The Little Things

Yesterday I wrote about some of my favorite memories of serving in church from my teen years forward. It occurred to me today that at most of the churches I've attended, I've also been a greeter, and I love greeting. 

That, in turn, made me think about all the "little" unofficial ways of serving, whether in church or in life, that may not come with a fancy title, but they are so very important. 

Greeting was one of those jobs for me. I tried to imagine every single person coming through the door was walking in for the first time. I wanted them to know someone saw them, I wanted them to get a free smile right from the start, and I wanted to be approachable enough that if they had any questions, they would feel free to ask. After all, I've been a visitor in a church before, and it's always awkward to feel like you've walked into someone else's club and you aren't sure you belong. 

Ryan and I always tried to be an unofficial greeter in Sunday School, too, anytime we noticed someone new in the room. (Ryan was always very good about inviting people to Sunday School, too, because it can be hard to walk into a classroom alone.) 

Those "little" church jobs matter so much. The person who will go up to the altar to pray with someone who is praying alone. The person who remembers a name and sends a card or social media message to follow up. The person who offers a seat in a row when someone looks lost. 

Churches tend to do a great job of recognizing their valued volunteers. They do awards and recognition for those organized positions where people commit to serve. But I fear some of the unnamed jobs go unnoticed as well as unnamed. That's a shame, because they are SO important.

I've been made freshly aware of this where we work, even. WillowBridge is in a separate location from the rest of Gateway Woods, so we don't see everyone every day. Or even every week. (I'm still learning some names and faces, even!) God has convicted me that I need to pay more conscious attention to what's going on. Send some emails. Write notes. Pray the prayers. Be involved - even from down the road.

The little things matter. They matter at church, at work, and in life. It's okay if what you feel led to do doesn't fit neatly into a committee. Just reach out. Be present however you're able. It matters so much. 

Serving

We have just two days left with Tim and Justine before they move on to their next chapter, so this has been a busy week of having conversations with them - both what we need to know for work and just fun friend stuff - and preparing for this major change! We have staff changes in the mix, tenant changes in the mix, and I'm trying to make sure I don't miss any major moments or meetings. 

I say all of that to say...I might be borrowing some blog ideas in the next few days. Well. And yesterday. And today. :) 

I found this blog idea yesterday and the memories it conjured up made me smile so much that I looked like a perfect idiot just sitting there grinning at my computer. I figured that meant I should write about it. You might learn a thing or two about me that you didn't know before! 

The idea was to think about all the places you've served within a church setting and share a favorite or two. 

My very first official role of serving within the church took place when I was in high school and I landed a spot on the nursery worker rotation. Our church had gone through some really painful splits and by the time I was a teenager, I was the youth group. There was another teen who usually showed up on Sunday mornings, but on Sunday nights and midweek services especially, it was just me. Do you know how hard it is to get a youth pastor excited about a church with ONE teen? So instead of having a thriving youth group to be part of in those years, I just launched into serving the babies. 

Back then, of course, we lived in a different sort of world and you didn't have to take classes or do background checks or have super strict policies for checking little ones in and out of child care. I worked every second Sunday morning with my friend Betty and every fifth Sunday morning with my friend Bonnie. (Why do I remember that??) And I also often got to fill in for anyone who had to miss church on another Sunday. I loved crawling around on the floor, playing with the babies, and I was pretty good at getting them to calm down when their moms tip-toed out the door. 

Shortly after that, I also started teaching some elementary-age kids during the midweek service, too. I found old curriculum books in the church library and pieced together lessons, snacks, and crafts for them. I loved my Thursday night teaching! (When one of those moms picked up her boys one evening, she shared with me that what I did was a gift and it was something she couldn't do. That was the first time I ever remember an adult outside my family identifying gifts in me, and I appreciated it!)

In my twenties I spent a few years serving on the church board as the secretary. I took minutes of the meetings and provided snacks. I enjoyed my years on the board, actually. (That's saying something for the girl who hates meetings.) The pastor made the meetings fun, and even though I was the teasing target (as the much-youngest member) for most of the board, we all had a great time together. 

I was also in my twenties when I started leading women's Bible study. It was another role I really loved. It surprised me that I loved it so much. To that point in my life, I'd only worked with babies and small children, but I found I really enjoyed working with other women who wanted to dig into the Word deeply. I can't remember now how many years I led that group, but it was one of my favorite times of ministry and service. 

I went through a few years when (mostly because of living in a different town from the church I attended) it was difficult to serve on a consistent basis. I still found ways to plug in, though. A week of VBS, filling in for Sunday School and midweek service teachers, and other such little jobs gave me a way to be involved even on a short term basis. 

And then at our last church, I served together with Ryan as a small group leader and LOVED IT. As you might remember, I was working to coordinate small groups when we moved, and I really enjoyed that role, too. I think I would have loved exploring it for a much longer time! And I was involved in women's ministry there, too - first as a team member and then as a team leader.

I feel like all those ministry roles were important training ground for me in the work I do now. I love it that God uses each little thing to prepare us, shape us, and mold us. We know that the work we do and the lifestyle-nature of it will probably make it more difficult for us to serve in the local church to the same extent we've done before, but this is also a whole different kind of serving! 

Grocery Top Three

Oh, Natasha...you have saved the blog today. 

We devoted our day yesterday to throwing a surprise party for one of our tenants. It was fun, but between prep, party, and cleanup, it was a full day! And then I sat down with zero brain cells left and zero idea of what to blog about for today. As I read posts from yesterday, I found Natasha's idea and decided to borrow it. She's right...it is fun to see how people feed their families and what they love to buy/cook/eat most!

Favorite Food Stores
(Natasha interpreted this as stores she would love to shop at, rather than where she actually would. I'm going to go with where we actually shop.

1. Aldi. We get everything at this store that we possibly can, which sometimes changes from week to week.

2. Wal-Mart. At this stop, we get the things Aldi didn't have.

3. Sam's. There are a handful of things that we like to purchase in bulk, so we get those at Sam's. 

Least Favorite Food Stores

1. Wal-Mart. Ironic, isn't it? We go here because it's more convenient, but I'm still not a fan.

2. Save-A-Lot. To be fair, this isn't really a least favorite store. It's the tiny grocery store in Grabill, and we only go there when we run out of something between shopping trips and need to grab it in a hurry. We don't actually find their prices to be a significant savings, so we don't make this a regular stop. 

3. I don't think I have another least favorite! 

Always on My List

(There are actually several things that fit this category! I'll pick three at random.)

1. Coffee creamer. Of course.

2. Honeycrisp apples. My nighttime snack.

3. Chicken tenders. We cook with a lot of chicken.

Rare Purchases

1. Bread. We usually have a loaf of bread in the cabinet - mostly for Ryan, but we go through it very slowly, so it's not often on the list. 

2. Sparkling grape juice. Only on special occasions. I'd drink it all myself.

3. Ice cream. We used to buy it all the time, but it's a rarity now. 

Never on my Grocery Store List

I asked Ryan to help me think of things that might be staples on a lot of people's lists, but we never buy them. 

1. Frozen dinners. I borrowed that from Natasha's list. But it's true! We never ever buy a premade frozen dinner.

2. Snack cakes. For our own home, we never buy any kind of prepackaged snack cake. We have gotten them for WillowBridge, but never for our house. 

3. Ramen. Not since college. 

Cereal

We actually gave up purchasing cereal entirely last fall. We used to eat it every single night for our snack, but when we did our 5 day sugar fast, we stopped eating it and never picked it back up. But...

1. Great Grains. When we did eat cereal every night, we ate Great Grains - usually the cranberry or pecan kind. 

2. Fruity Pebbles. This would be Ryan's pick if he could pick any cereal at all. 

3. Captain Crunch Berries. This is what I lived on in college. Well, that and Mountain Dew. And if you saw my college pictures, it showed. ;) 

Crackers

1. Veggie Rounds. I think that's what they're called. It's the Aldi brand of Ritz crackers that has a bit of a seasoning on it. I may have one or two, but Ryan is the main consumer of them - during chili season.

2. Cheese Its Extra Toasty. One of Ryan's favorites. We used to get them every week, but he finally decided he was tired of paying the high price for them, so we just get them on occasion now. He likes how burned they taste.

3. Graham Crackers. S'mores, baby! 

Spices

1. Seasoned Salt. I make my own, and I use it to season almost everything.

2. Garlic Powder. One of my most often used spices.

3. Cinnamon. Love it! Not with garlic powder, though. 

Fruit

1. Grapes. We love to snack on them throughout the day.

2. Bananas. We put them in our smoothies every afternoon.

3. Strawberries. One of three things we put in our homemade smoothie packs. 

Condiments

1. Organic ketchup. I cook with it almost as often as I use it for a condiment.

2. Chipotle sauce. Ryan loves the bottled Taco Bell brand sauce and uses it for chip dip sometimes. I also put a tiny bit of it inside our ham and cheese quesadillas when I make those. 

3. Avocado salsa. Ryan just discovered this at Sam's Club and is IN LOVE with it. Delicious. 

Frozen Vegetables

1. Onion and pepper mix. It has been a game changer for me to find this when I want fajitas in a hurry!

2. Sweet potatoes. I get frozen cubed sweet potatoes at Aldi. No more peeling and chopping!

3. California blend. We steam this for a quick side when we're in a hurry. 

Frozen Fruit

We don't buy it - because it's so expensive! We do make our own frozen smoothie packs using fresh strawberries and blueberries, plus canned pineapple. 

Do we have any common food loves???

Self Care

If ever there was a post I'm probably NOT qualified to write, it's this one. (But watch me do it anyway!)

Probably the number one question we get from people is "What exactly do you do?" That is followed by the comment, "I will never understand your job." 

It's fair. We're just now coming to the place where we are understanding it ourselves, and we've done it every day for almost 10 months. We don't expect everyone to get it. And we don't mind explaining it repeatedly. 

But another popular question we get centers around what we do in our down time or how we practice self-care so we don't burn out. 

We're still learning how to do that well, and we certainly don't have it mastered yet. We're working on it. We've been told every couple has to figure it out for themselves and it takes time. 

Our job, as you know, is not an 8-5 thing. We don't clock in and out. We work throughout the day and we also take breaks throughout the day. We have some days that are work-heavy and some days that are lighter, so we fit in our personal time accordingly. It's been a stretch for a couple of Type A scheduled people!

But here are some of the things we currently do to rest our minds and bodies in the middle of a very busy schedule!

* Naps. Sometimes our days start early. Sometimes they wind up going late into the night. Sometimes they're just mentally draining from difficult conversations. If we have a few minutes of quiet, we dearly love to catch a quick nap. Even twenty minutes can make all the difference in a day. 

* Walks. Oh how we missed being able to do this every single day over the winter. But seriously, every single day that the weather is remotely decent enough to be outside (even if it's a bit cold or windy or whatever) we go on a long walk. We try to be gone an hour or so, and we use that time to talk through everything on our minds and hearts. 

* Coffee break. There are some days we just need to get away from the building for a change of scenery. It's really important since our work and home are in the same space. If we need to get out, we'll take some time and just go get coffee. Sit. Stare. Talk. Whatever we need.

* Word Crush. We usually play a half dozen rounds of Word Crush every night to unwind. It's really fun, it stretches our brain in a different direction, and we like to think it keeps us sharp. Bonus? Now and then, we learn new words!

* "Our" shows. We have always had a show or two we love to watch, but they've almost always been TV dramas. We really don't have a full hour to devote to that anymore, so "our shows" are more in the half hour range now, but we really love putting one on to escape mentally for a little bit. We're working our way through the seasons of Mad About You while we eat lunch every day. One episode is about perfect for a mealtime, so we usually watch that while we eat. And then at dinner, we usually watch an episode of People Puzzler or America Says. We are pretty good at both of them and serve as an honorary team member for whoever is on that day.

* Random planning. I like to take Pinterest breaks or work on planning a trip. I really enjoy it, so sometimes I'll just sit and do that for a while. Or I scrapbook. I've kept up on those really well since we moved. Ryan likes hunting online for things we might still need for Abby or watching YouTube videos about RV maintenance life. Though these are things we do separately, we usually do them at the same time and will tell each other about what we're finding.

* Listening to hymns. Sometimes we just turn on Natalie Raynes' YouTube channel and just listen to hours of hymns while we do other things. It soothes our souls. 

Things we're looking forward to doing for down-time include...

* Kayaking, biking, and hiking, now that the weather is warming up again.

* Returning to a regular workout routine. It simply hasn't been possible in this first year of work. We are looking forward to making that change in the month of May.

* Reading. This is just me...not Ryan. I haven't had time to read for pleasure, and I miss it. I'd like to reintroduce that to my routine!

So that's where we are right now! Until we have new co-workers, our own time will be even harder to come by, but we appreciate other co-workers pitching in to help us out some! 

What is your favorite way to spend your down time?

Plan Z Birthdays

Why does this always happen to poor Ryan's birthday?? I'm pretty sure it was his 39th birthday that we ended up doing a substitute for a substitute for a substitute idea because everything kept falling apart on me. Some of it fell apart the day before his birthday. And I felt like this year was a repeat performance of that year. He was so gracious, but I was NOT a fan. 

This year, I made sure we got three days off in a row for his birthday so we could go have an adventure in Abby. I was going to pick a state park we hadn't explored and go have a grand time. We were going to leave Wednesday night after we finished our shift and be gone all day Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for his actual birthday. And then...there was a meeting on Friday that we couldn't miss. Right in the middle of the three day stretch. 

That was the end of the camping trip. 

I was determined not to let it dampen my spirit though. I decided we would pick a park close at hand and just spend his actual birthday hiking.

And then it rained. All. The. Live. Long. Day.

So! Would you like to hear about the next plan?

We needed to do something inside because of the rain, but of course those options are still limited. But I remembered that my friends Adam and Michele (hi, Michele!) told me about an adventure they had some time ago that sounded really fun. I decided this was the winner for the day!

We got up early and headed out toward Elkhart, Indiana. This is in a county we've already toured, so we had already seen some of the sights. Somehow, though, we missed a big one!

Before we get to that, though, we stopped at a place called the Baker's Nook Cafe. It's just a little mom and pop spot I read about online. We really enjoyed it. Food was super tasty, and Ryan was excited that they had Jamaican Me Crazy coffee. (That was the coffee we drank all week long on our honeymoon, so it has a special place in our hearts.) 

Then we went to our destination for the day!

The RV Hall of Fame and Museum was actually a lot of fun, and we're so glad we went. It was a perfect activity for a rainy day, and we almost had the entire place to ourselves while we were there, which made it even better! 

There is an exhibition hall inside with a collection of vintage campers and motor homes that tell the story of how this industry came to be. Oh how very glad I was that I did not have to camp in the twenties and thirties! (Of the 1900s that is.) Whew. I won't show you all the pictures we took, but here's a sampling of our day.

We started out in the theater to watch the 7 minute introductory movie. Had the whole place to ourselves! 

I really liked the little display they had of a miniature assembly line. It was fun to get a feel for how RVs are made from start to finish. (And it also took me back to the Barbie days we talked about a few days ago. LOL!) 

Then it was time to start seeing full size models! I think Ryan wanted this car more than the trailer behind it. 

I have to confess that it seems strange to me to think of people who drove cars of this era...camping. I feel like this is an odd match-up. 

This one made me smile. And the S on the wall inside made it feel like we for sure needed a picture with it. 

Then we headed into the main exhibition hall, and I found it darling that they had them all lined up beside a road!

We had fun peeking inside these vintage campers, and in some cases, we could actually walk inside!

This reminded me of an old pie safe...but in an RV. 

Why have a bunk when you can have twin hammocks? I told Ryan they should bring this back. Hammocks are in...why not make a bed a hammock?

Where's Ryan?

Fancy!  Front and back door!

Even Abby has come a long way from these days:

After we were done walking through the exhibition hall, we were able to go upstairs and see it from above!

We had a great time at the museum. (Though I do still have a sore head from misjudging the entrance to a doorway and taking a HARD hit.)

We were done sooner than we anticipated, so we headed back home, and on the way, Ryan indulged me with a quick stop in Shipshewana to see if they still had the little cabins I fell in love with a couple of summers ago. They DO!!!!

Loved it.

We came home and sweet Justine had made Ryan a buckeye pie, so that served as his cake for the day. He didn't mind a bit!

He said he had a happy birthday, and I sure hope so!! :) 

Sunday Sentiments

 

Thank you all for the birthday wishes for Ryan. We had a great day yesterday celebrating him!

The night before his birthday, long after he fell asleep, I curled up on my side of the bed, praying over the many unknowns of our immediate future. We have less than a week until Tim and Justine move on to their next life chapter, and we know the transition season (for which we do not currently have a solid timeline) will look so strange. So different. 

Ryan and I have learned many things during our time here at WillowBridge. Not only have we learned many things in general, we've also learned many things about ourselves, our relationship with God, and our relationship with each other. And one thing I have personally learned in these last few months is that God will likely ask me to do things that feel so very much beyond my capabilities. And when the moment comes, He'll strengthen me for it. 

So as I curled up in bed, wondering how long or short of a time we'll be without our support couple, God nudged me to give that burden to Him. No need to carry it. I can't do a single thing about it anyway. Stewing about it in the darkness from my bed does not make anyone get here faster. But trusting God to bring the right people in His time will strengthen my faith. I don't know what kind of story He's writing, but I remember the story He wrote with us, so why would I think He's give up writing now?

Do I want this season to last indefinitely? Absolutely not. But if it does, do I believe He will give me the day-by-day grace and strength to get through it? I sure do. (Though I may have to remind myself of it now and then. Or frequently.)

These words from Isaiah may need to be written on our walls in permanent marker. (Just kidding, Rob, if you're reading this.) 

Do you not know? Have you not heard? 

The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

(Isaiah 40:28-29)

And so I rest in that promise today. God has given me a fantastic teammate in Ryan. We've worked hard the last almost ten months to build up a brand new connection together. We've found a rhythm in working together. We're not perfect, of course, but God has taught us how to make this teamwork flow, and I know we can do this. And when we falter in our own strength, He will be faithful to give us HIS strength. After all, He's not tired.

So we gear up on this day, facing a new week, knowing that by the end of the week, the team we've always shared our days with will be no more.

But we are so thankful that the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, is also on our team. He's not leaving or forsaking us. 

The Saturday Six

 

First up...the OFFICIAL happy birthday to Ryan! If you missed it, I celebrated his birthday on the blog yesterday, since today is Saturday Six day. :) You know, I normally don't have a theme to the Saturday Six, but today I sort of do. I was drawn to all sorts of things that are fun but more than likely will never be a reality for me. It's probably the same for you, but maybe you can have some fun looking!

One.

I most CERTAINLY do not have fourteen grand to spend on a swing, but man, oh, man, if I did...have you ever seen anything so delightful? I'd probably never leave it. 

Two.

Ryan and I are always looking for ways to live smaller, so we're probably not contenders for this 50,000 square foot mansion in Texas. (Though if we could afford it, we could also afford the aforementioned swing.) Nothing about this house tempts me...except the pool. I could take a second look at that! 

Three.

This one might not be entirely far fetched, but it is for us right now. Still, I think it's creative! I found a link to this blogger's free e-book about how to visit all 50 states in 12 trips. If you download the e-book, she has each trip laid out into an itinerary! So if you hate vacation planning this could actually be helpful! 

Four.

On the complete flip side from a 50,000 square foot mansion, the Apartment Therapy website has the 251-500 square foot home contest open until Monday. I have had a BLAST looking through the small spaces which somehow don't look nearly so small when well-organized and beautifully decorated. I would say our chances of living in a home this size are far greater than the 50,000 square foot house, but still, probably not likely right now. 

Five.

I do love a good milkshake. I don't get them very often, but I do love them. I don't know when or if I'll ever make it to one of the locations of The Yard Milkshake Bar, but I drooled ALL the way through the menu. Is it milkshake overkill? Oh absolutely. But in the best possible way. Brilliant. 

Six.

I hope this one DOES happen for us someday, but I wanted to share it because some of you mentioned after last week's Six that you also love the idea of a Route 66 trip. This site gives turn by turn instructions if you want to keep planning away! (I won't lie...it mesmerized me!) 

Someone Has a Birthday Tomorrow!!!

Right in the middle of the Saturday Six, someone in this house has a birthday!! You might have heard of him before: his name is Ryan Shaffer? :) 

So today we are celebrating him here on the blog!

What a wild year of adventures we've had together. It's absolutely safe to say that at this very time last year, we had no clue that everything about our lives would change in the year to come. Today I want to share some of my favorite things about Ryan from this past year. 

* At this time last year, Ryan was working on a proning team at the hospital, right in the middle of all the unknowns. He worked fearlessly, ready and willing to do whatever was asked of him to help those fighting against the virus that had taken over the world. I was so proud of him for all he did and all that he was willing to do, even in the cases where he didn't have to. And I was proud of him for being a great example to the women on his team. He still has a friendship with each of them today, and they had a great time together. 

* It wasn't long after Ryan's birthday last year that I found out about the opportunity to work at WillowBridge and presented it to him. At first, he didn't feel like it was a fit at all. But I appreciated watching him take the idea to the Lord in prayer and submitting to the changes God made in his heart that led him to want to move forward with applying and seeing what came of this. I love it that Ryan  always seeks God's will above his own, and this is one of the biggest examples of that I've seen in the time we've been married. (This is a picture I took of him filling out his part of the application, on the same porch where he spent a long time in prayer leading up to this point.)

* When God opened the door for us to come to Grabill, Ryan didn't hesitate at all. He jumped right in with me to accomplish everything that needed to happen to make this move take place in very short order. (We had basically a month between accepting the job and coming to train.) He helped pack, he made lists, he did paperwork, he did touch-up repairs on the house, and he helped organize and run our garage sales. We both worked equally hard on this task, and I loved it that he was willing to carry so much of it!

* When it was time to say goodbye to our Kokomo home - the first one we have ever purchased together - he joined me in saying goodbye through pictures and process and understood my need to grieve that loss in my own way. And when we actually moved, he spearheaded the organization of loading the truck so well. 

* When we arrived in Grabill, he didn't hesitate. Jumped in with both feet to help me organize our apartment, create relationships with our tenants, and immerse himself in a whole new career. He quickly gained a reputation as a hard worker who takes initiative and anticipates needs before they arrive!

* I'm pretty sure neither of us expected to see our RV dreams realized in this past year, but they were. I've been researching and taking online webinars and more for about four years, but once this began to look like a reality, Ryan joined me, looking at all the specifics (many that I did not understand) and figuring out what we could afford and what we would need to do to upgrade. He plunged headfirst into a project he'd never done before, and my goodness. What an AMAZING job he did with Miss Abby, even delving into new skills he didn't know he had!

* We also saw other hobby type dreams come true in this last year: biking together, kayaking, and enjoying the chance to have every day off...together. How long have we dreamed about THAT? It was as wonderful as I'd always imagined to be able to spend this time with him!

* I'm pretty sure no one was more surprised than Ryan that he became the crowd favorite of the littles in our building. I have loved watching him with them. He's so good. 

* This year brought about a plot twist we didn't see coming - when Allen died unexpectedly in February. Ryan handled that loss with such courage and has since launched into working so very hard on all the estate paperwork. (It's a joint effort with his siblings.) Though I joke about being an estate widow, I really am so very proud of him for how hard he works to make sure everything stays organized, nothing falls through the cracks, and everything is handled completely. 

* And in the middle of it all, he still does a million things to be a fantastic husband. He makes my dreams come true. He helps in our apartment. He tells me he loves me. He makes every day an absolute joy. I am so, so grateful. 

Happy birthday, Ryan! Thanks for being the man you are. Thank you for leading us in the Lord, for being so much fun to work with AND live with every single day, for having the work ethic you, and for demonstrating the heart of Christ, even in difficult days. I love you! I hope you have an amazing day of celebration tomorrow! :)