In Which We Came Back Home

You were so kind to come along with me last week on a virtual vacation to Louisville, and today I shall wrap up that trip with a quick peek at our return home.

Saying goodbye to a vacation is never fun. Even though coming home is a beautiful thing in and of itself, it's hard to say goodbye to a break.

We had to be out of our Airbnb by 11, but we wanted to get home early enough to settle back in to life and routine before REALLY settling back in on Tuesday, so we left a bit earlier than that. We had a couple of stops to make in Indianapolis before we officially came home.

Last May, when Ryan threw my huge birthday party, my best friend, Lynnette and her husband, Mark, gave me a really fun gift of a date day in Indianapolis. Several weeks ago, Ryan and I set out to enjoy it, but we were only able to use the first third of the date. We went to a café/coffee shop that day. We planned to go to a conservatory and gardens, but it was POURING and FREEZING that day, so we didn't go. We planned to finish up with dessert at the Cake Bake shop, but we couldn't get in the door that day. It was so packed.

So I thought we would use our traveling Monday to do the remainder of the date. The conservatory and gardens worked out. I called the Cake Bake shop to make reservations, and it turns out they had no reservations open for the entire remainder of December. WHAT?!?! So I guess we'll try that again in January!

We stopped at the Garfield Park Conservatory and Sunken Gardens, though, and it was a fun date for us! The outside gardens were "asleep," they told us, but we enjoyed the inside portion so much. It was all so beautifully decorated for Christmas, and they even had a scavenger hunt for extra fun. (It was really for the kids, but you can believe we did it - and completed it!)

Lovvvvvvvvvvvvvvved the village they'd set up. (It was the basis for the majority of the scavenger hunt.)

We also enjoyed the regular part that had some Christmas touches, but it wasn't exclusively decorated for the holidays.

It felt so tropical in that room, I didn't want to leave!

But alas, we had one more stop to make. You might recognize this place:

This was actually the emptiest we'd ever seen this store. It was heavenly. I was able to actually walk through the model rooms without getting pushed out! We also had lunch there. And broke a set of spice jars. All in a day's work.

We came home via the hospital, where we stopped to visit Ryan's mom. We didn't take pictures there, but you probably have a general idea of what hospitals look like, so you can imagine it. 

By the time we did get home, it was late, and vacation already felt like a very distant memory. :( Thanks for traveling along with us! We are grateful we had the chance to sneak away for a little while! 

The Shafferland Shuffle

Every week, Ryan and I say, "This week should be calmer." We're going to stop saying that. I think this is just supposed to be an eventful season of life! No resting this past week! Here's what we did.

* Last Sunday was our anniversary, and we woke up to a beautiful warm and sunny day in Louisville. We are so thankful for that day. We had brunch together at a lovely restaurant high up above the Ohio River, we walked through a park, we enjoyed all our anniversary traditions, and we ended the day with pie and ice cream. A sweet anniversary, indeed.

* We came home Monday, with a couple of fun last stops down in Indianapolis. (Hello, IKEA! We missed you!) We found out Monday morning that Ryan's mom had been taken back to the hospital, so on our way home, we stopped and visited her for a few hours. (That's when I learned my pretty boots from my Black Friday purchase aren't quite broken in yet. After IKEA and four hours in a hospital, I couldn't feel my feet!) We got home much later than we intended, and I flew into a flurry, trying to get us all unpacked and laundry done before we went to bed that night.

* Because on Tuesday, we welcomed our next round of company! I made up the guest room and borrowed a pack n play, because my niece from Kansas, her husband, and little Caroline came to stay with us for a few days. (This was all very unexpected. My brother-in-law lost his sister to cancer the same day we left for our little getaway. So while we were gone, they were scrambling to make plans to come home.) That night, our small group got together to wrap Christmas gifts for the local Rescue Mission, so Ryan and I played divide and conquer. He went to the wrapping party to represent us, and I stayed home to receive our guests!

* Our guests didn't have a car (they flew in) so Wednesday morning, while Ryan went to work, I got up and ready and took them to the house where all the family was meeting for the day - about an hour from here. I didn't see the point in driving all the way back home, only to turn around and drive all the way back for the funeral, so I stopped by my old office in Marion, saw the two people working there who remain from my days of employment, and met up with my parents for an afternoon snack! (Drove by our old house, too!) Ryan went to the hospital to see his mom that night, and I represented us at the funeral. (Photo credit to Ryan's sister for the picture of him with his mom and nephew.)

* Thursday was the only day our Kansas family had the whole day free to spend with us, so our house became visit central. Ryan had to work, so he could only join us for lunch. Guess what? I GOT TO ROCK THE BABY TO SLEEP!!!!!! Made my whole day. I said on Facebook that I didn't know if I had skill or was just boring, but either way, the baby slept, so WIN!!!!!!

* Friday morning, all our company left to go back home. :( That night, Ryan and I went out to my parents' house to take pictures for their church Christmas party. We ran a photo booth there as well, and when the church people weren't utilizing it, we had some fun of our own!

* Ryan worked yesterday, and I spent some time in the morning showing a future podcaster how all the editing software works. :) Phoebe showed up around lunchtime to stay for the rest of the day! I worked on our Christmas cards under her supervision, and while we ran a few errands last night, we got her a new toy. She was SO EXCITED when we came home with it!! (She found out it had a squeaker in it and was completely obsessed.)

So that's been our week. I am NOT going to say "surely this week will be calmer." No need to jinx it.

The Saturday Six

One.

Just because Christmas is a season of celebration doesn't mean everyone is in a time of life when celebration comes easily. If you're struggling with the hurts of loss or other difficulties, and you're not sure how to handle all the merriness of Christmas, check out this tender article by my friend, Sarah Forgrave. Perhaps her words can help you reframe your focus on the season to find the hope of Jesus, even if you're not feeling celebratory.

Two.

Remember when I said we loved our garage apartment Airbnb and we think it would be a perfectly sized space for us to live in? Found one for us, Ryan!!

Three.

Do any of you who still use paper planners use stickers and cutouts in them? I never have, but I confess that things like this little clipboard are just about the cutest ever. (I guess using them would be a lot like scrapbooking, huh?)

Four.

If you're a Hallmark movie junkie and enjoyed Graceland (I actually haven't seen that one yet), this post gives you some inside scoop on all the real Memphis locations mentioned or featured in the movie! So if you're planning a Memphis trip anytime soon, this might help you channel your inner Hallmark movie lover. (We won't talk about how I learned about a bunch of these places from the Gaither Memphis Homecoming.)

Five.

Small houses, I can do. But a small RV? I am not sure. This one looks more like the vehicle I need to drive back and forth to church, not to live in. ;) But seriously! Think about it! Wouldn't this be perfect for just jetting about? Traffic jam? Bathroom!

Six.

Look at this Christmas kitchen tour! THOSE CHAIR COVERS!!!!!!! So adorable!

Our Sixth Anniversary Celebration!

Well, we've come to the day when I tell you about our sixth anniversary celebration. I know. I know. You've been on the edge of your seat with anticipation. We were SO EXCITED that our anniversary ended up being a stunning day. It was sunny, warm (for December) and perfect. We haven't had many of those kinds of days lately, so we were extra grateful.

We had brunch reservations, so we got up and ready and exchanged our gifts before heading out to brunch. We try to get our anniversary gifts based on the themes for every year. Know what it is for year six? Iron and candy. I wrestled with this for a YEAR (a story for the podcast) and about four days before we left, I came up with a new gift idea. My sister was gracious to order it for me, so Ryan wouldn't see it on the order, and both our gifts turned out to be winners!

Ryan got me beautiful earrings that were a combination of pearl and, yes, iron! I love them!

And here was his winning gift:

We can't wait to dig in and use that!

We also drank coffee from our wedding mugs.

Our brunch reservations were at a restaurant called the Rivue. It's on the 25th floor of a hotel that overlooks the Ohio River. It was actually a little different than the one we went to in Indianapolis last year. That entire room was in a circle and rotated. This one had two sections that kind of looked like Mickey Mouse ears on the side of the building, and they rotated. But half the time, they rotated inward to the dining room. (We didn't end up getting a seat by the window anyway, but we could still enjoy the views.) And the food. OH MY GOODNESS, THE FOOD. A custom omelet station, tables and tables of food, fresh waffle bar...delicious and so filling! Here are some photos from our day.

I couldn't get a great picture of the buffet lines without looking like a pathetic tourist, but here is a quick snapshot from our seat:

And I had to take this picture because I have never before seen a tornado shelter on the 25th floor of a building.

After our delicious brunch, we went back to our Airbnb to change clothes, and then we ventured out to a local park to take our annual photos. (I'll show those next week.) The park was PACKED with people excited to take in the last good day of the year (in all probability). When we were done with photos, we took a walk of our own!

We went back to the Airbnb again to rest (aka watch football, for Ryan) and that night, we went to this pie and ice cream place I'd read about. Oh. My. Goodness. We have such a story for this one too - so that will be on the podcast as CAN I JUST GET A SANDWICH, PLEASE??? Meanwhile, the pie and ice cream were absolutely delicious. We actually never ended up eating a real dinner, because this was more than filling. Check out the size of these pie sundaes!

By the time we were done with those, it was dark and getting cold, so we headed back to watch our wedding video, drink our sparkling grape juice, and read the letters we wrote last year/write new ones for next year.

It was a perfect day. Loved it! :) Happy anniversary to us! :)

Mansions and Lights

Last Saturday was our first full day in Louisville, and my goodness! Did we ever pack in a lot of adventure. After sleeping twelve full hours, we decided we were still stuffed from dinner the night before, so we didn't need breakfast. We took our time getting ready, and late morning, we headed out for Bardstown, on the southern edge of Louisville, so we could see this historic mansion they have.

It was pouring when we left...the kind of rain that makes it impossible to hear inside a car and probably nearly as impossible to drive. I wouldn't know. I was busy with a story we'll tell you about on the podcast...called Bekah and the Smoke Alarms. It's a story you won't even believe when you hear it.

Our first stop was at a little pizza place, where we had lunch - and it was delicious. But then we wanted to visit this mansion called My Old Kentucky Home. It was all decorated for Christmas, and guess what? No photography policy. #facepalm. But we did get this lovely photo OUTSIDE with it.

Our tour guide was amazing. He was knowledgeable and interesting. (That's a hard combo to find.) He even sang a song to us! The house was beautiful, and the Christmas décor, though simple, was really pretty. (Each room featured décor from different eras.)

Our favorite thing from the house was the upholstered chair in the bedroom that doubled as a chamber pot. (Yes, we are overgrown toddlers.)

The house, he said, has electricity, heat, air, and even WiFi, but still no indoor plumbing.

So there's this:

We really enjoyed the tour (despite the lack of pictures).

Our only other plan for the day was to visit Lights Under Louisville, and our timing turned out so that we could go right when it opened. My GOODNESS. Am I ever glad we did that!

So, Lights Under Louisville is a light display similar to what you'd find in a park...but it's in caverns underground. Yes! You drive through caves to look at lights!! How cool is that!

Cool, yes. Cheap, not so much. It was $27 for our car (more for larger vehicles), but listen to this. When you go to the caverns, they have two huge parking lots they use as "holding tanks" for vehicles so they can dismiss them slowly into the caverns. We arrived early enough that we got to bypass the first holding tank and the second one was only half full when we arrived. We waited 45 minutes there to get down into the caverns, and when we came out, BOTH holding tank lots were full and the line to enter the area was a couple of miles down the road. I read on a review that some people have waited 4 hours to get in. (You have to sit in your car that whole time, so you better hope you like your car!)

So the bottom line is it's very cool, but GO EARLY!!!

Want to see some of our pictures?

This was from the entrance:

I was telling some of my friends about this stop, and they were a little scared of the cave idea. I don't love tight spaces, and I was fine. The lanes were wide, the ceilings were high, and it felt very spacious. Yes, it was dark, but it just felt like nighttime dark, not like panic-dark. It was worth it to me to pay the money we paid and wait the amount of time we did to enjoy the light displays. (I don't think I would have done well waiting 4 hours.) They were good about keeping the traffic moving in the cave. (A little too good at times. We paused for a photo and got scolded for holding up the line.)

On our way home, we stopped at Zaxby's for salads, took them back to our Airbnb, and had dinner while we watched more movies!!

We were pretty excited to have had such a great day despite some pretty lousy weather - and the whole debacle we'll tell you about on the podcast!