40th Birthday Scavenger Hunt, Part 2!

Thanks for your grace on the podcast being a day late this week! I fully enjoyed my birthday without worrying about editing and producing! :) But we do have stories, and here you go!!

 Listen here!

I thought looking through 40 blog pictures in one day might be a lot, so I broke up our scavenger hunt and am back for part 2! If you missed yesterday, the backstory is that a high school friend of mine came up with the idea to do a photo scavenger hunt on his 40th birthday. He went all over town, found things that said 40, and had a picture taken with each of them. I completely loved the idea, stole it, gave him credit, and had a blast doing this hunt with Ryan on Monday!

So now I'm picking up where we left off, which was in some aisle of the office supply store!

I wanted a box of crayons, but I'm not 24, 48, OR 64 yet, so we went with the 40 page sketchbook.

 And of course, being the lover of paper that I am...40 pages of construction paper.

 Well, whaddya know! Math book comes in handy after all! 4 tens, 0 ones!

 Funny story: when we were in Hobby Lobby, we hunted high and low for wall art that had a Scripture reference containing a 40. Isaiah 40:31 is hugely popular, and we did indeed find a big piece of wall art with that verse. And no reference. Sigh. So we just found a Bible for sale and turned it to Isaiah 40.

 An appropriate 40 day devo, no?

This wasn't in the plan, but I saw it when we drove by! Hacienda was born the same year I was! Mexican food billboards for the win!

 And speed limit signs! (I confess these two pictures were a little too publicly displayed for me. I was ready to be back in "private" for the rest of them. And thank you, wind, for this stellar look.)

 40 scrapbooks...because of course.

 If you've heard my talk about stone altars, you know how important stones are to me, so this seemed a likely choice.

 $40.00 :) A gift from my sisters! They didn't even know they were helping the photo shoot!

This button came in one of my birthday cards! 

 The birthday party balloons were starting to get a little baggy, but they fit for the pictures!

 My mother-in-law's idea! 40 watt bulb!

 You now have to redeem your Starbucks freebie ON your birthday, so we made a trip there to cash in that prize! And yes, I asked the barista if she'd write happy 40th on my cup. (My face was very red!)

 Ryan's idea!! 40 inch TV!

No, we didn't buy that. LOL!

And rounding out the day...a 40 ounce water bottle...

 Not $229...above that! $40 off!

 40 pound kettlebell.

 40 coffee beans. :)

 And my candles. :)

This was such a fun adventure - and it would work for many different ages! If you have a birthday coming up, give it a try! 

A Fun Scavenger Hunt!

First of all, I know! Podcast Tuesday, and no podcast? What? Well, we decided to wait and put it together last night so we could talk about my birthday, but that means it's not finished yet. So it will be coming to you tomorrow!

Meanwhile, no shortage of fun things for you today. I wanted to show you the fun birthday project Ryan and I did yesterday! I cannot take credit for this at all. A few weeks ago, my high school classmate (Zac) turned 40 and he posted this whole album of pictures he took on his birthday. He did a scavenger hunt for things that said "40" and then had his picture taken with them. I loved the idea so much that I decided to steal it! (I told him I was going to do that, and he said it was fine.)

I made a whole list of things to look for, and Ryan took yesterday off work so we could go on our hunt together! We ended up finding a few things along the way that we didn't anticipate, so we didn't use every single thing on our list, but we were really happy with what we found! Thought I'd show you the first half today and the second half tomorrow!

My countdown to 40 calendar finally hit THE DAY.

 My birthday gift from Ryan. (Well, you know, in addition to my massive surprise party.) But I thought this mug was PERFECT.

 It was so helpful that the first place we went had a 40 in their address!

 I have to tell you more about this place another day, but our first stop was at Cross America, so I borrowed 40 crosses!

 Ryan's handiwork on the checker board. :)

I saw this big old thermometer the other day and made a note of it so we could come back for photo opps!

 This was one heavy tape measure! Good grief!

 More measuring fun!

 The closest I've ever been to motor oil. :)

 Getting old, you know!

TIME to have fun!

 I don't even know what this is. It was time to get out of the industrial store after this! LOL!

 Annnnnnnnnnnnd over to Hobby Lobby! Yes!

 I noticed these numbers at Hobby Lobby last week when Ryan was trying to keep me occupied prior to my party. I made a note to come back to them for the scavenger hunt!

 Party props!

More party props

 Hobby Lobby was a helpful stop on this trip.

 I don't even know that I've been near a frame of this size before. LOL!

 Office supplies = my happy place!

 It's very hard to find an exact 40 price tag. Should have gone the night before when I was $39.99!

So there's the first half! Come back tomorrow to see the second half of the hunt! :)

Happy 40th Birthday Bekah!!

Ryan here, for Bekah's 40th birthday post.

Sooo...the long awaited day has finally arrived!!  It feels like we have been celebrating Bekah's 40th birthday for quite some time, since her party was over a week ago and we have continued with the festivities ever since.  How GREAT is that!! It's an important birthday, and I feel it has been celebrated well.  I hope she feels the same and so very loved.

As many of you know (or may not know) Bekah and I went to the same small school growing up but never really knew each other.  At best we were acquaintances.  She was quite shy back then.  I know it's hard to imagine.  We were a grade apart in school and from her graduation until the day we were married, we lived a lifetime apart.  We had separate lives that never intersected.  She went on to college and lived/worked in Marion.  Her church and friends were there and that is where she primarily stayed.  I didn't go to college until I was 29, but until then I worked and lived 30 miles away in Kokomo.  Our lives never collided.

Until one day God led her to the church where I worshipped.  She sat right there on the back row.  (Somethings never change; front row all the way for me!)  I recognized her and distinctly remember greeting her that day.  She continued coming back and thankfully made it her home church.  I was in a relationship at the time, but we did establish a friendship.  For many years, that is what our relationship was: friendship.  And for many years I wondered how in the world this girl wasn't married.  She was Godly, attractive, funny, the list could go on and on.

Then she got a new job a radio station in Fort Wayne.  I remember being excited for her that she was finally getting out of a job she wasn't that fond of and starting something I thought she could really flourish in.  I also remember being sad that she planned to move there as well and that meant I would no longer see her.  But as it worked out, her house (for some reason...hmmm...) would not sell.  And in a way that only God could have ordained, after trial-filled seasons for us both, we began dating.  I believe we knew from that very first date that we were perfect for each other.

Bekah and I feel like we have lived a lifetime in the last 5.5 years.  We have been determined to live according to where God leads us, be intentional about life and always be crazy in love.  And I feel we have done those things well.  But what about all those years before each other?  What did I miss? 

Your parents raised you to love Jesus and to live according to His commands.  So you started off good. 

Then there were your awkward years as a tween and teen, which we all go through, but according to you, yours were especially awkward.  So maybe that wasn't so bad to miss :). 

After that, off to college you went and starting dating the for first time.  From the stories you have told me there was a lot of learning in that season of life.  It sounded pretty dramatic, so it's probably good I wasn't around. 

Your twenties were a time of establishing yourself as an adult and praying for a husband, who unbeknownst to you, would not be stopping by for many years.  God taught you many things in that time and showed you what it was like to rely Him in a way you never had to before.  He took care of you, provided a home and work for you, and gave you many new friends that you are still close too today. 

As thirty rolled around you began to wonder if you dreams of being married would ever come to fruition.  This led to more set ups and blind dates than you care to speak of and the stories are priceless.  I have really enjoyed them.  They always make me laugh. 

But then one day I showed up at your doorstep and life moved into fast forward.  And I am ever grateful for that day.

Happy 40th Birthday, my love!  As is the case with all of us, it takes time for God to mold and shape us, and I love the woman you have become.  Your love for life is greater than anybody I know and that is abundantly clear with the 45 scrapbooks just from our life together.  You are always looking to make a memory to somehow remember each and every day.  I know everyday when I wake that you will do or say something to make me laugh, show me unconditional love and be a Godly wife.  Thank you for living everyday to its fullest and for the wonderful way you love me!

  
                                                                                      Love you forever,
                                                                                                                   -Ryan

The Shafferland Shuffle

Before I begin, I must say a Happy Mother's Day, not only to my own mother, but to the two mothers-in-law I gained when I married Ryan! These three women love me well, and I love them right back!

It has been a busy week (again) around here, so here's a peek at what we've done! :)

* Last Sunday, in addition to continuing to try to wrap my mind around the party I'd had on Saturday, I was back in party mode again! Sunday was our niece's real birthday party. (You know, the one I thought I was attending on Saturday?) We went and I took pictures. Had a lot of fun! Ryan was there too, for the first part, until he had to leave for choir practice.

* On Monday I started sorting through my gifts, so I could begin writing thank you notes! (I'll be working on that project for a while. People were very kind to me!) Ryan had choir practice that night and look how good he was to take a picture for me! I edited party pictures while he sang! (Everyone gets to use his or her own talents, right?)

* Braeya has been completely enamored with my leftover balloons all week, and I caught her in action playing with them on Tuesday. (She also has taken to licking one of the boxes from my gifts. Sometimes she's so odd!) That evening, we went to visit a friend of Ryan's who doesn't have too long to live, and when we came home, we jut sort of sat quietly, drinking coffee, and reflecting on life. (Well. And if you're Braeya - sleeping.)

* Wednesday I met a friend for coffee (turned out to be birthday coffee for me, which was super fun!) And that night, my parents took us out for our combined birthday dinner. (They always take the two of us out sometime around our birthdays.) This year we went to the Gaither café, which is one of my favorite places!

* Thursday morning was my last time to volunteer at the school where I've worked this year. They're not quite done with their school year yet, but my duties ended, so that was my last day! That night we traveled to Portland, Indiana, where I spoke at a women's banquet! Ryan was able to go with me this time, and that made me so happy!

* Ryan's work had a food truck on Friday, so I spent lunch with him there! It was a pretty day and they even got to eat outside! We had SOOOOOOOOOOO many errands to run Friday night (gearing up to host Mommapalooza 5.0) so we stopped by Starbucks for some coffee. Ryan turned in his name as Chuck. LOL!!! Got all our flowers for landscaping, got all our food for Sunday (and the week) and came home exhausted!

* Ryan had to work yesterday, and all of the sudden it looked like the sky was going to let loose for the day, so I scurried outside to try to beat the rain and get the yard mowed. WHEW! It did dry up later so we were able to plant all our flowers, too! (Phoebe came over for a few hours and wanted to help.) We started food prep, finished cleaning the house, and set up the party room for Mommapalooza! 

The Saturday Six

One.

I am absolutely fascinated by book cover design. I think I've posted a link about it before on the Six, actually. But my good friend and fiction writer, Jody Hedlund, released a new book this week, and I found this post about the creation of that cover. Wouldn't it be so fun to be a cover model?

Two.

This video is fun! My friend Brenda shared it on Facebook this week. This is a news clip that features her niece...who owns a store in New York that only sells pencils. How much does my writer heart love that!??!!?

Three.

In case you're looking to buy your own town, this one's for sale!

Four.

Some great words for mothers on this Mother's Day weekend! (Read this especially if life isn't feeling Pinterest perfect right now.)

Five.

I haven't made this personally, but I think it looks fantastic. Rosemary salt! (I had never even smelled rosemary before I worked at WBCL, but it was one of Lynne's favorites, so I got to know it pretty well. I do think this would be amazing for cooking!

Six.

I did not have time to read a book this week (hello, thank you notes and speaking prep!) but I realized when I posted about my party, I forgot to show you the surprise video! So if you want to see the surprise in action, here you go!

Reflecting on My 30's

This is my last regular post before the big 4-0, so I thought I would take a few minutes to reflect on this decade I've just (about) completed!

I'm sure it won't surprise any of you to know that back in 2008, I crafted a thirteen page (typed...single spaced) document listing my goals for my thirties. Today I thought it would be appropriate to look back at the ways God led me through some of my plans and changed others!

I chose Psalm 16:11 as my theme verse for my thirties, and my goodness. Has it ever thoroughly framed these last ten years! "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Pretty much every part of my life looks different at forty than it did at thirty, but in each change, God did make known to me the path of life, and I am grateful for His leading!

My theme song for my thirties (hello, nerd) was I Then Shall Live, and I still love it as much today as I did ten years ago. (And we featured it in our wedding, so I would say I definitely embraced it.)

Here were my goals for my thirties, and I'll tell you how they went!

* Read "Daily Light" for the next ten years and log how Scripture speaks. I started this project and then abandoned it to follow other studies of Scripture. Now I'm torn between being fine with that decision and wondering what I would have learned if I'd stuck with it! (Daily Light is a daily devotional filled with only verses.)

* Examine the Scripture and practice studying various versions and original languages.  I think I've done this pretty well! I mean, I'm not fluent in original languages, but I did a lot of studying in the last ten years.

* Pursue faith-filled, intercessory prayer. I did that! Always room to grow, of course, but I'm grateful for all the prayers I made time to pray.

* Memorize Scripture. I did some, but not as much as I should have. (This one doesn't come naturally to me.)

* Keep a faithfulness journal to preserve the record of what God has done in my life. Journaling has taken on even greater forms and facets for me in the last ten years. I'm not sure I fully did what this commitment set out to do, but I feel I've still accomplished it in ways I couldn't have fathomed back then!

* Write five books. How about three and a half? :)

* Develop and lead three small group curriculum studies. How about kind of? I wrote one and a half, but never led either. (A group did use one, though.) I also did other kinds of curriculum and study writing that I did use and never imagined doing.

* Develop mentoring relationships in life skills. Done! Maybe not as specifically and intentionally as my goal stated, but it happened in natural ways.

* Write an encouragement letter every week, leaving a legacy to those who left one to me. Fail. Sad, sad fail. I did write many, but not one a week.

* Create home groups. Ten years ago, I was leading a home group of friends through a little study/program I created, and I wanted to make more of those groups. That didn't happen (hello, life) but I have become a small group leader alongside Ryan, so I'm not calling this a total fail. I'm just calling it a change.

* Continue routine maintenance of the house where I live. Ten years ago I was single and not great at house stuff. This one got a lot easier to keep after I married a handyman!

* Continue working diligently in cooking, decorations, and cleaning. Ryan is still (by far) a better housekeeper than I am, but I feel I did well in this one overall! I'm a way better cook at forty than I was at thirty! And way healthier!

* Create a safe environment for friends, family, and myself. Mostly a win! My goal was to make a haven of a home where people felt safe and loved. Why is it that finding out you failed on this one specific time sticks out in your mind more than all the times you succeeded? But overall, I think people find our home a safe and loving place.

* Open my doors for entertainment, study, and teaching. Done! I did it before I was married, and we still do it today. We want our home to be the kind of place people want to come to for anything.

* Create boundaries and rules for myself and my family. Done! I want our home to be fun and safe, but it's still God's home before it's ours, and we want to put a hedge of protection around it!

* Spend quality time (on the phone or in person) investing in one friend every week. There were certainly weeks I did NOT do this, and in the last ten years, my phone usage took a nosedive (hello texting and social media), but overall, I would say I still try to do this!

* Pray daily for my husband. I didn't know who he was when I made this list, but I sure am glad I spent so much time praying for him, and now it's a privilege to pray WITH him as well!

* Look for ways to meet specific needs in friends' lives. I feel like I have done this well. Sometimes the hardest part is getting them to LET ME meet that need. We are all such a stubborn bunch, and I raise my hand the highest in that department!

* Develop a core group (of twelve people) to carry me through this decade. While I have way more than  twelve friends, I do feel like I have found a consistent dozen (or so) that I know I can count on for prayer and advice, and I love that!

* Learn how to handle conflict in a healthy way. Ugh. I still hate it. I feel like I do better with it than I did ten years ago, but it's still not my first (or hundredth) choice.

* See the ocean. DONE! (And on a birthday, no less.) I've seen it more than once in these last ten years, but that first time is precious to me.

* Take four vacations to places I've never been. Done! And even more than that! This was originally a commitment to making my own fun even when I was single. And I feel like I did that well! Being married just makes it easier!

* Create my own top-fifty "must read" list to pass on. Well, I started it. It's not done yet. But that just gives more time for great books to be written, right?

* Scrapbook my kid pictures. I got through my senior year, my birth, and my first five years! Then current life took over and I never finished it.

* Create a portfolio of must have recipes and stories to pass on. Well, the portfolio lives on my blog, but I think I've done it! (And continue to do it.)


So there you have it! A checkup from the past ten years. Even though I didn't fulfill every commitment explicitly, I fulfilled so many more dreams that I didn't even dare to write down back then. And as I prepare to enter my forties, I am doing so in a new city, new home, with a new last name, and a new job. (OH! And new hair color. But that isn't a surprise to anyone.)

I am so grateful for this beautiful decade, and all my forty years. God has been faithful and good on my best and worst days, and I am excited to see what He has ahead for me!

And just for funsies, here's a little video I made of my original birth day and the thirty-nine birthdays that have followed. (I made this a couple of weeks ago and Ryan ended up using the photos at my surprise party. I had no idea I was working for my own party!)