Not Alone Series: Friendship {freebie!}

Linking this "freebie" topic with Jen at Jumping in Puddles and Morgan at Follow and Believe!

"I'm so grateful for you two!" was a frequent refrain last weekend as my two best friends and I played by the sea. I love that my friends and I are able to express gratitude for each other to each other. We all live at least an hour from each other, but through group texts and phone calls and weekend getaways, we are able to stay connected, and I think through our physical separation, we are more aware of and grateful for our close friendship. {To read and see the highlights of our weekend, check out Samara's great post!}

In 8 days, I'll be back in the Bluegrass State with my bosom friend and the rest of the family in my Other Home. My friendship with AJ is another sweet, sweet gift. She and I text regularly and talk as often as the three-hour time difference allows. One of the best part of our relationship is that we tell each other that we're thinking of each other, missing the other, and grateful for our friendship - I love that!

Another grand adventure is about to start next month - my sister is moving in with me! I am beyond thrilled that the sister with whom I begrudgingly shared a room through our childhood and adolescence is now {voluntarily!} moving into a grown-up living situation with me. There is a point in time where you begin to hang out with your siblings because you enjoy their company, not just because they live with you, and then there's a point where you want to hang out with your siblings while not living with them, and now we are at the point where we want to hang out AND live together. Grown-up sibling relationships are so wonderful.

NAS Community, you add joy and color and encouragement to my day, and I'm glad that we are virtual friends. I'm grateful for you!

Finish This: Week Forty-six

Um, Thanksgiving is next week. Ca-razy!

Speaking of crazy, it's that time of the week to join our crazy-awesome hostesses: Jen at The Arizona Russums, Becky at The Java Mama, Lisa at Coastlined, and Nicole at Three 31.

If I could fly to any destination tomorrow, I'd go to Kentucky, no question. I spent two fantastic Thanksgivings with my Kentucky families, and I'm missing them a lot this month!

If I *had* to fly internationally, I'd head to either Berlin {again} or London. I hear that London during the holidays is amazing, and my eyes have only seen the inside of Heathrow Airport, so I'd go in a heartbeat. 

My best advice for traveling is be nice to the people helping you travel, no matter how tired you are or how delayed your flight is. Most of the time, the airline employees are doing their best to help you, and if you are nice to them, the whole situation is that much smoother. 

It is not the flight attendant's fault that the plane's windshield cracked in Denver; the passenger next to you may not know that his bouncy leg is preventing you from sleeping. Ask nicely, fake a smile, and focus on your destination!

I like to travel because I love both visiting old friends and making new friends/acquaintances on the journey. I also love experiencing places I've previously only ever heard of or read about, like Prince Edward Island or the Berlin Wall or Pompeii. Traveling makes me gape in wonder about the history that's happened in each place. 

That's a wrap, friends. Tune in next week for the Thanksgiving Edition - gobble gobble!

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!

San Antonio + Sickness

Well, gang, I'm home again, home again, jiggety jig. Our event in San Antonio, Texas, was fantastic, and now I'm home celebrating by...being sick. Yep, San An gave me a bug. But let's back up.

Tuesday morning before the crack of dawn, my parents and I loaded up into the car and set off for the airport. We had 6 bags to check {thank you, Dad's status, for letting us do that for free!}, and someone {read: me!} got bumped into first class! Yes and amen, right!?

I won't bore you with all the nitty gritty details of the week {I know you've been on the edge of your seats for THAT}; instead I will tell you that the event went way smoother than Mom or I could have ever imagined, hoped, or dreamed, and we got compliments right and left about how awesome everything was.

My favorite part was Friday night when we down the street to the Buckhorn Saloon and had dinner, dancing {with live music}, and sharpshooters. The food was fantastic, everyone was dancing or laughing at those dancing, and the sharpshooters walked around intimidating people before they started arguing over their girlfriend. It was absolutely perfect.

Saturday was a morning session, conclusion, and goodbyes before I rushed off to the airport. First class both flights - please and thank you! My sisters picked me up from the airport, and we hit up Dick's Drive In before heading home.

The only downside of this trip was the bug I caught. I think it was a combination of the air conditioning {odd, I know, but I'm pretty sure it was involved}, dehydration, and the stress of the event. Add traveling to that mix, and I woke up Sunday with a bad case of I-can't-breathe-so-I'm-gonna-stay-on-the-couch.

Today's to-do list includes watching the Season 1 finale of "Elementary," drinking lots of water and orange juice, and growing a pile of tissue. {I feel like a game show host announcing this list, btw,} I'm on the mend, so never fear! I should be back in the saddle again tomorrow. Giddyup!

Finish This: Week Twenty-three

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

The best compliment I ever received is the general response when I announced that I'm going to become a doula. The positive feedback and encouragement was so, so lovely, and it made me more excited {if possible} and made me believe in this dream even more.

Wearing red lipstick makes me feel like I'm about to go on stage, or that I'm playing dress-up. The only times I wear lipstick are for performances; any other time, it's a waiting game of "how long can Bek go without smearing/licking/wiping off her lipstick?!" which is a game I prefer not to play.

The best investment I've made is any trip. Traveling is an investment with countless rewards, and I always feel richer after going somewhere, be it near or far, old or new.

My best childhood memory is making "tents" in my basement. My sisters and I used afghan quilts, tv trays, and dictionaries to construct fortresses that took over the entire family room. We'd leave them up there for days, much to my mother's chagrin.
Also, my sisters and I used to make our own paper dolls. We each had a different spot in the living room for our "houses," and Jayna got super intricate and made a family of cats for her paper family. Good times, good times.

Finish This: Week Twenty-one

Linking up with Becky at The Java Mama, Lisa at Coastlined, Jen at The Arizona Russums, and Nicole at Three 31. Hop on over for some link-up fun!

The best mistake I ever made was not working seriously on my college application during Christmas Break, 2007. Because of my slacker habit, my application was rushed and probably sloppy and unimpressive. I did not get accepted as a freshman to our big university, so I went to the community {now full-fledged} college a couple miles from my home. It ended up being the best possible thing, because from that community college, I transferred to Berea College and I know that's exactly where God wanted me.

From this mistake, I learned that God's plans are so much better than mine, and that I can only see a teensy piece of His plans at a time. When I was working on my application in 2007, I never would have imagined myself going to a small school in the middle of Kentucky. I couldn't have foreseen the amazing relationships I'd forge with my bosom friend and my roomie and others. I wouldn't have believed you if you told me that in 2012, I'd cry many, many hot tears as I left part of my heart in Kentucky. And I would have laughed if you told me about all the crazy trips I'd take to visit friends and the trips they'd take to visit me. The moral of the story is, God's plans are WAY cooler than mine :)

When I'm anxious, I tell myself that God is sovereign and He's working everything out, and hey, remember that I don't know everything. Also, I text/chat/talk to my bestie, and then I go to Zumba class, because that makes everything better.

All I really want to do is oh boy. More details coming in the career vein. I'd love to be able to travel instantaneously, like Dorothy - click my heels, and bam! Not in Kansas, but Kentucky! Or Europe, or Mexico, or anywhere. I really want chocolate to become a calorie-burning superfood. I really want to pierce my nose, but only if I could take it out and have the hole be invisible. Sometimes nose piercings just don't fit the situation, so if I could have the advantages of both the piercing and non-piercing, that'd be bomb.
I must have interpreted this question as "what do you wish was invented?" so let me give you a few that aren't fictitious. I really want to read, all. the. time. I really want to call my friends {or better, travel to see them!} way more frequently than time commitments allow. I really want to vacuum out my car {hey, that might actually happen soon!}. I really want to hold babies {this should be happening soon, once I go through volunteer training at the hospital}.

There you have it! Join the link-up with your own post, or answer the prompts in the comments. See you next week!

Style for Justice: Halfway Point!

Hi friends! Thank you thank you thank you for voting for me to go to Rwanda with International Justice Mission and Noonday Collection! Y'all are the best!

via

It is the halfway point of the first phase, and the powers that be have arranged the entries in order of the number of votes. Thanks to YOU, my entry is on the 5th of 15 pages! We are so close!

via

Here is some information straight from the email Noonday Collection sent:

• voting is on a 24-hour clock, so if you vote at 2pm today, you have to wait until 2pm tomorrow to vote again.
• the first phase of voting is open until Wednesday, May 28th. The top seven advocates will be announced on Thursday, May 29th. 

Thanks, everyone! Please feel free to share this link anywhere and everywhere. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, your blog, yes and amen. Shameless begging right now, but isn't an opportunity like this worth it?

You are awesome!

As Promised: Funny Saturday

Thank you thank you thank you! So many of you have voted faithfully the past few days, and I am beyond blessed and thrilled and grateful for you all. Thank you!

Today's funny story occurred on Mother's Day. I was in childcare with what turned into the 2's, 3's, 4's, and 5's class, and our craft was fingerpainting a card of moms. Our sample card had a flower painted on the front and then a poem on the inside with a place for us to sign the kids' names.

I showed the kids the cards and told them we were going to paint the front for our moms. Indicating the front of the card where a flower was lovingly painted, I said, "We're going to draw something for our moms. What do mommies like?"

And most of the kids answered in chorus: "Flowers!"

But one awesome kid says, without even missing a beat, "Mommies like kissing all the daddies."

True, but that's a bit challenging to fingerpaint. A for effort and truth, kid!

via

Just in case you haven't saved this link to your browser yet, you can head over here and vote for me to go to Rwanda with International Justice Mission and Noonday Collection! Thank you thank you!

Funny Friday: Laugh and Then Vote!

I thought about posting this story on Saturday, but then I went to Zumba and never looked back at my computer, which was rather nice.

For my mom's birthday last month, it ended up that both my dad and I bought tickets for my mom to go see Carol Burnett. Great minds think alike, right? So my aunt joined us for a fun evening of "laughter and reflections with Carol Burnett." It was really great!

She shared some clips from her show, and of course the most famous is her "Went With the Wind" spoof.




The focus of the evening was audience members asking Carol questions about anything, basically. My favorite interaction went like this:

Guy in audience: "What happened to all your wonderful dresses? Did you keep any?"

Carol Burnett: "Why, do you want one?"

She was brilliant.

But this is not the story for Funny Friday! Nay, this is mere context. Now let me set the scene.

Carol is on the stage. I'm sitting with my aunt on my right and some older dude {probably 60s} on my left. Throughout the evening and the clips Carol showed us, this dude keeps making comments to me and the girl on the other side of him. At first I thought they were together, but then I glanced over at her and she looked like she was a) my age and b) not amused by this guy's commentary. I was getting a little annoyed, too, so I tried to just ignore him and give him - literally - the cold shoulder.

When the evening had first started, I noticed two people dressed oddly {even for downtown Seattle} and wearing what I thought were white sombreros. They had something to ask Carol, so when they got their turn at the microphone, I was really intrigued. It turned out they were two men dressed as nuns for some order or society that probably has a session at ComiCon.

Sister-Who-Is-Really-A-Brother: For all your work and life, Carol, and for bringing light into the lives of so many, we have a proclamation of canonization.

Audience: *applause applause applause*

Carol: Thank you, really, thank you.

Guy next to me: "That's so cool! They're going to make her an honorary citizen of Canada!"

Me: ...

SWIRAB: We hereby canonize you as a living saint, Saint Carol Burnett!

Audience: * applause applause*

Guy next to me: *wild applause because he's so excited to be in the same room as Carol Burnett that he has no embarrassment over his error*

True story, peeps. 

Happy Friday! Please please please pop over here and vote for me to go to Rwanda! Remember that you can vote daily, so if you want to save this link in your browser and visit it daily, that'd be awesome. And as a thank-you {because I know you're voting right now even as you continue reading} I've got a Funny Saturday post ready for tomorrow! Woot! See you then!

Yes, I did link to the voting site 4 times in 4 sentences...and now it's 5 for 5... #ashamed #butnotenoughtostop #sorrynotsorry

Style for Justice

This morning when I woke up, it took me a little longer than normal to get up and get moving. When I opened my eyes this morning, I had no idea what the day had in store.

Checking blogs is one of the highlights of my day, and finding a new post from Jen Hatmaker is always a joy. I saw the word "Rwanda" in her title and became even more excited, because Rwanda is where my sponsor child lives.

And then I read the full title: I'm Going to Rwanda with Noonday...And Maybe You Are, Too.

...

I don't have all my words back inside of me yet, so I don't even know how I'm going to answer the application prompt, but I do know this much: I'm going to answer it, and I'm going to ask for your help. See, the process is I submit my answer, then rally my community {hint: you, dear readers!} to vote for my answer. The seven entries with the most votes get reviewed by the IJM panel and narrowed down to the top three. These top three entries rally their amazing communities again to earn the spot on the trip to Rwanda. The official explanation of it all, with dates and stuff, is on the Noonday page.

According to Jen's post, people can vote every day. There are prizes via random drawings for everyone who votes, so there's incentive! *wink wink* I know I can't ask for your votes before you've read my response {and you can't read it until I've written it - ha!}, so instead of voting right this instant, I'm asking that you pray for me and for this trip and for the lives that are going to be touched, no matter what.

Pray that God would open and close doors and that His will be done. Also, please pray that comparison doesn't fill my mind with thoughts that are not godly. I am not any person other than Bek, so I want to strive to be all that God has called Bek to be, not all that He's called someone else to be.

I'll be updating this post soon with my response to the prompt: Tell us why YOU want to join us in winning people's hearts to chase a global vision of economic empowerment and justice!

Update: Here is my response to "why you" and right here is the link to vote! Please share and share alike :)


When I was nineteen, a man came to my church and prophesied over me. He said a lot, but if I were to summarize all that he declared over me with his powerfully humble voice, these are the words I'd use: mother - travel - nations. I had no idea what God was going to do, but I was excited to find out.

Four years later, I completed my bachelor's degree in business administration. I learned a lot about economics and business topics, but I learned a lot more about caring for people, understanding more than two sides of an issue, and God's heart for the world.

It's been two years since the chapter of college closed in my life story, and I think I've learned more since graduating then I ever did in school. Books have been my main teachers, but people were and are my motivation. When I finished school, I read Kisses from Katie and was tearing my hair out because I wanted so very much to do something. Ann Voskamp wrote a blog post about sponsoring children, and that very evening I began sponsoring a little boy in Rwanda. Because of him and his beautiful notes, I started reading about this beautiful, broken, rebuilding nation. I started learning how truly powerful forgiveness is, and I began to see how God can use just one person who is willing.

Why do I want to join the Style for Justice team in their incredible trip to Rwanda? I want to join because I believe in its mission of empowering families. I want to see cycles of poverty broken, which will help restore families who will then change their nation to be a force for justice. I am a believer in the power of discipleship and "teaching someone to fish" and enabling women to make a living wage. I am passionate about sustainable business models and protecting the vulnerable and mobilizing normal people to do great things. Like Isaiah, I'm declaring, "Here I am, Lord. Send me."

Finish This: Week Fifteen

Joining the party hosted by Nicole at Three 31, Jen at The Arizona Russums, Becky at The Java Mama, and Lisa at Coastlined.

My favorite vacation spot is anywhere warm! Plop me on a beach with some sunscreen, a margarita, and great book, and Bek is happy. Also, I'd go to Kentucky, because that's where a good chunk of my heart is :)

If I won a million dollars, I'd buy some rental properties, invest for the future, get some plane tickets, and buy some ultrasound machines for Save the Storks and Care Net.

If I could go on a date with one celebrity, it would be a really hard decision between Benedict Cumberbatch, Matt Smith, and Jennifer Lawrence.

seriously, what's not to love?

If we allow for time travel for this date, Sir Winston Churchill and William Wilberforce would join the race.

If I found a genie in a bottle, my three wishes would be quite the spectrum! I'd like a personal masseuse, to reverse Roe v. Wade, and for the Doctor and the TARDIS to show up at my front door.

My favorite clothing item is ankle socks. I have a pack that all have different colored stripes over the toes, and I love that I don't have to think when I'm trying to match socks out of the dryer. Do the colors match? Good, the socks match. Done and done.

Wanna join this party? You can leave your answers in the comments or add your blog to the link-up. See ya next week!

Upcoming Visit

People, I've got news. My college roomie Catherine is coming up for a visit!! I called her on Saturday and determined that she is the coolest kid ever because she was willing to tolerate a sucky flight in order to make this trip happen. The best part is that the tickets were VERY well-priced...especially for a trip that's in less than 4 weeks! Eeeee!

roomies! with the young child we babysat behind us ;)

On the last day of the month, this dynamic duo is back in action! {Ok, it might take until the first of May, since Catherine gets in at 11pm on the 30th. Sleep is a priority, people.} Stay tuned for plots and schemes of the best kind. I'm really looking forward to showing Catherine around my native land {cue Washington State song} and perhaps even venturing upwards to Canada, as well as watching some Doctor Who {my roomie is cooler than your roomie!} and enjoying some margaritas. Don't say that 21-year-olds have all the fun.

Speaking of plotting and scheming, I need some advice. Out-of-towners, if you got to spend a few days in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, what spots are on your bucket list? Local readers, are there any non-tourist-y places that Catherine must see?

Also, I have great faith in the blogging community. If we all join together and pray for nice weather, I'm confident that Catherine will see some sunshine whilst she's here! Amen and amen.

Surprise!

Alright, here it is! The promised post of How Bek Surprised Her Bosom Friend For Her Birthday, or I Can't Believe Bek Kept Her Big Mouth Shut For Six Weeks, or Golly, Bek Travels A Long Way to Dye Her Hair. Any of those titles are appropriate, so please feel free to pick your favorite and keep that in mind as you read. Also, I'm sorry this is so text-heavy, but since it was a surprise, I didn't trust myself to take any pictures.

The general scheme was that I would go to Kentucky to surprise AJ for her {early} birthday. Her husband and I messaged on Facebook concerning dates, and then he brought Rachel into the loop as back-up. In the middle of January, I bought my ticket. Great flights, great price, and a great challenge in terms of keeping my mouth shut. As Sherlock would say, the game is on!

Right after I bought my ticket, our office saw a sprinkling of snow. Ugh. I mean, snow is pretty and everything, but not when you're at work and can't go out to enjoy it. Or when you know that nobody knows how to drive in the snow, so traffic will suuuuuuck. So I texted AJ "is your guest room ready?" Her response: "Do not do this to me. Yes it is ready anytime." I laughed like a maniac and texted her back "it's snowing here, so I thought I'd just come to visit. Or we could just meet in Mexico." Hardy har har, Bek. Cruel and unusual.

A couple weeks later, we had a phone date. Greatest challenge ever. But my maniac persona was back, and when AJ told me that they'd had snow on the ground for the past 4 weeks, I proclaimed, "And that is why I don't visit you in February!" I know, my friend-card should be revoked.

Finally, a few days before I left for the Bluegrass State, I texted AJ that "I think I know what I'm going to get you for your birthday" and "I should have it in the mail this week!" Such. A. Tease. But at least I wasn't the only one, because AJ's husband had started hinting at a surprise later in the week.

February 20th started early-early for me, but thankfully everything went smoothly. I gate-checked my bag, so I only had to worry about my backpack. Besides the bouncy guy next to me {whom I promptly told him where he could move his leg...in a really kind voice, I promise}, the flight to Detroit was uneventful. Once I landed, I had a couple hours to walk around and get lunch before my next flight. I got a phone call from an 800 number, but didn't want to deal with whatever they were selling, so I ignored it. Turned out it was the airline telling me my flight to Lexington had been cancelled. Ugh.

Long tedious story {involving several phone calls, barely containing tears of frustration, waiting in line for half my life, running back and forth across the Detroit airport, frantically texting several friends, and trying not to raise my voice} short, I ended up flying into Louisville instead of Lexington. A nice older gentleman offered to share a cab with me {and pay for it all, might I add!} to the Lexington airport, and Rachel the Superhero picked me up there.

Several hours after I had originally planned to be heading to AJ's house, Rachel and I were on our way. Just outside of town at a quarter to 10, I texted AJ: "Hey, are you still up?" Of course she was - her hubs was keeping her up so that she could be surprised! Via text, I asked her if we could have a quick phone date because there was "a situation" I wanted to talk over with her.

Rachel turned off her car's lights and parked in front of AJ's house. I jumped out of the car and tried to keep my voice calm and quiet, even though I was totally shaking with excitement. I pressed the call button. Here is our conversation, word for word, according to my adrenaline-infused memory.

AJ: "Hey, what's up, friend?"

Bek: "Hey, well, I've got this problem. I've had a really, really long day {true!} and I was wondering if you could do me a little favor..."

AJ: "Sure, I'll try." {I'm sure she was wondering what on earth she could do for me 2,500 miles away!}

Bek: "Could you come open your front door?"

briefest of pauses...

AJ: "WHAT?!?!!?" and I hear her running across the living room. Her hubs got this picture of the action.

The front door flew open and AJ was crying and laughing and asking "Why are you at my house?!?!" It was a glorious moment.

so happy to have arrived and to actually surprised my bosom friend!

{please note the furry dog head in the bottom-right corner...I don't just carry around towels for kicks}

There was much rejoicing and Ale-8 drinking and laughing, and even though we tried to wake AJ's oldest, he was just too deep in his REM cycle to be bothered with saying hello. He told me in the morning, though that "I wanted to say hello, but my body didn't want to!" So precious.

While in Kentucky, AJ and I went shopping both with and without her kids; we dyed each other's hair {it's a tradition}; we baked cookies, stayed up way too late, went to church, zumba'd in her living room, visited her sister, started a new tradition of beer cheese nachos, and generally had an awesome time being in the same state.

It was a most wonderful visit, and I'm so glad that I was able to go and that it was a real live surprise {lots of people, myself included, doubted whether or not it would be a surprise}. Happy birthday, AJ! You are the best bosom friend ever, and I love you lots!

Finish This: Week Eight

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

Five Things I Know For Sure:

1. No matter the question or problem, Jesus is the answer and the solution. There is nothing He can't handle, which is great because there are lots of things I can't handle. Trusting Him is always worth it.

2. Speaking of Jesus, I'm sure that He invented massages. They are divine. That's all I have to say 'bout that.

3. Ten will always be my favorite Doctor. Nine and Eleven were awesome, and I have high hopes for Twelve, but there's no one like Ten. {If you're a Whovian, you can read my farewell and Samara's tribute to Ten.}

via

4. Surprises are awesome. As I alluded to last week, I went down to Kentucky to surprise my bosom friend as an early birthday present. If you can believe it, I kept my big mouth {both my physical mouth and my blogging/social media mouth} shut and she was totally surprised! Post forthcoming on this, never fear.

5. I'm not afraid to speak up if I see something wrong. Yesterday on the plane home, there were two guys behind me talking loudly about their workout plans, their life goals, their travels, their wives, their favorite colors, their childhood fears, what they wanted to be when they grew up, what shaving cream they used, and on and on and on... I'm notevenjoking. It was horrendous.

After about 45 minutes of this {I gave them the benefit of the doubt that they might shut the heck up quiet down after we took off}, I asked the gal next to me if these guys were, in fact, really loud. She confirmed my suspicions, and so I turned around and gave them my best "I'm smiling to be polite, not because I like you in any way, shape, or form" smile and said "Would you gentlemen mind lowering your voices, please?" They said "sure," and seriously not 5 minutes later they had ceased. all. their. talking. It was the best.

There you have it: five things I know for sure! Come back next week for some new prompts.

7 Quick Takes: Links, Links, and A Couple More Links

Linking up with Jen at Conversion Diary for today's 7 Quick Takes!

As an aside, I think that this edition should be renamed to "7 Quick Links that Bek Shares" because that's what I've got for you today. Or maybe I'll try reallllly hard to combine the links into half the Takes and actually share stories and fun stuff like that for the other half. Jury is still out, though, mainly because 7 is an odd numeral. Oh, the woes of a blogger.

One: I shared a post from Emily last week, and here we go again. I love every one of her points - "Six Life Lessons I Learned While in Uganda.

Two: Note: this article and subsequent links deal with the topic of sexual abuse. Statistics tell us that one in three women and one in six men are sexually abused. Because of its prevalence, I want to share these tips on talking to someone who has been abused. This is an important read because I want to be especially careful of my words, since this kind of abuse leaves scars that are not always visible. Look at that statistic again: this affects more than 15% of men and over 33% of women. We need to be aware of what's happening. I also want to be sensitive to those readers who have been abused and give them the forewarning of the content and possible triggers. Let us be sensitive, gentle, and loving as survivors heal.

Three: Buzzfeed killed this week. For laughs, this Buzzfeed article about the history of countries in the shortest {and snarkiest} way possible. For more laughs, check out their selection for a fictitious American Doctor Who. For quizzes, indulge your inner {or outter} nerd and take this quiz. Which Jane Austen character are you? I got Anne Elliott - woot!

Four: If Men Got the Titus 2 Treatment... great read, and great links for further reading!

There! Those are all the links I have to share. Onward with stories from real life.

Five: My co-worker's daughter is approaching the age for driver's ed, and so my co-worker and my mom and I were discussing various driver's ed experiences we'd had. My co-worker confessed that when she first learned to drive, the only thing she had driven before was a lawn mower, and so once she was in a car she focused totally on staying next to the lane lines, just like she was mowing the grass...bahahaha! Please tell me I'm not the only one laughing at this.

Six: Since I promised last week that I would spill the beans this week, brace yourself for some beans. Aka my Valentine's Day plans. Tonight, a few girls and I are dressing up and going to 1) drink sangria {yes and amen!}, 2) watch "A Winter's Tale" 3) in a theater that also serves dinner. Yep. Awesome sauce. Be jealous.

Seven: To end with hilarity, please enjoy this e-card and some chocolate {I provide the e-card, you provide the chocolate. Unless you're Willy Wonka and can take a picture of chocolate and turn it into edible chocolate. But I don't even have a picture of chocolate, so you are totally on your own here, sorry...not to rub it in on Valentine's Day... I'm just gonna leave now...}

via

Blog Every Day Feb: Day Eleven - Travel Story

Linking up with Bailey Jean for a story of travelling. Gulp.

There are a few ways this post could go. You have the option to read stories or summaries from various trips, or I could tell you a new story from different travels. Or there's "my worst experience on a plane/train/boat/bus" stories that we could all tell, but I don't know if you will laugh or cry at them, so I hesitate. 

Here are some fun highlights from time spent actually travelling:

During my junior year of high school, my class went to Italy for 10 days {I know - best school ever}. Mr. Simon was our favorite teacher, and he is from Britain, which means that his passport is a fancy red instead of the American blue. So to entertain ourselves, my friend EB and I created a short film using euros, Mr. Simon's passport, and the many layers of the seat-back in front of us. Basically EB pretended to be James Bond and open the table-tray, remove the cloth lining under it {probably not what the airline wanted us to do}, take out the British passport, and count the euros inside. Then he looked casually {Bond-like, of course} over his shoulder and put everything in his jacket pocket. Smooth.

before we left...babies!

When Dahlia and I were returning from Prince Edward Island, we were wearing matching sweaters {because in our hearts, we're like 7 years old}. As we were moving to our seats on the plane, one lady looks at us and asks "Sisters?" Now I know we were matching in our clothing apparel, but other than that, Dahlia and I do not look alike. Oh well. Tourists. ;)

Dahlia and me, not matching, not looking related ;)

Shortly after college graduation, Samara and Lois and I ventured down I-5 to Portlandia so we could watch "Frankenstein" {for the first time}. We arrived in the city and found our hotel. After a minor kerfuffle with checking in {"Tell me your confirmation number one more time please?"}, we got a key and directions to our room. Glad to have a room, we unloaded our suitcases and headed to our room. Surprise! Someone else was already in our room... well, at least someone else's belongings were in our room. Ugh. Samara went back to the front desk to kick butt and take names sort out the problem, and we had a new key to a different room very shortly. So we learned that maybe Portland is a bit more chill about hotel reservations and room-sharing and all that. Oh well. {P.S. It was on this trip that I watched my very first episode of Doctor Who!}

enjoying the fresh air before "Frankenstein"

Well, how were those for travel stories? At some point in my life I would love to create a page just for various trips...we'll see if that happens this year. 

Go visit Bailey's page for some more travel adventures!

prompts & challenge deets

Blog Every Day Feb: Day Two - What Fires Me Up

Linking up with Bailey Jean for the Blog Every Day in February challenge!

Golly, where do I even begin? Bailey Jean created a beautiful collage to share her passions; Laura focused on an overarching theme. I could make a list, but it would be a) really really REALLY long and b) incomplete no matter the length. So... here's a hybrid :)

First of all is Jesus. He made me and He made the things that I'm passionate about, and He made me passionate about them. He's the best. 

Secondly, my family gets me fired up. This is both in the positive way and negative way, but that's the beauty of family, right? :)

The pro-life movement gets me fired up. I volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center, and my four hours there are the highlight of my week. If we're friends on Facebook, you may notice that I share more pro-life articles than actual status updates, and I have to remind myself to share my passion gently with people, instead of bursting with facts and information and solutions. Still working on this :)

Those are the big three, I think. And now in no particular order, here are more fire-starters:

• friends
• mojitos
• travel
• books
• Hans Zimmer
• birth stories
• cleaning
• education
• dancing
• children
• British television 
• baking cookies
• hosting {parties, visitors, overnight guests}
• showering
• laughter
• Zumba
• playing card or board games

...and sharing these with other people. I'm definitely an extrovert, plus I love people, so whenever I can be with someone, that's where I am. Being with people fires me up!

Wanna join the February blogging challenge? Here are the prompts; you can still join!

Travel Journal: Promises Kept

**Ok, ok, I know this post is SUPER late, but you know, life happens. Enjoy!**

There were some times in the Travel Journal that I wanted to go into more detail but didn't have the time or space. Here is the post that fleshes out some details and fulfills some promises for stories.

My two promises from Wednesday:

• finding Maud's gravesite
• the character we met at the Bideford Parish
• Bonus Story! Directions to Bideford!

Alright, first things first. While at Avonlea, our tourguide had instructed us that the cemetery was up at the first light, and since there are only 2 lights in the whole town of Cavendish, we found it pretty easily.

Now, if you go back to Wednesday's pictures, you will see the archway indicating the place of Maud's burial. However, in our sleep-deprived, high-on-Green-Gables, caffeinated-but-thankfully-not-alcoholic-Raspberry-Cordial, we drove past that arch. The road was pretty empty, both of cars and buildings. But hark! A group of people in the far corner of the cemetery! That must be it. So we parked and walked as quickly as we could down a grassy hill while still being respectful of the memorials under our feet.

By the time we parked and got down the hill, the group was gone...In fact, they were leaving the fenced-in area of the cemetery and going deeper into the woods. Strange...

Well, we wondered, how are we going to find Maud's burial site now? You'd think they'd put a marker or something... Oh, how we'd kick ourselves!

We wandered up and down the cemetery, admiring the age of some of the gravestones, and still wondering how on earth people found Maud's site without some sort of large indicator. 

Eventually we found this little sign:

We then noticed that there seemed to be a path around these headstones...lo and behold, there was Maud's grave!

A couple other tourists found the grave just before we did, but they came in from the opposite end of the cemetery. That's odd, I thought, how are people supposed to read the sign about her mother's grave when it's written on the wrong side of the path...oh. Found the path. Found the archway that marks the entrance of the cemetery. Oops. We definitely laughed at ourselves; feel free to join.

Secondly: the character we met at the parsonage. It was just about 4:30pm when we arrived. There were two young guys {way too young, Paige!} raking grass, and they did not stop when we parked. We went inside and were directed to give ourselves a tour, since we were coming later for the readings. 

After giving ourselves the tour, we decided to inquire about a nearby grocery store for some dinner. One of the guys gave us some half-hearted directions to the store {"just down this road" turns into 3 intersections. we made it by sheer luck}, where we spent a good portion of our time entertaining the teeny-bopper cashiers. Just as we were checking out, this same dude who gave us directions walked into the store! Awkward...

So we went and had dinner on the "wharf," still following the directions of this guy. We later dubbed him "the young buck" and if you ask Dahlia about it, she'll laugh just at the mention :)

After our lovely dinner, we went back to the parsonage, still a bit early. The Young Buck was still raking grass, but this time he stopped and came over to our car. Apparently he didn't remember us, because he asked, "Are you lost?"

"No," we replied, "just early."

"Oh," he said, pausing. "Where are you from?"

Now, let me paint the picture here. We are sitting in our car with the driver's door open, and he is leaning between the door and the car, hunched over so he can see us. Not the most conducive to conversation or anything else other than awkwardness.

"Seattle," we informed him, not unkindly.

"Did you drive?"

"No, we flew. That would be a loooong drive."

{Quick look behind him} "Then why do your plates say 'Novia Scotia'?"

What is this, 20 Questions!?

"It's a rental car. Those are the plates it came with."

"Oh. Have you had the tour?"

"Not really. Wanna give us a tour?"

"Oh, sure. Anything to stop raking grass."

Seriously, the rest of our conversation was this awkward and stiff. He'd ask a question and we'd answer, or he would tell us something about the house, and we would glance at each other to determine if he was pulling our legs. The other guy was inside, downstairs, and The Young Buck would tell us some fact about Maud or Canada, and we'd hear a snort or a laugh from downstairs, so we never knew if we could believe him. What a character.

 Bonus story: directions to Bideford.

First, you should know that Dahlia has a passionate love affair with gelato. Yes, it's true. So when we drove past a sign for gelato, what could we do but turn around and go get gelato? Two scoops, please.

These nice ladies handed us our gelato, and as we enjoyed it, Dahlia told me the story of how she and gelato began their relationship. {You know I love you, Dahls! And now everyone knows that you love gelato...}

After we finished, I wanted to confirm the directions to Bideford Parsonage Museum, just to be sure. So I asked one of the ladies, "How long does it take to get to Bideford {pronounced "bid-ford"}?"

The lady responded, "Bedford?"

I nodded, not knowing any different.

The lady turned and called to the other gal, "How long does it take to get to Bedford?"

The gal came over. "Bedford? Bedford, Novia Scotia?"

Dahlia and I nodded, thinking how funny it is that Canadians have all these provinces but don't know any of the towns in them.

"Oh, it takes almost three hours! You have to take the ferry. It's almost to Halifax!"

Dahlia and I looked at each other. We may not have been Canadian, but we can read a map, and Bideford was definitely on the Island.

Dahlia was the genius who solved the mystery. "It's spelled B-I-D-E-F-"

The ladies' shrieks interrupted her spelling.

"OH!!! 'Bid-eh-ford'!!!" they exclaimed. "Well, that's just 30 minutes away!"

Aha. Now we're talking about the same place.

They kindly wrote down directions, which were basically the same from our map, and off we went. I cannot speak harshly about them, because they gave us directions to the ceilidh the next day, and they made gelato. What I can say is that Dahlia and I will not be teaching "How to Speak Canadian English" anytime soon. 

7 Quick Takes: Some Faves

1. Please allow me to point out that this is my fourth post this week. *pats self on back* Blogging is fun when you have such great readers! *pats readers computer monitor...awkwardly*
   
2. This is the song I've been falling asleep to every night. Get your tissues ready, Whovians!
   
3. Just found out about this kid named Toby and his goal to write a letter to every country in the world. Wow! Such a cool goal, and so awesome that he's close to accomplishing it!
   
4. Today is my volunteer day at Care Net. I'm really excited to go to the clinic and see who God brings through our door.
   
5. Last night I got the decorating bug and was inspired by my old dorm room:
   
   
   
   And so now a wall in my bedroom looks like this! {Pictures of my bedroom coming soon...} I think that notes and cards and words of encouragement are one of my love languages, because I keep almost every note that has ever been given to me!
   
6. Speaking of decorating, Pinterest has once again come to the rescue of gifted-not-artistically people like myself through inspiration from Martha Stewart.
   
7. My friend Laurie from the Frozen Tundra is coming to visit tomorrow! So excited! This means that Funny Friday may turn into Recap Monday, because we are going to be busy this weekend. We're going to be traipsing all over the western half of the state and playing tourists. Such fun! So in advance, happy Friday!

Thanks for the Moral Support

Well, friends, thank you for all your support and encouragement. Samara and I have been recovering from our intruder the other day, and I think we're gonna make it. ;)

Since school has started/is starting soon {depending on your age and location}, I started thinking about my goals for this year. Am I even close to accomplishing them? Well, let's take a look-see...

Goals for 2013 {original post}:

1. Blog twice a week
2. Blog stories of depth as well as humor
3. Become healthier through adjusted food intake and increased activity
4. Travel to Prince Edward Island with Dahlia

How am I doing? *moment of soul searching...*

I'm pretty sure that I've been faithful with Numeral Uno. So far I've posted 81 times this year, which is an average of 2.18 times over the past 37 weeks of 2013. {Side note: we have approximately 15 weeks left of this year, and less than 100 days until Christmas. Gulp!}

Numeral Dos: I give myself a B on this goal. It seems that there are phases of funny stories and then a bundle of more serious thoughts... probably could go more on the serious side, but I also want to be real with what's going on in my head in the present. 

Onto Numeral Tres...this has had ups and downs. When I lived with my grandparents, it was really strong, for some obvious reasons: my grandparents spoiled me rotten let me eat what I needed and my bedroom had carpet {makes ab exercises kinder on my back}. Coming home was a little weaker. My mom cooks healthier food than my grandparents, but I wasn't exercising as much. And now that I've got my own place, I'm eating less but also exercising less. So...we're getting there. 

Y'all know about the big Numeral Quattro, but in case you've been living under a stupid rock, scroll through the archives and click on anything that says "Travel Journal." Dahlia and I went to PEI in August, and it was one of the highlights of 2013! I highly recommend it to anyone considering such a venture.

So what am I going to do for the rest of 2013? I'm going to continue blogging consistently and frequently, making sure to share my more personal thoughts as well as humorous happenings, and I'm going to implement a regular exercise routine at least twice a week.

Another goal I have for 2013 is to get fully settled into my new home. By the time 2014 rolls around, I want to have pictures on walls and boxes out in recycling. There are also a few little things that I'm looking for, and I'd love to not have a permanent mental shopping list in 15 weeks. 

Another goal I made for myself this year was to read 45 books. So far I've read 30, so Goodreads indicates that I am two books behind schedule, but what do they know? I'm in the middle of a biography of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother {mum to current Queen Elizabeth II}, and I've also read a few chapters of a book about vaccines {fascinating, right??}.

No commitment here, but I would be really proud if I finished crocheting my TARDIS purse. It may or may not happen, given that it requires sewing *sigh*. But hey, this can be a dream, right?

Thanks for "listening" to my accountability report. Let's talk again in a few weeks :)