The Shafferland Shuffle

The week in which I FINALLY get to tell you about all the sneaking around we've been doing over here! {Full recap to come. I promise.}

* Last Sunday, after church, I made scrambled eggs and French toast {the clean eating versions} for us. They were delicious! I love breakfast for lunch. And dinner. And breakfast. Ha! And then I started working on our big surprise for the week...a party for my mom. I have been planning and prepping this thing for MONTHS...and I haven't been able to tell you about it! Sunday I started baking cookies, and I also separated an entire bag of M and Ms by color for a game we were playing. That was fun for my OCD! We wrapped up our night by going to visit Grandpa in the hospital. Ran out of chairs so Ryan took the wheelchair.

* Monday I trekked to the hospital to watch Grandpa's first therapy session with his regular therapist. He rocked the walking! Amazing to see the improvement from one week earlier when he was prepping for surgery! Back to cookie baking I went...making a batch of lemon cookies that day. We went for  walk that evening and enjoyed a stunning sunset!

* Tuesday, I spent the entire day working on a book project that I'm excited to tell you more about soon, and surprisingly, I made more cookies! Snickerdoodle!!!! And because we live in a house with an abundance of cookies, we had to start a new {and hard core!} workout program. Hammer and Chisel is no joke.

* You already read about our Wednesday...the day of the tornadoes. I was baking chocolate chip cookies when the storms showed up, and I took shelter at the hospital for the first round. Came home and hid in our bathroom for round two, while Ryan watched the thing go right by. That boy. What am I gonna do with him???

* We had been warned there would be more storms on Thursday, but it was a bright, sunshiny day! {Although I did find Braeya curled up on the still-packed-for-storms suitcase, just in case, I guess.} I made prizes for party games {cookies in a jar}, made oatmeal cookies, baked a cake, and took a break from party prep to hang out with Ryan while he mowed his aunt and uncle's yard. Isn't he the cutest lawn boy ever?

* Friday was my 20th high school reunion, which I'll tell you more about next week! We went just to the first part, which was a tailgate party before the football game at our school. Had a great time seeing old friends. Even though I see a lot of them on Facebook often, it was still fun to see them in person!

* Yesterday was the big day!!! Mom's surprise party!! You guys!!!!!!!!! It went so perfectly. I can't wait to tell you all about it. She was shocked {actually I don't think the English language has a word to capture her reaction} and she loved the whole day. Such fun and so worth all the months of planning!!

The Saturday Six

One.

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I believe this qualifies as a true example of: It was the best of days...it was the worst of days.

Two.

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Anyone else ever watch Mad About You back in the day? I loved it so much in college and watched it all. the. time. I recently discovered it's on in the mornings, and I catch every episode I can. Paul and Jaime were one of my all-time favorite TV couples.

Three.

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Just learned about Transfercar this week. Have you ever heard of it? If you live in the right areas {which apparently we do not}, you can help rental companies transfer cars and RVs between their locations and give yourself the chance to travel for free/minimal costs! {They need to move the car, and it's cheaper for them to let you drive it there for little to no money than to pay for it to be hauled via freight.} A cost-effective way to travel!

Four.

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, we had some tornadoes in our city this week. Lots of destruction just a couple of miles from us, but we were safe. I found this video with drone coverage of the storm's path, so I thought I would share it here.  

Five.

Found this list over on Jessica's blog and loved it so much, I wanted to share it with you. The most beautiful spot in every state. Obviously it's subjective, and you may not agree, but I think you CAN agree that the pictures are stunning. I've been to three {though I was a kid for one, so I don't remember it very well} and think a road trip is in order to see the rest! HA!!! 

Six.

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Gotta tell you about the book I read to review this week. And I have to say, I liked it way more than I thought I would, going in. To be fair, I asked to review this book, so I thought I would like it to a degree, but it was a book I asked to read more to broaden my topic horizons than anything else. Two chapters in, I started over so I could begin underlining and making notes, because I suddenly found myself wanting to keep this book as part of my permanent library.

Next Door as it is in Heaven by Lance Ford and Brad Brisco is a guide to exploring tangible ways we can live among and love our actual neighbors the way God called us to live. To an extent, I think we've spent so many years emphasizing that loving our neighbor means loving more than our ACTUAL NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR...and now we've forgotten to focus on loving our ACTUAL NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS.

The book starts out a little "researchy," as the authors share some background information on how - and why - the atmosphere of neighborhoods has changed in the last 75 or so years. The information is not too academic or hard to read, but the tone at the start is much more informational than relational. Then the authors switch it up and begin explaining how we can change the culture of the very neighborhoods in which we live, by changing our mindset and being intentional in our behavior.

Our recent move has put us in much more of a neighborhood setting than where we lived before, and that was one reason I wanted to read this book. I don't want to squander the opportunity I have to live among people who could be great friends. But I also wasn't sure how to do it.

Lance and Brad offer examples of how their families {and people they know} have met and established relationships in their own neighborhoods, and because the book is written by men, rather than women, it's not loaded down with ideas of baking cookies and establishing playdates. {NOTHING wrong with either of those things, and as a woman, I'd be all about trying both. I point this out simply because if you are a guy or you want to offer this book to a guy, there are lots of examples they could relate to...sharing tools, putting together a BBQ night or a shared home gym...stuff that appeals to men without losing the attention of female readers.}

I came away from this book really convicted to make some changes in how I relate to my neighbors and also how I view my actual neighborhood and the amount of living I do in it, compared to the amount of living I drive out of it to do. {That was one of the most interesting points to me - how in the "olden days," people lived, worked, went to church, and did their shopping all within walking distance. And now, we commute to pretty much everything...and as a result, we don't even know the people in our own backyards.}

In fair and full disclosure, there were a couple of points in the book that I wasn't sure I agreed with, but I am not sure if I don't agree with them just because my lifestyle is more conservative, or if they were points that maybe should have been left out of the book entirely. In case you, too, are conservative, I thought I would add this so you don't come away from reading the book wondering why I didn't mention it, but maybe the things that stuck out to me wouldn't even bother you! All in all, those points aside, I found good, thought-provoking ideas inside these pages and am excited to put into practice the things I've learned!

* Thanks, NavPress/Tyndale, for sending a copy of this book my way in exchange for an honest review. *

It Was a Quiet Rainy Afternoon...

And your girl Bekah was in the kitchen, happily baking cookies. Chocolate chip, in fact. {Don't believe me?}

 A gentle rain fell, and I unloaded the dishwasher while I waited for the first batch of cookies to bake. I thought {a mistake I will not be making again} how lovely it was to be safe in my home during a gentle rain and how grateful I was to have the time to make cookies for my husband and just enjoy being a homemaker.

My phone rang...and rang...and rang...an oddity I'd never seen before. No break. Just ringing. As I walked to it, the weather radio went off. What?!?! They both blared tornado warnings. TORNADO WARNINGS?!?!!? What about my nice gentle rain and baking cookies? My happy homemaking?

I had no idea storms were on the radar {ha! See what I did there?} for the day, and after talking to several of Ryan's co-workers later, I learned I was not alone in my ignorance. I called Ryan, freaking out, because that's what I do in storms, and he told me to calm down because it was just a little rain. Never one to be quickly calmed, I continued my freaking-outting until finally he asked if I wanted him to come home and get me, so I could be at the hospital with him.

I said no, because I wanted to be with the house, I said. "What are you going to do for it, exactly?" he asked. Well, I'd thought about throwing myself over it to protect it, but I could see how that didn't make a lot of sense. So I finally agreed he should retrieve me. He scooted home, picked me up, and I rushed into his interior office to hang out with Brutus.

Sorry for the blur. I was shaking like you would not believe. Also. Don't expect to see smiles in this post. Not the time.

Not long after that photo was taken, they started closing blinds at the hospital and moving patients to the interior. Time for the water works.

It got so much uglier than that picture, people. I was sobbing and shaking and not breathing AT ALL. Ryan was trying to coach me through breathing {though he does not remotely understand my fear of storms} but I couldn't get it together. I tried to Lamaze, but it wasn't helping much. I fell apart the most when the rain and wind I could hear above just stopped and it was crazy quiet. I thought we were done.

The hospital was fine, but as you may have seen on the news {if you're from around here}, the town did take a hit, including one of our Starbucks stores! {These pictures below were from the Kokomo Herald Facebook page, so all photo credit to them.}

{I don't know how many people were inside, but there were people inside and from what I heard, they were all safe in the bathrooms. If you're not from here and don't know, the bathrooms in this Starbucks are on the right side of the building right above the red shopping cart in the bottom photo. Pretty much the only area still standing.}

It's a lot to take for a coffee loving, tornado hating girl, you know. Coming out of a tornado shelter to find out Starbucks fell over.

I had to sit for a while at the hospital because I was ridiculously lightheaded from all my hyperventilating. I do think that was my worst case of hyperventilation to date. I was a mess. When I got ready to go home...look!

Why yes! Sunshine and blue skies!

Good grief, Indiana.

Ryan got home a little late because they were waiting to hear if people from other facilities were going to be transferred to theirs, since it was still functional. Shortly after he got home, a second round showed up. I packed up all my journals in suitcases and prepared for us to hide in the bathroom.

Except when I turned around, he was gone.

I ran all over the house looking for him and then outside. I hollered his name and this whole group of gawkers down the road turned and looked at me, and I kept running and hollering.

Then I found him.

WITH THE GAWKERS.

See that guy in a white shirt and black pants in the trees? Yeah that's him. I kept yelling and yelling his name until he turned around and I said "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" {What a lovely first impression I made on some of these folks.}

He looked at me quite calmly and said, "Watching the tornado."

I looked over at that lady in the black shirt and said, "What did he say?"

She said, "Watching a tornado."

I said, "FOR REALSIES??????"

She nodded.

I fled.

And by the time I got back to my "safe" spot, he had texted me.

I know you can't see the bottom because of the corn, but I saw another angle online and this was definitely a tornado.

Did I mention he really doesn't understand my fear of storms?

Because after that, I went here:

And he went here:

We went through three rounds in our part of town, and it seemed like every time we calmed down, the weather radio went off again.

I saw chopper coverage on TV and my goodness, what a MESS just not too far from us. Praying fervently for those folks and the cleanup and rebuilding ahead.

Meanwhile, if you need me, I'll be nose-in-Stress-Away-oil.

I think I need to focus on the SECOND part of this verse. Got the first part down.

Time Marches On

Two years ago at this time, Ryan and I were in the very last minute throes of wedding planning. I look back at that season and am so grateful it's in the past...because it was certainly overwhelming {in a blissful sort of way} and also...well...I just enjoy being married and having Ryan here with me.

But anyway, this is a glimpse at our life two years ago:

Creating our little honorary bridesmaid and groomsman...

 Writing, formatting, and assembling our 16 page wedding program {with little help from a certain someone}...

 Putting together our little tealight favors for the ceremony...

 Making boutonnieres for the guys...

 ...and lanterns for the girls.

 Packing to transport a wedding to Florida.

You think, when you're going through a blissfully busy season like this one that the next year will be easier.

And then November rolls around again and brings with it...a tornado. And so the mess looks a little different. It looks like a little storm shelter made in a closet...

 And if it were video, you could hear me screaming while Ryan watches through a crack in the door out the window.

 And after it missed our house, we went out to survey the damage around town. A few trees in the road...

 A bunch of signs down...

 And of course, the walls that caved in on the Dollar General Distribution Center...

And now we're to THIS November, where winter has started earlier than I wanted it to...but at least it's normal November behavior, right??

I'm starting to think we had the right idea two years ago...GOING TO WARMER CLIMATES.

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!

Your Tornado Safety PSA

Yes, I know it's just a little over a month until Christmas, and the word tornado shouldn't even be on our lips right now. But this past Sunday, we had severe weather here in our neck of the woods, reminding me that at least in good ole Indiana, there is never a moment exempt from the possibility of storms.

If you've been lurking around the old blogaroo for a few years, you might know that my sister and her family went through a nasty, life-altering tornado back in 2007. {If you missed it and want to read my posts about that - they're in the May/June archives of 2007.} Anyway, this experience has made me a bit more sensitive to the whole idea of severe storms, and I wanted to take a minute to offer some ideas of things you might not think to do when bad weather comes your way. Here are some of the things I learned from that day in 2007 - and put into practice myself this past Sunday.

* As hard as it is, take the warnings seriously even when it feels like reports are crying wolf. This is a HARD one for me - even given all watched my sister go through. A few years ago, here in our fine city, they started running the tornado alarms for ALL storms. Even thunderstorms. As a result, I usually utterly ignore warnings, because I'm immune to them. But it's a good idea to have a cautious spirit even when warnings seem to pop up far too often.

* Pack a bag. With shoes. When warnings roll around, it's a good idea to pack a bag to get you through a few days. Shirts, underwear, pants, jackets, socks - and don't forget the shoes. My niece didn't pack shoes and was barefoot when she went to the basement for the tornado warning. When they had to evacuate after the storm, she was fortunate to encounter all her shoes outside in what had been the garage...but if they had blown away, she would have been in trouble!

* Don't forget the other essentials. Do you take medication? Have glasses and contacts? Don't forget to include those in your bag. They're the things you might not think of in the moment...but if you're displaced, you'll need them! Sure, you can get some of them replaced, but it's a good idea to have your supply on hand if you can.

* Chargers and flash drives. Stuff can be replaced, but sometimes stuff WITHIN the stuff cannot. Do you have flash drives, camera memory cards or external hard drives that hold important memories and information? While it would be great to save scrapbooks and hard copies of documents, if you have the contents saved digitally, that at least gives you the bare bones!

* Don't just gather your important stuff - put it in the safe place. It's great to have a safe or bag that holds all your important papers...Social Security cards, passports, vehicle titles, birth certificates, marriage licenses, etc. - but it only helps if you take it with you.

* Inventories!! This one is a little impossible once the warning has been issued, but if you have time to prep, it's a GREAT idea to inventory your house. {If you have a move in your future, that's a good time to do it!!} Some insurance policies require a detailed list of what you own, and that's hard to do when it all blows away. My sister said she couldn't believe how much she forgot she owned once it wasn't sitting in front of her anymore. From clothing to appliances to books - make lists of what you own, so you can turn that in.

* Heirlooms - The one thing you can't replace is an heirloom. So if there's something you just can't live without - make sure you take it to a safe place!!

So that's what I've got. Be safe out there, y'all. Seems like stuff like this crops up with no warning these days.

 (Photo from the tornado my sister lived through.)

Thankfulness, Day 19: Thank someone you've caught in the act of making an impact in someone ELSE'S life. You weren't the recipient. Just the observer. Thank that person for investing - might be just the encouragement they need!