Guacamole

I didn't grow up in a guacamole household. Dad is sort of {aka completely} a meat and potatoes, standard American fare kind of guy. He doesn't like Chinese food. Or Italian. Or Mexican. Or anything but meat and potatoes and gravy and pie. So that's what Mom cooked! Sometimes she and I would have a frozen pizza {cooked first, of course} or some tacos, but she never ventured forth as far as homemade guacamole.

I didn't even know I liked it until I was almost grown. First you have to get past its appearance, which, granted, is not really a selling point. But if you can do THAT...ohhhhhhhh the joy.

And now that we're to the season of research that declares avocado fat good for you, I figure this is practically a health food. The thing I love about guacamole is that it whips up pretty quickly and makes a great appetizer or meal, as far as I'm concerned.

Here's the recipe we use, and Ryan has declared it a keeper:

* 2 ripe avocados
* 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 medium size chopped Roma tomato
* 1/2 cup chopped green onions
* 2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro
* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt

Slice avocados and scoop out the insides; discard the pit in the middle. Combine avocados and all other ingredients in a bowl and mash with a fork until well combined and lumpy. Serve immediately or refrigerate for a short time. Serve with chips or as a topping on tacos or nachos.

A Few Tips:

* If you've never purchased avocados before, that can be the most intimidating part. The avocados in the picture above are NOT RIPE ENOUGH yet. The skin of the avocado should be dark, and they should be squishy when you squeeze them. If they are ripe enough, the insides will slide right out with a spoon.

* You can try to speed along the ripening of an avocado by placing it in a brown paper bag. We learned that it might not be enough if you only have a day...so another way to find a ripe avocado is to TRY ANOTHER GROCERY STORE. I mean...not that we had to do that or anything.

* You can use white, yellow, or red onions in this recipe, but the green truly do taste the best.

* I prefer fresh cilantro in this recipe. And more is more for me when it comes to cilantro. :)

* We like to use Roma tomatoes, because they're not as juicy, so they are better when you cut and mix them up.

* This doesn't keep well for more than a day. The avocado turns brown quickly.

Full Circle

Yesterday I told you about my parents' 60th anniversary...thanks for your warm wishes for them, both here and on Facebook! They stopped by our house last night to see us on their way home from their official anniversary trip...and they brought us Rise n Roll donuts. I realize there is something a bit backwards about receiving gifts FROM the anniversary kids, but hey. Did you hear me say Rise n Roll??? Yeah we didn't turn those down.

Anyway. Last night I had some fun with the rest of Mom and Dad's wedding pictures, and I thought you might like to see what I did!

As you may have gathered, I am kind of a fan of doing recreations of pictures. It's a Pinterest-induced addiction.

But Ryan and I planned our wedding so quickly that I didn't have time to scope out Pinterest for picture ideas. So all these things...just a lovely coincidence.

You saw the picture on the left yesterday. Mom as a bride in 1954. Yours truly as a bride in 2012...fifty-eight years later. Someone on Facebook commented that we look a lot alike...and we do. Mom was 17 when she got married. I was twice her age. But if you saw my senior picture next to her wedding photo, you'd see just how much alike we looked back then!

On the left...my sweet Grandpa with my mom. I loved Grandpa so much and dearly miss him. I would have loved for him to have met Ryan. They would have been buddies. I do find it interesting that neither Mom nor I carried a traditional bouquet in our weddings.

Quite a change in venue...from the church to the beach. But I am thrilled that we have the same photo from both days. {Click on the photo to enlarge it.}

In all those years of planning, I can truly say I NEVER thought I'd see the day when I ended up with the smallest wedding party of ANYONE in my entire family - especially my parents! But nonetheless...here are our parties!

Clearly neither of us like messes. Get that cake IN HIS MOUTH without dropping crumbs!!

Mom and Dad had the little bride and groom from the store on the top of their cake. Ryan and I had an acrylic silhouette of us holding hands on ours. Mom and Dad's cake was NOT mocha flavored. And we served cupcakes to our guests, while they served the cut tiered cake. But otherwise, it's the same. Well. Minus the palm trees. :)

True love - separated by 58 years and 1700 miles.

Mom and her girls...and me with mine. :)

Dad with his guys and Ryan with his. :)

Two love stories. Fifty-eight and a half years apart. But this girl is very thankful for them both.

Sixty Years

Sixty years ago today, a couple of crazy kids said I do.

You might recognize them a bit more like this:

Yes! As of today, my parents achieved a milestone I won't see until I'm 94. {And I am just cantankerous enough to make it to 94, thankyouverymuch.}

They got married at 8:00 in the evening, at the little Friends Church where Mom grew up, and we get to peek in on some of the details of the day courtesy of the fact that newspapers were more than just newsy on the wedding announcements back in 1954.

The Rev. William A. Wagner, pastor of the Bethel Friends Church and a cousin of the bride, performed the single-ring rites before the altar, which was decorated with palms, two seven-branch candelabra and standards of white gladioli. Family pews were marked with white satin bows. 

Given in marriage by her father, the bride was gowned in white Chantilly lace over taffeta. A sweetheart neckline accented the gown's fitted bodice, which was trimmed with sequinned medallions of the lace and long lace sleeves ended in bridal points at the wrists. Her fingertip veil of imported illusion was held in place by a cap of lace and accordion pleated satin, studded with pearls and rhinestones. She carried a white Bible and a white orchid tied with white satin streamers in lover's knots. 

Reception in honor of the couple was held in the Christian Education building of the church. A three-tiered wedding cake decorated in yellow and white and topped with the traditional bride and bridegroom centered the bridal table.

{And that's about a quarter of the newspaper article. I never would have made it as a writer then. I didn't even know the proper usage of some of those words!!}


And so they were married...and along the way had three daughters...and have welcomed sons-in-law and a grandson and granddaughter. {And a host of grandanimals, but only MISTER Freelan will claim those.}

Sixty years is a huge deal. HUGE! Not many people have that accomplishment to their name, and I'm proud of my parents for persevering through a whole lotta life to reach this day. Thankful that they pushed through hard days and enjoyed good days and provided a good life for my sisters and me.

Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad! Thanks for the legacy you've created through the last 60 years!

My Piece of the Puzzle

Yesterday I told you about working the Waynestock Festival over the weekend...and I told you that Josh Wilson sang...and I told you that his song Before the Morning has been a pivotal one for me.

It started four years ago, when the song was brand new and played often on the radio. It happened to be the same time I was struggling through the devastating loss of love, and everything seemed dark. And it seemed it would always be dark. And in that season, God began the "Six a.m. Serenade" - and Josh's song was a frequent piece of that serenade.

And then the following year, I went on a vacation to Florida, and in that vacation, God taught me some important lessons - including one in which He encouraged me to walk toward the morning.

And then morning actually came. It came in the form of redemptive love named Ryan Shaffer, who asked me out on a date and then asked me out again and eventually proposed to me on live radio and married me on a beach in Florida. He is my morning. He is God's answer to the dark brokenness that was my life.

And then...Ryan sang that song to me. In church. The song that meant everything to me...became the first song he ever sang to me live in public. It was a full circle redemption.

So Saturday evening, as Josh Wilson took the stage in St. Marys, Ohio, and sang that song...and I stood in front of the WBCL tent and whispered the words alongside him, I thought over all those moments. The darkness and tears, the hope of a future, the realization of the future and the full circle redemption.

And I wanted to rush up onto that stage and say JOSH!!!!! Listen to my story! Listen to how your song ministered to me and became my theme for a season and how God has used it - over and over - to be pivotal in the story He's writing for me.

But even as I thought those words, I realized that above my whispers, dozens...hundreds...of other people were singing the same words. Out loud.

Chances are good many of them had a dark season too. And that Josh's song came to them over the waves of the radio...just like it did to me. And it meant something to them just like it meant something to me.

I wanted to rush up onto the stage again, but this time, I wanted to say JOSH!!!!!!!!! Look at this group! Look at all these people who have committed the words of your song to heart. Look at all of them singing alongside you...and know that each one represents a story of how God worked through your song.

All the details are different. Their stories won't match mine. But each of us are pieces in the puzzle of Before the Morning. Each of us together make a sunrise of God's goodness.

Isn't that awesome?

God is so good!!!  And His ways are beautiful. 

Waynestock

Ryan and I had a little work adventure this past Saturday! We trekked over to St. Marys, Ohio to work Waynestock...which is a Christian music festival.

Wanna hear my embarrassing moment of the day?

We had our tent all set up, and people were making their way through, talking to us, and this one sweet woman walked in clutching a styrofoam cup. I'd never seen this woman before in my life, but that didn't stop me from marching up to her and saying, "IS THAT A SONIC CUP?" She laughed and said it was, and I stepped even closer and said, "SHUT UP! WHERE IS THERE A SONIC AROUND HERE?"

They don't put me on the welcoming committee for nothing.

Turns out we'd driven right past the good ole Sonic and I missed the whole thing. I was beside myself. Next time. NEXT TIME.

We were not too far from the stage and the crowd was fantastic. It wasn't a hot, sunny day, but it was actually pretty pleasant out there!

Ryan went with me and we worked alongside Lynne and Ken Church. Those two are a blast to work with; we had a fun evening!

The station had a contest for this concert - and the winners got front row seats. Lynne and I introduced them from the stage:

I enjoy working events, because I enjoy meeting you. It was fun to hear from so many of you that you stop by here and read...and it was fun to get to introduce you to Ryan. I love it that so many of you knew who he was even before I told you! Thanks for coming over to talk with us!

And it was fun to be with Lynne...we are two peas in a pod!

The music was great - and it was good to see people with hands raised, enjoying an evening of worship!

Ryan and I love the group Love and the Outcome. We love their music, their story, and their incredible TALENT!

Here's a few pictures of their part of the night.

 Another favorite of mine: Josh Wilson. I might have to write later this week about how his music has spoken to me.

There were some other artists there as well, but these were my two faves. We had a great night, even if it was a late one!

Thanks, Waynestock, for putting on a great night of music!

Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday was One Day Sunday at our church. They only had one service, and we got to witness baby dedications, baptisms, and new members. After church, they had a picnic outside, complete with games...and a bouncy house! Someone got really excited about that! It was a great Sunday...restful and fun!

* We haven't had rain in two or more weeks, and it's really making our grass CRUNCHY!! And Monday morning, during Mid-Morning, it p-o-u-r-e-d and stormed for the entire hour. At home? Nothing. Sigh. After work, Ryan and I went to the gym, and then we came home to make taco burgers {and Ryan was super excited about the tomatoes somebody gave us} - and because the gym wasn't enough - I also did a video workout later.

* Tuesday morning, Ryan and I both woke up sick...with different things. How weird is that? He had a bad cold, and I had flu-like symptoms. I went to work, lasted a whopping half hour, and came home to crash on the couch for the rest of the day. Braeya was a lousy nurse, napping beside me all day. Ryan was a darling and brought home McDonald's for dinner, because neither of us felt like cooking. Feed a cold! Feed a fever! JUST FEED US!!

* By Wednesday, I was all better...Ryan, not so much. He was still eating cough drops and sounding like Bea Arthur. He did feel well enough to mow that night, and I took my first spin at grilling on his grill. I still prefer for him to take over that duty, but it was fun anyway! And once we had our chores done, we hunkered down and watched the America's Got Talent results show. Don't think America got all the results right this week. :(

* Thursday, I was reminded that I need to start leaving for work even EARLIER {waaaaah} because I keep getting stuck behind the same bus every day. Sigh. Ryan had an unexpected day off work, so he did some weeding at the Greentown house {not sure an ENTIRE bag of weeds from the driveway alone constitutes "some" weeding, but whatever} and then went home to rest. That night I met my friend Sheryl for dinner at a fabulous pizza place - and she took me around Huntington to scope out some locations for a photo shoot I've got coming up!

 * Friday...guess who woke up with a sore throat? THIS GIRL! Ryan is so good at sharing, and I got his germs! We both powered through to work, and I managed to sound a bit Bea Arthur-ish myself. Always good for radio :) That night we decided to get pizza, watch movies, and have frozen hot chocolate for a treat. That stuff is too good to be that bad for you! And as for Braeya...she just sat around and looked cute.

*Yesterday, Ryan and I worked the Waynestock Festival in St. Marys, Ohio! Since that didn't start until later in the day, we got to sleep in and rest for the first half of the day, and then we headed east! It was a really nice festival, and we had a GREAT time meeting people and listening to some fabulous music. We are both huge Love and the Outcome fans, and they were there, so that was exciting!!

The Saturday Six

One.

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I am not a professional photographer, so I don't have to deal with this, but I sure have noticed it with pictures I've seen. I love this article! {You might have seen this circulating Facebook.}

Two.

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I was very excited to read that Caroline is back to blogging. I first read her when she blogged as Caroline in Texas, but she's married now and blogging at a new address - excited for her! And excited to read her thoughts again!  

Three.

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Saw on Instagram this week that Kari Jobe got engaged. Had the opportunity to meet her earlier this year and from everything I could tell, she's the real deal as far as loving the Lord and having a genuine heart for Him. Very excited for her!!  

Four.

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It's been a while since I've been on a blogging team. I was part of a blog called "The Intentional Journey" several years ago - and now I have the chance to be part of another one! {Don't worry. I'm not abandoning Shafferland. This one is in addition!} It's called Broken Beautiful Bold, and its goal is to help women embrace Jesus' gift of redemptive grace, fully accepting that they are a beautiful child of God, and empowering them to live boldly through the Holy Spirit. A whole team of writers will blog regularly; hope you can check it out!

Five.

So I've been doing a new workout for the last two weeks. I learned about it from my friend Jeri at work. It's called PhedoraFit, and it's a 10 minute video that's different every single day. Ten minutes SEEMS easy. Ummmmm it's not. But it's good stuff. It's good for a workout a.d.d. person like me! 

Six.

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And back to engagement news. Just saw yesterday that Jessa Duggar got engaged this week as well. YAY!! I can't wait for the new season to start. I'm sure I'll have tears all over the place. Because yes. I am that attached to people I do not know in real life. {Poor Ryan.}

The Covenant

Next week I'm going to catch you up on Shafferland and present day, but I'm excited to wrap up this week of sharing about some ways God spoke to me a few years back.

***

When I finished praying that prayer of relinquishing and trust, the sun came out.  It was the first time in days I’d seen the sun.  The gloom of rain had lasted quite long enough for my tastes and I welcomed the rays that shone through the stained glass windows. 

My gaze dropped to the floor as I remembered the “slow and stop” message from the first week in the prayer chapel.  Much to my surprise, this week the sun was so radiant that every color from the window melted into a pool on the green slate floor.  Red, yellow, orange, blue, purple, green – my own rainbow covered the floor next to my pew.

Immediately I remembered my best friend’s wedding almost four years earlier.  She lived about an hour north of me and I was the maid of honor in her wedding.  The last couple of weeks before her wedding were filled with overtime at work, crash dieting for the spaghetti strap dress, short nights, and long days.  Three days before her wedding I was so sick that I just hoped I could even be at the wedding. 

Not being a big fan of driving – especially on interstates – I dreaded the drive north to her apartment with all my wedding gear crammed in the back of my tiny Neon.  As I left work the Thursday night before her wedding day and made my way to the interstate entrance ramp, the skies poured and darkness threatened to fall early.  I clutched the steering wheel at ten and two and prayed my way down the unfamiliar road as semis zoomed past my compact car. 

The rain slowed, then stopped, and directly in front of me appeared a beautiful huge rainbow.  I pried one hand from the wheel long enough to feel around in my purse in the passenger seat and pull out the disposable camera I’d brought to document the weekend.  I perched it on top of the steering wheel and snapped, hoping I’d caught the rainbow. 

When I made my scrapbook of her wedding, I included the picture along with that story and this verse from Genesis 9:17 – “This is a sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on earth.”  Yes, my rainbow from God.  That weekend it had been God’s promise to me that the weekend would be okay.  I wasn’t alone in my car, I would make it to my destination, the wedding would be beautiful, and I would be well enough to be the maid of honor Lynnette needed. 

And as I sat in the chapel that day, remembering God’s original covenant of love with Noah and His covenant of love with me three and half years earlier, I sensed another covenant hiding in the pool of color on the floor.  God would make good on His promise of being trustworthy.  I could trust Him to make me into a blessing of a wife.  I could trust Him to bring me my partner.  I could trust Him to write my love story.  As He had been faithful to those who came before me….as He had been faithful to me in the earlier days of my life…He would continue to prove faithful.

How thankful I was that God led me to Elizabeth’s book to teach me how to become that wife for my husband.  How thankful I was for a ruby ring to remind me daily of that commitment to become all I could be for him.  How thankful I was for Jeff’s time in writing an e-mail to a sister-in-law he could have lashed out at in frustration.  How thankful I was that I’d been prompted to keep his words on that index card for such a time as this.  How thankful I was for Eric and Leslie Ludy and their books to light the way for a girl who didn’t quite know how to allow God to work in her love life.  And how thankful I was for a rainy drive on an interstate three years earlier that gave me an encounter with God that returned that day to bless me once again.

My pastor's words were so true.  When we commit Scripture to memory, God will pull it out at just the right time.  And He doesn’t stop with Scripture.  Every experience.  Every word comes back at the right moment and brings His promise and His hope.