Legally Bald...

Today was glorious...and relaxing. Started off a tad early and has ended a tad late, but such a relaxing and random day...

+ Wake Up (8:00am)...little ealry for me, but I had to feed some dogs.

+ Wedding Dress Shoppping (NOT for me...for a friend--that sounds like a lame line, but seriously for a friend).

+ Lunch at BJ's (Cheese Pizza and Salad...yum-o)

+ Lounging at Jen's

+ Wal-Mart (to get Jen's oil changed)

+ Dinner at Rubios with JLA (chicken taco and guac...gotta love the guac...not to be confused with guam...)

+ Back to Wal-Mart to pick up Jen's car.

+ Still at Wal-Mart to get new rear tires on Jen's car. We were told they were "legally bald" and Wal-Mart was not liable if we "got into a car accident and died because a tire blew out". They made Jen sign a paper and everything!

**Note to me to check my own tires.

+ Still at Wal-Mart reading "In Touch" or some Hollywood slap in the face magazine. Jen trying to be a mom and listen and read at the same time...

+ Car is ready. Men in the tire center at Wal-Mart are slightly weird. Friendly...but still weird.

+ Driving Around... haha

+ McDonald's ice cream cone time...

+ Jen's house...more lounging

+ More lounging...laughing...talking...lounging...laughing...

+ You guessed it...more laughing...

A glorious day.

Can we do this again, minus the Wal-Mart visits?

Quote of the Week #2

Contributed (once again) by Jennifer Anderson:

Jen: (In hallway doing laundry): "Oh Damn It"

Becky: (Laying down on bed) "What Happened?"

Jen: (Struggling with clothes in dryer)"What didn't happen? My life happened."

Thanks again J.lo for contributing to the quote of the week.

"haha" :)

Good For The Soul....

This is an old picture--but the people in it I adore and appreciate so much. Had a great time hanging out tonight with two good friends--both of whom I don't get to see all that often, but it's always fun when I do. And our hang out tonight happened randomly, but I'm glad it did. My time with them was good for my soul.

Good friends. Good conversation. Good tea. PTL.

"Hot Sticky SWEET"

Did you know when a package says that is has 10 grams of sugar that is equivalent to about 2 1/2 teaspoons of sugar. So that means if somethings has 20 grams of sugar, that's 5 teaspoons or almost 2 tablespoons. That's a lot depending on what you're eating. I never knew how much sugar was in something because it's always calculated in grams...but now I know! I don't know if this will change my eating, but it's always good to be informed. You learn something new everyday!

Represent...BNJ

Thanks for a great time tonight ladies! PTL for cherished friends and good food.

"I'm Pro Honesty..."

I read this on another friend's blog and began pondering it myself. I see it as full of truth, and it really got me thinking.

What's our role as Christians in holding others accountable for their sin? Not casting judgement upon them (God is surely capable of handling that on His own--he doesn't need my help), but calling out those we love when there is evident sin in their life.

I know when there are sin issues in my life I need to be called on them--and I have been. And at the time I don't like it--because I feel guilty or ashamed and seem to always try and defend myself--but I need it. And it helps to refine my character and relationship with my Heavenly Father.

So this is what I read and am pondering... (Most of this was in response to the Ted Haggard situation, but I see truth in it beyond that one instance).

1. Christians, and not just pastors, do not feel free to disclose sins to anyone.

2. Christians, including pastors, sin and sin all the time.

3. Christians, including pastors, in evangelicalism do not have a mechanism of confession.

4. Christians and pastors, because of the environment of condemnation of sin and the absence of a mechanism of confession, bottle up their sins, hide their sins, and create around themselves an apparent purity and a reality of unconfessed/unadmitted sin.

5. When Christians do confess, and it is often only after getting caught, they are eaten alive by fellow evangelicals — thus leading some to deeper levels of secrecy and deceit.

Thoughts?

Dance Party

I think we need to have another one...sometime soon. Real soon.

Blue Light Special...

My morning started off with a very loud reoccuring noise and a bright flashing blue light. About 9:00am this morning I was sleeping contently in my bed, when all of the sudden the fire alarm (not the smoke detector, there is a difference--the fire alarm in MUCH louder) started going off in my apartment. Blue lights were flashing and the noise was close to making my head pound. I opened my eyes, not sure what was going on or what I was supposed to do, but something told me I should get up and exit my apartment to make sure it wasn't a legite fire.

It was just a drill--and security apologized for not informing me in advance that this was going to be taking place. They said I could go back into my aparment but the noise and lights were still going on. I went back in, laid back down and put the pillow over my head for about 5 minutes until it all ceased.

I thought for a moment I was at K-Mart during a blue light special when I saw the light flashing.

What a way to start the day...

"Litte Miss Sunshine"

Have you seen it? I watched it tonight with a few friends and thought it was a pretty good movie. I laughed a lot. There are a few F-bombs scattered around, but other than language, it doesn't have much trash. It's a good movie--depicts a dysfunctional family which is a reminder to everyone that no ones family is perfect. No ones. So I would reccommend seeing this movie. I think I might buy it.

Quote of the Week

Quote of the week: This week's quote contributed by Jennifer Anderson.

People on the corner holding sings saying "Honk for Peace"

Jen: "I don't like it when these people are out here. Don't honk for peace Becky"

Becky: (honks for peace :)

Jen: "Becky, why did you do that? There's never going to be peace on earth"

Tim: "Not with that attitude there won't be!"

All: Bust up laughing!

It was great. Thanks J.Lo for your contribution.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Today was fun. Celerating the birth of our Lord with family and close friends. Here are a few highlights:

--Lots of food. And lots of chocolate.

--My best friend j.lo and my brother's best friend Brandon both came by and hung out with my family for a while. They are family, so it was fun to have all 6 of us together again. Reminded me of high school days...and riding to school in the 72 Chevelle...in the winter...with no defroster...okay, enough said...

--Jen and I went on our annual Christmas Wendy's food run around noon. Tim came along this year. Can't beat french fries and a frosty on Christmas!

--My mom and I beat my dad and brother at two games of Ukuer. Not one game but two.

--My whole family (dad, mom, tim and I) watched the entire Cowboy vs. Eagle game while we sat by the fire. We haven't all watched a football game together in years. Tim would explain each play to me and would yell loudly at the TV when there was a bad play or a call he didn't agree with. It was a lot of fun!

--Played a massive game of spoons complete with six people and my mom who would scream every time someone went to grab a spoon. It was great and provided lots of laughter. And only two injuries occured: Jen hit her head on the window sill and my dad got his finger smashed. Gotta love Spoons.

--My parents cat, Sam, does not like my brother. She's a moody cat to begin with, but she really doesn't like Tim. If he walks by her she will, without a doubt, hiss at him. I can be holding her and he will try and pet her and she will bat him with her paw. It is truly one of the funniest things ever. I laugh every time.

--Good conversation and hang out time with my friends Scott and Nina at Scott's house. It's great to get together late on Christmas night, after all the festivities and eating has ceased and just relax and enjoy the company of cherised friendships and good friends.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Yesterday Was Christmas Adam, Today is Christmas Eve...

I am starting to get my love for Christmas back. I have a friend who loves to tell me that I hate Christmas--this is not the case at all. The past two Christmas' have not been the best for a few reasons, but I have higher hopes for this Christmas and tonight, Christmas Eve, was a good start.

Church and singing of Christmas carols. Good Food. Lots of laughter among the family. Lots of Diet Pepsi (or Pepsi One as my grandpa likes to buy). Time spent with my two lovely cousins. And of course Christmas presents...

Tonight I received:

--A car duster (props go out to my grandpa for that one. But, really who uses a car duster? It truly is the thought that counts and that's why I smiled as I opened this gift.

--"The Joy of Cooking" Cookbook - Newly Revised! Props go out to grandma for this one. She tells me this is one cookbook every woman should own. I guess I am now officially a woman.

--Electronic Sudoku! I love Sudoku

--Scrabble - I don't own this game, but it's a classic to have on hand. And since Eric stole mine, I'm glad I got another one :)

--A DVD - A Beauitufl Life

Tonight was fun and I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Though it did seem strange arranging with my brother and parents what time I was going to come over in the morning to my parents house to open gifts. I've always lived there, so there was no need for arranging times. My brother said 9am and I laughed. This suggestion was coming from the man who would hardly ever get up before 11am on any given day. We agreed on 10:30am. That's a little more like it for me :)

Gotta go set out the cookies and milk for Santa...

Do Something

I was reminded today that love is verb. A verb is an action word. Thus love involves action. Thank you my friend for reminding me of this.

87 Years Of Wisdom

Yesterday, my grandpa turned 87 years old. Now this man has more knowledge and wisdom in him than anyone else I know. Not only is he wise, but he is still loving life--working, mowing the lawn, enjoying spending time with his wife (as he ALWAYS tells me that the best decision he ever made in life was to marry my grandma--he loves her deeply and what a blessing that is to see!) and he's always buying little things for his grandchidren and making sure we're stocked up on paper towels, toilet paper, kleenex and Dove soap--all of which he buys for us. I know it can seem strange, but he loves doing it and loves to give to people. He is easily the most giving person that I know which is probably where my mom gets it too.

He's taught me so much about so many diverse things. He teaches me about the stock market, baseball, investing, real estate, buying a car, what kind of guy to date, how to make really good mashed potatoes, and the importance of having a good attitude about everything--and I mean EVERYTHING. And he does. Whenever I ask him, "How you doing Grandpa?" he always replys by saying, "I'm doing great--couldn't be better. I never have a bad day." And he's serious. He tells me the only way he could have a bad day is if his wife left him or if someone in the family died--but other than that nothing could get him down.

My grandpa's goal is to live to be 105 and I think he just might. I can't really describe how much I love my grandparents, but I know I'm thankful that the Lord called me to a job in Fresno, so I'm still able to see them every week and continue to glean wisdom from them.

Thank you Jesus for grandparents and the blessing they are.

"Tim, stop turning the light on!"

I miss my brother. Just tonight I called him but he was at work so he threw his phone to his best friend Brandon to answer. If I couldn't talk with Tim, Brandon would surely be my number two choice. Afterall, Brandon is pretty much like my second brother.

So I didn't actually get to chat with my bro, but I just wanted him to know I missed him. Now considering him and I are both adults, both living on our own and in different cities, I still miss seeing him and as weird as it may sound I miss him coming into my room and flipping on my light while I'm sleeping at 2:00am when he would get off work, just to "say hi". Often Jen would be staying the night too, so she can vouch for how much that urked us! Oh wow...but those are the memories I have and the memories I miss.

Over the 22 years that I've known my brother, he has taught me a ton. He wasn't really the super protective, "I'm going to beat you up if you mess with my sister" type, but I always knew he loved me and when it came down to it, he would do anything for me. Anything. He truly cares for people, is so easy to be around and LOVES to tell dumb jokes and bust out in random songs (hmmm, maybe that's where I get it from...) He is the one who taught me all I know about football, would force me to play video games (Royal Rumble, Mortal Combat, Madden 97 and Halo) just so he could play against me and win every time and he let me drive his 72 Chevelle Malibu, even after I backed it into another car. Oops. Now that's one loving and forgiving brother.

Siblings are the only people in life that can truly understand the dynamics of one's family, considering they are a part of the same one. Tim and I are SO different in so many ways, yet we have our similarities. He will always be the one who can make me laugh, even when I'm crying and the one I call when boys are stupid and I need an honest opinion about whether or not I had a right to be upset about something.

Christmas will be here soon and I'll get to see my brother. It's fun to catch up some and just hang out like we did on summer days when we were younger and couldn't drive yet. We don't get to pick our family members, but if we did, I would say that I would still pick Tim. He's one of a kind and a HUGE blessing to me and our family.

True Dat...

"Love is...you before me.

Marriage is...making somebody else's wants and needs your priority."

These quotes come from someone who is married--and how true they are.

I think marriage can be a beautiful thing when these two things are the goal of both the husband and wife.

I started a prayer list a few months back of people who are getting married, so that I would remember to pray for them in their season together as they prepare for marriage (not necessarily as they prepare for the wedding, but rather prepare for the marriage. And there is a difference between these two things...a BIG difference.) And this list has grown tremendously within the past two months. I think I counted that I added on 9 couples in the past 8 weeks.

And the question for me remains...am I ready to make someone else's wants and needs my priority? To always put them before me? Hmmm...

You understand, right j.lo?

Retraction

A friend of mine pointed out to me that I contradicted myself throughout my blogging. In one of my most recent blogs I wrote about how I don't like the term "ex-boyfriend" and I try not to use it, but use other ways of describing guys I once dated. The post before that I wrote about how I found out that various people read my blog and I said including, "family, friends, ex-boyfriends..." There is the contradiction. I should have said, "guys I once dated" instead of "ex-boyfriend". Wow, this all sounds really confusing--not my intention of it at all. Long story short...I'm sorry. I'll try and be more consistent with my wording in future blogs.

Finish The Sentence

Finish the sentence...

I don't know...where I'll go to grad school.

I talk... under my breath sometimes .

I love...good dark chocolate and taking a nap on a rainy day.

My best friend...is funny, spicy and knows how to love others beyond the surface.

My first real kiss... made me really really nervous

I hate it when people...don't listen.

Love is...worth it.

Marriage is...a big commitment.

Somewhere, someone is thinking...what am I going to have for dinner tonight?

I'll always... be afraid of hippos.

The last time I cried was because... I had a hard conversation with someone I care about.

My cell phone... rings a lot!

When I wake up in the morning... I have to pee.

Before I go to sleep at night... I listen to music and do sudoku.

Right now I am thinking about... how hungry I am.

Babies are... a miracle.

Today I... went to the gym and almost fell off the treadmill.

Tonight I will... write Christmas cards.

Tomorrow I will... work and do some Christmas shopping.

I really want... to be a radio DJ someday. That would be awesome!

See I told you to stay tuned...

Random thought I had. Go with me here...

Today I was talking with a friend and somehow the conversation of ex-boyfriends came up. And I came to the conclusion that I really don't like the term "ex-boyfriend". The term seems to have such a negative conotation and it makes many people cringe as they remember hurt and pain from past relationships.

Then I got to thinking, what other word could you use to describe someone you used to date but no longer are. There is always the safe route and just refer to them as "friend" (that is if they still are your friend--I've been blessed and in my pervious relationships we've always come out as friends). But then does "friend" really adequately describe what once was? Then there is always the option of saying, "This guy I used to date..." but then that too doesn't seem right--doesn't do the relationship justice.

And really the technicality of what you call someone you once dated doesn't really matter--it's just that the term "ex" seems harsh and unfriendly. In many cases the term "ex" is appropriate because the relationship that once was did not end well. Not so in my case--I don't want to use "ex". When talking about someone I used to date I prefer to say "My friend ___________ that I dated for a while..." That may just cause more confusion, but it's a lot more friendly feeling then saying "ex-boyfriend".

Are you still with me? Our society does dating so wrong and people end up so hurt and broken--never wanting to be in a relationship again. It doesn't have to be that way--and I've been blessed to experience the right way of doing things. Not necessarily the hurt free way of doing things, because I think anytime you invest in something and it doesn't work out, there is an element of sadness/hurt, but it doesn't have to end with such deep rooted pain.

These are just my thoughts...all jumbled and kind of random, but I hope it gives someone something to chew on.

It's Been A While

One reason I like to blog is because I love to look back and read my previous blogs. Time flys by and I look back and think "Wow, was the last time I blogged really in October?" And I'm pretty sure if I had any blog readers, they are no longer with me because of the lack of posting. I always think that I will be better at blogging on a more consistent bases, but then it just doesn't happen. Part of the reason is because I'm still not 100% sure if I'm blogging for myself or for others. I guess I could do both--but if I was blogging for others then I would feel bad because I have been slacking--okay, enough said about that...

I have found out that there are a wide variety of people that have told me they read my blog. Friends, family members, ex-boyfriends, people in other countries, co-workers and I'm sure a few other random people. There are always people who read your blog that you will never know about...it's kind of creepy in a way...but also kind of cool.

I'll once again make a vow to try and be better at blogging. This post is a start. Right now I'm at the point where I feel like I have a lot I could blog about, but just not sure where to start. Stay tuned for more to come soon...(and by soon I mean with 2 days...)

Being A Girl

This past weekend I went to the beach with some students and with a friend of mine. We had a really good time. We ate a really good lunch, walked around, sat on the beach (with our hoods on and towels over our face because it was super windy and the sand was blowing at us like crazy!) and we walked in the water while attempting to play frisbee. Frisbee didn't work so well with the wind factor--it was more us just running around chasing it. Still fun. Towards the end of the afternoon I was getting a little tired and felt kind of dirty with sand all over me and my hair completely wind blown. And I was cold. Combine those three things together, and I can get a little "girl like". Tired + Dirty + Cold = unhappy camper. I just wanted to whine. I got a little moody and couldn't explain my mood, but as J.Lo and I like to say I was "being a girl". It was just one of those moods and times that I couldn't explain, but I had to just let pass. I was told that mood wasn't the most attractive side of me, but I can't deny that it is a part of me. The bad comes with the good I guess. Good thing I have a whole lot of good in me to balance out the little bit of bad :) Don't get me wrong--I think being a girl is a wonderful and beautiful thing. God created us in a very unique way and thought some times we may not be easy to understand or figure out, but that's the beauty of God's creation, we're not suppose to figure everything out. There can be beauty in not always knowing.

All in all it was a great day. Good conversation, some good food, and it was refreshing to see the ocean and to be reminded of how big our God is.

Orchard Street Memories

Although Fresno isn't the greatest City in the world, it is home to me. I find comfort here. I know exactly where I'm going and exactly where things are. I love sitting on my parents front porch on Saturday afternoon's with the wind blowing and the sun shining. It's at that moment that I start thinking back to all of the fun-filled days that have taken place on Orchard Street. We're talking about baseball games in the front yard (but now that the tree is gone, we no longer have a 2nd base), street football (which I was amazing at :), capture the flag, cops and robbers, skateboarding and of course: golf (don't ask about that one...) As I walk by each house on the street I can tell you who lives there now or who used to live there years ago. Friends grow up and move away, new neighbors come and life continues. But the memories I hold from my childhood are priceless to me. I find comfort in that. Although I don't live in my parent's house on Orchard street anymore, it will always be home to me. I don't think I'll live in Fresno for the rest of my life, but it will always hold a special place in my heart.

Thank you Jesus for the little things in life that bring me great comfort and joy. PTL.

Brownies and Corn Bread

It's Wednesday night. Tonight was one of the most relaxing and fun nights I've had in a really long time. Tonight consisted of time with the BFF (j.lo), a box of corn bread mix, a box of brownies and some really good slow churned (1/2 the fat!) ice cream and the Country Music Awards. Jen and I chatted, made some corn bread, ate some corn bread, kept chatting, baked some brownies, ate some brownies and ice cream, all the while still chatting. It's amazing how much we have to chat about when we get together. We could talk for hours and hours or we can just sit on the couch, eat some brownies and ice cream while watching the Country Music Awards and be perfectly content with that. It's a beautiful thing. I use the word "beautiful" a lot, but nights like tonight are truly priceless in my eyes. Both my heart and tummy are full of good things--good food and good conversation. Thank you Jesus.

Love and Be Loved

Wow, I can't believe it has been 20 days since my last post. And the past three weeks are a bit blurry to me. I feel like I've been going non-stop since I started my new job and just now am I beginning to feel like I'm able to relax a bit. Life has been busy. And I think life will always be busy, I mean we can make it busy, but sometimes I think it takes a lot more effort to just sit and be than it does to go, go, go. There will always be stuff to do. This morning as I sat down on my couch and had a bowl of cereal, I began to think of the things I needed to do that day and started feeling guilty for having a day off yesterday. I am being reminded daily of how important it is to take time for myself and time to sit and be with Jesus. There are some times when I don't want to just sit, but God calls me to slow down and simply listen.

As I look back over the past three weeks I can't help but smile and laugh a bit as I stand in awe of God's faithfulness. I feel like so much has happened, and through it all I grew, I cried, I laughed, and I am now stronger. Praise Jesus that he doesn't allow any hurt or situation to go unused. With growing up, or just growing in general, comes growing pains and Jesus is like a cold glass of milk wanting to help make our bodies (and faith in Him) stronger. There is still a lot of unknown in my life and I'm beginning to become okay with that. Love and Be Loved...I'm not sure which is harder, but I'm working on both. I hope you are too.

Who Knew...

My legs could ache so much. You know the kind of ache you start to feel when you've been running around ALL day just trying to get things done and always with the next thing to do on your mind. That's the ache I feel right now and that was my day too. Granted it was a good day, but just so gosh darn busy. I laid down for a minute this evening and my legs were throbbing. I guess I just didn't realize how tired I was or how much I needed to rest for a second. And not only give my body a rest but also take a minute and just relax and remind myself in the midst of my "busyness" God has greater plans than that which I know, and it is vital that I put aside my to-do list and sit and commune with Him. I had a great time of communing with Him today, though I was in the car driving from one place to the next, I turned off the music and was able to have a quiet drive as I thought and prayed and listened.

Praise the Lord (PTL!) that He meets us where we are at and that we don't have to put up a front for Him. ("Why you be frontin'?" Right Jen. Oh how I miss Clarence and E.L. Cooper) But Jesus knows me. He knows you. He loves me and He loves you. And He surely knows that I am in process, messing up sometimes (okay probably more than sometimes) but He calls me to take His hand and continue to trust and follow Him on the journey. And what an exciting and glorious journey it is.

Pondering...

"Pain is the price of admission to a new and better life." I'm still pondering this one... I see some truth in it.

Friday Fun!

It's about 2:30am right now and I, along with my friend and new co-worker Kimi have just finished decorating our new offices. Today the two of us and the other Residence Director, Dave, decided to have a little fun on a Friday afternoon and have a photo shoot. We took all sorts of random pictures of the three of us doing really random things. Kimi and I printed out the pictures and blew them up to 8X10 and then we each used a really big (and I do mean REALLY BIG) piece of cardboard and found things around the office to decorate with. Both of ours turned out pretty darn good if I do say so myself. Who knew I could make this large mural using cardboard, blue and green post-it notes, black twine and aluminum foil...it's pretty amazing. You'll have to check it out for yourself. This picture is one of the many we took this afternoon. We call this one: boy band stance. It's gonna be our CD cover one day.

God's Faithfulness In The Midst Of My Doubt

A recent job opportunity that has emerged for me. I have been in the "job search" and interview process ever since I graduated college in May and even well before that. I was interviewing for a position within Student Development inhigher education and specifically I was looking to be a Residence Director (RD) at a university. (If you're interested and for those of you who may not know exactly what a RD does, below I attached a little more info about it) I had multiple interviews with various universities in different regions of the country and was open to moving outside of California if a job arose that seemed to be a good fit for me. I had about a lot of different interviews, many phone interviews and a few on-site. Little did I know that a job would come up in my own backyard...

And now to the good news... as of Thursday I was offered and accepted a position at Fresno Pacific University as one of their three Residence Directors. As of two weeks ago there was not a Residence Director position open at FPU, but as things turned out, a position did open up which opened the door to this opportunity. I had multiple interviews and as of today it is official. I start on Monday and will be living in an on-campus apartment and will be moving in this weekend. I never expected to be working at Fresno Pacific. Though I am very excited, I really thought I would find myself to be testing waters outside of California, but I am happy to be staying!

God's timing in this all is amazing. Throughout this whole process I have learned a lot about myself and about God's faithfulness. I can't say the interview process was an easy road for me. I began feeling discouraged as it was about to be the beginning of August and I still didn't have a job. However, it is a road I'm glad I traveled and now when I reflect back I can see God's purpose in it all.

I am excited to start this new chapter of my life. I am once again reminded of how blessed I am to have so people in my life that provide me with their prayers, encouragement, support and interest in what God is doing in my life. He's always up to something... Ready...Set...Here I go...into the "real world". Is there really such a thing?

Pointing Them To Jesus

"Small things done with great love will change the world". Yes, yes they will. I want to be a woman who loves deeply and changes lives for Christ. I can't do much on my own--but I can love people and I can point them to Jesus.

Beauty In The Aroma

I like perfume. Specifically Clinque Happy. I like the way it smells and I like to smell good. I wear it almost everyday. My perfume has a certain aroma to it and often times people tell me when they smell that specific aroma, it reminds them of me. Just like perfume gives off an aroma, so I think we should have an aroma (or something like it) that draws people to Christ. I want to be the aroma of Christ. Have you ever met someone and instantly you could tell something was different about them? Just by being around them you were captivated by their beauty--and not physical beauty necessarily but rather who they were on the inside that literally shown through and created great beauty on the outside. I have a friend like this and she is captivating. Her smile and her genuine pursuit of Christ is something I often stand back in awe of. She is one who asks hard questions about her faith and often times doesn't get answers, but that doesn't stop her from asking. That's my kind of girl. She's willing to put herself out there, knowing full well that she may not get exactly what she is looking for, but she's willing to take that risk. She has the aroma of Christ surrounding her. It's funny though, because she wouldn't say that she does, but she does. It is my prayer that when people interact with me, that they see or rather sense, that there is something different about me. I want people to smell the wonderful aroma of Christ and start asking questions of who could create such a beautiful scent. Ultimately I want my life to point others to the Savior. I have very little I can offer people on my own, but Jesus has a ton to offer. And His offers are free...not like those late night infomercials you see that charge you an arm and a leg for a mop that cost $0.54 to make. It seems those are the only things on late at night. Jesus is always "on" and ready to spend those late nights with me. PTL.

Frozen Bananas

Frozen bananas are my new love. They are SO good. You simply peel a banana, but it on a plate and put it in the freezer. In about 2 hours...wa la...you have frozen (healthy) goodness! It's like eating banana frozen yogurt. It's creamy and just plain good. You can put chocolate syrup on it, or my favorite, peanut butter :) But yes, it is amazing--heavenly I would say. I sure hope they have frozen bananas in heaven. Yum, yum and yum! Try it...do it...do it...

The BFF

The BFF. Yes, three letters that describe a person who knows me at the core of who I am. Her name is J.lo. Okay, her real name is Jen, well actually, it's Jennifer (wow, Jennifer sounds weird) but I call her J.Lo for short. No, her last name isn't Lopez...and it doesn't even start with a L, however, j.lo is what I started calling her at one point, and it just stuck. She is quite good looking however, just like Jennifer Lopez, so there are some commonalities there. We laugh together. We cry together. We sing random songs and jingles together and make up weird dances to go along with the songs and jingles (well, not so much the dances anymore, but oh do we still sing!). We eat peanut butter and pretzels together. We get soft serve ice cream cones from McDonalds and devour them together in the car before we reach our next destination. "Two number 8's on wheat please..." is what we say when we go to POS (Port of Subs that is). We've been to a lot of life's events together including: weddings, funerals, proms, formals, countless graduation parties, had a really bad experience at a mexican resturant (ahhh...mariachi...ahhhh) birthday parties, random youth events and trips, baby showers, a few dance clubs, late night climbs on the roof of the church (was I supposed to say that...?) and we go to Wendy's on Christmas day together and eat chicken nuggets...yum. We've endured many of life's great trials together including deaths, divorce, broken hearts, broken families, run-ins with the police, dumb boys and the unknown that always lies ahead. We can still to this day stay up to all hours of the night, just talking about all sorts of stuff, some serious and some just plain silly...and I mean really silly. Silly pants.

Now you may be thinking, "Yeah, a lot of people have a best friend..." No my friend, no. Many (I would venture to say most) do not understand what it is to have a true BFF. Some people say, "Oh yeah, I have three or four best friends..." Again I will say it, no. No, my friend. In my opinion, you can have multiple "really good friends" but really only one BFF. You see, the BFF is the one who you can look at with "the look" and they know exactly what you are thinking and you don't have to say a word. You just smile at one another and then bust up laughing later. Or when you're in church and the lady behind you, bless her heart, is singing like a cat in heat, Jen and I just look at each other and smile and don't say a word, though can pretty much, word for word, know what the other is thinking. They are the one who know that something is wrong simply by looking at you or hearing your voice on the phone and when they ask you "What's wrong?" and you say "Nothing." they say "Liar." And then you tell them.

A BFF is a one of a kind gift from God. And I don't use the word lightly here. Jen is a gift from God. My honest to goodness prayer is that everyone would experience what it means to have a BFF like I do. I can tell Jen anything and she doesn't judge me, though she will certainly put me in my place and tell me the hard things that I need to hear but don't necessarily want to. She does it all in love and I become a better person and woman of God because of it and because of her. She reminds me to not think too much about certain issues and calls me on it when I'm being a "dumb girl". We don't like "dumb girls" though we have found ourselves to imitate them at times. And now as we get older we find ourselves having more adult conversations. We've traveled on the road from being jr. high girls to becoming young adult women. Through jr. high, high school and now college-aged life, we've traveled the road together. It's a whirlwind when I stop to think about it. We now find ourselves having adult conversations talking about jobs, relationships, paying bills, moving, future decisions, etc... When 8 years ago our biggest concern was if we were going to get to ride in the church van with Adam and Sergio. Oh the simplicity of being young. And we're still young...so young, yet we feel much older than we did when we first met (PTL for Tammy McFaddin :)

This blog doesn't really even seem to justify or thoroughly explain what Jen means to me. Simply said, she is a beautiful woman of God. She is the person I trust more than anyone. She is the one who I can talk with about issues of the heart. She is the one who holds my secrets inside of her, and she is pretty much the most a-ma-zing party planner/hostess that I know. She is beautiful. Not only on the outside, but she has a beautiful spirit. I often wish she could see herself the way I do, or rather the way God does. She has so many gifts and possess a true compassion and heart for people. She is my BFF and I am so blessed. Thanks j.lo. We go together like peanut butter and jelly. I'll be the jelly, you can be the peanut butter. Skippy, reduced fat...right? Whole wheat bread...yum. 143.

Old School Peeps

My friend Scott and I don't talk on the phone very much, but when we do it's always an enjoyable conversation. I just got off the phone with Scott (who lives in the Bay area) and we chatted for about a hour about all sorts of stuff. Scott is dating one of my good friends, Nina, and I actually met her through him...if that makes sense. I've known Scott for over 10 years now and it's crazy to think of all the things we've done and different phases of life we've passed through. I called him tonight to inform him about my job (or lack there of one) and left him a message and he called me back. He's a late night person, so he called me after midnight, which was totally cool, because I was awake as usual. And as you can tell by the time right now I'm still awake at 2 in the morning. But Scott is a dear friend of mine and though I don't see him all that often and we talk on the phone even less than that, he is one of those friends where we can pick up from wherever we left off last time and just start talking. He's a very easy going kind of guy and I appreciate how he really doesn't seem to worry about things. "Things will work out" he will say and he's always right. Things always do work out. He's a man of faith and I admire that about him. Once again, as I hung up the phone I was reminded of how blessed I am to have people in my life who know me, love me and truly care about me. I also realized how nice it is to have friends that you have history with. I love meeting new people and making new friends, but it's the "old school" friends, who really "know you" (and can remember that really bad haircut you had back in the day) that are precious. I appreciate these friends I have and always enjoy sitting around with them talking about "the good old days" while taking a trip down memory lane. So though he will probably never read this, I would just like to say "Thanks Scott for being you and for being an old school friend of mine". Scott can also make a pretty mean chocolate cake. Yum.

The Long Anticipated Phone Call...

I received a phone call about a hour ago from the executive director of the job I had applied for in San Francisco. I had an interview up there three weeks ago and have been waiting with anticipation to hear back ever sense. And so, did I get the job...? Well...keep reading...

I answered the phone and he identified himself and that he was calling to talk to me about their decision they made regarding my canidacy for the position. I knew it was all down hill when he said, "Although you were an outstanding candidate..." and you can imagine where it went from there. So basically, no, I did not get the job. Though this man is honestly one of the nicest, wisest and gentle hearted men I have ever met (and I only spent two days with him) he assured me that their decision to hire the other candidate was due to something completely out of my control, that being that I was not an alum of the program or their university. He was so sweet as he talked, and though while I was on the phone with him a few tears did run down my cheek, I knew it wasn't an easy dicision for him to make. He offered to be a reference for me in the future and asked if I was ever in San Francisco to please stop by and say hello. I graciously thanked him for his kind words and for calling me to let me know. I hung up the phone and cried. I'm not one that cries a whole lot, but I did cry this time. Not because I was heart broken about not getting the job, but I think it was more an accumulation of a lot of other feelings all built up and let out at that moment. I mean within the span of a five minute phone conversation, my life took on a new direction. I will now (most likely unless God has something else in store) be in Fresno for a while and will be sustitute teaching this fall. Teaching is a ministry all in itself, so I'm looking forward to that, but never the less, my heart was a little hurt by not getting the job. I know full well that God has other things in store for me and I am surely excited about future opportunities with different people and in different places. So in some ways, I'm back to square one. But I know this on-going job searching/interviewing process I've endured over the past six months has made me all the better in the long run. And it seems it has been a "long run" and I'm still running. Good thing I have a close connection with the man who has the directions. PTL. Delicious ambiguity, it's what life is all about...right?

Insight From Oswald Chambers

"All God’s revelations are sealed to us until they are opened to us by obedience. You will never get them open by philosophy or thinking. Immediately you obey, a flash of light comes. Let God’s truth work in you by soaking in it, not by worrying into it. Obey God in the thing He is at present showing you, and instantly the next thing is opened up. We read tomes on the work of the Holy Spirit when... five minutes of drastic obedience would make things clear as a sunbeam. We say, "I suppose I shall understand these things some day." You can understand them now: it is not study that does it, but obedience. The tiniest fragment of obedience, and heaven opens up and the profoundest truths of God are yours straight away. God will never reveal more truth about Himself till you obey what you know already..." Oswald Chambers

I am so good at not listening. Not listening to God that is. I feel I'm pretty good at listening to other people, but when it comes to listening to God I often find myself with my own ideas of how I want things done and therefore don't really need to listen. Kind of like when you buy a table that you need to assemble and you think you know just how to do it, therefore you don't need to read the instructions. But then at the end you're left with a lopsided table and bout 14 extra screws and you think..."Where did I go wrong?" I believe it's our human nature that so badly wants to do things on our own and be independent. If we have to be dependent on anything we're considered weak. "All you women who independent throw your hands up at me..." A little Destiny's Child for all ya'll out there. But it's true. Being independent is deemed a "good" thing when really we're called to be dependent upon God and God alone. Mr. Chambers is one smart man as he says, "Let God's truth work in you by soaking in it, not by worrying into it." Ding ding ding ding ding (imagine winning a toy at the fair...that's what this dinging is supposed to sound like) but I'm so good at "worrying into it". I pray that I will be obedient to God's call and take advantage of the opportunities and expereinces He has in store for me. There is no better place to be than in the arms of the Savior...and that's right where I want to be.

Who Let The...Pigs Out...?

Why do some guys feel a need to make stupid sexual comments to women who are trying to enjoy a simple evening walk? You see, this evening my friend and I were enjoying a walk in her neighborhood. The coolness of the night had set in and we decided to take advantage it. We were only walking about 5 minutes when a group of 4-5 guys who were walking on the opposite side of the street decided to start making unnecessary comments at me. I'm not sure why they picked me, but they did. Now granted I was wearing black shorts and a sports tank top (not one of those mid-stomach ones, this covered it all) but still I did not think I was being immodest at all. Anyways, they start saying crap like, "Wooo...look at her...the one in the black shorts...she has an ass on her. Yum...give me some of that." And they kept going! Saying stupid stuff which really made me question if they had even completed the third grade. I of course thought about my options and thought about a few choice things I could trun around and say to them, but I refrained and we just kept walking. This kind of stuff doesn't usually bother me as much as it did tonight (and I'm not saying this happens all the time, but tonight was not the first) but it really bothered me tonight. It bothered me so much that I couldn't really hold another conversation without thinking about it. Why do guys do that kind of thing? And I don't want to sterotype here and say that ALL guys are like this. Praise The Lord (PTL) that there are men in this world who understand what it means to respect a woman, but these guys have obviously yet to grasp that concept. I was not a happy girl tonight. I was pissed actually. I just didn't understand. When guys say stupid (and I do mean stupid) comments like that, do they really think a girl is going to respond and be like "I've always wanted a man who looks directly at my ass and comments on it first thing. He's a winner." Hmmm...let me think about it...no. Not so much. Oink, oink... somebody obviously let the pigs out tonight.

Why Should We Hire You?

Being that I just graduated from college, my resume has become somewhat like my new best friend. Starting about 6 months ago I began to compile my resume, references, cover letters, etc... All in hopes that I would get a job after I graduated. Well it is July now and still no job. At first I think to myself, "Wow, I am a loser. I have a college degree and I have no job and little idea about exactly what I want to pursue in life". But that brings us back to what seems to be the theme of my week (and the past 6 months): God Knows. Yes, yes He does. But I don't. And that bothers me. I want to know. I want to know where I'll be living in 6 weeks. I am a processor and I want time to process the transition in my mind before it happens. But we don't always get what we want (can I get a PTL for that?). About three weeks ago I had an interview for a job in San Francisco. I had an initial phone interview and then went up to San Fran and had an on-site interview. The people were great and I felt as though I could truly see myself living and working there. Now, three weeks later, still no final answer about that job. I shall find out in the early part of next week. In a lot of ways I have kinda put this job out of my mind and I haven't really considered the possibility that I might just get it. It's easier to have your hopes down and bring them up rather than have them up and watch them fall down. It hurts more when dissapointment sets in and I don't like to be hurt, therefore I don't get my hopes up. Makes sense, right? So right now I have no idea where I will be living in six weeks or what I'll be doing. It is exciting in many ways and I'm sure I'll look back in 20 years and think, "Wow, those were some exciting times back when I was in my early twenties". I'm learning to enjoy the present season of life, ambiguity and all. Just one of the many things I am still trying to learn. And tust me, there are many.

Calling All Cooks

I just made dinner. It was okay. I mean it was good, but not something astronomically amazing. I made chicken with garlic and basil and fresh squeezed lemon juice along side some mashed red potatoes with olive oil, garlic and rosemary. I was going to cook up some fresh snapped green beans, but I just wasn't in the mood. So I didn't. But the food was good and it's always fun to just try something new without a recipe and just go for it. And if I mess up, it's okay, because it's just me eating the food. I finished the dinner off with this new peach drink recipe I found (non-alcoholic...this time...ha). But I cut up peaches and froze them and then added them to my drink and put it all in this fancy glass. It made me feel like I was having a super cool cocktail. I love to cook and have people over. If you think about it, most activities in our society revolve around food of some sort. You either meet a friend to chat over lunch or grab a Starbucks or Jamba together. It's just the way our society works. And though I enjoy going out for a good meal every now and then, it's also fun to cook at home and enjoy the company of people in your kitchen and the laughter that flows throughout the house. I don't have my own house yet, but someday I hope to and I'll invite all of you over. We can cook, laugh, lounge and enjoy life together. Oh it'll happen...and I can't wait.

Frozen Goodness

I just wanted to share with everyone my love of soft serve frozen yogurt. It is so good. Almost heavenly one might say. Yes, I do believe there will be frozen yogurt in heaven. There's nothing quite like the feeling of creamy frozen yogurt in your mouth. I prefer vanilla but chocolate is good too. Actually my all time favorite is strawberry, but it is pretty hard to come by. I think I'm going to have some today. It will be glorious.

We All Have Our "Thing"

I just came back from spending a delightful evening with a close friend of mine. She is the kind of friend with whom I can chat with for hours and really talk about issues deeper than surface level. Her and I are able to talk about issues of the heart. Tonight was just a good time of talking, laughing, a few tears and most important a time of becoming more in tune with what God is teaching each of us in our own lives. It's a beautiful thing when we allow people into our lives to walk along side us and be part of "the process". It's not an easy thing, but it is beautiful nonetheless. We all have our thing. By this I mean we all have our issues, struggles and hurts that penetrate deep into our hearts. I would be lying if I said I didn't have them. I do. I am reminded of the verse in Phillipians that tells us that God's power is made perfect in weakness and therefore we should boast all the more gladly about our weaknesses for when we are weak than we are strong (that was a rough paraphrase, but look it up...Phillipians 4 I believe). But yes, when we are able to address the "things" (I like to call them "issues") in our life, something amazing happens. When we begin to invite God to be a part of the healing process and allow other God-fearing people to join in as well, great things begin to happen. And I do mean GREAT. We all have our "thing" and it's up to us to decide what we are going to do with it.

You Just Never Know...

I think it's very true that we really don't know the amount of influence or impact we have on the lives of others. I truly believe that as followers of Christ we are called to love God and love others. Sounds pretty simple. We obviously don't know all that God is doing at any given moment, as He is always doing something and often times using us in the process. This leads me to the reason for this post. I mean seriously, we never know how God is using us or just how much we might be influencing and impacting the lives of others. My blog is a perfect example of this. You see, I started my blog because I began reading another person's blog. The things they wrote and the Godly insights and humor they provided, impacted me beyond the surface level. And to think I've never met this person who's blog I read in great detail (and they would probably think I was a stalker should they ever find out) but anyways, my life was impacted by the everyday insights they gained from God and chose to write about. And now I am choosing to do the same. I really don't think many people read my blog but maybe someone unbenounced to me actually does and in that case, I would pray that lives would be impacted by the ways in which God is at work in my life. So to this "person" who shall remain nameless, I would just like to say "Thank You". You will never know the impact you've had on me or the amount of laughter you've added to my life. They write some pretty funny stuff too.

F to the R to the I to the ENDS...Friends

I am blessed. Truly blessed with amazing friends. And though I do have an inner circle of what I would say is about 6 or 7 people who really "know" me, I am also blessed with quite a few other people who love me, encourage me, make me laugh, challenge me and simply bless me with their friendship. It is a beautiful thing. I just got off the phone a little bit ago with a friend who just came back from a month long mission trip in Figi (I know...Figi...awesome huh?) But it was so refreshing to chat with her for a bit and catch up some. She shared some stuff going on in her life and I shared some stuff going on in mine. It was a wonderful chat and at the end, when I hung up the phone, I was overcome with an overwhelming sense of thanksgiving. And really I was humbled at that moment when I stopped to reflect upon all of the people God has put in my life. People have often said to me, "Becky, you have a lot of friends" and by no means do I think, "Heck yes I do, I am super cool". Quite the contrary. I see it more as God knows how much help I need and keeps supplying me with people in my life to be part of the process. Again I will say it...it is a beautiful thing. Of course I have a BFF (J.Lo...real name: Jen) and nobody really compares to the BFF, but there will be more on her later. If I just look at my life in the past five years I am in awe of how God has consistently put people in my life at the exact time they were needed. This all goes back to God's faithfulness. God is faithful. Friendship is beautiful. I am humbled. Thank you Jesus.

Country Music and Diet Pepsi

I really do love country music videos. I watch CMT a lot and thourghly enjoy most of the videos played (most of them). This is my first blog and I really didn't know what to post, but as I was thinking about what to write I could hear the voice of Carrie Underwood in the background and I thought about my love of country music. This is somewhat a new found love, within the past two years I would say. Today I thought to myself, "What's better than listening to country music on a summer afternoon while drinking a diet pepsi?" Well, I guess there are things in life that are better than this, but not too many.