It's the Weekly Recap!

The final weekly recap of 2012!

* Last Sunday evening, we had Christmas with Ryan's mom, stepdad, and siblings. It was my first family Christmas with someone else's family and it was much fun! I feel very welcomed and loved by them and I appreciate that so much!

* Monday was Christmas Eve, and I had the day off, while Ryan did not. I stayed home all day, madly cleaning and doing last minute chores. My friend Faith stopped by with her two daughters, and we had Christmas together...

...and then Ryan and I went to a family Christmas for his dad's side of the family...and then we went to our Christmas Eve candlelight service at church! It was a very busy day!

* Tuesday was our first Christmas together!! We started the day with our own Christmas at home:

Then we went to Christmas at my parents' house, followed by another of Ryan's family Christmas gatherings! It was such a beautiful day...our first Christmas together!

* Wednesday it SNOWED. I got up and drove to work in the morning, and it had just started snowing at my house (and was instantly horrible driving). As soon as I got to work, they turned around and sent me home with two days' worth of work, just in case! So while Ryan was at work, I hunkered down in the living room with a pot of coffee and a box of work and this became my office!

* Thursday I worked from home again, thankyouverymuch, snow!!! I was kind of stir crazy by the end of the day, actually! So excited, that night, to have a visit from my good friends, Tom and Olivia, who were home for the holidays! They came over to meet Ryan, drink coffee with us, and we exchanged gifts. And I have (gasp) no photos to show for it...as Olivia took all the pictures and took them with her! OOPSIE!!!

* Friday night I had a date with my husband! We went out to dinner at Applebees (thank you, gift card from our wedding coordinator!) and then went shopping to use up some Kohl's cash we had. One of our purchases was this mini food processor, which we named Choppy McChopperson. (Yes, we name the appliances.)

* Saturday we had our final Christmas celebration of the year. This one was with Ryan's mom's side of the family. There are a WHOLE BUNCH of them! They were so welcoming and I had a great time there. On the way home, it was very slick and snowy, and I noticed a car down a side road that had gotten stuck. So we turned around and went back. We arrived at the same time another car did, and two guys from that car and Ryan got out to help push the car. Ryan was wearing a vest coat and a short sleeved shirt and got SOAKED with snow and mud. (If you look, you can see it on his sleeves, all down the front of his coat, and all down his jeans. He also had it on his face and all down the back of his arm.)

 And that's it! 2012's last week all wrapped up! Thanks for hanging out here and reading through our weekly happenings all year...hope you'll come back again next year! :)



It's the Weekly Recap!

* Last Sunday I slept ALL the way through the Colts game (what a lousy fan I am!) but woke up in time to work very VERY hard on sending out our very first ever Shafferland Christmas cards. Ryan was a HUGE help with some label difficulties we had, and if he hadn't helped...never would have gotten them done. Want a sneak peek at our cards?

* Monday morning when I went out to my car, I found a pack of Nutter Butters on my dash along with a note from Ryan telling me how much he loved me. Sigh. Now THAT is how to start a Monday! and that night we finished decorating Chuck. Ryan put on the topper, which we decided looks like a rather interesting,  yet unfortunate haircut.

* Tuesday was a.w.f.u.l. I had a rough day anyway...and then I thought it was somehow a good idea to visit the SSA office to attempt a name change. Yeah THAT was a bad idea. I spent 45 minutes in the office only to be turned away after one minute at the window because the marriage license we received in the mail was not certified correctly. I promptly went through the McDonald's drive thru in tears and ordered my french fries and coke. Don't judge me. Went home that evening and saw this gorgeous sunset on the way. Thanks, God!

* Wednesday had nowhere to go but UP!!!! And it did! Can I just tell you one of my favorite things about being married is knowing I can come home at night and Ryan will be there (or be there soon if he's not there when I get home)? I love cooking for him and we just enjoyed a lazy evening at home. We managed to ignore the giant stack of presents needing wrapped - and just rested. (Rest. What is that?)

* Thursday evening I had a visit from my friend Trudy and her kids - haven't seen them since Savannah's baptism earlier this fall! TOO LONG AGO! They are so funny. Stopped by to give me a very cute gift for our first Christmas...an ornament with our names on it!

* Friday we got our first bad weather of the year - some snow and ice mixed. Ryan convinced me to drive the good car to work and I made it safe and sound! (And I fell in love with how that car drives in bad weather!!) I would have taken a picture but the hands were firmly at 10 and 2 and full prayer mode was engaged.

* Yesterday Ryan and I went shopping for some last minute gifts and then we went out to eat for his mother's birthday. I was so excited about my first family outing and before we could even order, I felt SO sick that I had to go back to the car! Ryan ended up bringing me home and I cried so hard because I made him miss dinner! And I have no pictures to show for anything!

Pinterest Inspiration: Decided to do this with the ornaments that Ryan and I collect together!

Source: iloveitallwithmonikawright.blogspot.com via Rebekah on Pinterest

It's the Weekly Recap!

* Last Sunday was our first day to be home from our honeymoon, and we spent the entire day at home trying to transition out of vacationing-in-80-degree-weather-with-no-responsibilities mode into working-full-time-in-two-different-directions mode. So loved that day at home with Ryan! And can I just suggest this in case you ever need an idea for a gift for a newly married couple? Lynne gave us a box of pasta, a meal-for-two-sized serving of pasta sauce, and a wedge of cheese to grate so we would have a nice meal when we first came home - even before we'd been to the store. GREAT idea!!

* Monday we re-entered the work force! As chaotic as it was to come back to stacks of books and emails to respond to and shows to prep, it was also good to re-enter the land of normalcy. :) And it was SO nice to come home to Ryan that night and know we did not have to say goodbye at the end of the day!

* Tuesday night we continued (yes, STILL) unpacking and putting away all the stuff we'd carted to Florida for the wedding. I cleared off this table in our hallway and added a little ode to the wedding - with the lantern I carried, Ryan's boutonniere, the stones our guests signed, the bowl of sand from where we were married, the "Trinity candles," the stones we used to start our family altar, the art with our name and wedding date, and the lantern from Angela's bear. We both LOVE this little spot in our home!

* Wednesday night we were starting to feel like we would NEVER get caught up with the unpacking/finding a home for things...and Ryan kept bringing more things from his home. So much involvement in combining households!

* Thursday night was SUCH fun, and I can't wait to show you more of it....we did our first Christmas decorating! Those of you who have been here for several years know how I ADORE Christmas and how I want every room to have its own themed tree. Getting married in December kills that plan, just FYI. But I loved, loved, loved what we did instead. Here's a sneak peek:

* Friday night we had dinner with our friends, Bill and Kristin...our first official double date since we got married! Mi Pueblo...yummy! And on our way home, we went through the Marion Walkway of Lights. One day I would love to walk it but we were too tired...so we drove. :)

* Saturday morning I got up early and went to work with Ryan - spent the morning working on the great combining of address books (for Christmas cards) and then we headed to Dull's Tree Farm near Frankfort, IN. Neither of us had ever been to a tree farm before, and I've never had a live tree - ever! I interviewed the owner of the farm on Mid-Morning last month, so I was excited to go! Got our tree! Named him Chuck. (He was bigger than a Charlie tree...)

I was a Pinterest fail again this week. :(

It's the Weekly Recap!

My first weekly recap as a married woman! :) Love it!

* Not much happened last Sunday. You know...just GOT MARRIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) Hope you've been enjoying the wedding coverage this week. I guess there's no point in rehashing the day when I've been doing so all week and am not done yet! :) But here is one of my FAVORITE pictures of the day, taken by my friend Christi:

* Monday we went our for our first meal as a married couple...breakfast at the Broken Egg in Siesta Key! Weather was amazing, so we ate outside! We took it easy that day - just kind of lounging around the resort, enjoying the beach and pool. And we had a great dinner out that night too!

* Tuesday (are you ready for this? Brace yourself!!!!) we went kayaking. Yes. Your Bits girl is SO in love that she allowed herself to be talked into getting into a little rent-a-boat (literally) and went on an excursion in alligator infested waters. Ok that last part was a joke. I hope.

* Wednesday evening one of my bucket list wishes came true because we went on a sunset dinner cruise around Sarasota Bay. I was completely enamored with the whole trip. Loved it so so much. I think Ryan loved watching me be so giddy happy about the whole thing!!

* Thursday, Ryan's world became complete when we spent part of the day riding a tandem bicycle. My dear people, there will be much more about this at a later time and TRUST ME. You do not want to miss it.

* Friday we said a sad, sad farewell to our week in paradise and began our long trip home. We were not happy to leave the beach (and shorts weather) but we were really excited about our stop on the way home - at a bed and breakfast in Georgia! Check THIS out:

* And yesterday we completed our journey home...and we decided we really enjoy traveling together. Any couple who can survive that many hours in the car together and still feel love toward each other...has a great shot, I'd say. :) We are so excited to begin life.

Pinterest Inspiration: Someone sent this one to me on Facebook the weekend of the wedding:

Source: via Becca on Pinterest

So we tried it!

It's the Weekly Recap! (And the Wedding Day!)

Well, y'all, before I launch into what I've been up to this week, I'll tell any of you who may have forgotten....today is our wedding day!!!! Yes, indeed! As you read through this list of leading-up-to-the-big-day details, yours truly will be preparing to walk down the aisle. Can't wait to tell you all about it. Seriously. Can't wait.

* Last Sunday afternoon, Ryan and I did wedding crafts all afternoon. Yes. He helped. (Melt.) And that evening, I had my (hopefully sole) bridezilla moment while we were packing. We worked so hard to pack everything we would need for the wedding and honeymoon. He wanted to see how much room it appeared to take up. You can be the judge of that:

* Monday I woke up with a serious case of the nerves!! Not nerves like "I'm so scared to do this" but nerves like "AAAAAAHHHH I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!" Had to pray my way through that! After work, I got busy putting together the activity pack for our trip (because we are overgrown two year olds) - and then I did my wedding pedicure. I did it myself because in truth, I really don't like salon pedicures. I am incredibly self conscious about my feet and hate to have them touched (except for by Ryan). So I wasn't paying however many dollars to be self-conscious for two hours! (Part of my something blue.)

* Tuesday evening I got my wedding manicure. This one was a trip-to-the-salon adventure. Oh how I have missed my Shellac manicures!! It was such a treat to go and be pampered for the evening...and as always, Debbie did a FABULOUS job. This is exactly what I wanted.

* Wednesday night I was absolutely pooped, so I came home and rested. After all, there's no time for the bride to be sick on her wedding day, right? So I decided to respect my need for rest and...rest!

* Thursday was my last full day of work before the wedding, so I spent the day crazy busy working to make sure everything was set for my absence. I got some GREAT gifts from my co-workers that day too. Seriously. The best co-workers ever. They showed up with gift cards and snacks and all kinds of stuff! And Jeri (you know, the one that made me believe 10K's are fun??) brought us these to use at our party the night before the wedding:

 * Friday I worked a half day (who does that the day they leave for their wedding?) and after Mid-Morning, I went home and hopped in the car with Ryan - and off we went for our wedding palooza! Nothing tests love like 24 hours in a car together right before a wedding, right? Nevertheless, we had a great time on the road!

* Saturday was the longest day OF MY LIFE. And not because it was the day before our wedding. It was largely because I had two hours of sleep and spent 2 hours and 45 minutes on the interstate waiting for a line of traffic to exit. MAMA. But we finally arrived at our destination and got all settled in...had dinner with our bridal party, and enjoyed a little party with our families too!

No Pinterest Inspiration this week.  I'm getting married. Everything came from Pinterest. :)



It's the Weekly Recap!

* Last Sunday, I was so excited because it was my first time to go to a church dinner with Ryan. Well. Kind of. Since we've gone to the same church for so many years, I've eaten (in a group setting) with him before, but to go with him, was such a blessing. It's the little things for me. I love experiencing all those little things with him.

* Monday I saw this beautiful sunrise on my way to work. I just wanted to pull the car over and snap many pictures because it was so pretty! But alas, I'd have been late.

Monday evening I fell in love with DVR. Haven't ever had it before and now I do. Ryan told me it would spoil me. Boy was he ever right about that. I was so happy, I just curled up on the couch with my dinner and the remote. Sigh of joy.

* Tuesday evening was another chore/errand evening for me, and that included taking the time to work on this little Thanksgiving project for Ryan. I adore having someone to spoil!

* Wednesday I worked from home in the morning, and then I had the afternoon off work. Ryan invited me to visit his job for lunch, since they were having a carry-in - so I could meet the rest of his co-workers! I'd met some of them at a party a few weeks ago. I went for lunch and then ended up staying the rest of the afternoon, watching him work. I ADORED that so much. I'm so proud of him and how well he does his job! That evening, we worked hard on wedding hoopla - including printing our programs!

* I already told you about Thursday...our first Thanksgiving together. I was so thankful to have Ryan there to go with me to my parents' house for lunch - and it was good to be able to go with him to his family gatherings too. This is the kind of life that I just thoroughly enjoy sharing with him!

* Friday morning, Ryan had to work, so I went to get my hair cut and dyed before the wedding! No grays allowed at this event! Then he and I hopped in the car and drove to Indianapolis to do some other pre-wedding shopping. On Black Friday. What were we THINKING?!?!?!?!?!?!

* Saturday morning I stayed in bed until NOON working on my scrapbook! My last chance to scrap before I get married, so I made the most of it! Ryan came over for the afternoon and evening and we had the best time laughing and talking and cooking and doing laundry and cleaning and organizing and working on wedding craft projects! Braeya...not so much of a help. Always willing to participate, though!

Pinterest Inspiration: I feel like this one is cheating because I never actually saw this thing on Pinterest, but looking at all the "tell someone how thankful you are" pins led me to construct this little gift for Ryan:

I found these little cards and envelopes at Hobby Lobby. Bought some chipboard letters and glued them on to spell THANKSGIVING. On each card, I wrote something I was thankful for that began with that letter. He LOVED opening them!!

That's it, folks! Next Sunday, as you read, I'll be getting married!

It's the Weekly Recap!

* Last Sunday, Ryan and I spent the entire day (after church of course) at my house working on wedding stuff. We were so busy! We had to sort and put away the shower gifts, write thank you notes, finish the wedding program, and much more. We didn't get as much done as we wanted, but I think we stayed plenty busy, and it was just so nice to have an entire day together!! And here is a picture of our hard-won burger that evening. We decided after trying two separate locations to get it, it was photo worthy!

* Monday evening was a chore palooza...cleaning up gifts, writing more thank you notes, working on wedding stuff...you name it. I hated not seeing Ryan. That's never a good night. But it was a productive night. AND...got my new Bible...for the marriage season. I love new Bibles for a new season. And in true Bekah fashion...the bigger the Bible, the closer to God. (Not true, but I say it anyway.)

* Tuesday we had the chance to celebrate at work, because my good friend Sheryl had a birthday!! She brought in quite a spread of food and we had little treats all day!

That evening I went over to my friend Marie's house for wedding makeup coaching. If I were getting married here, Marie would be doing my makeup on my wedding day. But since I"m flying the coop, she taught me to do it myself. Think I can remember it for the next two weeks?

* Wednesday night, Ryan and I graduated from premarital counseling. And our pastor said he envisioned a very happy marriage for us. SWEET! That's what we like to hear! It was so great to be able to spend the evening with Ryan. We didn't get to see much of each other this week (we HATE that) and we really treasured that time.

* Thursday evening was my work bridal shower. Can't wait to show you the full realm of pictures from that one. It was a household shower and we got some REALLY cute stuff. SO excited. I'm overwhelmed by how generous my friends are and how many new, beautiful things Ryan and I get to begin our married life with!!

* Friday morning I was late to work because of this little interstate mess:

ICK!! But in a year and a half or commuting, that is the first time I've gotten stuck in traffic on the way TO work. Not a bad deal!!! Friday evening I FINALLY got to see Ryan and we even went out for a blizzard! (Shared.) (And I ate less than half.) (Sigh. Must fit into a dress.)

* Yesterday my attitude was putrid. PUTRID. I think I had, in the words of my former secretary, reached my saturation point. For the record, this had nothing to do with Ryan. He was actually quite wonderful about the whole thing. I appreciated that. But anyway, I got so annoyed I actually voluntarily went into the yard and raked leaves (a chore I swore about 3 years ago I'd never do again in my natural life) and bagged them. Oh how I will regret that later. But on the flip side, I did some serious pre-marital nesting, including filling these FABULOUS new organizers I got at my most recent shower:

Pinterest Inspiration: I am sorry to report I was unable to fit in a Pinterest Project this week. But I assure you I was not absent FROM Pinterest.

It's the Weekly Recap!!

Last Sunday, Ryan took me to my first ever Colts game! He LOVES football and I'd never been to a pro game before. So he found us some tickets and off we went! I still understand (ahem) NOTHING about this game, but I made a fun day of it anyway and just adored being part of something he loves so much. Even better...the Colts WON! 

* Monday night I got to meet more of Ryan's extended family and that was one loving bunch. They welcomed me to the family with many hugs (and pizza) and I loved it! I did not take pictures so they wouldn't sit around 40 years from now and talk about that day the crazy Bekahrazzi girl showed up with the camera. :)

* Tuesday night I had dinner with Jenny - for the first time in a LONG time. I'd missed her! She brought a little gift for Ryan and me - our very first "Mr. and Mrs." gift! LOVE IT!!!

Then I went home and Ryan came over to help me work on the office. It was a MESS. (Seriously. Hoarders should have showed up.) We worked for a couple of hours and got it whipped right into shape. So thankful for a fiance who isn't afraid to jump in and help (and in truth, does a way better job of it than I do).

* Wednesday night: night #2 of premarital counseling. We learned how to argue. Yes. I actually needed lessons in that! And after that...we had a little coffee/dirt pudding date. MAN it was good. (Random trivia fact: dirt pudding was the very first thing Ryan ever made for me. Good choice. Way to my heart = through a dirt pudding filled tummy!)

* Thursday was the only day we didn't see each other this week - sob. I hate those days! But I got a lot done, including stopping by Rachel's to get my wedding jewelry.

I did a little wedding shopping for odds and ends and then many chores at home. It was a good night to get stuff done but I much prefer nights that include Ryan.


* Friday night I lost several years of my life in line at Meijer. It seriously looked like Christmas Eve in there. Good GRIEF!!! I put on Facebook that if I didn't make it out...people could send my Christmas cards to Meijer, attention aisle seven.

Then Ryan and I road tripped to Indianapolis to pick up my best friend, Lynnette, who came in for the weekend to be part of my wedding shower and bachelorette party! SO glad to see her!

* Yesterday (and I'll post much more about this in the coming days) I had my first ever bridal shower and bachelorette party! Such a WONDERFUL day to be able to spend with my friends. They loved me so well! Here's a sneak peek:

Pinterest Inspiration: I found this one this week when I hunted around for Thanksgiving ideas:

Source: thedatingdivas.com via Rebekah on Pinterest

You write a message on a piece of paper and bake it into a crescent roll. I just bought a tube of dough - this girl doesn't make rolls from scratch. (That's my Mom's gig, not mine.) And I printed the little free printable for Ryan - because I appreciate him so much! OH! And I rolled the dough in cinnamon and sugar before I baked it - just to give it a sweet edge.

It's the Weekly Recap!

* Last Sunday afternoon we rearranged my bedroom to make it our bedroom. Ryan will be moving into my house after we get married, so we wanted to kind of start over and make this space ours. I've never before had help in cleaning or rearranging a room, but in a God-orchestrated kind of way, Ryan loves doing both, so we spent the afternoon together making this OURS. LOVED IT. And this is my favorite part of what is now in the bedroom:

* Monday evening we had our first premarital counseling session. I was a tiny bit nervous about it - never been to premarital counseling before! Our pastor met with us and my favorite words he said were the ones we parted with - when he said he fully expected we would get married and be married for the rest of our lives. I love knowing others see that in our relationship!

* Tuesday (brace yourself) I stayed home from work, sick. I woke up feeling like I'd been run over by a truck and my head hurt so much I couldn't even open my eyes. I knew it was slick out (thank you, Sandy!) and I didn't think I had any business being out operating a motor vehicle like that, so I called in sick. Didn't even get up until 1 p.m. I rested all day and then that night, I ventured forth because it was the night of my dress alteration appointment! Obviously can't show you a picture of that, but here's a pic to hold you over..

* Wednesday evening was date night with Ryan and we actually just stayed in and enjoyed dinner and watching TV together. I was in desperate need of a night of nothing. Ever have a day like that? We also had one very darling little (blognonymous) trick-or-treater that just melted my heart!

* Thursday night I had dinner with my friend Laurie - and check out this taco salad I ate!

Almost every bite, I'm sorry to say. (Trying to take it easy on the food before the wedding sure can make a girl hungry.) Then I had a chance to see Ryan for a bit - and we had one of the most beautiful talks I think we've ever had. I will treasure that one always.

* Friday night I went to Ryan's to do the great tear down of the kitchen at his house. We went through everything and picked out the things we planned to bring to my house for the combining of the households. It was like Christmas morning - finding new treasures!!!

* And yesterday was officially moving day for Ryan...minus Ryan, of course. He went ahead and brought over all the "big stuff" while he had a decent weather day and our friend Adam was free to help. My favorite part was when they attempted to get a king size mattress up a very narrow staircase. They did it. Uh-mazing.

Pinterest Inspiration: I've been wanting one of these for a while - for our room so we can write gross love notes to each other. (Gross for anyone else who sees. We love gooshy stuff like that.)

Source: doitandhow.com via Rebekah on Pinterest

So I made this one. Scrapbook paper - I used a glittery blue since we're going with a beachy cottage theme in our room (well, once we move). The message was to welcome him when he moved his stuff in. :) Can't wait until HE can stay with it!