Edward, Jacob and Ben

Dear Edward and Jacob: 

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I am not on either team. I'm sorry. Thanks to your creator, Stephanie Meyer, I definitely like the Twilight series, but when forced to choose between the two of you, I simply can't. The sparkly skin of you, Edward, CREEPS ME OUT. And, Jacob, I'm not a fan of you shredding your clothes off to become a wolf.

Honestly, I'm just a Ben fan. Mostly because, while he hates you both, he takes me to see you. In the theater. And beyond the fact that I don't have to worry about him being icy cold or blazing hot (besides be H-O-T-T HOT)...he is just a lot of fun to be with. And Ben's facial expressions during the entire movie...priceless. Mostly, because he mocks you both during the ENTIRE film.

So....thank you for the entertainment. Its fun. And, fascinating to watch the books brought to life. But, in the end. I won't choose which I like the most. Because I'm not crushing on either one of you. I'm crushing on the man who takes me to see ya'll battle out your love (or obsession) for Bella.

Sincerely,

Bethany

PS - If you are an Edward, Jacob or just plain Twilight fan AND a DIYselfer...you can make IRON ON t-shirts to sport your adoration.

Ways I K-N-O-W I'm Growing Old...

I just keep hoping it was passed down to me...The women in my Mom's family overflow with one distinctive trait: they age well.

I hope I have that trait. To be honest, the thought of growing old, gathering wrinkles that cling to my face, looking droopier than Eeyore...generally scares me half-to-death. This came up in a conversation recently, so I thought I would share some ways I KNOW I'm getting old.

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1. When I find ONE gray hair and I ask Ben if he'll still love me. Then I contemplate dying my hair...NOW. Ignorance is bliss, you know.

2. When we hang out with friends and by 10:00pm, I'm begging Ben to take me home. Because "I CAN'T keep my eyes open for ONE MORE MOMENT."

3. When Ben and I have this conversation:
Me: I'm thinking about getting botox.
Ben: HAHAHA!!! Yeah. right.
(Ben looks at me. I stare blankly at him. His eyes grow wide)
Ben: You are serious. (notice this is a statement, not a question)
Me: Yeah. I am.
(Ben then proceeds to make fun of me by doing a one-sided-stiff-face-conversation.)

4. When I don't want Ben to squeeze my face because it may cause wrinkles, I stand in the beauty aisle in stores looking at Anti-Wrinkle Cream.
 
5. I read fashion magazines.
(to gather tips of how to disguise my body's imperfections with clothes...I'm sure you wants me to share, right? SORRY! That is why they are called SECRET beauty tips.)

In-spite of all this...I guess I really shouldn't be too worried. I still get asked if I just graduated from highschool. 

Those Times I Realize I Really Haven't Grown Up...

There are times I think I am sooo mature. So put together, so 'grown up'.

Except, I've realized...that just isn't the case.

For instance, this morning, I ran into the bedroom BEGGING Ben to get up and kill the bug. Did I mention it was 6:30 in the morning?!? (That man never ceases to amaze me)

Still not convinced?

Well, for the past week, I've been craving the classic Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. Let me tell you, there is nothing like an ooey-gooey-crunchy-peanut-buttery mixed with some sweet-smooth-preserve all gently smashed together into the PERFECT sandwich.

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Yes, I drive home every day for lunch just for this sandwich. It's THAT good.

6 Things You Need To Know...RIGHT NOW.

6 Things You Need to Know...RIGHT NOW.

1. So, right now, I'm in the middle of my Bachelorette obsession. I'm particularly excited about this season because Ali from the Bachelor IS the Bachelorette. Ben hates her, but I love her. I guess that means she can't come to dinner. Bummer. Anyway... to anyone who hasn't watched the Bachelorette, THIS season is hysterical! Don't believe me? PLEASE check out this little clip of a guy who wanted to "show his love" so much...he got a tattoo to prove it.

2. Last week, Ben and I got into a big ole' *cough, cough* "discussion" ( our pre-marital counselor and she HATED the word argument). Words were hurled out of anger, tears streamed, forgiveness was sought and in the end, love won. Marriage has its ups and downs, but we are learning to work it out and be better. For each other. For our commitment to each other.

3. In light of the above mentionables (please refer to 1 and 2...AND yes! I did JUST make up a word): Ben gave me roses. On Monday, Ben celebrated my love for the Bachelorette AND celebrated us by saying, "Will you accept this rose?" Of course I said, YES. To. All. THREE. ROSES.

4. My favorite salad addition is this scrumptious combination: 1 vidalia onion, 1 green paper,  1 cucumber, all chopped up. Pour white vinegar, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, refrigerate. Then enjoy. Let me tell you...its DEFINITELY worth crying over the onion for.

5. If you have some time to waste...or to be inspired. Whichever you prefer, I STRONGLY encourage you to check out the Parade of Homes on Poppies at Play. 

6.  This number signifies that Ben and I celebrated 6 MONTHS of Marriage on Saturday. Its been great. Ben makes my life better. Fuller. Richer. I love him.

And the Winner is....

I know I've been quiet on the blog this week. I am SO sorry. Its been a crazy week.


I am thrilled to announce that the winner of my blog's FIRST EVER Giveaway is....*DRUMROLL!!!!*


Stephanie! HOORAY!!! This was her comment: 

i am going to win because the surprise was AMAZING!
in 2005 we went to visit shaun's family for the first time in south africa. he had just taken a new job(after we booked the flights) and did not have enough vacation to stay for the whole trip. he ended up flying home a week early to start work and i stayed there with the girls. it was the first time we were apart for that long, and we both really missed each other. when i came home, i was so thrilled to see him at the airport. i was deliriously sleepy and decided to go straight to bed when i got home. he was extra cheerful and couldn't wait for me to go upstairs. when i started up the stairs, i found out why. he had been writing me love notes all week(i am words of affirmation all the way as my love language) and had no less than 100 postits covering our walls. i was in tears reading sweet words and all the kind things he was thinking of and missing about me while we were apart. best surprise ever! :) and after i finally took them down(they actually started falling off the wall), i took them to office max and had them laminated, so i will have them forever.

 Isn't that the sweetest surprise ever? It was absolutely enchanting for me to read because Stephanie got to brag on her husband's love for her.
(Stephanie, your gift card and surprise are coming your way soon!!!)

I love love.

WHAT?!?! A Surprise!?!?!? You SHOULDN'T HAVE! (But I'm glad you did!)

I love surprises. And, I hate suspense. Really, I do. Which is WHY without warning, you suddenly are embracing a mustarderly-greenish-vibrate beauty called my blog. (Yes, I think I just made up the word "mustarderly") Just because I love surprises! Do you like the new layout? I L-O-V-E it.

If you do - TELL ME WHY. If you don't - PLEASE BE NICE.

*Whew! I'm glad I got that out of the way!*

In other news...I have some fun things in the works. I wish I could tell you EXACTLY what some of them are...but I'm not. (I know, I know, its simply CRUEL of me to dangle a surprise in front of you and then give you what I hate - suspense!) In all reality, I can't. It isn't time. And, its too early, really. But, I'm excited about it. So, be on the look out.

But, to make up for the suspense I'm making you endure...I am happy to announce, that my 'lil ole' blog is hosting its VERY FIRST GIVEAWAY! This GIVEAWAY is to celebrate my new job, the new layout, summertime, surprises and really, just all things happy!Wahoo!!!!

Here are the ways you can be eligible: 

1. Leave a comment telling me the BEST surprise you've ever received. (you must expose your name in order to be eligible!)
2. Become a follower OR
3. Advertise my blog on YOUR blog or facebook (leave a comment with your link including the mention! Remember: If I can't access it, it won't count!)
4. Deadline: Thursday, June 14, 2010.
5. The winner will get: a Starbucks card. ('Cause ya'll KNOW I love me some Starbucks!) AND a surprise. ;)

Let's get this GIVEAWAY moving!

The Result of Two Months

I love to laugh. It doesn't take much for me to be doubled-over-hand over my mouth-tears pouring down my face-laughing. A lot of the reason I write this blog...is to laugh. At me, with me. To capture those memories in the hysterical way possible.

But, while I love to laugh. I also love to give credit where credit is due. In this case, I need to give God some praise. While I may not talk about my relationship with God a lot, that doesn't mean it isn't important. On the contrary! God tends to teach me things in incredible ways...and I'd like to brag on His goodness.

As you all know, my days of unemployment spanned over 7-8 weeks. Basically, two months of living off Ben's income. While Ben is a very hard worker, he is also in school. So, he only works part-time. Do you get an idea of our situation? Two people, one income (part-time) and an entire host of bills. Seems impossible, right? Believe me, Ben and I both had panic moments.(Thankfully, NOT at the same time!!)

Over a time span of TWO months of my search for a job, the bills continued to come (isn't it incredible, that bills are SOOOO consistent?!?!). And over those two months, we didn't miss a payment. At all. Literally, God provided in amazing ways. Every single time we would see the end of the tunnel, we'd have the same conversation. For example, "If Bethany doesn't get a job by this point, we aren't sure what will happen". Those are scary conversations to have when you literally don't know how you will buy groceries or pay rent. But God just stepped in. Our tax return - which was delayed for over 6 weeks (prior to losing my job) - came the first month of unemployment. Then, over the total of the 2 months, God just continued to provide - with anonymous, large, monetary gifts. Whoever sent these gifts were also sensitive to our young marriage (remember, we haven't been married over 6 months yet) ....allowing us go on dates and spend time with just the two of us, without worrying about how we will pay for the next pending bill.

Ben and I both feel like we can't take credit for the last two months. How can we? What happened during this season was beyond our control - in every single regard. But we definitely CAN give God glory for providing for us in amazing and timely ways. It isn't about what we DID to change our situation - it certainly isn't glamorous to be on your knees;  feeling the tension and pressure of the unknown well up inside of you; looking at your spouse and wondering: What next?  We simply did the only thing we knew to do - place our trust in God. Ask Him to take care of us in ways that we couldn't. Depend on Him to provide. This seems so seamless, right? It was scary! I'm a control freak. Ben is a control freak. We like to be in control of our situation! (Who doesn't?!?!) How can I taken even a smidgen of credit? I mean, given a choice - I definitely would have kept my job. It was comfortable. I didn't have to worry about anything. But the worse thing of it all - I didn't have to rely on God either. Which, is an even more dangerous spot to be.

So every time there was an "extra" bill to pay (tires for the car, a second vehicle, etc., etc.), we saw our faith and trust in God increase. And every time there was just a regular bill to pay, we saw our faith increase too. Instead of the original response when this all first occurred ("WHAT DO WE DO NOW?!?!?"), our responses literally evolved as our faith, trust and dependence in God grew ("God will provide.").

Believe me, when its all said and done saying God will provide. Is a ton more comforting than WHAT DO WE DO?!?!?!? Why? Because He does, has and will continue to provide.