Those Were Some Good Memories

 

Though I'm sure I don't know how, it has now been ten years since I took my final single-girl road trip! I had no idea, of course, at the time, that it would be my last single-girl trip, but it was, and yesterday I looked back at the pictures and stories with much fondness. Want to reminisce with me today? 

Here are some of the things that popped out at me as I looked back over my trip:

* Apparently this was the first time I had taken off work (in multiple days) since I started working at WBCL. It had been almost one full year since I started that job, so you can tell how dearly I loved it. When you can make it a year without a vacation and be more than okay...you have a good job!

* This was the first and last time I have ever rented a car! What!? Back then, I was driving the little Bekah-mobile, which was a Ford Focus that was ten years old. Fun fact: it was injured and I didn't know it. It had been hit (while it was parked in a friend's driveway, and said friend was the one who backed into it - going about 5 miles an hour) and I took it in for repairs. There was a hidden injury they didn't see, and as I look back now, I am so grateful God prompted me to rent a car for this trip. I drove through mountains and was hundreds of miles from home, and having my car stall would really have put a damper on the trip! I actually did get caught in a jam that would have been the very kind of thing that would have made it overheat. God went ahead of me, and that boosts my faith, even today! Anyway, I rented a Honda Civic that I named Sammy. I loved that car. It was so much fun to drive. 

* I drove through mountains, which was a huge step in bravery for me. I have never been a confident driver and actually still dislike driving to this very day! This trip was a huge moment for my self-confidence, my faith, and my story. I am so, so grateful for what God helped me do on this trip!

* One of our first stops was to see the Biltmore. Neither of us had ever been there, and it was a JOY to behold. I was exceedingly sad that they had a ban on indoor photography, but we enjoyed our outdoor pictures! I had no idea I would be back in a few years...in the winter...with a husband! I fell in love with the Biltmore that day. What a gift! (I threw in some memories from both trips here, just for fun.)

* We also drove part of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and now I have it on my someday-list to travel the whole thing. I had never even heard of it before this trip. This may have been where my love for actual road trips began. And now...I want to drive back and forth, up and down, all over the country!

That last picture makes me want to do that road trip RIGHT NOW.

This was such a fun trip. I loved being with Lynnette and loved the freedom and confidence I found in my travels. I had no clue that before the year's end, I'd be traveling and standing beside her again, but this time she would be my matron of honor at our beach wedding!

Life Updates

 I thought today would be a good day to catch you up on a few work-related things in our world! 

Last week, one of my Facebook friends sent me a message to say she was so confused about what was happening in our lives. We were in Kokomo, and then we left there for ministry and now we're where? Doing what? 

It IS confusing, I'm sure, on the outside looking in. Like I shared here a few weeks ago in a post, we feel a little like Abraham right now. We're following the Lord where He leads, and yes, in the last couple of years, the leading has involved a lot of transition. Transition in work, in homes, and even towns. None of it has been a mistake. None of it has been in vain. All of it has been purposeful. But we do acknowledge that from the outside, it can appear chaotic and confusing. 

When we moved to our current home and city, we didn't know for sure where we would be working. We had some leads, but nothing was for sure. None of the leads we had panned out, and then we learned about the job at Love INC. We went together to talk to the retiring director, and both of us felt completely drawn to the ministry. Ultimately, Ryan was the one who applied for the job, and as you know, they offered it to him. 

Meanwhile, I kept looking and applying. In truth, I was surprised to be turned down so often. I don't say that because I think I'm anything amazing, but when there are jobs everywhere, and I do have a decent level of marketable skills, I didn't think it would be that hard to find a job.

Wrong!

I was turned down for every single job I applied for, and that brought a whole series of conversations with God about what in the world was happening! I had some rocky days of questioning pretty much everything about my personality and skill set, but the Lord surrounded me with encouraging people and filled me with HIS truth about who I am, and for the most part, I think I have worked through the hurts brought on by all the closed doors. 

As Ryan began his work at Love INC, went through trainings with the national office, and began to see the day-to-day operations, he told me he needed me. There are many changes and refinements required to grow and effectively meet the needs around us, and it's more than one person can shoulder. (He does have an office manager, too, but the work is more than even two people can shoulder, honestly.)

So after a few weeks of praying, crunching numbers, figuring out a long-term plan, and seeking counsel, we have arrived at a decision - at least until/unless God leads differently!

I am going to serve with Ryan at Love INC. At this time, my work will be volunteer, until the local affiliate can grow and support more staff members. I have already been working behind the scenes on several social media/design/writing-related tasks, and that will continue, but I'll be adding some other responsibilities along the way. (I would love to tell you what they are. I know my title, but I can't confidently explain to you what it means yet, so I'll save that for another post at a later time.)

For the time being, this work will allow me to serve some from home, so I can also continue to be a homemaker, which is really important to both of us. As we go along, I will probably start keeping at least part-time office hours, so I can be present and involved in the day-to-day operations at Love INC. 

I'm really excited about this. No, it's not a paying job right now, but we both feel confident that this is where the Lord wants me. And Ryan is adamant that my skills are necessary and helpful in this role, which really helps after all the closed doors on jobs. 

We are living in a state of trust that the Lord will provide for our needs, as He has already been doing in really tangible and faith-boosting ways that have blessed us tremendously.

So that's our update! Once I know how to explain specifically what I'll be doing, I'll come back and tell you all about it. (I have some upcoming trainings to attend myself, so that will help me learn!)

I know some of you have been praying for us in this time of transition, and we are really thankful for your support in that way. We have devoted a lot of prayer to this, seeking God's face and will for our lives in this season. We are at peace with how He is leading!

Little Updates

 

A few days ago, I told you about some of my goals for updating our home from now until the end of the year. Would you believe we already tackled one of them? :)

Goal #8 was to finish decorating Lexi's corner of her bedroom. I mentioned in my post that I had a picture I wanted to order in a canvas, but the place I intended to order from had such high shipping costs that it just wasn't worth the order. Heather suggested Walgreens, and I actually hadn't thought of that! I always order my prints from there, but I hadn't ordered anything else from their photo department before. 

Happily, a couple of days after I posted about that, we found a 75% off coupon code at Walgreens! I was able to order the canvas very affordably, and I was so impressed with the quality! 

A couple of nights ago, Ryan hung the canvas and the sign I found for just over $5.00 at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago. we put them both above her crate, and I think it looks absolutely adorable. 

Then Ryan did an unexpected update that has turned out to be one of my most favorite things!

We have an office, you know, and I really love working in it. As I've said, it's my favorite office we've had. But I also sometimes work at our dining room table - especially in the evenings when Ryan is home and I want to be with the family. 

We have a gorgeous chandelier over our dining room table. I love it so much and am ridiculously glad whoever picked it out chose that one. It's perfect. But OH MY WORD, the light is so bright. Ryan says he can install a dimmer switch so we can bring it down a notch or two. There is a time and place for a bright light, but when I'm eating dinner or trying to do some evening work, I really don't want the brightest of all the lights shining down over me. 

So Ryan brought in one of the spare floor lamps sitting in the garage and put it in the corner of the dining room. It is a game-changer in there! I can't believe how perfectly pretty the soft light is in the evenings, and I can't believe I didn't think to try it before! I'm so glad he came up with the idea. Even if/when he does put in the dimmer switch, the lamp is staying. It's meant to be there.

He said it was cozy.

After we hung up Lexi's wall art and put the lamp in the dining room, we crashed on the couch to watch one of our shows, and Ryan said, "Our home is so cozy."

I don't know that he could have given me any greater compliment than that. I have worked so hard to make this house an inviting, comfortable, cozy home. I think it's all those things, but to know he thinks so too is such a gift. 

We still have nine projects left on our list. And then, of course, the biggest project of all: growing a yard in the hottest, driest summer we've had in a while. Fun opportunity, right?? :) 

If the Wedding Took Place in 2022...

I was sorting and organizing some files on my new computer yesterday, and that sent me down a whole memory-lane journey of seeing our wedding pictures. I hope I never get tired of looking at them and appreciating all the love and joy that day brought to my heart. 

I still love the dress I wore at our wedding. As I've shared before, I'd seen the dress online and loved it, but I never imagined it would work in real life. But it did! Even better, they had one in my size in stock, which was pretty much necessary, since we had such a short engagement.

Here are some of my favorite pictures that feature the things I love most about my wedding dress:

It's been almost ten years since I found my dream dress, and this one is no longer in the rotation at David's Bridal, which is where I purchased it. So just for fun, I went to see what dress I might like this year if we had waited a decade (HA!) to get married. 

* I chose this one for a couple of reasons. One...it has the same sort of belted waist and flowing skirt as the dress I wore for the WillowBridge fundraiser back in January. I loved how that looked and felt on me, so this seemed a similar good choice. I also love the detail work on the bodice and the halter-style neck, which was a feature in the dress I actually wore. 

* I like the back of this one better than the front, but I chose it because of the detail work and the tulle. Some of the lines of fabric on the bodice also remind me of the dress I actually wore, and I loved those too, so maybe that helped me like this one. 

And...that was it! That was all I found that I liked. So what it told me was that it was good I married a decade ago and it was good that this dress was sitting in that store waiting for me.

And because I'm all reminiscent now, how about a few more throwback pictures? 

First...the first time I tried on the dress. That was such a fun night. 

Saying yes to the dress!

My entourage:

Leaving the store with a VERY important part of the wedding!

Fast forward to the wedding day! My girls did a great job of helping me be ready for the first look!

And then there was MY first look. I couldn't believe it was really happening!

First look with Ryan:

And a handful from the wedding!

And...the reception.

The perfect dress for the perfect day. I'm glad the wedding took place in 2012. :) 

Plan B Father's Day

 Yesterday turned out to be a little bit different than we planned, but it still turned out to be a really wonderful day!

We had planned to travel to my parents' house to celebrate Father's Day, but my parents are a little under the weather, so we decided it would be in the best interest of all to reschedule for a healthier day. 

Ryan had to get up early to do the morning lawn-watering. What a happy Father's Day morning, right?

Before we went to church, I gave Ryan a "card" I made him from Braeya and Lexi. He read it and just as I was about to take his picture with him, he felt a sneeze coming on. I took pictures of every single face he made, and though I won't show them ALL here, you might get a giggle out of one. :) 

Since we no longer had a place to go for lunch, and since I hadn't planned to MAKE lunch, we had to come up with something! Mom was planning to have KFC chicken for Dad, since he loves it so much, and I had my heart set on it. So we found a coupon and went to KFC for carryout!

It really was delicious. We haven't had KFC in the longest time!

After lunch, everyone fell asleep. Sunday afternoon naps are such a gift!

Ryan's sister had a baby this week, and the sweet little guy is still in the NICU. She's been sending/posting pictures, but yesterday was our first time to FaceTime with him! He was so alert, and it was sweet to get to see his face in as close to in-person as we'll get for a while! 

As I mentioned a few days ago, my computer has reached the end of its life span, so we had to order a new one. It wasn't supposed to come until this week, but in a rare plot twist, it actually came EARLY! I was so glad we happened to be home, because I did have to sign for it. And Ryan, who loves things like setting up computers, settled in at the dining room table to get everything up and running for me. A gem of a man!

Lexi was in a super snuggly mood, so she had extra hugs for both of us! 

We had leftovers for dinner, and then Ryan settled in for the evening watering. (This involved both the yard and the driveway, since it gets all muddy from the watering.)

We'll reschedule our celebration with Dad and get to have TWO Father's Days this year!