had to get up early and drive to Ohio for a funeral visitation for church. Ryan stayed home and continued the birthday celebration by washing cars. He also installed our bedroom air conditioner, and he finished up in time for us to go for a quick ride around the lake.

We had small group that night and kept the birthday celebration going – steaks and asparagus!

The celebration was low key. The decorations were minimal. The candles never made an appearance. But he loved his time of rest, organization, and time alone with Lexi and me, so the birthday proved to be a success!

Menu Monday: Nourishing Body and Soul

 

Happy Monday, friends! Our long weekend (Ryan had Friday off, so I took most of it off too!) flew entirely too quickly. So sad! We had a lot of fun meals this week, thanks to Ryan’s birthday! Here are our thoughts on what we ate this week:

Monday: Butternut Skillet Lasagna

What We Changed: I didn’t have any rosemary, so I skipped that, and I used frozen, cubed sweet potatoes rather than cutting one. (I hate cutting squash!) While this didn’t taste like lasagna, it was good!

Tuesday: Air Fried Chicken and Roasted Asparagus

What We Did: We ran out of meal planned meals. That’s what we did! So I had some chicken tenders (skinless) in the freezer that I tossed in the air fryer, and I made my trusty roasted asparagus recipe. It was a really tasty meal and didn’t take long to make!

Wednesday: Air Fried Chicken and Roasted Asparagus

What We Loved: Leftovers for the win! Is there any other way on a busy church night?

Thursday: Dinner at Cracker Barrel

What We Had: We met Ryan’s family for dinner at Cracker Barrel. I always get their grilled chicken with broccoli and green beans. The meal come with two pieces of chicken, so it makes two meals for me. Ryan got a burger and fries!

Friday: Carryout from Soul Pig

What We Had: Ryan wanted to spend the day working in the garage, so neither one of us ever got ready that day. (What a birthday, right?) We ended up going to a BBQ place in Decatur that we really like but hardly ever get to eat at, and we split a carryout meal! We chose a three meat, two side platter and got four meals from it!

Saturday: Small Group – Steak, Asparagus, and Texas Sheet Cake

What We Loved: We had small group Saturday night, and we contributed a Texas Sheet Cake! We also had steaks (local beef) and garden-grown asparagus. SO GOOD!!!!

Sunday: Heavily Modified Pan Bagnat (Use Chicken) and Mushroom Spinach Scrambled Eggs

What We Did: I don’t even know what “Pan Bagnat” means, but the recipe called for tuna, which I hate. So I used shredded chicken instead. We ate these on our homemade sandwich bread, and I skipped the capers, anchovies, and onions. It basically tasted like dressed up chicken salad, and it was good!

I’ve made the scrambled egg dish many times before, and it was an easy Sunday night dish, so I made it again. I like the mushrooms, spinach, and onions in the eggs!

Sunday Scrapbook: Moments from the Week

 

This week had a lot of celebration in it…and I loved that. It also had a hint of warm weather, and that was also a highlight. Here are a few other memories from the week we just had:

Last Sunday afternoon, I attended a little party to celebrate the local school’s Sunshine Society. They have a program similar to secret sisters, where a high school student chooses a woman in the community that she looks up to and sends her gifts throughout the school year. The woman knows she’s been chosen, but not who chose her, and also sends gifts. (It’s hard to pick out gifts when you don’t know who is receiving them!) The party revealed the Sunshine Girl, and gave a chance for a final gift exchange. It was so much fun to see who had chosen me and celebrate with her!

I worked from home on Monday and intended to wash linens while I worked. But this sweet girl looked SO CUTE in our bed that it was awfully hard to kick her out and do the laundry! (She eventually moved and all laundry was done.)

We took Lexi to visit my parents this week! I am unsure who was more excited: Dad or Lexi! They had the best time reuniting. Mom isn’t a huge dog lover, so she wasn’t as overjoyed, but I like to think she secretly enjoyed the visit.

I ordered a medicine ball tea at my weekly coffee shop meeting this week. (In addition to the coffee, of course. I am SO OVER ALL THE COLDS this year. (I’ve passed mine right along to Ryan…an unintentional birthday gift.)

Ryan’s dad, stepmom, and grandma met us for a birthday celebration at Cracker Barrel! We had a gorgeous night to make the trip and had fun shopping in the gift shop after it was over. (I found some new readers that Ryan really liked.) It was a fun start to his birthday celebration.

Friday was Ryan’s actual birthday, and I’ll fill you in on all the celebratory fun this week. But here is a sneak peek of our gift party on Friday afternoon! I was so excited Ryan took the day off and we were able to spend the whole thing together!

The celebrations carried right on through yesterday, when we had dinner with friends, complete with steak and cake!

Saturday Suggestions: Inspirations for Your Weekend

 

                Thank you for your notes, texts, and calls yesterday! Ryan enjoyed his birthday (minus the cold I accidentally gave him…that wasn’t supposed to be part of the gift!) and I enjoyed celebrating him. I’m so glad he has some extra time today and can keep enjoying his birthday weekend.

                Today is, of course, the perfect date. Enjoy however you spend the day and….these fun finds!

My friend Brent released some new online activities for kids (or adults who miss being kids…not that I played…) Here is the link to Merry Matchup, which is a memory game featuring characters from his Gingerbrood children’s books. I had a lot of fun playing! And here is Sam’s Bible memory game, which lets you choose the translation you want to memorize in!

I’ve followed Janet on Instagram for quite some time and love her posts. She and her husband are both deaf, and all their children can hear. I read a few weeks ago that their family was interviewed by People, so I was excited to see the article release! I love Janet’s desire to share her everyday life while helping people better understand the challenges she and her husband face and how they work through them!

I adore the makeover KariAnne gave her daughter’s bedroom. I wanted to take so many pieces of this room and transfer them right over into our house. I think all her choices are so bright, cheerful, and suitable for a lake home. What’s your favorite part? I can’t choose. Is it the bedding? The lumbar pillow? The artwork? I love it all.

I grew up listening to the music of Steve Green and Sandi Patty, and I still love them both. I recently stumbled upon this full-length concert Steve did just about a year ago and loved it. Some of my favorites are in his set list: Find Us Faithful, He Who Began a Good Work, People Need the Lord, Calvary’s Love…so good. I appreciate his faithfulness to ministry all these years!

Travel season is upon us, and Audrey has a whole list of practical, yet CUTE travel accessories that might make your summer travels easier. I’m all for efficiency, compactness, and cuteness when I hit the road, so I appreciate her suggestions. I think the cup holder for rolling suitcases is BRILLIANT. (I need one for my purse. Maybe I should just start carrying a suitcase as a purse.)

Working on your garden plans? I still am…and I’m always looking for advice, even if it’s repeated advice. I’m a slow learner sometimes. Mary’s post on companion planting for raised beds is excellent! She focuses on kitchen gardening, which is basically all I have room to do here on our little lake property! Good stuff in this post. Here’s hoping for a way better experience than I had last summer. Gardens in most of Indiana didn’t thrive last year. It wasn’t just me, and that made me feel so much better!

Friday Fun: Happy Birthday, RYAN!!!

 

Today is a major holiday in the Shaffer household! Today is my dreamy husband’s birthday, and I always love a great excuse to celebrate him to the fullest. However, this brings me to my annual conundrum: how do I possibly put into one post how much he means to me? I can’t.

                So this year I decided to return to the scrapbook and find a favorite memory from each month, starting with his birthday last year.

                At the end of April last year, I was licensed for ministry, and this photo is one of my favorites from that day. The congregation came forward to pray over me (which was so beautiful) but I chose two people to pray out loud for me, and Ryan was one of them. I cherish his words in prayer for my life and ministry, and when prayer time ended, he was right there to hug and congratulate me. This year of licensed ministry has been full and beautiful, and I mean it completely: none of this could happen without him beside me. He walks every step with me, prays over me, and carries me through the hard parts. 

                In May, our church moved into its new building – fully – after several months of construction. Ryan was such a huge part of all of that project, and to share that day together was so meaningful to both of us. I am so proud of him for who he is to our church. He is on the worship team rotation, is picking up the skills to work in our tech booth, helps out at the Boutique each month, is a GriefShare leader, and fills in absolutely anywhere else he’s needed. He loves our people, and I am just so proud of him!

                June was our vacation month last year, when we finally were able to explore Hocking Hills State Park! We had the best time and made so many memories, but I think his favorite part was our UTV ride. He was so kind to NOT drive as fast and furious as I know he wanted to so I could stand a chance at having some fun! 

                Ryan has such a huge heart, and I love the way he always makes sure the kids in our lives have as much fun as they can whenever they come over. July was a big host-fun-days-at-the-lake month for us, and with every group of visitors, he made sure the kids sat with him to drive the boat if they wanted to, he gave paddleboarding and kayaking lessons and encouraged everyone into doing a super job!

                And for as much as he invests in everyone around him, I also love how much he invests in us. August was full of dates he planned, he took me on sunset boat rides, went for walks and bike rides with me, and was always the best conversationalist – talking and listening! I know those things are rare traits in husbands, so I am thankful for them!

                He’s always up for an adventure, and one of our favorite ones from September was walking the Mackinac Bridge and exploring Mackinac Island together. Those were SO MUCH FUN, and they also marked one of the first times that Michigan has ever been kind to us in the weather department.

                Part of marriage is dealing with the hard as well as the good, and last October, we said our earthly goodbye to Ryan’s Grandpa Cox. We drove to see him a couple of weeks before he passed away, and both of us knew it would be the last time we saw him alive. To hear Ryan’s prayer over him in that room before we walked out was heartbreakingly beautiful. And then to honor his life a short time later was a privilege.

                We can’t talk about Ryan without talking about what a great dad he is to Lexi. That girl loves him with her whole heart and then some. He loves her, he takes care of her when she’s sick, he takes her on adventures, he snuggles with her on the couch, and she can’t jump for joy fast enough every day when he gets home from work. I love their bond! 

                Ryan spends so much time giving to others that he rarely takes time to do anything fun for himself. When he was invited to announce for the local wrestling matches this year, I was excited to see him do something that brought him joy! I learned about wrestling and he had fun returning to something he loved so much in high school! 

                One of the things I love about him is how seriously he takes his responsibility to steward what God has entrusted to him. He cares for EVERYTHING so intentionally: our cars, our home, and everything in them. When the bad weather hit this winter, he was outside in the worst of it, clearing the driveway, filling the gas tanks, and making sure everything was in good working order. 

                When Dad got sick in February, Ryan was right there for everything. Every ER trip, every doctor appointment, every decision and transition. He did literal heavy lifting, he treated my Dad with dignity, and he cleaned up a whole lot of my tears. He is absolutely the person you want when your parents are sick and it’s hard.

                March was HARD. It was really, really hard. We both had different strains of the flu at different times. We moved both of my parents at different times. We tried to start cleaning out their apartment. We were preparing for Holy Week at church. It was exhausting, but he never missed a beat. He showed up, he worked hard, he advocated, and he was his constant, steady self.

                Whether we are having the most fun ever, working on an adventure, or slogging through something hard, he is absolutely the one I want by my side. He’s the best. He just really IS the best.

                Ryan, I love you, I love the way you live your life, and I love getting to share your days.