Wednesdays in the Word: Verse L

Annnnnnnnd once again, God comes through with a timely reminder for this girl. I am drinking up these words today. I have a feeling some of you might be, too.

I remember first claiming this verse as one for me back in college. I was an honor student in high school and breezed into college in full confidence that I'd do well. I'm not sure what DIDN'T go right for me in high school when it came to college prep, but I certainly found myself wildly under-prepared for college, and by the end of that first semester, I was in tears, worried about grades, uncertain of how I'd get it all done. But I did. I found this verse and told myself that if I persevered, I'd reap a good harvest with my grades at the end.

And then I repeated that scenario for seven more semesters.

The verse came to be meaningful to me more than once during my years in Financial Aid...times when I felt utterly defeated and wondered why I even bothered to try to do the right thing. Times when I felt like my students and their parents were against me and must surely think I sat at home each night plotting ways for them to financially fail.

It came to be meaningful to me in my desert - when I clung to the Lord and wondered when morning would come for my dark, dark night of the soul.

And this week I'm hanging onto it again.

One phrase in particular...

...in due time.

Ryan and I are waiting for the Lord's leading in our future. We're waiting for a house to sell. We're waiting to know where He's leading us geographically. We're waiting with two brains full of dreams, waiting to see which {if any} of them come true.

And in all these things, we have encountered the most bizarre obstacles. Seriously. If I told you what they were, you'd say, "How does that even happen?" It happens because it's the two of us, apparently. Weird, unheard of things that NEVER happen to anyone else ever in the history of time, happen to us with great regularity.

It causes us to sit back and say WHY CAN'T WE CATCH A BREAK? JUST ONE BREAK?!?!? We've tried so hard to handle all our situations with grace and integrity and it's hard when everything seems to come back against us.

And then....this verse.

Don't give up. Keep doing what you should be doing. AND IN DUE TIME...you'll receive the harvest.

Due time is apparently not today. And knowing us, it's probably not tomorrow.

But due time will come...in due time.

Clinging to that today. Cling with us!

Avocado Chicken Salad

Ryan and I really do try hard to eat healthy...while still enjoying food. I was excited to find this recipe on Pinterest a while back, and I've made a few modifications to fit our tastes, and this has become a good one for us.

I love chicken salad, but I am admittedly a chicken salad snob. I like for it to be good and creamy, with onion and celery but without nuts and grapes. When I find a place that makes a good chicken salad, I try to savor it, because those places are hard to find!

I was nervous about trying this one because on the original pin, it was hailed as a healthy dish. That always scares me because I'm fearful it's sacrificed on flavor. This definitely did not. It's not as creamy as the best of the best chicken salads, but because it has an entirely different flavor than most, I'm able to overlook it. I actually find this one quite tasty and I enjoy making it for days when we need to eat on the run. Easy to pack a sandwich and go!

Avocado Chicken Salad

* 2 cups of shredded chicken
* 1 avocado
* 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
* 1/2 teaspoon of salt
* 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
* 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
* 2 teaspoons of lime juice
* 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
* Pita buns

Combine all items in a bowl at least a half hour before serving, so flavors can marry. Serve cold plain or on pita buns, crackers or chips!

A Few Tips

* I always cook my chicken breasts or tenders by putting them {fresh or frozen} in a pan of water on the stove and bringing them to a boil until they are cooked all the way through.

* I put the cooked chicken in my stand mixer and let the paddle shred it up. Another Pinterest tip I learned a while back that has served me VERY well.

* Mom never cooked with avocados when I was growing up, so I had no idea how to tell if they were ripe. If that's you...avocados are ripe when they're soft and squishy. They are THE easiest thing to cut; just run a knife down to the core all the way around, twist it open, and scoop or chop out the insides.

* I don't cut up my cilantro super fine, and it still works well. If you prefer tiny pieces, you can really cut it up small.

* I use Fage Greek Yogurt for all my cooking. Love it!

* Ryan and I have become fans of the flat pita buns for all our sandwiches. I hate it that they're so pricey, but we splurge on that.

* This saves well for a couple of days. After that, the avocado starts to turn brown and gross.

Happy chicken salad making!

Celebrating the Birthday Boy!!

So I've told you bits and pieces about Ryan's birthday, but I wanted to give you the FULL RECAP of the day. Since I wasn't part of his life on his 30th birthday, I wanted to make 35 really special. So I started working on it back in January...plotting ideas and making plans.

First order of business was to send out a huge pile of emails to some of his friends and co-workers asking if they'd be willing to sneak me a birthday card or note for him. I was hoping to wind up with 35 of them to give him one a day for 35 days leading up to his birthday, but people were much more willing to participate than I anticipated, and I ended up with over 40 cards! So for about six weeks leading up to his birthday, he got to open a card every morning before work.

I gotta tell you...it blessed me to read what people wrote about him and the memories they had...and how his presence, diligence and encouragement had blessed their lives.

When we arrived at the actual birthday, we got up early {work morning...boooooo....} and I gave him his gift.

He had NO idea what was inside that box. I was so stinkin' excited for him to open it because even though I had a thousand reservations about the gift, I so hoped he would love it.

He opened the box and saw three papers inside and said, "You know how these kind of presents confuse me." Ha! Yes, I do. {When I gave him a paper at Christmas explaining his pending trip to a Pentatonix concert, he thought it was a pregnancy announcement! HA! No no no!!!}

He read page one....and then page two....and then....realization.

The gift?

A spot on a whitewater rafting trip with his buddies. {And ziplining. He wanted me to be sure to mention that point.}

People.

PEOPLE.

1/3 of this gift was the trip. 2/3 of this gift was me overcoming my vehement opposition to being separated AND to Ryan participating in dangerous activities.

And I loved it that he knew that. I loved it that he was as excited about the fact that I was being a big girl and being willing to let him go as he was about the trip itself. That made it all worth it to me.

We've not yet approached that first big, bad night apart, and if I had my way, our first night apart would be our first night together in Heaven. But I also knew how much he really wanted to go on this trip when he heard about it, and he just didn't think it was possible on a variety of levels.

I really am excited for him. I am. I'm even MORE excited because one of his good friends is now going to join him on the trip. {Or maybe I'll just sit around and worry twice as much. It could go either way.}

But the bottom line was, I'm glad he loved it. I really am.

And Braeya was just glad for tape. She eats it.

I packed up his lunch, which was cheesy tortellini that I cooked all night long in the crock pot. And I made Buckeye brownies for him to take to work for his friends. :)

We said our sad goodbyes for the day....

...and when he got to work, his co-workers had a whole new celebration for him! His co-worker Diane made him one of his favorites: breakfast casserole!

And his co-worker Amanda made a butter cake {had some of that - it was so good!!!}

After work, Ryan's mom met us for dinner at the restaurant of his choosing...Buffalo Wild Wings. :) He got a burger - and it was HUGE!

We planned to go see Heaven is for Real that night but we didn't have enough time after dinner to get there before the movie started, so we opted for a stop by Starbucks and then...the Pacers game. :)

He said it was a great birthday - and I know I sure had fun celebrating him! :)

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday was Easter, and Ryan and I got up early to go to our church's first service. We exchanged Easter baskets before church...and got all dressed up for a beautiful spring day! After church, we made macaroni and cheese and headed for my parents' house to celebrate Easter with my side of the family! Lunch was so good - and my mom and sister gave Ryan his birthday presents. We came home, took a long nap, and called it a great Easter!

* If you've ever wondered how a producer...produces...this is it! This is what I left work with on Monday! FOUR BEVERAGES! It takes a very special blend of coffee, water, iced tea and Spark to get through a day of busyness! :) Came home from work and went for a run - my longest one this season, and I found myself encouraged by the Bible verses someone had written on the sidewalk. No idea why they were there, but I appreciated them! After dinner, Ryan worked on fixing the landscaping, which is still messed up from the plumbing. Busy, full day!

* Tuesday night, Ryan took a continuing education type of class, so I was on my own for the whole night. {Gulp.} I went for a run...my thoughts on that captured in the photo...on my own, and the wind was so fierce, I only made it a mile! I came home and curled up with coffee for one and some projects. When Ryan came home, he was pretty tired, so I wrapped up the night with some reading and journaling while he slept. So good to have him home though!

 * Wednesday morning, I gave Ryan the last of the cards he's been receiving over the past six weeks, leading up to his birthday! It's been so fun to see people's thoughts and memories of him! After work, we went for a run. Mile one was GREAT. Mile two was a wild mental block for me, which included the throwing off of my jacket in the grass along the path - and being reminded of the verse about throwing off everything that hinders. :) The rest of the night, I ran around like a mad woman, prepping all the food and gifts and such for Ryan's birthday!

* Thursday was Ryan's 35th birthday, and I sure had a blast celebrating him all day long! I'll tell you the longer version later, but here's a quick recap. Gave him his present before work {he LOVED it} and sent him off to work with a plate of buckeye brownies for his co-workers and cheesy tortellini for lunch after it cooked in the crock pot all night. After work, his mom came over and the three of us went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner and Starbucks on the way home!

 * Friday I drove to work in some decently heavy rain, but by the time we got off work it was warm and SUNNY!!! Braeya was so excited to get to sit in the window and run the show. I was excited to go for a run and had another personal best! After that we got dinner, had fun at Lowe's {of course} and did all our grocery shopping! It was a full but great evening!

* Yesterday Ryan and I had a much-needed leisurely morning at home, and then I got all dressed up to go to Fort Wayne, along with my mother-in-law, to play photographer at WBCL's Daddy/Daughter Date Night. It was such a great night....it's so lovely to watch dads bring their daughters for a night together. Jaime Jamgochian was the featured artist this year. While I was taking pictures - along with my lovely assistant, Dawn, Ryan was making our yard beautiful...first mowing of the year!

The Saturday Six

One.

Source

You know how Ryan and I love to take road trips!!! :) I found this newly-launched site last week - focusing on the very kind of road trips we love to take. Since the site is new, it doesn't have a ton of stuff on it yet, but I'm already making mental notes and I can't wait to see what else she features!

Two.

Source

I adored this story. I told Ryan we have to go exactly like this. Old and together. LOVE a love story like this.

Three.

Look at this cool find of Lynne's this week! Tissues that fit in the cup holder of the car! SHUT UP!!!!

Four.

Source

LOVE these shirts made in conjunction with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. They're only for sale for a couple more days. What a great idea!

Five.

Source

Last week I told you how I had been so boosted in my faith by watching God make Lisa Harper's motherhood dream come true. This week my faith boost came in the form of watching Jenny Simmons step out in faith to raise money to publish a book. Obviously you can understand why this is such a near-to-my-heart dream. She woke up one morning HOPING against hope to make it to 75% of the funding before the day ended. God had other plans.  She shot over 100%. WAY over 100%. It blessed me SO MUCH to read about it!

Six.

We did the topic of favorite apps on BLT this week, and the one I loved most is called CamMe. It's a free app that lets you take pictures of yourself or a group with your phone...anywhere from 2-16 {I think} feet away. You prop up the phone, get in position, hold up your hand so your palm matches a hand on a screen, make a fist when it prompts you, release your hand when it prompts you and that triggers the photo! No more awkward group selfies! Here's one Ryan and I did using it on his birthday! 

Easter!

I did what I SWORE I'd never do again. I waited until the day before Easter to shop for a dress. It wasn't procrastination as much as it just was...busyness.

Saturday morning, Ryan and I set out on a dress-shopping adventure, after first stopping by Starbucks. Ryan was due for his free birthday drink, which he was REALLY excited about.

Notice all the instructions on the side of the cup? Yep. We're those customers.

We went to Kokomo and shopped...and shopped...and shopped...and I nearly gave up finding a dress. Most things just didn't fit right {story of my life} and what did fit...was way too expensive. I am THE most ridiculously cheap person when it comes to spending money on clothes.

Just as I was about to give up...I found a dress that I liked and that fit...and best of all? Thirteen dollars. Bazinga.

So with the dress secured, Easter could begin. We got up early Easter morning to go to the early service at church, hoping it would be less crowded. Here was the final verdict on outfits:

Not bad, huh? Look at that handsome man I married! :)

Before we headed out to church, we exchanged Easter baskets.

In Ryan's...a sunshade for his car, a kite {just for fun}, a lint roller {because he goes through them like crazy...thank you black scrubs and cat hair}, some Reese eggs and a car battery charger. HA! He needed one of those for his little not-so-trusty truck...Old Trusty.

And he got me a surprise too!

A cloche!!! I have wanted one of these for the longest time...I am so excited!! :) And IN the cloche??? Caramel Cadbury eggs. :)

{Side note: I told the morning guys on the air this week that Ryan got me a cloche jar. Of course they stared at me like I'd just spoken a foreign language. I asked if they knew what those were, and Jim said, "Oh sure....so like when it's all the way over there, it's a far away jar, and when it's right next to you, it's a cloche jar?" This is what I work with every day. HA!}

We went to church, and service was wonderful...and the day was just SO lovely. It felt like a perfect, celebratory Easter morning. When we came home, I assembled the macaroni and cheese for lunch at my parents' house, and we had some time to kill, so we went outside for a few more pictures.

 Since we did Easter with Ryan's family last year, we spent it with my family this year. Headed to the old home place!

This year, Easter included my parents, Ryan and me, my sister Julie, my Aunt B, my cousin Doug, and my parents' friend and neighbor, Sandy.

Mom made a great lunch, and we all gathered around the table to eat and tell stories. Lots of laughs - and lots of fun!

After lunch, Mom and Julie gave Ryan his birthday gifts, since they wouldn't see him again before his birthday.

K-cups and gift cards make for a happy birthday boy!!

A couple of family pics for the day:

 Julie and me with Mom and Dad.

And the photo that feels like it was a pose for an oil painting. HA! With the Queen Mother. :)

So that was our Easter! Great day!

Happy Birthday, Husband!

Today is a big day in Shafferland.

Ryan turns 35.

And for something to the tune of 3 weeks, we're the same age again.

He THINKS today's blog is about Easter. He proofread it. :) But I've just saved that one back for tomorrow, and TODAY is HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY DEAR HUSBAND day on the blog!

Thirty-five years ago, Ryan Shaffer showed up in the world, and he began living out a great story already written for him by God. I was all of a year old and none the wiser.

{About Ryan, that is. I was also probably actually none. the. wiser. in. general.}

Ryan was a darling little boy. Couldn't you just squeeze him?

He's the tall one.

And then he got older. Can you guess which one he is in this picture?

Everyone at my work guessed the boy in the striped tie and suspenders. You know. The one with a wide open mouth? That would actually be a very good guess, but it would also be very wrong. He is the one in the back row on the left with a blue shirt...corralling the girl in front of him.

And then he grew up some more and we actually knew each other at this stage...but alas, I was a wallflower, and as you can see, HE WAS NOT.

Yeah. Letter jacket. Back row.

After this, a whole lotta years went by, and then one day...

A first date.

And whole new life for both of us.

That's when his life story...the one begun all those years ago even before the toddler dress pants and jammie tops...intersected with mine.

And on a day like that first day, this man huddled with me under a bridge in a wild thunder and lightning storm, while we corralled a paddle boat and I was scared out of my ever loving mind - and he prayed for us. For our safety.

And even though he was on a date with a girl who should be long past being afraid of thunderstorms, he didn't run. He stayed and he kept leading and bringing adventure to me.

Adventures that made me brave enough to try things I'd never tried before. Like completing a 10K. In one piece.

And he ran that with me. Even though he could have done it twice as fast on his own, he showed me love by running beside me...just like he stays by my side each day now.

And a week later:

Our life stories intersected permanently.

Ryan, I'm so thankful for your life. Thankful for your parents, your step-parents, your grandparents, your host of siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends - who made you who you are today. Thankful for the integrity with which you live your life. Thankful that even this many years into the story, I get to be part of your every day.

I'm thankful for every crazy wonderful thing we have done...from this:

to this:

...and everything in between.

It has been a great joy, these past six weeks, to peek over your shoulder as you opened all the cards people sent you. To read their thoughts and memories and what they love about you. YOU are a treasure to everyone you know.

And most of all, to me.

Happy, happy, HAPPY birthday, my Love!

You are still the answer to my greatest earthly prayer. I choose you every day. Thanks for choosing me back.

Today I celebrate YOU.

Wednesdays in the Word: Verse K

Today's verse is a hard one. Not necessarily hard to memorize, if you're memorizing, because it's not terribly long. But the invitation it provides is a hard one.

Here's the thing about sin: it's attractive to the person participating.

It just is.

We want to think, when we study what constitutes sin, that we would run from it...screaming. We want to think we would find it so awful...so repulsive...so foul...that we would just run.

I remember back in my early, early college days, when some of my friends were playing with boundaries that many young adults play with as they experience freedom for the first time. I remember vehemently journaling that I was absolutely APPALLED that they would even consider glancing in the direction of the behavior, much less walking toward it. Did they know NOTHING???

And yet I confess that as time went along, some of those same temptations came my way, and suddenly I got it. I understood their draw to it. It had become attractive to me, too, and turning my head was so hard.

So here's the thing about this verse...I'm sure it is a sweet offering in the ears of God when He hears one of His children ask to be kept from sin. When He looks at a soul He loves and knows that soul wants to live honorably by resisting sin that seems so attractive...how much that must warm His heart!

But at the same time...to say to God, Please keep me from sin...don't let it rule me...we truly have no idea what we're asking. Inviting God to do that kind of pruning work is a hard request. Usually He doesn't just remove us entirely from the temptation...but He sustains us in it. It's a soul-workout.

It's hard. But God is bigger than a hard task. If you invite Him to work, He will equip you for the task. He will. And the reward of allowing God to have dominion in your life rather than sin...is so worth it.

Mother/Daughter Brunch at Eastgate Community

Two weekends ago, I had the privilege of speaking at Eastgate Community Church in Marion...for their mother/daughter brunch. I was invited to speak by my friend Christy, whose brother was my co-worker way back in 1996 when I got my very first job out of high school.

The theme for the day was simplicity - which actually made me giggle. Me? Simplicity? Surely they had the wrong girl. But I asked God to show me what He had for me...and He led me to Psalm 63. So I began to prepare and think about what to say to this group of women...mostly strangers to me.

When I arrived, they had the sanctuary repurposed as their gathering room for the day...

...with darling little centerpieces...

Lunch was so good. Wraps and fruit and some lemon dessert that I could have eaten in a 9x13 serving.

Christy and her friend Mary sang a duet before I got up to speak....

And then Christy's mom, Rhonda, got up to introduce me.

She said 18 years ago, her son called to tell her there was a new girl at work and he thought she'd like me. {How has it been 18 years??} She said she didn't think too much about it...but then two weeks later, she met me...at her son's viewing. She said many people came through line that day, but she remembered me...and not long after, we met and became friends.

She told the ladies how I used to send her flowers and cards around his birthday and the date of his death...and by that time, I was crying.

Sigh. How to begin speaking when I'm in tears?

I so appreciated what she had to say - and just HER!!

She also promised them I'd be funny, so I had to hope I really would be. Gulp!!!!

 They were such a sweet and attentive bunch. Really helped to calm my nerves!

 First time I've ever worn shoes to speak. I'm always too nervous and take them off.

 My visuals. Such a teacher wannabe.

 And my "I look like I'm singing" photo. HA! No singing.

I got through the whole thing and was thankful for a great group of women to share the day with!!!

And for the record, here's sweet Rhonda. Thankful for her!