A Day with Friends

 One of the things we love most about the post-WillowBridge life is the increased freedom to be able to spend time with friends and family, but we have so much catching up to do that now we run the risk of overcommitting our time!

It had been a while since we saw our little godson and his mama, and she asked if we could spend a day with them. We were able to work it out to spend a few hours with her on Saturday, and we had such fun!

He completely lit up with joy when he saw us. Big hugs all around!!

We went into downtown Fort Wayne to walk around, play on the playground, and he even got to play in the splash pad for a little bit!

We have been hunting for a baby stroller for a while, so we have something to use when we have him. (He can walk, of course, but we walk excessively, so a stroller is helpful!) Friday, one day before our outing, Ryan happened to see a garage sale in the neighborhood where his office is located, and they had a stroller for sale that didn't cost a billion dollars! SO thankful for that blessing that came just in time. 

We got a workout in the park, and it was so much fun. (Fresh air for the win!!!)

This park had instruments on one end. I'm not sure who had more funw ith them!

He handled the spinning rides WAY better than I would have. No spinning for me, thank you!

They had several slides built into the edges of the playground, and the walk up was steep! (And squishy!) He wasn't too sure about it, but as long as we stayed behind him, he would do it!

SO much fun!

The closest he's allowed to get to driving for a while. ;)

Some kids on the playground were taller than others...

His mama got in the water with him. I stayed dry on the side until she thought it would be fun to splash me. ;)

As we walked through the downtown area, we encountered a sweet lady out carrying her dog. We stopped to talk to her and found out that her fur baby is also a Bernedoodle, but not a mini! His name was Webster, and he is 9 weeks old. He's almost as big as Lexi is at nine MONTHS! And he was also completely exhausted. He just crashed in front of the stroller and let us pet him. 

We enjoyed our day and our chance to continue to be part of their lives. And we enjoyed the stroller! (We have almost a full supply of kid gear now. I think we're only missing a crib and car seat. We borrow car seats from respective parents when watch their kids!) 

We got home just in time to take Lexi for a walk and water the yard! :) 

Sunday Sentiments

 

My writing prompt yesterday asked me what song is my favorite and why. Well...it changes on a fairly regular basis, but I can tell you about my current favorite. I thought I would do it today, since it's a worshipful song. Perhaps it can add a little blessing to your Sunday!

I will tell you with extreme honesty that I went through a fairly long season of really not liking this song because of bad situational memory tied to it for me. I didn't figure I would ever love it again, but I heard it at the Collingsworth Family concert earlier this month, and now it's been running through my mind almost daily. It hasn't just been running around up there...it's become dear to me.

The song is Goodness of God. 

If you haven't heard it, I did find a clip of the Collingsworth Family singing it, and you can watch it here. They said at the concert that Olivia (who carries the solo on the song) sang it at her recent wedding as her testimony. And if you hunker down and listen to the words, what a testimony it is!

I'm prepping to speak at a retreat soon, and as I review my sessions and pray over the messages, I a reminded again and again of the truth of this song.

All my life, You have been faithful. All my life, You have been so, so good.
With every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God.

It is true for me. 

All my life, He has been faithful and good. Even in the moments that didn't feel good. Even in the seasons that burned like fire, He was faithful and good.

He was faithful and good all those years when I was single and praying for a husband. He has been faithful and good all the years I have enjoyed walking through life with my husband.

He was faithful and good when Ryan's mom was sick and dying. When I think about how quickly it all happened and how quickly we had to absorb and prepare, I see His goodness and faithfulness. When I think about all the miles we drove between Kokomo and hospital visits in downtown Indianapolis, or between our house and the cabin - especially on all those snowy, icy nights, I see His goodness and faithfulness. When we were present at her side for her passing on a night we were not even scheduled to be at the cabin, I see His goodness and faithfulness.

He was faithful and good when Ryan's job was being eliminated - and we didn't even know. He was going ahead and preparing a new place for us.

He was faithful and good when we worked at WillowBridge and didn't think we had strength for one more moment of chaos and crisis. He kept us propelling forward and taught us so much. He kept us breathing when life was sucked right out of us. 

He was faithful and good when we made our move to where we are now - providing us with community and a home and a job.

I can't sing, but with every breath that I am able, I will speak and type of the goodness of God. 

And that is my testimony today. 

The Saturday Six

 

Our Indiana days have been pretty warm this week, but the early mornings and late evenings have been so very fall-like. I know some of you are not ready for fall yet, but it is true that next weekend is Labor Day, so I don't feel like I am terribly premature in offering up some fall ideas for you.

One.

In truth, one of the things I am looking forward to the most about fall is layering up my outfits. While I love the freedom of sailing out the summer door without worrying about coats or scarves, I love the completed look of layered outfits. It's fun to mix and match. This post has thirty ideas for how to layer up your outfits. (I half wanted to read it just for the sake of looking at cute clothes, but the other half of me really did want a good refresher on layers.) Note: the post is a few years old, but I still think the outfits are cute and fairly timeless!

Two.

Because we have had such a sad little plant summer, I am eager to add pops of color this fall. Mums for the win!!!! I found this article this week - actually when looking for some information for Love INC - that talks about how and when to choose your mums and how to get the most life out of them. Make your investment last as long as you can! 

Three.

If you're a DIYer with an itch for a fall project, how about making your own fall-inspired flannel coasters? You can pick your fabric and color scheme and make the cutest little project!!

Four.

I feel like one of the key staples of fall, for me, is a proper apple cider donut. I usually get them from orchards, but if anyone wants to try this recipe at home and bring me one, I won't be upset! (Apple cider donuts mark one of the few times I am willing to deviate from my requirement that donuts sport a generous layer of frosting.)

Five.

Isn't this outdoor tablescape just BEAUTIFUL? Ryan and I have been able to sit outside on the porch a couple of times recently in the evenings, and it's made me crave a beautiful outdoor fall dinner. Sweatshirts and campfires and the whole bit. And this is just inspiring!

Six.

And if you're planning ahead for your fall, here are some ideas of things you should remember to do in and around your house to make it winter-ready. You have plenty of time for a head start! 

Planning Ahead

 I learned many valuable lessons in my time at WillowBridge, and one of them was that if I had spare time, I should use it to work on a project, because whenever I needed to work on the project, I was pretty much guaranteed to have zero time for it. 

Spare time was a rare gift in that job, but it did happen upon occasion, and I'd launch into writing manuals or reorganizing storage rooms, which, of course, required playing with the label maker. I picked projects that brought my Type A heart so much joy, and without fail, I was always glad I worked ahead. The time would come when I needed that project to be completed, and sure enough, I didn't have any time to give.

Time feels more plentiful now. (Don't misunderstand. I'm not bored! But I can breathe.) But I've brought that forward-planning method with me into this season of my life, and I find it works just as beautifully now as it did then.

In the six or so weeks that we spent "in retirement," as we called it, I worked to catch up on scrapbooks, journals, unpacking, and settling in. I had no idea what would be ahead for me in the world of employment, and if I found myself busy with a job, I wanted to be caught up on the projects that were otherwise likely to irritate me.

When I had some spare time earlier this summer, I planned our entire anniversary trip in full detail. It was months ahead of schedule, but I told myself to finish it then, because if things became busy as fall went along, I'd be glad it was done.

Yesterday I received a new project assignment. It's exciting, and I'm looking forward to it in every way, but the timeline is tight, and I don't want to panic at the end.

So last night, I locked myself in the office with a big cup of coffee and pulled out the planner and ALL the Flair pens. Every color. I sat down and mapped out the days ahead, working hard to make sure I had all my already-standing commitments covered with plenty of room for the new assignment.

People tend to pick on me for how far ahead I plan and how detailed I am in my organization. It doesn't bother me. I know it isn't everyone's greatest joy, and that's fine. But for me, planning ahead makes all of life go so much more smoothly. And working ahead (when possible) allows me to breathe more later. It is absolutely worth it.

And if you're a praying friend, and you think of me in this next week, will you join me in praying that I do my very best work on this project? I want to give it my all!

Enjoy your weekend, friends! And plan ahead!

Day in the Life: August

 

Today's day in the life post covers a Wednesday in August! Enjoy!

Wednesday, August 24, 2022
The high today is 83 and it's supposed to be sunny.
Ryan is 43, Bekah is 44, Braeya is 16, and Lexi is 9 months old.

Midnight-6:00 a.m.

I have intense dreams about going to see Mina Hawk (star of Good Bones) for her to do my hair. She dyes it red and then goes home while the color is marinating, leaving me to figure out what to do from there. She also worked out of a theater in the middle of a symphony performance. W.E.I.R.D. May this not be indicative of my day. 

6:00 a.m.-Noon

* Ryan gets up to have some time with the Lord and to drink coffee. I drag myself out of bed a little while later and throw on a sweatshirt so we can take Lexi for a walk. The morning is promising to be pretty, and the temperature feels perfect. 

* Lexi is beside herself with joy over every single bunny and bird we see, and there are many. There are also a TON of cars out this morning. The neighborhood is NEVER that busy in the morning, but it is today. As I slowly wake up, Ryan and I talk about the day and other random things. We are almost back home when my phone alarm goes off reminding me to pray for a kiddo from our church. He has anxiety over school and I pray for him every morning around the time he gets on the bus.

* We get back home and Ryan gives Lexi her breakfast. He helps me make the bed and then gets ready for work. I get an egg out of the refrigerator to boil for his lunch. (We are sailing toward grocery day, so our meal options this week are kind of scrappy.) We just got eggs from our friends who have their own chickens, so the eggs are EXTRA good. I choose my coffee mug for the day, and the Be Still one seems appropriate, since I'll be writing for a retreat with that theme. I also pull out my new "Little Sis" tumbler my sister gifted me earlier this month to begin my water consumption. I'll need to drink at least six of these today. 

* I check to make sure the blog posted, hop over to Facebook to see the memories, and discover that it was on this day six years ago that a tornado went by our house in Kokomo. (This was the tornado that flattened the Starbucks, if you remember that.) That was not my favorite day! I had been in the middle of baking cookies for my mom's 80th surprise birthday party when the storm popped up from nowhere. Ryan came home from the hospital to get me to safety down there, since we didn't have a safe space in our house.

* While the egg continues cooking, I start making the rest of the salad for Ryan's lunch. It will be cheeseless today, since we ran out of cheese yesterday. Ryan makes his breakfast (a bagel with whipped berry cream cheese) and I take a break from lunch-making to post the daily social media post for Love INC. Today we are celebrating the new sign outside our office! It's PRETTY!

* I finish packing Ryan's lunch, including his love note, and I notice the dishwasher is full, so I start that before I forget about it. Before he leaves for work, Ryan works on my neck, which I have somehow strained AGAIN. I ask him if he can just stay home and work on it all day. It's a no. :(

* Ryan makes his tea (he's been drinking that some each day to help his throat since he's about to reenter the world of singing at church) and says goodbye to Lexi before taking off for work. After he leaves, I make my breakfast, which today is sourdough toast with organic peanut butter and jelly. I wipe out my first tumbler of water and move on to #2...and a second cup of coffee as well. 

* Ryan calls to let me know he's made it safely to work, and I ask him about a meeting for Love INC that I had forgotten to write in my planner. Ugh. It's the same time as the hair cut and color I just scheduled YESTERDAY. I send a wildly apologetic text to the stylist asking if she still has an opening the week before like she did yesterday. I hate making stupid mistakes like that and hate it even more when I have to admit them to people besides Ryan! (Thankfully the other opening is still open, and she doesn't mind switching me.)

* I get busy on my morning work, which today is all about writing! I am speaking at a women's retreat next month, and the church has chosen my Be Still theme. I haven't presented this one in several years, so I've been brushing up on the material over the last little while. Today is the final stretch, in which I need to combine the final two sessions into one. (This retreat theme is normally four sessions, but this group is only having three, so I have to combine.) 

* I write for about an hour and 15 minutes and then take a break to get another cup of coffee, a little trail mix, and check my email. While I'm responding to emails, my phone rings with an unknown number. I normally ignore those, but this one is local, so I pick it up. It's the builder for our house, wanting to talk about replacing our driveway. I give him Ryan's number and text Ryan to tell him to pick up the unknown call when it comes in. He does and then calls to update me. New driveway is apparently coming soon. 

* With all those things done, it's time to finally get ready for the day. I plug in my laptop to charge and head into the bathroom to take a shower and get ready. Lexi is sacked out on the couch watching a house hunting show, and Braeya is asleep on the bed. Wonder if Mina Hawk is doing her hair, too??

* I take a shower and wash my hair, but I decide to do it curly today. Not interested in spending the time to straighten it. While I do my hair and makeup, I listen to a Marco Polo my friend Justine sent me, and I send her an answer before I forget everything she said!

* I'm wearing a new shirt today. Ryan and I bought these from a friend who did a fundraiser to build a new house for her mother-in-law in Ethiopia! The houses on the shirt represent traditional Ethiopian huts, and the writing says "Love Your Neighbor." Ryan has one just like this, but his is gray. We love the shirts and were happy to be part of a good cause for someone in need. Lexi wants to cuddle for a while, and then it's time to cook lunch. I'm having leftovers from our breakfast-for-dinner meal last night, so I need to scramble a couple of eggs for myself. It's also time for water tumbler #3!

* The first egg I crack is a double yolk, which excites me WAY more than it should. It's the little things. Lexi is SO ready for lunch. (Braeya self-administers her food without overeating, so she can choose her meals at her leisure throughout the day. Lexi, like me, would never stop eating if left to her own devices. So she has to wait for meals.) 

Noon-6:00 p.m.

* I give Lexi her lunch Kong and finish warming up my leftovers. She eats in the living room by the couch, and I eat at the dining room table. We finish up just before Ryan calls. He usually calls after he eats his lunch at work. He tells me all about his morning and the work he caught up on after a busy afternoon yesterday. When his lunch hour ends, he hangs up, and I pause to take a pound of ground turkey out of the freezer so I can be ready for dinner later!

* I make a new cup of coffee in the Keurig. I'm sure I can fit it on top of the cold coffee left from this morning, but it ends up being a little fuller than planned. Whoopsie! I fill up water tumbler #4, and sit down for a quick brain break on Pinterest before resuming work.

* Since I have some time, I decide to do an out-loud run through of session #1 for the retreat. I time myself and land exactly where I thought I might, and I'm happy with it. It seems to flow, even after my tweaking, so I call that one done.

* I warm up the coffee again, sip some water, and decide I have just enough time to read session #2 before Ryan gets home. Our dining room is getting preached to today! 

* I finish reading the second session out loud, and my throat is raw when I'm done. I hope the neighbor lady out mowing didn't see me waving and pointing at the table in my practice session. I love and miss speaking; this has been so much fun to rehearse! 

* I warm up the coffee AGAIN and pull out the drying mats to unload the dishwasher before Ryan gets home. I reload it with the dishes in the sink and sit to play on Pinterest for a few more minutes until Ryan gets off work and calls. 

* He actually calls a little later than usual...says he had to stop and pick up his muffler, which fell off his truck on a country road! WHAT?!?!? We all hear him pull up to the house, and Lexi loses her mind with joy at the door, waiting for him to come in.

* I pull out the Ninja and make our fruit smoothies and Lexi gets her afternoon Kong snack to eat while I make our snack. 

* We drink our smoothies and change into workout clothes to head into the yard for a little work. As I'm changing, I discover Braeya has peed on the pee blanket outside her litter box (it happens sometimes now that she's older) so we throw the blanket in the wash. I fill up the tumbler for water #5 and head to the yard to pull weeds. 

* Ryan and I work for about a half hour on pulling weeds that are choking out the grass from growing. Part of the yard is easy and part of the yard is truly 95% weeds - so thick that we can't even find the root. Ryan moves to the backyard to rake up straw from our most recent planting effort and I come back inside.

* I decide to go ahead and knock out my workout and stretches while Ryan is working outside. The site I've been using lately, Faithful Workouts gives four options of workouts for each day. I like being able to choose based on how much time I have. Today I choose Advanced Interval Training, which offers circuits in which I do 15 reps, then 10, then 5, and then I move on. I'm sweating by the end of it!

* I switch the emergency laundry load to the dryer and peek in the office to turn on Rosie the vacuum. I thought yesterday was Wednesday, so it's possible I already ran her in Lexi's room a day early. But I set her to go in the office today, on the correct floor vacuuming day. We have a baby gate up at the office door, so it keeps her contained.

* I put away the dishes from the drying mat and decide to go ahead and make the sloppy joe meat for dinner. I'm not sure how much longer Ryan plans to work outside, but I'll have dinner ready whenever he is. And if it needs to simmer for a while, that's fine, too!

6:00 p.m. to midnight. 

* When dinner finishes cooking, I check on Ryan to see how he's doing out in the heat and sun. He's sweating and says he still has a lot left to do. I encourage him to come in, take a break, and eat dinner, so he does. I move Rose from the office to our bedroom, where she can also be corralled by a baby gate, and we sit to eat dinner. Sloppy joe for both of us, salad for me, and the rest of the leftover macaroni and cheese for Ryan. Lexi eats her dinner Kong while we eat our meal.

* After dinner, I fill up the water tumbler for #6, put our dishes in the dishwasher, and divide the rest of the meat for our lunches tomorrow. I put it in the refrigerator and realize the dryer isn't running anymore. I take all the pee blankets out and put them back in their places.

* Ryan sits at the table a while longer to watch Colts news on his phone, so I move into the office to do my writing prompts for the day. My main prompt says, "What sight caught your attention today?" My verse prompt is from 1 John 3:13 and says, "A prayer for courage..." I set the timer on my phone to keep track of my time and launch in to writing for about 10 minutes on each one.

* Ryan goes back out to finish raking up his straw piles, and I write the love note for his lunch box tomorrow. Then I settle in to work on my Bible study. Tonight, I am starting the study of Genesis chapter 28, and I'm doing all the color-coded markings on my study page!

* Ryan calls it quits on the yard work, and we go out for our evening walk. We're so busy talking about what we're learning in Bible study that I totally forget to take a picture, but I grab one of the sunset when we return. 

* I am done thinking for today, so I sit on the couch and do a little web surfing with water tumbler #7. Ryan takes a shower. When he's all cleaned up, we make our evening cups of coffee. Ryan washes up the pans that are in the sink, Lexi has her final snack Kong of the night, and we settle in on the couch. We each have a little bowl of trail mix for a snack. 

* We start watching Without a Trace, which we never watched back in the years it originally aired. We are still in season one, and we end up watching TWO episodes. (I could stay up all night watching!) In between shows, I download a book on my Kindle. It's called RVing Across America, and it's written by an author I follow on Instagram. I saw earlier today that the book was free on Kindle today, so I wanted to download it before the sale ran out. (Alyssa and her husband, Heath, took a year long honeymoon and traveled through all 50 states in their RV. I probably don't need to tell you why I want to read it!)

* Ryan falls asleep during the second episode of Without a Trace. I finish up the blog and pull up my journal to write about the day before I get too tired. 

* Ryan wakes up and moves into the kitchen to do the last minute chores before bed. He refills Lexi's meal Kongs for tomorrow and sets the coffee pot to be ready when he wakes up. We put Lexi to bed and head off to sleep too. We're pooped! :)