Super Summer Sticker Stop

Tuesday afternoon, I worked a Super Summer Sticker Stop...along with Ken, Ron, Marion and Anna.

I was quite nervous to be assigned the task of driving this big bad boy:

 That would be an actual, full size van. Not a mini van. A big van. I took comfort in being large and lime green. Hoped that would give me the right of way. (Isn't that in the driver's manual for the state of Indiana? Biggest, lime-est vehicle has the right of way?)

We set up our van and tent in a Wal-Mart (gulp!!) parking lot and handed out new window stickers to people who stopped by - and we also collected items for the Red Cross.

 I was putting a sticker on a vehicle when I found out there was an alligator in that car. Yes. A real live, honest-to-goodness alligator. Anna was so excited; she wanted to hold it. I stood a safe billion miles away and relied on the rockin' good zoom feature on my camera!

 In the down time - a rousing game of frisbee! I didn't participate in that.

 I was busy preparing for my first ever call-back! When we do these kinds of events, we call back to the station to talk to the on-air person about what's going on out on location. I'd never done a call-back before, but this was my day! I did three (nervous about that too!) and they said I did a good job!

Had fun - especially meeting the people who stopped by.

(That's Marion cleaning a window for a new sticker.)

Best of all? Did you see the DAY we had for that thing? Perfect blue sky and white puffy clouds? Made me feel (only slightly) guilty for the crew from last week - who worked on a freezing cold and very rainy day. WOOPSIE!!!

Zoo Day!!

This past Saturday, I worked at the Fort Wayne zoo, alongside our intern, Anna. Not gonna lie to you. I was nervous going into this one. I'd been to this zoo only once before, and it was last fall for another work event. I hadn't been the one to drive that day, so I paid little attention to how we got there or navigated our way through the zoo. I stayed put in our spot all day and as a result...I had no clue where to go in this place.

To top it off, Anna hadn't been there before either. So at 7:45 in the morning, two non-morning rookies, armed with caffeinated beverages, set out at the mercy of a GPS (in a town currently laden with construction and detours) to a brand new place.

You get the nerves, right?

I didn't fall asleep OR get lost OR wreck the van, even while trying to maneuver it through a walking path at the zoo. Anna and I set up the tent (another source of nervousness for me, as this tent knows me personally and hates me) and got ready for a morning of fun!!

 Anna and the prize wheel. Yep, it was like Wheel of Fortune! This time the fortune was in the form of water bottles, pens, mood pencils, fling rings, bookmarks, and animal shaped notebooks.

 Our working instructions ended with the admonition to not let any animals escape. Gulp. Seriously?!?!?! Is that even possible? I could only imagine: "Hey Mom? Can you wire me some money? I have to buy a replacement kangaroo..."

So I'm thrilled to report they are, indeed, safe and sound. And in their little spot.

 Anna and I had a few minutes to spare between setup and the zoo opening, so we peeked around a bit. The sea otters had a lot of waving to do...we liked our own personal sea otter show!

 Pretty peacock!! They just ran around for fun! No cage required!!

 Bekah, the coffee and the prize wheel!

We did have so much fun out there...so interesting to meet people!

And not let the animals escape.

Housewarming Gifts!

I posted about this on Sunday...it was my Pinterest inspiration for the week. Thought I'd share the rest of the idea here!

My friend Rachel just got her first place. I'm SO proud of her! Love seeing her make a way on her own after college! It also makes me remember those days in my life and how many little things there were that I didn't know I needed...or I'd run out of and find myself in a bind. So, I decided to fill up a bucket with some of the little stuff and give it to her as a housewarming gift!

Here's the finished product:

And here's what I put inside, and why:

* Food storage container...which I will probably fill with a treat of some sort - and perhaps the recipe to accompany it because that's a fun housewarming gift! You can never have too many little containers to pack in your lunch box!

* Cheese grater...because no one ever thinks to get you a cheese grater...and one day you'll need it!

* Light bulbs...because one day, one burns out and you realize you don't have any in the backup stock. (I mean...not that this has ever happened to me...) And I got 2 different wattages because I've learned my lesson in THAT!!

* A little kitchen scrubbie brush...for the day you realize you need to scrub something!

* A kitchen timer...because even if you have one, someday you'll need to time two things at the same time!

* Chip clips...because you can never have too many chip clips!

* Candle lighter...because you don't want to be halfway through your candle lighting festivities when your last one runs out.

* A fly swatter...because someone gave me one when I moved out on my own and I thought it weird at the time...but later was so glad I had it!

* Hand sanitizer...because cleanliness is important!

* Packing tape...because one day you'll go to mail a package and realize you don't have any!

* Scrubbie sponges...because now you're the adult and you have to clean.

* Goo gone...for all the new picture frames and such you buy for a new place...that are likely to have sticky stuff on them.

* Microwave food covers...so you don't have to use paper towel, which inevitably sinks down into the food.

* Spatula and spoon...because much like the timer, sometimes you need multiples.

* Cleaning gloves...because cleaning is gross.

Put it all in a bucket (which can be used for cleaning too!) and add a paint chip as a card!

TA DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

58 Years Ago Today...

There was a little wedding...

 In which these two tied the knot...

 Frightening how much I look like her, huh??

What do you get the people who have declared they no longer need anything?? MUMS!!! You know...something that requires WORK.

 The uber-hysterical card my sister sent...the inside says "Pucker up!!!" Not something I want to think about, but still funny.

 Lori and Jeff got them a decorative rain gauge. (Dad is obsessed with measuring rain. Been a rough summer for his entertainment factor.)

 Mom offered to "plant" the rain gauge...ummmm inside????

Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad!

It's the Weekly Recap!

* Last Sunday I (once again) tried to show my inner sports fan by cheering on the Colts in their first preseason game. Oh stop it. You're not on the wrong blog. I really wrote that. I donned my from-the-fat-days-Go-Blue! shirt and parked in front of the TV to check out this new guy and found the game to be kind of interesting! (Yes. Again. I said it.)

* Monday evening I went over to Greentown to see Malott and family...at his mother's viewing. So sad for him that she's gone but so thrilled for her that she's no longer hurting! I always hate reuniting with people under those circumstances, but I was glad to see them.

* Tuesday I got a call from my realtor that she wanted to show my house the next day, so I played mad dash to clean before the troops arrived! While out on an errand, though, check out this watercolor sky I witnessed:

* Wednesday I got to join Lynne in interviewing Michelle McKinney Hammond. I remember hearing her speak at Extraordinary Women last fall. So strange to actually be TALKING TO HER. So cool. Then that night...another run. This one only 2.5 miles and it was a ROUGH ONE. Kind of ticked me off that it took me 2 minutes longer than the last time I ran that distance. But as my running partner reminded me, I still did it without stopping and that's an accomplishment.

* Thursday night I had dinner with the fam at IHOP. My brother in law is in town for a couple of days, so we all met up to eat. Jeff, posing with his pancakes....

* Friday night I ran...for only two miles, and it was TERRIBLE! I thought I might die (I didn't, in case you weren't sure) and my time was pitiful. I am told there are days like this. How did I cope? Came home and slept. That'll show it.

* Saturday I got up at 5:00 IN THE MORNING and worked at the Fort Wayne Zoo for the morning. 

More on this later...but it was a fun morning with Anna, our intern...and the prize wheel! :) My first time to work an event that includes that!

Pinterest Inspiration.  A little housewarming gift, if you please....

Source: champagnethursdays.com via Rebekah on Pinterest

More on this later too...but here's the little gift I made for Rachel, who just got her first place.

Summer Bucket List, Part B

If you missed Part A of this list...scroll down!  Picking up with good old number sixteen...

16. Cook a live lobster. Allow me to clarify. I never cook anything that was LIVE when I put it on the stove. And I don't want whole animals on my plate, thankyouverymuch.

17. Go for a natural high...the kind that literally takes you off the ground. I really really really wanted to go for a hot air balloon right at Conner Prairie this summer, but I never made it there. And I didn't even fly anywhere this summer. Fail.

18. Smell like salt-water all day. Well I didn't smell like salt-water, but I was AT the water and I did smell (and not in a good way):

19. Move the dinner table outside. No pictures of it but I did (as I mentioned yesterday) eat dinner outside one night - during the most lovely gentle rain. I'd have eaten outside more often this summer but it was a furnace out here.

20. Build a campfire. Couldn't. Burn bans.

21. Go to an outdoor movie screening. Well, it wasn't a movie, but I did go to this outdoor play. Count???

22. Grow something green. In the same summer in which I killed a cactus (Seriously, who DOES that?) I did manage to successfully nurture a lemon balm plant someone gave me for my birthday. SUCCESS!!!!

23. Make a great picnic basket. Define great. :) I did pack a picnic for the play...

24. Hike to the summit of a mountain. HEY. How was I supposed to know I shouldn't have worn flip flops??? SO we didn't make it to the summit, but I'd call this pretty up there...

25. Stargaze. Before the summer is over...I will.

26. Keep summer alive...stock up on berries and freeze them. Ummmm I have some berries in my freezer. We won't talk about how long they've been there. I'm reeeeeeeeeeally keeping some summer alive.

27. Eat all the plums, peaches, cherries, and watermelon that you possibly can. I had a few grapes. Does that count??

28. Watch a sunrise and sunset. Check and CHECK!

 29. Play hooky from work and sit in a park. Don't believe in playing hooky.

30. Keep a journal to remember how much fun you're having. Ahhhhhh sweet success.

Not too bad!!!!! I did more of the list than I expected!

Summer Bucket List, Part A.

I read a lot of magazines for work, and this week I was buried in an issue of Whole Living when I ran across their 2012 Summer Bucket list. Just for fun, I thought I'd see if I'd accomplished anything they suggested. Surprisingly, I had a productive summer!! Wanna see how I did?

1. Prep all of your meals without using your stove or oven for a day. I'm going to guess eating out doesn't count? :) I'm sure I did this via the magic of yogurt for breakfast, sammich for lunch, and chips for dinner, but I can't prove it.

2. Skinny dip.  HA. Right.

3. Take in a music festival. Well as a matter of fact...this past weekend...

...I attended Fandana! (This was during sound check...hence the lack of audience.)

4. Run through a meadow, a la The Sound of Music. I was a bit early on this one...accomplishing this one on Easter weekend, but still...

5. Find a strapless bra that actually fits. Um we're not going to talk about that. What kind of list is this, anyway?

6. Be the first one at the farmers' market and score the best heirloom tomatoes. I was not the first, and I purchased nothing, but I did go to a farmers' market for the first TIME. Does that count?

7. Take more pictures. Define MORE. :) I am pretty sure I accomplished this!! Want an example? OKAY!!

Proof that I'll have a picture of anything. The port-a-potties I swore I'd NEVER use...turns out you should never say never.

8. Reread your favorite novel. Oh that I'd had time for this. I adore reading. And novels for that matter.

9. Get caught in the rain - and like it. Dance in it, even. It's no secret that I'm not a big fan of storms (and therefore I tend to avoid rain). But I did eat dinner on the porch one night this summer during a gentle rain (porch is covered, of course) and another night I stayed out there for a bit watching it and smelling its goodness. This is progress, my friends.

10. Take a road trip. CHECK! Times two!! Granville and Asheville, baby!

Apparently cars dehydrate me. :)

11. Use those miles already. I don't travel enough to accumulate points. No can do.

12. Get the room with the view. Does this count?

The parking lot might not be exciting, but check out those mountains in the background! Mmmmm!!

13. Catch lightning bugs with the kids. 1. No kids. 2. No lightning bugs this year! I seriously remember seeing them ONE night. And it was a billion degrees outside. I wasn't going to catch anything. Thankyouverymuch.

14. Nap so long and hard that you can't remember where you are when you wake up. CHECK!!!! Every Sunday afternoon, baby!

15. Play a new kind of hide-and-seek and let someone stash your phone for a day. That's not even funny.

Tomorrow? Part two....or B. Whichever.

Adventures in House Prep

My house was shown yesterday...for the first time in a couple of months. Needless to say, I was behind on having it ready to show. So...the night before, I prepared to do the typical run-around-and-hide-things-in-drawers-so-I'll-never-find-them-when-I-actually-need-them trick.

Then I remembered...I'd never replaced the globe on the light in the kitchen after it shattered a couple of weeks ago. Two naked light bulbs were hanging from the kitchen ceiling and that seemed to present a problem. So...I went light fixture shopping at Lowe's.

I wish you could have seen it. There I was, in the lighting aisle, gazing up at the ceiling much as a two year old would search the sky for a runaway balloon. No one offered to help me. I didn't blame them. I was a frightful sight. I took a wild stab at which light fixture above me matched the one at home. (Don't judge me. Do YOU run around your house memorizing your light fixtures in case you need a replacement? I didn't think so.)

Made my purchase, came home, and climbed up on the stepstool to replace the globe. Y'all, I could not get it installed right. After 3 attempts, it was so tight, I couldn't loosen it, so I prayed over it to keep it from falling on potential buyers and moved on to the next (hide and seek) project.

I have a tart burner...you know what I mean? Those little metal lanterns that you put wax tarts in and the light inside melts the wax so your house will smell good? I used it all evening downstairs and then decided I wanted it located upstairs. I picked it up...MISTAKE!! Solid metal gets a wee bit toasty after a while...so check this out:

I donned two oven mits and carefully inched my way up the stairs with the cord stringing behind me. (And yes. The wax inside was already melted.)

I envisioned tripping over Braeya or a step and causing hot wax to fly everywhere!! Fortunately the cord and I made it to the top of the stairs...

And at 1 in the morning, I crawled into bed. Before I fell asleep, I checked Facebook, where my status indicated the house would be shown. Check out a couple of the responses:

That trunk of yours gonna be full tonight?

Dishes in the dryer again? Laundry in the trunk? I know your tricks, Missy!

 Sad....but true.

And She's Running!!!

Tubby Tummy to 10K update!!

* I have started the "official" printed-from-the-web training program. The one that says I can't slack off just because I ate too much dinner. Works well for me to have a schedule.

* Want to know what DOES NOT work well? Running past the distance from here to the refrigerator.

* Last Sunday, the official training schedule said I needed to go three miles. No biggie. I do that all the time. UNTIL...my running partner said, "I want you to try to go all three miles without stopping to walk."

* Why? Why would anyone do that???

* But much like an overgrown toddler, I thrive on those sorts of dares...so I put my mind to it and y'all....

* I RAN THREE MILES WITHOUT STOPPING!!!!!!!  

* Now, granted, it wasn't Olympic material, but I DID run three miles without stopping. That is two miles more than I've ever run in one stretch. And cause for celebration!!!!!!

* Don't I look happy? (In a "Please call 911" sort of way?)

* That was taken right after the third mile. I was in survival mode, big time.

* But SO happy to see my time...

 * I didn't have any expectations about a time. My expectations were more like: survive the thing!!!

* And since I did...I got a new treat! New (non-Goodwill) workout clothes!!!

* Next up: 2 1/2 miles. I'll probably have to do that without stopping too. :)

Voice of Truth (Again)

Last week I posted about the project I'm working on...to remind me to listen to the Voice of Truth instead of the lies that tell me I'm not enough.

Still working on it, but meanwhile, I have a story for you.

Sunday was a rough day at church. I'm not sure if I've ever before confessed this on the blog or not, but for me church is one of the places I hate being single. I don't mind going a lot of places on my own, but every Sunday in church is...hard. It's lonely. And it's always been that way.

So each Sunday, I tuck myself into the corner of the trusty back pew and blend into the wooden seat as best I can. And some Sundays are easier than others. Last Sunday = not easy.

I felt completely invisible. People swirled all around me, greeting one another and I sat there sort of pinching my arm, wondering...am I even here? Hello? Anyone see the big green dress in the back row?

Right before church started, one person stopped to talk and I grasped onto our conversation...but church began and we had to fall silent.

Trying not to be dramatic or too-much-Bekah, I willed away the tears that tried to come during worship, trying to focus on the voices singing from the front. I am not even sure my heart even officially prayed...but my mind wondered if God could somehow hug me. Just to let me know He saw.

Halfway through the second song, the man who sits across the aisle from me got up and left his pew. I assumed he needed to leave the room, but then I realized he'd stopped walking...

...right next to me.

He leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Don't ask me why but a Voice just told me you needed a hug." And with that, he reached out and hugged me. He went back to his pew and I gave up fighting the tears.

He and I rarely exchange more than a waved hello most Sundays. For him to hug me was unusual.

But it was unmistakably God.

The Voice of Truth who sees and loves His little girl.

Fandana Festival!

I worked my first music festival on Saturday. There was a 2 day music festival in Huntington, so we had many shifts of workers! I lucked out and got the sunny day!!! (Shhhhh...don't tell the people who worked in the rain, mmmmkay?)

This...is the pre-outdoor look. Isn't it so lovely?

 And then I hit the elements:

Please ignore my desperate need for a hair dye job. Believe me...it's not for a lack of effort that it has not been done. But I digress.

Anyway. This festival had 4 stages, and our tent was near the main stage. On Friday night, Chris Tomlin was one of the headliners! (That would have been fun to see...I've never seen him live.)

 Our lovely tent. The van helped protect us from being completely blown over. It was SO BLESSED WINDY out there!!

 They had duct taped a hand weight to the back of the frame that held a poster of concert listings, so I took advantage and did a little workout. Hand weight in one hand...milkshake in the other, baby!!!

 I believe this band was called Jared Mahone. They sang exactly one song I knew. It was a hymn. God bless that hymn! :) But I did enjoy them very much.

 Our friend Clinton Faupel, from RemedyLive was an emcee...

 This band was "The Letter Black." Marion (our IT guy who worked the same shift I did) and I kept messing it up and calling them "The Black Letter." Good thing we didn't introduce them! That would have been embarrassing.

 We did go onstage to make some announcements and to throw fling rings. I managed to not a) fall off the stage, b) throw up, or c) say anything overly embarrassing. I don't think. Here was my view standing backstage before I went out to the "runway."

Ahhhh...the setting sun and a music festival...a good Saturday!

 Right before our shift ended, the crowd by our tent started to pick up. And they brought pizza. Now that was a good idea...

...had they shared, I mean.