Sunday Smattering

** Check out the book blog...some news on there.**

I did it! I worked a whole week. Let me tell you what...

...after a week of vacation, this girl was NOT ready for work again. But I did it! Actually the week started out on a rough note. Sunday night I had one of my "stomach attacks" as I call them. I had them with great frequency after college and even went to the ER a time or two (which is nothing short of a miracle). They were never sure what caused them and as I've gotten older, changed my diet a bit, and learned how to manage stress a little better, I have very few. Maybe two a year. But I got one Sunday night and was up the entire night. But I'm a Freelan. We don't call in sick. ESPECIALLY after a week of vacation. So I showed up for duty!

Monday morning I popped over to (student) chapel to hear Jonathan lead worship. He wanted me to record it with my camera (which I had never done before) and I learned that I do not have the steadiest hand in the world! But anyway...he did a great job. I stole this picture from my video.

Also on Monday, our lovely student worker, Rachel, and I matched. So of course - picture opp! Isn't she darling?

Tuesday evening I had a chance to move all my books onto my new bookshelves! As soon as I get the rest of the office put together, I'll post some pictures. I LOVE these shelves!!

Wednesday evening we had a great Bible study at church, which reminds me...I've been given the opportunity to teach five weeks of Bible study at my church! We are going to do a study/discussion over the first five chapters of His Advent: Still His Greatest Gift. We meet Wednesday evenings from 7-8, and the weeks I'll be teaching are November 10th and 17th, (skip the week of Thanksgiving) and December 1st, 8th, and 15th. I have much prep work to do before I'm ready for this, but I'm so excited for this chance to share!

Thursday evening I got to hang out with my friend and former co-worker, Rachel, and her daughter, Anna. Rachel is about to have baby #2 - due today, actually! I had fun chasing around after Anna, helping give her a bath, and just catching up with Rachel.

Friday evening, my friend Marie and I went sheet shopping. Okay I went sheet shopping. She went with me because she's a good friend who will do something totally random like go looking for sheets on a Friday night. :) I was cold and decided a set of flannel sheets was in order. They're so cute. Plaid. :) And they are WARM. Thank goodness! No more sleeping in a coat!

And yesterday - I worked hard on the office, loaded up my trunk with clothes that no longer fit, did more laundry than I care to admit, and went to a concert! The IWU Chorale sang (in a foreign language...and it wasn't Nessun Dorma, so I didn't know it) with the Marion Philharmonic Orchestra. Rachel Ashley (of the photo above) and I went with Jonathan's mom and I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed it more when the yappy teenagers behind us moved. :) I feel so cultured now. Because of the music, that is. Not because of the yappy teenagers.

In closing (sounds like a speech, doesn't it?) I have one prayer request and an attempted video clip. The prayer request is that I'm scheduled to speak at APS Employee Chapel Monday morning at 10 a.m. (If you're not from here, APS is the adult education branch of IWU.) I have no idea how many people attend their chapel, but I'm guessing it's more than 10 and anything over 10 people means I get nervous! I am not talking about writing a book, but I am speaking based on one of the chapters in the book. I'm excited about this chance to share, but also nervous. So if you think of it, I'd appreciate any and all prayers!

And here's the attempt at the clip of Jonathan leading worship. Excuse the bad videography. It was my first time. (It's a very short clip.)

The End of a Perfect Vacation

I wanted to show you the last of the Wisconsin trip pictures! These were all from last Friday, which was my last day at Jenna's house.


While Jenna got ready, I dressed the lovely Miss Adelaide. I got her all put together...bow and all!

That morning we set out (driving my car as a test for more overheating) with a destination of Edwards Apple Orchard. It is, I'm told, THE orchard of that area. I was impressed.

Aren't we pretty cute?

I was told the famous Edwards Orchard apple cider donut would revolutionize my donut world. I have to admit - it was pretty fantastic.

It was a little chilly that morning, so Jenna bundled up Adelaide in the little carrier thingie. I'm sure it has a real name but I don't know it. So on Bekah's Bits, it shall henceforth be called "the little carrier thingie."

We ate our apple cider donuts in this cute area - and sat on these cans. Loved it. I love character furniture.

Adelaide practicing her sneaky look. She's pretty good at it!

After we ate our donuts (and of course, drank our coffee, hello!!) we went through the store, which had tons of little samples (yes please!) and then outside to do pictures. Convenient sign...but alas, Adelaide was not interested. Maybe when she's 15 weeks old, she'll master the art of looking at the camera? Is that asking too much? :)

She makes some fun faces for sure! This is Adelaide in the pumpkin patch. She hasn't really mastered sitting up either, but she's definitely got cuteness DOWN!

Sandee (at my work) calls me a turkey sometimes. Turns out it's true!

I thought, after the chickens and cows and such...this seemed appropriate. (Please make a note of the coffee.)

This was fun. When I looked at the pictures later, I decided the wife is either uncomfortably pregnant or has a really badly placed itch.

How you doin' down there, Mom?

Why stop at one tractor when you can drive two?

Look who's almost 2 feet tall!

Adelaide has already started some great habits with her Dad...such as...watching Star Trek.

Frog and Jenna introduced me to Beefaroo. It's a very fun restaurant near their house. I had chicken - and then realized when eating at Beefaroo, one should eat beef. So perhaps I really ate at Chickenaroo.

That afternoon I stayed for a bit to help them get ready for their housewarming party later that weekend. I dusted and swept - and oh, the sweeper! It was FABULOUS. I really did want to steal it. I didn't steal it, you understand. But I wanted to.

Jenna has mad crafting skills. Much much better than much of what I could ever hope to do. Case in point. She painted these letters for Adelaide's room. BY HAND. THE PLAID. Are you kidding me? I was amazed.

Frog has some hidden talents too - like making some pretty fabulous guacamole!!

I didn't want to leave. AT ALL. I wanted to stay and play with Adelaide and craft with Jenna and eat guacamole. But alas...I had to leave.

At least it was a pretty drive home.

My thoughts on the end of a vacation.

No more vacations in 2010. :( But stay tuned. Or "tooned," as I first typed. I'm sure 2011 will have all new adventures!

Show Us Your Life: Guest Room

I can finally participate in Show Us Your Life again after a couple of weeks out. This week is guest room week - and that's a room that is actually (for the most part) put together in my house!

I contemplated painting this room this summer but I couldn't justify spending the time or the money when the paint on the wall is fine (and was free!) so it stayed this bright yellow. Should be cheery to wake up to!

I decided to do kind of a beach theme in this room, so I ordered a large print of this sunset picture I took this summer on Lake Webster. Very happy with the way it turned out - only wish I'd have gotten it one size bigger! (I wasn't sure how it would look enlarged so I was too conservative.)

I have a few more floating shelves that my friend Greg hasn't had a chance to hang up for me yet...hence the slight incomplete state of this room. But I do have two of them up...and here's one. Love this little pray sign. Lynnette gave it to me for my birthday.

The closet in my guest room is my stamping/scrapping supply closet, so the end table is really a wooden file cabinet that holds all my card stock. :) I like it. Got it on clearance at Wal Mart a few years ago and my roommate at the time, Angela, put it together for me. Little lamp...some coasters and candles...and of course...an obnoxious alarm.

You can also see the blue curtains. I just got those (on clearance) this summer. They're the blackout kind so if I have morning-hating guests, they're set.

I also decided to use water pictures to decorate. Extra helpful was the fact that I went to the ocean in May, spent several weekends in the summer at the lake, and visited a beach in Tennessee when I was there with Faith. Didn't have to look far for pictures!

This hangs above the scrapping closet...

This dresser was my Grandma's - I love it! Holds all the bedding for the guest room. The pottery has blue seashells I picked up at the ocean this summer.

Love my little picnic basket. One of my life dreams is to go on a real summer picnic sometime and put it to use.

My guest bed is really a futon that I got almost 10 years ago. Okay so not the most comfy but it works. I'd love to someday get a better futon/mattress. Futon works great in my house because the rooms aren't very big. I also got (during college sales) these two ottomans that are storage ottomans. Love them. I bring them out into the living room for footstools for the loveseat sometimes. And I found this rug on clearance a few weeks ago and thought it tied in well with the blue curtains.

A couple of years ago, my big honking elliptical machine bit the dust - beyond repair. So...I found this mini stepper and it slides right under the futon when not in use. PERFECT size for this house.

Only Bekah...

Though I was very sad to leave Glen and Allison and Blessing Valley, I was also very excited to go back to Jenna's house and spend more time with her. I left Thursday afternoon to head back and fully expected to be at Jenna's by dinner time.

The weather was gorgeous....and I was happy as could be!

So pretty....

NOT so pretty. I was just a couple miles north of the Wisconsin Dells when I hit this traffic backup. I was annoyed, but then I remembered I could play with my new phone (my old one conveniently bit the dust the day before my trip, so I had to get an emergency new phone and hadn't had time to really learn much about it yet). So while I waited on this to move, I played.

Meanwhile, this backed up behind me.

I glanced up at one point to see that my water gauge was all the way over in the red zone. PANIC!!!!!!!!!

I called Judy (owner of Larry, my borrowed GPS) and asked her what I should do. She said to get over in the right lane in case I needed to exit. I told her exiting wasn't an option because THERE WASN'T AN EXIT. She told me to get over anyway. So as we inched forward, I ducked in front of a semi to be over in the right lane.

As I darted over, smoke or steam or something began pouring from my hood. And I completely melted down. I scooted on over to the shoulder and noticed that the trucker I'd just cut off was signaling to me. He pulled ahead and then off the road himself.

GOD BLESS HIM.

He came back to my car and asked me to pop the hood so he could check my oil and water.

I may have been a shaky mess, but I had my wits about me enough to take a picture! :) He said everything looked good; I probably needed to just let the car cool down. He stood with me while I tried to start the car and much to my relief, it did start. I waited a bit and then got back in the standstill line of traffic. After a couple more smoky episodes, I made it back into moving traffic and exited a few minutes later at the Wisconsin Dells to let the car rest and to get some food.

The one thing I didn't get was the trucker's company name or truck number. So this is the only way I can thank him PROFUSELY for pulling over to help me. I know he was dreadfully behind schedule because he'd been stuck in the same mess I was! (We were there for over 45 minutes trying to merge down to one lane in a 2 mile stretch.) In an age where there are very few good Samaritans, I did not take for granted his kindness. (And I was thankful he wasn't a Creepy McCreeperson.)

Needless to say, I arrived back in Illinois much later than intended. And very VERY relieved to be back in Jenna's driveway.

Except that was when I realized I was really in her neighbor's driveway. :)

Oh Bekah. :)

I found my way inside, where the lovely Miss Adelaide was waiting to see me.

We ran to McDonald's for dinner (since I felt like eating once again!) and then we came back to do some baking. Jenna was having a housewarming party this weekend and was still trying to get ready. We had a muffin baking fest. She had one box that was a little old but we thought we'd see if they turned out anyway. Well...ummmmmm......we certainly knew which ones were the old ones!

Jenna, I just love you! You crack me up!

Adelaide was unimpressed by the cooking palooza.

Jenna and I both love to craft, so we looked at our scrapbooks that night. This was a picture in hers from Valentine's Day - I forget what year. You can tell we're thrilled about the holiday! (Incidentally, two years later to the day, she got married.)

We stayed up way late talking and laughing.....man I have missed this beautiful sweetie!!!

Stream in the Desert

Did I mention the gorgeous sunrises from my bedroom window?





Thursday was my last day in Wisconsin, and I have to tell you - I dreaded leaving. I adored that place!! Allison and I were on our own that morning, so we had some camera fun.





This sweet thing reminded me so much of Braeya when she was a baby.




I did not bring her home. I cannot be the crazy cat lady.

The three kittens that lived in a box in their house. Man it's been a long time since I got to play with kittens!!

This is the kitten's mama, Joyful. I had to thank her for allowing me to disrupt her brood.

Then we went outside...you'll see why in just a second. But on our way out, Butter and Dolly said hello. Hello!

The first day I was there, Allison gave me a bit of history about the farm. It had been in her family for several generations and she always dreamed of living there. She never thought she'd really ever get the opportunity, so when God opened the door, she was extra grateful. She said the reason her ancestors settled on this particular piece of ground was because of this tiny stream that bubbled up from the ground - for no particular reason - and provided a constant supply of water.

The very moment she told me that story, I remembered a couple of verses from Isaiah. They had been pivotal in my desert, and in addition, Beth Moore just talked about them in our Bible study DVD a few weeks ago. I knew this was not coincidental. God brought me here for this.

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up! Do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the desert...

And streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:18-20)

Healer of my heart...Lover of my soul...Maker of the stars, the earth, the sky...come and make me whole. Savior of the world...my voice praises You alone...Healer of my heart....Lover of my soul. (Song by the Martins.)

Butter and Dolly joined me at the swing....

I really do love dogs. One day I hope to have one!

I could have stayed forever...I really could have.

Allison had coupons for pumpkin lattes at Starbucks, so we headed to town. Did I mention the Starbucks was in a Target?

When in Target, one must shop! :) When I put on my jeans that morning, I learned they no longer fit. So two safety pins later...I was half swimming through the Target. Allison said we should look at clothes.

So we stopped in shoes first. I have never, ever, in my life, owned boots. Never. (Snow boots excluded. I mean pretty boots.) Allison adores boots and declared I should own a pair. I decided to take advantage of her boot expertise and let her help me shop. She found a super cute pair and tucked my never ending jeans inside. I felt like a fisherman in hip waders. LOL!!!

I fell in love. And as a result, I now own my very first pair of boots ever.

And two pairs of jeans that FIT. Who knew? (Down one more size too!)




After our shopping trip, it was time for me to say goodbye to Wisconsin. Sadness.

After changing into the jeans that DO fit - and the cute new boots - I repacked the car (again) and drove down the road. Allison told me later that they call their home Blessing Valley. Totally appropriate.


I didn't want to go....but I recognized as I left that God had, in fact, answered my prayer.

He had worked a healing in my heart.