Pontoon Afternoon

 

Ryan and I have always tried, as much as busy schedules permit, to share our home with others. We’ve done it in a variety of ways, and some seasons lend themselves to hospitality more than others.

                One of our goals for this summer is to slow down and enjoy the lake as much as we can, because…it’s the lake! It’s meant to be enjoyed! But we also hope to share this space with others as often as we can, and this week, we had our first chance to do it!

                Last summer, after the pontoon came to live here, Ryan offered to have the Swiss Village residents come over for a boat ride. They did, they loved it, and the activities department asked about doing it again this year. We put a date on the calendar and then watched with much nervousness as warm weather did NOT arrive in any quick fashion, and we feared our guests might have to wear snowsuits on the boat!

                Alas, the Lord was so gracious to give us a warm (hot!) and sunny day, and we had about 20 people show up on two buses to spend the afternoon here with us, enjoying patio and pontoon time.

                We scattered camping chairs around the patio, supplementing our own furniture, and everyone found a seat – most in the shade. We passed out water bottles and homemade cookie bars, and Ryan rounded up the first half of the residents to take a couple of laps around the lake. Then they returned, switched places with the patio crew, and the second half toured the lake.

                I was so happy that my parents came along. Originally they hadn’t planned to, so others could have a chance, but when they added the second bus, they signed up. (Mom forgot her sunglasses, so she wore mine. Pretty stylin’!)

                My favorite part of the entire day was seeing their joy. Several of the residents used to have boats and/or lake homes, and they miss them. It was fun to see them enjoying a slice of that life again.

                My other favorite part of the day was hearing the residents share how much they love Ryan, his encouraging smile, and his helpful attitude. Proud wife, right here!

                Lexi’s favorite part of the day was seeing her grandpa. Those two. 😊 I was pretty sure Dad didn’t even want to go on the boat, because it meant leaving Lexi back on shore while he was gone.

                After everyone left and we cleaned up the chairs and the food, Ryan took Lexi and me out for a private cruise, because there wasn’t room for us earlier! We had the best time!

                So grateful to share our home and pontoon!

Graduation and Growing Up

 

This past Sunday was Graduation Sunday at our church. We celebrated just shy of a dozen high school graduates and honored a few others who have finished higher education degrees over the past year. It was a sweet service; our youth pastor offered a great message, and I’m pretty sure most of us cried our way through The Blessing at the end. We came forward to pray over our graduates and their families, and then everyone scattered for graduation ceremonies and subsequent parties.

                I wrote notes to all our graduates. Some of them know me, others don’t, but I wanted to offer each of them some Scripture that I hoped would settle into their minds as they take their next steps toward their chosen forevers. For some, that’s college. For others, entering a trade. Some are probably still figuring out what’s next – and I wouldn’t be surprised if a few changed their minds along the way. That’s what growing up is all about, after all.

                I watched the video that featured their favorite verses, lessons, and advice and enjoyed getting to know them better through hearing them share. Their words reminded me of my own thoughts and hopes not quite 30 years ago when I graduated from high school and looked ahead to my own future.

                I had no clue that day, of course, what my own life would hold. I didn’t know I’d grow up to try out a handful of careers. I didn’t know I’d marry a guy I already knew from that very school. I didn’t know I’d write real books. I didn’t know I’d come to enjoy cooking and hospitality.

                Perhaps I would have had much hope if I could have peeked into the future and seen the Bekah of 30 years down the road. Yet perhaps seeing this Bekah would have been too much of a spoiler for that Bekah. The parts of the road that made me who I am today were too much for graduating Bekah to handle.

                I’d never want to go back. Some do, I know. Some people loved high school and would return in an instant to relive the friendships and the activities. I was grateful to be done and have no desire to return.

                But I am thankful for the winding road of growing up that brought me where I am today. And I hope each of the graduates who stood on our church platform on Sunday and crossed school platforms that afternoon to collect a diploma will also one day appreciate the winding road of growth that will lead them from where they are now to who they will become.

Celebrating 150 Months of Love!

 

Ryan and I celebrated 100 months of marriage back in the late pandemic times, when we were still working at WillowBridge. I remember we took the day off work, explored parts of Fort Wayne (masked for some of it, outside for some of it) and ended the day at a Good Friday service at a church that, a year later, would be the church we called home. We had no idea back on that day.

                I had grand plans for a fun day to celebrate 150 months of marriage this month, but duty called for both of us in life.

                I was supposed to take a bit of a road trip for a work-related lunch meeting, but as I set out on my way, I found out the lunch was canceled. I was already out and about, so I pointed the car toward Ryan and surprised him at work! I asked if I could join him for lunch, and he said yes! It was such a pretty day, so we ate outside on the patio and then took a walk around the building. (I absolutely wore the most impractical shoes for a walk, but they were cute!)

                After work, we had a monthiversary dinner at…(are you ready?) a graduation open house! It was yummy, too! I realize it probably isn't the most glamorous location for a monthiversary dinner, but we had fun together, talking to friends, and eating really delicious food.

                After dinner, we came home for an evening of work. We were about to host a pontoon cruise day for the Swiss Village residents, so we needed to clean the pier and boat and spruce up the patio area!

                Our reward? A sunset cruise…with Lexi. She was so excited to explore the lake by boat, and we were excited to sit down!

                It may not have been the grand day we might have chosen, but we were able to be together, and that made it grand in its own way. Love you, Ryan! Thanks for making our days sweet!

Bekah's Bookshelf: My 2025 Reads so Far

 

May was not my most prolific book-reading month! It was a busy month, but I also could have tried a little harder. The beautiful thing about not being in school (yet) is that I don’t have to read if there are other things I’d rather do. May was my month for that.

                I did read one book, and it was very different from my normal choices!

                Six years ago, when Ryan’s mom passed away, the family asked me to write her obituary, and I did. When I shared it on Facebook after it printed, one of my writer friends messaged me to tell me she’d enjoyed reading. We started talking about obituaries, and she told me about Jim Sheeler, a Pulitzer Prize winning writer who has written books about obituaries. I put all of them on my wish list and a few months ago, I finally tracked down a used copy of the one titled Obit.

                Interesting fact about Jim: he was inducted into the Obituary Writers’ Hall of Fame, which I did not even know was a thing until I read this book. And, by the way, that Hall of Fame is overseen by the International Association of Obituarists, which I didn’t know was a thing (or a word).

                The book Obit features “inspiring stories of ordinary people who led extraordinary lives.” Each chapter is the story of someone who died and the things that made them who they are. The obituaries are not like the pieces we read in the newspaper. They aren’t lists of accomplishments and family members. They are live stories succinctly told in a few hundred words, and each one holds an important life lesson for the reader to take away.

                At the beginning of the book, Jim said, “When I began writing obituaries, my goal was to write about people whose names had never appeared in the newspaper, to find the stories that had never been told – and, just as important, the lessons they left behind…When Interviewing friends and relatives, one of the questions I always ask is, ‘What did you learn from this person’s life?’”

                I loved reading the stories of the people. Each chapter of the book was a different obituary, a different life story. Some were young, others old. Some had bee surprised by death and others waited for it to arrive. Some lived simply, others lived extravagantly. All of them left a mark on the world, and Jim Sheeler captured it in story form.

                I didn’t have something in common with every person I read about, but I did learn something from each of them.

                I hope my writing captures the lessons I learn from those around me, and I hope I put into practice the good things I learned from reading this book.

                Here’s to a June filled with more reading!

Dreams and Goals for June

 

The first day of June was, admittedly, not my favorite day, but let me tell you what I love about TODAY: it’s our 150^th monthiversary! I love Ryan, and I am grateful for how well he loves me even when I’m not having my best day. He’s full of grace, and I don’t take it for granted. Thank you, Ryan, for choosing me 150 months ago and for choosing me every day now! I love you with my whole heart!

                Also today…I want to share with you some of the goals I have for the month ahead. I have a feeling the month is going to fly, so I have tried not to overload the schedule. But I’m looking forward to what I have here!

Implement schedule changes. Ryan and I are working hard to bring some calm to a crazy schedule. This month will end his year-and-a-half long run as Boot Camp instructor at the gym, and as much as we have both enjoyed the routine and relationships that have come from that adventure, I think we both are excited for a change. I am also (from advice given in a seminary meeting) going to start weaving study time into my schedule now so it will feel normal when classes start. Though this is an addition, it’s a sit-and-be-calm addition.

Host some pontoon rides. We have a couple on the calendar already, and if the weather cooperates, I’d love to host a few more. Nothing formal or fancy – just an opening of the pontoon so people can enjoy a cruise around the lake.

Enjoy some days off. Since we don’t have children, our schedule doesn’t change as dramatically in the summer as other people’s do, but we do have some time off scheduled this month, and we are both really looking forward to it! There will be adventure, there will be fun, and hopefully some relaxation, too!

Learn how to contour makeup (better). A couple of months ago, I bought a contour makeup palette to use in place of concealer. I really do love the makeup itself. It feels much lighter than concealer, and I love how it looks under the powder. Unfortunately, I still haven’t mastered actually mixing the multiple colors to highlight and lowlight. I need to figure it out for real!

Savor summer. I really want to do a great job of appreciating and savoring something special and sweet each day of these summer months. It doesn’t have to be extravagant. I just want to soak up the beauty of the season!

                That’s it for me. How about you? Any plans for June?

Sunday Snapshots: Memorable Moments from the Week

 

I appreciated the beauty (literal and figurative) of this past week and the moments that stuck in my mind as extra sweet. The week provided a great end to the month of May, and today I want to show you some of the sweetest memories.

Even though I declared my church office complete, there will forever be tweaking of the space. This week, the tweaking came through adding a lamp to the empty spot in the corner. It reminds me of the lamppost in Narnia, and I love it so. It feels perfect to me right here.

My absolute favorite part of the whole week was our holiday on Monday. We had zero plans. I never did get ready. We sat and enjoyed throughout the entire day, and it was grand in such soul-filling ways. Ending the day watching a sunset over the lake felt like perfection.

Today is graduation Sunday at our church, and we’ll be honoring those who have achieved this milestone this spring. I had a chance to write notes to all our high school graduates, and I really loved sharing with them a verse that I hope they will take to heart throughout their lives, as well as my own congratulations on a milestone that matters.

Had some great meetings this week – and some great coffee. Though the meeting pictured here is a different one, one of the Zoom meetings I had was about starting school this fall, and it left me so encouraged and excited!

This month has continued to run on the cold side, which has made me sad for many reasons, including a lack of good walking weather. We finally had a great walk this week, and it was fun!

Ryan and I are not in the season of life where we attend many weddings, but I have a feeling this will change as our friends’ kids start to get married. We did go to one this weekend – and after the wedding, we had our own little ice cream date. It was freezing, we sat outside, and I was in a sleeveless dress, but it was still fun!

We had small group last night and the food theme was breakfast. I made gravy for the first time in my life, and it wasn’t too bad! It wasn’t as seamless as the fool-proof recipe promised, but it tasted good, so that’s what matters, right? Biscuits and gravy = Ryan’s happy place, so it was a good day for him!

                Enjoy the start of this new month, friends! Have a great day!

Saturday Suggestions: Inspirations for Your Weekend

 

Good morning, friends! Happy last day of May! I am excited for this day and for a new month that I hope to goodness brings some warmth and sunshine! Enjoy this little handful of fun for this last day of the month!

Have I tried any of these homemade ice cream recipes? I have not. But June arrives tomorrow, and I feel like we need to be prepared for summer by having some proper homemade ice cream recipes on hand! Some of these sure look extra yummy – and who can resist a good homemade hard shell recipe to go with it? (BONUS: If ice cream isn’t your thing, but s’mores are your go-to summer treat, check out these alternative ingredient ideas!)

One of the teens in our church told me recently that a teacher in her school said she doesn’t like to read, because when she puts down her phone, she misses it. We’re all a little too addicted to our phones, aren’t we? If you want to pull away from your screen this summer, here are some ideas to try! I don’t know that every single one zings me, but there are some good ideas on here. Worth saving and trying at least some! The list is robust, so you should be able to come up with some viable options from it!

Vermont is a state we haven’t crossed off our travel list yet, and despite the fact that this idea costs more than we like to pay (hello, frugal!), I think it sounds like so much fun. It’s a walking tour, where you start at a B&B and hike your way around to three more B&Bs. They provide dinner, breakfast, and trail snacks – and, of course, lodging – and they transport your luggage from inn to inn while you hike! I think it would be such fun to try.

If you are looking for ways to make June an extra-meaningful month, check out this lovin’-list of ideas. There are some really good ones on here! I got a few ideas from it that I hope to implement in our life, actually!

I love porch inspiration in general, and this post is all about long, narrow porches. That’s exactly what we have, and I found some cute ideas in here. The curtains, swings (we do have a glider), and string lights are my favorite pieces, and they are featured in a number of these examples! (BONUS: Last summer we bought new doormats at Lowe’s, and I still love them. They are blue and say “hello,” and they’re the perfect fit for the lake look. I love the unique fit of a round doormat, so here are a couple of fun ones to inspire you! Watermelon, rainbow, and pretty flowers.)

I enjoy Brooke’s style, though she doesn’t thrift her clothes…and she’s petite, so sometimes what works for her doesn’t work for me. So even though I probably won’t spring for any of the exact pieces she’s modeling, I’m excited about this new color-oriented series she is doing. So far she has a post on blue outfits and green ones – and I’m sure more will follow. I love her inspiration!

Updates on Dreams and Goals from May

This month has felt strange to me – probably because Memorial Day came a whole week before the end of May! It has been a full and busy month for us, and today I want to look back over how my dreams and goals went!

Plant flowers and our garden. Done! Ryan and I spent our May monthiversary going to the greenhouse to purchase the plants, and then the weather prevented me planting them for another week or so. I worried they would fizzle out waiting to get into the ground, but they didn’t! The flowers are filling out in their pots, and I’m starting to see some little signs of life from the plants I put in from seed!

Move into my new office. Done! Oh, how I loved moving into my church office! It really came together so beautifully, and I am excited to have a spot to work in there now. It was fun to get to share it with church friends when they came through for the tour.

Ponder (or more?) my education. I’m SO excited for all that happened in this department this month. I applied and was accepted to a master’s program. I’ll be pursuing a Master of Divinity through Grace Theological Seminary’s Deploy program. It’s daunting and wonderful all at the same time.

Catch up the scrapbooks. This was hard work! April and May were BUSY month with so much happening. We had birthdays and holidays and church moves and house projects and all kinds of things. For a while, I thought I would not catch up, both from the volume of things TO document and the lack of time to do it, but I got nearly there!

Finish well in the things that wrap up this month. I sure did my best! I finished teaching the 7-week Sunday School elective, and I just loved everything about that experience. I finished the semester of GriefShare I’d helped lead, and I finished my spring speaking. I learned a lot about my limitations during this time, and I am grateful for each experience.

Other adventures…

Ryan and I went on some fun little dates…ice cream, thrifting, new-to-us restaurants. I’m glad we were able to make time for us in all the busyness.

We got through Lexi’s mysterious illness that set her back for about a week. It was so strange. We never did fully figure out what happened to her, but we sure are happy to see her back to her old self.

Celebrated Mother’s Day with Mom. She came to our church, and then we took dessert to their apartment that evening to eat with them!

Attended our niece’s baby shower. She will be welcoming her first child next month!

May was a good month. Here’s to a sweet June! 

Favorite Recipes from May

 

It’s the end of the month, which means it’s time to talk recipes. I found some keepers this month…but I also made some modifications. I’ll note the things I did differently, just in case you want to alter them too! 😊

Spinach Feta Frittata – I love making frittatas for breakfast, because they’re so easy to reheat! This one was tasty, but I did make a couple of changes. I guess technically I do have an oven safe skillet, because I have cast iron, but for this, I just skipped sautéing the onions in a pan, mixed everything in a bowl, and put it in a pie plate and baked it for about a half hour. Delicious!

Antipasto Salad – I might have changed this one too much to even call it the same recipe! Instead of roasted red pepper, I used a regular red bell pepper. I skipped the pepperoncini and prosciutto entirely. And instead of making the vinaigrette it suggested, Ryan used a bottled Greek dressing we had in the refrigerator, and I didn’t use dressing. Other than that (ha!) it was the same and we loved it. We really love Greek flavors, so this was good!

Perfect Air Fryer Shrimp – I had never tried shrimp in the air fryer before, and I really liked it! The only change I made to this recipe was using smaller shrimp – simply because that was what I could find in the store when I went shopping. I made sure to shake the basket every few minutes to keep them moving around!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork – This was flavorful and good, but we did add some water (after cooking) because it came out very dry. There isn’t a ton of liquid in this recipe, so I wasn’t surprised that it was dry. I love slow cooker recipes right now because schedules are full, and I can’t always cook right before dinner.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins  - I have been eating these all week for breakfast, and they keep me very full! I don’t have a jumbo muffin pan, so I just used a regular one and count two muffins as one serving.

Green Goddess Cottage Cheese Dip – Mine didn’t turn green, and I think it was because I didn’t have fresh basil. I used dried, so it wasn’t the same on the color effect. But I love the taste, I love the protein in it, and I love the thickness of it. I really don’t love runny veggie dip.

Sheet Pan Hawaiian Chicken Dinner – I love a sheet pan recipe, but Ryan and I were both nervous about this one. We don’t like Hawaiian pizza, so would we like this? Turns out…we do! I used drained canned pineapple, and I used white onion instead of red. I also chose to mix up all the sauce and marinate the veggies and chicken together with it overnight before baking it on the sheet. Because the chicken was in small pieces, this cooked quickly, and that was helpful, because we were hungry!

Turkey Taco Salad with Avocado Ranch Dressing – There are two separate recipes there, and I like them both! I did use beef instead of turkey on the taco salad, because this is what we had in the freezer. I made my own fajita seasoning for the meat. The ranch dressing was so good…though I confess I forgot to buy cilantro, so it didn’t make it into the recipe.

                Hope you find something new to try!

Fun Finds from May

 

I found a handful of winners this month that felt like life winners. I’ll share them with you today and maybe you’ll enjoy them sometime too!

                Strawberry Planter: My parents had a huge garden when I was growing up, and part of the hugeness was a huge strawberry patch. I really love strawberries, and have wanted to try growing them here, but I’ve heard they tend to take over a garden once they start. Given that my garden is small and real estate is precious, I didn’t want to risk losing the whole thing to strawberries. I’ve long been fascinated by these towering planters, so I decided to get one. This year, as a starter, I put established plants in the top and purchased roots for the bottom parts. I don’t think the roots did anything – or at least I haven’t seen evidence of anything yet. The top part took off! I’ll have to keep tweaking this, but I do love the concept.

Porch Rug: You might remember that a few weeks ago, I purchased a porch rug from Walmart – to use in our dining room! I’d read on a blog that outdoor rugs are perfect for dining rooms, because they’re created to withstand spills. That day, when I chose the rug, I tried to pick between the twenty and forty dollar versions. For the dining room, I went with the $40 version, because it looked nicer. It was definitely the right choice for that room. But this month I went back and sprang for the $20 version for our front porch. The porch is very, very brown, and I thought a little color might help it. I love how it turned out!

                Hasfit Workouts: Ryan and I have tried several free, at-home workout channels over the last few years. We really liked Caroline Girvan, but her videos are close to an hour long, and almost all of those hours are filled with versions of squats and lunges. We also tried Nourish Move Love, and while we really enjoy those, Ryan doesn’t always love the catch-phrases the instructor uses quite often. (It’s not what she says. It’s the frequency with which she says it.) I found, on Instagram, a recommendation for Hasfit workouts, and we’ve been using them this month. We enjoy the variety, the non-annoying commentary, and the length!

Sarah Frazer Bible Reading Plan: This spring, I taught a Bible study elective at church, and one of the things we talked about doing was a read-through-the-Bible plan. I’ve done them before, a couple of ways, but I found this plan that takes longer than a year to read. (AKA you don’t rush through it.) I’ve started it, and I love the perspective. I have been reading an Old Testament chapter, a New Testament chapter, and a Psalm, and it amazes me how they seem to dovetail, even though they have nothing to do with each other. Only God’s Word, right?

Little House 50 for 50 Podcast: My friend Pat told me about this podcast, which I like because it’s on YouTube, and I can watch it rather than just listening. It was recorded around a year ago, when the cast was preparing for the 50^th anniversary of the show. There are 60+ episodes, and they feature actors and others associated with the TV show. There is occasional language, FYI, but there is also so much behind the scenes info that is really fun to hear. Now, if hearing these stories ruins the TV magic for you, you might not want to watch, but if not, it’s really interesting to hear how the different characters were cast, what they loved and didn’t love about their character and episodes, and more!

Car Chargers: Ryan and I regularly charge our phones while we are in the car, and our cords are forever getting twisted up in each other. Ryan found these retractable charging cords and got them for us. They definitely make the vehicle tidier, and we don’t have to dig cords out from under bags every time!