How's Lexi Grae?

Since I'm sure tomorrow's post will be all about snow, can you handle a cute puppy post today? :) I thought maybe you might need a Lexi Grae update! 

Miss Lexi has lived with us for just over three weeks now, and she has learned a LOT of things in three weeks. We are working with a trainer for advice, and he reminds us often that she's young and actually ahead of the game in a lot of ways! He seems pretty impressed with what all she can do and assures us that some of the things that make us worry are actually completely normal.

Last time we weighed her, which was a few days ago, she was just under ten pounds. She's getting so long! :) 

This girl LOVES HER SOME SNOW. After we got home from the staff retreat last week, we took her to our favorite walking path, and she explored the snow face-first the entire way there. 

She LOVED the trail. She was a champ and wanted to walk the whole thing herself. She also walked almost all the way there and back without being carried. (At one point, as we tried to pass the sledding hill, there were kids sledding down in front of us, a medical helicopter flying overhead, two flocks of geese flying over, and a train barreling through town. She sat down and looked me like "PLEASE MAKE THIS STOP." So we carried her and talked her through that, and then she was golden!)

She recently figured out the wobbly Kong, and it's one of her new favorites. If you're not familiar, this red beehive looking thing has food inside and is weighted on the bottom. She can bat the top and make it weeble-wobble. If she bats it on the right side, food falls out the hole. She was scared to death of it when we first introduced it, plus she wasn't strong enough to knock it over. She's a pro at it now.

Sweet sleepy baby!! This little donut toy was in a bag of toys we bought for her before we brought her home. I took it with us the night we picked her up, and she played with it on the ride home. It has become one of her bedtime/comfort toys. 

The night of the fundraiser was the first time she'd had to hang out without us for more than a minute. We were SO PROUD OF HER for being so brave! She was super excited to see us when we got home, but she wasn't crying when we arrived! I may or may not have cried with joy that she did so well.

She does love Ryan. (Smart girl.)

Lest the pictures and highlight reel here mislead you, this girl has SO MUCH ENERGY. She has crazy hours, and her teething game is strong. But when she rests...adorable!!

Ryan's Crocs are some of her favorite toys. She enjoys carrying them with the strap in her mouth like they're a picnic basket. She also enjoys sleeping on them. Sometimes she has a paw inside one...this time it was her face. 

More outside walk pictures from this week. She was having so much fun!

Before we brought her home, we got some crate/pen pieces that we could configure in multiple ways. We thought that would be a good fit for the different spaces we have here in our home and with our lifestyle. It worked okay for a little bit, but we're learning it's not working for the long haul. So we switched gears and got a regular crate. The trainer thinks this will be helpful for her with her fear of missing out on things...and though we've only had it for a day, it seems to indeed be true! When it arrived, she was super interested in it and hopped in right away. Shortly thereafter, she took a 2 hour nap in it!

And her big accomplishment yesterday was taking her first walk to the post office! We walked all over town and she handled it like a champ. There were semis, a school bus, a few horses and buggies, some dogs, lots of puddles, people, loud cars, and all kinds of ground textures, and she did great! We were SO proud of her!! 

So we're pretty proud of her! After a brief regression, she is back on track with potty training. She takes most of her meals from small Kongs and loves them so much. She has a blast with all her toys and is learning to fetch tennis balls. She knows her name, "sit," and "down," and is learning a few other things that I'm not even sure of. (Ryan is the main trainer.) 

She and Braeya are continuing to take things slow. Braeya has the choice of how much interaction she wants, and we don't push her to do what she doesn't want to. The trainer said that can take a few months, and that's fine with us. But Braeya is doing well and continues to enjoy long naps, which has been her best life for several years now. 

So there you go! A Lexi update!

Happy February!

Ryan and I had the last three days off for our weekend, so in theory, we are rested and ready to reenter the work force! Lexi was wired yesterday, which resulted in zero naps. How sad for a day off, right? 

Anyway...I absolutely can't believe we have made it to February already, yet when I think about New Year's Day, it seems so long ago. (Things I probably say every year on February 1...) As we start this new month, I have a few totally random thoughts to share.

* Let's talk about snow, shall we? Such a hot-button topic. I find snow pretty, but only in moderation. And from the reports I'm hearing, moderation is not a word that Indiana will get to experience this week. If the reports are right, we are in big trouble come Wednesday and Thursday. Sounds like Ryan and I will be busy doing a LOT of shoveling. Are you on team let it snow or team please let the forecasters be wrong? I will say that I'm so grateful I don't have early morning transportation runs for tenants this week!

* Speaking of snow, it occurred to me last night that while we have plenty of food to eat for the next many days, almost all of it requires actual cooking, so if the power goes out, we'll be hungry. Ryan had to run to the store anyway, so I asked him to grab some lunch meat that we could add to the tortillas and cheese we already have if needed. He was able to get some, but the snow panic had pretty much wiped out the meat section, he said. So that makes me ask: what is your must-have staple when bad weather is coming and you know you better stock up? I remember one time (years ago, when I was single) I stocked up on charcoal so I could grill my food and made a bunch of quick bread for breakfast/snacking/etc. That might have been my most creative attempt. 

* The Olympics are coming! I am so excited about this! I'm pretty sure you know how I love them, and because the summer ones were postponed, I now get to enjoy back-to-back Olympics! Summer last year and winter this year. Perhaps I should have scheduled a vacation for this month. It could have helped with the snow avoidance AND getting to watch the Olympics for hours on end. Figure skating is my favorite winter Olympic sport, but I enjoy most of the rest of them as well. Maybe not so much with the curling, but only because I don't really understand it.

* Valentine's Day is also coming, and I confess I am not ready. Ryan and I have the day off, which I'm really excited about, but I don't know what we should do for a celebration this year. Last year we did fondue, and it was really fun, but I also like to switch things up from year to year. Any of you have any Valentine's plans already underway?

* This really has nothing to do with February, but it's in front of my face, so I'll share it. Our apartment is fairly open concept in the main living areas, which we love, but it does make it challenging to keep tabs on an energetic puppy. She likes to run to the WillowBridge office door and sit beside it to cry, because she might be missing out on someone fun in there. She likes to run to our bedroom to eat Braeya's food, because she is a BOTTOMLESS PIT. So we purchased a wire barrier that we stretch out to block off the living room and keep her where we can see her until she's a little more trustworthy. It's a pretty tall barrier, and I am pretty clumsy. After about the third time I caught my leg on it trying to vault over, I told Ryan that he's getting a front row seat to why I DID NOT attempt hurdles in school. It's comical and sad all at once.

* This also has nothing to do with February, but I spent part of yesterday making lists and it made me so happy. I just adore the clarity that lists give me when I'm thinking through multiple things. Do you make lists to help you make decisions or figure out how you feel about something? (Bonus: do you color code them?)

I think these are all my random thoughts for today. Happy February, friends! Enjoy the short month that precedes SPRING! 

The WillowBridge Fundraiser

I am so grateful for this past weekend and the strength God gave me to share the message He put on my heart for the first ever WillowBridge fundraiser. I don't think there will be very many times when I get to say I spoke at the first (whatever) ever, so this was extra special for me. I thought I'd share a few pictures with you today!

I wanted to dress up more than normal for this event. Ryan and I don't get out much in this season of life, so I think it was probably our last cruise when I went "formal" anywhere. :) I got a new dress and it fit beautifully. Ryan got a new shirt, and I thought he looked so handsome!

Full hair and makeup for the evening! (Well. For me. Ryan doesn't really do full hair anywhere anymore.) 

The flowers on the tables were so pretty, and I even got to bring a bouquet home to enjoy all weekend!

It took a team effort to put together this evening, and we enjoyed sharing the responsibilities with Sean and Sarah! (There were many more of our co-workers who also worked hard on the night, but I didn't get pictures with all of them.)

We were grateful to have some of our family attend. My parents were able to make the trip, and we were so thankful!

Ryan's dad, stepmom, and grandma also made the trip, and we were grateful. I'm not sure if I mentioned it on the blog, but Grandma's husband passed away around Thanksgiving this past year. He'd had many health struggles for many years and she was so good to care for him. This was our first time to see her since his funeral. 

And Ryan's two sisters also came. They said they enjoyed hearing more about the work we do! And I think they enjoyed their sister date.

Ryan's Uncle Dave and Aunt Becky came, too. (Uncle Dave and Ryan's mom were brother and sister.) They are a huge encouragement to us...they work in ministry too!

We also had some friends come to support us, and we appreciated that so much! It was a blessing!

(Some sneaked out before I could get pictures with them!)

There were so many powerful pieces and parts to the program that evening, and I will forever be impacted by some of the things I saw and heard. One of the things I was most proud of was this visual aid bridge that Ryan built (with the help of Sean and some of our tenants). I had watched it come together at every turn, but seeing it presented that night was beyond powerful.

And then I had the privilege to share. I gave it my best. (I always feel weird commenting on my own work, so I will just leave it at that.)

Thanks for your prayers as I navigated my way through this evening the Lord entrusted (in part) to us. We are grateful to have been part of it. 

Sunday Sentiments

 

Friday I shared that we had a fundraiser this weekend and I would welcome any prayers anyone had to spare. The fundraiser is now officially in the books and I am so grateful for the army of people who were praying over me/us/the event!

When I was asked to speak, the Lord put a message on my heart, and I have been so looking forward to sharing it. I was also fairly confident that the closer we got to the day of the event, the more Satan would be a huge pest, and my goodness. He sure was. 

Despite all of that, I was able to share the message boldly, and I was grateful for the opportunity. The Lord has shown me His goodness in many ways throughout this fundraiser, but the one I want to share today happened on the way home that night. 

Ryan and I had driven a 15 passenger van so we could carry props to the venue, and it was the middle of the day when we arrived. When we got ready to leave that night, we discovered the van doesn't have headlights! No good!! So we needed a new ride home. Sean and Sarah had driven the WillowBridge van, so we caught a ride with them, and they were also taking home one of our former tenants who no longer lives at WillowBridge.

She had shared her own story through a video that night - and then even bravely got on stage. I was so proud of her for that alone. She was so nervous!

As we drove home, she talked most of the way, sharing the things that she feels were the most helpful to her while she lived in our building. She shared things she wished other tenants would have taken more to heart so they could have had an experience more like hers. She shared her successes since moving out and how she feels like her life is on a much better trajectory than it was before she came. 

Sometimes we get to see these successes play out, but we don't often get to hear former tenants articulate their thoughts on their time with us and how it prepared them for independence after leaving WillowBridge. I think all of us in the van needed those words of encouragement from her.

Ryan and I have talked many times about how success has come to look very different to us than it did before we came here. We cannot measure it by the world's definition, or we'll live in constant discouragement. 

We have to decide that our success is merely being faithful to the Lord and trusting Him with the outcome. 

This young lady was one of the first faces I saw inside WillowBridge the day we came to interview. I remember her so vividly. (She brought brownies!!!) She and I have had hundreds of hours of conversation. We've had hard talks, fun laughs, a billion movie nights, and so much learning. I am supremely proud of the woman she has become. I know she won't do everything perfectly going forward, but she used her time at WillowBridge well, and she encouraged my heart this weekend. I'm grateful for her. 

The Saturday Six

 

Ryan and I have a handful of shows we enjoy watching on the fly. We turn them on and then just catch bits and pieces as we work on a hundred other things. One of those shows is "You Live in What?" If you've not seen it...it's a show about people who have renovated random things into homes! (Barns, firehouses, you name it.) We LOVE THAT SHOW!!! And it has inspired today's post. Enjoy!

One.

First up today? An old post office renovated into a home. I love it that her office is the old postmaster's office! And I love all the gorgeous woodwork throughout. Like the homeowner, I would have been devastated at the loss of all the boxes. That would be one of the coolest things about owning a post office, I think. (Or maybe it's just my love of the mail showing itself again!) 

Two.

There are two types of buildings I would ADORE living in someday as a renovated home. One of them is a church. I think old church buildings are stunning, and I am such a sucker for any listing of a church (whether to be renovated or one that has been renovated). My friend Sarah and her family are renovating a church into a home right now, and I drool over her updates every day! (I know some of you reading have worked on that house. You've done a great job!) Anyway. There is an old church for sale in Lynn, Indiana, and I think it is so beautiful. I may or may not have casually showed it to Ryan, but something abou it being a project??? ;) So in the meantime, Ryan, take a look at this converted church which has its own CLIMBING WALL!!! And also - check out that stained glass window in the kitchen! 

Three.

The other type of building I'd love to live in someday? A renovated schoolhouse. There was one for sale in Fort Wayne not long ago that I shared on the Saturday Six. I just find them so charming, and I love it when they keep as much of the original as they can! This one doesn't necessarily do that, but it's so little and adorable, and I would move right in if it lived in my town! (And came up for sale, of course.) I also love the pictures from the building in its original use. I think that is the BEST!!!!!

Four.

And then, of course, there's my undying love for A-Frame houses. I swoon over them. I follow Instagram accounts dedicated to them. I am not right when it comes to an A-Frame. This one came up for sale not far from us shortly after we moved here, and I wanted to buy it! But there was this whole thing about how we have housing provided, so we didn't need a house....lol!! But the person who DID buy it turned it into an Airbnb and I think it is so so so adorable!!!

Five.

While I do love a house with a lot of windows and natural light...a greenhouse converted into a home? I'm not sure I could do it! Might not be QUITE enough privacy, unless, of course, I was out in the middle of nowhere. But it is an intriguing concept. Could you do it? Live in a greenhouse?

Six.

And how about a loft in an old factory? Oh, how I love the windows in this one! So pretty!!! I don't know if it would feel cozy enough to me or if it would always feel industrial, but I do think it's pretty!! (I loved the Airbnb we stayed in that took us to the industrial-feeling loft above a coffee shop, so maybe I could do it!)

Prayer, Please?

Today's post will be short, as things have been a bit busy around here this week. My mind is full, but alas, I fear the words would be jumbled if I tried to explain at length. 

Even so, I wondered if I could ask for a little prayer today. This weekend is an important one for WillowBridge. We are raising funds to help with operating expenses, and I have the chance to share a message God has nudged me to give.

I want to honor Him with my words and be faithful to do what He has called me to do for this moment in time. That's always my prayer, of course, but it feels more pressing this time. 

The needs of this work are complex and go far beyond finances, though that certainly is a component. Ryan and I spend much time praying and seeking God's leading in the work that we do. We seek to be good stewards of the resources entrusted to us, and we seek to do our very best with the tenants who spend their days here.

We've made many changes in the last weeks and months and many more are to come. It feels that the days in the immediate future are critical, and as I/we share this message and prepare for the future, we need God's wisdom and vision more than ever.

I welcome your prayers this weekend. We both do, actually. 

Hope you all have a great Friday and weekend!

Stuff and Things

I had a little hodge-podge of information cluttering up a corner of my mind, so I thought I would make today's post a random collection!

* When we were on our retreat this past weekend, we'd occasionally see people in the parking lot or out on a trail. Without fail, every person who saw us guessed that Lexi was an Australian Shepherd. Every single one! I finally had to look them up, and you know what? She absolutely does look like one! Even down to one brown eye and one blue eye! But she's not an Australian Shepherd. She's a miniature Bernedoodle with Blue Merle markings. We get tons of compliments on her coat and markings, and we sure think she's pretty. But we may be biased. ;) 

* I also wanted to report that my dog bite is doing much, much better. If you missed a memo, I was bitten by a random dog on the street back in November, about a week before Thanksgiving. He jumped up and grabbed my left hand in his mouth and when I instinctively pulled back and he gravitationally fell down, he left a decent gash on the palm side of my hand, right under the index finger. I spent seven weeks in a full hand bandage, because I found out they try not to stitch dog bites. It took FOREVER for it to close up. (This was not helped by my stubborn insistence to overuse my hand and slow the healing process.) It finally closed and now I am receiving physical therapy (from the handsomest therapist...) on my scar tissue. It's still very tender and stretching hurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrts. And I wear gloves when Lexi's in a teething moment. It's been quite the mental obstacle when she comes for my hand!

* And in the land of health updates, I'm happy to report that Ryan seems to be on the mend from his kidney stones that took him DOWN earlier this year. After that 24 hour period, he hasn't had any more pain! He has been diligently working to drink more water, and he is so thankful to feel better. I'm thankful, too! I hated seeing him like that! (By the way - this was the doctor's drawing of the stones. Not Ryan's.) 

* Dreaming is fun. This isn't news to me. It's just a good reminder. Ryan and I had tons of time for talking and dreaming during our retreat this weekend. We stayed in our room pretty much the entire time (unless we were out on trails) and while Lexi napped, we dreamed. I loved it. I love dreaming with him. He's my favorite, and I love seeing how the Lord takes the dreams He gives us and makes something of them.

So there you go. A few stuff-and-things for your Thursday. Hope today is great!

Our Cute Little Cabin

 I wanted to give you a tour of the cute little cabin where we stayed for the past couple of days! In case you missed yesterday's post, Ryan and I just returned from a couple of days away at Pokagon State Park in the far northeast corner of Indiana. They have a beautiful lodge; check out how pretty it is in the snow!! (I was standing down near the beach for this photo, so sorry it isn't closer!)

They do have pet friendly rooms in this lodge, but as I shared yesterday, they were all booked by the time we knew we were going to have Lexi living with us at the time of this retreat. So....they put us in a cabin! The cabins are a short walk from the lodge and I'm guessing they're fairly new. One note I will put in here about the cabins is that we were under the assumption that they were all little freestanding cabins. We knew from online pictures that they were basically a hotel room. But we didn't know each cabin held four rooms. The cabins were basically divided into quarters, and each quarter was a room. That doesn't necessarily matter, except we had Lexi with us, so we were extra sensitive to every noise she made, because we knew we had neighbors. We didn't feel as free as we might have with a little more privacy. 

Here is a picture Ryan took of Lexi with me outside our cabin:

Just to the left of the left side of the picture was another porch that went inside another quarter of the building. And the window behind me at the far end was for yet another room. We were just the little corner you see here. And we didn't use the picnic table. Ha!

Our room had two full-size beds with one bedside table in between. Check out that landline phone on there too. We actually used it. I took a picture to document since that never happens anymore. :) The canvas art pieces above each bed are pictures of the park, which I enjoyed looking at!

This was our little kitchen and closet setup. The tall closet on the end reminded me of storage in our RV, so I felt right at home. The lower door had a rod for hanging clothes and a couple of shelves for shoes. The top cabinet had more shelf storage. We had a microwave, mini fridge, and coffee pot, though you can know we brought our own mega coffee pot with us. :) Those two huge drawers to the left of the fridge were a dresser, essentially, and the long cabinet door held a folded ironing board. 

Our TV had a decent number of channels to choose from! 

This little cove just inside our door led to an adjoining door to the next room. This cove was PERFECT for Lexi's crate, but I didn't love the giant gap under the door (and the door behind it had the same thing). We stuffed a towel there to try to help with noise. 

I'm so sad that I missed getting a picture of the floor to ceiling shelves just to the left of this photo. They were in between this cove and the bathroom and they were PERFECT for holding all our extra bags!

The bathroom was super clean and nice! My only two complaints were lack of counter space and no lid on the toilet. I ran out of room to put all my stuff!

Clean shower!

Probably the biggest negative of the cabins was that the WiFi didn't come out there. We have a hot spot for emergencies, so I was still able to blog and tend to any necessary internet business, but if we didn't have that, I would have had to hike to the lodge with my computer to take care of all that. 

But other than that, we really enjoyed our stay in the cabins and would absolutely go back!