Daddy Daughter Date Night 2017

Two years ago, after I'd resigned at WBCL, the very last station event I worked was Daddy Daughter Date Night. It was an emotionally charged evening for me, because not only was it my last event, but it was one Ryan hadn't been able to attend, and somehow it didn't feel right to me that he missed my last-ever event!

A few months ago, the station reached out and asked if I'd be interested in coming back to Daddy Daughter Date Night to serve as a volunteer photographer for the night. I said yes - and that's how this last Friday, I made my way back to Fort Wayne to see my work buddies!

Again, Ryan wasn't able to go with me (sadness!), and pretty much everyone I saw said, "HI! Great to see you! Where's Ryan?" LOL!!!

Thought I'd share with you a few pictures from our night!

Remember when I used to be part of PB&J in the morning? (Phil, Bekah, Jim). Well I found the morning team right away when I went in!

Clearly I should have taken the selfie stick! Larry (the news guy), Jim, Phil, and Phil's beautiful daughter Faith! These guys all picked up RIGHT where they left off two years ago - picking on me like you would not believe. I do miss them. They may have given me a hard time, but I do miss them. (DO NOT TELL THEM I ADMITTED THAT IN PRINT.)

I think I heard somewhere that the evening had sold out with 500 tickets. So clearly not all 500 seats are in this photo, but I wanted to get a picture of the room before it started filling up. The color scheme was so beautiful, and I LOVED all the lights!!

While I'm here, I'll show you the place settings and cupcakes!

 The photography team!!

Behind me is Jeri, who hired in right about the same time I did, and next to her (in the striped dress) is Dana, who answered the Mid-Morning phones for the last couple of years before I left. (She does many other things as well, but that's when we got to work together!) The three of us ran cameras for the photo booths, and the two girls on the right are Dana's sisters, who served as our lovely assistants!

I was surprised to actually see people I knew! I saw six people from my old church in Marion! One of them was my mentor for a while, so I had to get a picture with her!

My dear Cindy - I miss her so much!

The photography booths were open as soon as the dads and daughters came in, but when they served dinner, of course, most sat down to eat. So the photography team sat to eat too! We had just started, when we saw lines beginning to form at our stations again. I was so afraid if I walked away from my plate, the waiters would think I lost interest. UH NO!!!! So this was my attempt to hang onto my dinner!

It worked!

That cupcake...

The concert for the evening featured JJ Heller, and while I didn't get to hear a lot of it (chose to spend part of that time visiting with friends I never get to see), I was entirely impressed at how well she related to those girls!! Very personable!

At the end of the night, I did manage to get a few minutes to talk to this lovely lady right here:

Lynne!! We had a great (although quick) talk, and we remembered just how much we miss having long talks!

By the time I packed up my camera bag and limped (stupid shoes!!) out to the car, it was getting late, and by the time I rolled through a drive-thru for caffeine to get me home, I discovered it was going to be after 11 before I got home. Now, I'm not so old that getting home after 11 is late, but this was the first stop on a VERY BUSY WEEKEND, so I wanted to try to get a decent amount of sleep if I could!

So wonderful to see my friends, and so thankful they were kind enough to invite me back! :)

The Shafferland Shuffle

WHEW! Hope you are not floating away in all this rain we've had! What a lotta water!! Here's a peek into the dry parts of our week.

* Last Sunday was the second and final day of Ryan's continuing education course, and it was also the second (and turned out to be final) day of my 3 Day Refresh detox. I felt like I had the flu, so I pretty much stayed on Mo the entire day, with big hair and no makeup. Ryan got home from class that evening, and I was so happy to see him and so sad to be unable to drink coffee that I just cried.

* Because I called it quits on the detox at 4:03 Monday morning (after a long/short night of hallucinations and no sleep), I enjoyed the most amazing cup of coffee when the alarm went off. I've never loved it more. And I mean that. Ryan had a chance to try out a genuine Mayberry sheriff's car that day. Doesn't he look so cute in it? And I was excited to see a preview of Erica Wiggenhorn's forthcoming study on the book of Acts! It's gonna be great!

* Tuesday was our monthiverary. 53 months! We both spent the day working hard on our respective jobs, but that evening, we enjoyed dinner, a Dashing Dish dessert, and a lovely evening at home together. Even got in a nice, hard workout!

* Wednesday was a big office day for me. Lots of writing and practicing for upcoming talks. When I finally flipped my sign to closed at the end of the day, I was pleased with how much I had accomplished! Know what I was not pleased about? The manicure I got at the double-date mani/pedi last Friday completely fell apart. Had to do my own less than a week later. I think it turned out well, though!

* Thursday the rain began to fall...and it was just one wet, nasty day. What a birthday gift for Braeya, huh? She mostly napped all day and I didn't blame her. Wanted to do the same, myself! :) We didn't have nearly the flooding that some areas had, but it still was a soppy wet mess.

* Friday began our crazy busy weekend! I headed up to Fort Wayne to be a volunteer at WBCL's Daddy Daughter Date Night - photography night for me! It was so good to see all my former work buddies! I also got the chance to meet one of my friends' new little baby! :) Ryan spent the evening helping out my parents and enjoying a dinner out with them. Definitely odd to be apart, but we both had great nights!

* I'd gotten home after 11 on Friday night and we were back on the road by 8:15 Saturday morning so I could speak at the Huntington Baptist Church brunch. Ryan went with me, and we had a great morning with the ladies there! We got home just in time to drive the opposite direction, down to Indianapolis, to attend the wedding of one of my high school/game night friends. A full and fun day!

Daddy Daughter Date Night

Last Saturday was WBCL's fifth annual Daddy Daughter Date Night, and it was also my last big event to work for the station. {Read: I cried most of the way through it. If your husband was at this event and mentioned the weird sappy girl in the corner, that was me!!}

I was sad partly because it was my last event and partly because Ryan couldn't go with me, and that just seemed wrong somehow...like we never got "event closure" on the job. But I dressed up in my Easter dress, packed my camera, and went to the sold-out night with a concert by Mark Schultz.

My job was to be a photographer at the photo booth, and I also took other random pictures throughout the evening. Thought I'd give you a little peek into our night.

The room was huge and packed to the very ends. Mark said it was like singing to an airplane, because the room wasn't very deep, but it sure was wide, like the wings of a plane. Such pretty decorations...with a balloon theme this year!

And the tables were so pretty too. Not that I was fixated on the cupcakes and cookies or anything. Nope. Not me.

The evening was so lovely. Dads of all ages with daughters of all ages filed through the doors and enjoyed their dinners {and the cupcakes and cookies I'm not fixated on} and they also visited our photo booths {we had three identical booths} to have their pictures taken together...with props this year!

It was fun to watch the dads try to figure out how this whole prop thing worked. So cute.

I tried to sneak in some pics with at least a few of my co-workers, since this was the last event. I didn't get them all, but here's a few:

This is Phil from the morning team. He is one of my big brothers...and I will dearly miss him {picking on me}. We took this picture to send to Ryan to tell him we missed him! 

 My dear friend, Cindy. She has heard my laments and let me cry tears on her shoulder so many times. Most of the hard work that went into this event was done with her own hands, and she does an incredible job. This event is her heart and soul and I love watching her shine with it each year.

 Sweet Dana...who answers our phones for Mid-Morning. {She has more jobs than just that...but that's our common bond.} Her husband's name is Ryan too, and the two of us have fun confusing people with our Ryan stories. Dana is always upbeat, always smiling, always encouraging, and always interested in the lives and stories of all of us who work with her. Love this girl!

 And my friend, fellow photo-lover, and fellow scrapbooker, Jeri. She is always there with a hug when I need one, an encouraging word for everyone around her, and will pitch in to help with absolutely ANYTHING. And this particular night, she cleaned up a couple of my sad-to-be-leaving meltdowns.

 The second half of the evening was a concert by Mark Schultz, and I learned in short order that there is not a single song in his set that won't reduce me to tears. SERIOUSLY!!! I'm such a sap.

So, in summary, after crying my eyes out all night, in the best possible ways, I helped clean up, and then we had a staff picture taken with Mark:

It was a lovely evening, and I hope all the dads had a great time with their daughters...because it sure was a lovely way to end my event-working...watching all of them sharing the joy of a special night together.

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday, we were completely spent with exhaustion, so we declared a day of true rest and stayed home in our jam jams the entire day. We made waffles for breakfast, spent time praying together, and rarely left the couch, which was fine, since the day was filled with rain. Restful, gentle rain, not angry stormy rain. Perfect day to stay home and rejuvenate.

* Monday I went to work to begin the next phase of countdowns for the change ahead. I've started taking pictures of my office and pieces of my job - so expect a lot of that in the next few weeks. Monday it was my trusty message board above my desk, which holds a little bit of work and a little bit of play, and i love them both. LOVED walking by the gorgeous blooming tree outside the front door of the station. Spring is gorgeous!! And that night? Apple pie, coffee, and the DVR with my handsome husband.

* Tuesday I started editing the last round {that I'll do} of encore shows to cover any days off between now and the time I leave. I remember when I first started my job, learning how to edit was one of the things I wasn't sure I'd ever master, so this is a bittersweet end for me. Finally learned it - and who knows? Maybe I'll need that skill again. Ryan attended a conference for work that evening, which meant we had to eat dinner apart. That is SO WEIRD for us. And now we know why he needs me - he forgot to take the paper off his sub before he ate it! {Kidding.} I was supposed to have a massage, but we had some scheduling miscommunications, so I ended up reading all evening - no complaints there!

 * Wednesday I had a new experience: a chocolate Cadbury egg!! I had no idea such things even EXISTED!!!! Did you? It was yummy! Thanks, Amy, for introducing me!! Ryan had an exhausting day at work {probably partly because he'd had such a long day the day before} - so we declared it a night on Mo. No one was more excited about that than Braeya, who was first to show up for it. HA!!! I did get up late that evening to make a round of quesadillas for the next day. Delicious.

* Thursday...was BLT day!! I only have a few of those left, so I'm trying to enjoy each one to the fullest. :) It was such a beautiful day on Thursday that Ryan came home from work to mow the yard for the first time this season. The grass is so green and pretty!! {I can say that because I'm not the one who has to take care of it!} And while he did that, I got busy on birthday prep for Mr. Birthday Boy: wrapping his present and making the treats!

* Friday was a FULL DAY!! First and foremost, it was Ryan's birthday, which made the entire day full of celebration. I threw a little breakfast party for him in the wee hours of the morning before we went to work. His co-workers carried on faithfully while he spent the day with them, and then that evening, the two of us went for dinner at Tucano's, and we came home absolutely STUFFED. And as if that wasn't enough for one day, I also spent the day at the Landmark Event Center in Fort Wayne, with most of my work girls, helping to set up for Daddy Daughter Date Night, which took place yesterday. We worked hard to transform the place into a date night paradise!

* Ryan took yesterday off work, since it was his birthday weekend and all. We slept in late, the after-effects of our Tucano's meat coma.When we got up, it was time for me to get ready to go work my last event with WBCL: Daddy Daughter Date Night. It was a really bittersweet night, since Ryan couldn't go with me, and it's always hard to go to events without him. But I had a good time and got to play photographer, which makes me happy!! And Mark Schultz put on a great concert for the girls and their dads!!

Daddy/Daughter Date Night

Last Saturday night was the 4th annual WBCL Daddy/Daughter Date Night. It really is a sweet evening for dads and daughters of all ages to get dressed up, have a nice dinner, and enjoy a concert. This was my second time to work this event...and both times I've been a photo booth photographer. I really enjoy that job, as you might imagine. My mother-in-law went with me for the second time as well, also as a photographer. We had a fun time! Thought I would share with you some pictures from the evening.

The decorations are always stunning. Cindy and Marsha {my co-workers} have such great vision for making it beautiful:

They switch up the desserts from year to year. This year...CUPCAKES!

In the past, the photo booths have been pretty formal...roses and chairs and black backgrounds. This year we switched it up a bit and used frames at the photo booth. I served as my mother-in-law's model while she worked on her lighting:

Jim Barron was my model. LOL!!

While the dads and daughters ate their dinner, I took photos at my booth, along with the help of my lovely assistant, Dawn:

Jaime Jamgochian was the featured artist for the night, and I captured a few pictures of her singing:

 Here's one quick break I took during the concert:

After the event was over, we stayed to help tear everything done, and then right before we went home, we got a staff picture with the staff members who were still there:

{In case you're a put-a-face-with-a-name kind of person, L-R: Diane Hooley, Jeri Rusk, Ron Schneeman, Lynne Ford, Me, Phil Reaser, Jim Barron, Scott Tsuleff, Marsha Bunker, Cindy Scheumann, Lori Reese, Marion Hutchison, Dana Green}


...And then our silly side. :)