rebecca...

I've been interested lately in names and their meanings. My mom had always told me that Rebecca meant "peacemaker," which is funny because I see that in myself sometimes, but not always in a positive manifestation. More in a people-pleasing manifestation, woohoo! Anyhoot, later in high school, we had an assignment in word etymology, and we had to do our entire name. I found all sorts of cool other meanings in addition to "peacemaker" such as "faithful wife" and "fair," but then I was looking online and all I could really find that Rebecca meant was "to tie," or "to bind." Hmm......great?

Here are some other ones that I found that I like in some comments on various etymology sites:
faithful wife
captivate/captivator/captivating
enchantingly beautiful (whoa!)

Here are some that I'm not as sure I love so much:
a snare
a heifer (hmm...)
knotted cord
noose

Very interesting. Very interesting indeed.

reading & teamwork

I bought this last night.


Boy do I like this chronological stuff. Also, the verses aren't individually numbered, so it makes the reading seem more narrative. Annie and I are going to be going through this together. I'm excited. I started reading in Acts last night and I'm supér excited! So excited in fact, I wanted to put an accent over the "e" in supér, as commonly seen in el español.

Plus, I also like the linen textured paper they used for the cover. Feels good in my hands, what what!!

living fossil...

Check out this article on a rare shark they found in Japan. CRAZY!! Watch the video, too. It's hard to believe something like this exists and we've never seen it. Oh, this world...

listening is fun!

I just got the Harbor notes from Greg that was the New Year's letter, and I didn't get through the first paragraph before I started thinking about....that's right, myself. ("Ha ha!" is fairly taboo vernacular for a blog, yes?) Anyway, I got to the part about how this year has been so hectic that they (read: Greg) didn't have time to write a family Christmas letter, hence the New Year's version.

Anyway, that hectic part kind of struck a chord in me. My life is most often times hectic. Crowded, way too full, call it what you will. Not only has it started to stress me out as far as scheduling goes, but my body just can't handle it any more. Who'd have thought sleep and even just open-eyed sleep (or as some like to call it, rest...) could be so benefitial?! *baffled*

I feel like most of what I do is beneficial, whether it's youth group or worship team or hanging out with friends and spending quality time together. Where is the line drawn between want and need? I want to hang out with my friends, and I feel like that relationship building and friendship deepening time is very valuable. Sure I don't have to do that, but part of me feels like I do. And not out of obligation, but desire. It makes me happy. On the other hand, getting adequate sleep makes me happy. Having a clean room makes me happy. Neither of those can I get accomplished regularly if I'm constantly doing scheduling things.

And then there's friend time. I have a few friends that I see pretty regularly, but I also have friends that I don't see regularly, and I don't want to be someone who has to plan months in advance to hang out. (No offense to anyone who does!) I just don't want people to feel like they're not important to me. People are important to me. I LOVE people. Relationships are important to me. I like to feel connected.

So where is it? The line? I guess I really already know that I'm not the one who has to make that decision, even though I will be the one to execute it. I just need to let God show me what's important to him. And I need to listen.

what I decided about you...

I was talking to Jerome D. (INSIGHT REPRESENT!) online today while I was at work, and this is what he said/typed to me (items in parentheses are not part of the conversation, they are narrative from me after the conversation took place and as I was reliving it whilst writing my blog):

Jerome: You know what i just decided about you...

Becki : What? Tell me!!! (I like to consider myself a...patient person)

Jerome: That when you are 40 or 50 or even 60 you will look back at your life and decide that you had a full life of adventure, movement, and memories and you will be able to remember what year went with which memory and while it might take you a little work to remember, that is more than most people can say because most people's lives are jumbled together with each day being the same.

Wow! What a cool thing to say! I sure hope so. I really do.

p.s. New York pictures coming soon!

thank you sara.....you're next!

Holler!

best picture in all the land...

This could quite possibly be the best picture of anyone that I've ever seen. I like to call it, "In a tree cup with a bird on my chest, and thoughts in my head."



Eric, you're just great.

click

I have come to the realization that I do not take enough pictures. I motion to change this. All in favor?

news and notes

Two things I find interesting and both of which I heard whilst listening to NPR in the past two days:

1. Pizza Patrón (alias: Best Pizza in all the Land), a local pizza chain is accepting pesos until the end of February on a trial basis. When I was living in Rodeo Town (think popular barbecue sauce), we used to go there all the time, and my mom was friends with one of the owners. She drove a Miata.
Pizza Patrón!

2. For the first time in a decade, a bill is being proposed to raise minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour. Geez-o-Peets! But is it enough? There's been talk of indexing minimum wage to move with inflation. Will they do it?
Minimal Wage.....oops?

That reminds me of when I worked at blockbuster a mere 7.5 years ago, and I thought that starting out at $5.85 was a step in the right direction. What speaks of my "power" in the company more than costing $0.70 more an hour than the average Video Joe? Not much........not much.

thunderbirds!

My old high school friend - and, incidentally one of the funnies ladies whose acquaintance I have had the pleasure of making - Jennifer Galek, (on the streets she's known elusively as "Jeni") made it into a prestigious business school where she will study international business and obtain her master's degree! Woop woop!

Here are a couple of pics from her goign away partay:

Oh, the handsomeness:


Jeni, drill team days meets today...days (Go High Steppers!...*eyes darting nervously around blog message box*):


Good days ahead for you, Miss Jeni!