Maladies

For the past 4 weeks I've had health insurance...for the first time in a year and a half.

Since then i've had what could have been a deadly spider bite, a pulled hamstring, and viral pink eye.

None of which actually required me to go to the doctor.

But i take comfort in the security of things that I might not actually need. So I appreciate the fact that I could have gone to the doctor if that spider bite had in fact turned out to be the deadly sort.

But all that time at the doctor would have been wasted whilst i live this incredible life:

the most amazing group of high school girls you could ever hope to know

little rock dream center has my heart

no need to say anything more. picture = a thousand words

Everything Is Better In The Sunshine

It's amazing to me that there is a single place in the world that can give you all the coffee in the world you want, plus lunch (or dinner) if you're there long enough to need it, plus access to the rest of the world through the internet plus a place to be alone in your thoughts and studies and at the same time be a place of gathering with friends whilst you do all of the above.

Starbucks, sometimes you blow my mind.

Which is why I don't mind spending approximately half of my very feeble pay check at your great domain.

Thank you for housing me for more hours than probably my own place of residence.

Relapse and A Bitter Goodbye

I'm not going to lie.

Coffee kicked my butt this week.

It started out so simple...very little sleep one night and the idea that i wasn't scheduled to sing anytime in the next week...led to my first sip. Which then led to my next one and next one...until before you know it, I'd had at least one cup of coffee a day for five days in a row. Saturday morning I literally said "not today...no coffee for me". And my cousin so temptingly replied "but it's Halloween."

And I caved.

And two hours later i got a text...and then spent the rest of the weekend singing. Like garbage mind you. Five days of coffee will do that to me.

So now, with what feels like bleeding vocal chords...I once again proclaim that I am through with you coffee.

In this love/hate relationship i have going with you, the hate is currently winning.

So again, I say farewell. You serve me well for a short time but it's not worth it in the long run.

Goodbye again sweet friend.

God Asked Me To Give Up Reality Television

I'm totally kidding. I just figured that after that after the way I ended my last post that I was totally asking for God to strip me of my love for reality television.

So far so good :)

However, due to my crazy schedule and the fact that tivo can't happen out in the country where i live (have i mentioned there's only dial up? only six thousand times? ok, good) i have a feeling that the fall lineup i've been eying with longing will have to stand by the wayside this fall. Something that i would never willingly give up on my own...so maybe this will be good for me :)

Speaking of good for me, I can't tell you how good this weekend will be for me...It's just been one of those weeks where i go go go...which honestly that has been my entire life since i moved to the country. But this week was that plus a lot of added stress. No need to go into the details, but i've never felt like i've earned a good weekend so much before. And that's what this weekend will be. Let me show you :)

If it doesn't rain, then i'll be out on this a lot this weekend:

And of course I'll be doing a lot of reading, relaxing, game playing, family chatting and drinking coffee on this :

That's right. I said drinking coffee. I'm not back to drinking it daily. But this is the one weekend a year that i can't imagine not drinking it. I'm allowing myself these three days.

Well, four. Because today I caved under the stress of the week and have already had a red bull and a coffee. But i'm just starting the weekend out early...that's all. I promise. No more coffee after labor day.

I sound like a true addict.

Why I Can't Seem To Wake Up

I have officially given up coffee.

It almost brings me to tears to even write that sentence, but that just reminds me that it was definitely time to let it go.

I'm not saying I'll never enjoy the occasional Pumpkin Spice Latte (Dear God, why did I quit coffee just in time for the return of Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte?)... Just that I'm determined for the quality of my day to no longer be determined by the amount of caffeine i have or have not ingested.

This decision came about during my recent trip to Memphis to see Journey. Did I mention that I got a free ticket to see Journey? Well, I did. And it was amazing. And although the brilliant vocals of Steve Perry were not able to be there, I did get to hear some pretty amazing pipes via the small Philipino man doing herkies and leaps and jumping jacks all over the stage for two hours. It was a great night :)

It was on that drive to Memphis that I started quizzing a friend of mine that is in school for speech therapy about the vocal chords. My voice has been sore for several months and I had gotten myself all worked up with worry the night before and had convinced myself that I had developed vocal nodules. I know that i do not sing correctly and i thought possibly my voice was finally fighting back. As i quizzed Cecilia she made it clear that I did not in fact have to have vocal chord surgery...but "you may want to give up drinking coffee".

That did not go over well with me.

She explained that if I came into her clinic with the same problems that they would put me on a strict no caffeine diet to cure the problem. I basically told her that there was not a chance in the world that I was going to give up coffee so my voice was just going to have to go on hurting.

The next morning we left Memphis early to get me back to church in time to do worship. After I demanded that we stop at a Starbucks on the way out of town we hit the road and nobody said much as we listened to worship music and tried to wake up. As I sat in the back seat, hands folded around my beloved drink I thought back over our conversation the day before. As i thought back through every thing that Cecilia had said I felt God ask me "If you HAD to choose between doing worship for the rest of your life or drinking coffee for the rest of your life, which would you choose?"

And I hesitated.

I knew what the obvious answer was, but the idea of giving up coffee...my comfort...every morning... made me want to die.

And it was in that moment that I knew that my love for coffee had gotten a tad out of control.

Let me make it clear that I do not believe God was asking for me to choose one over the other. But his question got me thinking as to what other comforts I may be making a priority over serving Him. It's something that I've decided to continually ask myself...to make sure there is no more of me getting in the way of more of Him.

Let's just hope that He doesn't ask me to give up reality television.

Just In Time To Be My Ruin

After a long summer sabbatical my favorite little place in Conway is resuming "Becca-friendly" hours. That's right people. As of this coming Monday, August 17, 2009 The Brewery will once again be open until 9 instead of closing their doors on my desolate working till 5 self at..well, 5.

Just in time for my decision to wean myself off of coffee. So...this should be interesting.

If nothing else I can always practice my high jumps in the parking lot.

New Levels of Love I'd Never Imagined Possible

Over the past few years i've slowly assembled a list of characteristics that my future dream house will have. The few constants on my list are: front and back porches with ceiling fans that make hot arkansas summer nights possible to enjoy, the type of ice machine you can find in condos and hotels and a room exclusively for all of my books (also known as a library...but to call what i have in mind a "library" really doesn't do my book room justice :)

After this past week in the most adorable town ever created, i've added something else to my list.

A built in coffee maker/cappuccino machine.

This baby was built straight into the wall and all i had to do was place my coffee cup under a nozzle, hit a button and the coffee ground itself and then brewed straight into my eager cup.

It was beautiful.