What I'm Into: December 2015

Linking up with Leigh Kramer as we review the last month {and year - hello, 2016!}.

Reading:

I really should do a final Reading Challenge update and share the last quarter of the year, but I doubt that it will happen as an independent post. So let's just deal with that in our hearts and combine the updates. whatevs. 

"A Book You Chose For Its Cover" - I read The Silent Stars Go By by Dan Abnett, which is a Doctor Who adventure. Yes, I chose a book because Matt Smith's face was on the cover, but hey, that was basically the assignment! This was a light, fun read, and it was especially enjoyable because it takes place during Eleven's time with Amy and Rory - such a treat. 

"A Book Your Mom Loves" - silly Bek. Silly, silly Bek. Let's take a moment and appreciate the silliness of Bek. You guys, my mom reads a lot, but she has read this one particular book probably a dozen times. When I saw the challenge, I knew that book was the book I'd be reading. Why I waited until December to start reading a 1,400-page book, I will never know. Anyway, I'm currently reading "...And the Ladies of the Club" by Helen Hooven Santmyer. It is very enjoyable, but there's no way on God's green earth that I'll have it finished in 24 hours. 

Not related to this reading challenge, I also read:

• Room by Emma Donoghue - LOVED. Terrifyingly innocent and haunting... Don't watch any movie trailers until you read the book first. {I'm hoping that this will make the movie slightly less intense, but I doubt it}
• Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon - also loved. Don't audio-book this one; get the hard copy. There are illustrations {by the author's husband} and details that make the book. 
• Bandersnatch: An Invitation to Explore Your Unconventional Soul by Erika Morrison - this is such a good book. It's one of those soul-stretching, boundary-breaking books, and I highly recommend it. 
• Out of Sorts by Sarah Bessey - cannot recommend this one enough. To borrow her analogy of sorting through an attic, Sarah gently cradles each item and shares what she's learned from her own life and sorting. Gentle and beautiful, and I was thrilled to learn that Sarah spent some time in the Anglican Church!
• New and Selected Poems: Volume One by Mary Oliver - this is maybe probably the first book of poetry I've attempted to read as an adult, and I'm actually really enjoying it. There are a few lines of various poems that just stop me in my tracks, and I was not expecting that. 

Watching: 

• Jayna and I finished "Gilmore Girls" last night - ALL. THE. TEARS. and FEELS. Oh my word. Counting down to the Netflix revival already. Related: I'm going to start "Parenthood" very, very soon in order to get my Lauren Graham fix.
• This week I finished Season Four of "Longmire." This show sure knows how to end seasons on cliffhangers! 
• I started watching "New Girl" last night. I can't decide if it's cute and quirky or cute and annoying. 
• "Doctor Who" - Season Nine just ended. Capaldi is so brilliant.
• "Sherlock" Special airs in less than 48 hours - yipee!

Doula Adventures:

My website is live {check it out!}, I attended my second certifying birth at the beginning of this month, and this week I've been completing and mailing business licensing forms. Also, I submitted my last two BAI homework assignments, so as soon as I attend three more births and get my grades, I'm done! My goal for 2015 was to finish all the non-birth assignments, so yay me!

thanks, Meryl

Listening to:

• "Details" album by Frou Frou {Imogen Heap is part of this dynamic duo!}
• "Hello" by Adele... can't stop, won't stop
• "Satellite Kite" album by Beautiful Eulogy - discovered them because Josh Garrels does a song with them. I love the musical soundscape-esque mixed with the steady rhythm of not-quite-rap {more spoken word}.

Grateful for:

• Samara came up before Christmas, and she and Cami and I got some good reunion time together. I'm grateful for my two best friends!
• Ellen is home for Christmas break {I didn't get to see her over Thanksgiving}, and we are watching the "Harry Potter" movies together. I'm grateful for my sister and our mutual love of Hogwarts.
• My dear parents gave me a peanut ball for Christmas. This is something I asked for that is more for my business than it is for me, but I'm still thrilled. My family shook their collective head at me, but I still squealed with joy. Grateful for family who loves me at my weirdest.

That's it! December and 2015 are almost done, and I'm ready for a great year in 2016!

Hello!

Some days/weeks/months are just busy, ya know? I'm looking at you, Month of April. So while I've got words to say, I've also got work to do... so, yeah.

The main reason I wanted to post a little something today is because April 14th is my Staying Alive Day. 5 years ago, I was hit by a car. Yep. Pedestrian in crosswalk, meet car in road.

It could have been much, much, much worse, and I am so so so grateful for... life. While the experience was horrid and traumatic, and I truly wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, it makes me more grateful and more aware of the gift of health and life.

via

I hope you're having a wonderful day and that you're grateful for it! :)

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? 

Finish This: Week Thirty-five

By now, I'm sure you know the link-up drill. Thank you to our awesome hostesses, Jen at The Arizona Russums, Nicole at Three 31, Lisa at Coastlined, and Becky at The Java Mama.

I celebrated Labor Day by moving Samara out of the condo, moving my new flatmate into the condo, celebrating my sister's birthday with the family, playing hooky out of church to have brunch with Samara, watching "Only Lovers Left Alive" with Cami and Samara, venturing to IKEA with the new flatmate, making dinner with a friend, and attending my second-to-last Bradley class. Phew! Are you exhausted reading it? Because I was definitely exhausted doing it!

My dream job/career would be working as a doula, running a crisis pregnancy center, homeschooling my kids, and maybe writing a travel blog. That last one is just an excuse so I can travel, but who says it won't work? 

I am very fortunate to be able to pursue these dreams; it's such a blessing to have opportunities to do what I love doing, or even start down the path of what I think I want to do. As all the sh*t happens around the world with wars, kidnappings, persecution, etc., I am beyond grateful to be able to spend life in such a beautiful fashion. 

My first paying job was working in retail my senior year of high school. Babysitting had been bringing in some moolah since I was 12, but my first "real" job was at LifeWay Christian Stores. I stayed busy stocking shelves and chatting with customers. It was mostly fun, and I enjoyed being known as "the queen of fiction" and working with "the Bible expert" and "the Spanish translator."

My current job is coordinating all things meeting-related for my company's peer group clients. It sounds super complicated fancy boring, but basically I make sure everyone has everything they need for their meetings. It involves a lot of phone calls and checklists and email templates, and it's pretty fun. 

Also, even though I'm not currently working as a doula, I definitely consider doula certification a job in terms of responsibility. Currently my "assignment" is to save as much money as I can to pay for the certification program, and since I have 3 babysitting jobs between now and next Friday, I think I can say that I'm on top of my homework!

There you have it! Tune in next week for another round of Finish This, and visit the link-up for more posts this week. 

Finish This: Week Nineteen

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

A lesson I learned from my mom is always unplug the curling iron or straightener. I can't tell you how many times my family has been driving away from the house but had to stop so one of us could run inside and double-check the curling iron. Mom had this thing when I was growing up where, uh, she didn't want the house to catch on fire. Idk if any of your moms were like this, but it was important to my mom, so now I am a double-checker and unplugger of my hair straightener.

To burn calories, I head to a Zumba class! I've branched out and tried aerobic dance {my favorite! I'm now a regular attendee} and a circuit training class. Or if there are no classes happening, I'll put on my walking shoes and head down to walk out on the dock near my house. If I'm really dedicated/know that I've been lazy, I'll do this ab workout, but that's only when I've got a death wish pumped myself up for it.

My best hair day was in May in Kentucky - the humidity there is perfect! I know lots of girls fight the whole humidity thing, and while I don't like sweating in it, at least my hair looks fabulous!

I am grateful for one thousand things! For my parents, sisters, friends, church, home. For a car that runs. For living in one of the largest library systems in the world. For the ability to walk, move, dance. For freedoms and rights and the ability to initiate change. For favorite sweatshirts. For yoga pants. For nail polish. For Target. For new journals and old journals. For Jesus Who died for me.

Thanks for joining the fun! The hostesses requested that participants invite another blogger to partake, so today I'd love to invite Ashley! If you are not Ashley and you'd like to join, all you gotta do is add your post to the link-up or answer the prompts in the comments. Done and done. See ya next time!

Finish This: March 5th Edition

Linking up with Becky at The Java Mama, Lisa at Coastlined, Jen at The Arizona Russums, and Nicole at Three 31 for Finish This!

My favorite comfort food is dependent upon what I need comforting from, ha! The most consistent craving is for ice cream or fudge-sicles, but every once in a while mac 'n' cheese is the only thing to hit the spot. However, since these aren't the healthiest indulgences {because let's be honest: the healthy version just don't satisfy the craving!}, my flatmate and I are careful to always keep some Lindt's dark chocolate with sea salt in the pantry. One or two squares of this always makes life better!

My most memorable birthday was ...hard to choose! My 16th and 19th stand out to me as extra fun. For my sweet sixteenth, I had my 10th grade class over to play games for a few hours. It was the first time I felt really close to everyone in my high school class, so that was really cool. I was in Master's Commission for my 19th birthday, and my dad managed to coordinate a surprise and take me out to breakfast! So wonderful.

The best karaoke song is unknown to me because I've never sung karaoke! Gasp! Deep dark confession, I know. But if it's anything like rocking out in the privacy of my car, then T-Swizzle all the way!

Boots make me feel awesome. Every outfit is improved with boots!

I am grateful for the blogging community, friends, day planners, phone dates, information easily accessible on the world wide web, health insurance, massages, good books, sea salt chocolate, and this season of Lent.

There you have it, folks! Head over to the afore-mentioned blogs to share some link-up love.

Blog Every Day Feb: Day Twenty-eight - One Word

Linking up with Bailey Jean for the final day of February's challenge! Hooray! This challenge has been so much fun, and I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have.

Bailey has a monthly reflection she does on her word for the year, but since that's not a train I've jumped on, I'm going to take it in a different direction. The one word that means the most to me, that re-centers me when I'm feeling off, that brings me back to Jesus every time is grateful. If I were going to get a tattoo, I would tattoo the word grateful on the instep of my foot {easy to cover up, doesn't wrinkle as much - yes, I've thought a lot about this!} because I want to be reminded to choose gratefulness every moment.

via

A couple years ago, right after I graduated from college, I read Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts. This book hit me right where I needed to be hit. Gratitude changes the mundane into worship, so every moment and every action honors the Lord.

The moral of the story is, I want gratefulness to be my way of living. It's my theme, my mantra, my goal.

Thank you, Bailey, for a wonderful month of prompts and posts! This was so fun. Thank you for being a lovely hostess!

Sixty-one

61 years ago today, my grandparents got married. My grandpa was from Tennessee and came out to Washington with the Army when he was 17. My grandma was born in Canada, raised in Pennsylvania, and came out to Washington for a job. They met at church where they were both serving the youth group.

wedding party

A few years later, they had a couple kids.

Grandpa + Grandma with my dad and aunt

Quite a few years later, they renewed their vows for their 40th anniversary.

hooray for 40 years!

Grandma and Grandpa embodied sacrificial love, and not just for each other or for their family; they opened up their house countless times to strangers, cousins, church family, visiting pastors, missionaries, in addition to having each of their granddaughters spend the night frequently.

5 granddaughters at Easter

As many of you know, my grandpa passed away last March. He suffered from Alzheimer's for the past several years, and as my family prepared for him to go to Jesus, one of my prayers was that he would live to see his 60th anniversary; I'm so grateful to God that he did and that my grandparents were able to have a little celebration with family.

Although Grandpa is not on earth to celebrate their anniversary, I want to recognize and honor the 60 years that he and Grandma invested in each other, in their kids, in their 5 granddaughters and 2 great-grandchildren, in their neighborhood, their church, and countless other people who had the privilege to meet them. 

Grandpa, I know you're celebrating with Jesus right now, and I miss you like crazy. Thank you for loving and honoring Grandma for your whole married life.  

Grandma, I can't imagine this first anniversary without Grandpa, but I thank you for loving Grandpa faithfully and well. I love you!

Christmas 2011

Blogging-versary

Today this little blog celebrates its fifth year of existence! Does that mean it's a birthday, not an anniversary? Possibly. So maybe to stick with the anniversary theme, I should say that this blog and I have been together for 5 years? Sure, that sounds like I have no life great!

For a much better blogging-versary/birthday read, hop over to Samara's post about her 5 years. Yay for my bestie! And yes, we are those friends who started blogs within one day of each other and who will probably have kids at the same time... oh, sorry, TMI? You should be used to it after 5 years ;)

To celebrate this anniversary/birthday/awkward title, I want to share some ways this blog has helped me grow. Hopefully this won't be too snooze-worthy, and if it is, too bad - I already told you to go check out Samara's post.

I've grown in my writing; that's obvious, because this is a blog. Specifically, though, posting over the years has helped me grow more confident in my own voice. When I go back to old posts, I can tell when I was writing for myself or when I was writing for my audience's imagined expectations, and I like the former better. I'm sorry if a Disney song bursts forth right now, but I have to say it: when I was "bee-ing myself" like the Genie recommends {would you like some wine with that cheese?}, my posts were and are a more pleasant read. Because isn't the point of blogging to share yourself with others? And the point of reading other blogs to learn about other people?

Also, creative challenges like Victoria's 31 Days of Writing have been full of opportunities for growth! And now I'm signing myself up for a similar challenge in February...must be a challenge junkie.

I've grown in my ability to process life. I don't know if I would have been able to describe the strange combination of emotions surrounding my grandpa's memorial, or fully process everything from Nicaragua, or handle all the feels that came with choosing a college, without this blog to help me sort things out. On the flip side of this, I think I've grown in my ability to discern my level of personal privacy. What kinds of things am I comfortable sharing on this blog and what things do I want to keep to my journal and close friends?

I've grown in the blogging community. Five years ago, I didn't know what a blogging community was. I didn't even know how to find other blogs. {Sometimes I laugh at my former self, but then I realize that laughing at silly people isn't nice, so I make myself stop out of pity....and you can laugh at the current me. Don't feel guilty.} Now I reward myself with reading other blogs and following the rabbit trail, if you will, from one blog to another and discovering even more treasures on the internet. Also, I know that more people than just my stalker sister {hey, Paige!} read my blog, and that's kind of cool {but not as cool as Paige is}.

I've grown numerically. Here are my posting numbers from the last five years: in 2009, I posted 31 times. In 2010, 48 posts made their way onto the web. 2011 saw the "publish" button clicked 51 times. 2012 hit a multiple of eleven with 88 posts. And 2013 broke the triple digit ceiling for a smashing {see what I did there?} total of 135 posts. Between the Not Alone Series, Finish This, and 7 Quick Takes link ups, plus the afore-mentioned February challenge, 2014 should continue this upward trajectory. Woot!

Life is crazy, and is it weird that I'm glad to have some documentation?? In 2009, there is no way on God's green earth that I could have imagined life in 2014. Five years ago, I was living at my parents' house praying about where to finish college and wondering if I could leave my bff. Now I'm living in my own home with my bff, and college is something I tease my sisters about. How things do change.

Thanks for being a part of the journey!

scattered, grateful thoughts

Today, I am grateful for my grandpa. it is his 92nd birthday today; how many girls can say their grandpa is 92 and still nice? I can. My grandpa has Alzheimer’s and other health issues, and he’s not the grandpa I grew up with, but he does have his moments when he is quite funny and smiling and not in pain, and I cherish those moments. I hope that tonight he had a few such moments as we celebrated him.

Today, I’m also grateful for Downton Abbey. Helllo, where have I been? College? Oh yeah. Anywho. I’m done now, and completely hooked on this lovely British show. Augh! When does Season 3 come out, anyone? I’m almost done with 2, so there better be something to look forward to, and pronto!

Today, I’m grateful to be unpacked {mostly} and live in a semi-clean room. It will be even cleaner tomorrow, I promise, Mom!

I’m grateful to celebrate my sister’s high school graduation tomorrow. Yay! I’m grateful that I can be here for it, and that she’s done so well. Congrats, Lenny!

I’m grateful that 2 of my sisters and I all have a similar shoe size so we can share amongst ourselves. It is hysterical seeing me attempt to walk in my sis’s heels, but hey, that’s what the runway/hallway is for, right? Laughing at ourselves? We is hottttt…

moving right along

I’m grateful for friends to hang out with {3 yesterday, 1 today}, especially on my first week back. It can be a wee bit lonely at times, mainly because my sisters are still in school, but I know that this summer is going to be awesome and wonderful and my friends are fabulous.

I’m grateful for a new mattress to sleep on {thanks, Dad!} and for my foam pillow. And of course for my baby, Sylvester. I’m sure you all remember Sylvester the Looney Toon cat… see below

Well, when I was a young lass, my parents got my a pillow in the shape of his head {yeah, don’t know exactly what was going on there… my youngest sis got Taz…. she had to put her head on the black abyss that was his open mouth…. weeeeeeiiiiirrdddd}. And I've had that pillow since they gave it to me. Oh, I should say I've been sleeping on/with that pillow…. as in, more than a decade ago. Now, most normal people change pillows every couple years, I guess, and it’s not like he was my only pillow, so I feel slightly justified in that, but basically, he’s in another pillowcase so all his stuffing stays together, and I don’t so much sleep on him as I do with him in my arms….. my mom keeps threatening to burn him, but I won’t let her.
Anyways, I’m grateful that I have a Sylvester to sleep with. Goodnight, y’all!

Tuesday’s Thrills

I was going for an alliteration, but the word I was trying to say was “exciting” and “thrilling” was the only word I could think of that is synonymous with exciting, and so even though the T in Tuesday is a different sound from the TH in thrilling, today’s title is Tuesday’s Thrills.
It’s that point in the semester when:

• I’m sorry, but I don’t care.
• my brain hurts.
• sleep is both a good thing and a bad thing. 
• I’m sorry, but I don’t care.
• the weekends are sooooo nice and lazy… and then Sunday night comes back to bite.
• my project is so close to being done, but each step requires an hour of wait-time in between, so it’s taking forever
• the countdown until my family gets here is ALMOST in single digits!!!
• I've been on my last research paper for like a month, and have like 2 paragraphs
• I’m sorry, but I don’t care.
• I laugh hysterically instead of crying.

BLEH!

Ok, I really do care. I’m just tired and rambling and this is what I’ve been saying to my roomie about doing my hair this week. Ha. Sad but true.

Please, someone tell me that I’m not the only person out there feeling the stress of the last week of school. I know some of my readers are on the {beloved and missed!} quarter system, but pretend you feel my pain, please!

Oh yeah, thrills. So I planned to post about things I’m excited about, since this is the last Tuesday I’ll be in classes {at least in the foreseeable future}. So here’s a more positive list of things I’m thrilled about.

• in one week, I’ll be done with this ridiculous research paper
• tomorrow, I’ll be done with the debate!
• in TEN days, my family will be here!!!!!!!!!
• in TWELVE days, I’ll be walking down the graduation aisle!!!!!
• tomorrow, the classes I TA for are having a end-of-the-year celebration and there will be cupcakes :)
• last Friday {which was my last Friday of classes}, I celebrated by going to the bookstore and picking up my cap and gown! Yay! It’s hanging in my window, all ready to go! Now I just have to decide if I’m going to decorate my cap or not… is it sentimental or tacky? In ten years, will I regret decorating it, or wish that I had decorated it? Thoughts?
• my dorm is having a Movie and Margarita night tomorrow night… virgin margaritas, as per College policy, but still! We got the mix and Sprite… woot!
• I’m really excited about finding a good fiction book to read. Any advice? I realized that probably part of my grouchiness is stemming from my lack of pleasure-reading… I’ll be taking recommendations in the comment section :)
• my friend hosted a Mary Kay party, and I learned that one should apply foundation to one’s eyelids in order to help eye makeup stay better. Life. Changed. 
• yesterday, the cafe had a deal on smoothies, and so my friend and I both got one. It was yummy. 
• my allergies have gotten sooooo much better! Thanks everyone for your prayers!
• my special project will most likely be done tomorrow or Thursday! I’m so excited to tell and show you all about it!

Well, I feel better. School is not too much to handle, and the good definitely outweighs the hard. In fact, the hard is good. It’s challenging and growth-producing, and it makes me way way grateful for summer!
Joyfully, gratefully,
Bek

Thorns & Changes

Hello, dear readers, I address you tonight on a more solemn note. My mind has been filled recently with some deeper broodings, and I ask you to bear with me.

I pulled some sticker bushes today, and my arms and legs got cut up. As I grimace at my discomfort, I think of Another One whose cuts made Him unrecognizable as a human, and I am thankful.

A single mom was blessed by housework today, and I ashamedly admit that I begrudged her, momentarily. Then I realized that she was truly grateful, and that it was the least that could be done, and I changed my begrudging into gratefulness for my parents.

My sister and I argued tonight...and then I realized, after watching The Soloist, that I know where my sister is, that she is still alive and well, and that not everybody goes to bed with that priviledge. I am thankful for my family.

As I took a warm shower and wrapped up in clean towels, I considered those who have not showered in weeks, even months. And what of those who do not live within 50 miles of running water? Or those who risk their lives to disease with every contaminated sip?

 As you can tell, readers, I am immensely blessed. I have my family, a comfortable house, and now I have a changed perspective.