Rootin' Tootin' Date Night!

Last week we had our second at-home date of 2020. (If you missed it when I mentioned this before, I have a goal of incorporating several at-home dates into our year. I am confident we can have all kinds of unique fun without ever leaving home!)

We enjoyed the first date back on our monthiversary - and it was an indoor picnic. This time the theme was all about root beer! Taste testing and root beer floats!

We had our date Friday night, and it was so perfect, because we were scheduled to get some nasty weather that evening, and we didn't really want to risk being out and about if it actually arrived. We scurried home from work, put on our comfy clothes, and ate dinner at home. I had put a pork tenderloin in the slow cooker that morning before I left for work, so we had a version of this Honey Apple Pork Tenderloin...and broccoli on the side. (That would be the healthy part of the date.)

Next up? The root beer taste test.

I confess that this date was a bit harder to execute than I hoped. I wanted to get a bunch of different root beer bottles, but I only found one store in Kokomo that sells them individually, and they're closed until the end of the month. I found a variety pack on Amazon...for thirty dollars. Ummmm no. I tried to order some online from Antiqology in Huntington, but I had to have a minimum order that was more than I wanted to pay. Sigh.

So...we improvised. We had a can of A and W in our refrigerator (someone had gifted it to us and we hadn't consumed it yet), so we threw that in the mix. We purchased a four-pack and a six-pack of two craft versions we found at Meijer, and then as a joke, we bought a bottle of Meijer root beer.

The post I found that gave me the idea for this date suggested doing a blind taste test, with each sample of root beer poured out into an unlabeled mason jar and consumed. Since we didn't have anyone here to pour for us, we knew what we were drinking each time we sampled. But it was still fun!

We had a taste-test survey (from the post mentioned above) and we labeled our purchases 1, 2, 3, and 4. We poured a little of each one into a jar and sampled away!

We tried the A and W first, and what I learned from this experience is that I'm a classic root beer lover. That one ended up being my favorite! On our survey, Ryan gave this one a 3 for flavor and a 3 for fizz. I gave it a 5 for flavor and a 3 for fizz. (It was my highest scoring root beer of the night and Ryan's 3rd highest scoring.)

Just for fun, I looked up the history on A and W, and while their website seemed rather unhelpful, I found some factoids on Wikipedia. It said the drink was founded in 1919 by Roy W. Allen who ended up partnering with Frank Wright in 1922. They combined their initials to create the brand and that inspired a restaurant chain by the same name. Hopefully this wasn't an original can - 101 years old!

We moved on to our first craft root beer of the night: Virgil's Root Beer. Ryan gave this one a 5 for flavor and a 2 for fizz, for a total of 7 points and second place in his overall list. I gave it a 4 for flavor and a 2 for fizz, for 6 total points and third place in my overall list. I will say that both of us thought it tasted more like root beer mixed with Coke. The flavor was good, but it didn't have an overwhelming root beer flavor to us. In fact, I told him if you had handed it to me blindly and hadn't told me it WAS root beer, I don't know that I would have guessed it.

I had never heard of this brand before, so I looked it up. According to their website, "Virgil's is all-natural. We don't use any preservatives, any artificial colors, or any GMO-sourced ingredients. Great taste without the chemicals." It also said this root beer had fifteen different all-natural roots and spices.

I did like it, for sure, but because it didn't knock me over as a root beer, it didn't win my highest vote.

We went on to our third sample, which was another craft root beer: Henry Weinhard's root beer. Ryan really liked the flavor, giving it the maximum 5 points, and it had a TON of fizz, so he gave it 5 for that as well. It came in at 10 points and his best score. I did not like the flavor of it at all. I gave it a 2 for flavor (generous, actually) and a 5 for fizz, because the fizz was off the charts amazing. It came in at 7 points total for me, which was way higher than how I felt about it.

Neither Ryan nor I drink any alcohol, so I don't know what beer tastes like, but I do know what it smells like, and this tasted way too much like the beer smell for me. I was completely turned off by it.

I tried to look up some info on their website, but you have to submit your birthdate on the site - it said to cater to their beer-drinking customers. I found that completely unnecessary and refused to submit my birthdate, so if you want to know more about them, you can send them your birthdate and learn!

Our final root beer of the night was kind of a joke that ended up not being funny. When we were shopping for our samples, Ryan showed up at the cart with a bottle of Meijer brand root beer. We laughed, and then decided it might be fun to actually try it. Wouldn't it be funny if it ended up winning the whole night? The off-brand root beer?

The joke was on us!

It was AWFUL! Completely flat - no fizz at all! And the flavor was terrible. We both gave it a 1 for flavor and fizz, giving it an extremely generous overall score of two...and last place on both our lists. Perhaps we just got a bad bottle, but if not, it wasn't a great experience!

We really did have fun sampling and talking over our likes and dislikes with each one.

And to end the night? We poured our personal winners over ice cream and enjoyed root beer floats for dessert!

It was such a fun date! It would have been fun to have a few more options - but I thought we did pretty well with what we had access to in our town - and without breaking the bank!

(This would also be a fun whole-family date if you have kids, or it could be a fun group game.)

Oh! And if you are in need of a root beer fix, just come on over! We have plenty of extra!

The Shafferland Shuffle

Good morning, friends! After weeks and weeks of blissfully mild winter temps, we have found ourselves in the middle of a chilly bitterly cold front, so it's all about blankets, sweatshirts, and cuddling right now!!! Hope you're staying warm and safe wherever you are!

Here's a look at the last week in Shafferland!

* Last Sunday was ridiculously eventful. Ryan and I headed off to church and our houseguests packed up to leave. Meanwhile, in a strange, strange turn of events, we had four people at our church have four unrelated medical events pretty much simultaneously. We had two ambulances and a fire truck parked out front! Goodness! Once we were home from that, we spent the rest of the day resting, watching TV, scrapbooking (okay that was just me) and enjoying one another's company. And Ryan felt the day called for a razzleberry pie. I didn't argue.

* One of our staff pastors had to run some errands on Monday, and when he came back to the church, he brought Starbucks for us! Every Monday is better with extra coffee! We were able to be home Monday evening, and I made a meat loaf and veggie sheet pan! I also hunkered down to prep for our small group fellowship night, which was just 24 hours away.

* I attended my first staff meeting on Tuesday. Coffee, almonds, water, note paper, and a laptop. I still don't travel light, do I? Our small group got together for the first time since early December, and we had the best night of fellowship and prayer! It's so great to see all the shoes piled by the door again.. The sign of a full and happy small group!

* Right before lunch on Wednesday, I looked up to see Ryan standing in the door of my office. WHAT?!?!?!?! He came to surprise me for a lunch date, and he brought me a latte, too! I love him so much. I ran my next 5K after work (it was uuuuuuuuuggggggggggggggggly but I did it!) and then I did all our menu planning and grocery list making.

* Ryan documented my last exhausting hair drying/straightening extravaganza on Thursday morning. It was taking me about 30-45 minutes to dry and straighten my hair by that point, and haircut day could not come soon enough! I had a big bulletin assembly party that day at work, and that night, we went on a grocery shopping date! (It was also a boot-buying date, because I had my two favorite pair of boots fall apart back to back already this year.)

* We didn't really have any sunshine all week, but we sure did have some pretty colors Friday morning before it all went gray again! Ryan and I had an at-home date Friday night, which I'll tell you more about next week. It was a root beer taste testing party - and root beer float night!

* Yesterday? HAIRCUT DAY!!!!!! Oh I was so excited! I spent over three full hours in the chair and came away with much shorter hair and no gray!! YES!! I spent the afternoon making dinner for my friend whose job I'm covering while she's on maternity leave, and then Ryan and I took dinner to her (and her husband, of course). I GOT TO HOLD THE BABY!!! She liked me and I was in snuggly baby heaven!

The Saturday Six

One.

Earlier this week I gave you some Valentine's Day ideas, in case you want to get a head start on the holiday prep. Here's a post from KariAnn Wood with five simple Valentine's Day craft ideas. She always has cute projects, and you still have time to make them!

Two.

I'm not a gardener - and I don't envision becoming one in the near future, but I did find this post fascinating. All kinds of information and resources about starting plants from seeds. Any of you out there garden this way? I think it's fascinating, even if it's not something I have time to tend to right now!

Three.

The ultimate USA Bucket List, comprised of 101 locations to visit. How many have you been to? I counted eleven for myself. (That's actually more than I thought it would be!)

Four.

How cute are these football stadium cookies? If I had just a smidgen more ability in the creativity department, I'd absolutely be making these!!

Five.

I find snow absolutely gorgeous - as long as I don't have to drive in it, of course! These photos of snowflakes up close are stunning!

Six.

This is so cute! Valentine's Day Love Lunch ideas and printables - for a sweetheart AND for kids. Really cute stuff if you want to pack a special (and simple!) lunch this year on Valentine's Day!

Learning to Abide

Thank you so much for traveling along with my crazy stories yesterday - and for assuring me I'm not alone in my embarrassing moments! I feel better with company in my boat. :)

I'm doing a complete about-face today and sharing from the heart. I mean...I have to try to find some dignity, right?

Before I launch into what I want to say today, I have to back up and remind you of something I said a year ago!

At the beginning of 2019, I took a word-of-the-year quiz, even though I am not hugely fixated on that annual practice. I know some people really like to grab onto a specific word every year - and that's perfectly fine! No judgment from me if that's what you enjoy. It's just not a thing I need to have in my life. I took that quiz last year more out of curiosity than anything else. The word I ended up with was courage, and I wrote this post about how I had a feeling (for me...in 2019) I needed to have the courage to wait. Not so much courage to do big, huge, amazing, loud things, but courage to be still.

At the end of 2019, I wrote this post, where I reflected on how finding the courage to wait really had been a significant part of my year - and often in ways I couldn't have expected.

Again, out of curiosity, I took the word quiz again this year. My word for 2020? Abide. I didn't do any major research after the quiz. I didn't dig for a verse to match it. I didn't really do anything besides raise my eyebrows and say, "huh...interesting!"

And then I started seeing the word everywhere.

At first I just smiled when I saw the word and moved on to the next thing. But a couple of days ago, my friend Brenda Yoder said this on Instagram, and it made me pause:

Abide means to wait expectantly. This is a face of resting and abiding. Of waiting expectantly in quiet trust. I don't know quite what I'm waiting for, except I know on whom I wait. 

Hmmm...sound familiar? Last year I was drawn to wait with courage, and this year I'm drawn to wait expectantly while I rest and abide?

Maybe the real word for me is WAIT.

For me, at least in this season, abiding means not worrying. Not trying to rush what I can't change anyway. Not trying to figure out what can't be figured out. Not trying to manipulate what isn't mine to control.

It's about being content to just be. That isn't code for lazy. I'm studying and taking steps forward as I feel led to do so, but in the grand scheme, it's simply about being.

And it's about being content to simply be.

Sometimes that feels like an incredible gift. The pressure has been removed. I can freely abide and wait for God to show me what's next. Other times it's utterly maddening, because I want to see measurable progress. 

Regardless of which way the day swings, please don't think I have this entirely figured out. I'm not perfect at it. (Some days I'm not even mediocre at it.)

I'm learning to go a day at a time.

We still have about 50 weeks left in this year. 50 weeks for me to quietly experience what this means in my life. I may never dig in hard and pursue the word as some might, but I'm interested to see what I learn along the way.

This Would Only Happen to Bekah

I feel like in our post-podcasting life, you're starting to miss out on the classic tales of Shafferland (which, if we're honest, are usually classic Bekah-tales) so I'm going to do my best to begin keeping you up to date on those!

I have a couple for you today...and please do enjoy.

***

As you know, I've recently started this new (temporary) job, and of course I have so much to learn. Every day is a new adventure in the learning department. I had a feeling I'd end up looking stupid in front of others more than I like, but one day really outdid itself.

Until this one particular day, the mail carrier always brought the mail to me in the office when he or she arrived at the church. One day, though, she put the stack of mail in the box rather than coming inside. The box is secured with a lock, so I found the key and went to retrieve the mail.

Couldn't get the key to turn in the lock.

I pushed in harder, pulled it out a bit, turned it over, and tried every trick I knew, but it didn't work. I returned to my desk, waited a few minutes, and tried again. Still no luck.

One of the other office ladies strolled through, so I admitted my dilemma to her, and she tried. No luck for her either, and I will confess that made me feel much better.

Swallowing what little pride I had within me that day, I sent a text to the maintenance guy (who happens to be Ryan's cousin and is familiar with my brand of crazy) to tell him the mail was stuck in the box. When he arrived to rescue it, someone had stopped in the office with a question, so I couldn't go with him to the box. I did watch him out of the corner of my eye though, and I promise that box just fell wide open in his presence. He smiled, winked, deposited the mail on my desk, and disappeared.

The next day, the same thing happened all over again. The carrier left the mail in the box, I couldn't get it to work, and the maintenance guy on duty stopped by the office on an unrelated matter. Even though this guy is NOT family and probably thinks I am just a disaster, I admitted I couldn't get into the box. He followed me to watch and see what I was doing wrong. I put in the key, turned...and nothing.

Right about then, I heard Ryan's cousin say, "Try turning the key over." I spun around so fast I almost lost my balance and said, "Where did YOU come from?" So there I stood, with two VERY amused guys biting their lips to hold back laughter. I turned the key over, and that box fell right open. They started laughing right out loud, and I wanted to crawl into the box and shut the door behind me.

I really really really did turn the key over the first time. I promise.

***

A few days after the key incident, I took soup to work to eat for lunch. I put it in a nice travel soup mug we have, but I learned upon arriving at the office that the lid doesn't have the best seal. It hadn't spilled everywhere, but it had leaked onto everything else in the lunch box.

So the next day, when I packed soup again, I chose a different dish, and I made sure this one had a tight seal on the lid. I arrived at work with all soup INSIDE the bowl and felt I had conquered the situation. (Ahhhhh, pride...)

When lunchtime arrived, I put the dish in the microwave, and carefully placed the lid so that it would catch any splatters but also offset it from the dish enough that it wouldn't seal up while I was heating. (I've had that happen before.)

Well don't you just know, that lid somehow scooted over in the microwave and sealed tightly to the dish!

I tried to peel it off, but the dish was hot, so I couldn't get a firm grip on it, and the lid wouldn't budge. I tried to pry it open with a fork, but it still wouldn't budge. (I was also wearing almost all white, so I didn't want to push my luck.)

After about five minutes of wrestling, prying, and pushing, I gave up, put the dish in the fridge, and went to McDonald's. (A real shame, let me tell you. Just kidding.)

When I unpacked my lunch bag that evening, Ryan tried to get into the dish, and I would like the record to show it took him quite a while to break into it too. (And the dish was cold for him!)

Lesson learned: no more soup in that dish.

And now you know how I came to be shut out of my own lunch bowl.

And for now, this concludes embarrassing moments with Bekah. Thanks for reading!

Scripture Memory Secrets

I've told you before...memorization is not my forte. In fact, when our music pastor at church first asked me if I'd want to be a narrator for a program, my immediate answer was: Sure! If I can read it. If I have to memorize, I'm out.

I've never been great at memorization, and if you add to that the utter stage fright I get when I stand in front of a group and have to recall information...well...it's not good.

But this year I made a goal to try to be intentional about memorizing Scripture, because I know it's important. I told you I found this list of verses to memorize, and I've been working at it already in this early part of 2020.

Even though we're only half a month into the year, I do have three observations to share with you regarding this adventure.

1. If you are part of kids' lives, start teaching them verses right now.

I wasn't always terrible about memorization, of course. I could accumulate information with the best of them as a little girl. And I'm learning as I go through these verses that the ones I did learn as a little girl are firmly fixed in my brain. I can spout them off rapidly, and I am grateful for parents, Sunday School teachers, and youth pastors who encouraged Scripture memorization.

If you are a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, Sunday School teacher, mentor (you get the idea, right?) - please, OH PLEASE start teaching the little ones in your life right now. Those words will settle in and stay there, long into adulthood. I only wish I would have learned more then so I would know more now.

2. It doesn't have to be perfect.

Thank you, Judy, for sending me that little story last week! I'm going to share it here!

My friend Judy emails me now and then with thoughts brought on by blog posts, and I always love hearing from her. After she read about my goal back on New Year's Day, she sent me some encouragement, including this little story that was in a newsletter at her church:

Long ago, a farmer working in his field observed a young fellow carrying a bucket and walking down a long road tot he local stream, the nearest source of fresh water. He filled his large bucket and then walked the long road back home. But there was something puzzling. The young fellow's bucket had several small holes. As the man watched, he could see that water was pouring out of the holes. The man had to wonder whether there really was any water left in the bucket by the time the young fellow reached his destination. Day after day, the man watched the youngster carrying out this same routine. Finally, he could not hold his curiosity any longer. When the young man passed his way on his return trip, the farmer asked him why on earth he kept walking to the stream and filling his bucket with water, only to lose most of it on the way back home. Cheerily, the young man replied, "Well, I won't argue with you on that, Sir. But at least my bucket is staying clean!"

This story is a wonderful illustration of the value of Scripture memorization. Whether or not we are able to remember and recite the Scriptures we've pondered over and committed into our hearts weeks, months, or years later, they are deepening our walk with the Lord and doing a life-changing spiriutal work in our hearts.

As a not-so-recovering perfectionist, I admit that sometimes I get frustrated with memory work - to the point of wanting to quit - when I can't recall things exactly. I really appreciated this reminder that even if I don't have it down word-for-word, the work I am putting into this does matter. It is doing a work. No quitting!

3. Look for songs to help you.

This past week, one of the verses on the list was very familiar to me because I remember most of it from a song that appeared in an Easter cantata I sang in back in junior high. It's not the first time I've realized a song I know is pulled from the words of Scripture, and I've learned that I can memorize much better when it's set to music.

If you're having a rough time getting a song in your mind, check to see if it's been put to music anywhere. Maybe you can learn the song!

***

Those are my observations so far. Is it going perfectly for me? Nope. But is it going? Yep. And I don't intend to quit.

Valentine's Day Ideas - A Month in Advance

You know me! I'm a planner!! Now that I'm working full time again, I'm finding it's even more important for me to plan ahead as much as I can. The days feel a little more manageable when I have my ducks in a row. Granted, sometimes it's a crooked, quacking row, but it's a row!

Having said that, Valentine's Day is a month from today. I know some of you aren't huge fans of the day, and I absolutely had many, many years of being in that boat, so I understand! But if you want to throw a little Valentine's Day décor in your living space, find a unique gift for your love, or plan a little treat party for your friends, family, or even co-workers, here are a few ideas for you. (And you have more than twenty-four hours to put the plan in place!)

Décor:

I know some people like the idea of Valentine's Day décor so they can have something new to look at, but they don't like everything to be all cutesy with hearts everywhere. I tried to find a few ideas that are a little bit different.

I found this wreath on Etsy and love it. The colors are absolutely Valentine's-inspired, but the look is classic. (Plus, I love hydrangeas, so this one won me over with no problem.

If you have some simple red and white pillows (either as part of your regular décor or leftover from Christmas), you can add one love-themed pillow and have a whole new look!

If you want to spruce up your kitchen or dining area, how about a simple table runner that pulls in the Valentine's Day scheme?

Gifts for Your Love:

If you've run out of gift ideas for your significant other, here are a few ones you may not have tried yet!

Maybe it's the radio girl/podcaster in me, but I love soundwave gifts. Have you seen them? You can submit anything from a heartbeat recording to words to songs and get the soundwave printed out to hang in your home.

Being the lover of words that I am, I also adore gifts that involve great sayings or quotes. If you have a special phrase that you never can find on anything...have one made! Here's an Etsy shop that does custom quotes - and if you're not a burlap person, you can pick a different kind of background. (Choice of fonts, too!)

Though they weren't Valentine gifts, Ryan and I really love our watercolor paintings of our homes. They make a really thoughtful gift - so if you're stumped, maybe paying tribute to the home you've made together would be a good idea! This isn't the shop that made ours, but here is an idea for you!

Snacks and Treats:

Valentine's Day isn't all about the food, but it is a day to do a little something special if you can. If you are tired of the same old ideas, maybe these will give you fresh fodder!

If you're trying hard to be good and it's disheartening to come upon the season of chocolate and sugary everything, here's a list of healthy treats you could explore! (Disclaimer: I haven't looked through every single one...yet. But I might be consulting the list for our celebration!)

Fondue is a fun treat for Valentine's Day! (In my single years, I had a Valentine's Day fondue dinner with one of my fellow single friends!) Whether it's a friend party, date, or family party, here are some fondue recipe ideas for you!

Dessert boards (or cheese boards if you prefer) make a great variety-laden snack (or meal!) idea. Here's a dessert board for Valentine's Day, but you wouldn't have to even include this many things if you didn't want to.

Certainly this isn't an exhaustive list of how to celebrate the day; that's what Pinterest is for! But maybe this will get your creative juices flowing.

However you choose to celebrate Valentine's Day, I hope you know you are very loved!

No Vacancy

The first full week of 2020 has come and gone and so have our first visitors for the year.

If you've been reading here very long, you know Ryan and I have a handful of not-so-secret dream careers, and one of them involves hospitality life. So whenever we get the chance to practice hospitality, we soak it in! And this week gave us that chance.

We have some friends who live out of state and have stopped to stay with us en route to their destination before. They checked with us a few days ago to see if our guest room would be open for another visit, and we were delighted to say yes!

I scurried around to prep their space and make it as comfortable and welcoming as possible. Walked in a bit later to find Braeya curled up on the bed, so I must have succeeded. I grounded her from the room so it wouldn't be utterly undone by the time our guests arrived. (She likes to unmake beds by rooting under the covers until she's comfortable.)

They arrived Thursday evening, not long after we got home from work. I had planned ahead for an enchilada dinner and had assembled them just before our guests pulled in the driveway. We had time for them to unload their luggage and settle in before dinner finished baking. We all gathered around our little table for enchiladas, salad, chips and salsa, and some cranberry bliss bars for dessert. (Ryan put on his barista hat and made a latte for them, too!)

My first full week of work (following an insanely busy and not-so-rest-filled weekend) had almost defeated me by the end of the week, so I won't even pretend I was the best hostess that night. I will fully admit to falling asleep on the couch while we all watched episodes of the Jeopardy! tournament featuring all the super-smarties. But that's one of many things I love about these friends: we are just ourselves around each other. If we conk out on the couch, it's okay.

Some of you already saw this story on Facebook, but for those of you who missed it, I'll fill you in. Before Ryan and I went to bed that night, I told our friends if they needed anything at all, they could just knock on our bedroom door. At 5:00 in the morning, I heard a knock. Knowing they would only knock at that hour if it involved an emergency, I flew out of bed and ran to the door, heart pounding. I opened it and there sat Braeya, at my feet. She turned around and trotted to her food bowl, looking back at me with her Wanna watch me eat? face. I'm sure you can imagine my amusement.

Our friends got up at a respectable human hour and left for their destination the next morning, after filling up on the coffee and blueberry scones we left behind for them.

They returned for their second stay on Saturday evening, and though we so rarely do this when we have guests, we went out for a double-date dinner that night. We took them to Prodigy, the newer place in town with all the great burgers. It was cold, rainy, and gross when we went out, but the company was wonderful, as was the food!

We came back home and took our respective seats on the couch again to finish out the Jeopardy! tournament. I knew about two questions in the whole three-night event and felt I deserved a medal. I never know anything on that show! Jenna used the evening to cut out laminated pieces for homeschool lessons, so I was in my happy place just watching! She's such a good mom. (And teacher! I asked if I could enroll in her classes.)

We said goodbye to them Sunday morning, filling them up with more coffee and some Danish warm from the oven.

It was a great start to hospitality in 2020. We'll see what God has ahead for us the rest of the year with welcoming people into our home, but we sure are glad we could begin with them!

The Shafferland Shuffle

Morning, friends! If you're caught up in the rain and/or snow and/or ice pelting the Midwest, please have a safe day! My goodness. What a lot of precipitation in all its forms! Meanwhile, we made it through the first full week of 2020, and this also marked my first full week of full time work in over four years. It was an adjustment, but I did it! Here's a peek at the happenings of the week:

* You already saw waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more about our last Sunday than you probably ever wanted to know, since I covered it as my first "Day in the Life" post of 2020. Church, rest, football, reading: it was a pretty typical day in Shafferland.

* Monday morning began my first day of my first full week at work, and Ryan sent me with fresh flowers for my desk. They still look as vibrant as they did that day, too. They've brightened my entire week! We have a lot of sickness running around our community right now, so I made sure I wasn't too far from the hand sanitizer all day. In truth, I typically use my Thieves sanitizer instead, but if it wasn't close enough in the moment, I wasn't opposed to the commercial stuff! After work, I spent the evening doing chores - with my helper!

* Ryan has been working through his own goals for the new year, and I found him working on his quiet time Tuesday morning. Made my heart so happy! Ryan's grandpa spent a couple of days in the hospital this week, so that night we went to see him for just a bit - and then we headed out to my parents' house, where Ryan installed a new antenna for their TV. More channels for the win!

* Ryan had a dentist appointment Wednesday and he got a great report! I had a "this would only happen to Bekah" story of not being able to open my lunch, so I had to go to McDonald's for an emergency meal. I felt while I was there that it was only appropriate to get a sundae. I love their little caramel sundaes and can't even remember the last time I had one! And never fear: I ran it off that night. 5K #2 for the year in the books!

* Before work on Thursday morning, Ryan and I went to the coffee truck for a little coffee date! The truck parks at different businesses, and it spent the week on our side of town. Yummy coffee! Ryan has started teaching a class at his gym, and Thursday was his first time! Back to school for Ryan! :) I'm so proud of him! And also on Thursday...our friends Frog and Jenna came to stay with us. Our first visitors of 2020, and we loved having them!

* Ryan came to the church to have lunch with me on Friday, and it made my WHOLE DAY! I was at the door, face plastered up against the window, waiting on him when he arrived! AND he surprised me with a cupcake from our favorite cake place. YAY!! That night we went to visit his grandpa for a bit (he's home now) and then we hit the couch to watch TV and rest. We were both wiped out from the week!

* Yesterday was a rainy, rainy day, and our little mini river reappeared in our backyard. I've seen it higher than this, so I knew it wasn't horrible, but we also haven't seen this at all for a while, so that was new! Our friends came back to stay with us a second night (we were the halfway point for them on their travels to and from a conference) and we went out for dinner at Prodigy!