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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is fact, not fiction. I promise.

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

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

yes, this is the picture from the article

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

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Dear, dear Moffat,

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

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

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

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

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

Feels of a Fangirl {Doctor Who Edition}

                                                           










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Oh. My. Gosh.

First of all, 71 days until the 50th anniversary!!!!

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Second of all, HUGE shout-out to Samara for decorating our condo last night in honor of Ten! We had the TARDIS and glasses and images of Tennant's beautiful face and chocolate and oh yeah the Doctor Who soundtrack playing!!!! She's the best :)

Despite all that, this was me going into last night, knowing that Ten's time was limited.

                             

                          

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And this is how I watched the vast majority of "The End of Time" although my mascara doesn't fall half as nicely as Rose's does.

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Ten, you're my favorite. Thank you for every single episode, every laugh, every tear, and every "Allons-y!"

I heart heart you.

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You see, while I was determined to keep an open mind about Eleven, I felt like this about him:
Skeptical. Concerned. Nervous he would never be as amazing as Ten. Distrustful, even.

But before "The End of Time" even finished, I knew that I would love Eleven. Not as much as Ten, of course, but enough. The next 3 seasons are going to be amazing, I'm sure.

                                                           






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Here's to a great new adventure, Eleven! Geronimo!


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So Many Sticky Notes

Remember how I wrote on Friday about how busy and productive this weekend was going to be? Well, the good news is, I was productive. The bad news is, some things didn't go as planned, so the to-do list is still long.

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Sunday was Curtain Day. Samara and I had scheduled a time to go to Target, buy curtain rods, pick out curtains for the front window, and come home to install. Unfortunately, we made a mistake that you really only make once in your lifetime before you learn: we didn't check the size of the curtain rods, so we got the wrong ones. Sigh. The worst part? We didn't realize this until the hardware was drilled and hammered and screwed into the wall. Double sigh.

Thankfully, Target is AMAZING and let me exchange the curtain rod without the hardware. Thank you, Target!!! So last night I made a quick trip out there and made the switch {sounds like a drug deal, or is that just me?} and now we have curtains for our slider! Woot!


You may have seen this via Instagram, but it's too cool not to share! Finally we have curtains!

Tonight we are exchanging and installing the other rod, so stay tuned for pictures.

Also tonight: Season 4 finale of Doctor Who. Sob. I don't know how to handle saying goodbye to David Tennant as the Doctor.

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Let's just say that if you hear crying tonight, it's the sound of my heart{s}. Gah.

Moving on to happier times.

Yesterday I had a phone date with my friend Shaina! We have not talked in literally over a year, but we are planning on cutting that time down to 6 months next time. So good to talk with her.

Tomorrow night = phone date with AJ! So excited! We are bosom friends, in case you didn't know. There is much rejoicing whenever we are together, either on the phone or especially in person. MUCH rejoicing.

Alright, I think that just about covers life right now. Well, you know. The highs and lows.

Until we meet again... :)

What a Weekend!

Does it seem like Monday is Recover-From-The-Weekend Day? I need it! Thank God for Mondays.

Let's recap this weekend, because it was super fun! :)

First of all, Sister P and I watched Warm Bodies. Oh my gracious. This has just become one of my favorites! I think it hits this generation's sense of humor right on, and it's a sweet story. I might have to do a post dedicated to this film, or at least its soundtrack. :)

Secondly, I got another babysitting job! I had an interview with the lady Saturday morning, and now I'm scheduled for Friday night :) Her kids are cute, which is always a plus.

Thirdly, I went over the mountains to visit my friend Dahlia, whom you've met before. It was her birthday last month and her older brother's birthday this month, so they had a combined party! It was so fun! She has lots of extended family, many of whom joined the celebration. It was so good to meet the people that I've heard about!
I got to spend the night, which made Saturday really relaxing {since I didn't have to drive home the same day} and meant that Dahlia and I stayed up WAY too late!! Haha, when will we learn that we are too old to do that?!

Fourthly, graduation party! My house sister during MC's graduated from high school, which is simply craaaazy and awesome! Mom and I picked up Sister E and headed to the party, and it was super fun. Got to catch up with some friends and talk nerdy with Ashley...we are united in our love for British shows :)

Fifthly, we watched Warm Bodies again. We had to let E see it! :) So funny.

And now it's Tuesday and I'm celebrating by renewing my First Aid certification! Woot. Totes being sarcastic with the woot part, btdubs. In case you didn't pick that up. Or in case renewing your First Aid skills is super high on your list of fun things to do.

Anyways, hope your weekend was grand, folks!

Brain Blip

You know it's a Monday when...

...you go to type "brain blip" as your title and type "brian" instead....yep

I totes had a post planned for Friday, and it was going to be really funny! But alas, I started working on a project for Victoria {ok guys, for realz- she's amazing, she's my friend, and I sometimes get to work with her! Totes fun!} and the Funny Friday post just didn't happen. Sorry, peeps.

So instead of posting about something deep and intense and serious, I'll be trying out something called "7 Quick Takes" which means you get to read my mind in 7 areas....more realistically, I'll be sharing my thoughts about 7 random things, and when you put the number in the heading, it makes it not random but official and bloggy-sounding. So there. Beat that with a stick. Except I don't know if I'll make it to 7...this is so totally a Monday, it's not even funny. But I'll do my best to overcome.

1. Anyone know any good ways to take off nail polish and get EVERYTHING off? Is there some natural way to do it, or some magic cotton balls you have to use to get it all off? Please share your secrets!

2. Wow, that was a lame #1. What a start we are off to... and now I better think of something quick so #2 doesn't flop also....deodorant is the only thing that comes to mind, so I guess we're going for a hardcore belly flop. Go big or go home.

3. Mom and I have watched 3 episodes of Call the Midwife, Season 2. Augh! So many changes! I won't divulge spoilers, but if you're watching, let me know where in the season you are!

4. Oh yeah, so that totes British takeover post last week? I really don't know how I left off Doctor Who... well, I do. I'm trying to save my episodes and find other things to fill my time {hence, CTM and other British shows that are not as emotionally involved}. But seriously...David Tennant. Totes adorbs.

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Butforrealztho....oh yeah, AJ, he's Scottish, complete with accent :D

5. How to compete with David Tennant? Let's not even try and purposely aim low. My bestie and I went to Target yesterday and bought a tea towel for our future place together. No, we don't have a place yet. Yes, we bought it anyway. We bought the teal one with forks, because we're mature like that.

6. My friend Dahlia is having a birthday party this weekend. So exciting! I got something for her last night at Target, but of course I can't say what.
I did warn her that I might buy this for her....she begged me not to, but I may not be able to help myself :)

                       buy it for Dahlia here source

7. Just found this on face.book. Pretty much sums up today.



Happy Monday!

So Many Thoughts

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

1. Dahlia and I have made it official: we are going to Prince Edward Island in August!!!
   
   Woot! We are super excited because a) we got tickets at a GREAT price and b) we found an adorable little inn {Sherwood Inn and Motel-how perfectly quaint and Island-ish!} for a magnificent price AND that has a shuttle to and from the airport! Oh, and yeah, because we found an Anne of Green Gables itinerary. We are totes going. It's ok- you can be jealous. I would be, too!
   
2. Update on the job thingy: I interviewed for 2 Saturday positions, and one I knew wouldn't work out and the other didn't call me back, which was fine because I realized I don't want to be tied to a consistent weekend schedule. So God knew what He was doing {as per usual!}, and actually I interviewed with two different families to babysit and so that will be fabulous. One family will call me eventually {the dad is going to China for a month, so no date nights for a while!}, and I'll be babysitting for the other family for the second time tomorrow. Totes perfect. Thank You Jesus!
   
3. Grandma is getting settled. I think we're all getting more used to each other, and things have been working out pretty well these past few weeks. Again, thank You, Jesus.
   
4. I would really like to blog every day in May like Jen is doing, but May is like the craziest month for me! I leave Saturday to go to the Great Nation of Texas for 5 days, then I'm home for less than a week before I go to the Bluegrass State for work {and play!} for a week. Blogging is highly unlikely this month, let alone every day, so I will do my best to do something fun in June. :)
   
5. This week was my second time volunteering at Care Net. I'm really enjoying it. Technically, I'm still in training, so my 4 hours consist of watching videos that we show clients and reading the volunteer handbook. Still, it's been amazing. The clinic has such an atmosphere of peace and honor and service; I feel God's peace when I'm there. Oh, and crazy thing! The other volunteer who is there for the Thursday afternoon shift -Brandi- is a cousin of one of my friends from Berea! Small world.
   
6. Speaking of this afternoon, I almost passed out today. Yeah... So I don't do needles... or blood or guts or anything that is yucky...as in, I don't like to see them. And I really don't like to hear about any of that.

   

   These lovely Crate and Barrel sheets perfectly matched the color of my face.

   The first time I passed out was in the 4th grade when I found out that my wrist was broken. The pain didn't do it; it was looking at the x-ray {which looked pretty normal, bee tee dubs} and hearing the doctor say, "Here's where the fracture is..." Boom. Down I went.
   So today I was shadowing Brandi's parenting class client, and the video we watched was about the 3rd trimester of pregnancy and then it went into labor and delivery. Now, I've known about the birthing "activities" since I was probably in 2nd grade, but it has always been one of the aforementioned topics that give me the heebie jeebies. I was doing alright with this video, until the narrator started talking about this little surgery-like cut the doctor can make during labor...and so I went into the kitchen and put my head down and waited for blood to return to the upper half of my body. Yep. Second day volunteering, and I have to go lie down in the other counseling room. Awesome.
   
7. I'm excited to go down to Texas next week {technically this week} because I get to see my friend Laurie without having to visit the Frozen Tundra! :) And also because we are planning on watching Season 2 of "Call the Midwife," yet another BBC show that has captured my attention. If you have not seen it, finish what you're doing and go watch it. SO well done. Not like steak. Like a dozen roses...perfection.
   

Well, 7 seems like a good number to end on. I hope that this brings us up-to-date on most items of late... oh, and as for the last post, I think that writing things out and then going to Book Club {a group of us are reading and discussing Lady In Waiting} and talking with the bestie for a good hour afterwards helped me move forward in my thinking. I'm still thinking and praying about things with my parents, and I think God and I are getting closer and I'm comfortable thinking more openly about the future. So, thanks for listening. :) Happy May!

That Antsy Stage

It’s the antsy time. You know, the time before a transition, and all your anticipation and nerves and frustrations and adrenaline are still stuck inside you with no where to go but to bed?

Because I’m in this stage, I feel like I’m wasting my life away. I know, it’s an exaggeration {you don’t get voted Most Dramatic in h.s. for nothing!}, but that’s what I’m tempted to think on lazy Sundays with travelling plans on Tuesday. There’s nothing to do right now- too soon to pack, too snowy to go out, wrong time zone to call friends or family- and so I feel stuck. It’s the awkward waiting period that lasts a few days and then goes away; it’s a time of transition, and so I’m antsy.

As previously mentioned, my bestie and I are planning on getting a place together. I’m meeting with the realtor next week to discuss stuff, and the ball is really getting rolling! I know God has a great place for us, and I’m so excited to move into this next stage.

Along with the anticipation and happiness of going home and finding a new home with the bestie, there is the sadness that comes, too. The reality of Grandpa’s passing will definitely sink in once I’m home, and I know I will really feel the loss as Grandma moves into my parents’ home and I see her frequently but Grandpa no more on earth.

I’m excited to start working for my parents, but I’m also nervous scared apprehensive about the whole process. Things will be different, because I’ll be doing a different job, I won’t be living at home {once we get a place, of course}, and I now have 6 months of experience that I didn’t have in June. But it’s still an unknown, and that means it’s an omnipresent thought in my mind.

Also, when I go home, I’m going to be volunteering for a crisis pregnancy center! I’m very excited to start serving!!! During training, the lady in charge of the education program {they go into schools and talk about abstinence and things like that} said that she would love for me to be a part of their program because I’m single. Guess being single is cool still! ;) I’m really looking forward to getting back to working with kids; I do miss my after-school groupies.

And on a lighter note, the bestie has been doing what she does best and sharing the passion for all things BBC and Sherlock, and now several of our friends are “on the bandwagon” {and by bandwagon I mean totally and completely obsessed}, and when Season Three comes out, we are planning a dress-up party for each episode! There are only 3 episodes; don’t think we’re totally crazy {we are, but not for that reason!}.It will be especially fabulous because these parties will be at our own homes, which is totally crazy because omg when did we get so old, but at the same time, it does feel kind of fun to think of hosting a themed party with friends at my house. Boom. I just grew a long white beard.

Thanks for listening, friends.

The Lion King

As promised, here is the post that describes my fun and amazing time at The Lion King.

First of all, what would a great theater date be without a great dinner beforehand? So, L and I went to Chick-fil-A for dinner. Heck yes we did. We got it to-go and brought it home to enjoy with my grandparents , which they loved. They had never had it before! What!? Say it ain't so! Sad but true, so L and I remedied that right away.

After our lovely dinner, L and I got dolled up and headed downtown. Our seats were really good, and our anticipation grew.

Oh. My. Word. The first scene was incredible. I got chills twice within the first few notes of the opening song. Wow.

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This isn't the best picture, but it was the only one with the elephant, and that was my favorite part. This picture doesn't do it justice either, so just know it was about one zillion times more amazing than this picture shows.

Also, the giraffes were awesome. If I was going to be one of these animals, I would definitely go for giraffe.

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I know, I'm going on and on about the opening scene, but seriously, it was beyond belief. One last picture, I promise!

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This was the part that gave me chills, when Rafiki sang those first few notes of the song we all know so well. Also notice here in the background the dancer holding the antelopes. One of the coolest parts was how the actors and dancers used their bodies as part of the prop, since the focus was supposed to be their costume. The antelopes leaped just like the real ones do. Za Zu is really the best example of this {sorry, one more picture!}

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Obviously it's a guy running around with a bird, but the way he did it was astounding.

If you have the chance to go, go! It will totally be worth it. Even though you know the story and the songs, go, because the costumes and the dancing and the theater setting will blow your mind.

Oh yeah just one minor unrelated thing: SHERLOCK SEASON THREE STARTS FILMING TODAY!

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Now try and carry on with your lives like nothing has happened-ha!

Variety

My friend L and I played Hand and Foot earlier this evening, and now I am thinking about how variety really is the spice of life. I know, this is random, but stay with me! I personally enjoy my Other Home’s version of Hand and Foot {speaking of, AJ, add that to the list! almost 5 days!!!} while my bio family plays their version. L plays Kanasta, another variation. Any my friend Jessie plays an extreme version of H&F.
But think if we all played the same version. What if all the rules were the same? There would be no laughter, no dialogue about “this is how we do it”, no hmm, I like my way better but I’ll be nice and play your way moments. There would be no give and take. Granted, there would also be a more level playing field {sorry, L!}, but even when L hesitated to ask me a question in the first round, she still beat me at the end of Round 3. So there. The point is moot.

In other news, I get to see my dad tomorrow!! He’s actually probably at the airport right now, and in the morning I will be picking him up. The company I work for asked him to come and be a part of their company SWOT, which I think is super cool. So in less than 12 hours, Hello Dad!
Also in other news, I’ll be in my Other Home in practically 5 days!!! Right now it’s 5 days and 90 minutes, but if you count my flight landing at close to 7pm, then it’s…less than that! It’s after 10pm; please don’t expect the mathematical part of my brain to be on right now.
And more other news: BBC’s show “Miranda” is hysterical. I literally laugh out loud multiple times every single episode. There can be some innuendos and some not-so-veiled innuendos, but other than that, it’s a hoot. I love it. My family first discovered it when we were in Spain, because there were only 10 English-speaking channels and you gotta do what you gotta do. But we loved it, and I think it is, as the mother character always says, “such fun!”
Final news: it is time for Bek to say goodnight. Peace out, homeboys.