It's the Weekly Recap!

* Sunday morning, we started a new Bible study in our Sunday School class. Well. It's not a NEW study. It's been around forever. But I've never done it before. We're doing Experiencing God. I've been really looking forward to this because I've needed some refreshment in my heart, and I believe God is going to use this in a great way!

* Monday night was the exhausting car mess of 2012 - which did make for great blog fodder. It also resulted in me going through the drive thru at 10:30 at night to get some dinner, WHERE I was promptly flirted with (think Joey's How YOU doin?) by an approximately 8 year old manager. Seriously dude? I was a smelly, sweaty mess from my workout, with makeup sliding off my face and hair in the worst ponytail attempt known to mankind. Shaking head...

* Tuesday evening, before my Bible study call with Olivia, I tried this yummy frappe mix.

Marie gave that to me as part of a coffee themed birthday gift (oh my word...the love of a gift like that!) and I didn't even know Tastefully Simple MADE a frappe mix. I gotta tell you - it is coffee-shop good. REALLY really good. Great. Now I have a new addiction.

* Wednesday was a big day at work! That was the day I got to interview Bruce Marchiano. And it was the day our air conditioner ceased to participate. And it was the day this little guy worked on his Olympic tryouts, apparently! (This was outside the station.)

And after work I had dinner with Jenny and then I ran four miles in 45 minutes AND walked a fifth mile, completing all five in an hour. I was happy!

* Thursday night, Rachel came over to spend some time with me. Now that Grey's is over for the season, we don't get to see each other anymore. So she came over and we made a mess in my kitchen - which resulted in very yummy scones - and we drank coffee, ate scones, and caught up on life. Perfect night.

* This week was VBS at our church, but because of my schedule, I couldn't participate. I did want to see the program though, so Friday night I went to hear the kids sing their songs and watch the (HILARIOUS) closing skit. And there may or may not have been ice cream after....

* Saturday was a CRAZY busy day. Started out with a baby shower for my friend Lisa...

...followed by a run past the church car wash fundraiser (more on that later) and an afternoon with my fave little guys - Liam and James. Whew!! Those two are such sweethearts. I love em!

One Thousand Gifts: Yesterday when I met up with Chris and Trudy to pick up the boys for the afternoon, Liam started to jump out of the van to meet me. Before he escaped, I said "HEY! Do I get a hug?" (After all, he's not 2 anymore. Might be getting too cool for hugs.) He buried his face in my side and hugged the daylights out of me and said, "I was getting ready to do that! I love you!" m.e.l.t.

Pinterest Inspiration:  The grass in this state is dying a slow, painful death, but the weeds in my driveway are ALIVE AND WELL!! And I know they're getting bad when they even start to bug me! Weed killer is one of the most annoying things on the planet to buy. It's expensive, it's poisonous, and it stinks. And in a month...you have to use it all over again. So...when I saw THIS on Pinterest....

Source: thefrugalgirls.com via Rebekah on Pinterest

(Wow that's really big!)

I thought I'd give it a try. Spraying white vinegar on weeds to see if they'll die. So this week, I tried it - on a sample area of my driveway. Observation #1 - it stinks worse than the weed killer!!! Observation #2 - it didn't die as quickly for me. After two full days, I saw that the edges of the weeds were brownish. Middle is still good and green. But it's a start! I guess my thought is...it's not what I use for quickest results, but I already have vinegar on hand, so I'll save the money from the weed killer and just try this for now!

Baking and Talking and Friend Stuff

Wednesday night I got a Facebook message from my friend Rachel: So if I bring the key ingredients (i.e. strawberries and such) can we please get together and bake and talk and do friend stuff?

Then she added this link.

There's something very lovely about getting such a message from a friend you've not seen in far too long.

And so it was that Thursday night, Rachel showed up with three boxes of these...

And we packed ourselves into my little kitchen and set out to create this strawberry scone goodness.

It said to flour generously. I'm nothing if not generous. Ever eaten floured strawberries before? Okay so it was not THAT bad.

You know your friend is loving when she'll show up after you've gone for a run...and you're sweaty and nasty. And she'll still let you near the food. HA!

Can't have scones without coffee. Who are we kidding? Can't have LIFE without coffee.

They were GOOD.

And best of all...it was an amazing evening of baking and talking and friend stuff. God sure knew what He was doing when He made friends.

Show Us Your Life: Kitchens

My kitchen is one of the smallest rooms in my house. In fact, I've often called it a butler's kitchen, because in big fancy houses, the butler's kitchens are just about this size! But I love this room so much. Won't lie to you - I love it partly because it's WHERE I FIND THE FOOD!! :) But I also love it because it's one of my favorite themes! (It is also my only officially "themed" room. I save themes for Christmas trees.) Anyway. The theme?

COFFEE!!!!

When I first moved into this house, I gave the kitchen a garden theme. It was cute. Little white plastic picket fence above the cabinets and terra cotta pots for holding utensils. Then I found the world of coffee decor, and I've not turned back.

My curtains have coffee words on them, and these two little metal cups used to have hooks on them, but I twisted them off and just used the cups for decoration. Got them at Hobby Lobby on a deep clearance shelf several years ago.

 Another Hobby Lobby find: my wall art!!

 When I happened upon these, they were two of the only pieces of wall art I'd found that didn't use red and brown as the key colors. I wanted to do the blue/teal/brown color scheme!

 More altered clearance items. I found three of these wooden squares with hooks...removed the hooks...and I'm all set!

 Yeah I probably shouldn't post this one, but I will. I'm very glad that above my cabinets, I have space to put decorations since the room isn't big enough to add shelves or other furniture. I'm hoping my someday house has the above-cabinet space too! I found this sign years ago - also at Hobby Lobby - and bought it for fun. Most people don't notice it in my kitchen since it sits up so high (thankfully) but it's a good conversation piece. :)

 A present I received a few years ago...who can't use a coffee fund!?!?!?!?

 Sorry about the ugly Styrofoam under the decorations. The cabinet sides extend above the tops so if I don't elevate the short decorations, you can't see them from the floor! Anyway. Found these cute little decorative cups at Shipshewana a couple of years ago...and the plate was a birthday gift. "Friends don't let Friends drink decaf" - and ain't THAT the truth!

 These are my latest additions. Found these when I shopped at Shipshewana THIS year.

 I got the basket free from hosting a Homemaker's Idea party several years ago, and the fake food came courtesy of Mom's redecorating/getting rid of stuff. Kind of gives the end of the cabinet a bistro feel.

 Bought the espresso machine at a garage sale, filled a vase with coffee beans, and displayed a couple of mugs I received as a gift. Love the final look!

 And it is, of course, a FUNCTIONAL coffee kitchen. My trusty coffee pot and coffee canisters. Love those little jars!

This house used to be my grandparents' house, so I have MANY memories in this kitchen...watching Mom and Grandma prepare Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter meals...and all the dinners Grandma cooked for me when I'd spend the night at this house when I was a kid. But I also have a lot of great memories in this kitchen from my own time here.

This is essentially where I learned to cook. I knew pretty much nothing before moving in here. (Including that having an Amish boy haircut wasn't a great idea.)

 This is where I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner. I hosted the whole family, and while Mom helped with the cooking, I did my fair share! (Another interesting hair era.)

 Every year, it's the cookie factory!! LOVE cookie baking!!!

 Memories of cooking with Angela...again...I miss her!

 And I've even done some cooking with my kiddos in there. This was from a Savannah sleepover many years ago. We made pancakes for breakfast! :)

And when I move??? Keeping the coffee theme. :) But hopefully upgrading to a bigger kitchen!

Lessons Learned Behind the Mic

A year ago yesterday, I donned some questionably fitting black pants, a black shirt, and a neon green shrug and walked into WBCL for a second interview for the Mid-Morning producer position. A few minutes later, I walked out with a new job.

And one year later, in that very moment, I sat in a (really hot) studio awaiting my turn at an another interview. Not a job interview. An on-air interview...with Bruce Marchiano.

Back in the early 90's, Bruce was cast as Jesus in the film Matthew. He wrote a book about his experiences making the movie, and that book absolutely revolutionized the way I saw Jesus. In fact, I wrote about it here a few years ago.

Bruce recently played the role of Jesus again in a new film: Apostle Peter and the Last Supper. I watched it a few days ago and again found myself drawn in to the way he interpreted the character of Jesus.

As I sat in my chair listening to him share about the things he'd learned in that role (in both films), one thing he said really stuck out to me. He talked about the amount of time he spent immersed in the Scriptures, learning everything he could about Jesus life, love, character, compassion, heart, and hope.

Because when you spend concentrated time with the Lord, you do come away reflecting His character.

Gulp.

Made my few measly minutes every day seem rather...lacking.

Not that those few minutes don't accomplish something. They definitely do. But if I want that sort of deep friendship and intimacy, I'm going to have to put in the hard work to get it. If I want my face to reflect His joy, my actions to reflect His heart...I have to spend time at His feet.

Not some time. Lots of time.

Loved that lesson learned in a hot studio interviewing a man I never thought I'd speak with in my lifetime. A man whose portrayal of a Man changed everything about my perspective.

Thank you, Bruce!

The Next Little Journey

If you've been hanging out here very long, you know that I frequently take little "challenges" from God, for 30 or 40 days at a time. He'll urge me to focus on something pretty intensely for that time frame and I love the things I learn along the way.

Well...I'm on to the next journey.

The adult Sunday School classes at our church are studying Experiencing God by Henry and Richard Blackaby and Claude King. It's not a new study...it's been around 20 years, actually. But I've not done it before, and I'm at a place in my own walk when I need to experience Him in a fresh way.

I was in a bit of a slump before I met Isaac, and God used the relationship and subsequent devastation to draw me closer to Him. Still to this day, that season remains my most intimate with the Lord and I'm so grateful for it. But lately I've struggled to find that same closeness, and goodness knows I do not want it to take new devastation to take me back to that place.

I want to go back to the intimate heart of God because I want to go there...not because I can't breathe and have no other choice.

I'm really excited about this journey. I know it has the potential to be toe-smashing hard. I know I might have to address things in my heart that I'd rather just skim right over. But I'm determined to study. I'm determined to ask questions. I'm determined to take the journey.

And just to show how God just recycles lessons to those who are slow to learn....

On the first day of the study, I read these words: "My primary concern should not be, What should I do with my life tomorrow? but, What does God want me to do today?"

Hmm.

Sound familiar?

It Started as an Oil Change

Before we get to the story...a very IMPORTANT happy birthday shout out to my friend Phats! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PHATS!!!!!! Hope it's a great day filled with a lot of presents. And food. :)

Okay...here you go.

Oh yes, my dear people. I do have a new car tale for you. You remember this one...

...Well last week, I sent my car to the shop for an oil change. Because it was time. It had actually been time for a while, but we're not going to talk about that delay just right now, mmmkay? So I sent the car in and it got all freshened up (they even swept out the interior!) and sent back to me - along with a note. (My car is kind of like an unruly first grade boy. Returns home with a note pinned to his shirt.) The battery was....not long for this world.

I sort of sensed a blog post in the making knowing I was driving around with a battery on borrowed time, so I didn't waste any time in making an appointment to have the battery and cables replaced.  So yesterday, I sent the car back and it had its little doctor appointment and came home to me, all better this time.

But last night, after I went for a run, I walked toward the car and noticed the hood didn't appear to be latched correctly. I was immensely relieved that it hadn't flown open as I drove home, walked over to it, pushed down, and it just popped right back up. Uh oh. I tried again. Same thing. I drove it home very carefully and opened the hood all the way, dropped it closed...and nothing.

SO I called my friend Greg to see if he could look at it. Drove it over to his house and he greeted me with these words, "You have a headlight out."

WHAT!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

He began digging around under the hood, and as he did so, a car drove up and 2 men and a woman I didn't know got out. They started talking to Greg and his wife...the guys, of course, gravitating right to the adventure of a car in distress. The three of them fussed with the headlight and then one of the guys discovered I didn't actually have a new light yet. He offered to take me to the auto parts store to get a new light.

Ummm. I hate to be all preschool here, but do I know you? Should I get in the car with a stranger? Greg and Angi liked him, so I figured he was okay and off we went to the auto parts store. (FYI, purchasing a part goes a lot faster when it's not just me saying, "Um, I like have this car and it's missing you know...the thing?")

We went back to the house and the three guys stood around with a toolbox, flashlights (as it was approaching 10 pm by that point), and in a short amount of time, my car was in two or three pieces in the driveway and they were shouting for tools in operating room fashion. I said, "Um, I know I don't know anything but would you like me to get the manual?"

WRONG QUESTION. They all pivoted and said "We don't need the book." Okay. Okay. No book. Book bad.

About an hour later, the headlight was replaced and one of the men I didn't know deposited a tiny screw in my hand. I said, "Um, shouldn't that be on the car?" He shrugged and said, "Ahhh it's okay. Not important."

(Wonder if the book would have agreed?)

THEN they got around to the hood latch. It was fixed in approximately 30 seconds.

I was exhausted.

But the good news is this: I have new oil, a new battery, new cables, two new headlights AND...one extra screw. I put it in the cup holder. I think it fits nicely there.

The New Life

I found several helpful moving-related sites (where else, of course...) on Pinterest. Many great tips for packing, organizing, cleaning, you name it. But this one in particular has me entirely intrigued. It asks the question - is the life you're pursuing the life you want? It encourages you to stop, take stock of why you're doing what you're doing, and see if maybe, just maybe (gasp) a change is in order.

I used to be the planner of all the planners. I had life from here to the nursing home neatly transcribed. And then I met Isaac and hit the desert and it was all I could do to plan driving to McDonald's for something that might resemble a lunch. And I've learned that life post-Isaac is strangely haphazard. I've been flying by the seat of my pants for a couple of years now in ways that would have shocked and horrified me before.

And I learned in that span...that God's plans trump my ever so careful planning. I might THINK I know, but I really don't have a clue. He has a lot of clues. And sometimes I have to put aside the life I'm planning to embrace the life HE has for me.

Having said that...He did go to a lot of trouble to design a brain for me, and I'm pretty sure He expects me to use it on a regular basis. So as I look ahead to this move of mine...whenever it happens...whatever house it takes me to...I realize it is a new life. Just like I blogged about Saturday...new grocery store, new mechanic...all that. And while I do have to keep my heart and mind open to what He plans for me...I also have to understand that it's okay for me to use my mind and creativity to imagine a new life for myself...and to see what works and what doesn't.

So I've been giving that some serious thought. It goes beyond throw pillows and paint colors for a new space. It goes to routines and hobbies and pursuits. As I look around my house and imagine packing it all up to start over, I think...is this something that fits in with the new life? Is this something that pushes me closer to the goals I believe God intends me to reach? Is this just clutter I need to toss because it's taking up space and trying to shove me into routines that really need to be done?

You don't have to be moving to ask those questions. Might just be time to spring clean in June. Time to ask yourself if this track you're on is really pushing you toward the life you (and by you, I mean you and God) want.

It's the Weekly Recap!

* Last Sunday, Lori and I visited our parents' church in the morning, where Lori played a piano solo and I shared devotions. And we coordinated because we're cute that way.

We had lunch at Mom and Dad's and then came back to my house, where we took it easy the whole rest of the day. Naps...walks in the park...episodes of Bridezilla...a restful little Sunday!

* Monday was a holiday for me (thank you, Memorial Day!) and Lori and I spent the whole day together, shopping. We loved it. I kind of went a LITTLE crazy on the shopping - but that's okay. Right? I don't do that very often. Here we are taking a break on a swing at Lowe's. It was very comfy but I resisted the urge to purchase it.

* Tuesday night, after work, I met up with the fam again for...you got it! MORE FOOD! Lori had her tenderloin, which is always part of the Indiana pilgrimage.

After dinner, I sprawled out in the hammock for a while (oh yes! There's now a hammock!) and then went for a run. Run + blister = ouch. (Just in case you weren't sure.) It was a PERFECT night for a run!

* Wednesday evening I had dinner with my best friend, Lynnette and her husband! So excited to see them. It's a rare treat! Know what else is a rare treat? This:

(Rare because it was FREE. Not rare that I was eating chocolate.) Seriously. All I did all week: EAT.

* Thursday night (I'm embarrassed to share more food talk), I met my old co-worker Rachel and her kids at Moe's for dinner. It had rained all day and I had Monica Gellar hair, so there are no pictures of this event. :) But we did have fun talking over dinner. (Dinner for one of her daughters meant rearranging the chips in the chip bowl. Perhaps that would be a good diet technique for me!)

* Guess what I did on Friday? Went for pizza with my friend Mark. We watched the movie Groundhog Day  - which, amazingly enough, I'd NEVER SEEN. Don't even talk to me about how behind I am. (I did recognize a lot of the hair in the movie as hair I'd had.) And again - I failed at a picture. Bad Bekah. I think my brain cells had been overcome by food. :)

* Saturday was a beautiful day AT HOME. I'd nearly forgotten such a thing exists. I slept in until my eyes popped open (via Braeya's hollering in my ear because APPARENTLY she was ready for her treat...2 hours earlier). I had much to accomplish at home - it was a hot little mess here. Got it all done!! And I grilled! Yes. More food talk. SORRY!! :)

One Thousand Gifts: Tuesday evening's phone call with Olivia...in the hammock...gently swinging...was a really beautiful moment. My life is pretty fast paced. It's not often I get the chance to just sit in a hammock (or anywhere) and rest. I didn't take it for granted.

Pinterest Inspiration: My friend Kari told me about this pin she'd found - and I had a blast playing with it. It's a website where you can plug in your starting and ending points on a trip, choose your route, and then it tells you places to eat, shop, and play along the way!! You know how I'm always vacation dreaming, so I had some FUN with this one!

Source: onthewayapp.com via Rebekah on Pinterest

The Personal Touch

A few weeks ago on Mid-Morning, we did a show on the topic of moving. One of our guests, Susan Miller, is the president of Just Moved Ministries - and she spends her time with women who have moved to a new town and are emotionally struggling to start over and fit in.

When Susan and I spoke on the phone prior to the interview, I shared with her that I'm working on moving...but not so far away that it feels like it would be as major an adjustment. Susan said to me, "Very true, but you still have to find a new salon and grocery store and all those little things you don't even think about."

Huh. Hadn't thought of that. (And after trying IN VAIN to find a Kind Bar in the Kroger by Lynne's house last week, I sort of get the pain of finding my way around a new grocery store!) It's true, though. I need to learn new places.

And one of those places: a car shop.

I won't lie. I'm the girl whose dad still took her car to his mechanic when something was dreadfully wrong.

But last winter, when I stayed in Fort Wayne during the week of SHARE, my car began to make noises that no vehicle (or dying cat) should ever make. The fine folks at work recommended a car shop near the station, and seeing no alternative, I called to make an appointment.

The problem was - I couldn't leave work that day because of the fundraising. They came and got my car, fixed it, brought it back to me at work, and I was safe for my drive that night because of their prompt work and kindness.

And then a few days later, I got a handwritten thank you note from the shop, thanking me for my business.

And I was impressed. I'd never gotten a handwritten thank you note from a business before.

So this week, when I needed some more work done on the car, I called them first. And I even told them they'd won me over as a new customer because of the thank you note and the extra miles they went to help me in a tough spot.

We don't see a lot of personal touches in life in general anymore. (Or at least I don't.) And I'm as guilty of that as anyone else. But I love to be the recipient of them...so I need to work on the effort of giving them, too!

Show Us Your Life: Living Rooms

It's been a couple of years since I linked up to Kelly's home tours, but I thought I'd do it again this time...and use the opportunity to look back on the great memories I've had in this house. I say that in faith that it will actually sell at some point. :)

One of my prayers in this house-selling adventure is that the next person or family who lives here will love life here just as I have! That it won't just be a house, but that it will be a real home that they can love and live in. So my pictures today are less about hey look at my stuff (mostly because it's kind of boring right now in the waiting to sell mode) and more about hey look at the life that has been lived here!

In this living room...I bought my first "big girl" furniture. My cream colored love seat that I'm allowed to have because I don't have kids to get stuff on it. And it almost always has a fleecy blanket on it because Braeya and I both like that.

 The little basket of pine cones, flowers, and Christmas lights...because I love little homey touches like that. The end table that used to belong to my grandparents (whose house I live in)...because I love bits of heritage like that. And it bears the mark of Bekah...a spot with the finish removed because I forgot polish remover eats furniture finish...

 My fireplace, which I found on clearance a couple of years ago and curl up in front of every night in the winter. (Literally DIRECTLY in front of it.) Candles on top because I love them. Coffee because...well...need I explain?

 The fat chair (and fleece), where I spend most of the evenings when I'm lucky to be at home. So comfy for naps and TV watching. And in the background, the picture my friend Amber drew in high school. I love that thing.

 The lamp...my first ever housewarming gift after I purchased the house. Great memories of a friendship I deeply miss. And in front...my Goodwill $3.00 basket holding some ceramic decorative balls I bought up in Shipshewana last week. It's a work in progress. :)

 Shelves of memories. I'd so much rather have a living room full of things that trigger memories than things I bought just because. Scrapbooks, time capsule, pictures - things that warm my heart. This is the room where I've lived for twelve years.

 Of course, it started out with peach walls (that way when I moved in) and garish Rescue Mission couches (that I loved at the time) - and never ending adventures with my then-roommate, Angela. Ahh, this picture makes laugh - because this is SO Angela - and ache - because I still miss her. I know God cuts no life short on His time, but I sure don't understand why...

 Yep. That's me. I posted it mostly to remind me to NOT GO THERE AGAIN. :) And also - because this room (still in the peach and floral state) was the place I welcomed all the nieces and nephews. This one is vintage Savannah. Pretty sure next year she's a fifth grader. But this was the night of the Friends finale, and she and her mom came over to watch with me. I have loved hosting TV nights. American Idol...Grey's Anatomy...the Olympics...The Biggest Loser...Alias...you name it. Friends came over all the time just to watch TV (and probably eat a snack).

 My dear, sweet Kaegan spent a lot of time in this house (and also apparently IN the furniture). He and I used to curl up for Sunday afternoon naps on the couch, and he spent hours parked by the front door, watching whatever happened outside...slowly swishing his tail in approval.

 And it was where we welcomed a very tiny Braeya home...six years ago almost exactly. (This was from her first night at home. She's so LITTLE!)

 When I purchased the home, I declared the peach walls done...and I went for a lovely terra cotta. I got pink. Two days of painting and I got PINK. So my friend Kristin came over and taught me this faux treatment we did with two shades of brown over the "terra cotta." In the end - a different pink. Sigh.

 Lots of babies crawled around this living room...chasing the long-suffering cats who quite frankly hate anyone who crawls...squeals...cries (except me)...or makes sudden movements. This one is Miss Hannah, who is now seven.

 Hosted a few family holidays here. This picture is mortifying in ways words cannot possibly capture, but it was the only time I ever hosted the official family Christmas - complete with the Kansas family joining via webcam. (So tech savvy before my time. And clearly pretty handy with a fork and spoon!)

 It's the living room where I welcomed tons of college student buddies, including Tom and Olivia, who always brought me breakfast on my birthday and served me "breakfast in couch." (You know, because the whole breakfast in bed thing would have been awkward.) (And yes, they home cooked all that food.) (And, see picture above, I ATE IT ALL.)

 It's the room where I spent most Christmas Eve nights having a slumber party for one under the Christmas tree.

 It's where I signed the first autograph for my book. (Excuse the hair. It was the middle of the desert-journey for my heart. I didn't care about hair.) (Clearly.)

 It's where my friends came to hang out with me - for Bible studies and cry-fests and Anne of Green Gables marathons.

 Twelve years of living. Relationships born (and ended). Meals in front of the TV. Movie marathons. Scrapbooking. Writing. Dreaming. Praying. Phone calls. Blogging. Vacation planning. Teaching. Parties. Naps. Sick days. Slumber parties. Playing games. All of it. Right here.

And I can't wait to make new memories in a new house with a new living room (and...ahem...a new paint color. Again.)

May: Done

This was one CRAZY busy month. I am not even sure when I had time to shower. But I did. I mean really. I promise.

Had a chance to speak at the Maple Run Friends Mother/Daughter Banquet - which was a wonderful evening with my friends. I was thankful to be invited to share!

Went house hunting with Abby (my realtor) and found a house I LOVED. Loved, loved, loved. (Will it love me back? I don't know.)

Spent a day at the Cherished Moments Craft Hideaway - with good friends, and accomplished a TON.

Got my first cold in over a year and was NOT happy about it. Sore throat...fever...sounded like the Allstate Man and Bea Arthur all rolled into one. Attractive for a job in radio.

Started my official training for the 10K this fall...and was pleased with the progress I made along the way...and surprised at some of the obstacles.

Worked the Secret Keeper Girl event in Ohio, and managed to get pulled over on the way home...STUPID BURNED OUT HEADLIGHT!! :)

Enjoyed a VERY fun birthday with all my work buddies, my friends, and my parents. Loved feeling so loved!

Went on a weekender vacation with Miss Lynne, checking out the worlds of Granville and German Village in Ohio. AND - fulfilled my summer livin' list item of going to a Farmer's Market! YAY!!

Took a day trip to Shipshewana where I not only had fun, but added to my embarrassing moments reel. It never ends.

Enjoyed a scrapping day with Miss Marie... and got all caught up on my little scrapbook.

Picked up my sister at the airport and got us lost in Indianapolis the night before the Indy 500. Brilliant. Then we spent a quality weekend together hanging out and SHOPPING!!

Bought my first ever hammock - which probably seals the deal that I'll be SO LAZY now.

Got to interview my mom on the chocoholic Mid-Morning show.

And last but NOT least - got to see my best friend! She was in town for a bit and I loved having dinner with her and her husband!

And that, my loves, is the month of May. Whew. I need a nap.