Happy birthday to ME!

So it's been almost a week now, and you've been so patient...as I'm sure you've been on the edge of your SEAT waiting to hear about my birthday! {Ha!!}

I really appreciate how much Ryan gets that my birthday is MY HOLIDAY. {And just so you don't think I'm selfish...I take this viewpoint on everyone's birthday. Everyone deserves a personal holiday!}

So he got up early and while I was still regaining consciousness, he placed this on the bed:

When we were dating, he bought me this journal, and we would swap it every week, writing to each other about our thoughts, verses we found...whatever. Then on Sundays {the only day of the week when we were guaranteed multiple hours together} we would read our entries to each other. We have kept up the tradition even in marriage, though the entries aren't daily now. He'd written a few for me leading up to my birthday and gave it to me with my gift!

And then...

It's the mark of a grownup: coffee and cupcakes in bed on your birthday. Oh, yes please.

SOMEONE wanted to help me blow out my candles.

After I ate, I hunkered down with the journal to read his thoughts to me. {tear.}

Meanwhile, SOMEONE stole the bow off my gift. :)

I had NO idea what he got me for my birthday...not even a clue. He was so excited for me to open it - talked about it for days leading up to my birthday. I held the box in my hands...it was heavy. Still no clue.

So I started to open it...

I stared at the box. It said Surface. I said to Ryan... "What is it? I'm so confused." He said, "SERIOUSLY!?!!!? You don't know!?!?!? You saw the commercial and said it's what you wanted!"

Whoopsie.

So I kept digging.

DING DING DING!!!!!

I figured it out! It's a TABLET!!!!!

I really am an idiot. How in the world I forgot what this one is called is beyond me and mine. I HAD seen the commercial, and I liked it because it's Windows compatible, so you can use Word on it. For this writer girl...that's a selling point.

Having said that, I never in my natural lifetime expected to actually OWN a tablet, so this was a huge, wonderful surprise!

And Braeya ate the plastic.

I didn't take the day off work this year, so I drove to work and enjoyed MANY wonderful gifts from my co-workers. A resounding theme was chocolate and coffee.  They were so good to me!

It POURED all day long, which was sad, but I didn't care! I still celebrated! Ryan and I hurried home from work and headed out for our evening date:

We went to the Pizza Shack in Tipton...

It's a buffet place...and it is GOOD.

And then we made our way to the cutest old theater...to finally see Heaven is For Real.

 It's this darling little one room theater with tons of character:

I really loved the movie. There was only one part where I thought the theology was bad, but the storyline was GREAT and it seemed to represent the book well!

It was POURING when we left, so we came straight home and...that was how I turned 36!!

You Are (In)vited

You know what one of the hardest parts about being a commuter has been? {Aside from the alarm sounding at 4:30 a.m. and sinking half my paycheck into gas pumps?}

Missing out on small groups.

There's only so much time in the day, and I've had to learn to make choices...sometimes hard choices...to say no to something really good...something I would really love...because I just don't have the time.


That was true even before I got married, and it's even more true now. I waited so long for marriage, and I want to be sure to fully invest in this relationship, so I can build my part of a solid and lasting foundation with Ryan.

I used to attend a Bible study every week. I used to TEACH study groups. I used to go out with all kinds of friends for girls' nights. But it seems that the switcharoo to being a commuter meant I couldn't commit to those kinds of things very often anymore. I never know when I might have to work an evening or weekend, and I hate backing out of commitments, so I just stopped committing quite as often.

And I miss it.

I miss the accountability and the sharing. I miss the friendships and the fun. And I miss having the opportunity to lead. To invest in other women.

God knew this desire of my heart, and I waited before Him for something to change so I could have these opportunities again, and something did indeed change. Not at all what I expected, but something pretty wonderful anyway.

You know the (in)courage website, right? They have blog posts every day, written by all kinds of women in all kinds of life stations, that encourage you and let you know you're not alone in {insert situations in life where you may feel alone}.

And a while ago, they tried an experiment to see if women would like it: they created these community groups for women to join...to talk about different topics. Online groups, led by women, for women. And it worked. Women loved it.

So it's happening again! From Bible studies and book studies to fitness to marriage, motherhood and more, there will be over 70 groups starting up that will meet online from May 26 to July 4 to talk, to pray, to offer ideas, and to make new friends.

And this season, I am so excited to have the opportunity to co-lead one of the groups. To be one of these women:

 My brand new friend, Amy Moore, is co-leading a marriage group with me. I am excited to have her as a new friend, not only because she's a lot of fun, but also because she's been married longer than I have, and I know I have a lot to learn from her!

If you're like me and you've been missing/wishing for a group of people to spend time with, but you don't have time to go to an in-person study or you just don't KNOW anyone in the same boat, this could be the thing for YOU. You can see the whole list here, and starting TODAY through Sunday, you can sign up to be part of a group!

I am so excited about this season...about making new friends and learning more about how to be an intentional wife, even as I help Amy lead our group!

And I'd love for YOU to be part of it too! :)

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday we hosted the Mother's Day Mommapalooza! We hosted a total of 13 people at our house {including ourselves} and had a cookout in our backyard! It was great to have my sister here and two of Ryan's siblings here as well. Lots of hard work, but it was a great day, and our moms seemed to have fun!

* Monday morning, Ryan surprised me with birthday week treat number one: when he took my car out to put gas in it before I left for work, he also ran through Starbucks' drive thru and got my favorite drink! He hid it in the kitchen cabinet and told me to pick out my travel mug for the day! What a great way to start the day! We had a webinar at work....so I took my scribble paper and TWO drinks. Afternoon meetings and this girl don't mix well. And that night, we had a lousy run and leftovers from Sunday's cookout! Then...we rested.

* Tuesday morning's birthday treat: Ryan got up early and made breakfast for me, and we had a date in the pirogi in the wee hours of the morning before work. He had the morning off and met with the insurance adjuster about our poor roof...and I went to work, where we had a cookout! It was scrumptious! After work, we headed tot he gym {lousy run number two of the week for me} and then we came home where I wrote and worked on my treats for work on Wednesday!

* Wednesday was my ACTUAL birthday, and Ryan began the day well by bringing me a cupcake and coffee in bed...and Braeya helped me blow out the candles. My work buddies spoiled me greatly and Ryan and I had a GREAT evening, despite the monsoon rain that fell. We went to the Pizza Shack for dinner and finally got to see the movie Heaven is for Real. Of course I'll give you the full, picture-filled recap soon, but for now, here you go!!

 * Thursday was a very busy day at work - and the morning guys brightened up the day by "pooling their resources" to buy me a gift and card. {Paint by number kit and post it note.} Ha!! After work, I went to Starbucks to retrieve my free birthday drink and treated myself to a frappe! :) Then I came home and wrote thank you notes for birthday gifts. Lots and lots of thank you notes. I appreciated everyone loving on me so much!

* Friday I went on an outing with some friends during the day - and we paid a visit to Winona Lake. It was cold and rainy, but we had fun anyway! One of my favorite stores we visited had all kinds of spices, teas and soup mixes. Smelled SO GOOD! Ryan had a good day at work too - ice cream sundae day in honor of hospital appreciation week! For our date night, since we'd had such a long week, we took out Chinese food, stayed home, watched a movie and MIGHT have taken an extremely long nap. Maybe.

* Yesterday, Ryan worked, so I did some things here at home, and then I got dressed up and drove to Kokomo to meet Ryan for his cousin's wedding reception. She and her new husband were married in Jamaica last Sunday and had their at-home reception last night. It was a fun evening with dancing and a photo booth - and time spent with family! And cake!! :)

The Saturday Six

One.

Source

A while ago, I posted a link to the love story of Ian and Larissa...so I was VERY excited this week to read that they are writing a book about their extraordinary love and faith in God. The original love story is within this link, so check it out.

Two.

This week I got my first taste of the new Yasso salted caramel bars. I have two words for you: BUY SOME. So good. And by so good, I mean, of course...I could have eaten the entire box.

Three.

I got my first piece of Origami Owl jewelry this week...as a birthday gift from my mother-in-law. Oh my word...how well does she know me!?!?!!? This is, most definitely, a beautiful description of my life in a locket. Love it.

Four.

Source

I interviewed one of the founders of the website She Reads Truth...and I just wanted to let you know {if you didn't know already} about this site! If you're looking for a good push into the Word, check this one out!  

Five.

Have we talked about MudLOVE here before? They make mugs and jewelry - and part of the proceeds go to helping provide clean water in Africa. I visited their store this week and got myself a treat...this necklace bearing the word that has come to mean so much to me.

Six.

I did NOT get this one...but when I went with a group to DeBrand Chocolates this week, I learned that THIS is their ice cream sundae. It sort of brings a sundae to a new level!  By the way - the BOWL is also chocolate.

Happy Mother's Day!

This past Sunday, Ryan and I had the privilege of hosting our blended family here in Shafferland for what came to be known by the morning guys as "Mommapalooza."

My dad doesn't cook {anything...ever...} so I always feel sad for Mom when she has to cook on her own holiday. So we invited them over and then extended the offer to Ryan's mom and siblings, and we were excited that they wanted to come!

When all was said and done, we had 13 people here in our little house...which is why we were ULTRA grateful that God held the rain for us so we were able to have fun outside in our yard.

I got a boatload of darling pictures that day that unfortunately I can't share on the old blogaroo because some of Ryan's family prefers to be blognonymous, but just trust me...it was a fun day of joy here in Shafferland.

What I can show you...starts with the food! We decided to create our own hot dog/hamburger stand. Like the B and K we have here in town. So here was our layout:

We set up tables and chairs in our pirogi and tried to make it welcoming...

Even added a few little fun things to the food area:

Made a dried beef cheeseball for people to munch on while they were waiting for lunch to begin. {And by people, of course, I mostly mean myself.}

For lunch...Ryan grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, and then we added some cheesy potatoes and cups of fruit and cups of veggies:

Ryan and I loved watching people sit around and enjoy the day. Here are a few of the things I was thankful for in that list:

 Ryan helped SO much - the day before and the day of - including taking charge of all the grilling. What a huge help!!!

 Mom got to enjoy reading our scrapbook before lunch - which she loves.

 Nita loves all her kids so much, and I really enjoyed watching her open her cards from them and savor the words inside.

 My dad and Allen {Ryan's step-dad} solving the world's problems together. Can't tell you how thankful I am for dads who enjoy each other and get along well.

 My birthday celebration was part of the day...and I got many wonderful gifts, including new gel polish!!!

 The Mama and me. Very thankful for her!

 This would be Mom not smiling because she was actually TALKING. The picture before this one was SO GREAT but she made me swear I wouldn't post it. I'm not sure why I'm actually complying, but I am. Anyway. Thankful to have my sister Julie with us!

 One of my FAVORITE parts of the day was when everyone sat around in lawn chairs just talking. It warmed my soul so much.

 Ryan and his mother...I'm REALLY thankful for these two and the love they have for each other and for me.

And again, God, thankyouthankyouthankyou for holding off the rain and giving us a PHENOMENAL day outside. I felt loved. :)

Vacation Miscellany

One more day of randomness and we'll call our 2nd annual birthday bash getaway...complete!! Here are some things that didn't fit anywhere else:

When we visited the windmill, they had an old village set up around it...you could walk around and interact with the people, who were in character. We stopped by a coffee shop of that period...and found that this would have been the work required to foster our addiction that many years ago:

Roast your own beans...grind your own beans...no coffee filters...warm it over a fire. In short: no Keurig and no Starbucks.

I might not have survived.

***

Saturday night, we walked through massive crowds toward a park to watch fireworks. Obviously not familiar with the area, we went where I thought we were supposed to sit and found tons of bleachers. We climbed to the top, sat, and waited.

It grew closer to dusk and the bleachers weren't filling up, so Ryan went to ask a security guy about the location of the fireworks. Turns out we needed to walk about three more blocks. Whoopsie! So I carefully made my way down the bleachers...and do remember that I'm scared of heights - and OPEN heights at that.

Ryan helped by taking my picture. And special thanks to that red headed lady there at the bottom, who said to me when I finally landed safely on the ground, "OH! That was you coming down. I thought it was thunder."

***

We ended up with a MUCH better view....

...marking the second time we've watched fireworks together, and both times...they were over a lake. It's really the only way to go.

***

Speaking of "a way to go," we noticed when the fireworks began, that there were some mysterious green lights that floated around above us.

In the photo above, it's the white dot at the top far left of the picture. Because I am, in fact, an avid watcher of Lifetime and SVU, I concocted no less than half a dozen scenarios for what this little UFO wannabe might be...and spent most of the fireworks show keeping an eye on it and hoping to NOT be the next day's headline. It came to the ground after the fireworks ended, and Ryan, who does NOT watch Lifetime or SVU, went over to check it out. While he was gone, I devised a couple of plans for getting back home to Indiana if left by myself in the great state of Michigan.

As you might expect, he returned to me in one piece with the news that it was a remote control camera, taking pictures of the fireworks from above.

No longer afraid, I concluded what any reasonable girl would: I want one.

***

I call this piece, "Duck meets car."

 ...sans his diaper.

***
 

 ...self explanatory...

***

Car karaoke. It's how we survive drives back to reality.

 ***

It's not a true Shafferland vacation until this girl finds herself a Sonic.

 ***

Dear waitress at the BW3's...if I say I want my pork without BBQ sauce, can I just have it without an argument on the potential blandness of the meat? I actually do know what I like. And plain pork it is.

There you go! Vacation complete!!

Wednesdays in the Word: Verse N

Anyone else get saved about 417 times growing up? Yeah, I was one of those kids. Every time they gave an altar call at church {do churches even do that anymore??...not gonna lie...miss that...} I'd rush to the front with the rest of the teens and get re-saved. It seemed that the hardest lesson of that season of my life was absorbing that Jesus really had saved me. I asked Him to and He did. And that was that.

I think the last time I got saved was toward the end of high school, when I was babysitting two of my regular kids, and rather than watching their standard choice of Homeward Bound, they chose Aladdin for their evening movie. Somewhere after the magic carpet ride through the cave of molten lava, I took a "bathroom break" and asked Jesus into my heart one more time...because that animated lava reminded me anew I did not want to go to hell.

That time seemed to "take" in my mind. I settled into being assured that I belonged to Jesus...heart, mind, and soul.

But just as that happened...it seemed I faltered in another area. Maybe you're with me on this one too:

The comparison games began...and oh how they intensified as I got older and began exploring life as an adult.

This friend could sing...beautifully. If I could sing beautifully, I could find so many ways to serve and minister within the church.

That one had the gift of teaching. And so did I...I was told...but oh...if only I had her poise and grace and wisdom...I could really teach. Really go places with that.

She was a mom, and a good one. {There was a season when I wanted to be a mom...and being around moms really got to me. I wanted to be able to shape a young life like my friends could do with their kids. Over the years, my desire for that changed, and it's no longer something I crave, but for many years, I felt like I fell short because I didn't fulfill that role...and at that time in my life, I couldn't.}

This one had the gift of hospitality. People gravitated to her home, and not because she threw elaborate parties or lived in a mansion, but just because it was a warm, lovely place to be, and I wanted people to feel that way about my home.

And oh...did you see her? She writes. Not just in a journal...but books. Books that people read and love.

And with each comparison, I began to convince myself that nearly every person on earth had a significant place in the body of Christ...except me. I knew I had gifts and talents, and I did use them to the best of my ability, but I felt they still paled in comparison to those around me.

For years and years and {sometimes still this very day}...the comparison game gets the best of me. It takes a conscious retraining of my mind every time it happens to remember that I am just as important in the Body of Christ as the best author, the best radio host, the best homemaker, the best wife, the best teacher, the best singer, the best mom...

...Jesus views me with as much love and tenderness as He does each of His other children. And regardless of how big or small my role ends up being in the world at large, my job is to do it well. And my offering, combined with the offerings of those who serve around me...matters.

So. Much.

It's a lesson I learn as many times as I got saved as a kid. And one day...one day...I pray it sticks forever.

Coffee and Chatting

Tomorrow is one of my favorite days of the year: my birthday.

I wish all of you could come over for a big party. We could have cake. And Ryan could grill burgers, because we still have some left from our Mommapalooza on Sunday. We could drink coffee and sit in the pirogi and enjoy the day.

That sounds like a splendid birthday to me.

And I'm excited about this birthday week, because Ryan apparently has little surprises up his sleeve all week long. Yesterday morning was the first one, and it's kind of funny. Wanna hear? After an incredibly hard-work-filled weekend, we had crazy thunderstorms here Sunday evening, meaning I got minimal sleep. Woke up Monday morning...exhausted.

Ryan always makes my coffee before I leave for work, so I asked if he could be sure to use a Starbucks K-Cup, so I could have maximum caffeine in my Monday drink. He agreed. When it was time to pack up and leave, he said to me, "Hey which travel mug do you want to use today?"

He opened the cabinet of mugs and I perused. I spied the big brown one in the second row, right behind a smaller, white cup and said to him, "OOOH! The brown one!" I stepped forward to move the white cup to hand him the brown one...and noticed...the white cup was full.

Yep.

He'd sneaked out to Starbucks while I was getting ready, and surprised me with my favorite grande nonfat white chocolate mocha with two shots of raspberry.

And I was so busy hunting the biggest cup, I completely MISSED Starbucks in the front row.

And that was my Monday surprise of a birthday treat. Starbucks before work.

My heart filled with joy for obvious reasons {the aforementioned Starbucks before work on a Monday} and also other reasons.

It's still not lost to me that after years of praying...and asking...and crying...and wondering...and hurting...and more praying...God has given me the gift of a husband. And not just a husband, but a husband who understands just how important my birthday is to me...and he celebrates me in ways he knows I'll love.

Last week, I met with a friend who is hurting, and as I listened to her hurt, I was so thankful to be able to say - without hesitation - that the good men are still out there. They're not lost. They're not extinct. Waiting for them may seem to take an eternity, but when found....what a treasure.

To my single friends reading today...if you're celebrating birthdays alone and aching for someone to celebrate you on that day, don't give up. Even on the days when you not only want to throw in the towel, but you want to throw it in, stomp on it and burn the thing...don't give up. If this is the deep desire of your heart, keep praying for the God who knows the desires of your heart to sustain you in the waiting, to prepare you for the one He has made for you, and to prepare the one He is molding for you even now.

To my married girls reading today...if you once prayed for love and God sent love to you...don't take that man for granted. Don't forget the days of waiting and hurting and longing. Love that man with the intensity you want to be loved and pray for him to continue to be made into the man God knows he can be.

To my married guys reading today...love that woman God has given you as Christ loved the church. Learn her, love her and cherish her in ways that protect and grow her heart. Spoil the daylights out of her. Give her cause to assure her waiting friends that good men exist. Find single guys and teach them to love well.

Thank you, God, for the privilege of completing one full year of my life bearing the title of wife. Thank you for this man who served me one year ago tomorrow by bringing me breakfast in bed, complete with a rose, and made my birthday evening delightful by taking me for a walk and photo shoot in the park because he knew how I'd love it.

Thank you for the ways he spoils me every day of the year by fixing my coffee and breakfast before work...by filling my gas tank multiple times a week...by encouraging me as we go for runs, even though he knows I struggle with them...by putting an arm around me in church...by praying over me when I'm anxious...by believing in my writing and ministry dreams...and by laughing with me every single day.

35 has been a great year. I'm excited to celebrate the start of year 36 tomorrow...with a thankful heart.