The Saturday Six

One.


So I think this is just COOL. This story isn't brand new but I don't think I ever shared it on here before. Ryan and I went to high school with Natalie's mom, and last week, I watched part of a Michigan softball game on TV just so I could see Natalie in the dugout! :) 

Two.

Got a couple new gel polishes for my birthday...here's one of them. I don't believe in such a thing as too bright for the summer. :)It's a little more purple-y in real life than it looks in this picture.

Three.

We received a copy of the Nester's new book....The Nesting Place...this week. I had the BEST TIME looking/reading through it. Excited that Lynne is interviewing her soon about this book. It's different from most books because it has PICTURES! :)

Four.

It's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!! America's Got Talent is back for another season and I've already laughed so hard I cried. Auditions are the best. :)  Anyone watch this week? Jaycob Curlee...the singer at the end...made me bawl my ever-loving eyes out.

Five.

Oh you guys. It's happening again. The itch to cut the hair. There could be a whole blog post on those reasons alone. There is the possibility I'll go back to something like this. It's either that or become Ryan's twin.

Six.

Source

Read this article this week about Jessica Thorne, who graduated from IWU just like I did - but I also remember her from my growing-up days at church! So excited to read that she's following God's leading in her life and bringing awareness to things Satan would prefer to keep in the dark!

Asparagus

Asparagus, I thought, was the cutest character in Veggie Tales. Junior Asparagus, that is. But to eat? No thank you.

I never had a single stalk of asparagus when I lived at home with my parents. We were a green beans, peas and corn sort of vegetable family. Asparagus was a little beyond us.

My first time to ever have it was at a wedding. A fancy wedding with a formal dinner that challenged my knowledge of fork selection. The stalks stared at me from the plate, cold and stiff...and when I dared to taste one, it was bland and hard.

My suspicions were confirmed. Asparagus was yucky, and my parents were wise in choosing to exclude it from our daily diet.

Then came that one night when {before Ryan} I spent the night at Lynne Ford's house. If you listen to Mid-Morning you know Lynne is health conscious. Scrumptious meat sizzled on the grill and I spied a clump {proper term? I don't know} of the offensive asparagus on the kitchen counter.

My mama raised me right. You don't go to someone's house for dinner and turn up your nose at anything served. You at least try it. So I watched as Lynne flitted about the kitchen, preparing...gulp...asparagus.

She promised me I would like it.

I highly doubted it.

But being a good house guest, I tried it.

Guess what?

I loved it.

Shut. Up.

Apparently it is all in the preparation, and this is asparagus preparation, a la Lynne Ford. It's a highly exact science {HA!!} so take careful note of the measurements.

Asparagus

* Good handful of asparagus {12-15 stalks}
* 1 tablespoon butter
* Tablespoon of seasoned salt or seasoning of choice

Thoroughly rinse the asparagus and break off the bottom of the stems. Boil water in a pan on the stove, and when it reaches a boil, carefully drop in the asparagus for one minute. Remove asparagus and transfer to a bowl of cold water momentarily. Remove from water and place in hot skillet with butter. Stir in with seasoned salt until asparagus is tender all the way through. Serve hot with meal.

A Few Tips

* Asparagus comes in a variety of thicknesses. The thicker the stalk, the longer it needs to cook. Thicker stalks are also usually tougher.

* When Lynne said to boil it for a minute, I thought she meant, "Oh you know, for just a little bit." No...she actually meant A MINUTE. That's all the longer it takes.

* The asparagus will turn bright green as soon as you place it in the boiling water.

* You can use regular salt and pepper to season it if you want, or you can use any kind of favorite seasoning you choose.   Season to taste.

* The longer you cook the asparagus, the floppier it gets. Cook it long enough that it's not tough, but not so long that it's chewy and slimy. Usually3-5 minutes is plenty.

* This works very well with any kind of meat. In the picture here, we were eating sloppy joes, and this was a good, healthier side dish.

Sending Smiles

You know that feeling when life presses in?

When you cling so tightly to the Lord - knowing this won't get the best of you, but also hoping you still have your sanity {or at least a measure of your hair color} when it's all over?

When you recite to yourself the list {and it's usually long!} of people who are facing battles way bigger and far more significant in the grand scheme than yours...and you urge yourself to count your blessings?

When you clutch those blessings tightly and try to hold them up as a shield against the one more blow that's sailing toward your face?

You know those days?

Such was my yesterday. I wasn't feeling super great. Not sick. Certainly nowhere near sick enough to warrant a sick day...but sluggish enough that I felt I needed to drag myself out of bed and through the morning routine and out to the car.

All the way to work, I thought about our housing situation...the giant weight that looms over both of us as we try our best to wait for God's timing without questioning Him about why any sort of sale is taking so long.

I was shaken out of my thoughts when {almost to work} I looked up to see a semi grill in my face. I was waiting in the turn lane at a stoplight for my chance to turn left, and Mr. Semi was making a right onto my road and I was in his way. I couldn't back up because of traffic behind me, and it all happened so fast that I just started having majorly rapid heartbeat. Somehow {aka God} he missed me, and well awake...I continued to work.

About 3 minutes later, I waited in line four cars back from a fender bender, while the two drivers exchanged info .

And when I got to work, Ryan informed me that he'd also just arrived at his job - and his truck {you remember Ol' Trusty, right???} died. Again.

There were a few more things mixed in, but those are the highlights. It just weighed in.

I sent a quick message to one of my friends to ask for prayer - and I told her I was doing my best to remember that this is the day the Lord has made, and I was trying to rejoice and be glad, but mostly I just felt like the truck really ran over me.

She didn't lecture me - just listened and gently reminded me that there were blessings to be found in the fact that Ryan wasn't stranded on his way to work, the semi did not, in fact, crunch me, and I managed to miss the fender bender.

And then, because sometimes cheer comes in forms more tangible than the mental counting of blessings, she sent this:

...with this attached:

Mission accomplished.

I inhaled deeply:

It's true, you know. They really are the friendliest flower.

I loved it. Did it fix all my problems? Oh goodness no. Did it remind me that there's beauty in the mess? You bet. Did it encourage me that Ryan and I are not alone in this boat that sometimes feels very separated from any sort of normalcy? Absolutely it did. Did it give me a visual reminder that I'm loved and cared for?

I am thankful for all the good and I am hopeful that this season will pass and we will be stronger and more united because of it. But as it rages on around me, I'm thankful for a friend who sent a smile - of the friendliest, lasting kind.

Wednesdays in the Word: Verse P

My name is Bekah, and conflict makes me break out in a cold sweat.

Ryan says I have an awfully big bark, but very little bite. It's true. Case in point...if I'm behind the wheel, which you know I am, most of the time, I don't hesitate to loudly offer my thoughts when a driver cuts me off as I enter the interstate. But oh dear goodness, if the window were down and he or she could hear me? I'd be rendered mute. Please don't hear me. Please don't get mad at me. Please don't shoot me. {I watch a lot of Lifetime movies.}

I hate confrontation. I hate conflict. I hate for anyone to be out of sorts {at least toward me}. I hate for anyone to be upset or sad.

People. Pleaser. To. The. Max.

But I've learned that there's a difference between avoiding conflict and making peace.

I can run from potential-road-rage-shooters to avoid the conflict {and the gunshot} but it doesn't do a blessed thing to actually advocate peace.

Sowing in peace...requires action. Maybe words. Maybe a hug. Maybe a gift. {They don't call them peace offerings for nothing.} Maybe presence.

While I have never claimed to be a gardener, I remember enough of the process my parents went through when I was growing up to know that sowing a garden is an investment. It's tending. It's tilling hard ground and planting seeds and feeding them with water and weeding out what threatens to kill and covering when weather is harsh and protecting from hungry pests. It takes time. It takes perseverence. It takes patience.

Sowing peace in a conflict-saturated situation requires all those things in a different way.

But if you do...if I do...look at the reward: a harvest of righteousness. Not just an avoided conflict, but the actual productive harvest of something good in its place.

I am not even going to lie to you: I feel like the biggest hypocrite in the world right now writing this to you. I'm not good at this. I'd rather run from the garden than put in the work. I really would. This one is kicking me...but I'm offering these words as a word of conviction to myself that being a peacemaker requires the work of sowing to see the reward of a righteous harvest.

Reframing Trust

I'm writing this post to myself...and to Ryan...and if, as you read along, you find that it applies to you as well...then you're welcome to gather from it whatever God impresses on you.

Yesterday morning, because I had the day off, I was able to sit at the table and enjoy lingering time with my Bible and journals...no rushing...just enjoying. Praying. Learning. Listening. That is a rare treat in my commuter lifestyle.

I encountered this quote...by Amanda Williams. "The Gospel is not about formulas; it is simply about putting our trust in Jesus."

It reminded me of this blog post I wrote back when Ryan and I were engaged...and were being peppered with questions about why we seemed to defy every single expectation and formula about the road to marriage.

We're finding that on the other side of marriage, people have just as many expectations and follow just as many formulas, and we waver between scrambling to explain ourselves and just throwing our hands in the air and saying "We know why we're doing what we're doing, so that's good enough."

You know as well as I do that our dear friend, Social Media, has brought with it the unwritten and in some cases, unwelcome, permission for anyone to share an opinion. And by opinion, of course, those words are gospel to those writing it. Filters are gone, suggestions are gone, and oh. my. goodness. What a wake of hurt we leave when we spout our words from behind a screen. {And some don't even need the screen. They'll say those words out loud.}

Enough has already been written on that...I can't reinvent it and I'm not trying to. But have you thought about this?

We kind of do the same thing to God.

We know how life should flow. We're quick to tell our friends. And we're quick to tell our God.

We tell Him when and how a relationship should begin. Or end. We tell Him why we need to have a baby right now or why we never want to have one. We tell Him which job we should have and how large its accompanying salary should be. We tell him why this friend and that one is wrong and we {naturally} are right. We offer wisdom on when a house should sell and for how much.

We are bossy little critters.

We hate it when people impose formulas on our lives, but we impose the same formulas on our God.

And I go back to Amanda's quote: "The Gospel is not about formulas; it is simply about putting our trust in Jesus."

My job is to shine the light of Jesus to those around me. To share His Gospel in my every day. However that looks...is accomplished by His writing of my story. And I find it out by trusting Him.

* Trusting Jesus meant that I didn't get married at 22 like I dreamed I would from the time I was 4. And in all those years, that "thorn" of singleness meant that my ability to trust...grew...out of necessity. I learned to live and thrive in ways I never would have if I'd had the luxury of depending on a husband.

* Trusting Jesus meant that I stayed loyal to my relationship with Isaac when everyone told me to bail out because they knew he'd never come back. In the end, they were right. He did not come back. But my choice to obey and follow God's leading to stay meant that my testimony grew into what it is today, as I leaned into Him in that time.

* Trusting Jesus meant that I purchased a home that would eventually become my first home with Ryan. It meant that I had the opportunity to continue our family heritage and legacy through this house.

* Trusting Jesus meant that I took the risk to self-publish a book...which gave me the opportunity to be a guest on Mid-Morning...which gave me the opportunity to eventually apply for a job to be employed there. 

* Trusting Jesus meant that I gave up the security of an eleven year job close to home in order to become a commuter and taking on a job I'd never ever done before. And that job has given me the chance to share my faith and story in ways I never expected.

* Trusting Jesus meant that I chose to trust Ryan when he said he would love me, even though I was terrified to ever trust again. And the redemption and restoration of being loved completely, boldly and unreservedly, has been a testimony in and of itself. 

* Trusting Jesus meant that we chose to get married after 2 months of engagement - because we knew we were doing the right thing by moving forward without waiting. And in every step of our story - clear down to the people who helped us execute our wedding day - we were able to share our faith.

In each of those things I/we didn't follow a formula. I didn't do everything the prescribed way. The expected way.

But oh my goodness. How thankful I am that faith is bigger than a formula. Trusting is better than a timeline.

And even now, as Ryan and I make decisions for our future that might not follow the formulas everyone around us expects, we follow in faith, knowing it really is all just about putting our trust in Jesus.

Rest

I have a very hardworking husband. He works his tail off at work and at home. I appreciate him so much but HATE it for him that he has virtually no time to rest. Ever.

And while he's had to work this weekend...we've also had some wonderful time together to rest...and I can't tell you how much we both needed that.

It wasn't a vacation. It wasn't a trip to the lake. It wasn't an organized outing with friends. It was just beautiful rest.

Don't know if you have today off work or not - but I would encourage you to find some time to rest...somehow...somewhere...soon. It's so good for the body and the soul!

Naps in the hammock....

 Time spent just sitting and talking....

More naps in the hammock...

And...possibly...more naps in the hammock...

Trips to Starbucks...

Random discoveries...like the fact that I still know how to French braid my own hair...

...More long conversations and coffee..

...Some festive desserts...

...Soaking up some rays...

...and soaking up the goodness of life!!!

So thankful for a weekend of rest...and so thankful for each one of YOU!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday, this girl was grumpy again. I HATE being grumpy on the one day every week that I don't have to do anything or go anywhere - AND the day Ryan and I get to have a whole day together. Despite my grumpiness, we enjoyed lunch in the pirogi {Sunday is our Polar Pop day}, and then we went out for a walk on the GORGEOUS evening - which made for some lovely views of the sunset!

* Monday was the day the (in)courage links went live - and it was so much fun to watch all day as ladies joined our group! That night I came home and was DETERMINED to get a full 5K in - even if I had to crawl through the end. Guess who DID IT!!! This girl!!! {And by did it, I mean ran/walked it...no crawling.} We did chores the rest of the night, and Braeya Jo Jo helped me with the laundry. Ever the helper, that one.

* Tuesday morning's sunrise was so breathtaking - one beautiful ray through a whole cloud cover. The picture doesn't do it justice. :) I worked late that night...helping with a reception at the station to dedicate the newly updated studios. It was a really nice evening honoring very sweet people. I got home about 9, so Ryan and I went for a quick walk at the IWU campus and found...they've planted flowers!! It's beginning to feel a lot like summer!!

 * Wednesday was not my best day. {Read: Be glad you didn't live at our house on Wednesday. It wasn't pretty.} Ryan did his best to cheer me up - sending me goofy pictures and making me laugh - but eventually I just called the day a complete loss and told him the only thing to do was go to bed and end the day. And hope for a better Thursday. :)

* Thursday was a better day. {Had nowhere to go but up!!} I was so excited to go to McDonald's for my free iced coffee...since Ryan had his the day before. Yeah. Apparently Fort Wayne's free week isn't until NEXT WEEK. Iced coffees aren't quite as good when they're not free. After work, we went to a rather amusing preschool end-of-year program. Two year olds + a stage + bouncy music + a room full of parents with cameras = quite funny!

* Friday was GORGEOUS!!! When I got home from work, I went straight to the pirogi and took a nap until Ryan got home! We rested outside, soaking up the sunshine for a while and then had an at-home date with pizza, Polar Pops and a movie!!

 * Ryan worked yesterday, and I had a busy day while he was gone! I got up early and had an online meeting for the (in)courage groups, met my friend Faith for lunch, spent most of the afternoon in the backyard rotating adventures in scrapbooking, napping, and running....and doing some chores. When Ryan finally got home about 6:00, he was pooped, so he took a nap in the hammock! Super busy day - but very productive! I finally finished our anniversary trip album!

The Saturday Six

One.

Source

 You all know I have a huge spot in my heart for the work done by Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep.  This past weekend, the Lifetime movie "Return to Zero" aired...which has some ties to NILMDTS. Ryan and I watched the movie and thought it was really well done. I will say it did have an edgy love scene in it, but the story of love, loss, fear, and the myriad of things experienced by parents who have lost babies was extremely well done. I'm sure they'll re-air it and the website says it's coming out on DVD. 

Two.

So excited about the upcoming (in)courage study groups...and I know some of you have signed up to be part of one. Praying for you as you begin this adventure!

Three.

For my birthday, my co-worker Cindy got me these Gevalia Caramel Macchiato K-Cups. I've never used a 2 step K-Cup before! You pour the contents of the packet {the milk/froth} into your cup and then brew the cup contents over it. It was SO good - and even better - FUN!

Four.


This week, this song from my college days popped in my head. There was a traveling group on campus that sang it, and I LOVED it. It's called Life is Hard, But God is Good. Great message here. If you're struggling this week, check it out. Good encouragement for the soul.

Five.

So this week, one of my Facebook friends said if you want to have a better day, you should check out the Facebook page of the Marion Little Caesar's Shaker Boy. {You know - the guy with the sign out front?} I read it - SO TRUE!!! What a ray of sunshine!!!!!

Six.

IMAGINE DELICIOUS PICTURE HERE

Found these recipes over on the Skinnytaste blog - and I think I might have to whip up one {or two} for us this Monday!! {Sorry for no picture...she had a note on her site about not using pics, so I didn't want to get in trouble!}

LEAP!!!

I will never forget the night I opened the message.

I'd snuggled into bed, eager to give in to sleep, eyelids heavy, and checked my inbox one more time.

I saw the unopened message from my new friend, Jamie, and I clicked it open. A long explanation spilled over the screen...as she told me the job she had recently resigned was officially posted and she thought...maybe...I would be interested in applying.

In her delightfully thorough manner, she offered detailed explanations of what the job entailed and some additional reasons why she thought my particular giftings matched the job description.

Suddenly awake, I scooted up in bed and reread the email...and read it again...and again.

My logic kicked in, and I made a mental list of all the reasons this was not even worth considering.

* The job was an hour up the interstate from home...and I hated driving. And interstates. And snow-covered roads. And early mornings.

* I'd been at my job for eleven years, and while there's probably really no such thing as job security, I felt as safe as I could in my position.

* The housing market was TERRIBLE - so the probability of selling my home was...slim to none.

* If it did sell...starting over in a brand new city, in which I knew no one...seemed scary.

And yet, for all the logic, I knew I'd been praying for a while to have an opportunity to change jobs. Who was I to beg for that and then tell God His potential answer was lacking in some way?

I read the email again. Jamie had confidence in me. It poured from the screen. She knew more than I did...that I really did have what it would take.

I sent the email to my brother-in-law, who has known me since I was five and truly gets me. He responded, "It seems to me this job was made for you. Go for it."

And so I typed up a resume {with shaking fingers} and submitted it.

I was called for an interview, and after it happened, I confided in my friend, Judy, that I wasn't sure I really did have the skills they were looking for. As the days passed and phone remained silent, I worried there would be no second interview. Judy told me to keep waiting.

And they called. Judy shook her head and said, "Girl, I bet anything you're the only one they call back for a second interview."

I dismissed THAT idea in about a second flat.

But she was right. I went back for the second interview and walked out with a job.

When I delivered my resignation letter to my boss, she read it while I waited, and when her eyes met mine, I found sadness competing with joy. "I hate this," she said to me. "You know I hate this. You know I don't want you to go. But you have to go. You HAVE to go. This is perfect for you. You will love this and you will do well. You have to go. But I hate it."

So I packed up my office and walked away from an eleven year battle with a calculator and into a new life as a radio producer.

Scared out of my mind, I walked boldly forward, carried on the encouraging words of my friends. Those who saw in me what I couldn't see in myself and spoke it out loud when I couldn't muster it up on my own. Those who pushed me, even when pushing meant losing me.

Almost exactly three years down the road, I'm so, so thankful for those who urged me to leap into the unknown. What fun it's been to work at the station, meet so many wonderful people, form new friendships, and find I had within me strengths I never even knew.

To you who urged me to leap...from Jamie to Jeff to Judy and so many more...thank you.

First day of work: July 5, 2011

Throwback...18 Years...to 18 Years

This past Monday was a significant date in my mind. One of those weird, random dates that you remember for reasons you'll never understand.

My high school graduation.

Eighteen years ago...I was eighteen.

Okay I am not old enough for that kind of nonsense. How in the world was eighteen years ago...half a lifetime ago?

And yet it was.

I was eighteen with thank-you-90's poofy bangs and a perm...oh yes. A perm. I hadn't yet given up shoulder pads and I hadn't discovered waxing my eyebrows. Eighteen wasn't then what it was now. {Just saw a picture on Facebook of a friend of mine who IS eighteen and she looks more grown up than I do...currently!}

I donned my duct tape silver graduation gown, which was hot and heavy {in the literal sense, not in the edgy sense}, bobby pinned my matching cap carefully around my poofy bangs and set out to be the best back row graduate you ever saw. {We were the class of 96, so our chairs were arranged in a 96...and I was part of the very bottom of the 9.}

My biggest fear that day was that I would throw up, trip, or pass out - in front of e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e. My biggest hope that day was that I would remember and savor every single detail...because you only get one high school graduation day.

In those respects, I've not changed much in the past 18 years. My biggest fear on a regular basis is that I will throw up, trip, or pass out in front of e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e. And my biggest hope is that I will mentally bottle up every memory forever...and savor them.

And I do remember that day. I remember walking across the platform three times {two scholarships and one diploma}. I remember our speaker and the music...and even who handed me my diploma, though it may have been suggested that such a detail would never stick in my mind past that day.

I remember the party at my house after graduation...filled with friends and family and a host of little kids I babysat on a regular basis. I remember one of my friends swearing to me she'd invited a boy to come to my open house, which would have been the ultimate earth-shaking event, had it taken place...and my utter fear that she actually had and he actually might. {He did not show up and to this day I don't know whether or not she really invited him - but I highly suspect she did.}

I remember going to the all-night party at the high school on graduation night, which felt to me like the ticket to true grown-up status had been placed firmly in my hands. I mostly stood in a corner and shook my head at the reality of being out ALL NIGHT LONG - but it was a blast. I went home with my friend Amber, who lived about a block from the school, and at 4:15  in the morning, we crashed on her bedroom floor and slept until our eyes PEEKED open at an embarrassingly late hour the next day.

I loved that day. I loved celebrating a multi-year accomplishment. I loved all the people who set aside the sacred Sunday afternoon nap to drive to our house and eat cake with us. I loved diving into the presents and finding myself the owner of treasures like...my own set of towels...and my very own itty bitty TV. I loved the joy and promise of a future yet unwritten - exciting and mysterious.

And I even loved that blessed perm.

So thankful, looking back at this half-a-lifetime-away mark that the unwritten future of that day - in all its exhilirating joy and deep-rooted pain - has been my journey to take.

I'm not even GOING to do the math to figure out how old I'll be in 18 more years, but my prayer is that the yet-unwritten future of those days are filled with an equally faith-filled journey.

Wednesdays in the Word: Verse O

Monday, Lynne interviewed Jerushah Armfield, who is one of Billy Graham's granddaughters. She, along with her brothers, compiled a book of stories about people whose lives have been impacted by his longstanding ministry.

Jerushah was delightful, and one thing in particular she said caught my attention. She said her grandfather is 95 years old, and for as long as she can remember, he's always had Scripture verses taped to his bathroom mirror.

She said in recent years, as his health and eyesight have declined, she's noticed the font on those verses...increasing.

Then she said, "I love it that he still wants to study the Word. I think if I were a 95 year old Billy Graham, I might think...You know? I think I've got it. But he doesn't. He just asks for bigger font and keeps feeding his hunger for the Word."

That's what is on my mind today when I see this verse:

Regardless of the state of your physical eyes, what a prayer of the heart this can be!

To come before the Lord and ask for wisdom and understanding. To ask to see new things in familiar words. To be shown something you've never seen before and suddenly...be opened up to a whole new way of thinking.

He's got so much to teach, but you can only learn if you have a willing heart.

And my friend, I would venture to say if a 95 year old Billy Graham, with failing health and eyesight can ask for open eyes to see new and wonderful things...we have no excuse.

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! :)