One Year

Today is a monumental day, and I almost missed it!

One year ago today, we welcomed a new family member:

Our multi-year dreams of having our very own RV came true one year ago today. I'm pretty sure we were both scared to death as we signed on the dotted line and felt those keys drop into our hands. 

There she was, with her overwhelming smell of cleaners, her floral couch, and all the oak. So. Much. Oak. 

We stood on the lot with the sales guy, and I snapped photo after photo while Ryan took a crash course in things like shore power, how to manually run the awning, and the finer points of a sewer hose. 

It was National Coffee Day, we learned, so we poured two cups of fake lattes from the dispenser in the dealership and drank them in our new home on wheels. 

We received our "RV Starter Kit" and took it home to our Amazon wish list of things we'd learned we needed...mostly from our Pinterest research. 

And then we stood in our parking lot and leapt with joy and trepidation at this major project we'd just acquired. 

Could we do it? Could we figure out how to renovate an RV together? Neither of us had ever spent a night in one in our entire lives. Would we even like traveling in an RV? 

And so our fall and winter began. Every spare minute went into updating Miss Abby. 

So much demo. So much rehab. And finally...the decorating. She was so so pretty when we finished!

We loved her so much and thought she felt just like home. But we still had to see if she really could be home.

We went on our first official trip in April. The weather wasn't great, but the trip was delightful. Having an RV was everything we thought it would be. 

That trip whet our appetite for the big trip west, where we just wanted to keep driving for a year and see everything everywhere!! (A special shout-out to all the pictures in this row re-ordering themselves.)

But we did come home. We did. And throughout this summer, we've gotten to enjoy short trips locally that have reminded us why Abby was such a great decision!

We even took Phoebe on her first ever camping trip!

Happy birthday, Abby the RV! What a spectacular first year we've had together! Five trips. Eight states. Sixteen nights. A whole lotta miles. A whole lotta learning. A whole lotta rest. 

Here's to many more adventures!!

Sitting in the Sun

 No two days are alike for us, and it's possible that after yesterday, I say hurrah to that! 

I started working around 8 in the morning - while I still sported bedhead. I typed lists and ate yogurt and drank coffee all at the same time.

Then I tamed the hair and ventured forth to have conversations with tenants.

The day gave way to more lists, soooooo many emails (I think I ended the day with 35 sent emails, where a normal day has maybe half a dozen), sorting, printing, arranging, rearranging, scheduling, and somewhere in there...cooking dinner. I finally wrapped up the last of the things about 10 p.m. And I jut remembered I still have a load of clothes in the washer. We'll address that tomorrow.

It certainly wasn't the most stressful day I've ever had. I actually enjoy administrative tasks, so a day in the office is fun for me. But the day was still long, for sure. 

Partway through the afternoon, I headed into the yard for Phoebe's potty break, and it was just so beautifully splendid out there. It was the perfect blend of breeze, sun, warm, and cool. Perfect days like that don't happen every day in Indiana! 

So I sat down.

I sure did. 

I put down the keys and the phone and sat back in the patio furniture that I don't think has had a date with me one time this entire season. I leaned back, closed my eyes, and felt the warmth of the sun on my face. I felt the breeze blowing through my hair, and I heard Phoebe's collar clunk against the deck as she sank down beside me. I peeked and saw the wind blowing her ears. So sweet. 

I didn't stay long. Maybe twenty minutes? Ryan wandered out to see what we were up to and ended up sitting in the chair beside me, soaking up a little sun of his own.

You know what it reminded me of? The summers when I used to visit my friends at the lake, and we'd head out to the middle of the lake in their boat. We'd leave sometime after lunch and wander back whenever we got tired of the water. (Okay, so really just when someone had to use the bathroom. No one ever got tired of the water.) I'd take my Bible and journal with me and once we landed in the middle of the lake, I'd kick back to study and pray. I'd feel the wind in my hair and the sun on my face...and I'd hear the gentle lapping of waves against the boat.

Our landlocked backyard had no gentle waves. Just a lawnmower down the block. But it was every bit as peaceful as those days on the lake. 

I don't know what your schedule is like this week. I don't even know what your weather is like this week. But if you have one of those perfect-ish days, go sit on the porch for a few minutes. Sit back and let the Lord wash over you you. Rest for a moment. Savor. You'll be so glad you took the time!

Photo Essay

When Ryan and I were in fifth grade, we had to do photo essays for school. The assignment was to do a poster board with a day-in-the-life style essay about something people might find interesting about our lives. I did mine about my dad's radio program. Ryan did his about his mom, who was a nurse. He went to work with her one day played the part of the patient so he could show what she did. 

Who knows? Maybe that's when my love of documentation began! 

While this isn't a day-in-the-life post, I thought I'd share a few photos from our September. A few may have popped up in other posts along the way, but I'll try to make them fresh finds for you!

We live in a small town that may not have much, but it does have four restaurants! (Impressive, right?) Throughout our first year here, we'd tried all of them but The Woodhouse. It's only open for dinner, and it can be hard for us to get away for dinner. But just recently they started opening up for breakfast two days a week. So we went one day! I wasn't super hungry, so I just ordered a scrambled egg and a bowl of fruit. I'm so used to fruit bowls at restaurants being two grapes and some bland melon served in about a half-cup sized bowl. Look at this serving of fruit! It was like an actual bowl of fruit!! And it all had flavor! I was impressed. 

Maybe this is going to be a photo essay about food. I'm not sure. :) Nah, just kidding. I took this photo at the coffee shop one morning when I settled in for a work meeting. Ryan and I are IN LOVE with the cake at this coffee shop. I got a piece so I could surprise him with half. And their southern pecan coffee is pretty much the best thing ever. Also...can we pause to appreciate the ambience of the upstairs? It's in a log cabin, so...

I'll have to go back now that this is complete, but I grabbed the picture quickly as I passed through the parking lot and saw the giant mural underway. It's on two sides of the building and is so striking! We didn't have any murals in town before, so this is kind of a big deal!

Who loves encouragement mail? EVERYONE!! :) We have been so very blessed with kind notes and gifts in the mail, and this was a super fun one to find one day. It's from our good friends out west...and look at the card! It's all of us!! :) Ahhh, memories of the ranch. 

Ahhh...mums!! We haven't had any flowers at all this year at WillowBridge, because Ryan and I were overwhelmed/gone last May when we normally would have planted summmer flowers. SO I was excited to get some mums for the front yard. The building looks so happy now!

Sweet Braeya still loves to drink from the faucet. She's been doing this for years. She has a water dish. We keep fresh water in it at all times. She does drink from it. But if she hears anyone going anywhere NEAR the bathroom, she wants a faucet drink too. 

Phoebe and Ryan running up the hill one night. This is about the extent of Ryan's running right now, thanks to his ankle. (It's killing him to not run!) But they did have fun conquering Mt. Grabill. (For those of you who may be confused, this is the town's sledding hill. But it's really pretty in all seasons.)

Her ears laid out on the pillows...I can't even. Too funny!

Ryan sent this of our beloved lake - when he went to the men's retreat. Ahhhh. This is my favorite place to meet with the Lord.

Sitting on the sidewalk waiting for Ryan to come home. She got to him faster only in real-world time. I got there faster in my heart. 

Yesterday we sang hymns in church. From a hymnal. Who knew there would be a day in life when this was a treat?

And because I feel I should conclude with a food item...everyone needs friends who makes AND DELIVERS these:

(I only had one sliver. Ryan gets the rest.)

Sunday Sentiments

 Ryan is home from his men's retreat. I did something to the tune of 80-some scrapbook pages while he was gone. Phoebe and I sat on the couch and watched Hallmark movies and counted down the hours until Ryan returned. And he did return - all safe and sound. He's refreshed and challenged by what he learned there, which makes my heart so happy, because that's how a retreat should leave you! 

Last night, after I stopped scrapbooking for the night and settled down to read my Bible and study, and I spent some extra time in prayer, asking God for fresh wisdom and fresh perspective.

I'd happened upon an article on Pinterest (earlier) that challenged me so deeply, and I spent some of that prayer time mulling it over. The writer had suggested maybe it's time to put away our devotional books and spend time IN THE WORD. As a writer of studies and devos, that can sometimes be a sticky thought to ponder, but I pondered it anyway. After all, one of the things we've noticed in our time in this job is that it seems to be much more palatable for everyone to read a fast, easy devotional and move on with their day than to sit and dig in the Bible itself. We've been trying to change that, but it's hard to recondition minds.

But perhaps it's my own mind that needs some reconditioning. A fresh hunger. A fresh perspective. Fresh vision from words I've read before.

You all know that I've talked often on here about the Bible studies from The Daily Grace Company. I haven't changed my mind about their depth or goodness, but lately I've been looking into some of the inductive studies from Precept Ministries. And as I sat on our couch the other night, I found myself drawn to the very first one in the series. The one on Genesis...and creation itself.

The foundation of it all, as it reminded me in the description.

And while I generally don't tell people to take spiritual advice from The Sound of Music, I found myself singing, "Let's start at the very beginning...a very good place to start."

Yes.

I've studied those chapters so many times. I've even done some writing over the creation account. But it wouldn't hurt me at all to go back, dig in, and see it all with fresh eyes. 

I'm grateful for the nudge from the Lord. And I'm sharing it in case you need a nudge too. Maybe you've been feeling stuck, in a rut, silenced, paralyzed, or some other similar frustration as you've tried to study and learn. Maybe you need to start at the very beginning, too? 

The Saturday Six

 

One.

This post just utterly fascinated me. The writer rents out her home for filming (commercials, TV shows, movies). Getting to see behind the scenes was really fun!!! I'm not sure I could handle the invasive nature of the renting, but I probably could handle the paycheck just fine!

Two.

I know it's popular to gift hot chocolate mix at the holidays. Check out this twist for some additional flavors beyond regular hot chocolate! (I don't think I've ever heard of vanilla powder before. It intrigues me too! I guess today is my day to be intrigued.)

Three.

Ryan and I haven't done our dream national park tour (yet?) but I still think this is so cool! You can submit pictures you've taken (even ones with your family in them!) to this site and they'll create national park-style posters for you to hang in your home! You can even have filters put on them to make them look like traditional park posters. So cool!

Four.

Watched this story last night...and it is worth the time. I knew bits and pieces of it from along the way, but this is the first time I've ever heard the whole thing. This is the story of a brave young woman named Lizzy who has been battling cancer since 2012. Her husband, Joel, went to church with me when I was much younger, so that's my connection to the story. 

Five.

One night this week, as I was finishing my steps, I happened upon this video of David Phelps' kids singing together. The video is a few years old, but the harmony is outstanding. I've never heard his kids sing together before! 

Six.

Anyone else love a walking taco? Boy, I do!! I love this so much...a walking taco charcuterie board!

To Do...

 One of the things we are looking to teach our tenants more specifically is how to better manage their time. The truth of it is, most of them have not lived consistently in environments where time management was taught or modeled regularly. It's one of the things that has pushed me to take a step back and be grateful for things I learned somewhat by osmosis.

I grew up in a home with two parents who were timely, organized people. I grew up understanding (by observation) what it meant to get up in time to eat breakfast, get dressed, and be out the door on time for wherever we needed to go. I understood how to be aware of what plans we had in evenings and budget enough time for homework, playtime, etc. I even started setting and sticking to my own enforced bedtime when I was in junior high. (In bed at 9:45 for devos and journaling...lights out at 10:15. Not 10:16. 10:15.)

I grew up in a school system that taught us how to use day planners to manage our homework and tests. (And clearly I still love those!!)

But the young adults we work with haven't learned all that just yet. Like I said...most of them didn't have those things consistently modeled. Part of how we can teach them is to model this behavior ourselves, and we do, but part of it will require intentional teaching, which the teacher-nerd in me absolutely loves.

* We're planning to teach them how to keep a calendar (their choice of paper or electronic...we've seen different tenants love different forms) so they can have in front of them a reminder of classes, work, church, Bible study, appointments, and anything else they need to make sure they don't forget. 

* We're planning to teach them how to count backwards in their days so they can make sure they allow enough time for anything that precedes an event. (Work at 8? What time do you need to get up to get ready, have breakfast, pack lunch, and transport to work?) 

* We're planning to teach them how to plan ahead when they need a ride, since most of our driving volunteers also work or have families to tend to - in addition to providing transportation.)

You get the idea...

I guess I say all of this today for two reasons.

First...thanks, Mom and Dad (and all the other responsible adults in my life) for showing me by your example how to manage my time well. I didn't even realize that was a foundation you were laying until...well...now. But thank you!

Secondly...never underestimate your ability to be an example to others in your life simply by the way you live. Even though we haven't been super intentional up to this point about teaching time management, we know our tenants have learned it (to a degree) by our example. They have been known to say "Early is on time and on time is late" because they've heard us say it a few (hundred) times. 

And now...back to my to-do list...to teach to-do lists...

Thankful for No

 

Last night, Ryan and I watched the first episode of the new show, Ordinary Joe. It was actually pretty interesting! I'll give you the synopsis (without spoilers, of course) so the rest of this post can make sense! The show opens at Joe's college graduation, which he shows up at so late that he doesn't even get to sit with his class. Instead, he bumps into a young woman - also from his class - who is also late for graduation and the two of them talk throughout the entire ceremony. 

After the graduation, Joe has to choose whether he will celebrate with his family, the new girl he met, or Jen, who has been his best friend throughout all of college. The rest of the show shows his life following a completely different path, depending on who he spent time with most in that weekend after graduation. 

I thought back to my own college graduation and some of the choices I could have made along the way that would have made my life look completely different in this moment than it does. 

* I thought about a relationship or two that I probably would have followed right into marriage if they'd asked. I'm so thankful now that they didn't. As I've written before, I don't regret those relationships, because each of them molded me to become the person I am today, and I'm grateful for that, but I am also grateful for my marriage to Ryan and this life we share. (For the record, I truly never spend any time on the what-ifs of previous relationships. I gratefully accept God's no for those and am so thankful for Ryan!)

* I thought about a job I applied for a few years before I went to the radio station. They didn't offer me the job, but if they would have, I probably would have taken it, and I can't even imagine how different my life would have looked. I would have ended up in a city that I am quite sure I would have hated, and when everything crashed economically back in 2008, that entire department downsized and the job I applied for was eliminated. I would have been stuck in a city I hated with no job and few options for new ones. I'm so grateful God said no. He knew.

* I thought about what would have happened if I had chosen to do a phone interview instead of an in-person interview when I was invited to be a guest on Mid-Morning back in 2010. I never would have met Jamie. We never would have become friends, and I would have missed out on a powerful encourager and prayer warrior in my life. Plus, I wouldn't have ended up applying for the producer job and enjoying that career so very much for four years. I wouldn't have blossomed the way I did without that opportunity! 

* I thought about what would have happened if Ryan and I had purchased the coffee shop a few years ago. (Sometimes God's closed doors still sting even if you trust He had His reasons) or ended up at any of the other jobs we chased after over the years. I think some of them could have had truly pleasant paths, and others might have ended in great difficulty - especially during all the lockdowns last year. 

Ordinary Joe has a point. We just never ever know how one decision made differently - even the tiniest little thing - might have the biggest impact on our futures. 

But you know what? God never wastes anything - even a decision. He has carried, pruned, taught, disciplined, and blessed me through the good and the bad of the decisions I've made throughout my life. 

I'm grateful for all the times God has said yes. But I'm also grateful for all the times He said no.

A Case of the Randoms

 Monday was a long day. It wasn't a bad day. Just a long day. It felt like it lasted eighteen hundred literal hours. I made a comment about that to Ryan shortly before we went to bed and he said he didn't think it was unbearably long. 

But then in the next sentence he said, "You're doing laundry tomorrow, right?" I paused, so he added, "Tomorrow is Thursday, right?"

No. Tomorrow is not Thursday. Tomorrow is Tuesday. It only feels like tomorrow is Thursday because today was eighteen hundred literal hours. ;) He decided maybe it had been a longer day than he realized.

(Keep in mind that the above conversation happened on Monday. If you're reading this in real time, tomorrow is indeed Thursday. Do your house chores as appropriate.)

So that's how our week began. 

Then yesterday morning someone texted our work phone at 6:15 in the morning. That sound always sucks the air from my lungs when it awakens me, because I presume the worst. (We have protected hours in which no one is supposed to call or text unless it's an emergency.) Thankfully this wasn't an emergency, but it jolted me awake so hard that I couldn't go back to sleep forever. When I did go back to sleep, I had the most realistic work dream that was actually kind of terrifying. I sure was glad to wake up and find it had been a dream!

Then we had a community night scheduled for last night...some outdoor fun. And then guess what the forecast showed? 95% chance of thunderstorms! Ryan worked hard to figure out a plan B for us, and I think everyone had a lot of fun, even though it wasn't what we had looked forward to!

By the end of last evening, our brains were fried and our bodies were exhausted. We collapsed on opposite ends of the couch with Phoebe somewhere in the middle, and just stared.

In fairly short order, my staring was directed at lake cottages for sale (because a girl can dream, right?) and I found the most adorable tiny one on a perfectly sized little lake. I wondered if they would take ten dollars for an offer. ;) It was cute enough to send the listing to Ryan. He was kind enough to look at it. He hears a lot about lake cottages, so I always appreciate it when he indulges my window shopping. 

So I'll have to beg your pardon for today. I have nothing of depth to share. Just a mostly pitiful peek into my brain that may not even be all that interesting. 

Here's to a full night of sleep, no six a.m. wake-up texts, a little less rain, and maybe a big pot of chili. I think today might just be the day for it!