Never Too Old

 

My 7^th grade science teacher posted a word of thanks on Facebook this week. Some friends of hers drove the boat so she could water ski.

            Did I mention she’s 80?

            Granted, she didn’t just take up skiing this year. This has been part of her life, maybe for all of her life! But I’m so impressed that she can still accomplish it at 80, and that’s not all she’s doing with life. She volunteers regularly with Habitat for Humanity and is quite the encourager to those in her community who are working hard to make dreams come true.

            I may not have been her best science student (by a long shot) but I am learning a lot from her about life at this stage by watching her live fully at an age where many would sit down and pick up a remote.

            She’s learning to ski, I’m learning to garden, and Ryan’s learning to paddleboard. I’m reminded that we’re never too old to be purposeful about trying new things – and who knows? Maybe we might find something new to us that is a gift we never knew we had!

            Did you know Lucille Ball was 40 when she started filming I Love Lucy? You’ve probably never heard of Joseph Campbell, but your mind may make a connection when I tell you he started a canned foods company at age 52. And the soup that made that name famous arrived on the scene when joseph was 78. Another 78  year old took up painting, and we know her as “Grandma Moses.” A few years ago, one of her paintings sold for over a million dollars. Colonel Sanders was 62 when he franchised Kentucky Fried Chicken.

            You get the idea.

            Learning a bit about gardening this year and watching plants grow in the dirt outside the house has pushed me to make a list of things I want potentially explore over the next decade. I might not get to all of them. I might try some for a  moment and discover I am really not talented in that direction after all. But what if one or two end up being gems of joy?

            Here’s my list. I’ve mentioned a few of them in blog posts of days gone by, but this is my actual list of things I hope to explore in the next decade. Of course, to make it nice and even, I chose ten things. They are, however, in no particular order.

1. Pie Making. Ryan loves pie. It’s his favorite dessert. And I’m a terrible pie maker. It’s unfortunate, because my mom has always been known for her pie making skills, and she really does a fabulous job. How did the daughter of a prolific pie maker end up such a failure at it? I’ve tried a handful of times over the years to figure out what I’m doing wrong, but I’ve never found the magic touch with this one. I really would love to achieve pie making perfection.

2. Crocheting. I have tried to learn this – just once – but it was right as we were leaving WillowBridge, and I didn’t end up having enough time to sit with my teacher. She also wasn’t entirely sure how to transfer her knowledge to me, which made it extra challenging. I don’t need to be crazy super skilled, but I think knowing how to make a blanket, scarf, or hat would be fun.

3. Playing the harp. This one may not happen because I’d have to buy/rent/borrow a harp, and I’m not sure that’s likely or even feasible around here. But I’ve watched some tutorials on learning to play and think it would be such a remarkable skill to know – even at a basic level. I have 11 years of piano lessons under my belt, so I know some musical basics. I just never found the instrument that won my heart. Maybe the harp is that instrument!

4. Ice Cream Making. Years ago, during one of our birthday trips, Ryan and I had fun dreaming up what it would be like to own an ice cream shop. Flavors and mix-ins and homemade waffle cones sounded like a great livelihood to us. While a store of our own is highly unlikely, we could learn to make our own homemade ice cream – flavors and mix-ins and all! I have a recipe a friend shared with me after I ate homemade ice cream at her house and LOVED how it tasted (and the texture, too). We don’t own an ice cream freezer – but maybe one of these days! I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have a house list of “famous” ice cream flavors.

5. Watercolor painting. It feels like an appropriate hobby when you live on the water. I’m not an artist, but maybe watercolor would be forgiving enough? One of the ladies I follow on Instagram, who really does have incredible artistic skill, says she buys all her supplies at Walmart. She says it’s an easy hobby because you don’t have to spend a fortune. You just have to have the heart for it.

6. Becoming my own barista. We own a little latte maker, but we have never fully explored the world of pretending we own a coffee shop. (which was, after all, another dream of ours.) I think I could learn to do this at home if I put my mind to it. I have recipes and instructions saved. I just need to put them to use.

7. Gardening. Ahhh, the one that started the list happening in earnest. I am pleased with how my efforts are going so far this year, but I know there is much to learn and refine in my skills. I’d like to keep growing with it! It is a joy to see things growing out there, and I’ve even been able to harvest some herbs, which has been fun. I’ll never be able to have a big garden, because I have space limitations, and I’m okay with that! But it’s fun to think about having a pretty little garden each year.

8. Breadmaking. I am saving up for some supplies to learn this one – so stay tuned for it. I’m excited to see if I can do it! Working with yeast terrifies me. I’m always afraid I’m going to kill it. But I’ve been doing a lot of reading and studying, so I hope that when it actually gets to happen, it’s a success!

9. Sign Language. I took classes in high school and still dabble in it occasionally. It’s the language that fascinates me most, and learning it more fluently would be a gift. Mostly I want to be able to sign songs for when I’m listening to music at home.

10. Candy making. Another of my mom’s skills that has (so far) eluded me. She has shared her recipes and we even have our own slab of marble – gifted from a friend who gave up candy-making. It would be great to be able to carry on my mom’s Christmas candy tradition and to make ours look as great as hers always do!

 

            I’m determined not to be too old to learn new tricks. How about you?

The Colors of Joy

 

Years ago, I read the book Sarah, Plain and Tall, and it became one of the books that I loved on equal ground with the movie made from it. (Julie, I love it that you brought this book up yesterday at the Sunday School class party, because it’s been on my mind for weeks.) If you haven’t read this one, you’re missing out.

            One of my favorite things about the movie was the way Sarah talked about the colors of the sea – the blues and grays and greens. I am fully aware I do not live at the sea, but every time I look out at the lake, I think of Sarah and the colors of the sea.

            I told you a while ago that a friend of mine gave me a guided journal for a gift, and one of the questions was this: “What are the colors that fill you with joy?”

            The colors of the sea.

            Throughout my twenties, my favorite color was red. I loved its boldness and power. It represented what I hoped to find in my own life – courage and strength. Then I hit my thirties and my favorite shifted over into purple. (Bless Ryan for putting up with my three-shades-of-purple bedroom when we got married.) Purple felt fancy and royal. I was searching for purpose and worth as I waited for my life to take a turn in the direction I dreamed and prayed it would.

            And now…now I love the colors of the sea. I love their calm and subtle beauty. I love the joy they bring.

            I love the days when the sky is so blue that the water matches its brilliance.

            I love days like yesterday, when it rains, and the top of the lake is gray and splattered with raindrops.

            I love the bright green lily pads that hide in the corners of the lake – and the white blossoms that pop up from them now and then.

            The colors of the sea, these colors that fill the space outside our home, were the inspirations for the inside of our house, too. The couch, the curtains, the bedding, the plants…little pops of blue and gray and green are everywhere, because they remind me of the calm and simplicity.

            They may not make me think of power, boldness, courage, or purpose, but they do sooth my soul and bring comfort. Maybe it’s my age bracket, maybe it’s the changes in the world around us…I don’t know. But comfort and soothing matter.

            Blues and grays and greens…those are the colors of joy for me. The colors of this season of life. The colors of calm and comfort.

Sunday Sentiments

 

One of my goals for June is to offer a kind word to someone, somewhere, every day. I have loved this challenge and the way it has pushed me to look at those around me through a new lens of love.

            But what a gift it is when it unexpectedly comes back my way!

            Friday night, Ryan and I had just short of a thousand errands to run. It was grocery night, and we had things to return to stores, and somewhere in there, we squeezed in a coffee shop date. It had been a long week for both of us – not at all in a bad way, but just in the kind of way where the to-do list exceeded the number of hours in the day. Every day.

            I’d fully intended to wash and straighten my hair the night before, but I ran out of time. (See above.) So Friday was an embarrassing day of ponytail hair that didn’t even really ponytail all that well. I aimed for it to look beach-wave messy in a low pony with a little strand of hair wrapped around to dress it up. But it was so curly and full of product, I couldn’t even smooth it back very well.

            I just felt bedraggled, more than anything else.

            Ryan was a sweetheart and said I looked beautiful, but I just wanted to be done being out in public and be back at home in the safety of our home that is used to such displays of wild third-day hair.

            As we stood in line at Menards, where we purchased two stepping stones for our landscaping, the young lady running the register stared at me. See? This is why I want to go home. But then she hesitantly said, “Your hair is just SO BEAUTIFUL.”

            I about had to pick up my jaw and rehinge it.

            As we women tend to do, I stuttered and scrambled to explain the third day situation and how I couldn’t get it to smooth right, and she just smiled and said, “It looks messy-cool.” Possibly the highest compliment coming from a teenager to a forty-something woman, right?

            While I will try not to make a habit of stubborn third day  hair in public, it was a joy to me to have someone who didn’t have to say a word…say a word. A word of encouragement.

            See? It’s the simplest little things that we gloss right over, because they don’t matter…that actually do matter. The words are easy and free to say. And their result can be so priceless.

            Don’t give up encouraging, friends. Hearts need you!!

Saturday Suggestions

 

Good morning, friends! We have just left a busy week and are plunging into an equally busy weekend! The check-items-off-the-to-do-list lover in me is excited about that. The sit-on-the-couch-and-rest lover in me is melting just a little bit. Hope your weekend is shaping up to be a great one. And if you need a little break, take a look at some of these ideas!

ONE. 

I saw this Etsy shop featured on Hosanna Revival’s social media this week and really enjoyed looking through the prints this artist has created. Most of the artwork is based on Scripture, and I enjoyed seeing the interpretation of the accounts in the art. I’m bookmarking this for more perusal later!

TWO. 

Back in February, one of our friends, who is about our age, had a stroke. Her husband worked with Ryan at the rehab hospital and was (and has continued to be) such a great friend to him. Nick and Jessica are both incredibly fit and have won competitions in lifting. Jessica is alive today because Nick happened to be home and recognized that she was having a stroke and got help for her immediately. Her type of stroke typically doesn’t have a favorable outcome, but her recovery (which is ongoing) is incredible. The local paper did a story on her a few days ago and then one of the Indianapolis stations picked it up and ran a feature on her. Here is a link to that – hope she inspires you!

THREE. 

I may be grown up, but I still love sidewalk chalk. I don’t know what it is about it, but I love it. Give me some chalk and bubbles, and I can entertain myself for quite some time.  If you have kids at home (or coming to visit) who are already bored, check out this cool idea to use some sidewalk chalk and painters’ tape to create a stained glass window feature on your driveway! You could make it as big or small as you want!

FOUR. 

I’ve never made campfire popcorn, but I do love popcorn and this method intrigues me. (Maybe I should put Ryan in charge, though. When I tried to make popcorn in our glass popper last week, I may or may not have burned it and smelled up the house.)

FIVE. 

This week some of the residents where Ryan works went on a field trip – and one of their stops was at the highest point in Indiana. Ryan and I were so excited to hear all about it and were ready to write it down for when we visited that county – and guess what? We’ve already done that one! HOWWWWWW in the world did this important tidbit about this county never surface in any of my research OR any of the information we got from the visitor’s center? (We almost never make it to a visitor’s center on a tour, but we did that time, because we needed passports for our adventures.) Anyway. Fortunately Wayne County is not that far of a drive, so we can go just to check it out. Does every state feature its highest point? I think they should!

SIX. 

Coffee Frosting? This is a thing? I can only imagine how amazing this tastes on a chocolate cake. I have two events this weekend, but alas, not everyone at either event likes coffee, so I won’t be able to try it just yet. But one of these days…

Hydration is Key

 

            One of my Facebook friends recently posted a reminder to hydrate as we head into these hot summer days. I giggled when I saw it, because if I hydrated more than I do now, I think I’d flat out float away.

            Ryan always says he has never seen anyone drink more water than I do – and before you worry, yes I do know it is possible to drink too much water, and no I am not overboard to that level. But I really do drink a lot of water, every single day.

            And here’s the thing: I hated water when I was growing up. Hated it. Never drank it. Lived on iced tea, milk, and Diet Coke.

            I wanted to write about this today because drinking water really is important, and a lot of people seem to struggle to accomplish it. Since I used to fall into that category, I thought I’d share the things that made a difference for me, and maybe they’ll help you, too!

            I grew up out in the country, so we were well-water people, and that was all I knew. In true Midwestern fashion, we drank water straight from the tap (sometimes with tap-water ice cubes popped out of a plastic tray), and that was our life. Water filters weren’t the thing then that they are now, and other than a quick sip from the drinking fountain at school, I didn’t have any other exposure to other types of water.

            What I’ve learned is that I don’t enjoy drinking well water. I know some people LOVE IT, but I am not in that crowd. Once I graduated from high school and moved to the residence hall at school, I discovered filtered water – and I discovered it tasted pretty delicious! In the summer months, I’d fill up a water bottle at the work fountain before driving home so I could have some “good water” for the evening.

            This discovery was the first of many for me in the water department. Each one has led me to the conclusion that if you can find the right mix of factors for drinking water, you’ll probably enjoy it.

            Here is my mix:

1. The water must be filtered. We have a refrigerator filter and a Berkey water filter. Between the two, I love the taste of the water, and that goes a long way in encouraging me to appropriately hydrate. If I’m going to be traveling somewhere (like back to my parents’ house) where well water will greet me, I try to take my own – or have some bottled water at the ready.

2. The water must be cold.  I hate room temperature water. Again, some people love it, and that’s fine! But I need it to be cold. So I drink from a stainless steel tumbler that keeps my water cold – and at night, I store it full in the fridge, so it’s good and cold when I wake up the next morning.

3. Speaking of my tumbler – it’s my measuring cup. I know exactly how many I want to drink every day, and I check them off in my planner to keep track of my ounces.

4. I can drink faster with a straw. It’s personal preference, but when I use a straw, I drink faster and actually make it through my goal for the day.

            Now, as a side note, I’ll tell you that I still drink other things. I actually don’t often drink iced tea anymore. I never think to make it, and sugar-sweetened tea is not good for me. I’m trying to avoid artificial sweeteners, so I pretty much only get iced tea if I go to Chick-fil-A. There I ask them to mix the two – just a tiny bit of sweet tea with mostly unsweetened tea, and it’s worth the treat.

            I gave up all diet pop years ago. I do not like the taste. I do love regular, fully sugared Coke, but of course, see above. I allow myself to have one every once in a while with pizza or as a treat after a long day. But I probably only have a couple a month. They’re worth it.

            Of course I drink coffee – and probably more than I should. But I drink that in addition to my water intake, not as part of it. The same is actually true for the Coke. If I have one, it’s not part of my hydration for the day.

            I never knew I could write so much about water! Ha! But seriously – I’ve gotten dehydrated/overheated before and it is not fun. It’s terrifying, actually. So I just wanted to share with you how I stay hydrated and hopefully you’ll be able to find the mix that works for you!

Embracing Change

 

After I shared earlier this week about our employment updates, I was texting with a friend about all these changes.  She’d read the news on the blog and said to me, “I don’t know how you have dealt with all the change the past few years! I think I would have had some meltdowns.”

            Well, in fairness, I have. But…not many.

            I’ve shared about this topic before, before but it’s been a while, so I’ll revisit it, because I think it’s an important one for all of us to explore regularly.

            When I was first out of college, I hated change. Hated it. The most extravagant change I welcomed in my life was a haircut and color every few weeks. For me, change represented a loss of control. Maybe that’s why I was okay with the hair cut and color. I controlled the timing and choice of those things. But all other things? No. No change, thank you.

            My dear, sweet Lois, who came to Financial Aid not long after I was hired, made some much needed changes in the structure of that office. I see now the wisdom in everything she proposed. She was right. But she brought change, and I suddenly found myself facing a job that was not at all what I had been hired to do. Not at all what I had agreed to. And not at all what I felt capable of doing.

            Oh the tears and resistance that flowed from me in those days! It was scary to think about change. It was scary to feel inadequate. It was scary to imagine something different from what I knew to be true.

            Lois sat with me for hours, probably (not all at once), patiently listening to my hiccupping sobs and gently helping me see potential in myself and comforting me that the sky was, in fact, not falling, even though it felt like it was doing just that.

            I still hated change, but Lois was right. I did survive the restructure, and I did eventually see the wisdom in her ways.

            But my firm grasp on keeping everything the same always took a toll on me. My blood pressure was insanely out of control. I remember going to the health center on campus once to have an out-of-control bug bite checked, and they almost sent me to the emergency room because my blood pressure was in stroke range. 

            I am so grateful that God has mellowed my heart over time. I am sure part of it has just come with growing up and maturing. Part of it has come through surviving hard things that I thought would surely kill me. And part of it has come through change…after change…after change…after change.

            There are still some things that I do not want to change. There are still some things I grip tightly because I need something to be constant in my world. Ryan could attest to that.

            But overall, I roll with things so much more easily than I used to. I’ve learned I feel better if I do that. I don’t stress over forcing control over situations I may not actually be able to control. I’ve learned that some of these changes actually lead to beautiful outcomes.

            There’s the old story of the little girl who clung to her strand of faux pearls, because she loved how pretty they made her feel. Her dad asked her to trust him and give up her beloved pearls to him. When she finally did, he gave her a strand of REAL pearls.

            My life has been a lot like that – especially in recent years. God has asked me to give up things that were much-loved in my life, and every time (sometimes more eventually than others) He has shown that He had something better waiting when I let go of my perceived control and embraced the idea of change.

            So yes, our life has been changed in nearly every way in the last five years. We’ve lost parents and moved and changed jobs and joined new communities and churches and watched relationships change (usually due to geography) and let go of dreams and welcomed new dreams…and all those things have pulled us closer to each other and to the Lord.

            Do we hope things coast into neutral for a bit? Absolutely. But we also recognize that the story is God’s, and we have submitted to follow where and how he leads! (But we really hope He leads to calm rest for a bit!)

Trying New Things

 

I wanted to start today by saying thanks for the kind words yesterday…I’m praying for those of you in the throes of job changes! And thank you for other encouragement over the last few days – and the link to the Exodus song! One of these days I’ll be able to comment again, but I just wanted to say that at the start of today’s post.

            A few days ago, I had a question from Paula, I think, about meal planning and how I do that. I’ve done it a variety of ways over the years, but right now, I’m using the “don’t reinvent someone else’s wheel” method. Ryan and I have tightened up our eating plan again – mostly because I had fallen back in love with some bad food habits. I received my clothing supply for my new job and some of the sizes on screen were not accurate to real life, so that was great incentive to work hard at this meal plan adjustment that needed hard work anyway.

            Those of you who have read here for a long time might remember that back in 2016, I followed the 21 Day Fix meal plan method. It essentially pushed me to learn what an actual balanced diet looks like and helped me with portion control. Portion control and dessert are my two lifelong struggles.

            So we’ve returned to eating more along the 21 Day Fix meal prep lines, but right now, I don’t have the time to craft meal plans for that. It takes a while to do all the calculations and make sure I’ve pulled in all the food groups adequately.

            Happily, I stumbled upon the blog “Confessions of a Fit Foodie,” and the writer there shares (for free!) her weekly meal plans that are all pre-calculated. They also push me to try foods I ordinarily would not choose.

            We are both enjoying this return to better eating habits, and once I got past the BEAST of a sugar detox that the first few days provided, I have felt considerably better all the way around. I will not pretend to be any kind of hero that I’m not. I miss dessert with my whole heart. I do have samplings of it, but the truth is and probably always will be that if I could do whatever I wanted, I’d live on donuts, cookies, and Coke as my main food groups. They are my first food loves. So it’s not easy, and I’m not amazing, but it is good to do this, and I do recognize and appreciate the benefits!

            I thought I’d share with you some of the recipes we’ve enjoyed in the last couple of weeks.

            We really liked these Asian lettuce wraps. If you don’t like mushrooms, you could leave those out, but we love mushrooms, so they stayed in for our version. I made a double batch of this and we enjoyed it in our lunches all last week!

            I’m not a huge fish fan, but I swapped in some chicken for the tacos in this recipe, and we both liked it, too! I haven’t cooked with mango before, so the mango salsa was an experiment for us that we both were surprised to find we liked! (I purchased my mango in frozen cubes from Aldi, so I didn’t have to worry about the fruit going bad on my counter. Plus now I can try it in other recipes, because I have some left!

            We both liked this berry crisp. I told Ryan his opinion on this one mattered more than mine, because I miss dessert so much, I’m likely to enjoy anything! 😊 But it really was tasty.

            This orzo salad was not only yummy, it was also a big batch that lasted for several meals! That saved me considerable time, and I appreciated it.

            We’re also snacking on a lot of fruit and veggies, and while they’re not cookies, they do keep me full for a while, and I appreciate that.

            And for those of you who might wonder what to do if you have a husband or kids who aren’t satisfied with a healthier plan, here’s how I handle it. Ryan is totally on board with eating all this stuff with me, and he enjoys it. But I also know it’s not enough for him. He needs a higher calorie intake. If possible, I give him larger servings of everything, but I also make sure to pack extra snacks in his lunch: more fruit, some pretzels, chips, cookies – you name it. I always have bread for him on the side if he needs it with a meal. It ends up working perfectly!

New Chapters

 

Years ago, people were born into their careers. We see it in surnames. Shepherd, Butler, Smith, Stone, Farmer…we were identified by the work we did. Sons and daughters carried on the legacies of their parents by carrying on the work. Shepherd begat Shepherd. Farmer begat Farmer.

            It still happens. There are still people who know in their soul and feel deep in their bones the work they were born to do. We see it often here in the farmlands of Indiana. Generations of farmers who feel compelled to farm, not because they have to, but because it’s in their blood and they can’t help but do what has always been done in their family.

            It hasn’t been that way for us. Ryan grew up in a farming family, and what he learned from that legacy was that he loves to work hard, but he doesn’t love farming. I grew up in a teaching household, and what I learned from that legacy is that I love teaching, but public school classrooms aren’t my space.

            And so the Lord has carried us through a variety of work in our years. Ryan has made mattresses and filled distribution center orders, delivered snack cakes and administered physical therapy. I’ve calculated financial aid and bantered on the radio, worked in a church office and written grant proposals. Together we’ve advocated for young adults who didn’t have the same opportunities growing up that we did.

            When we left WillowBridge, we submitted to the Lord that we were willing to work temporary jobs if needed until the right jobs opened. We meant it, but when we found our work within the last year, we didn’t think those jobs would be temporary. We both found niches in nonprofits and thought we would be there for the long haul.

            God had other plans.

            The nonprofit ministry Ryan joined was struggling in ways he did not know when he accepted the job. After several months, it became clear that real, lasting changes needed to take place if the affiliate had a chance of succeeding in this community. Ryan worked tirelessly to bring about those changes, but they weren’t the kind he could manifest on his own. The people he needed had interests and investments that took them other directions, and after months of praying and seeking, he knew it was time to step away and seek other work. Shortly after he resigned, the board moved to close the affiliate locally. That whole season was difficult for both our hearts, but especially for his, as he navigated the feelings that come with such wild change.

            The Lord provided a new job for Ryan – one he began just a week after we moved earlier this year. (He also began this new job while enduring a kidney stone. A thousand props for not missing a beat of that new job while in excruciating pain!) He works in a retirement community now, not as a therapist, but he certainly uses much of his training in the work he does. The residents love him, and he loves them right back - and the work he does throughout the day. It is sweet and fulfilling and gives him a chance to invest in the age-group of people he loves most.

            And in a beautiful story, the Lord also provided a new job for me very recently – one that brings me back into a ministry organization. I am still working remotely and still able to write, but it’s a different sort of work than what I’ve done before.

            The Lord has wasted none of our prior work experiences, and while we did not expect this path to unfold as it has, we are wildly grateful for all the faith-boosting God has done along the way. He is so good!

            We have a handful of friends who are wrestling with their jobs right now. They struggle because they know they need a change, but they don’t know where to go or what is next. What a privilege it has been to be able to pray over them and lift them up as they seek and wait. If that’s your story right now too, I want to encourage you to not give up – to wait before the Lord and know that He can open a new door at any moment. The day my door opened, I had no idea it was coming. It surprised me in ways that affirmed God’s hand at work.

            This year has been full of so much change. Each piece of it has mattered significantly. No step has been a mistake. God’s timing (though sometimes mysterious and surprising to us) has been perfect.

            I wanted to share with you a video from the organization I’m working with now. It explains the mission of what we do! You can watch here if you wish!

The Celebration Continues: 126 Months of Love

 

Friday was our 126^th monthiversary, and it felt nearly perfect. I spent part of the day thinking through some of the things I love most about Ryan and our life together, and I wanted to highlight five things I wrote down:

1. Ryan’s giant laugh that is contagious. There is little more in this world that pushes me straight into joy than hearing him give a proper belly laugh. Knowing he is fully living in joy in that moment and seeing it written all over his face is one of the best moments ever. (If you’ve never heard him laugh, you’re missing out.)

2. Praying together. I really love it when we crawl into bed at night and pray together. It’s quiet, it’s uninterrupted, and I love listening to him lead and then joining him in prayer.

3. Coffee at sunset beside the lake. We have had a wildly busy start to summer. We took advantage of the winter and rainy spring months to work on the inside of the house, but there was much to do outside once the weather got warm. There are the regular chores, of course, like mowing and weeding, but we’re also tending to flowers and coaxing a garden and trying to smooth out projects the previous owner started and wasn’t able to complete. Then there was the whole garage organization project that took some time. Add in our walks and workouts and work itself…and if we’re not careful, we’re always on the go. I appreciate that we have taken time to put aside work on the nice evenings so we can enjoy our coffee outside while watching the sunset.

4. Holding hands in a parking lot. I had a boyfriend once upon a time who did not like holding hands in public. It wasn’t his thing, and while I respect it, it was ABSOLUTELY my thing, so it was disappointing that he didn’t love it. I adore it that Ryan likes holding hands in parking lots – or anywhere for that matter. Church, the car, whatever. It makes my heart happy.

5. Dreaming out loud. We’ve done a lot of it lately – vacation plans, yard plans, life plans. It’s been so good. I love the conversations born out of it.

            So those were the things I journaled about – but I also wanted to share a couple of the fun things we did on Friday! The first part of the evening was just normal. We had dinner here at home and worked on necessary chores. It was gorgeous out, so we went for a walk with Lexi and then we had a date right in our own backyard.

            We played cornhole for the first time with the set I gave Ryan for his birthday, and though I started strong, Ryan had a solid win. (I did great until I really, really didn’t.) Then we enjoyed our coffee by the water and had s’mores.

            We stayed out until long past dark, thoroughly enjoying conversation and quiet. It was perfect. And the best part of it all was – we were home. Didn’t have to pack up to return there at the end of the night!

            Happy 126 months, Ryan!

Sunday Sentiments

 

Yesterday we attended a high school graduation open house for the daughter of one of my college roommates. One of the disadvantages of moving away from the core of where we both grew up is that we miss out on some of these milestone celebrations. I think this year we were invited to three separate open houses, but our schedule only allowed for one.

            I told my friend’s dad that one of the strange things for me to wrap my mind around is that I am at the age where if I’d had children when I anticipated I would, they would be graduating. And because I did not have children, time often seems frozen for me. I feel exactly the same as I did when I graduated from college. Not a moment older. (Until I catch a glimpse of the white hair, of course.) And because I don’t have children growing up in front of me, I don’t have that daily reminder that I actually am at the age where I could have children graduating.

            It was fun, though, to go to the open house and see this grown up young lady that I remember meeting for the first time 18 years ago, when I was in an experiment phase with really short hair. She was one of my many bonus nieces who would hang out with me whenever her mom was busy with work. (For a while, I actually owned my very own car seat just for her! Her dad was a police officer and her mom worked in the social work field, so sometimes they were both on call at the same time and she had to be dropped off to me wherever I might be…coffee shop, salon, you name it.)

            No more diapers and bubbles and pin-the-tail-on-the-theme-of-the-birthday-party for her. She’s a lovely young woman, and I told my former roomie that I was so proud of the daughter she had raised. Daughters, actually, because there is a younger one, too.

            I celebrate all my friends who are watching their children reach this milestone this weekend. I celebrate the hard work they’ve devoted to raising children to be strong, purposeful contributors to society. I celebrate the joy, the hard times, and the meaningful conversations that have led to this point. I celebrate the perseverance they have shown in slogging through the hard days and embracing the fun days.

            If you’re in this category this weekend, I celebrate you! Congratulations on a job well done. You may not be the one collecting a diploma – but you are the reason someone could.

Saturday Suggestions

 

A thousand husbandly points to Ryan for graciously sharing his laptop while mine is in repair…so I can continue to blog away! I have some random finds for you today, and I hope one or two of them spark some creativity!

ONE. 

We are attending our first graduation open house of the season this weekend, and I’m sure many of you are in the throes of the same! If you have a graduate (or will have one in a year or two) take a look at these really great ideas for photos. I have some of these from my own graduations, but if I’d thought of a few others, I would have done them! And may I encourage you, even if you’re not the photo lover that I am, to take extra pictures anyway? Graduation really is a special milestone that can’t be duplicated. Even if you have other graduations for other degrees, each one is special in its own way. You can’t over-capture!

TWO. 

I so often share beautiful homes with you, because looking at pretty houses is one of my favorite pastimes! It’s rare, though, that I actually KNOW anyone who owns one of the houses I share. Today, I do! If you visit this page and scroll down to the house from Leesburg, Indiana, you’ll see the custom-designed home just sold by some friends of ours. (The article says the house is for sale, but they posted this week that it sold.) Since I don’t often have a connection like that, I had to share! While you’re on the page, pause to appreciate the other houses, too. There are some real beauties!

THREE. 

I’m sure most of you know this, but in case you don’t, I’ll share! Yesterday I wrote about working on learning Exodus 20, and part of my memorization efforts are coming from an audio version of the chapter. If reading is hard for you to do (eyesight isn’t what it used to be, no time, etc.) and listening could be helpful, you can find audio versions free on Bible Gateway. You can put in any section of Scripture you like and click on the speaker button at the top to hear it read to you. Here is the link to the one I’m learning, so you can check out the welcoming accent if you like!

FOUR. 

As I nurture my little garden along, I know I’m a distance from any kind of harvest, but it’s still fun to think about enjoying in-season produce. (After all, most communities have a farmer’s market, so you can enjoy something from there if you don’t have your own harvest ready to go.) Here is a link to some recipe ideas for June produce. My mouth watered over the summer glow salad and the smashed cucumber salad. (I’d be eating that one alone. Ryan isn’t wild about cucumbers as a main feature.)

FIVE. 

A few years ago, we went to Louisville for our anniversary, and we stayed in the most darling carriage house Airbnb. We really fell in love with the layout of the place and thought it was just about the right size to live in, even, if you wanted to live minimally. I stumbled upon this house plan this week that reminded me SO MUCH of that little spot. This one, though, is even better, because the stairs are inside! (The one we visited had an exterior staircase. Those can get tricky in snow and ice!) This just brought back good memories of a fun trip. Could you live in a place this size?

SIX. 

For my sister’s birthday last month, I bought her a bag of flower seeds that were reported to be tolerant of drought conditions – because that’s what she’s been living in for a while now! While we definitely could use some rain here in Indiana, it’s not as oppressively dry as where she lives. I found this list of flowers that handle dry weather particularly well – so if you’re struggling to keep pretty flowers alive in dry spells, maybe these could be good options for you!

Have a great weekend, friends!

On Scripture Memorization

 

Yesterday I shared with you my dreams and goals for the month ahead, and one of those goals is to memorize the bulk of Exodus 20. If you aren’t familiar with specific locations in Scripture, this chapter contains the Ten Commandments. Years ago…like almost 35 years ago…I “learned” the Ten Commandments through the lyrics of a whimsical song in a church Christmas musical.

            I’m really grateful for that song, because I’ve sung it (in my head) countless times since then to help me remember the particular number of one of the commandments. But in full disclosure, the song was written to be cute and to rhyme, not to uphold the exact wording in the Bible.

            About a month ago, we had a loss in our family. My cousin passed away suddenly and most unexpectedly. For the majority of my life, he’d lived a distance away from where I lived, so I only saw him every few years. His funeral was held in the area he had made his home, and Ryan and I watched it on a livestream. (Pausing to say I’m really grateful for the ability to attend things via livestream when in-person just isn’t feasible.)

            I enjoyed hearing his friends and colleagues share about his life’s work – which was in the field of education. Through their stories, I learned many things about him I hadn’t known, and it was inspiring to see a new side of him through their accounts.

            He taught in a Christian school, and he had a deep love for history, theology, and philosophy. He’d taught for many years and apparently one of the requirements he had for his students each year was that they learn Exodus 20:1-17…the full account of the Ten Commandments.

            At the end of his funeral, one of the gentlemen who spoke asked everyone in the room who had been a student of my cousin’s at any point in time to stand to recite the words of the Law. The person running the camera spun it around, and my jaw dropped straight to the floor to see the number of former students standing in honor of their teacher. And then I listened as, without apparent advance notice or preparation, they confidently said in unison the words of the Law. They were strong and didn’t miss a word along the way. They completed the passage and sat down.

            I sat in conviction. I’d never taken the time to learn this passage in its proper form. And it’s time I take the time to do just that. So this is the story behind my June goal. Memorization doesn’t come easily to me, but I feel compelled and convicted to work on this passage. And after that – another passage.

            Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks, the Bible says. I need my heart to overflow with The Word so those are the words that emerge!

Dreams and Goals for June 2023

We have almost made it to the midpoint of the year, and I am continuing to make monthly goals to help me learn new things and make sure I'm not spending too much time on Pinterest. :) Here are some of my goals for the month of June:

ONE. Complete my writing project for my friend. This was a goal for May that did not get fully accomplished. I do hope to finish it this month, but I am also going to be without a laptop for a chunk of this month. Mine broke (like the hinge physically broke) and we sent it in for repairs. They promised to hurry, but I have no control over how long it will be away. While it’s gone, I’ll be sharing with Ryan, so I won’t have unlimited time to write. (But can we just pause to praise the Lord that the breaking happened right BEFORE the warranty expired and that Ryan has a laptop he can share with me while mine is gone?)

TWO. Work on Memorizing Exodus 20. There is a whole story behind this one, and I don’t want to miss the impact of that story, so I’ll just leave this here for now, and maybe tomorrow I can tell you the backstory to this goal.

THREE. Figure out the new birthday trip plan. As I shared yesterday, we had planned our annual birthday getaway to take place over Memorial Day weekend, but we ended up staying home to have a garage sale instead. It was absolutely the right decision, as we were able to make significant headway on garage organization following the sale, but now we still have our trip to plan. We’ve changed locations a few times, and we still haven’t figured out the final landing spot. We need to do that this month!

FOUR. Work on my women’s conference material. I am speaking at a women’s conference later this summer, and even though I’m not starting from scratch on brand new material, I do need to flesh out the outline for the two sessions I’ll be sharing that day!

FIVE. Give a kind word every day. Ryan and I went out to eat a few days ago and our server was AMAZING. She was so kind, so upbeat, so good at her job. When she stopped to refill my water, I told her just that. She seemed happy and yet surprised, and I realized just how easy it was to encourage her day with one sentence. In separate, yet related news, I also have tried to be very purposeful about smiling at the worship team every Sunday during the songs. I’m sure they stand up there and look at a bunch of neutral/grumpy faces, and that can’t make it easy for THEM to smile as they lead. It’s not a hard thing – and I’m working to be purposeful at it. All these things have led me to set a goal to give one kind word or encouraging gesture every day. A text, a social media comment, an out-loud word…something little, but it might not be little to the recipient! 

How about you? Any goals for this month? 

Updates on Dreams and Goals for May 2023

 

ONE. Finish planning for our little birthday getaway. Plot twist! We were supposed to have taken that trip this past weekend, but we learned early in the month that Memorial Day weekend was the scheduled time for the annual garage sale in our community. Because we needed to have a sale to make room in our garage for our regular storage, we couldn’t afford to miss the community sale weekend. So we have postponed the vacation until sometime coming up this summer. As a result, I haven’t finished my planning. (Part of that is because we keep changing our destination.) The good news is I have about three partially planned trips on paper! 😊

TWO. Finish my writing project for my friend. Halfway done! As a reminder, I’m writing the story of my friend’s little baby boy who was stillborn earlier this year. I wrote the first half of the story at the beginning of the month, but several very unexpected and time-consuming things descended upon us this month, which made it difficult to get an uninterrupted chunk of time to complete the project. I don’t have an actual due date for this, but I do want to be timely about it, so I will try to fully complete it in June!

THREE. Plant flowers! Done! I did this early in the month and have loved watching them grow and blossom (literally) in the last few weeks. I’m excited to compare them at the one-month mark to the pictures I took the day of planting. It’s always fun to see how much they grow in that first month. We have thoroughly enjoyed the color and life they’ve brought to our house! And it’s been fun to hear friends walking by talk about how they enjoy them too!

FOUR. Work on a mini-garden plan. Done! My friend Julie came over with her resource book and personal knowledge and helped me make a plan, and then I did it! I planted the garden! I am sure I have much to learn over the long haul, but I am excited to see how it goes this year. The plants are taller and the seeds are sprouting, so it’s a fine start.

 

Other Updates:

·         As you know, we had TWO birthdays this month – Braeya’s and mine. We had a lot of fun celebrating both, and I appreciated the kindness of the Lord that we both had a chance to celebrate another year of life!

·         We had the opportunity to have some deep and vulnerable conversations with some friends of ours. The details of the story are not ours to share, but the conversations were so good. They also spurred on a lot of great conversation, prayer, and soul-searching in our home, too. We are NEVER done learning and growing in the Lord and NEVER done being available to Him for new seasons and adventures if He calls us to them. Even if the idea of something new might be uncomfortable, it’s so good to explore it in prayer and conversation, and we appreciated the chance to do that this month. SO many hours were spent devoted to this.

·         I enjoyed the chance to try something new this month and appreciated the door God opened for that. I’ll catch you up on more of it soon!

·         Ryan got a paddleboard for his birthday and has had the BEST time learning that skill. He says all the years of skiing, barefooting, and wakeboarding have helped him with the paddleboarding, and I love it that he can enjoy these little trips around the lake on the days the water cooperates!

·         I have my new planner all OFFICIALLY set up and ready to go for the month of June. I’m so excited!

Let Summer Begin!

 

Blogger is currently giving me issues that won’t allow me to comment on blogs. I can post, but not comment. But I did want to say that I am so glad you had fun reading about the cereal party yesterday. Alas, there were no grape nuts, shredded wheat, or any other such cereals on display. Everyone went for the childhood classics over the healthier staples. I’ve tried both those cereals in the past and did not care for them, but I know many people do like them! Since I’m staying away from them…more for you!

            It may not be summer on the calendar yet, but Memorial Day weekend always kicks off official summer habits for me, so I celebrated that transition to a new season this weekend.

            I noticed more boats on the lake – from pontoons to paddleboats to paddleboards to even a tiny sailboat! It was fun to watch people enjoying the water (as long as they stayed in the speed limit, which I’m pretty sure some did not).

            People around the lake were tidying up garages after a weekend of sales, and Ryan joined them in that. He’s been itching to organize our garage but didn’t have the space to do it until our sale. Lexi and I lounged on the patio, watching the water on the lake and enjoying an extra day of rest.

            We watered the flowers, the garden, and the little patch of grass we’re trying to grow. We took down the porch sign welcoming spring and replaced it with a summer-appropriate message.

            I worked on vacation and meal planning – switching the recipes over to lighter, summer-produce-loving lists.

            The trees are full, the grass is green, and the fish are flopping in the water. Summer is indeed here, and I welcome it. (I also continue to give great thanks to the inventor of the air conditioner. I’m no good without it.)

            A few of my friends have posted summer bucket lists on social media, and it’s been fun to see what they’re looking forward to in these days and weeks ahead with kids out of school and extra long evenings looming.

            Welcome, Summer. I’ve missed you and am glad to see you return!