What I'm Into: August 2015

This month has positively flown by! It is crazy to me that September - the beginning of Fall!!! - is upon us.

Reading:

People.... I read the Harry Potter series. All of it. All seven books. I can't even deal with how incredible these books are, how deprived my life has been up to this point, and how much I wish I could read them for the first time over and over again. Augh! Tear count is definitely in the hundreds. {Oh, and I was officially Sorted and I am Gryffindor!}

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Embrace the Body by Tara Owens {currently reading}: This book has received great reviews from a few bloggers I admire, so I'm eager to get deeper into it. 

When We Were On Fire by Addie Zierman {currently reading}: whoa. Addie gently and beautifully captures the culture of the Evangelical Church in the 90's and 00's... It's like I'm seeing it clearly for the first time. Highly recommend this one, and you can also check out Addie's website.

Working On:

Doula website galore. SO close to hitting publish! It will probably be at the end of September - fingers crossed. And in the meantime, if you feel so moved, you can check out my Facebook page :)

Kitchen cabinets, cleaning and "frosting." Ugh. Taking forever, mainly because this last week of August has been so busy. My goal is to clean the wood of the cabinets with this cleaning goop and then paint the glass. Two doors are done but still on the floor, and I've got two doors by the fireplace waiting to be painted. I know all the chaos will be worth it when they're done, but by golly I wish they were done now. 

Celebrating:

My friend Rebecca is getting married at the end of September, and as one of her bridesmaids, I had the pleasure of helping organize and host her bachelorette party! It was really chill and fun and relaxing - how can it not be with a chill group on the beach? We also had the wedding shower and played "the shoe game," which was hysterical.

Listening to:

• Florence and the Machine's album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. Can't stop, won't stop.
• Hailee Steinfeld's new single "Love Myself"
• Elle King's "Ex's and Oh's"

Watching:

My sister and I are in the middle of Season 6 of "Gilmore Girls" - yes, we've just made an interesting discovery about Luke!! But that's as far as we've watched, so keep your spoilers to yourself, sweetie.

Speaking of sweetie, Season 9 of Doctor Who starts September 19th!! And River Song is going to be in the Christmas special! Happiness!!!

On the blog:

In August, I wrote a big long post on my thoughts on the Church. While there are no comments on the post itself, I've had conversations with quite a few people, and it's been good. I'm looking forward to continuing the discussion, and I welcome your thoughts and other pieces you've been reading and writing about this topic. 

Thanks to Leigh Kramer for hosting the What I'm Into link-up {that I missed via blog but am joining via Twitter}. See you next month!

Recently...

...reading The Locust Effect by Gary Haugen, founder of International Justice Mission, and Victor Boutros; Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin - less than 100 pages to go!

...contemplating the beginning of doula certification and the coming workload. My first desire is to GO GO GO in a crazy and futile attempt to get it all done at once, but I know that I will be more successful in a chunk-by-chunk approach.

...waiting for some essential oils and a poster frame to arrive in the mail. Can't wait for either - thank God for Amazon Prime!

...watching "The Mindy Project" - only one more episode of Season One!

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...anticipating Halloween with Cami and Samara! Last year we went as the Fantastic Fox Family, and this year we've got some pretty "rockin'" plans... no spoilers here, though!

...planning Christmas presents already. Thinking of both DIY options and more intentional purchases.

...working on finding my next crochet project. I finished Cami's birthday present with a striped cowl and matching headband, and now it's decision time for above-mentioned Christmas presents.

...hoping for some cute boxes at Michael's for beautifying my home, and some fake flowers can't hurt, either.

...dreading the end of Doctor Who Season Eight. I know we're only halfway done with the season, and there are still plenty of characters to develop, but already I'm dreading watching the last episode.

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...ready for my next audio book! I ordered The Girl Who Came Home and it's waiting for me at the library as I type.

...grateful for text conversations, spontaneous phone dates, peanut butter, family, doula adventures about to start, and the grace of God. 

Currently...

...listening to Imogen Heap's album Ellipse and loving basically every track.

...reading This Star Won't Go Out by Esther Grace Earl and her parents. Esther battled cancer for several years, was active in the Nerdfighter community, and wrote pages and pages in her journals. After she passed away in 2010, her parents published her journals, along with other stories and notes from friends and family. While The Fault In Our Stars is not written about Esther, John Green dedicated it to her and was inspired - in more ways than just his book - by Esther. 

TSWGO organization

...watching "Doctor Who" Season 8, Episode 3 tonight with Samara! I'm excited to see the interaction between Clara and Robin Hood :) And before tonight's episode, I will probably watch at least one episode of "Wonderfalls," a quirky one-season show with Lee Pace. Yes, I'm obsessed, but how can I not be?

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...working on a DIY project for a table lamp. I'm excited to share the finished product soon :)

...drinking lots of water. Feeling slightly dehydrated and I want to nip that in the bud. 

...wondering if I should have taken my sister up on her invitation to go to Wild Waves for one of the last nice days of the summer. She called this morning and I opted out - does that make me old?? Probably, but at least I own it, right?

...anticipating some packages in the mail. I ordered some clothing from Amazon and some sheets from Macys yesterday {thanks be unto whoever invented online shopping}, and both orders should be in here in a week-ish. {I think the fact that I'm excited for new sheets is confirmation that I'm old.}

...looking forward to a friend's birthday celebration tomorrow. Brunch, relaxation, and picnics in the park are all on the docket, and I'm thinking about making some sangria :)

...thinking that I should exercise and shower in order to fully appreciate this wonderful weekend.

Linking up with Bailey Jean today for Day Six of her Blog-tember challenge. Thanks for the prompt, Bailey!

7 Quick Takes: Theme of "New"

Linking up with Jen at Conversion Diary for this week's edition of 7 Quick Takes.

The theme of today is "new," so here goes:

1. Yesterday I bought a new table. Well, new to me. Praise be unto the Lord for Craig's List, yo! I'd been hunting for a new dining table and chairs for the whole summer, it feels like, but nothing turned up. I even spent Father's Day dragging my dad up north to look at a table, just to be disappointed and come home empty handed. But yesterday proved fruitful, and this nice couple even delivered the table and 4 of the chairs to my house last night! Pictures coming soon :)

2. Where are you going to put this dining table, Bek? You are wise to wonder. Well, when Samara moves out next week {not thinking about it not thinking about it notthinkingaboutit!!!}, she will take her dining table, and I will assemble my new table in its place. They're actually really similar - I'll have to do "hers and hers" pictures before she leaves.

3. Know what else is new in my flat? A flatmate! My future flatmate moves in the same day Samara moves out {yes, I will be a complete and total wreck next Friday, don't even judge}, so that's pretty awesome. I will tell you this much about her: she loves Doctor Who and Sherlock.

Apparently I wasn't too creepy because she agreed to live with me.

4. You know what else has started living with me? ANTS. They didn't ask, they didn't sign a flatmate agreement, and they certainly aren't Doctor Who fans. So I've been killing them.

So far the killing methods have consisted of:

• diffusing peppermint oil
• setting out cotton balls that were soaked in sugar and borax 
• spraying a mixture of water, vinegar, peppermint oil and lemon oil
• stomping
• vacuuming

None of this was completely effective. So yesterday I brought home the big guns: ant poison. Samara and I placed probably a dozen pieces of foil with poison around the kitchen and slider door, and the ant population has drastically decreased. If you have any other suggestions, please share!

5. Remember a couple QTs ago when I mentioned reviewing Jen Hatmaker's book Interrupted? I am almost done with it and will be posting my response {and joining her link-up} sometime this weekend. The theme of her book could be summed up with the word "new," so that's how this Take fits into this week's theme.

6. My new favorite show is "The Mindy Project." {I have only watched 3 episodes total, but I'm already in love.} Holy cow, can Mindy Kaling and I be best friends? Please? Maybe just for a week?

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7. Saving the best "new" for last: tomorrow is the premiere of Doctor Who: Season Eight with our new Twelfth Doctor!!!! The trailer looks so intense... excited-nervous over here. Anyone else anxiously anticipating tomorrow with a "deep breath"?

Happy Friday!

7 Quick Takes: Hydration, Publishing, and Glamping

Linking up with Jen at Conversion Diary for 7 Quick Takes:

1. Hydration is important. You may know this from your own life experiences, or you may know from my passion for my Wat Bot. I know this because yesterday I almost passed out from dehydration. I was job shadowing in an automotive shop, and the place had no air conditioning and no sink for me to fill up my Wat Bot. I. Was. Dying.

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I went straight from the shop to my parents' house, and I drank 4 huge glasses of water and then 2 pitchers. Literally, I drank out of the pitcher. Water is a serious business.

2. My roomie is now a published author! Catherine wrote a book of poems, and Amazon just listed her book yesterday! Her poems are all about the relationship between mothers and daughters, and I am so excited to read it. Click here to view and purchase the book, and check out her story here.

3. Samara and I are dividing the kitchen Sunday. Not literally, of course, but in terms of pots and pans. It's going to be awful. I'm so excited for my bestie as she begins her new adventure in Oregon, but I am so so sad that she's leaving me. Granted, I left her for 2.5 years, but then we lived together for a year and I thought she forgave me. Sigh. Guess not.

4. Because I am so proud of it, and because you, fair reader, may have missed it, I finished my Doctor Who scarf!!! Check out the post with all the pictures, and feel free to compliment, critique, and make a request!

5. This time next week, I will have half an inch of dirt layered on my skin, my hair will smell suspiciously like evergreens, and my home will be a tent. That's right, folks, I'm going camping!

Unfortunately, there is no spa at this camp. Fortunately, there is power, and by power, I mean electricity for the microwave, air mattress pump, skillet, and hair straightener. There are bathrooms and showers in an actual building, and most people bring a refrigerator at least. Basically what we do is glamping, not camping. Loud and proud, playas.

6.  For our glamping adventure, my sister Ellen and I are sharing a campsite with 4 other girls. Cue "All the Single Ladies" please. We've decided on a menu, but I'm open to suggestions for a couple more days. Shopping is happening on Monday afternoon, though, and then we're sticking with whatever was purchased. I'm looking for make or prep ahead of time recipes, preferably something that is not too advanced. Any experienced campers/glampers out there with suggestions?

7. Jen Hatmaker just re-released her book Interrupted and I am so excited. As I mentioned earlier, I have the privilege of reviewing her book. Jen is hosting a link-up for the book discussion on August 18th, so be sure to come check it out! Now I just have to finish the book.... 

Thanks for joining! Happy Friday!

Fandom + Yarn

Soooo you may have gathered from one or two {or three or four or five or six}  previous posts that I'm a fangirl. You may also know that I crochet, although I think I've only got one dedicated post to a project. Well, this post is going to combine these two loves, because I finished the Doctor Who scarf!

Here's the pattern I used:

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You may have seen the first half {the two left columns} already on Instagram...

I measured that half against myself and it is almost 3 times my "wingspan," which is supposed to also be my height, which is 5'4". I'll do the math: the scarf is over 15 feet long.

But wait! There's more!

Here are the two halves together {first half on top}:

And here are the two side by side:

The width looks uneven because of the different thickness of the yarns. If/when I make another, I will get all the same thickness and everyone will think I've drastically improved my ability to count stitches...

You may be wondering why I made one scarf into two scarves, and I will tell you: can you imagine one person wearing ALL THAT YARN at one time!?!? And by one person, I mean a person of my height, because obviously the Doctor already wore it.

I chose to make a friendship scarf, and Samara and I will both have a half. We will be together across the states, our necks {and probably the rest of us} will be warm, and our fandom will be represented - all around wins.

If you would like to wear your fandom, have suggestions for a future project, or just want to gush/fangirl, post a comment!

7 Quick Takes: Spiders, Sisters, and Craftiness

Linking up with Jen's friend Carolyn for this edition of 7QT - yay, new friends!

1. Biggest and most exciting news first: I finished my Doctor Who scarf yesterday!!!! Woot! A more complete blog post on that is coming soon, don't you worry. This fangirl cannot limit her excitement to one little Take; a full post is definitely required. I mean, I crocheted the full scarf... I owe it to the scarf to write a full post about it. Here, I've already 'grammed it :) And here's a Flashback Friday to when two of my friends and I wrapped the first half around ourselves.

2. Speaking of crafty things, tomorrow night is officially Craft Night. A few friends and I are getting together to make Moscow Mules, do crafty things, talk, laugh, and perhaps watch a movie {if we can remember the three we said we would remember for such a time as this}. My craft is putting ribbons on cookie holders for a friend's wedding - wish me luck. It's going to be a blast, and it has been the happy thought getting me through this week.

3. My happy thought for next week is a person! My good friend Laurie {from the Frozen Tundra} is coming out for a business meetings our fathers have, and she is spending the week at my house! I will try and remember to take some pictures of us together - promise!

4. Alright, deep dark confession time: I don't get Twitter. Conceptually I understand it involves short notes and links and following and tweeting and retweets and favorites and hashtags... but I don't love it or use it frequently. Am I missing a crucial piece of knowledge that makes Twitter cooler than fro yo? Am I doing it wrong? Twitter Jedis, teach me your ways, for I am only a baby Twitter-bird.

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5. I get to hang out with my sister Jayna today! She came down for my dad's birthday dinner yesterday, and today we are going to coffee before she has to go back to work. I love spending time with my sister!

6. Just this week, I've killed three spiders. THREE! This. Week.
I don't care if the weather goes from 90* to 20* - spiders need to stay out of my house! Anybody have some good recipes for spider repellent? I'm frantically searching Pinterest as I type, because y'all know me and spiders do not get along.
The plus side of this story is that 2 of the 3 spiders were encountered before I left for work, so I couldn't just yell for Samara to come kill them. So I killed them. And then I killed them again, just for good measure. This picture sums up my life pretty well this week:

7. To end with a Funny Friday, here is Yzma as a Disney Princess:

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Happy Friday, friends! Enjoy your weekend :)

7 Quick Takes: Happy Independence Day! Here Are British Shows

Linking up with Jen at Conversion Diary for the 4th of July's 7 Quick Takes!

1. Monday morning... oi. Hair done, makeup done, clothes on, earrings in, and ready to grab my lunch and go. I made it to the kitchen {6 steps from the front door} and realized that I was still wearing my slippers. Sigh. 

2. Jen from The Arizona Russums shared this article about raising daughters- really good! Thoughts?

3. This article from Shauna Niequist is amazing - "You are significant whether or not you have a significant other."

4. BBC ANNOUNCED SHERLOCK SEASON 4 FILM DATE!! Augh!!!!!

I really don't know how to do 4 more Takes with information like that staring me in the face... but I shall try and muddle on.

5. Oh wait, yes I do. Because BBC also announced an AIR DATE for Doctor Who!!!

6.  Seriously, this is the story of my life.

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7. Not related to the 4th of July or BBC shows at all - check out Laura and my interviews! She's a guest here, and I'm over there. Enjoy!

Finish This: Week Twenty

Holy guacamole, Batman! We are at Week Twenty already!!

Linking up with Jen at The Arizona Russums, Becky at The Java Mama, Lisa at Coastlined, and Nicole at Three 31 to answer these fun prompts.

new image created by Becky!

My favorite recipe is crack popcorn to make myself, and my mom's enchiladas to enjoy without the work beforehand. When I'm a real live grown-up, I will attempt to make those enchiladas, but for now, I will just invite myself over when they're on the menu.

I believe in the grace of God to save me daily. I believe in long walks on the beach, wine recommended. I believe in Doctor Who. I believe in making my bed every day. I believe in dining outside whenever possible. I believe in friends and their ability to make me think more deeply about any topic of conversation. I believe in chai lattes. I believe in getting out of my comfort zone to make a difference. I believe in painted toenails. I believe in the ability of bosom friends to stay connected across 2,000 miles via a couple of phones.

I need to set boundaries when it's all work and no play. My tendency is to not turn away a job opportunity {babysitting or tutoring, etc.}, but I'm realizing that things that are important to me are actually important, and so I'm making them more of a priority.

I began living when I started watching Doctor Who. Just kidding! Life really began when I got serious about my relationship with Jesus around age 12. On a practical note, I realized I was an actual adult when I moved into my own place with my bestie.

There you have it! If you want to join this link-up fun-sesh, you can add your link on Nicole's blog or finish these prompts in the comments.  Thanks for coming!

Some Slightly Burnt Cookies and A Really Burnt Car

This weekend was full of exciting and adventurous activities. A group of ladies met and discussed Sarah Bessey's book Jesus Feminist, I finished Emma for the first time, Cami got to see a new "Miranda" episode, I baked cookies with notenough flour...oh, and our neighbor caught his car on fire. Just a day in the life.

I'm sure you all are dyyyyyyinngggg to hear this fantastical tale, and most assuredly I'll tell it unto you, but if you wanted to click this link riddy riddy fast and vote me to Rwanda, that'd be freaking amazing. Thank ye, thank ye. {Bonus: you can vote every 24 hours per device, so if you wanna hit this up on your mobile, work computer, iPad, library computer, etc., that'd be fantastical!}

So, obviously the most important part of the story is... cookies need ONE and 3/4 cup flour, not just 3/4 cup flour. What was I thinking? So while those were melting and crisping in my oven, my neighbor across the driveway was "fixing" his car. And by "fixing" I mean he was also in the melting and crisping mode.

First crisis first. My cookies were melting and crisping! Book club was starting in 45 minutes! I didn't want to go to the store!

While I mourned the first dozen cookies, Samara glanced out the window. And noticed flames. Big flames. Under the neighbor's car. And on top of the car. And there was smoke. Lots of smoke.

Suddenly, cookies seemed a whole lot less important.

The question of "what is the explosion radius of a car?" crossed my mind, and when I approximated the answer to be "really freaking large," I grabbed my phone and called 911. Samara had the presence of mind to grab our fire extinguisher {we had one in our laundry closet}, and we found that a random family had been driving by and stopped when they saw the vast amounts of smoke.

The guy grabbed our hose, but then decided our fire extinguisher was a better option. We unrolled the hose while he extinguished, and then he grabbed another hose to connect to ours so it would actually reach the car. My sister Ellen walks up the driveway at this point, and I thought, I can't let this car blow up because I don't want my sister to die and then, So much for book club. #dramaqueen.

As many of you firefighting experts know, water doesn't do a whole lot of anything when fighting fire and oil and gasoline, so another extinguisher was desired. Our condo had one in a pretty little box on the other side of my next-door neighbor's unit, and Ellen was trying to open the box without success {why why why don't those boxes just have normal opening latches, for the love of pete!?}. I ran inside and grabbed the hammer from our tool collection {thanks, Dad!} and Ellen was a total badass and broke the glass and got the fire extinguisher out.

This whole time, I'm on the phone with the 911 operator. "No, there is no one in the cars. Yes, there might be people in the building. No, the building is not on fire, but there is a heck of a lot of smoke...gray, dark smoke...now it's white. They just used the fire extinguisher. It's ok, I can hear the sirens."

The firefighters got the hose going and finished putting the fire out, and all was well with the world. The building had some smoke stains on the side, but nothing else caught on fire and nothing exploded. As you may recall from October, car explosions are one of my irrational {but now justified!} fears.

The best part of the whole adventure was after the fire was put out {obviously}. The guy who had stopped with his family came over and was all "thanks for letting me use your hose. Sorry for freaking you out" or whatever, and we told him "thank YOU for stopping!" He and his wife waved goodbye and starting walking back to their car and their son noticed my slippers and hollers victoriously, "Doctor Who!" with a big smile. Samara and I cheered "yeah!" and Ellen rolled her eyes at us all. Twas great. Whovians saved the world, one crisis at a time.

Making memories, that's what we do best up in here! Later this week I will hopefully be sharing about Jesus Feminist and our discussion, so stay tuned. And thanks again for voting!

I Need Your Votes, So I'll Give You A Story

Hey friends, remember way back to yesterday when I applied to go to Rwanda with International Justice Mission and Noonday Collection? Well, since you can vote every day {read: I'm begging you to vote every day because you can}, I'm going to try and nag motivate and incentivise you with a post every day! I realize this may be a turn-off to some of you, so please just click the link and vote and don't even bother reading further :D

Today's post is inspired by the fantastic necklace my IRL friends Ashley and Kayla gave to Samara and me! We had them over for dinner last night, and it was quite a laughter- and fangirl-filled evening.

Here's the necklace:

Sonic screwdriver + a key to the TARDIS

And here's three of us wrapped up in the Doctor Who scarf I crocheted! Note: this is only HALF the pattern I'm following... gulp!

Ash, Kay, Bek

the pattern

Yes, the three of us are wrapped up in what is only the first two columns of the pattern. I'm 8 rows into the mustard color at the bottom of the third column, meaning I'll be done with this scarf about the same time that my first grandchild is born. 

Also Whovian-related, my dear friend Dahlia gave me a TARDIS shower curtain and I hung it up this week. People. A shower curtain that's a TARDIS. Shut the front door. 

Yes, my bathroom now looks like this image

As you may have seen on Facebook, I told my mom about this {incredible and awesome} gift, and she compared me and my TARDIS products to becoming a crazy cat lady. And all the Whovians scoff! 

"But Mom, it's only a blanket and slippers and a shower curtain and earrings and now a necklace and oh yeah a scarf!" 

My dad chimes in: "That's what cat ladies say to the first three cats...then it's six cats."

Oi vey.

Anyway, show a fangirl some love and send her to Rwanda! Please and thank you, friends!

Roomie Adventures

As I mentioned last week, my college roomie came for a visit! It's hard to believe we met 4 years ago... only God could have placed a gal from Seattle and a gal from Missouri in the same dorm room in Kentucky!

For our adventures, we had fantastic weather {again, thank you for your prayers} and, as promised, here are some pictures. Let's start with a "then and now" pic, shall we?

Orientation Weekend, 2010

visiting the beach, 2014

So now that you've got photographical proof that this visit transpired, let me describe to you what went down.

Thursday was a scorching {for this northwesterner} 85*, and it was glorious! Catherine and I took the bus to downtown Seattle and played the tourist card for all it was worth. Pike Place Market, the waterfront, the original Starbucks, the Space Needle, Ivar's, Dick's Drive-In, the works! We also missed like 4 busses because apparently May Day = Protest Businesses Day in Seattle and so the busses were all slow, full, and completely off-schedule. Oh well. It makes for a more memorable experience!

Friday, we woke up mid-morning and got on the eastbound road. We spent a little time in Leavenworth, touring The Hat Shop...

and then we met my friend Dahlia for some gelato.

overheard at the gelato shop: "Congrats, dude, you're an international drug dealer! Come work for us!"

We went back to Dahlia's house and took a walk up the mountains - glorious! Then, because we are responsible adults, we headed home so we would be over the pass before dark. Quite successful!

Saturday started off with a fantastic brunch, if I do say so myself. I made French toast and bacon and Samara made mimosas and fruit salad. Scrumptious!

We had several fabulous views of Mt. Rainier: ain't he just studly!?

After brunch, Catherine and I packed the car and journeyed southwest-ward towards the beach. Pacific Ocean, here we come! Catherine blogged about the ocean in this beautiful post. We spent the night in a cute little inn...several funny stories came out of that night. 

For dinner, we walked over to this dive bar that got really great reviews, but apparently they had stopped serving food last summer. No bueno. So we went next door to the Mexican restaurant: success!  

The inn had an indoor swimming pool, so we grabbed our suits and headed that direction. I don't remember what my expectations were, but they were probably bigger than the pool. It went from 4 feet deep to 5 feet deep, so that was something. There was one jet...we took turns. Oh, and there was no real filter on the pool, which kinda grossed me out. Showers were had post-swim, for sure!

Sunday was really chill and relaxing. We went to the jetty at the end of the beach, we went shopping, we got coffee {practically implied}, and then we headed home. We may or may not have indulged in Dick's Drive In again on the way home, but since they're only in Seattle, we had to make up for lost time on Catherine's behalf. See how well I justified that?!

Monday was Catherine's final day in the Pacific Northwest, and we spent it at Target, Walmart, and on the couch watching Doctor Who {finished the first season and watched David Tennant's first Christmas special!}. Since it was Cinco de Mayo, we met my family for dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant. So yummy! We hung out at my parents' house for a couple hours and introduced Catherine to "Miranda" - such fun! Then it was time to go to the airport, concluding this awesome roomie adventure. 

Catherine, thank you so much for visiting! It was a pleasure to host you and drive all over the state with you. Please come back!

Finish This: Week Eighteen

Joining the link-up party with these lovely hostesses: Jen at The Arizona Russums, Nicole at Three 31, Lisa at Coastlined, and Becky at The Java Mama.

I feel an adrenaline rush when someone says they want to watch Doctor Who for the first time, when my sisters and I all get to hang out together, when a new book comes out from a favorite author, and when the ramp meter gives me the green light to get on the freeway.

I feel energized when I have more than two loads of laundry to do. I know, this is weird, but there's something about being doubly efficient {one load in the wash, one in the dryer} while doing something else {productive or not!}. I also feel energized after spending time with people - extroverts, holla!

I feel small when driving next to semi-trucks, hugging my dad, gazing at the ocean, and of course checking out this stud:

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 I feel big when I hug my mom. She's 4'11", so my 5'4" height actually seems tall in comparison.
When I was about 12 years old, my mom was doing my hair in the bathroom on the ferry. There was a little girl in the bathroom also, and she said to her mom, "Look, that lady is doing the other lady's hair!"
My mom told her, "Oh, she's not a lady. She's my baby. I'm her mom."
And the little girl responded with, "Look, Mom, it's a little mama!"
So that is my nickname for my mom: Little Mama.

I feel indestructible when I'm rocking out during Zumba class. I know I don't look indestructible, but I definitely feel it!

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I feel stupid when I paint my nails. How hard can it be to apply two layers of polish without smudging the anything? Impossibly hard, apparently. 

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I feel smart when tutoring my student in pre-algebra. I feel smart, and I hope I make her feel smart, too, because she really is getting good at the whole math thing!

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Thanks for joining the fun! Add your post to the link-up or respond to the prompts in the comments, and then comment on someone else's post! Also, per the wonderful hostesses, I'm inviting Laura at A Single Drop in the Ocean to join the Finish This link-up. You're welcome, Laura :) 

Finish This: Week Sixteen

Linking up with Nicole at Three 31, Jen at The Arizona Russums, Becky at The Java Mama, and Lisa at Coastlined.

My favorite makeup item is Mary Kay's eye primer. I wrote about my love for this product back in February {actually, I wrote about a lot of products}, and this is still my favorite. One little tube lasts me about a year, so don't even worry about ROI.

The best book I've ever read was Les Miserables because only Victor Hugo can make me cry with his beautiful sentences...about the sewers of Paris. No lie, I would read this book in bed and would wake up my roomie with tears in my eyes: "Catherine, listen to this sentence!" Also, there is great love in this book, and I love reading about how fathers, mothers, daughters, sons, men, and women love each other and what they sacrifice for one another.

My favorite tv show is um, can you guess? Me neither. My favorite rotates between "Sherlock," "Doctor Who," and "Miranda." If we limit it to American television, then I'd say "Suits."

The most spontaneous thing I've ever done is dyed my hair purple. My friend Jessica said, "I want to do something wild," and after a few suggestions that were vetoed, I asked, "Like dye your hair purple?" She hesitated, "Mmm, no..." which meant I was close. "What about dye my hair purple?" And she exclaimed, "Yes! That's it! Do you mean it?" And I did, so we got AJ involved and used her sink and ta-da!

in process

from the back

all done!

I prefer dogs over cats because dogs actually like me back. Cats are such....{don't swear don't swear don't swear!} meanies. If you want a laugh and don't mind a wee bit of profanity, check out this video of dog-friends and cat-friends. It pretty much sums up why I will take a dog over a cat any day.

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I met I'll meet my significant other as soon as God introduces us. Or as soon as Benedict Cumberbatch shows up at my front door; I'm open to either. ;)

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To join the link-up fun, finish the prompts in your own post or in the comments. Thanks for reading!

7QT: Mail, Guest Posts, and Waiting for BBC

Linking up with Jen at Conversion Diary for 7 Quick {and unusually short} Takes!

1. Relevant has nailed it! This article about pursuing a calling without killing a career is spot on.

2. Jamie the Very Worst Missionary wrote this post and I love love love it.

3. Just got a lovely note from Laura at A Single Drop in the Ocean. Laura, you are so sweet! And your handwriting is gorgeous... I'm kicking myself for skimping on cursive lessons back in 3rd grade. Um, don't be creeped out if I consider you my pen-pal foreverandalways.

4. In case you missed it {Blogger rejected God's gifts of "copy" and "paste" so there were some technical challenges}, here is Victoria's guest post! Read it. She's hysterical.

5. Yesterday I got to have lunch with the wonderful Dahlia! She came over to visit her sis {yay for Spring Break!}, and then she and I went to the best Chinese restaurant in the state. We also went on a Craig's List adventure and got fro yo at Red Mango. So much fun! Of course this quick visit makes me want to go see her, so I'm thinking a weekend in May will compel me to her side of the mountains.

6. Tomorrow morning I have an interview at the hospital near my house. The position is for a volunteer baby cuddler. Yes, that is an actual thing! I'm really excited, and hopefully I will start soon.

7. Because it's 7QT and Friday and I miss British television {currently taking recommendations for new shows!}:

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Happiest of weekends to you, dear readers!