What I'm Into: July 2015

Linking up with the {newly-discovered on my end} fabulous Leigh Kramer for What I'm Into: July!

Reading and Read ~ Books:

Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own by Kate Bolick - {in progress} Really, really enjoying this memoir/history lesson. The author comes from such a different place than me in many ways {East Coast, solitary, journalist} that it's fascinating for me to read and imagine what my own internal journey would be if our external circumstances were the same. P.S. It was this Long Reads article that piqued my interest on the book.

Villete by Charlotte Bronte - {in progress} I feel like I'm just getting to the good stuff at about 200 pages in. Lucy Snowe amazes me with her observations of people's character, and I'm in awe of how cool she can be to people.

Landline by Rainbow Rowell - {almost done!} I put off reading this book for a while because fantastical realism isn't really my jam. But that's almost not the point with this book, and Rowell has presented a great study on enduring love.

One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B.J. Novak - {completed} I laughed out loud many, many times. I listened to the audiobook {which you should do! Read by the author plus guests!!} and it made my commutes delightful. The discussion questions were, um, thought-provoking!

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - {completed} Apparently there are two camps about Mansfield Park: either it's a satire and it's the most brilliant work ever from Austen, or it's a regular novel, in which case it is completely boring. For Austen's sake, I hope that it's satire, because this book was boring. But it led to some great conversations with friends about the characters' lives after the book ends, so that was fun.

Pondering:

This article about colorblindness by Rachel Held Evans has been on my mind for some time.

I started writing a post about my experience with both my church and the Church... about 1,000 words in and I think I'm finally saying what I want to say. Stay tuned.

Enjoying:

All the sunshine this week has been awesome! And apparently Seattle just broke a record: Thursday was the 10th day in 2015 that the official temperature reached the 90s, which is the first time that's happened in the history of recording temperatures. Whew!

The past two weeks I was cat-sitting for a friend, and this week I have SO enjoyed being home in my own bed, and I'm especially grateful to be cat-free. My dad teased me that this was a practice run of being a crazy cat lady, but I told him that these weeks were more like a vaccine against it - I've learned that my previously-neutral feelings towards cats are now decidedly negative.

My dear friend J and I went candle shopping a couple weeks ago, and while she purchased The Boyfriend Candle, I was unimpressed {I guess I like my mountain men less sweet?}. I thought I was going to leave the store sans boyfriend, but then...then I smelled Midsummer's Night, and I knew that he it had to be mine. And it made sense, because J and I have different tastes in men, so of course we would prefer different smells. Anyway, the candle has been in use almost every day, and while I've never had a boyfriend, I think that smelling this candle is pretty much what it's like.

I'd like to introduce you to someone....

There you have it! Be sure to check out the other links on Leigh's post, and happy August!

 

June Sunshine

The first official day of summer is in less than two weeks, but after last Sunday's sunshine + heat wave, I think summer's already here :) So to keep things light and breezy, here are some "currently" updates.

Currently...

...reading: Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans. If you're like me and think that the Church is lacking, to put it mildly, read this book. RHE articulates the questions and concerns that I didn't realize I have, and she does so gracefully and succinctly. I'm about halfway done with my library copy, and I think that I'll be purchasing my own copy very soon. More eloquent reviews can be found here and here.

...watching: Season 5 of "Gilmore Girls." My sis and I are usually able to watch one episode most nights, and oh my word, pack me up and move me to Stars Hollow.

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...listening to: Florence and the Machine's new album "How Big How Blue How Beautiful." This. Album. I play it all day {or most of the day, for my co-workers' sakes} in the office, it's in my car, and then I turn it on as soon as I get home. It's beautiful and perfect and I can't get enough. "Queen of Peace" and "St Jude" are two of my favorite tracks {check out this beautiful music video, too!}.

...anticipating: a reunion dinner with Samara and Cami next week! Woohoo! It's been FAR too long since the three of us have been together.

...working on: smaller reading assignments for doula certification. Last night I plopped myself and some yarn on the couch and listened to every last "lecture" that is required; it felt so good to cross half a dozen assignments off my list! I celebrated by watching a couple {required} birth videos... why yes, I do know how to have a good time ;)

...craving: time outside in the sun, flip-flops, hair long enough to stay in a messy bun, and VitaminWater.

...supporting: this Kickstarter campaign with Ricki Lake and Abby Eppstein {creators of "The Business of Being Born"} to make "Sweetening the Pill: How We Got Hooked On Hormonal Birth Control." Read an interview with the filmmakers, watch the trailer, and consider supporting this project!

...grateful for: sunshine during my commute, dinner with my CareNet friend and her family, chai lattes, new friends, and the beginning of what's promising to be an amazing summer.

Not Alone Series: Summer

Hi friends! It's hard to believe that this is our last NAS link-up before the summer - thank you, Jen and Morgan, for all your hard work hosting our link-ups each week and for facilitating our FB group. You guys are awesome!!

Also, happy second anniversary, Not Alone Series!! Yay!!

Today's prompt is about summer plans, since it is June {!!} and we won't be linking our blogs this summer.

My summer plans consist of spending time with my family and friends, specifically the sister with whom I now live - woot! Maybe we'll even get through Gilmore Girls :)

Some short road trips are definitely in order. My dear friend Dahlia lives a couple hours east of me, and we both will be making at least a few drives to visit each other. Also, Portland is just a few hours south, and Powell's has been calling my name for a couple of months now.

I'll be housesitting for a couple of weeks in July, so that will be fun to make friends with some cats ;) Also, my favorite Aerobic Dance class is coming back to Tuesday nights, so that'll be great fun.

Oh! And this summer I plan on cracking down and cranking out a ton of doula work. It would be my dream and goal and heart's desire to get through all my certification requirements {except for the births} by the end of 2015. I'm finishing the last book today {10 pages left!} and will share another review shortly. I'm working on some doula business names and when I have them narrowed down, I'll be sure to share them with you all :)

That's my summer so far! I hope you all have grand plans, and NAS girls, see you on FB :)

I Swear I Remember How to Blog and Other Dreams

I was debating on how to jump back on the blogging train {link-up? book review? a post pretending I've been blogging regularly for the past three weeks??}, and then Natalie posted/hosted a Quick Just Because Not So Serious Takes link-up, and it was fate. This is a perfect way to give y'all some updates and share some odds and ends without being weird...although this is me, so it may still end up weird. But you knew that when you clicked this link, so I don't feel too bad.

Item 1: I spent the first week of this month in the beautiful Bluegrass State with some of my dearest friends. AJ and I got to spend lots of quality time together, some of which involved the following:

• crack popcorn - I've never made that much crack popcorn in one sitting, but I'm proud to say there was nothing left the next morning. 
• wedding video - you know you're bosom friends when you spend a Friday night watching her wedding on the small screen. So cool.
• steak nachos with beer cheese - this is becoming a tradition for me to celebrate AJ's birthday. Saul Good's steak nachos with beer cheese is basically heaven on earth. We took a picture that night, but as good as that waiter was, photography wasn't his forte. 
•  Ale-8 - I had one for breakfast every day, and I regret nothing. 
• a surprise pregnancy announcement - AJ had her youngest son announce to me that "mommy has a baby in her tummy" and I put forth a great effort and did not scream with joy and delight.

I also got to visit my good friends Carla and Victoria, as well as attend a baseball game with my friend Rae. Rachel and I got to hang out {and eat the world's most delicious cheesecake}, and I learned two new games with some friends from church. I got to hold new babies and hug old friends. 

Basically, my trip was wonderful and I'm already planning my return trip. 

Item 2: Whilst reading the book I thought was the last on my doula list, I realized that a medical book published in 1987 wasn't going to cut it. So I emailed my director and she emailed back that I should find a different book. It just came in from the library, and much to my delight, it's only about 100 pages long {as opposed to the 400 page beast I was struggling through}. So I should be finished with this little book very, very soon!

Item 3: Speaking of doula stuff, Victoria and I started a FB group for all things birthing related. We want to be able to share articles and pictures and discussions that include words like "placenta" and "dilation" without frightening away half of our FB friends. If you'd like to join, let me know and I'll send you the link. 

this little girl is us

Item 4: My roommate moved out this weekend and my sister moved in! Words cannot describe my joy. Our home is clean and cozy and beautiful, and I'm trying to convince my sis to go with a black-and-white art theme in the living room. We'll see how that goes. 

Item 5: I'm reading The Book Thief as a part of Dahlia's book club, and we're meeting to discuss and to watch the movie next weekend. I'm a bit of a late start on this book, so here's hoping I can finish it in time!

That's it - all the Just Because Not So Serious Takes I've got. Enjoy your Tuesday, friends!

Books, books, books...

You guys... it's April. Wowza the first three months of the year have gone by fast!

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Since we are 25% done with 2015, I thought I should share a Book Challenge update. Per my book reading goals for this year, I'm participating in Modern Mrs. Darcy's challenge. I want to mark the passing of three months by highlighting three books from her list.

January: a book published this year - I read Golden Son: Book II of The Red Rising Trilogy* by Pierce Brown, and holy moly it was amazing. Pierce Brown is a master story-teller, and he's only getting better. His first book is Red Rising: Book I of The Red Rising Trilogy* and it was good, but Golden Son was better. Plus, I got to meet Pierce at a book signing and he's a really nice guy! He likes Taylor Swift, so obviously we're bffs ;)

February: a book you've been meaning to read - I read Yes Please* by Amy Poehler. I laughed uproariously, snickered slyly, and snorted contentedly throughout the book. There is some language {did you expect anything different?}, so consider yourself warned. If you're a fan of Amy, you'll enjoy this book. 

March: a book you should have read in high school - I read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. I was not expecting the intense content or beautiful word pictures. Maya tells the story of her life with both in-the-moment feelings of her childhood and the perspective of a few decades. I didn't love this book, but I'm glad I read it. 

For April, I'm hoping the library comes through and I can read/listen to Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson... would that count as a genre I don't usually read or "everyone" has read but me or recommended by someone with great taste? Not sure there, because I think it counts as all three.

What are you reading these days, friends?

*affiliate links

Currently...

...reading I'll Drink to That: A Life in Style with a Twist by Betty Halbreich & Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen {this is probably my tenth re-read}

...listening to Josh Garrels' "Love and War and the Sea in Between" and Florence + the Machine's "Ceremonials."

...anticipating a fantastic weekend consisting of costumes with the bestie, a sister's birthday celebration, clean sheets, and Zumba.

...excited for the start of "Call the Midwife" on Sunday! So excited to go back to Nonnatus House.

...wanting to go back to Saturday with Samara and Cami and live every moment over again. Such a wonderful, relaxing, encouraging time - love these women!

...enjoying the aloe vera plant I bought on the above-mentioned Saturday. It's just a cute little plant in a little white pot.

...buying birthday presents for a sister, grandmother, mother, and two friends with April birthdays.

...working on reading the last. two. books. on BAI's required reading list - woot!

...hoping that Target carries aloe water - Cami introduced me, and it's so refreshing!

...wearing no nail polish for just a couple of days. My nails look both clean and naked.

...grateful for friends, family, community, and good books. 

Doula Adventures: Guest Reviewer of Ina May!

Hey friends, today I am thrilled to have Victoria guest reviewing Ina May Gaskin's book! As you may recall, Victoria and I go way back {like, to 2010 or 2011, which is practically forever ago}, and she has been one of my most enthusiastic cheerleaders on this doula journey. 
A few months ago, I asked her if she would like to do guest post a book review, since she has a yummy baby and could tell us what was really useful during her labor. Victoria agreed immediately, and when I asked her which book was the most helpful, I was thrilled that she answered "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth" because it's one of my favorites, too. So without any more ado, here's Victoria!

When Rebekah asked me to review Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, I said yes. It was an easy decision. I love Ina May, and I seriously love Rebekah. I'd let either one of them catch my baby. #gettingrealupinhere

After I did all the freakings out about being pregnant, I started to get a tinsy bit into a thing called childbirth.

And by a "tinsy bit" I mean makes-my-husband-uncomfortable and I-would-totally-eat-my-placenta into.

I can't remember exactly when I feel in deep like with Ina May. Probably from watching The Business of Being Born. So, yes, I am a bandwagon fan. Sorry not sorry. Let's just think of it as an introduction, ok?

What I enjoyed about Ina May's Guide to Childbirth is the non-medical nature of her writing. She writes from immense hands-on experience, but her writing is accessible to the everyday woman. Reading her book I felt as if she were my midwife, sitting across from me, explaining what I could expect during my labor and delivery. Her words were very soothing in that way.

Another fun feature of this book are the birth stories that comprise the first half. While pregnant, it was helpful to get a sense of the "variations of normal" that can occur during labor and delivery. However, if you're more interested in the guiding bit, it's totally okay to skip to that section. You won't miss a thing!

As I mentioned, Ina May's writing is very relatable. While medical resources describe birth in very flat terms - something like, "Your cervix will dilate to 10 cms and the baby will descend in the birth canal." - Ina May puts matters far more poetically, calling contractions "rushes," for example.

Think of this book as a primer on what to expect in childbirth. She discusses routine medical procedures around birth, and which ones a mother could safely reject. Ina May also shares in depth what to expect postpartum. {Postpartum bleeding? Yeah, had no idea about that until I was seven months in!} I found it to be a very thorough resource.

This pregnancy-face-glowing review of Ina May's Guide does come with a few warnings, though. To be fair, I am not completely sold out on the whole Ina May experience. I feel she has been known to take "no interventions" to extreme places that are not necessary, especially with today's medical technology. And I get the sense from reading her that she pushes {no pun intended} natural childbirth to the exclusion of other options. I delivered my daughter naturally, but I certainly don't think au naturale is for everyone. Rather, I advocate women being fully informed and fully empowered to make decisions about their births. Decisions that should never be fear-based, but decisions all the same. Want to schedule that C-section for June 10th? Go right ahead. Willing to wait for baby until 42 weeks? Be my guest. Expectant mothers should have access to care providers that would help weigh the pros and cons of each decision, but I fully believe a woman should be in charge of her health care.

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth gets 5 stars in my book. Her wisdom really was that helpful to me during my labor and delivery. Though do read the book knowing Ina May comes from a clear bias. If you 1) are completely freaked out by natural birth or 2) avoid barefoot hippies like kale grass, you probably won't enjoy the read. However, if you're interested in natural childbirth, or even wonder about the mechanics surrounding birth, I think you ought to give this book a try. If you do, I'd love to hear!

Thanks for asking me to review this book, Rebekah! Love following your doula adventures!

Thank you for this awesome review, Victoria! You know I'll catch your baby anytime!

We All Win!

{Alternate title to today's post: Winner Winner Chicken Dinner. This post has nothing to do with chicken dinner, but we are all winners today.}

If you've been around this blogging block once or twice, you may remember my IRL friend Victoria. She guest posted for me here, and I guest posted for her here, and I reviewed her book Re'and.

Victoria is married to a fantastic guy and has a yummy baby who just turned one this month {January birthdays holla!}. Please take a moment and read about the Winter Wonderland birthday party Victoria threw.

Doesn't that look like such a fun party!? I think Carson's outfit is the cutest thing on earth, not gonna lie.

used with Victoria's permission

You may have noticed that Victoria's post was also a giveaway from Ashley at M Paper Designs... you may also have noticed my name as the winner {see above reference to alternate title}. Since this is the world of blogging, I figured I should blog about it :)

I asked Victoria about how she met Ashley, and Victoria told me about Brilliant Business Moms and how Ashley volunteered to do a giveaway for Victoria's blog. Thanks to their combined ingenuity, creativity, and generosity, a package with these straws, a mason jar topper, and this garland is coming my way!

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When Ashley emailed me about the package, I asked her if she would tell me a bit about her company and vision, and she so sweetly told me her story:

I created M Paper Designs in December 2013. I had a son who was just over a year old and his schedule was finally getting to be pretty predictable. I'm a creative person by nature and I love to craft in all sorts of mediums. I love color, texture, pattern and the creative aspect of crafting. I think every person's dream is to do something they love and get paid for it. I was getting the itch to have something that was just mine. I always wanted to say when someone asked me what I did was, "I own my own business." 
My vision for my company when I started was to create additional revenue for our family and to be able to give and bless people in more ways. M Paper designs allows me to be creative, help others and getting paid is just icing on the cake. My favorite part of my business is being able to give and help others. I love it when a customer leaves me feedback on Etsy that they loved their items as much as I love making them. 

Isn't that cool!? I'm really excited to receive this package, and I'm even more excited to share this awesome discount code from Ashley! She totally volunteered this, friends; I asked her for her story and she generously gave me a code to pass on to you.

Use the code BEKSBLOG for 10% off a purchase of $10 or more. The code is good until April 30th, 2015, so if you have a birthday or a party or a birthday party coming up, this is a great way to get some fabulous decorations and accessories while supporting a small business. That's a win in my book!

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Thankful

I'm sure that this week is going to be both full in general and full of Thanksgiving posts....and I don't care. Here are ten things I'm thankful for this season {no particular order}:

• the mercy and love of God
• the opportunity to pursue passions #DoulaAdventures
• good health {and good healthcare when the health isn't good}
• my fantastic family

• the opportunity to pursue passions #DoulaAdventures
• excellent books
• wonderful friends

• a great job with my favorite bosses ;)
• a warm home in which to spend Thanksgiving with my family
• this awesome blogging community :D

What's are you thankful for this season? 

7 Quick Takes: Focus on the Awesome

Thank God it's Friday.

This week has not been the most fun ever, so I'm choosing to focus my 7 Quick Takes on ways this week has been good and why this weekend is going to be awesome. Check out Kelly {our wonderful guest host} at This Ain't the Lyceum for all the link-up fun.

1. Haters gonna hate, but the soundtrack of my week has been Christmas music. Kelly Clarkson, Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, even Andrea Botticelli have made this rough week a bit more bearable. Thank you, musical geniuses, for singing happy songs so beautifully.

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2. My sister Jayna came over on Monday night, which is always fun. When we were at the grocery store getting hard cider, she introduced me to Strongbow Gold, which may or may not have bumped Angry Orchard into Third Place in My Heart. If hard cider is your thing, I recommend you give Strongbow at least one try. It's super yummy.

3. On Tuesday, I had a mole removed {side note: I love my dermatologist. She made the whole needles/surgery/stitches thing so painless and pleasant, and her staff checked on us like 4 times after I said I was feeling a little lightheaded. If you're in the area, I highly recommend her!}, so now I have stitches and a huge bandaid on my left forearm.
I was feeling good last night, so I ventured out to Zumba. Just to be safe, though, I didn't really use my left arm, because stitches breaking open and blood gushing was something I avoid AT ALL COSTS.
So I one-armed Zumba, and afterwards my instructor told me that she would have me teach sometime, because if I can one-arm class, then no one else has any excuse. Ha! Good one.

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4. After work today, I am heading east over the mountains to visit Dahlia. Hooray! She is just lovely to be around. We can fly across the continent or sit on the couch all day, and either way we will have fun together.

This weekend, we are planning on scrapbooking and crafting. AJ, your Christmas present will hopefully take shape this weekend!

5. Speaking of Christmas presents, I'm feeling really on top of it this year. I have gifts for 2 out of 3 sisters already, and several yarn-related gifts are already finished. The gift I'm most proud of, though, is for my grandparents {trusting that they a) do not know this blog exists and therefore b) will not be reading this post}.
My sisters and I are using Shutterfly to create a photo book of the four of us. I only need two-three more pictures {ahem, sisters} and this album will be complete! My goal is to order it by Thanksgiving, so we are rocking it out.

6. The best part of my grandparents' gift is that we'll be able to give it to them in person. My family is traveling to the Frozen Tundra on the 26th to spend a few days with my mom's family! I'm really excited about this, and I'm already worrying praying for good traveling weather. Because of some health issues, my grandparents haven't been able to come out and visit us since I graduated from high school, so this is quite the exciting visit. Any upcoming holiday trips for you, dear readers?

7. Finally, coming back full circle to the week/weekend/awesomeness thing, I am spending Sunday afternoon with a friend looking at apartments for her and her new job! It's very exciting - this is a fabulous new job and totally in line with her passions and calling, and the apartments we're looking at are really cute.

This week hasn't been the best thing in life, but there have been some light spots and this weekend is going to be fantastic. Happy Friday!

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The Best Weekend

People. Halloween 2014 was quite possibly the best weekend I've ever had in my adult life. I have not stayed up so late, laughed so hard, or loved my friends so much.

First things first: Cami and I "Cage-ified" Samara's apartment. Yes, that does mean what you think it means. We decorated covered Samara's apartment with Nicolas Cage. Some pictures were hidden in plain sight, and others, well, others haven't been found yet :D

this is the first one Samara found

not even wine was left un-Caged

We carved an attempt at a Grumpy Cat pumpkin... no judging. Our combined carving skills were all at least a decade old, and we realized halfway through carving that the template was not symmetrical. Oh well. 

Samara and I went to pick up pizza after Grumpy was finished, and we counted 8 "Elsa" princesses in town. And between our parking spot and the pizza place, we found a gelato shop...which we promptly added to our agenda and purchased Chocolate Peanut Butter and Chai Latte. Oh my goodness, it was amazing. 

After dinner, we began costume and make-up preparations. Who did we dress up as? Allow me to introduce you to Taylor Swift, Lorde, and Meghan Trainor!

We went to a local pub and met some of Samara's friends, and our table entered the pub's costume contest. Guess who took first place? Not us. But we got second place, and look at what we won:

Yes. We won a hand. A gross, nasty hand that already has caused trauma and laughter. We also won a gift certificate to the pub, which we put to good use right away. 

Once we got home and out of our costumes, we watched the 50th Anniversary special of Doctor Who. Such fun!

Saturday morning, we got up and on the road to Portland. Brunch, bookstores, and the best pop album of 2014 were the highlights - can you say Taylor Swift's "1989" album!? Have I been listening to it nonstop since Saturday? Unashamedly!

Sunday was a chill day with church, leftover Chinese food and gelato, and a Seahawks game at B-Dubs. After the game, we said our farewells and Cami and I trekked back north {listening to "1989" all 4 hours}. 

In text, this weekend may not sound very amazing, but it was. Cami and Samara and I are so comfortable and hilarious together, and spending time as the three of us was so wonderful. We talked about literally everything, and I loved how we all were able to take care of ourselves {with classes, homework, etc.} and each other so easily. We are seriously fun. 

I love us!

I'm Just Gonna Shake Shake Shake

{I know that I said I wanted to write more posts without prompts, but I'm not counting these as prompts; they're more like conversation initiators. I know, the hair is split super finely. Whatevs. Shaking it off.}

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Currently...

...wondering how early is too early to begin New Year's Eve party planning.

...stressing about doula training and how on earth I'm going to finish it all. Gulp.

...just finished reading UnDivided (Unwind Dystology)* by Neal Shusterman
Re'and* by Victoria Easter Wilson {review here!}

... currently reading Motherwit: An Alabama Midwife's Story* by Onnie Lee Logan
Spiritual Midwifery* by the one and only Ina May Gaskin
A Covert Affair: When Julia and Paul Child joined the OSS...* by Jennet Conant.

... going to read Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption* by Laura Hillenbrand - really excited about this one!

...listening to Imogen Heap and Kye Kye, as per usual, and.... Christmas music! Haters, please see above gif.

...craving more fudge that my flatmate made. She put a few sprinkles in and on it, and I think that was a very wise decision.

...enjoying a good hair day. Yay, straightener that works!

...getting excited for Cami and my trip to visit Samara! We are meeting at 5:30 tonight, having Chinese food for dinner {because why the hell not!?}, and then venturing down to yonder Oregon for a weekend of laughs, hugs, Doctor Who, costumes, chocolate, Portland, and whatever other adventures we find. CANNOT WAIT!!!

...grateful for a fantastic table lamp I found at Value Village. You. Guys. This thing is amazing. You know when you look at Target and you're like, mm, okay. Then you look at Pinterest and are all like, mm, if only me + drill + glass didn't = death.
And then you go to Value Village and the heavens open and a unicorn whinnies and fairy dust speeds your sprint into the embrace of the COOLEST LAMP EVER, and it doesn't even need a makeover. True story. Pictures coming soon.

...laughing at this clip from the Graham Norton Show of Miranda Hart teaching Benedict Cumberbatch how to walk like a diva. All day, every day, please and thank you.

Hope you all have a fantastic Halloween weekend!

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*affiliate links that will, ideally, contribute to my doula education. Thanks for your click!

Finish This: Week Forty-three

Friends.... it is November next week. Gulp. November always freaks me out because it means that the year is almost over and that the holidays are racing towards us and that it's going to get cold. Actually, the end of October hasn't been that toasty, so maybe November is good because it means the cold is going to end soon-ish? Three months isn't too long, right?

Enough with the weather - let's Finish This! As per usual, this link-up is hosted by the marvelous Jen at The Arizona Russums, Becky at The Java Mama, Lisa at Coastlined, and Nicole at Three 31.

As a kid, my favorite Halloween costume was {I'll just let the images speak for themselves}

I was a baker with Minnie Mouse, a princess, and a clown

I was a book of ferry tickets with an M&M, a Hawaiian dancer, and...my other sister. Sorry, Sis. 

As an adult, I celebrate Halloween by hanging out in costume with my friends! Last year a group of us went to see Benedict Cumberbatch and Johnny Lee Miller in Danny Boyle's "Frankenstein." This year Cami and I are road-tripping down to visit Samara. We will be in costume and there may or may not be videos after the fact... we will wait and see about the quality and share-ability.

My favorite candy is Snickers, of the types of candy generally associated with trick-or-treating. If we are including adult candy, then Lindt sea salt chocolate, hands down. 

Voila! Happy Halloween, and thanks for joining the link-up!

"Re'and" - A Book Review

Y'all, my IRL friend Victoria is quite the writer. Some of you may remember her hosting the fantastic 31 Days of Creative Writing last October, and this month she is writing for 31 days about self-publishing because she is publishing a book on October 30th, and she let me read it early! She is fantastic like that :)

You can purchase the physical copy or the Kindle edition of Re'and the Book on Amazon or click here to visit Victoria Easter Wilson Writer and download the PDF {update 11-16-14: due to some testing periods, this link is no longer available}.
{Update on 10-28-14: these links should be working properly now - please email or comment if there are problems!}

On with the review!

This book is great. I love the character development, the snark, the detail in the setting, and the plot. "Re'and" is the name of the world and there are many countries/nations within Re'and. I won't give away the story, but I will tell you that it reminded me of Middle Earth in that humans were one of several different races in the story.

I appreciated the pace of the story... throughout the journey of the main character, I felt like we spent a goodly amount of time at each place. There were some spots I wished provided more back story or detail, but maybe it will come up in a sequel or prequel, right, Victoria!?

There were several elements that definitely could have been overdone, but they were done perfectly. I never felt like Victoria thought I was unintelligent; she described what she needed to describe and then moved on. There was nothing that made me think, "Ok, I get it already!"

Re'and is really clean - no language, no sex, and only a bit of violence, but no gore. Catherine wrote a great review as well, and she is purchasing this book for her almost-a-teenager niece.

One of the best parts of Re'and for me was the characters. I loved how we met so many different people, and that we got "closure" with so many of them. I'm definitely an optimist and I love a happy ending, so it was wonderful to discover all the minor characters - and there is a beautiful variety of them! - and how the story ended with each of them.

Now that I've told you how wonderful this book is, I have to tell you something else. Victoria is so, so generous and she offered to make me an affiliate for the purpose of funding my doula education! Isn't she the greatest!? So those links up there are affiliate links, and all the affiliate income will go directly to my doula certification process. I told you Victoria is awesome!

I'm blown away by how generous she is... but I'm not at all surprised at how great her book is {and as cheesy as that sounds, I'm not saying it because of her generosity!}. If you are looking for a good read with great character development, fantastical elements, and lots of travelling, check out Re'and! 

Finish This: Week Forty-two

My mother would like to point out that there are less than 10 Saturdays until Christmas. Which makes sense, given that we are in Week Forty-two of 2014. Ei yi yi.

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

It took me a long time to realize that touch is my main love language and that I am not a freak for wanting to connect with people through an arm pat, a hug, a high-five, etc. I walked around high school for three years wondering why I wanted touch so much, and then my dad, while asking Dahlia what her love language was, gave me as an example: "Rebekah's love language is touch." I was stunned, yet it made perfect sense!

I surround myself with order, black-and-white {this color combo brings me so much joy}, adventurous friends, and fantastic wine {19 Crimes, anyone?}. 

This week's prompts are short and sweet because Nicole is helping us prepare for our Year in Review post, which is hella long, and we only have 10 weeks to finish it - yikes!

Thanks for joining! 

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. 

Finish This: Week Thirty-nine

Howdy, folks! The name of the game is Finish This, and our fabulous hostesses are Jen at The Arizona Russums,Becky at The Java Mama, Nicole at Three 31, and Lisa at Coastlined.

I am most comfortable in small groups of people that I know. Or big groups of people I know. Or with just one other person I know. I love being with people, and as extroverted as I am, sometimes I feel intimidated by groups of strangers... but then I remember how much fun it is to make new friends!

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Diamonds are a reminder of the beauty that can result from endurance. 

I wish I could be more talented in the decorating department. For the past month, my walls have been really bare. Part of that is because the new flatmate and I haven't done any decorating, but why haven't we? Because I've let it slide. Oh well. Maybe by Christmas....

Thanks for joining! See you next week, same Bat-time, same Bat-place!

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Not Alone Series: Online Dating

Linking up with Jen at Jumping in Puddles and Morgan at Follow and Believe - join the fun!

Not all of us have jumped into the world of online dating, but many of us have! What are those things that we should AND that we shouldn't do?! If someone you know is considering online dating, how would you encourage him/her? What advice do you have?

Well, I fall into that very first category of "haven't jumped" and so I inquired as to a prompt for those in my boat. Morgan suggested I share why I haven't jumped in, my perceptions, if I know anyone else who's tried it, etc. So here goes.

I have not tried online dating, and I am not saying that I never will. I know several people who married someone they met online, and I know other people who haven't had good experiences. We all know people who love it and people who hate it, don't we?

Right now, online dating not something I want to do, but I've taken the goal of online dating {meeting new people} and looked for other ways to accomplish that goal. How do I meet new people? I have to try new things!

With that in mind, I've attempted to be more open about new adventures. When my new flatmate said she was going ballroom dancing with some people from her work, I joined her {and had a blast!}. When my friend says she wants to go to a different church's hang-out, I put it on my calendar and join her {it's still on the calendar}. When I'm at Notions and there are new people, I hand them some apple crisp and introduce myself {surest way to make new friends: feed them!}.

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I say that the goal of online dating is to make new friends, which maybe is a little strange. Personally, having new friends as my goal keeps things simple and helps me not focus so much on a relationship status. My focus is not on "finding a husband" but rather on building relationships with the people God connects me to, and right now that means being willing to try new things and meet new people. 

What's your online dating experience? Would you recommend it, based on your own experience or a friend's?

"First Car" Story for Carla's Link-Up

My wonderful and talented IRL friend Carla from This Messy Heart is hosting her first link-up, and it's about first car stories! Y'all, if you have a driver's license, you should join this link-up. It's like Victoria's guest post about shaving - we all have embarrassing awesome stories to share!

My first car was a beautiful white 1993 Toyota Camry. My parents bought him from a friend so that I could have a car {instead of the family van or monstrous truck} to learn to drive. I thought he was perfect.

His nickname was "The Duck" because his horn was dying and when the alarm system went off {which happened more frequently than you might think}, he would bellow, "HONK HONK HONK QUACK QUACK QUACK" until the ignition was turned. #WhyIWasn'tCoolInHighSchool

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He had leather seats and a sunroof and a funny little habit of flashing the Reverse gear light when I hit the brakes. He also had a cd player, which made him perfect for road trips, but Dad didn't think the stereo system should be the reason for a road trip, and because of The Duck's age, I wasn't allowed to take him on long distance trips.

He was a great car in which to learn to drive, and one of my favorite memories of him is at a driving workshop. My sister Jayna had just finished driver's ed, and my dad signed the both of us up for a 3 hour Emergency Driving Situations class. One of the exercises was to learn to trust the car's brakes, which meant we gunned it down the "runway" and then slam on the brakes once we reached a certain point. Twas great fun.

Because I already had my license, Jayna got to ride with me during this exercise {we all know it's because Dad wanted to drive this exercise!}. As I pulled up into position and waited for the signal to accelerate, the instructor leaned into my window and said, "Are you ready? Oh, you've got a 6 cylinder! You're ready." The Duck revved his engine in response... ok, I might have done that. But it was a team effort.

I blazed down that runway, enjoying all 6 cylinders of The Duck's engine. Although all four tires were on the ground, it certainly didn't feel that way.

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The Duck faithfully sped me around that training lot, and faithfully took me to high school, my retail job, a babysitting job, and countless visits to friends' houses. 

The Duck was with me when someone changed lanes into us. He went to the shop and I went to physical therapy, and we were both a bit stiffer after that.

The Duck was there when someone made a left turn into us. He went back to the shop and I continued physical therapy, and I hoped the invisible target was removed from our backs.

When I came home from Berea on breaks, I looked forward to driving The Duck around, even though I had to wrestle the keys from my sisters. And then one break, I came home and The Duck wasn't there. He had gone to a new home, because he was getting too old.

While I missed him, I chose to be grateful that I only had great experiences with him and didn't have to watch him slow down. In my mind, he is still the rip-roaring-est car I've ever had the pleasure of driving.

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