flirtin' with disaster...

i think that when disaster strikes we would like to be able to say that we respond well. we want to know just what to do, just what to say to make the situation better. unfortunately, i don't know that everyone can be ready for every situation at any moment. in most cases we're probably only prepared after the fact, for the "next time."

recently, due to cold temperatures, a pipe broke in the sprinkler system at my work. one minute i was enjoying lunch, the next i was wading through water trying to save whatever i could. i keep referring to it as a disaster, because in the little world that is my work place, it was disastrous. but, i don't know if it would be a disaster in the grand scheme of things. i don't know if there is a sliding scale that determines whether or not something is in fact, a disaster. maybe it has to do with numbers of lives lost or square miles destroyed. i mean, in comparison to say, hurricane katrina this was minute. and, luckily, the only casualties were leather dress shoes and electronic equipment.

what i have learned about myself through this experience is that i don't necessarily respond well. i found myself just standing, staring at the destruction, unable to move. because i realized that no matter what i was able to salvage, the devastation was far beyond anything i could comprehend. i stood watching water pour down a door, not unlike a waterfall, and i thought to myself (i may have even mumbled to someone nearby) "this is bad, this is very bad." and, it was bad. but, we will recover from it.

we will recover. we are in the process of recovering. and, after the fact, there are stories to tell...where were you when you heard the call for help? what was the first thing you saw? what did you do? and, on this side of disaster, you even poke fun...whose elaborate plan was this to get us new carpet? who was our of the office today, it was their fault. you recover and you go on with life.

real men of genius...part deux

jimmy fallon does neil young singing the theme to fresh prince. jimmy fallon...genius.

love is a mix tape...

"most mix tapes are CDs now, yet people still call them mix tapes. the technology changes, but the spirit is the same." - Rob Sheffield

i'm reading this book called "love is a mix tape." it's written by Rob Sheffield, a writer for rolling stone. it's the story of his life and loss told one song at a time.

i love mix tapes. i love everything about them. i believe it stems from my love of music and my passion for wanting everyone else to love music as much as i do. i like the idea of sharing with people the songs that mean something to me. songs that inspire me, challenge me, or just make me want to move. with the invention of the iPod and iTunes playlist, this obsession has only been perpetuated. this technology allows me to make a mix tape for any occasion...a workout mix, road trip mix, pity party mix, dance mix, and the list could go on and on.

these playlists can transport you to another place and time. after all, you can say a lot with a mix tape. just recently i was listening to a mix that my cousin Jessica and i made a couple of years ago. we spent weeks or maybe months making lists of the perfect songs. we wanted it to be just right. we wanted it to be fun, to inspire, to encourage. we titled it...girl power. as i listened to this mix it reminded me of that time, when Jessica (who now lives in another country) and i lived together. we spent a lot of time listening to music, discussing music and singing music. this mix will always have a special place in my heart.

...Girl Power
disclaimer...that last song is not so much about girl power...it's just stinking hilarious!

country roads take me home to the place i belong...

i am not a spontaneous person. i'm sure this admission does not come as a shock to any of you. i'm actually the exact opposite of spontaneous, i'm a planner. i think long and hard before i act. so long, in fact, that action becomes extremely difficult. yes, i over think things. there have been a few times, however, when i act on things so quickly that it is seemingly uncharacteristic of me. it leaves those around me surprised when they hear of my spontaneous decision. these moments can be counted on one hand. these moments are also considered, by me, to be acts of God.

i believe them to be acts of God because they ARE so far from my comfort zone. and in retrospect, they tend to be a positive experience and, on most occasions, what my life needed at that exact moment.

the most recent of these experiences was a road trip with a good friend across the country. my friend needed someone to help her drive to Kentucky and when i found out, i immediately said i would do it. the decision was made on thursday and we left on tuesday. this left me four days to make arrangements at work, find a plane ticket home, and pack. every detail fell into place perfectly and we set out on our adventure. i spent three days in a car with my friend Kim, talking about life, singing along to random music, and enjoying the scenery one can only find in middle America. Oh, also, committing near nascar maneuvers in order to capture memorable photos. here are some highlights from the trip...


is this sign really necessary? i mean really, state of oregon, how dangerous could the dust really be. and, if it is so dangerous that we need to be warned, then shouldn't the sign read...warning: SEVERE dust blowing area next 40 miles.


this sign cracked me up. not only was Butch Cassidy imprisoned here, but they also sell brooms! question...who is going to go to the wyoming territorial prison to buy a broom? i mean is this just a happy coincidence? are you just sight seeing and then, "oh, honey, imagine our luck! we were in need of a broom!" i mean, are they special brooms? is wal-mart not available?


a detour for gas in the middle of nowhere led us to stumble upon this statue of Jim Bridger. Jim is apparently famous for roaming around the state of wyoming telling tall tales. if this is all it takes to make a person famous, than my cousin Jessica deserves a statue because i remember a time when she told a bunch of tall tales about the state of washington to some visiting friends!


i call this picture...wheat field Jesus. observation...a wheat field is not that tall, therefore Jesus would need to be reclined for this to be accurate. well done Burlington, Colorado! i'm sure you're leading thousands to Jesus with this billboard!


you cannot get much more small town America than this!


my part of the road trip stopped in Kansas City, where I spent the weekend with some great friends that I hadn't seen in a long time.

overall, it was a great trip. and, like many other of my God ordained spontaneous moments, it was just what my life needed at that moment...a little shaking up.

i'm just a girl in the world...

setting...white river amphitheater. scenery...mt rainier. sounds...three amazing rock bands led vocally by three (well maybe just two) strong and amazing women.
i love concerts. there is something about the feel, the vibe, and the people watching opportunities that makes me really happy. sunday night i had the chance to see no doubt and paramore, opened by a swedish band called the sounds. it was an amazing show. we danced, we jumped around and we sang our hearts out.
when the sounds started off the show my first imression was...alright, they're pretty good, i think i like it. this was quickly followed by my second impression...did that woman just flash her panties at the audience? yes, i believe she, wait is she making out with the keyboard player? yes, yes, whoa she really needs to keep her dress down. I think she, why yes she is, she's swearing at us? So, my message to the lead singer of the the sounds..."your music is actually really good, but unfortunately i left your show with the memory of your performance etched in my mind, and not in a good way. please don't belittle your music and women everywhere by continuing to act this way."
i had hope that paramore would redeem this rock show and i knew that i would not be let down. they were fantastic! my favorite part of their performance...cute, little, twenty year old, hayley williams telling the band to stop and pointing out into the mosh pit. we all, for a brief moment thought it was staged until she proceeded with the following..."what's going on down there? we got beef in the pit? come on, we're all here for one reason, to hear great music, so grow up! you want to fight, there is plenty of room in the parking lot, the rest of us are going to enjoy some music." and, the band continued playing to uproarious applause from the crowd. all i can say...i so love her! another highlight from paramore...the guitar player doing a back flip over the bass player, while continuing to play his guitar. what?
that brings us to the final act of the night. while i've always considered myself a fan of gwen stefani and no doubt, i must admit that i went to this show primarily to see paramore. i was amazed how much i really enjoyed no doubt's performance. as i said, i danced, i sang, and i jumped around. it was a really fun time! i think gwen is fantastic! at forty something, after having two kids (although i'm not convinced that she gave birth to the children herself...see pictures below), she not only looks phenomenal but she dances, jumps around, and manages to sing while still sounding good. Amazing!


it was a great evening including dinner at el camino's mexican restaurant in downtown enumclaw, a very high priced coca cola, freebies including bedazzled earbuds and a harry potter hat (for knowing one of gwen's children's names...thank you useless knowledge of pop culture trivia), and one fantastic rock show. well worth the money spent and the lack of sleep for a great experience!

real men of genius...

i stumbled upon this video of chris daughtry performing lady gaga's "poker face." i believe this version is better than the original. chris daughtry...genius!

little bit country, little bit rock n' roll

i refer to myself this way sometimes..."little bit country, little bit rock n' roll." there are two reasons for this, well maybe there are more, but for this blogs purposes there are two. reason number one is probably the most obvious...i was born and raised in the country, in a small town, on a farm with cows and horses. but now i live in the city with all its pavement, traffic and noise. i like to think that i can blend in either location...small town USA or downtown big city. i'm definitely comfortable in either and there are things i love about both. small town life has its charm, its easy laid back attitude, and familiarity. while there is the exciting hustle and bustle, always changing atmosphere, diversity of the city.

reason number two is probably a little more subtle unless you are around me on a daily basis. it refers directly to my taste in music, which changes daily, sometimes hourly. i can go from linkin park to the black eyed peas to rascal flatts all in the same play list. i think the lyrics of the donny and marie song actually explain it best..."i like that peaceful easy feeling of a laid back country song. and when i sing my rock n' roll, i can sing it all night long. i love my country with all my heart and soul. i go out on saturday night for a little bit of rock n' roll." i often say that i don't really discriminate when it comes to musical genres. a point which i would say has been proven by the fact that i just quoted donny and marie.

i was asked recently which side i lean more towards, country or rock n' roll? i don't think this person meant in the musical preferences realm, i think they meant in life. and, as i said before, i would like to think that i'm a mix of the two. however, with that said, if i had to choose, i would probably say country. while i enjoy city life and all that it has to offer...the country is my roots. there are days where i miss it and i go for a drive, until the city lights are behind me and there are trees and rolling green pastures all around me. because, ultimately, whether i want to admit it or not...i'm a country girl at heart. and, as brooks and dunn say, "you can take a girl out of the honky tonk, but you can't take the honky tonk out of the girl."

i'll leave you with a few pictures from the 4th of July, spent at the molalla little buckeroo's rodeo. you can't get much more country than this...

life's a dance, you learn as you go...

webster’s dictionary defines “experience” as “the conscious events that make up an individual life. something personally encountered, undergone, or lived through. the act or process of directly perceiving events or reality. knowledge gained by actually doing or living through something.” i’m not sure when it happened, when i began to realize that life is made up of little experiences. but, i firmly believe this and actively seek out opportunities to experience something new.

these past few months have been very busy…filled with all kinds of new experiences.

1) in mid-april my boss asked if i would like to attend a conference in Nashville, Tennessee. i said yes immediately. 1) i love to travel. 2) i love country music. 3) why would i say no?

the conference was for writers, graphic designers, photographers, public relations, marketing…anyone who worked in the communications department for Baptist organizations.

two things i learned…
1) i love Nashville! my friend Amber (aka…tour guide barbie) showed me all of the hot spots and must sees.
2) all over this country there are graphic designers, photographers, writers, etc. that are just like me. it was great to meet a network of people that i can relate to.

this is a quote from one of these new friends…(as we were pulling up to a very sketchy looking bowling alley). “ladies, i predict that ya’ll are gonna get hit on tonight. there is a mountain man in there right now just lookin’ for a new wife.” (imagine this is said with a very thick southern accent).

2) shortly after returning from nashville i went to see broadway’s production of grease in downtown portland. i had no idea how much i would enjoy musical theater.

FYI…Taylor Hicks is less annoying in a broadway play than an entire season of American idol, which i think says a lot. that was until he pulled out his harmonica. a harmonica in grease…please

3) in the first part of may i traveled home for mother’s day, which also coincides with zillah community days. this brought with it my first experience running a 5K. it's something that i've wanted to do for a while now, but hadn't had the opportunity.


4) this past week found me travelling once again for work, this time to seaside oregon. with the busy schedule of the past two months travelling, house sitting, and a youth conference, it felt like really bad timing and i was not looking forward to the trip. however, my sister put it in the proper prospective when she said, “beckie, the worst thing you have to complain about is that you have to spend three days at the beach, really?”

once i saw the view from my hotel room, Christi’s perspective was reinforced. i mean, how can you really complain about this?

it IS a mad, mad world

i have refrained from blogging about my pick for American Idol this season. i found that people felt the need to convince me that i am insane. yes people, i am an Adam Lambert fan. i realize that while part of the world might not be ready for this type of artist, i am. because have you heard him sing? HE CAN SANG! no, i did not spell that wrong. i feel that "sang" is the only way to describe what he does.

i know that this is all pointless because last night america voted and Adam didn't win. and, believe it or not, i'm not heartbroken. i actually think that it will work out better for both of them this way. i agree with the following statement...
"I will just take solace in the fact that a) Adam Lambert will get a record deal anyway; b) not winning may allow Adam to have more creative control over his debut album, and thus he'll release more genuinely freak-flag-flying material; c) Adam won't have to release that insipid "No Boundaries" as his first single"

this is actually one of my favorite moments of the night...

i'm actually quite proud of cute little Kris Allen, who is also extremely talented. he became one of my favorites throughout the show and several times i was blown away by his performances. i'm also proud of Adam being so gracious as Kris won. i will be first in line to buy his album.

take a look...in a book...

i love to read! when i was a child i used to walk down to the library, check out some books, and start reading one while walking home. this is why it came as no surprise that i loved Powell's Books from the first moment i stepped through the doors. well, maybe "from the second moment" would be more accurate as the first moment was spent standing in an overwhelmed stupor as i took in the enormity of it all. Powell's Books is the largest independent used and new bookstore in the world. and, it is heaven on earth for this reader.


the great thing about Powell's is that it combines two of my loves...books and a great deal! i went in with a list of specific titles that i need for my book club. once i used the kiosk to locate every item on my list...i wandered from the blue room, through the gold room, onto the red room, gathering my books and taking it all in. it was definitely an experience. i could easily see myself spending hours in there. i ended up getting all of my book club books, plus two more, at a great price because they were all used. it was FABULOUS!


here are my purchases. who knew that "the princess bride" was science fiction? maybe that seem like common knowledge to most people, but it was news to me.

flippin' your fins...

i've been thinking about discipline lately. frankly, it's not something that i'm very good at...making myself do something that is difficult or that i don't want to do. i was reminded of this, once again, this past weekend as i watched my niece's swim meet. i was amazed as i watched these children, ages 6-14, swim for hours, not because they HAD to but because they wanted to. because they enjoy what they do and they want to be better at their sport.

here are some pictures and stories from the weekend...

each swimmer writes their event #, heat #, lane # and stroke on their leg or arm. this is so they keep track of where they should be, when they should be there and what they're doing when they get there.


Christi and Megan painted Cassadie's fingernails and toes alternating purple and green to match their team colors. Megan is a hilarious little girl. At one point I asked both girls what they think about when they're swimming. Cassadie said, "nothing, I just count my strokes." Megan said, "Chocolate cake! Oh, and pizza!"


warm-ups were my favorite part to watch. hundreds of little kids all in the pool at one time. sometimes they would be swimming three wide in a lane and i was amazed that no one ever got hurt. apparently it's organized chaos and they all know what they're supposed to be doing.


this is my favorite picture because of the smile on her face. she was obviously proud of herself and the race she had just completed.


at dinner the girls named Cassadie's calzone Patrick after a kid on their swim team that has blazing red hair. this got a little awkward when we opened the fridge the leftovers were in and found that it hadn't been on all night. Cassadie's response..."Patrick died."

i could probably go on with stories about poo in the warm up pool, kids who could barely swim trying to swim 4 laps, or waking up with socks on pillows. but, i will leave you with my favorite quote from some random girl that had just struggled through her 100 yard freestyle race..."i have two questions...did i make it? and, can you help me out of the pool?"

harnessing the wind

there are wind farms covering the hills of the columbia river gorge. you can see hundreds, maybe thousands of them off in the distance. i know that these wind turbines serve a good purpose...but i find them extremely creepy. i'm not sure what it is about them.


maybe it's their enormous size (they look small from a distance, but up close they are positively huge).


maybe it's the fact that you may only see one or two of them peeking over the edge, but lurking over that hill there are hundreds more. like i said, i'm not exactly sure why i find them creepy. they remind me of something out of a science fiction movie. like at any minute they're going to come to life, not unlike a transformer, and take over the world.

fast cars and freedom...

i learned something about myself recently. well, i've actually always known it to be true, but could never put a name to the behavior. it's something that lies dormant most of the time, not letting others in on the secret, but every once in a while it makes itself known. you see...i am an "autophile", or a car enthusiast. i know that this is probably pretty rare for a girl, but i love cars, everything having to do with cars. i credit this to my father, because whether he realizes it or not, i would consider him to be an autophile as well. he is always pointing out cars on the road, classic cars...thunderbird, barracuda, ford fairlane. he can tell you the make, model and year. and, while i can't claim this same prowess (i'm pretty good with makes and models, but years not so much) i find myself noticing cars and sometimes pointing them out, generally to people who could care less.

i was asked a while back..."if money were no object and you could have any car, what would it be?" easy...1967 Shelby Mustang...you might recognize her as "Eleanor" from the movie Gone in 60 seconds (consequently the only nicholas cage movie i can sit through, and that's only because of the cars).


what brought on this sudden realization? about a week ago, i was driving with my sister and we passed a car lot. out of the corner of my eye, i saw it, as if there were a light shining on it. i didn't know what it was at first. all i knew was that it was BEAUTIFUL! after some research i found it...the new Dodge Challenger (when i was buying a new car last year, had i known that this existed, the outcome might have been different).


something in my response to this car triggered my revelation.

so, you might ask...what does an avid car enthusiast drive? if i were the kind of autophile that could actually work on cars, i might drive my 1960's mustang. but, since i'm not, and the new mustang seems slightly impractical, this is what i drive...


a 2007 Nissan Murano (the deciding factor...the salesman opened the hood and i saw this beautiful, clean, V6 engine and then i started her up and she rumbled to life...SOLD!) but, i firmly believe that someday, when love wins out over practicality i will drive my mustang. someday!