Hiking the Indiana Dunes

Guess what? I'm back to telling you about our mini-vacation! :)

Ryan and I have had our eyes on the Indiana Dunes for a while now, and we've even made plans to actually go a few times, but the weather never cooperated. This time, though, everything worked out perfectly, and we were so grateful!

The dunes are in northern Indiana, and while they don't fit neatly within county lines, the ones we spent Saturday climbing were in Porter County, the middle of the three counties we toured on our trip! Our specific goal for the day was to take on the 3 Dune Challenge. Here is a peek at our day doing just that (plus a bit more!)

We were really fortunate that the day we went, all the parks offered free entry, so this was totally free for us! An unexpected blessing!

Oh! I almost forgot to tell you this part. We stopped by the Visitors' Center first, and while I was taking one last bathroom break, Ryan found the kids' room:

 Guess he's practicing to be like Darci Lynne.

Anyway. Back to the dunes. The Shaffers begin!

The bulk of the trails for this challenge look like what you see behind us. They went right through forest areas and had heavy tree cover. But the trails themselves, rather than being packed dirt, were deep, thick, loose sand. (And obviously...hilly!)

Ryan scurried right to the top of the first dune. I did pretty well until I had almost reached the end. Whew! Then it got a little rough. (By the way, the weather was almost perfect for this. Sunny but not scorching, breezy but not unbearably windy, cool but not cold. Loved it!)





Made it to the top of the first dune! The view was beautiful - out over the hills! (And obviously even a good cell signal since Ryan's phone picked right then to ring!)

All the stats on this dune are right there for you if you want to see how far up we climbed, etc!

Back down we went, and then back up the second one. Another long climb up!

 Ryan decided to run it. Yes, you read that right! I decided to take his picture.

 Stunning views from the top of the second dune. Well, hello, Lake Michigan!

 Little taller, little steeper, little prettier!

 Dune #2, conquered!

 In which I dump sand out of my shoes. I ended up doing this probably 6 times throughout the hike. Shoes AND socks = FULL.

 Last shot before heading down and back up for #3!

The third dune was, obviously, the tallest, steepest one. I wasn't sure I would survive it, especially at the end, but I did!!

 At the very end, there was a sand trail beside a steep set of steps. (Say that three times fast!) I was totally planning to use the stairs, but Ryan dared me to climb the sand. I couldn't refuse the dare.

Our documentation of the final climb. He made me go first in case I lost my balance. He wanted to catch me. I went almost to the top before caving and using the sand and side of the stairs for balance/pulling.

 Made it!

 We did it!!!!

 Hello again, Lake Michigan!

 43 degrees? For an out of shape girl, that's pretty good!

We discovered you could actually see Chicago from here! (Perfectly clear day!) It's about 60 miles from where we were right then.

We conquered the three dunes in a little over an hour (including photo opp/sand dumping rests) so we decided to spend a little extra time visiting the shores of Lake Michigan, climbing a couple of bonus dunes, and hiking a regular trail in the park. Here are just a few more pictures, in no particular order:

We were just so thankful for a fun and perfect day! Yay for dunes!!!!!

Linking up with Tamar!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Remember last Sunday when we were on vacation? I haven't even gotten to the fun of this day in my posts, but last Sunday morning, we walked the shores of Lake Michigan, saw a lighthouse, and had the most leisurely morning ever! We spent the day seeing Porter County, including Valparaiso University's campus. So many stories for you!

* Monday was our last day of vacation, and it was also our 58th monthiversary. How great is that!?!? We packed up to come home, seeing one last coffee shop on our way. When we got home, we launched right back into real life: grocery shopping, washing the car, unpacking, podcasting - VACATION OVER! :(

* Tuesday was so busy, I could barely breathe by the end of the day! I started a new cooking experiment (more on this later) so I spent a TON of time in the kitchen, cranking out recipes. The kitchen was a full disaster most of the day. One fun thing, though? Free cake pops! The kiddos I take to school surprised us with a couple of cake pops! YAY!!!

* As you already saw, Wednesday marked FIVE YEARS since Ryan proposed to me, and we celebrated in style with a fun, fun, fun trip to Indianapolis for dinner at the Eagle's Nest. (This also doubled as our "R" date.) I am so grateful for these past five years with Ryan, and I'm also so glad to just enjoy my October and November...no wedding planning this year! :)

* Thursday evening, I spoke at a banquet, and I have lots of stories for you about that, too! The ladies were so very kind, and we appreciated their hospitality and kind words. I actually hadn't felt well most of the day and was nervous I would feel sick while I spoke, but people prayed me through, and I was thankful I felt great!

* I had the whole day off Friday (no carpool, even!) so I spent most of the day scrapbooking. Obviously I have many things to catch up on. Braeya apparently had to catch up on sleep. (Because, you know, her life is so busy! One of Ryan's co-workers gave him some homemade spring rolls and she let him borrower her fryer for them. We've never been quite that fancy! I stayed far away. Seemed safer. :)

* Poor Ryan had a lonnnnnnnng day yesterday. He worked and then last night, we helped out at a fundraiser for a family friend who is battling cancer. I spent the day working at home and baking, baking, baking for the fundraiser. My parents stopped by to drop off some things, including this absolute treasure. My dad's old (old, old, old) typewriter. HOW COOL IS THAT!???!!?  A vintage piece for my office!

The Saturday Six

** I drew the winner for Sarah Philpott's Loved Baby book last night and Jenni was the winner. Jenni, if you haven't seen it, I've emailed you, so let me know where to ship your book! I would so encourage any of you to get the book even if you didn't win this copy, because I believe so deeply in its message! **

One.

 I do love a good food buffet. Not just the restaurant kind (although there is that...) but also the kind you serve when you have company. Taco buffet, pizza buffet...all the buffets. I love them because I have the chance to cook and be hospitable, yet I also have the chance to let my guests pick the things they love the most. Here's a post with great ideas for a soup buffet. Yummmm!!!!

Two.

If you love shopping at thrift store (or think you might love it if you could figure out a good system) check out this fun post! 

Three.

Anyone else getting ready to do fall family photos? I found this Pinterest board with many ideas for outfit coordination. Adults, kids, everyone! If you're stumped or in need of fresh ideas, check it out! 

Four.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the bad news lately? This post has some comforting reminders. God is here and hasn't abandoned us! 

Five.

 Ryan and I watched the movie Do You Believe? this week. It's not new; it actually released in 2015, but we had never seen it. It has a cast of well-known actors in it, but it's a faith-based movie. I don't know why I always feel like faith-based movies are going to be cheesy, but this one did not fall into that category. It was well done and very convicting. It tells the story of a group of people whose lives intersect "by chance," and those meetings end up challenging their beliefs. We found it convicting and a good use of our two hours!

Six.

Source

I'm excited about the book I get to tell you about today! I actually read it in April, if you can believe that, and I've been waiting for it to officially release to the public so I can tell YOU!

The author, Whitney Bailey, is a real-life friend of mine. We were students at Indiana Wesleyan at the same time, and I will confess to you that though she's right behind me in age, she's far ahead of me in talent. (She always has been.) But what I loved about Whitney then and still love about her today is that she doesn't let her talent keep her from cheering on a fellow writer. I've appreciated her encouragement here on the blog and through social media even in the years since we studied together.

So...when I found out she had a book contract and she asked if I'd be an extra set of eyes on the book a few months back, I eagerly said yes. Confession #2: I got so caught up in the story, I almost forgot to be in editing mode.

A Mistaken Match is a delightful story of Ann Cromwell, a beautiful mail order bride who travels from London to Ohio to be matched with bachelor James McAnn. Not until she's nearly at her destination does she realize her forthcoming marriage will transform her into Ann McAnn, and it seems that's just the beginning of the troubles.

When she arrives, she discovers she's not what James expected to find, and his reasons are flabbergasting. It seems he specifically requested a plain wife. Ugly, even. Being pushed away for being too beautiful was something Ann never anticipated. But in James McAnn's mind, beautiful means delicate, and his life on a Midwest farm leaves little room for that. He needs a helpmate in every way, including work on the farm.

Though beautiful, Ann is no stranger to hard work, and she's not afraid to prove it. Because she knows one thing for sure: even if James cannot bring himself to keep her, she cannot return to England. She has no idea what she would do, but she knows she can't do that.

Though their initial meeting certainly doesn't bring love at first sight, the two are thrown into a life together and begin to wrestle with how to handle this messy and unfortunate situation. Secrets of their pasts and a fear of vulnerability make it difficult to find a good solution, but they plod along just the same.

I will stop there so I don't give away the entire story, and I'll encourage you to pick up a copy for yourself!

This story is warm, comfortable, compelling, and I'm already eager for a sequel. Whitney's characters are well-developed, the plot is gripping without being convoluted, and it's certainly not "just another" mail-order bride story.

I'm so proud of Whitney and this debut novel. If you're looking for a warm, fall read, choose this! (Makes a great gift, too, if you're Christmas shopping!) 

The Date Inspired by the Letter R

Next week! I promise I'll finish telling you about our vacation and our county tours. But since I already derailed this week, I thought I would follow up yesterday's nod to our engagementversary by telling you  how we celebrated it!

It actually combined with our date inspired by the letter R. We had skipped over R a while ago, and the reason we did was because I had this grand idea to have a rooftop dinner for the letter R. Welllll, it turns out here in the fine state of Indiana, there aren't a lot of rooftop restaurants. (What? No one wants to look at cornfields while they eat?) The ones that did show up in my searches were very noncommittal on their hours after Labor Day. Understandably so...I mean who wants to sit outside in the fall and freeze? So I modified the date somewhat and that modification meant this was going to be quite a splurge for us. It felt necessary and appropriate, therefore, to couple it with an occasion...like celebrating five years of engagement!

(After all that, we saw a rooftop restaurant in Michigan City right there on the shores of Lake Michigan. Go figure.)

Soooooo, our date inspired by the letter R became the romantic rooftop(ish) rendezvous in the ritzy rotating restaurant!

 There is a restaurant in downtown Indianapolis called the Eagle's Nest. It's at the very top of the Hyatt Regency Hotel, and it rotates so you can see the entire city while you eat! True story! (I posted on Instagram and Facebook after we were there and I had many questions about whether or not we enjoyed it, because apparently there are mixed reviews online. So I will throw a bit of review into this just for that reason.)

First, though, Ryan and I got all gussied up for the evening. I spent a lot more time on my hair than he did on his. HA!

Here is a view of the restaurant from a few blocks away. It's right above the ISTA sign - the round part of the building.

And here it is from the entrance looking up:

I believe the hotel had about 20 floors, so this is 21/22ish stories high. Not the tallest building by far, but tall enough to have a spectacular view.

They do have a parking garage, but the Shaffers are far too frugal to pay for valet parking, so we parked in the Circle Center garage (hello, $2.00 parking!) and hiked (I was in heels!) to the restaurant.

Because you can take the kids out of the small town, but you can't take the small town out of the kids...our elevator picture. LOL!!!

The inside of the elevator is glass and overlooks the hotel. This was the only picture I could get before my fear of heights made me all cold and clammy.

First, let me say that this restaurant is totally out of our budget. I worked specifically to save up for this date, so we had money earmarked and set aside for it. I didn't want you to think that we always ate this way. We're kind of more dollar-menu folk. (Dollar menu with coupons = even better!)

Let me also pause to explain the rotation situation, because I didn't understand it until I saw it. The outside of the building does not move. (The windows don't move.) and the middle of the "donut" as I explained it to a friend is where the kitchen, bathrooms, and elevator are located, and that doesn't move either. But in between the windows/walls and the middle section is a strip where all the tables are located and that is what rotates.

It goes very slowly, and that is important to know if you have motion issues. I do, sometimes, and I was fine. (And I was going backwards and was still fine.) Our waitress told us it takes an hour and twenty minutes to make a full rotation, if that tell you how imperceptibly slowly we were moving.

Oh my goodness. Our waitress. Her names was Mackenzie, and I think she was (not even kidding) one of the best servers I have ever had in my life. She was fun, helpful, not overbearing, and she told us upon arrival that she would be happy to take as many pictures for us as we wanted. (So obviously she was my best friend immediately.) We really really liked her.

All of the tables in there have a good view but some are closer to the window than others. I had requested that when I made the reservation, and because we were there on a weeknight when it wasn't so busy, they were easily able to accommodate.

Because we were on a budget, we had decided ahead of time we could only do entrees and dessert. So no appetizers for us - or soup or salad. (Ryan asked me partway through what a "super salad" was. I said, "Huh?" He said he heard Mackenzie ask the next table if they wanted a super salad. I said, "soup OR salad." LOL!!!!)

They did, though, bring a delicious serving of bread out to us, and that made a great appetizer.

Ryan ordered a steak with mushrooms and mashed potatoes, and I ordered a lemon garlic chicken that came with seasonal veggies and mashed potatoes. We gobbled it right up! (Well, I couldn't gobble ALL of mine, but I tried!)

I wanted to show you some of our views of the city. You'll notice it got dark on us before we made it all the way around!

And a few of us:

We ordered a chocolate s'more mousse dessert to share, and it was so rich and delicious....

And when we got our bill...

YAY!!!!!!!! That was such a blessing, and we appreciated it!

Because it was not packed in there, we didn't feel obligated to hurry, so we just sat back,  had more coffee, talked, and enjoyed the lights of the city. (And played with the lights on the table because you can't take us anywhere...)

It was such a fun night. The food was good, and the atmosphere was superb. (And before I forget, I would imagine that it's more easily enjoyed on a night like this, when things aren't busy. I imagine on the weekends or when there's a big event in town, it's not quite so laid back. But that's just my assumption. I could be totally wrong!)

So that was our fun date inspired by the letter R and our engagementversary celebration, marking FIVE YEARS since he popped the question!

To see the rest of our alphabetical date adventure, look here!

A Lifetime in Five Years

(Yes, I know it's rude to interrupt my own vacation coverage for other things, but I had to break in yesterday for my "Walk a Mile Wednesdays" post, so today I have to break in with what I wanted to feature yesterday! Whew!)

Last week I saw on my Facebook memories that it had been five years since Ryan and I ran the Fort 4 Fitness 10K in Fort Wayne. That was our first time to really be out among friends as an official couple, and I smiled looking at our post-race picture!

 I had no idea that while I talked to friends after the race, Ryan was secretly telling my co-workers he would see them in just a few days, because he was about to propose to me. I had no idea. I mean, I knew he planned to propose. Someday. Just didn't know it was going to be in the next week!

I texted my mom to tell her it had been five years since race day, and her response was, "A lifetime in five years."

And it's true. My goodness, have we ever crammed a whole lotta living into the last five years! Hard moments, learning moments, great moments - but it's been full, for sure.

Yesterday marked five years since Ryan followed through on his secret promises to my co-workers. He showed up at the station, burst into the studio while I was on air, got down on one knee and proposed to me in front of all those people listening through their radios.

I think second to our anniversary, our engagementversary is my favorite day. I love our anniversary, of course, because it symbolizes the day we truly became a forever couple. The day we made promises and celebrated.

But our engagementversary is dear to me because it's the day I was chosen out loud. I knew he had chosen me before this day. He'd told me he was dating me with the intent to marry me. We had sought counsel from family and friends. We had prayed (separately and together) to sense whether or not we had God's blessing and were inside His will.

But this was the day Ryan said out loud (in front of so many people) that he chose me forever. I know for some, this would have been way too public and big of a thing. But for me, it was comforting. You don't put yourself in that vulnerable of a position unless you mean it.

Being claimed out loud in public was a healing moment for me. And that's why our engagementversary is so dear.

For those of you who may not know our story, Ryan and I were in our mid-30's when this all happened, and I've had people ask me if I feel like I lost too many years to the wasteland of waiting before this moment arrived. I think there would have been a time - even extending into the early months of our marriage - when I would have said yes. We missed many years and will probably (down the line) miss even more milestones because we were married so "late."

But I think Mom's line sums it up accurately. We have lived a lifetime in the last five years. I (of course) would selfishly ask for 100 more years together to keep living to the fullest and making memories. Of course I would. But I also know that if something (horrible, tragic, and we won't even think about it) took one of us away today, we lived a lifetime of love in five years. We have no regrets.

We have dreams for much more, but no regrets about where we've been.

Five years ago, he chose me out loud in public. Five years ago, we began a new chapter of life, and it was fuller than we could have imagined.

To those of you waiting, I'm praying for you today. Praying for your strength in the waiting, for your moment of joy to come in HIS time, and for life to be full, even if the years feel like they're wasting.

God can redeem time in miraculous ways.

We are proof.

Walk a Mile in My Shoes Wednesday: Foster Care

Last week I started a new series called "Walk a Mile in My Shoes Wednesday," and my hope is to educate myself and all of you on topics/occupations/situations that we might not fully understand because we haven't been there. We haven't walked a mile in those shoes. What would those who do walk many miles in these shoes tell us if they had our listening ears for just a moment? What do they wish we understood about their world?

This week I want to introduce you to a friend of mine who has been part of my life for about the last twenty years. Her name is Kristin Hand, and I met her when we were students at Indiana Wesleyan.  Over the years that followed, we spent some time attending the same church, working together(ish) in Financial Aid, and even being part of the same Bible study. Fun fact: Kristin was one of my friends who made the 1100 mile journey from Indiana to Florida to attend our wedding in person! (She's also a HUGE part of the reason I made it through my desert journey of seven years ago with any kind of sanity intact. I'm actually surprised she has sanity left after dealing with me in that season.)

Kristin and her husband, Bill, have been foster parents for the last four years. In that time, they have welcomed fifteen different children into their home, and actually that number might be a bit higher if they hadn't taken a nine month break during that time to prepare for the adoption proceedings of one of their foster children.

I knew nothing about foster care before they began this journey, but I have learned so much from Kristin's Facebook posts, that I asked if she would tell me the top three things she wished people knew about foster parenting. She's a true kindred spirit, because limiting the information to three bullet points was impossible. So here are her top five things she would tell you about walking a mile in her shoes!

 (Bill and Kristin Hand on adoption day with their daughter, Michelle)

1. Foster parents do what they do knowing they will eventually have to say goodbye.

The goal of foster care is for the children to be reunited with their parents (eventually). If circumstances prevent that goal from being met, the foster plan can change to adoption. Bill and Kristin, like many foster parents, feel called to foster, but they don't have nearly enough space to adopt every child who enters their home. (God did make a way for them to adopt one of their foster daughters, Michelle, and that adoption was finalized earlier this year!) Because they don't have the space to take every child permanently, sometimes their job as foster parents is to help transition the kids into a forever home with someone else. As you might imagine, it's an extremely emotional process for everyone involved, but Bill and Kristin take comfort in knowing the kids are going to homes where they will be loved and kept safe.

2. Foster parents face the same struggles as any other parents.

Kids are kids, Kristin says. She and Bill have the same issues with foster children as other families have with their biological children. Foster parents, though, have a steep learning curve with each child. Sometimes they receive no background on why the child has been placed into care, and they have to spend many hours figuring out the underlying reasons for the behaviors they exhibit. That is stressful and takes a toll on the family!

3. Simple things from the "village" are so encouraging.

Kristin says she and Bill can feel the prayers of those who have rallied around them in this journey. They get excited about things like gifts of paper plates, respite care providers, and a meal train when they receive a new placement. One of their current foster children is likely autistic, which creates additional care needs. Bill and Kristin's church has responded by scheduling a "buddy" to hang out with him on Sundays so they can serve and worship without worrying about their child and the distractions he may be causing in his class. These little things have a huge (positive!) impact.

4. Positive life changes can happen.

Bill and Kristin have had children stay with them for just a month, but placements have also lasted as long as three years. These kids come to their house scared, angry, and confused (and not necessarily in that order)! Thankfully none of the kids have ever left their house feeling those emotions.

Kristin said their last placement involved a sibling group, and the oldest child had been described by her previous foster home as a "demon child." She never smiled, and she didn't like hugs. The pictures Bill and Kristin have of her from this past Easter show an unhappy girl in a pretty dress. Six months later, a school picture showed a smile so big, her eyes nearly squinted shut. The girl was sad to leave their house, because she wanted to keep going to church with them. She went from being a "demon child" to wanting to be a church teacher when she grows up, because she loves Jesus so much. Bill and Kristin's own adopted daughter was a scared child when she first showed up at their house, but this past spring, she was baptized.

Whether the kids are there forever or just a few weeks, they grow in Bill and Kristin's loving care, and they attribute that to the transforming work of Christ!  

5. Anyone can help!

Not everyone is called to be a foster parent, but anyone can help! Foster parents need prayer and support. If you have a few free hours, and you feel led, volunteer to take a foster child to the park so the parents can breathe for a while. If you have a bulk store membership, pick up paper plates or plastic silverware, and gift them to a foster family.

If you aren't sure how you can be the most effective help, just ask! If you don't know any foster parents personally, call your local DCS office to ask if there are any donations they could use to help kids who have to sit all day in the office awaiting a placement home.

Regardless of where you live, it seems there's always a shortage of foster homes. If you feel like this is something you may want to do, but you have more questions about what life is like with full time foster kids, Kristin would be happy to talk with you about it! (I can connect you to her if you'd like.) Even if you don't think you want to foster full time, you can become licensed as a respite parent to help foster families with short term care so they can take a vacation, travel for an emergency, or just have a weekend of refreshment.


I have tremendous respect for those who foster. From the posts I've read on Facebook from Kristin and other friends, I know it's a hard, often thankless job, and I'm grateful for Kristin's wisdom today in helping me understand even more what it's like to walk in a foster parent's shoes!  

Linking up with Tamar