Franklin County Tour

HAPPY WEDSESDAY!!!!!

Did you miss me? (I know...was I gone?)

Ryan and I are back from a really fun and restful mini-vacation to celebrate our anniversary. We were so very grateful for everything this past weekend held, and we can't wait to tell you all about it!

Some years, our anniversary falls the same weekend as Thanksgiving and some years it's a whole week later. This was a year when it backed up to Thanksgiving, so Ryan ended up with almost an entire week off work! YAY!

Friday morning, while the rest of the world was battling against itself in stores for sales never before seen to mankind, we were in our car, happily rolling along toward our ultimate destination for the weekend: Cincinnati, Ohio!

On the way, though, we decided to pause for a county tour!

We stopped in Franklin County, which is right on the Ohio line and therefore, right on our way! Franklin County was named for Benjamin Franklin, and we were pleasantly surprised to find more to do there than we even thought we'd find!

Here's our official county tour photo. We actually totally forgot to take it when we were caught up in the adventures, so as we headed out of the county, we pulled over at a ziplining place (that was closed for the season), hopped out, and took our picture!

In my research of the county, I discovered it's home to the little town of Metamora, which is a place I'd heard about but never visited. I feared it would be all closed up for the winter, but I discovered that in December, it sort of morphs into a little Christmas village, so it was bustling on Black Friday!

Here's what I learned about Metamora from its website: "Metamora is a historic town and the home of the Whitewater Canal State Historic Site. The state of Indiana assumed management of a 14-mile section of the canal in 1946 and today operates a horse-drawn canal boat and the grist mill. The grist mill is still in operation, producing meal and flour, much as it has for more than 100 years. Visitors can step back in time while taking a leisurely 25-minute cruise on the Ben Franklin III. Along the route they pass the Duck Creek Aqueduct, a covered bridge that carries the canal 16 feet over Duck Creek. It's the only structure of its kind in the nation."

Obviously when we were there, all boat cruises were done for the season, but we did get to see the boat! :) There are also train tours that come through this area, but they weren't running either.

We started in the one store I wanted to see the most: Grannie's Cookie Jar and Ice Cream! There are over 2600 cookie jars on display in the store, and there are even more in storage. (She's in the Guinness Book of World Records for owning the most cookie jars. She also has salt and pepper shakers, canisters, and more. Fascinating stuff!

I'm not gonna lie: I was pretty terrified to have a purse on my shoulder in that store. It was so fascinating to see all the jars!

I had made a note that if the weather was decent, we could get in a little exercise and walk the outdoor trail. Ummmm….this weekend was bitterly cold, so walking a distance in the open air was a terrible idea. But we did walk toward the trail head so we could see the bridge over the canal that I talked about earlier. It was pretty cool!

Bonus points for finding Ryan!

We shopped around town a bit and had fun with photo opps.

 (This is most of the boat. I couldn't quite fit the whole thing in the frame. It's bedded down for the winter, but some very large inflatable penguins made it extra festive!)

 Impressive amounts of décor on this tree:

This was a tree in one of the shops. It's real. Did you know it's possible to flock real trees? I had no idea!

We had planned to go to a neighboring town to find a coffee shop because I didn't think there was one in Metamora, but another shop owner told us we had to check out this adorable place, and we'd find great coffee. She was absolutely RIGHT!

HOW CUTE IS THIS HOUSE????

Smelly's Gourmet Popcorn!

This place was a GEM! The couple behind the shop sell different kinds of popcorn (which we sampled, and it was delicious!) and they also have a limited menu of foods and a coffee shop, too! We sampled some of their soups and decided they were so good, we'd split a meal. (Neither of us was super hungry, but we figured we would regret passing up this fantastic homemade goodness.)

They had the porch enclosed and heated, and it was so fun to sit out there and enjoy our lunch! (ALMOST like eating lunch on the patios of Florida on our honeymoon, right?)

 We split a cup of loaded potato soup - which was the best potato soup I'd ever had. I have no idea what kind of seasoning they used, but it was perfect. We also split a chicken salad sandwich and some homemade crackers that were fabulous.

Before we left, we each got a latte, and we spent some time talking to the owners. Super nice people!

They also had a kissing booth in their yard, so of course...

Ryan also orchestrated a photo shoot of his own:

Before we left town, we went to see the grist mill, which was not running at the time we visited, but it was open, and the guy working was so kind to give us a great tour. It's mind blowing to know that the piece of equipment they still use to grind meal and flour was constructed in the 1800s. Sure, it's had some new parts along the way, but the overall piece is clearly quality!

And that was our tour of Franklin County! I was so glad we went when we did. I've heard that during some of the warmer months - and especially during their local festival - the place is packed. I was glad that we had plenty of space, and yet the places were open and we were able to go through and enjoy!

Thanks, Franklin County!

Having Fun and Being Thankful!

First up...we don't have a podcast for you today. We were actually gone this weekend to celebrate our anniversary, so we didn't have our podcast equipment with us, and we didn't have time to record anyway!

Secondly, I'm backing up to right before the anniversary today. Trip recap coming your way later this week!

So to start out the blog stories today, I'm rewinding a full week to a really fun adventure we had! I'm not even sure how many years have passed since this little blogland space led me to "meet" a friend named Charity. (Charity, do you remember how many years ago it was?) We discovered we actually don't live all that far apart, but as tends to happen, we still never met in real life.

Charity teaches piano and has an annual recital before Christmas, and this year she was in need of a photographer for the evening. She reached out to me a few weeks ago to see if I was free and if Ryan and I could come over for the evening. We just so happened to be free, so after Ryan got off work, we scurried over with all the cameras and tripods so we could be photographers!

It was the first time we'd ever met Charity (obviously) and yet when we saw her, it was like we'd just seen her the day before! There was no weird awkwardness and wondering what to say. We just hugged and got busy putting the final touches on the recital!

The kids did a great job, and after it was over and everyone could breathe, we took "staff pictures."

 Photographers, teacher, and recital assistant!

That was such a fun night! I was so happy to finally meet her!

I spent the next day getting those pictures edited and back to her since we were leaving for our anniversary trip, and then Thursday was Thanksgiving!

We went to four Thanksgivings, people. You know the movie Four Christmases? Well we did Four Thanksgivings. 

We decided to call it the Turkey Tour Twenty-Nineteen.

One thing you should probably know about me - if you don't know this already - is that I actually don't like traditional Thanksgiving food. I don't like most turkey, because it's so dry. I am really picky about dressing/stuffing. If it rolls too far to the side of wet bread, I can't handle it. I don't really like sweet potatoes. I don't like cranberry salad or sauce or really in any form other than dried and covered in chocolate. And while I love the flavor of pumpkin with all my heart, the texture of pumpkin pie creeps me out. So there you have it! Out on most counts with the Thanksgiving food!

Our first stop was at Ryan's dad and step-mom's house. We didn't actually eat there (since we arrived about 10:30 in the morning), but we hung out for a bit and watched the parade with them. (Fun fact: the parade is actually one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving Day!)

Then we moved to the second stop on the tour: my parents' house! This was where we ate our main meal of the day, and Mom was so kind to make a few things I like to eat!

It was just the four of us this year, and we had a good time together!

Then we moved on to the third stop, which was Ryan's step-dad's extended family. We were too full to eat anything there (and by that, of course, I mean Ryan only had a small snack) and we spent most of the time talking to our brother-in-law. :)

And then we ended the day at Ryan's mom's extended family. There weren't too many people left at that one by the time we arrived, but we had fun talking to the ones who were still there! And I had half a piece of non-pumpkin pie. :)

By the time we left there, I was hungry, so Ryan was so kind:

And with that, Thanksgiving 2019 was a wrap!!

Seven Years

Happy seventh anniversary, Ryan!

I confess I was nervous about this year. I've heard so many people talk about the seven year itch and how that tends to be the year marriages fall apart. We were determined not to fall into that statistic, and I'm so thankful that we were able to hang onto who we are as a couple in this seventh year. But oh my...life was challenging this year. Until this year, I would have told you that year two was hands-down our hardest year. We had so many life-obstacles that year. But I'd say year seven rivaled it, if it didn't exceed it entirely.

Because of that, we celebrate the Lord's work in our lives and in our marriage even more today. We are imperfect people living in an imperfect world, so our marriage isn't perfect either, but we are mighty grateful for the desire, strength, and tenacity God gave us.

Today I want to celebrate Ryan by sharing with you some of my favorite moments of life with him in this past year.

* He never fails to make me laugh. This picture is from last December when our lives were complete chaos, and yet in the middle of all the busyness, he went with me to my parents' house to run a photo booth for a Christmas party, and when I asked for him to pose for me to figure out the lighting...

* He takes such good care of our home! He takes seriously his role of being a steward of what God has entrusted to us, and I appreciate how meticulously he cares for every part of our home. From clearing out the snow to making sure the yard looks nice, to blowing the never ending leaves off the porch, he is an attentive caretaker, and I appreciate that!

* He studies the Word. This picture was taken last February, during one of our shifts of caring for his mom during her illness. He had gotten up early that morning, worked all day, and cared for her all night, and yet whenever she had a stretch of resting, he'd pull up to the table (in the wheelchair, no less) and study his Bible. (One time I found him face down in the binding, totally asleep.) I love his desire to grow closer to the Lord, even when he's worn out!

* And speaking of his mom, it was a joy to my heart to watch him care for her. It was such a long (and yet very short) season of hard work to keep her comfortable as her body fought illness, but he never complained and in fact, he told me this is what he wanted to do. He wanted to be there, and God granted him that desire. He had the strength to care for her throughout her illness, and he was there holding her hand when she passed away.

* Even while he cared for her, he didn't neglect me. He showed up to every speaking engagement and took me on dates, big and small, to make sure I knew I was loved even though life was all kinds of chaotic.

* He shared his 40th birthday with me by taking me to new and exciting places...like Aruba, Curacao, and the Dominican Republic.

* And on his birthday, he sacrificed his fun trip across the ship's rope course so he could help a little kid who got too scared to finish crossing on his own...because that's the kind of huge, tender heart he has.

* When I helped with my first major women's event at church this year, he showed up in dress clothes on a Friday night to help the other men of the church serve food. (And he was a lot happier about it than this picture shows - ha!) Then he helped run the sound system, took pictures of me while I spoke, and prayed over me the entire time.

* He worked harder than anyone will ever know (for weeks) helping his dad work on his house so he could put it up for sale. I worked alongside him, but I mostly painted. Ryan did a little bit of everything and truly deserves a prize for his hard, hard work!

* He did an amazing job serving in our church...from narrating with me in the music programs, to carrying one of the main parts in a skit, to serving communion with me, to helping in the ministry at the county fair, he prayed over his work and gave it everything he had - and did a GREAT job!

* He made every county tour SO MUCH FUN! (Even when I couldn't keep up with him on a 20 mile bike ride!)

* He made every date fun, too - whether we were out on our own or with friends, he made every moment an adventure worth remembering!

* He celebrates all the "versaries" with me without questioning my desire to do so. From anniversaries to monthiversaries to engagementversaries, he is always excited to celebrate another milestone!

* And most of all, he just always makes me feel loved. Even though I adore all our adventures, and I hope we never quit making those a priority, my favorite place is home on the couch beside him.

And this is how we did more than just "make it through" year seven. This is how we did our very best to thrive in the middle of a hard year. Thank you, Ryan, for putting so much effort into every part of life. Thank you for giving without reserve. Thank you for loving with your whole heart. Thank you for making it such a joy to be married! I love you!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

The Shafferland Shuffle

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!!!! Hope you all have a fantastic beginning to the Advent season! We've had a good little week...wanna see some of the highlights?

* Last Sunday afternoon, Ryan's sister threw a surprise birthday party for her husband - because he's joining us in the 40 club soon! We went to the party and hung out with the family for a while. We stopped by the funeral home for a viewing after that and then went on to choir practice at church so we could practice some of our narrations with the full choir. The program is this weekend, so we don't have much time left to nail down our timing!

* We worked out together Monday afternoon and felt that goofy duck-face photos post-workout would be a good idea. (??) After dinner, while we ate dessert, Braeya sat between us and just looked back and forth from one of us to the other, waiting to see who might want to share. (No one wanted to share.) I spent the evening working on random projects - with coffee, by the tree. Perfection.

* Ryan's work had their Thanksgiving carry-in on Tuesday, so I went to see him during that! That night we had a fun new adventure: taking pictures at a piano recital! I will tell you more about that in a couple of days, but it involved meeting one of my blogging friends in person for the first time, and that was so much fun!

* I spent Wednesday morning editing said photos (while Braeya "helped") and then I worked on some Christmas card assembly a bit later in the day. I found Braeya under the tree that evening, so I guess she's our gift this year. :)

* Thursday was, of course, Thanksgiving, and we went to FOUR separate gatherings. (More on this a bit later.) Random fun fact though - I don't like traditional Thanksgiving food. So even though we had been around food ALL DAY, I asked Ryan if he could maybe run me through the McDonald's drive thru that night so I could get a little something for me. He is so kind!

* Ryan took the day off Friday so we could spend the day together, and we knocked another county off our tour list! This time we visited Franklin County, which is the home of Metamora, Indiana. We hadn't been there before, and I was half scared we would arrive to find it all closed up for the holiday weekend - but on the contrary!! It was quite fun! We visited tons of little shops, found some quality coffee, and had a great day!

* We had another adventure yesterday - visiting the Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Ever since we went to the air show this fall, we've had a fascination with seeing planes up close. (And let's face it; I like planes oh so much better ON THE GROUND) so we checked it out! Turns out there was a Duck Donuts nearby, so it was a great cap on the week!