The Saturday Six

 

It's the last Saturday Six of 2022! Today I just want to share some things I have enjoyed this year - or things you might want to try in 2023! 

One.

Ryan and I found Natalie Raynes' YouTube channel back in the pandemic, and I know I've shared about it before, but I'm sharing it again! She is a gifted pianist and shares mini-concerts of hymns nearly every week. Her life has changed quite a lot in the last year or so. She became a mama and is expecting baby #2 now! But she still plays and takes requests, and I find her videos to be calming and worshipful. I enjoy listening to them sometimes while I get ready in the morning or if I just need to have a heart reset! 

Two.

Speaking of YouTube, another channel I have latched onto in recent weeks is The Adventures of A+K. It features a young couple (and their dog!) who live in a camper van and travel all around the US (and some in Canada). I'm currently watching their recent trip to Alaska and love seeing the beautiful sights. I also learn a ton about road life from them, but even if you don't aspire to travel like they do, I think you can appreciate the beauty they share. (They do a great job with sharing footage in an interesting way.) 

Three.

I've never done a book list challenge before, but I'm going to try one in 2023. I know for sure that I won't be able to read all the books on the list, because...new job, puppy mom, moving, and all the things. But I want to try as many as I can, and I want to appreciate the push to step outside my comfort zone and read books I otherwise wouldn't be willing to try. Here is the list I used to create the framework of my challenge, if you want to try something similar! 

Four.

After I shared a few weeks ago about free online workouts I enjoyed, my friend Heather shared this one that her sister likes doing. Ryan and I tried some of them and really liked them, too! One of our favorite things is that the instructor doesn't talk all the way through it. It's just a music background, and that helps us concentrate. She has two 12-week free programs, and I see she has a third 12-week program starting in January! These are perfect to do at home if you don't have a great gym in town - or if you just don't have a gym membership in your budget. 

Five.

I actually JUST stumbled on this one a few days ago, but I think I'm going to explore it in 2023. This blogger shares daily Bible reading (NOT reading the whole Bible in a year, but a passage for each day) and a song for each day too! If you need a little boost to your main study, this might be perfect! 

Six.

Earlier this year, Ryan and I watched a season of an HGTV show that focused on old homes in America. (The oldest homes - some of the first ones built during America's earliest days.) It was fascinating to see the details and learn about why they chose some of the features they did. Old homes (for sure!) come with their own set of issues and need for improvement, but they also have amazing character. If you enjoy old homes, check out this set of the oldest homes on the market right now! 

Happy New Year, friends!!

Update on December Goals

We have nearly reached the end of December and of 2022! I wanted to check in for my own accountability to see how I did on my December goals. Here's the verdict! 

 1. Buy all the gifts! 

I had a conversation with my mom about a week and a half before Christmas. She asked if I was all ready, and I casually waved off her question with an "ehhh" and a shrug she couldn't see. "But you're always ready for Christmas!" she said. It's true. I usually am. But this year, I just couldn't get it together (kind of across the board). It especially hit the gift-giving. I think, though, I learned something about that, which might help me next year! Because my family is so scattered out, we use online shopping to ship gifts to other people close to far-away relatives so they can wrap and deliver the gifts for us. We give the kiddos in Ryan's family tickets for experiences rather than stuff. And it's all good, of course, but all those things detach me from the joy of finding and buying a gift - and wrapping it myself. I think that's what has made it so hard to feel excited about the gifts this year. Maybe I'll find a method to feel more attached to it next year. Nevertheless, I did get them purchased and distributed on time!

2. Begin my new job wholeheartedly.

The morning I began my job, I walked into the living room and explained to Ryan why every piece of my outfit was significant for the first day of my new season. I had been very intentional in every single thing I wore - clear down to the earrings. I realize the success or failure of my wardrobe has no bearing on how I do my job, but I felt it demonstrated the eagerness I had going into the first day. I've been working hard to read and learn every single thing I possibly can about the organization, this field of work, and more! I have so much to learn (like sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much to learn) but I am giving it my whole heart and then some!

3. Figure out my Bible study plan for 2023.

I figured it out. And then I second-guessed it. And then I pressed forward. And then I doubted myself again. And then I changed my mind. (Repeat about six more times.) But I do feel confident in what I am supposed to do, and I'm looking forward to it!

4. Begin scrapbooking our 10th anniversary adventures.

Scrapbook is UNDERWAY!!! I'm only a few days in, but I'm pleased with the progress I've made, given the busyness of the season. It's been fun, in these frigid, overcast days, to relive the warm sun of Florida! I've also kept up with my other scrapbooks, so I'm happy about that. 

5. Participate in Love INC adventures.

Ryan and I decorated a Christmas tree in a local contest to try to win some money for Love INC. Even though we didn't win the contest, we had a lot of fun decorating the tree - and we know it was good to have the Love INC name out there for more people to see! We also spent a morning at a local craft fair, staffing a Love INC informational table. The snack bar at the craft fair donated its proceeds from that day to Love INC, which was a much-needed blessing!

6. Make 2023 goals. 

You already saw them, so you know I did them! 

I've also worked hard to set up the logistics of our life for the month of January, so we can start meeting the goals we've set for that time frame. It's been fun to fill out new planner pages and think ahead to what's coming! :) 

How about you? Did you do well with any December goals you made?

Dreams for a New Year

If you've been reading here long, you know I prefer making monthly goals to new year's resolutions. Part of that stems from how quickly our lives seem to change. This year, nothing looks the same here in December as it looked for us in January. I feel that my year has been much more productive because I made plans a month at a time rather than a year at a time.

The same will be true for me next year. I hope we have fewer changes across the span of the year, but only God knows if that will be the case! But either way, I plan to do goals on a smaller scale, just because I know it works best for me.

Having said that, I do have some broad areas where I hope to see growth over the span of 2023. I may not know how it's all going to happen yet, but I hope to see a measure of growth and change!

Bible Study

This makes the list every year. I never want to stop growing and learning when it comes to Bible study! I have some dreams for the year in this area - and they're somewhat generic. I want to continue making daily study a priority, just like I did this year. (I saw marked improvement in my study habits this year, and that makes my heart smile.) I also have some specific areas I'd love to read more about: like the feasts of the Bible, for example. I would also love to do some study for a writing project or two as time allows! 

Marriage

As we enter this second decade, we find ourselves in new places, literally and figuratively. We still love spending time together - every bit as much as we did when we were newlyweds! We hope to find new ways to spend time together at home, in areas of service, and in adventure and exploration. We want to continue to grow as a team, learning how to encourage and challenge each other to become better people. We want to continue dating, having fun, and living the life God has called us to live!

Writing

I've started writing again MUCH more frequently since we left WillowBridge. In addition to writing this blog, I want to find ways to share words with the world. Whether I write another book or take on other forms of writing projects, I definitely want to continue becoming a better writer by writing. My heart is full and happy because I'm able to spill words more than I could for a long time. 

Reading

I filled out a year-long book challenge, and I'm already a little scared. I know I won't be able to read that many books in a year (and do all the other things on the list) but I am excited to do what I can. It's going to push me wayyyyyyyyyyyyy outside my comfort zone! 

New House

As we finish up the projects at the new house and move into the space, we want to make it home. I feel like we've been able to do this well everywhere we've lived, but we especially ache to do it at the lake. We want to fully enjoy the gift that life on the lake is, and we want to settle into this beautiful space we've spent so much time dreaming about and improving! I'm confident that no one has spent more time thinking and rethinking, configuring and reconfiguring, designing and redesigning spaces than we have! At this point, I think even we will be surprised to see how it turns out! 

Whatever Else God Has for Us!

We don't know what else God might have for us to focus on in 2023, but whatever He brings, we want to do it well! 

You've Been Quite a Year, 2022!

 

We can safely say we didn't see any part of this year coming the way it did, with the exception of bringing home a puppy. (Even that has been a far different journey in looks than we imagined, though not in a bad way.)

In January, Ryan experienced kidney stones for the first time, and he was not a fan. We were never so grateful for a slow day in the emergency room and the speedy administration of pain meds! Less than 24 hours later, we brought home Lexi and launched into the world of puppy parenting. We worked so hard to train her from the first moment we walked in the door - a goal that continues to this day! We enjoyed a staff-retreat-getaway to Pokagon State Park in northern Indiana, which was our first time to travel with Lexi. We found out she loves hiking in the snow! We rounded out the month with the WillowBridge fundraiser, where I was the keynote speaker. It was the hardest talk I've ever done in my life. I knew in my heart that our days there were numbered and baring my soul in front of a few hundred people was such a vulnerable moment!

In February, we settled into new routines with Lexi, training her, playing with her, and learning her little personality. I look back at those pictures now and remember the days of teething and leash training so vividly. She's come a long way and learned so much! We prayerfully made our official decision to leave WillowBridge and followed the Lord's leading to search in the Bluffton area for our next landing spot. We pursued new work, turned our resignation at WillowBridge, and went under contract for our new home. We began packing boxes and preparing our hearts for major change. 

In March, we spent every spare minute packing boxes. We began to step back from such an active role at WillowBridge to make room for new plans for the future that wouldn't include our presence or input. We had our goodbye party and said goodbye to the tenants (past and present) we had worked with during our time there. I spoke at a women's retreat, and we closed on our home in Bluffton. By the end of the month, we had said our final goodbyes to our church, small group, local friends, co-workers, and tenants, and we had carted all our things to our new home. Though we had interviews for new jobs, we didn't have anything lined up, so we ended the month with the beginning of a respite season that both of us needed more than we knew.

In April, we experienced something we had never known before: weeks of no work at all. Neither of us worked a paying job this month, and though that isn't an advisable life plan, we needed it. We used the time to fully settle into our new home, unpack our boxes, hang things on the walls, and begin assimilating int our new church and community. We went on more dates than we'd been able to go on in months! We were able to have our little godson stay with us for an entire week, while his mom recuperated from emergency surgery, and it was a joy to spend time investing in his life while he was there. I had more interviews, and we continued to wait on God's leading for work. And at the very end of the month, we took a quick overnight trip to the Ark Encounter - this year's destination for our annual birthday trip. We had a great time seeing that in person! (Totally recommend!)

In May, the Lord provided a job for Ryan, and he began working at Love INC as their executive director. Meanwhile, I kept working from home and searching for employment for myself! Braeya turned sixteen (and we gave her plastic car keys as a gift), and I turned older than that. :)  We hosted our first family lunch at our house, on Mother's Day, and we enjoyed getting out to walk our new neighborhood whenever it stopped raining long enough to allow for that. I also met the Bluffton fire department when our carbon monoxide detector malfunctioned. We ended the month camping out at a friends' house in Abby - which was Lexi's first time to go out in the camper! She loved it and was a natural. 

In June, Ryan began working on his own at Love INC, with the outgoing director fully entering retirement. The builders put in our yard, and landscaping, and I don't think I need to revisit my thoughts on that adventure. Most of our life was condensed to staying home to grow grass, but whenever we could sneak away, we tried. We hosted our church staff in our home (well, we weren't here, but we let them use the house) for a retreat, and I started volunteering with Love INC to help Ryan as he began to update the many things that needed rebranded! 

In July, we gave up on the yard the builder installed and replanted everything ourselves. That was a monstrous project. We went to the county fair back in our home county for the first time since before we went to WillowBridge, and it was such fun! Ryan started speaking and making appearances for Love INC, and I tagged along to arrange the information table. (Three cheers for all those years of setting up tables for WBCL and WillowBridge. I learned the skills I would need and was reminded that God wastes nothing - even in the little things!) We also met our newest nephew this month. Sweet little guy. He was born in June, but we didn't get to meet him until July.

In August, we became members at our new church, and did a number of Love INC-related events and appearances. They were fun! (And warm. Whew. Indiana heat!) The fire department came back for another false alarm on the carbon monoxide detector. (We had the first one completely replaced and the second one was apparently faulty as well. Delightful.) My family from Kansas came for a visit and we met up with the rest of my whole family for a long weekend at Shipshewana to celebrate two milestone birthdays and my parents' 68th anniversary! Ryan sang a solo at our church, we both volunteered at a women's conference held at our church, and I wrote a book proposal! 

In September, we happened upon the cutest little house on the lake and toured it a couple of times. We put in an offer and the seller accepted it! We began the process to move AGAIN! :) We both were down for several days with a nasty cold (and truly only a cold) this month, but we got well in time for me to speak at a women's retreat! Ryan went with me, and we had a wonderful time with the ladies there. Ryan had more speaking engagements for Love INC, too, so I went along with him to those. I kept looking for work, but nothing was panning out, and I also found out in September that my book proposal was not accepted. That was hard and disappointing, but I still trust the Lord with that answer! 

In October, Ryan joined the worship team rotation at church and had his first opportunity to be part of that! We celebrated my Dad's 90th birthday with a little party near their home, and I was the photographer for that. It was a fun job! :) We celebrated 10 years since our engagement, and we went to the corn maze for a fun night with our church! I found out about a new job opportunity, applied for it, and found out I got the job, all in short order. What a tremendous answer to prayer! We closed on the lake house and began working on the projects that needed to be completed before we could move in! Ryan had more speaking opportunities for Love INC, and I did some training for my volunteer work with them. 

In November, we kept working at the new house, doing what we could when we could! Ryan spoke at some more churches for Love INC, and we went to Ohio for a few days to go through Love INC training together. Ryan orchestrated a project to build a ramp for a family in need, and I orchestrated putting together his fun anniversary gift! :) Lexi turned ONE, and we threw her a proper first birthday party! Just before Thanksgiving, we left for our anniversary trip, traveling to the panhandle of Florida for the first time in our marriage. We visited cute little Wetumpka Alabama on the way and then made it to the Gulf of Mexico to enjoy warmth, sun, and sand. We saw Seaside, Florida, hiked in state parks, enjoyed sand sculptures on the beach, and rested every chance we got!

In December, we celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary - in the warmth of Florida, which is where the whole marriage story began a decade ago! We came home, returned to reality, and a I started my new job as a Grants Administrator! Ryan joined the choir at church (for Christmas) and I learned to balance full time work with full time home for the first time in a while. We continued working on the new house, trying to bring our actual moving day closer and closer! We celebrated Christmas together, and now we are looking forward to the start of a new year!

We never imagined, when the year began, that we would be in Bluffton by the end of the year, working new jobs, and settled into a new church. But God knew all of that, and He has been faithful and kind throughout all the upheaval this year! We are so thankful. 

Our Merry Little Christmas

Our Christmas season looked very different this year. We have been spending each spare moment working on the projects at the lake so we can wrap them up, so we didn't get a chance to do most of the typical traditions we always enjoy. (It took me a while to work through that in my head, but it all turned out okay!) 

One of our family Christmas get-togethers was canceled (a permanent change) and another has been postponed twice - once for illness and once for weather). In addition, since Christmas fell on Sunday this year, we had church to add to the schedule - no complaints there!)

All that to say, it was just a different sort of Christmas this year.

Ryan spent most of Christmas Eve working at the lake, and I spent the day working on last minute Christmas prep. He came home and we both got ready for our Christmas Eve service, which was later at night. We found ourselves with an hour or so to spare, so we decided to go ahead and have our Christmas at home together. We figured Christmas Day would be long and tiring, so we would just enjoy our gift exchange a little bit early this year. 

Typically we get a "big" gift to share throughout the year and then just exchange stocking stuffers. We never got around to the big gift this year, but I am assuming we will slap a bow on something we're getting for the house (like an area rug) and call it Christmas. The perils of home renovations meeting up with Christmas, I suppose! We did, however, exchange stocking stuffers, and that was so much fun. We also took our picture by the tree, and I'm so glad we did, because by the time we got home Christmas night, we looked awfully bedraggled.

We let Lexi and Braeya open their stockings so they would be occupied and not overly helpful as we tried to open ours. ;) 

And then it was our turn! Ryan got me some fun gifts!

This first one was a joke. He used the ham container to hold one of my gifts. ;) 

Tea strainer! (That's a story for later.)

Matthew Perry's memoir has been on my want-to-read list since I heard it was out, and he got it for me! 

(There were more gifts too, but I'm trying not to show you everything I unwrapped. LOL!) Ryan took his turn opening...

He picked these out for himself. Brought them home from the store, slid them over to me and said, "Put these in my stocking." LOL! So here's his surprised face.

He could not figure out what this one was.

A new lunchbox! His present lunchbox is so gross. He got it when he worked at the rehab hospital. It was a freebie, and he's carried it for years now. It's dingy and gross and I can't bring myself to put his food in it one more time. So a shiny new lunchbox for the win!!

After our gift exchange, we went to church for the candlelight service.

(We were sitting pretty close to the front, so I didn't keep pulling out my phone in the dark.)

So that was the start of Christmas! Then on Christmas Day, we went back to church for the morning service. It was one of the most meaningful Christmas services I've ever attended, and I am so grateful for it. Ryan was in the choir, so I was that wife in the front row. ;) 

After church, we scurried home long enough to pack up the car and head to my parents' house for Christmas with my side of the family. Our Kansas family didn't get to come home this year, but my other sister and brother-in-law were there. I won't bore you with a thousand pictures, but here are a few!

This was the dessert board I made!

Gifts under the tree...

Ryan has a wish list, so now he'll get to make some come true!

Remember when I talked about the new clothing list I've been making to try to choose things that fit my lifestyle well? New jammies were on the list. I usually just wear ratty old t-shirts at home, and I want to look cuter for Ryan! So I got one of the sets I picked out. THEY ARE SO SUPER COMFY!!! Drawstring shorts with POCKETS and a t-shirt to match. So cute. 

Another book! This one is called Devotedly, and it's the love story of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot. (They were young missionaries many years ago and Jim and some fellow missionaries were killed by the tribe they were trying to reach. Later, Elisabeth went back to live among the tribe again - the same people who killed her husband - and they ended up becoming believers! This book was written by Jim and Elisabeth's daughter and pulls right from their love letters and journals. I can't wait to read it!) 

You know you're an adult when you not only put a clothes steamer on your list, but you are giddy to receive it!

Can't wait to try out some of these recipes over the fire pit at the lake!

I made photo books for Mom and Dad this year. This one was of the family vacation we took this summer.

This one was of Dad's 90th birthday party. He was showing it to Lexi. 

My sister got him a head lamp. It was bright!

These two were inseparable most of the day. (Largely because he kept feeding her table scraps. She never gets those except on special occasions, so she pretty much had the merriest Christmas ever.)

We left Lexi at my parents' so she could sleep for a while (after a completely overstimulating day) and we went to Christmas with Ryan's side of the family! I got baby snuggles!!!

We went back to pick up Lexi and drove home. We were worn out by the time we got home (over twelve hours later) but it was a good Christmas! 

Tenth Anniversary Collages

 I have Christmas stories for you, but I need some time to poke through all the pictures and memories before I share. So for today, how would you like to see our anniversary collages?

If you've been reading here throughout our love story, you know that on our first anniversary, we recreated some of our wedding pictures. We loved it so much that we just kept doing it year after year! A few days ago, I was finally able to make the collages from this year, so I thought I'd share them with you today! 

Ryan and I loved looking over these and remembering our anniversary trips. I'm so glad we did this and look forward to seeing what these collages look like in another 10 years!