Five Fun Finds

Today I thought I'd tell you about a little handful of things we've stumbled upon recently that we really love! Maybe one or two of them can become a fun find for you, too!

1. Hot Chocolate Snack Mix

Ryan and I helped staff a work event this past Friday night and one of the goodies on the table was a hot chocolate-inspired snack mix. It was DELICIOUS! I know the person who made it sort of made up the recipe as she went, so I can't give you the exact version, but this one looks pretty close! (Hers included vanilla wafers and Teddy Grahams, so I recommend adding both of those, too!) We may or may not have ended up with the leftovers, and that may or may not be a good thing. ;)

2. Mineral Fusion Lipstick

A few weeks (months?) ago, I told you that I've started using Mineral Fusion skin care and makeup. At that time, I hadn't tried the lipstick yet, but I ordered some at the beginning of this year, and I really like it! It has good staying power and is very vibrant. I do not have ANY natural color in my lips, so without lipstick, I look pretty sick/dead. But Ryan doesn't really enjoy wearing lipstick, so I tend not to wear it in favor of getting more kisses! :) This one doesn't kiss away or stick to cups (another thing I hate) nearly as much as most lipsticks I've worn. And it's a better-for-you cosemtic, so win-win! 

3. Tug of Words

Ryan and I are officially old now, because our TV seems stuck on the game show channel most of the time. One of the newer shows we've been watching is called Tug of Words. I'm actually not that great at it (which surprises us both) but it's fun to watch. It starts out with the "easy" three letter words. A word is displayed and then a clue is given, and the players have to change one letter in the word to match the clue. I do pretty well if the change makes the word rhyme with the previous word. But if it changes the whole sound, I get stuck. Throughout the game, the words get progressively longer and harder. It's fun to watch and play, even if I'm pretty terrible at it!

4. 3-D Snowflakes

I know. I know. We're all done with snow. (Except Indiana is not done with it yet, I'm told.) But at the event we worked this past Friday night, Sarah and I helped construct a photo booth. The background was a simple white sheet, and then the organizer provided these really cool 3-d snowflakes made from paper bags. They were big and simple and made a gorgeous frame for the top of the booth! I don't know how hard they were to make, but they sure were pretty! (Here is a tutorial if you want to try!) And here's a picture of what it looked like:

5. Laundry Room Sign

I think I've blogged about this before, but when Ryan and I were dating, we started singing the song 500 Miles karaoke-style in the car. This week I stumbled across this wall art for the laundry room and now I think it was meant to live in our laundry room. Enjoy the giggle (if you know the song).

Dreams for Later

You know how much Ryan and I love to dream, and over the years, the Lord has planted little seeds in our hearts of jobs we think might be fun to try someday. Some of them - okay most of them - will probably never happen. I don't say that to be negative. I say it because for one, we can't possibly live long enough to try them all, unless God plans to bring back the idea of living for two or three hundred years. And also, just because God has planted the seed doesn't mean He will grow all of them to full-sized plants. Perhaps some of these dreams exist for very minor reasons in our hearts.

I honestly can't remember if I've talked about this on the blog before, so I won't spend too much time on the back story in case I've already told it another time. But I bring it up today because one of those maybe-someday jobs we've long dreamed about involves travel. (That probably doesn't surprise you, right?)

It's been a few years now since we started dreaming about working for a travel company, hosting bus tours for groups. (Prior to coming to our current job, we actually inquired with a couple of faith-based travel companies about actually doing this kind of work, but at that time, no one was hiring. And then, you know, the pandemic showed up, so it was probably a protection from the Lord that it didn't happen for us.)

This dream hasn't died in our souls, though. We don't know what that will mean for our future, but in the meantime, we have a lot of fun checking out the websites of some of our favorite tour companies, to see where they're headed. A virtual vacation for us, if you will. 

And since we had a couple of warm days in Indiana this week, and I'm itching to welcome spring and get out to see some sights, I thought maybe you'd like to take a March-inspired virtual vacation with me today! Just imagine that Ryan's loading your luggage under the bus, and I'm showing you to your seat! :) 

* Hilton Head, South Carolina 

Hilton Head is one of the places I've never been, and I have it on my list, so I'm a little bummed this is only a virtual vacation for me! :) Looks like the average temperature in Hilton Head during March is 70 degrees, and I would take it! The trip I found is ten days long and spends the entire time at a resort. How great does that sound? The notes said daily excursions would be offered, but not required. So you could go have fun out and about, or you could stay by the pool or the beach instead. I honestly would have a hard time picking between the two. (If I suddenly disappear from the blog, it's possible I may have jumped into this tour to try it out. Ha!)

* Savannah, Georgia

Another spot on my want-to-see list! Some of you might remember that I have a bonus niece named Savannah, and her name is a nod to Savannah, Georgia, where her father grew up! I think that's the main reason I have wanted to visit Savannah for so many years. They've always spoken so fondly of what a great place it is, and I'd love to see it myself! The tour I found has a dinner stop at The Lady and Sons - which is also on my list! (If you didn't watch Paula Deen's cooking shows back in the day, you might not be familiar with The Lady and Sons.) The trip also includes a guided tour of Savannah and a stop at the city market, so I think it sounds just about perfect. 

* The Creation Museum and the Ark

I've been to the Creation Museum (it was our first ever birthday trip outing!) but I've never been to The Ark! They were still building it when we went to the Creation Museum. I'd love to see it and I know one day we'll get there, but I do think it would be the perfect bus day trip. 

* North Carolina Outer Banks

Not surprisingly - another wish list destination. This tour has FOUR LIGHTHOUSES on it, so of course, my heart is sold. You know how I love my lighthouses! It also includes a state park, and I love those, too. I think I must be especially drawn to tours that include the great outdoors and scenery more than those that include concerts and shows! (Not that I don't enjoy those things. I just enjoy the outdoors a whole lot!)

So where we are ACTUALLY going in March is...Indiana! Northeast! All the cold! But it's fun to dream about bus tours and 70 degree weather and beaches and lighthouses and gooooood food, right? These might be dreams to realize later, but I sure can dream them now!

Where would you go in March?? (Maybe we'd want to go on that bus too!) 

And She Celebrated

 Happy 2.22.22! I hope to write it a handful of times just to appreciate the repetition!

Yesterday I blogged about Lexi's 3 month birthday, and I thought you might like to see some of the fun she had on her big day! It was a work day for us, but it was pretty low key around here, so we were able to include her in a bunch of things, and she had fun!

We feared she might get up SUPER early, because we'd taken her for a walk on Sunday afternoon and it absolutely wore her out. It was the farthest she'd ever walked, and even though she had a grand time, she came home and pretty much slept the rest of the day and evening. So then we worried she might not sleep all night long. But she did! I think she got up about 7:30!

She hung out with Ryan for a while and then she spent some quality time with me.

It was so very warm and springlike here yesterday, which is a wild change from how it has been - and from how it's about to be again. So we decided to take advantage of the good weather and do another long walk. One of our tenants joined us for the first half and then we were on our own for the second half. She was living her very best life out there. She made friends with every shrinking mountain of snow and trotted through a whole bunch of puddles, too. She was a MESS by the time we got back home. But she was one happy mess.

She was SO GROSS when we got home that we had to do a bath.

All fluffy again.

She hung out with us for the evening - and she and Braeya decided to hang out together for a while too. They are both SO CURIOUS about each other, but sometimes Braeya decides Lexi is too close and hisses at her. Last night was their best, longest, closest interaction yet. We were very happy with it!

We are also in awe of how big Lexi has gotten since she came home. They were the same size then! 

A couple more for the road:

I'd say that's a pretty good party for three months old!!! :) 

Three Months Old!

Miss Lexi Grae turns THREE MONTHS OLD today. She is growing like crazy, and I feel like you need a catch-up day on some of her cuteness and progress!

She loves to eat. If we would let her - which we do NOT - she would eat everything in sight all day long. She also loves eating from her Kongs and she is a champ at ALL of them. The pacifier one cracks me up, because she really does look like she's hanging onto a paci!

She has a million toys and love them all - but she also has a fond affection for gloves. If we leave any on a chair or coffee table - she runs away with a gleam in her eye and a glove in her mouth. 

We also have a fence in our living room now - HA! Because our apartment is open-concept, we had to come up with a way to keep her corralled from stealing Braeya's food. So this barrier stretches across the whole room. I have learned that I did NOT miss my calling by not pursuing hurdles in high school. #clumsypartyofone

Everyone is so sweet to her. One of the couples in our small group brought her a toy when they met her! She loves it! (So do I!) 

She's his baby girl! 

Oh you guys - this was so funny! I was SO TIRED and trying to take a nap, but of course, Lexi wanted to play. So Ryan took this picture of me 3/4 asleep, bouncing the toy for her to play with. Worst mom ever, but so funny.

She's already learned to pose. 

Loves "helping" with laundry. This includes stealing underwear from the basket and running through the living room with them - and watching things tumble. (Unless there are zippers in there. They clang too much.)

She is almost ALWAYS on the move and rarely just sits in laps. So when she does? We document.

Her favorite things at 3 months of age?

* Eating. She loses her mind with joy when she knows her food is coming for her. She will also swipe food if you're not looking. Something fell of Ryan's plate the other day and....GONE before we knew it. So we have to be careful!

* Playing in the snow. Loves it SO much. Hops right in every snowbank face-first and buries her nose as far as she can. I think she's going to be so sad when the snow melts. But she also just really loves being outside and is handling all the sounds really well. 

* All the people. She LOVES people. One of our coworkers came in the other day and she ran up to him and could not possibly love him enough. He was kind of surprised - but happy! 

* Treats. I'm convinced sometimes she goes potty just for the treat. She knows how to sit and wait and lay down - and Ryan has some other tricks he'd like to teach her.

* Her toys. She really loves all of them equally. She has all kinds of toys - balls, tug of war toys, plush toys, and more. She'll go get them out of the toybox and play with them and then go get something new when she's ready.

* Playing fetch. Ryan has worked with her on this, and when she wants to be, she's very good at it. Sometimes she's a squirrel about it, but usually she does a great job. 

* Teething. On me. ;) 

* Us. She really does love us, and one of her favorite things is to be the middle of a Ryan and Bekah sandwich after she wakes up from a nap. She likes to be able to be right next to both of us, getting all the attention. 

Happy three month birthday, sweet Lexi Grae! We love you!!!

Sunday Sentiments

 

I saw a post on Instagram this week that I really wish I would have captured in a screenshot. (I tried to go back to find it, but I was unsuccessful.) It talked about always taking every opportunity to encourage everyone around you every chance you get.

Sound like a bit much?

It's really not. 

The problem is that we think the encouraging things to ourselves, but those around us can't read our minds. So the things go unsaid. We presume the people around us would logically know what we're thinking because it's so obvious. But in most cases, I'm guessing they either don't think of the moment as anything special or they are seriously questioning themselves. Either way, what's the harm in taking two seconds to encourage?

* A couple of days ago, we helped out our fellow work department as they gifted the youth they serve with a pancake dinner. Ryan spent a couple of hours that afternoon standing outside in the freezing cold, grilling a few hundred sausage links so they would be all ready to go.

* Then he helped haul a couple of carloads of supplies from the parking lot to the dinner location. 

* Then he headed to the kitchen to make several hundred pancakes - all while making friends with the other two guys making pancakes.

* Then he helped tear down all the tables and chairs to put them away - and he swept the floor.

* Then he washed all the dishes.

* Then he helped carry all the boxes back to cars.

If you asked him, he'd say it was no big deal. But it was a VERY big deal to our coworker who was in charge of the evening. And the fact that he did it all so cheerfully and proactively was a great example to everyone around him. (And the truth of it was, it had been a long day, and this went late that night. We were all tired and in need of a cheerful fearless leader.)

Hebrews 10:24 says "Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." I think a great way to do that is to just find every single opportunity we can to encourage every single person. 

Ryan? Thanks for all the hard work you did to make that night a success. You were an example to me (the one whose feet hurt) of how to push through and work hard to the very end of the evening. I love you for it. Good job!

The Saturday Six

 

Today's post is inspired by stories that will hopefully brighten your day! I'm sure we could all use a little of that! Happy Saturday, my friends!

One.

This blew my mind. The Canadian photographer featured in this article photographs doppelgangers...and I confess as I scrolled through the pictures, I couldn't imagine how most of them were NOT twins. But they're not even related! What a fun and unique project!! How about you? Do you have a doppelganger?

Two.

This story got me right in the gut. I think it did so extra for me because of the young adults we work with and how intense their general struggles can be. To see someone make a promise and then follow through year after year was INCREDIBLY inspiring!

Three.

A million miles in the same car. Literal miles, that is. Not like the million miles that exist between you and a bathroom after a large coffee. ;) What a cool reward for vehicle longevity! (Ryan...does our manufacturer offer this same thing?)

Four.

The writer in me absolutely ADORES this story of a little kiddo who managed to get his handmade book in his library! AHHHHHH! I love his sweet heart for sharing! 

Five.

This story cracked me up, because if Ryan and I had a child, this would probably happen to us. A little one got his hands on his mom's phone and ordered everything she had in her shopping cart online. They had no idea. And it was FURNITURE!!!!

Six.

And finally...in honor of all those who are tired of the scammers preying on the elderly, kudos to the grandma who beat one at his own game! 

I Miss the Stories

If you've been reading here very long, you know I love the Olympics, so I'm in the middle of one of my favorite times right about now!

My friend Amber "watches" them with me every night. (She lives two hours away, but she watches them at her house, and I watch them at our house, and then we text about it.) I told her last night that this hasn't been my favorite Olympics ever - and I finally figured out why. 

I miss all the human-interest stories! (To be fair...we don't get to watch everything, of course, because of work, so maybe they do air them when I'm not watching!) 

But I remember first falling in love with the Olympics back in the mid 90s when Dan Jansen won the gold in speed skating. I sat in my Grandma's living room in Marion (which later would become my living room!) and watched them share his story. You should look it up if you don't know or remember him. But watching him skate to gold and feeling the absolute JOY of that victory after so much heartache was the beginning of my love for the Olympics.

And over the years, it's always been the stories that got me - way more than the sports. Of course I appreciate the talent the athletes have and the hard work they put into their training, but for me it always comes back to the stories. I love hearing where they came from, how they fell in love with their sport, and the highs and lows of their careers to that point. 

This year I can't even recall a single montage of an athlete's story. I hear announcers read bits and pieces of stories as athletes appear for competition, but it's just not the same - at least for me. I miss the stories of old.

It confirms that the passion God has placed in my heart for people to share their stories is still a passion for me. And that brings me to a reminder for you today.

Your story matters. Where you came from, what stirs passion in your heart, the highs and lows of what the Lord has brought you through - all of that matters. It's been a while since I encouraged you to capture your stories, but I'm encouraging you today! Only you can share your own story in the deepest way. It doesn't matter if you aren't a polished writer. It just matters that you take time to capture the pieces of your life so they're preserved for generations to come. 

I miss the Olympic stories this year. And I don't want you to miss the importance of your own story! 

What I've Learned from Blogging

I had blogger's block yesterday, as I was preparing for today's post, so I looked at some writing prompts and found one that intrigued me! The question was this: What have you learned from blogging?

I have been blogging since July of 2006 and have blogged every day since January 1, 2011, so it's safe to say I've learned a thing or two. In no particular order, here are my thoughts on the world of blogging over the last SIXTEEN years.

* For those of you who might not know, I did not want to start blogging. I was terrified of sharing my thoughts in a public forum mostly because I had watched too much Dateline and thought it was much too dangerous. A coworker of mine set up the blog for me, handed me the password, and told me to get out there and blog. He told me I had good things to share, and he wanted me to share them. He left our workplace before I did, and our life paths have diverged, but I will always be grateful he pushed me to be courageous. 

* In the earliest years of blogging, it served as a way for me to make connections with friends I might not see in any other forum. I was single back then, and it was well before Facebook/Instagram/other social media/constant texting or FaceTime, so this was a way for me to have conversations with people. My early fellow bloggers were almost all people I knew in real life. Today, almost all those bloggers have left the blogging world, and I really miss them. I enjoyed the connections we have here. (Some of them are now more on Facebook or Instagram, so I still get to see updates, but I miss the blogging adventures.)

* I cautiously started reading blogs of people I didn't know in real life and sometimes received emails from people who read this blog. I ended up developing real friendships with people I'd never met. That felt very strange to me for a long time - to say I had a friend I met online. I remember going to meet a fellow blogger in real life for the first time and letting several people know who she said she was and where we were meeting up - just in case it became a Dateline moment. (It did not.) In the years that have followed, I have met several more of you in real life, and it has been a JOY! I think one of my favorite things about blogging has been the friendships I have made that I would not have made any other way.

* The world of blogging has changed BIG TIME in the last sixteen years. It used to be an online journal where you could share about your day. Now it's about strategy, content, shares, engagement, monetizing, and so much more. I am not here for any of it. I love the old school forum and have no plans to change my format to fit the times. I don't need to be famous. (I don't want to be famous.) I just want to share my heart with whoever God sends along to read it. 

* Having said that, I do know that my own style has changed - ebbed and flowed, perhaps - over the years. In the early years I recapped episodes of American Idol and wrote about embarrassing moments in my life. I've gone through seasons of sharing my heart and writing, seasons of sharing my life (and now our life), and seasons of sharing just fun stuff. Finding something new(ish) to write every single day is definitely challenging. I know not everyone loves each day's topic, and that's okay! I do my best to challenge myself and also keep it fun and lighthearted, especially when I'm dealing with hard things in real life.

* People are bolder (okay, meaner!) online than they were sixteen years ago. I am so grateful that for the most part, the comment section here stays kind and encouraging - not only toward us, but toward other commenters as well. When I read comment threads on other blogs and forms of social media, I see such brutality and it breaks my heart. Thank you, friends, for keeping this a safe space for my heart and for my reading friends' hearts. I work so hard to make sure the content you read here is kind and encouraging, and I appreciate the comments following suit! 

* Kind of along those same lines, I've learned that people can get awfully bossy with online platform writers. (Bloggers, Instagrammers, YouTubers, etc.) When people are willing to share their lives, others suddenly feel entitled to know everything about all parts of their lives. Again, I thank all of you who read here for understanding the times I may either need to protect - or simply desire to protect - details of our lives. Sometimes, especially in the work we do, there are things I'm actually not permitted to share. Sometimes there are things about our lives that I just don't feel like are a good idea to share online. Maybe sixteen years ago it would have been okay. But it's a different world now, and safety is worth noting. And then there are some things I perhaps could share, but I just choose to keep it sacred for us. I appreciate that you accept what I bring and are kind about the things I choose to protect. It makes it easier to keep this going when I don't feel bullied like so many writers are.

* I've learned that writing this is a great source of challenge and accountability for me. Especially in these last couple of years, when writing time has been scarce, being able to blog has been a gift and a blessing. 

So in summary, I would say that this blogging adventure has been a beautifully unexpected gift. I never imagined loving it like I do. I never imagined still going after sixteen years. I never imagined writing every single day for eleven years. I never imagined making friends. 

Thanks for being part of this beautiful gift! 

Ahhh, Writing. I Have Missed You

Yesterday was the final day of our three day weekend, and so much about this particular stretch off work was completely beautiful for us. When we had our weekend last week, we were so busy with appointments and running around that didn't ever truly rest. This time, we truly rested. I adored it. 

Yesterday was also the first time I have had a chance to sit and write for a whole day in...forever. I am speaking at a couple of things this spring and needed to knock out some of the writing for one of them, so I asked Ryan if he minded taking Lexi duty for the day so I could lock myself away in the office and just write forever.

I wrote until I forgot I needed more coffee.

I wrote until I forgot it was almost mealtime.

I wrote until I finished two dozen pages. 

It was so grand. I used to do this all the time and I had no concept then what a gift it was to be able to sit down and do just that. 

Admittedly, I was afraid I might forget how to do it. I was afraid it had been so long that I wouldn't get the ideas to flow or everything would come out awkwardly and need to be scrapped in favor of starting over. Worse, I was afraid I might have writer's block and no words would come at all. (And we're in far too much of a time crunch for that!)

I'd never be so bold as to come to you and say I sat and cranked out something amazing in the space of a day. There is more work to be done. It'll need tweaked and polished. But to be able to deliver that much work in one day felt so good. I was so grateful. It was good for my heart and soul to be able to do it!

Writers handle their writing time in different ways, of course. But for me, a chunk of uninterrupted time is necessary to find that mental zone and begin to let the words flow. Since we don't often have chunks of uninterrupted time here, my writing for the past year and a half has been mostly limited to blogging and journaling - and whatever writing I do for the job itself. 

I still have more to do, so I'll need another day like that one soon, but I just wanted to celebrate this gift with you today!

(And whatever it is that brings joy to your heart like writing does to mine...I hope you get to set aside some time for it this week! I hope it boosts your heart too!)

Our Valentine's Day

 

Yesterday was such a lovely and low-key day for us, and I am so grateful for it. Lexi actually slept in until about 7:30 in the morning. (Please note: in my mind, this hour STILL does not constitute actual sleeping in, but in Lexi's 6 a.m. world, this is monumental and we gratefully accepted it.) 

We spent the morning drinking coffee slowly and resting on the couch. It, too, was a gift that we gratefully accepted. I don't remember the last time we had such a truly leisurely morning. 

We took our time getting ready, had leftovers for lunch, and then headed out to a meeting for the afternoon. (Like how we coordinated??) 

I had originally planned to cook our Valentine's Day dinner, but I confess at the time I planned that, I thought the aforementioned meeting was a MORNING meeting. By the time it was over, it was dinner time, and we were both already hangry. So we did something we haven't done in MONTHS! Chinese takeout! Oh how I love crab rangoon!!

We also did our official photo shoots for the day, and I thought they turned out pretty cute!

I spent the evening scrapbooking and Ryan got to enjoy whatever he was working on - and we had the Olympics on in the background! (I don't know if it was the station or our internet, but it kept cutting out, so we watched whatever actually played.)

And then Ryan broke out the card he got for me - and Lexi got one for me too!! Interestingly enough, the theme of the card was about "I chews you" - and she chewed on the card for all the pictures. That girl. ;)

It was a perfect day!! Thanks, Ryan, Lexi, and Braeya, for making it so special for me! I love you all!