Goals for 2014

Farewell, 2013! It's been real and it's been fun.

Goals for 2013 {original post here, September's update here}:

1. Blog twice a week, one funny and one not necessarily = CHECK! For the vast majority of 2013, I blogged at least twice a week, and I think Funny Friday is officially a thing.
2. Blog different experiences = a wee bit vague, but I do think I hit a variety of topics and experiences and stories. I'm gonna call this one CHECK.
3. IRL goal: Made to Crave = check-ish. I definitely feel healthier, but I need to jump back into a routine. Good news: zumba classes start in January! :)
4. Fun goal: Prince Edward Island - definite check! In case I haven't posted about it enough, you can read my travel journal here.
5. From September, get fully settled into the condo = CHECK! My wall has more pictures than it knows what to do with, I've changed approximately 4 billion light bulbs {not really but almost}, and Samara and I both have new fans in our bathrooms. Like a boss.
6. Finish my Goodreads goal of 45 books. Well, folks, being behind in September must have lit a fire under my tail, because I had to adjust my goal to 50 books...and I've finished 54. Audio books for the win!
7. Finish the TARDIS purse = checkity check CHECK! Please admire it here.

So now 2014 goals... gulp. 2013 has challenged me to expand the horizon on my perspectives, meaning that while my default personality type is ESTJ and black-and-white and task-oriented, I have come to recognize the value in different "letters" and shades of color and person/being-oriented. It's been challenging and I'm still learning to value both all viewpoints, so to really stretch myself, I'm going to try and make one of my goals more abstract and less measurable. The business major in me is cringing, but here goes.

1. Invest time in new friendships. 2013 has introduced some wonderful people, and I want to grow these relationships in 2014. The concrete-sequential part of me will probably have to come back and add more detail to this goal, but for abstractness, I'm happy.
2. Get into a real exercise routine. As noted above, zumba starts in January and I'm really excited! I'm also jumping back on the bandwagon of decreasing my sugar intake and increasing the water intake.
3. Continue to blog at least twice a week. Since Funny Friday is a thing, count on that at least two times a month, and then look for some 7 Quick Takes. Usually the link-up is on Fridays, but I may do it a day or two early just to spread the love. Also, as a sub-goal, I will be joining with Rachel and focusing on blogging quality, not just quantity.
4. Try one new recipe monthly bi-monthly. Let's not jump in over our heads; these are my limited cooking skills we're talking about.
5. Goodreads: I'm gonna shoot for a solid 40 books in 2014. We'll see if that needs adjusting either way; hopefully the library can keep up! Specifically, I want to finish Team of Rivals this year.

Since 5 is the number of grace, I'm gonna stop there. :) I'd love to {but am not committing to!} do a monthly or quarterly check-up on these goals, instead of just in September... but we'll see. 

What are your goals for 2014?

Funny Friday: "First Lines" Edition

Samara via her friend Simon introduced me to the tradition of "First Lines," where you post the first line of your first post for each month. I thought that this could double as a Funny Friday post, because lezbihonest: this has great potential for hysterics. And go!

January: Scene: Dinner is over and Grammie is doing the dishes.

February: So I meant to post a sweet something on Saturday, thereby rocking the alliteration club, but alas.

March: Been working from home for about 9 business days now {thankfully back in the office this week - got a little too stir crazy last week!} and I had lots of time to think.

April: So, sorry for dropping off the grid there, folks. I ride two airplanes and suddenly can't put my thoughts in order. Sheesh.

May: Well, here goes. It feels like I've been thinking I should blog about that for too long, so I'm going to try and get a few thoughts out. Brace yourselves.

June: You know it's a Monday when...you go to type "brain blip" as your title and type "brian" instead...yep.

July: Ok folks, I had one goal for this weekend: buy a bookshelf.

August: Today is one of those days where: ...the alarm is set for as late as I can handle, and still the snooze button manages to get hit.

September: Ah, Sunday. A day of rest, a day of worship, a day of...not finding one church and ending up at another. Oh well.

October: My two earliest memories both involve hospitals. Perhaps that is why I am so traumatized by them now.

November: Ok, guys, I know that I basically counted every single day of October via 31 Days of Writing, but still... I can't believe it's November already!?!?!? Because you know what happens in November? Christmas music. Which leads to Christmas, which leads to a new year...meaning November 2014 is in like 2 weeks, basically.

December: Wow. Sorry for dropping off the planet there for a while. Life just got crazy, ya know?

So there you have it! First lines of each month... I think this shows that my posting frequency decreases dramatically at the end of the month, since so many of my first posts start with "sorry for not posting..." Guess we'll work on that habit, eh?

Happy Friday!

Happiest Season of All

I read this post recently and the whole thing really spoke to me {I was going to name a specific paragraph, but then I reread the post and decided it was all really wonderful}. I love that Advent is not waiting meaning sitting on your hands, but it's really about preparing and making ready and fully embracing the season in which God has placed you.

This season, and maybe even the whole of 2014, I think God is focusing on how He pursues me. I was reminded of a story in this book and how much God has both given to and given up for me. Yes, gifts are a bit cliche this time of year, but this Sunday my pastor shared some really lovely and practical gifts that God has given to His bride, like the fruit of the Spirit. God has given us gentleness, patience, self-control, etc. I love considering how richly God has blessed and equipped believers for our daily lives.

God has also blessed my family with togetherness! Christmas is my favorite time of the year because ALL the sisters are home! So far we have never been apart over Christmas, and I hope that this tradition can continue forever :)

Praying God's abundant blessings over you and your family this Christmas!

Too Personal

As I mentioned on Monday, I kinda fell off the blogging bandwagon for a bit. Part of it really was due to the class and the long hours and sheer exhaustion...and part of it was due to some "IRL" stuff that I'm processing. Ashley said it well a few weeks ago, that some things are better processed in journals than on blogs.

So I'm journal-ing my fingers to the bone - ha! It's funny how you have to learn to type until eventually you type faster than write, and suddenly you want your fingers to go back and remember how to write with speed...yeah, not really happening.

I'm sorry for neglecting you, little blog and dear readers. It seems that all I can think of is this deeply personal situation; life is filtered through this lens, and it's hard to think of something to share here. Feeling hypocritical now, because I've talked with several friends about the matter and ended up reading from my journal in the course of the conversation, but still it seems too personal to post, to publish for all eternity and any curious eye to see. Again, I apologize, and I hope to process my way through this stage of life soon.

In the meantime, here are some things that make me smile. I don't think it's possible to smile too much, do you? Even when life is hard, smiling makes things better.

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Have a lovely Thursday!

Dropping Off the Face of the Blogging World: A Tutorial

Do you blog faithfully? Are you ready to shake things up a bit? Keep reading for a how-to guide of dropping off the face of the blogging world!

Step One: go back to your parents' house for a few days without your blogging device. This also helps if you go home while your sisters are working on finals and therefore cannot lend you their technological devices.

Step Two: take a week-long class and leave the house every day at approximately 5:15 AM every day.

Step Three: sit in aforementioned class with five gentlemen and listen to them talk about cars...ALL...DAY. That way, when you finally get home, your brain has completely stopped functioning in complete sentences.

Pretty simple, right? Go forth - I have faith in you!


Yes, this is a facetious apology for my big fat fail last week. The whole thing took me by surprise, and I was so exhausted I didn't even think of blogging until Thursday. So yeah. But it's a new week and it's almost Christmas and the temperature is above 30* and so let the heavens rejoice!

Christmas Time in the City

It's December. I can share Christmas-related items now {just ignore the fact that I've been listening to Christmas music since November 20th or so}.

Samara and I got a tree!!! Isn't it cute!?

We went to a tree farm nearby and cut it down ourselves, and then we tied it onto Samara's car by ourselves, too. This part.... well, you know how there are some things you say "I'll laugh at this later" so you don't cry in the moment? Well, Samara and I just skip to the laughter part because we are nuts. 

All around us, people are winding their string through their car windows and over the tree, securing the bundle of holiday joy onto the roofs of their vehicles. We got this, we think. And so we begin. One window in Samara's car doesn't roll down, so I open that door and we improvise. 

Over, under, over, under. The string goes around and around the tree and car and then is secured with knots. Samara and I survey our accomplishment with pride, and then it hits us. If the string is through the windows, then we can't open the doors to get in the car. We burst out laughing and determine how to get into the vehicle without undoing our work.

Thankfully, we both managed to utilize our ballet training and enter {and later exit} the car without disturbing Charlie. Oh, that's what we named the tree. We were going for a Charlie Brown tree, but we could also call it Rudy or Frosty. Votes can be made in the comment section ;)

Well, I'm in the holiday spirit now, aren't you? :) Happy December!

Doctor Who {Fangirl Post}

Wow. Sorry for dropping off the planet there for a while. Life just got crazy, ya know? So here is the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Celebrations' Post. Let the fangirling commence.

Sunday night: Samara and I joined Ashley and Kayla. Here are the four of us in our costumes...Here is our little shrine...here is the super yummy food Ash and Kay made. Such fun.

On Monday night, Samara and I went to the theater to watch the 50th Anniversary in costume with hundreds of other fans. I dressed up as Rose Tyler from "The Idiot's Lantern" {Season 2, Episode 7} - here is my inspiration...

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...and here is the finished product! It was actually fun to have dinner at Johnny Rocket's and sit in the 50's theme :)

Samara dressed up as the 11th Doctor; here we are together geeking out before the show.

And then a friend of Samara's met us after the show...people, he has Ten's suit!!!! 

And we made friends with a little boy dressed as Ten and his mom dressed as Amy. Here is Rose with her two Tens.

All in all, it was wonderful. I love costumes and Doctor Who and cute kids, and this evening had all three! The opening sequence for the theater version was quite awesome: it featured various characters telling movie-goers to not disturb others and talking about how painful it is for the popcorn to be eaten and warning us about the hazards of 3-D glasses. Twas wonderful.

I'm really glad I watched the 50th the way that I did: solo {Saturday}, with a few friends at home {Sunday}, and then in the theaters {Monday}. I loved not missing things because the crowd responded over some lines; I loved watching it with just friends to really freak out and not worry about disturbing others; I loved watching it live with literally millions of other fans all over the world. It's Doctor Who - what's not to love?!

Alright, end fangirling...for now ;)

"The Moment"

Yes, I watched Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary yesterday. Yes, I'm going over to a friend's house to watch it again tonight. Yes, Samara and I have tickets for another viewing in a downtown theater tomorrow night. Yes, I know that I am beyond nerding out at this.

In somewhat other news, I finished the TARDIS purse! Here it is last night with the letters sewn on. For a refresher course, here it is in process. And for those of you who crochet, here is the pattern I followed for the bag; I made the Purse-Sized Tardis. I didn't like her version/couldn't follow the pattern to save my life for the strap, so I didn't follow it. Raise your hands, those who crochet, if you've ever just made up your own pattern. If you don't have your hand up, you must not crochet yet, because duh.

The strap was obviously not too complicated-make straight line for desired length-ha! I followed {roughly} this pattern for the letters on the strap and then I just sewed them on with a yarn needle. Shout out to Catherine for telling me of this magic tool I needed.

Pictures of tonight and tomorrow's costumes will come....after they are taken, obviously. I may be a fan of Doctor Who, but I definitely haven't figured out time travel. Yet.

Anyone have a good suggestion for my next crochet project? Paige, if you want your birthday scarf before your next birthday, I suggest you speak now or find a new way to keep your neck warm. ;)

Allonsy!

A Real Live Grown-Up

We all that those things, I'm sure, that we told our younger selves "You'll be able to do this when you're older/more mature/an adult." And some of those things have happened {I trust}. For example, when I was younger, I told myself that I would one day be able to fix my hair into something not resembling an alien trying to be beamed back up into its mother-ship.  And some days I actually told the truth. Other days... well, Dahlia told me that I don't have used-Barbie-hair, so I feel like I've accomplished something in my life.

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But really, there are some things that you can only do when you're an adult. Like drive a car or wear make-up without looking like a drag queen {ahem, Miranda!}.

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Well, I've compiled a list of things that I should be able to accomplish as I approach a quarter-of-a-century years old, but no cigar for this old lady. Please laugh and groan along with me as I lament the possibility of ever growing up into a fully mature adult.

1. Painting just fingernails...and not the surrounding finger. Or fingers. Sigh.
   
2. Using scissors to cut a straight line. Straight lines are the bane of my existence. Also, as #2.1, paper cutters are also quite intimidating; they should be available to help with the problem of crooked lines, but this has not been my experience.
   
3. Cooking. Are more words necessary? In case they are, here's a poem I wrote about the whole situation.

Well, fortunately I can only remember think of three tasks that I've not matured into yet. If you think of more, please don't remind me. Ignorance is bliss, you know. Just let me pretend I'm an adult. Pleaseandthankyou.

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Christmas is Coming!

But the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary will be here first!!! People.... Saturday....this Saturday.

I love my church and meetings and stuff, but when I heard that our congregation meeting was cancelled this week, I almost jumped out of my seat with joy. We will surely finish Season 7 was my first and unholy thought. {I regret nothing.} EDIT: Just got an email prompting me to buy tickets for the showing on Monday. Done and done; like a true fangirl, I got up early the morning tickets went on sale.

But to stick with the topic suggested from the title, Christmas is fast approaching. It seems especially fast this year, and while I know that part of it is that I'm getting old {depending on who you ask, of course}, I think a big part of the seemingly rapid pace towards Christmas is the fact that I'm not counting down the days to going home before the holiday. You guys, this is the first time in 3 years that I don't have to get on an airplane before I can be home for Christmas. If the angels weren't already singing, I would tell them to start!

The challenging aspect is that Christmas shopping has yet to happen. I take that back. I've bought one gift. Yikes.

After reading Jen Hatmaker's book 7, I've been thinking about Christmas in a different light. I mean, we all know that Christmas is not about gifts or stuff, but about God's story of redemption unfolding on earth. Yet...we still buy each other gifts. I think reading 7 messed with me more than I admitted to myself, because I can't think of Christmas in terms of stuff anymore.

It's hard, because I don't want to be a Scrooge at Christmas. But I don't want to just be a consumer {purchaser} of stuff. If I'm going to buy something, I want it to be meaningful, and not just in the "how did you know this was what I wanted!?" way.

So what I'm considering for gifts this year is buying from organizations who are doing something for the least among us, organizations that {the majority} are non-profit and that need donations or purchases from people whose basic needs are met. Um, that would be me. So here are a few that I would like to present to you.

Jen writes about Open Arms, an organization in Austin that employs refugees at a living wage.

Davi writes about Love-Water.org that provides clean water to countries that suffer diseased water.

Love146 works to end child trafficking; Not4Sale also fights human trafficking and slavery.

Save the Storks offers free ultrasounds to women planning an abortion.

I'm sure there are hundreds of other organizations that are also accomplishing great things for those in need; these are just a few that are either recommended by trustworthy people and/or work for causes that are on my heart. If you know of other organizations that are employing people so they can be free {like Amazima - store here} or if the organization is working for a cause {like Bound4Life - store here}, please let me know.

And because she's amazing, Jen Rossum shared this guest post regarding budgeting and planning for Christmas shopping. Please ignore the fact that I ignored the third step about not starting in November. Ahem. At least you've got several weeks to go. {Fangirl comment: But there are only FOUR DAYS until Doctor Who!}

Feeling Accomplished Friday

Samara will testify that today did not start out feeling accomplished. Last night we had some fan and light challenges, and I woke up this morning mad at the world in general and Samara's bathroom in particular. But Samara gave me some encouragement and perspective {thank you, dear friend} and I left the office at 2pm determined to cross at least a few things off my to-do list and feel like a conqueror. So here's what I did in just a few hours:

• bought and replaced florescent light bulbs
• washed dishes and ran the dishwasher
• made laundry detergent! I followed this recipe and am excited to try it.
• vacuumed the living room {where I made the laundry detergent...don't judge}
• listened to this song about 1 million times...love love love!
• am writing this blog post - totes counts
• am about to start working on a blog post as a contractor - yes, I sometimes get paid to blog, but my identity must remain a secret!

Tonight I'm heading to Notions, a writing group that Samara is a part of and that her lovely {albeit insane} compadres invited me to....kinda to replace her since she's outtie this weekend, but I also like to think that my charming personality alone warranted an invitation... I guess we'll see if I get invited back- the true judge. 

Well, that's all folks. Here, enjoy some humor just so Funny Friday doesn't feel completely left out in the cold. 

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Happy Friday, homies!

7 Quick Takes

Thanks for letting me verbally vomit yesterday. You know how when you actually throw up, right before feels way worse than during, and then after feels so much better? You know also when Bek makes a vomit analogy it really is worse than anything involving physical vomit because then you're just stuck thinking about vomit? But the worstest part of this whole thing is actually typing the word: v o m i t. Bleck. Moving on...if a recovery is even possible...

Let's get down to business {to defeat the Huns}!

1. Update on the TARDIS purse: the purse part is done! The strap is done! I'm starting the letters to go on the strap today. {"Strap" is also a gross word to type-aren't you glad I used it two times in a row!?} If you want to make your own purse, here's the pattern. If you want a TARDIS purse but are unwilling to sacrifice blood, sweat, and tears not a crochet-er, you can talk to me about my mad skillz. :D
   
2. 7 by Jen Hatmaker.... just finished it last night. Don't you love books that make you think? This one does, and weep and laugh. It's pretty wonderful and I highly recommend it. Jen also has a blog full of wonderful convicting posts.
   
3. This one's a bit heavy, but so so encouraging. Read these two posts {first and second} about Bound4Life's vision for this coming season, and pray for God's Spirit to move in ways we can't even imagine.
   
4. Also recommended by Jen Hatmaker, this company is really quite amazing and I'm thinking that Christmas is coming, y'all.
   
5. Um, Doctor Who... good friends Samara, Ashley, and Kayla each composed a glorious homage to our favorite threesome the Ponds.
   
6. This song is amazing. My friend Eric shared it with AJ's sister Steph, and somehow I got hooked into listening to this song quite frequently. Anyway...enjoy!
   
7. This video is incredible! Please invest 1 minute and 19 seconds to watch some guy do at age 53 what I have never been able to do ever in my whole life.
   
8. BONUS! The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary is in 9 days...repeat, NINE DAYS!!!! Try not to freak out ;)

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Piles

Brace yourself. This is a long drawn-out gushing from the heart of Bek.

Right now I feel like all I'm doing with my life is watching Doctor Who instead of doing anything with my life, and it's gnawing at me. I feel like there are so many more things that I should be doing but am avoiding or am completely incapable of doing. Part of this feeling is that my life is a pathetic little pile of things I have done, and right next to this pathetic little pile is a huge, ever-growing pile of things that I "should" do. You know, things like learn to cook for crying out loud and read the Word more and read more books and be nicer and stop being selfish and why don't you write more and stop thinking about Doctor Who all. the. time. and discover your life plan and calling and every step in the journey and then go and do it for Pete's sake and have you exercised in the past forty weeks and why haven't you finished all those projects yet and....it just goes on and on.

The temptation and tendency is to focus either entirely on the pathetic-ness of my little pile and then curl into the fetal position with my eyes closed OR to become overwhelmed by the sheer greatness of all the things I've yet to accomplish or master...and it still results in the fetal position with eyes closed scene.

However, Jesus speaks to girls curled up in the fetal position. It's fairly easy to listen to Him, because I don't really want to listen to the voices in my head pointing out allllll my failures and inadequacies. Jesus tells me that I don't have to do anything to be successful, that He loves me for me and not what I have or haven't done. Then He pulls me up out of the fetal position and opens my eyes and shows me how He sees my pathetic little pile - not so pathetic from His point of view! - and then shows me the things He has really called me to be and do - totes doable with His strength - and then I realize that the piles should not be the focus of my life but rather HE is the focus.

That's the nice ending, but sometimes it feels like even when Jesus says, "Look at Me" the piles are still screaming for my attention and my reaction is to point helplessly at the piles and tell Jesus to look at them. I struggle with focusing on "let Jesus change me" thing because I just want to do things and I want to be able to do them in my own strength and then point at my accomplishments and pat myself on the back. But that cycle ends with me back in the fetal position, which accomplishes nothing, which keeps me in the fetal position...vicious, eh?

So today I'm forcing myself out of the fetal position and rolling/slumping into the kneeling position, begging God to forgive my pride and my immature "I do it!" toddler-like beliefs. I'm asking for freedom from the piles and I'm admitting I can do nothing without His strength. And then I'm going to ask Him to please please remind me of this fact, no matter how painful or embarrassing the reminder is.

Today I'm broken and hopefully He gets some glory from my piles.

Fantastic Friday

As I've mentioned before, Thursday is my day to volunteer at my local crisis pregnancy center. Because of HIPAA and other privacy laws, I can't share too many details, but I think I can tell you this: a few weeks ago I saw my first client by myself.

I was nervous about it, because previously I had only shadowed my director with clients. But the appointment went well, and afterwards I added this client on my mental prayer list. Every time I thought about this lady, I prayed for her. She came to a follow-up appointment {on a different day at the clinic, so I didn't see her} and then that seemed to be it. I called her every couple of weeks and left a message just to check in.

Last night I left what I thought would be my last message; we can't leave too many or we cross the line from checking in to bothering, and we don't want to cross that line. So I called her and left a message and said another prayer and went back to my other duties.

Just a few minutes later, the phone rang. My director answered it and then, "Bek, it's for you!" My immediate thought was, "It's either {this client} or my mom, and I don't think my mom even has this number!"

It was my client! She was calling back to let me know how things are progressing and everything is going really well. We talked for a few minutes and then she had to go, but I was ecstatic that she had called! To know that God answered my prayers, my specific prayers for this girl, and that He had used me just a little bit to help this gal in a time of need....wow. My mind was completely boggled.

I told Samara last night that as cliche as it sounds, I feel like my life has meaning because God used me to help this client. Not that I'm so insecure about the point of my life, but that I'm getting to the point - my goal is to be used by the Lord in whatever way He deems the most awesome, and now I can point to this specific instance as a time He used me.

From my selfish, one-sided perspective, this is something I can hang on to as a tangible "Look at what God does with useless pathetic me; if He can do that with me to work with, He can do anything!" This testimony, even though it's mine, increases my faith each time I think of it.

The Lord didn't have to use me, and He didn't have to let me know any more of her story, but He did! I'm so grateful and thrilled and in awe of how He works.

I hope that this encourages you, and if you would like to get involved in a crisis pregnancy center, allow me to encourage you to jump on board! There are tons of ways to bless these clinics, so don't think you're limited strictly to volunteering your time. If you need ideas, hit me up :)

Happy Friday!

On Being a Grown Up

First off, the inspiration for this post is coming from two places: Miranda Hart's book Is It Just Me? for the humorous parts and the beginning of this post from Samara. Hat tip to both of you ladies.

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Or bow-tie-in-hair tip to you...whatever works.

Let's be real. Being an adult has its perks. For example, you can stay up as late as you want reading awesome books {like the aforementioned, hint hint} or you can put vodka in the fridge and not worry about a) your sisters drinking it {ha!} or b) your grandma finding it. You can also have people over when it works for the both of you, without having to check with the rest of the household {or you do check with the rest of the household and since it's only one other person, it's really fast}.

But there are some...shall we say challenges. When you're making your own decisions, you have to actually make your own decisions. Ironic, isn't it? Or is it just reality? Anyway. There's no one making decisions for you; you have to determine what's a priority, and then you have to make it happen.

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This can be a plus. For example, I made the very mature decision to not listen to Christmas music until November 1. Now that it's November, I have executed that decision by selecting the Christmas station on Pandora. Grown up points abounding here.

But sometimes this can be a negative {or minus, if I were to continue the literary devices consistently}. For example, I'm dying to go visit Kentucky again. It doesn't help that I just missed a dear friend's wedding, nor does the fact that my dear family in Nicaragua are in the States this month. So the question is, do I visit now while they're not abroad and while it's been 7 months since I've been in the Bluegrass State? Or do I wait and visit Kentucky in May for AJ's son's 2nd birthday {I was there at birth and his first birthday-good tradition!} and also go to Nicaragua in July? Can I even afford that? Will I be able to get the time off work?

These are grown-up decisions that need to be made, and like Samara's post discusses, priorities have to be made and then acted upon. The challenge is prioritizing and making decisions that will keep you moving in the grown-up direction you want to be going. Which of course presupposes that you know the direction you want to go. Sigh.

But that's why we have Jesus and parents and disciplers and friends... and Miranda. :)

Wind, IKEA, and Bookshelves

This weekend was really full and really great. I had two babysitting jobs scheduled, but both of them were cancelled due to family issues and power outages, so Friday night consisted of a nap and Doctor Who. That's the best way to start the weekend, in my opinion.

Saturday was IKEA day! Samara and I planned on going pretty close to opening time, and we did ok on this front. Car inspections sometimes take longer than planned, so no big. We were on the road at 11 AM, and that's when the real adventure started.

The wind had been blowing strongly all morning {a lovely sound to wake up to whilst still snuggled under blankets}, and so driving was pretty exciting by itself. There were leaves dancing all over the road - as Samara put it, "the artist in me is delighted, but the driving part of me is terrified!" So true!

Once we were on the freeway, the wind wasn't that bad; or rather, we couldn't feel the wind as much. But we were not the only ones on the road. There is construction in the left lane of the freeway, and the giant round traffic not-cones-more-like-barrels were left in between the lane and the concrete barrier. Well, in between is a generous expression. Some of them were actually on the yellow line. As we continued on our merry way, one of these traffic barrels was blown into our lane, directly in front of us! I swerved, but keep in mind we were going 60 mph and there was a car in the lane next to us. Right next to us.

Mercifully, the barrel stopped moving and I was able to avoid hitting it, the car next to us, or being hit by the car behind us. Phew! Our heart rates were definitely elevated. Samara called DOT to report the road hazard and I continued to drive carefully. Thankfully, the construction zone ended shortly after that incident so we didn't have any repeat occurrences.

We made it to IKEA and headed inside, joining the herds of couples, families, and friends winding their way through the store. Everything was wonderful until we came to the very end: the boxes of furniture. Samara was purchasing another bookshelf for her room and wanted one of the shelves to become a drawer. This is a simple process: buy the bookshelf and buy a drawer to go inside it. Assemble at home like a boss. Done.

However, the process of finding said bookshelf and drawer proved to be quite challenging.

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After locating the bookshelf, we went in search of the drawer accessory...and found the front of the drawer. Um, what? Non comprendo. So then we went in search of an associate. He found us a much smaller box that claimed to contain the rest of the drawer. Now, I know geometry and I didn't always cooperate in high school, but I do know that if something is going to fill the same space as something else, the box will probably be close to the same size. But this was not the case. Confusion abounded, including in the mind of the associate assisting us. 

After more venturing between the aisle and the computer and the associate's phone, Samara decided that a drawer is not worth all this trouble, so we headed to check-out. 5 hours later {almost} we exited the parking garage. 

It was after 1pm and lunch was on the forefront of our minds. Taco Del Mar struck our fancy, so we hopped off the freeway and up the hill to the closest one. Or so we thought. 

I don't know if you guys have heard Miley Cyrus's song "Wreaking Ball" but it describes our TDM saga quite well. We found the restaurant after much anticipation...and then we saw the darkened windows, the locked door, the deceitful operating hours that claimed to be open at that moment, and the realization hit us like a wreaking ball. TDM was closed without explanation, rhyme, or reason. 

Sadly, hangrily, defeated we got back on the freeway and made our way to the trusty, open TDM near home. Mexican food has never tasted so good!

Bellies full, we went home to assemble the bookshelf. I think a good summary of that experience is this: two of my blisters have popped already. Yep. {Side note: if anyone has a normal-sized screwdriver, Samara and I are in the market.}

After the cussing bookshelf was assembled, my sis came over and we finished Season Two of Sherlock. Augh, Reichenbach!!! Moving on, because January 19th is coming!

All in all, it was a good weekend. Full of goals that were accomplished, although not in the way we envisioned. We were not injured on the freeway; we didn't injure anyone {fellow shoppers or inadequate associate} at IKEA, and the Taco Del Mar near our house has gone up several notches on the "best things that have ever happened to us" list. 

Happy Monday, yo. 

Funny Friday & How Is It November Already?

Ok, guys, I know that I basically counted every single day of October via 31 Days of Writing, but still... I can't believe it's November already!?!? Because you know what happens in November? Christmas music. Which leads to Christmas, which leads to a new year....meaning November 2014 is like in 2 weeks, basically.

Speaking of 31 Days of Writing, I think I may have forgotten how to write a Funny Friday post. Does that count as its own deep twisted version of humor? No? I know, it's more sad than funny.

Well, while I scramble to think of something funny for Friday, allow me to entertain you with weekend plans. Samara and I are going to IKEA! Woot. We are fortunate to live within 30 minutes {weekend-only traffic times} from one of the blessed places, so tomorrow morning, bright and early, off we go! Just kidding. It'll be like bright and middling... after last night's adventures, there will be much sleep on the morrow.

Speaking of last night, wanna see some pictures?! Of course you do, and even if you don't, too bad, because I promised you pictures and I keep my promises...eventually. But today is the day after, so we're not gonna ruin a good thing, k?

The Fantastic Fox Family

Totes adorbs, right!? Yes I did ride the bus downtown looking like that. Yes I did walk over a mile to the theater dressed like that. Yes I did take off the mask to watch Frankenstein. Ain't nobody get time to let anything get in the way of seeing Benedict Cumberbatch!

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The show was even better than last time. {I guess I haven't formally reviewed Frankenstein yet, so add that to my list of promises to keep.} I found that since I knew what was going to happen, I could appreciate the parallels and contrasts better. Plus, the acting....always, always superb. Can't praise them enough.

Right. Funny Friday. Last night at the theater, I was sitting next to Samara's friend Sammy. There's a scene where the Creature reaches for a pot that's just been taken off the fire, so of course he burns his hand. 

Since we had just watched the film/play, Sammy whispered, "Don't touch it!" And of course the Creature touches it and burns himself. 

I whispered "They never listen, do they" and Sammy replied "He didn't hear me." 

And then they guy in front of us turns around and whispers, "I did." Oops! 

Sammy and I couldn't look at each other because we would have laughed too loudly. It was awful....ly funny. Such fun. 

Happy weekend, all!

31 Days of Writing: Day Thirty-one "Worst Costume"

What's the worst Halloween costume you've ever seen?

I get that some people are full of puns, but sometimes you just need to step it up a notch.

the ceiling fan

Also, this list is literally FULL of "office" costumes... because you have to be somehow work-related if you're dressing up at work? Please no.

Speaking of dressing up at the office, it didn't happen today. Apparently I heard Mom say that I could dress up, but she actually said that I could wear a headband with ears. And Dad said that I could dress up as a young professional in the workplace. Otherwise known as zzzzzz asleep! Oh well. Frankenstein tonight, dressed as part of the Fantastic Fox Family! :D Could we fit a few more F's in that sentence, por favor?

Just a note on 31 Days of Writing, since today is the last day:

Victoria, thank you for hosting this brilliant conglomeration of prompts. I have so enjoyed letting my creative juices flow, and I've loved reading your work. Feel free to host another one of these link-ups in a couple
months!

Readers, have you enjoyed the past 31 days? What was your favorite prompt and/or response? Do you have any suggestions for next time?

**linking up with Victoria - the costumes she's shared are truly frightening!**

31 Days of Writing: Day Thirty "Wild Card 6"

The thing with getting into this creative writing brain wave is that sometimes it's hard to get out of it. I had a really great blog post thought yesterday, but now I can't remember it. So instead, I will share Halloween plans, because, um, hello, it's tomorrow!

In the office: I'm considering dressing up as Rosie the Riveter. I have a Rosie apron from my grandmother {who was a Rosie, woot!} and then I figured I could roll up my sleeves and put a scarf on my head. Easy and office appropriate, right? I just don't want to be the random kid who dressed up when all the adults are in their regular attire. We'll see. It might be worth it just to wear jeans on a non-Friday :)

For Frankenstein: Samara and Cami and I are going as the Fantastic Fox Family! :D Have you seen Fantastic Mr. Fox? It's totes adorbs, and we have fox costumes!!! Samara is Mr. Fox, Cami is Mrs. Fox, and I am their son Ash.

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Ash is the one on the right with the thing on his head. Yep. You'll see pictures soon :) It's gonna be fantastic...get it? Fantastic?

Well, that's really all I've got. Oh wait. There's one more thing.

The library emailed me yesterday to let me know that after placing a hold on August 28th, a book is finally here for me to read. Can you guess what would be in such high demand that it took more than two months to get here? Think deep, spiritual thoughts and prepare to be....

her website

WRONG! This book is neither deep nor spiritual, so HA! :) But it promises to be a crack-up and I am so looking forward to getting into to it tonight {"oh! naughty!" to quote Miranda herself}. 

Anyway, have a wonderful Hump Day!

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**linking up with Victoria**

31 Days of Writing: Day Twenty-nine "Spooky"

What's the spookiest thing you've ever done?

It didn't start out with a mission to be spooky. My friends and I were just going to go through the corn maze...at sunset...the night before Halloween...without flashlights. What can I say? We were in high school and dumb.

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At first, we were goofing around and scaring each other by jumping out of the corn and yelling or tickling someone else's neck with a piece of dried corn husk. A few people would run ahead and hide, then reach out and grab someone as the group came by. We were all screaming and laughing and having a good time.

Then we heard a noise. It was like a tractor engine, but louder and deeper. The ground rumbled beneath our feet. Not too frightening, except that the farm owners had told us that everyone stopped working at dusk, right as we had entered the maze. No one should be out on a tractor; we were the last group to go through the maze, thanks to the farmer being Jack's uncle. 

We all looked at each other; no one was screaming now. Almost as one unit, we squished onto the path together and continued to follow the maze. No one admitted to anything, but we were all freaked out and wanted to leave the corn maze as soon as we could.

After a few twists and turns through the maze, we started to get concerned. Hadn't we been here before? we were all wondering. I mean, it is a maze, but we were teenagers. Surely we could figure this little maze out, right?

"LOOK!" Christy yelled. A mitten lay on the ground in front of us, looking especially purple under the glow of the flashlight..looking especially like my mitten. I checked my pockets. 

"It's mine!" I confirmed loudly, confidently. I wanted to sound brave, but then I realized that a lost-turned-found mitten realized that we had no idea how to get out of the maze. A wave of fear washed over the group. And then we heard that same noise again. 

Matt took charge. "Alright, everyone, it's a simple maze. We can do this. Everybody hold hands with someone else. We're going to go through this together. Put flashlights every few people and shine them in all directions. That way the front of the group can see the back of the group and we won't take any wrong turns, alright? And no smart alecks, ok? Let's get out of here and save the scary stuff for later."

We mumbled our agreement and arranged ourselves in the directed order. I held hands with my best friend Joy and her brother Dale, who carried a flashlight. Feeling like small children instead of cool teenagers, we made our way through the corn maze. 

Matt must have been an experienced hiker, because he led us out of the maze with only a couple dead end turns. Relief flooded through my body as I exited the maze. The farmer's house lights shone on us, and we made our way to our cars.

Afterwards, Jack told us that his uncle told him that the noise was a sound effect for the maze, and it was attached to motion sensors, one of which would go off even without a motion. That explained the noise. In the daylight, the maze is simple and fun. But my friends and I try to avoid corn mazes at night. We know how spooky they can be in the dark. 

**linking up with Victoria!**

31 Days of Writing: Day Twenty-eight "Pursue an Idea"

Did you stumble upon any interesting ideas through the past 27 prompts? If so, use this day to pursue one of them.

The month of October is almost over- yikes! I really can't believe that this 31 Days segment is almost over. I've really enjoyed getting into the creative side of writing, although I have missed the heart-to-heart "conversations" that are non-fiction {otherwise known as story of my life}.

Have I found some interesting ideas? Yes, actually, but not all of them are plot-related. Some of the most interesting ideas have been about me as a writer, which is kind of weird, since I never considered myself to be a writer. But this month God totally used the 31 Days and a new writing guild within my church to say, "Hey, I've put words in you and it's time to prepare for them to come out!"

Not exactly what I was expecting to happen, I'll be honest. But who expects the things that God does? :)

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So I sort of alluded to some of this process on Day Ten, and then when this writing guild {nicknamed "The Boot"} started last Sunday, I realized that things were moving forward. Really moving. And it's exciting and nerve-wracking and thrilling and kinda weird that it's happening. And I will share even more when these 31 Days are over, so just wait! And to answer today's prompt, here's what I'm pursuing currently:

Edna Walters, the character I developed earlier, is going to continue to exist. I have an idea for where she's going and what the conflict and resolution will be, but that's all for right now. And of course I can't tell you now, because "spoilers!" :)

Open Letters {first; second}: I want to write one at least once a month. These are creative ways to express thoughts, and I want to keep the creative juices flowing!

Victoria mentioned continuing to write poetry, and while I think that would be great, I just don't know if that's going to happen for me. Poetry is not my default thinking pattern, but if there's a prompt and a challenge, I may just rise to the occasion. We'll see :)

That's what I'm pursuing! Until next time...

**linking up with Victoria**

31 Days of Writing: Day Twenty-seven "Write A Haiku"

Sisters

Four girls in total

A gang combining

love, wit, and sarcasm

circa 1997

**linking up with Victoria**

31 Days of Writing: Day Twenty-six "Make Your Own Prompt"

Victoria's prompt: Create and respond to your own post.

My prompt {stolen from some college}: Create a short story with 26 sentences, each sentence starting with the next letter of the alphabet.

The Reunion

A long time ago, a child was born to a poor family. Believing themselves unable to provide for this new baby, the mother and father tearfully asked another family to raise their daughter. Crying, they bid farewell to the infant and blessed the adoptive parents in this sacrificial endeavor.

Decades later, this infant daughter-grown-to-woman went back to find the home of her birth parents. Encountering these parents created a tension within her; part of her wanted to embrace them and thank them, part of her wanted to ask why they gave her up, and part of her didn't know what it wanted. Faltering steps led her closer and closer to the home where she was born. Eager but timid, full of both anticipation and dread, she reached her destination. Gone were her ideas about how this situation would play out. Hesitantly, she rapped on the door. It opened after what felt like years.

Just moments previously, an older couple prepared to sit down in front of their fireplace. Kneeling, the man added a couple logs to the fire, then shakily stood to his feet. Limping from a stiff knee, the man made his way to the chair next to his wife's. Many evenings have passed like this one, sitting together before the fire. Now, though, their evening was to be interrupted...

Outside, the young woman waited as the door opened wider and wider, revealing an old, slightly hunched man by the door and an old woman getting to her feet behind him. Perplexed, they looked at her. Questions filled their eyes, and the old man was just about to tell this young lady to find someone else to bother when the woman opened her mouth.

"Roland? Sadie?" The young woman inquired. "Unless I am mistaken, these are your names, correct? Val and Lacey told me your names, and where you live, and they said that I should meet you because you...you are...."

"Where....how....what on earth..." the older man sputtered.

"Xenia, you've come home!" Yelled the older woman, and she leaped towards to the door with an energy that surpassed her many years; her husband watched her, then followed her lead. Zeal, wonder, awe, and many years of pent-up tears came flowing out as the family was reunited.

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The End

**linking up with Victoria**

31 Days of Writing: Day Twenty-five "Bumper Sticker"

You've been hired by a bumper sticker manufacturer to come up with ideas. Write a clever or witty phrase you'd love to see on a bumper sticker. If you want, write several.

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The horses of my horsepower are getting old. Feel free to pass them.

Keep Calm and Turn Off Your Blinker


**linking up with Victoria**

31 Days of Writing: Day Twenty-four "Twitter Poem"

Write a poem in 140 characters or less. If you're on Twitter, tweet it!

Laughter past bedtime. Bellyaches from joy. Salted chocolate indulgence. Doctor Who galore. It's good to live with @iwaitandhope

**linking up with Victoria**

31 Days of Writing: Day Twenty-three "Wild Card 5"

This is fact, not fiction. I promise.

THEY RELEASED THE AIR DATE OF SHERLOCK SEASON THREE!!!!!

Check out the article that is warming hearts all over the world.

yes, this is the picture from the article

So in honor of this great news, today's Wild Card is an open letter to Steven Moffat, co-creator and writer of Sherlock {and writer of Doctor Who, of course!}.

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Dear, dear Moffat,

First of all, you are a BRILLIANT writer. I don't know how you do it, but somehow your clever little head creates and produces these stories and twists and turns and clues, and it all comes out beautifully. It doesn't matter if we're discussing Doctor Who or Sherlock {not that you're limited to these two; these are just the two with which I'm familiar}. Your work is wonderful.

That being said, you are a cruel man. Characters are created and loved...and then killed. Or separated from the Doctor forever. Or doomed to die if they remember the Doctor. Or left waiting for the Doctor until they die. Or they watch their best friend commit suicide. And then go back to their therapist to try and cope. And then they get to see him alive again, after how many months of agony???

My conclusion must be that you are power-hungry, even if you are a jolly nice Scot. Yes, power-hungry, because you give and take, teasing fans with pictures from Season Three, yet not releasing an air date. Until now. I know that BBC is partially to blame for the wait, as well as busy schedules for practically everyone involved. But still. You are such a tease!

But after all that, I can't hate you, Moffat. You are far too brilliant to be hated. You do eventually deliver your characters, even when your fans think that hell will freeze over before we get to see them again. And I think, secretly, that fans love the suspense because we are all nerds who love "the feels." You are the master of feels, Moffat, and for that, we love you. Thank you for Season Three. I can't wait to see even more of your brilliance. 

**linking up with Victoria. Check out her Wild Card here!**

31 Days of Writing: Day Twenty-two "Wild Card 4"

Let's just say that this is definitely the twenty-second day of writing creatively. My brain is beat.

Right now it seems like there are a lot of serious things I can think of, but those things are conducive to writing creatively. Those things are more "think about these more" things than "let your creative juices flow all over them" things.

Here is what I can think of: a confession. This is real and true and also slightly humorous. Here goes.

My best friend had {has?} a fear, dare I call it an irrational fear, ever since 11th grade and Classical Literature class, that one day her Achilles tendon would snap. Gross. And frightening. But mainly gross.

I always just stuck with the gross thought, because I don't like to think about body parts not functioning as they should. {Read about my fainting adventure here} So I would just roll my eyes and encourage my friend to think of lighter, less gross things.

Today I realized my irrational fear. It is this: I'm driving and the car in front of me flicks a cigarette out of their window and a breeze catches the little tiny flame inside the cigarette right as my car drives over it...and my car explodes.

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This really is a fear of mine. Every time I see someone throw a cigarette out a car window, I brace myself in what could be the last two seconds of my life. So far it hasn't happened, obviously, but it very well could. And that's what's scary. And that's probably what will make other people roll their eyes and tell me to think of lighter, less explosive things. 

**linking up with Victoria!**

31 Days of Writing: Day Twenty-one “Playlist”

What would the character you created have on her iTunes playlist?

Edna Walters, the character I developed on Day Fifteen, probably would not have iTunes. She may not be able to tell you what a playlist is. But after you prompted her for her favorite songs, she would provide you with this list:

• Sunrise, Sunset performed by Louis Armstrong
• Come Fly with Me from Frank Sinatra
• How Great Thou Art sung by Johnny Cash
• Jackson by Johnny Cash and June Carter
• Shall We Dance? from The King & I

**linking up with Victoria!**

31 Days of Writing: Day Twenty “Daycare Day”

What thoughts run through a baby’s mind through the course of a day at daycare?

Car ride! I like car rides! Car rides put me to sleep sometimes, and they take me fun places…except one place. The Place that has the playground is not my favorite place, and I don’t like it. But as long as we’re not going to The Place, then everything is funner than a pacifier.

Uh oh. There’s the playground. We are at The Place. Mom, no! I protest:

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!

I don’t like The Place! Mommy leaves me and it’s no fun and- is that a cookie?

The Place has cookies!? Yes! A smiling lady is holding out a cookie towards me. I grab it as well as my two-year-old dexterity can, and I shove the cookie into my mouth. Half of it crumbles into my hand, so I stick my hand in my mouth too. Cookies are too rare to waste.

While I’m licking my hand, another kid comes up to me. He looks at me and moves his hand. I wiggle my foot in response. We both head to the blocks; blocks are cool.

After playing with the blocks for a while, I notice the smiling lady is singing and dancing. She motions for me to join in. I twist my wrists and open my mouth to sing:

Ooooooooooooalalalaooooolllllmmmmmmm!

We sing for a while, and then suddenly I’m exhausted. My hands fall into my lap, and my singing turns into a yawn. I blink a couple of times. The smiling lady notices and moves me to a soft mat with a snuggly blanket. I’m out before my head hits the pillow.

When I wake up, Mom is here! I greet her happiliy:

Abababababagoooooommmmmmmloppp!

She picks me up, and we get into the car, heading home. I guess The Place isn’t so bad after all.

**linking up with Victoria!**