Extraordinary Women

Two years ago, Marie and I went to an Extraordinary Women (E-Women) conference in Ft. Wayne. We really enjoyed it, so this year as a birthday gift to Marie, I got us tickets! The conference started Friday night, so we met at our hotel, dropped off our stuff, grabbed some dinner at Arbys (we had to save our pennies for overpriced Coliseum food and parking!) and headed to the festivities!
A couple of days before the conference, Faith told me she was going too, so the three of us (along with Faith's friend) sat together! Marie and I tried to recreate our previous experience by getting seats in the same general area where we'd sat before. (Last time there were MANY more women there, so the conference was held in the huge arena. It was smaller scale this time. That translates to shorter bathroom lines. HA!)

Not too shabby on the seats, huh?

We had some worship time with Michael O'Brien. He was good! Very engaging.

This is Julie Clinton, who is in charge of the conferences. She missed her son's homecoming game (he's the backup quarterback) to be with us!

We just had one speaker Friday evening - Thelma Wells, aka Momma T. HILARIOUS, no-nonsense woman. Oh my goodness. She cracked me up! She's 70 and sassy as can be - with a huge heart for the Lord.

After Thelma spoke, it was concert time!! First concert of the night: Francesca Battistelli.

We had to giggle...her band looked a little Amish...

I have a few Francesca faves...Motion of Mercy is her current single that I really like, and she sang that for us. She also did Beautiful, Beautiful (which several people brought to me during my desert as a song that reminded them of me, so it's special to me) and I'm Letting Go (which has been my friend Jamie's theme lately...and probably mine too!)...

She also did a song accompanied by her husband (who is also her drummer). It was called Hundred More Years and was so beautiful.

After Francesca left the stage, the Amish band ripped down the set and as if by magic...Jeremy Camp appeared! I learned many things about him during the concert (and by scanning his new book, which Marie purchased). He's only about 4 months older than I am, he's a fellow Hoosier, he has a brand new son (to add to two daughters), and...while I knew his first wife had died of cancer, I did not know they were only married four months before she died! Talk about a testimony!

Something else I learned about Jeremy...he can't stand still. This is what the photo opp looked like when he was particularly into a song!

Jeremy and his band....winning me over as a new fan! Take You Back....Walk by Faith...This Man...I Still Believe...great songs.

Amish band...new wardrobe!

He is definitely a minister for the Lord...what a perfect end to the evening!

It was a late night - probably 11:30 before we got back to our hotel. Worth every minute of lost sleep, though!

It's the Weekly Recap!

* Sunday I was POOPED from my late concert night on Saturday. But I delayed my afternoon nap so I could get coffee with a friend who was passing through town. Tried out the salted caramel mocha at Starbucks. Uh oh. I might have a new addiction.

* Monday night...I ate my words back when I vehemently declared I would never, under ANY circumstances...get a Twitter account...it's totally unnecessary...it's too much Bekah for any one person...NO NO NO....and I um...sort of set up a Twitter account. It IS totally unnecessary. It IS too much Bekah. But there's a distinct possibility I got hooked on it at work (we tweet for the show) and wanted to follow some people so I could read their posts...*sigh.*

* Here is what a Tuesday at work looks like after a Monday that is a USPS holiday:
Love me some morning mail! :) Tuesday evening, I went to a viewing...which sort of made me feel like my parents, who go to about two a week. It's never "fun" to see people at a viewing, but it is always good to see friends you never get to see...and that was my Tuesday evening!

* Wednesday evening I took my car in for a simple oil change. Came out with an estimate of $600 worth of repairs that need to be done on my car. (Do you now see why I don't like doctors? There is no such thing as a "simple visit.") Anyway. While there, I witnessed a Nasty McNasterson demanding the manager. She sequestered some first-week-on-the-job-barely-a-teenager and made him go find the manager and then followed him to make sure he did it. I had to start a texting marathon to keep myself from saying ugly things (even if just under my breath).

* Thursday I came home from work with a very upset stomach. (The peril of being so far from home...can't take gambles on "iffy" feelings.) So I worked from home all afternoon. Sweatshirt, jammie pants, orange julius (vitamin C intake, you know), laptop - RESEARCH DAY!

* I had to rally from the illness because MONTHS ago (way before the days of the new job) I'd purchased tickets for Marie and me to attend the E-Women conference in Ft. Wayne! We went two years ago and loved it...so I wanted to treat her for her birthday. So Friday night...we headed off to the Coliseum to attend the first part of the conference! (Self-photography...almost missed myself!)

* We spent the night in Ft Wayne and the conference's second half lasted all day Saturday. It was WONDERFUL. I will tell you more about it later but there were some GOD MOMENTS tucked in there for sure. And then I came home to one very glad-to-see-me little girl: Books I am Reading: Jesus Calling got me right in the gut a few times this week! Love it. Continued in The Faith Dare and Pray 21. Also began reading a book Julie Crandall loaned me: Home to Harmony. It's not new but she thought I could identify with it. He definitely is making me laugh!

Favorite God Moment of the Whole Week: Came at the E-Women conference. It's too much to condense to this short space, but I loved it when I was having a time of surrendering prayer and I just felt this indescribable peace settle over me. Unreal. I haven't felt it that strongly since the desert days.

Update on Last Week's Goals: I didn't read or write as much as I wanted to this week - but I did do better than the weeks before. I'll call it a mediocre success.

Goals for the Coming Week: I want to continue seeking God about the things I learned at the conference this weekend. There's always that post-conference letdown, and I want to try to hang onto that intimacy the best I can.

SSMT: Verse 18

I ran across this verse for the fourth time today. (Not the fourth time in life. The fourth time in about two weeks.)

I figured that many encounters in that short a time was not coincidental. (Right, Kristin?)

So even though it's so short, it almost feels like cheating to make it a memory verse, here it goes:

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

Exodus 14:14

Remember what I said yesterday? About letting God write the story? About a do-over? About a chance to let Him control the outcome?

I think this speaks to that.

Why is this so hard? (Hopefully this is as challenging for at least ONE other person as it is for me!)

I think about soldiers at war. They have to run and do push ups and drive big old tanks and shoot guns...and I am incapable of all those things. If you walked up to me right now and said, "Hey Bek. Pack up. You're off to war..." I'd cry. But what if, in the middle of my meltdown, Jesus walked up and said, "You know what, Bek? You stay here and rest. I'll go fight in your place," I would NOT argue. I would give Him a giant hug and plant myself down to rest.

So why do I treat my life battles any differently? Why do I perceive myself as capable of fighting those? I'm no better at them than I would be at driving a tank and firing a weapon! And He's offering to fight for me...and I'm saying, "No no...I can do it."

Seriously, Bek. SIT DOWN. Let Him do it!

I Think They Call This Growth

To be honest with you, I have trouble keeping up with my own life right now. I had to tell my dad ON his birthday that I promised to have his gift before Valentine's Day. I used to be SO on top of it with gifts and cards and normal life stuff. Now I consider it a good day when I have 1/4 tank of gas. (It's like having kids without having the kids...mass chaos.)

But amid the (beautiful!) chaos that is my life right now - there's something really strange going on.

I think it's called growth.

Not like eating-too-many-cookies growth. (Well, depending on the day, there may be that, too.) I'm talking about heart growth. It's almost imperceptible, but it's there!

I opened up Jesus Calling a few days ago and found this: "Trust Me enough to let things happen without striving to predict or control them. Relax, and refresh yourself in the Light of My everlasting Love...When you project yourself into the future, rehearsing what you will do or say, you are seeking to be self-sufficient: to be adequate without My help."

That would be when I said OUCH!! Talk about a (needed) kick in the seat of the pants!

I've got some little story-lines going in my life right now, and I could not begin to guess where God will take them - or where He will stop them. That has not prevented me from TRYING to figure it out, though. The writer in me thought of no less than a dozen possible scenarios for each.
And God whispered, Stop it. This is My story...not yours. Wait for Me.

A couple of nights ago, my heart was all stirred up with anxiety. I had some dejavu and I felt myself grabbing for the invisible reins to try to "fix" it before it got too out of control.

And right there over a pan of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, God said, This is your do-over. Similar details, but now a chance to live by relaxing in My arms and allowing Me to work it out however I choose. The choice is yours.

So in between bites of cookie (because face it, you can't take cookies to the office without tasting one first to make sure it's edible!) I said out loud over and over Take it. Help me. Just take it. I want to do this right. You do it. Help me.

I think that's just a smidgen of growth.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

When I worked in Financial Aid, we had a carry-in for every birthday. I usually tried to bring something that I knew was a favorite of the birthday person. Birthday celebrations work differently at the station, so as each one rolls around, I find out what the fave food is - and I make it. When Lynne's birthday came, she requested oatmeal raisin cookies.

Uh oh.

I didn't have a recipe. Largely because I don't like raisins. But I DO like Lynne, so I hunted around until I found what looked like a scrumptious, reliable recipe (here is the original), modified it a bit to suit my impatient purposes, and took a batch to work, with fingers crossed.
She LOVED them and even shared! (Isn't she generous?) When Amy's birthday rolled around a little while later, she asked for them too. (Good thing, since I have raisins to use up!) So...here's the recipe. Last night I made it again...this time with chocolate chips instead of raisins. NOW we're talking!!

The Recipe

1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups oats
3/4 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats and raisins. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
My first challenge of this adventure was FINDING the raisins at the store. I assumed they would be in with the baking stuff. This is why I shouldn't assume. Finally found them on an end cap in produce. Why didn't I think of that?
I kept my tradition of not thinking ahead enough to soften the butter normally, so I cut it in chunks and stuck it in the microwave. Lazy, party of one!
Transfer the butter to a bigger bowl and add the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla.

Doesn't take long to cream together.

Mix together the dry ingredients (minus the oats)

Add that to your creamed batter...gets a little thicker.

Add the oats. (I move to hand stirring at this point.)

Nice and thick!

Then add the raisins (or chocolate chips!!!!!!!!!!!) - you know....whatever you prefer.

If your pan isn't very non-stick, you'll want to spray it. These cookies do get a little sticky on the bottom.

TA DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

Add glass of milk and enjoy.

30 days of You and Me: Day Twenty-Eight

I've been looking forward to this post ever since I found the 30 day post idea...you know...a year ago.

Advice for my 15 year old self.

Do you remember 15? Sometimes I wish I didn't, but it's burned in my memory. And by burned, I mean 3rd degree burn. I remember that girl...that in so many ways I don't even know anymore, but I remember she felt hopeless (not in a life-ending sort of way...just in a dejected sort of way) and very alone. If I could talk to that girl, I would say...

Hey Bek. Yes. Bek. You know how you're not allowed to have a nickname right now and for some reason it's the one thing you want more than anything? (Well, almost anything.) One day you'll get to go by Bek. And you'll remember that you always wanted a nickname...and you'll be duly grateful.

I'm you, in 18 years. And you just need to know, it's going to be okay.

You're going to learn to drive. And truthfully - you're going to hate it and be completely crippling-scared of it for several years. But one day you're going to fall in love with a guy who lives four hours away from you and sheer love is going to override fear of the open road, and you'll wonder why it ever bothered you. And though he won't choose you in the end, you'll get many good gifts out of that relationship...driving being one of them.

You're going to be single for what seems like forever. (And you know - it may BE forever. Because in 18 years the jury's still going to be out on that situation.) Sometimes it may feel like that lack of love is going to kill you. But I can promise that at least for the next 18 years, it won't. It'll come close once or twice, but it won't kill you. And that whole line about what doesn't kill you will make you stronger...is actually true.

In more positive news, you will have a magnificent story for your first kiss. You're going to love it. Every first kiss should have a good story. You're going to have an equally amazing story for your first "I love you." (Same guy.) You ALSO are going to get the surprise of your life when someone you love nearly more than life itself turns out to like you back. I'm not going to tell you who, because that'll kill some of the joy of that day when it comes. But let me just tell you, it's going to heal a whole lot of that loser feeling in your heart when HE kisses you. Oh yes. He's going to kiss you.

You're going to graduate from high school (and you won't fall when you walk across the stage), and you'll go to IWU just like you think you will. You'll get a degree in writing and end up with an office job, just like you think you want. It's not going to be your favorite thing and you'll cry a lot of tears over that job. You'll find out the hard way that people who serve the Lord aren't always nice, but you'll grow up so much and you'll need every lesson you learn in the walls of that office to move on to the next adventure. And you'll have enough money from that job to buy a house. THAT is going to scare you to death because home ownership really is as huge as it sounds. But you're going to love that house (and the story of how it came to be yours) and every day, you'll think how amazing it is that you're on your own...and how great it is to NOT have homework.

You're going to make amazing friends in college - that really do stay with you after you graduate. They'll invite you to be in their weddings...to go on vacation with them...to attend their childbirths...to be an honorary aunt to their kids...and every day, you'll remember right now when you wonder if you'll ever have more than 5 friends, and you won't take them for granted.

You're going to mess up in ways you swore you never would. You're going to hate yourself for it and learn, in the end, that's how God shows up in mercy. You're going to be devastated by people you trusted. You're going to end up in counseling and find it to be the best thing you ever did. You're going to be the victim of other people's behavior and wonder if you'll ever heal. It'll take way more time than you wish, but you will. You'll also be the victim of your own behavior and wonder if you'll ever heal from that. And again...it will take time, but you will.

You'll be the science project of your college roommates and find out you can be YOU in a pair of jeans, short hair, and purple nail polish. You'll discover the miracle of a flat iron, grasp the art of makeup, finally stop playing connect the dots with your face, lose some weight, and learn that you have an affinity for chunky jewelry and weird nail polish colors. You'll accidentally dye your hair orange, you'll go gray way too early, and you'll spend the rest of your life being chemically dependent on hair color. In short, one day you'll look in the mirror and actually NOT hate what you see. It'll take you a long time to love what you see, but start with not hating.

You'll write a book, get addicted to blogging (which is a term you have never even heard at this age - but it's good) and in 18 years....you're going to get a job in radio. Yes, you. You who won't even make eye contact with anyone. You're going to actually think of meaningful things to say. You'll think of funny things to say. And you're going to shake your head in marvelous disbelief every day.

You think you love Jesus now...and you do, in the best way you know how, but it gets SO much better. The kind of love you'll have with Him in 18 years is a whole lot more about relationship and a whole lot less about rules. You'll stop timing your devotions and learn to just talk to Him all the time. It'll take devastation to get you to the level of intimacy you'll have, but then again, you're the one who sang the song "Whatever it takes to be more like You...that's what I'll be willing to do."

So you hang in there, Rebekah-soon-to-be-plain-Bekah. You curl those poofy bangs and slap some concealer on that face. Go to school and hang onto that faithful set of friends (because every single one of them will still be dear to you in 18 years too) - and do your best to enjoy the ride. (Partly because it deserves to be enjoyed and partly because you'll need it for writing fodder.)

It gets better. I promise.

Gaither Concert, Part 2

I bring you the second of 18 installments of the Gaither concert.

I'm KIDDING again! This is really it.

The first half of the concert featured each of the artists individually. My favorite group (aside from the Vocal Band, of COURSE) was the Martins. I've always loved them. And while they're still as amazing as they've always been, this was the song that got me. When I went to the Homecoming concert with my sister in May of 2010, they sang this song. It was the first time I'd ever heard it, and I cried all the way through it. I was dying inside and it was the smallest glimmer of hope that maybe someday I could live again. This time I cried again - because I sat there and thought about all the things God has done in my life to redeem my broken heart - up to and including that very day of the concert. Oh the perspective of the other side....
The Vocal Band cleaned up quite nicely from the sound check! While David is still my favorite singer ever, I have to say I love Wes's voice. He's GOOD.

My sister's favorite singer. (Julie, I mean.) Mr. Michael English. I tried to take a good handful of pictures for her. Because I'm a good sister that way.

I don't know if you're familiar with David Phelps... :) He sang one of my favorites...Nessun Dorma. This is from the very end of the song. Amazing.

The whole gang together. This is one talented bunch of guys.

A picture for all the sisters...Lori and I share the favorite of David...and Julie's favorite, as previously stated...Michael.

Mark Lowry singing Mary Did You Know?

Bill and Michael right before Michael sang another of my FAVES - Please Forgive Me

And David singing He's Alive.

The second half had all the artists singing together - some great favorites! I had taken about 170 pictures by that point and didn't think I needed more, so I just enjoyed the music.

FANTASTIC night. Didn't get back home until after midnight, but it was absolutely worth it!

Gaither Concert, Part 1

There are only 18 parts to this concert report.

I'm KIDDING.

Saturday evening, I worked the Gaither Homecoming Concert in Fort Wayne. You can imagine how that broke my heart.

Unlike the Crowder/Story concert, this one was at the Coliseum in Ft Wayne. (Seats about a billion. Or at least it feels like that many.)

Let's start with wardrobe, shall we? We had to wear these button down shirts, and mine used to belong to Jamie. (Jamie, who is WAY littler than I am.) I elected not to go on a week-long fast prior to the concert, so I thought I better get a cami to wear under it so I didn't have to have it buttoned at all times. I was once again assigned t-shirt-tossing duty, so I knew heels were out. Better get some flats (with skid proof bottoms so I didn't wipe out in front of everyone). Unfortunately all my jeans were purchased to go with heels, so I had to get new flat-friendly jeans. Figured while I was at it, I might as well get some festive new jewelry. Good grief. Such a girl.

My first task of the day was to pick up the station van and drive it to the Coliseum. I have not driven a van in about 15 years. My biggest fear was that I'd accidentally activate the yellow flashing light on top, get pulled over, and have to explain to a cop that I didn't know how I'd turned it on and wasn't sure how to turn it off. (You roll your eyes but if you only knew the things I've been pulled over for - that I was NOT doing - you'd understand this fear.)

My second biggest fear was crashing the station van. It is a bus compared to what I usually drive. Add to that the fact that I never found the lever to scoot UP the seat so I could reach the pedals, plus the steering wheel being twice the size of my car's wheel, plus the decor covering the rear van windows...and this was my feeling:
Jesus and Cal (my GPS) got me to the Coliseum all in one piece. I met up with my friends Marsha and Amy, and we unloaded all our stuff and headed inside. Marsha and I took the elevator with the cart of stuff, and we accidentally spent so long talking, we forgot to push the button to actually go UP! (I thought it was an awfully slow elevator!) Lynne joined us, and the four of us were the official WBCL greeters!

Proof that I was there. :)

Our table was just outside the door by the stage, so when we walked past to set up, the GVB was inside doing their sound check. DAVID PHELPS WAS RIGHT THERE!!! I totally squealed and did a little jig right in the hall. And I got caught. By Mark and Michael. Oh well. They should feel appreciated. We set up and then wandered right in to find our seats - sound check still in progress. So fun!! Talk about a GOOD night!

When the people started coming in, it was fun to meet people who listen to Mid-Morning. Two or three of them said to me, "Oh you're the new girl!" LOL!! Yep! I am! It was also fun to see people I knew...like my friends Cheryl and Angie.

About 5:30, we all went inside and Lynne made some announcements from the stage while the rest of us threw the t-shirts and fling rings. I think I was successful! WHEW!! After that, it was time to buy a $3 pop (good night nurse) and big ole bag of popcorn and head inside to find Miss Ronda and watch the concert!! (Come back tomorrow. I bet you'll NEVER guess who you'll see pictures of...)

It's the Weekly Recap!

* Last Sunday, I was mercifully awakened by a text from Rachel...I set the alarm but failed to turn it ON. Woops!! Anyway, good thing she woke me up because I was scheduled to teach Sunday School! Then in the afternoon, as you saw already, Rachel and I went to the pumpkin patch and corn maze at Steele Farms. So much fun!
* Monday I took my first vacation day since I started working at the station. I began the day by visiting my former co-workers in Financial Aid. I stayed over an hour, getting caught up (and possibly also drinking an apple pie chai from McConn). Then as you already saw...spent the rest of the day at the Cherished Moments Craft Hideaway having a TOTAL blast scrapping with friends!
* Tuesday was back to work day! Since it was my first work day in October...I got to turn over the calendar page. :)

Lynne asked if I saw the addition to the lobby wall:

I'm official! (And apparently I have a lamp in my throat!)

*Wednesday I got to have a lunch meeting here:
We sat outside for 2 1/2 hours, because as you can see, the weather was perfect. Guess what happens after 2 1/2 hours in the sun while wearing a 3 strand necklace? Woops.

* Thursday evening I went house hunting again! First time in two months. Back in August I found a house I l.o.v.e. and I tried to put a contingent offer on it but the sellers wouldn't do one of those. So I decided to keep looking for backups or better options. We saw four houses and one of them ended up on my top three list! SWEET house!


* Friday evening I took 175 pictures (in an hour, no less) of my friend Rachel and her family! They wanted some fall family pictures, so I went over to their subdivision and just started snapping pics. It was so much fun. (Really, I don't have to be asked twice to take pictures!) Hopefully they'll find some that work. Two kids, two and under + an amateur photographer might be risky! I won't post the family pics here since they're not mine to show, but I wanted you see the fabulous scenery...
* Saturday...ohhhhh Saturday. Happiness abounded. I'll give you a more detailed report next week (which will thrill some of your souls, I'm sure) but I went to the Gaither Homecoming Concert in Fort Wayne. And by "went to," I mean worked. I had the most amazing night. You know. Because my favorite singer of all time was there... *Sigh.* Books I'm Reading: I haven't had much time to read again this week...I think I'm too busy! But I did read in Jesus Calling and The Faith Dare and also a book called Pray 21, which is for a project I'm helping with at church.

Favorite God Moment of the Whole Week: My favorite moment showed up bright and early on Monday. I was at the Craft Hideaway, and God did a beautiful piece of healing in my heart. Maybe sometime I can write about it in its bigger picture setting, but I loved the way the wound just healed up right there while I scrapped...and how God was careful to see that I recognized it for what it was.

Update on Last Week's Goals: I enjoyed EVERYTHING about this week. God brought immeasurable amounts of joy to me and I'm grateful.

Goals for the Coming Week: I miss reading...I miss having time to just sit with a book and absorb words. So my goal is to make time to do some reading...and also to pray for direction in a couple of situations where I need wisdom.

A Full Heart

You would think, after all this time that I've been walking with the Lord, I would stop being surprised at His ways. I would learn that I can never figure them out. I would stop trying to stay one step ahead (or even keep up).

My heart is incredibly full of joy this week. I called Judy to tell her something, and in our conversation, she said, "Do you just thank God every day that you have this new job?"

Oh yes. Multiple times a day. I'm thankful for my co-workers and how they've embraced me. I'm thankful that the calculator sits in the drawer. I'm thankful for laughter...so many times each day. I'm thankful that I'm not only starting to comprehend the technical side...but that I want to. I'm thankful that the one thing I'd been wildly failing at...has begun to show promise.

In another conversation, someone asked, "Do you ever think it's cool that God lined up the literally perfect job...and you didn't even know it was perfect for you?"

I have no words. I've been around radio my whole life. It never occurred to me that it was for me.

But what makes me shake my head and smile the most is this...

I took a look at my life last October. I remember being heartbroken. Beyond that, I couldn't remember specifics.

First, there was this...and let me just tell you, today SO trumps that...you'll have to come back next week to see why.

And then there was this....which just makes me flat out giggle now.

He has been good. And that's not about to change.

Random Acquisitions

I've acquired a few fun things lately that I wanted to share with you. (Don't worry. It's not like a shopping trip show and tell.)

(Much.)

As you know...fall has descended, so last weekend, I brought out the fall decor. Next to Christmas, that's my favorite box of stuff to drag out of the attic. I love the colors! A couple of years ago I found this *fabulous!* mantle arrangement 90% off at Hobby Lobby. 90% off is my budget! But it needs candles, so I headed to Meijer to buy some and these happen to be pumpkin scented. They are some of the best pumpkin candles I've ever had. Three days after I burned them, I can still smell them...so yummy.
In honor of the house being on the market, I decided the front door needed a pick-me-up, and I found this autumn wreath. I like it because it's not too fru-fru. (I hate the wreaths that have so much stuff on them that you can't even close the door.)

I think I may have mentioned one of these in a weekly recap a while ago, but I am still really excited about them, so I'll mention them again. Two more scrapbooks came in! My spring break trip to Florida...and my baptism book. (I do my scrapbooks on Picaboo, and wait for them to run a special or Groupon before I make a purchase.) Want to guess who tried to get in the picture? Hint: See the lower right hand corner.

I'd like to point out several things about the following picture. First, take a look:

Okay. I told you about those cool lamps I found at TJ Maxx on Labor Day weekend. I bought them to put in my guest room at my new, yet-to-be-determined-and-purchased home in Fort Wayne. Meanwhile, I'm using them in my room! Secondly, the picture above the bed is new, but I'll get to that in more detail in a second. What I'd really like to point out about this picture is this: see little Miss Innocence there at the end of the bed? Now. Noticed the UNMADE portion of the bed? That's her contribution each day while I'm at work.

I'm not a stupid person. I know she sleeps while I work. But to come home to the evidence? Not nice, Braeya Jo.

Okay. On to the picture. I took this picture last summer when I visited Mark and Lynnette out in Virginia Beach. Earlier this year I added a verse from the song The Love of God. (It says: Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made; were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade; to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry; nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky.) When Nations Photo Lab ran a half price special, I purchased the enlargement for about $4 and last week I finally got around to buying a frame...so it's above the bed!

And finally, in the land of acquisitions...my first 31 party purchases (for me). The rest of my party purchases have been gifts. Anyway. The bottom one is a makeup bag. (It was much bigger than I expected, so I guess I can haul a lotta makeup now!) Above...my new pencil bag. I need it for that color coded day planner situation I have going on.

The current pencil bag.

I don't need to explain why I purchased a new one, do I?

Don't Give Up

Last week at work, one of the guys at the station forwarded an email that came from John Fischer's blog. Here is the post in its entirety if you want to read it. (It's worth it.)

The short version of the post is this. A man suffered a heart attack and stopped breathing during a flight. For 45 minutes, two flight attendants administered CPR on him, and the entire time, they had no idea the man was semi-conscious. As they worked, he was unable to open his eyes or speak, but in his mind, he kept thinking Don't give up on me; please don't give up.

John Fischer went on to say, "We all have spiritually resistant friends and relatives who appear, for all we know, to be spiritually dead...And yet how do we know for sure that they might not be only spiritually comatose - unable to speak, but still crying out from some place deep inside: "Don't give up on me; please don't give up."

GULP.

It brought me back to my God-planted assignment to pray for my friend. You know what? That is hard to do when I never hear updates...I have no idea what's going on. I hate to say "out of sight, out of mind," but sometimes the urge to pray passionately gets pushed aside by other requests that sit boldly before me.

And yet, as John went on to write, "Don't give up on them. Spiritually breathe for them. Right up until the very end, because you never know."

My prayers are needed. Consistently. Fervently.

Thanks for the reminder, God. (And Ross.)