VOTE!!

Yesterday I told you what I'm learning in my God-journey. Today I need help picking an Easter dress.

I know. It's kind of an about-face. But please help????

Saturday I had my first feeling-only-semi-fat day in a while, so I figured it was as good a time as any to go shopping for an Easter dress. Easter dress-shopping is always a drama. For a couple of my all time classic adventures, read this or this.

I headed to the mall...without a girlfriend in tow to give opinions. That's where you come in.

Please note: I do not make a habit of taking pictures of myself while trying on clothing. Therefore I was most unsure of whether or not I should smile. It seemed odd to smile while alone in a dressing room. But I looked mad when I didn't, so I did. Please also note: I do not plan to wear green and white athletic socks with my Easter dress. Although I do think it adds a little something...

I know I should just number the pictures and set you free, but I am going to tell you what I did and did not like about each one, just in case you need that information to make an informed decision. Please tell me what to get! (Or if I should keep trying. Oh mercy. Please no.)

Option #1. This was actually my most favorite dress of all of them. I loved the colors and I loved the style. The unfortunate thing about this dress was...I could not get it zipped for about the last inch at the top. And I think if I got the next size up, it would be not only emotionally depressing, but just flat out too big in other areas.
Option #2. I loved this dress very much, and it fit! But I was worried it might be a little too hoochie for church? (And don't tell me to add a sweater. I AM a sweater.)

Option #3. I adored the way this one fit, even though it had a collar kind of like a Lucy Ricardo laundry dress. It did have a big fabric belt that was supposed to tie as a bow in the front but much as no dress should ever have a butt bow, this girl does not need a gut bow. I have enough gut. Let's not put a bow on it, hmmm? So I just omitted the belt. I kind of feel like this print looks like a botanical garden threw up on me. So I wasn't sure...

Option #4. I had to purchase this one because they only had 4 on the rack...this was the only one in my size...and at this store there's never a guarantee that they'll get more. Yes, I know this one looks like a paintball gun threw up. But it's kinda fun funky. The belt is a leather wrapping/weaving mess that might be smarter than I am, but I liked the look and flowy feel of the dress. And it has pockets! I love pockets! And it was a size smaller than I normally wear, so it's emotionally appealing. :) One down side - if it's a windy Easter, then HELLO dress-up day!

Option #5. Also had to purchase this one - for the same reasons listed above. This one honestly feels like jammies. The most comfortable of any of them. It's a good Easter dinner dress - you could eat for days and just keep expanding. I'm not sure it's bright enough to suit my tastes.

K y'all. Help!

Silence

* Little Public Service Announcement...so excited about today's Mid-Morning show, because it's our blogmania show! If you like to read The Recipe Shoebox...The Mom Creative...Kelly's Korner...The Nesting Place...or Emily A. Clark, tune in here at 10 a.m. ET to hear them talk about their blogs! *

Remember my 30 day journey I took during the month of February? The one where God asked me to try living in an attitude of surrender rather than an attitude of personal assistance?

There were many great things about that journey, and I've blogged about some of them already. But one of my favorite things about that season was how frequently God spoke. My journal, which travels with me wherever I go, overflowed with quotes that littered Facebook, my Twitter feed, blogs I read, my daily devos, sermons I heard, Mid-Morning shows...you name it. I couldn't write fast enough some days. And while there were days I shook my head with the amazement of it all, I knew it shouldn't surprise me that He was so divinely loud in those days.

Then the season ended. And a new season began...the circle praying season. I've been praying and seeking...

...and hearing absolutely nothing.

My journal entries are short. Twitter and Facebook have been overtaken by thoughts on Daylight Savings, March Madness, and the early onset of spring. Bloggers seem consumed with Pinterest, recipes, and the happenings of their families. My devos are caught up in Lenten thoughts. Mid-Morning topics and sermons have been great, but the topics are far from what my heart encounters in this moment.

Most of my journal entries say, "Are You there?" (Repeat as needed.) (It's needed a lot.)

But as I alluded to yesterday in my recap, there has been something beautiful in this silence.

Don't get me wrong. I don't ADORE the silence. I'd rather have God sit down beside me in the fat chair and talk right out loud so I'm in no way mistaken about His desires for these prayers I'm encircling.

But though my journal says "Are You there..." I have no doubt in my heart the answer is YES.

Yes. He's here.

Silence does not mean absence.

He's not speaking because no words are truly needed. I may think they're needed, but they're not. When they are...He'll speak again.

Meanwhile...He's here. Silent but so present.

It's the Weekly Recap!

* Last Sunday I went to see my friend Jon Crandall's ordination service. It was one of the best services I've ever been in...so well-planned and extremely Spirit-filled. Brian Holland (who baptized me) spoke during part of it, and he did a great job. Julie sang a solo (I've missed her singing!) and after church, I stayed for the carry-in lunch. MAN can that church cook!! * Monday was my first day to run while using my new prayer sticks method. I could not believe how fast that workout went! I loved it! I came home and hunkered down to watch The Voice so I could see Anthony Evans sing. So bummed that he didn't get to move to the next round. :(


* After driving to work in SNOW on Monday - would you believe it was over 60 degrees on Tuesday? I love Indiana. So after work I put on my workout clothes and headed straight outside. Ran into my friend Rachel, who had the same idea, and we got to work out together, just like old times! We've had some great talks in our workouts, so we packed in another hour of catching up! Then I came home and played with Braeya and the laser. Her favorite game!
* Wednesday night I got together with Faith to celebrate her birthday! We met up at Starbucks and caught up on life. Embarrassingly enough, we haven't seen each other since our New Year's bash! Then I um...went shopping. We won't talk about that. (Yet.) Check out this picture, though. I get made fun of so much for being the station pack mule. I take such luggage everywhere I go. This grouping is EVERY DAY'S collection at work...and sometimes I have one or two more bags in addition...
* Thursday I added my newest purchase to the office: a very festive metal perpetual calendar! I found it on clearance at Kohl's for about $15 bucks and could NOT resist. It fits in perfectly and lets me keep an eye on what's coming up - in shows...in concerts...and in my own life, too. I love it, and so do my work buds!
* Friday night I got to have dinner with Lynette, the Financial Aid Secretary. We've only seen each other a couple of times since I left the office, and she wanted to celebrate her birthday with me...so we did! We had dinner at The Mill in Marion - and while this is one of Marion's nicer restaurants (complete with live dinner music) - here is proof that it really doesn't matter what kind of restaurant you take me to, all I really want is a sammich. * Saturday I met Phats and some of his friends for lunch - which meant I had to be out of bed before noon. HA! After lunch, we went to JuJuBerry (frozen yogurt), where I stayed a good girl and had coffee while they had.... Then I went shopping for an Easter dress...an activity nearly as charming as shopping for a swimsuit.

One Thousand Gifts: May sound weird...but my favorite gift this week was God's silence. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a huge fan of His silence - or anyone's silence, really - but I realized that for the first time, I didn't worry that silence meant absence. I knew He was there even though He wasn't very vocal. And for that, I was grateful!

Pinterest Inspiration: This one is SO CUTE!!! Here's the original:

Source: myblessedlife.net via Rebekah on Pinterest

In my county...they only sell the spring clothespins, so I got those instead, and then I decided I liked that plan better anyway, because I didn't have to mess with any glue!I just clipped them on a craft mirror and...
TA DA!!!! I'm going to hot glue some twine on the back to make a hanger and the project will be ready to hang over the washer and dryer!

Because Sometimes I Can't Think Outside the Box

In the rules of blog etiquette, I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to admit your moments of um...lack of brilliance.

But a slow news week trumps the rules of blog etiquette.

Do enjoy.

For twenty-some years, I was part of the Marion Easter Pageant. I've told you about that before. So many amazing memories from the Pageant! In my opinion, one of the best scenes (visually speaking) in the Pageant was this one:
The Last Supper. The curtain came up on this reenactment of the famous panting, and everyone stayed "frozen" for a while. Then they "came to life" and shared the dinner...Judas left...and they went back into the frozen position before the curtain came down. Powerful scene.

This past Sunday night, at our church, a group came in and did an hour long presentation called The Last Supper:

Look familiar? :) They took the "frozen" position and then one at a time, each disciple spoke about who he was and wondered if maybe he was the one who would betray Jesus. Really well-done and thought-provoking performance.

Except for one thing.

During Thomas' entire speech, I stared at him and thought But you're not Thomas. You're Judas.

I was sitting next to my friend Laurie and toward the end, she asked if I remembered which disciples hadn't spoken yet. I pointed to the two I thought and said quite confidently, "That one's Peter."

She looked at me a little funny...and right about that time, Peter stood up and said he was somebody else.

WHAT!!!

And only then did it occur to me...

...the painting didn't come with nametags, you know.

The actors in both performances look alike because they're based on the same painting, but they weren't appointed the same identities.

I'm so proud it took me until the eleventh disciple to figure that out.

11 Pieces of Randomness

You should be forewarned: I just took a nap. Not just any nap. One of those naps that when you awaken...you have no idea who you are or what state you live in or what year it might be. So this could be a really comical post. And by comical, of course, I mean incoherent.

One of my favorite blogs to read is My Life in Transition. I don't know Julia in real life. I found her on a blog hop, but her posts remind me, somewhat, of myself. (You know...if I were married with a toddler and a baby on the way...)

She just answered these 11 questions sent to her by someone else, and because my life is still running slow on news, I thought I'd answer them too!

1. Massage or facial? MASSAGE! Okay, truth be told, I've never had a facial. So it might not be a fair question. But words cannot express my deep adoration for massages. I become a greedy puddle of happiness when experiencing a massage. And who doesn't love being a greedy puddle of happiness?

2. The one facebook-ism that gets on your nerves (eg. cliche status updates, game requests, kissy face photos, etc). When people refer to their children by age, rather than name. "My 2.5 year old just ate vegetables." Is that what you call her? "Hey 2.5 year old! Eat your green beans!"

3. Be honest. What's your biggest insecurity? Ohhh boy. Well I've been told by multiple people that I need to not only read, but absorb Beth Moore's book So Long, Insecurity, so I'm not sure I can whittle this down to just one! Ummm...I'll stick to the physical scene and go with stomach. I HATE my stomach and am probably more self-conscious and insecure about it than anything else on me.

4. One word to describe your life AT THIS MOMENT. Limbo. That's where I'm living! Am I selling? Am I moving? Where am I moving? What church am I going to? Am I driving or flying to vacation? (You get the idea.)

5. Did you have any odd habits or preferences as a child? There isn't enough time in the day to answer that one. :) I don't remember this, but my parents said I used to fall asleep staring at the nightlight in the closet. I was (and still am) scared of the dark, so they put a tiny light bulb in the closet, and apparently they were worried I'd go blind just staring at it. They eventually put in a blue one just to help. Guess their fears were unfounded. Not only am I not blind - I'm the only person in my family who doesn't wear glasses or contacts.

6. On which side of the sink do your dishes pile up? Well in theory, none, because I have a dishwasher. But since I have the bad habit of not emptying it as soon as it's clean, they pile up on the left. That way I still have access to the garbage disposal on the right. (And by left, I mean left sink...left counter...the counter to the left of the left counter...) (Okay so it's not THAT bad. I'm not a slob, you know.)

7. What's the most embarrassing thing in your fridge right now? A pitcher of lemonade that is so old, um...I'm just going to pitch the pitcher. (HA! Pitch the pitcher.)

8. What websites and in what order do you visit them every morning? Well I start at my blog and re-read it for typos, then I read all the blog posts that are new since I went to bed. Then I check Facebook. Then Twitter. Then Pinterest. Then I start over until the last-chance minute when I have to get out of bed.

9. Did you (or do you) have a MySpace page? I did, before I joined Facebook. I wasn't on MySpace for a terribly long time and didn't have a ton of friends on there. It was my first time with social networking and truthfully it scared me.

10. Would you ever sky dive? I would love to say NEVER EVER IN A MILLION YEARS, but I've learned that I end up doing the things I swore I never would. (Like eating spinach.) So I will stick with "It's highly unlikely." A.K.A. "only for the love of a very handsome man who heavily sedated me."

11. Post the last thing you pinned on Pinterest. I was in a mood to welcome spring:

Source: bing.com via Rebekah on Pinterest

A Little Photo Gallery

Oh my goodness! I almost forgot to show you my newest little corner of decorating! (I know. I know! You have been sitting there saying "That Bekah. She hasn't been redecorating much lately. Something must be askew in the universe.")

So let me show you what I did (this is the makeshift version) and then I'll 'splain.
I've been wanting to do something to display some of my baptism pictures, but I didn't want to do the standard photo collage on the wall.

Fortunately, my job introduces me to some pretty crafty people who make amazing stuff.

A few weeks ago, I interviewed the talented owner of the Lone Star Accessories Etsy shop. She makes a really cool assortment of wooden photo blocks and aluminum photo blocks. People use them for everything from table numbers at a wedding to home decor...and more!

And now...I have my very own set of aluminum photo blocks. And I could not be happier. Check them out one by one:

I love them because I remember every single one of those moments. I remember what I was thinking and feeling and every time I see those pictures, I relive the moments. I thought she did a great job capturing the heart of the evening.

(If I could digress from the spirit of this post for one minute, I would like to tell you that from a business standpoint, I was incredibly impressed with her work. I sent her my photos...I actually only sent four at first and then she suggested using the word FAITH and adding a fifth photo. I appreciated her insight and willingness to offer that idea. She had the proofs to me in no time and even gave me a website to choose a different font if I didn't like the one she chose. Once I approved it, I had the finished product, well-packed, and extremely impressive in quality!)

Okay - back to what I was saying. I added one of the stones I handed out to everyone who came to the baptism...

And the stones my mentor, Lara, gave to me as a gift...to replace the ones I threw in the pond, symbolizing what I was leaving behind.

For now, I have all these things on a table in the hallway...and if I buy the house I fell in love with last week (big if!) I already know where they're going in that house!

I also had a code for a free canvas from The Canvas People...so I got this. (I actually had this before I even did the interview with the Etsy shop...this was my inspiration piece, you might say.)

And with it...my Willow Tree figure Mom and Dad gave me for my baptism. Mom thought it symbolized newfound freedom, and I totally agree.

So that's my little decorating palooza (such as it is). And if you need a good gift idea...I say RUN to either one of these shops!

I've NOT Told This Story?

How can this be? This is one of the great only-Bekah events of my life. How has it never made the blog? Well it's fixin' to make it right now.

I call this tale Bekah Gets Her Ears Pierced. Pierced. Pierced.

The summer after college, I was a bridesmaid in Christina's wedding. I was exceedingly sad that I lacked pierced ears, because I couldn't participate with the standard wedding jewelry.

So...when my friend Amy asked me to be in her wedding...I set out on mission: pierce ears.

I decided I did not want to go to a kiosk in the mall for this adventure because if I passed out (a chronic fear of mine), everyone would see. I found out one of the salons tucked wayyyyyyyyy in the back of the mall pierced ears, so I walked in with much fear and trepidation and declared I was there for an ear piercing.

I requested the smallest possible studs because I was so scared about the whole thing. The gum chomping overgrown teenager about to punch holes in my head grabbed a pair of earrings, asked if they were small enough (yes), and got to punching.

Amazingly enough, I did not pass out, and I left with two itty bitty earrings resting on top of my red earlobes, and a bottle of antiseptic in my purse. (I paid for it. Of course.)

Dutifully, multiple times a day, I twisted my earrings and swabbed my ears with antiseptic. I was an OCD, rule following, newly pierced textbook study.

Then one morning, I woke up and noticed my ear hurt. I figured I'd slept wrong. I went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror, and my earring was gone. WHAT! I grabbed my ear (OUCH!) and felt it...inside my ear!

While I slept, the stud had retreated into my earlobe and my ear closed over it! I know. I'm shivering just writing it! I messed with it so it reappeared, went about my twisting and swabbing duties and went through my day. Multiple times that day I had to retrieve the earring(s) - yes, both of them started to disappear - and by the end of the day, both ears throbbed.

I went to my on-again, off-again boyfriend's house and pulled my hair back so he could look at my ears. He shook his head and said, "Rebekah, they look like they're getting infected. You have to take the earrings out."

I protested. I'd been so nervous about the piercing, I'd waited until EXACTLY six weeks before Amy's wedding to get them pierced in the first place. Starting over now meant missing ANOTHER wedding with pierced ears. But he was firm. (And he was right. ICK! I hate that!)

My ears hurt so much, I couldn't bear to touch them, so I asked him if he would take the earrings out for me. (He probably wished, in that moment, we were in an off-again stage.) He tried to take them out but couldn't grasp the tiny stud. So he went for the toolbox (yes, my eyes were about the size of dinner plates) and got his pliers. With much effort on his part and many tears on mine, he (as gently as possible) got the earrings out.

I had to wait until my ears healed (which was, of course, after the wedding), and once they did, he said very sternly, "You go back to that place, tell them what happened, and tell them they will redo this for you. FOR FREE. And if they don't, I'll go talk to them."

They didn't want that. Of this I was sure. So I mustered courage I didn't have and tiptoed back into the salon in the corner of the mall.

Ahem. Excuse me. Sorry to bother...I pulled out a baggie containing the mini-earrings and explained what happened. The girl took the bag and said, "Well no wonder that happened. These are studs for babies." (Good grief.) We picked out the smallest of the ADULT size earrings and back into the chair I went. She marked my ears, I gripped the chair, and punchety punch punch! Two holes...and out the door I went.

I proudly showed the on-again, off-again, who said, "Um...this one here on the left. Does it look funny to you?"

YES, BUT WE DON'T TALK ABOUT IT OUT LOUD!

She had punched the holes pretty low on the lobe and apparently she got her angle wrong when she went in with the gun and the back of the earring was almost coming out the bottom of my ear.

I asked him if he thought I could get away with it. He raised one eyebrow. "This is for LIFE. You can't do that. They have to come out."

Are you KIDDING me? I was not about to do this again! But (again...ICK!) I knew he was right. So I compromised and took out the bad earring, leaving in the good one. For six weeks, I carefully hid my one earring under my hair and waited for the other ear to heal.

That time I declared I did not care WHERE I passed out or WHO saw it. I was not going back to that salon. With a friend in tow, I marched straight to the center of the mall, explained the whole story to the kiosk lady and asked for a piercing.

Sure! But I had to buy a full set of two earrings. WHAT! Now I know people get one ear pierced all the time. What do you mean I have to buy a set? But all fight was gone from me, so I forked over the money for the set of earrings, got my fresh little ear punch and...

...five holes later I had one set of single-pierced ears.

I know. I know. If God wanted me to have holes in my head, He would have put them there.

Home and Garden Show!

Last Saturday I worked my first event of 2012...the Fort Wayne Home and Garden Show! Doesn't this look so lovely, warm and inviting?
Too bad when I walked out of the building, I had to scrape a layer of snow and ice off my car. Good grief.

I love Home and Garden shows, and I was scheduled to work the closing shift, so I went a little bit early so I could meander around the place. The garden room was separate from the rest of the place, so I went there first. Took this picture - which will only mean something to my Financial Aid buddies. :)

I spent a great deal of time looking longingly at the hot tubs. It is one of my life dreams to have a hot tub. (Sigh...)

Then I ate my eleven dollar dinner...SIX of those dollars paying for a bottle of water and a medium Pepsi. My WORD. Concessions...not a 99 cent menu in sight.

I was very excited to find a larger than life picture of Phelps!!!

Sadly it wasn't this one: (Who, by the way, recently got a haircut. I'm in mourning. But I digress.)

Anyway. Back to the larger than life picture.

Yep - that was right around the corner from the station booth!

Know what ELSE was around the corner from our booth?

The sugar almonds. Oh. Be. Still. My. Beating. Heart. Do you have any idea how much I adore those? So I sat there and inhaled deeply...and may or may not have drooled.

This was the station booth. I thought it looked very springy and festive! (We had a lot of compliments on our flowers during my shift. I thought they were gorgeous.)

Here I am, all ready to work. You want to know what detail I did NOT think through very well? Wardrobe. What on EARTH possessed me to wear a fleece shirt to a room packed like a cattle stall? I about sweat to death for the first two hours. (Attractive, no?) Once the event began to wind down and the room emptied out, I was pleasantly comfortable.

I had fun meeting listeners...and several of them knew I was "the new girl." One even asked if my house had sold yet!

But here was my favorite story. I was just sitting there and this very nice woman came up and said "I love your blog! I saw you sitting over here and I knew it was you!" LOL!! That's the first time that has ever happened to me! So you know what I had to do of course!

Yep! Had to get a picture with my new friend Mary Jane! We had the best talk and she's FUN!

Loved my adventure at the Home and Garden show and also loved getting home without wrecking the car. (By the time I made it back to Marion, the bridges were solid ice. One even had police cars at each end, with lights on, to get people to slow down enough to make it safely across.)

Praying Circles

In the weekly recap, I shared my Pinterest-inspired project for the week, but I wanted to share with you a little more about it.

Right about the time I finished the 30 day journey of beginning each day with surrender-based prayers, I read this blog post by Ann Voskamp, in which she challenged us to make "March the month to march around walls in our lives and pray for God to bring down everything that keeps us from Him...a 31 day march around the Jericho that's keeping you from Jesus."

And I knew the moment my eyes fell on those words that before He even gave me a day's break from the last journey, He was calling me right on to the next one.

I happened to be in my living room when I copied Ann's words into my journal and prayed silently in my heart for direction on how to pray circles around my Jerichos...and what those things might even be. That's when I glanced to my left and saw this book on the fireplace where I tossed it a few days earlier:
Mark Batterson's book In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day was so pivotal in my life that I was excited to see this new book come out and I had been waiting to finish up the book I was reading so I could start it. How fitting that I actually just finished the other book...

...not coincidental, I might add.

In the early pages of this book, Mark says, "The greatest moments in life are the miraculous moments when human impotence and divine omnipotence intersect - and they intersect when we draw a circle around the impossible situations in our lives and invite God to intervene."

Boy, I can think of a few of those. Can't you?

Before I began to pray circles, I began to pray about the circles. What are those things? I know what I think is important, but what does GOD think is important right now?

And here's how He brought it together for me:

When I used to work out at the IWU track, I had prayer cards. Index cards...two sets of them. On one set were 26 verses, one for every letter of the alphabet, that I've been praying over my someday-husband. I'd go through a verse during every lap, memorizing it and praying it over Mr. Missing. The second set of cards had a group of challenging marriage-related quotes I wanted to impress on my heart - also for someday.

During preparation for a house-showing, I hid those cards. Apparently I hid them well. I haven't unearthed them yet. So now that I once again have a track to run on and laps to count...I have nothing to count with!

That's when I found the Pinterest idea of prayer popsicle sticks....

Source: melissasprojects.blogspot.com via Rebekah on Pinterest

And as I headed for the drawer in the kitchen where I keep the popsicle sticks, God said, "There you go, Baby Girl. Pray some circles around that track. Pick 8 things that weigh on your heart and pray circles around them. As they're answered, celebrate the victory and replace that stick with a new one."


That God. He has some good ideas! So I fished eight sticks out of the bag... And I covered them with things that weigh on my heart... ...Like finding the right words and lessons in the final Bible study chapters I'm writing.



...Like selling this house.



...Like trusting God for money when I commute 100 miles a day and gas prices (in case you missed it) are shooting up.



...Like other things so dear to my heart I'm not even going to capture them in a picture.



And I'm going to boldly encircle those things (literally) in prayer.



No idea what God will do...or when...or how. But He will do. He Who promised is faithful.

It's the Weekly Recap!

* Last Sunday I had lunch at church, which was much fun. I hardly ever get to see my church buddies anymore, because my new schedule keeps me from attending too many things that happen there. So it was great to sit around with them and laugh and have a great time! Then I came home and spent the rest of the day curled up on the fat chair watching all the Oscar hype. (I'm such a sucker for award shows.) And check out what showed up in my little yard!
* Monday I helped Lynne host the manners show...which was a lot of fun! The rest of the day was pretty normal...nothing huge happened. That night I curled up in front of the fireplace with my online house hunting extravaganza and tried to make some sense of what I'm looking for (in the event that I ever get to move in my lifetime).

* Tuesday evening I got to have dinner with the girls from work - which was SO much fun. Really enjoyed being included in their get-together! (And it was fun to eat someplace I don't get to go all that often.) And just in case you weren't sure how the ladies of Mid-Morning get everything done...this is how! (Well, the Peppermint Patty part is off limits for me now...but the iced tea...)
* Wednesday was the craziest day of the entire week. That was the day I was supposed to have lunch plans but my friend had an accident on the way to meet me! But then you already read about that. I had dinner at IHOP with Jenny and ate blueberry pancakes - which counts as fruit, right? :) And look at this really cool cloud/sun situation I saw driving home. Doesn't it look like an angel?

* Thursday night I went house hunting! I hadn't been out looking at houses in real life since before Christmas. My realtor gets 8000 gold stars for patience with me! We looked at four houses and I really loved two in particular. I know that the choice of a house in Fort Wayne is going to boil down to what's available when I'm able to move...and it might be none of these. But I'm getting a better grip on what part of town I want to live in...and what things are important in a house!

*Friday we experienced every possible weather condition (almost) in one day. Good grief, Indiana! I felt awful for the people in southern Indiana and on down further south...who had all the tornado devastation! About the worst we had was this hail...which I heard OVER the replay of Mid-Morning I was listening to through my headphones.

* Saturday was my first official work event of 2012...I took a shift at the Fort Wayne Home and Garden Show. I love home and garden shows, so I was really excited that we had a booth there! I worked the final shift, so I went up a little early to peruse the place (aka get ideas...) Had such a fun night. I'll post more about it this week!
One Thousand Gifts: I think my favorite gift this week was watching the 2 videos I made in conjunction with the 30 day journey...and being able to see change in myself. Maybe you could see it...maybe you couldn't, but I did. And since I've lived with myself for a number of years now and know how difficult it is for me to change...I know what a gift that is!

Pinterest Inspired Projects: I am going to (again) devote a whole blog post to this project so I can share more of it with you, but here is the intro. Found this idea a while ago...focused on teaching kids to pray:

Source: melissasprojects.blogspot.com via Rebekah on Pinterest

Scrapping the part about the pictures on the end...I made "prayer sticks" to count laps on the track at the gym! (There are more than these, but some are sort of personal so I didn't want to take pictures of them.)
More to come on that this week!

392 Gifts

Thought it was time to do another update on the 1000 gifts journey!

281. Perfect white moon brilliant against a blue sky.

286. A troubled heart waking to the song Peace Be Still.

291. Warm chocolate chip cookies. (This was before Lent. Don't yell at me.)
301. Reminder from Julie Crandall to extend grace to myself.

311. Snow piled in tufts on evergreen branches.

314. Syrup in waffle squares.

321. Unfulfilled dreams...gives me reason to hope they WILL be fulfilled.

329. Perfect raindrops dangling from trees. 335. Giggling with Katy on the phone.

338. The dripping of the coffee pot.

346. Look of pure delight on my face in an old picture. 352. Warm crumbly cinnamon bread and milk.

358. Knowing vacation dates...let the planning begin!

368. Smell of wet grass in the air.

381. Kitchen Aid mixer blades in steady rhythm...

392. Crunchy peanut butter and grape jelly on toast.

30 Days Later...

Not sure if you remember the details or not, but a month ago, I wrote about a little challenge God issued to me. My tendency is to be a little on the OCD side...a little driven to make plans and figure out what's headed my way...and while there's nothing wrong with being who I am in that respect, my heart and stomach were as tense as could possibly be.

God asked me to try, just for 30 days, to begin each day with a series of surrender-based questions: How can I love You best today? How can I rest in you today? What do You want from me today? What do You have for me today? Key word: today. Not looking ahead to September 27th, 2067.

Here are some things I've learned in that 30 day span:

* It won't go perfectly. There were still days when I fought the urge to tap on the door of the Throne Room and say, "Seriously? Can you just give me the plan from here until Heaven?" There were still days...even this week...when I cried because the whole thing was just flat out frustrating. BUT. God was good to help me reframe those moments, and the meltdowns lasted moments instead of hours, and I was able to return to the questions and say "Okay, God. This moment. Just this moment. Let's focus on that."

* Messages are there if you choose to see them. My journal overflows with quotes I found in my devotions, sermon notes, tweets, blog posts, emails...it was amazing to see how many times EVERY DAY God sent messages my way that met the joys and struggles of that day. And on the days when I did the best...I noticed the messages were the most infrequent. At first I thought it was because I'd stopped paying attention, but I realized that it really was just that I didn't need them as desperately that day.

* People CAN tell the difference. I had people say to me constantly throughout the adventure that they could see a difference in me. As previously stated, I didn't morph into a never-stressed person. I still had days that were tough. But overall, I changed enough that people noticed and were kind enough to say something about it. And for that, I was grateful!

* It's a practice worth keeping. I said at the beginning that I figured God would ask me to try it for 30 days and then at the end of that, I'd more than likely stick with it. And that is indeed my plan. There is incredible freedom in NOT needing to know what's going to happen every minute of every day. There's freedom in waiting to see what sorts of surprises God brings along. There's freedom in living in anticipation. So yes. I'll be keeping it.

So....in the initial post about this, I made a little video clip and I said I wanted to do a second one at the end of the 30 days just to see if I could see a change in me...so here is video #2. I know what I see...but I won't cloud your judgment. You can make your own decision! :)

And This Is Why Leap Day Can Only Happen Every Four Years

Can you handle a tale from Bekahland today? Grab a cup of coffee. It will wear you out. (The tale, not the coffee.)

This was my day on Leap Day.

* Awakened to find that my phone had once again NOT charged during the night, though it was plugged in. When I jiggled the cord, it started charging. That didn't bode well.

* Got to work and looked online for the number to the cell phone company so I could see if this was something they needed to work out with me from a company standpoint or if I needed to go to the store (which is never a short adventure) that night. No such number exists, readily anyway, online. Got frustrated, gave up and attacked the stack of stuff on my desk instead.

* My breakfast wore off at NINE THIRTY and I had to have a snack. Good grief.

* At 11:30, left for YOYO (a yogurt shop) to meet a friend I've not seen in 4 1/2 years, who happened to be in Fort Wayne that day. Incidentally I set up this entire meeting at YOYO because I love it more than life itself and only days later did I remember I can't have frozen yogurt. It's a dessert. But someone at work informed me they have healthy smoothies - so I had my mind and heart set on that.

* Less than a block from YOYO, my phone rang. It was my friend, letting me know she had, in fact, gotten in an accident on her way to meet me. (One of my worst ever fears, by the way, is that someone will get in an accident on the way to see me.) She assured me everyone was okay but she would not be able to meet me at the yogurt shop.

*Pulled in the parking lot and pulled back out to go in search of her. Please note I do NOT KNOW THE CITY OF FORT WAYNE, so I was trying to find her (on the complete opposite side of town) knowing only the intersection where she was...and what limited headway my GPS would give me.

* Found her in a maze of lunch-hour-traffic-laden one way streets in the middle of downtown Fort Wayne. Waved as I drove by in search of a parking place.

* Yeah, those pretty much don't exist.

* Finally found one near a loading dock. Parked, realized there was a meter at this space. I think I've used a meter one time in my life and I had no idea how much change it took. Dumped in what I hoped would be enough and headed out on foot in search of my poor little friend.

* Realized I'd parked about EIGHT BLOCKS from the accident. Good grief.

* Realized it was 60 degrees and I was wearing my wool coat. Good grief AGAIN.

* Ran (in high heeled boots) the eight blocks, hoping I wasn't in the mugging part of town, what with my Mary Poppins sized purse.

* Arrived just as the tow truck pulled away with the other vehicle on it. Rode with her to park her car in a safe spot until her husband arrived and went into a little sandwich shop with her to meet her mom and kids...for about 10 minutes.

* Ran the eight blocks back to my car. Couldn't find my car. Figured it had been towed too, due to lack of accurate change.

* Found my car hiding behind a big ole SUV. (Where I left it...it's just that the SUV wasn't there then.)

* Got in the car and headed back to work. While formulating a plan to get a smoothie at McDonald's (which is not healthy but do NOT lecture me), I looked up and realized I was headed OUT of Fort Wayne. I'd totally driven past the road where I work. GOOD GRIEF FOREVER!

* Made it back to work. Managed to squeeze in the rest of the day's chores before heading out.

* Drove on fumes back to Marion, certain I could make it to town without getting more gas. Thirteen miles from my exit, I freaked out and stopped at the last chance gas station, on the off-chance that I would get stuck in an accident backup on the interstate and run out of gas. (To my credit, the wind was crazy nuts that day and semis are famous for wrecking in that kind of wind. It would be my luck to get right behind that.)

* Had to prepay for my gas, so went in and ended up behind a grandma playing ev.er.y.blessed.lottery.game.they.offered. And then she played again with her winnings. Methodically, I might add.

* Finally got out to pump the gas and looked down to find that my shirt (which ceased to fit a while ago) was flapping open in the breeze. I was aware that I should be mortified, but frankly by that point I didn't care.

* Went to dinner (a success all the way around) and then headed to the cell phone store.

* Amazingly enough, I got super quick service and was headed out in record time WITH a new phone en route to me. (No arguments or hassle. THANK YOU!!!)

* Went home and declared myself DONE with that day.

Hope you got the coffee. I warned ya!

And this is why leap day can only happen once every four years.

The end.