Looking Ahead

I know...Christmas isn't even here, and if you're like me, you're probably scrambling with last minute prep. But even though I'm not quite ready for Christmas yet, I'm still looking ahead to 2014 and working on my list of goals for the new year.

I gave myself a year of grace as a newlywed. Ryan and I already had packed schedules when we came together as husband and wife, so I figured it would take us a while to figure out how things should work. We spent most of last year trying different schedules...learning what worked and what didn't...and learning how to manage the parts that were less than ideal, but we had no way to change them.

Some things I/we did very well. Other things...well...we need to make changes. Still others remain less than ideal, but we're committed to finding ways to make them work.

So here are some of our goals for 2014. Hoping for an even better second year of marriage than our first...and hoping for more rest.

Things we loved and want to continue: 

* Weekly date nights. We both believe marriages are healthier when couples spend time together, and we're committed to setting aside one night a week to spend uninterrupted time together. Not working. Not sharing each other. Sometimes we'll go out, and sometimes we'll stay in, but either way, we'll protect that time.

* Annual birthday trip. It's a tradition we started last year, and we loved it, so we'll continue it. We'll pick a weekend somewhat near our birthdays and enjoy some time celebrating each other. Last year we went to the Creation Museum and ziplining, so we'll see what this year holds.

* The blog. Of course. Even though Ryan's not a writer, he loves this blog and understands it's my/our form of ministry. So we plan to keep showing up day after day in 2014 to share with you - and possibly do even more posts together!

Things we got a taste of and want to try even more: 

* Church involvement. We have just begun to find a place in our church home, and it's made us miss having places to serve within the church. We aren't sure yet where we fit in, but we hope to try it.

* Entertaining in our home. We were so busy working on our house last year that we didn't have much opportunity to invite folks in for fellowship. But we loved the few times we did get to do it, so we're hoping to open our home even more this year.

* Relaxing. We BARELY got a taste of this last year, but things like weekends at the lake and naps in the hammock...and walks on warm evenings...were such a joy to us and we hope to have more of those things in this second year.

Things we want to improve this year are:

* Personal and couple devotional time. We just were not as good at this in our first year of marriage as we hoped to be. We both know we can do better and are committed to making time for this important foundation.

* Sabbath rest. We were pretty good at this last year but are both aching to have a day that is reserved entirely for rest. We try to protect our Sundays from any commitments, work, or activities, but want to be even more intentional about it.

* Consistent workouts. It's hard to do this one with the work schedule we keep, but we want to get on and stick to a gym schedule as much as humanly possible.

Things we want to pray about for our future are: 

* The ways God wants to use us in ministry, through the blog, in person, and in any other way He chooses.

* Where to live. We will have the opportunity, during the course of this year, to make more decisions about where we should live - and we want to make the right choice to fit in with God's plan for us!

* Living an example of love to those who are watching. We want to prove wrong the people who think we're just still stuck in that newlywed stage and be able to live in obvious love as much this year as when we were first married.

So that's a peek into our goals for the coming year. How about you - any plans for 2014 yet?

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday was a busy little day in Shafferland! Our Sunday School class had a brunch during class, so we got to enjoy fellowship time with them, and then that evening, we went back to church for a "Songs in the Night" service. It was all Christmas music and readings, and I dearly loved it...especially the handbell choir. I used to play in one of those. After church, they had a little dessert reception, and we got to meet some new people, which we so enjoyed!

* Monday I started out to work but there were so many slide-offs, and the weather was predicted to get worse, so I turned around and came home, and I worked from home. At the end of the day, while I was waiting for Ryan to come home, I was playing around a bit with manual settings on my camera and took some pictures of Braeya. :) And then for the rest of the evening, Ryan and I had a marathon gift-wrapping session!

* Tuesday at work, I worked hard cleaning out this room...which after some renovation, is going to be our new office! Yep, Lynne and I are movin' on up to the back row with the morning guys! The room that used to be the Mid-Morning studio is now going to be our new office! We've been waiting and waiting for this part of the work construction...and we're so excited it's HERE!!!!

* Wednesday I had a fun surprise: a visit from my friend MJ who I met here in blogland! She stopped by the station and brought cookies for Ryan and me - THANK YOU, MJ!! You made my day! Ryan's work had a Christmas party during the day and in the gift exchange, he got the best flashlight EVER - which he was so excited about that he sent me this picture. I admit. Never seen one like this before!

* Thursday, Lynne and I got to have lunch with our friend Sheryl {YAY!} and when we got back to work, we found all our co-workers standing on the sidewalk! There was a gas leak at the building and they'd evacuated everyone! I buzzed in quickly to get my stuff and came home for the day. It was so nice to have dinner ready when Ryan got home - and we spent the evening working on our office organization project. And look what we recently acquired - FREE! Two nice file cabinets!

* I got to work Friday morning about 20 seconds before the fire department. Yep. Gas leak still causing problems! I was scared to death to go inside but they ended up getting everything under control {again}. But I'll admit, I was ready to go home by the end of the day!Friday night we had the best stay-at-home date with pizza and a very funny movie. Love the quiet nights at home!

* Yesterday Ryan worked, and while he did that, I finished shopping for his Christmas presents! I was so thankful it wasn't the snowy mess of a day it was last week, since I had to drive myself around town. After that, we went to a birthday party for his cousin's little girl who just turned a year old! I love meeting up with his friends and family, so it was a great afternoon!

The Saturday Six

One.



Last Sunday night at church, they showed a video from Sand Bible...which was FASCINATING to watch. I'd never heard of it before - so maybe you haven't either. They have other videos as well...check them out!

Two. 

My dear, dear friend, Jamie Bennett {who used to be the Mid-Morning producer before I was hired} has started a new blog that I'm so excited about. God has given her a passion for ministering to single girls, and since I know a lot of you who read here are single and praying for a relationship, I'd really encourage you to check out her new adventure. GREAT first post! 

Three.

Source

 I've never had the honor of meeting Chelsea in person, because she was away at school when I stayed with her family for a few days. Her parents were my youth pastors a "few" years ago. But I love Chelsea's heart and this blog post of hers really resonated with me.

Four.

STINKING CUTE Christmas gift I got from my co-worker, Jeri.  Gingerbread M and M hot cocoa in a little plastic ornament. Be still my beating heart.

Five.

And in the world of other Christmas gifts, my friend Olivia treated me to a bottle of pure vanilla...which is one of my favorite things. I don't splurge on much in cooking. I'm a generic, cut-costs-wherever-you-can kind of girl, but pure vanilla is AMAZING. And pricey...which is why I love this so much!

Six.

Source

Ryan and I have incorporated the word "foz" into our everyday language. So if you hear me say it sometime - you'll know where I got it!

Mer-Mer-Mer, Merry Christmas

When I was hired to be the Mid-Morning producer, they showed me a job description with a wide variety of responsibilities, and of course, it included the ever-popular "other duties as assigned."

So far, in my life here at the station, those duties as assigned have included marching in a parade 4 days after starting my job, wearing a Mickey Mouse costume at a concert, chauffeuring Bebo Norman around in the station van, SINGING on a Christmas video, throwing Frisbees from various stages, introducing David Phelps at a concert, and engineering my own proposal show {granted, without my knowledge}. It's kind of never a dull moment.

And this year, I was added to the Christmas-video-production team for the station's Christmas video.

Confession. The only video work I've ever done is what you see on here when Ryan and I do random selfie videos from our vacations. It's not exactly high-end.

So last week, for a whole day, I followed Marion {our IT guy} around, clutching a piece of paper that held all the notes for our Christmas video, and directing people on how to parody the viral video, What Does the Fox Say?

On the fly, I helped Marion scheme up poses for people and coached them on how to rap. {Isn't THAT scary?}

It was quite a fun day in the land of other-duties-as-assigned, and just this week, we got the final product!!

Ryan even makes a cameo in here. :)

Thankful

I remember, before the days of Ryan, those cold winter days when I ached to be married. I ached to open my eyes, see the snow falling outside my bedroom window and have someone to share that moment with.

I dreamed about going outside to take pictures of the beauty {because it's one of my favorite things to do} and having someone to stand beside me in the snow.

And people tried to warn me not to expect that. That these sorts of movie-like moments don't happen in real life.

But I held onto my dream.

The dream that one day, on a cold, snowy day, I'd go outside to take pictures, and I wouldn't be by myself.

The dream that some man would stand beside me in the snow for pictures.

And you want to know something?

Ryan didn't just DO it. He suggested it.

He set up the tripod and ran through the snow...

...just to take pictures with me

I love that man. I love how he knows me and embraces what I love. How he proves to be the man I prayed for even when people said such men didn't exist.

And it doesn't hurt that he has a sense of humor too.

Thankful.

And I know, from the emails you send me, that there are many of you out there wondering, waiting, praying for a day like this for yourselves. I want you to know that I pray for you {some of you by name, if I know your name!!} especially extra right now, as I know this particular season can be a tough one when you're longing. To you, my sweet friends, I encourage you to keep asking God for His good and perfect gift for your life. And if part of that gift is a husband, then know the one He brings to you will be a blessing to you like Ryan is to me. You are on my heart today, my friends. I love you and am so glad you spend time here. If you need specific prayers, email me! Happy to listen and to pray.

Winter Wonderland Date

Well, as you probably know, this past weekend, the midwest got a GORGEOUS snowfall. I mean, it was STUNNING. Just like a snow globe. And if I could have stayed home all weekend and just looked at its beauty, I might have enjoyed it a bit more.

But we had a great time in the snow, too!! Wanna peek in?

Friday night, after dinner, we headed to Starbucks for raspberry white chocolate mochas, and we decided to hang out there for a while to work on our Christmas shopping plan of attack. Now and then, we enjoy staying there to drink our coffee instead of coming home.

While we were there, it started to snow, so Ryan asked if I wanted to go through the Walkway of Lights in the park. Well, sure!! I thought it would be fun to go through in the snow, so off we went!

My hope is to still WALK this someday but not that night. It was a driving sort of night.

I am such a toddler with Christmas lights - clapping and bright-eyed and all giddy. They're just so PRETTY!!

And I LOVE the life size nativity at the end.

It snowed and snowed all night - and the next day we awakened to a gorgeous, picturesque scene!! We did a photo shoot at home {more on that tomorrow} and then braved the elements to go Christmas shopping!

Well, after we got some breakfast. We had a little breakfast date at Steak n Shake!

The path to shopping was laden with slick roads...and we passed this accident on our way:

We made good time checking items off our list and enjoying a day together - including a stop for a Polar Pop {one of our favorite treats} and random window shopping for furniture:

We were POOPED by the end of the day - but it was so fun. We enjoyed our date!!

Christmas Card 2013

I wish...oh how I wish I could take credit for this year's Christmas card idea. Alas, I cannot. It's a take on a card I got last year - but I love how it turned out. And since I want to make sure all of YOU get a Shafferland card, I thought I'd share it here today. So here is our card and our letter {our apologies...it's a bit long...}, which matches the theme.

And now...for the accompanying letter:

Episode 1. December 2012. Shafferland begins on a sandy beach with warm sun shining down over thirty-one witnesses who gather to watch two become one. Following the wedding, Ryan and Bekah stay in Siesta Key, Florida, creating honeymoon memories with kayaking, tandem bike riding, a sunset dinner cruise, and many walks on the white sand. They arrive home in the thick of the holiday season and rush to find the perfect Christmas tree {naming him Chuck}, decorate, shop, and celebrate with their families – all while learning the art of sharing life under one roof. 

Episode 2. January 2013. The newlyweds celebrate their first month of marriage and tackle the challenge of staying connected while commuting an hour each {in opposite directions} every day. They learn to cherish Friday night dates and fun impromptu outings, as well as “the little things” – like sneaking in long phone calls during their commutes. Ryan becomes a volunteer extraordinaire, giving up a Sunday to work the Winter Jam concert and two days of work for the weeklong WBCL SHARE fundraiser just so he can be with his bride. The honeymoon marches on, despite Bekah’s multi-day frustration in becoming a legal Shaffer and the couple’s decision to add paint-Ryan’s-house-so-it-can-be-sold to their already packed schedules.

Episode 3. February 2013. Determined to keep the fun in marriage, Ryan and Bekah spend the month enjoying their dates – a day trip to Indianapolis to celebrate 2 months of wedded bliss and to register for gifts for their reception…a weekend in Fort Wayne at their first ever marriage retreat…and a romantic evening at home to celebrate their first Valentine’s Day together. Ryan puts his house on the market, and Bekah dives headfirst into pulling together the details for their at-home reception. And in the middle of it all, they continue figuring out schedules that work, invite their parents over for dinner, and do some dreaming for the unknown-but-welcomed future.

Episode 4: March 2013. In a crazy attempt to tackle two massive projects at once, Ryan and Bekah spend the first half of the month playing "divide and conquer," with Ryan devoting his time to finishing the house so the hopeful buyers could move in by mid-month, and Bekah investing her energies in last minute reception details. Exhausted, but pleased with the amount of work completed in a short time, the two meet up on March 9 to celebrate their wedding reception with their friends and family. The weather also plays divide and conquer, snowing Bekah in from work for two days - yet getting warm enough to allow the newlyweds to enjoy spring dates to the hot dog stand and Ivanhoe's for strawberry shortcake. They conclude the month by celebrating their first Easter together while saying goodbye to the first church home they shared as a married couple.

Episode 5: April 2013. The honeymoon marches on...with a month of much celebration! And work. The Shafferland holiday of the month is all Ryan’s, who turns 34. From Rise n Roll donuts and coffee {breakfast in bed}...to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner...to a Starbucks date and movie, they have a great day together celebrating Ryan's life! They continue merging and purging households, making the trash and recycling workers exhausted and the Rescue Mission elated. They begin visiting College Wesleyan Church on the Sundays Bekah doesn't have speaking engagements. And to try to further entice spring to arrive, they purchase a pergola {renamed “pirogi”} for their future outdoor living space and spend some time running and eating outside {not at the same time}.

Episode 6: May 2013. The first annual Shafferland birthday bash road trip takes the newlyweds to the Creation Museum – with a side trip to Dagaz Acres for a little ziplining! They also attend their first wedding as a couple {other than their own, of course}, and celebrate Bekah’s 35^th birthday with dinner at Casa Brava, coffee from Starbucks, and a photo shoot in the park! Then they take on the first great test of their marriage: ripping apart the entire kitchen to renovate it themselves.

Episode 7: June 2013. Ryan and Bekah don’t miss a beat at the conclusion of the massive kitchen renovation project…and spend the month of June landscaping the yard, organizing the garage, beginning renovation on the main bathroom, and replacing fixtures in a quest to make the house their home. It isn’t all work though…they manage to sneak in a horseback riding date and enjoy a romantic movie-esque dance under the newly-lit canopy of the pirogi – at 1 in the morning after Bekah arrives home from working a concert.

Episode 8: July 2013. Trying to pack an entire summer into one month, Ryan and Bekah take in their first drive-in movie/dinner date, go boating a couple of times with friends and family, celebrate their first 4^th of July watching fireworks over Morse Lake, pay two visits to the Howard County Fair {and the Ferris Wheel!}, participate in the Three Rivers Festival Parade and the Celina Parade, take pictures at a golf outing, and meet up with a variety of friends for dinner and catching up! And in their spare time, they rip up all the carpet in the house and finish renovating the bathroom, making it a more…ahem…manly space for Ryan.  

Episode 9: August 2013. In one week flat, Bekah survives her car dying on the Fort Wayne Airport Expressway and Ryan survives running out of gas in a dump truck. Just another day in the life of the Shaffers. They continue working on the landscaping and have a double date at the Melting Pot along with Ryan’s friends. But the crowning part of the month is their weeklong Caribbean Cruise aboard the Carnival Breeze. Bucket list items are crossed off when Bekah climbs to the top of a lighthouse in Key West and Ryan is selected as a contestant for Hasbro the Game Show {on the ship}. They also luck out with an afternoon on a deserted beach in Nassau and try their hand at a Segway Tour in Grand Turk. Not-so-astounding moments include trapping a possum in the garage and drama in the Miami airport {searched luggage and a puking fellow passenger}.

Episode 10: September 2013. The vacationers return home to a broken water heater and spend their entire Labor Day weekend ripping apart the renovated bathroom to repair it. The rest of the month is devoted to wrapping up landscaping projects, welcoming family and friends for dinner, and trying out Sunday School at their new church home.

Episode 11: October 2013. Ryan and Bekah ring in a new month by celebrating their engagement-versary and indulging in their favorite seasonal treat: apple pie chai. They also purchase a new gym membership that allows them to work out together and commit to paper the first sentences of their new joint writing project! They squeeze in a weekend getaway near Chicago, to visit some of Bekah’s friends, and while there, they visit a massive apple orchard, carve pumpkins for a contest, and savor Giordano’s pizza. Before the month is over, they rip apart the newly finished bathroom one more time to fix a leaking tub and make their way to Fort Wayne to work a Jeremy Camp concert.

Episode 12: November 2013: Racing against a self-imposed deadline of all-projects-complete-by-the-first-anniversary, the duo rips apart the final room needing renovation: Bekah’s bathroom. And just when they think life can’t get more chaotic, Bekah’s car dies again, leaving the commuters minus a car for a week and a half! They get through both debacles and as the month winds to a close on their first year of marriage, they celebrate Thanksgiving with their families, then pack up and head to Indianapolis for their first anniversary getaway. They get to watch the lighting of the Christmas tree on Monument Circle, attend a Gaither Christmas concert, and take in a Colts game, all while celebrating the joy of a full year together as…the Shaffers.

Stay Tuned for Scenes from Shafferland: Season Two…releasing next December.

A Peek Behind the Scenes

The radio life seems kinda glamorous, doesn't it? In my pre-radio days, I always had pre-conceived visions of how it worked. I imagined hosts and DJ's coming into a studio with neatly stacked papers and sitting in a well-postured manner behind a microphone, creating this magic for me to hear.

So.

You wanna know how it REALLY goes?

I debated about posting this because, you know, we really do want you to think we have good posture and neatly stacked notes. But I thought you might like a peek behind the scenes...

So this past Tuesday, Lynne's scheduled show was with Dr. Ann Kulze, who is a nutrition expert she chats with once a month. Our listeners love Dr. Ann and we get tons of questions for her every month. Since my input wouldn't be needed for that show, {I mean, come on...really...do I look like a good backup for the nutrition expert???}, I gathered up my stack of People magazines and headed to the engineering board for an hour.

I sat tall in my chair with the magazines in a perfect stack beside me and smiled me 3rd grader cheeser smile to Lynne as I pointed to her to let her know her mic was on...and the show began. I carefully slid the music into a fade and triple/quadruple checked all the mics and sliders to make sure everything was in order for the show. Lynne gave her introduction and I sat with one hand poised on Dr. Ann's mic to check her volume...when we discovered...she was gone. She'd been on hold for about five minutes and when the moment came...she was gone.

We very calmly clicked on the backup music and reconnected with her, and I sat tall in my chair for our show: take two.

The interview began and seemed to be going very well...so I sat back {I slouched...let's call it what it is} and picked up the top magazine to read all about the allegedly handsome celebrity men...and about fifteen minutes into the interview, Dr. Ann said she couldn't hear us anymore.

To recap: we were 20 minutes into the show and our guest couldn't hear us, which meant something had happened to our phone lines. We had no choice but to let her go and forfeit the interview for the morning. Because if you weren't sure...Lynne and I are not telephone issue experts.

So right there on the spot, we had to formulate a plan B. Live. On the air. With thousands of people listening. I ditched my magazine, sat up straight again and turned on my microphone. Lynne and I exchanged what felt like very awkward greetings and stated that we would  come up with a new plan for the remaining 40 minutes of the show.

Lynne started another emergency song and the two of us leapt out of our chairs and took off in a dead run down the hallway to our office. I'm not kidding. Dead run. In boots. With heels.

We grabbed various books, binders, and ideas from our desks and did a dead run back down the hall, furiously scribbling notes as the song concluded. Then we opened our mics and flopped back in our seats, papers strewn about...and we laughed and told stories for the remainder of the show.

And THAT, my friends, is how it really goes in the land of radio.

Sometimes.

You never know what a day might bring. But you can be guaranteed there will be slouching and messy stacks. Even on the best day.

If you wanna hear the fun...check it out here. 

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday was GORGEOUS. It was one of those freezing days with perfect snow falling: not enough to accumulate but enough to be pretty as it fell. After church, we hunkered down for the afternoon, watching football, finishing up our Christmas cards, working on Pinterest projects and doing the ONE thing we forgot to do on our anniversary: reading the letters we wrote to each other on the beach last December 2 - and writing new letters for NEXT December 2 {or 8}.

* Monday morning, I woke up to freezing rain, which made for a tear-filled hour and forty minute commute. So that evening, we hunkered down to watch the Sing Off, which is one of Ryan's favorite shows. We like the country sounding group of guys. :) It was a cold night and just nice to be able to snuggle up at home after a stressful commute and watch a fun TV show. Sometimes it's the little things.

* Tuesday at work was INsane. I mean INSANE!!!! Perhaps I'll give you a fuller version later, but let's just say we had to scrap our entire show twenty minutes into it because of phone problems, and I spent the rest of the day helping produce a video for the station. Yeah. Me. The girl with NO video experience. But I'm not gonna lie...it was much fun to help with it!! {This was the prop table.}

* Wednesday evening I went to a party to meet my friend Olivia's new baby girl. She is the cutest thing IN THE WORLD, and Olivia is a spectacular mom - just as I knew she would be. I was so grateful to be included in the party - which was made up of all her high school friends. They've invited me in and made me feel welcome, and I appreciate it.

* Thursday I actually got caught up on some things at work and found out...I HAVE A DESK!! I don't remember the last time I got this behind, and I have hated the stacks I've been staring at forever. It was so nice to get some things accomplished. That night, Ryan and I just enjoyed a night at home - and he volunteered to watch a Hallmark Christmas movie with me. I am not sure I was ever more in love.

 * Friday night, Ryan and I went to Starbucks for coffee and talking time {sometimes we like to just go hang out there for a while} and while we were gone, good old Winter Storm Electra began. The snow was pretty, so we went on an impromptu drive in the snow through the Walkway of Lights in the park! It was GORGEOUS.

* Then yesterday we braved the slick and snowy roads to do alllllllllll our Christmas shopping. It was the only day we had to go and shop!! It was a long, exhausting day, but we did manage to squeeze in a lot of fun, including this photo shoot we took in the snow before we began:

The Saturday Six

One.

Source

I have an incredible weakness for cozy Christmasy places. And yes. I know Christmasy isn't even a word. But I LOVE pictures that look like they crawled right out of a Thomas Kinkade painting. So you can imagine my sheer delight at this post by Susan.

Two.

I must have a soft spot for loveliness {I mean more than usual} this week...check out this post I stumbled upon. Ryan and I love to drink up life, and it looks like this writer does too. Makes me want to be even more intentional about finding the lovely blessings in every day.

Three.



I'm sure you've seen this on Facebook this week, as it's been making its rounds, but just in case you have NOT...watch it and weep, baby!!

Four.

Source

One of our listeners, Kathy Cramer, brought some chocolates to the BeadforLife party - and I'm not going to lie - they were uh-mazing. I could eat DOZENS of the turtles. She makes them all...want to drool over chocolate? Go look here.  

Five.

Source

I'm not sure how many of you watch the Goldbergs, but I am convinced with each episode that passes, I am Mrs. Goldberg. On the inside. Her boldness flies right out her mouth, and mine sort of dies on my tongue - but in my heart, I fear we're the same.

Six.

 Source

The weather outside is frightful...seriously, seriously frightful. Ryan and I drove around in it last night for a while and I had to resort to my winter theme song of Jesus Take the Wheel. So what better thing could we do this weekend than take Kelly's Christmas Tour of Homes? I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!! 
 

BeadforLife

Well, I'm only a week behind in posting about this one!!

Last week, the station hosted a BeadforLife "Christmas Shopping with a Purpose" open house. If you've never heard of BeadforLife, it's an organization that teaches women in Uganda to make beads, soaps and lip balm, and then they sell the products so the women can get out of poverty and take care of themselves and their families.

At the parties, 100% of the proceeds go right back to BeadforLife and according to their site, they operate their administrative expenses on 13% or less of what they receive. All the rest goes to eradicating poverty. This is the second year the station has hosted a party for them, but last year the party was the day before I left for our wedding, so I didn't get to go! I had a BLAST this year, working with all my buddies and meeting people who stopped by to say hi and to shop!

I thought I'd show you some pictures from our day. Last I heard, the stations party generated $18,000 in sales, and we'll soon find out how many online sales {party stayed open a week after the actual open house} also went toward it. That's pretty amazing!!!

The beads are actually made from paper. They are intricate and gorgeous - and there are all shades of every color.

They have necklaces, bracelets, and earrings in a variety of styles...

And they go with anything. I have five bracelets that I wear together as a collection, and I usually wear them at least three times a week. Worthwhile investment!

I love all their stuff, but the neutrals are my favorite. They're rich and stunning...

 Hadn't seen this style before. I love chunky bracelets, so these were fun!

 A treasure trove of the multi-colored strings....

 Hands down, my favorite bracelet style was this one. If I owned one of these in every color...

 Lynne's favorite lip balm...

 DARLING jewelry pouches. I managed to remember to only shop for GIFTS. Not for BEKAH.

 Soaps...

 Baskets...

 One of my most favorite pictures I took that day:

 For the party, they arranged all the jewelry by color and there was a table for each color family. Kind of like shopping at Charming Charlie's. :) This was the blue table.

We were open from 11-7 and had probably over 400 people come through in those hours. And as a little treat...we had some yummies from Fort Wayne Chocolate Fountain.

All in all - a very fun day and we loved being able to help the women of Uganda!