March of Things: spring break #1

So, I had great intentions of blogging everyday for the month of March.  However, the first of March came, went; I blinked and it was the 15th!  As a consolation, I am going to "try" to chronicle my adventures over spring break (which consequently, started today...) :) 
I don't know how interesting this will be (though I have high aspirations of doing fun and random things over break), I hope it's at least slightly entertaining! 

All of the important people say that a good day starts off with a good breakfast.  Well, mine did.  All of the Calvary dorm students (and even the president and first lady) were welcomed into the lobby with the wonderful aroma of freshly made waffles!  It's a Waffle-palooza!!!  There was quite the group of people lined up in the lobby for a chance at the fluffy waffles.  Even after the syrup ran out, the loyal breakfast fans stayed around.  It might have had something to do with it being the first day of Spring Break!

Stephen (the waffle maker), Jess, Fluffy Waffle, and me!  

It was a beautiful day!  The sun was super warm and there was a cool breeze!  It was a perfect day.  Some folks took advantage to do a little sun-tanning.  Later on in the afternoon, a group of us played a little softball.  Oh, the joys of having no school and a great day to be outside!  

All right, enough about waffles and sunny days...:)  

March 15 is also known as "True Confessions Day".  

So, here's Bekah's true confession...:)  

I can be very paranoid.  Or rather, I like to say that I am very observant of my surroundings, all the time, especially at night!  Don't get me wrong.  There is nothing wrong with being observant, but like everything else it should be kept in balance with reality!  No, I don't think that scary monsters will be jumping out of the bushes.  Oh, and one more thing...always keep your blinds closed at night...:)  

What is your "true confession"?  

(thus ends the super random first installment of my spring break blogging efforts...)  

It was graduation...

What is springtime best known for?  

Growing things.  Green grass.  Flowers.  Rain.  Chirping birds.  Pomp and Circumstance.  Funny flowing robes and hats.  

Yes, May is also "graduation" month.  

This year again was a happy time for me.  

More importantly, this was my graduation from Calvary Bible College where I received my 

B.S. in Biblical Studies.  

Grandma and Grandpa Fricke celebrating with Aunt Teresa and I!

My mom and her sisters...

4 years as friends and 2 graduations...:)

the graduates.

My Family

proud parents

My brothers and I.  

the Parker girls.

CBI'ers (aka the "Stoners") 

So, this is the attempt to cram a ridiculously crazy weekend into a collection of 9 pictures....
Did I succeed?  If you didn't catch it from the photos, there three basic things to understand about graduation weekend...

1.  I graduated!!! (put on the robe, donned the funky hat, wrestled with the collar, and walked across the stage with diploma in hand!)

2.  I loved seeing my family!  (It is such a blessing to have a wonderful family that come 12 hrs. to see me.  I love them all so much.)

3.  I loved seeing "old" friends.  (It has now become a tradition to have a CBI reunion at graduations and weddings...but only the graduation part applied here!)

February 14th: a time to love

Our world gets so caught up in the roses,

chocolates, hearts,

Valentine cards, teddy bears,

chocolate roses, candy bouquets, etc.

to really understand what we should be celebrating on Valentines Day.

Even for the cynical person who would rather gloat in their "singleness" and celebrate "Singles Awareness Day", they should understand the responsibility to love one another.

God has given commands in Scripture for brothers and sisters in Christ to love one another. Their love for one another should then spill out on the unbelievers around them everyday.

"This is My commandment,

that you love one another as I have loved you.

Greater love has no one than this,

that someone lay down his life for his friends."

John 15:12-13

Valentines Day is just one day out of the year. Our call to love is everyday!

"For while we were still weak,

at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--

though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die--

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners,

Christ died for us."

Romans 5:6-8

So go ahead and give the cards and the candy. But don't let Valentines Day be the only time that those you love actually know that you do love them.

God calls us to love everyday!

This is happy!

Celebrate Everyday pt. 31 (the end)

Can you believe that the month of October is already over?! It seems like yesterday that I decided to start my ritualistic blogging everyday, and now I am almost done. After 31 days of blogging (+ or - a few days when I combined the days), I must say that I really like this habit. It has become a fun way to express the little things to look for everyday. It also is a great way to laugh about the everyday randomness! :)

Here is a recap...
1. yummy cookies
2. 3 cheers for janitors and teachers
3. oooohhhh, the leaves are sooo pretty
4. Happy Frugal Fun!
5. tell a story
6. garlic breath
7. flowers
8. the good ol' teddy bear
9. tennis shoes
10. early Thanksgiving Day
11. the Incredible, Edible Egg
12. aaaaaaahhhhhhh...Moment of frustration scream day!
13. is this 13? (sceptics)
14. lovely little lower case letters
15. poetry
16. increase your vocabulary
17. "go ahead, adjust that chair!"
18. no-shave November
19. evaluating your life
20. fruit
21. the babbling brook
22. PUMPKINS
23. *yawn* staying up late!
24. crazy day
25. pasta...(or talk in an Italian accent day)
26. sleep in day
27. peace, friendship, and goodwill
28. (do you hear the ethereal music playing) Chocolate Day
29. all for hermits
30. mischief awaits...
31. the end!

And so it is the end of my tail, but not the end of Bekah! I will continue my writing (but I'll not promise everyday!)
As I am writing this last installment, some people are indulging their sense of adventure (or whatever you call it) by celebrating the "holiday" of Halloween. I am not particularly fond of that holiday, or the connotations that are associated with it. But why not come up with another way to celebrate the end of October!
So for this last day...do something Brilliant, Ingenious, Creative!

Celebrate Everyday pt. 29 & 30

For a Lovely, Lazy Saturday...
Hermit Day!
For a second to last day of October...
Mischief Night!

One thing I always like about the weekend is when I can have a lazy Saturday. There is something that "puts the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae" when you can sleep in on a beautiful Saturday morning and just enjoy the rest of the day. This past Saturday was just lovely! I love hermit days. It is a great way to keep your sanity sometime. (but just *sometime...especially for people-oriented persons) There are many times in our lives when you just need to get away from people for a little while. Thus, the excuse for hermitting! :)

Now, we get to Sunday night. According to popular thought the night before halloween is called "mischief night". You ask, what kind of mischief? I say, I don't know! We will leave that up to your good discretion.

I hope that everyone enjoyed their weekend!

It is almost November!!!

Celebrate Everyday pt. 28

IT'S FINALLY HERE!!! IT'S THE DAY THAT WE HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! OVER THE PAST MONTH, WE HAVE CELEBRATED SO MANY THINGS, BUT NOTHING COMPARES TO WHAT WE ARE CELEBRATING TODAY! IT'S THE WONDERFUL...THE IRRESISTIBLE...THE DELECTABLE...

NATIONAL CHOCOLATE DAY!

Imagine with me for a moment. You have just come home from a long day. It is kind of chilly outside and there is a soft fall breeze. You enter the house, dragging your tired feet behind you. All you want is to sit down for a quiet moment and let your mind rest! You drop your bag on the floor by the door and head for the table. You plop down in the chair and lower your head into your arms. As you are resting there, a curious smell hits your nostrils. Something about it is familiar and good. Curiosity gets the better of you and you decided to look up to see where the fragrance is originating from. Then you see it! Right in front of you on the table. You wonder why you didn't notice it before. With an unusual feeling of energy you reach out and grab on of the delightful morsels. Slowly, you unwrap the shiny foil wrapping, that wonderful fragrance coming on stronger and stronger. Without hesitation, you put it into your mouth and let the rich dark chocolate slowly melt in your mouth. All of a sudden instead of feeling tired and discouraged, you are filled with senses of pleasure, joy, and exhilaration. Oh, what wonderful chocolate!

Now, if you are anything like me--a true chocolate lover--this description probably made your mouth water or you are looking in every nook and cranny for a piece of chocolate! :)

Recently, I gave an informative speech on some of the physical and emotional benefits of chocolate. Did you know that dark chocolate is good for you heart. Some research has shown that is regular dose of dark chocolate has the same blood thinning and anti-clotting activity as aspirin! Dark chocolate is also full of heart healthy antioxidants and also many different vitamins and minerals. Emotionally, chocolate is good for releasing pleasurable endorphins into our bodies, leaving us feeling delighted and satisfied. Chocolate can also work as an anti-depressant or a stimulant!

So as you can see, today is really worth celebrating! With all the physical and emotional benefits, why wouldn't you want to indulge a little today?

Celebrate Everyday pt. 26 & 27

Yes, yes...I know! But I have a really good excuse for not updating my blog yesterday!

You see, yesterday we were celebrating "Sleep In Day". It was such a great holiday, that I decided to be lazy and not write anything all day (except of course writing for homework, etc.). Other than that, I wasn't able to celebrate the day because it was a Wednesday.

*They really should think about which day is Sleep-In Day the next time we celebrate that holiday!*

Anyway...this week we are celebrating

Peace, Friendship and Goodwill!

Now, you may ask what does Sleep-In Day and Peace, Friendship and Goodwill have to do with one another. I am hear to tell you that with out the sleep, the peace is not as likely to happen! :)

I have been blessed with so many wonderful friends throughout my life. They are all very different people that God has allowed me to get to know for the purpose of growing in my walk with Him. Most of my fondest memories come from times that I was spending with close friends! Probably the best (and even worst) times of my life involved my friends.

Friends are so precious! Fellow believers in Christ are even more precious, because of the bond that we have in the Body of Christ!

Just last night, I spent over 3 hours on the phone with my mom and another really good friend of mine! It was such a joy to hear about the different things going on in their lives, and to share what God has been teaching me.

So in the spirit of Peace, Friendship, and Goodwill, why not do something kind/considerate to a random person today (or a good friend). Honestly, as Christians, we don't need to be motivated by a holiday to be kind, but it never hurts to be reminded!

Or, maybe...you should just let someone sleep in...:)

Celebrate Everyday pt. 25

spaghetti... macaroni... linguine... fettuccine... manicotti... ravioli... tortellini... lasagne... penne... rigatoni...

It's World Pasta Day!

It's a day for celebrating the "inner Italian",

bursting out in a love song, and talking with an accent!

Pasta is a world renown Italian food. It has been used as a staple in their cuisine for centuries. The pasta is made out of flour, water, and sometimes eggs. Traditionally, pasta is used as a base for any number of kinds of sauces and toppings. Pasta includes a variety of shapes and sizes, from the large cyclical manicotti to the delicately thin angel hair past.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasta
Here are some fun facts about pasta:

• Thomas Jefferson is credited with introducing macaroni to the United States. It seems that he fell in love with a certain dish he sampled in Naples, while serving as the U.S. Ambassador to France. In fact, he promptly ordered crates of "macaroni," along with a pasta-making machine, sent back to the States.



• The first American pasta factory was opened in Brooklyn, New York, in 1848, by a Frenchman named Antoine Zerega. Mr. Zerega managed the entire operation with just one horse in his basement to power the machinery. To dry his spaghetti, he placed strands of the pasta on the roof to dry in the sunshine.



• During the 1980s, macaroni, which was traditionally considered a "blue-collar" down-home meal, was transformed into the more upscale "pasta." As more and more people began to have fun with it and romanticize it throughout the '60s and '70s, its image began to change along with its name.



• There are more than 600 pasta shapes produced worldwide.



• Pasta is found in the will of Ponzio Baestone, a Genoan soldier who requested "bariscella peina de macarone" - a small basket of macaroni

http://www.kitchenhelpfulhints.com/pasta/pasta-facts.htm

Enjoy your pasta today!

Celebrate Everyday pt. 24

Happy Crazy Day!

It's crazy day? Really?

Yes! It is crazy day!

Today, you can be crazy if you want to.

But if you are normally "crazy", then you should be normal today and do something that isn't habitual.

Because if you didn't then it would just be like any other day.

That is not what crazy day is all about.

Crazy day is about doing something...crazy!?!

(but remember...always be safe!)

Celebrate Everyday pt. 1

Happy October, everyone!

Isn't it amazing how fast time flies!

It seems like just yesterday that it was August, and school was just starting.

In light of the aforementioned truth about the passing of time, I am endeavoring to write a series of posts about the "everyday holidays". Each day that are alive is a gift from God! We have a choice about how we look at life. Why not choose to make each day special, and live to the fullest for the glory of God EVERY MOMENT!?!

Isn't fall the most lovely time of year? This is when the temperature gets a little chilly, and sweaters and hoodies are most welcome. The leaves on the trees are just starting to change colors. The air is crisp. You go outside and leaves are cruching under your feet, leaving a earthy musty scent in the air. You go inside and are immediately hit with the warmth of the house. Then one of the most wonderful smells hits your nose! Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!!

To celebrate today, it is Homemade Cookie Day!

Use this as an excuse to do some baking. Find your favorite (or a new) cookie receipe...and CELEBRATE!

Here is a receipe for

Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until moistened. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Drop by tablespoonfuls on to lightly greased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges start to brown. Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. (allrecipes.com)