A Day at the Hideaway

I continued my weekend of fall fun with a day off work Monday - to go to one of my favorite places ever:
The Cherished Moments Craft Hideaway!! I've been so fortunate to be able to go here a couple times each year (sometimes for a day, sometimes for a weekend) and I never get tired of it. It's so cozy and inviting.

This time I was invited to join up with my friend Sandee and her crew! Sandee and I worked next door to each other at IWU, and I'm friends with both her daughters too. Some of Sandee's other friends were there, too...eight of us in all!

Let's just go ahead and discuss the food, shall we? You know I love to cook, and I don't shy away from cooking just for me. But there is something so lovely about someone else doing all the work so I can just enjoy. This was our dinner. YUM.

I finished my album from my Brown County vacation this summer and started on the album for my weekender trip to visit Jenna back at Memorial Day. I was the only one digitally scrapping. Everyone else was all spread out with traditional scrapping stuff.

This is Kandee. She cuts my hair, so it was important that I not make her mad! (HA!) We shared a work space.

And her sister, Kari. You know Kari. I talk about her a lot. Anyway...Kari and I don't get to hang out much so it was fun to be together for the day!

Kandee and I got a LITTLE loopy when we got tired. (We scrapped from 10 to 10.) This was one of my favorite moments. I was swaying to the music on the radio, and Kandee just looked at me. She's hearing impaired, so I'm sure it was odd for her to look up and see her table buddy randomly swaying. I pointed to the radio and said, "Music." So she grabbed her phone (in lighter fashion) and started swaying with me. LOL!!

And then she stole my camera and started taking surprise photos. Apparently this is my surprised face.

When I wasn't horsing around...I was very diligent. Coffee. Iced tea. Phone. Laptop. Friends. Perfect day.
Seriously. Perfect.

Corn Maze!

I'm doing my best to embrace everything about fall (since it's my favorite season!)...so this past weekend, I went to the Steele Farms pumpkin patch and corn maze. Julie Crandall told me about it...it's over near Decatur. I asked Rachel if she wanted to go with me (because face it...stuff like that is so much more fun when not done alone) and she said yes!

So we started out in the pumpkin patch. I'd never been to a u-pick pumpkin patch before. We sorta picked a muddy day for it.
And we TOTALLY missed the provided cutters...we just ripped the pumpkins off the vines with our hands. (Good thing I've been working out!) And we also TOTALLY missed the cart for pumpkin transport. I counted it as extra weight lifting. Bob and Jillian would be proud.

While it's fun to just grab a pumpkin out of a stack at the store, there's something extra fun about finding your own. I think I should go back every year! (Rachel didn't go for the great pumpkin like I did. Smart girl.)

Then we went through the corn maze. I should admit to struggling with claustrophobia. This was my attempt to kick the fear. (Do note the clenched fists prior to entry.) I figured going during the day at least bought me the "out" of the sky above.

They had five checkpoints hidden throughout the pumpkin shaped maze. Every time we found a checkpoint, we punched our card, and if we got all five punches...our names were entered in a drawing! We persevered until we found all five, thankyouverymuch.

Rachel with her completed card!

This is how it would have looked if I'd been in charge. Ummmmmm where are we???

But that Rach has a keen sense of direction (and the ability to follow the picture on the card...) and she got us through!

TOUCHDOWN!!!!!! I mean....we made it!!

The hayride was full, so we climbed on the bales instead. It's true...we are overgrown children.

Yours truly atop the mountain of straw.
I told you! Overgrown child!

We had a gorgeous day for it...and other than the mud, we had absolutely no complications. I would love to go back again. And I think this is one of the things on my fall checklist....so now I can say CHECK!!!

S'MORESAGANZA

I would like to begin this post by saying...I LOVE MY JOB. :)

Last Wednesday, after the show, Lynne and I went on a field trip to prepare for the cooking show which aired Friday. (Catch it here if you missed it! It was FUN!!!!) We had a tragedy at the beginning of the show. I lost the first page of my notes, and I needed that to get me through the first fifteen minutes. WOOPS. So if you want some real comedy, listen in and hear me try to - unsuccessfully - remember my way through that! ANYWAY. Back to last Wednesday's prep day.

First stop? DeBrand Fine Chocolate. I don't think I really need to expound on its amazingness, do I? We went there to get some marshmallow. (They make their own.) But I'd never been before, so while there,I got my first ever DeBrand chocolate. Oh. My. Word.
Then it was time for lunch. Lynne introduced me to this cute little Mexican restaurant by her house - where they make the guacamole for you at your table. My mouth is still watering.

This whole cooking show thing is going to be a new monthly Mid-Morning feature, and I'm so excited about it! On our first show, one of our segments was on s'mores, so we made my s'more cup recipe. We decided to copy the whole taking-pictures-of-every-step idea...and post those on the station's Facebook page. You'll notice the pictures are MUCH fancier than I do. I just slap the ingredients on the counter. Lynne brought out PROPS!

I had a BLAST arranging everything and taking pictures. (I think it's so cool that my nerdiness of taking pictures of food now translates into something I get PAID to do.)

We also wanted to try some twists on the traditional s'more...enter the fancy pants marshmallows we purchased at DeBrand's. In the picture below...in the back, cinnamon marshmallows and regular ones. In the front, berry marshmallows and cocoa ones. My favorites were actually the berry ones.

Check out THIS ambience! Our s'more bar!

Up close...regular graham crackers, chocolate graham crackers (I'm ruined now!), cinnamon graham crackers, the assortment of marshmallows, Hershey bars, and Nutella spread.

We kind of didn't have roasting forks. That's why God made steak knives! We learned that the homemade marshmallows don't get golden brown like normal ones. BUT - they are creamy melty wonderful. The berry one with the chocolate bar and chocolate graham cracker tastes just like a raspberry filled truffle.

Tasting the raspberry s'more...I know I look mad, but that's really my "SWEET MERCY" face. The finished product of s'more cups....

And then we tried an experiment of s'mores in the microwave. They melt in six seconds, fyi.

WHAT A FUN AFTERNOON!!!! We had an absolute BLAST. Love working with this lady!

It's the Weekly Recap!

* Sunday, as you saw, was Pancakes with the Princess...featuring my pastor and his family. I appreciate their friendship so much! I loved having them over and I was very proud of Miss Braeya Jo for making repeated appearances. (Minus the one where she tried to get on the table. Could have done without that.)
* Let's work our way through Monday, shall we? It started with the major texting faux pas...where I sent "Hey it's our song!" (a joke meant for my friend Amy) to the WRONG NUMBER. Woops. Then I came home to mow my yard (which made me cranky in and of itself) and two swipes into the yard, the front wheel fell off.

The yard was RIDICULOUSLY long, so wheel or no wheel, it had to be mowed. The little mower and I persevered through an entire yard (and five trips to the back to empty the bag). I was exhausted at the end of it. So you might imagine why I was so excited to come inside and find this.

* Tuesday evening I had dinner with Jenny - and we (okay I) accidentally picked to eat at Fazoli's on kids' night. WOOPS. So we had to yell a few times to hear each other but it was great to catch up with her!

* Wednesday was one of my funnest (feel free to use that word) days of work yet! As soon as the show was over, Lynne and I packed up and went to her house to do show prep for our cooking show on Friday.

A whole afternoon of cooking and making sure everything was set for the show = FUN!!

* Thursday night I drove home in a nasty rain, which was NOT fun, but when I got home, Rachel came over to hang out, and we made these REAL caramel surprise brownies. Not the fake ones. OH man they were good!!
* Friday was the first Mid-Morning cooking show - and my first on-air disaster. I LOST THE FIRST PAGE OF MY NOTES! I had to admit it out loud because I couldn't remember what I was supposed to be talking about. Good grief, Bekah. We made a joke of it though and the show was SO much fun. We had a blast!

* Saturday I was a busy little beaver! I had an entire day at home, so I did tons of chores. I spent an hour and a half breaking down boxes so I could stack them up and save room in the garage. I decorated for fall, I went out for a five mile walk, and best of all I went for a drive to see the gorgeous leaves.


Books I'm Reading: Jesus Calling was SO perfect this week. Couldn't have been more appropriate. And I have been so challenged by the words in The Faith Dare. Oh man. Tough to take it to heart but it's good stuff.

Favorite God Moment of the Whole Week: God and I had some serious heart to hearts on the way to work this week, and one day, I heard His Voice more clearly than I have in quite a while. It was so comforting to know He's still working on me.

Update on Last Week's Goals: Well, if you put aside the slight mishap on the show Friday, I did well with my part of things. :) And I have learned more from The Faith Dare than I even knew I could.

Goals for the Coming Week: I want to enjoy the daylights out of this week. I've been struggling in the joy department lately and I want to just really love all the good things this coming week will bring!

SSMT: Verse 17

I love this new verse the Lord drew me to this week. Let me give you the verse first and then tell you why it's pivotal.

I will build you up again

and you will be rebuilt,

O Virgin Israel,

Again you will take up your tambourines

and go out to dance with the joyful.

Jeremiah 31:4

Yesterday marked one year since Isaac and I broke up, and this week brought a flood of memories of our relationship, what could have been and what never was. I remember a year ago this weekend and how thankful I was that it was my college reunion year, so friends surrounded me and took my mind off the heart-searing pain of love loss.

I thought then that I'd never smile again. Never laugh again. Never care again. Never eat again (and to be honest I wasn't super broken up about that part). Never breathe again. And certainly never love again.

And while I was hurt that he made he choice to leave the relationship, I was just as hurt by the pain I was certain I'd caused him. That's the thing about relationships. They're not one-sided. This week I've been haunted by that "other" side again. How could I have done things differently to have left him less wounded by me? What would I have done differently to make a more positive impact, even if in the end, it still meant we would end up apart?

Can't go back, though. Can't undo or redo anything. For better or worse, I said what I said and I did what I did. And I can only depend on God's mercy to wash over both of us and the wounds we left on each other.

So when I ran across this verse in a book I'm reading, it brought tears to my eyes.

I will be built up again. (And so will Isaac.) I will go out to dance with the joyful. (And so will Isaac.) I love the promise of that - for both of us.

I have a lot of people who ask me if I ever hear from him anymore. I don't. And I have no clue if he knows what's going on with me. No idea if he reads the blog anymore. There isn't a day that goes by that the entire journey with him doesn't unfold in my head and play out with all its joy and heartache.

He has gone on with his life. I do know that. And I do hope that God builds him up into the mighty man I know he was created to be.

But to be honest, I try hard not to think too much about that part of the path. Mostly because it still does hurt that I'm not on it with him.

Meanwhile, God has brought laughter back to my life. I smile again. I eat again (and oh the workouts I have to put in to pay for it). I care again. I breathe again (except during the workouts). God still hasn't told me whether or not I ever get to love again. But my heart is open to it if He brings it. And if not...I sure hope there's a good helping of grace for that.

But to know I'll be rebuilt...restored...after the pain I know I caused...is healing to my soul.

September: Done

Three months left in this year, people! That's it! Can you believe it? Here's September in a nutshell!

* Busy month of firsts at work! I worked my first sticker stop in Lima, Ohio, which was so much fun, despite the rain! I also got to be on the air a little more...and I think I'm sounding less like a man, which is making me very happy (as you might imagine). I worked my first Friendraiser...getting a taste of reading pledges on the air...answering the phones...and helping to serve lunch. This month also held the Laura Story/David Crowder concert...and my first time to chuck t-shirts into a crowd! (Kind of like softball...right?) We had to cancel a show at the last minute, one day, so I had my first try at reading the intro to an encore show...live on the air. (Yes, I was sweating.) AND - I did my first (and second) ever official co-hosting of a show. Lynne made that a great experience.

* Thoroughly enjoyed my first Labor Day weekend off - ever. Loved the rest and the shopping!!

* In the kitchen, I made a fabulous chicken lasagna, a batch of kettle corn krispie bars for my Mom's birthday, some very yummy pumpkin bread, and tried my hand at Aunt B's caramel surprise brownies. I also spent a day in Lynne's kitchen doing some cooking in prep for one of our shows!

* Made it to the lake at the very last possible minute - and thoroughly enjoyed an entire day on the water - even if the boat ride meant wearing a hoodie, jeans, and tennis shoes!

* Attended a concert that I didn't have to work! Ronda and I went to hear Ernie Haase and Signature Sound - which was one of the best concerts I think I've ever been to. They do a great show.

* Enjoyed season premiere week of my favorite shows. And so begins the life of making sure I'm home when they air...because yes, it's true, I don't have DVR.

* Hosted Pancakes with the Princess with my pastor's family, AND the return of Rachel's Thursday night TV visits.

Stone Altar: End of September

September's Interesting Factoids

Short post today...either I'm smarter than I thought (and therefore had less to learn) or I didn't pay very close attention to learning this month! But here are a few tidbits I picked up from Mid-Morning this month.

* At the beginning of the month, we had a show about funeral planning....in which I learned the difference between a cemetery and a memorial park. Cemeteries have tall tombstones, and memorial parks/gardens have flat stones. (Side note...there's a memorial park near the town where I live and the stones there are embedded in the ground so far that I used to think there weren't any at all. I wondered how people knew where to find the graves they were looking for!)

* In random trivia Lynne shared...did you know that Elizabeth Taylor had a double row of eyelashes? Some things just aren't even fair.

* I realize YOU all probably know this, but I didn't. Lynne said grocery stores have a day when stuff gets marked down, so watching for that day can save you some money. (Like when they're ready to restock with fresher stuff...) This is good to know! I love a deal!

That's what I learned in September! I'll strive to be a better student in October. :)

Pancakes with the Princess: September

Another month...another batch of pancakes dished up from the home of yours truly!

I've been intending to invite my pastor and his family over for a meal. Do people do that anymore? Invite their pastors to their home to eat? It was a big thing to do when I was growing up, but I'm not sure people do it anymore.

Anyway, they said yes, so this past Sunday, they came over after church, and we had pancakes! Not only did we have pancakes, but someone else tried to get a helping of them too!!
Braeya NEVER ventures forth when kids are in the house. Some of them are pretty loud and obnoxious, and it scares her. But these two were pretty quiet, so she came out and stayed. (And tried to climb up on the table to snag some lunch. Was she born in a barn??)

Judah LOVED Braeya and played with her so long that she wore completely out later and took a huge nap. (Sweet!)

And this is my friend Elizabeth. She is one of the sweetest girls I've ever met. Every week after church, she comes up to talk to me about the important stuff. (Clothes!)
And Jesse and Erin - who have taken me in as a good friend and I love that. (When I have curly hair days, Erin and I are twins, though you can clearly see she got the WAY better curls.)

I loved our lunch (and the free entertainment provided by Judah and Braeya). Pancake success!

Living with Dying

I've blogged once or twice before about my former roommate, Angela, who is battling cancer. A few weeks ago, she was a guest blogger on the Intentional Journey, and if you want to read what she wrote, you can do so here.

I don't like death. I don't suppose most people do, actually.

But Angela has been one of the best examples of living with dying...I've ever seen. She doesn't shy away from the topic, as you can see in the blog post, and she's being so intentional about these days that very possibly could be her last.

Saturday morning, I was enjoying a good sleep-in, waking up at the crack of 11, actually. About a half hour later, Braeya was still trying to coax me out of bed, when the doorbell rang. I scurried to get door-answering presentable and peeked out the window to see who was there.

Angela. Holding a box.

She came in, graciously overlooked my bedhead, smeary mascara, and questionable attire, and told me she was going through her things, choosing some of her favorites to take to her friends because she'd rather have them go to people she loved than be sold in a sale sometime after her death.

(Yeah. I was trying not to cry, too.)

I opened the box and found half a dozen Isabel Bloom Christmas figurines. When Angela lived here, she had tons of Isabel Bloom stuff, and I always called her (Isabel) "the cement lady." Isabel's creations found their way around our home, and at Christmas, we even had the official nativity set.

Angela looked at me and said, "I know you love Christmas and you decorate with a tree in every room, so I knew you'd understand these..."

She stayed for a couple of hours, and we talked about things like her memorial service and the ups and downs of her life journey.

I wish with all my heart that she'd get well, but the reality is...it's unlikely. And as we sat in my living room eating pumpkin bread and reminiscing, this thought came to me, though I wished it would leave, This might be the last time you ever sit and talk to her like this.

She hugged me before she left and that thought pushed its way back in, univited, This might be the last time you ever share a hug with her.

I hate death. I hate loss. And yetI know she's in pain. I know the treatments tear at her body and though she fights valiantly and without a complaint, I know she's tired. She looked me straight in the eye and said she's ready to go home early. To get her wings. 35 year olds shouldn't have to say things like that.

My mind is too much of a mess to make much sense of it all yet, but I am aware, as I sit here and look at the box that holds her gift to me, what a much bigger gift I was given. The gift of a friend who put up with a lot while she lived here. A friend who has embraced her own mortality and invites me to embrace it with her, even though I'd rather hide my eyes from its truth.

Everything about her is God's grace in action. I have so much to learn.

Signature Sound Concert

Okay - you know I'm a southern gospel groupie. It's true. Unapologetically true. :) So I was very excited to find out Ernie Haase and Signature Sound were in the concert lineup this fall. I didn't get assigned to work this concert, but I got tickets to attend! Knowing that she has similar appreciation, I invited Ronda to go with me. The concert was at Blackhawk Ministries in Ft. Wayne, and we got some sweet seats. Not a single person obstructed my view. That's a good night.

One thing I love about this group is how incredibly personable they are. Devin, their lead singer, did the official welcome, and then Doug Anderson, their baritone, took the stage to open with some of his solo work. Doug actually lives in Lapel, IN, which is not that far from my house. I always think of him when I drive past the sign for Lapel on my way to Indianapolis. He sang two or three songs, but this one called I'll Take What's Left was my favorite.
Then the rest of the guys took the stage. Another thing I love about this group is their ENERGY. (Frankly, they wore me out just watching them move all over that stage!) And they have much fun together while they sing. Here's a couple of my faves. This one has their previous bass in it, but the new one is just as good. And they did this one three times. Love it.

This is their new bass...his name is Ian Owens. Ronda asked me if he was turning me into a bass fan. Well, with no disrespect for my forever fondness toward tenor singers...I'll say I was pretty impressed with him!

This tour was their tribute to the Cathedrals. (If you're not a southern gospel groupie, I'll fill you in. The Cathedrals were a legendary group for many years in southern gospel. Their lead and bass singers were Glen Payne and George Younce, and both of them have since died. Their tenor, Ernie, began this new group, and this tour honors the music of the Cathedrals. I used to go to Cathedrals concerts with my college roommate, Jenny, so I LOVED hearing their music again.) Here's another one they did....and this one includes all the current members.

You know the lighters everyone waves at concerts? Well my work buddy, Amy, was across the aisle from me, and she found this lighter in her pew. I so wanted to use it. HA!!

This is their tenor, Devin McGlamery. He's only been with them 2-3 years, and he is GOOD. My favorite song featuring him last night was this one - where they worked in footage of the original quartet. Glen Payne was one of his heroes, and I just think that makes this song even better.

You know I'm die hard about my Vocal Band, but I have to say that this group is equal in my mind. (I know. Sit down!)

And one of my all time favorite songs that I've loved since the days of the Cathedrals...Ernie's song, Oh What A Savior. Love it.

Definitely an amazing evening. SO glad I went. Loved every minute of it.

It's the Weekly Recap!

* After the busy weekend I had last weekend, I woke up in a TOTAL panic on Sunday. I wake up to the station on my alarm, and when it went off Sunday morning, I heard the afternoon DJ's voice. I thought I'd overslept for work! I had no idea what day it was...cracked me up once I realized I wasn't in trouble! Sunday evening, I had a cooking fest...making food for the week and some oatmeal raisin cookies for Miss Lynne's birthday!

* Monday was a very dreary day...would have been a great one to stay in bed...good thing I love going to work! But when I came home, I had a headache from who knows where, so I just sacked out in the fat chair all evening and tried to rest it off...except when I was trying my new workout DVD, The Biggest Loser Power Sculpt. Anything with "Sculpt" in the title is bound to be effective...yet painful...right?

* Tuesday evening I went to another 31 party and found a couple super cute things I just couldn't live without. (Also got to meet a couple cute babies...that's a good day!) AND!!! Tuesday night was the premiere of the new season of The Biggest Loser! Anna is no Jillian! (I mean that she cried during the first episode. I think it took Jillian about 8 seasons to cry on camera!)

*Wednesday was my first day to officially co-host Mid-Morning. I actually called it "quarter hosting" because I declared I did not ask enough questions to fairly call it "co" hosting. Lynne still did the majority of the work (and a magnificent job of it, too, I might say). I did, though, manage to run the board, help with the interviews, introduce the giveaways, thank the underwriters, dance during the music, AND take this truly horrid photo of myself all at the same time.
(Took this with my phone...got my THUMB in the way...it's blurry from the nerve-induced shaking, and we will not even TALK about the disaster that was my hair. But it is at least photo proof of the event.)

* Thursday evening was the Grey's Anatomy premiere, which I watched with Rachel Ashley! She used to come over every Thursday night while she was in college and we'd hang out to watch Grey's together. Even though she's a bona fide adult now, she still is willing to hang out with me...so we brought back "our" night - complete with freshly baked pumpkin bread. MMMMMMMMM. * Friday night I had tickets to go see Ernie Haase and Signature Sound in concert in Ft. Wayne. (More on this later.) I really love their music but had never seen them live. GREAT show. And as you can see...the seats weren't too shabby!!


* Saturday morning I slept in until a time I will not even mention out loud. :) Then I had a surprise visit from my former roommate, Angela, which deserves (and will get) its own blog post. I had lots of work to do in preparation for company, so I spent the rest of the day doing that.

Books I'm Reading Continuing to read in Jesus Calling, FINISHED A Confident Heart by Renee Swope, and started reading The Faith Dare by Debbie Alsdorf. I need a boost to my faith, and I'm hoping the challenge of the book will help that!

Favorite God Moment of the Whole Week I had an evening this week when I just got angry and unloaded on God. The next morning as I drove to work, I saw one of the most stunning sunrises I've ever seen. (Took pictures, but they didn't even do it a lick of justice.) It was a great reminder to me that the God who can paint that has not forgotten me and despite my anger and confusion, He still cares enough to send a stellar morning, literally and figuratively speaking.

Update on Last Week's Goals OW, OWWWW OWWWEEEEEEE to this week's workouts! Between the 30 Day Shred, the Cardio Max, and the Power Sculpt, I'd say I have a plan underway and the hurt tells me it's working!

Goals for the Coming Week I want to really sink into that Faith Dare book and learn from it. I also have the opportunity to be on the air with Lynne again on Friday, so I want to do well with that show!