Bekah's Bed and Breakfast

WOW. It only took an hour to figure out the picture setup on this computer. Good thing I'm stubborn!! :)

This weekend, my friend and former neighbor, Julie, came to visit. I miss having her just around the corner!! She and her daughter came to stay at my house while her husband was busy with a youth group event over on campus. This was my first chance to really hang out with Baby Esther, who rewarded me with dozens of smiles, despite not feeling well.

Who needs toys when there are hands to chew on?? I informed her (as I do all babies) that this behavior comes to a screeching halt upon the acquisition of teeth.
She didn't let illness slow her down on the hard work of new skills. Apparently her ability to sit up alone improved dramatically at my house.

She wasn't too terribly thrilled about anyone other than her Mom holding her, but this time went pretty well. She would have looked at the camera, but it was upstaged by Braeya's presence over there on the side.

Verrrrrrrrry sleepy.

Thanks for coming to visit, Miss Esther and Julie!!! I loved having you here!

Thought-Provoking...

...read this in Jim Elliot's Journal last night...based on Genesis 43 when Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to get food during the famine...

With all the storehouses of Egypt so filled that the amount could not be tabulated, Jacob says, "Buy us a little food" (v. 2); "Take a little balm, a little honey" (v. 11). His unbelief parallels mine. When "all things are mine," I hesitate to ask for the greatest, though my Master be Lord of all.

How Do I Pick A Bottom 3 From Only 5?

Oh I think tonight is going to be a good one!! Tonight is comment as I go....lovin' this laptop thing!

Kris - I love this song! Yes, a song I actually know. A Christmas miracle. I love the song and I love the way he sang it. I loved how he kicked it up in the middle there. That was fun. I kind of just melt into his songs and forget to pay attention to anything!! I agree with Randy...his personal best. I'm glad at least three of the four were thrilled with it. Simon!!!! Come on!!!

Allison - I love her hair this week. I know it isn't a hair competition, but I like the color and the longer look. MAN she can sing. Do I say that every week? I continue to be amazed at how comfortable she is on that stage and how well she controls her voice. I hope Kara is right - I hope she picks up a ton of fans. She has no business in the bottom 3. And if Simon's comment lands her there....RRRRRRR.

Matt - Well he was good...but I'm scared for him. There were a couple of parts that sounded kind of rough to me, and I'm worried that it wasn't enough in comparison to the two that have already gone. I do NOT understand how Simon loved it more than the other two. I really don't get it. I thought Kris and Allison were much better.

Danny - I just love Danny. I thought his song was fun and spunky - not to mention his great voice! I loved it that Randy was all ready to get him to sign on to a deal right then. I really really really want Danny to get himself a great little career going. I think he's got the package deal and that is important.

Adam - Oh no. Scary Adam is back. This reminds me of that one week early on that was just frightening up one side and down the other. :( Tsofah and I have already talked and agreed that he even had an evil kind of look at one point. Sorry, Christina and Sarah. I know you guys are huge fans. And I can be easily won over when he wears a suit and does the Elvis hair. But this week he skipped the Elvis hair and brought out his scary eyes....so I wasn't a fan.

Bottom 3? Well I only have a bottom 2, and it's Adam and Matt. I think Matt will be in the bottom 3 for sure. Tsofah thinks the other two will be Kris and Allison. I guess I'll go with her because I can't bring myself to make that decision at this point in time.

Since I Complained So Much...

...I think it only fair to give a warm welcome to our new Meijer, which is FINALLY finished. The parking lot has been packed full each day since it opened...leaving me a nice close spot at the Wal Mart.

I didn't run to the Meijer the day it opened, but last Friday, on my day off, I went in with no agenda...just wanted to see the layout and scope some prices. Of course then I kept running into people I knew, so I mostly ended up being a true product of my father...socializing over shopping. Oh well. I was impressed that while the parking lot was full, the aisles were not...carts were available...and checkouts weren't backed up to Kokomo. Yes, I think this Meijer business is a good thing.

And on the flip side, last night I went to Wal Mart, scooted right into a close parking place, found a cart ready for me inside the store, found virtually no shoppers, so my trip was quick, a checkout lane awaited me, and as I left, the greeter told me to have a good day and be careful. Oh and did I mention the prices had gone down? SWEET!

Bits for Sunday, April 26, 2009

Ahhh, this is the life. It's a day of rest, which means I am not required to think, spell correctly, work out, clean, or mow my lawn. It's the perfect side of warm, which means the familiar whir of the ceiling fan combined with the hum of the newly uncovered air conditioner can be heard from virtually any spot in the house. The cats are who-knows-where, which means I don't have to say things like, "STOP EATING THE LAMP SHADE, BRAEYA!"

The TV Land awards are on, and I'm enough of a olden-days TV nerd to enjoy such a thing. I'm sprawled out in the fat chair with my slightly warm slices of friendship bread, the remote, the phone, and my newest acquisition...my new laptop.

Yep, I branched out. I decided that since I don't always feel the writing inspiration in my office...I should be able to be inspired in any location. So after saving up...off to the store I went to have someone much smarter than I tell me what it is I need to make all my writing dreams come true. And so far, I think he was right. This is definitely the life.

I don't think I have any real pieces of breakthrough knowledge for you this week - but I do have this little bit to pass your way.

Since I had Friday off work, I have had an extra long weekend....and I have enjoyed every last minute of it. From the sleeping in to the window shopping to time spent with friends to vacation planning...loved it all. I even loved sitting out on the porch, soaking up the rays and writing in cards.

I even loved the beautiful weather we had on Friday so I could run outside. PLEASE NOTE that I did not love the running. I just loved the weather. Very important distinction.

Saturday I stood in the performing arts center and watched graduates parade their way over to the gym for graduation...and I remembered a day a few years ago (we won't say how many) when I made that walk myself. And I remember how I longed to enjoy a good life...a post-school life. And I promised myself that if and when the "good life" ever came, I would make sure I really appreciated it. I hoped I wouldn't forget the years of stress and homework.

And I haven't forgotten. And I do really enjoy this life. Admittedly I enjoy it a bit more during the summer when the sun shines and flip flops are in season and the flowers bloom. I enjoy it a bit less in the winter when post-school responsibility requires that I shovel snow. But I do appreciate this life - simple though it is. Simple is good.

So my hope for you this week is that you'll be able to enjoy and appreciate...a good life.

Quick Cinnamon Rolls

You thought I forgot about recipes, didn't you? I didn't - I just haven't made much lately...at least much that I haven't already posted! But we had a birthday in the office this week and that gave me the chance to make something I've not posted!

As previously stated, I'm not really a morning person, so carry-ins of the breakfast hour are always a challenge for me. Mom gave me this recipe, which she got from a substitute teacher at the school where she worked for many years. Now you know you have a good sub when she's willing to pitch in on work carry-ins! :)

This is a great meal to make because it truly can be assembled in less than ten minutes...the night before! All you have to do is remember to bake it in the morning! I've taken this to church and work and it gets rave reviews. Love rave reviews on easy stuff!!

Recipe:
2 loaves frozen bread dough - thawed
1 box butterscotch pudding - NOT INSTANT
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 Teaspoon cinnamon

Slice each loaf of bread into ten slices and arrange in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle dry pudding mix over all slices. Melt butter and mix with brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread over each roll. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake, uncovered, the next day at 350 for 25 minutes. Serve warm.

I used Rhoades white bread dough because...it's the only bread dough I can find in the Wal Mart. The packages I buy come with 3 loaves, so I use 2 and keep the third for the next time. I have found that if I keep it too long, it doesn't raise (rise?) correctly. This was especially embarrassing the time I made it for work and had one old loaf and one new loaf, so half my pan was high and fluffy and the other half sat like little hockey pucks. Attractive.

I am not sure I would like this recipe in anything but white dough. I don't even know if you can buy frozen wheat dough, but I'm just saying....

Very important to remember to take the bread dough out so it can thaw! I usually cut the dough down the center and then cut each half into five slices. I score it first so if i mess up, I can re-measure before actually cutting.

The dough will come together as it bakes, so it's okay if the slices aren't all smashed up next to each other. They will be eventually.

Make sure you buy the cook and serve kind of pudding, not instant. That's the only reason I had name brand. :) I just sprinkle it liberally over each slice. It's okay if some goes down in between the pieces, but I try to get as much as I can directly on the bread. There's more pudding than you'd think in those little boxes, so you'll have a nice little pile of powder on each one.

Like I said....there's a lot in there!

I cut my butter up into cubes and melt it in the microwave. If you're speeding through it, just melt the butter while you're cutting the bread or sprinkling the pudding.

Add the brown sugar and cinnamon right to the bowl.

You'll find that the mixture is pretty thick - because you have as much sugar in there as you have butter. I've made this with real butter and with margarine and both work well.

I just kind of spoon the mixture over it - again, trying to hit the tops of the bread slices as much as I can, but it will kind of leak down into the pan as well, and that is fine.

This is what it will look like the next morning after it has refrigerated all night. No it's not mold...it's pudding powder that didn't get covered with the butter mixture.

And here is the fully baked version! So yummy! I think it warms over pretty well for leftovers, but it's definitely best straight out of the oven.

I Know Disco??????

This was NOT the week I expected to know songs. What does this say about me? Don't answer that. I can't handle the truth.

So it was Disco night on Idol, and I have reached the conclusion that we're at the point in the competition where I love the ones I love no matter what they do (or don't do) and I don't love the ones I don't love no matter what they do (or don't do). So here comes my totally biased recap.

Lil - I'm Every Woman is a song I knew. My first thought about her was WOW, that is a tight outfit - followed by WOW, I don't think she should be wearing it! I didn't think it was all that great - but I am so not a Lil fan, so I don't think I'd like anything she sang, and I'm very sorry about that. I do think Kara hit it right on the head when she said that Lil HAS been every woman - every week - and has never been herself.

Kris - I knew this song too - and I wasn't a big fan of the slow arrangement, but I LOVE Kris, so it was quite alright with me. According to the judges, the arrangement was great - so what do I know? I was a bit disturbed by Paula's analogy of shopping in the ladies' department.

Danny - I just love Danny. I didn't really love the song itself, but I love Danny and I loved it that everyone but Simon loved him. I didn't like Simon's thought that he didn't have star power. 1) yes he did! 2) it's DISCO night!!! It's not really star power night for most!

Allison - I did NOT love the outfit. I thought she might break her neck in those shoes and once again...way too tight on the clothing. But MAN she can sing and like the judges said - no matter what she does, she rocks. Literally.

Adam - I love Adam when he's normal and not screeching and strange. I truly, truly do. He got a little screamy in the middle of the song, but like Allison, I think he is great no matter what. But can he wear the suit every week?

Matt - I happened to like it. Maybe it was because I knew the song - maybe because it was fun after some different, less disco-y sounds. Dunno. But I did like it. Having said that, I'm a little bit afraid for him.

Anoop - I was with Simon on this one. I did not love the outfit and I thought the song was on the down side of "ehhhh." His face after he finished singing said that he knew the end was rough. I am not sure why the rest of the judges loved it SO MUCH.

My bottom 3 would be Lil, Anoop, and Matt. I think Lil will go home - and I WANT Anoop to be the other one to go home. I truly don't know who has more fans between Anoop and Matt. I think it will come down to that.

What I Threw Away

The radio station I listen to has a great morning team. Any group of people who can speak to me prior to ten and not make me hate them...well...impressive.

This morning their "pondering" of the day was this: what did you get rid of at some point in your life that you wish you would have kept? One caller had gotten rid of Star Wars stuff that now rakes in big bucks as collectibles. Woops.

So I started thinking...what did I get rid of that I wished I would have kept? Kind of a rough question for a packrat who so rarely ditches anything at all.

But I came up with something.

Right after college, when I was still very new in my job, I met a guy whose job interacted (daily) with mine. We were both kind of new in our respective places, and we stumbled along together, trying to figure out how to do what we do. Shop talk gave way to flirting and eventually we went out a time or two.

Though I don't have a great number of dates in my past, he definitely wins the prize for most romantic. He would send me emails just because...a fax now and then just to tease me or to tell me to have a nice day...and he would often email me to see if he could call me after work. I was a giggly mess for weeks.

When things did not work out between us, I was so upset that I shredded every single email (because I'd printed them for posterity), every fax, every note, EVERYTHING. And now I SO wish I'd not done that. Even though it didn't work out - it was still a part of my life and I hate it that I shredded that whole part.

So that's mine. What's yours?

Bits for Sunday, April 19, 2009

My sister emailed this week about a woman who had died and donated her personal library of over 4000 books. Good thing I was already in a chair. A four thousand book library? The only thing that could top that would be a room with a fireplace, a fat chair, and ladders to climb to the tops of the shelves…

While I have a decent book collection, I have a long way to go to reach four thousand. But I’m doing my part to add to the collection whenever I can. Earlier this year I stopped by a bookstore during its going-out-of-business sale. I found a 475 page book that caught my attention. The Journals of Jim Elliot.

Jim Elliot (in case you can’t quite place the name) was one of several missionaries killed by Auca Indians many years ago. His wife, Elisabeth, wrote about him in books such as Through Gates of Splendor and Shadow of the Almighty.

In those books, she shared bits and pieces of Jim’s journal, but later published his writings, she says, “almost in their entirety. The sum of all deletions amounts to perhaps two or three pages.” While I was intrigued to get to peek into his personal life, it felt a bit strange to open a book and read what a man wrote between himself and God over fifty years ago. I felt a little better when the first sentence said, “What is written in these pages I suppose will someday be read by others than myself.” It must have been the permission I needed, because I kept reading.

My grandma used to keep a diary, which mostly served as a written account of each day’s menu, combined with a list of things she did. My journals over the years have contained stories of things that could only happen to me, “hopelessly romantic” accounts of my crushes, whose names I so well-coded that even I can’t remember who some of them really were.

Jim’s journal entries, so far, are not so much about his caloric intake or the state of his romantic life, but much more about what he learned as he carefully studied his Bible. I find myself underlining and writing in the margin and adding snippets of thoughts to my own prayer journal as I try to digest the same lessons he learned half a century ago.

The first journal entry was about his study of Genesis 23 – when Sarah had died, and Abraham needed to bury her. Here is what Jim gathered from that piece of Scripture: Abraham calls himself a “stranger and a sojourner” in a land he believed God was going to give to him. This is the first time he shows any real inclination to making a home on earth, and how slight it is – only a field, some trees, and a cave in which he can bury his dead. Lord, show me that I must be a stranger, unconcerned and unconnected with affairs below…Help me, Lord, not to “mourn and weep” only for those things, once precious, which You teach me are but dead (whether desires, pleasures, or whatever may be precious to my soul right now), but give me a willingness to put them away out of my sight. Burying places are costly, but I would own a Machpelah where corpses (dead things in my life) can be put away.

Just as a side note – Machpelah was the name of the place where Abraham ended up burying Sarah.

Over the past few weeks, God has been working to teach me…or is it that I have been working to learn?...how to put away things that no longer need to have a prominent place in my life. It’s not easy. I love some of those things – much as Abraham loved Sarah. But for me to continue to carry them around and fit them into my life would be as productive as Abraham journeying through life carrying Sarah’s body with him. Some things must be put to rest.

When I went on my retreat last month, I had a Machpelah of sorts…a time and a place where I “buried” something in a very specific place. I do well with moments of the tangible. I think perhaps there are more Machpelahs in my future – when I make the distinct decision to bury something that needs to die from my life.

Since I’m only on page fifteen of the book, I have a feeling I might bring back another nugget to you soon. But in the meantime, think about these words…over fifty years old…and yet brand new.

If Christina Can Do It, So Can I

Take pictures from the car, that is.

Mom emailed this morning to say that a building not far from my work had been hit by a car. The actual building. With an actual car. I don't know anything about what happened or why or anything like that, but I did go by to scope it out - and I'd say it DID get hit!

This picture is hard to see but the massive hole in the building is right behind the black truck. Interestingly enough, the building that was hit is an eye doctor's office, and the building to the left is an insurance office.

I zoomed it up. I would have taken more, but my light turned green and it would have been rude to not go.

Movie Night

I'm going to post my Idol thoughts while I watch the Duggars find out that Anna is pregnant. So if random baby words show up in the post, you'll know why.

Tonight was movie night on Idol and I finally knew a couple of songs! But much like last week - the judges and I were listening to very different performances.

Allison - Love her to death, but I didn't like this song. I didn't know it, so maybe it was the curse of not knowing what it was supposed to sound like. I kept wondering if she was off pitch. The judges raved over her, so she must have done okay, and I was glad they gave her a good review because she does deserve to stay.

Anoop - I knew this song and actually kind of like the song. I think it would have been better if he had taken the advice to "rough it up" a bit. As it was, I thought it was just plain rough. I thought it sounded like a cheesy high school talent show. The judges, however, loved it. How?

Adam - I thought he was really really good. Born to be Wild fit him perfectly and I agreed with Paula that he is one of the bravest contestants they've ever had. I love it that he knows who he is and is not afraid to be that performer. Would I go to one of his concerts? Probably not. But I do think he's good at what HE does.

Matt - I didn't like it as much as last week - but I thought the song got better as it went on. Of course the judges thought the start of the song was the best and it got worse. So what do I know? I like it when he plays the piano - he's good at that. I think the judges want him gone, though.

Danny - I love Danny. I love it that he sang a love song. And I love harps. If I had an instrument to pick that I wish I had learned to play - it would be the harp. That was just a side note. The judges didn't love him tonight - so you'll be able to figure out I DID love it!

Kris - I could have listened to him sing all day. I didn't even care that I didn't know the song. Just sing, Kris! I was worried when Randy didn't like it, but maybe Kara's vote of confidence saved him?

Lil - Oh, Lil. I am not a huge fan of the song The Rose, and I thought all the runs and extra words she threw in distracted from it, so I didn't like it at all. I do like her longer hair - I think it makes her look younger. And once again, my vote was for her to stop talking at the end.

Bottom 3? My bottom 3 would be Matt, Lil and Anoop with Anoop going home.

Happy Easter!!!

If you should care (Lori, you're required to care) - here are our Easter pictures.

I didn't realize until the night before Easter that the reason I had to buy whipping cream for the cheesecake was because I had to MAKE MY OWN whipped cream for the top. Have you people never heard of Cool Whip? But since I'd already invested in the whipping cream - I let Mom teach me how to make it. Here I am with my first ever homemade whipped cream. Paula Deen would have been so proud.

My two desserts. On the left - peanut butter eggs (since Dad doesn't eat mocha cheesecake). On the right - the mocha cheesecake WITH the homemade whipped cream.

Mom's funny. She put together this fruit tray and then put a business card for the fancy fruit trays on it. I thought it was pretty funny.

The Easter dress - and I should have fixed the belt so it was straight! This is the version WITH the cami underneath - not the hoochie mama version it would have been without it!

Here's what happens when no one wants to be in front for the family photo. I thought kneeling was the answer. Um - perhaps not? I really do have legs!!!

So here was the fixed version. Yes, I am the tallest person in my family, thankyouverymuch. Don't tell mom the dirty dishes are in the picture. I promised her they wouldn't be. :D

Bits for Sunday, April 12, 2009

Happy Easter!

Today has been a very full day in Bekahland – and also in Bekah’s tummy! Our family has the wonderful tendency to have far too much food for holidays. I love it so. And since the dress did zip for church today – I was free to enjoy once church had ended. For those of you who were praying for my (extreme) anxiety over reading in church – and more specifically reading that one sentence in Aramaic – I’d like to report it went well. I have no idea what I may have actually said in Aramaic, but I said something.

My day began with a sunrise service. I wanted to mention that since evil DST has moved our sunrise to such a late hour, a sunrise service SHOULD now start at 8 in the morning. But apparently the traditional 6 still stands. So at 5, my alarm began its blaring and my cats began their glaring.

The service was an Easter Pageant service. I think many of you know that for most of my life, I was in the Marion Easter Pageant. A few years ago, they stopped having the Pageant, mostly because the building was in such bad shape. Easter has never quite seemed the same without the weeks of rehearsal leading up to Easter – and then the performances during Easter week. This year a group of people organized a service to show the taping of the Pageant done the year before it ended. I figured watching it at six in the morning was as close to being in it at six in the morning as I was going to get, so I went.

Every time I watch it, I see something new. And what I saw today really struck me – which is especially amazing, considering the pre-dawn hour.

One of the groups in the Pageant was called the Wealthy Family. In many ways, they had the best part of the entire Pageant. They always had the best costumes (trend setters of the tunic world) and entered with great fanfare. Literally. (Men carrying HUGE fans walked before and behind them.) They pranced through with their treasure boxes and huge fruit platter (fake fruit, but I heard once that they hid snacks inside it to eat during the performance) and even a real dog. They paraded from the entrance to a large alcove at the edge of the stage where they got to lounge on padded seats. Once they made their entrance, they were basically done until they left – so they could just sit and watch the entire Pageant from their better than front row seat.

The part I played required me to exit the stage prior to the end of the performance, so I never saw the very end until the taping was released. And it was in those final moments of the Pageant that I saw something new today.

The Pageant ends with the women discovering the empty tomb and running to tell the disciples – and everyone else – that Jesus is alive! For pageantry purposes, all the people who comprised the inhabitants of Jerusalem were to “wake up” from their sleeping positions on the floor (and let me tell you – at six a.m., I wasn’t always pretending with that sleep business) and walk past the empty tomb to promptly exit stage left (or right).

I was always so nervous about making sure I pushed through the masses and past the tomb in the allotted time frame – which was not long – that I never paid much attention to anything else that happened.

This morning I watched as the masses (myself included) pushed forward and squeezed into the tiny backstage areas – and from the middle of the masses, I watched the Wealthy Family emerge. They packed up their treasure chests and fruit tray and dog and walked right back out the way they came in – leaving behind the people pausing to peek inside the empty tomb.

I don’t know if that was purposeful scripting or simply a way to get the lavish props offstage without smooshing them, but this morning it was powerful to me. The Wealthy Family had it all. They had the costumes we all wished for as we fussed and tugged at our hand-me-downs with holes. While we scrambled to get to our next location on cue, they reclined against pillows and ate hidden treats from underneath the piles of fake fruit. As we stood on tiptoe to see over the tall men in front during some of the scenes, they just shifted a bit and watched with ease.

And when the tomb was empty – the tomb that sat just feet from their perch – they packed up their stuff and left the way they came. They gathered their finery about them and walked away from the greatest miracle.

The Day Before Easter...

...began with rehearsal at church for tomorrow's service. As previously mentioned, I am one of the Scripture readers and I regret to report my Aramaic is no better today than it was the day I received the script. Jesus' last words might sound much more like Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious than what He actually said.

Following rehearsal, I had to make yet another trip to Wal-Mart. Today's purpose was two-fold. 1) I had a whole list of things to buy yesterday, but had to turn around and leave because there were no carts and one of the items on the list was cat food. I was not lugging a 20 pound bag of cat food (and other treasures) around the Wal-Mart. 2) After trying on my Easter dress last night just to make sure it did still fit, I discovered it was much more hoochie mama than I remembered. I had to find something to go underneath it so as not to bring great sacrilege to the morning worship service.

Following THAT, I went to my "nephew" Liam's birthday party. Here is the card I made for him. I made this last week during my friend Angi's crafting party. Used her Cricut. Pretty fun!

After the party, I immediately hit WalGreens to develop the party pictures so I can scrap them tonight. When I went back to pick them up, they said my order had been lost. I was unbelievably calm about the inconvenience and ended up getting them for half price (sweet!).

I tried a new recipe - which will probably find its way onto here eventually. I also made my first from scratch cheesecake (for Easter dinner tomorrow) and a new set of Peanut Butter eggs.

I'm now pooped and in need of pink nail polish to match the Easter ensemble, so I'm going to go watch the very last Love Comes Softly movie, scrap the party, and redo my nails!

Good Friday

My sister wrote in an email this morning something about not quite seeing the correlation between Jesus dying on the cross and our chance to sleep in on today's holiday...and truly that was just about the first time I remembered the significance of this day.

I got caught up in the joy of a long weekend and the hunt for a pink purse to go with that crazy dress we all hope still fits come Sunday...and I mentally sailed right on by the entire point of this day.

Jesus didn't get to sleep in on Good Friday. He didn't get to drive through the rain to Starbucks to indulge in coffee and catch up with a friend. He didn't relax in a living room and tickle tiny baby feet. He didn't visit every store in a six mile radius looking for a pink purse. His problems were far greater than no carts in the WalMart and cat food on the shopping list. He didn't take a nap under a fleece blanket and wake up just in time for chicken fried rice and a fortune cookie.

And while all those things made it a good Friday for me (well, except the never ending WalMart hassles) - I slowed down this evening to actually think about Good Friday and what it meant to Someone Who loved me more than I can comprehend.

Tonight on my way to chicken fried rice and fortune cookie land, I drove past the Marion Coliseum, where I many Good Friday nights in the Easter Pageant. Tonight the Coliseum didn't have a line of people outside waiting to get in. It had teenagers in shorts and T-shirts running toward it on their way to play basketball...or lift weights...or swim.

Good Friday and Easter aren't quite the same since the Pageant stopped. I miss it. I miss the sense of humble thanksgiving it brought to my springtime. But as I looked at albums of it online tonight, I found this picture, which reminded me of the moment I always found that lump in my throat.

I always stood very near Jesus (we called him the Christus in the Pageant) at this point in the Pageant. I could feel the floor shake with his steps. I could see the crowd in the distance still shaking their fists...and I could see Peter kneeling in shame. And as I hid my face in my hands and tried to breathe through the hot air of stage lights, I always found myself in awe of the Sacrifice.

The Judges and I Part Ways

I knew it had to come sometime. Apparently tonight was the night. I must need new ears because on all songs but one, we were obviously listening to different performances.

Danny - This is the one and only time the judges and I agreed. I thought he was amazing. I loved how he started out on the slow soft side of things and ended the song on the fast and fun side. I think he is not only a great singer but a fantastic entertainer and I just love him! GO DANNY!!!!!!

Kris - I was annoyed by the gaggle of girls that surrounded him - because I couldn't see him. I thought the song was cool and fun, but the judges didn't really seem to care for it or his rendition or anything else. I did think Randy had a good point (for everyone, not just for Kris) about remembering to not let the song do the owning. The competition is for the singer, not the song. But I thought he did a better job than they gave him credit for.

Lil - I thought this week was her best look so far. Loved the outfit, loved the hair. I thought (for the first time all season) both fit her very well. I loved the song and thought it fit her better than anything she'd sung so far - and then the judges ripped her apart. I thought it was kind of mean of the camera people to zone in SO CLOSE on her face when she was so close to tears.

Anoop - I didn't even remember that he had overreacted to Kara's comment last week but it was nice of him to apologize. I didn't love the beginning of his song this week - I thought he was reaching for notes throughout - and I thought the whole song was forgettable - and then the judges LOVED IT. I can't win.

Scott - Ooh!! No piano!! I was glad to see him away from it - just for a change of pace, but I did not like him with the guitar - and I agreed with Paula about the acoustic thing. I think he should have just plain worked on the singing. I loved the song, I thought he sounded great - and then of course, the judges didn't like it.

Allison - I did not like the song, but I thought she sounded amazing as she always does. I just thought the song didn't suit her - but then the judges loved it. Sigh. I loved watching Allison's mom react to her critique. CUTE. Did anyone else think the judges were trying to buy her some votes by talking her up a lot? I'm not saying she doesn't deserve the votes; she totally does. But since she's been in the bottom 3 so much, do you think they're trying to bump her out of there so they don't have to worry about using the save?

Matt - WOW. That was a Matt we've not seen for a while and I thought he was amazing. Really great. What cracked me up the most was his video at the beginning. When he talked about being in the church musical Angels Aware? I KNOW THAT ONE!!! And in fact, when they showed the clip, I still remembered the lines. Sad, I'm sure, but true. That musical had some great songs in it. It's how I learned the Ten Commandments and I still sing that song to remember which commandment goes with which number.

Adam - Still scares me a bit - but obviously very good. I will admit I was SHOCKED that Simon gave him a standing ovation. That is unheard of - and I wasn't sure it was quite THAT good - but I was still glad for him. I think he is a great performer.

Bottom 3? Probably Scott - Lil and Anoop? Not sure who will get the boot. If that really is the bottom 3, I have no idea who has the biggest fan base to save them.

Stuff and Things

Just doing a little cleanup work here in Bits World. I updated my blog list - and if you used to be on it and aren't now - it's not that I don't like you. It's that you stopped updating! If you rejoin blogger world, let me know and I'll put you right back on the list.

I also changed the name of my list - because I'm truly not buddies with everyone and I didn't want to claim to know more people than I really do. I just listed a bunch of blogs I love to read. And there's a couple more I want to add as soon as I track down the addresses again!

Oh - and in VERY exciting news - "I" participated in a bracket over on Phats' blog and apparently "I" won!!! Unfortunately I cannot take full (okay any) credit. Miss Kristin was my true source of information, so she gets the credit. THANKS KRISTIN!!!!!!!

Okay - I must go run if I'm going to do that and get home in time for Idol. :)

Bits for Sunday, April 12, 2009

In my office, I have a copy of the bestselling (how??) book Who Moved My Cheese. I’ve never actually read the book, but I have seen the movie. (If you know the book at all, you will understand the extreme disturbance of that sentence.) According to the Wikipedia summary, the book is “a motivational book by Spencer Johnson written in the style of a parable. It describes change in one’s work and life, and four typical reactions to said change with two mice, two ‘little people,’ and their hunts for cheese.”

I love cheese. Real life cheese. Not parable cheese. And my reaction to both real life cheese and parable cheese is not “Who moved my cheese?” but rather, “Put down the cheese. Step away from the cheese. DON’T TOUCH THE CHEESE!!!!”

Life in Bekahland has undergone some interesting (and I use that word very loosely) changes in the past couple of weeks. My friend and co-worker Rachel is on maternity leave and I miss her terribly. When I went to see her and meet the baby, I told her I think I got her post-partum depression because every time I think about how her absence changes work, I cry.

Friendships change – and some change so much that they’re never again what they once were, and that is always hard for me. I try to welcome it because I know that the loss or change on this hand might bring about new opportunities on the other hand. But I still don’t like it.

So in the midst of being stretched and pushed and pulled and trying to hunt the stupid missing cheese that has probably just completely left the state…I hold firm to my stance of not asking who moved the cheese. Just step away from the cheese, please.

Today has been a rainy day here in the great state of Indiana. It didn’t start out that way. I awoke to the promise of sunshine (since evil DST has delayed sunrise from its appropriate hour, I currently get up BEFORE the sun – but I could tell it was on its way) and a warmer morning than I expected. I fixed a for real breakfast, drank extra coffee, donned one of the summer collection dresses – and my sunglasses – and headed to church in the warmth and the light.

When I came out of church, it was raining, windy and cold. And it has stayed that way ever since. I have spent much of the day strolling through the house wearing a much-too-large fleece blanket in a cape-like fashion. It is, after all, April, and I refuse to turn on the heat.

As I stood in the kitchen, making my lunch, I noticed the bird bath in the backyard was completely full – almost spilling over into last year’s dead flowers beneath it. I muttered, “When the bird bath is full, it’s time to stop raining.”

Later in the day, that sentence came back to my mind. How many times has my life felt as full as that bird bath? How many times has the flood of grief or pain or moved cheese seemed to overtake my life and I hastily inform God that it’s time to stop because I have reached my saturation point?

Today it didn’t stop raining. And even six or so hours later, the bird bath hasn’t quite overflowed. I guess it can hold more water than I thought.

And maybe my life can handle more missing cheese than I think.

Even so – this is a verse I have come to love in these days of kidnapped co-jack. Normally I’m an NIV-only sort of girl, but this verse from the New Living Translation is stated so beautifully: You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. Psalm 56:8.

God knows where my missing cheese is hiding. He sees my overflowing bird bath. He doesn’t miss a thing.

Joni

Joni Eareckson Tada was on campus this week - being inducted into the Society of World Changers at IWU. I couldn't go to the induction ceremony because it's been a busy week in my office, but I did get a chance to watch the streaming of it as it happened.

I have tremendous respect for her and the life she has lived since she broke her neck as a teenager. I'm sure I wouldn't have nearly the grace and dignity that she has. I heard one of the people who met her while she was on campus say that she is just a lovely person...and she certainly does seem to be.

When I was in 5th grade, we had to do "living" book reports. We had to become a character from the book and give the report from that character's perspective. I read Joni's autobiography for my report, so for the official report, I sat in a wheelchair and wore a little contraption on my arm. (In her book, she talked about how she feeds herself with a spoon hooked into an arm brace.)

So I dug up this picture from waaaaaaaaaaay back in the fifth grade.

The Top Nine

GUESS WHAT!?!?!? A whole week without knowing a single song. Can you even imagine it? (Please note the sarcasm.)

Here are my thoughts from tonight....

Anoop: Sorry. Didn't like it. He talked about increasing the energy of his song - but I sure didn't get an increased energy level out of that. I didn't think it fit him at all - and in fact, he scared me a bit as he sang. I was with Simon. It was a mess.

Megan: I might just have to stop commenting on her entirely because they are always the same. I don't get her sound. I don't get how she's good. Every time she sings, it's painful for me, and I was glad at least the judges agreed so I know I wasn't completely off base. I'm also becoming annoyed with her call for "her fans" to vote for her. No one else talks about their fans.

Danny: The closest I got to knowing a song tonight was having heard of the artist. LOL. I do like Rascal Flatts - or however it's spelled - and I thought he did a really good job. I was surprised the judges liked it as much as they did. I figured they'd find something wrong with it - but hey, who am I to complain? I'm a HUGE Danny fan, so if they're going to call it the best of the night - OKAY BY ME!!! I did agree that this is when the night "really" began.

Allison: How is it that Allison (and Daughtry and David Cook) can make me like rock music when in real life I just don't like it at all? I thought she was amazing (as always) and I'm just blown away by how great she is when she is so stinkin' young! I did not quite understand why so much time was spent picking apart her clothing choices. Yeah they were a little out there, but I've certainly seen worse on others!

Scott: WOW. I could not believe how much better he sounded this week than EVER EVER before!! I thought his voice had a purity to it I'd never heard and I was thrilled for him. Good, good job, Scott! I'd written down that it was his personal best - and then the judges said that very thing!

Matt: I have to admit, I did not love the song and I still don't love him. I wish I did. I wished I really liked his voice, but I just can't get into it - at least not compared to the others around him. I think he pushed it way too far by trying the rock edge. It's not him.

Lil: I do like the hair better this week. I thought she sounded some better than before, but like Matt, I'm just not a Lil fan. I wish I liked her better - and I SO appreciated her not arguing as much this week. But I just don't love her. :(

Adam: He is unarguably good. I didn't like him QUITE as much as last week, but I think this week he hit more on who HE really is. He wasn't so ridiculously out there as he was that one horrible week. He wasn't as charming as last week when he won me over. But I think that middle ground is truly where he belongs, and he is great at what he does.

Kris: I hated it that putting away dishes distracted me from what was apparently the performance of his lifetime. :( I thought it was good - but I didn't realize it was THAT good until they all started gushing. I am also a huge Kris fan, so I'm glad it was so amazing.

Bottom 3? Ummmmm Megan better be in there somewhere. My personal bottom 3 would be Megan, Matt, and Anoop with Megan going home.

What I Learned This Weekend

Kids don't sleep until 11 on Saturdays.

Okay so I knew going into the sleepover at Aunt Bekah's that my chances of getting a proper Saturday rest were....none. But I did at least hope they'd make it until 9. Um...close. 7:55. IN THE MORNING.

I had my "niece" and "nephew" over for a sleepover. It was her third one at my house and his first ever. They did so great and we had so much fun - Easter egg hunts and stamping and coloring and watching movies and eating popcorn and chasing the HIGHLY unamused cats and all sorts of things.

Here's a picture of a perfect kid moment: quietly sitting on the couch watching a movie. He was INTO it. He was watching Cars, or as he calls it, "Lightning Cokeen." (McQueen). I was in the fat char across the room just watching him love the movie and after a while he gathered up all his stuff, scooted down off the couch and came running to me announcing he was ready to snuggle. Kids are GREAT.


And you know you are brave when you will let a six year old give you a bright pink manicure...just hours before you have to make a public appearance. LOL. She did a pretty good job actually, and I just peeled off the superfluous polish after it dried. She was so cute all weekend - wanting to make it extra special for her brother, since it was his first ever sleepover away from his parents. I love that little nurturing side of her.

But my favorite moment of the whole weekend was this:

We camped out on the living room floor, and when way too early in the morning arrived on Saturday, Liam snuggled up next to me, patted my arm, and said, "I love you, Aunt Bekah." I just smiled - because if you have to wake up before 11 on a Saturday, you might as well wake up to words of love, right?

I turned to look at Savannah, and she smiled sweetly at me and said, "Do you want to smell my morning breath?" Then she proceeded to HAAAAAAAAAAAAA right in my face.

Bits for Sunday, March 29, 2009

Yesterday was one of the most dreaded days of my year. Easter dress shopping. I’ve written about it before…about my utter disdain of shopping for a dress in general. Skirts and tops are fine, because then I can mix and match. But the whole dress thing doesn’t work out so well for me. I’m too many different sizes all plopped on one body. But I’m a firm believer that Easter (much like a wedding) is cause for a dress. And until I can convince myself otherwise, I have the yearly torture of finding such an outfit.

To make matters worse, two of three stores in the world where I have had good luck in finding a dress…closed. At least in my town. Since yesterday was NOT the day before Easter, and since I had about five unclaimed hours, I drove to Kokomo to begin the great dress hunt of 2009.

About three stores into my search, I found myself hidden behind a clearance rack. Loved the prices. Loved some of the dresses – if I’d been planning to go to prom. And while I pushed dresses aside in search of a hidden treasure – I heard a guy about my age talking to his wife. She said to him, “Do you like this dress?” His response: “Honestly, my first thought? Lucille Ball.” I cracked up. When I went dress shopping a year or two ago, that was my exact sentiment…all the dresses looked like they came straight from the set of I Love Lucy.

I should have taken that overheard conversation as an omen about my hours (and stores) to come.

I think I’d been to five stores before I even dared to enter a fitting room. Fitting room is a misnomer. Cram yourself into something that clings in all the wrong places and rip it while trying to take it off and simultaneously hate your M&M addiction room might be a better description. However, I do see how the sign might be out of control.

I left that store (no purchase, in case you weren’t sure) and went to Kohl’s. As I wandered the aisles looking for ANY dress at all, Daniel Powter’s Bad Day song came on the radio. Oh how appropriate. Especially when he got to the line “The camera don’t lie” and I spat back at the non-dress rack nearby, “Neither does a mirror.”

As I walked out of that store, my Mom called to check on my progress. I said, “I bought an alarm clock.” She said, “Well that might look kind of funny on Easter morning.”

In utter desperation, I went to the Dress Barn. I have strolled through the Dress Barn before, but my rummage sale price mentality and their sticker price reality don’t match, so I’ve never made a purchase. Yesterday I didn’t care if it cost half my savings.

The very nice worker bee lady met me at the door and asked how I was doing. I just rolled my eyes and informed her this was my 37th store and I was running out of patience. She asked what occasion I was shopping for and I said, “Just Easter. Should be no big deal, right?” She eagerly showed me an array of dresses like I’d not seen all day.

As I made my way toward some cute, springy looking ones, I saw a woman browsing and (sorry, judgmental party of one!) my immediate thought was “WOW. That is not an attractive woman.” Then I got closer and my next thought was “Wow! That is not a woman!” He wore a lovely spring skirt and carried a purse…and browsed through the Easter dresses. And right about then, he asked what kind of dress I was looking for.

I’m sorry – I know this falls under all sorts of stuff I’ve been studying about loving my neighbor and not showing favoritism. Really, I do know that. But trying to talk to a person wearing both lipstick and a five o’clock shadow – after three hours of not finding a dress – was not going to work for me. I yanked my phone out of my pocket and called my Mom. She (very confused, poor mama) sat and listened to me carry on a fake conversation with her until he moved away and I could explain my predicament.

I took five dresses to the “fitting” room. I bought the one that zipped with the least resistance. Who am I kidding? I bought the one that zipped. Period. While paying, I told the worker bee lady that my plan B was to wear my bathing suit and towel to church on Easter Sunday. She told me there were lots of cute bathing suits – and towels – out there, so that could have worked. I told her I’m scheduled to read Scripture on Easter Sunday morning and I just didn’t think the church was ready for that.

She said, “Well, you could mess up and no one would notice!”

If I gain even one ounce between now and Easter, that dress is NOT going to zip. So I’m keeping her point in mind just in case.

Focus on the Baby

I told my friend Rachel that I would NOT come to meet her baby after working out because I'm tired of having my picture taken in workout clothes. Unfortunately my pride has taken yet another beating, because I went to meet the baby after working out - AND after crying off my makeup. Lovely. So really...focus on the baby.

I love meeting new little babies and this one was LITTLE. I'd seen pictures of her before, and she looked much bigger in the pictures than she is in real life. She's cute. For real cute. Not "ohhhhh what a cute baby....don't strike me with lightening for lying...." cute. And she has a good little grip too, for being under a week old!

Hey I Knew Some Songs!!!

I actually knew three (I think) whole songs tonight! I was so excited! I had to BOOK IT home from church to watch, since the pre-empting (which I am very bitter about and we will not discuss) took place and this got moved to tonight. I am waiting for the show to end so I can go back and watch the first two, but in the meantime, I'll comment on the rest.

Matt: Not too bad. I think maybe better than some of his earlier ones - but I still don't think he's as good as some of the other guys. I think it's good that he went first because had he gone after some of the later ones - might have been rough. The judges called him a front runner but I guess I've not been quite convinced yet.

Kris: Well I think Kris is great and that song was perfect for him. (Incidentally - knew this one too.) Anyway, he's a cutie, he's comfortable in what he wants to sing and I was a huge fan of this one!!

Scott: This is one of the songs I knew! Can't Hurry Love. (Boy isn't THAT the truth. Oh, sorry. I digress.) Anyway, I actually really loved his rendition - but the judges didn't all agree. I was on Kara's side that an up-tempo song from Scott was much needed. This was my favorite one from him so far, but I did not have a lot of company on that opinion from the judges. Was it at this point that Paula crawled under the table? That had me scared for just a minute.

Megan: Okay here's my thing with Megan. She is my Carly of this season. I just can't get into her style and, in fact, she confuses me. The whole time she sang, I thought "Is she even hitting the notes?" but I half expected the judges to praise the daylights out of her performance. I was thrilled to find out I was right and it really was a train wreck. Her voice drivees me nuts. I do think she is stunningly beautiful, but as with Carly - the excessive tattoos paired with an elegant look just doesn't work.

Anoop: I liked last week better from Anoop. I didn't think I liked SO much falsetto from him. Simon cleared it up for me in his comments - Anoop did look kind of bored and asleep while he sang. I thought he did okay as far as the notes and the technicality, but I didn't connect with it at all.

Michael: Church it up? I've never heard a song described that way, but okay. I thought he was better than the judges gave him credit for. I actually liked it better than last week because I could understand the words. Still - I think he's bottom 3 this week. I hope to goodness he survives past Megan, but I'm worried for him.

Lil: This is the first week I've liked her song (maybe because I knew it?). I am a bit worried she's going to get a little Jennifer Hudsonish on me. She has just a bit of attitude and while she managed to keep her opinions to herself a bit more this week than she did last week - I am not sure that the Jennifer side of her is gone.

Adam: Christina, are you ready? I LOVED HIM. He was my favorite performance of the night (assuming the 2 I have yet to watch here in a second don't top his). I was a bit worried the judges would be rough on him for so drastically changing his look - I remember times in the past when they've been upset with people for doing that. But I thought he looked INCREDIBLY handsome all cleaned up and he didn't scare me nearly so much. He can SING. No doubt about that.

Danny: I thought he was very entertaining and engaging - but why didn't he do those lines like he said he was going to? I think he has a lot of good potential not only as a singer but as an entertainer. Some of these people are good singers but their concerts wouldn't be much fun. Can't say that for Danny!

Allison: I didn't like her song until the end when she got so powerful and then she shot straight to second place after Adam. I thought she was amazing - she had NO place in the bottom 3 last time and she better not be there this time.

Bottom 3? Well two of them need to be Michael and Megan. I'm a tiny bit worried for Scott and Anoop too. I want Megan to go home but worry it will be Michael.

One Tired Little Girl

I made a point, when DST began, to work hard each evening so I could be ready for bed by a decent hour and hopefully get more sleep. And I did well...until this week.

This week all the chores and all the work hit at once. And this is the second night in a row I'll be crawling into bed later than I like...which will definitely be obvious when the alarm goes off in the morning.

I do love the feeling of accomplishment that comes from a day of hard work followed by an evening of hard work. But I do NOT love the worn out mess I am by bedtime!

I tried a new recipe tonight, so if it turns out well, it'll show up on here eventually. And as soon as I have a spare minute or three, I'll post the next one I have waiting in the wings.

In the meantime - hope all of you are having a good week!

Bits for Sunday, March 22, 2009

As “good old 14A” says, “Welcome sweet springtime, we greet thee in song.” That means nothing to you if you are not a fan of the Andy Griffith Show. If you are a fan, then please know Barney and I sound much alike on that particular song, so I’ll just allow you to read the words on the screen and not have an audio rendition.

I’ve loved these sunny days…and in honor of the first day of spring, I have completely shut off the heat in my house and have pulled out the cute summer skirts. Never mind that I’m wearing a jacket and a fleece blanket over them right now as I write to you. I’ll happily do that just to have spring present and accounted for.

Yesterday I worked hard on spring cleaning…getting through about half the house and half the closet switch. I’ll just have to work extra hard this week to finish those projects.

The cats love sitting in the open window – although during my Sunday afternoon nap, I remembered the down side of open windows. Sirens become much louder! But the fresh air is welcome in the stuffy rooms, so I’ll deal with the sirens.

I told you last week about my retreat and my adventures entering and exiting the top bunk of my bed. I’m happy to report that this week I’ve had a chance to journal…at long last…and it has been wonderful to get thoughts out of my head and onto the paper. Of course that freed up brain space for other things to take up residence and leave me in multiple states of confusion, but at least it provides variety.

So many people have asked me what I learned while I was gone and some things were so big that it’s hard to condense them into words. I’m still contemplating them and trying to soak up every last bit of what God intended them to be for me.

But one lesson was more of a “kicker” – and that is what I want to share with you today. My friend Kari and I are studying the book of James. We’re crawling through it one section at a time, and right before I left, we discussed the first part of chapter two, which is about favoritism. (If you’ve not read it in a while, check out verses 1-13.)

We talked about how easy it is for us to categorize people around us – those we really want to associate with (if they would lower themselves to spending time with us), and those who might want to associate with us (obviously!) but we’re not so eager to rush their direction. James specifically talks about those who show up dressed well and those who might be What Not to Wear candidates. He wasn’t just talking about the dreadfully out of fashion. He was also talking about those who might wear filthy clothing. Dirty, smelly people.

I don’t think Kari and I are the only ones in the world to not push people out of the way to be able to sit next to a “shabbily clothed” person. It’s just our nature to want to spend time with those who fit in well with us. Or if we’re extra fortunate – people who are even better than we are, and we might become better just by association.

Fresh out of this study…after however many pages of notes on how to NOT show favoritism in the body of believers…I landed in a room full of women and found familiar thoughts running through my head. Who had the nicest clothes? Who had great hair? Who seemed to have a fun personality? Can I sit by those people?

Did I learn NOTHING?

God made sure I learned something. Without going into too many details, just let me say that the people I might have not rushed toward, had I been given a chance to choose my path, ended up being the people who taught me the most. The people who had great hearts for the Lord. The people who showed genuine faith and care. The people who took risks beyond what I was willing to take. The people who reached out in friendship – though they could have been having thoughts similar to mine – about me!

Humbled would be a good word to describe how I felt as I rode back home at the end of the weekend. I saw faces flash through my mind and I was sorry I was so quick to judge on appearance. I was sorry I hadn’t taken the time to get to know them first – to see their beautiful hearts. I was sorry I lost even a moment of enjoying them because I was so busy judging.

That lesson has not been far from my mind all week – and hopefully I’ll learn it quickly and not have to spend too much time in favoritism boot camp.

Spring (Cleaning) Fever

I took the last two afternoons off work in hopes that being up and about for work in the morning would spur me on to hard work at home in the afternoon.

As it turned out, it spurred me right into two lovely afternoon naps. Oh well. The best laid plans, right?

But these last two days (minus one rain shower yesterday) have been SO PRETTY and I think I have officially diagnosed myself with spring fever. More specifically...spring cleaning fever.

I've been on the go much of March, and as a result, my cleaning has been sporadic. The bright sunshine and open windows and doors have been wonderfully refreshing...and a spotlight on the cleaning that so needs to occur.

I love spring cleaning. I love bringing out the Easter decorations and the bright flowers (the fake kind that I can't kill). I love rearranging the furniture, putting away the fleece sheets in favor of the regular ones. I love exchanging the space heater for a fan. I love, love, LOVE bringing out the summer clothes and putting away the bulky coats.

I love thinking ahead to planting the flowers I'm likely to kill, and for five minutes, I even love the thought of mowing the grass. (Then, of course, comes the first attempt at starting the mower after it sat all winter and my disdain returns.)

And while I'm never a fan of rain, yesterday reminded me I do love the smell of a spring rain. Tomorrow is the first official day of spring, and in celebration, I plan to have a closet-switching party tomorrow night. (I know - I have the funnest Friday nights. Try not to be jealous, okay?)

So happy spring (a few hours early) - and here's to happy cleaning!

The Top Eleven...

...sang tonight. Country night. That's code for my one chance all season to know a song. :) At least until they do Southern Gospel night. Then I'll clean right up on songs. Here's what I thought - can't wait to hear your perspectives. And for those of you who so long to participate in water cooler talk around the cubes in the office...but can't because you didn't watch...you can at least sound informed. :)

Michael - Oh bless his precious little heart, I think he might be in trouble tonight. I didn't know the song - think I might have been able to like the song - but I was totally with Simon. Even with the captions on, I couldn't understand a word he was saying. And I didn't think country was really his thing. Paula said it suited him, but I thought he looked and sounded like he was forcing it to fit. Simon called it clumsy, and I thought that was a good description.

Allison - Just love this girl. I really do hope she stays for a long time. I thought she blended country with her rocker sound really well. Those two don't always blend well and I was nervous for her, but she made it work and once again, I thought she looked very at home on that stage. And hey- she got a "dope" from Randy.

Kris - I had goose bumps before he was out of the first sentence. I l-o-v-e-d it. I think it may have been one of my top two favorite songs of the night. Thank you, Simon, for leaving the issue of his wife out of this one. I got nervous he'd bring that up again since Kris sang a love song. But apparently Simon was too distracted by how GREAT the song was to bring that back into discussion.

Lil - CRACKED me up how Simon kept calling her Little. That was hysterical. This was the first song of the night I knew, and I wish I hadn't...maybe then I would have liked it better. Once again I had to agree with Simon (what is up with all this agreeing with him?). It did sound like she was at a wedding singing a song she didn't like. And I was very annoyed that she kept trying to defend herself...not so much because she wanted to make her point...but because she kept interrupting them. I hate interrupting.

Adam - Well I struggled with him last week because he scared me. But Tammy at my work just loved him to death, and Christina loved him too, so this week I went into his song determined to start over. Um, I think I need to start over again. Parts of it were kind of good, but mostly it reminded me of that sidekick singer in The Wedding Singer. Was his name George? I don't know - it did NOT work for me. However, I think he's got a strong enough fan base to stay, so I'm not going to worry about it.

Scott - I actually agreed with Paula on this one. I like Scott a lot - both his vocal talent and his piano talent are very very good. But I wish he'd ditch the piano too, because he is starting to sound the same every time. The song wasn't bad...wasn't my favorite of the night. I think he was playing it too safe. ALTHOUGH - I did like his comeback line to Paula after she told him the piano was separating him from the audience. He said they could move it closer. Good one!

Alexis - I'm pretty sure Brooke White sang this song last year and though I was a DIEHARD Brooke fan, I think Alexis did this one better. Until she sang that song, I didn't realize how much she looks like Brooke - if she had the long hair to match. I thought she did well, but I agreed with Kara that maybe Before He Cheats would have fit her style better. I think she'll be okay though.

Danny - I was so scared for Danny singing that song. That was pretty risky, I thought. He did a pretty good job of not copying it just the way Carrie did it, but there were some notes that just DID NOT go well. The second half was definitely better than the first.

Anoop - MUCH MUCH MUCH better than last week. I thought he was really good and I was so glad for him that he received great feedback. I was proud of him for listening and applying what they said last week rather than just whining about it. That shows good character. He won some points with me on that one.

Megan - At this point in the night, the judges and I parted ways for good. I hated the dress and I did not like the sound of her voice at all. In some ways I would have preferred the high school talent show Rockin' Robin sound back. Then of course I had to feel bad for feeling that way when I heard she had the flu. Okay, so I'll cut her some slack. But I am still not a fan. :(

Matt - Apparently at this point in the show, I was too frustrated by my not-going-well scrapbook page that I was multi-tasking, because I have little to no impression of the song at all, but the judges totally raved. So I won't even try to figure this one out. The scrapbook page went okay, thought.

Who goes home? Well based on performance, it should be Adam. But I'm going to say Michael.

Yes, I Know...This is A Day Late

No, I was not kidnapped by the Marion Mafia. Yes, this is the first time in however many years I've been doing this that Bits has been a day late. A dollar short many times, I'm sure, but never a day late.

Welcome to the land of Bekah learning to be flexible. And what an exercise it has been!

This weekend I was given the opportunity to go on a retreat. Not a standard church retreat where all the women run from home screaming with joy at the freedom ahead...and then spend hours eating chocolate and giggling together. Not a standard Bekah retreat of checking into a hotel room for some rest and quality time with a journal and the Bible. This was very different from any kind of retreat I've been on before, and truthfully, my mind has not yet had enough down time to process all that happened.

I've not had time to journal since Wednesday, which is nearly like fasting for me. In fact, I'm barely able to wait long enough to get home and rip the journals out of the backpack to start writing. If I'm smart, I'll contend with the unpacked suitcase and the bedding strewn across the living room first. But then - who knows if I'll be smart!?!? Probably not.

I left for my retreat at 4:30 on Thursday and got home at 10 last night. I gave the heartiest hello I could muster to the cats, called my Mama and headed straight for my precious, huge, wonderful, fleece sheet covered bed. There I conked out and slept without moving until the alarm so rudely interrputed today.

Hence, no timely Bits for you.

I don't want to say too much about the retreat just yet - the God part of it anyway - because I am still thinking and unraveling all that took place.

But for those who need a "Bekahland" moment - I offer you the following.

I knew the retreat was being held at a church campground, and I anticipated that the sleeping arrangements would be large rooms filled with bunk beds. And that's exactly what we had. We were assigned a location, and all the lower bunks were filled. Four of us were assigned upper bunks. Two of them were up against a wall. I was not so fortunate.

My bed was a tiny metal island surrounded by a cement sea. And by tiny, I mean that the sleeping bag was wider than the bed. No rails on the bed. And not only that...no non-athletic way of climbing up to the top. The end didn't have rails. No ladder, no chair. Just me and my no-upper-body-strength. I could FEEL the comedy in my future.

The first bedtime approached and I eyed that bed with a sick feeling. I glanced around to find I had a little audience waiting to see just how I planned to go about getting into that bed. I don't blame them. I'd have done the same. So I took a deep breath, stepped up on the mattress of the lower bunk, threw my arms across the bed and started pulling while trying to maneuver a tae bo kick move with my leg. For those of you who are I Love Lucy fans...just think of the ballet episode. Not far from the truth. After giving the audience QUITE a show, I landed in the bed and managed to get inside the borrowed sleeping bag. Only then did I realize this was a sleeping bag that was rather slippery on the outside. I could only imagine sliding slowly off the bed in my sleep. What a story for my funeral. "She fell out of bed."

Knowing that I was stuck up there in that bunk also gave me the kid-in-a-snowsuit syndrome. But there was NO room for potty breaks, so I put that thought out of my mind.

I set about trying to go to sleep, but alas - no TV. No fan. Two essentials to my winding down process. I didn't even have a clock to know how late it was getting.

What I did have was snoring. I was SHOCKED. Aren't men supposed to be the big time snorers? I expected a snoring duet or maybe a trio. This was a CHOIR! So there I was...on my back (which I never do, but I was afraid if I turned on my side, I'd fall right out of bed), staring at the very near ceiling, listening to the snoring, wondering if I'd ever sleep...

...and I won't kid about this part, because it wasn't funny at all. It was quite scary actually. One of the other ladies became ill in the night and long story short, we were all up for much of the night sitting by and praying, since we didn't know what to do for her.

After the second round of her sickness came, I gave up on ever actually sleeping and determined to get out of bed. I stuck my head over the side (while hanging on for dear life) to see if the bottom bunk lady was awake. She was, so I informed her I would be attempting to exit the bed at that time.

I scooted the sleeping bag out of the way for safety reasons, assumed a surfboard position across the bed and started to scoot down the side. My jammie pant legs caught on the mattress and slid up, up, up my leg while I slid down, down, down the side.

Hey, once you start a show, you gotta finish it.

Let the record show, I did not get back in THAT bed the rest of the weekend.

So there you have a taste of my weekend...and I must now go work off some of the food they fed me!

Kaegan's Birthday: Part 2

I called home last night and said to my parents, "Have you ever tried to have a photo shoot with an 8 year old cat? They hadn't.

I didn't reccomend it.

I was trying to get a picture WITH him, but you have to understand he is not a cuddly cat. He does not like being held. So anytime I need a picture with him, I have to wait until he's in a patient mood - sitting somewhere for a while, and then I have to just slide up next to him and start taking pictures.

So here's the attempt. I said, "Look up!" (as if he would know what that meant). Apparently he actually does - but I MEANT look at the camera....

So that's him looking up and me laughing about it.

Here he is playing with his new catnip toy.

More playing. I had to keep Braeya away from this part too or she would have stolen it. Oh lovely - my dresser drawer is open. SUPER!!!

FINALLY. A decent picture.