So We Had This Photo Shoot...

Every year in the fall {how I love being far enough down the marriage road to make declarations like that!}, Ryan and I have a photo shoot. It's partly for the love of Christmas cards and partly to commemorate another season about to wrap up in the story of our marriage.

So with Christmas cards fully designed and ordered {and therefore with the knowledge of what pictures need to be kept secret for its great unveiling}, I thought I would show you some of the other fun we had during our photo shoots!

Ryan's mom took the first half of our pictures, but we did a second round with the tripod a few days later, just for funsies. Hope you enjoy our fun and occasional dorkiness!

Hope you enjoyed that last one especially. Ryan lost his balance trying to kiss me and head bonked me instead. LOL!!!!

We almost used it as the main photo for our cards. But then...you know...we didn't.

Fellowship

Kids have told us we have a boring house.

I have no idea why they say this. Surely it's not because we turn into Frank and Marie Barone, covering Mo in blankets before meals. Surely it's not the lack of ANY toys or gaming systems. Surely it's not the chorus of "No no, don't touch" sung by both parents as kids wander through the rooms looking for anything interesting.

Surely not.

Ahhhhh who are we kidding? We are boring non-parents, begging our friends to bring along an activity bag for their poor kids who are subjected to nothing but a hostile cat and her discarded toys for an evening of fun.

Despite that, we love having friends over and wish we had time in our schedule to do it more often. And this week, we were reminded of why we love company so much.

Last week I set up a photo booth in our pirogi, and Ryan's mom came over to take our pictures. It's an annual practice...fall pictures around the time of our engagement. I so loved the way the photo booth turned out, I wanted to invite the whole city to come over for pictures in the pirogi.

{Or at least those whose last names begin with S. Just kidding. We had an alternative wreath plan.}

On a whim, I called some friends...some new friends we just made at church. A family of six, which meant an entourage of four very potentially bored children. But I thought they might want a photo shoot...even though their last name didn't begin with S.

Much to my delight, they were eager for a photo shoot, and I braved asking if they might want to stay for dinner. Nothing fancy. Totally kid-friendly. Grilled hot dogs and s'mores at the fire pit for dessert.

They. Said. Yes.

And so we got ready! We set up the photo booth for a non-S family....

We watered the flowers to perk them up...and rearranged all the pumpkins...

Ryan started the grill...

...and we had a photo party. I climbed around on ladders and zoomed in and out...Ryan held tree branches out of my way and arranged kids in front of parents so I could snap memories.

They were great to photograph: no blinkers, big smiles, and non-protesting kids.

And that was just the beginning. Because after the photo fun, it was dinner time. Hot dogs and chips and fruit...

And a fire for s'mores...

And we had fun. So. Much. Fun.

We chased paper plates and napkins around the yard. We sat on straw bales and told stories. We caught marshmallows on fire and sipped coffee in the waning sunlight.

Kids piled on the hammock to talk and swing. They tried to see Braeya, but she was up to her hissing tricks, so that wasn't as much fun as any of us hoped.

But the night was lovely. New friendships formed, fellowship underway, and the promise of much more to come.

Ahhh fall. How I love the friendships you forge.

The Heart of the Half

Thanks for all the kind comments yesterday after the 5K recap! :) We appreciate the love.

And to address Christina's comment about how we looked after the race, allow me to fully assure you we looked so much better than we smelled. I was vile. Couldn't wait to get home and shower! But the only thing that saved us for decent pictures post-race was the cool morning. Trust me. If it had been the same as some of our training days this summer, we would have been soaked and bedraggled looking. Thankfully the blog doesn't translate smell, so you escaped the worst of it!

In the early weeks of training for this race...back when we thought it was going to be a half marathon, rather than a 5K, I focused so hard on praying my way through each run. Not just praying to survive it, although that too...but praying for the people in Haiti who were the focus of the race.

{If you're late to the race story party, the entry fees for this particular race went to support medical costs in Haiti. That was the main reason I wanted to run this race at all: after my surgery earlier this year, I was convicted at how "easy" it had been for me to receive the care I needed, from emergency rooms to doctors to the hospital for surgery itself. Granted...there were many headaches and blog-worthy stories along the way, but I still didn't have to fight receiving the care...just the details of the process. I wanted to offer something that would allow others to have a chance like I had a chance.}

So on those early training runs...as I went along, I prayed for those people. I prayed for the ones who were sick and hurting like I had hurt back in January. I prayed for those who had to walk 3, 6, 9, 13...even longer...stretches of miles while in pain, just to receive care.

I prayed for those who were planning for babies and in need of care for themselves and their little ones. I prayed verses over these people I don't know. I prayed as my knees ached and I knew they faced aches much more serious.

And I thought when it came time to run the race, the race itself would be labored with prayer in much the same way. I thought I would plod along the path and burden myself with the stories I imagined they lived, and I would spend that race crying out in prayer for them.

I did not. It was the thing that surprised me most about the race.


When I got there that morning, the day felt like celebration. It was, as you saw yesterday, a beautiful day. The sun shone, the air was crisp,  and the sky was clear and blue. Other than being 100% decaffeinated, there was nothing to cast a shadow over that morning. I lined up with the other participants, who were all there for various reasons and chasing various goals...and I had none.

When they yelled start!! I dashed across the line and just ran. I didn't check my phone one single time to see how fast or slow I was going. I didn't think about the path in front of me. I just relied on the volunteers with their arrows to point me in the right direction. I prayed some for the people of Haiti, but for the most part, I didn't really pray at all. I just ran.

I was on my own for the bulk of the race...sometimes passing and sometimes catching up to the same woman who ran about my pace. I thanked her in the last mile for being my inspiration...we panted out introductions while we plodded over asphalt. But other than that woman, I was on my own. On my own enjoying the straight, empty roads, the perfection of the weather, and the promise of a snack at the end of the line. That was it.

The race was a culmination for me. A celebration. I'd put in all the training runs. All the evenings after work when we sweat in the descending sun and ignored our growling tummies. I still bore the scar on my knee from one of the first runs, when I crashed into a set of metal bleachers. I still remembered the few times I pushed the training too hard and came home lightheaded and sick to my stomach. Those were the hard days, when I labored in running as deeply as I labored in prayer.

But on race day, I celebrated. I celebrated one of the best times I had the entire training season. Maybe THE best. I celebrated perfect weather after days of suffocating heat. I celebrated a straight, flat road, after weeks of hills and running down dead end roads and alleys, jumping when the dogs started barking.

I celebrated knowing that somewhere in Haiti, a handful {a BIG handful} of people could celebrate the chance to receive medical attention because somewhere in Indiana, a group of people ran on a Saturday morning.

Sure, I was panting and tired when I reached the finish line. But it was the best run of the whole 16 weeks. It was lovely. It was a celebration. And I am so grateful I chose to do this. I'm grateful for what it taught me, and I'm grateful for what it offered the people of Haiti.

And they've said it will be back next year. The race, I mean.  I hope so. I have more to learn.

The Haiti Half

I've been telling you about it for weeks...and now it's finally in the books! {Or on the blog. However you want to interpret that.}

We first learned about the Haiti Half back around the time of the fair {July} and committed to run it even though Ryan doesn't like that much distance and I wasn't sure I could survive that much distance. We were about halfway through our training when we learned that they had to postpone the actual half marathon race, due to low registrations. But they carried on with the 5K, which was already scheduled to take place on the same day at the same time, so we decided we would run that instead.

We are so glad we did. I am pretty sure neither of our bodies were made for a half and there is not an ounce of shame in that.

We had a stunning day on Saturday to run the race, and I hoped you might allow me to share some pictures???

Some pre-race fun:

{Yeah that's the elementary school principal - also my parents' neighbor. This is what happens when you turn your back on your phone for a second. Randy leaves selfies.}

 This is my friend Amber {my friend since story hour, even before kindergarten!}. She designed the t-shirts for the race and also stood at one of the turns to direct traffic. She cheered me on along the way!! :)

Ryan's friend Randy...I believe they call this a rose between two thorns. :)

Our dear friend Paula. Her husband is our fabulous eye doctor. {You remember the eye doctor saga from earlier this summer.} Love her!

The race started about 9 a.m., so they took us to the starting line, and that was the last I saw of Ryan for the rest of the race. When we ran the 10K before we got engaged, he ran WITH me because I was too chicken to run alone. But this day was his race, and I wanted him to get the good time he could get without me holding him back!

Took these next few from the Haiti Half Facebook page, so photo credit goes to them. And we're off!!

 See Ryan??? Blue shirt on the left.

 See Bekah? She's the one on her phone. LOL!!!!! {I was NOT texting. I was starting my app to time myself.}

The route, you guys, was stunning. Through town, down a highway, through some back roads of fields and beauty,  back into town, and back to the school. After about the first mile, I ran mostly on my own and just so enjoyed the scenery. And by enjoyed, I mean I took pictures. So here you go!

Ryan KILLED IT and finished in twenty-one minutes!!! I still had about a mile to go then!! {Photo credit goes to my mom for coming to catch our memories for us!}

I am so stinking proud of him!! This is AMAZING!!!!!

And then, you know, ten minutes later, I showed up. I was so focused on getting done, I couldn't hear specifics, but I hear my mother was quite the darling cheerleader!!

 You guys, I was so proud of my time. I know those of you who are real runners could do it in the time Ryan did, but for ME, this is a really good time, and I was so pleased. And even more - I had fun running! I really did have fun!

Our cheerleader and photographer:

And we stayed around for the awards, because SOMEONE won for his age category!!

And then we drank our chocolate milk and went home. Despite all the training runs that taxed me and those that I thought might flat out kill me, I am so glad we did this. This was a good thing for us, and I'm glad we had the chance to do it together. And I am proud, proud, proud of Ryan for his amazing time and winning for our NOT OLD age bracket.

The Shafferland Shuffle

Pausing at the start of today's shuffle to wish my Dad a very happy birthday! :)

* Last Sunday was our 3rd engagementversary...and we started the celebration by helping to serve coffee at the little cafe in our church. It was our first time to help with that and we really enjoyed it! That afternoon, we went for a walk in the park and Ryan taught me to play frisbee; I was terrible, but I got better! And we rounded out the day with frappes and coffee, because our addiction holds fast!. :)

* Monday I helped serve a funeral dinner at our church, and while the circumstance prevents me from saying I enjoyed it, I did enjoy being able to help in a time of need. It was such a beautiful day, and I surprised Ryan with a lemon cake when he got home from work, and we enjoyed our dinner out in the pirogi. It's sad, really, how little time we spent out there this summer. :( And Ryan mowed. It had been something like a month since he had to mow. I guess that made up for the start of the summer when he did it about twice a week!

* Tuesday was my big bad dentist day, so I spent the morning distracting myself with writing projects, and then after I survived the filling, I rewarded myself with a shopping trip to Hobby Lobby, where I bought the fancy pants metal monogram for my Pinterest project. Ryan let me take it easy that  night, as I had a decent amount of jaw pain, and he even made popcorn for us while we watched TV - to be chewed on the opposite side of my mouth, of course.

* Wednesday I found a praying mantis on our window! How fun is that! It's the little things that bring a smile. :) I enjoyed my time with Bible study ladies, and am learning so much. It's nice to be a participant! Ryan and I went for our last training run, pre-race, and we both had a good last hurrah.

* I had a special treat on Thursday - my friend Amy came to spend the day with me! She had a day off work and decided to hang out with me! We went to Kokomo and I took her out to lunch, we visited Ryan, we went out for cupcake treats, and she even surprised me with a box of Rise n Rolls! We had a great time! And Ryan's mom came over that night to take our pictures for our Christmas cards. We miss long evenings filled with light! We had to hurry, but we got it done and had fun.

* Friday I hunkered DOWN and did writing projects all day. It's the first time in a long time that I have absolutely exhausted myself from writing. {Yes, it really can happen.} My one break in the day was watching the Little House on the Prairie reunion on TV that I stumbled upon at lunch time. Ohhhhh how I loved that Albert Ingalls. Anyway. After a long day of work, I was so glad that Ryan had plans to bring home ribs for dinner. They are so good. There's a church that makes them for a fundraiser, and he loves them so much, he always gets some!

* Yesterday was RACE DAY!!!! We ran our 5K and I'll give you the full scoop later, but let's just say we had a great race. Ryan KILLED THE THING and I didn't get killed BY the thing, so it was good all the way around. It was fun to be back in our hometown, see friends, and enjoy {yes, I said enjoy!} the run. And a bonus - my mom came to cheer us on! I was glad she came. :)

The Saturday Six

One.

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Ryan and I both cracked up over this post...even though we have no firsthand knowledge of the matter. But I think there's a lot of truth spoken here...when pregnancy looks a lot more glamorous in pictures than it is in real life!

Two.

Dancing With the Stars is not on our TV lineup, so I normally never see any of the dances. But I saw a link to this one posted on Facebook this week and sobbed ALL the way through it. If you haven't seen it, and you need a good tear duct cleanse, watch. This is Bindi Irwin's tribute to her late father, and...well...wow.

Three. 

Have you seen these ginormous metal letters at Hobby Lobby? I've been eyeing them for a while and finally compiled a gift card and a 50% off sale to get one for us. I thought it was the perfect accent piece for this old door we found in the garage that I'm now Pinteresting up in the backyard. I'm kind of in love with it. The letter and the Pinteresty door. {Picture not a complete representation of the decor.}

Four.

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A thousand swoons over this tiny house. I do not even have enough SPACE in this blog post to explain my adoration for this. Ryan, can we put this one in the backyard???  

Five.

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Have you been thrown a curve ball lately? Good words here from Kristen Strong.  

Six.

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Big Love wasn't just the title of Kara Tippetts' first book. It was how she lived her life to those around her. And the circle of "those around her" widened beyond her imagination when she found herself in the fight of her life, opposite breast cancer. She big-loved those in front of her and those reading her journey from the other side of the blog screen. We who read, ventured to her blog each day hoping for inspiration and dreading the possibility of news we might not want to read concerning her health.

We prayed - the "we" who never knew her in real life but still felt like we did and the "we" who did know her and spent time tangibly caring for her and her family. And sometimes both sides of that "we" didn't know what to do. How should we pray? How should we be present? How should we be absent? Kara was but one person in a sea of need, and the questions "we" asked in caring for her are the same questions we ask for all around who need us and leave us wondering how to best support.

Kara won her battle with cancer by receiving a Heavenly healing, and months after her death, words she penned in the throes of the war appear on new book pages, alongside the raw ache and wisdom of her dear, real-life friend, Jill Lynn Buteyn. Their co-authored book, Just Show Up is, in my opinion, a masterful resource in supporting those in need. It doesn't matter if the need is a terminal illness or a temporary sideline. Their words from both sides of the needing fence bring incredible wisdom to a confusing situation.

There isn't a formula and they don't pretend one exists. But Jill speaks for most of us when she says, "I was afraid of doing the wrong thing, and I didn't have a clue where to begin. But when we step out in the middle of our fear, God meets us there." And the rest of the book is the chronicle of how God met them there.

Jill bravely shares raw journal excerpts...private words she wrote during Kara's illness, to empty her heart of its emotion before she exploded from the enormity of it all. Words that will make you nod because you've thought them, even if you haven't known how to phrase them. Kara's own words conclude each chapter, bringing affirmation to the ideas and suggestions Jill's chapters offer. Kara's voice that we came to trust in her last months on this earth, are beautifully comforting...giving us all one more peek into her heart and her blessing over the sometimes messiness of just showing up.

Jill offers very practical suggestions of ways to help those in a season of need, and she also offers truths about how to accept the response {or non-response} of those you reach out to - especially if it wasn't what you expected or hoped to receive. She urges us to try even when we don't know how. To make this journey about God and not ourselves. To stop giving in to doubts and lies so we don't later live buried under regrets. She shows how beautiful a community can be, even when it converges around suffering.

The read isn't light. It's hard. But hard is necessary. We live in a hard world filled with hard suffering, hard questions and hardly any answers. Just Show Up can offer some insight to typically silent scenarios.

Jill wrote that she worried her book wouldn't be accepted because it wasn't Kara. People loved Kara, and they would want her words. But those who loved Kara, from near or far, can't help but love Kara's people, too. And Jill was Kara's people. I think you'll find her writing style remarkably Kara. And her words...remarkably helpful.

What a continuing tribute to a God-anointed life. Thanks, Jill, for being brave with your soul and your words. You carry the torch well. Thanks for giving us light.

* And thanks, David C. Cook - and Jill! - for sending a copy of the book my way for review. It's a gift I treasure. *