School's Out for the Summer!

Last August, I told you about my new little side job of helping a friend getting her kiddo to school every morning. She and I set up that whole adventure on our own, and I'd never even met her son before my first day on the job. It felt a little creepy to drive up to their front door and pick him up when he had no idea who I was or anything about me.

And as I told you back in August, I had no idea what to talk about when he was in the car. At the start of the year, he was pretty into Pokemon (along with the rest of the adult and child universe) but that fizzled out fairly quickly. And so we returned to driving in silence, because he's not a morning person and I'm not nine.

Over the last week, I've been watching a lot of my friends post first-day-of-school and last-day-of-school comparison pictures of their kids, and it's been fun to see how much they've grown in a year's time. And though I have no comparison pictures to show you, I can see how we both grew as this year went by. Not in stature, but in learning to relate.

I stopped stressing out about finding topics and just waited for topics to show up on their own. Sometimes we really did drive in silence. But as the year went on, we tentatively talked about things, and the conversation on his end began to be longer than one word answers!

Our city is apparently playing a game of "how many streets can we simultaneously close" right now, so nearly every day, we had to take a detour of some sort. It became a game for the two of us: how far into our drive can we get before we have to find a new route?

We also watched some building projects and demolition projects (both great sources of conversation for boys), and learned a few lessons along the way (don't drive through flooded streets, the meaning of a BLT sandwich, and more).

By the end of our final day, talk was more than a good morning and goodbye. We talked about the future, as near as summer plans and as far as college plans. We wished for two hour delays (which we almost never got) and counted down to the end of the school. Cracked me up that when he got in the car each morning, he had already crossed that day off the countdown, even though he hadn't even arrived at school.

I learned about fidget spinners, dojos, Fun Fridays, the ridiculousness of long spelling words, and the unfairness of being grounded from an iPad.

But the best moment came on the last day. He crawled in the car, and while I fully expected him to shout about the last day, he was mostly just upset about his new haircut. It looked fine to me, so I waited while he explained why it was so awful. When he finished his story, I said, "Well, that does stink, but the good news is, hair grows. Unless you're Ryan. And then you're in trouble." He laughed right out loud over that line, and that was my end of the year school award. I made him laugh!

Transporting anyone to school was never on my list of things I thought I would do, and there were some days it was hard to juggle it into the busyness of the day. There were winter days when I panicked to Ryan about getting there and back safely. But I have to say, I think it was a good growing experience, and I'm glad I did it.

But for now, can I just celebrate? Because SCHOOL'S OUT FOR THE SUMMER, BABY!!!

Linking up with Tamar!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday, we were waking up for our last morning in Michigan. Sigh of sadness for the end of vacations! We enjoyed a beautiful and peaceful hike through a state park and onto the shore of Lake Michigan before driving back home. (In the warm sun, of course, which showed up for the first time in days.) Still had a great vacation and it was good to be home!

* Monday was get-back-to-normal day. Ryan returned to work, I did a bunch of laundry and unpacked, Braeya wavered between being glad to see us and punishing us with much crying, and the best part of all? OUR ROSES BLOOMED!!!! They are so pretty!

* Tuesday morning I met Ryan's brother and his wife and kids out at the park to do a photo shoot for one of the kiddos. It was a really fun morning, and the colors in the pictures really popped because it was just a little bit overcast! Because I'd been busy all day with pictures and writing, Ryan suggested we use a gift card and go out to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. No problem! :) On the way home, we saw more good news: Starbucks is being rebuilt! YESSSSSSSSS!

* Wednesday was blah and yucky, but it cracked me up that I had to wait for ducks to cross the road while I was out running errands. (They were NOT in a hurry.) I picked up a fresh stock of kiddo supplies since I had the fab five for a little while that evening. Coloring books, crayons, games, puzzles - and this one kind of disturbing box that encourages "learning with Pooh." I try to stay poo-free in my learning, thankyouverymuch.

* Ryan had a carry-in at his work on Thursday, so I made cheesy potatoes and this photo is the last I saw of them. That dish was nearly licked CLEAN! I spent the entire day writing, and it was amazing. I was in the same spot when Ryan came home from work that I'd been in when he left for work! AND I got a new toy! Stand to hold my notes while I rehearse my talks. No more using the back of the recliner!

* Friday was the last day of school! I'm not sure who was more excited: my kiddo that I take or me! I decided it was a good stop-for-a-latte-reward day, so I did! (Took one to Ryan too since he filled in for me once when I was sick.) Speaking of Ryan: I LOVE IT when I see him reading a book. Makes me so happy! He started reading my brother-in-law's book this week, and I just had to get a picture. :) And Friday night we actually got a whole night at home together, just the two of us, with nothing to do.

* Ryan had to work a long day yesterday, so I did more writing and Pinteresting while he was gone. I had to record a promo video for a workshop this summer, so that was a fun little adventure. He took me out to eat AGAIN (thank you, gift cards!!) which was a real treat. Although I have to say, the restaurant and I have different takes on medium well. Yikes! And after that? A quick stop at Lowe's for Ryan's favorite thing: holiday price checks for appliances!

The Shafferland Shuffle

Happy Sunday, everyone! This week, we have some classic Indiana for you in the old Shuffle! Hope you enjoy!

* Last Sunday was a glorious, low-key Sunday at home. It was also Super Bowl Sunday, and because we didn't have any personal investment in the teams playing, we didn't go to or host a party this year. I did make a clean eating queso recipe and clean eating mozzarella sticks for our party for two, and we watched the whole game! Commercials, half-time show, overtime and all!

* Monday night we had Tuesdays at the Table. Confused? LOL! We wanted to have our friend Randy over for dinner, but Monday was a better day for him, so that became our night! I kept the menu on the healthy side - a cleaned up version of cheeseburger soup, salads, and even a healthy dessert. We had a great time catching up with Randy!

* Tuesday was a rainy day: perfect for staying home to write, which is exactly what I did all day. Had a big old writing marathon. Worked on chronicling more of our story, which took me back to journals of yore. Ryan brought home a cupcake treat for us - leftover from a birthday party at work. Delicious! And we had Bible study, which turned out to be a great night of discussion!

* Ryan woke up Wednesday morning with Starbucks on his mind, so even before work, we were in the car headed out for a treat! And by afternoon, the entire city was coated in the most beautiful snow. It came down like a snow globe and was just stunning to behold!

* Annnnnnnnnnnnnd then on Thursday it wasn't so pretty anymore. It was just icy and dangerous. We even had a school delay! I slid back home JUST in time for my podcast interview with Sarah Beckman, and I worked on that the rest of the day. I remembered late in the afternoon that I was supposed to make a dessert for a small group meeting that night, so I scurried around to throw something together, and off we went to meet some new friends from church!

* Friday was a busy day for both of us - the kind of day that leaves you warming up leftovers for lunch and going out for dinner. Ryan sent me a picture from work: I think Ryan's work is a little too fun sometimes!! :) The fun went downhill when he got home: tax prep is not fun at all!

* Yesterday was supposed to be rainy, but it turned out to be a gorgeous WARM spring-like day. No coats needed! (Yes, you read that right. Two days after a snow day.) We did a county tour to Boone county, which I'll tell you more about tomorrow, but it was just such a fun day! Loved having Ryan all to myself and exploring new territory!

The Shafferland Shuffle

After the week we've had, I kind of feel like New Year's Day was about 1000 years ago, but alas, it was just last Sunday! Here's a peek at our way-more-eventful-week-than-we-planned happenings!

* Last Sunday, as I said, was New Year's Day, and we'd planned to spend the day with Ryan's extended family for our annual Christmas gathering, but alas, we spent it in the Emergency Room instead, trying to get to the bottom of Ryan's sudden onset of pain within the last week. After four hours and a huge battery of tests, we were sent home with instructions to await the birth of Myrtle the kidney stone.

* Monday was our 49th monthiversary, and since Ryan's department was closed to observe New Year's Day, we actually got to spend the day together. YAY!!! We took it easy at home and tried to celebrate, but Ryan was still in a decent amount of pain, so it wasn't perhaps in the top five of most fun and eventful monthiversaries of all time. I hated that for him, but I was still happy to be with him.

* Tuesday, Ryan went back to work, and so did I, after a month or so away from my writing and speaking pursuits. We also hosted our first Tuesdays at the Table for 2017 that night, inviting our friends John and Sandee over for dinner. Apparently I cooked the worst of all the things for Ryan's poor stomach, because John and Sandee had barely left before we were in the car headed back to the Emergency Room for another 3 hours of tests. This time, we were sent home with an ulcer diagnosis.

* Wednesday, I returned to the carpool world, because school returned to full-time session. (I had a feeling the kiddo I drive to school would not be quite ready to go back, and I was right!) I spent the day working hard, and when I went to visit Ryan at the end of the work day, I even got to see Miss Phoebe! That's always a good day. Ended the day by making a big batch of granola, which made the house smell just like a bakery.

* Thursday, I devoted (hey!! that's my word of the year!) my entire day to finishing the work on my website to get it up and running. I got the entire site done, which made me SO HAPPY, and also SO BEHIND on my steps. I had to do some major laps around the house to get them all in, but I did it! And it was the perfect day to do all this, because it was also our first snow of 2017! (There's no picture of this because I guess he didn't want to remember it, but this was also the day of Ryan's gallbladder ultrasound, which showed the healthiest liver in Howard county...and no gallstones.)

* Friday was cold here in the Midwest, although we were not preparing for any blizzards like I know some of you were! I ran my errands early so I could be HOME where it was warm, finishing my book and trying out my new foot soak kit (HEAVENLY). Ryan and I did our grocery shopping right after work so we could come home and rest all evening. Ryan's had a long, hard week, and he definitely deserved his rest! Since we can't eat most places currently, we got Subway and brought it home. Delicious - and bonus! Didn't make Ryan sick!

* Yesterday was cold again, but I told Ryan whenever the sun comes out and the wind dies down, it somehow doesn't feel quite as cold. I worked hard to try making some new recipes to try to make Ryan's diet a little more exciting, and he was able to eat everything I made. YAY! He was even feeling well enough last night to run to Starbucks for a latte. He takes the whole coffee thing very easy right now, so this was a treat!

The Christmas Shuffle!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! We know many of you are extra busy today with Christmas festivities and church, too, so you might not even be here to read this ON Christmas day, but whenever you arrive at this post, we wish you a very merry Christmas!!

We've had a full week, and our best gift is that we are FINALLY FEELING BETTER!!!!!

* Because a second round of ice was expected to fall overnight Saturday into Sunday, many churches canceled their Sunday morning services, including ours. AND, Ryan's mom postponed their family Christmas, which was supposed to be that day as well. So Ryan and I had a whole day at home! Ryan made breakfast, we watched church on TV, and we took a whole day of rest, enjoying movies, football, scrapbooking, naps, and the Christmas lights!

* Even though it was so bitterly cold that all the schools around here operated on a delay, last Monday morning was so pretty. Sunrise on snow is beautiful! AND I found a cardinal in the tree, so that made me happy, too! Ryan and I had a few errands to run after work, and we stopped by to visit a friend who is home-bound now. He was happy to see us and asked his caregiver to make us espresso, which I promptly ruined by adding creamer. LOL! But it was good to see him and try to bring some Christmas cheer!

* Tuesday was the last day of school before Christmas break, so I did my last carpool run before coming home to work on my 2017 planner. {Happiness in a day!} I also had a little more wrapping to do - including Ryan's stocking stuffers, so I got that done. Our only free night this week was Tuesday, so we finished binge-watching a DVR'd show, and Ryan was exceedingly sad to realize he was going to have to wait quite a while for the next episode!

* Wednesday was my parents' neighborhood Christmas party and we went as photographers for the photo booth, which was much fun! Dinner was delicious, the company was fun, and we had a great time!

* Thursday, I met up with one of my friends for coffee and some shopping in the afternoon, which was a fun treat! That night, Ryan and I joined his family to celebrate his mom's birthday, and we ended up having a good time together - even if we traumatized our poor waitress!

* Friday felt like Saturday ALL DAY. Not sure why! I met with my friend Faith and her daughters for our annual Christmas celebration, and we had a great time. That night, Ryan and I had date night, which included a trip through the We Care Park to see the lights. We drove it since it was rainy, but it was still a lot of fun!

* Ryan had to work yesterday morning, and while he was gone, I had a massive cookie baking extravaganza for all the Christmas celebrations. It was FUN! And last night was our first Christmas of 2016, with Ryan's dad's side of the family. His grandma always makes an amazing dinner {ham, noodles, the whole nine yards} and we got to exchange gifts with that side. Great night!

So...merry Christmas from us!! Can't wait to catch up with you this week and tell you all about Christmas! :)

The Shafferland Shuffle

BE SAFE, my friends! I know there's a lot of bad weather filtering about this morning. Please, oh please, be safe out there!!

* Last Sunday was a sick day at the Shaffer household. Ryan was just certain if he could have one whole day at home to rest, he could kick the cold and get well again. While it didn't totally cure him, it did go a long way in helping. It snowed, so it was pretty to watch that from the comfort of the INSIDE. Even though we were sad to miss church, it was glorious to have a whole day at home! A true Sabbath!

* Monday's mail truck brought me a PRESENT! I may be 38, but I'm not too old to freak out in joy over a present in the mail! :) I worked from home, in the presence of our pretty Griswold tree, and knocked out a ton of chores. And when Ryan came home, Braeya curled right up in his lap and slept the night away. It's her happiest moment.

* Tuesday morning, AFTER I got home from my carpool run, it started snowing, and it was so pretty. Like a snow globe. I loved it! And Tuesday night, we hosted Tuesdays at the Table! We invited over a couple we'd never hung out with before, and we laughed so hard. It was the best time! Perfect night for soup and pie and laughter! :)

 * Ryan was excited on Wednesday, because there was a giant crane doing work at his work. I'm pretty sure he secretly wanted to go drive it! :) In other secret wishes, Braeya secretly wished she could have a piece of Ryan's pie. She was funny - she just sat next to him, very quietly, looking the other direction, like "if I am just good enough, he will notice me and share." Didn't happen. So she paid him back later by drinking his water. And this is why we have to have sippy cups.

* Thursday. Oh, you guys. THURSDAY. That cold of Ryan's came right back to me, and I was utterly flattened. I never left the couch. I tried to read and watch TV, but the truth was, I slept the entire afternoon away. Ryan said he had never seen me as sick as I was that day, and that's probably about the truth. He prayed for me, which I really appreciated, and I also appreciated being able to be home and have pretty lights to look at between naps. But other than that, I would just prefer to forget Thursday.

* By Friday, Ryan and I were ready to declare WAR on the germs in our house. We washed and disinfected EVERYTHING. And while I did feel much better than I did on Thursday, I was still not great, so that night, we curled up and watched Christmas Vacation and drank the delicious lattes that our friends Mike and Angie brought to us as a gift to cheer us up!

* So if you're not from around central Indiana, you might have missed out on the ice that blanketed us overnight Friday into Saturday. Woke up to an actual skating rink outside. It was insane! We slept in, took it easy, and then Ryan went out to salt the driveway, and one of our friends in the neighborhood had a sled out and was sledding down the ice in the driveway. Of course Ryan wanted to try, and I have {are you ready for this?} never gone sledding before. So we both went. We were just out for a few minutes, but it was fun in the most terrifying way! We did manage to get out a bit later for errands, and then we hunkered down before the next round hit!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday morning, we drove my sister, Lori, to the airport, so she could fly back home after Mom's party. I was so glad she had been able to come for the party, but I wasn't ready for her to go home so soon!! We stopped for a breakfast date on the way home and then...we got to keep Miss Phoebe!!! She came over for the afternoon and evening, and we had a grand time, going for walks, visiting Grandpa, and taking naps. We love Phoebe!!

* Monday signaled the return to normalcy for us. Ryan captured this gorgeous sunrise on the way to work, and I got busy cleaning up after all the party. Decorations and supplies had to be put away...and there were also many veggies to eat, since Mom brought that ginormous veggie tray to her own party! LOL! Salads all week long! I guess there were too many salads, because Ryan sent me a picture of the "big bowl of snacks" at work. I mean, seriously! Have you ever seen a bowl this big???

* Tuesday was a big day...because Ryan's grandpa got out of the rehab hospital! :) We were happy to see how much he had improved!! And other than that, the day was just filled with regular things, like sitting in the carpool line with my coffee and going for power walks with Ryan. {This is a new thing for us, and I'm obsessed with beating our previous time. On this day, we beat it by FOUR MINUTES!!}

* Got a special treat on Wednesday: Ryan ended up with the afternoon off work, unexpectedly!!! We took a long nap, went for a coffee run, and caught up on all our DVR shows that we were STILL behind on from the Olympics. Ryan and Braeya got into a little bit of a remote war. I'm not sure who won.

* Thursday was a pretty low key day. Oh how I have longed for low key days! Hung out at home with Braeya, who was extra needy of drinks from the sink that day {eyeroll}, laid in the hammock to read my novel, and watched Ryan eat M and Ms from a bowl. Because that's how we do things around here.

* Friday was our 45th monthiversary, and it was nearly a perfect day!! We got a pretty exciting surprise in the mail, which I will tell you about soon, and we enjoyed a fun date out on the town that evening. Went to Burger King, which is NOT on the clean eating list, but we were celebrating and that happens to be one of my favorites. And we went to our remaining Starbucks, too. :) Thankful for 45 months together with Ryan!

* Yesterday was SUCH a fun day. Ryan planned a surprise date for me, and until we were on our way, I had no idea what it was! We went to Indianapolis and did a scavenger hunt of the downtown area. I can't wait to tell you all about it. Great date idea!! It was a treat to have him all to myself for a whole day after all of the busyness of the last month!

Tales from the Carpool Lane

I've picked up a little side job recently, helping out one of our friends by taking her son to school in the mornings. He's 9, and a super sweet kid, but the question remained: what do you talk about when trying to make conversation with a shy 9 year old boy?

Ryan gave me some hints of things he might like to discuss, and I did try, but conversations were awkward and usually fizzled out pretty quickly. We would arrive at school each day, and I'd sip on coffee in the carpool lane while I waited to let him out next to the school. {So far I haven't shown up in my jammies or bathrobe, so I feel I haven't truly lived up to the hype I've heard about with such adventures, but the year is young. Give me time.}

Anyway.

Yesterday we were en route to school again and I found myself at a complete loss. Our conversation the day before, regarding his love for Legos, had taken the entire trip to school, but I wasn't sure Lego talk could last forever.

And that's when I uncovered it.

The golden topic.

Pokemon Go.

He brought it up when trying to explain to me some statue he knew about that was apparently close to our route, and he said what he thought would obviously seal it for me: "You know, like for Pokemon!"

I was simultaneously thrilled and petrified.

Thrilled because I knew I had found the winning topic. Petrified because I know nothing about it. Not just nothing. Negative nothing.

I tried to ask questions that would make me sound somewhat intelligent without giving away my utter ignorance. {Because he's a smart kid...he can smell ignorance a mile away.}

He told me all his favorite places and something about a team, and it was clear he thought I had some sort of baseline knowledge about all this. My baseline knowledge was to sip my coffee a little faster and hope for the best.

I have never played Pokemon Go, I have no desire to play it, and I sort of figured I would go through life without ever knowing one single thing regarding it. But if it means finally making a connection in the carpool line, I'll do my homework and learn enough to carry on an intelligent conversation.

This was my favorite part so far. He said something about playing it in the car when his mom brought him home every day. Now the one thing I had heard about this game was that it did at least force people to become more active, since they walked to find whatever they were finding. The car thing threw me for a loop.

"So you can play it in the car?" {I meant as opposed to only on foot.}

He said, "Well yeah, but not if you're driving!"

Trust me. No danger. :)

Looking forward to more tales from the carpool lane. Should be a fun year!