The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday morning, our church had a combined service, and though packed, it was so nice to be in there with everyone together! Last Sunday was also Ryan's mom's birthday, so that evening we took her and Allen out for dinner and then invited them back to our house for dessert, coffee, and birthday presents! I'm so thankful for Nita and what a great mom she is to Ryan and what a great mother-in-law she is to me!

* Monday was my last day of work before Christmas, and I had a little gift exchange with Lynne. Does she know me, or does she know me?? A Cato gift card and check out this gorgeous Essie polish!!! Adore.  After work, my parents came to visit to see all our Christmas trees and then Ryan and I had a surprise date night to eat dinner and finish our shopping! I love surprise dates!

* Tuesday was Christmas Eve, and I had the day off, but Ryan did not. So I stayed home and scrapbooked, rested and did some last minute shopping and wrapping, and then that evening, we went to his Grandma's house for Christmas with his Dad's side of the family. We had a great time catching up with everyone - and I couldn't resist sharing this photo, taken by Ryan's 3 year old niece. She loves using my "camria." We went to an 11:00 candlelight service and then came home for the traditional sleeping-under-the-tree fun!

* Wednesday, was, of course, Christmas Day, and we started the day with our own Christmas at home. Then we went to Christmas at my parents' house, which you saw already resulted in the surprise of the season - and the very best kind of surprise at that! We stayed there until early evening and then went to another gathering for Ryan's family. We had a great time there as well; I appreciate how they've welcomed me!

* Thursday I had to get back to work...and so did Ryan. I miss long Christmas breaks! When we got home from work, we put away all our Christmas presents, and then I had a chance to work on my day planner for next year. That always makes me VERY happy. And then - best part of the whole day - my niece came over to spend the night. Our first overnight guest! We stayed up late talking to her and had the greatest time!!

* I was so blessed that on Friday, the station let me have a last minute vacation day so I could spend the day with Jeff, Lori and Cassie before they went back home. Ryan had to work, but the four of us went out to eat...went shopping...and had an AMAZING time together. I was so thankful!

* And yesterday was...another family Christmas! We had Christmas with Ryan's extended family, which is a great, fun group of people - and good cooks, too, I might add. Ryan spent most of the afternoon playing a game of Aggravation...and I...well I was making friends with this cutie!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday was a busy little day in Shafferland! Our Sunday School class had a brunch during class, so we got to enjoy fellowship time with them, and then that evening, we went back to church for a "Songs in the Night" service. It was all Christmas music and readings, and I dearly loved it...especially the handbell choir. I used to play in one of those. After church, they had a little dessert reception, and we got to meet some new people, which we so enjoyed!

* Monday I started out to work but there were so many slide-offs, and the weather was predicted to get worse, so I turned around and came home, and I worked from home. At the end of the day, while I was waiting for Ryan to come home, I was playing around a bit with manual settings on my camera and took some pictures of Braeya. :) And then for the rest of the evening, Ryan and I had a marathon gift-wrapping session!

* Tuesday at work, I worked hard cleaning out this room...which after some renovation, is going to be our new office! Yep, Lynne and I are movin' on up to the back row with the morning guys! The room that used to be the Mid-Morning studio is now going to be our new office! We've been waiting and waiting for this part of the work construction...and we're so excited it's HERE!!!!

* Wednesday I had a fun surprise: a visit from my friend MJ who I met here in blogland! She stopped by the station and brought cookies for Ryan and me - THANK YOU, MJ!! You made my day! Ryan's work had a Christmas party during the day and in the gift exchange, he got the best flashlight EVER - which he was so excited about that he sent me this picture. I admit. Never seen one like this before!

* Thursday, Lynne and I got to have lunch with our friend Sheryl {YAY!} and when we got back to work, we found all our co-workers standing on the sidewalk! There was a gas leak at the building and they'd evacuated everyone! I buzzed in quickly to get my stuff and came home for the day. It was so nice to have dinner ready when Ryan got home - and we spent the evening working on our office organization project. And look what we recently acquired - FREE! Two nice file cabinets!

* I got to work Friday morning about 20 seconds before the fire department. Yep. Gas leak still causing problems! I was scared to death to go inside but they ended up getting everything under control {again}. But I'll admit, I was ready to go home by the end of the day!Friday night we had the best stay-at-home date with pizza and a very funny movie. Love the quiet nights at home!

* Yesterday Ryan worked, and while he did that, I finished shopping for his Christmas presents! I was so thankful it wasn't the snowy mess of a day it was last week, since I had to drive myself around town. After that, we went to a birthday party for his cousin's little girl who just turned a year old! I love meeting up with his friends and family, so it was a great afternoon!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday was GORGEOUS. It was one of those freezing days with perfect snow falling: not enough to accumulate but enough to be pretty as it fell. After church, we hunkered down for the afternoon, watching football, finishing up our Christmas cards, working on Pinterest projects and doing the ONE thing we forgot to do on our anniversary: reading the letters we wrote to each other on the beach last December 2 - and writing new letters for NEXT December 2 {or 8}.

* Monday morning, I woke up to freezing rain, which made for a tear-filled hour and forty minute commute. So that evening, we hunkered down to watch the Sing Off, which is one of Ryan's favorite shows. We like the country sounding group of guys. :) It was a cold night and just nice to be able to snuggle up at home after a stressful commute and watch a fun TV show. Sometimes it's the little things.

* Tuesday at work was INsane. I mean INSANE!!!! Perhaps I'll give you a fuller version later, but let's just say we had to scrap our entire show twenty minutes into it because of phone problems, and I spent the rest of the day helping produce a video for the station. Yeah. Me. The girl with NO video experience. But I'm not gonna lie...it was much fun to help with it!! {This was the prop table.}

* Wednesday evening I went to a party to meet my friend Olivia's new baby girl. She is the cutest thing IN THE WORLD, and Olivia is a spectacular mom - just as I knew she would be. I was so grateful to be included in the party - which was made up of all her high school friends. They've invited me in and made me feel welcome, and I appreciate it.

* Thursday I actually got caught up on some things at work and found out...I HAVE A DESK!! I don't remember the last time I got this behind, and I have hated the stacks I've been staring at forever. It was so nice to get some things accomplished. That night, Ryan and I just enjoyed a night at home - and he volunteered to watch a Hallmark Christmas movie with me. I am not sure I was ever more in love.

 * Friday night, Ryan and I went to Starbucks for coffee and talking time {sometimes we like to just go hang out there for a while} and while we were gone, good old Winter Storm Electra began. The snow was pretty, so we went on an impromptu drive in the snow through the Walkway of Lights in the park! It was GORGEOUS.

* Then yesterday we braved the slick and snowy roads to do alllllllllll our Christmas shopping. It was the only day we had to go and shop!! It was a long, exhausting day, but we did manage to squeeze in a lot of fun, including this photo shoot we took in the snow before we began:

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday we took in the third day of our anniversary getaway...by attending the Colts game in Indianapolis! They played Tennessee, and while it wasn't the best game ever played in the history of football, it was fun to go...and fun to WIN!!!

* Monday was our first anniversary! Like the official, actual anniversary! We celebrated with a trip to the Christmas tree farm, where we picked out a new tree! That evening, we came home, watched our whole wedding video {do you know it's almost an hour long?} and ate cupcakes...and drank coffee, of course!!!

* Tuesday my eating and sleeping schedule was completely messed up from the long weekend...so by the time I came home from work, I felt pretty lousy. Ryan ran to the store for us so I could get a tiny bit of rest, but we are used to shopping together, so we {are you ready for this?} did our grocery shopping via FaceTime, with me at home and Ryan at the store. Apparently he got some really weird looks.

* Wednesday night, after we got home from the gym, we watched Christmas Vacation together. Or at least we started to. One of us fell asleep halfway through!! It was our only night we had at home to rest this week, so we made the most of it!

* Thursday was a LONG work day for me - but a fun one! The station hosted a BeadforLife party {more on this later} - from 11-7, so I spent the day with all my co-workers, meeting the people who came to shop! And it's possible I took a few ton of pictures! I didn't get home from work until 8:45 that night, but I had to start watching The Sound of Music Live right then!

* Friday night - yes a full WEEK into December, Ryan and I finally got to start decorating!! We dragged all the tubs out of the attic and spent the evening decorating just the first tree - the live one we bought on Monday, which is "our" tree. It was a fun night! We played Christmas music and enjoyed reminiscing about the ornaments we've collected since getting married. Fun!!

* Saturday, Ryan had to work, so my friend Amber came over to spend the day with me, and we worked hard on more trees! By the end of the day, with Amber's help and Ryan's help when he came home, we had seven trees up and all the Christmas tubs put away. Love it!! Want a sneak peek?

The Shafferland Shuffle

One year ago today {if you go by day of the week} - we were standing on the beach in Florida, saying I DO!! Can you believe it's been a whole year?? We feel blessed.  Here's a recap of what we did in our last week of our first year of marriage!

* Last Sunday, I went to a baby shower for Ryan's sister, Lori, who is having a baby boy in just a few weeks! {Yes, this does make us the only married couple in his family not having a baby.} It was such a nice shower...beautifully decorated and she got so many nice gifts!

* Monday was a VERY exciting day - as WE FINISHED MY BATHROOM!!!!! I was so blessed excited! Ryan got it all finished up and I got to move everything in. Looks so great compared to what it was before. Best of all - we met our goal of finishing our renovations before our first anniversary!

* Tuesday, I was honored that Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep shared my blog post from last week on their Facebook page! I appreciated that! And in OTHER exciting Shafferland news from Tuesday...I GOT MY CAR BACK!!!! After a week and a half in the shop, it's back in my possession. It sounds and runs like a new car...so let's hope it thinks it IS a new car.

* Wednesday I only worked a half day, but Ryan had to work the whole day. So while he was busy, I took some time to put the finishing touches on my anniversary gift for him. I went to the store for a card - and was crying in the card aisle as I purchased my first ever anniversary card. {For a whole-year anniversary. I have bought several for our month-to-month anniversaries.} What an answer to prayer!

* Thursday was our Thanksgiving celebration - first with my family and then with one of Ryan's families. SO MUCH FOOD!!! It really was a truly lovely day - to just get to sit and enjoy, to laugh, to make memories. I appreciated it! When we came home, we watched a movie and some football. A great first, official, married Thanksgiving together!

* Friday night we headed to Indianapolis to watch the lighting of the Christmas tree on Monument Circle. I haven't gone to a lighting of the tree since I was probably a third grader, and Ryan had never been. We thought it might be a fun thing to see! We went early to get a good seat and ended up being outside for about 3 hours! Crazy cold, but a fun night anyway - and I've got good pictures to show you!!

* Last night, Ryan offered me the ultimate sacrifice of love {smile}: he took me to a Gaither concert!! It was my first time to go to a Christmas homecoming concert - and it was his first EVER Gaither anything. He is indeed a man in love. And I melt. The concert was four hours long and was SO GOOD! Can't wait to show you more pictures. But of course....

The Shafferland Shuffle

* As you already read about, last Sunday was a crazy day, with tornadoes hitting Indiana - hard. We were fortunate to not have any damage at our home, but we did spend some time cooped up in the bottom of a closet watching {Ryan} and screaming{Bekah} during the worst of the storm. Thank you, Lord, for sparing us on this day! After we emerged, we took a tour of town to look at the damage. Here is a precariously perched traffic signal:

* Monday night, we took dinner to Ryan's brother and his wife, who had a baby not too long ago. It was our first time to meet the new baby {who is blognonymous - so I'm sorry you don't get to enjoy the cuteness!} and it was wonderful to just get to spend time together with his family. And I really loved the excuse to cook up a meal to take over! {Pork loin, macaroni and cheese and pumpkin spice bread.}

* Tuesday night I came home to find some real mail in my box! {Isn't THAT a treat in a world of ads and bills?} Got this most darling garden flag in the mail from my sister! HOW FUN!!! I love it. And what a great pick-me-up for a Tuesday! Ryan and I went to the gym and spent the rest of the evening enjoying some TV and relaxation!

* Wednesday I had the chance to interview Gina Harris from Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep - which inspired my blog post on Thursday. I also had the chance to interview Erin Ussery from Whimsy and Co (super cute canvas art). Those two guests were among my most favorites ever that I've interviewed. I appreciate days like that on the air!

* Thursday night, after we finished our workout, Ryan's mom came to town and took us out for dinner. Mmmmmm...arroz con pollo at Mi Pueblo! {And that is the extent of my foreign language expertise.} It was yummy food - and a fun conversation too!

* Friday night, we had date night, part 1. We went to see a production of A Christmas Carol, put on by a church here in town! This was the 11th annual production and I hadn't been to see it since about the first year. It was good then - and REALLY good now! We were impressed! {Borrowed this picture from my friend, Greg. He had better shots than I did! Because I had none!}

* Yesterday Ryan had to work {the whole day again - sadness!!!} so I spent the day meeting up with my friend Sarah, for coffee, doing some shopping, and working on craft projects at home. Even though he was tired from a six day work week, Ryan came home and took me out to B-Dubs for dinner!! I'll tell you more about the date weekend later - but in the meantime - the little detail I loved. When I met Sarah for coffee at Starbucks, the barista asked how to spell my name so it would be correct on the cup! Sweet!

Thankfulness, Day 24: One of the people who impacted me most was a counselor I saw for a couple of years during college. He changed so many things about my view on life and I'm forever grateful for the hours he spent with me. Today - if you had a counselor or adviser or coach that spent time directing you in life - say thanks!! I'm sure in some ways, they wonder if their words are ever making a difference!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday, Ryan and I went to a 60th anniversary open house for some of his relatives. Sixty years! That's amazing! We got to spend some time with his Dad and Lynn over lunch, which was much fun, and then we headed over to his Mom's for our Christmas card photo shoot. We were blessed with a beautiful {though chilly!} day for photos. Wanna see a sneak peek? Okay. You twisted my arm. Here's one of our pics:

* Monday night, Ryan worked so hard to install all the new light fixtures in the bathroom. Y'all, it looks SO GOOD. There was still so much to be done, but just the change of the lights made all the difference. I appreciate his hard work so much. He's a renovating rock star!! As for me...well, I ran around like a crazy girl doing chores that are not exciting reading material, so I won't bore you with them. Perhaps the biggest blogworthy news: it was the day of our first snow.

* Tuesday night after a good workout at the gym, we came home and rested for just a bit before Ryan headed back into the bathroom to continue the overhaul. He finished wiring the last of the lights and hung up a new storage cabinet on the wall. While he did that, I did the great hair color attempt of 2013. It was supposed to marinate for 25-45 minutes. Mine lasted 10 before I rinsed it out in a panic. I'd started to see orange again and I COULD NOT HANDLE IT.

* Wednesday night I just needed to curl up with my journal and blog and Pinterest and all things creative and comforting. Sometimes this writer girl just needs that. I curled up on the bed with all that and worked away while Ryan installed my new faucet in my bathroom. I swoon. 

*  Thursday...my car broke down {again}, I spilled chili in my lunchbox...and that felt like the tip of the iceberg! It was a long, mentally exhausting day, but when I arrived home, Ryan met me at the door and said, Guess what!?!? You got packages!! Yes indeed...my two scrapbooks and our Christmas cards had ARRIVED!!!!! That was a fun treat!

* Friday, we received the bad news that the car damage was going to be an extremely costly repair. Given that my car is 12 years old and has 153,000 miles on it, we spent the day mulling over in our minds whether sinking {more} money into repairs would be the best decision - or if we need to retire the Bekah-mobile and purchase a different car that is more reliable. This decision is complicated by the fact that I drive over 100 miles every day, so we need to make sure I'm safe and not stranded out in the middle of nowhere with a dead car! The day {following the week we had} proved exhausting, so for our date, we opted for Papa Johns, Polar Pops and Redbox. 

* Yesterday we got up early and headed outside to try to squeeze in clearing leaves out of the yard and taking down the pirogi {boo!!!} before the forecasted rain arrived. {But it never did.} Ryan worked so hard later in the day to get all the floor tile down in the bathroom - and y'all, we ran out!! So we have to try find more before we can officially finish the bathroom. But that was one packed day!

Thankfulness, Day 17: I was blessed with some pretty amazing teachers along the way in my educational career. If there was a teacher that really impacted you in a great way - say thanks to that person. If he or she has passed away, maybe you could write a letter to a family member - or even to the school itself - reminding them what a great legacy was left by that teacher!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday, I woke up in the coughing stage of my cold. You need to understand that I am not like a normal person when I have a cold. When I get to the coughing days, it's literally all. I. do. So from the moment I woke up, until the moment I went to bed, I drank dozens of ounces of water, ate cough drops like candy, and drove myself nuts. And the only productive thing I did the entire day was make our lunch. Which was, if I might say, delicious.

* Monday, I was STILL in the coughing stage of my cold and drank three 32 ounce bottles of water within the first two hours of being up - and it didn't even touch the cough. I was ready to cut off my own head. Obviously there was no way I could go sit behind a microphone like that, so it was a sick day for me! I stayed home and alternated between resting and being a productive housewife. And when Ryan got home, I sat on the bed and wrote more of our story while he installed a new fan in my bathroom.

* Lynne encouraged me to take one more sick day to make sure I was good and well, so I stayed home again on Tuesday. I felt like such a bum! It made the third day in a row I hadn't set foot outside the house! By that night, though, I felt and sounded much better, so I ventured forth for dinner with Ryan's family, to celebrate his grandpa's 84th birthday! I went for the burger and fries, so that told me I really was wellish. It was the most I'd eaten in days and it tasted SO GOOD.

* I went back to work on Wednesday and we had a great show - so good to be part of that again! And after surviving a whole day of working {and no naps} I also survived a trip to the gym! I couldn't run like I wanted to - my lungs are obviously still not great, but I felt good about what we accomplished! Came home - and I worked on writing while Ryan...well...I'm not sure what he was doing. Oh wait. I remember. Bathroom renovation.

* Thursday was a mentally and emotionally draining day. Should have saved the five minutes it took me to put on my makeup that morning!! So when we went to the gym that night, Ryan went to do the normal weight routine and I just headed straight for the track to run/walk and clear my head. It was a good night - followed by a wee bit of retail therapy at TJ Maxx. Not a bad night after that!

* How are three day weeks the longest??? I was so glad for Friday to arrive, and I was ridiculously productive at work - surprising even my own self! We decided to move date night to Saturday so we could spend Friday evening taping and priming the bathroom. Or - let's just say we were channeling our inner Carl and Ellie {you know, from Up?} to be the newlywed renovators!

 * Yesterday, Ryan not only had to work, but he had to work longer than a full regular work day! I did all kinds of chores and painted the bathroom - and then we had an impromptu date night with our friends Mike and Angie. I threw together a quick Italian dinner and then we went out for apple pie chai drinks down at the IWU coffee shop. A GREAT night!

Thankfulness, Day 10: Since it's Sunday - why not thank a Sunday School teacher who made an impact on your life? Whether you go back to a teacher you had as a kid - or the teacher who leads your class every week now - say thanks! Teaching involves a lot of preparation and commitment and is often a thankless job. Make sure one of your teachers knows how much you have gained from his or her work!