Happy Valentine's Day, Ryan!

Ryan - 

Happy Valentine's Day!

It may be a made-up holiday, but for so many years, it was my hardest holiday of all. I came to the point where I couldn't even let myself dream that someone might be out there to become my someday Valentine. 

And today we celebrate our TENTH Valentine's Day together. You've made every single one so fun in its own unique way. I thought I might look back over some of the memories with you today!

YEAR 1.

This was the year you had roses delivered to me at WBCL, which pretty much made my entire year. Having roses sent to me at work was one of my lifetime dreams that you made come true. We chose to stay in that year and worked together to make our meal. You stood out in the cold to grill steaks, and I was in charge of dessert. A true candlelight dinner with sparkling grape juice and everything!

YEAR 2.

This was the year we took a staycation in February - in the middle of the Polar Vortex. We were able to enjoy a leisurely morning at home and that afternoon, we headed out to Fort Wayne to attend a marriage retreat. On the way, we went to DeBrand's for our official date, where we shared the Ultimate Chocolate Float and some coffee. (And you got me roses, which I packed to take to the hotel with us for the marriage retreat!

YEAR 3. 

This particular year, our official on-the-day date was also at home. We had cheese and broth fondue and ate DeBrand truffles for dessert. You bought me roses. We drank sparkling grape juice, and we exchanged little gifts and had a wonderful evening! But this was the year we had a bonus date which actually took place the night before! We went to the Starbucks World's Largest Coffee Date and cashed in on the fun deals they offered - AND the photo booth props. And we made friends with Angela the barista, who ended up becoming our actual real-life friend! Remember her?

YEAR 4. 

This was another at-home-on-the-actual-day year, where we cooked together and you gave me beautiful roses. But again, we had a fun date right before Valentine's Day. To this day, this date remains one of my most favorite surprise experiences you've given me! You signed us up for a "Romance in Italy" cooking class at Sur La Table, and it was SO FUN!!!! I have not forgotten the coffee we drank there that night! So good. 

YEAR 5.

It was a whole new world for us this year! We were living in Kokomo by this point, and I was a blonde - my goodness! Everything was different! Anyway! This was the first year we went out to eat on Valentine's Day itself. We went to Ruby Tuesday and to Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt for dessert. When we arrived there, they told us if we would kiss at the cash register, we could get one of our yogurts for free. NO PROBLEM! :) 

YEAR 6.

We had so much fun eating out on year five that we tried it again for year six. That year we went to Red Robin and then you decided on a whim to take us to the original Cake Bake Shop in Indianapolis for dessert. Neither of us had ever been there, and we had NO idea it was not the kind of place you ever "just drop in" if you actually want a table. DEFINITELY not on Valentine's Day. But we did! And they had a table. Mind-blowing, really. And that was some good cake. 

YEAR 7.

Nothing about life was normal for this year. Your mom had just a couple of weeks left to live (though we didn't know it at that point) and Valentine's Day fell on one of our nights to care for her. You worked SO HARD to make this a special year for me. You left me love notes every day during February. You bought me flowers and my favorite donut that morning. And I made what I hoped would be a good dinner for us to take out to the cabin to enjoy with your mom. I still have on my phone the picture I took of the three of us at the table that night. It was the next-to-the-last picture I ever took of all of us. She looked so tired, but it's a sweet memory I treasure. And after you finally got her settled in for the night, you danced with me in the living room of the cabin. It might not have been the most picturesque year, but I sure loved you in brand new ways watching you care for your mom so tenderly. 

YEAR 8.

This was such a fun year!! We had, of course, no clue that in one month, the world would be shutting down. You planned a beautiful getaway for us this year! I was working at the church, filling in for Abagail's maternity leave, and you picked me up after work to take me to a surprise destination. You rented an Airbnb near downtown Indianapolis, with a view that overlooked the skyline. We had dinner at a DELICIOUS burger place right in the building where our Airbnb was located. We LOVED that getaway. Still one of my favorite surprise trips! 

YEAR 9.

And that brings us to last year. Valentine's Day was one of only two holidays, I think, we had off duty the whole year, and we chose to hunker down in our apartment to enjoy some rest! We grilled and had fondue dessert and enjoyed some sparkling grape juice. It was the perfect day of rest (on an actual day of rest, by the way) and I loved not sharing you for that day!

I'm so glad we snagged this day off work again this year! I'm looking forward to enjoying this day with you. Thank you for my pretty roses, as always, and thanks for being all I ever longed for in a Valentine!

Sunday Sentiments

 

This week my brain has felt like a pinball machine with thoughts pinging everywhere. A million thoughts on a hundred topics. No rhyme, reason, organization, color coding or any sort of alphabetical order. While I generally prefer not to live in such a mentally scattered state, at least I haven't been bored! I tell you this so you'll know not to expect much order in today's post! In fact, I think I'll just bullet-point some of the things that have been on my mind this week!

* Ryan bought me some early-Valentine's-Day roses, and I have been adoring those so very much. I really love roses, and they're right underneath my Olympic-viewing screen, so I'm able to enjoy both at once. I know Ryan probably really doesn't care much one way or the other about roses, but he knows how much joy they bring me, so he always makes sure I have them on Valentine's Day. And each time I see them, I feel so loved, and it makes me smile.

* We actually got our first full family picture this week - all four of us, including Braeya. I probably would have put on lipstick if I'd known such an auspicious occasion was coming, but I didn't, so I look a little peaked. Even so, it's an excellent photo, and many props to Sarah, our coworker, for being quick on the draw with her phone to capture it before the moment ended. It will most certainly be framed and given a place of honor in our home!

* We didn't get to have Christmas with Ryan's dad and that side of the family this past year because we had to work on Christmas Eve, so they brought our gifts to us when they came to the fundraiser a couple of weeks ago. Though we loved all the gifts, this week I've been especially loving our matching pottery mugs that have our initials on them. I'm such a sucker for matching mugs, so it makes me happy to use them.

* My mind is swirling with a retreat talk I'm working on. So many ideas that need to completely circle and land this week so I can move on to the next phase of prep. I adore writing and don't get too many chances to do it in this season of life, so I'm really looking forward to this opportunity!

* As we make our way into our sixth week of having Lexi home with us, I'm understanding more and more why so many people encourage couples to have puppies before babies. It blows my mind how much like a child she feels with her schedules and habits and such. We're learning things like...when her craziness means she needs exercise and when it means she needs a nap. We're learning that having her on a schedule makes EVERYONE'S day go much better. We're learning what her whimpers/cries/barks mean. It really is like having a baby in the house! And that alone makes me giggle.

* Though this winter we're having is by far NOT the coldest we've lived - even in recent years - there is something absolutely delightful about crawling into bed at night after the warmer has been running. It is just like a cozy hug for the whole night, and I treasure it. It's the little things.

* Other cozy hugs I'm enjoying right now include my sherpa cowl, fuzzy socks, spiced chai, seat warmers in vehicles, and sweatshirts. I don't remember a year I've loved sweatshirts as much as I have loved them this winter. 

* And in conclusion today, I'm grateful for the Lord's sustaining grace. He and I are on a special journey right now, and I'm learning so much. Someday I'll tell you more about it. But for now, I'm just grateful. 

The Saturday Six

 

I know it's only the middle of February. I know I live in Indiana, where we have 1000 more weeks of winter. But I am in a spring frame of mind this week. I'm sorry (really and truly!) if you aren't ready for it yet, but today's Six is inspired by thinking spring! Maybe it will thaw the snow and ice??

One.

You know I love a good capsule wardrobe, and while I'm known for finding my pieces at the thrift store and in garbage bags of hand-me-downs, I can learn from the style of those who shop much higher end than I. This new capsule from Just Posted is so fresh and bright and makes me so happy to think about ditching sweaters!

Two.

Ryan bought me roses this week for Valentine's Day (ahhhhhhh, so pretty) and we "borrowed" the vase in the living room that normally holds my seasonal faux flowers to house the roses. I pulled out the all white wintry bouquet and thought to myself that when the roses have died, I might be ready to move ahead to the daffodil bouquet. Bring on the spring flowers! KariAnne at Thistlewood Farms shared a simple craft project for spring planters - with real and artificial plant options. They look so pretty! 

Three.

If you're a gardener (and I am not...at least yet) this post gives you great ideas for using this time to plan ahead for when it IS garden planting season! She had me at "hanging files" and "alphabetical order." ;) This blog has a lot of great gardening advice in general, which I always suppose will come in handy for me...someday. In the meantime, I enjoy just acquiring knowledge and seed organization.

Four.

I'm creative, but not artistic. There is a difference. (This is why I used to do rubber stamping. It made me feel like I had more talent than I actually did!) Anyway, I love it when I find project ideas that make it easy to appear I have more talent than I do! :) This one is really for kids, but I think it's really cute! Painting hydrangeas using bubble paint! I mean...who doesn't love blowing bubbles? So fun!!

Five.

I've missed having salads as often recently...we've been more on sheet pan and slow cooker meals than salads. But look at this spring-inspired salad! So fresh and yummy! And I'm a sucker for mozzarella. My mouth is for real watering over this one. 

Six.

I found this linked on a post about spring porches...how cute is this little spring doormat? Love the colors!! You could brighten up a very drab porch with this or something similar! 

Good Words from the Word

 A couple of days ago I found myself taking screen shots of multiple verses and quotes on Instagram because I needed the reminders they provided. Do you ever have days like that? Days when you feel like you just keep running into all the right words at just the right time? 

One of those verses that came across my feed that day was Psalm 143:8, which says, "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life."

Earlier this week, as you know, I had a salon appointment at 8 in the morning. When I opened the back gate to head to the parking lot, I caught the most beautiful sunrise coming up behind the building. I don't normally see the sunrise, because we keep the blinds shut on that side of our apartment to increase our privacy. 

But there it was, all breathtaking and glowing over the snowy yard. And as I drove toward the salon, I caught glimpses of the huge golden sun shooting up into the sky, over the horizon. And I thought of that very view when I read those words from Psalm 143. God's unfailing love - present and accounted for in that beautiful sunrise. His unfailing love is just as constant in the surplus of gray and seemingly nondescript days we've had lately, but there's something about the sun that always reminds me of His presence and goodness.

It was also a good reminder that the God who can be trusted to keep the earth spinning on its axis can be trusted with every single detail of my life. 

I was also reminded that God alone shows me the way I should go. As we work with our tenants and seek to find the methods that work best for each of them, it takes the intervention of God's wisdom and mercy. Our ideas run dry, but His don't. He plants in our minds the inspiration we need to move ahead, and I'm grateful for it. 

I'm so thankful that verse popped up when I needed it most. I'm so grateful that even when I falter, God is unchanging and trustworthy in all things. 

Valentine's Day Would You Rather?

 

Four days left!! (Until Valentine's Day, that is.) 

I thought it might be fun to play a this-or-that game today...Valentine's style!

So without further ado, would you rather...

Host a Valentine's Day party or be a guest? I fear my hosting skills have gotten very sketchy between the pandemic and our work schedule. Would I even remember how to host a Valentine party? But I do love hosting, so I think I would pick that.

Eat only food that is red or eat only food that is white? That's a tough one. I mean, I do love a good marinara and some pepperoni, but then again, I do love chicken and ice cream! (Not together.) I'll go with white because I can think of more things I eat that are white than red. But please don't ever make me ACTUALLY choose this in my lifetime.

Receive 100 roses or 100 pieces of chocolate? REALLY??!? What kind of question is this? Alas, my answer will surprise you. I would pick the roses. Even though I adore chocolate, I love love love roses. 100 of them at once would be amazing. 

Give up all candy for a year or give up all showers for a year? This does not seem an equal choice. I can't go a year without showers. That's my thinking time! So candy it is! (With so much sadness.)

Have pink hair or purple eyes? Pink hair. I do love purple, but I am not sure about purple eyes. Pink hair could be fun. For a time, that is.

Celebrate Valentine's Day at home or at a fancy restaurant? Ironically I'm not even sure what we're doing for the day this year, so I don't know what the actual answer this will be. We usually stay in for Valentine's Day because fighting crowds is no fun, but we don't go out nearly as much as we used to, so now maybe it would be more fun! And Wendy's is a fancy restaurant, right? :) 

Get an expensive gift or go on vacation? Vacation for sure. I'm much more a fan of experiences than clutter these days. 

Have a secret admirer or be a secret admirer? Well neither, anymore. But I've been one plenty of times (before Ryan, of course). Having one seems more fun. (Although I legitimately did have one once, years ago, and it completely freaked me out.)

Watch a romantic movie or a funny movie? For Valentine's Day, I'd pick romantic. But there is something to be said for the laughs provided by a funny one!

Vacation on the beach or a snowy mountain cabin? Beach, baby! I sure miss it. One of these days...

How about you?

On the Little Things that Add Up...

 

As you know from the magic of photography, I am married to a man who can't fully appreciate a good salon experience. ;) 

But I appreciate that he appreciates that I appreciate one. And he always celebrates with me the joy I feel when I come home from a salon visit.

Yesterday was my day, and I couldn't possibly have looked worse heading that way. I had an 8:00 a.m. appointment, so I rolled out of bed, threw on a hat, and went. I was clutching my coffee while sporting my oversized sweatshirt and some questionably sleepy eyes. 

When I arrived, my stylist asked if I'd like a warm lap blanket. It was a little chilly in the room, and that sounded so delightful, so I said yes. She emerged with a weighted lap blanket that was warm and cozy, and I buried my hands beneath it. (She even warmed it up halfway through the visit.)

While my color marinated, she gave me a hand massage - being careful to avoid my still-healing wound - and I sat with my eyes closed, enjoying every moment of that. 

She moved me to the sink to rinse and wash my hair, and while I was over there, she rubbed my scalp and put a warm cloth over my hair and forehead for a few minutes. It was glorious.

I left with freshened hair, much more coherence, and an appreciation for the small things. 

If we're honest, the whole point of going to the salon is to freshen the hair. Free coffee, a warm lap blanket, a hand massage, and a warm cloth are not even close to necessary. But they sure do go a long way in making a good experience great.

As I thought about it later, it made me think about how many experiences I could potentially make great for someone else by simply doing something small. I don't have to do something massive. The small things add up to big results.

I was also reminded of the moments when I've chosen to do nothing because I wasn't in a position to do something BIG. Has that ever been your experience too? You see someone who could use encouragement, and you think of all the big and meaningful things you'd love to do, but because you (for whatever reason) can't do that, you just don't do anything at all. 

Goodness. I wonder how many blessings I've missed out on by failing to do a little thing - all because I couldn't do a big thing instead. (Because the blesser usually ends up being the blessee by merely doing...so the missed blessing would be mine!) 

I'm challenging myself to do something small but meaningful for someone else this week. Wanna join me? 

Lexi Meets Her Grandparents

Yesterday marked four weeks since Lexi came to live with us, and in honor of her first month with us, we took her to meet her grandparents! My parents have met her over FaceTime and many videos and pictures, but they'd never met her in person. 

You should know that my dad loves dogs and my mom isn't really an animal person. She doesn't HATE them or wish ill upon them, but neither does she get super excited about them. We hoped the visit would go well, but we had no idea what to expect! 

I'll let the pictures tell the story. Ryan brought Lexi in from the car, and my Dad was waiting at the front door to meet her. He was so excited. And so was Lexi.

She was such a blur for the kissing pictures. :) 

Mom had made lunch for us, so Lexi worked on eating her own lunch while we ate!

And then she learned that she could get some treats if she stayed by the right chairs. Shaking head. ;)

Even my mom participated! Mind blown. She interacted more with Lexi than any dog/cat/anything else I've ever seen in my life!

And Dad kept sneaking her another bite.

We were so proud of how well she did at their house. No accidents. Took a nap. Didn't get crazy. It was pretty wonderful. 

She loved them and loved exploring at their house. And they really loved her. They even called later in the evening to say how much they enjoyed having her visit and how delightful she was. 

I think she might be invited back to visit again. ;) 

Almost a Year

Next week will mark one year since Ryan's step-dad passed away most unexpectedly from a massive heart attack.

I remember that jarring middle-of-the-night phone call and all the waiting for more information. So much waiting. There were many details about his passing that I never shared on the blog last year, and some of that was out of respect for his privacy, because he was a very private person. Some were because it took a long time to receive answers to some of the questions about the hows and when that led to this.

I'll still honor his privacy, but I can, with the space of this last year's time, add a few of the details. Allen had no idea he had heart problems. All his reports from any doctor visit had been normal and encouraging. Not long before his death, he had experienced a twinge of something that felt odd, so at our sister-in-law's prompting (she's a nurse) he made an appointment to have it checked out. But he didn't live to see that appointment. 

Though we'll never know for sure, the chances that he would have lived to see that appointment probably would have been many, had we not received a nasty snowfall the night he died. The snow was deep, heavy, and wet, which is nothing unusual for Indiana. Allen came home from work and couldn't get through the snow from the road to the house with his vehicle, so he left it at the road and trudged to the house. We can only assume that walk in the deep, heavy snow was too much.

Everyone who had any part in checking on him that evening did absolutely everything they could with the resources they had available. Rescue measures were taken. Emergency personnel did all they could. And we appreciated every single person who showed up in the blinding snow to do their part.

We have spent this last year navigating so many emotions, so many decisions, and so many new starts that none of us expected to experience. It's been a hard, hard year in this alone. (And though I'm not sure I ever said so on the blog, Ryan's sister, who was Allen's oldest daughter, was smack in the middle of chemo treatments when he died. That was one of the reasons we delayed his services after his death; we were trying to give her time to gain strength after a rough treatment.) 

I was proud of Ryan and his siblings for how fully they stepped up to accept the roles thrust upon them with his death. They had to make decisions they didn't expect to make. They had to work together as a team to figure out the best courses of action that would honor Allen's memory and also prepare the way for future life in the healthiest possible way.

We are thankful for so many who have been a blessing to us in the wake of this loss. This was the first time we navigated something like this from a distance, and that definitely added a challenge. We did the best we could to be present at everything. Ryan and his siblings have worked hard on the logistics of the will and estate and I cannot help but believe that Allen would have been SO proud of their ethic and dedication to doing it well. 

Today's post doesn't really have a purpose or a nice neat bow at the end. It's just a time of reflection for me. Thanks for reading along as I think through this last year in this chapter of our story. 

Sunday Sentiments

 

I'm sitting here on a Saturday night, writing to you while talented men and women show their skills on the Olympic stage half a world away. I'm in awe of their dedication to their craft and find myself celebrating and aching with them as appropriate for their wins and their literal falls.

And across the couch from me are two of my three at-home heroes. Ryan is taking a well-deserved nap. He has worked tirelessly this week. He's shoveled gazillions of snowflakes off the sidewalks. He's walked behind the heavy snowblower to clear our parking lot multiple times. He's cleared cars to move them and clean underneath them before moving them back. He's shampooed salt-stained carpets in the foyers. He's had hard and deep conversations with tenants. He's taken the morning shifts with Lexi when she gets up early and has energy to burn. He's worked on training with her.

Speaking of Lexi, she's napping on the floor beside him. She's been a hard worker this week too. She's been learning to entertain herself sometimes. She's been doing so great at her potty training and leash walking. She's been learning her new crate and doing a wonderful job with it. She's been meeting new people of all ages and doing her very best to not over-love them. She's been learning to walk through town with all its sights, sounds, and smells and try hard things. She's been navigating snowbanks with bravery and has managed to listen to commands in some very distracting situations. She's working so hard and we are so proud of her.

And though she's not in here this minute, we are so proud of Braeya for working on her own bravery this week. We're taking cues from her and she's courageously pushing out of her own little comfort zone to do more than I think even she thinks she can do. 

I live with heroes who do hard things all day every day, and I am proud of them. I think we are quick to excuse at-home bravery, preferring to reserve it for those who are on Olympic platforms and other such "big" situations. 

But bravery is in the small, too. I am proud of Ryan for all the hard work he puts into each day, even when I know his heart and mind are exhausted. I am proud of Lexi for showing up to learn things that some full-grown dogs don't even know how to do. I am proud of Braeya for accepting a new sister and figuring out how to coexist with her while she gets to know her. Those are big things!

I'm proud of one of our tenants for choosing to honor his word and follow through with a commitment today even though he desperately wanted to forget he ever made the promise. I told him I thought following through would show great leadership to our other tenants and would be a tangible representation of what it means to be a man of his word. And when he chose to follow through, I was probably prouder of him than I have ever been in any other moment since he's lived here. 

I'm proud of one of my friends who is working hard to educate herself on how to parent her little one well, even though her little on is still REALLY LITTLE. Her commitment and obedience to be a God-fearing mom is inspirational, and I told her so.

So many people in my little tiny world who are doing big, brave things that matter every bit as much as a triple toe loop...and I want them to know I see their bravery and am so proud of them for it. 

Maybe someone in your world is being brave today too? What if you congratulated them? It might make all the difference! 

The Saturday Six

 

This week's Saturday Six is an opportunity for me to share some Instagram accounts that I really enjoy following. Some (or maybe all!) of these may also have matching Facebook pages if you prefer that format. But I recommend checking them out to learn and be encouraged! (Where possible, I've also included their websites.)

One.

Sara Jo is the writer at the Bryarton Farm account. I first started following her story several months ago when she and her husband were waiting to bring home the daughter they were adopting from India. They were finally able to travel to get her in 2021, and their story has inspired me so much. Sara Jo and her husband are restoring (not renovating) an old farmhouse and share about their life on their land, homeschooling their two older daughters, living simply, and my favorite: teaching little Ellie Pearl about love and family. Ellie is blind and they share videos of her learning to walk and explore. I have learned so much about MANY aspects of life from this Instagram account. Bonus!! Sara Jo is an artist, and I love seeing her paintings and illustrations. (Note: it appears she has a private account now, but she still has many thousands of followers, so you could try sending a request. I know for a while, she was having a difficult time with hateful messages from people, so maybe she just checks out accounts before adding them? Otherwise you can check out her website here!) 

Two.

Also several months ago, I happened upon Dawn McVey's Instagram, and I LOVE her content! Dawn is so very cheerful and encouraging and almost every morning, she offers a little chat/greeting in the stories section. She is also an artist who LOVES bright colors, and her paintings are so pretty to look at. Dawn is a survivor of a rare small intestine transplant and talks openly about her health, her story, and God's faithfulness throughout that season of her life! In the summer, she also shares pictures of her BEAUTIFUL flowers and plants. I really enjoy the encouragement she shares. I kind of feel like she's my neighbor, and I love checking in with her each day! (To be clear: she's never heard of me. Ha!) If you're not on Instagram, you can check out her website here. 

Three.

Speaking of encouraging accounts, you probably know that I appreciate the wisdom of author Susie Larson. She's written many books I love, and she also has an Instagram devoted to sharing words of encouragement in the morning and the evening. They're short - just a little paragraph - but I can't tell you how many times they've lined up with what my heart has been wrestling with right in that very moment. She also uses beautiful photography to correspond with her words, so it's a double joy. Pretty picture and uplifting words! :) Here is a link to Susie's main website if you aren't an Instagrammer.

Four.

Back when I started working with my health coach, Abby, she introduced me to the Instagram account of Karalynne Call, or as I know her - "Just Ingredients."  Karalynne is a nutritionist who is passionate about educating people about the ingredients in not just food, but beauty products, vitamins, and more. I have learned TONS from her about hidden toxins and more. She also offers up (for free) lots of advice and research on better choices among brands. She also has a great website with information that you can search on all sorts of products. I feel like (and perhaps this is just my own perception and isn't accurate) that some advocates for non-toxic and natural products come across as very condemning and judgy. I've never felt that from what she shares. To me it comes across that she is just really passionate and excited to share what she has learned!

Five.

I recently came across an account called Solid Starts that has been SUPER INFORMATIVE for me. I found it because our former tenant asks me questions sometimes about her son and what he should be eating at his age, etc. This account explains how to safely introduce food to babies, how to reverse picky eating, and more. The other day they did a video about why babies gag when they learn to eat, and I learned so much from that (slightly gross but very helpful) video! If you are a mom, grandma, caretaker, or friend of little ones, you might be able to learn a lot from this! Here is their website if you prefer! 

Six.

Finally, I wanted to share this account that I just learned about within the last few days. (Another person I follow shared it.) The account is Brooklyn Salisbury's, and she is in her twenties...and is dying. Dying with SUCH grace. I couldn't help but cry as I read. Her humor, her wisdom, her sarcasm, and her intent to serve the Lord wholly until she takes her final breath: all SO inspiring. I dare you to read her posts without crying. And laughing. In the same post. (One example: "This photo was from October. I was in the ER receiving infusions in both arms. I was shaking like a scared chihuahua from medication side-effects. But I was able to DO something. Sort of. My sister had just taught me to crochet. This project came out looking like a rag doll donated its hair to be made into a pew cushion.")

Friday Fun

You guys...I need some Friday fun in my life! I stumbled upon a fun question quiz yesterday, which you know is one of my FAVORITE things to blog when I need a day of fun. Wanna see?

1. Do you put ketchup on hot dogs? I do! Not so much with the mustard. I also enjoy coney sauce and cheese if available. I used to eat mayo on my hot dogs. (Remember the other day when I told you I finally learned about real mayo vs. Miracle Whip as a kid and then I wanted to put it on everything? That included hot dogs.)

2. Choice of pop? Real fountain coke. No diet. No can or bottle (unless that's all that's available).

3. Do you put salt on watermelon? Not anymore. I grew up doing that because my parents did. Then I realized how much more dessert-y it was without!

4. Can you swim? I'm mediocre at best. (If you were at the fundraiser Friday night, you know the longer answer to this story.)

5. How do you eat your steak? With a fork. (That is such an answer my dad would have given.) Okay, real answer: I prefer well done, but it takes too long, so I do medium well and just don't look when it starts getting pink. 

6. Favorite type of food? Fast? LOL!! (It's true. I would be content to eat fast food pretty much any given day of the week, but I don't!) I will tell you what. If I had to choose between pizza and burgers for the rest of my life, I'm not sure I can do it. I love both of them SO MUCH!

7. Do you believe in ghosts? No. I do believe that there are spiritual forces hard at work in the world in the way the Bible explains them - but I don't believe in ghosts in the way this question asks.

8. What do you drink in the morning? Coffee!! Water, too, but BRING ME THE COFFEE. QUICKLY. 

9. Can you do 100 pushups? Like at once? No. Over the span of 100 days? Yes.

10. Summer, Winter, Spring, or Fall? Summer. I do love fall, but I know what's coming after, so let's go with summer. No coats! Pretty flowers!

11. Your favorite animal? I'm a cat and dog girl all the way. So traditional. 

12. Tattoos? None. I don't like pain, so that answer shall remain.

13. Do you wear prescription glasses? I do not. I have better than perfect vision, though admittedly I know it's sliding closer to perfect. 

14. Do you have any fears? More than a blog post can contain. I am quite fearful by nature.

15. Do you have a nickname? Bekah is my nickname. And that's hilarious since I don't like nicknames. (Like if we had children, they would go by their real names. Not nicknames.) Also - some people call me Bek. 

16. Rain or snow? RAIN!!!

17. Favorite flower? Rose. I adore roses. 

18. Can you change a tire? I can call someone who will! Does that count?

19. Can you drive a stick? Not a bit. Not a single bit.

20. Favorite color? It changes a lot. I love purple. And teal. And blue. And red. I love color.

21. Can you whistle? Only with a whistle in my mouth. I've tried to learn to actually whistle. Fail. 

22. Where were you born? I'm a born and bred Hoosier!

23. Shower or bath? If given access to a deep soaker/claw foot tub, I love a bath. Otherwise, I'm a shower girl. 

24. Last song you heard? Boy this is going to be weird and random. Cool Water. I was showing it to Ryan yesterday. Mark Lowry, Jake Hess, Guy Penrod, Jonathan Pierce, and Bill Gaither. The ultimate throwback. If you need a good laugh, go watch. 

25. Broken bones? One broken leg when I was 11. 

26. How many TVs do you have? Two. (Though lately we haven't been watching TV to fall asleep because Lexi has FOMO and refuses to conk out while the show plays.)

27. Worst pain? Physically? Gallbladder. Otherwise? Broken heart.

28. Do you like to sing? Yes. And that is a very different question from CAN you sing?

29. Are your parents still living? Yes! And I'm so thankful!

30. Do you like to go camping? Yes! And by camping, I mean in an RV. Not a tent. 

31. What do you binge watch? Matlock. Gameshow Network. House hunting shows. 

32. Favorite pie? Razzleberry. Marie Calender. Get yourself one and thank me later. 

Happy Friday, my friends! I'm just gonna be over here thinking about Razzleberry pies and how I really shouldn't try to learn to whistle while I eat one. 

One-Ten

Know what yesterday was? Our one hundred and tenth monthiversary! 

It was a short night of sleep for both of us. Lexi, who has been a very good sleeper every night so far, decided she wanted to stay up late and get up early. I took the night shift. Ryan took the morning. 

When I got up around 8, I fully expected to find Ryan out shoveling, but he wasn't, largely because the snow hadn't actually started yet. Good reason, right? 

So we worked inside for much of the day. Everything everywhere around here had been canceled, because of the 1800 inches of snow that was supposed to start the night before! So we didn't have any meetings or anything like that. We'd done all the prep work for the snow, so we enjoyed a (very rare) easy sort of day!

I made chicken bacon ranch quesadillas for lunch, but I was so hungry that I scarfed them down before photographing them. 

By afternoon, the snow had started just a bit. But not too much!

Miss Lexi kept us entertained while we worked:

I had grand visions of taking an adorable selfie while we worked on snow removal today, but we never got to that point. (By the time the snow kicked up in accumulation, the wind had also kicked up, so shoveling was pointless. It would be undone by morning.) So we took this random picture while standing on opposite sides of the puppy room divider, sometime right after dinner. And this perfectly captures our day:

We closed the day by dreaming for our future while portioning out fruit packs for smoothies. Do we know how to celebrate or WHAT!!?!?!

It may not have been our most glamorous monthiversary, but we were able to spend it together, and for that, I am so very grateful. 2022 has already brought a fair amount of challenges, and I am SO thankful to have Ryan beside me. He is the best teammate, the best encourager, the best troubleshooter, the best dreamer. 

Monthiversary one-ten in the books! :)