Monthiversary 37

Last Saturday, believe it or not, was our 37th monthiversary! I do so love it when they fall on a weekend and we get extra time together!

I confess I did NOT have a good morning that day and was a bit irrational and grumpy. {Please know that both those words are gross understatements for my actual demeanor.} I tell you that embarrassing but true fact so that I can tell you how grateful it made me that Ryan was filled with grace and kindness, challenging me to push through and find my joy {as he should have} but not allowing my missteps to affect him and ruin our day. I appreciate how he continues to love me well even in moments when I really don't deserve it. That is the picture of how Christ loves the church, and I'm grateful Ryan displays that kind of love toward me.

With that confession out of the way, we did have a really fun day planned; it was actually our last Christmas gathering. Yes, Christmas. And yes, I know this is a new year.

Our gathering was with Ryan's extended family on his mom's side, and we traveled about an hour to get to the party. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, perfect for traveling, and an hour together in the car gave us time to talk and dream and laugh and tell stories - all among our favorite things to do!

Speaking of favorite things - I had my first and only cut out/iced sugar cookie of the season at this party. I was so excited and savored every bite. Oh cookies. How I miss you. 

Hanging out by the tree, playing games. We won. That's the good news. The bad news is EVERYBODY won just by being present. LOL!!

 Actually I DID win {co-win} a game. We had to guess how many ornaments were on the tree and I guessed two under and my mother-in-law guessed two over. So we shared the prize!

Our nephew - when his little brother was born, we got shirts for the big siblings that say "Security: Little Brother Protection Squad" - and they wore them that day. So cute.

You. Guys. We have a new little cousin that was born right before Christmas, and in something of a Christmas miracle, I had the chance to hold him and feed him for a bit. He was deliciously adorable. Be still my heart.

And then of course, the group photos. It's not Christmas without the group photos.

This is Ryan's grandpa with his kiddos. Uncle David, Ryan's Mom, Aunt Ruthie and Uncle John. I love this whole crew so much.

 And while all the cousins were not represented that day, the ones that were there gathered around Grandpa for a picture.

Ryan and I didn't have a picture together with his grandpa - until now!

And of course, the official monthiversary photo. 37 months - thanks for loving me so well, Ryan!

After we left the party, we drove over to visit our friends Jon and Julie, who lived pretty close to Ryan's aunt and uncle. It seemed rude to be in the neighborhood and not drop by.

On our way? A calming sunset. I miss this kind of view from my perch buried in the middle of town.

We loved our visit with Jon and Julie. Coffee, homemade bread, many laughs, stories, hugs - YES.

A good way to celebrate all that we hold dear in this life we live.

A New Year's Hike

In case you're still struggling with re-entry into the working/school world, maybe we can help make you laugh so you forget {at least for a while} that re-entry has arrived. New podcast today!

Click here to listen

Today's blog is also part of the stories we told in the podcast, so if you want to catch the story-telling version, you can check it out. But here are the pictures to accompany it.

Last week, one of my friends from church posted on her Facebook page that her family has a tradition of participating in the "First Day Hikes" through the Indiana State Park program. This intrigued me. Never heard of such a thing before! I had actually wanted to run a 5K on New Year's Day, but Ryan had to work, and I didn't want to run alone. But after reading about the hikes, I saw that some took place in the evening, so we could attend after he came home from work. So I pitched the idea to him, and he was all about it.

We chose the Owl Hike at the Mississinewa park - which was scheduled to be a mile long hike at dusk with a campfire and s'mores/coffee/hot chocolate after it was over. 

It was SO COLD on New Year's Day. No snow, but the temps were in the twenties and it was cloudy and windy, so it felt much colder than that! We bundled up to the extent that I sent the following text to my family:

So we are about to leave for our hike. I am wearing a pink long sleeved t-shirt, a purple sweatshirt, gray long johns, red and blue warm-up pants and lime green and hot pink socks. If we have an accident, none of you have to admit knowing me.

I looked like a puffalump once I added Ryan's gargantuan coat:

We drove to the park, and as soon as we drove in, look what awaited us!!!

I was SO excited. I love deer!!!!!

We found our way to the beginning of the hike and joined up with the other 25 or so people who had the same new year's plans. 

 It was cold and cloudy - but I still love a good view of the water and the bare winter trees.

They had a little fire going and everyone stood as close as they could without getting sparks blown on them from the wind:

The longer we stood and waited for the start of the hike, the colder we became - even with all the puffalumpy layers.

They told us we would go out on the trail and partway through, we would pause while they played some owl calls and we would hopefully hear some owls. Ryan and I hiked at the back of the line, which turned out to be a good thing, because we are NOT good at being quiet and every time we stopped to call the owls, he and I had the worst time paying attention. 

The owls were apparently too cold to return the calls, because we never heard them. The evening grew too dark to take pictures {that's me gasping for air that you hear} and we weren't allowed to use flash - or flashlights, for that matter - so by the end of the hike, I was pretty much hanging onto Ryan for dear life, letting him lead the way, because I couldn't see the trail at all.

{The last photo I was able to capture before full darkness fell.}

We were totally frozen by the end, because pausing so many times on the trail made us even colder. It wasn't so bad when we were moving. We decided we would definitely do such a hike again, but next time we want to pick one in the daylight {for pictures!!} and one where the focus is more on the hike itself.

Back to the car and its heated seats we went when the event ended! We didn't even eat any s'mores!

Ringing In a New Year

It's back to reality day for most of you, isn't it? You've returned to the land of alarm clocks and day planners and clothing that doesn't feature elastic. {Ha!!} And if you have kids, you've probably returned to the land of much protesting about the return to school.

Reentry is no joke.

So let's pretend for a minute that it's still a holiday, shall we? OKAY!!!

I wanted to show you our New Year's Eve fun! We did something different this year and went to a birthday party/New Year's Eve party at the home of our friends Nate and Jenna. Nate took our anniversary pictures, and he's a good friend of Ryan's from the days of PTA school. I've gotten to know the two of them through our Sunday School class; they are much fun!

I should pause to point out that the birthday was actually NATE'S birthday, because once you see the theme, you might be tempted to think it was his CHILD'S birthday. Not so much. :)

Why yes, that is a Minion party, and why yes, we are being photobombed by the birthday boy himself.

Ohhhh Jenna might kill me for posting that one, but it just cracked me up so much!

Nate had so many candles on his cake that it ended up requiring three people to help light them so the first ones lit didn't burn down before we got around to singing!

 I have no idea what the candles were reflecting on, but it's kind of creepy and funny!

Nate's little one wanted to help blow out the candles, so Ryan gave him a boost so he could take part:

I got to hold the baby for a bit, and Ryan took our picture. He and Nate were trying to get her to smile, so they flipped the phone and took a picture of what our view was during that time. It's a wonder she didn't smile...

We sat around, talked, ate, met new friends, and even did a group photo before midnight rolled around:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

 Sparkling grape juice - have to tell you it tasted SO GOOD. Haven't had any FOREVER.

The official new year's photo:

We thought we would leave right after midnight, but a fresh round of games started and my competitive husband could not bring himself to walk away, even though he had to be up practically in the middle of the night for work on New Year's Day.

Have you guys ever played Minute to Win It games?

We played one where you had to suck up M and M's with a straw and transfer them to a clock face on a paper plate - two rows of candy in hour-order.

 The first round of competition was between couples. Ryan won our round {shocker} and went on to advance to being a full winner and VERY proud of his prize:

Why yes, that IS a light up Christmas ornament.

Then we played a game where you had to transfer tic-tacs from one plate to another using tweezers. I ALMOST won that one. I bet you can't guess who edged me out?

If you guessed this guy, you'd be right. Ask him how he likes his foot bath salts he won!

Thanks, Nate and Jenna, for entertaining us!! We had much fun ringing in the new year with you and your friends! And Ryan says thanks for his foot bath salts! :)

PS: I've been working on some verse-a-day pictures for 2016, just because I think it's good to focus on a verse every day. I've been adding them to the end of the blog each day, so I just wanted to let you know why they're here. Hope they offer a boost to you!!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday was sort of the post-Christmas sigh of rest. Once we came home from church, we sacked out for naps {me} and football {Ryan}. It was so nice to not have anywhere to be or any responsibilities at home. Sweet, beautiful nothingness. We did record our podcast that afternoon, which always brings a whole lotta laughter to our little house. And then back to the couch we went, watching movies until Ryan conked out and then I watched all by myself until my little eyes snapped shut!

* This was kind of the week of Starbucks, kicking off with Monday's trip. It was nasty cold, windy, icy, YUCKY outside, but my friend Amber came over anyway {bless her!} to hang out and drink coffee with me. We felt it would be inappropriate to be out and about and NOT go to Hobby Lobby, so we checked out their sales, and I found my own version of Ryan's rhino coat rack. LOL!! I was so inspired by my trip and the clearance sales I found, I rushed home and decorated for winter/January!

* Tuesday was my only day at home the WHOLE day this week, so I used it to sort and organize and begin the cleaning process that our house really needs to undergo. I did so with a smile in my brand new #shiplap shirt...all ready for Fixer Upper...and then it was a rerun! LOL! Oh well! I believe I was more productive with it on. I organized a shelf in our new workout space and loved the way it turned out - and I found a few more clearance snowflakes to add to our winter decor!

* Wednesday found me BACK at Starbucks, this time in Fort Wayne, to meet up with our friends Mark and Lynnette, who were home for Christmas. I was exceedingly sad that Ryan had to be a responsible adult and go to work instead of coming with me, but I still had fun! We exchanged gifts {in Starbucks!} and tried out a new BBQ place for lunch. I liked it that they list their sandwiches as "sammiches." That night was the most lovely, low-key night at home with Ryan. We rested, we worked out, we watched movies, we had dinner, and we STILL got to bed early!

* Thursday, of course, was New Year's Eve, and you'll see more about this next week, but Ryan had to work during the day. I met up with my friend Faith and her girls for our Christmas celebration and then turned around and met up with a former co-worker from many years ago {the Financial Aid days} for...you guessed it! Starbucks! When Ryan got home, we packed up the car and went to our friends' Nate and Jenna's for a birthday/New Year's Eve party. Had so much fun and didn't get to bed until TWO!

* The 2 a.m. bedtime thing proved interesting on New Year's Day, because Ryan had to work then too, so the alarm went off practically right after we went to bed! BOOOO!!!!! When he got home, we set out for our first adventure of the year, which was a hike {a small one} at a state park. I'll have to tell you more about it soon, but let me assure you it was a COLD start to the year!! I looked like a puffalump in all my layers!

* Yesterday, oddly enough, was another Christmas celebration for us! We got together with another branch of Ryan's extended family for a belated Christmas. So much fun - games and food and lots of kids and pictures! And because the celebration took place about 10 minutes from our friends Jon and Julie, we stopped by to see them for a bit before we came home. It was also our 37th monthiversary, so we observed that auspicious occasion as well! Clearly a busy day! :)

The Saturday Six

One.

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I love starting new habits in a new year - anyone??? Anyone?? I found this list of ideas for prayer that might help you spend some extra time praying in ways you haven't for a while. Always good to pray differently now and then, I think!

Two.

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I am about to hit the house with round two of cleaning out and purging. And lest you think I'm throwing away everything I own {I'm not}, check out this list of ideas to jump-start your paring down process. Aside from pictures {which I don't think you can ever convince me to pare down}, I think this is a great list of showing you what to consider reducing. Not throwing it all out. Reducing excess.

Three.

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Confession: I am not a great housekeeper. Ryan is actually much better at it than I am. I dearly love to organize things and decorate and sort through clutter, but the actual CLEANING is a different story. Truthfully, it's something I kind of forget about without reminders. I came upon the Clean Mama website through Instagram, actually. She'll post reminders on Instagram of what you should be cleaning that day, and I kind of like it! Then I found that she offers free cleaning printables to get you on a manageable routine so the house doesn't get SO BAD. Here's the link to her calendar, and if you prefer the Instagram reminder, you can follow her there!

Four.

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This blogger made a list of some of her favorite blog posts {ones she read} from 2015, and I started liking so many of them and wanting to share them with you...that I just decided to share the list and let you pick your own favorites. Thought-provoking links in here!  

Five.

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This post contains some helpful links for resources in cultivating your walk with the Lord. I've noticed reading about people I know {and some I don't - at least in real life} who are frustrated by their lukewarm journey. While there's no formula for fixing that {that works for everyone} the tools Kathy presents in this post might give you a great launching pad for finding your fire again!  

Six.

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Because let's face it: now and then we all feel the ugly rearing of the junior high head when we realize we STILL don't fit in. If that's you - read THIS.  

 

Blanks, Scribbles, and Sparkles

I'm staring at a blinking cursor on a white screen, wondering how to best welcome a new year: a year as blank and mysterious as this screen. It's the same kind of staring I will do later today when I stare at the blank page of my journal and will myself to remember to change the last two numbers of the date from 15 to 16 without scribbling out the wrong one to replace it with the right one. Of course the pressure of remembering to give that level of perfection to my journal will probably automatically mean I'll mess it up and scribbling will commence.

I love first days. It's odd to me that I do, because I'm the girl who loves a plan and isn't wild about mystery. But despite that, I love first days. I love thinking ahead to what might be.

This year I have pages of scribbles, and not the kind of scribbles induced by writing the wrong year on a journal page. Intentional scribbles. Scribbles of dreams and hopes and goals. Scribbles of what I hope Ryan and I can accomplish together in our marriage, in our home, in new avenues of ministry. Scribbles for myself - of writing, of making new connections, of fostering friendships I have even now. Scribbles that will hopefully catapult me into making mere ideas come to fruition and scribbles that may never become more than a scrawl on a page. And both are okay.

And over there, just across the room, a sparkle catches my eye. My mantel decorations for the new year are a silver and gold jungle of sparkles. Why is it that we commemorate a new year with all things sparkly? Glitter hats, shiny noisemakers, shimmering disco balls. This is how we choose to bring in the new. And there sits our rendering of a new year - a burlap S sitting in the middle of wild bling. Ordinary tucked into celebration.

This is a new year. The mystery of the blanks, the hope of the scribbles, and the celebration of the sparkles.

Let's do this year. Let's fill it with prayer - not just God bless prayers on the fly, but paused, deep, scary-faith prayers. Let's schedule adventure and happen upon even more that we didn't know to schedule. Let's treasure friendships and capture their beauty because none of us knows how long we'll have each other. Let's celebrate milestones because each is an accomplishment that some never get to know. Let's welcome people into our homes and our lives and let them know they're loved and chosen and treasured. Let's invest - in each other and in ourselves.

2016: welcome. We would love for you to be kind and gracious to us, but mostly we just ask you to be eternally purposeful. Bring your mystery, your hope and your celebration. We'll bring the blanks, the scribbles, and the sparkles.