Quick Updates

 Yesterday marked one week since we won best costume in the Gateway Variety Show...and Ryan won worst ankle. 

This has definitely NOT been his favorite week. He hates sitting. :) 

But I am super proud of him, because he has done everything he can to make sure he heals in the least invasive way possible.

Ice baths.

Elevation.

Compression.

Stretching.

Massage.

Careful walking.

And now look!

He's not up to his regular speed, but he is moving without crutches again! I fear he overdid it a little yesterday. A couple of things in our building stopped working, so he had to do some climbing around on ladders to do repairs. I wouldn't be surprised if he is sore today. And this weekend is Gateway's Auction, so I can't imagine he'll elevate like he needs to. But it's okay. We'll rest up after that.

I was thinking last night that it was exactly one week earlier when he got hurt. I'm so glad it's this week over last week! I'm so glad the swelling is finally going down. I'm glad he doesn't have to do ice baths every two hours anymore. I'm glad he can walk unencumbered. I'm glad we've gotten to take a couple of careful, slow walks.

Thanks for checking in on him this week! He has appreciated the kind texts and emails. He's not healed yet, but he is feeling better and able to do more than stare at the ceiling from the couch!

Book Wish List

Yes. Yesterday I wrote a post about downsizing my books, and today I'm talking about books I want to read. No. It doesn't make any sense. 

I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on the books yesterday! Between comments and emails, I definitely felt challenged to think about what I want my books to represent about me and what matters most to me. Thanks for helping me think through that!

I do have a few books that intrigue me (and these are going to be ALL OVER THE BOARD in topic, so just be warned) on my wish list, so I thought it might be fun to talk about some of those today.

These, by the way, are in no particular order at all.

1. Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking by Michael Ruhlman. I read about this book on social media somewhere, and now I don't even remember if it was a blog or Instagram or what. (For all I know, it might have been on the Saturday Six - ha!) But whoever was writing talked about how we can all create our own unique recipes if we learn the basic ratios that go into every type of cooking. I thought that would be an interesting topic to learn more about. Though I feel I'm a good cook and baker, there is much about the craft/science of being in the kitchen that I really don't understand. 

2. The Bible Recap: A One Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Whole Bible by Tara-Leigh Cobble. I am pretty sure Leslie first told me about this book. I believe she sent me a screen shot of a page she was studying that coincided with something I wrote about here on the blog. I asked her what it came from and she told me about this book. It caught my attention, because it seemed like something that might help us teach our tenants more about the Bible - in a way they can understand. (Many have minimal background in church/the Bible.) So I put it on my list!

3. Roaming America: Exploring All the National Parks by Renee Hahnel. It's not a cheap book, but it looks amazing. I read about it in a blog post and stuck it on my wish list for someday. If we ever get to realize our dream of traveling regularly, I'd love to explore as many of the national parks as we can, and this seems like a comprehensive guide!

4. Life on the Death Beat by Alana Barnick, Jim Sheeler, and Stephen Miller...Obit: Inspiring Stories of Ordinary People Who Led Extraordinary Lives by Jim Sheeler...Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives by Jim Sheeler. Weird choices, right? As you know, Allen asked me to write Nita's obituary when she died, and then Ryan and his siblings asked me to write Allen's when he died. I talked to my fellow-writer-friend Amy after I wrote the second one, because she has written some beautiful and unique obituaries. I've read them and found them to be so well done! She recommended all three books to me as great resources for writing an above-average obituary.

5. Devotedly: The Personal Love Letters and Story of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot by Valerie Elliot Shepard. I have been deeply and personally impacted by the writing of both Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, so reading this book compiled by their daughter would be a treasure for me. (Jim and Elisabeth, if you're not familiar, were missionaries. When they were still very young, Jim and a group of fellow missionaries were murdered by the very people they were trying to reach. Elisabeth stayed on the field and continued ministering to the people who murdered her husband. I own the book of Jim's journals, which are powerful and convicting. I've read more than one of Elisabeth's books. Passion and Purity is one of my favorites.

6. Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg and Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus by Lois Tverberg and Ray Vander Laan. I have read Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus and have come to respect Lois Tverberg and her research into the culture of Biblical times. I have these other two on my list because I'd love to learn even more! I've watched a few video teachings by Ray Vander Laan and find him to be a brilliant scholar and relatable teacher. If you ever get a chance to watch anything he's done, I highly recommend.

So those are some of my book wishes!! What has happened to the girl who used to only read fiction????

Book Babies

One of the biggest lessons they drilled into us in our writing classes was this: to be a great writer, you must be a great reader.

I'm guessing my current lack of time to read means I may also not be a great writer right now. (Sorry about that...since you're here to read my writing!)

But I do love my books. I always have. Some have moved with me from my parents' house to college to my Marion house to our Kokomo house to our Grabill house. I often call them my book babies and have long said that I wouldn't even begin to imagine how I would go about parting with any of them.

But the truth is, my bookshelves are bursting. My dad built those shelves for me years ago. I asked him to build something that would completely fill one wall in my Marion house. He did what I asked, and at that time, I had plenty of room to grow my book collection. But over the years, that collection has grown, and now the shelves are so full.

I've tried to downsize. I really have. I sold several in a yard sale before we moved to Kokomo. I sold several more before we moved to Grabill. 

But as Ryan and I evaluate our collection of stuff, I am wondering if it's time to look over that collection again and reevaluate the books that truly matter. What do I really want to keep? In this season of life when I don't have tons of time to read anyway, what should I be willing to part with to make our home less cluttered and more manageable?

I had looked on Pinterest (because where else would I look??) and found this helpful article with some guidance on downsizing. Here are some of my thoughts on the suggestions. 

The author gave five questions to ask when considering whether or not to keep a book.

The first question was...is this a duplicate? I don't own duplicates, so that should speed up the process! (I should clarify that there are a couple of Bible study books on our shelves that Ryan and I each owned a copy of, because they're workbooks and we each wanted to write in our own. But as far as regular books go...I don't own duplicates. 

The next question was: is the material relevant or out of date? I find that to be an interesting question. I have a few books that contain material some would consider highly out of date, but I consider it very worthwhile. I'm an old soul that way. The good news is, if it feels relevant to me, I get to keep it. I don't have to put it in front of a committee. But then again, I also try not to buy books that are terribly trendy in content. I like my books and clothes to stand on their own without screaming of a particular year or decade.

Then...have I read it before and will I read it again? I'm sure I have books I haven't read and at this point...I may never. I need to consider letting go of them. And yet there are some that even if I'm not planning to read again, I probably should keep because they matter for other reasons. 

This may be the hardest one for me: why do I want to keep this book? Well, because it's my book baby! Because I've lived in it and scribbled in it and can't imagine parting with it? Hmmm. Might need to come up with some better answers than that, right? There are actually some further guides in that section that I can consider. But I think this is the category that will hold me up the most.

And finally...could I get this at the library? Probably...for most of them! So then it becomes a matter of whether or not it's a book I need for writing in and living in...or just reading.

They're hard questions for readers, right?

Where do you fall on this? Are you a mama of book babies?? Do you find them hard to part with? Or is it easy for you to keep your collection small??

Anyone else out there need to downsize?

104 Months!

I would sure hope, after all the months you've been reading our love story and life adventures, that you know I love and appreciate Ryan with all my being.

But this past week, as we've been muddling through this unexpected injury of his, I have come to appreciate him in brand news ways. I probably don't have to tell any of you that Ryan is an extraordinarily hard worker, and I've realized just how hard he does work as I've tried to step in to do what he can't right now.

Here in our home, we divide most of the household chores. It's the only way we can get them done, given how busy our jobs are. I've been trying to keep up with his half, though I'm sure I am still missing a few. And then there are the things he does around WillowBridge. I've told him I'm out for anything that involves climbing, but I've been trying to pitch in and do his chores here in the building while keeping up with my own. 

I appreciate so very much how hard he works and all the things he does that we don't even know until suddenly we need to pitch in and do them. 

Yesterday was our 104th monthiversary, and I spent the day extra grateful for everything about who Ryan is.

We had meetings all morning long, and he sat on the couch, leg propped up on pillows, breaking in between meetings for more ice baths. (I think he was grateful for a chance to have a change of scenery and a chance to do some work!)

Sarah took our picture yesterday afternoon. He asked if the crutches had to be in the picture, but I told him it's an accurate representation of this monthiversary!

He went with me to pick up my parents from the airport. (They got to go meet their newest great grandbaby this week, and we were making sure they got home safely!)

And on the way home, we stopped for an ice cream date!

A little work, a little fun, a little bit of Olympic viewing to end the day. We were sad we didn't get to take a sunset walk, but we were grateful to have the day together. 

Ryan, thank you so much for ALL your hard work that you put in to every single day. You work so hard for our family and our job, and I don't think anyone will ever know just how much you do behind all the scenes. I appreciate you, I love you, and I'm so happy to celebrate 104 months by your side!

The Surprise Date!

Well, you guys, the surprise date happened!!  Injury and all!

Here's the back story. Early, early, early in 2020, Ryan told me he had found what he wanted to do for my birthday, and he was so excited about it. It was the earliest he had ever figured out what he wanted to do for me. He booked the surprise and then...the pandemic.

My birthday came and the surprise was not happening. But he told me he hoped it would work out for later in the year. I think there were two or three reschedule dates - the most recent of which was this past January. And every time, it was pushed back. 

Finally he said it looked like it was going to work...for July 31. 

And then on July 29th, he got hurt. He was absolutely beside himself about this all falling through. I told him it was okay. I mean, I was sad about a canceled date, but I didn't know what it was going to be, so I told him it would be okay. He said he was GETTING THERE, no matter what.

So Saturday morning we got up and ready and I made 112 trips to the car to lug out a cooler with a 22 pound bag of ice in it (plus an ice pack, measuring cup, hammer, and two bottles of water.) Two pillows, two beach towels, two cups of coffee, a medicine bag, two crutches, one ice bucket, one brace, and two Shaffers also made their way out the door.

We got in the car and he punched in the address (which only told me that I was going to Indianapolis, but I still didn't know the destination). He spent the first twenty minutes of our trip with his bad foot in an ice bath, and then he worked on wrapping it back up in its brace. We were about a half hour out, probably, when he asked if I would pull off at the next exit so he could get in the back seat. He said he needed to change positions. 

So I pulled off and he pointed to the sketchiest gas station. "Just pull in there," he said. "And I might go in to get something." 

Say what??? 

"You're going in THIS station????" I pulled the car closer to the door and he asked what I was doing. I told him I was trying to get him close to the door so he didn't have to walk so far for whatever he thought he needed.

Right then he pointed past me and out the driver's window. There stood my friends Jon and Julie! WHAT?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!

I hopped out of the car and found out they were joining us on our date. The whole pull-off-at-this-exit-so-I-can-change-positions line was so fake! 

We ended up transferring to Jon and Julie's van - both to give Ryan more leg room and to give me a break from doing my least favorite thing (driving) on my own birthday trip!

From there we continued our trek, but I still didn't know where we were going!

We landed here!

I was SO EXCITED!!!!!!!

My friend Kari saw this very show the weekend before and had said it was really good, so I was super excited to get to see it. 

We ate lunch together and enjoyed a spectacular show! The cast had amazing chemistry. (Last time I saw this in person, Julie was Maria! This time she sat beside me seeing how many lines she remembered. Turns out...many!) 

It was so much fun. SO much fun.

And as soon as we got back in the van, Ryan resumed his ice baths!

Thanks, Jon and Julie, for driving and for making our date so special! Thanks, Ryan, for planning such a fun date for me, for persevering through over a year of delays, and for sacrificing at great personal cost to make this day happen. I love you so much!

Sunday Sentiments

It's been twenty-one years since I had one of the most memorable firsts of my life: watching a sweet newborn take her first breaths of earthly air. I had been assigned the role of videographer, charged with capturing her birth. Nothing made me more nervous. I practiced actually hitting record on that behemoth camcorder so many times. I mean, after all, if you miss the birth, there really isn't a second chance.

I still don't know how many promised final contractions I recorded before the actual final contraction arrived. (I do remember that her mom so sweetly asked me to stop promising it was the last one if I didn't know it to be true.) She'd been laboring for days and hard-laboring for hours. All of us in the room were ready for labor to end and a baby to arrive, but no one was more ready than she.

And finally, it really did end.

The sweet baby slid into the world, and a few minutes later, I slid out of the hospital room and began the drive home. (I'd missed two full days of work for this birth. The first one ended in a false alarm, and the second one just took that many hours! I didn't have more time off and knew the alarm would sound early.)

So I don't have a picture of baby Carol from that first day when I witnessed the miracle that is birth. But I do have this one, taken later:

Carol's parents were friends of mine from church. Every Monday night of her little life, I hung out with her and her mom while her dad went to class. We would watch TV, eat snacks, and I'd pack in as many baby snuggles as I possibly could.

I wasn't nearly the Bekahrazzi I should have been.

I have so few pictures like this one, and I didn't know...none of us knew...that time was so short. 

Twenty-one years ago today, a six-month clock began its countdown, and none of us heard it ticking. We had six months to love on this precious baby girl. 

I was there when she took her first breath. A phone call six months later told me she had taken her last breath. And that news took my breath away and kept it for the longest time.

Carol's life and death has forever marked mine. I loved that little girl so very fiercely. My faith was tested and strengthened because she lived. And because I trust the God of both our stories, I know she still lives today - just not here where we can celebrate twenty-one years of life together.

I am so profoundly grateful to have been there that first day. I still profoundly miss her. And I am still profoundly grateful for how God used her life to mold and shape me.

Happy twenty-first birthday, Carol Elizabeth Anne. Your story will forever be part of mine, and therefore I will always share who you are.

The Saturday Six

 

One.

I ran across this nut butter this week and remembered it from my WBCL days! Lynne and I interviewed the creator of Nuttzo Butter on a Spots and Spotlights show (remember those?) and I found her story so fascinating. She created nut butters even before they were trendy - as a way to help her sons receive nutrients. (She adopted them and they were picky eaters.) It looks like the company has expanded since then, and I'm so happy she is doing so well! 

Two.

My friend Christina (hey, Christina!!) just got home from a vacation out west and she's been posting about her adventures. She shared this resource that they used as they toured the Badlands/Yellowstone/Grand Tetons, etc. She said it was well worth it to have a virtual tour guide along for the ride! Check it out! (She said it hooks in through your GPS, so as you near specific locations, it tells you more about them.)

Three.

Years ago, in the financial aid days, our office had a student worker named Michelle. I really enjoyed getting to know her, and we became social media friends after we stopped working together. Earlier this month, Michelle became sick and was diagnosed with leukemia. I've been following her journey on CaringBridge and have been so encouraged by the posts she shares. IU Health did a story on her, so I wanted to share it with you so YOU can be encouraged, too! 

Four.

As you might know, if you've been reading around here very long, we had cupcakes at our wedding and an ice cream sundae buffet at our reception. Though I never complain about cake at a wedding, because I do dearly love cake, I always find it fun when people mix it up at their receptions. My friend Olivia (whose TENTH anniversary was yesterday...how???) and her husband had a full dessert bar at their reception, complete with a milkshake station! So fun! Anyway, I found this post of some cute reception presentations! 

Five.

A chocolate chip cookie ice cream cone?? SOMEONE MAKE ME ONE!!! (Because if I try, I will eat all the dough.)

Six.

I thought I would leave you today with an update on Ryan! My goodness - you guys were so sweet to text and email us to see how he was doing! Thank you! 

(If you're very confused right now, go back and read yesterday's blog.) The injury happened Thursday night, and we were up and down all night long into Friday putting his ankle in a fresh ice bath every two hours. He "slept" with it elevated and we had compression on it and all the things. It's so handy that as a PTA, he knew all the things to do. 

Yesterday morning, it was still very, very swollen and he couldn't bear any weight on it, so after conferring with his former boss and one of his PT coworkers, he said he should go to the ER for x-rays. So we went in first thing yesterday morning and there was not a single person waiting in that ER! We got right in and everyone was SO nice and SO helpful. I think it may have been the best ER experience either of us has ever had. X-rays showed no break, but he does have pretty much the worst possible kind of sprain a person can get. Go big or go home, right? (And yes, we know sometimes sprains are worse than breaks!) If he's not better in a week, he is to follow up with an orthopedic doctor to see if there is some kind of ligament damage.

We borrowed some crutches, came home, and went back to resting, icing, compressing, and elevating. (My personal belief is that the RICE acronym actually stands for rest, ice cream, elevation, but whatever.) 

Ryan HATES sitting and this is absolutely killing him. But he's done well with taking it seriously and doing what he should. He's also done well with getting up every hour or so and taking some laps around the apartment. We got out for a little fresh air last night too. 

Some of you asked about our date, which is today. As of the time I'm writing this blog, he has declared we can still go. He says he can make it work! 

So thanks for your prayers for him and for checking in! I'm sad for him that he's hurt, but I'm grateful he showed some improvements yesterday! 

Oh!

And the cat didn't throw up any other times. 

And I would also like to print a correction on the bag of ice I bought when the store greeter was trying to show me her Amazon order. It was not a 10 pound bag of ice. It was a TWENTY-TWO pound bag of ice. Apparently the 9.9 or whatever I read on the bag was kilograms. So reimagine that part of the story, will you? I was holding a slippery twenty-two pound bag of ice whilst the greeter pulled up her Amazon account to tell me about the gift she is buying for the manager who is leaving. (And we bought a new twenty-two pound bag today.)

Variety Show...Shaffer Style

Every year, Gateway Woods has a variety show...just for fun...for tenants and staff. A few weeks ago, Rob told us we could be part of it if we wanted, and he hoped we would. So we set out to find a routine, and Ryan found an idea that we ended up running with.

Now before I go on, let me tell you a weird Bekah-quirk. I would rather talk to a crowd of 200 people for 45 minutes straight than get up in front of 100 people for three minutes and do something goofy. And yet that is exactly what I had to do! 

We put together a mash-up of songs (none of which are sung by David Phelps), ordered fatheads with the faces of some of the Gateway employees, and did a routine. 

The song Cotton Eyed Joe  may be stuck in my head for the rest of my life. And I finally learned how to form a C in the correct direction during the YMCA. 

We practiced multiple times in our (suddenly tiny) community room in preparation for the big night.

And last night was the night. We drove to Sweetwater (which you'll have heard of if you're from the area) and had our competition on one of the stages there.

Ironically, I sent the following photo to my family prior to the show and said, "If you never hear from me again, this is my cause of death."

I couldn't even eat dinner before we went, y'all. That is pretty serious.

Mercifully, we were the fifth act of the night, so I didn't have too long to be crazy worried. When it was our turn, we came out from backstage and though we couldn't see a single thing that was happening in terms of audience reaction, the laughing and applause told us they must be enjoying it! We came out slowly, introducing a new Gateway person one or two at a time.

Sean and one of our tenants went first, representing one of the teachers and the director of education.

 Then Sarah and I came in. Sarah was one of the assistant houseparents, and I was representing my dear friend Cordin, unsure if I would still HAVE a friend named Cordin when the act was over. 

Then Tim (remember him?) joined us to bed Ed, the director of all of Gateway. (He was in the audience, by the way...with his wife.) 

Then Ryan bounded in as Rob...

...and our last tenant came in as Travon, one of our other coworkers. Ironically we found out the day of the competition that Travon was also a judge. Whoopsie.

Somewhere in the middle, I started feeling incredibly lightheaded and remembered it had been a while since took a breath. Trying to remember all the moves and NOT destroy any of the VERY expensive equipment behind me took all the concentration. Who has time to breathe?

We ended the routine, and I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief...until I got backstage and saw Ryan's face. I asked what was wrong, and he said, "I rolled my ankle."

Apparently, in the middle of stinkin' old Cotton Eyed Joe, he and Sean were jumping all over the stage and Ryan's shoe caught...wasn't tied tight enough, and his ankle rolled. He fell and everything, but I missed it all because, well, you see the size of the head in front of mine.

He finished the routine without hesitating and spent the rest of the show walking outside the room, trying to keep his foot limber. 

By the time we left, he was in way more pain than he would admit out loud, and we headed to the store to buy compression bandages, ankle supports, and a bag of ice. 

Sometime in between entering and exiting Wal-Mart, he stopped being able to walk on it. We tried to go through a drive-thru to get me some dinner, since I had been too nervous to eat before the show. You guys, there was literally a BUS in the McDonald's drive thru. Windows were down and teenagers heads were hanging out, reading the menu. We just went around and on to another McDonald's.

We arrived back at WillowBridge and he had to hop on one foot all the way inside. His poor foot was HUGE when he took his shoe and sock off. And it was already turning black and blue. (I have pictures, but feet pictures freak people out, so I won't post it.) I carried in all the things and tried to get him settled with ice and pillows.

(Yes, we got him more pillows so his leg is supported. This was just the first picture.)

We blew through the first bag of ice fairly immediately (ice baths) so at 11:30, I headed out to the store to buy more. I got inside, found the ten pound bag of ice, checked out, and was headed out the door when the greeter stopped me.

She was so kind and personable, but as I stood there holding this massive FREEZING bag, she said, "So our store manager is leaving to open a store somewhere else. Check out what I'm getting him for a gift!" She proceeded to pull up her Amazon account and read me every word on the mug and explain to me why she chose the wording. 

I kept shifting the bag (which was starting to become slippery) and finally I was able to dash back to the car and home to Ryan.

So the bad news? We didn't win the trophy for best house act. And you know - Ryan either has the worst sprain of his life or has broken his ankle. We aren't sure which yet. And the cat threw up twice while I was at the store. 

The good news? We did win best costume! And Cordin is still speaking to me. (In fact, she wanted to take home her fat head to scare her husband. It worked!) And we're off the next two days. If you need us, you can find us hanging out on the couch, bathing in ice. Okay just Ryan will be doing that part. 

Next year, I vote we do a nice, safe staring contest or something. 

What's Up Thursday!

Guess who is fashionably late (but just by a day!) for What's Up Wednesday? ME!!!!! Ready to have some day-late fun?

1. What we're eating this week.

I'm kind of on a cooking game this week!! So far, we've had a chicken fajita bowl and roasted brussels sprouts, honey garlic shrimp, baked lemon chicken with roasted asparagus, and a layered nacho bake. Up next? Skillet Sausage/Peppers/Rice and some sort of breakfast for dinner!

2. What I'm reminiscing about.

My blog post yesterday has me reminiscing about our wedding. Oh, how I loved that beautiful day! I have loved the almost 9 years of days that have followed, too, but I sure did love that gorgeous wedding day. I am so grateful God wrote every detail just like He did!

3. What I'm loving.

The Olympics! I am generally not a lover of watching sports, but I love the human interest stories of the Olympics. Did anyone else cry when the swimmer from Alaska won gold and her friends got some pole-vault-level height jumping around the gym? I loved it. We are watching as much of it as we're able to see around work! 

4. What we've been up to.

Whew! So much! WillowBridge got brand new siding last week, so Ryan has been cleaning up tons of debris from our landscaping. We've also been prepping to participate in the Gateway Woods variety show, which takes place TONIGHT. You guys, I am about to lose my mind with nerves. Getting up and talking in front of a conference is NOTHING compared to getting up and being goofy in front of teenagers. 

5. What I'm dreading.

Ha! See above?? :) But for real, I'm glad we're not last in the lineup so I can enjoy the show AFTER we are done.

6. What I'm working on.

We are trying to figure out the places we still want to visit before the summer and camping season are over. (And I am also working on NOT thinking about the onset of fall because I'm not ready yet.) We're also working on a potential work-related trip for a few months down the road. I haven't taken a work trip since I was at the station!

7. What I'm excited about.

This Saturday! Ryan is taking me on a surprise date that has been a year and a half in the making. It was supposed to be my birthday gift LAST year - and then we were locked down. And every attempt to reschedule that he made after that kept getting postponed. So this weekend is our weekend! I have no idea where we're going, but I sure am excited about it!

8. What I'm watching/reading.

As I mentioned above, we're watching the Olympics, but we've also been watching The Chosen! We are really late to that party, but we are trying it and enjoying it. Any of you watching it?

9. What I'm listening to.

Been listening to a lot of piano music while I finish my steps each day. I adore a good piano anthem!

10. What I'm wearing.

Dresses on rotation. It is HOT, you guys!! HOT!!!!! I don't have any photos, but I'm appearing in them on the regular!!

11. What I'm doing this weekend.

Well, as I mentioned, I'm going on a surprise date, so I don't know what it entails, but I'm excited! Also this weekend, we plan to grocery shop and get a little rest, and then starting on Sunday, were back to work! 

12. What I'm looking forward to next month.

I'm excited for our next getaway in Abby - to a place we've not been to before. And I'm excited to plan one more stay in Miss Abby in the month of August. I'm also hoping it works out to see my friend Abagail that I used to work with at the church!  I miss her! (Picture taken last year on our last day of working together.)

13. What else is new.

Well. Hair color. :) That's been a welcome change this month!