The Shafferland Shuffle

A very happy 46th monthiversary to my handsome husband. 46 months is a whisper away from an official FOUR YEARS!!! Yay!!!

* Last Sunday morning, we stopped by my parents' house on the way to church...got there right when the sun came up, and it was so pretty! Last Sunday was also our last day at the church we have attended for most of our marriage. Bittersweet to say goodbye to this church that has come to mean so much to us in the last 3.5 years!

* Monday, Ryan played in the cornhole tournament at work. We won't really talk about the outcome of that round, and INSTEAD, we will move on to this very cute pumpkin art I found {FOR FREE} on Pinterest! It livened up our guest room! And while Sunday may have had a a gorgeous sunrise, Monday won the prize for gorgeous sunset.

* Tuesday was pretty much the perfect fall day. Sunshine, great weather for taking a walk, not too hot, and not too cold. It was even perfect for curling up in the light of the sun to read. And it's possible that by "reading," I also mean "taking a nap."

 * Wednesday, the weather started getting yucky on us, just in time for our date-night game. You remember the charity game heard round the world when our team lost and I had to Lamaze my way through it? Oh yes. That game. Despite the cold and rain {and the fact that I am now FIGHTING a cold from said night out}, it was fun to have a night out on the town with Ryan!

 * Thursday was national coffee day, so I partook all day long at home! Ryan mowed his aunt and uncle's yard that night, so I went along and had him drop me off at Hobby Lobby so I could do some shopping for things I needed, and on the way home, we stopped at Starbucks for our OFFICIAL observance of National Coffee Day. I was brave and tried the Chile Mocha they just brought out. Yeah that was a bad idea. Burned my throat with every drink and I hated the flavor. And that is how National Coffee Day crashed and burned on me.

* Friday night, we went to my parents' house, so Ryan could do some projects for them, and they took us out for dinner in exchange. It was delicious! On our way home, we stopped at this new little place called the Hydration Station for drinks. We had frosted apple ciders, and they were delicious. Unfortunately they also make frosted caramel apple, frosted apple pie, and a bunch of other frosted apple drinks, so we are going to have to figure out how to go OFTEN!!!

 * Yesterday, Ryan worked, and I had Phoebe all day! It was a rainy day, so we mostly hung out at home and took naps! And then last night, I went to a birthday party for my friend, Amber. It was a craft party, and I made a coffee cup Advent calendar! I loved the way it turned out!

Why I Can't Play Sports

That title probably leads you to imagine it's because of my lack of talent.

And to an extent, you'd be right. What? Basketballs are supposed to go inside the basket? Striking out is not the goal of softball? Tennis balls are supposed to go back and forth between two people over a period of time?

All news to me and my uncoordinated self.

But the truth is, I can't play sports because I am way too competitive at heart. If I care even a little tiny bit, I care with my whole heart, and my blood pressure starts doing routines that would put Olympic gymnasts to shame.

It's funny, really, because I don't even understand most sports. But when I do understand, suddenly I'm an assistant coach with all the passion.

It made for an interesting night last night.

Ryan and I went to a charity game in town. A CHARITY GAME, PEOPLE. His hospital (organization at large) against the other big hospital in town. The game was raising money for the Alzheimer's foundation, and we thought it would be fun to go cheer on our friends who were playing.

It wasn't the warmest night, but we layered up and took jackets and headed to the ballpark.

We found our way to concessions for hot chocolate and cookies:

We made it as far as the National Anthem:

And then it began to rain, and that was the end of our time in the seats. Everyone rushed to the back of the stadium to stand under the roof. But the game went on, and our team rocked.

Inning after inning, we scored all the runs. At one point, we were up 17-0. SEVENTEEN TO ZERO!!!!

I screamed at the top of my lungs and jumped up and down like a crazy woman, cheering away.

It was a very good date.

Ryan hung out with his co-workers:

And we were great cheerleaders.

And then suddenly...

...the other team started scoring. A lot.

I had to engage breathing techniques, and then I had to just go stand behind a post and not look.

At the last minute, we lost by a run.

HOW DOES THIS EVEN HAPPEN!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!!?!??!?!?!?!??!

Yes, I know it was a charity game. Yes, I know the money raised happened because of runs scored, regardless of which team scored them.


I think I forgot to mention that to my face.

So in the end, we were freezing, had sore feet from standing the whole time, and we somehow went from being up 17-0 to losing by one run.

This is why I can't play sports. Or watch them. It's not that I'm too dumb to understand or that I lack all necessary skill. It's that I care too much. {Do you believe that, Ryan?}

Even so, I loved our date night out. We had a lot of good laughs, despite the madness. And it makes for a good story for the scrapbook, right??

And perhaps this is a very appropriate verse for thinking about the other team! 

Hometown Date: Kokomo Jackrabbits Game

If you heard the podcast yesterday, you've already heard a bit about our time at the Kokomo Jackrabbits game, but I thought you might like to have some pictures to go with it! :)

Ryan is not a baseball fan {Gasp...what!?!?!} so the only reason we had this evening on our radar was because he won two tickets last fall when we ran the 5K. You can't let free tickets go to waste, so we reserved our seats for this past Friday night, which turned out to be a beautiful {even if blistering hot} night to spend at the ball park!

We found the Jackrabbit as soon as we arrived, and Ryan wanted a picture with him. {It was Princesses and Superheroes night at the park, so if Belle had been there, you can know I would have had a picture with her!}

Our seats were in the first row right behind the visiting team's dugout, so it was somewhat of a photography delight! :) But it was also in the direct line of the sun for about the first hour and a half of the game!

My dear, sweet husband took pity on me and went to find relief in the form of a cold Coke and a funeral fan!

At the beginning, these girls danced to a medley of Mary Poppins songs - I LOVED IT! But my goodness, what a hot night to have to do high kicks in long pants and sleeves!

Love this: fist bump between the Jackrabbit and a player.

 I paid VERY close attention to the game because we were in a danger zone for being hit!

We ate dinner before we went, so we didn't eat scads of junk food, but Ryan wanted one treat, so we shared some waffle fries. As I said on the podcast, these fries FAR exceeded my expectations of ballpark food. I was expecting lukewarm and mushy, but they were hot and crispy!

The whole atmosphere is very family friendly, with all kinds of little games in between innings, and the big kid in our family managed to catch a t-shirt when they threw them to the crowd!

And then it was a child's medium!! Ha ha ha! It fits me...in a crop top sort of way. But hey, we won!!

We also won the game!

And here's the kicker: at the end of the game, Ryan said he had so much fun, he would go again!!!! WHAT?!?!!???!? The guy who doesn't like baseball and had never watched a game?

So we declared it a fun date that we would do again!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday, Ryan and I made the grand tour for graduation open houses. Tis the season! Our first stop was for the daughter of one of Ryan's co-workers, and look what made an appearance at her party!?!? One of our chalkboards! They really do pop up where you least expect them. After that, we stopped by the party for the daughter of good friends from our old church. We enjoyed seeing old friends and celebrating!

* Well, you thought our home projects were done, didn't you? Nope. After moving Mommapalooza 3.0 inside unexpectedly on Mother's Day, we decided we needed a space to accommodate a group of that size when we entertain, so we're finishing off our garage to fit the bill. Monday, a crew came to blow some insulation into the walls, and that night we went to purchase the rolls of insulation to put over it. I felt my #shiplap shirt was an appropriate fit for such a trip. Oh! And I made coffee for the two of us at lunch and learned that this mug holds EXACTLY 1 large k-cup!

* Tuesday, I worked on some scrapbooking {trying to meet a sale deadline} and I had a little help on my project! That night, Ryan and I worked together to hang the insulation for the garage. My job was to measure and cut, and Ryan did all the stapling. Want to guess who messed up on her ONE JOB????

* Wednesday morning, I spoke to the senior adult group at a church, and they were very gracious and welcoming. Thoroughly enjoyed that opportunity! I also got to have lunch/hang out with one of my blogonymous friends while I was in the area, and that was fun! It was a gorgeous day, and we had a great time together! That night, Ryan brought home a whole bunch of strawberries gifted to us by one of his patients, so we cleaned and froze a bunch of them!

* Thursday, I alternated between scrapbooking and doing home chores, including changing the sheets on our bed, made a bit more difficult by SOMEONE who thought this was a game! I watched a webinar for an event I'm helping with at church later this year, and that night, Ryan and I attempted a workout while utterly exhausted from a long week. The warning seemed especially meaningful that night!

* This weekend, we had so much fun right in our hometown, and I can't wait to tell you more about it, but we kicked it off Friday night with our first ever trip to watch the Kokomo Jackrabbits play baseball. Ryan won tickets to a game last fall when we ran that 5k race, and this was when it worked out for us to go. It was a blazing hot night, but we had SUCH FUN at that game. Full story coming soon!

* And yesterday, to round out the weekend-o-fun, we took our first trip to Kokomo Beach {which is - for those of you not from here - NOT a beach, but rather a pool/water park}. It was packed, because again, a blazing four million degrees in Indiana, but we had a great time. And we ended the day by taking in Rib Fest, which was Ryan's happy place. MEAT!

It's the Weekly Recap!

* Sunday was a true day of rest. I needed it! I took one of those naps in the afternoon that you just can't wake up from...try as you might. It was absolutely heavenly. I spent the day reading, scrapping, and watching TV - namely 9/11 specials that have already started to air. They fascinate me - no idea why.


* Monday morning was...well...a Monday morning at my house. Braeya sleeps in my bed, and every morning, when I get up, she gets up too and goes to the kitchen with me to get breakfast. Then she plays while I eat. Not Monday. She stayed in bed, and this is how I found her when it was time to make the bed.
I put that picture on the WBCL Facebook page and during the afternoon, I heard Ross tell people to check it out. Braeya's radio famous! :) Not bad for a cat!

* Tuesday night, as you already saw, was my first ever ball game! I had so much fun taking in my entire first baseball experience (and I managed not to get hit by any wayward baseballs - though one player tried really hard to hit us - more than once).
* Wednesday I got my first taste of the end of the month (Jamie-less) at my new job. Wowza. BUSY!! It was very overwhelming...making me ever that much more grateful for Lynne's compassion. I ran into some wildly frustrating computer problems and she was so sweet about it...telling me not to worry. Bless her heart.

* Thursday was...a new month and therefore...a new picture! I know you've been anxiously awaiting. Phats...here you go! Thursday evening, Rachel came over to hang out - and we made milkshakes and watched multiple episodes of "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant." That show freaks me out. But it was much fun to have a relaxing evening at home with Rachel. I miss her!

* Friday was a red letter day!! We got an hour's head start on our weekend, which was a super treat! And Lynne and I got the sweetest note from an author she interviewed earlier in the week. The author thanked me for putting her at ease as we prepared for the show, which was the nicest compliment. Makes me feel like I'm doing something not only right...but worthwhile! And she included this bookmark, which has the perfect words on it:
(In case you can't read it, it says, "God delights in turning the pages of our lives so that He can write exciting new chapters." - Roy Lessin)

And when I got home, the UPS man came to visit. When I went to the door, he said, "I sure am delivering a lot of textbooks today! I said, "This is no textbook - this is a SCRAPBOOK!"

PLUS - my parents surprised me by replacing my kitchen faucet. (All in the name of a marketed house.)

* Saturday was a glorious day at home. For as much as I like to be on the go, I adore being home. I slept in until ten, did a lot of reading, worked around the house, did some chores, and watched the Little House on the Prairie marathon on Hallmark. Sigh of happiness.

Books I'm Reading: Continued reading in Jesus Calling each day. FINISHED reading Deepest Thanks, Deeper Apologies - a book that releases officially in October. Absolutely fell in love with it. It made me want to write...such an inspiration! STARTED AND FINISHED two other books: Tending the Soul, which is a collection of short devotionals written by several popular women's authors, and A Woman's Walk in Grace by Catherine Martin. Found several challenging parts in that book!!

Favorite God Moment of the Whole Week: Friday night, I sat down to read and pray, and I realized that my journaling hadn't been as intense as I typically like for it to be. That's usually a sign that I'm not spending enough time with the Lord. But this time I realized I felt so close to Him...so much so that I couldn't even put the thoughts on paper. I loved that thought.

Update on Last Week's Goals: I managed to keep an open heart this week...and I'm so thankful. I wasn't sure how well I'd do, but I kept reminding myself over and over that He has proven capable of writing my story, so He can handle all the details.

Goals for the Coming Week: Busy, busy work week coming up! Despite having a day off, it might be one of my busiest weeks yet. I want to be able to handle all the newness and challenges well. (I am going to be on the air two days in a row, I get to go on my first remote event since the parade, and I am helping to cover for someone on vacation one day. Lots to figure out!)

My First Tin Caps Game!

Actually, a more accurate title would be My First GAME. It's a sad, but true fact about my life. Aside from a few high school games I attended (both at my itty bitty public school and my BFF's ittier bittier Christian school) and a few IWU basketball/volleyball games, I've never been to any game of any kind in my life. Well. Until now.

My friends the Crandalls (of Anne of Green Gables fest fame) invited me to go with them and a friend of theirs to see the Fort Wayne Tin Caps at Parkview Field. Didn't have to ask me twice! Sign me up!
The stadium is pretty new and I'd heard it was a nice one - with a very good view of the city skyline. Granted I had nothing to compare it to, but I was pretty impressed! And MAN - what a perfect night for a game. Not too hot, not too cold, not too windy, not too still, not too sunny, not too cloudy...you get the idea.

I have no idea who this guy is. We were trying to figure out the major league team associated with the Tin Caps. Camera zoom to the rescue! The answer? The Padres!!

I loved our seats. They were field box seats - which I thought looked like cattle pens. (Much nicer than a real cattle pen, I'm sure.) We had our own table where we could sit and talk...and a waitress brought us our ballgame buffet. (We had a little smorgasboard of seasoned waffle fries, popcorn and nachos, and then we all got hot dogs and chips too. I felt that I got the entire experience.)

We had the best time laughing and talking (the game wasn't particularly high scoring, so we had plenty of time to be entertained between runs).

The players gathered for a little conference on the pitcher's mound. We assumed they were planning an end-of-game rally. We assumed incorrectly.

I also appreciated the entertainment....like this human bowling ball game!

What a very fun night...I'm so glad I went. And here is the proof that I really was there! Final score...uh we lost. 5-1, I think. To the Lansing Lugnuts, no less. Wouldn't you like to answer phones for them? "Lansing Lugnuts. How may I direct your call?"

PS - I'm not really wearing a jacket in August. It just looks like it. Good grief.