Where can I find more of these?

This is my favorite among all the little figurines and decor in my house. I got them on a vacation to Taiwan in 2004. Since then, I've sort of kept my eyes open for something similar around my own area, but have not been able to find anything! I don't really want to have to wait until my next trip to Taiwan to find more. Do any of you know where I can find something similar?

I got these at a place called "Baby House" in
Kenting, Taiwan. June 2004.

A little TBS funny

Blake and I caught an episode of the World's Funniest Commercials on TBS tonight. Below, some of our favorites.

1. Shadow work is so cool! I don't know about the Volkswagon Phaeton, but the commercial is neat.


2. Blake laughed especially hard at this one! Click here to see it!

3. If this isn't motivation for some people to keep their places tidy, I don't know what is!

4. Yikes....another Blake favorite!



Check out the link to the TBS site above for more funny commercials! Do you have a favorite?

I am taking up a collection for Blake's future Christmas present...

This is cool and scary all at the same time. Technology never ceases to amaze me. However, I'm pretty sure that Blake wishes this for his next coffee table! Click here to see what Blake will be dreaming about!

I'm sure that won't be showing up as something to purchase on the shopping list of the Rosa Mystica Modesty Movement, though I may send Claire an e-mail to gather her thoughts on it...what do you think?

And, this is what I've come up with as far as toning down the yellow in the bathroom. You may remember that Blake and I re-painted and re-decorated said room, and I thought it needed a little something more than what we had at the time. You can see our finished product (minus the new addition) in THIS old post. We found a cute white window picture frame, then I traipsed through my mom's garden looking for any of her red flowers to capture in a photograph, printed them out, put them in the frame, and voilà! - My lovely new bathroom wall decor!

Fine Ladies...I won $27 on the penny slot!

Janelle and Meredith, I hope you're happy now! :)

Why did the chicken cross the road?


That video can make me laugh every time. Life is great right now. I have no complaints.

Funny story: After playing the organ for the Latin Mass this past Sunday, two of the young girls that sing and attempt to boss me around (ages 12 and 10), handed me a book called The Young Woman's Modesty Resource Guide while saying, "Becky, we really think you should read this."

It is a book written by 19-year-old Claire Halbur that speaks of how to dress stylishly while still being modest and pure. In short, I can't show my knees or shoulders, my blouse (!!!) should never allow a show through if I bend over or pop back up when I push on the center of my chest where my ribs come together, and all shirts should never be lower cut than two fingers width below the pit of your throat. Also, if you are active, you should wear a lightweight denim skirt with capris underneath. In fact, there is a checklist to determining whether the clothes are appropriate. The motto: "Heads, shoulders, knees and toes. Doesn't work? Then out it goes!" And, in case you're really interested, you can see some "super stylish" swim wear by clicking here.

Blake thinks they were trying to tell me something....no - really?

I don't think what they are practicing is wrong, I just wish they wouldn't try to press their views on me.

Joanna - I'm thinking of you! Good luck with your confusing situation right now, and if you ever need an ear, I'm just a phone call away! :)

Meredith - E O A. Apparently, I also need to attend AA, and Bob and Travis stood me up today. They never came back...so I'm not going to talk to them anymore. I'll probably just stand outside of your house and text you.

And finally, I'm in love with these picture frames (make sure you take a look at the room view!) from CB2. They would look wonderful with my "season tree" project that I am working on, and I want them for my new house when we move!

I won 32 bucks on a penny slot

It's a good thing, my luck was with me when we visited the new casino last night because Friday, Blake and I went back through one of the houses we liked and were happily greeted by a flat tire when we got out of the car. Another sign of luck: we made it to the home and into the driveway with no problems. In fact, it was hissing its way to flat when we got out of the car, and it was raining. Why is it, that a tire can never pick a really convenient time to go flat?

While the house we liked isn't our dream home, it is surely a very nice place for us to get started. We know that it's great because we can actually picture ourselves living there! We're not really rushing into anything, so we're just going to give it some time. Ranch style houses generally aren't my favorite, but since there seems to be nothing else on the market in our area at this time, I think this one is cute. Well, as cute as I will ever think a ranch house to be.

And, in honor of our friend Meredith turning the big, whopping 23, we took her out to eat and then decided to check out the new casino, where I went on to win 32 bucks on the penny slot. That was pretty grand for the evening. My older sister, Lola, also came out to join the birthday party. It was so great of her to join us! Yes, we four people make quite the party! Happy Birthday Mere-duh.

The birthday party!

Super not good at all!

It seems that all the hype lately has been around a "glorious" production called Superbad. Blake and I decided to see what the hype was all about, and while there were some laughs, I must admit that I was sorely disappointed.

I'm not saying the movie was not funny...to the pre-teen and relatively teenager audience in our theater, it was raucously funny! Some of them were nearly falling out of their chairs. To me, it was more raunchy and rude than funny. I will admit, I did have a couple moments of laugh out loud enjoyment. An attempt to be American Pie-esque that simply went too far overboard. I spent most of the movie asking myself what kind of an example it was setting to the young people in the audience. In a world full of teenagers who treat alcohol and sex as some sort of gods, this movie will only make them feel that what they are doing is justified, or in the very least, it will make them feel cool for participating in such activities.

Sure, there was a "good guy" and a lesson of friendship tied into it, but generally, it made light of underage drinking, getting away with underage drinking, and sex. What has become of our children? More and more, I hear of younger and younger children drinking, doing drugs, and having sex. Most recently, I learned of an 8th grader that was sexually active and drinking on a regular basis with her friends. When I was 13, I was still learning about the changes my body was going through, trying to decide how to wear my very awkward hair, and looking forward to getting my permit!

I'm sorry Superbad, you get a super THUMBS DOWN from me. As far as I'm concerned, I went for the popcorn and the sour patch kids. :)

Happy Thursday!

This house? No. This house? Maybe.

For those of you who are curious, my house search on Monday went very well. I certainly found houses that I know I do not want to live in (who DESIGNED some of these places seriously!?), and a couple others with some potential. My tour was well documented: 110 pictures in all. Blake and I are actually walking back through a couple of them on Friday. I am excited for us to walk into a house and just feel that it will be ours! :)

Sadly, here are a few of the houses that have been let go:

Please climb Mt. Everest to get to the front door

Split-Level = YUCK

Welcome to my humble garage...err...home

Life Song

I realize that my past couple of posts may seem incredibly depressing to some extents, but they are not so much depressing as reflective! In fact, I've been SO refelective that I have even discovered a theme song for my life!

"For Good" from Wicked the Musical! Which is, quite possibly, my favorite musical of all time! You can read through the lyrics here, and the audio file is below, complete with an inspirational picture from the production, if you feel like giving it a listen! :) It's my favorite.

Drew and my first "Wicked" experience!

A True Friend

Being stressed out has a really fantastic way of making one evaluate their situation, their life, their world. I have lately been feeding this monster of self-pity that lives inside me; so much so that my "woe is me" self has been presented over and over again to the world. I have been reflecting on how I always seem to be on the receiving end of a back-stabbing, gossiping, or otherwise unhealthy friendship, despite my efforts to salvage any of it. Blake has always been my source of refuge, my rock. He will never understand how much I truly appreciate and love him.

Outside of Blake, I have been very rudely awakened about the state of some of the friendships in my life, and humbled about others. Unfortunately, I've realized that some of my "friends" have not actually been friends at all, while others have proved that they are really great friends. Why should I have to be judged about life decisions by my friends when they are the ones who should be supporting me...even if, heaven forbid, I make a bad decision? Why don't they respect my opinions when I'm always expected to respect theirs? Why are they jealous that I have made new friends? Why does misery love company?

The questions above are questions I should not have to ask when it comes to my friends! With true friends, I would not be asking those questions. Those great true friends of mine have consistently supported, loved, and humbled me throughout this whole ordeal. I am lucky to be able to count my family and siblings among my true friends, which is not something everyone can say. Blake will always be a true, lifelong, friend to me, and I have discovered at least one more kindred spirit in this world. To that one new person, you know who you are, I am so happy to have you in my life...you are truly a delight and a gift from God. Thank you.

I am pulling excerpts from a lovely post on true friendships...this is how I would like to continue to define these true friendships in my life:

"Genuine friendship involves a shared sense of caring and concern, a desire to see one another grow and develop, and a hope for each other to succeed in all aspects of life. True friendship involves action: doing something for someone else while expecting nothing in return; sharing thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment or negative criticism.

True friendship involves relationship. Many people say, "Oh, he's a good friend of mine," yet they never take time to spend time with that "good friend." Friendship takes time: time to get to know each other, time to build shared memories, time to invest in each other's growth.

Trust is essential to true friendship. We all need someone with whom we can share our lives, thoughts, feelings, and frustrations. We need to be able to share our deepest secrets with someone, without worrying that those secrets will end up on the Internet the next day! Failing to be trustworthy with those intimate secrets can destroy a friendship in a hurry. Faithfulness and loyalty are key to true friendship. Without them, we often feel betrayed, left out, and lonely. In true friendship, there is no backbiting, no negative thoughts, no turning away.

True friendship requires certain accountability factors. Real friends encourage one another and forgive one another where there has been an offense. Genuine friendship supports during times of struggle. Friends are dependable. In true friendship, unconditional love develops. We love our friends no matter what and we always want the best for our friends."

This summer has been a very telling one for me. I have learned who I can count among my true friends and who has not been the best friend to me that I know they can be. I have determined, that in order for you to have true friends, you must also be a true friend yourself. Which, in hindsight, may not have been something that I have always been. Instead, becoming a true friend has been quite the journey, and it is something that I've learned only recently. However, because I now believe I have the capability to be a true friend, I therefore understand and appreciate the value of true friendships much more.

Who are your true friends? Are you a true friend to someone? Are your "true friends" really true? To those true friends of mine: I promise to be the truest friend to you that I know I can be. I love you.

some of my truest friends....my family! :)

Sorting through life

Tomorrow, I embark on the first major step of our house-hunting process....and I am scared. Why, you ask? I am scared for a number of reasons, namely embarking on such a huge financial decision when we aren't even positive that we are going to end up in our choice area. I hate that I'm doing this without Blake. Instead, he will have to rely on the pictures I take tomorrow. But what happens if I find some beautiful cabinets, take a picture, and then realize later that the picture does them no justice? I worry that Blake has put all of his eggs into one basket, and that this one basket will provide us with no chicks. I wonder if enjoying yesterday's "Lazy Saturday" could have been better spent, or more pro actively spent searching or researching more real estate options?

I'm scared about the current state of the real estate market. Even though I know that our state has seen an increase in real estate transactions, I fear that we will not be able to sell our current home, and therefore be forced to bridge mortgages or fore go buying a house all together; at least for the time being. I'm scared that I won't find a home that I love as much as my current place. Sure, it's small, but it's cozy, comfortable, and perfect because for a short while, it was mine.....our own home.

I wonder many things: Will our family and friends judge us based on the purchase price of our home? The answer, of course, is yes they will. Will Blake actually have a job, instead of us talking about the possibility that he has been approached with? That, I don't know, though I wish, oh how I wish, we had an answer to that question! This process would be much less stressful and scary if we knew what we were working with. Will we even be approved for the mortgage amount we want? Again, I have no clue since we haven't looked into it a lot...again, because we have absolutely no idea about Blake's situation! Will we find a house that we like in the limited market we are searching in? It seems like anything we may like is either in a flood plain (NO), or way too expensive. When do we realistically put our home on the market? We were thinking originally November, but thought it may take more time to sell, so now we are thinking September. If our house sells too early, what will we do? Do I simply move away and leave Blake to stay with some friends and thus continue on the house hunting journey without him? What happens if we find no house at all? Will my parents just let us live with them for an unknown amount of time? Or worse, what happens if we hear from our mortgagor that we can't afford a house at all? Or at least, not one that is any more than our quaint 1,012 sq. ft. of living space! I fear that I will fall in love with a house that Blake won't like. But, if he had perhaps been there, he could have pointed out any flaws he may have seen before I fell blindly in love.

And yet, with all the fear, worry, and anxiety, there are small pangs of excitement. I am very much ready for us to move onto a different chapter of our lives. One where we are both finished completely with school, and the financial responsibilities can be shared, and a family of our own (yes, the little children running around) can become a reality. On the other hand, I really want to go back to school myself, which may put some of our plans back on hold. How beautifully stressful life can be. Only, I wish it wouldn't stress me out sometimes....despite its beauty.

something beautiful from my mom's garden

Lazy Saturdays

You gotta love 'em!

These are my reasons for loving today's lazy Saturday!
1. Sleeping in
2. Mid-day phone call from Fr. Loecke
3. Watching a movie
4. Open windows and a cool breeze
5. Hearing wind chimes
6. The brain wave
7. Singing at church
8. Ordering in pizza

And, we're getting ready to spend the night on the town with our old friend Nate and some other fun people! Cheers!

Working my way up

Tonight I had the opportunity to meet Archbishop Fernand Franck from Luxembourg. He is on a Pastoral visit to the United States, and stopped at the Basilica to say Mass. What a sweet man! Meeting such people is one of the privileges of my job. I love it! Someday, I will meet the Pope! :)

Archbishop Frank in action


Isn't he adorable? Aww. :)

Sweet

One of my favorite things in the world is seeing an elderly couple walking hand-in-hand anywhere.

Holding hands is possibly the simplest way to tell someone that you care about them.

And how wonderful to have a found that kind of love for your life.

This is my vision for Blake and me....an elderly couple holding hands after buying our groceries, walking into a restaurant to eat, sight-seeing.

"Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be." - J.L.

Appreciation

It's always nice to know that you are appreciated, but when a wonderful friend, and someone very near and dear to you lets you know just how much you are appreciated, it makes you glow!

In my case, Blake and I had dinner with Fr. Loecke on Saturday night, and he asked if I had seen the thank you note he put in the church bulletin after his farewell socials. Because I was in San Francisco the week the note was posted, I did not see it, so I made a mental note to find that week's bulletin and make a copy of the note when I got into the office today.

It reads:

Dear Parishioners of the Basilica:
A heart felt note of thanks to all of you wonderful people for the farewell send off. Thank you to all who took the time to visit with me after Masses and thanks to all who donated cookies/bars and those who helped with the receptions. Thank you for the generous gifts and to the Basilica Quilters for the lovely quilt. Special thanks to Becky Williams for organizing the music for the Masses, especially for using my favorite hymns. Becky does a wonderful job as music director for the Basilica....."

Fr. finishes by saying that the two parishes will always have a special place in his heart.

I am positive that these two parishes reciprocate his feelings!

Fr. Loecke has been a wonderful friend and confidant for Blake and me. We have been so blessed to have him in our lives, and I'm not sure we could ever tell him in words how much we appreciate and admire him! The words he wrote are tremendously heartfelt...in fact, they were so kind that they rendered me speechless...which is not an easy task! :) So, to Fr. Loecke, thank you so much for being a part of our lives, and we look forward to many more years of a wonderful friendship!

More Honest Than My Status Would Let You Know

I copied this from a friend, but thought it was something that everyone should read!

So, here I am…
It’s frustrating you know. This whole Facebook-MySpace-text messaging culture that we are a part of. I have become so accustomed to these conveniences, so much that I hardly bother to check my real mail box but check my internet accounts multiple times a day, only to be disappointed that people aren’t reaching out to me like I think they should be. I mean seriously. I’m important enough to at least get one lousy email a day, or so I have come to be brain washed. Why do I put my trust in this system where I can take all the time in the world to make my “note” or “about me” just perfect enough to be funny and intriguing, putting on a front that my world is so awesome…or at least to appear that way to all you people who are bored enough to read this.

Where have authentic relationships gone? Why are we okay to leave a sentence long message with text abbrevs on someone’s wall and validate a “friendship?” I’m just as guilty as the next, but I can’t be okay with it. You getting updated on my life via “mini feed” is lame. Do you get the whole story? No. I just checked this or that box from the options provided, filled in this paragraph, as if one or two words can show you the inner workings of me. You can see only what I let you see….and like wise…you only let me see what you want to. I pick only the profile pictures of me that make me look like my life is great and I’m having the time of my life, every minute.

Where has conversation gone? Why am I afraid to take the time with people to ask questions, hear about life, challenge opinions? I’m all too willing to let friendships go by the wayside and say, “Well, I get updated on Facebook. They just moved or vacationed here or got engaged…” Where is the authenticity? It’s all too easy to keep things impersonal…keeping people at arm’s length. Conversation can be hard sometimes, painful at others, or it can be rewarding, rejuvenating, engaging, or thought provoking…Either way, we grow, we change.

So, my life. I’m overwhelmed. I ‘m just coming off a vacation of three weeks, where I had time to think, reflect, and grow. I find I’m disappointed in people. They let me down. Just today I can think of multiple times when people were late to a meeting, backed out of future commitments, and overlooked me. I am tired. I have to be a professional in front of kids that I care all too much what they think of me. I am behind in my work and am afraid of failing and being humiliated in front of my peers, colleagues, and students. I have fake confidence. I want you to think I have it all together. I have let people down that I care about, pushing their needs and requests aside for my selfish desires. I always want more, even if I should be content. I wonder, “Why me?” as if I should have special privileges. I worry about tomorrow. I want to control today. And I’m overwhelmed with scheduling but still find time to write this note, putting off my obligations. No, this probably isn’t more authentic than anything that I was complaining about in the paragraphs above...I’m a hypocrite. That’s me…more honest than my status would let you know.

--K.B.

Let the Projects Begin!

Blake and I started some of our house projects! So far, we've touched up the office and tackled the bathroom. A steady start, that's for sure!

In the office, we re-painted the white walls in a nicer white. We added the purplish walls some months ago, and decided the old white looked a bit dingy. I took a picture of the main corner of the room. Of course, I can't take a picture without Sophie wanting to be in it. Here, she ran in the room and sat down before I took the picture! :) You can see the room isn't exactly back in order yet, but we're getting there!


Our BIG project was re-doing our entire bathroom. I apologize, but I forgot to take a "before" picture, so you're only getting to see the end result! We ended up having to take down a wallpaper border, which Blake insisted upon doing. Once we got started, we soon realized that sometimes you're supposed to leave well enough alone. The lady before us used an insane amount of glue, so it took us an incredible amount of elbow grease, warm water, and commercial wallpaper remover to get it all off of the wall! We opted to paint the room Lemon Pound Cake (Blake's choice!), courtesy of Behr paints, which are our favorite! We love how easy it is to paint smoothly with Behr...seems like it's a piece of cake (no pun intended) to get an even coat the first time, so the second coat is really just to polish. And, their site provides a really cool feature called "Colorsmart" where you can play around with the colors in a sample room free of charge or in your own room via an uploaded photo for a small fee. You can also match accent colors with your primary color choice just to see how everything will look. I love it!

Anyway, here is our finished product...I'm thinking it needs a little something more...perhaps a nice red wall decoration above our little white cabinet? The yellow turned out a bit more vibrant than I had hoped, but Blake loves it, and I'll definitely get used to it. The brown was an attempt to tone down the yellow a bit. What do you think? Any other decoration suggestions? Or, is it fine as it is? I could really use some help!

Beauties

My sisters and I are quite the beauties! Lola up top, Jen on the bottom right, and me on the bottom left!


Lola and Jen, do you remember when we used to play "My Little Ponies" in the space between the dining room table and the wall? That's what this picture reminds me of...for no particular reason! Love you!

Aren't we adorable?

:)

Smiles for Today!

A little list of the things/people that made my day! :)

1. Blake

2. My niece, Jessi. She is getting so big and becoming quite the talker!

3. Meredith. She can always make me laugh about something!

4. The ringtones on my phone, even though my friend and co-worker, Luke, thinks they are weird! We're talking ringtones from the Lion King and Wicked! :)

5. Fr. Hertges

6. The new bag my sister and brother-in-law, Lola and Mike, brought me from their vacation on Mackinac Island

7. Psycho Sophie

8. My adult choir!

9. The secretaries at the office

10. Random informational phone calls from my sister, Jennifer

11. Arctic Freeze grape slushies from Dairy Queen

12. Limericks

13. Home-grown sweet corn

14. Fresh baked zucchini bread

15. My wine from Sonoma

16. Calling and catching up with a great friend!

And, in honor of my #2 smile for the day, a couple videos that will probably make you smile too! :) Sorry they are sideways!

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting

I had a package that arrived on Friday, except I wasn't here to receive it....so the second attempt is today, and I'm waiting anxiously for its arrival! I don't throw many parties right now for two reasons: 1) Lack of space and 2) I'm never here! I do enjoy being a hostess though, and I really love this platter I ordered! The picture is in green and white, but I actually ordered it in black and white. Isn't it adorable? I also got the matching appetizer plate...shown in the color scheme I actually ordered! :)


WOW, I must have summoned UPS with my blog because THEY ARE HERE!!! It has finally arrived! :)
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Bummer......after all of the excitement, I only received the appetizer plate...apparently my platter is on backorder... :( BUT, I suppose the good news is that I will receive it eventually and then I can have a party with my cute new dishes! :)

Abby Gets Married

What a fantastic weekend! Not only did I get to see my friend, Abby, tie the knot, but I also got to see some old friends, my sister's new house, and I got to spend some serious QT with Jennifer and her boyfriend, Chad.


A big CONGRATULATIONS to Abby and Travis! :) It's weird to see my "younger generation of friends" getting married, but I couldn't be happier for them. Plus, having a marching band mini-reunion is also cause for a celebration! And to my friend, Matt, thank you, thank you, thank you for singing all those songs with me at the top of my lungs!! I simply love to sing!

My singing buddy!

Mini Marching Band Reunion!

The only sad part about the weekend, was returning home and seeing that Danielle had packed up and moved out... :( I knew she would be leaving because her medical rotation was over, but it was nice to have a roomie for that short while! And not just a roomie, but someone who was also a wife, so we could relate about all the things husbands do just to get on our nerves! :) Of course, Blake would always defend himself. :-P

And, now that Danielle is moved out, Blake and I have to embark on the process of preparing our home for the real estate market. It's scary to think that in six short months, we will be moving *hopefully* into a different house! First things first....we gotta get this one in showing shape, and perhaps peruse the market a little bit for ourselves. Wish us luck!

Things I Love Today

In no particular order...

1. Blake
2. God
3. Powdered miniature donuts
4. San Francisco
5. Having our summer roommate, Danielle around....I'm sad she leaves in 2 days!
6. Flowers
7. Red Raspberry Shakes
8. Blogger.com
9. Sophie puppy
10. Dumplings
11. A Las Vegas vacation
12. My parents and siblings
13. Fr. Loecke
14. Photography
15. Taking long walks
16. Friends (the TV show)
17. My friend Drew...F
18. Youtube.com
19. MY BABY (this one is for you Jen!) and WHATEVA, I DO WHAT I WANT (this one is for you Blake!)

The Hauntening

Sometimes, I love stupid humor! (^-^)

At long last

Finally! I've figured out some of the quirks of this blogger thing...maybe tomorrow I can post something a little more interesting for you people to read. :) Hooray!