Day Off Together

I'm only a week behind with this post! Better late than never, right?

Last Friday was one of our weekend days, and we got to spend the whole day together - having fun! But ohhhhhhhhhhhh how early it started.

So here's the back story on our early morning.

Here in our area, the church across the street from WillowBridge was a polling location - but only ON Election Day. It wasn't an early voting location. We loved the idea of just walking across the street to vote, but we feared the lines would be crazy all day, and we were on duty alone this past Tuesday. Historically, when we've tried to do something important on a day we're on duty alone, something always comes up with the tenants, and we have to bail. We couldn't handle the idea of waiting in line for a couple of hours, getting to the front, and getting called away - and starting all over. 

So we decided to vote early, but that meant traveling into Fort Wayne. We had stopped by the location after dropping a tenant off at work one morning, but the line was so so so so long, so we decided to wait for a day off, when we could wait whatever length of time was required.

That's how it came to be that our alarm went off at SIX IN THE MORNING on our day off. I had taken my shower and done my hair the night before so all I had to do was roll out and go. And that's exactly what I did. I quickly regretted not taking my blanket and/or comfy with me, because it was in the mid-thirties out that morning, and there was a decent wind, too.

We were about 25 people back in line when we arrived a little after 7:00, so that was encouraging! I mostly jumped for the 50 or so minutes we had to wait - in an attempt to stay warm. When the polls opened, we guessed there were about 200 people behind us. The line had gone the long way around, but here was the end of it:

I didn't get any pictures inside because I wasn't sure if it was allowed, and I wasn't eager to get in trouble.

Once we got inside, we were in and out in no time!

Next up? Grocery shopping. Unfortunately our first store didn't open until 9, and it was just after 8 when we left the polling place, so we went to breakfast! We wanted to go to Subway, but we couldn't find any in that area that opened before 10, so we tried a new-to-us local place called Cosmos. 

They got us in super quickly, visited our table often for refills, and our food came to us SO FAST! (And mine was enough for two days' breakfast!) We will be back! (Also - overlook my early morning look.)

THEN we went grocery shopping.

THEN we went home and actually got ready for the day. 

THEN we had company! It was so much fun. We haven't had too much company since we moved - which isn't a complaint, but anytime we do have company, we just appreciate it all the more!

Our friends John, Sandee, and Kari came to visit! We showed them around WillowBridge and drove them around Grabill, and then we all wandered through the shops, because I knew they'd love them. Ryan and John got sidetracked by the trains:

We also took them to the coffee shop, and I thought you'd get the biggest kick out of Ryan's comment. Our friends were asking our recommendations, and Ryan said, "Oh you should get the carrot cake. It is SO GOOD." 

I just stared at him and said, "But you've never had it!" 

He said, "I haven't?"

I said, "No! You have just been told by a bunch of people that it's really good."

So he got it. And now he can officially declare that it's as good as he thought it was that one time when he ate the invisible piece! 

He said I should get a treat too - so I got one of my favorites: a frozen hot chocolate. They are so good.

Selfie in the courtyard!!

And one with Kari before they left...

So that was our fun day! We loved it - and we had extra hours to love, since we got up so early!!

Christmas Shopping Towns

Last weekend on the Saturday Six, I shared a link to this article about great Midwestern towns to shop in at Christmas. I had way more to say about it (of course) than I had room for in that post, so guess who came back to rehash Christmas shopping towns?!??!!? ME! Some of you commented that you'd been to some of these, so maybe you'll have a few things to add!

1. Frankenmuth, Michigan

I have been to Frankenmuth just once, and it was in 2006!!! What in the world!! That was so long ago! Mark and Lynnette were going and invited me to go along, so I did, and the photo above is the only proof I have - eek! I absolutely loved it, and I have wanted to go back with Ryan ever since we got married. (We may actually make a day of it and go this month if time permits. We only live about three hours south of Frankenmuth.) 

Frankenmuth has Bronner's Christmas Wonderland, which is like the world's biggest Christmas store. Ornaments for days. Trees. Nativity sets. It's my happy place come to LIFE! I hope we do get to go, because I so have to introduce Ryan to this place!!

2. Chicago, Illinois

Back in my single days, I was a member of a small credit union, and they had trips for members. Some were long, expensive, multi-day trips, but some were simple day trips. They had one to Chicago every December, so people could go shopping in the big city. I always wanted to go, but I never had a buddy to go with me (none of my close friends were members of the same credit union, and you had to be a member to go) so it never happened.

Imagine my JOY, then, when Ryan and I headed to Chicago for our second anniversary! I'm not a city girl for daily life, but I do enjoy a visit, and OH how beautiful Chicago was at Christmas!! We went to Lincoln Park Zoo to see the lights...we spent a day and night walking around downtown, taking in all the beauty...and it made my Christmas-in-Chicago dreams come true!! It really is a beautiful place to go if you haven't been there around Christmas! 

3. Branson, Missouri

We have never been to Branson AT ALL. Not in any season! I bet it really is so pretty at the holidays, though. Any of you been to Branson at Christmas?

4. Petoskey, Michigan

We haven't been here either, but it looks like a Hallmark movie!! I have heard good things about this spot in Michigan, so maybe we will have to put this one on our short list! 

5. Bloomington, Minnesota (Mall of America)

Mom and Dad took me to the Mall of America when I was in high school, but that was on a summer vacation, so I've never seen it at Christmas. I bet it's amazing! 

6. Kansas City (Missouri AND Kansas)

I have never been there at Christmas, but Ryan and I did explore Kansas City on our Midwest Meandering trip a couple of years ago, and we really enjoyed it. I bet the downtown area of the Missouri side - right by the canal - is amazing at the holidays! If you go (regardless of the time of year) be sure to stop at Jack Stack BBQ. Worth the carbs FOR SURE. And then scoot over the border into Kansas and stop at Duck Donuts.

7. Galena, Illinois

This is 100% on my wish list. Back in the day when we explored working at bed and breakfasts, I learned a lot about Galena, because it's such a touristy place and they have several bed and breakfasts there. It looks like a darling, darling place, and I absolutely want to see it at Christmas!

8. Omaha, Nebraska

You mean this is a real place? It's not just something football players yell at each other? (Kidding!) I have never been to Omaha! I'm trying to remember if I've even ever been to Nebraska! Anyone been to Omaha at Christmas?

9. Lebanon, Ohio

We went here last year! We went to Cincinnati for our 7th anniversary and ended up visiting Lebanon on the advice of my friend Odie. She said we had to check out the Village Ice Cream Parlor, and we sure did! The weather wasn't ideal for walking around outside and taking in the small town feel, but the food was AMAZING. 

10. Nashville, Indiana

Fun fact: this was our goal for our anniversary this year, and we ended up changing our destination. (That's a whole story for later.) I love Nashville, down in Brown County. (It's one of those places I wouldn't hate living, actually.) I have been there so many times from my childhood on up, but I have never been there at Christmas. How is this possible? It's so darling at all times, that I can't imagine it wouldn't be perfect for the holidays, so maybe next year we'll go! Additional fun fact: this is where we went the day after we got engaged, and we ended up buying our mistletoe here! The photo above is from when I went for a girls' weekend with my friend Julie Crandall!

So have any of you been to any of these places at all? At Christmas? Dream of going any of these places? Have any additional suggestions?

Top Ten Investments of 2020

This is one of my favorite posts each year! I started doing it a few years ago to share some of our favorite investments from that year. If you're looking for Christmas gift ideas or you just want to watch for some deals for yourself during the holidays, you can find a few of our recommendations. For the record, none of these things are sponsored or ads in any way. These are things we chose and got on our own, and we're sharing some of our favorites with you! At the bottom, you'll find links to the previous years' posts - just in case you want more ideas! 

1. Curved shower rods.

Early in the year, Ryan decided he wanted to invest in some curved shower rods for our bathrooms at our Kokomo house. The rods we had were ones left by the previous owners, but we had stayed at hotels and Airbnbs that had the curved rods and decided we wanted some for our house. Though they're not necessarily easily visible as a bathroom upgrade, we found them to be well worth the money from a comfort standpoint. It was crazy to us how just the little extra room they provided inside the shower made us feel like we'd gotten an entirely new shower! (And a rod is a lot cheaper than a new shower.) They were actually one of the things we were sad to leave when we moved, but God tucked in a sweet blessing for us: our new apartment has them too! To be honest with you, I'm not sure which exact one we purchased, but here is a link to one that is at least similar to what we had. You can hunt around for a style and finish that matches your home. (They make them in a tension rod, too, if you live where you can't put holes in the walls.)

2. Inflatable kayak & fishing life jackets.

When we moved to Grabill, we landed close to a river. Fort Wayne actually has three rivers running through it, so we now live much closer to all kinds of water than we did in Kokomo. We had been kayaking a few times in our marriage (on vacations) and decided we'd love to own a tandem kayak to use on our days off. Unfortunately, purchasing a standard kayak was out of our price range, and we also didn't have a practical place to store it at our apartment. Ryan did some research and found that you can purchase inflatable kayaks, made of material similar to a whitewater raft. It was much more affordable than a standard kayak, and we can easily deflate it to store it in the limited storage space we have here at our building. We purchased it late in the summer and really enjoyed taking it out a few times before it got too cold. We are also excited that we'll be able to transport it as we travel around for vacations and days off! And as a side note, we also love our life jackets. They were hard to find at the end of the season of a pandemic year, for sure. We landed on fishing life jackets, which are not super sleek - aka they are NOT figure flattering - but they do have lots of pockets, which I love. We can tuck in hand sanitizer, phones, small snacks, sunscreen, and more! I couldn't find the exact life jacket on Dunham's website, but this one is similar. 

3. Hair turban.

This was actually one of my Christmas gifts from Ryan last year, and I have LOVED IT. I have a lot of hair (long AND thick) and it takes forever to dry. Ryan hated seeing me trying to balance a heavy towel on top of my head after showers, made heavier by all the wet hair inside. I would actually get occasional headaches from towel usage. So he bought me a little hair turban that is both small/lightweight AND absorbs moisture extremely well. It has been wonderful both from a drying perspective and a weight perspective. Love it! (Since this was a gift, I don't know the exact link, but this one is similar.)

4. Humidifier.

We noticed early in the year that our bedroom seemed pretty dry. We would wake up stuffy and/or with scratchy throats, so we invested in a very small humidifier that turned out to be the biggest blessing! It's not huge or ugly, so it doesn't look like some big old industrial appliance in our bedroom. Ours actually has a little light on it and everything! We found that after we started using it, we slept better and woke up feeling better! Win/Win! (And of all the years that you do NOT want to wake up with a scratchy throat, it's this year.) We've learned that our apartment bedroom tends to be dry, so we're using it daily here too. I couldn't find the exact one we chose, but this is the brand we purchased, and this model looks extremely similar to ours.

5. Flat knife block.

The knife block we had was one Ryan owned before we got married. The knives were getting dull and the whole thing just looked grungy and needed replaced. When we came to interview at WillowBridge, I noticed Rob and Sierra's knife block when we toured their apartment. I remember stopping the apartment tour to gush over it, because I had never seen a block that sat flat against the wall like that! I loved it! We ended up getting one after we moved - as a housewarming gift to ourselves (ha!) and I LOVE IT. This is the one we got (less color - blends in our kitchen scheme better) and I not only love how it looks, but I love having sharp knives again!

6. Hiking boots.

I've never owned hiking boots in my entire life, and now that I hike much more than I used to, I realized I really needed some. On more than one hike, I've ended up with wet socks and cold feet after having to walk through a creek or losing my balance in a wet area. Yuck. Before we went on our birthday trip this year, Ryan took me shopping for hiking boots and we found some that nearly took my breath away. (Apparently hiking boots cost more than $20. I'm so cheap on shoes.) But he promised me they would last forever - and I said they surely better!! I wore them on our birthday trip hikes and they really were pretty wonderful. I'm also excited that on colder hikes, I shouldn't get chilly tootsies! I did learn that if you have high top shoes, you should wear tall socks. So if you're investing in these and they're YOUR first high tops too, please learn from my blister. All of them look the same to me, so this may not be the exact one - but it s close.

7. Coffee pot slide.

In our Kokomo house, our coffee pot sat out in the open on our little coffee buffet, and it was easy to access the top for loading coffee beans and water. In our apartment, it sits partially under a cabinet, which makes it hard to reach for filling. Ryan scooted it out each time we made coffee, but it sort of thudded its way across the counter in an unwieldy way. Ryan remembered his boss had one of these coffee slides, so he ordered one for us! The coffee pot just sits on the top platform portion of it, and it slides forward for filling, and back for brewing. No skidding, thudding, or spilling!

8. Rolling tote bag. 

You may be familiar with my inability to go ANYWHERE without taking a ton of luggage with me. When I started working at the church at the start of the year, my arms were full of bags each morning. Lunch, purse, computer, and other treasures too, depending on the day and what all I might need. It was awkward to lug all those things from the car to the door (plus my water bottle and coffee cup) and hang onto them while trying to unlock the door first thing in the morning. So Ryan got me this handy rolling tote bag! I could fit almost everything into it and just pull it behind me like a suitcase. Now that I live and work in the same space, I don't need it for work, but I did use it at my speaking engagement a few days ago, and we've used it on our travels too. (When we read reviews, we learned that some buyers use it as a grocery bag. Smart!) There are also other patterns if pink polka dots aren't your jam. 

9. Wall mounted coat tree.

This one may not truly count as an investment because it was absolutely free to us! (Thanks, Kohl's cash!) We had some cash that was about to expire, so we took a walk around the store to see what we could find. This was right after we moved to Grabill, and we had discovered we needed some sort of coat tree to put by the door to store jackets/masks/lanyards that we would need often and quickly. Trees are kind of pricey, and we didn't want to install a standard coat rack, because we didn't want to put huge holes in the wall. We found a small, wall mounted coat tree that looked like a regular one - just without the pole and floor stand. It didn't require much to put it on the wall, and we LOVE IT. It's the perfect size. Holds our hats, too! 

10. Painting cones.

This was a relatively new purchase, but it's been one of Ryan's favorites! He got these little cones for propping up cabinet doors to paint them. (You could also make an obstacle course for very small children, I suppose.) Anyway, he loves these for elevating the cabinet doors while he paints them. He can get all the way down the side with a clean paint job - and the tarp stays cleaner, too! 

And from previous years...

2019

2018

2017

2016

95 Months!

Yesterday marked the big 9-5 for us! Almost to TRIPLE DIGITS!!!!

We were on duty, but we had an extra special day anyway!

First up...we spent a couple of hours in the WillowBridge office working on administrative stuff. Working together is. the. best.

Then we went outside to take our official monthiversary photo - before the wind got the best of my hair. ;) 

It was a pretty day, but MAN was it cold outside!! We ran inside so fast after this picture! I made our lunch and we enjoyed that - and right after we finished, we had some company! My parents and aunt were in Fort Wayne to do some shopping for candy supplies, so they came to see us! They hadn't eaten yet and wanted to eat at the Dairy Sweet, so we went along with them. Even though we're not really doing much dessert these days, Ryan suggested we get a little treat for our monthiversary.

Who knew that ordering a small was not ordering an actual SMALL??? (If we'd known, we would have shared. We will know for next time!)

We came back to our apartment and gave my aunt a tour - and then did a group picture before they had to go home.

We spent the rest of the day working on other stuff for WillowBridge - and eating a very late and very healthy dinner to counteract the ice cream treat! :) 

And check out our monthiversary sunset!

We loved our day and the chance to celebrate another month of life together. Next time it's our ANNIVERSARY!!!!!!

WillowBridge is a Whole Year Old!

Last year on October 17th (according to my Shuffle recap), Ryan and I spent part of the evening (a Thursday) at church beginning the setup for a women's event - my first one to oversee as the leader of the women's ministry. We got all the tables and chairs moved into one of the rooms, and I made a special note that I ran the chair dolly and didn't lose ANY of the stacks of chairs. We put all the linens on the tables and started decorating vendor tables with signs and baskets. Ryan finished up his part of the setup before I did, told me to stay as long as I needed, and went home to cook dinner for us. For this, and for his work every day of the year, I granted him husband of the year award. 

We had no idea, as we rolled round tables and dollied chairs and fluffed linens - that 100 miles away from where we stood, a renovated office-turned-apartment building was guarding a group of team and tenants for the first time ever. That was the night WillowBridge was born. As I facilitated that big fall event in the days after October 17th, I had no idea that in one year, I'd be planning a first birthday party for a place I didn't even know existed. I had no idea I wouldn't be leading the SHE Team anymore or that we wouldn't even be at that church or in that town anymore. 

I actually didn't know the official birthday until after I planned the party, so it was more of a "WillowBridge turns one this month" sort of party, but you can know it is now securely marked on the calendar so we celebrate properly in years to come!

Of course we got a cake...

...and decorations...

Ryan requested party hats, so we got those too.

Tim, Justine, and Isla liked them too!

Our picture was a bit skewed by the party props:

I wanted a picture with Justine, because believe it or not, we didn't have ANY yet of just the two of us!

And, of course, a group photo for the win:

In our increased clean eating, desserts are mostly gone from our house. I had been waiting for this cake and ice cream for two weeks. One of my friends said I looked deliriously happy about it. It's no lie. 

I. Savored. Every. Bite.

Meanwhile, Ryan and Tim were on baby duty:

It was a pretty informal night. We gathered around the table, ate cake and ice cream, and told random stories. 

A low key celebration that was much smaller than we planned (hello, pandemic) - but no less filled with gratitude for what God has done over the past year!

Happy birthday, WillowBridge! 

The Shafferland Shuffle

 

Good morning, and HAPPY EXTRA HOUR OF SLEEP SUNDAY!!!!! If you forgot about the time change, check your clock before you go to church to make sure you're going at the correct time! :) And while I enjoy my extra hour, here are some little gems from our week for you to read about.

* Last Sunday I took a true day of rest. I called it Jammies and Jesus. We had just come off a long stretch of extra long work weeks and not too many days off, and we were finally in a three day weekend. We had gotten home from my speaking engagement late the night before, and I was exhausted. Ryan had an appointment that afternoon he had to be at, but otherwise, we were home resting, spending time with the Lord, and napping. And I may have done a little scrapbooking. It was absolutely soul-refreshing, and I was grateful for it. 

* We were back on duty Monday, but Ryan took some of his free time to begin painting Abby's cabinet doors. He set up a little workshop for himself in the storage room in the basement, and it's working out splendidly! I was busy catching up on administrative work in the office, and Braeya was busy catching up on naps. You know - because our day of rest on Sunday wasn't quite enough for her. ;) 

* I spent some time writing for work on Tuesday - in my sweet little home office. I really do love writing in there! Ryan, unfortunately, had to go back to the dentist for some fillings, and that was a ROUGH visit for him. He was in quite a bit of pain for a few days! So when he got home and went back to work that evening, he stuck to non-talking, non-eating computer work.

* Wednesday we took one of our tenants to the BMV to take her permit test. I quizzed her on signs all the way there - and she did great! AND she passed! We were so proud of her. That night we had a birthday party here at WillowBridge - for WillowBridge. It turned a year old in October, so we wanted to celebrate what God had done over the past year. 

* Thursday was the first day of our weekend, and Ryan donated plasma that day. While he was busy with that, I designed our Christmas card! I needed some creative work in my life. He spent more time painting Abby's cabinets that evening; oh, goodness, I can't wait to see her all put together! I worked on my new Daily Grace Bible study that night and really enjoyed learning new-to-me aspects of The Lord's Prayer.

* We went to vote Friday morning. We had tried to do it a few days earlier, but the lines around here are so long, and when we're on duty, we just can't risk standing in line for a couple of hours, getting to the front, and then getting a tenant call that would kick us out of line. So we got up crazy early in the morning and went to stand in the pre-opening line. We waited about an hour, and it was so so so cold out there. (The cold wasn't as bad as the wind.) I'll tell you more about it next week, but anyway, we were able to vote and then had a little breakfast date! And then that afternoon, some friends of ours from our Kokomo/Marion days came to visit us. We had so much fun showing them around WillowBridge and Grabill!

* We went back on duty yesterday and had to get up early to make coffee and set up for a volunteer group coming through. (They used WillowBridge as their meeting point.) I happened to catch a gorgeous sunrise when we got up! We worked with Tim and Justine throughout the day and had just enough time to start priming the cabinet frames in Abby! Trying to knock out some painting before it gets colder!