A Little New Year's Fun

Are you more of a stay-at-home-and-go-to-bed-early on New Year's Eve kind of person, or do you prefer big parties with lots of people and even more food?

I fall somewhere in the middle. I like being at some sort of celebration to ring in the new year, but the bigger that celebration gets, the more nervous I feel. This year, our New Year's Eve celebration consisted of the two of us, a couple of friends, and their kids. And. It. Was. Perfect.

We'd planned to get together with our friends Mike and Angie over Christmas, but it didn't end up working out schedule-wise, so we rescheduled for New Year's Eve instead. Since they have kids, we went to their house, so the kiddos could go to bed on time in their own beds, and we could just hang out, drink coffee, eat snacks, play games, and talk!

Mike and Angie are fabulous cooks, and Mike went all out with a full New Year's Eve menu: cabbage, pierogis, shrimp, and sausage.

Oh, and did I mention these are the friends of ours who have a coffee bar in their kitchen and sometimes bring us lattes?

Why yes. It is a happy new year.

Netflix had a thing where you could pick when YOU wanted it to be midnight and you play a countdown for your kids. So we did a countdown dance and toast to "midnight" about 8 p.m. and the kiddos went straight to bed. {Impressive!}

And then the games began.

So you've seen those virtual realities, right? Well, Mike and Angie have one, and we spent the ENTIRE NIGHT passing that thing around, playing games. It started with an app that was supposed to help you conquer your fear of heights. Ryan has no fear. I have lots of it. So here were our experiences.

And then we played this interactive game that was flat-out HARD. It's called "Keep Talking and No One Explodes." So the person wearing the virtual reality is in a room with a briefcase that has a bomb attached. You have to describe what you see, and the rest of the players go through this manual and read the directions to you of how to diffuse it before it explodes. There are DOZENS of wires and codes and such, and you're working against a timer and occasional distractions. It's pretty intense! I was sweating a couple of times when it was my turn!

For the record, I was the only player who, by the end of the night, had not successfully diffused at least ONE. So I don't think I have a future with the FBI or anything.

{Bet you can't tell who was successful...}

We played until almost midnight, and then it was time to pour the sparkling grape juice and welcome 2017!

It really was the perfect, low-key night. We appreciated Mike and Angie opening their home to us and being so hospitable with food and games and fun! :)

Happy New Year!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR from the Shafferland Shuffle

A couple of years ago, Ryan got me a flip calendar to keep on my desk at work, and in my post-work-outside-the-home life, it sits on my nightstand. The verse for today, the first day of the new year, is the first part of 1 Corinthians 15:10 - But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me has not been in vain. 

I share that with you this morning, on this threshold of a new year, because I know it's easy to not feel satisfied with who you are. We all get caught up with comparison games and feeling like we aren't as welcomed or loved or successful or meaningful as others, but the words of this verse are TRUE. It is by His grace alone that each of us are the people we are and are living the lives we're living.

I share the Shuffle with you each week as a means of letting you peek into the sometimes crazy/sometimes fun/sometimes boring our life is each day, and also as a help to me in keeping track of the order of events for when I scrapbook. In no way do I ever want these shuffle posts to instill any feelings of inferiority in anyone else. It is by the grace of God alone that I am who I am, that Ryan is who he is, and that Shafferland is what it is. His grace to us is not in vain, and I want these posts to speak to that grace.

So as we embark on a new year and new journeys, here's a peek back at our final week of 2016.

* Last Sunday was Christmas Day, which you've already seen recapped in all its many pictures, but it was a beautiful and hard day all at once, with our little Shafferland celebration here at home, church, Christmas with my family and Christmas with one of Ryan's families. I think this is a Christmas we'll remember for many years to come.

* Monday, as you also saw this week, Ryan was fortunate to have a day off - something brand new for us at Christmas. We soaked up every moment of that day together, doing some after-Christmas shopping, having a fun Chinese buffet lunch, visiting with his other grandpa, watching a movie. We loved that day so much!

* Ryan had to go back to work on Tuesday, and Braeya and I soaked up the sun and the last of the Christmas decorations, because we knew that was a limited sight! My friend Jessica, who lives out of state, was home for Christmas, and she came by to see me, which was a great treat! And check out this really cool picture Ryan took: a reflection of Christmas, while looking ahead to next year!

* Wednesday, I took an all-day field trip to visit my friend Julie, who gave me an INCREDIBLE gift of helping me design a new website. My previous attempts were failing in a variety of ways, so her help was SUCH a gift. It was an all-day event, and when I came home, I enjoyed the last night of Christmas lights on old Grizzy - because his bottom branches were grazing the ground. :(

* Thursday, I took down all the Christmas decorations, which is always a sad and exciting time. Sad to see the season go, and sad to see all the hard work boxed back up, but exciting to think of new beginnings! Also exciting: making new labels for all my storage tubs!!

* Friday, Ryan "worked hard" at work, taking down the Christmas decorations and turning himself into a living Christmas tree, apparently. I was invited to a special lunch, which boasted DELICIOUS food, and I had a great time! And that night - Braeya decided to hang out with me for once, which is RARE. We read blogs together.

* And yesterday we made the TERRIBLE mistake of going to the store in the middle of the afternoon. Thought I might spend the next thirteen Christmases in line waiting to check out. But the day quickly redeemed itself when we went to spend the evening with our friends Mike and Angie. We were supposed to visit them over last weekend and it didn't work out, so we rescheduled and had the best time hanging out, eating their amazing cooking and playing fun virtual reality games before ringing in the new year together!

And with that, we wish you a very happy new year! :)

Linking up with Tamar!

Ringing In a New Year

It's back to reality day for most of you, isn't it? You've returned to the land of alarm clocks and day planners and clothing that doesn't feature elastic. {Ha!!} And if you have kids, you've probably returned to the land of much protesting about the return to school.

Reentry is no joke.

So let's pretend for a minute that it's still a holiday, shall we? OKAY!!!

I wanted to show you our New Year's Eve fun! We did something different this year and went to a birthday party/New Year's Eve party at the home of our friends Nate and Jenna. Nate took our anniversary pictures, and he's a good friend of Ryan's from the days of PTA school. I've gotten to know the two of them through our Sunday School class; they are much fun!

I should pause to point out that the birthday was actually NATE'S birthday, because once you see the theme, you might be tempted to think it was his CHILD'S birthday. Not so much. :)

Why yes, that is a Minion party, and why yes, we are being photobombed by the birthday boy himself.

Ohhhh Jenna might kill me for posting that one, but it just cracked me up so much!

Nate had so many candles on his cake that it ended up requiring three people to help light them so the first ones lit didn't burn down before we got around to singing!

 I have no idea what the candles were reflecting on, but it's kind of creepy and funny!

Nate's little one wanted to help blow out the candles, so Ryan gave him a boost so he could take part:

I got to hold the baby for a bit, and Ryan took our picture. He and Nate were trying to get her to smile, so they flipped the phone and took a picture of what our view was during that time. It's a wonder she didn't smile...

We sat around, talked, ate, met new friends, and even did a group photo before midnight rolled around:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

 Sparkling grape juice - have to tell you it tasted SO GOOD. Haven't had any FOREVER.

The official new year's photo:

We thought we would leave right after midnight, but a fresh round of games started and my competitive husband could not bring himself to walk away, even though he had to be up practically in the middle of the night for work on New Year's Day.

Have you guys ever played Minute to Win It games?

We played one where you had to suck up M and M's with a straw and transfer them to a clock face on a paper plate - two rows of candy in hour-order.

 The first round of competition was between couples. Ryan won our round {shocker} and went on to advance to being a full winner and VERY proud of his prize:

Why yes, that IS a light up Christmas ornament.

Then we played a game where you had to transfer tic-tacs from one plate to another using tweezers. I ALMOST won that one. I bet you can't guess who edged me out?

If you guessed this guy, you'd be right. Ask him how he likes his foot bath salts he won!

Thanks, Nate and Jenna, for entertaining us!! We had much fun ringing in the new year with you and your friends! And Ryan says thanks for his foot bath salts! :)

PS: I've been working on some verse-a-day pictures for 2016, just because I think it's good to focus on a verse every day. I've been adding them to the end of the blog each day, so I just wanted to let you know why they're here. Hope they offer a boost to you!!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday was sort of the post-Christmas sigh of rest. Once we came home from church, we sacked out for naps {me} and football {Ryan}. It was so nice to not have anywhere to be or any responsibilities at home. Sweet, beautiful nothingness. We did record our podcast that afternoon, which always brings a whole lotta laughter to our little house. And then back to the couch we went, watching movies until Ryan conked out and then I watched all by myself until my little eyes snapped shut!

* This was kind of the week of Starbucks, kicking off with Monday's trip. It was nasty cold, windy, icy, YUCKY outside, but my friend Amber came over anyway {bless her!} to hang out and drink coffee with me. We felt it would be inappropriate to be out and about and NOT go to Hobby Lobby, so we checked out their sales, and I found my own version of Ryan's rhino coat rack. LOL!! I was so inspired by my trip and the clearance sales I found, I rushed home and decorated for winter/January!

* Tuesday was my only day at home the WHOLE day this week, so I used it to sort and organize and begin the cleaning process that our house really needs to undergo. I did so with a smile in my brand new #shiplap shirt...all ready for Fixer Upper...and then it was a rerun! LOL! Oh well! I believe I was more productive with it on. I organized a shelf in our new workout space and loved the way it turned out - and I found a few more clearance snowflakes to add to our winter decor!

* Wednesday found me BACK at Starbucks, this time in Fort Wayne, to meet up with our friends Mark and Lynnette, who were home for Christmas. I was exceedingly sad that Ryan had to be a responsible adult and go to work instead of coming with me, but I still had fun! We exchanged gifts {in Starbucks!} and tried out a new BBQ place for lunch. I liked it that they list their sandwiches as "sammiches." That night was the most lovely, low-key night at home with Ryan. We rested, we worked out, we watched movies, we had dinner, and we STILL got to bed early!

* Thursday, of course, was New Year's Eve, and you'll see more about this next week, but Ryan had to work during the day. I met up with my friend Faith and her girls for our Christmas celebration and then turned around and met up with a former co-worker from many years ago {the Financial Aid days} for...you guessed it! Starbucks! When Ryan got home, we packed up the car and went to our friends' Nate and Jenna's for a birthday/New Year's Eve party. Had so much fun and didn't get to bed until TWO!

* The 2 a.m. bedtime thing proved interesting on New Year's Day, because Ryan had to work then too, so the alarm went off practically right after we went to bed! BOOOO!!!!! When he got home, we set out for our first adventure of the year, which was a hike {a small one} at a state park. I'll have to tell you more about it soon, but let me assure you it was a COLD start to the year!! I looked like a puffalump in all my layers!

* Yesterday, oddly enough, was another Christmas celebration for us! We got together with another branch of Ryan's extended family for a belated Christmas. So much fun - games and food and lots of kids and pictures! And because the celebration took place about 10 minutes from our friends Jon and Julie, we stopped by to see them for a bit before we came home. It was also our 37th monthiversary, so we observed that auspicious occasion as well! Clearly a busy day! :)

And A Happy New Year...

I never officially wished you a happy new year, did I? Where are my manners?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Our December was so chaotic...and I spent the last few days of it trying my best to fight off the Petri Dish Madness that wafted through all our Christmas gatherings, so if I'm honest, I really wanted to spend New Year's Eve at home. In my jam jams. Asleep. But I am 36 years old, still a newlywed, and I refuse to give in to that just yet.

Ryan and I were invited to the same party we went to last year...friends of his from before our married days. The hostess and I put our heads together to have a photo booth at the party, because she had seen all the fun our family had with the photo booth during Christmas. So we pooled our resources and had some fun with one for New Year's Eve, too!!

The hosts have a game room, complete with ping pong, pinball, and that little arcade basketball game. Ryan and I may have had more fun than we should have during our visit!!

Ryan took on the host's son in ping pong and won 2 out of the 3 games.

I took on pinball and have no idea what happened, except I had fun.

Ryan and I took on each other in basketball and he won. By a LOT.

Then we joined the other party-goers for some Balderdash and some random trivia game and a guessing game, in which celebrity names were put on our backs and we had to guess who we were.

Ryan was Barack Obama. Took him a while to figure that one out.

I was Jessica Biel. My main clues were that I was a pretty, brown-haired actress. There are a LOT of those. Took me forever to figure that out.

And then there was the fun with the photo booth!!

Our hosts: Anthony, Nicole, and one of their three kiddos: 

 Yeah we're not silly. At all.

 With Barb...one of my friends from our days at Sycamore {the church we attended when we got married}. We haven't seen her since the last party!

 Awwwwwww.

The booth was fun!! The kids had a great time with it - and so did the adults. If you're having a party soon, may I highly recommend adding one of these? It's easy, inexpensive fun!

When we got close to midnight, we switched over to watch the ball drop!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

Which, of course, we toasted with coffee:

And it was a good start to the new year! Ryan ended up getting the day off work, something neither of us expected, but it was a JOY to have him home with me on New Year's Day. I spent most of the day resting, but we did take some time at the end of the day to go through our box...the one where we keep all our memorabilia from throughout the year...do a little reminiscing, and a little forward thinking for the year to come!

So it's a great start to the new year! Hope you had a lovely time...doing whatever you did to ring in 2015!