Mini Getaway

One of the sweetest blessings of our training time in Ohio was that we could double it as a mini-getaway for the two of us. Our training was held in Holmes County, Ohio, which is about three and a half hours from where we live. It's also Amish country, which is not terribly new or different for us, since we live in Amish country, but it is always fun to see new places, and this was definitely new for us!

We headed over to Ohio on Sunday afternoon, right after our busy morning at church. It was a gloomy day, but we didn't encounter any bad weather, which was so nice!

We stayed at a hotel this time, rather than an Airbnb, and the Christmas tree was super cute!

Our room was comfy and nice, and we got some dinner to take back to the room to eat while Ryan watched the Colts win! :) We also appreciated the nice, hot breakfast each morning. 

We spent the whole day and evening Monday in training, but we got out a little bit earlier on Tuesday afternoon, so we were able to sneak in a quick trip over to Lehman's Hardware, in Kidron, Ohio. (Our conference was in Millersburg, for those of you who are familiar with the area.) Both my mom and our friend, Shari, had told us about Lehman's, and we knew it was a place we wanted to check out while we were in town. It's HUGE! Unfortunately, we didn't have a ton of time to explore it because it closes pretty early, and we didn't get there too long before closing time. But we trekked through most of the store and had fun looking around!

These are modern appliances created to look like antiques. Fascinating. 

There was an art display set up inside The artist makes wood carvings. Here is the photo he used to create a carving, and then you'll see the art below. It was mind-blowing!

Photo opps were everywhere at the store! (There were even some parents in there doing a full-blown photo shoot of their toddler. We spent a while dodging those photos!

Fun visit! We left shortly before they closed and made it back to Millersburg just as it got dark. We were a bit nervous to be on those roads after dark. We are used to horses and buggies on roads, but they don't have many lights on their buggies in this area - AND there are tons of hills and curves. Bikes and buggies showed up out of nowhere all the time! 

It's not a super great picture, but here is the courthouse. It was so pretty!

We went back to the hotel to get our free, bottomless coffee, but the machine was down. Fortunately, this area has coffee shops that actually stay open until 9. (We should move there just for that!) So we found some coffee and went back to the hotel to watch TV!

And then yesterday, we drove back home. We stopped by an amazing Christmas store in Berlin, Ohio before we drove back. I could have stayed for hours. I seriously don't know of anything else quite as happy as a year-round Christmas store!

The rooms inside were SO FESTIVE!

(He offered a better picture, but I felt this best captured our thoughts on a Christmas store.)

I guess that preaching on Sunday really stuck with him...

No Santa while we were there...but his staging area was cute!

Before we left to go home, we visited another local coffee shop. It was SO cute, and the coffee was outstanding! (Car was in park here. Obviously.)

We had a great drive home and had the chance to talk over all the things we learned from the conference and what we hope to implement at Love INC in the weeks and months to come!

Found our way back to this...

...where we found this!

Sigh.

Training Days

Ryan and I still have SO much to learn about the work of Love INC and how to help our affiliate grown and become healthier. For the last two days, we've been in all-day training to learn from experienced affiliates and to meet other directors and staff members from across the country.

Our brains are very, very full, but we are excited to think about things we might be able to implement and ways we can help our little ministry thrive!

We arrived Monday morning to find the room all set up to welcome us to training! 

They had gift bags at everyone's chairs - filled with things like pens and notebooks, but they also put some yummy local treats inside!

This wins for clever name!

And binders. You know I love anything that gives me a binder!

The first day of training had sessions led by two different people. We had met one of the presenters before, because he lives near us and has come to meet with Ryan!

And we had been in virtual training with one of the other presenters!

They provided endless coffee, water, and snacks throughout the day, as well as our lunch. We had a small break in the afternoon and then had dinner together and toured a church where they hold some classes for clients in their affiliate. It was a FULL first day.

(I asked Ryan for a picture of us, and this is what I got. Ha!)

At the end of the day, we left the classroom and went to a field trip to see some of this area's Love INC ministries in action! I didn't take any pictures (since they had actual participants there), but I did get this really pretty sunset. It's the only sun we had while we were there!

Yesterday morning, I told Ryan we needed a slightly better picture than the nose-picking one. One of the people from our class graciously took it for us!

We had training throughout the day again in the classroom setting, and we continued to learn a lot of helpful information!

At the end of the day, we took a quick field trip to see a couple of local ministries again, and then we were done for this particular round!

We took in a massive amount of information, but it's already sparked great conversation about what we can do in the future! I'm thankful we were both able to attend and learn! 

Speaking Again

This past Sunday, Ryan had another chance to speak at a church about Love INC - and this time it was at our own church! We loved that a little extra, because it meant we got to spend time with our own people, and it terrified us a little extra because...it was with our own people! 

I just have to pause and say that I am so, so proud of Ryan for how hard he has worked on ALL his speaking opportunities. Since the end of July, this past Sunday marked the 6th Sunday morning he has represented Love INC at a church service, and he's also shared at another church's Saturday evening worship service and at two club meetings midweek! He works so hard on each presentation, to tailor it for the audience before him, and he's done a fantastic job.

Sometimes when he speaks at a church, he gives the whole message, and sometimes it's a shorter presentation. Last Sunday was the whole message. And he was also asked to sing in a quartet for the same service. So he was up there singing...speaking...the whole bit! 

I have to say I was also super proud of him for this song adventure. He didn't have too much warning that he was going to sing. (He was filling in for someone who ended up not being able to be there.) It was a song he'd never heard of before, he had the lead part, and they sang acapella. No pressure, right?

I have to admit, I breathed a little easier when it was over! :) They did a great job, and now the song is stuck in my head on repeat. 

And then he spoke. Did a GREAT job. It's so strange for me to be on the other side of the speaking adventures. Usually I'm speaking and he's sitting in the front row following along in the notes. Now it's my turn. I love supporting him, and I was so proud of how well he did! 

And before and after service, we both represented Love INC at the table outside the sanctuary. Met some new people and made some new connections, so that was great!

I think this concluded both of our speaking engagements for 2022! Great job, Ryan! 

Little Pieces of Home

 

It's no secret that Ryan and I have a lot of dreams for our someday-travel. Fleshing out those dreams on paper or computer screen happens to be one of my favorites ways to pass the time. 

My friend Julie loaned me a book called At Home in the World, written by Tsh Oxenreider, and I've been reading a chapter from it each day. Her family traveled around the world for a year, and the book shares the stories of what it's like to live a nomadic lifestyle. Though our dreams don't involve traveling the whole world, I'm learning from Tsh what it's like to live without a home base, and it fascinates me. 

The whole reason Julie loaned me the book was because I told her about an Instagram account I'm following (Under the Sycamore) of a family doing the same thing. I've been taking mental notes of some of their strategies over the last few weeks, and just this weekend, I picked up on a new one that I absolutely loved. It works even if you're not traveling internationally, by the way.

She said, "We have a family agreement if we find a place we all love, we go back as often as we can before we head to the next town. We know we could never visit every spot in a city, so this is our way of kind of making home everywhere we go. Instead of saying, 'Remember that shawarma place in Himare?' we say stuff like, 'Hey do you remember the shawarma place that was next to OUR bakery in Himare?' There are little bakeries dotting the world that are ours now."

Immediately I thought back to a working vacation Ryan and I took back in 2016. We had just moved to Kokomo, literally days before this trip. I had been invited to speak at a women's conference at our friends' church in a little town called Chilton, Wisconsin. We also stayed at our friends' house while we were in town, and they showed us all their favorite places. 

One of the first places they took us was a little ice cream shop called Scoops. I love ice cream and have eaten a lot of ice cream in a lot of places. This ice cream was extraordinary. So much so, that a couple of days later, when our friends went to small group, we decided to go back and have more ice cream - just the two of us. And a few months after that, my friend shipped a whole pint of the salted caramel ice cream I loved so much - as a birthday gift!

Scoops is my ice cream shop. 

Though Ryan and I are very different from the Under the Sycamore Instagram account in that we are unlikely to travel the whole world, we are similar to them in that we don't usually stay in one place too long, and we don't normally go back to visit the same city again and again. So while we're there, we do try to make the most of the places we love.

There was the little food cart at our wedding resort. I think we ate there three times in one week. (It was the first thing we asked about when we went back for our fifth anniversary, and we learned the gentleman had closed up shop. We were so sad.)

There was the seafood restaurant down the road from our wedding resort; we ate there the night before our wedding and our first night back in town on our return trip.

There was the coffee shop downstairs from our Airbnb in Richmond for our 8th wedding anniversary trip. We ate there every morning because it was included in our Airbnb package, but it was so good that I think we would have eaten there more than once anyway.

These are our places that make us feel at home in our travels. I hope that as we continue to make our way across this big, beautiful country, we find more and more little pieces of home. And now I am going to be sure to claim them as ours. It's a grand plan. 

Sunday Sentiments

 

Yesterday brought the first marked snowfall in our part of Indiana. (I know there was a bit of snow earlier in October, but it didn't show up here.) Three days earlier, Ryan was mowing the yard in short sleeves, and I mistakenly marveled at our delightfully warm fall. It's over now. ;) 

It was the perfect day to stay home and watch Christmas movies whilst drinking coffee, but alas, Ryan led a work crew in building a ramp for a family. What a day to have an outdoor construction project, right? The first day of snow?

And I didn't even get to stay home and indulge in movies, because Ryan's Grandma's 95th birthday party fell yesterday back in our home area.

If you've read here long, you know driving in general isn't my favorite and driving in bad weather is nearly my undoing. I wanted to cancel, put my comfies back on, and hit the couch, but instead, I kissed Lexi goodbye and may or may not have left home in tears, hands gripping the steering wheel with impressive strength.

The roads weren't too bad at home...they got mostly gross in the middle of the trip...and ended in good condition. I made it to my destination without incident and by the time I came home, everything was just fine.

When I landed safely back at home, I was proud of myself for doing something that is challenging for me. I realize that for many of you, driving in inclement weather is no big deal. Some of you may actually enjoy it and others of you may not necessarily care one way or the other. I celebrate that and admire you if that is the case.

But for me, this was a moment of courage. This was a moment of reminding myself I'm capable of doing things that feel crippling to me. This was a moment of pushing forward when I wanted to hide.

I celebrate that. Driving in snow is my hard thing. Yours might be something else entirely. But whatever it is, have a little personal party when you push through a moment of fear. It's worth the celebration!

(And for the record, Ryan and his crew completed the ramp - even before darkness fell! So proud of all their hard work!)

The Saturday Six

 

This is a Thanksgiving-themed Saturday Six! You were kind to put up with my Christmas themed list before, so I thought I would return to the holiday at hand for this one!

One.

You've heard of a Friendsgiving, right? Like a second Thanksgiving - but with your friends instead of family? I've never hosted one (unless you count the WillowBridge Thanksgivings as being more of a Friendsgiving) but I think they look fun! More fun if they contain non-traditional food. I found this post with some great ideas in it for how to host. My favorites are the free, downloadable invitation, and the ideas for tabletop games (hey, it works for Cracker Barrel!) and the photo decor. If you have the same group of friends every year, you can get some great throwback photos going after a few years! 

Two.

Ryan and I got shirts similar to these these last year (inspired by our friends Mark and Kari) and we had SO MUCH FUN wearing them! We'll do it again this year! Note: there are many color and font variations of these shirts, so if you don't like the one I linked, you can hunt around for something that works better for you. Etsy also has similar shirts if you want to shop small. 

Three.

The ingredient list may be lengthy, but this is such a cute Thanksgiving-themed snack board! I am such a sucker for cute food!! Forget the meal. Just give me this board and a fork! I'll be good to go!

Four.

I've shared before that I am pretty much a failure of a pie-maker, which is super unfortunate, since it's Ryan's favorite dessert. (And my mom is so good at it! How I did not get this gene is beyond me.) Anyway! Know what I'm even worse at than making a pie? SERVING a pie. The pieces always fall apart on me, and it looks like a two-year-old got put on serving duty. So I love this idea of a mini-pie serving board. If you're terrible at making pies, you can purchase tiny pies, and then you can arrange them on a board like this and just let your guests grab whatever they want! Genius!

Five.

While this definitely leans toward being for moms of smaller kiddos, we can all get something out of it, I'm sure! This post is for a five-day devotional about gratitude. If you're struggling to feel thankful this year, maybe you could take a few minutes each day leading up to Thanksgiving to be encouraged in your heart! Even if this content doesn't fit well with your life station, I encourage you to find something to read over the next few days that specifically pertains to gratitude! (The first year we were at WillowBridge, I wrote a daily devotional reading for November. Maybe next year I'll rework it and share that!) 

Six.

And if you love printables, this post should have you covered! ALL KINDS of free Thanksgiving printables in here. Games, decor, prints, planners - the whole bit. Check it out and spruce up the day!

Dreaming Forward

 For the last ten Fridays, I've reminisced about the decade behind us. I've looked back at some of my favorite memories from our marriage together. I've shaken my head in amazement at some of the things we've been able to accomplish and survive that seem insurmountable when I look back at them from more of an outside perspective. God is so good to give grace for the moment, isn't He? All of us go through things that are impossible, except for God. Never underestimate His power and grace to get you through what's in front of you!

Today I want to dream forward a bit. Not in specifics, of course. Ryan and I are in this together, and we'll dream the specifics together. But I do want to dream in generalities some of the hopes I have for decade #2.

* Growing in the Lord. This is always our highest goal as individuals, but it's also a goal for us as a couple. It has been, and it will continue to be! I'm not sure exactly what it will look like, because who can fathom the ways God uses to teach? But my hope is that we will sit in the stillness to hear His voice, we will study Scripture in-depth, and we will pray and learn together as a couple more about God, Who made us and wrote our story. I hope we serve Him well in whatever capacity He gives us - in vocation, in church ministry, and with our everyday lives.

* Finding our rhythm. Just like everyone else, life since the pandemic (and even before that, really) has felt a bit disjointed. We've had a lot of moves and changes and newness in our lives since 2018, actually. As I look back over those seasons, I'm grateful for all we were able to do to plod forward in hard times, but I am in great hope that the decade ahead helps us find our rhythm again. We've explored many things. We're both ready for some settling. We've spent a lot of time keeping up with the expectations we've perceived from others, and while we certainly want to be available to others and serve them well, I also hope we can find (even more) the places God has for US, so we can serve there well, regardless of others' expectations!

* Dating and celebrating! I feel like we did this very well in the first decade, and I don't think we have any intention of giving it up! Celebrating our milestones, going on dates, and investing in one another in the ways that drew us together in the beginning...these all matter. May we continue to realize the responsibility of nurturing this relationship and do so with great joy and celebration!

* Following the Lord wherever He leads. As much as we both crave finding rhythm and regularity after so many changes, I know we also are both committed to being available to follow the Lord wherever He leads. If He leads us to stay right here and do what we're doing in this very moment, I say HOORAY! But if He calls us to anything else in life, vocation, or ministry, I say HOORAY! We just want to be obedient! 

* Seeing new things. I'd personally love to complete our 92 County tour project. It took us almost a decade to get a third of the way through it, but I think if we can get back on a schedule, we can do it! (And, of course, barring further pandemics.) I also hope we can see many wonderful destinations that we haven't made it to yet. (I'd also love to retry a couple of travel-fails from the first decade.) This is one of our favorite parts of marriage, and I hope we can enjoy it more and more!

* Simplifying. In our first decade of marriage, we helped sort through a million (not joking) things after Ryan's mom and Allen passed away. It was a valuable lesson for us in being conscious of what we have, what we need, and what we can live without. Our multiple moves have helped us simplify some, but I want to be even more intentional about making sure everything we own tells part of our story and eliminating the excess.

* Seeing dreams come true. We dreamed so many dreams in our first decade. We have been thrilled to see some of them come true in most unexpected ways. I'm crazy enough to believe God can make that happen more and more in the second decade. I have no idea which ones He'll pick or how they'll look, but I'm counting on Him to make it amazing!

I am genuinely giddy about a second decade of marriage. The joy and excitement I felt in my heart leading up to our wedding day is still there. I am SO excited for what's to come! 

Thanksgiving Musings

Thanks, Natasha, for this idea! The US Thanksgiving is just two weeks away, and I thought a little Thanksgiving fun was in order! :)

1. Do you host Thanksgiving or go elsewhere?

Well, we've done both! For the most part, we've always gone other places, and we almost always go to my parents' house as at least one of our Thanksgiving stops. Some years we've also gone to one or more of Ryan's family Thanksgivings. (There was one year in there I think we had either four or five in one DAY. I think we attended four and then stopped at McDonald's so I could get food I liked on the way home. I'm not a Thanksgiving food fan.) The year my Mom had her double-knee replacement, we hosted Thanksgiving at our Kokomo house, and that was our first time to host that holiday together! We also were in charge of the official WillowBridge Thanksgiving both years we worked there and the first year we had to work on the holiday, so we were on our own for making Thanksgiving dinner for two that year! I enjoy hosting and attending equally. Basically, I enjoy everything but the traditional food. :) 

2. What dishes do you make or contribute?

Historically, Mom makes the whole meal herself, so I don't usually get to take anything. (I always ask and am turned down.) But in the years I hosted, I really loved making roasted veggies (that way I can get some veggies I like), stuffing, and macaroni and cheese. I also enjoy making a ham, since I don't like turkey. The years we made the meal for WillowBridge, we did make the whole traditional meal, and all our food was gifted to us from the local food bank. We appreciated their generosity! We had the turkey, rolls, stuffing, green bean casserole, and the whole bit!

3. What is your favorite Thanksgiving recipe, and will you share it with us? 

Absolutely! WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY back in the day, I got a stuffing recipe from my ex-boyfriend's sister. She loved it so much that if she was alone on Thanksgiving, she would make a big batch for herself and that was her Thanksgiving meal. She loved just eating that. She shared the recipe with me, and I also love it. It's a dry stuffing, which I appreciate, because I can't stand wet bread. It also has a lot of good seasonings, and it's fun to make! I shared the recipe on the blog years ago, and you can find it here!

4. What are your Thanksgiving traditions?

For being the tradition queen that I am, I actually don't have a lot of Thanksgiving traditions. It surprises even me! The year Ryan and I were engaged, we ran a 5K (on our own - not part of an organized race) that morning, and I really thought that would become a tradition for us. But have you met some Thanksgivings in Indiana? LOL! So that didn't become a tradition. I love watching the parade, but Ryan isn't a parade lover, so we're hit and miss on that. Because we're often going hither and yon to various meals, the day is all about running from one place to the next to get wherever we're going. I did particularly love the year we hosted my family, and everyone was together in the same house all day, and we just got to enjoy a leisurely prep time. Low-key is almost always my friend on a holiday, so the years I get to just be are my favorite!

5. Stuffing or dressing?

I do understand if you're not actually stuffing the turkey with it, you're supposed to call it dressing, but for me, that sounds like something you do to a wound, so I prefer to call it stuffing. (And I prefer to serve it on the side. I don't like digging around inside the turkey.)

6. Pumpkin, pecan, or apple pie?

I don't like pumpkin pie. I love the pumpkin flavor, but the mushy texture gets me. I LOVE pecan pie but usually can't justify how unhealthy it is, so from this list, I will pick apple. I really do love apple pie. Crumb topping. With ice cream. :) I'm not particular...right? Ryan LOVES pie, so he would probably pick one piece of each!

7. Casual dining or set the table?

I do love a properly set table on Thanksgiving, even if it's just Ryan and me together. Normally we're buffet-from-the-counter style eaters, but I do set a proper table and serve family-style on Thanksgiving!  I love how extra-fancy it feels.

8. Favorite beverages to serve with Thanksgiving dinner?

I just drink water - like every other day - and coffee, of course. If I'm feeling extra fancy, I'll add sparkling grape juice. Ryan would probably pick hot cider as an additional beverage for Thanksgiving!

9. Do you shop Black Friday?

Ummmmm no. Not unless it's online. I'm still recovering from like 20 years ago when I almost got trampled over Christmas china. Wait. Maybe some of you don't know this story! This was yearssssssssss ago when I was still very, very single. I'd seen an ad for Christmas dishes - very pretty ones - as a doorbuster. $20 per box and I think each box had a plate, bowl, cup, and saucer X 4 place settings. I really wanted to own service for 12 for all my future holiday entertaining, so I got up in the middle of the night to drive across town to the mall to buy those dishes. I think they were from Penney's. Whichever store it was, they didn't have carts. So I was trying to navigate a stack of THREE heavy boxes of breakable dishes from the display to checkout. Alone. Somehow I arrived and they put them in bags for me, but the bags were barely big enough to hold each box. I couldn't easily grasp the handles because the boxes were too wide and the bags weren't big enough to fit generously around them. Then I had to navigate THROUGH the store hauling three heavy boxes in bags. It was a mess. I got them all out to my car without getting trampled, hit by a car, or mugged. Then I prayed all the way home that no one would hit me and break my dishes! I got home and went straight back to bed. Never went out shopping early again! (When we moved from Kokomo, my niece actually bought those dishes from our garage sale. I had a lot of happy hostessing memories with them, but we just didn't have room for storing anymore!) 

10. Holiday movie or football games?

Holiday movie for me and football games for Ryan! Growing up, though, it was neither. We weren't a TV watching family on Thanksgiving. And because so many of our Thanksgivings now are so busy, I'm not sure we really watch either one currently either!

Well this was fun! How about you? Any fun answers to any of the questions?

Speaking for Love INC

Ryan has had many big tasks before him in his new role as Executive Director at Love INC. One of those tasks has been getting out into the community to meet people and explain more about what we actually DO at Love INC and how people can get involved!

Sometimes those chances to speak come through clubs or small groups. Early on, he spoke at the Rotary Club and the Optimist Club. A few weeks ago, he spoke at a worship and fellowship group on a Saturday night. But he's also had the chance to speak at a few churches, and this is really important, because the whole mission of Love INC is to mobilize churches to transform lives. Sometimes when he speaks at a church, he gets just a couple of minutes in the middle of the service to do a mission spotlight moment. Other times he has the entire sermon to share. But we appreciate every opportunity to share in a church and meet the people there! 

The last two Sundays, he spoke at his 4th and 5th churches, and this coming Sunday, he will speak at his 6th church. I think that is a pretty great record of opportunity for being new in the area! 

I had some pictures from the last couple of weeks, and I thought I'd share them with you today!

Two weeks ago, he shared the sermon at a church in the little burg of Monroe, not too far from where we live. They were having a special 5th Sunday gathering, complete with a huge breakfast! (Pancakes, sausage, bacon, biscuits and gravy - the whole bit!) They met for the day in their fellowship area, and we were able to set up a table with materials and information. 

Then this past Sunday, he did a brief spotlight in the church who owns the building where the Love INC offices are located! They had a full service, honoring veterans, promoting missions, and sharing a convicting sermon!

I am always so proud of him when he gets to speak! He does a great job, and I want to jump up and down in the back of the room and yell, 'THAT'S MY HUSBAND!!!!!"

This coming Sunday will mark the end of speaking for 2022, as we head into the holiday season, but it has been a great year of sharing, and we are both really thankful for the churches who have made a space for us to come and share our hearts and about the work being done. 

Teacher for a Minute

I love it when I get a chance to do something fun and different, and last week offered me just such an opportunity. I thought I'd tell you about it today!

I mentioned in passing that back in September, Ryan and I attended a networking luncheon given by the county's Community Foundation. At the luncheon, we were seated at separate tables, and toward the end, Ryan waved me over to see him. He had been talking to some of the people at his table and they said they struggled to know how to make social media work effectively for their nonprofits.

He told them I'd been working on the Facebook page for Love INC and somehow...I ended up agreeing to teach a class on social media.

In truth, all of it makes me giggle, because I learned during my radio days that I go against the social media flow fairly regularly. I don't keep up on the ever-changing algorithms. I don't stress about how often to post or what time of day I should post. I don't use third-party posting tools.

I just follow my gut. I post consistently and plan my content ahead. I do my best and don't worry about it from there. 

I'm hardly the poster child, and I was honest about it, but they asked me to teach anyway!

The class size was small, but it felt perfect for conversation. Three people (plus Ryan) attended, and we had a great hour together! 

We talked about choosing the social media platform(s) that fit you best. We talked about planning content. We talked about choosing themes for days. We talked about hashtags. We talked about creating graphics. 

They took notes, asked great questions, and seemed excited to take the things they learned back to their organizations and start using it!

I remain convinced I am not the best candidate to teach a class like this, but I did have fun preparing for it and teaching it. It's always fun to have a classroom for a minute. Ryan took a few pictures, so I'll share them here!