December: Done

* The month began with hearing the news that my former roommate, Angela, passed away after a valiant battle with cancer.

* I decorated (as such) the house for Christmas and although it was considerably dialed down from what I usually do, it was festive.

* Did my first ever picture cards since I'd already packed all my stamps and stuff. No handmade cards this year!

* Did all my Christmas shopping in a couple of marathon sessions - much later than I usually do it. AAAHHH crazy life!

* At work...I had lots of fun experiences...like helping Lynne with the Christmas show, which included getting to help interview my friend Jody Hedlund, co-hosting the Biggest Loser former contestant show, working the Holiday Houses for Habitat remote, and surviving Lynne's adventure in jury duty. I also started my very own blooper reel with my first ridiculous on air blunder. Good grief. And to round out the month, Lynne and I spent a day madly planning our course for 2012!

* In party-land, I attended the client party for the realty company I'm shopping with in Fort Wayne. Found a new favorite pizza and had to-die-for yogurt! The station was invited to the Taylor Christmas party, so that was fun to attend! (Though it felt strange to go to the OTHER school's party after 11 years of IWU!) I went to Miss Kaylah's birthday bash and went home full of cake and ice cream!

* Gave valiant effort to speaking to kids for the first time since I taught Bible school last summer. Much shorter time frame - considerably larger audience!

* Had a handful of Christmas "meetings" over coffee and dinner with friends I hardly see anymore...like Bill and Kristin, Jenny, Faith, Judy, Ronda, Laura, Amber, Tom and Olivia...yes, I was quite full of dinner and coffee! :)

* Went to see the lights in the park even though I had to go by myself.

* Had Christmas with my family - and had a good time! You already saw the pictures. :)

* Thoroughly enjoyed some days off - my first, really, since beginning my new job. I desperately needed the rest and the time to regroup and plan for the future.

* My car hit the 100,000 mile mark right before New Year's - who EVER would have thought I'd drive a car far enough to hit that many miles?

And finally....my stone jar project has come to an end. One stone to represent each day of this year and the ways God has been present in my life. He is GOOD.

Stone Altar: End of December

My Letter to You

Tomorrow I wrap up the highlights of December here on Bekah's Bits...and Sunday dawns a new day, week, and year. The OCD in me loves it when a new year falls on the same day as a new week. It's perfection.

Several years ago, my friend Jim said to me, "Hey Bekah. You should blog." I looked at him as though he'd just said, "Hey Bekah, you should jump out of an airplane without a parachute."

The thought of perfect strangers reading my work...reading my life...made me absolutely hyperventilate. The avid CSI watcher in me envisioned no less than a mini-series of reasons why this was a recipe for being written into the show (and not on the detective end of things).

Jim was so adamant about my need to blog that he created the blog for me. He came into my office one day and said, "Here's the name, the login and the password. Blog."

Gulp.

And so I did. Those first posts were painfully scripted, guarded, and read 18 times (by me) to make sure they couldn't possibly get me killed. My 18 reads probably tripled the amount of actual out-there readers who read them. HA!

My first (or one of the first, anyway) comments was from a woman who blasted me for getting my cats declawed. Welcome to blogging!

But over the years, I've relaxed and you've arrived here at Bekah's Bits. I know who some of you are. I have gotten to know others of you through this journey, and what sweet friends you've become. I have no idea who others of you are, though I often wonder who lurks and reads.

You've walked with me through hard journeys, like the tornado and the desret. You've celebrated with me in the good times, which are truly too numerous to list in one post. You've prayed for and with me. You've tried some of the recipes. You've left comments now and then to say this bit of heart-vulnerability or that verse or song got to you on the right day, proving that God works through things like the blog of a very flawed girl.

You've laughed with me (and probably AT me, but let's focus on the WITH, mmmkay?) and cried with me too. I still probably outdid you on the tears, but I love it when you join me anyway.

As I head into a new year, I'm making a lot of changes in my life. Some things have to go. Some things have to come in. But I'm sticking with the blog. Other than the cosmetic updates, it's not getting much change. I like it just the way it is. I hope you'll stay with me. I hope you'll keep reading, laughing, crying, learning, and yes, even rolling your eyes.

I was a skeptic, forced to try this thing, but you've made me feel loved and accepted. Thank you. I'm glad you're part of Bekah's Bits. Stay with me? Let's do another year together?

Get Organized With Me?

I will admit it. I'm a NERD. (About many things, actually, but today we'll narrow it down to one area.)

The new year means many things to me, but one of the most significant is the chance to establish new routines and habits.

This past year, my intention was to get back into life. I spent most of 2010 sitting in my living room, crying and trying to breathe - while secretly hoping I might just die and escape the pain - but in the new year, I desperately wanted to live again. I wasn't sure how to jump back in after being away so long...so I just...jumped.

2011 was a beautiful mess of living hard (not to be confused with hard living, which is something else entirely)...and resulted in absolute exhaustion.

So for 2012, my goal is to live fully...and yet live balanced.

One thing that fell apart for me in 2011 was the ability to "keep house" - for lack of a better term. I was constantly on the go, and that doubled once I began my new job and commute. As a a result, cleaning and organizing took such a back seat, I'm not even sure they were any longer in the vehicle!

So this year, I'm determined to work on that. And in a little turn of divine intervention (who says God can't work through Pinterest?) I found this website which makes cleaning and organizing totally manageable. One thing per day - for a whole year.

I might not have time to spring-clean my house every weekend, but I do have time to attack one tiny thing every day.

If you're feeling a little overwhelmed by the task of cleaning and organizing, check out the calendar! Maybe you can join me in 2012 - the year of simplifying and organizing! I plan to print out each month's page and hang it up so I don't forget my task for the day. And for the days that don't apply to me - I'll enjoy a day of rest!

A Year's Journey of Verses.

One of this year's great adventures was participating in Beth Moore's "Siesta Scripture Memory Team." I noticed early on that as I selected my new verse every 15 days or so...the choice ended up corresponding so perfectly with what God was doing in my heart and life, even though I often had no idea what would transpire in that time frame. It was one of the most pivotal ways God spoke to me this year.

I strung all the verses together just to see what it looked like and found it read kind of like a conversation between God and me. So I restructured it a bit and thought I'd share it with you here. (Please note that the things I changed weren't intended to be changes to Scripture...just kind of a conversation based on Scripture. Disclaimer!)

My Sweet Girl...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. Demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of Me, and take captive every thought and make it obedient to Me.

Abba, I keep asking that the God of my Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that I may know You better. I am still confident of this: I will see Your goodness in the land of the living.

Bekah, wait for Me; be strong and take heart and wait for Me. As you know, I consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what I finally brought about. I am full of compassion and mercy. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the I, the Lord Your God, gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that you may have life and have it to the full. Therefore I am now going to allure you; I will lead you into the desert and speak tenderly to you. There I will give you back your vineyards, and will make your Valley of Achor a door of hope. There you will sing as in the days of your youth, as in the day you came up out of Egypt. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?

Abba, I believe You will fulfill Your purpose for me; Your love, O Lord, endures forever - do not abandon the works of your hands.

Bekah, you are a chosen girl, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a daughter belonging to Me, that you may declare My praises...I who called you out of darkness into My wonderful light.

Sweet Father, may your favor rest upon me; establish the work of my hands for me - yes, establish the work of my hands. O Lord, be gracious to me; I long for you. Be my strength every morning, my salvation in time of distress.

Baby Girl, My way is perfect; My Word is flawless. I am a shield for all who take refuge in Me. You, my girl, are the pot I was shaping from the clay, and you were marred in My hands, so I, the Potter formed you into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to Me. So then, you who suffer according to God's will should commit yourself to your faithful Creator and continue to do good. I will give you a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord. You will be my Daughter, and I will be your God, for you will return to me with all your heart. I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt. Again you will take up your tambourine and go out to dance with the joyful. I will fight for you; you need only to be still. I will meet all your needs according to My glorious riches in Christ Jesus. But you, dear Bekah, build yourself up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. And My glory will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Oh God of hope, fill me with all joy and peace as I trust in You, so that I may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

30 Days of You and Me: Day Thirty

And with the end of the year...I conclude this long-drawn out little project I did...30 Days of You and Me. It's a perfect end-of-year post, actually.

The actual question is What have I learned about myself in the past 30 days? I'll modify that since I dragged this thing out for something like a year and a half.

I've been reflecting on this past crazy-busy, full-of-change year, and here are some of the epiphanies I've had.

* Way before the desert ever started, my sister wrote me a letter, and in it, she said I'm stronger than I know. I didn't believe her. Now I do.

* Most things aren't worth getting upset about. A grammatically poor sentence, but true, nonetheless. I have always been (rightfully) accused of being high-strung, and just about anything stressed me out. I've mellowed. And I love it when I see mellowing in action - like this past week when I lost about an hour-and-a-half's worth of work at my job and rather than getting mad and crying, as Bekah of yore would have done, I rolled my eyes and cracked down to redo it.

* God is at work in me when I can't see it. When I look at the things my job requires of me (being an extrovert, driving in cities, daily commutes, public vulnerability, etc) i know I couldn't have done those things even a year ago. I was much too caught up in fear. But each circumstance I went through made me able to do what I do now.

* I have worth and it's finally coming from the right source. I told Ronda a few days ago that when I dated Isaac, I believed for the first time that I was worth loving. Somehow he made me believe that. And I figured when he left, that worth would disappear right along with him. But it didn't. Though I was broken that he didn't choose to love me, I still believe I'm worth loving. That's new!

* God's timing is mysterious, yet perfect. It baffles me that the lack of house sale hasn't unglued me. But as I recently told Lynne, I don't doubt for one second that the job was of God. Therefore the fact that He has NOT sold my house tells me it's a calculated situation and He's using it in some way for something. Does it annoy me? Yes. Do I wish it were going differently right now? Yes. But I still trust that He knows what He's doing!

* And finally - the biggest truth I've learned in this past year is this: I survived the desert. I can survive anything. Some of you might read this next part and say "Oh that is not true." But for me, I believe it is. I can think of very few things that could be worse than what I went through last year. (For me, I mean.) Being loved to the point of marriage talk and then rejected was pretty much my worst fear. I've lived through hard stuff, but for my personality, that was the worst thing. I thought it would kill me and it didn't. So if I could live through that, then I can live through whatever. And I tell myself that when something hard surfaces. I pep talk myself with "Bekah, you lived your worst fear. You were chosen and left. And you survived it. If you did THAT, you can do THIS. Get out there and do this."

So that's what I've learned. It's a great end-of-year question, though. What about you? What have you learned about yourself...life...God?

Christmas 2011

You l.o.v.e. reading Christmas recaps, don't you? Well, hang with me. I'll try to make it worth your while. I call this...a Christmas photo essay.

Lori, Jeff, and Cassie didn't get to come home for Christmas, but Tom and Julie made it up from Indianapolis, so the five of us had Christmas together. Last year I was teased for stacking up gifts high enough to prop the camera for the self-timed family photo. So Tom and Julie donated their unused tripod and this year:
Yes. I was wearing sleeveless. I knew between church and Mom and Dad's house, I'd be sweating before the day was done.

It's not Christmas until....

I've loaded up on Mom's homemade chocolates. YUM YUM!!!!!!

You know it might be a long day when....

...you feel like this and the meal just started. LOL! I don't remember what they were talking about, but this was my feeling toward it.

We had a fantastic lunch (Mom is a good little cook!) and then we dove into our gifts. Tom's new hoodie and gloves.

Dad's new windchimes. I finally had to say "Perhaps this is more of an outside toy." (Parent/child role reversal has begun...)

MY NEW RAIN BOOTS!! I'm so excited about them! Aren't they the cutest ever?

Julie's gift (one of them) from me. It says "I'd like to help you out. Which way did you come in?" Hee hee hee. It's so her.

Mom's sign: "I want my children to have all the things I couldn't afford; then I'll move in with them." LOL!!!!! Or not!

There's Tom without most of his face hidden in a hoodie. :)

I feel like such a grown up now. Seriously.

So. Let me tell you about this gift. Mom wanted to get us all personalized key covers. So Julie opened hers that said "Julie." And somewhere out in Kansas were personalized ones for Lori and my niece. But as I've known for 33 years, with a name like Rebekah, your chances for personalized ANYTHING is slim. Apparently key covers are no exception. So you know what she got me instead? Can you see what it says??

FLIRT! My own mother got me a keychain that says flirt. Are you KIDDING ME???
Another grown up gift: my very own waffle maker. Isn't it fun?

Mom succeeded in finding a sweater for a girl with a broken thermostat. Lightweight, short sleeves, works well!

So then it was photo opp time. Me with the parental units...

The Freelan clan (minus Lori). So basically you have, from the left, Flirt, Dad, Mom, Julie.

The sibling photo.

And then it was time to come home and have Christmas with little Braeya Jo Jo. She was so amused about the camera.

Inspecting the gifts: two bags of treats, two new balls (which must have catnip in them) and a laser mouse.

First Christmas without my boy. Miss him. He loved opening his stocking so much.

She's part dog. Carries her toys around in her mouth.

And that was Christmas! Now, as I told them at the family gathering...the only thing more perfect than the new knife set and waffle maker would be having a new kitchen in which to place them!

It's the Weekly Recap!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Praying today brings beautiful blessing to you! Thanks for being part of the gift of my life...all you commenters and lurkers alike. :)

* Last Sunday I went to Mom and Dad's for lunch and Christmas with my Aunt B. Aren't we cute?
Then I came home to wrap like a mad woman and finish the cooking! I made 18 gift pails for the work crew...sugared almonds and toffee crackers and marshmallows dipped in chocolate and rolled in candy (for hot chocolate). I was EXHAUSTED by bedtime!

* Monday evening I went for my official Christmas manicure - all pretty in red! Then I came home to do chores and, like a mad woman, prepare my speech for the elementary school chapel on Tuesday morning! I was s.c.a.r.e.d. to death. Highlight of the evening was my surprise phone call from Skyepuppy. So good to hear her voice. Haven't talked to her out loud (I don't think) since I met her in person 3 or 4 years ago. Thanks, Skye, for calling!!

*Tuesday morning, I had to be in Auburn to speak in chapel at 8 a.m. (I didn't know until the day before that the school was a half hour NORTH of my work. Woops! That was one early morning for me!) I was super nervous but the kids were good and I made it! And after work, I had Christmas with my friend Jenny over dinner at Fazoli's. That would make the second time in a row I've picked to eat at Fazoli's on kid night.I think I should be fired from dinner decision making processes!

* Wednesday morning I overslept an hour and a half (must have been making up for Tuesday) and proceeded to think it was Thursday all day. Ick! After work I met Faith for dinner/Christmas at Culvers and then went to visit Ronda to exchange presents. Can you believe I had three Christmases in two days and did not take a single picture? This is what happens when you celebrate in restaurants. But I loved spending time with my friends!

* Thursday was my embarrassing blooper moment on Mid-Morning. Do catch up on that good laugh if you missed it. (Eyeroll.) I also gave Lynne her Christmas presents and told her I had to take a picture since I've been a Bekahrazzi-failure this week!!
* Friday was my last day of work before a long weekend! It was also our last live show of 2011 and I did much better than embarrassing blooper day! That night I had a much-needed chill night with a frappe (low-fat) and pizza (little treat for me) - and I organized my day planner. What. A. Nerd.

* Saturday morning, Braeya woke me up at 5:15. She missed both the "It's Saturday" memo and the "it's vacation" memo. Ick. The day was kind of a hard day, to be honest, but at the end, I sucked it up and drove out to the park to look at the lights. I hate doing stuff alone, but sitting at home crying was getting me nowhere, so I went. And I was glad I did.

Books I'm Reading: Jesus Calling and One Thousand Gifts were the only books I took time for this week. I probably HAD more time but I was sleepy.

Favorite God Moment of the Whole Week: Yesterday afternoon, in the middle of struggling (read about another engagement...those never get easier!) I just curled up on the floor in front of the fireplace and asked God to comfort my heart. It was one of those quiet, intimate moments when He spoke in such a whisper, I could hardly hear it, and I couldn't even say words out loud. But it was still beautiful.

Update on Last Week's Goals: All Christmas chores are DONE!!! And it's good...since it's Christmas!

Goals for the Coming Week: This is a very important week for me. The last week of the year. I need to finish the year well but also think hard and pray about what God wants me to do in the coming year.

Merry Christmas!

Yes. I know Christmas is tomorrow.

But that's weekly recap day, so I wanted to spend today wishing you a Merry Christmas!

This year, Christmas has been out of sorts for me. Everything was late, rushed, scaled back, and occasionally filled with tears. Nothing was coordinated, well-planned, or sometimes even executed. I felt like I was living some sort of Lifetime movie about the Christmas that wasn't.

I know I'm not alone in that feeling. If Facebook and blog posts are any indication, many of you are in that same discombobulated boat.

But in my state of disarray, this thought did occur to me:

Wasn't the first Christmas that way?

Mary didn't have a color coordinated nursery with perfectly spaced striped walls and Jesus' name hand painted opposite the crib. No monogrammed blankets and pre-laundered onesies. The car seat wasn't installed by a police officer and she hadn't received one thing off the registry. The suitcase wasn't packed by the front door and I highly doubt her weekly pregnancy photos had been documented with the corresponding fruit and/or vegetable representing the baby's size.

It was a discombobulated Christmas then, too.

And yet how God takes the chaotic and makes it beautiful.

He still does.

And I'm grateful.

Merry Christmas to you, dear friends!

One of my favorite Christmas songs...and it must be sung by Point of Grace. (You thought I was going to say David, didn't you?)

Bekah: Blooper Reel #1

** I'm digging up my own blooper reel to share it in Kristen's "Out of the Blue" Thursday post. There's nothing of eternal significance in this post, but if you need a good laugh at someone else's expense, please scroll down and read! :)






It was bound to happen one day. The day when I said something so ridiculously WRONG on the air that I wanted to cut out my own tongue and never talk again.

Enter yesterday.

Lynne and I enjoy bantering back and forth on the air, and in recent weeks, I've helped here and there with some interviews. I did my first "solo" interview a few weeks ago when I chatted with Tresha from the Cherished Moments Craft Hideaway. It was the perfect starter interview for me, because I already knew Tresha and was familiar with the Hideaway. Then, earlier this month, Lynne trusted me with another segment and I spent about 10 minutes talking with the Mamarazzi - Stacy Wasmuth - about photography. Didn't know Stacy before, but my position as the Bekahrazzi made that kind of a natural fit.

So yesterday Lynne asked me if I'd like to interview Laura, the owner of a truly darling Etsy Shop called Dishfunctional Designs. (Just for fun - try saying that three times fast!) Laura had the brilliant idea of creating necklaces and bracelets out of broken pieces of china. What a cool idea for someone who might have chipped heirloom pieces that aren't usable for table service but would make amazing gifts!

As I introduced Laura yesterday (and she was right there on the phone listening to the whole thing), I MEANT to say, "For most, a broken piece of china would be an annoyance to be thrown in the trash. But not for Laura. She takes the broken china and turns it into beautiful pieces of jewelry."

What I ACTUALLY said was "For most, a broken piece of china would be an annoyance. But not for Laura. She turns it into TRASH."

Oh. My. Word. Did I just say that out loud?

Indeed I did. And not only did I say it out loud, I said it with complete certainty.

To my credit, I realized my mistake immediately and recovered it as best I could.

But oh the laughs I brought upon myself...all day long...from my loving co-workers. And so begins my blooper reel.

(Can I just say right here in print that her designs are NOT trash? They are gorgeous and you should go to her shop right now and see for yourself.)

And can I also say that even the pros mess up...

Party Miscellany

I've been to a handful of parties lately...of the Christmas variety...of the birthday variety...of the who-knows-what variety. Thought I'd smoosh (highly technical term there - feel free to use!) them all together in one post and let you see what's what!

Last Saturday was Miss Kaylah's birthday party, and I attended. Faith always does a pinata at her kids' parties, and this year the big kids were at the front of the line and the thing was toast in no time. So those that didn't get a chance to swing the bat....had their own variety of post-pinata fun:
(She's tickling him through the hole.)

This is Liam. Dear, sweet, funny Liam. This was right after we got "mawwied" because he kissed me. (Apparently that's all it takes now.) In the next moment, our stomachs got "mawwied" because they touched when we hugged. (The fine line between overeating and being mawwied, I suppose.) At the end, he told me I couldn't be his girlfriend until he was sixteen. Does this mean we're not mawwied anymore?

My birthday girl! Who, of course, is not really mine. But she's cute and fun!

This past Sunday was Christmas with "Ain't B." She and Mom and I are just a bundle of up-to-no-good when we're together. I got the most fabulousest (feel free to use that word too) picture of Mom being goofy but you know...Christmas is coming...and I want her to NOT return the gifts...so I won't post it. B and I were good girls and smiled pretty:

And last, but not least, this is from last week. I mentioned in the recap that I went to a pizza and yogurt party at YOYO in Ft. Wayne. It was a party hosted by the realty company I'm house hunting with in Ft. Wayne. I found myself in one of their pictures! Brown shirt, bottom o the picture - that's me! And now I know what I look like from the back. The girl at the table with me (in the Santa hat) is my realtor. She ROCKS. Love working with her!

And there you have it. My smattering of parties and the news of my mawwiage.

Redemption

Yesterday I arrived at work about an hour late, because I was speaking in a chapel service north of Fort Wayne. It was snowing when I showed up, and I scampered through the parking lot in my too-long pants and not-quite-broken-in black heels, trying to dodge the wet flakes.

A man walked ahead of me, and I didn't recognize him. When he paused near the door, he turned around and smiled broadly at me. "Is this the building where they broadcast Mid-Morning?"

"Yes," I answered, wishing for one moment that I didn't have to be such a pack mule every day and would have had a free hand to offer in welcome. "Are you Zach?"

He seemed surprised I knew his name, so I continued. "I'm Bekah. I'm the producer. We're glad you're here with us today!"

We walked in together and I unloaded my day's worth of luggage and got him settled in with a cup of coffee and a bottle of water. I explained the mechanics of the upcoming interview...keep the mic close...don't talk during the stinger music...here's the headphone volume...I'll be in that room right over there...Lynne's great and she'll put you right at ease.

Before I walked out, he paused and handed me a book. "Here. I want you to have this. It's a daily devotional my brothers and I wrote. Thanks so much for having me on the show."

My eyes fell to the cover. Prepare to Die...and Then Live.

Zach, you see, has Stage IV colon cancer. There is no cure for his cancer, short of a miracle. Treatment hopes to prolong his life from the anticipated 2 1/2 year life expectancy to maybe 5.

And Zach is 29.

With thoughts of Angela fresh in my mind, I settled in to the engineer board with only my headphones, phone, and Zach's book in my clutch. (Normally I pack mule my way into the studio too with all sorts of luggage.) Once the show was up and running, I turned my chair so I could see the Mid-Morning studio and I listened.

I listened to Zach tell Lynne he's doing well. And apparently he's gotten much better looking with cancer, because no one used to ever mention his looks but suddenly everyone says, "You look great!"

I smiled.

I listened to him tell about the day he got the phone call that said his cancer was terminal. The day he had to tell his wife he would die. The day they had to explain as best they could to two tiny children.

I cried.

I listened to him say he didn't want to waste his cancer. He wanted to use it to bring about glory to God in ways that he wouldn't have thought to do if he'd not been told he had cancer. About how he wanted to redeem the cancer.

My heart seared with pain.

How many times in my desert did I ask God to redeem the pain I felt?

Zach is using his cancer and his book to raise money for orphans in Haiti. What am I using my health for? What am I using my desert for?

Gulp.

At the end of the show, Lynne and Mitch Kruse (the regular guest who brought Zach to us) each prayed for Zach. I peeked over my board and saw Zach's head bowed toward the mic, lips moving in agreement as two people prayed for his health and his ministry.

Ross came in to prepare for his show, and normally when he arrives, we joke around and talk a bit. Not yesterday. We sat in silence as Zach shared final words with our listeners, and I felt that studio become hallowed ground.

I know Christmas is this week and no one has an extra hour. But if you happen to find one - maybe while you're assembling one of your kids' presents or wrapping gifts or something - I urge you to listen to Zach's interview. Let his words settle over your soul. Powerful.

Holiday Houses for Habitat

My last event of 2011! And ever so appropriately...it was a festive event!

Last Friday afternoon I worked the Holiday Houses for Habitat remote! It's a pretty cool thing, actually. Fort Wayne's Habitat for Humanity hosts this event that features the state's largest snow village display. They have them set up in little collections in a currently uninhabited department store and people can go through (for free) to view them and then make donations to Habitat for Humanity if they want. They even have the option for gift wrapping if people want to bring in their shopping. (One lady brought in a whole cart of it!)

Every Friday in December, Scott is taking his show to Holiday Houses for Habitat. He sets up on location and plays Christmas trivia games with passers-by in between the songs. And this past Friday was my turn to help out!

First order of business: photo op in the big chair.
I call this piece "What you don't want to see sitting out when you arrive at the remote." They were experiencing some technical difficulties, but Marion and Craig (the technical gurus extraordinaire) fixed them!

Got to work with my good friend Cindy...we made a much needed Starbucks run (for the good of the cause, of course!) and posed with the WBCL Christmas tree!

And we had fun talking to the people who stopped by to play trivia with Scott!

After the remote ended, it seemed a shame to leave the mall without doing at least a little shopping...

...and a stop at the Chick-fil-A.....

Christmas Spirit: Better Late than Never!

I've had THE hardest time getting into the Christmas spirit this year. My schedule is so crazy that I've been completely behind on every part of Christmas. (Which is, you know, LESS than a week away now.)

Anyway, last Thursday evening, the station staff was invited to the Taylor University Christmas party. A vanload of us went down early to take a tour of campus. I'd not been through campus since my best friend was a student there (just a few years ago...we'll not say how many).

Dinner was GOOD. Oh my goodness. Ham and potatoes, salad and rolls, shrimp cocktail, and cake (more on that later).

Here are some of my work friends. Jeri is my newest work friend. She joined us just a couple of months ago. Her office is next to mine and she's a fellow scrapper. Amy and I eat lunch together almost every day and she puts up with the ridiculousness of my stories. (Someone give that girl a medal!) Sheryl answers phones for us during Mid-Morning and is also my lunch buddy! She's one of my prayer warriors and an amazing listener.
Amy and I were table buddies, along with a few others from the station. (Sometimes she and I are a little giggly. OOPS!!)

Um...did I mention the CAKE??????

After dinner, the president's wife spoke for a little while and someone played some Christmas carols on the piano and we ended by singing Silent Night - complete with all of us holding candles. I was worried my hair would catch on fire. (I'm not coordinated and I was sporting a lot of hair product.)

I had a good time...and I think this may have jump-started my Christmas spirit!

It's the Weekly Recap!

* Last Sunday afternoon I had the chance to catch up with friends! Jamie and I haven't had the chance to talk much since I took over the producer job and she moved to California, so we spent an hour or so catching up on the phone. And then I had Starbucks with Judy from my old office - so good to talk to her for longer than a text or an email!

* Monday I learned that it only takes 3 cups of coffee and 2 large iced teas to survive a commute and work day on 2 1/2 hours of sleep! Pretty crazy! The house was shown Monday afternoon, so I spent most of the day trying NOT to think about that. (But it's so hard to do when I'm ready to move!) Did a little more Christmas shopping Monday evening, and while I was out and about, I stopped in to see a couple of friends I never run into anymore.

* Tuesday we had to cancel our show because Lynne was called for jury duty! I won't lie - I was completely stressed about that! I had no idea if she'd be picked or how long she'd be gone and in an already busy show-week, I wasn't anticipating a curve ball. Guess that's why they're curve balls! I spent the evening finishing the Christmas cards, watching the Biggest Loser finale AND - making my first ever biscuits and gravy! * Wednesday I was Lynne-less again at work. Great sadness. But AFTER work, I had a fun evening! My Fort Wayne realtor (who is more amazing than I can even tell you) invited me to the company's client party. It was held at YOYO (Yogurt on Your Own) - and we got free pizza and yogurt! My creation:
(That's snickerdoodle and espresso yogurts topped with 3 different kinds of chocolate candy, caramel syrup, and whipped cream. Not a calorie in there!) Then I spent the rest of the evening (mostly) finishing the Christmas shopping...all done except two gift cards!

* Thursday, Lynne was BACK, praise the Lord! My world was right again! We did a show together, had much fun, and then Thursday afternoon about half the WBCL staff trekked to my neck of the woods for the Taylor University Christmas dinner. Oh man that was some GOOD food! We won't talk about the cake. (Could I get more of the cake, please?) I enjoyed being able to hang out with them off the clock - and having someone else cook dinner! This is me with my friend, Amy. Love her!
* Friday afternoon I worked the Holiday Houses for Habitat remote at Glenbrook mall in Ft. Wayne. Scott did his show live from the mall, and we got to meet listeners and had fun! (Minus some technical difficulties, which didn't really affect me, but I felt sorry for the tech guys who had to fix it!)

When I got home, my friends Bill and Kristin came by to see me for a while. We sat around drinking hot chocolate and catching up - loved it!

*Saturday I went to Miss Kaylah's birthday party - festively themed from the movie Tangled. (I haven't seen the movie, so most of the references were lost to me...)

But it was a fun party. Some of my other kiddos were there, too. Liam (who is five) gave me a kiss and then said, "NOW WE'RE MARRIED!!" What!?!? Before I left, I told him I loved him and he said, "I love you too but you can't be my girlfriend until I'm sixteen." Ohhhhh Liam. Spent the rest of Saturday working on the (scaled back) baking!

Books I'm Reading: Didn't have much time for reading this week (see above!) but I did read in Jesus Calling and One Thousand Gifts.

Favorite God Moment of the Whole Week: God and I had a great discussion about grace on the way to work this week. I really struggle to "get" grace. My life has always been rule-driven...centered around what is or is not deserved. And one day, on the drive in, I unloaded on Him about what I don't deserve, followed by a long list of reasons why....and He stopped me short and reminded me of grace.

Update on Last Week's Goals: The cards (minus the token stragglers that I always seem to have) are done and mailed. The gifts (minus the token stragglers that I always seem to have) are purchased and awaiting the wrapping.

Goals for the Coming Week: Wrap the gifts, finish the baking, prepare for a speaking engagement to 3rd-5th graders. Who are we kidding here??? The real goal is to SURVIVE speaking to 3rd-5th graders!!!

Christmas Cards

I've been hand making my Christmas cards since high school. I usually pick out a theme (colors, design, etc.) in July and have them completely done by October. I sign and address them over Thanksgiving weekend and mail them in early December.

Then I became a producer with a 2 hour commute and everything about my life changed (for the better!).

This year I spent the month of July learning how to run an engineering board and packing up my stamps...not designing a Christmas card.

In fact, it was almost December 1 when I sat down with my good friend Shutterfly and designed my card. It's the sort of hodge podge card I swore I'd never do...

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Never say never.

I also didn't have the official Christmas card photo shoot this year. (This year is just WAY out of sorts for me.)

What I included were a smattering of some of this year's highlights:

* My first trip to Florida - honored with the official "beach weeds' picture.

* My last day in Financial Aid, ending an 11 year run as a counselor, much of which was spent in good old 240F.

* My day as a bridesmaid in Olivia's wedding.

* My baptism.

* Working my new job at WBCL Radio.

* Flying to Kansas to spend Thanksgiving with Lori, Jeff, and Cassie.

It's certainly a year for the non-traditional. But it's been a very good year nonetheless!

Memories

This week I've been reflecting on the year...some firsts, some funny moments, and some favorite pictures I took. Today I want to look at some of the memories that stick out the most from this past year.

Snowmageddon - not only did I get a day off work, but the snice (snow mixed with ice) was impossible to shovel. Great day for staying in jammies, watching movies, reading books, and staying close to the fireplace!
Cupcake class!! Went with my friend Angi Spangler and made a dozen or so pretty amazing cupcakes!

Low country boil on the beach at sunset. YUMMY!!

All my kiddos...they brighten my life so much. Proud to be their aunt!

New friendships formed while helping Olivia plan her wedding. Loved being her bridesmaid!

Miss Rachel Ashley's baccalaureate service. Proud of her!

Speaking at the Fairmount book club meeting...

All the game nights with my fellow buddies. (Even when I lost...I had fun!)

My visits to Sonic. Oh Sonic. How I miss thee...

Brown County vacation with Rachel...not only writing...but also SHOPPING!!

My farewell party from IWU. (I really would like more of that punch right now. And a handful of the cupcakes!)

Fireworks on the 4th of July - with Jamie! (And many other fun outings with Jamie!)

Olivia's wedding day - hot day, cool dress!

Being baptized by Brian Holland...

Sister day! Lori came home to put together my yard sale and we all got to be together for part of the day.

Saying goodbye to my sweet baby Kaegan...

Anne of Green Gables party with Julie Crandall. (SO FUN!)

Spending a day at Lake Webster...gorgeous.

A day at the Cherished Moments Craft Hideaway with friends!

Extraordinary Women Conference with Marie and Faith!

Working with this beautiful lady EVERY DAY.

Visiting Lori, Jeff, and Cassie in Kansas...what a great relaxation time!