A Present Day Interruption

The peril of writing about the desert journey is that it cuts into the present day! For the sake of those of you emailing me in impatience to read more "chapters," I really don't want to interrupt...but for the sake of you sick and tired of the long writing posts and no pictures...I wanted to offer a break. So this is a long post of....my retreat this week!

About five years ago, I was part of a ladies' Bible study that went through the book Every Woman's Battle. One of the suggestions the author made was that every woman, regardless of age, financial situation, marital status, or number of children, should take a spiritual retreat every year. So for the fourth year in a row, I packed up my car and headed out for an over-nighter with the Lord.

I headed north - almost to the Michigan state line. I'd carefully planned out the timing of this trip to arrive at the Bed & Breakfast (my first time ever to stay in one!) right at check-in time.

What I did not plan was this bad boy.


(Someone pointed out to me it looks like he's hovering. LOL! Trust me - it felt like we were hovering!) I was first in line behind him for six miles. Six miles going....

Yes. Twelve to fourteen miles an hour. (Please make a note that my water gauge did not overheat this time.)

My lunch destination was on the other side of the six miles. So you can imagine my amusement at this sight:

I'm trying, I'm trying! But at long last...grilled chicken wraps. Oh how I love you.

Got about a mile down the road and guess what?

Funniest part was - it wasn't a train. It was a parade of these little cars. Two went by, and then the bars went up, and I heard frantic honking. Looked over and one more little car was scooting down the track. So everyone stopped, let him go by (which made the bars go back down...). At least I had food to keep me occupied. I sure did hope this was not a sign of the patience lessons to be learned on this retreat!!

Despite the delays, I arrived at the McKenzie House Bed & Breakfast almost right on schedule. I found this place in an online search of B&B's and picked it based on location (I was familiar with the area), cuteness (you'll see in a second), and the fact that it had a darling carriage house (you'll see that in a second too). But it became pretty clear pretty quickly that this choice wasn't nearly as random as I thought.

This B&B was a gorgeous huge yellow house with a long front porch complete with rocking chairs, but also on the property was this darling thing. A carriage house! I decided it would afford me the perfect amount of privacy for my retreat, so I booked my room in this one. I had the whole upstairs - right there behind the window boxes! (There was another suite downstairs, so I had neighbors, but I still felt like I was all on my own.)

The silo holds the spiral staircase that leads up to the suite where I stayed. (I am such a sucker for cute things. I may be the only person persuaded to rent a room based on spiral stairs in a cute silo.)

Another selling point for me was that I'd have my own private deck. Given that so many of my amazing moments of hearing the Lord throughout the past few months have come while spending time outside, I wanted to have a place I could sit and listen - without the worry of interruption.

This was my view from my deck. That's the side of the main house in the back. The whole top floor is a suite and there are two (I think) other suites on the second floor.

My gorgeous deck. I sat in one of those chairs and propped my feet up on the bench and drank coffee (see it there waiting on me?) and listened. Heavenly.

I stayed in the Courtney suite. I don't know Courtney. But she's on a perpetual honeymoon, because that was the suite I was in!! (And NO!!!!! all you Isaac story readers, I was NOT on my honeymoon. I did NOT elope. I did NOT get married. I am NOT engaged.)

Um, did I mention that there was a really cute spiral staircase in a silo that led up to Courtney's honeymoon suite? This is it! The innkeeper told us at breakfast that the man who owned the B&B before them built this himself. He loved woodwork and you can definitely tell in all the amazing touches!

Another reason I picked this particular suite was because it had a kitchen. I don't leave when I go away on these retreats, and I wanted the freedom to cook if I so desired. It was fully stocked with dishes, silverware, water bottles in the fridge, coffee/creamer/sugar/coffee pot, and other cooking dishes in the cabinets. Sweet!!

DARLING kitchen. This was the other end of it. The window looked out over some trees - so relaxing.

The kitchen table - those are "His and Hers" mugs there on the table. I elected to not use them. But the table was not only a perfect place to eat, but to study as well.

This cute little chair was in the corner - I bet that guy built it!

The dresser - stocked with tons of candles - which I took full advantage of later! I love candles!

This couch was AMAZINGLY comfortable. I just kind of sunk into it. Loved the fluffy pillows and the blankets. I took a long nap right there!

These little ottomans were perfect for perching my books and laptop while I studied! And though I didn't really need them, the room also had a TV (with tons of channels!) and a DVD player and a CD player. The main house had a room with literally dozens of movies to choose from and a music library too - and the innkeeper said I was free to take any of them back to my room if I wanted. Isn't that great!?

Yeah, this is my king-sized bed. Pillow top mattress. Down comforter. And oh - did you see the steps? STEPS!! I'd never before had to have steps to get into a bed!! (Bunk bed in college excluded of course.)

Down pillows too - I think I forgot to mention that.

Normally on these retreats, I do some hard-core studying and praying and learning. And while I did study, and pray and learn this time, I did a lot of this. I felt guilty about it later, but God reminded me that the last four months of my life have been hard core...and I needed this respite.

One of the perks of living in the honeymoon suite was the abundance of candles. I loved lighting them and enjoying the ambiance....

Even lit some at the table while I studied. I'm such a sap.

This was the guest book for my suite. I thought the cover was pretty appropriate for a girl who has been living in a desert and found herself in need of a spiritual retreating place. I read through all the entries while I ate my dinner and loved reading about the others who had stayed there. Some had come for their honeymoons, but some, like me, just needed a life-break. (This was also when I learned I had great things in store come breakfast time!)

And I felt a lot of this while I was there...God was so good to meet me and to soothe my exhausted heart.

When I first arrived, I enjoyed getting to know Sherry, the wife-half of the innkeepers. She showed me around my room and then showed me around the common areas of the main house. (HUGE basement with a Wii, books, games, movies, and music...the heated pool...the hot tub...the dining room with coffee for any moment of any day.) I took immediate advantage of the coffee and just spent some time relaxing. (That was right before the nap.)

Then I went outside to sit on the porch and listen...and journal. See me?

Then I came back inside and started writing up a storm. I believe it was at this point I was studying Psalm 63 - great Psalm!

Then I relocated and started tearing apart Psalm 71. Loved reading words I so could have written...

Then there was one of these...and this is the only picture you'll see of THAT.

And then I got in bed to do more studying. Two funny things that happened - these are the sorts of things that I've learned to chalk up to God.

First, the place had wi-fi, according to the web, but when I tried to get online in the early evening, I couldn't, because I didn't have the code. So I tried to make a call to get it from Sherry, but I couldn't get my call to go through. I decided at that point, God did NOT want me to get online - He wanted me to stay on task.

Then, later that night, I turned on the TV and was winding down to some TV Land, when the electricity went out. And it stayed out until 1 in the morning. Apparently I needed to be praying and sleeping, not watching TV. (My apologies to the greater population of Middlebury and Shipshewana who had to suffer without power as well!)

Thankfully I'd had this little snack before the power outage hit...

That bed was comfy. No two ways about it. And I woke up to fluffy comforters and gorgeous sun!

Remember the breakfast I knew would be great? I made my way over for that meal and here's what she served: muffins, banana bread, ham, scrambled eggs, a hash brown potato dish, fresh fruit/yogurt/granola, coffee, juice, milk, and water! No, I did not eat it all. But that sweet lady can COOK. My word!

I enjoyed meeting the two other couples who were staying the same night - and I enjoyed hearing a little more of Bruce and Sherry's story! After breakfast I came back over to my suite and did more reading and journaling before I had to check out.

When I went to turn in my key, I started talking to Bruce, the husband-half of the innkeepers, and we talked about how I'm a writer. He started telling me his God-story and I shook my head in amazement at the specific things the Lord had done in his life. I told him I'd come there to get away and retreat with the Lord. I also told him the night before I came, I prayed specifically that God would go ahead of me and fill my room and be waiting for me when I got there. He said that he and Sherry wanted to have B&B so people could retreat and heal from the hurts of life. Y'all, of all the hundreds of B&Bs in the state of Indiana, it was not a coincidence that I chose this one. I had no idea the owners were believers and that this was a place of retreating and healing.

But God knew.

I love Him so for that.

God met me so completely - and allowed me to feel the start of a deep heart healing while I was there. I loved that place more than any other place I've ever stayed (well it ranks beside the scrapbooking place, I'll say) and I will absolutely be going back at the next available opportunity.

And if you're in the Indiana/Michigan area and need a good B&B, I highly, highly, highly recommend this place. (I started passing out their cards at work, even!) You will be pampered and loved and well-fed, and best of all, God is there.

Bits for Sunday, January 10, 2010

I’m not sure what life was like for you in the first full week of 2010, but in my world, insanely busy seems to best cover it. I actually ran out of lines in my new day planner to list all the required tasks, so I had to resort to adding hot pink sticky notes out to the side. At first I declared that my second-rate day planner was simply displaying another reason why it’s second-rate, but I suppose it could be that I’m too busy.

Amid the scrapping, the cooking, the shoveling (which was a last minute add-on to the schedule), the writing, the laundry, the shopping (grocery, not pleasure), and the seemingly daily calling to the Hickory Dickory Dock Mouse Removal Service for yet another house call, I did have the chance to sneak away for a quick retreat with some ladies from my church.

We loaded up some vans Friday night and headed to Quaker Haven Camp for not quite a full 24 hours of freedom from responsibility. We laughed, we ate, we talked, we ate, we slept (just kidding), we ate, and we learned from a gifted speaker who had good nuggets of life’s wisdom to share.

The theme of the retreat was running ragged…something I know very well. (Shoot, I was the third person to leave the group to head to bed, all because I was too tired to stay awake after a week of wee hour bedtimes.) I managed to mark off all but one of my to-do list chores this week, and I added more than a few extras to accommodate weather and others. Yes, running ragged is something I know very well.

Our speaker didn’t spend a lot of time telling us how not to run ragged, but she did spend time telling us how to survive a life that might be prone to natural raggedness.

I wrote down several of her points and committed others to memory, but one thing she encouraged us to try was this: stop spending a dollar’s worth of energy on a ten cent issue. I’ve nearly bankrupted myself on some ten cent issues over the course of time, so this was a great point for me to hear.

I’ve heard many of my married and parenting friends say they “choose their battles” with their spouse or their children. Sometimes you have to when another person is involved. (Or so I hear.) But regardless of marital or parenting status, all of us have to face issues. We judge the importance of our issues on what other people might say. We minimize things because someone else is facing something much bigger, and we feel bad about mentioning our little problems. And on the other hand, we might just magnify a tiny thing in order to push down someone else’s issue that we find petty.

That shouldn’t be the measuring stick.

I think we should look at our situations, even if they’re internal, and decide if they’re worth a dollar of energy…or just ten cents. We need to decide their worth. Not what others would say.
And if they’re worth a dollar…then get in there and spend some energy. Fight. Clean up. Work hard. And if they’re only worth ten cents…then pay the dime and move on.

Probably most of us could claim an honorary graduate degree in running ragged. But we’ve paid a lot more for it than we should have. It’s time to stop spending…and start saving for what matters most.

Running Ragged

Running Ragged....

That was the theme of the retreat I went on this weekend. My first official retreat with my new church. It was a short retreat....perhaps better called a retreatlet? I'm not sure.

Last night my friend Lori came by to pick me up and I rode with her and three other girls up to the church campgrounds in northern Indiana. Though I grew up going to camp there, I'd never been in the winter, so it was a whole new view of the place!

Most of my pictures have other people in them and since I didn't ask if I could broadcast them on the blog, I won't.

This was taken about 1:00 this morning - right before my journaling fest....

I MAJORLY lucked out and got my own room! They had extra bunks in other rooms, but this room was empty and I have no idea if I snore or talk in my sleep, so I decided to snag this room rather than running the risk of making others lose what little sleep they might be getting.

This was our lodge. I've stayed in most of the lodges on the campground, but this was my first time in Oak Haven. It was really really nice.

The camp sits on Dewart Lake, which as I said, I'd never seen in the winter. It was quite lovely under all that snow.

Our speaker was wonderful. I consider a speaker good if she can make me laugh, cry, AND think. And Linda did all three. I really enjoyed the time with all the ladies, and the food....oh my goodness, the food. This was the last time that Dan, the cook for the camp, would cook for us, because he's leaving at the end of the month. We ate and ate and ate...because it would have been rude not to, really. Coffeecake...biscuits and gravy...scrambled eggs...bacon...hash brown casserole...chicken salad croissants...onion rings...chili...cream puffs. Oh my GOODNESS.

By the time we went to eat lunch, another group staying on the grounds had started to clear the lake for a skating party - I'd never seen people skate on a lake before. I loved it!

So now I'm home...with mouse number four...getting ready to exercise away some of those delish dishes....

Yes, I Know...This is A Day Late

No, I was not kidnapped by the Marion Mafia. Yes, this is the first time in however many years I've been doing this that Bits has been a day late. A dollar short many times, I'm sure, but never a day late.

Welcome to the land of Bekah learning to be flexible. And what an exercise it has been!

This weekend I was given the opportunity to go on a retreat. Not a standard church retreat where all the women run from home screaming with joy at the freedom ahead...and then spend hours eating chocolate and giggling together. Not a standard Bekah retreat of checking into a hotel room for some rest and quality time with a journal and the Bible. This was very different from any kind of retreat I've been on before, and truthfully, my mind has not yet had enough down time to process all that happened.

I've not had time to journal since Wednesday, which is nearly like fasting for me. In fact, I'm barely able to wait long enough to get home and rip the journals out of the backpack to start writing. If I'm smart, I'll contend with the unpacked suitcase and the bedding strewn across the living room first. But then - who knows if I'll be smart!?!? Probably not.

I left for my retreat at 4:30 on Thursday and got home at 10 last night. I gave the heartiest hello I could muster to the cats, called my Mama and headed straight for my precious, huge, wonderful, fleece sheet covered bed. There I conked out and slept without moving until the alarm so rudely interrputed today.

Hence, no timely Bits for you.

I don't want to say too much about the retreat just yet - the God part of it anyway - because I am still thinking and unraveling all that took place.

But for those who need a "Bekahland" moment - I offer you the following.

I knew the retreat was being held at a church campground, and I anticipated that the sleeping arrangements would be large rooms filled with bunk beds. And that's exactly what we had. We were assigned a location, and all the lower bunks were filled. Four of us were assigned upper bunks. Two of them were up against a wall. I was not so fortunate.

My bed was a tiny metal island surrounded by a cement sea. And by tiny, I mean that the sleeping bag was wider than the bed. No rails on the bed. And not only that...no non-athletic way of climbing up to the top. The end didn't have rails. No ladder, no chair. Just me and my no-upper-body-strength. I could FEEL the comedy in my future.

The first bedtime approached and I eyed that bed with a sick feeling. I glanced around to find I had a little audience waiting to see just how I planned to go about getting into that bed. I don't blame them. I'd have done the same. So I took a deep breath, stepped up on the mattress of the lower bunk, threw my arms across the bed and started pulling while trying to maneuver a tae bo kick move with my leg. For those of you who are I Love Lucy fans...just think of the ballet episode. Not far from the truth. After giving the audience QUITE a show, I landed in the bed and managed to get inside the borrowed sleeping bag. Only then did I realize this was a sleeping bag that was rather slippery on the outside. I could only imagine sliding slowly off the bed in my sleep. What a story for my funeral. "She fell out of bed."

Knowing that I was stuck up there in that bunk also gave me the kid-in-a-snowsuit syndrome. But there was NO room for potty breaks, so I put that thought out of my mind.

I set about trying to go to sleep, but alas - no TV. No fan. Two essentials to my winding down process. I didn't even have a clock to know how late it was getting.

What I did have was snoring. I was SHOCKED. Aren't men supposed to be the big time snorers? I expected a snoring duet or maybe a trio. This was a CHOIR! So there I was...on my back (which I never do, but I was afraid if I turned on my side, I'd fall right out of bed), staring at the very near ceiling, listening to the snoring, wondering if I'd ever sleep...

...and I won't kid about this part, because it wasn't funny at all. It was quite scary actually. One of the other ladies became ill in the night and long story short, we were all up for much of the night sitting by and praying, since we didn't know what to do for her.

After the second round of her sickness came, I gave up on ever actually sleeping and determined to get out of bed. I stuck my head over the side (while hanging on for dear life) to see if the bottom bunk lady was awake. She was, so I informed her I would be attempting to exit the bed at that time.

I scooted the sleeping bag out of the way for safety reasons, assumed a surfboard position across the bed and started to scoot down the side. My jammie pant legs caught on the mattress and slid up, up, up my leg while I slid down, down, down the side.

Hey, once you start a show, you gotta finish it.

Let the record show, I did not get back in THAT bed the rest of the weekend.

So there you have a taste of my weekend...and I must now go work off some of the food they fed me!

Things of January...

As I've said before, I love a new year. Everything about it. If every day could be a New Year's Day, I'd get so much done...and yet so little done.

Today was a pretty perfect New Year's Day. Sleeping in...fixing breakfast...which runs into lunch...venturing out only if I feel so inclined...scrapping...TV marathons...cooking dinner...plenty of time to read my Bible and journal...these are the makings of a perfect New Year's Day.

And then before January ends I find myself back in the rushing mode. But for today it feels good to have things under control.

Ringing in the new year (for me) brought a new experience:


This is my first and probably final attempt at pool. From now on the only pool I think I like is the one with the word "swimming" in front of it. Last night I was invited over to Chris and Trudy's house (friends of mine for the last several years) - and Chris took me to the garage to show me his newly created "man cave." The prominent feature was this refurbished pool table, and he insisted that I try it, playing against Trudy's sister, Joy. He assured me she'd just learned to play and really it would be fine. Joy had the win of her pool career. There's just no way to describe how horrible I am at pool. I begged to quit. Chris wouldn't let me. But I think everyone rejoiced when Joy finally won and I could go back in the house and play with the kids.

So with 2008 and non-swimming-pool(s) behind me, I am excited about January.

* New season of The Biggest Loser. I so hope this new season goes back to being inspirational and doesn't have all the Vicky-ish drama of last season.

* New season of The Bachelor. Truth be told, I've about had it with this show. It's getting annoying. But I so wanted Jason to be chosen last time that I just have to watch this one last season and see who he falls in love with! (Will they still be in love by the time the finale airs? THERE is the question.)

* New season of American Idol. Yes, I do plan to do something besides watch TV! But you all know I love this show!! I'm not sure how I'm going to juggle all three new seasons - especially since a couple of them overlap in airing times. But we'll see how it goes.

* Scrapping with my buddies. My scrapping buddies from my previous church were kind enough to extend an invitation for me to join them in their January scrap day, so I'm really excited about that. I miss them!

* Church retreat. The ladies at my new church have a retreat planned, and one of my new friends invited me to go. I'm looking forward to that time of getting away - and getting to know them better. They are fun girls!!

* Smaller case-load! We just hired a new counselor at work - an added position, not a replacement - so this means my group of students gets smaller. I'm sad about losing some of them, but I always love a smaller group because it means I get to spend more time working with the ones I have. The new division starts next week.

* NO SHOVELING! Okay so that's just on my wish list. But it would be so so nice to have a month with no ice and no snow accumulation over an inch!! (I know, I know...move to Arizona.)

I'm sure there's more...but the laundry is almost done drying...and I have a dessert yet to make and some other chores to do.

In the meantime - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Retreat Pictures

Below this post is the full story behind the pictures...

This was where I had my overnight personal retreat this year. The Farmstead Inn is a great place to stay. Very clean, very quiet - and yet very BIG! It's just down the road from the Shipshewana flea market and all the little shops. And look what a beautiful travel day I had when I left! :)

My room had a couch (which was also a hide-a-bed, but I didn't need it for that). That's where I sacked out to read my book.


And of course - what good is a retreat without a place to journal??

My suite (please remember that I virtually never get to travel, so when I do, I like to treat myself to a nice space) had a kitchenette, which was very helpful, since I elected to not leave the hotel once I got there.

The famous silverware. (Explanation in post below.)

My free coffee from the lobby!!

Bits for Sunday, October 19, 2008

I told you last week I would fill you in on my time at my spiritual retreat during my vacation. Last year was the first time I ever went on such an adventure, having been prompted to do so by something I read in a book. It was such a pivotal experience for me that I wanted to do it again this year…and every year. There’s something about getting away from home, responsibilities, contact with the outside world…and settling down for a concentrated time with God.

I’ll admit this year I felt very underprepared for the retreat. Last year I spent about four months planning it – choosing a topic to study, purchasing a book to read, planning everything from my meals to events, and garnering a prayer team to back me up while I was gone. This year I grabbed a book off the shelf at the last minute, and as I began the drive to the hotel, I felt as though I had no idea what would happen and that somehow my lack of preparation would lead to disappointment in the way the retreat would unfold.

But of course – God wasn’t about to let it be that bad.

This year my retreat was at the Farmstead Inn, located up in Shipshewana. I’d stayed there before and knew it would be a good, quiet place to get away. Halfway to my destination (as I fervently prayed against detours, which were last year’s headache), I realized I’d taken a microwave dinner to eat, but I’d failed to pack any silverware. Last year I’d planned ahead enough that I remembered all those sorts of things. Last year I’d even packed chocolate covered strawberries. There’s a big gap between hand dipped strawberries and grabbing a chicken nugget microwave dinner at the final grocery store on the way out of town.

I arrived at the hotel detour-free (yay!) and checked in, still kicking myself about the silverware dilemma. I had resolved to locate a coffee stirrer somewhere on the premises and use it to stab the macaroni and kernels of corn. (Hardly makes me eligible for Survivor, but it does show some attempts at resourcefulness.) The lady at the desk handed me my room card and sent me on my merry way – down a lonnnnnnng corridor to the room at the farthest possible location from the front desk. Oh – and it was on the first floor. I walked in and looked around…and said “Well, God, last year I had a second floor room in view of the lobby, which made me feel very safe. I guess this year You think I’ve grown up enough to be in the far reaches of the universe with ground floor windows.” I’ve watched way too much CSI and SVU. I quoted the only Psalms I could remember about lying down and sleeping in peace, and headed back to the car for my stuff. (Incidentally, I made it entirely in one trip with the luggage…for those of you who accuse me of packing for a month for an overnight trip.)

Of course the first joy of any hotel room is investigating it, so I scampered about opening drawers, CLOSING blinds, and inspecting the gigantic garden whirlpool tub. When I poked around the kitchenette, I found answer to prayer number two: a plastic tray full of plastic silverware. Proof that God cares about even the littlest things. (Or maybe He just didn’t want to watch me stab macaroni with a coffee stirrer.)

I curled up on the couch and read in the book I’d pulled from the shelf – How to Really Love God as Your Father by Deborah Newman. After each chapter, I’d move over to the tiny table, spread out my journals and write all the things I’d just learned that I didn’t want to forget.

I found some great quotes along the way:

You know you are getting it when you don’t doubt the goodness of God. You are discovering the amazing depths of a relationship with God that allows you to cry out ‘Abba, Father,’ as Jesus did on that night of utter terror in His soul. – Deborah Newman

The great spiritual task facing me is to so fully trust that I belong to God that I can be free in the world – free to speak even when my actions are criticized, ridiculed, or considered useless; free also to receive love from people and to be grateful for all the signs of God’s presence in the world. I am convinced that I will be truly able to love the world when I fully believe that I am loved far beyond its boundaries. – Henri Nouwen

After several hours of reading and journaling, I took a break to have the fabulous frozen dinner – eaten in bed, of course, as should be the case when eating in a hotel. I filled up the ice bucket – another adventure of hotel life – trying to find that one mysterious cubbie that is never quite where the map on the back of the door says it will be found. I helped myself to not one, but two free cups of coffee from the lobby – because I could. And I took a swim (don’t even think I’m kidding) in that gigantic tub. There was also a bit of a mishap with the bubbles, but we won’t talk about that.

And when the day was over, I curled up in bed with my bag of popcorn and the remote control, flipping through all the familiar channels I watch at home. I stretched out in the big bed and slept soundly – first floor and all. And I didn’t even have any CSI dreams.

The next morning I could tell the sun (which had NOT made an appearance the previous day) was peeking through the blinds, so I scurried out of bed to open the east windows and lay in bed to watch a sunrise. (Once a year I can handle a sunrise.)

I was very pleased with the outcome of the retreat – despite my lack of planning. God proved to me that He (the Abba Father) can provide for His children even when they fail to plan well.

Bits for Sunday, October 12, 2008

One beautiful week of vacation…done. Sigh of combination sadness/excitement.

I try very hard not to take an entire week off work at one time. I don’t like being away from my desk that long. But I was quite worn down (thankyouverymuch, daylight savings) and I needed sleep desperately. So last week I took an entire week off. Well, sort of. I have a bad habit of not knowing how to stay away from checking my email while I’m not at work. But at least I managed to not go in to the office – though it was sorely tempting on Friday.

I kicked off the vacation with a six hour scrap-fest at the church where I attend Bible study. I had a whole round table to myself and got all caught up on my regular album. There were many snacks, but they were all super-sweet, so I tried not to work my way into a sugar coma on the drive home. And there I sat, in the living room, at 12:30 in the morning, eating dinner. Now that’s vacation.

Monday evening I got a new haircut – because I needed change in my life. Of course, as all women know, new haircuts bring on a new life of their own. Days of trying it this way and that to see what works, buying new product for it, because the 18 bottles already in the bathroom don’t quite give it the pizzazz it needs. It’s tiring, really.

Tuesday I managed to tackle the granddaddy of all projects looming over my head. I switched the clothes in the closet from summer to winter. The fall closet switch always brings me a combination of joy and sorrow. Joy because it’s a brand new (free!) wardrobe. Sorrow because I so hate bulky clothing. I have enough bulk. I don’t need to wear it too.

And Tuesday night I went to a jewelry-making party at my friend Rachel’s house (pictures in the post below). I was scared to death of all the little tools. Never made jewelry before. But I had a lot of fun and now own a very cute black bracelet and a pair of black earrings.

Wednesday I headed up to Shipshewana for my annual “personal retreat.” I will write more about that next week. But it was a very fun and relaxing time complete with those unexpected, unplanned moments that I love so much.

When I left Shipshewana the next day, I headed a couple of hours away to visit my friends Jon and Julie, who are about to have their first baby. They used to be my neighbors, so it’s very different to not see them all the time anymore! All of you who know me well will be SO PROUD to know that I drove by myself, on an interstate, through a city, in construction, on a road I’d never been on before, sandwiched between two semis, reading a very tiny Mapquest printout, and I did not get lost or throw up. That is major.

By Friday, the stress of not being at work had gotten the best of me. I was a wreck. I tried to figure out how to best channel my frustration without causing permanent damage to anyone or anything. I found just the thing.

Furniture rearrangement.

For SIX HOURS I rearranged furniture in four rooms. And since I know someone will ask, yes, it was by myself. I move my furniture all the time. One of Mom’s friends told me this morning that I change the furniture more than anyone she knows. I told her it’s cheaper than moving and it still gives that new house feel.

Anyway, I pushed and pulled and emptied and refilled and rearranged. We’re talking bookcases and TV and couches and the whole nine yards. And of course – I had to be on the lookout for tiny paws and tails the whole time.

I had two near disasters. Both happened while I tried to push and pull a full size couch through a very tiny doorway without scratching any paint or ripping any fabric. The first “oops” happened when I accidentally backed into an empty bookcase and toppled it over, very narrowly missing a window with the corner of the bookcase. The second was when I was so focused on not scratching the paint that I forgot I had a hand in the way. Totally smashed my hand in the door with the couch. It left a little fat bump and a bruise. And then this morning I whacked it on the table in Sunday School. That felt fabulous.

But for the most part the great overhaul is complete, and work resumes this week. If you need me for the next eight business days, you’ll find me glued to my emails.

Lake Time!

Every fall, my friend Marie and I go to the lake. Normally this is kind of a one day "connect with God" sort of outing for us. For the last four (I think) years, we've gone up to Lake Wawasee and spent time on the grounds of the Oakwood Inn. There is a pier there that has become special to each of us, because God has spoken to us in pretty powerful ways in that spot.

So, several weeks ago, we reserved this day for our annual pilgrimage. Thursday Marie checked their website to get their phone number and found a message that said the entire campus was closed and the property was for sale. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I did some scrambling and found a plan B for us. It was very different from what we normally do, but we had so much fun anyway - and it was my first Saturday out of bed in three weeks because of this stupid flu/cold thing I had. So I was just thrilled to be on the OUTSIDE of my house!

We decided to go up to Winona Lake. Neither of us had been there before, so armed with Mapquest directions, coffee, and a full tank of gas, we started our adventure. I sometimes wonder how Mapquest arrives at its paths...we certainly had a scenic route there! We passed a double wide log cabin, a home with a periwinkle garage door, and a home with a coral garage door! How colorful!

Our first order of business was to find a place where we could see the lake. We found a little park that had a very tiny beach. Given that it's the last weekend in September, the beach was empty. So we were able to sit and enjoy the late morning view:

Marie and me. We were in the lifeguard tower, actually.


No lifeguards on duty today, so we took the opportunity to have a photo shoot. It was a pretty fun place to sit and overlook the lake.

After we spent some time at the lake, we went to eat lunch (my pictures got out of order here - oops!) and then we went shopping. The Village at Winona is this little area just across from the campus of Grace College - kind of a Brown County sort of feel. Little artisan shops everywhere. One of the last shops we visited had a big bucket of bubbles with this huge handmade bubble wand in it - just sitting out - so anyone could use it. They also had a bucket of sidewalk chalk. Marie blew bubbles and I added to the art others had begun.

After we'd shopped for a while, we discovered this cute little island park. I'm not sure if it was part of Grace's campus or if it was part of the Village area - but it had this little pond (with a fountain!) and an island in the center. We walked over the bridge and sat in the chairs overlooking the fountain. It was such a perfect day - warm and sunny.

At the end of the day, we went back to the "beach." It was pretty hot by this time, so we went wading. Marie was much braver than I. As soon as the fish started nibbling at my toes, I went running for the edge of the water. I'm not so much into the fish actually TOUCHING me. There was a cute little kid splashing around in the water trying to catch a fish with his sand bucket. Marie tried to help him. I just walked up and down the edge of the water, squishing my toes in the sand.


HERE'S lunch! Not sure how I got this one so out of order. Anyway, there were some little cafes/bakeries in the village, so we just picked one and ate there. This one was kind of on the organic side. I had a grilled chicken Caesar salad - and a bottle of "good for you" cola. I forget the name brand. Anyway, it definitely didn't taste like Coke, but it was so much fun to drink because a., I still stay away from carbonation as a general rule, so it was a treat and 2., it was in a glass bottle! MEMORIES. :) We found another cafe later and got a snack - I, of course, had iced coffee. :)

I think we'll probably go back again - it was a very fun place. And our trip home was 100% different than our trip there. (Again - how do you just reverse your destination in Mapquest and go home by a completely different route?????) We didn't really get to sit and ponder the God-things of life, but we did have a great day!