Christmas Wishes

HEY. Don't stop reading just because I used the word "Christmas" before Thanksgiving. If you've not paid attention to my little ticker up above here...there aren't that many days left before Christmas arrives. Time to start thinking about some SHOPPING.

My family asked for my Christmas list, so I finished it up this past weekend. It's kind of a wimpy, pathetic list, but nonetheless...a list.

First up...totally not necessary but totally cute:
I rather hope, though, if I get that wish fulfilled...the present-buyer gets me an actual PAIR of boots. Perhaps I should have specified that.

Then...yet one more item I swore I'd wait to get until I got married, but I actually need it now. Well. Need might be a strong statement. But cooking would be much easier with a decent set of knives!

Because I've decided pancakes need to be alternated with waffles...

Because I've turned into a pitiful adult who actually PUT these on a list...what has HAPPENED to me???

And while it's not a present I'll get from anyone else, I really would love this most of all for Christmas...

Or I might have to resort to one of these for the winter:

That's my pitiful list. What do you want for Christmas?

A Feeble Attempt at Sports Talk

Skyepuppy had a fabulous post the other day about "dating games." You know, the whole post-date will-he-call-or-won't-he? dilemma of the dating world. She said she recently went on a date and is now vacillating between knowing he saw deal breakers and knowing she's mid-game and shouldn't expect a call.

In my occasional dating life, I've found I usually lose the most points when it comes to the land of sports.

I was not raised in a home that "did" sports. We didn't participate in them. We didn't go to watch them. We didn't even have them on the TV in the background of our daily lives. The sports section was the only unread section of our paper.

While I didn't feel I'd been left out, really, I'm now finding that my sports stupidity is most unamusing to dates in general. Please don't misunderstand me. I don't HATE sports. I just don't GET them.

I dated a volleyball coach for a while. I learned to understand that sport. Not well enough to speak intelligently with him about it. But enough to sit through TV games and comprehend who was ahead.

In high school, I was a baseball manager my senior year. I understood the basics. And I learned losses made for miserable bus rides.

And that's about the end of my sports knowledge.

It's true that when home alone, I'll watch TLC, Lifetime movies, HGTV or the Food Network before turning on a ballgame. It's true that on Thanksgiving, I'll put in a David Phelps DVD over the football palooza. It's true that in March Madness, I'm usually just mad about surprise late-season ice storms.

But it's also true that I went to a baseball game this year and had a blast. It's also true that I'm about to go to a football game and I can't wait. It's also true that in my few rare seasons of dating, I've truly happily sat through games of all kinds because that's what you do for someone you love.

All of that to say....I don't have favorite teams. I'm a Colts fan because I live in Indiana and that's what we do here -yes, even this year. (Because we're loyal like that.) I'm also a fan of virtually any New England team because one of my friends lives out there and he's a huge sports fan and he loves it when they win - and therefore so do I. (Because I'm loyal like that.)

But there is one player that actually drove me to turn on a TV and watch out of sheer genuine personal interest. And all of this yap up to this point was merely the intro to say I think it's pretty cool that an IWU alum made it to Major League Baseball - and more than just making it, he's doing a good job!

His name is Brandon Beachy and he's from Kokomo, which is not far from where I grew up. Then he went to IWU and while I don't think I ever actually met him in person while he was a student, I remember when he was there.

The first night he pitched for the Braves, my friend Jonathan came over to do some homework. Wish I would have had a camera to capture the look on his face when he walked in and I had ESPN on and my eyes glued to the TV. He said, "You're watching sports."

I said, "I know."

He said, "Why?"

LOL.

Earlier this fall, I read this blog post about Brandon, and I thought it was very well written. (It has to be. I actually understood it.)

So there you go. That's my attempt at sports talk. (No comment, Phats.)

Meanwhile, for a depiction of both my sports understanding and Skyepuppy's dating thoughts, you should check out the pilot episode for Dharma and Greg. Pretty well sums it up.

I Work with a Bunch of Comedians.

One thing that happens a lot in my job: laughter. I seriously work with some of the funniest people. So here's a sampling of my work laughter lately.

1. Even though I've only been working at the station since July, I've already lost my "new kid" title - twice! One of our newer employees is Marion, the IT guy. He is a blessing because you have no idea how technologically challenged I am. (Okay, maybe you do.) But through all that techy-ness - he's a funny one, that Marion!

Last week, I discovered he had a birthday coming up, and my birthday gift policy for the work crowd is this: I'll cook or bake you whatever you want. But since Marion's new, I didn't know what he might like, so I emailed him to explain the policy and find the answer. A few minutes later, I got this response.

Souffle.

Oh shoot. I might have mentioned it should be something I'm capable of MAKING!!

Then in the next line. I'm just kidding. I googled "hardest dessert to make" and that's what came up. The real answer is chocolate chip cookies.

WHEW!!!! He told me later he really did google it. So if you're ever on Jeopardy and the answer is "Hardest dessert to make," you now know to say "What is souffle?"

2. Jim is on the morning team and has come to be a really dear friend to me in the time I worked there. His air shift ends as mine begins, so we chat every day at the great exchange of shows. One morning, I went in and he said, "Hey I got you a present."

He then proceeded to shuffle around a pile of newspapers, searching for the gift. I had no idea what could be under those papers that would constitute a gift.

Then he pulled out this:
...and said, "Got you some perfume." LOL!!!!! Well, I started reading about my present, and this is what I found:

I said, "Really? I'm a man of memorable magnetism??" He grabbed that one back and said, "Well I just don't know how that happened. They must have sold me the wrong one." I laughed for a long time.

3. And then there's Craig. Craig is VERY tech savvy and also very smart. These things would normally intimidate me into hiding, but he's also got a coffee addiction, so I know he's good. :) Friday morning, as I came down the hall after the show, he was walking toward me, carrying on his shoulder the strangest looking contraption. Looked like it could have been a piece of that wood splitter that Belle's father invented in Beauty and the Beast.

I asked Craig about it and he said it was a fancy coffee maker. We had a good laugh about that and went on with the day.

Then I went to the kitchen for lunch and found this: (Don't miss the sign there on the front.) LOL!!!!!!

Yes indeed. A coffee maker. He said the white tube on the right was set up for an IV drip and the little indicator on the left tells the strength of the caffeine...

Oh that it really worked. :)

So these are the people I work with. They make me laugh.

Rock & Worship Road Show

I come to you from the land of learning to hear again. :)

Why, you ask? Well this past Saturday night, I worked:
The Roadshow came to Fort Wayne, and six of us headed to the Coliseum to represent the station, behind this table, which was located, as you can see, IN the arena.

(That's Miss Sheryl back there. She's one of my lunch buddies. Well. And just a buddy in general.)

Anyway. So this concert was a fun new experience for me, because it gave me a chance to deviate from the Gaithers. I tend to stick with what I know. My work pals warned me this concert might be cause to wear earplugs. I said Nahhh I'll be fine. The table's at the back...no biggie. They raised knowing eyebrows and said, Okay, Bekah!

So I showed up in my work gear (extra layers because under the floor was ice for the hockey team) and my new haircut (flattened by the wind).

And I learned that being at the back doesn't mean you don't need earplugs! It was one of those concerts where to say I'm going for popcorn; do you want anything?? meant screaming it in the ear of the person next to you. Kinda fun! I mean really. How often do you get to scream at a co-worker and not get in trouble? :)

The Rock & Worship Roadshow featured a bunch of artists; the concert lasted almost four hours. Tons of youth groups and college students came - because it was a great deal. Ten bucks (plus a love offering) for four hours of music.

This was one of the first groups to sing: Group 1 Crew. I'd never heard of them before, but they were good. (Plus I really liked their hair! I wanted to get some root lifter like that. See photo above for a reminder of why I need it.) I read on Twitter yesterday that one of the artists in this group (Blanca - she's the one with reddish hair behind the guy) lost her dad during this concert. Very sad! :( Next up: Rush of Fools. Like how I started taking pictures of the screen so I could remember the names of the groups?? :) Then... Hawk Nelson. This whole empty area in front of my camera eventually filled up with teens who wanted room to move around. :)

Matt Maher took the stage. I noticed we have the same hair color. (Or we did when the day began. 2 1/2 hours and a handful of money later, mine was transformed away from this look.)

Jars of Clay was the next to the last group. Here they are - and the trusty camera man who blocked my view most of the night. :)

Since it was hard to see the stage from where I stood, I enjoyed watching the crowd in between bouts of yelling in Jim's and Sheryl's ears. Even though this wasn't "my music," (wow, I'm sounding SO old before my time), it was amazing to watch these teens get into it. They were jumping and waving their hands and singing along and screaming and having a GREAT time. Even the clumps of parents who begrudgingly attended started unfolding their arms and getting into it as the night went along.

The last music set was done by Mercy Me. I really do love their music.

Here is a recording of one of the songs from the night (like from the actual concert...they had it posted on their site).


And this is my friend Jim - one of the morning guys. Hilarious guy and good friend. He was rockin' out. (And was kind enough to hold still for a picture.)

It was a very fun evening. Got to meet some sweet people and hang out with my work buds. (They're so great.) They were kind enough to let me go a few minutes early so I could beat the traffic and get home before it got too late. I really appreciated that. Thanks, guys, for a fun night!

It's the Weekly Recap!

WE DID IT!!!!!! HAPPY END OF DAYLIGHT SAVINGS!!!!!!!

And now on to our regularly scheduled programming.

* Last Sunday was Pancakes with the Princess day with Faith, Hannah, and Kaylah. I got to see them twice in one week! Lunch was so good!
Then I spent the rest of the day at home - finally hauling out my winter clothes. Sigh of sadness. I had to admit defeat...winter is coming, no matter how much I wish it wouldn't.

* Monday I cohosted with Lynne...we did a show called "Advice for My Younger Self." People called in and emailed in their advice...I loved hearing their ideas! We even had some guests in the peanut gallery that day - my mom and her friend, Rowena, stopped by on their way to go shopping. Mom seemed to really like seeing what I do every day. Then that night, in honor of Halloween, I went over to Chris and Trudy's house for dinner (as you saw), Halloween shows, and the Halloween pizza and fabulous donut buffet. I seriously have to remember that for a party!
* Tuesday was a new month and a new picture!

And Tuesday evening...I got to meet up with my Pray 21 teen again. She wanted us to go to this little hole-in-the-wall restaurant, so we went and it was fun! The total inhabitants were the two of us...and two old women. HA!!

* Wednesday evening I planned to stay home and read...but then the phone rang...and it was my friends Bill and Kristin...who invited me to join them at Ivanhoes! I'd just had dinner but I'm never too full for extra calcium!!! That's an orange freeze shake (a mini one). Figured it also should count as a fruit. :) It tasted just like a creamsicle. YUM.

* Thursday night I got to have dinner with my friend Rachel and her two kids. (I promise I do more than eat!) It was so great to spend that time with her because my heart had gotten a bit overwhelmed that day...and I needed the comfort and laughs they provided. This was my favorite moment...isn't it precious?
* Friday night I went shopping. I needed a new shirt for work (long sleeved t-shirt to go under a work t-shirt...to winterize it, you know). While in the store...I found a CRAZY good deal on pea coats. I've long wanted a pea coat and I've not had a new winter coat (that was worth much) since college. And I knew I would never find that good a price on a coat I liked that much - until coat weather was over. So I'm now the proud owner of a pea coat! It's pretty cute!

* Saturday was B.U.S.Y. I started with a hair overhaul. Cut and color.

Please note that this look is after walking in the wind for a while AND six hours of work. It was a little more together earlier in the day! I also got to try YOYO's for the first time (Yogurt On Your Own) - and I worked the Rock & Worship Road Show in Ft. Wayne. A great day indeed!

Books I'm Reading: Check this out: FINISHED Home to Harmony! Really enjoyed his writing style. Julie loaned me that book and told me his writing voice reminded her a lot of mine, and I can see why she said that! Read more in One Thousand Gifts, Jesus Calling, and Pray 21.

Favorite God Moment of the Whole Week: We had a guest this week who shared his testimony on the air and it really touched me. The things he said were not the sorts of things that fit into the "nice neat Christian box" and it was a much needed reminder to me that God uses broken vessels for His glory!

Update on Last Week's Goals: Didn't have as much time to read as I'd hoped, but thanks to a 2 1/2 hour hair appointment yesterday, I was able to finish a book!!

Goals for the Coming Week: Finish Pray 21 with Kaitlynn. Our schedules prevent us from talking every day but we have just a few days left and I'd love to be able to complete it this week!

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles (Sandi Patty)

I was SO EXCITED when we booked Sandi Patty to be on our show. I've been a HUGE fan of hers since I was little. I loved singing her songs (in the privacy of my room) but now that she's written a cookbook, we actually have something in common!! Lynne and I made two of her recipes to use in a live on-air taste test, and this is one of them. They got rave reviews among the work crowd...in fact, one of them even requested this for her birthday treat!

It's a perfect fall comfort food - a good twist on other pumpkin recipes. Soft and bready, it goes great with a hot cup of coffee. We have a few weeks of fall left...so put this one on your "to-make" list.

PS - enjoy the fancy pants pictures. These are the ones we took for the station Facebook page and they're way better than my usual pics!

The Recipe
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3-4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. Cream butter and brown and white sugar in a large bowl. Beat pumpkin, egg, and vanilla into creamed butter and sugar, and mix until creamy. With a wooden spoon, mix the dry ingredients into the wet just until blended.

Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes (not necessary, but the chilled dough will make rolling the cookies much easier). Mix cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Roll tablespoons of dough in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake 15-20 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
You might want to have a little extra cinnamon and sugar on hand from what the recipe called for - and if you REALLY like the pumpkin spice taste...make sure you have a good amount of that on hand too.

Mix together the dry ingredients (minus the cinnamon and sugars) with a whisk.
Put the softened butter (melt it if you didn't get it out in time to soften it), brown sugar, and white sugar in a mixing bowl.

Mix until it's well blended.

Add the pumpkin, vanilla, and egg. If you have a big can of pumpkin, you can freeze the rest to use later.

Mix that up - the batter will be pretty wet.

Then add the dry ingredients. You'll need to refrigerate the dough for at least a half hour to make it manageable to work with. (I chilled mine even longer than that, and still, the dough was very wet.

I found that the amounts of cinnamon and sugar listed weren't enough to cover the whole amount of cookies. I think I redid it three or four times. It depends on how much coating you like on your cookies. (Doris from work made this recipe too and she added pumpkin pie spice to this as well. She said it gave it extra pumpkin flavor.)

This dough will be very wet and sticky to work with. Once you get it rolled in the cinnamon/sugar, it's much easier to handle.

Make sure you grease the pans so your cookies don't stick!

Warm, soft cookies....YUM.

Totally worth the mess. These are SO GOOD.

Halloween Fun

I always said if I lived in a cute little subdivision, I'd get into the whole passing out candy to trick or treaters thing...but until then, it's usually a low key holiday for me.

This year, I got a dinner invite! Well sure!!! Love dinner and love friends! Why not mix them? :) Chris and Trudy invited me over for pizza, Halloween cartoon movies (Charlie Brown, Garfield, Monsters and Aliens...you get the idea), and - well - an amazing dessert. More on that later. We had Papa Murphy's Halloween inspired pizza. :)
I tried to keep the kids entertained. Um. Yeah. So here's what happens when a 9 year old, a 33 year old who is really nothing more than an overgrown 9 year old, and a camera phone get together:

Hey Aunt Bekah! It looks like I'm picking your nose! Yes. Maturity abounds on all sides.

And not to be outdone by his big sister....

This later resulted in him calling to me, "Hey Aunt Bekah! Can I see that one picture? The one where I'm picking your nose?" Two parents gave me a very strange look at that point.

Here's what I love about these kids. They are rockin' snugglers.

I watched him take his very first breath and I love it that we're still buds. (He even said to me, as I was swapping backrubs with his sister, "You NEVER have time for me anymore." WHAT!? Not true. Get over here and sit with me!)

She popped my back 3 times. I told her she was hired.

Watched her take her first breaths too. Impossible that she's got permanent teeth now.

Okay. Dessert. They don't get into the whole candy thing. (At first I found that sad, indeed.) Then they broke out the donut BUFFET.

Trudy made the donuts from canned biscuit dough! (Shut up!!) Then we got to frost them with a choice of five different kinds of frosting...and then there were nuts and coconut and sprinkles and chocolate chips and...and...and. WOW. Love.

I didn't get any pictures with James because he was in his seat the whole night. But I have to tell you. This kid LOVES his food. It's a whole body experience for him. Up the nose. Down the shirt. In the hair. Licking the plate thoroughly.

And that's my kiddo. (Well, not MINE. But I was there when HE was born too so I claim him as pretty close to mine.)

And that was my Halloween! Much better than sitting home thinking about subdivison trick or treaters!

Pancakes with the Princess: October

October got away from me!! All of the sudden...we were at the end of the month and I hadn't made any pancakes!

So I invited Faith, Hannah, and Kaylah to come over Sunday after lunch...and they said yes! It was a *tad* bit cold in my house (because I'm too cheap to have yet turned on the heat), so they started their visit by snuggling up to the fire. :)
Lunch was sorta fallish this time. Of course...pancakes. And grapes. And for dessert, pretzels with Hershey Kisses melted into them and candy corn on top. And....

...in honor of Halloween...little mummy sausages. I saw the idea on a blog. They're like pigs in blankets, but you cut up the crescent rolls into strips and wrap the hot dogs (breakfast sausages for us) like mummies! They cleaned them OUT!!!

Kaylah informed me AFTER lunch that she didn't like pancakes. (I know that isn't true but it was true on Sunday!)

Hannah ate every bite of her pancakes but decided she ONLY liked the sausages - not the "buns" as she called them.

Faith and I liked all of it. :)

After lunch, the girls played in the backyard, looking for "special rocks" (wish they would have looked for special leaves and put them in bags while they were at it!!). And then Hannah proceeded to read my Roman numeral clock to me. She was sprawled out on the floor and just started yelling "XII,I,II,III,IIII,V...." and it took us a while to figure out what she was doing. Kinda cracked us up.

Such a fun day! Only two more months of pancakes - and it's a whole year of Pancakes with the Princess DONE!!