Heading Out on an Adventure!

 

Other than our 4-day weekend to Hocking Hills back in June, Ryan and I haven’t had any time off since our anniversary trip last December. I don’t think either one of us realized how tired we were, but it was a complete joy to get a few days away over the course of the past week. We actually planned this trip well over a year ago and have been looking forward to it ever since!

                I looked in my journal from last year to see when this idea was born, and it was August 3, 2024. I had posted on the blog about wanting to someday do the Mackinac Bridge walk (which happens every year on Labor Day) and Lynnette texted to see if we wanted to join them for it this year. YES!

                So we planned, and I carefully hoarded vacation days once my new job began, and this past Saturday, our time away began!

                We packed up the car and headed out, and we were so thankful for a beautiful day to travel!

                We are just about an hour and a half from the Michigan line, but I almost missed the sign! Ryan and I were deep in conversation, when all of the sudden he yelled “SIGN!!!!” I fumbled in slow motion to get the camera ready, and somehow I made it!

                We did stop at the rest area to get a picture with their courtesy sign, too.

                Lynnette and her family arrived in Michigan a day before we did, and she texted as we drove to tell me she hoped I was prepared for pictures, because the flowers were beautiful. CHECK!

                I also took a turn driving so Ryan could nap. The drive was really easy, and I appreciated that. No cities of note for us on this trip!

                We stayed in St. Ignace. For those of you who might not be from around the Midwest and don’t know what is found where…the Mackinac Bridge spans five miles in between Mackinaw City (in the lower peninsula of Michigan) and St. Ignace (in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Crossing it in our car wasn’t as scary as I thought it might be.

                It is a toll bridge, so we had to pay when we crossed into St. Ignace. (It’s $4.00 for a regular vehicle if you are planning a trip and need to know.)

                Also for those of you who may be planning a trip…We stayed at the Breakers Resort and really loved it. Our room was comfy and had a great view of the lake. (All the rooms at this hotel have a water view.) Our room had a little fireplace under the TV, a balcony that was perfect for watching sunrises, and plenty of room. The only bummer about the whole stay was that the hot tub was broken the whole time we were there. (I even bought a new swimsuit JUST for the hot tub. Sadness.)

                After we got settled into the hotel, we ventured toward the downtown area in St. Ignace and met our friends! It had been about a year and a half since we last saw them, which is just way too long. We wandered through the marina and picked out our favorite boats. 😊

                We also went for pizza together at BC Pizza, and it was a fun place with patio seating and games in the yard. (We also had a mini photographer who had fun snapping pictures of us before we were ready. They were funny!)

                Our night ended with a really great fireworks display that we could see from our balcony!

The Dining Room Project

 

I’m finally ready to show you our dining room project. It took far longer to complete than it should have, but it is complete now!

                I don’t remember where I first saw the inspiration piece, but on some blog somewhere, I came across an idea that led to a brainstorming session in my mind, and slowly, over several months, it came together.

                Our dining room, as you may remember, is a strange little room. It’s the room that holds our front door, so when you walk in the house, you’re immediately in this tiny room. It also contains the passageway to the bedrooms, the bathroom, and the kitchen. It’s a whole lot for a room scarcely big enough to hold a (small) table. When we moved in, we put our table in the middle and put our coffee buffet over to the side, under the TV. It’s worked well for two and a half years, but it hasn’t been perfect.

                I loved the idea of a fireplace in our dining room, but obviously you can’t just *poof!* add a fireplace. Not a real one, anyway. That’s when I got the idea to add a faux fireplace surround and bring our little electric fireplace into the room. I started looking on Facebook Marketplace for a surround, and I found one! Unfortunately, the seller wouldn’t respond to me, so I kept looking.

                And that is when I found this at a consignment shop. It was huge, and I wasn’t sure it would fit in our space. We put it on hold while we went home and measured, and then we came back to purchase and carry it home.

                That was on Ryan’s birthday…in April. Then the summer happened, and we never got around to painting and installing it. I’d found a link to some peel and stick wallpaper with a brick pattern, and I wanted to put it behind the interior of the surround.

                So the week before I started school, Ryan and I had a navy painting party. We cleared out the dining room, propped up the surround on some packages of toilet paper (ha!), and started painting. This is the same navy we’ve used for other things in the house (bathroom vanity, some trim, a bench, etc.) and we love it.

                While we had the paint out, we also painted a tan shelf that needed to pop a little more, and a tiny table that holds our water filter. It had been Ryan’s mom’s and it had a primitive design painted on it. It just didn’t fit the aesthetic of our beach home, so we painted it.

                Lexi tried to help, bless her heart.

                The day after we painted, we got busy installing the peel and stick wallpaper. The hardest part was trying to coordinate the bricks between pieces. We certainly didn’t do a perfect job, but we liked how it turned out.

                We brought the electric fireplace upstairs and placed it in the center!

                We absolutely love the extra room this affords us in this space. We love the ambience of the fireplace light and this winter, we’ll love the heat feature, too.

                I’m somewhat limited in how to decorate the mantel, because the TV takes up quite a bit of room. But I can put some things on each end, and I can put small things in the middle.

                I plan to get some sort of wood or fireplace tool set to place beside the fireplace – both for an added visual and to hide the outlet behind it.

                The bonus? We took the buffet piece that had been here and moved it into the living room to replace the white cabinet the TV had been sitting on. That white cabinet had been a cheapo purchase when we moved to WillowBridge, and three moves and a little water damage later, it was falling apart. It actually fell to pieces when we moved it out of the house. The brown cabinet is still quite sturdy and seems to fit this corner even better. I love how it looks!

                We are pleased with this little upgrade in TWO rooms. Stay tuned for fall and holiday decorating!

Ups and Downs

 

Last month, as part of my daily journaling exercises, I answered some writing prompts that pushed me to think through questions I wouldn’t have ordinarily entertained. Today’s post was born from a couple of those posts!

                What three things from the past month challenged you and what three things uplifted you?

                I loved thinking through these, and here are the answers I came up with for each of them.

                For the things that challenged me:

                Starting school. I have loved the start of this new season of my life, but it has been a humbling jolt, reminding me that it has been twenty-five years since I studied in a formal way. None of the methods of study I used in any of my former educational pursuits seem to be part of the new way of learning. And even though I majored in writing in my undergrad degree, I did very little research/source citing types of writing. Even though I’m still in orientation, I’m challenged!

                The Back to School Prayer Day. I hosted this at our church last month, and while it was an absolutely transformative day for my own heart, there were many things about it that presented a challenge for me. I’m still marinating in the things I learned and the things I hope to pray through personally for our church based on what I learned on this day!

                Sharing the message at church. Two weeks ago, I shared the message, and the spiritual warfare that came with that day was so intense. I think this went about 20 miles past challenging, but it still qualified!

                For the things that uplifted me:

                Reading The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. I loved this book so much, and I couldn’t believe how many parts of it convicted me. I am really grateful I read it prior to starting school, because I know I need these words!

                Reorganizing the house. It may seem silly that organizing was uplifting, but it sure had that effect on me. I work better when everything is in its pretty little place, and this month afforded me that luxury. I’m glad I made time for it.

                Getting the dining room project done. This project, though not hard, was hanging over my head as the one little thing I needed to complete and hadn’t taken time to accomplish. It was uplifting indeed to finish it!

                The things that challenge and uplift me are sometimes larger than life and sometimes they’re found in the smallest details. But a proper, balanced life is both challenging and uplifting, don’t you think? So how about you? Did the last month bring a bit of both to you?

A Space for School

 

School has begun, and I am so glad that our final push to clean out and create a space for learning paid off.

                You might remember that my main desk is actually in the corner of our kitchen, and I still work from that little corner when I’m working from home. But I wanted a separate space that was just for learning, so I could train my brain to be in learning mode while in that spot.

                Our spare bedroom wears many hats. (Do bedrooms wear hats?) It’s Lexi’s room, and our library, and our guest room, and our extra office space…and that is a whole lot to ask from a very tiny space.

                Today I wanted to give you a little peek at the room in its new configuration!

                This is my actual study corner. We have curtains to cover the closet space, but we only pull them when company comes over. For everyday use, the closet is open and holds our former kitchen island. It’s the perfect place for holding printer paper, notebooks, and other random office supplies. The bonus? It gives extra work space when needed! (There is a drop leaf piece to it that makes it twice as wide.

                Next to the closet is my desk. It’s an adjustable height desk, so I can sit or stand as needed. I have my metal message boards behind it, and they currently hold all my school documentation. I pulled in a couple of crates to sit beside the desk, and they will hold my school books. I have a nice little ambient light, and plenty of room for my coffee mug!

                The teal bookshelf holds all the Bibles that didn’t go to the church office. (We have a lot of Bibles.) And then you see Lexi’s little corner. She loves her bed!

                This dresser used to be in our bedroom, but after we put in the new window, we moved it in here instead. I like it here! It holds random supplies – both for the office and just for the house.

                The bookshelf carries on! I took some of my books to the church, but as you can see, I still have many here at home!

                It’s a cozy little space. Lexi sits with me while I study or watch class videos, until she loses interest, and then she moves into our bed to snooze until I’m done.

                Let the learning continue!

Dreams and Goals for September

 

                What a beautiful long weekend! It’s an extra special gift when a first day of a new month falls on a holiday…or at least it feels that way to me.

                Since today is the first day of a new month, it’s a great day to make some goals for the next thirty days.

Plan our anniversary getaway. We did it! We made a plan for our anniversary. So now that we have a plan in place, it’s time to make actual plans. I’m excited for it!

                

Finish seminary orientation and start my first real class. I am wrapping up my (very thorough) orientation to seminary and am poised to begin my first class. I am simultaneously very excited and terrified.

Get the house fall ready. I’m ready to pull out the fall pretties and put them in their respective places around the house. I’m also ready to bring the mums and all the outside fall décor.

Clear out the garden. This hasn’t been the most stellar year for our garden. (And it’s not just me. I’ve heard this story from several Indiana friends.) I’m grateful for what we’ve gotten, but it’s probably about time to clear it out and hope for more success next year!

Enjoy some fall fun. We still have a few more boat rides left in our season, and I think we’re about ready to add the fire table! It’ll be a fun little fall, and I don’t want to miss out on anything!

                How about you? Any dreams and goals for September?