The Saturday Six

One.

 Source

This post from Kelly Stamps starts out as one about breastfeeding, which some of you might think an odd topic for me to post on {and you'd be right}, but it develops into a post about how we are all so stinkin' quick to judge each other on issues that really don't matter. So in this post, she talked about how she decided to stop breastfeeding her son {who is her third child}. And she didn't want to post about it because she knew all the advocates would come up for air. Funny thing? She actually IS an advocate. But she decided to post so she could talk about why it's important to speak in love instead of judgment. And it's so true. Are we spending our arguing energy on things that aren't eternal?

Two.

Source

We had Jon Acuff on our show a couple  of weeks ago to talk about his new book, Do Over. He talked about the companion project, called Do Summer, in which he challenges people to pick something they want to work on and do it for 15 minutes every day. I was really excited when I saw Tamar's blog post earlier this week...that she's doing it!! Good job, Tamar! Summer's not over...maybe you want to join up!!

Three.

Source

This post, by Emily Freeman, is deep and challenging. She speaks the truth, though. It's easy to be vague...because there's no commitment in being vague. There's much to be said for being specific...both in responsibility and blessing. Please read it...and think!

Four.

I know I linked to this earlier in the week, but if you missed it, I sat at the WBCL mic for the last time this week...my final BLT with Lynne aired Thursday, and if you didn't get a chance to hear it and want to, you can do so here! {Ryan's story at the end about the bilateral bunion surgery is HYSTERICAL.}

Five.

Source

Almost squealed right out loud at these darling fairytale cottage photos. Don't  you just want to move here??? Sigh of joy.

Six.

 Source

 My inner amateur photographer really loves this hint on making your own backdrop boards for photos. :)

BLT: The Grand Finale

My head is still foggy from the emotion of yesterday, but what a beautiful grand finale to the BLT show that has been such a part of my life these last three years. I shared the hour {and the day} with people dear to my heart, and I wondered if it would be okay to share a photo tribute to the day....

Ryan came to work with me to be part of that final BLT. Here we are with Lynne right before the grand finale:

 I took him with me to the studio with the morning guys to be part of the next-to-the-last PB&J show. We had a lot of fun on that.

 Lynne and me at the start of BLT. We had both just cried our way through my Dad's prayer...so this is our this really is the end look.

 My dad sat in the studio with us. He gave his radio love to me...and I gave it to Ryan...and so the legacy continues.

 My mom sat in our office to listen. We tried to persuade her to join us in studio, but she needed her space, and that's okay too.

It appears this might have been DURING prayer. :)

 Ready!

 Radio looks good on him, doesn't it?

 Just a little opera selection. {Kidding. But it looks like that, doesn't it?}

 This show always brought me so many smiles. And though today there were also many tears...there were still many smiles.

Lynne offering wisdom...or practicing her whistling. I'm not sure which.

 Crying already!!

 Always the {fabulous} storyteller...

 Cracking ourselves up....

 Little disconcerting when the fire department showed up.

 {Turns out they were just taking a tour of the building.}

Showing Ryan a message someone texted.

 Listening to a caller...

 Such stories they told...I cried. A lot.

 It was a lovely hour. And all too soon, it was done.

You can hear it here if you missed it...

...and here's the day's crew. Lynne and PeggySue {the new producer} on the left, and me with Ryan and my parents on the right.

So grateful for the celebration of this day. For every call, every email, and every kind word offered on Facebook. A treasure.

From the Mind of Bekah

I just finished writing twenty letters...one to each of my co-workers...sharing things I've loved about working with them, things I appreciate about them, and saying my goodbyes in writing.

So essentially I have no mascara left.

On my eyes. I have plenty left in trails down my cheeks.

I made the mistake of reading my letters out loud to Ryan, who fortunately does not wear mascara, or he'd be in the same boat with the traily cheeks!

Not until I sat to write the letters did I realize just how many vivid memories I have of doing life with these people for the last four years, and just how tender my heart is as I think about walking away from them. Even though I'm almost the youngest person at the station, I am such a little mother hen with my friends. I need to know they'll be loved and taken care of in my absence.

Today, I go to work with my letters in my bag, ready to distribute them. I go with my camera packed securely in my purse {well that's no different from any other day, to be truthful about it} so my friend Jeri can document my day, because this a big day.

It's my last BLT. And in fact....it's the last BLT. Last one ever. Lynne and I will take our places {with our Kleenex boxes} for the very last time together, open our mics, and laugh, talk, and no doubt cry profusely as we say our goodbyes as a team.

I am profoundly thankful that Ryan has the day off and will be sitting beside me, behind a mic of his own, sharing this last show with me. I wanted him there. Our journey as the Shaffers began in earnest in that building, behind those mics, and it seems only appropriate that he will be there for the last one.

And when the show ends, the mics are turned off, and my makeup is reapplied, we'll gather as a group for a party, which is one of my favorite things in life. I'm excited to celebrate with these people I love so much, and I'm excited Ryan and my parents get to be part of the celebration too.

If you're not busy and want to hear BLT live today, it will take place at 10 a.m. Eastern time, and you can stream it live here. Ryan is armed with funny stories to rescue Lynne and me if we start to melt down and are too incoherent to continue. {I kind of hope it happens once, because he gave me a preview of one of the stories last night, and it is HILARIOUS.}

Can We Talk Wardrobes? {Part One.}

If you heard BLT last week, then you've already heard the first part of this discussion, and please do not think me lazy in coming up with blog topics, but it's just that I'm mildly mentally obsessed with this concept since that show.

{That sentence was far too long and probably a hundred kinds of grammatically incorrect. This can happen to me when I become mildly mentally obsessed. My apologies.}

So last week, on BLT, we talked about capsule wardrobes. I'd never heard of them before Lynne pitched the show idea to me, but I learned quite a bit about them during the show. The idea, if you have also been living under a rock with me and are unfamiliar, is to have a basic set of clothing {most of the sites I saw recommended between 3-5 dozen pieces, and that includes shoes and coats} that you wear on a mix and match/rotating basis. There are, of course, many variations, but the idea is to pare down, simplify, and not spend every morning in front of your closet, staring at 200 things and wondering what in the world you'll wear.

I find this to be a fascinating concept, because I am that person who stands in front of the closet FULL to overflowing and wonders what she'll wear. I'm also the person who goes to the store, comes home with "killer sales" and adds them to the full-to-overflowing closet and yet continues to wonder what to wear.

Perhaps it's my age, perhaps it's trendy, perhaps it's conviction, but I'm in a phase right now where I want to simplify my possessions in general, so the idea of having a pared down wardrobe is appealing. I won't lie.

Before we talked about it on BLT, I worried that adopting this lifestyle would mean I'd never be able to shop for clothes again, but the more we talked, the more I realized that's just not true. {And thank goodness, because sometimes a girl's gotta have some retail therapy...amen?} I realized that adopting this mentality would mean being very intentional about the clothing I own, being on the hunt for pieces to complete the capsule, and shopping for something to replace a piece that has gotten a bit on the worn side. {ha ha...get it? worn?}

Part of me is nervous to think about trying this because I'm not overly great at the mixing and matching and layering. But it could be fun to learn a new skill...yes?

So. Here's my thought for today. I'll show you three capsule pictures I found, and see what you think. Have any of you tried this before? Have any of you thought about trying this before? Spill your guts on the idea!! And then tomorrow I'll give you my thoughts for what this would look like for me if I tried it.

The first one I found {which I adored for many reasons} was a year round capsule. So this IS her closet. {The exceptions she listed on her blog were: workout clothes, pajamas, and farm clothes - since she's a farmer. But this was her wardrobe outside of those realms.}

The second one I found was actually a two-parter. This person has a spring/summer capsule and a fall/winter capsule.

That was the spring/summer one {in case you weren't sure} and here's fall/winter:

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday, we started a new sermon series at church...on faith. Why do I have a feeling this is coming at the most opportune time, given our life station? That afternoon, Ryan and I picked out our flowers for this year...I always love flower shopping! And I got on a bit of a cooking kick and even made homemade strawberry shortcake!!

* Monday was Memorial Day, and Ryan had to go to work, but I got to stay home. I still worked {producers' jobs are never done}...writing interview questions for my show on Tuesday. Braeya took a nap on the dining room table, which made me feel very good about the germ quality of the table! {Good thing we never use it to eat!} And that night, she was so tired from her "busy" day, she took another nap with Ryan!

* Tuesday, I hosted my final full-length show, interviewing Melanie Shankle about her latest book. I prayed that I would just really enjoy that last interview, and I did, so I'm grateful! After work, Ryan and I actually planted the flowers we got earlier. {I completely forgot about them. How bad would it have been if they'd all died!?!!?!?} I loved the outcome...now to keep them alive!

* Wednesday was an encore show at work, so I had a whole day all to myself in my office! I am such a nerd that I printed out a bunch of planner pages and began writing a training schedule for my job. N.E.R.D. The weather was CRAZY that day. Check this out from my drive home. Left picture: out my driver's side of my car. Right picture: Out the passenger side. Seconds apart.

* Thursday I co-hosted BLT with Jim Barron for the last time...he filled in for Lynne while she was on vacation. While I was doing that, Ryan and his co-worker Chanteal were busy winning the little tournament started a few weeks ago. I didn't know he got PRIZES for winning! GOOD JOB, BABY!!! That evening we FINALLY got to lay in the hammock for a while. How sad is it that it's the end of May and that's the first time we got to do that???

* I ended up taking Friday off work because I could, so I spent the day doing errands and chores - and the last of the prep for my speaking engagement on Saturday! One of my chores was laundry - don't you HATE it when one sock escapes getting INSIDE the washer and you don't realize it until you go to switch the laundry to the dryer!?!?? I also surprised Ryan by getting our caricature picture framed! We already had the frame...I just got a new mat to fit it. Love it!

* Yesterday, I drove to Antwerp, Ohio, to speak at a ladies' luncheon at a church. I had a great time with them...they were warm and inviting, and I really appreciated the chance to share with them. A huge storm blew through right when I got up to speak...one more creative way God keeps me dependent! :) Ryan worked, so he couldn't go with me this time. But we got to spend the evening together...little date night out on the town!