Rebecca's Paradise Island of Thought

abandoned!

2010-08-17T22:23:00.003-05:00

I can't believe I have abandoned this blog. It is sad. I should write here more. It's strange to think that what I am writing here is like an open journal. All the world to see, or for no one to see. It would be cool to just write whatever I was thinking and not feel the need for censorship. And then the idea that I should write about certain things, or in a certain way all crop up and stomp on the art that would like to come out in the form of writing. It's corrosive and unpleasant. It keeps me from wanting to leave anything on this page, but rather keep it inside, or just type it in a personal place for no one to see.

But when you want to vent, and you really need to type, it's sometimes bad to put it out for everyone to read, though it's so easy to release it by just getting it out there -- and out of your system. Because this blog is old. I'm linked on my mom's homepage. I can't just go off the handle.....she may start worrying about me.

And when it comes to other things, like mundane details in my life, I think to myself "who really cares!?" I can't bring myself to write about it -- because it's kind of like writing on a public bathroom wall: Where many can read it, but most won't care.

So... what to do with this blog. Should I keep it alive? Should I make it a travel journal? Should it become a place where I drone on about my love for Hawaii and tropical places? That's where the name came from -- a festering desire to go to Hawaii -- and as I sat on a stool, surfing the internet for good flights and trip packages, I was considering the trip on my own, just for the sake of GOING.

Should I make a different site, and only invite exclusive friends to the web address? Hmmm. I may have a good name for it.

Maybe I should read about security and seeing if this blog site has a setup where people can only view the page with a password or something.

Research is not what I'm in the mood for.

Which is what I'll be saying in 2 weeks when I'm schooling again, and forced to do just that.

Block Party

2009-06-28T17:58:00.002-05:00

I am planning a party for all the neighbors in our building to (hopefully) attend. This is a group of people who come from all walks of life. The only thing that some may have in common with another is the fact that we live in this building together.
But I think it is long past due that we become more neighborly with our neighbors. So we are being the brave ones to host a "gathering. " I am going to make the invites up tonight, but I am really wondering what all I should have to do... We have cards, board games, and the wii, and food and drinks. What else do you think I should have/offer? Or do you think they would actually come and have fun for 2 hours just talking and listening to music?
That's another thing... what kind of music should we have? What's good all around?

Birthday Laughs

2008-11-09T20:47:00.002-05:00

My mom called me today to wish me a Happy Birthday. Later, Andy and I are talking after dinner:

Andy: "Did you tell your mom 'thanks for popping me out'?
Becca: "Yep, in other terms of course."
Andy: "They should have a birthday person's mom's card."
Becca: "Mom used drugs to have me."
Andy: "She used fertilizer?"

I was referring to the epideral mom had. Andy was meaning to say fertility drugs.

GOP vs Democratic

2008-11-08T10:23:00.003-05:00

The election season has brought about the term "GOP" as a replacement of "Republican Party".

GOP stands for Grand Old Party - founded in Jackson, Michigan in 1854 as an anti-slavery expansion for activists and mondernizers. This was the party that Abraham Lincoln won the Presidential election i n and ended the American Civil War.

Now, over 100 years later, the Republican party is still referred to as the GOP, yet the democratic party is the one that brought a black president into the white house. 16 years ago, Bill Clinton also won over 92% of the black voters and held office within the Democratic party.

The Republican/Democratic parties are certainly not what they used to be. They don't stand stand for what they used to. At All. They evolve - just as our tastes should.

So I encourage everyone to refrain from relating themselves to a particular party. You don't know what this may bring to mind in a conversation with someone else -if you refer yourself to being one or the other. They may have been brought up in an age where it meant something completely different than what it does today- in this very moment - with the people in power within these two parties.

Summer Summer Summertime!

2008-08-03T21:54:00.013-05:00

Andy and I in downtown Chicago

I finished reading Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. Such an excellent book, I would recommend it to anyone who has been looking for a spiritual philosophical book to get them thinking. It is one of those books where you can read a chapter and think about it for days. Then go back for more, and there is more that makes you think. It was terrific.

I then read "Blue like Jazz" by Donald Miller. I heard it was a good one too, so I gave it a shot. It was definitely different than Velvet Elvis, yet still highly entertaining. I laughed out loud many times.

Andy and I celebrated our 1st Anniversary in July!

Doesn't this cake look awesome?!?! It tasted as good as it looks. Graciously given to us by Aunt Loretta.

We first went to the Indiana Dunes and went shopping at the outlet mall. Fun! Swam in the hotel pool and had a nice relaxing day. The next day we went to Chicago and stayed at the lovely Palmer House. We somehow managed to get the best room in the hotel. The top floor in the executive suites, the only room on the floor with a window facing Lake Michigan. It helped that we booked it ahead of time I'm sure, and that we stayed there on a Sunday night. Our anniversary was on a Monday this year. Sunday night we went to the Chicago Chop House -Andy's favorite! We had tried going there before on previous Chicago trips but they were always booked. Again, we got the best seat in the house. This idea of reserving in advance really works.

We had taken an expensive cab to the restaurant and decided to walk off our dinner back to the hotel. Andy was so impressed i walked over a mile in heels. I said, "try to walk a mile in my shoes!" ha ha. Then we watched a movie we brought and started searching around for stuff to do. We didn't plan this part of the trip because we figured there would be tons of things in Chicago. On a Sunday night? Not so much. There were reject no-names at the comedy clubs (we you-tubed them), and no cool bands at the hot spots I knew of. In all of our google searching, we found that Shirley Johnson was this large black woman who sang the blues. (Andy's mother -also named Shirley.) We sampled her songs on amazon's website and pictured this being Andy's mom. We roared in laughter.

Then we decided to go back downtown to the Redhead Piano Bar. We had passed it in our walk earlier, and Andy had heard of it before. Seemed pretty cool. I wised up and got my socks and nike shoes on to take the 1.5 mile walk this time. I bagged my heels in my "purse" (aka laptop bag) and then headed out. It worked out well because the dress code required nice clothes and this way, my feet weren't going to kill me PLUS we didn't have to blow money on cab fair.

They have a large list of martini's. Their specialty. I had never had a martini that I actually liked, I confessed to our waitress. She was helpful and picked me out a winner. I wanted to drink

5 of them. But they were $12 each, so Andy kept

me at a 2 drink minimum. They were worth it. And two drinks to me is like 5 drinks to someone who actually drinks. So I was having a blast.
They played the Billy Vera and the Beaters song, "At this Moment". I went up and sang with the piano guy. It was great. That's one of my favorite songs of the 80's. They played "Colors of the Wind" and I couldn't stop thinking of how weird the song sounds like from a piano bar setting. It was just out of place. Andy video'd me making fun of the guy belting out the tune. We had this huge table of 40 something men and women come in and sit by us. They were acting all obnoxious and loud. As if they were 18. It added to the entertainment value of the night.

The next day, (our official anniversary) we went to Navy Pier where Andy asked me to marry him. We found the bench in the Crystal Gardens that he proposed and took pictures together. As you can see, we wore our authentic Hawaii outfits to remember our honeymoon.

The bench that we sat on when Andy asked me to marry him, had a information board (like you see in a zoo) about the Hibiscus flower. It's a Hawaiian flower, and if they would be something you could buy (and not die immeiately after) we would've used them in our wedding. US States have designated flowers -- this one is our relationship flower.

It was a perfect weekend getaway and a fabulous cap on an awesome first year of marriage together.

Nuevo coche

2008-03-09T17:39:00.007-05:00

We got a new car. It is a Toyota Scion TC. It is the perfect car for us. Andy is so happy to have his car back - so he doesn't have to drive my old green car anymore. Which, after 190,000 miles, the old Ford Tempo still runs! God has definitely blessed me for having that car last so long and have so few issues. But, it was time to get a different car. We both drive so much and Andy was never comfortable with the idea of me driving the old (potentially unreliable) car. He gave me a timeline months ago -- that by March or April, we'd have to find something different. It worked out well.

Me by the new carAndy by the new car in his new ski coat

My Dreamy Men

2008-02-02T21:17:00.000-05:00

What do Adam Levine and Paul McCartney have in common? Many things I presume, like selling records, touring etc. But a less obvious commonality is that I have dreamt of both of them.
I saw Maroon 5 in concert a couple years ago in Milwaukee. It was an amazing show. (VH1 is showing a Maroon 5 LIVE show right now. It reminds me of when I saw them.)

A few weeks after I saw them, I dreamt that Adam and the rest of the band met me after the show and followed me home. We stopped in Mendon and they asked me.."What is there to do around here?" I laughed and said, "Let's go to Kalamazoo." So we drove up there and hung out all night. We were in Denny's drinking coffee and eating breakfast at 2am. It was an invigorating dream.

A few weeks ago, I had a dream that Andy and I were in Kauai again. This time it was with family.. (my mom was there.) We were all sitting in a souvenir store/resturaunt of some sort when suddenly Paul McCartney walked through. Mom was the first to look up and gasp in excitement. Then I turned and looked. I got up and started walking toward him. Andy smiled and said, "oh no..." my mom just watched intently.

I approached him and smiled. He was impressed to be recognized by a girl old enough to be his daughter and welcomed me with, "'Well hello Love. Do you know who I am?" I was nervous and excited and digging through my head for his name. In order to answer quickly, I just said, "You're only my favorite Beatle." Hi grinned. Then it came to me. "You're Paul McCartney!" He was flattered and put his arm around me. Then he said, "let me take you to my store." - referring to a store that he apparently owned (all created in my dream.)
I looked back and mom gave me a look like "Where are you going with Paul McCartney....."

He took me across the street and showed me his little shop. It looked just like the other stores on the island - full of the same sort of souvenirs and things. You would've never known that it was owned by a British music icon.
We had great conversation (of which I couldn't recall when I awoke) and he hugged me a few times. He gave me a nice little kiss before I left. And I was so excited over it.
I walked back across the street gleaming. Mom and Andy saw me when I came back and Andy rolled his eyes and laughed over seeing my expression. My mom said, "Don't you tell me that you kissed Paul McCartney!!!" I responded by saying, "Okay. I won't tell you!!!"

Skating!

2008-01-12T21:26:00.000-05:00

We went to Tim's 30th Birthday party at the skating rink tonight. It was the first time Andy and I have gone skating together. Mild-mannered Andy, who hardly takes risks, who's personal life-motto might as well be "safety first!" was a different person in these skates. We lace up and get ready to go, and he's off.

He goes fast, he goes backwards, he does tricks, and all without falling! He's skating circles around me. And he says, "What do you expect? I did this every weekend in junior high." And it sure has stuck with him. Now all we need is to get him a hockey stick. When spring comes, we bust out our roller blades, and shout a good Wayne's World "Game On!"

MovieNight

2008-01-12T00:43:00.000-05:00

We came home after work and checked out the theatres online. Then we contemplated driving further for a cheaper fair of just going to the one 5 minutes away and paying more. We opted for the closest one. To aid in Andy's anxiety to see it in the theater, we watched National Treasure 2. It was fun. Then we walked back in the lobby and bought tickets for The Bucket List. It was excellent, but much more serious than I had expected. Still, I highly recommend it.
I've never watched two movies in the theater back-to-back before. It was thrilling. Andy looked at me kind of funny when we were in line for the 2nd one. He's a big movie goer and has probably done this many times.

I love Friday nights.

John Legend and Chocolate Chip Cookies

2007-10-28T20:41:00.001-05:00

Church was uber-good today. We had guest speakers doing a conference this weekend. It was top notch. Friday night Andy and I went and God reminded me of his Awesome power and healed me of my allergy problems. Yay God!

After church we came home and I made chocolate chip cookies. Gotta feed that cookie monster in us once in a while. They turned out perfect. I've finally mastered my oven. It has to be set 10 degrees higher to bake at the "actual" right temperature.

I put on my itunes and hit "go" on the most recent things I've added. I stumbled over JOHN LEGEND. I'm in love with his voice. Wow. I'll explain: So I got this song, "Show Me" because a guy at work goes to Starbucks everyday (can you say Latte Factor?) and gave me a pile of 'Song of the Day' songs that itunes was having starbucks give away. Most of them I don't like, bu this one is so smooth and luxurious. I brought up Rhapsody and am now listening to his full album.
It goes so well with my perfect chocolate chip cookies and skim milk. (like that irony?)

This makes my Fluid Mechanics homework so much more enjoyable.

This song "Stereo" is on right now... "She only loves in Stereo." His art is superb.

C. Monster's Lament

2007-10-27T14:43:00.000-05:00

Random Wedding Pic

2007-10-16T21:15:00.001-05:00

Andy in the Simpsons

2007-10-13T12:55:00.000-05:00

I made Andy into a Simpson Character. Isn't he sexy?! :)

Nerd Test

2007-10-13T09:21:00.001-05:00

See, I'm just a light-weight nerd. I'm not surprised about the science/math score, but noticed that I don't rank as a nerd based on my computer skills. I know I never want to learn code! (Yuck.)

Married!

2007-07-27T16:26:00.003-05:00

Andy and I were married July 7th. Everything was wonderful! We honeymooned in Hawaii, our island of paradise. (Kauai to be exact.)
Our wedding pictures are online! Check out Erin's excellent photography job by following the directions from my last post to get to them.

Married life is so amazing!

Engagement Pics

2007-07-01T13:09:00.000-05:00

We have photos posted online from our Engagement Photo Shoot. If you'd like to see them, go to: http://www.lastingexpressionsphotos.com click on the "Online Proofing" near the bottom of the page, and choose "Johnson" as the Event code.

We will also have wedding photos posted from the same webpage a few weeks after the wedding.

I'm getting excited!!

Aloha.

2007-05-10T19:08:00.000-05:00

Classes are over for the semester. I got all A's. YES!!

I bought my veil today. And my shoes! Putting a veil on makes me think, "Wow, I'm really getting married!" It's a great feeling. The shoes have a perfect "dance in me!" feel too.

And in other news... We are going to Hawaii for our honeymoon! It is all booked and we will soon be in Paradise. This will be the trip of our lives!!
When I first started this blog, I recall that it was winter and all I wanted to do, worse than anything, was to just pack up my stuff and fly out to Hawaii. I knew that I had always saved going to Hawaii for my future honeymoon, but at the time, I really just wanted to go THEN, and was a bit cynical about men and marriage in general. Since I knew it wasn't going to happen, I just aptly titled this blog and moved on. I ended up taking a quickly-decided jaunt out to CA to see friends and drive the coast alone. It was marvelous, and exactly what I needed at the time. It wasn't my "Paradise Island", of course, but little did I know then that this so called Future Honeymoon would really be only a year and a half later! God is so good! He knows exactly what is best for me - and makes me wait for His timing.

Here's a picture of where we will be staying, I am so excited!!

Derek speaks to USA Today

2007-04-02T22:03:00.000-05:00

Derek Webb, one of my favorite individuals on the planet, was interviewed by USA TODAY last week. He's coming out with a new album, called "The Ringing Bell" out May 1.

Here's excerpts from the article - orignally found here: http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/jones-webb.htm?csp=34

Jones, Webb find faith their way

By Glen Rose

You might not expect to find folk-rock renegade Rickie Lee Jones and Christian singer/songwriter Derek Webb on the same concert bill. But on their latest albums, the troubadours do share a goal: They both want you to get to know Jesus better — and not necessarily through messages provided in mass media or houses of worship.
Jones' The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard, released in February, was inspired by a different spiritual journey than that informing Webb's Mockingbird, which has been generating praise, and some controversy, since last year.
"I came to religion wanting to take what's beautiful about it,," says Jones, 52. "I think we are spiritual beings, but Christianity's position in the culture can be so aggressive that it makes people defend themselves coming to the table."
So in 2005, when Jones' friend Lee Cantelon asked her to take part in a spoken-word recording of The Words, his book outlining Jesus' teachings — and distinguishing those teachings from what Cantelon views as the dogmatic interpretations that have evolved in organized religion — the project seemed a natural fit. Jones decided that she would rather sing than speak, though.
Jones wouldn't define the lean, starkly atmospheric songs she co-wrote with Cantelon and Peter Atanasoff as Christian music. "I guess I assume that would mean a Christian person trying to convince me of something, to sell an idea."
FIND MORE STORIES IN:
Webb, 32, began his career in that market, as part of the Christian band Caedmon's Call. "But as I looked around, I thought, 'where are our artists who are talking about politics? About the government?' It's the job of creative people, and especially those who are followers of Jesus, to be radical truth-tellers. That's what the prophets did."
With Mockingbird, his third solo effort, the Nashville-based artist wasn't concerned about ruffling feathers. On one track, A King and a Kingdom, he sings of "two great lies," identifying one as "that Jesus was a white, middle-class Republican, and if you wanna be saved you have to learn to be like Him."
Webb muses that Jesus "wasn't a white middle-class Democrat either, incidentally. The point is that he didn't walk any party line. But I think that the church, especially where I live, makes a terrible habit of co-opting the more conservative political party.
"I'm not saying the church shouldn't be concerned with issues. My problem is that they've grown so predictable, and Jesus was in no way predictable. The people he loved most lavishly were often socially stigmatized, and he reserved some of his harshest language for the law-keeping church leadership. That's the opposite, in a lot of cases, of what the evangelical church puts forth."
Webb espouses the kind of evangelism he associates with Jesus' original followers, "which was telling people about Jesus and what he did. But the church in the West has made some distinction between that and acts of mercy: caring for the poor, clothing the naked, caring for our neighbors."
Jones, who defines her political leanings more firmly to the left, echoes Webb's concerns. "Capitalistic religion inhibits the idea of service. You're supposed to be in the business of serving yourself, and if you don't do that, you must be some sort of tree-hugging idiot."
On Sermon's Where I Like It Best, Jones sings wryly, "See all those people praying on TV and the churches/They like to make a big parade out of what they're doing." Jones explains: "What I'm telling people is that prayer belongs to you, and you have to take it back."
Webb, who has a new album, The Ringing Bell, due in May, admits that he's been getting fewer invitations to play in churches since Mockingbird's release. But he has no regrets about answering to what he considers a higher authority.
"I hope to tell people what I really see when I look at the world," Webb says. "I know the issues can be complicated, and that a 3½-minute pop song isn't the best venue for some of them. But it's the only medium I have, and it's as good a place as any to start."

2007-03-27T00:41:00.000-05:00

Dad.

2007-02-07T22:02:00.000-05:00

It occurred to me the other day that, if my dad were still alive, he'd be 70!

Wow, everyone would say, "Hey, there's Old man Durham!"

I imagine he'd look like this. With maybe a few more wrinkles. And cowboy boots on.

I miss him.

Dream Carriage

2007-01-27T01:35:00.000-05:00

In thinking of all the planning of this wedding, I suddenly had an image of our leaving the church after getting married, in a rather swank gettup. Not that I'm picky or anything, but I'd
like to....

sit behind a team of snow white horses, in the slickest gig I've ever seen. The wheels are yellow, the upholstery's brown, the dashboard's genuine leather. With isinglass curtains you can roll right down, in case there's a change in the weather. Maybe even a shiny little surrey with a fringe on the top.

I'd sure feel like a queen sittin up in that carriage.

Rings and Dresses and Dancing, oh my!

2007-01-05T23:35:00.000-05:00

It's been a little while since I blogged anything. I've been holding back on you. I have much to tell but not much motivation to type it all. So I'll just get to the good stuff.

I'm engaged!

We're in planning mode now and it brings much joy and fun to my life. ALJ asked me in Chicago in a very beautiful setting, after much walking and parusing downtown. Prior to the moment we went to Tower Records, fun Italian Eatery, Happy Feet, nice Gardens. And THEN.... On one knee, he so graciously asked me to marry him... and with the most beautiful ring EVER! He picked it out himself. I was stunned.

Mom and I are doing our first mother/daughter bridal day tomorrow. I am so excited. She is too, which makes it all the more fun. I'll need her opinion on the wedding dress and flowers and decorations in general.I found bridesmaid dresses already. They're red. And fun. And the girls love them!! They're not those chinzy, expensive, boring, regular bridesmaid dresses you can find everywhere. I did my friends a favor and picked out dresses that could actually be worn for other occasions! Oh and at 1/3 the cost of fancy bridal shop prices.

There's a place near here that does formal dance lessons. I'm all over that. Especially when it comes to Swing, Salsa, and Ballroom. I've gotta check it out and fit it into our schedules.

I want to have everything planned by like February. (lofty goal) Who says you need a year long engagement? Boo on that. We're getting married in the summer.

Pumpkin Pie Blizzard

2006-11-15T21:09:00.000-05:00

A few years ago, my friend Kristi and I had a Dairy Queen tradition. Every time her parents would come visit us at school, we'd all meet up at Dairy Queen. Whenever we needed to get away and get off campus, we'd head to Dairy Queen. I recall one particularly wonderful indulgunce we discovered in those days: The Pumpkin Pie Blizzard. Talk about heaven. I remember writing a poem about it after eating it - it was THAT GOOD! Of course, I can't find the poem now.. and trying to re-write it won't capture the essence and passion the first one bestowed.

And just to rain on my Pumpkin Pie Blizzard Parade, I happened to just come across the nutrition information for this lovely Blizzard of the month. Gracious.

560 calories in a SMALL!!?! How about 1050 calories in a LARGE!!??

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T18:07:00.000-05:00

My neice and nephew dressed up as a Lion and a Witch last year. All they needed was a "Wardrobe" costume to have that full CS Lewis effect. It just happened that way ironically because Madeline threw a fit about wearing Nathan's old costume so Jen had a backup plan (hat & sweater).

Andy and I as Beauty and the Beast at a Halloween party this year.

2006-10-31T00:16:00.000-05:00

Aiden in Action

Aiden!

2006-10-31T00:03:00.000-05:00

Carol and I got to go see John Corbett (aka AIDEN!) at a concert a couple weeks ago. Then got to meet him afterwards. Wow- hottie!

California '06 - Part 2

2006-09-30T09:19:00.000-05:00

..a continuation of the memoir I started, I leave off when i arrived in LA.

RAINY LA

I got in touch with D when and we met at a coffee and tea cafe. It was pouring down rain (though it was February). He ran from his apartment and was soaked. We laughed about it and then he led me through how to deal with the traffic and parking to get turned around and go see his apartment. We walked up the steps to see some of his friends carrying furniture out. He said, "oh, i didn't tell you... we're moving." I knew I'd picked a fine time to see him then. Nevertheless, he showed me where he was living (in transition), and then got on the phone to find a place for me to stay. His girlfriend was gracious enough to take me in for a couple nights before i headed north. I was excited to meet her.
So We hung out at his apartment for a little while and talked with his roommate about ipods and music we like, pop culture, etc. Then we got hungry and headed over to Chicken and Waffles. It's a popular chain in LA and I guess there's a movie about it. I hadn't heard about it but reveled as I took a bite of chicken and then dipped the next piece into maple syrup that had run over from my waffle. Good conversation, good friend.

Then he coordinated with his girl to have me over. Her roommate was super sweet and accomodating as well. Their apartment was adorable. Decorated with class and beauty. A working record player in the living room, and old fashioned tub in the bathroom. I had been coming down with a cold before i left and they were sympahetic to me as I coughed and sneezed all night. I knew that the California sun was bound to dry it all up.

DESTINATION DISNEY

The next morning I got up and got ready for my adventure. I was going to find Disneyland. Ever since I was seven and mom had given us the Disney channel as a renewing "Easter gift" did I always want to go to Disneyland. They would show little clips of what the grounds were like, the rides, etc. and the anticipation had built up all those years. We had gone to Disney World as a family once, and then as a senior with my class, but the desire for Disneyland had never dissipated.
The girls at the house told me it was a terrific day to go because it was a Tuesday and no one would be there. So I got in the car and headed out with directions in palm pilot. I started driving on 5 and the more I drove, the more I noticed that there WEREN'T any signs for Disneyland like they were saying I'd see.
I enjoyed the drive though, listening to shuffle and seeing the countryside.

HUNGRY ANYONE?

And country it was. Gorgeous land, no cities, all highway. I knew I was going the wrong way. I got out my camera and snapped some shots.
Then I spotted a sign for a national park, "Hungry Valley". It reminded me that i was hungry and that i should stop and eat sometime. So, I kept driving up 5 and finally pulled over to a truck-stop restaurant. It wasn't yet noon, so they were getting the buffet ready. I came in and had a seat. The waitress greeted me and thought it seemed peculiar that I was traveling alone. She continued to come over and talk to me during my meal while she rolled silverwear and prepared the dining room. I was satisfied with having my breakfast alone, but she seemed bored and wanted someone to talk to. The meal was great. I had fresh fruit, eggs, toast, and orange juice. I left the restuurant and went across to get gas and buy a pair of sunglasses. I asked the cashier what town I was in. He said, 'Lebec'. I laughed and said, "That's funny. My name's Becca and this is LeBec." Terribly ironic for me to pull over and finally turn around in a town called "The Bec".

I got on the road again and headed south. Passing by Hungry Valley again, I decided I was going to check this place out. I followed the signs down the deserted highway to the National Park. I drove in it and was astonished with the natual beauty of the land. This was a rec park where people came with their dirt bikes and 4-wheelers. I drove and drove down the winding paths, seemingly alone. There were trails along the way with signs showing their degree of difficulty.

I was so glad I took the wrong way to Disneyland because this place was so beautiful.

I drove a little further and then got a glimpse of some dirt bikers in action. I snapped some pictures of them and they showed off in front of me like I was from the newspaper. Satisfied with this unplanned jaunt NORTH of LA, I knew I still wanted to meet Mickey.
So I headed South again and called my mom on the way to say "Hi" and tell her about my trip thusfar. I started seeing the signs and followed them to the grand land of Disney.
I noticed how the roads widened a few miles before and how it suddenly seemed so much nicer. I later learned it is because Disney owns the stretch of highway before and after the grounds. Interesting.

MOUSELAND

I got a parking place and noticed that their was a lot of extra spaces. This really was a perfect day to go. The only thing I lacked was companionship. I knew it was odd to go to Disneland by myself, but I was there and I knew I wanted to do it. No one was able to go with me, so I was going to have fun anyway. And I did.

Highlights of my favorite things: Space Mountain (rode 4x), Toon Town, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the conversation I had with two ladies on the train.
Meeting Mickey and Minnie was fun. We're all just little children inside, aren't we? We never really grow up.

So my dream of going to Disneyland was fulfilled. Check!

Feeling Rather Grateful

2006-09-02T12:26:00.000-05:00

I went to the library today and borrowed "Sixpence none the richer, the early years". Songs like Angeltread, Within a Room Somewhere, and Trust. Funny how the "early years" refer to the songs that were out when I was in high school. Still, whether someone considers them "old" or not, they are still great songs. So I came home and listened to it while taking a bath. I sat back and thought about all the things I'm grateful for. My mom was just handed a miracle from God in the form of a new kidney, (She feels GREAT!) I've got wonderful friends, an intelligent and loving boyfriend, a nice place to live (celebrating my first anniversary as a homeowner this weekend), and I truly love life. School started up again last week and I really like my professors. I've got an awesome mentor, Betsy, with whom I meet every week, a terrific job where I get to learn more about engineering and where they're flexible enough to let me take classes each semester. I just can't feel more blessed. Camp happened a couple weeks ago and I'm still thinking back upon the events that occured there, specifically, how God showed up. Church camp is a mission ground. Americans kids are just as hungry for the word of God and for an experience from Him as kids in other parts of the world. I wish that more emphasis was put upon the needs of those all around us when discussing the "mission field" rather than trips which require lots of cash and distant travel just to accomplish a "mission trip" in one's life.
If you'd like to work the mission field, come to camp with me next year. August 12-18th.

But I'm still grateful. Or Great-full.

I'll take the Physical Challenge

2006-07-08T16:27:00.000-05:00

There's a small group at church that I joined at the beginning of the summer. Every week, we bike around town preparing for a 60 mile trek coming up on July 22nd. The first ride I took was 16 miles long. I thought that was SO much biking. A couple weeks later, we biked 30 miles. I had never biked that much before It's a lot of fun though. And since we have something we are working toward, I'm inspired to work.
Yesterday, my boss and I were talking about losing weight. So we came up with this physical challenge. Since he needs motivation and a goal to get anything done (and I'm just like him in that aspect) we decided to set up a few weight goals. Over the next 12 weeks, with "weigh-ins" every 4 weeks, we're going to lose weight. My goal is 15 lbs. If I got down 20 lbs, I'd be at Mariah Carey weight (YES!). She is an inch taller than me though.
I'm glad this biking challenge is going to help me with the challenge my boss and I have. Because I've got fitness time already set aside for that goal.

If one person meets their goal and the other one doesn't, the loser pays the winner $50. If we both meet our goals, it's a wash. We had to put money on it. Otherwise, we wouldn't try as hard.

Sunny Day

2006-07-08T15:56:00.000-05:00

It's a perfect summer day. I went to the mall and met up with my bf's mom and her friend. Went to Panera Bread and had a grilled chicken salad. Delicioso. Then went to target. My weekend goal is to clean out my spare room and get my christmas stuff into one big tote and out to the garage. It's blazing hot outside but I'm indoors with the air conditioning cranked. Ahhh - feels so nice.
I think after a bit I'll go down to the pool and take a dip.

About a month ago, I did something I've always wanted to do. I signed up to be a Partylite Consultant. I used to think that "someday" i'd get into selling partylite -someday when I'm married and have kids.. cause then I'd have "more time". But the stay-at-home moms that I know certainly don't have much time for anything. And they have to schedule everything around day care and their husband's schedule. So instead of waiting for my "someday" to arrive, I decided it was going to be now.

I'm so happy about that decision. I'm now an official "qualified" consultant. My goal for cleaning out my spare room is to get all my candles in there organized and out of my living room. Unburned candles are certainly a great air freshener. It smells so great right when you walk in the door.

So if anyone needs candles or gift ideas, call me up!

I'm watching a Journey dvd borrowed from a friend at work. Live performances and music videos. Steve Perry's got this yellow shirt with black speckles on it. He looks pretty stylin' in his Fred Flinstone wear.
Now the "Faithfully" video is on. It's kind of funny. The bass player is staring at himself in the mirror with this solemn look.
If they were still touring (with Steve Perry singing) i'd go see 'em.

Hope you all are having wonderful weather out there.

baby season

2006-06-24T01:24:00.000-05:00

The following 4 friends all had babies recently.

Amber C - girl

Amanda E -girl

Laura M - girl

Gwen H - girl

More girls to rule the world!!
Logically speaking though, isn't it supposed to be a 50/50 chance of having a boy? Must've been something in the September air to make everyone have girls.

song

2006-06-23T23:23:00.000-05:00

volcano

True Stories

2006-06-19T21:18:00.000-05:00

True stories are usually the best ones, aren't they? So I had a few conversations with a few friends today and wanted to retell their true tales.

ELLIE MAE

This friend of mine knows this lady who absolutely LOVES animals. Let's call her Ellie Mae. She loves animals so much that she takes in just about anything. She's got 2 ferrets, 2 cats, a wolf, a dog, a pet spider, a snake(or 3), and a sheep. The wolf and the sheep stay within the same fence. They're friends. The spider made this HUGE web one time and Ellie Mae's daughter caught grasshoppers for the spider. She'd catch them and throw them in the web for "Charlotte" to devour. Then the spider got pregnant. Ellie reveled in watching all her million babies get hatched into the environment. Thankfully, the web and spider lived outside.

When her neighbor found a snake while mowing the yard, the neighbor went running away but Ellie Mae went running after it. She just loves every creature.

In hearing about this interesting woman, I asked, "Does she work at a zoo or something? Since she loves animals so much?" "No, she actually roofed my house... oh and while she was pregnant." I was like, "WHAT?!" But it was true.
Then she went on to tell me that the day after she had the baby, she left to meet up with her bowling league. She won't miss a beat. It's like, "okay, the baby is out of the way, now where is my bowling ball?"

Doesn't this sound like a woman who deserves a movie or at least a sitcom about her?!

SIBLINGS ARE MEAN

One wonderful thing about having siblings is, though you would fight with them everyday when you were younger, there are those stories you can retell that make you laugh so hard you fall to the floor.

As a disclaimer, this is not MY story. I did mean things to my sister (as to try to catch up to all the things she did to me of course) but this story I heard today made me laugh so hard I could no longer stand. I was on the floor, barely breathing it was so funny.

Alisa had a younger sister, Heather. She was 3 years younger and couldn't stand her from the day she was born. (This is how sisters are for some reason.) So one day when they were young, while they were taking a bath together, they got into a fight. Probably over one of them having the rubber ducky and not sharing. So Alisa got up out of the tub and started fighting with Heather on dry land. She went to the closet and grabbed the plunger. Alisa recalls taking up the plunger, holding it horizontally, and running as fast as she could at her sister. Since Heather had just gotten out of the tub, her rather portly belly was still wet. This took to the plunger well and, well, it stuck!
Imagine a 3-year old, running in sheer fear, through the house with a plunger on her tummy - the wooden end leading the way, out to her dad. He's sitting at the kitchen table playing cards with his friends.
He had to get a butter knife and vaseline and gradually removed the dreaded plunger. She then had this GIANT hickey on her stomach (taking up almost her whole body) for about a year. People would gasp when they saw her. "What happened to YOU??!" She should've answered, "My BIG SISTER!"

How evil is that to do to your little sister? But ragingly funny.
I asked if they are friends as adults. She said, "We couldn't be closer."

Quote of the Day

2006-05-16T21:42:00.000-05:00

My sister said, "Having kids is like signing up for a part time job that you'll have for the next 20 years."

Buckley.

2006-05-09T22:19:00.000-05:00

I was randomly surfing just now and was thinking about this artist, Brian McSweeney. He used to be in this band called Seven Day Jesus. After they broke up, he had a 5-song demo or something out. They used to play it on college radio. Sadly, I never had a copy of it. In effort to possibly find something on this demo, per chance to buy the download or something, I came across an "exit interview" with Brian McSweeney - written just after 7Day had officially broken up. Here's a clip.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
we paint a picture just for the beauty. I'll write a song for the beauty. (To) no other living thing did God give that gift. I mean, (take for example) dogs…you can teach them to open a door, only to get to the food that's on the other side. You can teach them to do something only for something else. But why do you paint a picture? Just for enjoyment. I want to do that. I want to create music. I want to give back to music what music has given me. I want to be that Jeff Buckley."

"You ever heard of Jeff Buckley?" Brian continues in a rush of words and emotion. "He was a general market artist. He was a singer-songwriter who was the most intense, passionate person. He died last year. He drowned last year at age 30. He was on Columbia Records. He was a crooner. He was a chanteuse, like just a romance, love song kind of (singer), playing coffeeshops in New York City with his guitar; just an original. He was amazing. And that's what I want to be like. I want to be a singer-songwriter that's passionate about my relationship with God, about my wife, about whatever; just about life. Because there's so many things in life that are beautiful to be thankful for."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lately I've been listening to a lot of Jeff Buckley. He had this raw and original way of expressing himself in music and it just inspires me. Everytime my ipod shuffle turns to a Buckley song, I never skip it. It just seems to lure me in... no matter what mood of music I feel like. His vocals are amazing. He's unconventional. He breaks rules. I wish I could've heard him live. But back then, I listened to music that I could put in a box, so to speak. If it had a strict rhythm and chord progression... if I could break it down halfway through the song in my head and be able to predict even the lyrics, that was the type of music I listened to.
Thinking back, I hate some of the music I loved then. And I know for sure that I love some of the music that I would've despised then. Like Bright Eyes. I LOVE Bright Eyes. But the High-School Becca would've totally moaned over Conor Oberst's wavering voice and imperfect rhyme schemes.

One great thing about getting older: Your taste gets better.

The Nashville Race

2006-05-04T23:09:00.000-05:00

Do you ever think that training for an athletic event is just plain overrated? Well, I did.And I'm here to say that It really does work.

Last year I trekked down to Nashville to run a 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles) for fun. I had only taken one class that semester so I had time to prepare by running every other day for 8 weeks prior.

Last year's race was great. I had made my time goal and was so excited about the accomplishment and the fact that my knees didn't crumble after reaching the finish line.
This year, I decided to sign up again. But this year, I was taking more credit hours at school and never had (or made) time to train. I guess I got a little cocky because of how easy it came off for me the first time. Well, the weeks went by and I think I ran 3 times- and never over 6 miles. Knowing full well that this race was more than double, I still went down to Nashville and ran it.
I guess I needed to teach myself a lesson.
The lesson learned is that: TRAINING WORKS!!!
Last year I had great expectations. This year my goal was to just FINISH.
The first three miles were TOUGH. Mile 3 to mile 8 were AWESOME. I felt great, the people cheering us on were great, and running through a sprinkler felt great too. Then mile 8 hit. HUGE blister on my right foot. I wanted to stop at the medical station but I thought, "no it will take too much time." I started running funny for the next 5 miles and finally finished.
Now 5 days later, my foot is finally recovering from the funky injury it incurred. Surprisingly enough, the most comfortable shoes that made my foot hurt the least were high heels. Go figure!
This girl in the pink shirt made me go faster in the end. I thought, "maybe she's in my age range. Am I going to let her beat me?" I believe a little competitive spirit is good for a person. It is usually what I need to get motivated at the end of a race.

I'm humbled, my ego is deflated, and I will now begin REALLY training for a more reasonably-lengthed race. A 10K is coming up at the end of the month and this time, I'll train.

U2 Concert Notes

2006-04-08T22:50:00.000-05:00

I added some notes about the U2 show on the post I had written from my Las Vegas trip. You can read it from this link: Month of Adventure (Nov 05)

Look for the writing under the picture of Bono.

California '06 - Part 1

2006-04-05T22:01:00.000-05:00

Last month, I took a trip to the California coast. It was an amazing experience, and I'd like to share it in writing. I realize that this would turn into a very lengthy post, and difficult to type all at once, so I will write it in segments.

The Purpose

For a few years, it has been a life goal of mine to take a trip down (or up) the coast of California and see some friends along the way. I had lived out there with my friend CH for a summer in 2000 and had visited LA once before too. But the opportunity was arriving and a little voice in me said:

It was a trip I needed to do alone, because no one else I knew really had this type of goal in their life and dragging someone along on your dream vacation is not much fun for anyone. The bonus, however, would be to have shared the experience with someone else. But, that's where my CA-resided friends come along. They didn't take the journey with me, but they were wonderful stops along the way.

Carpe Diem!

I decided upon the trip about 2 minutes before I bought the plane tickets. I bought the tickets about 2 weeks before my spring break. This was key: SPRING BREAK. I only have limited amounts of time off of school -which needs to coordinate with time off of work - in order to be able to plan a week-long trip. So much for a life of spontaneity. However, the lack of planning the trip altogether left plenty of space for fun and surprises. And I LOVE being spontaneous.
My friends were gracious enough to spend time with me on such a short notice and I am truly thankful for that. They are all kind of spontaneous too. Especially DMH - the King of not-planning. But it's always a fun time.

Flying the Line

I flew out of O'Hare on a Monday morning. Got to see "Walk the Line" as an in-flight movie, which made me smile with glee because I was dying to see it and was so glad I hadn't spent the time to watch it before the trip. I really enjoyed learning more about Johnny Cash and his early career. I also appreciated that Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon did their own vocals for the movie. It added a more real element to the film. Much better than seeing them lip sync.

Rainy LA and the Crazy Chicken

I arrived in LA and got a rental car. I had been so busy before leaving that I didn't even have time to get a car reserved. Luckily, when I got to O'Hare, I got on my computer and reserved one. The prices were no different than the few days earlier. I was so happy to be reserving only mere hours before picking it up.

Once I got in the car, I just started driving in to town. I didn't look at any maps. I didn't feel like it. It was raining pretty hard and I was learning how to drive alongside the crazy LA drivers and just follow the road. I started getting hungry, and knew I needed to get something kind of quick, so I started looking for a fast food joint. I didn't want to eat somewhere I always could (say at Taco Bell or .. Heaven forbid -McDonald's) so I found an El Pollo Loco YES!
Fresh salsa, red, green, picante, fire, fresh tacos, yum deluxe.

The only downside was getting begged for money from a scary individual who was wondering the inside of the restaurant. I felt compassion for him, and gave him a few bucks. He said he was hungry and was hoping for a bite to eat there. After he walked away, I watched him go up to the front, wonder around and then walk out of the joint. I was so disappointed! Why is it when people beg for money, they never show you that they will take care of themselves. The only guaranteed way to help out a hungry person is to go buy food for them and hand it to them.

After the meal, I got into the car and decided to bring up a map. I was so glad I bought a program called "Streets and Trips" for my computer. It was so much better than hauling an atlas around. I found where I was and had the program map me to find DMH. After all of that driving, I had stopped to eat only about 5 miles away from his place. Pretty cool for only knowing that he lived somewhere in LA. I was thankful for not having to drive two hours to get there.

To Be Continued...

How do you like your mallow?

2006-03-28T20:31:00.000-05:00

I'm roasting a marshmallow right now.
On my coffeetable.
It just caught on fire.
The marshmallow, not the table.
Mmmmmmmmmmm burnt marshmallow. Yes!
Just like from Gramma Durham's fireplace.
Well, not really.
In any way.
Except for the taste of burnt marshmallow.

Ear Candies

2006-03-21T22:53:00.000-05:00

CD's I Purchased Recently:
--------------------------------------------------------
Sheryl Crow - Wildflower
Matisyahu - Youth
Jamie Cullum - Catching Tales
Damien Rice - O
Elizabethtown - Original Movie Soundtrack

I love all of them. Yet each has a unique and equally wonderful flavor.

On Makeup

2006-03-19T23:33:00.000-05:00

The other day I was in a drugstore and ran across this advertisement. It appears that big, bright (gauty) eyemakeup is now the "in" thing. I want to know: Who decides this type of stuff? Is it that there is way too much blue, purple, and hot pink eyeshadow left over from the eighties that we need to bring it back 20 years later?

From the look of this brochure, it appears that the idea of looking natural is certainly not en vogue at this moment in time. So it made me think... hmm.. If I wore this type of eyemakeup, what would happen?
I'd be spending more time trying to explain to my friends and coworkers that it was the latest style and much less time being "admired" for how fashion saavy I appeared to be.

To wear makeup that emphasizes natural beauty will never go out of style. If you stick to that, you'll never have to try to keep up with the newest shade of blue eyeshadow. (what a relief)
The promotion is titled "Color is Intense". Then they have certain "Disharmony" looks. It's nice that the writers are aware that these looks certainly won't bring HARMONY to your face (or to anyone else's who sees you.)
Look at these girls! Don't they look hideous? They would probably look so much better with no makeup on at all.

Or take this one: Disharmony #3. Doesn't this look like somebody's kid sister was home by herself and got into her mom's makeup? She should be grounded for going out like this.

A few years ago, I was in a college choir. Every year they would schedule one big week-long tour over spring break. After spending 2 hours everyday in practice together and then going on a week long tour, I felt like all 49 of them were family.
During the tour, all the girls would flutter through the bathroom, all sharing each other's makeup, blow dryers, curlers, etc. as we got ready for each night's performance. I learned some good makeup tips that week just by watching others.

Each day we would usually have group time where we would sit down together and talk about what was on our minds. This was a chance for us to wind down, to pray for one another, and find relaxation.
One of the mezzo sopranos (like me), Sharon, was a senior. She was absolutely gorgeous with long black hair and a great complexion. She was honest, mature, friendly, and had a great personality. I remember one day she spoke up in our sit-down talk. She shared that she had given up wearing any makeup for lent. She was feeling rather insecure about her appearance and just wanted prayer about it. I remember that moment. Most of the girls just made a gasp/sigh. I looked at her really close and.. well, was shocked. She was so BEAUTIFUL. Yet, in looking close, you could tell she was makeup-free.
Since our choir tour was during spring break, that meant that she was forbidding herself from wearing makeup that whole time. I thought that was an awesome feat. It was certainly something I believe God appreciated as he knew it was a tough sacrifice for her.

In looking back upon that, she has still stuck in my mind as an amazing example. Her sparkling personality and wit outstood her physical appearance... So much so that NO ONE even knew. Not one person. We didn't even realize that she wasn't sharing mirrors with us everyday.. She wasn't borrowing eyeliner and sharing beauty tips. She was spending time in the hallway, reading the Bible and communing with God.

Last summer I took the 40 day Sharon Challenge. Mine may have not been as challenging as hers was because i wasn't living close with 24 other girls. But i did have to go to 2 weddings unmakeup'd, play w/ the band a couple times (in front of an audience), and go to work every single day looking as some call "tired". (Guys usually say "You look tired" when they really just don't realize that she's not wearing makeup. Other girls can usually just tell when another girl isn't wearing makeup and typically doesn't comment on it.)
It was a great experience. I think every woman should do it. At least once. So you can remember that God tells us beauty comes from within. It is not in the way we look on the outside, but on the inside that counts.

Makeup is like a hobby to me though. It's fun when I get new makeup just to experiment and see what different combinations of things look like.
Out in Cali, Cris and MaryAnn took me to Sephora. This AWESOME makeup store that has anything and everything you've ever imagined. On site was one clever and oh so cute makeup artist. He bounced over to us as he saw that I was looking for someone to try some new stuff on me. He was happy, funny, and rather girly himself.. but WOW- did he do an amazing job. I wanted to take him home in my pocket. He made me dazzle "like a disco ball" -as he would say.
At least I still had the natural look going. Just with a little added shimmer.

2006-02-25T11:05:00.000-05:00

California Dreamin'

2006-02-23T16:53:00.000-05:00

California Dreamin' on such a winter's dayyyyyyy

4 more days 4 more days 4 more days 4 more days

Audible.com

2006-02-19T20:21:00.000-05:00

Audio books are the best. They put actual adventure and education into my daily 2+ hrs in the car each day. They are far easier than reading books the old fashioned way. Whenever I sit down to read a book, I think of all the things I could be doing around my house and have a hard time focusing. That, or I feel guilty for not doing homework. But in the car, there's no choice to do homework. I must just SIT there. So, audible.com has been a new-found interest. You download books, then put them on whatever you want. For me, I have a few choices: I can put it on a CD, palm pilot, or even my Sony Mini-Disc player. (Yea, it's out of date, but I love the 2-year old technology!)
Andy, being the tech genius that he is, (*cough* Geek!) has a video ipod. Ever since Christmas, he's been showing all his love to this gadget as he demonstrates all the amazing things that it does. In front of me. Not till just recently did I start to want one myself. Up to this point, I had been satisfied with my old-school techie ways.

But yesterday, while being in the mall and feeling the shopping bug, wanted to just find a place that sells these addictive toys and just GET ONE. I thought, "I'm going on spring break next week... I could really use it then." Funny how a want becomes a need rather quickly in one's mind. I ended up resisting the temptation and went over to see the boy.

I walked in and told him about how I really just wanted to get one and whether he would consider going RIGHT THEN to get one.
He calmly said, "Yeah, we could do that... I just want to show you something on my computer really quick... And then we can talk about going to town." I went to look at his screen, and he brought up the email receipt showing that he was having one sent to him - just for me - to arrive this week.
I couldn't believe it. There's no holiday, no occasion.. No reason at all, other than the fact that he said he was going crazy knowing I didn't have one, and that they were so wonderful, and he couldn't take it anymore.

GEEK =

Generous
Even-Keeled
Eccentric
Kangaroo

People as Property

2006-02-16T23:50:00.000-05:00

I saw this on the sidebar of a google page tonight:

Seeing that it said it was directing you to ebay, i thought, "Are people actually auctioning themselves off on Ebay??"

So, curiously, I clicked on the link. To add to the hilarity of the situation, it took me HERE.

Songs I Love / Songs I Hate

2006-02-04T00:45:00.000-05:00

OVERPLAYED SONGS I LOVE
Feelin' Good- Gorillaz
Don't Lie- Black Eyed Peas

OVERPLAYED SONGS I HATE

"Because of You" -Kelly Clarkson

This should be voted the Pity Party Song of the Year. "Because of you my life sucks. .. Thanks to you I'm a loser,boo hoo hoo" Those aren't really the lyrics. But one part does go, "Because of you I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty." Kelly, can't you just take ownership of your own actions rather than place blame? If you blame someone else because YOUR life is empty,does that really make you feel any better?
I must give her some credit. She does have a great voice. And most of your songs are pretty good. (aside from being overplayed on the radio-so much so it makes you want to drive into a ditch if they play another Kelly Clarkson song) but this one ranks HIGH on my Most Hated Songs list.

Then there's "Photograph" - by Nickelback

Who CARES if you're looking through old photographs and reminscing? Must you sing about it? And with such unoriginal chord progression and overly predictable melody? It's as if we're getting an audio tour of the scrapbook of some stranger every time we hear this song. Which,for me is DAILY- and NEVER willingly. So, why is this song popular again?? I like Nickelback as a whole and they've had some decent songs in the past..but this one has eaten away at my sciatic nerve. I can't take it anymore. And NO, I won't' look at this photograph.' It's a SONG. I can't SEE things through my radio.

Bible in a Year

2006-01-01T21:25:00.000-05:00

I just found this website you should check out HERE. It gives you various reading plans suited to your own preference. If you want to read the Bible in order of when the events happened (chronologically) or by reading the old and new testaments at the same time, or historically -in order of the original greek and hebrew versions - then this website gives you a day-to-day reading plan. There's even a blended plan -so you're getting a nice mix. Like reading a little Isaiah, and then a little Mark.

Reading the Bible everyday for a year sounds like a good New Year's plan... don'tcha think?

Office Space!

2006-01-01T16:46:00.000-05:00

I had an "Office Space" moment today. This morning i threw some pants in the washer, forgetting that there was a wad of cash in the back pocket. I threw a bunch of liquid soap in there, and then waited to wash them because i was on my to the shower and wanted the hot water.
So I got cleaned up and got dressed, making mental notes of what i needed at the store. Then I realized that my money was in my pants, in the washer! When I pulled it out, it was soaked with soap - as if I poured the soap directly on THAT part of the laundry load.
At the grocery checkout, I told the cashier I was experimenting in a different type of money laundering. He laughed as he rubbed the money on his pants trying to get them dry. I assured him that the rest of his money would be nice and clean.

The guys in Office Space try their hand at money laundering too. But not MY way. They came out with a new and improved collector's edition of the flick. It's bound to be wildly funny with even more flare.

Non-Biased Bowling

2005-12-13T21:45:00.000-05:00

It has become tradition for the girls at work to take Nathan out for his birthday every year. Nathan works in general maintenance/trash-pick-up/random chores or tasks. (i.e. "Nathan, can I get 20 copies of this, collated, stapled, 2-sided?" "Sure." "Nathan, will you take these 50lb boxes back to shipping?" "Anything for you, Becca." "Nathan, will you go climb 4 flights of stairs and get me last year's reports? oh and shovel all the snow in the walkways, and bring me copy paper?" "Ok". The man never complains. He is quite possibly the sweetest person in Branch county. He's 37 now, but has the mentality of about a 12 year old. So, we take him out for his Birthday every year. He starts the countdown to his birthday 3 months in advance, so none of us EVER forget when it is.
Now that i've made a completely useless introduction, i'll get to the real pondering thought.
While i was there, I looked at the board of "fame" for the local bowlers. A picture of a 16-year old kid was posted, showing he got into the 300 club. Other league stats were posted, along with group pictures.
So one thing about bowling just amazes me. You can never look at someone and guess whether they are good at bowling or not. There is really no BIAS to this sport! Say if someone is really tall, it's assumed they can probably play basketball. If you're chinese, bets are down you'd lose at ping pong. Mexican? Bet they can kick your butt in soccer.
But BOWLING. Hmmmm... Looking at these pictures, I see black, white, asian, tall, short, thin, fat, young, old....
No WAY!! You really can't pigeonhole this sport down to a certain look. A certain type.

So what does a good bowler look like? And what is the real strategy to winning? Do you just constantly practice the same swings, till you find the one that strikes? Then you just try to replicate that move over and over? I'm sure there are my ways to become a good bowler. But I know I don't have the patience to try to become one. I'm happy with my phat score of 70. Yeah i rock.

2005-12-13T21:43:00.000-05:00

My Month of Adventure.

2005-11-27T19:48:00.000-05:00

At a glance:

Viva Las Vegas.

* Hilton

* Running the strip in the morning

* The Bellagio

* The fountains there

* The Nightclub "Light" (which was almost completely dark)

* The Titanic Exhibition

* Pepper Mill Restaurant

* New York, New York

* The roller coaster there

* the guy at the $100 BJ table

* The U2 CONCERT

* Getting a better seat at the U2 Concert

The Setlist and Notes on the Concert:
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Elevation
Mysterious Ways
Until the End of the World
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Beautiful Day
All These Things That I've Done
Miracle Drug
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky
Miss Sarajevo
Pride
Where the Streets Have No Name
One

Encore(s):
Zoo Station
The Fly
With or Without You
Happy Birthday
All Because of You
In a Little While
Bad

Mysterious Ways is played for the first time since Dublin in June and includes and Bono pulled a dancer out of the crowd to dance on stage. 'Sometimes' is dedicated to Vegas resort owner Steve Wynn. Mary J Blige came out to sing "One". Bono brought tour manager Dennis Sheehan on stage between encores to wish him happy birthday with cake and a crowd sing-a-long. Brandon Flowers (of The Killers) joined the band for "In a Little While".

When Brandon came out, I started screaming and flailing all around. I was so excited to see him. On the plane, I was thinking about people I'd like to see. Specifically, famous ones. I thought, "the Killers are from Vegas. Wouldn't that be awesome to, oh just run into them? Nah, they'll never be there. And how would I be able to just run into them?"
It was like a fulflled prophesy. Or wish for sure.
This type of thing happened once before a couple years ago too. I was flying to Nebraska and, on the plane, I was thinking that I wanted to either run into Jason Mraz in the airport, or Jars of Clay. I was thinking of all the Jars band members names. In Nebraska, ofcourse I didn't see anyone. (who goes to Nebraska?) but 3 days later, on July 4th, I'm walking off the plane in Ohare, through the hallway of American Airlines, and there sat Dan Haseltine against the wall. Alone. Listening to his walkman. He's the lead singer of Jars of Clay, and I was completely in love with him in High School.

I walked up to him and said, "Dan?" he said,"Yeah?" I said, "Haseltine?" and he smiled and said "yes?" The next 20 minutes were some of the best minutes of my life. I told him how I thought this was going to happen. He smiled and laughed, telling me that he had missed his flight and was just waiting for the next flight. It was definitely an appointment that I believe God scheduled in my life.

So, back to the Vegas story. Though I didn't really "run into" the Killers, It was perfect to just see and hear Brandon sing. It was an amazing moment. Especially since I didn't come to Vegas with a ticket to see U2. And I wasn't sitting in the seat that was on my ticket. Yet, I wasn't kicked out either. Though many around me were getting their tickets checked.
Once again, God was blessing me with an awesome night that would have never happened- had I not had faith. God really does care about the little things in your life. Even if you think certain things are too insignificant to pray about.. God really wants to bless you in those things. Giving Him credit for them is important to him too.

* The Sphinx Hotel

* King Tutenkamun

* Seeing where mom used to live

* Golden Gate Restaurant & Casino

* Fremont Street Experience

* Finding it humorous that everything in Vegas has to have the word "Experience" after it.

********************************************************************************

Black Friday in Chicago

* Train ride

* Dodging Crazed Shoppers

*Avoiding screaming babies

* Palmer House Hilton

* Cab rides

* Shedd Aquarium

* Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum

* Star of Wonder presentation there (that led the 3 wise men to Jesus)

* Regulus Star

* Navy Pier

* Popcorn Palace

* Starbucks

* Ferris Wheel

* Field Museum of Natural History

* Africa exhibit there

* Egyptian exhibit there too

* Sue the Dinasaur

* The Hall of Jade

* Shrinking down to microscopic size (honey, i shrunk the museum goers)

* Meeting a family from Lousiana who left Lousiana when warned about Katrina

It was a fun month.

Tick. Tock.

2005-11-01T20:01:00.000-05:00

The clock ticks. 32 minutes left of class.
And counting.
This prof's teaching style is entertainingly horrible.

The West is calling.
And only the clock is keeping me here.
3 more days to glorious vacation freedom.

My First Swiffer

2005-10-22T13:02:00.000-05:00

You know you're getting old when you get excited over a new Swiffer Wet Jet. It cleans your floor. It leaves a beautiful shine!! It even has a little scrubber attached! Can life GET any better!?!

It makes me laugh that a cleaning product can bring such joy. It's relatable to the same feeling I had when I got a Barbie Kitchen set when I was 10. And now, at 25, I thrill over stuff to clean my own "kitchen set".

I am as happy as Christmas Morning.

A Simple Life. W/ Added Sugar.

2005-09-29T20:36:00.000-05:00

At times I think I need to live life simpler. Get out of debt totally, stop buying so much stuff and just learn what it's like to live a simpler life.
I imagine selling all my stuff and moving to a foreign country to live for a few years and depend on God for all my true NEEDS to be met.
It competely appeals to me to go to South America. I don't even have a preference for which country in the continent. Just put me down there, God! I've had this desire for 6 years now. And I think in another 6, it will be a reality.

Yet, tonight I stop and get groceries on the way home from work. Here I am, going down every aisle, and finding things i NEED. Finding fruits, vegetables...healthy choices....unhealthy choices... cereal snack packs.

Ahh, cereal snackpacks. I had this happy feeling overcome me as I made the decision to purchase these. The things that mom never bought. Why? Because they're way overpriced and for what -immediate options? Oh yeah. The cereal pack that lets you eat depending upon your mood. Want to be naughty? Have some lucky charms or cocoa puffs. Want to be good? Then original cheerios and shredded wheat awaits you.

As I came home, I thought about those cereals.. and other junk i bought. Why did I buy them? Because I can.. and because living alone allows me to divulge in any and everything I buy. And I never have to share. What a selfish girl I am.

Then I think about my hunger and desire to leave all this luxury and take off to live in near-poverty in a third-world country. It would definitely do me good I'm sure. Make me a much more grateful girl.

Library Card

2005-09-22T19:32:00.000-05:00

Moving to a new town can bring excitement to a person as she anticipates the next new day filled with new roads to drive down and new people to encounter. It is also filled with frustration as you get lost down those roads only to run into more one-way only roads, before you wind up next to a bank you remember driving next to once, but really having no clue where you are.

Tonight I discovered the city library. Loaded to the brim with all things media, I find myself gushing over their magazine collection, their HUGE collection of CD's and DVD's to check out, not to mention 3 levels of books galore. I thought to myself today, "I should probably start meeting people in this town. Maybe I'll get to meet some interesting old lady at the library and make a new friend!" Well, no one really seems to want to shake hands and start up a conversation and I have to admit I wasn't being outgoing and introducting myself to complete strangers. So, I find my way to this back corner. It has a desk, a chair, and a plug. All I need to compute. oh and Study.

So this older man just walks up to me. I thought he worked here so I asked if it was okay for me to sit here. He looked at me strangely. I asked if he worked at the library. He said, "No, but I'd like to get a job here." He asked me what my name was, and I got his. He even shook my hand. Then he asked, "got any spare change or anything?"

I'm just heartbroken. No, this isn't a new friend to meet in a new town with a new library card. Nope. Just a beggar who thought since I had a computer he might as well get "some spare change" from me. What in the world?!? Why even play me on by introducing yourself and shaking my hand?? Ohhhhh because you wanted money from me. I see. Thanks alot STANLEY.

I might be a Baddie now

2005-08-14T15:00:00.000-05:00

Last Friday (August 5th), I was standing in a sweaty crowd of people at the Coveleski Stadium in South Bend, IN. I think it an odd, but gloriously fun hobby of mine to spend hours upon hours driving to shows, paying for concert tickets, and pressuring friends to go with me... just to weave my way to the very front and get everyone else's sweat on me. I know it's strange, but I've been a concert freak since...oh... age 5. And I don't see it going away any time soon.

On this momentus day last week, I was experiencing my first-ever live show of DEF LEPPARD and BRYAN ADAMS. Yes, folks- together. In one venue. Ahhh how wonderful.

I was most excited about the Def Leppard show. I was geeked out as ever singing along with other 20/30 somethings standing around me. I love that unique connection you make with complete strangers as you just stand next to them and sing songs that you both know together.
Behind me was a good sized group of younger kids. They came with their parents- ofcourse, but to my surprise and delight, they knew almost all the words to these songs! I couldn't believe it. After "Pour Some Sugar On Me", I turned around to see a young boy who had been getting each and every lyric, (including deciphering the word 'sacharine' out of the song) and asked him, "Hey how old are you?" he said, "I'm 9. "I said, "I was your age when this song came out!" I was smiling at him to show my approval of his being cultured to know "old-school" music.. but as I turned back around I had this overwhelming feeling of.. "I FEEL OLD NOW!!!" Also, during a long guitar solo at the end of "Animal", I was staring at the screen backdrop -which was a multi-colored design -similiar to their album covers. The music was going I was rocking back and forth... sort of going into a trance by it all. I had this weird feeling come over me. I felt like it was 1992 or so and I was at one of their shows when they were in their peak. I snapped out of it after the song and just burst out laughing. Reminding myself... "i'm still 25 . This is 2005..."

After Def Leppard was done, Bryan Adams was up next. Older women pushed and SHOVED their way to the front; one making a rather large scene. I thought it was funny that these 40/50-year old women were getting all aggressive and holding their spots near the front of the stage. There was also a 70-something woman behind me during that show. How great is that?!
She was holding her own arm-in-arm with whom I'd guess was her daughter. They couldn't believe how "rough" the crowd was being.
I had to chuckle at this comment... thinking back on previous rock or punk concerts i've been to where you literally fall all over everyone else because you're packed like sardines against the edge of the stage. Even a handful of Christian rock concerts i've been to have been pretty rough. But the concert this night was not even in that league for "rough crowds".

So I was looking up the set lists for these shows today and learned that Bryan Adams fans are called "Baddies". This is because his initials are B.A. and i guess the D from Adams just follows to make a cute little nickname for all the BA fans. Baddies.
I must say; I'm a much bigger fan of him now that I've seen him live. He's all over the stage.... as energtic as ever.. .and I knew more songs than I realized. He did look RIGHT AT ME once during "Run to You" . That made my night. He sort of looks like Kevin Bacon too. Blond hottie.

At Last

2004-12-30T00:20:00.000-05:00

I've finally taken the plunge and created a live journal for all the world to see. Call it peer pressure. I started to see that all the kids my age had one of these. I've tried to stay "up with the times" and keep it real with my internet-laden age group. The more I thought about how I would have nothing to say, the more thoughts would strike me all through the day as to what to write about. I just couldn't resist it anymore. Especially something that comes at no charge!? Cha!
So, here I am. Alive. Yeah, I eat and sleep and the planet.. and I'm flaunting my swank existance with a nice lovely piece of paradise. Free internet webspace!

My 3-year old nephew recently opened up a Christmas present. After only seeing the box picture, he exclaimed, "Wow! A blender of my very own!!" Ofcourse, no one gave a 3-year old a blender.. but rather toys inside the blender box. Still, his enthusiasm was priceless.

So, or now, I'll sign off by saying, "Look! An online journal of my very own!!"