Lessons Learned on the Prayer Path

I'm so glad it's not a week ago. Last Friday I battled an ugly attitude all morning. (Let the record show, I was not alone in this; according to Facebook, last Friday was just a bad day all around for everyone.) But for me, it was so bad, I closed my door at work to try to preserve my friendships through sheer lack of contact.

By lunchtime, I knew my best bet would be driving the prayer path and hoping God had something good to say to redeem the day.

(Last summer, during the days when I couldn't bear to go home during my lunch hour, I devised a driving path that would consume most of the lunch hour and keep me away from traffic, so I could ponder and pray. That path has become truly sacred ground to me and when I need to meet the Lord, that's one of the places I go first.)

Going on the prayer path last week was risky, because it's made up mostly of back roads, and I had no idea if they were clear or still snow-covered, but at that point I frankly didn't care. I needed to drive and pray, so I told a couple of the guys at work that if I wasn't back in a couple of hours, chances were good I was in a ditch and I'd appreciate it if they'd come after me.

I hadn't even exited the parking lot before I began unloading on God all the injustices and annoyances of the day. (In case He wasn't aware.)

Just a little way outside of town, I was gathering speed (both with the gas pedal and with my monologue) when I noticed the car in front of me braking for no apparent reason. I paused my bitter diatribe and looked around...

...to see a deer loitering at the edge of the road. The car ahead of me moved past, but I slowed down almost to a stop. I figured a deer-mangled car would do little to improve my mood. While I waited, she leapt gracefully across the road - truly beautiful to watch! (And a great reminder of why the camera should always be OUT of the bag and IN the front seat...some moments are missed while digging for it!)

God took advantage of the breath I'd finally taken to remind me of Psalm 42:1 - As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.
That's just like God. Get me to stop talking for one second and then quote irrefutable Scripture to me. I think I giggled and shook my head all at once.

Since He had my attention, He went on to remind me that while I had chosen to expend all my energy on being mad and being worried and...being Bekah...a better option would have been to work on desiring Him instead.

Point taken.

I did not resume my yap-session, but just kept driving and as I approached my turn onto country road number one, I remembered that a few weeks ago, on a Sunday afternoon, I'd spent some time on one of my favorite time-wasters: online house hunting. I'm not looking to move. But I do love scoping out houses for sale. And that day, I found (online) a darling A-frame that I knew by the address should be somewhere on my prayer path.

As soon as my car rounded the corner, I looked up and that house sat in the woods looking right back at me. Are you kidding me? That house had been there the whole time...first one on the right...and I'd never even seen it?

Since I couldn't talk due to a dropped jaw, God took advantage of that moment to remind me that sometimes I'm just blind to what's directly in front of me, but in due time, I'm able to see.

That was a lot to learn in one lunch hour. I had to get a sweet tea just to make the return trip.

God's good with the object lessons. I never cease to be amazed at what He finds to use, and I never cease to be thankful that He takes the time to bless me with lessons that I can understand and that stick with me.

In case you need a spot of worship music for your day...here's the song based on that Psalm:

30 Days of You and Me: Day Fourteen

It's been so busy around Bekahland that I haven't done a 30 days post for a while! Today's post is the cuteness of my pets. Isn't that precious? I used to post about my pets quite often, but I don't as much anymore...not sure why. Those of you who are new to the blog might not even know about them. So...I shall tell you today.

First of all, allow me to dispel the myth that I hate dogs. I actually love dogs and would dearly love to have one someday. The only reason I don't now is because when I became a pet owner, I was not home enough to pay proper attention to a dog...and I also couldn't afford the upkeep (or diet!) of a dog. So...I got cats.

My firm rule is - no more than two cats. If I get more than two, I become the crazy cat lady, and I'm simply not willing to cross that line. So here are my two sweetie pies.

Meet Kaegan:

* Kaegan was a gift from my college roommate, Christi. He was at a pet store here in town that she and I used to go visit just for fun. One night when we went inside, he was in a little cage and we asked to see him. He nuzzled right up next to my neck and I was in love. She bought him for me secretly and surprised me with him for my birthday.

* Since he was a gift from her, I asked her to name him. She made up the name Kaegan. (Pronounced Kay-gun.)

* Kaegan will be 10 in less than a month. He's my big boy. (He's literally an enormous cat. Long, long, long, and getting kind of chubby. But we don't talk about that.)

* He's been banned from the vet. He gets so traumatized when he has to go that we both end up crying the whole time. Since he's strictly an indoor cat and the only other animal he ever sees is Braeya, the vet said he didn't need to come in unless he seemed to be ill. (All occupants of this residence are banned from becoming ill - yours truly included.)

* He used to be kind of spunky as a kitten, but after the vet trauma a few years back, he's become the classic old man. He spends probably 80% of his days right where you see him in that picture - on my bed. When he does get up from the bed, he goes into the bathroom and sleeps on the rug.

* It was Kaegan's idea to start drinking water from my decorative vase...resulting in the disappearance of traditional water bowls in this house. Both cats now drink out of the vase.

* He is the sweetest guy. He does not like to be held at all (sadness!) but when I get in bed every night, he is right there beside me to nuzzle my face (his version of kisses) and wants my undivided attention. And anytime I cry, he's the one who shows up to issue some kisses! He's very tenderhearted.

* He hates loud noises and runs every time he hears one. (Doorbell, vacuum, small children...)

Meet Braeya:
* When Kaegan was five, I thought he needed a sister. He was quick to explain he did not agree. Braeya came from my friend Kari's house. She was born to Kari's mama cat. She was the only cat in the litter who looked like this...and the vet says that means she has a different father than the rest of the litter. I called Kari up and told her she had a trampy cat. :)

* I think Braeya is one of the most beautiful cats I've ever seen in my life. Her eyes are stunning and her coloring is gorgeous. (And she knows it. Such a girl.) And I'm often ask if she's cross-eyed. I don't think so. I think it just looks that way.

* She will be five in May, but she shows no signs of getting old. She is pure kitten inside. (That is sometimes cute and sometimes annoying (remember the toilet paper incident??).

* I made up her name to coordinate with Kaegan's. Actually it was a name I'd been saving for a daughter, but at the time I got Braeya I was in a phase where I figured I'd never have kids, so I used the name. (It's pronounced Bray-uh.)

* Braeya is very busy. She is literally underfoot wherever I go and it's a small wonder either of us are still intact, given the number of times I have tripped over her. She loves to beg for food in the kitchen, sit right behind me on the couch while I watch TV, sit on the bookshelf while I write, sleep in the bed (under the covers, even, in the winter) when I sleep, and if I'm not careful to latch the bathroom door, she'll come in to help with that, too!

* She's all about table scraps (but is uber picky about real kitty treats), thinks the dryer was made to be her personal cubby hole, and sits in the window to monitor the lawn mowing.

* She, too, hates to be held, but she does love being right with me wherever I go. And she's very vocal. If I say something to her (yes, I talk to them) she responds.
* Rachel sent me this link a while back. This is totally Braeya. I laughed and laughed.


So those are my kiddos! How about you? Do you have any pets?

Cupcake Class

Remember in December (hey that rhymed!) when I went to the cookie decorating class? Made some pretty scary looking stuff at that thing. But I had fun, so when Angi invited me to this:
...I said yes please! Actually this class was supposed to take place at the beginning of February but Snowmageddon lovingly rescheduled it to last night. Angi and I got to leave work a half hour early (isn't it amazing what a treat that feels like?) to go to class. All about cupcakes!!

This was my MOST FAVORITE cupcake we made:

Yes! It really is a cupcake! The Tiramisu. It was a jumbo white cupcake with instant coffee powder mixed in, filled with coffee cream cheese filling. We put it down inside a coffee cup and drizzled real coffee over it to let it soak in. Then we topped it with a whipped cream frosting, sprinkled cocoa powder on top and stuck a wafer cookie stick in for good measure. (It was delish. It was the only one I ate.)

This was the prettiest one I made. The Red Velvet. It was red velvet cake with cream cheese icing (with a bit of vanilla bean in it) and then we made these darling fondant flowers for the top. And we got to try out the cupcake wrappers.

The Raspberry Coconut. Yellow cake with coconut in it, filled with raspberry pastry filling and topped with buttercream icing. I dipped it in coconut and edible glitter flakes and then topped it with a fondant butterfly.

The Caramel. Butter pecan cake with caramel filling and icing. Then we embossed fondant to decorate it. It was a lot like stamping! :)

The Lemon Cardamom. White cake with ground cardamom, cream cheese, and lemon in it. These were baked in heart shaped tins and then decorated with red and white candy coating. I liked this one! Easy!

The Orange Dream. White cake with orange icing fruit, filled with cream cheese and topped with orange ganache. I added a fondant flower embossed with a B! (For Bekah!) (or Better Luck Next Time!)

The Chocolate Truffle. Dark chocolate with truffle filling, chocolate buttercream icing, and candy hearts embellished with edible transfer paper!

The Chocolate Hazelnut! Devils food cake with hazelnut filling, chocolate hazelnut buttercream, an edible paper top, and sprinkles.

The very last project was The Mini Cupcake Bouquet. White cake with strawberry pastry filling and buttercream icing. Unfortunately the cupcakes weren't very sturdy and they...um...were impaled.

It was kind of funny.

And yet very sad.

I had MUCH fun at this class. Learned a lot and will probably make some of these again! Thanks, Angi, for inviting me to go!!

Fondue Palooza!

Monday, as you know, was Valentine's Day. In years gone by (remember this, Jenna?) I'd go to work decked out in black from head to toe and watch with some bitterness as all the ladies around me received flowers from their men.

Well...a decade or so has gone by and most of them don't get anything from the men anymore...and I now wear red in hopes that one day I'll have a Valentine of my own. Baby steps.

Actually, I loved the way the day began. As you may remember (from the 6 a.m. serenade stories), I wake up to the radio, and yesterday, the song playing when the alarm went off was Mandisa's God Speaking. The song was almost over and the words that awakened me were "God is speaking, 'I love you.'" Isn't He great?

I wore my sparkly red shirt to work, and it's a good thing I did because I received a little sparkly in campus mail too!
Isn't that hysterical? My Monday lunch date sent that to me. I think she was trying to get back in my good graces after bailing on me to spend time with her husband. (Just kidding, Jenny! I love you!!)

After work, I had a friend over for dinner. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you might remember her from the Hershey, PA chronicles. Amber was my traveling buddy when I vacationed there. (She's not in the pictures to come today.) I'd decided a while ago that it would be more fun to spend the evening with someone, and I thought preparing a meal would help keep my mind occupied, so I invited her over and planned...

...a fondue palooza!!

I'd had fondue once in my life. I'd never made it. Kind of a gamble to invite company for it then, wasn't it? But in my opinion, it was also a success!

My first problem in hosting a fondue party was...um...I don't own a fondue pot.

Details.

My Mom, chocolate-making-queen-of-my-life, allowed me to borrow two of her chocolate melting pots. That worked!

Recipe number one...cheese fondue with French bread to dip....probably my favorite fondue of the night. But then again, I'm a cheese addict.
Okay this is not pretty but it sure did taste good. Pizza fondue! (Dipped bread in that too)

And to conclude the adventure...chocolate marshmallow fondue with strawberry slices and mini caramel cupcakes. YUM YUM YUM.

I even brought out the festive tablecloth and snatched up Meijer's next-to-the-last bottle of sparkling grape juice!

After dinner, we gathered round the laptop to look at where-are-they-today pictures of people we graduated with (thanks, Facebook!), talked about places we could possibly travel to in the future, watched some funny YouTube videos, and caught up on some sitcoms. (She introduced me to Mike and Molly - do y'all watch that?)

I'm so glad she came over and I'm so glad the fondue rocked! I didn't even have frozen pizzas on standby so it's a good thing the recipes did not fail.

SSMT: Verse 4

It's February 15th! Time for a new memory verse! I always look forward to the verse God pushes me to learn. I thought I knew which one He was pointing me to for this round and then - surprise! - on Sunday, He changed courses entirely. So this one holds some pretty special meaning for me right now.

I am still confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

~ Psalm 27:13-14 ~

According to my Bible, my sweet Julie Crandall sent me this verse on June 16th, 2010, when I was smack in the middle of my desert. I haven't consulted the journal to see what happened that day, but I know that was right about the deepest, darkest time, and I was rapidly losing hope that God even saw, heard, or cared for me anymore.

So the verse is colored yellow in my Bible with her name and the date written next to it. But this past Sunday, God used the verse in a big way to remind me of new hope and a new future for me. My pastor read all of Psalm 27 right before our time of open worship at church. (Open worship is a quiet time where you can just sit and commune silently with God...and if you feel led to share something with the congregation, you can.) As the words of these verses soaked into my heart, I whispered to the Lord that I needed some goodness right then. I needed to know that something good could come to me despite the hurt in my heart. And boy did He ever give me that right on the spot. He is AWESOME!

So...while saving the extended version of that story for another time...here's what I have learned about this verse.

I am still confident of this: The word confident means believe, trust, stand still, be enduring. Hmmm. Stand still. Not my best gift, but certainly one God has been teaching me in desert (and post-desert) boot camp. The verse doesn't say I can be cautiously optimistic of the good things. I can count on them. I can trust. I can believe. And I can be so trusting that I can even stand still and wait for Him to move. (Gulp.)

I will see the goodness of the Lord: Goodness means beauty, excellence, prosperity. I will be honest...I love the inclusion of the word beauty. Sunday night I called Ronda to spill the great God story, and at the end, she told me she loved God's attention to detail in my life...and frankly, so do I. I love the beauty He throws into every day...every adventure...every step of my journey. Even the painful steps. And I love being able to sit here and say (genuinely!) to you today that I AM confident that God is still good in my life. Even when life totally fell apart and I wanted to die. PRAYED to die. He kept right on being good.

...in the land of the living: Our pastor talked specifically in his sermon about how it's great to have the hope of eternal life, but we also need to remember God isn't done being good HERE. I think this phrase might be one of the reasons Julie sent me this verse in the first place. I needed to know that God still had use for me on this earth.

Wait for the Lord: Wait. Isn't it a fun word? (Insert eyeroll here.) But I have learned that the words wait and hope in Scripture usually mean to expect. Not optimism. Not crossing fingers. EXPECTATION. And so as I sit in the confidence of God's goodness, I can expect He's cooking up some good, good things for me.

...be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord: The phrase be strong means to be courageous, to encourage, to preserve, to make firm, to strengthen, to conquer. My sister told me in a letter once that I'm stronger than I know. I didn't believe her then, but after the desert, I agreed. I had no idea I had quite that much in me. My job right now is to buck up. To find that courage God has placed within me, and to push forward.

And did you notice that part about encouraging? It's true...when you feel you're just a mess, you sometimes have no idea who is encouraged by your mess. Some of my desert cheerleaders told me over and over (as I apologized profusely for my constant tears and questions) that they were so encouraged in their faith by watching me struggle - and find victory - in mine.

So, friend, be strong! Take heart. Expect good things. And know that He is still good - right now.

Happy Valentine's Day!

A year ago today, my life changed forever. That was when I found out a man named Isaac existed on this earth...and I began to pray for God to guide me in that journey...and for my heart to be changed. I clearly had no idea that my heart would change the way it did.

I wasn't sure how I'd handle the one year anniversary of this day - and I guess the full answer to that remains to be seen as the day unfolds. But I can tell you that God has been so good to me this year - hearing my cries and holding me through both the joy and the pain.

I've asked God to carry me through today...to keep me from hurting and questioning the what-if's and why-couldn't-we's...but I know with full assurance that even if I'm riddled with all that, I'll be carried and loved.

Valentine's Day, of course, is wildly embraced by some and just as wildly disdained by others. I happen to love it (while sometimes hating what it doesn't mean for me). I love the hope of one day getting flowers on this day. Being a hopeless romantic, I love the dinner and candlelight theme that I envision. And being Bekah, I love an excuse for a party!

And Saturday night, that's exactly what I got!

You all remember Jamie, right? She's my new friend I met through my WBCL interview? Well, a few weeks ago, she asked what I thought about the idea of a Valentine's Day party for the single girls...something to celebrate God's love for us and to give us a reason to smile on a day when we might otherwise feel forgotten or left out.

So...Saturday night I drove up to Ft. Wayne for an early Valentine's Day celebration at her house! There were six of us there...all different personalities and occupations...brought together by friendship and a love for the Lord.

Jamie had not one, but two tables full of appetizers. Spinach artichoke dip...grapes...orange slices...little heart cakes...M&Ms...conversation hearts...s'more cups (okay that was my contribution...)...do you know how hard it is to be good around such a spread???
Those were just the appetizers. Then we sat down to salad (one of those fancy pants salads with the fruit mixed in with not-your-average-iceburg-lettuce) and one of the most fabulous homemade pizzas I've ever eaten.

One of Jamie's roommates (a hilariously fun girl) had risked life and KitchenAid to concoct this lovely - and yummy - red velvet cake made from a Paula Deen recipe. (Can we say butter and cream cheese? Yes please!) Apparently there had been a bit of a mishap in melting marshmallows...which should NOT be done in the microwave, because rather than melting, they just expand...and the ceremonial dumping of the powdered sugar, followed by turning the KitchenAid on medium. It's a small wonder the kitchen wasn't still covered in bloated marshmallow and a powdered sugar blizzard.

Believe it or not, this was my first experience in tasting red velvet cake (that I can remember anyway) and I'm told it tastes better chilled. So a piece may or may not have migrated home with me for such an experiment later.

After dinner, we played games. We tried one called (I think) Would You Rather? Everyone had to pick between two equally distasteful options and see if the consensus answer matched what the reader guessed it would be. Six girls can come up with some really interesting reasoning for their viewpoints. My favorite question (that I posed to the group) was "Would you rather constantly emit a slimy trail everywhere you go or constantly emit exhaust fumes?" They cracked me up figuring out that one!

And then we played Mad Gab - where you read phrases that are supposed to sound like other phrases. For example: Keel Her Beast Ink = Killer Bee Sting.

But while we were busy having fun and laughing hysterically over the games and some random YouTube funnies like this, I loved the way Jamie kept reminding us of the Lord and His adoration for us.

All night long, this paper chain draped over the coffee table where we gathered:

Anytime someone said the word "it," she had to pull a link off the chain and read the verse listed on the link. Each verse centered on hope and love...and was a comforting reminder of the Love of our lives. (And by the way, "it" plays into conversations much more frequently than you'd think.)

I didn't take any pictures of the people because I'd just met them and didn't want them to talk at future parties about "that time Jamie invited the freaky picture chick." But I had a blast - and I'm so thankful she included me on the evening. And as I go through this day, I'm going to resolve to keep my focus on the Love who chose me.

It's the Weekly Recap!

* Last Sunday I made an unusual decision and stayed home from church. You do not understand that I literally never skip church. Not for weather, illness, or any other reason. I'm kind of like a USPS worker. But I was unsure of the roads (my church is in the middle of nowhere) and they were calling for ice and snow to fall while I'd be gone, so I decided to be cautious and stay home. Had some beautiful time alone with the Lord throughout the day.

And of course, it was a big day in the land of sports. I was so glad for this insert in our Sunday paper. I needed it! I may be a football dummy, but let the record show...I know the words to the National Anthem.

* Monday was pretty low key. Highlight of the day? Weekly office plant watering date with the lovely Rachel Ashley. I have a feeling when she graduates...my plant will die.
* Tuesday we had one of my favorites...an office carry-in! I experimented with a new recipe: s'more cups! Don't they look scrumptious?? They were.
After I came back from lunch, all - and I mean all - the close parking spaces were taken, so I had to park forever away from my building. By the time I got back inside, my toes were frozen, so I thawed them by borrowing warm air from the microwave fan (while Rachel's lunch heated). Someone said it looked more like I was guarding my food. But I promise I was just cold!

* Wednesday was c-o-l-d! I wore two coats. (At once.) Seriously!!? I felt like Ralphie or whatever his name is - in that Christmas movie. Is it sad that this was the highlight of the day?!?!!? It wasn't that exciting of a day, I guess!
* Thursday was Lynette's birthday. (She works in my office.) I wanted to try to make the day at least a little special for her, so I brought in some balloons (which do not like sub-zero temperature commutes, in case you weren't sure) and made her a batch of peanut butter fudge.
As I drove home for lunch, I passed a Fed Ex truck and said to the driver, "I hope you were just at my house!" He was, indeed! Left the first print I ordered...and if you missed yesterday's post, you can read more about it there.
* I was the crankiest girl on the planet the whole day Friday. I spent my lunch hour driving my prayer path and unloading on God. I decided, at the end of the day, that any day that annoying - to end a week where the Monday highlight was watering a plant deserved some serious retail therapy.

I actually went in search of boots on clearance. Came away empty handed but inspired to make some gift baskets for a couple of friends. And along the way, I found a couple of super sweet deals for myself.
First up...found this in a stamping idea book probably a decade (or more) ago. Thought it was the cutest thing in the world for storing sidewalk salt during the winter months. But I never found the supplies to make one quite like it:
Tonight I entered our town's Goodwill store for the first time since it opened, and look what I found! Went next door to the dollar store and found a scoop...and this entire project is now complete for the sum total of....drumroll please....$1.54!
Looks way cuter than the big honkin' plastic bag of salt that had been sitting by the door!

And when I was in Bath and Body works (for stuff to stick in the gift baskets) I got a coupon for a free lotion/body mist/shower gel/whatever with a $10 purchase. I was already holding an even $10 worth of stuff...so it really was free for me! Little bit of Summer vanilla berry splash!

* Saturday afternoon I went with friend Ronda down to her daughter's house so I could see the family - including a brand new baby! I hadn't seen any of them since lake living this past summer and have missed them terribly! Khi is so grown up now...and a child after my own heart...cleaning up the puzzle after completing it. Bless him.
And here's little Silas. Isn't he darling?
Got a smile out of him too, thankyouverymuch.

Then, last night, I drove up to Ft. Wayne for a Valentine's day party with Jamie and some of her friends. You'll get to hear more about that soon, so I won't elaborate right now.

Favorite God Moment of the Whole Week: I had two separate moments this week in which I needed God to come through...and I needed Him to do it right then. And when He did, both times, it was such a beautiful reminder to me that He does hear when I pray and when the need presses, the answer comes. He's been trying to teach me to trust Him for delayed answers, and both my answered prayers this week were reminders of that.

Books I am Reading: This was not a great week for reading - for no good reason. I certainly had the time! I read in Sparkling Gems from the Greek and a chapter in Believing God - and that's it!

Goal Update from Last Sunday: I did make it to the gym twice this week. (And worked out at home three times too, but the goal I stated was to get to the gym twice.) I did not get the valentines made. I still have today to work on it before I'm late for the holiday itself, but I did not get them made during the week like I wanted to. I just didn't feel creative. :(

Goals for the Coming Week: Three glasses of water per day...this is something I need to accomplish per the food journal I've been keeping. I simply have not been drinking enough water (some days no water) and I need to work on it. I also need to write an article or hunt one down in my archives...to submit for something.

Pictures and Stuff

I don't know if you've picked up on this or not...but I sort of like pictures. :)

Last month, when I met up with Kari for our belated Christmas celebration, I went armed with my three latest scrapbooks, done through Picaboo. I've decided to do all my scrapbooks the digital way now. (I'll pause in case you need to gasp. This news shocks some.) Picaboo has a great program that lets me still "scrap" with fun backgrounds, but it also lets me make my pictures bigger - even up to the size of a whole page. I like that for the extra wow pictures.

As Kari flipped through the book of my vacation to Tennessee with Faith and her daughters, she stopped at the picture of the lion. The lion was part of our visit to the Louisville zoo, and he was one fantastic animal. I shivered as I zoomed in and took pictures, because he stared me down through my camera lens with a look that said he knew what I was doing and he wasn't happy about it.

But as she paused on the picture, she asked if I'd ever thought about adding a verse to the picture and having a print made. Well, no, but now I have!

So...I went home, pilfered around for a good lion verse, and added it into the picture. I emailed it to Kari, and she loved it so much, she wanted a 10x13 print of it!

A few days ago, I told this story to Rachel, because she's a good little photographer herself, and she told me about this website: Nations Photo Lab. She'd used it to order some prints and liked the prices and the quality. So I checked it out - and discovered they are running a special on enlargements. SWEET! So as a trial, I ordered my lion print and paid $11.06 for a 10x13 - shipping included! And Thursday....this arrived:
You can't tell from the picture, but it's printed on a linen paper - thick and extra classy looking. I'm so impressed.

I took the picture to work, where I received an order from Kari's mom, who wants a print of her own! My mom has requested one too - and she hasn't even seen it live yet.

So there you go. My new addiction. I may or may not have doctored up three other pictures thus far....

Olivia

** I have been the blogger at The Intentional Journey yesterday and today. If you have a moment, I'd love you to hop over and check it out! Link on side bar! **

Olivia was sixteen when I started mentoring her. At our first meeting, we settled in at a table at Tree of Life, ordered dollar lattes (oh how I miss those!) and cracked open our already-read copies of The Prayer of Jabez to see if there were any new things we could learn from its few chapters.

In the years to follow, we read other books (I think my favorite study we ever did was Elizabeth George's book Beautiful in God's Eyes - a study on Proverbs 31), prayed endlessly for each other, got together for coffee dates and home movie nights, and even worked out together now and then. (She slaughtered me in every workout. Stupid ten year age difference.)

Olivia was the one who sneaked into Tree of Life one day while I was on a first date, and peeked out from behind a bookshelf just to see what this guy looked like. She was also the one who concocted a terrific story to get some pictures of one of my die-hard crushes as a Christmas gift for me one year. She's been known to bring me frappes on days she sensed were unraveling me, and while in college, would drop by my office just to give me a hug. She was also the one to hit the floor in prayer with me the night before my desert ended.

In college, she began to date an amazing guy. No seriously. Amazing. Check this out. After they started to date (and I'd riddled her with questions about him and was dying to see him) he showed up in my office one day, stuck out his hand and said, "Hi, I'm Tom. Olivia's told me so much about you and I just wanted to introduce myself."

Shut up. Are you for real?

Indeed he was. Together they actually asked to come over to my house for Sunday lunches because they liked my cooking. On my birthday, they showed up in the morning to bring me pancakes, sausage, and scrambled eggs they'd made in a kitchenette on campus. I loved those two and the way they loved me.

They were one of those rare God-ordained couples. A couple that embodied what it meant for two to be better than one. A couple you'd look at and say Man, I hope they make it because they will pour the love of God into everyone they meet.

This past spring, they graduated from college and moved away into the real world. Olivia and I still do our once a week meetings - by phone, now. And last week, she sent me an email to ask for prayer. She didn't know what was happening, but something seemed amiss. Of course, I went straight to prayer - for wisdom for her and Tom.

Saturday night, as I watched some sappy Hallmark movie and recovered from shoveling, my phone rang. Call from Olivia.

She sounded like she was crying.

My heart stopped beating (literally) as she began to speak. "I was just wondering if you would honor me be standing up with me in my wedding?"

That boy proposed to my sweet girl. I was so glad. I did not want to have to hunt him down and have words with him.

I don't know if I cried more over the proposal or the invitation to be part of her wedding. She reminded me (after half a dozen EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE's!!!) that I'd not answered her question. I said, "Are you for real?"

She told me I've been influential in her life and in their relationship, and she wanted me standing with her that day.

As she shared with me the details of how he proposed and how God had led him...prompted him...assured him....confirmed that this was His plan for their lives, my heart swelled with hope. Hope that God still speaks to men's hearts and that men still listen to Him and follow in obedience.

Will I be her bridesmaid? Oh yes. I will be honored and humbled to stand beside her that day and watch her step confidently into her promised land.

100 Random Facts Part 4

** The last fact-let in part three was that I have a list of non-negotiables where kids are concerned. That is important to know for item one in this post...**

* One of them is that I will not do the breastfeeding thing.

*I have already been lectured about this, and I don't even HAVE kids.

* I also want to give my children strange names.

* Working in a school has ruined a lot of names for me.

* I will not name my kids Brownie or Praline - which will only make sense to you if you've seen the movie Where the Heart Is.

* That is one of only fourteen movies I own.

* I own more Gaither Homecoming DVD's than actual movies.

* I did not like David Phelps when he first joined the Vocal Band. (Don't tell him.) (I have obviously learned the error of my ways.)

* I am IN one of the Homecoming tapings - Down by the Tabernacle.

* I would consider working for the Gaithers to be a dream job. (Unless they asked me to sing a solo.) (Then I'd just pass out.)

* For now, I just shop in their store, which, as you may remember, makes THE BEST caramel frappes I've ever had in my life.

* I didn't even like coffee until after college.

* My job drove me to drinking...coffee, that is.

* I've never had a drink of alcohol, unless you count NyQuil.

* I'm scared I'd become an instant alcoholic, so I don't even mess with it.

* In college I survived on a Mountain Dew addiction.

* I had to give it up after college due to stomach issues.

* I still miss it and gaze longingly upon it when others partake.

* I am good about avoiding it, though, because I don't want to go back to the ER.

* The last time I went to the Health Center at work, my blood pressure was near stroke level. (I am that scared of medical offices!)

* I know the BP is really okay because anytime I check it at Wal Mart, it's fine...and if it's fine at the Wal Mart, it's FINE.

* Wal Mart was where my first boyfriend and I went on dates because it was the only place in town open after midnight, which was when he got off work.

* After midnight is when I function best anyway.

* I hate mornings so much that growing up, I was literally hateful to my parents first thing in the morning.

* I would have tanned my hide for that if I'd been them.

* Maybe it's good I was born so late in their lives...they were too tired to fight me on it!

** This concludes my 100 random facts. You should make a 100 facts list. It's fun to see where your stream of thought takes you! **

100 Random Facts Part 3

** Random facts continue...if you're just joining up, there are two posts below that might help this one make sense. **

* Growing up, I was only allowed to watch Little House on the Prairie and Alf.

* The rule in our house was if a swear word was used on TV, the show had to be turned off immediately.

* Though Little House didn't use much profanity, I learned where all the words were and turned down the volume the next time that episode aired so I could finally see how it ended. (That was about as close to rebellion as I ever got growing up.)

* I was not allowed to do homework on Sundays.

* I liked that rule and kept it even when I went to college.

* I did not observe it my last semester and now I wish I would have, so I could say I made it ALL the way through school without ever doing homework on Sundays.

* I had my own room my last semester of college, after a falling out with my roommate.

* We made up after college, and I was even in her wedding.

* Her mom wanted to set me up with the brother of the groom.

* In another wedding, where I was the maid of honor, the brother of the groom was the best man, and at the reception, he broke up with his fiancee and asked me out. (I don't make this stuff up, people.)

* We never went out.

* The first wedding I was in was the first time I'd ever danced.

* It was also the last time I've ever danced.

* It's a dream of mine to one day be asked to dance again.

* Especially since it's now permitted where I work.

* I am the youngest person in my office, and yet I have worked in that office longer than any of the rest of my co-workers.

* The job I had before working in Financial Aid was working in a loan office.

* Have I mentioned I can't do math?

* In high school, I babysat for a living.

* I was a very good sitter.

* Unfortunately, my lack of bearing my own children means that most moms look at me with condescension.

* It is my great hope that, should I ever have children of my own, I will not do the same thing to other non-moms.

* I have a list of non-negotiables where kids are concerned.

100 Random Facts Part 2

** The end of post one was talking about my gray hair...in case you forgot. You may now continue reading random Bekahness. **

* When my hair started going gray, I tried highlighting to hide it.

* My first highlight was a fail, because after my friend finished it, she found the packet of highlighting powder that she'd forgotten to add. (Woops.)

* It was an omen of things to come, because a few years later, I dyed it orange by mistake.

* The attempt to fix it came out Ronald McDonald Red.

* It was fixed by a professional in time for my ten year high school reunion.

* I was voted most changed since high school at that reunion.

* I was asked repeatedly if I was someone's date, because no one recognized me.

* But that's okay...my own mother doesn't recognize me now between my hair color changes and my recent weight loss.

* Mom and I have an annual tradition of going to the county fair to eat a tenderloin, split an elephant ear, and look for people I went to high school with who were skinny then and are fat now.

* Okay so that last part is just me. (And it's not nice.) (I'll gain ten pounds from the fat fairy for it.)

* This year at the fair, I got sick from a combination of too much heat and not enough food.

* I have a great fear of sickness, therefore I also refuse to ride rides...because they make me sick to my stomach AND dizzy.

* I would like to one day ride a Ferris wheel. Preferably with a date.

* I would also like to one day travel to Prince Edward Island - the home of Anne of Green Gables.

* I will travel with Julie Crandall if I ever get to make that trip...she's my Anne buddy.

* If...no WHEN...I go, I want to spend enough time there to fully absorb the experience without cutting corners.

* I'd also like to take a cruise someday.

* I've never gone to a formal dinner though, so I'd have to buy a new dress for the occasion.

* I'd also have to learn which fork to use.

* Actually that whole fork thing stresses me out...give me a restaurant with a dollar menu.

*I have been known to feel guilty on dates when my meal costs more than $10.

* One of my favorite dates ever in my whole life involved a carpet picnic of Papa John's pizza, moose tracks ice cream, and a movie.

* Wasn't a date, but one of my favorite birthday outings was when Jon and Julie Crandall took me to a hot dog/root beer stand for dinner and then to a drive in theater to see Shrek 2.

* My first movie to see in a regular theater was Runaway Bride...I was a senior in college.

* I did not enjoy the movie because I thought God was going hate me for going to a movie.

* He did not.

100 Random Facts Part 1

** I found this on a blog I read and thought it would be fun to try. 100 sentences of random facts...one morphing into the next. Since that would make for one blessed long post, I'm breaking it up into four days. **

* One of my biggest pet peeves is when people back into parking spaces...I find it presumptuous.
* I refuse to use the handicap button to open a door just because my arms are full.

* I could have legitimately used said button when I was eleven and broke my leg after falling off a bike.

* I had a pink cast after that incident.

* That year, my Halloween costume involved a crutch, an arm sling, some lipstick "gashes," and a sign that said, "You should see the other guy." (I can't imagine being a mom trying to figure out a costume for her kid-in-a-cast.) (Way to go, Mama!)

* That was also my last year to dress up for Halloween...the next year I wore a shirt that said, "This IS my Halloween costume."

* One year - 3rd grade, to be exact - I dressed up as Raggedy Ann for Halloween, and my Mom snapped a picture of me picking my nose. (How embarrassing.) (And disgusting.)

* Another nasty habit I used to have was nail biting, but I gave it up in 7th grade so I could look like my friend Cyndi, who had long, beautiful nails.

* Cyndi also taught me how to French braid my own hair, and I got to be really good at it.

* My hair, at its longest point, went almost to my waist and was 50 kinds of unruly.

* I also had a poofy bangs era, which was when I discovered Rave 4 Hairspray.

* I used so much of it that I had to chip it off my bedroom furniture.

* Speaking of furniture, I still have and use the dresser my parents bought me when I was a kid.

* That dresser was the location of my first kiss. (He was sitting on it and I was standing beside him...just to clarify.)

* I was 2 1/2 months shy of being 21 when that kiss took place and it is still one of my favorite moments.

* That boyfriend was also the first guy to ever say "I love you" to me, and that moment was straight out of a movie script, it seemed.

* The apartment where he lived when he said the first "I love you" was an apartment where my parents lived after they were first married. (Still grosses me out.) (Mom thinks that's funny.)

* I, too, lived in an apartment for 2 1/2 months after college, before moving into my first house. (Not the same one where the boyfriend lived...just to clarify.)

* I lived on baked potatoes, because it was all I knew how to cook.

* My grocery budget was only $50 a month - and that included cleaning supplies, shampoo, etc.

* I still grocery shop with a calculator.

* I can't actually do math in my head - even simple math - hence the calculator.

* I've been known to count on my fingers under the table before (at work) while trying to NOT let on that I can't do math in my head.

* When I first started working, I wore fake glasses to make myself look older, because parents would not take me seriously due to my young looks.

* My gray hair (courtesy of my job and MY parents - HA!) now gives me great credibility.

It's the Weekly Recap!

* I started off last Sunday teaching Sunday School to the junior high girls. Took them a little morning treat...don't you wish you were in my class?


After church, I hunkered down in the living room with the fireplace running, my jammie pants on, my fleece blanket over me...and I watched Hallmark's Little House on the Prairie marathon while I worked on a writing project.
* This was the view Monday morning....

...and the rest of Monday was spent plotting ways to prepare for and survive the pending Snowmageddon. I kept a running list throughout the day...but you've already read about my prep list. I was supposed to have dinner at a friend's house Monday evening but she had to cancel. In the end, I was glad since the precipitation showed up much earlier than they predicted, and I had a list to accomplish!
* The snow may have showed up earlier, but it fizzled out enough that we did NOT get the long-awaited and much-desired weather day on Tuesday. So I went to work, where I was greeted by Mr. February:


I spent most of the day waiting for word that we would be dismissed early - which finally came an hour before the end of the day. LOL! Took advantage of the electricity (in case it went away later) by making brown sugar meat loaf and a baked potato for dinner - and basically took it easy the rest of the night while listening to sleet pelt the windows.

* Wednesday, as you've already seen, was a snow day for Bekah!!!
* Thursday I had to return to work, which was treacherous at best since my road was still not plowed. I barely made it off my street without getting stuck in the ice-masked-as-snow, and then all day I fretted about how I'd get back ONTO the street. I even prayed for a plow to show up, which would very much take an act of God. When I got home, my prayer was answered (not as cleanly as I envisioned, but nonetheless, we were plowed-ish). And then I came inside to this lovely sight: Two words: Braeya Jo.

* Friday...I came home at lunch and wandered over to the Gaither site to find this on preorder:

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! (I'm kind of a David Phelps fan in case you forgot...from, you know, earlier in this post.) Judy, one of my co-workers, was laughing at my bounce-off-the-wall excitement and advised that I avoid coffee until I came down from the high of this news. I responded by heading straight to McConn for a 16 ounce vanilla hazelnut fresh brew. (There's a preview online. Of the DVD, not the fresh brew. You should watch it. David's oldest son is FUNNY!!)
* Saturday I awakened to a surprise snowfall which resulted in six more inches of snow on top of our ice. That meant my yard went from looking like this:
...to this:
Because I'm such a girl, I ventured forth (praying all the way) to the salon to get my long, long, long overdue haircut. It was worth risking life and limb...that's how overdue I was. Made it there and back, dug out my driveway and sidewalk (again) and went out into the mid-storm, pre-Super-Bowl madness to do more grocery shopping, and came home to STAY. I even made a batch of baked potato soup!

Favorite God Moment of the Whole Week: The day I prayed for the snowplow...as I snuggled under the sheets to go to sleep that night, God whispered to my heart, "You asked for a snowplow...I sent three." I giggled in bed. That's just like God. Triple the snowplow answer!

Books I am Reading: Plugging away at Sparkling Gems from the Greek. Continuing to learn from it! I read another chapter in Beth Moore's Believing God for my study with Olivia. FINISHED The Peanut Butter Man!
Goal Update from Last Sunday: I printed off new pictures for the frames in my office - much improved! The brake light is fixed...and thanks to my snow day, I finished a book! Success!

Goals for the Coming Week: I want to make it to the gym twice this coming week. Due to the weather, I've not been there for several days, and I miss it! I also want to make some Valentines to give away...trying to make the day special for some others!

Brown Sugar Meat Loaf

Meat loaf is one of "those" dishes. Some people (pretty sure my sister is one of them) hate it...and others find it to be great comfort food. I've never made it until recently, mostly because Mom never had a recipe to give me, and I'm unlikely to venture something without a recipe. I can't just throw something together like some people can.

But this year I've started reading the Organizing Junkie blog (link on left) and every Monday, she does "Menu Planning Monday." She shares her food plans for the week (including links to recipes) and other readers do the same. So from that adventure...I found this recipe. The original recipe came from allrecipes.com but I've tweaked it a bit to suit my purposes.

Absolutely fell in love with it the first time I made it. It's a good warm winter food. It also warms over well, which I loved. I've been eating it with a side of a baked potato...and when I served it to company, I also made macaroni and cheese to go with it.

The Recipe:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 small onion, chopped
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Pat brown sugar onto bottom of greased loaf pan. Spread ketchup over the sugar. In a bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients until well mixed and press into pan over sugar and ketchup. Bake for an hour at 350.

As usual, I used the dried chopped onion, and saved myself some time. I don't often bother with what kind of beef I get, but for this, I do try to get a leaner cut so I don't have so much grease to contend with at the end. And my bread crumbs were Italian - which gave it great flavor.
I just press the brown sugar into the pan (make sure you spray it well first!) My loaf pan angles in at the bottom, so the sugar layer is pretty thick.

Don't tell...I didn't actually measure the ketchup. I just sort of drizzled it over the brown sugar until it looked like 1/2 cup. (Tsk tsk. Mrs. Lee would not be proud.)

Dump everything else in the bowl! Doesn't get much easier than that!

I really don't like gooey messes on my hands, so I stick my hands inside plastic baggies to mix it up.

I promise it tastes much better than it looks at this stage. Make sure you mix it well so all the onion doesn't end up in one spot!

I just toss it in on top of the sugar and ketchup - kind of by the lump-ful....

...and then I press it down so it's even around the edges. Stick it in the oven and bake! (Side note - the first time I made this, I put it in the oven before I went to work out and when I got home, it was ready to exit the oven. PERFECT TIMING!!!)

Ta DAAAA!! I didn't take a picture of this step because it's nasty, but I just scoop out the extra grease from the top and put it on a Styrofoam plate. I let it harden up and then throw it away.

Plate...and serve!!!

I hope you can enjoy it on these frigid winter days!!