The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday was a good and lazy day after a crazy busy weekend. We watched movies most of the afternoon, including Open Water, which was a COMPLETE WASTE of my time; Ryan didn't know the rule about no movies with bad endings. He made it up to me with coffee flavored ice cream. :) It is some of the creamiest ice cream I've ever had! We did make a quick trip to the Goodwill just for funsies, and while we didn't find anything we needed, Ryan did try out some workout equipment. LOL!

* Monday I got a text from Ryan while I was at work...telling me he didn't feel well. My dad AND my brother-in-law were both sick over the weekend, so perhaps we Freelan women are sickening? :) He said he felt better by the time we were driving home, so I took my time and enjoyed the gorgeous - though freezing - day. I made sloppy joes and asparagus for dinner and then we hunkered down in the office and worked together {because I really needed to write a speech} - and the illness returned. He went straight to bed, and I stayed up for my workout. :(

* Tuesday was a first! Ryan stayed home from work - sick. That has not happened in our entire marriage. He woke up feeling terrible and tried to get ready to go, but I sent him back to bed. He was in no shape to work. So I left all the medicine beside him in bed, went to work, drove home in the CRAZIEST mess of sunshine and blue skies in part of the sky and blizzardy snow in the other part of the sky, and made him chicken soup for dinner! We watched a movie and he went back to bed. :(

* Wednesday, Ryan went back to work, even though I really thought he should have stayed home another day. He said he felt much better throughout the day, and we took it really easy that night to make sure he got extra rest. He and Braeya watched the Pacer game and I did my nails in a please-hurry-spring color. Other big news of the day: we shared on the air that WBCL reached its Share goal for 2014! Huge praise!

* Thursday was a rainy day, which made afternoon caffeine an absolute MUST at work. Ryan continued to feel better but his job is so physically active that by the time he came home, he was pretty wiped out again. So he rested, and I made cookies, did laundry, watched TV, did some writing and had one of my favorite snacks of late: cereal in a mug!

* Friday was a long day to end a long week - but we tried to squeeze in some fun! I did a crossword puzzle {I'm never smart enough for those, but this one was in People magazine and mostly about actors, so I stood a chance...with the help of Google.} Ryan and I went shopping at Hobby Lobby for a little bit, and we did our grocery shopping...you can see why I shouldn't leave him in charge of picking the meat to grill. HA!

 * Yesterday we woke up to {brace yourselves...} SNOW!!! Weird to see plants springing up through snow. Ryan and I went out on a breakfast date and then got ready to head to Fort Wayne so we could work at the Kari Jobe concert. I'd been so looking forward to this one...I love her! It was a great night - can't wait to tell you more about it.

The Saturday Six

One.

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A few months back, Lynne interviewed Gaby Dalkin on Mid-Morning. Everyone has a "thing" - and hers is avocados. Seriously. She's an avocado expert. ENTIRE COOKBOOK revolving around avocados - including chocolate chip cookies made with avocado to replace part of the butter. So when Gaby said this is the best guacamole recipe on the face of the earth, I'm inclined to agree and recommend it, even though I've never tried it.

Two.

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For several months, I followed the story of Janet Pate, a mighty woman of God who battled ovarian cancer. Janet passed away at the end of 2013, and her daughter Jordan has written some BEAUTIFUL posts in tribute to her mom. This one is actually about Janet's husband, who wasn't Jordan's biological dad, but sure did show the fatherly love of Christ to Jordan. I love a beautiful tribute, and this is one!

Three.

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Less is more, right? Been reading frequently lately about people who are abandoning their lifestyle of stuff in big houses and living a more compact life in a tiny house. While I don't think I'll ever be pushing for such tight quarters for myself, these houses on this site are SO. STINKIN'. CUTE.

Four.

New song out by Kari Jobe. Love her. Love the anthem-y feel of this song. Excited to see her in concert this weekend!

Five.

I am much better at blogging and Facebooking than I am at any activity on Twitter, but I found this article full of trivia facts about Twitter COMPLETELY fascinating. If you're ever on Jeopardy, one of these might get you through a category!

Six.

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Bruce Marchiano is an actor who portrayed Jesus in the film Matthew. The book he wrote about his experience in preparing for/portraying that role changed everything about how I viewed Jesus. I had the chance to interview him a couple of years ago...amazingly humble, Christ-filled man. I saw on Facebook this week that he's raising funds for a new pro-life movie and the Bible he used to prep for the filming of Matthew is part of his fundraiser! He said, "Every donation of $10 gets one 'ticket, $20 gets two, etc. At 9 p.m. EST Sunday, I'll put all your names in a hat and draw a winner. It's all for the cause of saving unborn lives, so please join us." This is the site for the movie and the donation.

Shellac at Home

I promise I do more than think about doing my nails...even though I realize this post, combined with yesterday's would lead you to believe otherwise. :)

So here's the scoop. Several years ago - like 12 or so years ago - I treated myself to manicures twice a month - as really my only treat in life. I wanted acrylic nails because I thought they were beautiful, but alas...the only small thing on my entire body is my nail beds. Too small for acrylics to fit. So my nail tech, Dee, had to hand-construct acrylic nails for me at every appointment. Bless her heart.

She moved, and I decided I needed to divert those funds elsewhere, so I gave up my appointments. Then about four years ago, I decided I wanted a treat again. So I called up Debbie, who came highly recommended, and told her I'd love to start coming to her regularly - if she could make me some nails. She agreed, but before my first appointment, she called back and said a brand new nail system {her exact words...I feel so official using them} had just come out and she thought it might be the perfect thing for me, if I wanted to try.

And that is how I started getting Shellac manicures. She described them as hybrid gel nails that went on like regular polish, but had a 2 week {or longer} staying power and wouldn't ruin my natural nails like acrylics. AND they were cheaper. OKAY!!

So Debbie did my nails until I had to give up manicures to buy more gas for my commute. And OH how I missed them when I had to quit going. I ended up doing my nails with regular polish about twice a week because they always chipped.

Ryan took pity on me and purchased a Shellac light for me for Christmas, and I used other Christmas money to buy the rest of the goodies, so I could start doing my nails at home.

Some of you have asked how I do it and what I use, so here's the scoop!!!

First...the light. This kind of manicure requires a curing under a UV light and this is the most expensive investment in the process. You can buy lights of all price ranges from all different companies. Ryan did quite a bit of research before making his purchase, and he settled on this one for me:

The great thing about this one is it's wide enough to cure both hands at once if I want...saves time from doing one at a time. And it has a variety of timing options on it as well:

I've been using it for 3 months now and it's working out great!

Now...to the rest of the supplies.

If I have polish on, I start by soaking it off with 100% pure acetone. There are 2 ways to do this. First way is to pour some in a bowl and soak your fingernails in it until the polish peels up and you can scrape it off. Works, but it's SO COLD! My nail tech used to tear apart a cotton ball into about 3 pieces, soak the piece in acetone, place it on top of my nail and then hold it in place by wrapping my fingertip in foil. So that's the method I use. {Removing polish the traditional rub-with-a-cotton-ball way does not work with this stuff.}

After I take off the polish, I cut and file my nails however I want them ,and then I wash my hands really well to get all the filing grit off there.

Then I use this to fully clean the nail the rest of the way:

It dehydrates the nail a bit and helps the polish adhere better.

Then I use this - which is actually by the Gelish company - as another bonding agent:

It brushes on like polish but disappears into the nail immediately, so you don't have to wait for it to dry.

Then it's time to do the base coat, top coat and color. I use CND and Gelish products - depending on whatever I can find that I like. Follow the directions on the bottle to see how long to cure that coat under the lamp:

After the entire base coat/color/top coat part is done, I take a cotton ball and rub a layer of rubbing alcohol over it. This finishes the process so completely that I can stick my fingers down in my purse and dig around as much as I want without chipping or gouging anything. TRULY AMAZING.

I'm really glad Ryan made it possible for me to do this at home; Debbie moved away, so this is the only way I'd get the nails done now! So far I only have two colors, but I'm excited to slowly build my collection. :) And it helps that one of my work buddies has an at-home system too, so she and I swap colors sometimes.

For those of you contemplating it...hope that helps!! :)

The Careers I'll Never Have...But They Fascinate Me Anyway.

If you'd told 18-year-old Bekah that she would one day work in Financial Aid, she'd have said, "I'm sorry....WHAT!?!?!!" And if you'd said to that same girl that she'd also work in radio, she'd have cracked up laughing on the spot.

Funny how God's paths lead, isn't it?

Financial Aid was a refining time and radio is a sweet joy I never expected to know.

And no...I'm not looking for a new career, but as I did my nails last night {at home, on the floor, in my jammies} I thought what I always think when I do my nails....this would be a fun job.

So I thought it might be fun to tell you the jobs I've always secretly thought would be fun to do...even though I'm sure they come with their own unique set of frustrations. And unless God has some really well-hidden plan in my future, I sincerely doubt I'll ever do any of these things. But it's fun to chat about anyway.

1. Nail Tech. I figured I'd start there since, you know, that's what got me started on this path. I haven't been one to go get a manicure every week in my adult life, but for two short seasons, I did treat myself to a little salon time on a regular basis, and both times I became dear, dear friends with my nail tech. Dee and Debbie made that hour something I not only looked forward to because it made me feel pretty, but because I just loved them. I loved swapping stories and sharing friendship with them. They touched my life in unique ways through our chats, and I've always thought that would be the neatest part of that kind of job.

I'm sure the long hours, the sometimes-canceled appointments, the picky clients, and the sometimes {gulp} less-than-hygenic crowd could make this a challenging occupation, but I still think it would be a fun one. {Who can't love playing with nail polish for a living?}

2. Massage Therapist. Oh wait. Just kidding. I don't want to BE one. I just want to GET a massage every week! HA!! Again...not something I've indulged in very often in my life, but every rare, rare, rare, now and then, I go for a massage, and oh my goodness. I'm sort of melting into the couch right now just thinking about it! My reasons for loving this are similar to the nail tech route...being your own boss and having the chance to help people relax and feel better are great things. Plus...being in a good-smelling room with soft lighting and sweet music all day can't hurt your blood pressure, right?

Again, the long hours, the hard physical work of delivering the perfect pressure, and being on your feet all day would be tough, but I would imagine that the occasional massage-swapping with someone else would make for that at least in part, right?

3. Working at a B&B. Not owning it. That's a lot of pressure. Just working there. I love beds and I love breakfast, so put the two together, and that's good, right? I've been to a handful in my day and always thought it would be fun to interact with the guests, cook the breakfast {gotta find one that serves breakfast around noon! HA!} and have a cute little innkeeper apartment to "commute" home to each evening. Talk about seeing only the good in the job, right?

I've actually read up quite a lot on this line of work and know it's awfully taxing. Guests can be hard to get along with, the work can be really physical and tiring, and the hours are long. And weekends? They're probably not happening. But still. It intrigues me.

4. Barista. You had to know coffee would make it on this list. You had to. I've never worked in a coffee shop and to be painfully honest, I'm not sure I'm smart enough to learn all the little techniques. But I hold fast to my position that any job spent literally immersed in coffee cannot be a bad one. And the story-lover in me has always felt it would be wonderful to get to know all the regulars and learn their drinks and serve them.

Again, pretty sure learning the craft might be beyond me...and I'm sure the inconsistency in hours would be hard to get accustomed to, but I still think it would be fun to try. Actually, of all the things on this list, THIS is the one that seems most likely to actually happen to me in a future season.

The common denominator here seems to be the joy of interacting with others. Jobs of service: sure, they can be hard, but man can they ever be rewarding.

Any secret job dreams for you? Tell me! I might want to dream about them too!!

Wednesdays in the Word: Verse G

I was reading one of Beth Moore's blog posts a few weeks ago, and she shared that she'd just finished eighteen monthsof intense writing on a new study. I was fascinated, impressed, and jealous of an 18 month writing spree...but her next statement stuck fast in my mind: "God knew what the 18 months surrounding that project would entail and He sustained my family and faithfully carried us through a very rough season."

So. True.

When you and I rush headlong into something God has called us to do, we rush with eager anticipation. It's going to be good. Great, even. A time of productivity and purpose. And it can be all those things. But oh goodness. How very easily it can also be a time of unrequested, unforeseen, and unrelenting trial and testing.

I remember back in 2010, when Isaac came to me with the news that he needed to go into a wilderness and work through some issues...and I sat and wondered what I would do with the time on my hands while he was "wildernessing." A few days later, God invited me into a desert of my own. The invitation came almost as a relief at the time...an assignment was mine, and I was eager to jump in. Eager to learn and to prove I was willing to do my part. Eager to rush through whatever healing and growth God had mapped out for me...and most of all, eager to be on the other side, in the Promised Land, with Isaac.

And the longer that journey stretched, eagerness was replaced with exhaustion. I was so weary of waiting for a sign of hope that the relationship would be restored. I was weary of no sleep...no appetite...no desire for life. And in those moments when I desperately wanted to quit the desert tour that had once felt so inviting, I would pace the floor of my house and say through a clenched jaw, "GOD!!! FIND ME FAITHFUL!"

And in the end, that was all I cared about. God slowly knocked my will away from me and taught me that the restoration of that relationship was of far less value to Him than my faithfulness in serving Him during its time of testing.

And in those times, Satan tempted...and lied...and pulled at me from every direction, urging me to fail, to give up, to turn my back on God, to walk away from the relationship...and I begged for this:

In the end, the relationship did not survive. My heart was broken, and yet at the same time, relieved. Relieved, because I knew the very death I grieved so completely also freed me to move forward into God's future for me.

I look back on that time now and see how very completely God worked in me to prepare me for Ryan, and I don't wish that time away for one moment. I'm thankful for the tenacity it taught me.

God's calling on a life brings purpose beyond the end result. The journey to get there, with all its obstacles, is as important as the thing itself.

We can't know, going into the journey, what it's going to mean for us or those we love. We get caught up in the excitement of the calling and what we believe it will mean, and we don't think much about what it might cost.

That's why I chose this verse. What a prayer to pray over your own heart. It goes straight to the core of the matter. Guard me. Deliver me. Don't let me be put to shame. You're my refuge.

I would so encourage you to pray this over yourself in whatever journey you face. He is faithful.

And THIS is Why I Hate Movies With Sad Endings.

Warning.

This post contains a spoiler.

{On a movie from 2003.}

So I'm not going to feel super bad about spoiling it for you. If you've not seen it in the last 11 years, I'll go out on a limb and say you had your chance.

I hate {read: H.A.T.E.} movies with a sad ending. This hatred began the day back in 1999 when I watched Message in a Bottle {alone} the same day my then-boyfriend flew home from visiting his parents. I hated the movie, I hated the ending, and I hated the hours of anxiety it provided while I bit my nails hoping his flight had a better ending than the ship in that movie.

I explained this to Ryan before we got married, but apparently I failed to mention that I hate all movies with sad endings.

And that, my friends, is how Sunday happened.

We were curled up on the couch, listening to the bitter not-spring-even-though-it's-spring wind howl outside, watching random shows on TV, and he said, AND I QUOTE, "Oh this is a good one!"

And that is how we began watching the TV, cleaned-up version of Open Water.

The man and woman in the movie were on vacation and went out on a scuba diving excursion. Somehow, in a horrid turn of events, they were left out in the middle of the shark-infested ocean when the boat headed back to shore without them.

And the majority of the movie was devoted to watching the two of them bob in the deep water, while the occasional shark fin surfaced nearby...wondering how long it would be before they were discovered missing and rescue efforts began.

I sat on the edge of the couch, sucking in my breath sharply when the man was bitten and the ocean around him turned bright red...and he, the calm one, began to panic and scream in fear. {I'd have been screaming in fear for HOURS, thankyouverymuch.}

The movie showed the nighttime storm and the woman holding him close while he slept...and then came morning. She kissed his cheek and cried, and I whirled around on the couch and said to Ryan, "IS HE DEAD????"

Ryan said, "Um, I think he might be."

I shouted, "YOU HAVE SEEN THIS MOVIE!! YOU KNOW IF HE'S DEAD! IS HE DEAD?"

"Little bit."

And not only was he dead, y'all, but she unhooked his scuba gear and pushed him away!!! I grabbed Ryan's shirt and said, "SHE JUST PUSHED HIM AWAY! I WOULD NEVER PUSH YOU AWAY! NEVER!"

I glanced at the clock. There was still a good half hour of movie left. My heart beat faster and I watched the man cleaning the boat discover their stash of clothing under the seat...the manager of the hotel check their room...and helicopters rush through the sky. She would be saved!!

And then as I strained to hear the whir of the chopper blades, I watched as that woman took off her scuba gear, plugged her nose and disappeared beneath the surface.

Credits.

I looked at Ryan and said "SHE DIES TOO???????????????????????"

He was beginning to realize this may not have been our best movie option.

I continued. "WHY WOULD YOU LET ME WATCH THIS MOVIE? THIS IS A TERRIBLE MOVIE!!!"

He said - and I admit this was a bit funny, but don't tell him I think so - "Well I figured our chances of going scuba diving were pretty slim, so it wouldn't matter if you saw it."

Slim? They're non-existent now, Buddy!

He reminded me that the movie was based on a true story. I said, "Well if they both died, how do we know this is how it happened?"

Speculation.

Well if we're going to speculate, howsabout we speculate THAT THEY LIVED???????

So we went ahead and deleted that one from the DVR. And after watching me mope about the house for the rest of the day, pleading "Please don't die. Ever. Please promise me you won't die!!"...I think he's figured out that I really hate all movies with sad endings.

Not just Message in a Bottle.

Winter Jam 2014!

Last year, the Winter Jam tour came to Fort Wayne on a frigid Sunday in January. The crowds were huge...so huge, in fact, that the arena filled up, an overflow room filled up, and hundreds more didn't even get in the building, after waiting outside for hours. Ryan and I worked the concert together and had a great time.

This year, Winter Jam was scheduled to come to Fort Wayne on a Thursday, and I wondered how and if that would affect the crowd. The concert draws a huge teen crowd, and it's hard for some students to get away on a school night, with classes running late for some {making up snow days an hour at a time} and extracurricular activities and such.

I wasn't scheduled to work it, but filled in for one of my co-workers, who had a scheduling conflict. I was excited about the lineup but so sad to be apart from Ryan for the night. It just wasn't practical for him to drive all the way to Fort Wayne after work. :(

Thought I'd share with you some of my favorite moments!

Ran into my friends, the Hancocks, while we were there! See that cutie on the left? I was there when she was born! Two years ago, right?? :)

This is one of my newest favorite groups: Love and the Outcome.

They're relatively new on the music scene; Ryan and I first saw them last fall, I think, when they were a last minute replacement for an opening act at a concert we worked. They're a husband and wife duo from Canada who hit the road after selling everything they had to go into full time music ministry.

And they are t.a.l.e.n.t.e.d. Any person who can play the keyboard, the drums AND sing all at the same time has my respect!

They performed their radio single, which I love: He Is With Us.

A little later in the concert, during a love offering, they came back out on stage and did a series of worship choruses. Really, really enjoyed them.

Newsong hosts Winter Jam, and I was so glad they did their classic song Arise, My Love during their set. That song gets me every. single. time.

 If you click on the link to the song you'll see a video of the most amazing art that went along with the song. {Note: sound quality is TERRIBLE in that video, but watching the artist at work is worth putting up with the bad sound.}

This artist came on stage while they sang and painted {with his HANDS} the face of Christ.

Amazing.

Another of my favorite artists: Plumb. And I'd never seen her live before, so I was really excited that she was in the lineup.

Plumb {real name: Tiffany} has an amazing testimony of how God restored her broken marriage...and it was so beautiful to hear her tell what God had done for them.

I like all her songs, but Need You Now is one of my faves and I pretty much cried all the way through it that night.

And the other group I was so excited to see live {for the first time} was Tenth Avenue North.

My hands-down, all time favorite song of theirs is Worn. Cried all the way through that one too.

 

I thought this group was so sweet...their lead singer went up into the crowd and stood there for a while, singing right in the middle of all the people!

{See him? It's like a Where's Waldo picture.}



Even though it was a long day and a late night, it was such a beautiful night of worship.

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday...we started celebrating Ryan's birthday! Yeah it's not until April, but this year is the big 3-5, so I decided to start celebrating WAY early. He found his first treat...a card from me...waiting for him on the bed while he was getting ready for church! It's going to be such a fun few weeks leading up to his big day! We had the WHOLE DAY at home together - during which we may or may not have made TWO pots of coffee and watched a lot of TV. It was so perfect.

* Monday was St. Patrick's Day - which oddly enough, is one holiday I don't really celebrate. I normally celebrate everything that gives me a good reason to have a party. Not sure why I skip over this one!  Ryan and I got to be home together the whole evening, so I decorated the house for Easter and we filled out our March Madness brackets!

* Tuesday. Ohhhhhhh, Tuesday. We really probably shouldn't even talk about it. It was a long, hard day, and I had every hope, as I drove home, that the evening would be lovely, just like Monday. It was warm enough to run the cool air in the car {yay!!!} and then I came home to...the moat around the house. And the news that we wouldn't have water all night. And the mess. And the frustration. And the mounting bill. A few tears and dinner at Culver's did make the night some better. That Ryan. He's a saint to put up with me.

 * Wednesday, the plumbers came back and TURNED ON THE WATER!!! I was a happy girl. The yard is a mess and we'll spend a good number of months cleaning that up, I'm sure, but we are functional again. And I was OVERJOYED to find the first concrete signs of spring on the property: buds on the trees and tiny shoots of flowers pushing through the earth. Thank. You. Jesus! Ryan and I worked hard that night getting things done at home - so thankful for Ryan's help - especially when he goes to the store to buy hair color for me. Husband of the year!

* Thursday was a LONG day. Not in a bad way. Just a LONG day. Got up at my normal pre-dawn hour and packed up for the day because...I worked the Winter Jam concert in Fort Wayne. It was a really wonderful concert...but sad. because Ryan couldn't go with me. He left me the sweetest love note and a Cadbury egg in my lunchbox...which made me feel better.

* Friday evening was SO fun. We went to a Sunday School class party...our first "extracurricular" event at our new church. {We've been there almost a year.} We have started making new friends there and this gave us a chance to spend time with them outside of church. The food was so good, and it was just such a joy to be able to have a night out with a big group of friends. Much needed.

* Yesterday morning, we were both EXHAUSTED, but had to get up early so Ryan could work and so I could get ready to spend some time with my friend Amber. She and I had a Starbucks date followed by an extended visit to the Hobby Lobby. And then last night, Ryan and I went to our friends' house for dinner and a March Madness party.We learned a new card game AND I got a great new Pinterest dinner idea. Happiness abounded.

The Saturday Six

One.

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You know I have a tender spot in my heart for families who have to say goodbye to their sweet babies. I found this blog post this week that is so heartbreaking - yet written so powerfully. After doing some research, I discovered the writer penned one of my favorite songs - One Thing Remains.

Two.

Make no mistake. I am SO OVER winter. But these pictures from the very talented Amy Sprunger make me SO WANT TO VISIT South Haven, Michigan in the winter. {And all the other seasons.} I couldn't use a picture on the site here, so trust me - just GO LOOK. Amazing.

Three.

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Can't let the week go by without giving a shout out to my alma mater {and the place where I worked for the first 11 years of my adult life} - for winning the men's basketball NAIA Division II National Championship. First time the men have claimed that title, and even though I'm not a huge sports buff, I'm impressed and proud of them!

Four.

You guys know I'm a huge fan of The Honest Toddler. I've often wondered when/if he/she will ever get a sibling. I don't know if that day is approaching or not, but this whole post on the Infant Sibling Disease Threat Level is HILARIOUS. I especially like "Roger's" take on it.

Five.

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In the land of blogs posts I wish I'd written: this one. Never will I look at the Mount of Olives the same again.

Six.

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Wins my invisible prize for out-of-the-box thinking. Check it out here.

From Bekah's Noggin

Last night I worked the Winter Jam concert in Fort Wayne.

That means I was out WAY past my bedtime on a school night. As a result, you get randomness from my noggin today.  I would apologize, but the truth is, it's better than me trying to be all deep after a late night concert. :)

* Strawberry shortcake season has RETURNED to Ivanhoe's. We learned that it had been scheduled to be back when we were there last Saturday, but ALAS, there was a delay in the shortcake bakery, so...no strawberry shortcake for us. Sadness abounded, but they say good things come to those who wait, so I'm planning to not wait long until this good thing comes to me:

* Having a husband who will go to the store and buy hair color for you is one of those rare gifts they don't prepare you for in the marriage books. Having a husband who has no hair himself who will go to the store and by hair color for you is just funny.

* Does anyone else fill out March Madness brackets based on things like the sound of the school's name and their team colors? Oh. Is it just me?

* Random embarrassing moment from this week: I came home from work on Tuesday to find a guy named Doug digging in the trench in my front yard. I got out of my car, walked up to the trench, started taking pictures for the scrapbook, and struck up a conversation with Doug about the work he'd been doing {very well} all day. About halfway through the conversation he said, "Do you live here?" Apparently I'd failed to introduce myself and I looked like a neighborhood wackadoodle who just goes up to random houses and starts taking pictures.

* Ryan brought me a Cadbury egg the other night because he knew I'd had a tough day and things like Cadbury egg treats would make me so happy. There is no picture of said egg, because, as previously mentioned, it had been a tough day and it didn't really last long enough for a photo shoot.

* I love the realtor.com app, and very little in life makes me forget my worries like looking at houses and imagining furniture placement. It's fun and not as labor intensive as actually moving the furniture.

* Next week I'll let you take a peek at Winter Jam. :)

Rippling Prayers

I love it when God teaches me something new...granted I prefer it when the lesson comes via words on paper and not hands-on trial, but I really do try to accept the lessons regardless of how they're delivered.

Yesterday I learned something {and maybe this has already crossed your mind, but it hadn't mine!} and loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you.

Ryan let me read a note his friend Shawn wrote to him...and this one particular line leaped from the page and stayed at the very front of my mind the entire day. Shawn was writing about our marriage and the impact it has had on his life, and he wrote these words: No doubt her prayers for you were also helping me through all these years.

Did you see that?

No doubt her prayers for you were also helping me through all these years.

If you've spent much time here at the blog, you know how often and how fervently I prayed for many years for my Mr. Missing. Before I even knew he would be Ryan...I prayed for this man out there somewhere who would be my husband.


Though I didn't know who he was or where he was or what might be happening in his life on any given day, I would pray over it for that day. I prayed for health and protection and his journey with Christ; anything I could think to pray over someone I didn't know...I prayed.

And then I prayed before we started dating...over a relationship that might be...or might not be...and I prayed for his wisdom and direction and leading and decision-making when it came to the two of us.

I confess that in my mind, all those prayers were about two people...and the future.

It never entered my mind that in praying those prayers, I wasn't just praying over Ryan...I was also praying over all the lives he would impact with his life.

Like Shawn.

Have you ever considered it? How the people you labor over in prayer...are impacting others and your prayers ripple out to cover them too, even though you might not know their names.

Shawn's words were a healing answer to prayer as I read them. For all those days I prayed and felt my prayers were going nowhere...God was not only using them to prepare Ryan, but he was using them as Ryan's life in that moment...prepared others.

Only God.

Wednesdays in the Word: Verse F

I told Ryan last night that I wasn't sure I could...or perhaps more importantly...should...write this post today, because I wasn't sure I was in the right frame of mind to give or receive anything of spiritual significance.

Yesterday was trying...from all angles. I won't even go into all the drama, but I think you'll understand how trying it was when I tell you I was too frustrated to cry. Whoa. Let THAT sink in. I actually didn't even know that was Bekah-ly possible.

Came home from work to relieve my mom from house sitting while the plumbers worked. It was digging day, so I expected a hole in my front yard. I wasn't entirely prepared for a trench in the front yard. But a trench is what we had, along with two men encrusted in mud pumping water out of a hole by the street. That can't be good.

I greeted them warmly and came inside to rest for a bit, because the day had wiped me out, and when I woke up a couple of hours later {feeling that awful achy feeling in my bones}, I could tell things had taken a turn for the worse during my nap.

Ryan was in and out and the bottom line was...we were going to be waterless for the night.

Even though I had called home at 2 in the afternoon to ask about water for the night...so I could make other plans accordingly if necessary. Oh no. We would have water. And in truth, the guys working in the hole did everything in their power to make sure we did have it...it just didn't happen.

And I cried. Ryan consoled me with a trip to Culver's...and I called my friend Ronda to see if I could possibly borrow a shower for the night...and of course while we were there, we filled up our pitcher to make coffee in the morning.

And somewhere in there, I sat on the couch feeling ever so defeated, from every angle, and I stared at my verse for this week:

Ryan asked me what I was going to do, and I said I'd postpone the verse and write about something else instead...but as I washed my hair in a borrowed shower, it hit me. I need this verse this week possibly more than any other.

When I'm facing long hours away from Ryan, and rising gas prices, and a house that needs to sell, and ever rising plumbing bills and frustrations, and uncertainty about the plans for our future, and...and...and...

...those are the moments I need thoughts of God's truth and honor and purity and loveliness and excellence.

...those are the moments I need to praise. No matter what.

Because as I stood in that borrowed shower, I felt the pang of conviction that our waterless night was just that...a night. And in the span of that night, I didn't go to bed thirsty or even smelly. Some people don't have that. Ever.

And then God brought to my mind one of Ryan's friends, whose mom sustained a head injury a few short weeks ago and every day, he sits by her bed knowing this might be the last day. And despite that deep pain, he posts words of praise even in his grief.

True. Honorable. Just. Pure. Lovely. Commendable. Excellent. Praiseworthy.

I don't have it down...but I'm learning.