I Finally Figured It Out

All this time I've been thinking that all these Texans I'm surrounded by were just crazy or redneck or country or whatever. But after a conversation with the girls in my office, I'm convinced this is what makes them the way they are:

They eat the 1st snow.

Any of you North Carolinians know what I'm talkin' about? In the big NC, you just don't eat the 1st snow. Not too sure of why (maybe something to do with all the pollution and whatnot) but you just don't do it. That's a no-no. And hello!?!?! When you get the 2nd snow, that's when it's safe to make snocream. YUM! Gosh, I miss that stuff. I haven't had any in sooo long but boy was it GOOD growing up! We'd always rush to get a big bowl full of snow so that everyone can have a cup of snocream (snow mixed with milk, vanilla & sugar). I can almost taste it!

But so much for ever eating any of that here in TX. The 1st snow is usually the only snow! And I still love all you crazy Texans that eat it...

Hump Day = Random Thoughts Day

Just for you, my faithful followers...

~I love the statement on my daily calendar for today:

Lord God, may I always remember that you are my refuge. Because my hope is in you, I am held in your arms forever. Amen.

This is a very comforting statement to me today for whatever reason. Perhaps because it is 100% truth.

~I am very excited about Christmas but am not sure why since I have purchased 1 (that's right ONE) gift. Maybe just the thought of the festivities and being with loved ones and seeing friends. I am very blessed to have wonderful parents who help me get home for the important holidays. Thanks Mom & Dad!


~I actually went to the gym for the 1st time in months yesterday after work. It was freezing cold & I was only able to walk/jog for 20 minutes before leaving in embarrassment because a middle-aged skinny woman had lapped me. Twice. (For the record though, my thunder thighs are SUPER sore today from walking so hard & fast as to try to stay ahead of Motor Middle-Aged Marge.) So I left and bought groceries-mostly healthy things and on the way home stopped and took pictures of Christmas lights.

~That may become a project for me this Christmas-taking pictures of Christmas lights. Now that I have a new camera I can take good pictures at night (since that is a new setting) that don't look like blurry poop. And it has smile detection too-for all those smiling snowmen in everyone's yards. Ha. Seriously? That's how I got the picture of my mom in yesterday's post-she had to smile that big for it to pick her up. But it actually works really well. So plan "Capture the Christmas Lights" is in action!

~Tonight, I am actually setting forth to buy my 1st real Christmas gifts. I'm trying to either find stuff my mom could maybe buy in NC or I can go ahead and ship so that I won't have to pay $25 to check a 2nd bag since that has become standard. (BTW-I HATE the new airline regulations!) Anyway, we'll see what I can find. I also can only pack 50 lbs so I'll have to watch what I take with me. Let's see how this goes...

~I also have a dilemma: To Christmas card or not to Christmas card? The ultimate holiday question. Considering my personal life, I realize I really should send out some form of contact to the people of my past & present that I love so much but I have quite a bit to do between now and Christmas. So would it be terrible to wait until after January hits to send out a blurb about my life? I'm thinking no but if you have an opinion, please share.

~I am super excited to make my very 1st Spice Cake. Z & I had it at my Grandmother's this weekend-more on why we were there later but it is a SUPER easy cake and SO SCRUMPTIOUS! Just a cake mix, 3 eggs, 1/3 cup of oil, 1 cup of water, and a can of frosting MIXED IN the batter. A little piece of heaven on earth.

'Tis all for now. I'm sure there will be plenty of stories from the holidays to share with you all. If I have time in between moving & finding a new job. So, until then...

Happy Holidays,
B
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Happy Birthday Mom!

I would be remiss if I didn't pause & wish my mother happy birthday (even if it's just after midnight-her time-when I post this).

Happy birthday, Nancy Lou!

To the woman who...
*gives her all for others,
*works tirelessly @ 2 jobs,
*forgets why she calls me,
*yet calls back 3 minutes later because she remembered,
*was a constant presence during my childhood,
*was my personal taxi driver during my high school years,
*is my biased counselor who usually takes my side,
*makes me laugh on a consistent basis (at least once a conversation-'my kilobytes', 'I forgot my narcotics!', etc.),
*always thinks of others before she thinks of herself,
*has never been selfish a day in her life,
*is a GREAT shopping partner,
*still has dreams,
*treats all people with the love of Christ,
*taught me that I am somebody and I have a purpose,
*corrected me when I needed it even though it hurt both of us,
*allowed me enough room to make mistakes but discover life on my own,
*believes in me and encourages me to pursue my dreams because I am capable of that,
*is still in love with my father, her husband of 35 years,
*takes care of everyone else while neglecting herself,
*has lived her faith,
*taught me what God's love looks like through hers,
*is a real-life role model to me,
*has served the Lord whole-heartedly for as long as I've known her,
*has loved me unconditionally since the day I was born,
*exemplified servant leadership in our home,
*is the best mom a girl could ever have...

Happy Birthday, Mom! You're the best!

I Got Some 'Splainin' To Do

As Ricky Ricardo would say.

A few days ago when I made my list of all the things I'd accomplished as of late, I mentioned some things that need a bit more clarification. This post is only 1 of those. More will follow...

I'm ENGAGED!
Yes, Z popped the question on October 25th and I of course, said yes. It's funny because the start of our relationship can be traced through this blog and now here we are planning our wedding! Here's the story as adapted by our wedding webpage at The Knot.

*************************************************************
Z and his family had invited me down for the weekend since they were planning a family BBQ on Saturday. Not out of the ordinary, I traveled to Arlington Friday, October 24th after work. Zeb & I chaperoned a youth outing that night and the next morning enjoyed just being together.

After the mid-afternoon BBQ, Z then rushed (for the 1st time I'd ever seen) to get us to the Dallas Arboretum before it closed at 5pm. He said he knew how much I wanted to visit a pumpkin festival and Autumn at the Arboretum was occurring through the following weekend. Upon our arrival at 4:20, the ticket lady made sure we knew we HAD to leave at 5pm because the entire facility (66 acres) had been rented for 3 weddings. I tried to talk Z out of paying so much to go in for only 40 minutes but he persisted. So in we went.

The gardens were beautiful and pumpkins lined every walkway. I loved every display and snapped as many pictures as possible during our time. Z kept suggesting we visit different spots and so we managed to wander through much of the gardens. A certain flower Nazi (aka facility security woman) unsuccessfully attempted numerous times to usher us toward the exit. Z repeatedly asked if we could just take "one more picture" and we continued to peruse the gardens.

Finally, at the top of a tower-like spot that overlooked a grassy lawn and the lake next to the gardens, I stood at the edge taking as many pictures as possible before we were forced by the flower Nazi to move along. Z stood behind me and made the comment "I love doing things like this with you" to which I replied "Me too. It's so fun.". As I finished snapping pictures, Z took my camera and asked if I was done taking pictures. Though I found it odd, I said yes and so he put the camera in his pocket. As he pulled me in to hug him, I rested my head on his chest and could hear his heart pounding a million miles a minute and became worried, thinking something was wrong. He stepped back, pulled the ring box out of his pocket and knelt down on one knee. The following was our exchange in that moment:

Him: Bethany Pearce,
Me: Zeb Parker,
Him: Will you marry me?
Me: Are you serious???
Him: Yes.
Me: Yes. YES!
Him: (smiled and stood)
We embraced
Me: Thank you!
Me (repeatedly): Oh my gosh! Are you serious??? Zeb Parker!

*******************************************************
And so goes the story of our engagement. It was really sweet and SUPER unexpected although I did have a feeling something was going on. Over the previous 2 weeks or so he'd been asking for my ring size because his 'sister had a ring she had bought me for my birthday that needed to be sized' but I couldn't let her know that I knew about it. He did ask me twice which raised my suspicion and I thought there was an odd-shaped box in his pocket when we left for the Arboretum and he did rush for the 1st time EVER but even so, it was a surprise. Definitely a moment I'll never forget.

Afterward, we went to The Highlands (a very pretty outdoor shopping district) and sat on one of the park benches there just to revel the moment. :) As storybook as it sounds, we heard several love songs over the radio they had playing throughout the 'park' area as we sat on that bench in view of the creek and greenery. After 'When A Man Loves A Woman' played, we headed to Borders there in the shopping center and both bought wedding books by The Knot. We returned to his house, prayed and then celebrated with his family (who all knew it was coming). We had sparkling grape juice and chatted and took pictures. It was great!

Now I know what most of you are thinking, "When did she call her mom and dad? I'm sure they did that right when it happened. She must have skipped that part of the story." I'm sorry to disappoint you but we did not call my parents that day. Or the next day. Or the next. No, we waited until we were in person with them at Thanksgiving (yes, over a month later) to officially tell them the news. Can I just TELL you how hard that was? Everyone and their mother knew (including my brothers, several friends and co-workers) but not Mom & Dad.

Needless to say, the past month & a half have been bliss for me & Z. There have been stressful moments but overall, the first part of our engagement has been very exciting. We have a couple of dates in mind but haven't settled on one yet-we're planning to decide by Christmas so I'll keep you 'posted'. Ha.

In the midst of all of the engagement hype (and slightly prior to it), Z has been pursuing a youth pastorate position for us to take together. Another exciting adventure! And I sincerely mean it. I don't have time for the details on that journey now but will write about it soon. Let's just say I only thought Paris was country.

And so my friends, here's the 1st of many 'catch-up' posts giving you a deeper glimpse into my little corner of life. The holidays are soon approaching which means 1 of 2 things: A) I'll be bored so I'll have more time to write, or B) I'll be super busy so you won't see me for a while. Only time will tell but my calendar is looking a bit full.

Blessings to you & your family for a joyous celebration of our Lord's birth!

~B

P.S. One of my favorite passages of Scripture in regard to Christmas is Mary's song.

And Mary said: My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers. Luke 1: 46-55

'Tis The Season

Well, a day week late and a (couple hundred) dollars short-thanks Mom & Dad, I'm back in TX. When I last wrote, I was preparing for a long trip home to NC to celebrate Thanksgiving with my fam.Over the past 10 days I have done the following:

*Traveled over 2,000 miles
*Been on the road approx. 40 hours
*Driven or ridden through 4 states 2x each
*Told my parents that Z & I are engaged. Yes, you read that right-more details later.
*Eaten 4,962,185 calories. That could be a slight exaggeration.
*Lost 20 hours of sleep. That could also be a slight exaggeration.
*Written 0 blogs. Hence this one.
*Redecorated my blog, twitter & facebook sites for Christmas
*Decided to not decorate my house for Christmas at all. The time I'm going to be at home does not justify the hassle.
*Booked all my weekends for December
*Bought 0 Christmas gifts. That's right, nothing, nada, zilch. Can we say PANIC?!?!?!
*Exercised 0 hours. Fatty McRoll girl is back. Yuck.
*Contracted & successfully gotten over a head cold WITHOUT going to the doctor. And only once did I comment that I wanted to cut my head off to make everything better. The number of times I complained about not being able to breathe? I'm not telling.
*Laughed with my brothers 842,916 times. Withk it like thith. Mmmkay little boys? Do you want any candy???
*Officially received my TX driver's license (that saga to follow as well)
*Gone shopping 1 time. That's a record, folks.
*Forgotten about technology 492 times and even went 2 whole days without indulging into the e-world.
*Done a LOT of thinking and praying about my life and future
*Learned a new job at work
*Ended a close friendship. Ouch. That is a definite understatement.
*Thought a LOT about how to give creative Christmas gifts this year.
*Spent 11 consecutive days with Z. And am still madly in love with him. :)
*Decided that I am far too blessed for what I deserve. Thanks God-You're amazing!

And with that, this post is over. Finito. Finished. Check back later for more details on several items in the above list.

Blessings,
B
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. Psalm 107:31