The Shafferland Shuffle

* Was it really just last Sunday that was Father's Day? What in the world!? It seems like forever ago! We spent part of the day with my mom and dad, celebrating Father's Day with them, and it was a great day!

* Monday began a week of intense writing for me, so I holed up in in my office and typed away! Ryan's mom was admitted to the hospital that day, and we went to visit her after work. Isn't Ryan so cute carrying her pink blanket down the hallway? We continued the great garage makeover of 2016 that night, and I have to tell you, this was an evening YOU. WILL. NOT. BELIEVE. It is probably both a podcast segment AND a blog post in the making. I cannot even believe it myself.

* Tuesday, Ryan got off work early, and we had a little Lowe's date after he got home, looking at carpet and, of course, drinking coffee. After that? More garage painting fun. It never ends, people. I mean it literally, truly, never ends. 

* Guess what we did on Wednesday? More painting. Touch-ups in the garage and then we moved on to the painting project I loathed the most. It turns out when we painted our master bathroom {back when we were moving}, we accidentally used flat paint. It had terrible streaking issues, so we repainted the whole room in the same color, but using semi-gloss paint. I know it was good and necessary, but there's something maddening about redoing that kind of work.

* Thursday I served as the photographer for a going away party! That was something new and different for me. One of my friends recommended me to her mom, who needed the photographer for her place of work. I spent three hours capturing smiles and laughs and hugs and had a great time doing it. Know what Ryan had a great time doing? Playing with the power washer he borrowed from his step-dad.

* Friday, Ryan's mom was here with us {she stayed for a few days after she got out of the hospital} and we had a great time hanging out together while he worked. I baked cookies and we watched TV {I did squeeze in a workout} - and it was fun! That night, Ryan and I went on a date to the drive in to watch Finding Dory. Fun night!

 * Yesterday morning we went out to breakfast with one of our friends and then did some shopping at a market and garage sales. A fun start to the day! Ryan worked SO HARD on the house yesterday and last night, we went to see some fireworks here in town. Perfect way to wrap up the week!

Happy Father's Day!

Well, a couple of weeks ago, we had our Fake Father's Day with Ryan's side of the family, and yesterday we celebrated Father's Day with my dad!

My dad is somewhat on the impossible side to give gifts to, and I'm sure I am not the only daughter in that predicament. ANYONE with me on that? Anyone??? Anyone?????????????

I used to REFUSE to get him gift cards, because I was always determined to find some tangible gift to give, but in my old age, I have decided to just get him the gift cards because he really does enjoy using them.

So after he opened his card yesterday, I asked him to hold up the gift card. Be careful what you ask for. Some folks take it literally.

Auditioning for the Statue of Liberty, perhaps? I'm not sure.

Anyway. Mom fixed a delicious lunch and I was a good girl and ate all my green beans!

And then it was time for dessert. It appears the guys were pretty happy about that.

So Mom and I ate more green beans. {KIDDING. They shared their dessert.}

Dad was busy when family pictures started, so the first one was of these two, but I think it's an especially good one:

THEN we all got together for a photo shoot:

Is it bad that Ryan and I simultaneously act out at the end of EVERY SHOOT????

So this is what happens when you ask Ryan to take a picture. He doesn't always wait until you're ready.

He said it looked like a still frame from a movie. LOL.

And now for the real photo:

Happy Father's Day, Dad! One more celebration to go, and we'll have celebrated all our dads!

Fake Father's Day

Just as we host Mommapalooza every year, Ryan's Mom and Allen host a huge Father's Day bash every year. They've been kind to include my parents in the festivities as well, since our family is so tiny and we no longer have extended family gatherings.

This year, there were a number of family members who had a conflict ON Father's Day, so we had our "Fake Father's Day," as I named it, this past Saturday night.

And we had a special guest this year!

WHAAAATTT????? Is that Phoebe????? Yes, yes, yes!

Phoebe's people had an appointment that evening, and Phoebe needed a place to go! So why not a picnic? Isn't that like a dog's playground?? And my goodness was she ever a hit among the kids. {Most of them. A couple were not big dog fans.}

I think my dad liked her...

This was my favorite picture of the evening. For these two to have the relationship they do is quite a priceless thing to me.

These two were the chief lovers of Miss Phoebe.

The three brothers manning the grills. {And a job well done, I might add. FABULOUS pork chops, and according to Ryan, burgers as well!}

It actually rained for the first part of the evening, so for the dinner portion of the evening, everyone divided between the garage and the big covered porch. We shared a table with my parents.

The official family photo:

I think I have mentioned this before, but Ryan's mom's side of the family has long been friends with my parents - way before the days of Shafferland. Those friendships run so deep that my parents fit right in and it's such fun for them {and me!} to enjoy the blessing of huge family gatherings. I loved watching everyone interacting and telling stories and laughing all evening long!

I was also especially thankful that God blessed the evening with a reprieve from the rain. It rained all day, and the forecast didn't look hopeful until well into the night, but during dinner, the rain just let up and the sun even came out for a while. It was so much nicer to let the kids roam free, and when it came time to clean up and return all the tables and chairs, it was so nice to not have to do so in the rain!

Fake Father's Day was a success!

The Shafferland Shuffle

Jessica Chance, you're the winner of the I Don't Wait Anymore giveaway! I've sent an email to you to get your address so we can get that delivered to you! Thanks so much for entereing! 

* Last Sunday was our first day without Miss Phoebe, and I scarcely knew what to do with myself! Ryan brought me coffee so I could ease into the day while I got ready for church. Kind husband, he is. We had a good, restful afternoon, and I even enjoyed some time in the hammock, imagining I was on a boat, since I was reading all these posts from my friends who were at the lake for a weekend! Ryan and I were outside later that day and found a frog/toad/WHATEVER hoppy thing lurking outside our garage door. SHIVER!!!!!!!

* Monday was Memorial Day, which meant Ryan worked like a normal day. I chose to do my normal work too, since I felt guilty taking a holiday if he didn't get one. But I did insist that we have SOMETHING of a holiday meal that night, so we did our first hot dog roast in our fire pit! We rested in the hammock together, went for a long walk, and ended the night with some sparkler fun. It was a good night!

* Tuesday was so pretty, and Ryan and I wanted to eat lunch on the porch - but look what joined us! Another hoppy thing. What in the world!?!?!? That evening we went to the viewing of one of his former patients, and while we were in the little town for that, I found these silos that I thought we should buy and turn into our OWN Magnolia silos! LOL!! We had just enough time, when we got home, for Ryan to put up this sconce that he found for the crowning touch on our "clock tower."

* Couldn't believe that Wednesday brought in the month of JUNE already! I worked hard all day {all week, actually} on writing projects, and Braeya joined me, because eating erasers is a helpful writing tool, right? That evening, we enjoyed a particularly stunning sunset. There have been many of those this week too, but we really enjoyed this one!

* Thursday was our monthiversary, and while it was possibly one of my worst hair days and not one of our best life-days overall, we still managed to enjoy our evening date...dinner out at Ryan's favorite of Buffalo Wild Wings, a little bit of coffee, and some shopping. Those things tend to make up for a bad day!! Thankful for 42 months of life together. Even on hard days, at least I have a great teammate in my corner!

* So it turns out Kokomo has a strawberry festival, and it was this past Friday! I went during the day, along with one of Ryan's co-workers, to get strawberry shortcakes for all of his department, before the festival sold out. {They did that last year.} Then Friday night, Ryan and I went back to enjoy the festival for ourselves. We got some delicious BBQ for dinner, and we even had a little shaved ice treat at the tent of some friends of mine!

* Ryan worked all day yesterday and as soon as we got home, we had to head out for "Fake Father's Day." His family always has a HUGE Father's Day bash, but this year, some of the group had a conflict on the day, so they moved Father's Day up by two weeks! It rained all day, but not long after the shindig started, the rain cleared up and the sun even made an appearance! And guess who else made an appearance!?!? PHOEBE!!! We got to take her with us for the evening. Such fun!

The Shafferland Shuffle

What a HUGE week in Shafferland!! Grab your hat, and let's go!

* Last Sunday was Father's Day, which of course meant the big Poppapalooza with Ryan's parents! They hosted a fun cookout at their house, and I think there were about 50 people there. We had fun eating, talking to all the cousins and aunts and uncles, and watching the kids chase each other around the yard. My parents joined in for part of the time, and it was just a lovely day, all the way around. With all the maddening rain we've had in the last 3 weeks, it was also delightful to have a beautiful, sunny day for this adventure!

* Monday was my LAST Monday at work! I moved into the back seat for engineering to let PeggySue take over as much as she could...all part of the training! I had to say goodbye to the first of my co-workers that day, because she had a few days off and wouldn't be there for my last day. I hate goodbyes!!! That afternoon I had a great surprise when Ryan's brother and his family stopped by the station to see where I worked and what I do. It was fun to let the kids record some stuff and to let them try their hand at radio!

* Tuesday I spent the day training from the counter across the room...slowly inching my way away from the desk so she could get a better feel for the job. It was a pretty uneventful day, but it was also a PRETTY day, which meant that evening, Ryan and I got to take a walk through campus - the first walk we've been able to take FOREVER {thank you, endless rain}.

* Wednesday, my dear co-worker Doris gave me the most perfect going-away gift. This coffee mug!! :) Isn't it so me!!?!?! It was a bittersweet day as I recorded my last promo with Lynne - for our last BLT show. And I said goodbye to one more co-worker...Scott. I think sometimes I made him just shake his head and laugh, but he's been a good friend and taught me so much about radio!

* Thursday was a tough one! My very last BLT ever. Ryan and my parents came to the studio for it, and it was a joy to have them all there. The station threw me a very nice party, and it was just a lovely, affirming day, but oh my goodness. SO. MANY. TEARS. Have I mentioned how I hate goodbyes???

* Friday was the end of an era. My last day of work with WBCL. I actually cried less than I did on Thursday, but there were still some tears! My very last PB&J show with the morning guys, goodbyes to ALL the rest of the co-workers, and then...the start of a beautiful new season. Ryan gave me a beautiful gift for my transition...a piece of wall art with a verse from Proverbs 31 on it. And that evening, he asked how I wanted to celebrate, and I just wanted a low-key night at home to think, decompress, and be with Ryan. He brought home Chipotle and we just rested. I loved it.

* Yesterday, Ryan had to work, and the sky was teetering on the ominous side when he left. We proceeded to have rain, wind, sun, and everything in between throughout the day. Ohhhhh, Indiana. I worked feverishly on my way-too-behind scrapbook until he got home, and Braeya watched out the window for his return. When he got home we worked on assembling our home office to include the things I brought home from the station. I feel ready to begin working in it!

Poppapalooza 2015

What a weekend!! We worked hard, but we had a lot of fun, too! Ryan's mom and Allen host a big family get together every Father's Day. Ryan's mom's side of the family shows up, Allen's side of the family shows up, and now that I'm in the mix, I bring my parents along for the ride. :)

I have to say, while I love my little family, being part of Ryan's big {not fat, not Greek} family is quite fun. {I think my parents like being part of it too, because it's just so different from what we're used to! Hope it's okay if I share some of our pictures with you!

Ryan's little niece LOVES to play with my old camera. I carry it with me in case my regular camera has issues, and she believes I bring it because it's just for her. Her favorite thing is for me to take pictures of her taking pictures of me...

 Look who I found out at the grill!!

 Ryan's Aunt Ruthie {or as I call her, Aunt Ruthie Woo Hoo}. She's a treasure!

Ryan and Mr. Cheesy Smile.

 This is how two toddlers decorate....

 My sister came to have lunch with my parents at their house, and she stopped by the party on her way home. :)

Gotta water the flowers!!

 My parents arrived after they had lunch with my sister, and I thought we coordinated pretty well. :)

 Here's the official picture with Dad...

 And here's how we usually look. This picture begs for a caption, doesn't it?

This is what happens when you tell kids to sit still and smile.

Ryan and his Grandpa Cox. These two men...I'm thankful for both of them!

 Proof we were really there together!

It was a great day with fabulous food and a whole lotta fun!