Gadgets

Has anyone ever stopped to look at the amazing assortment of gadgets available to put on your blog? I spent way too much time looking at all of these, only to discover that most are completely useless...and kind of creepy. Between Donald Trump Quote of the Day and Beautiful Sunset Pictures, I got a little giggly. Because the things that truly amuse people are kind of scary. For instance, this is the description of, I'm not kidding, Adorable Babies. "The most adorable babies! A beautiful rotating slide show of 10 random baby photos at a time."

Can you say, 'creepy?' Seriously! Who does that! I mean, babies are cute and all, but aren't they the cutest when you, say, actually know the parents of these babies? You know they are weird pictures, like the ones where Baby has a Christmas Bow on her bottom, or is dressed up as some sort of fruit or vegetable. Sweet, when you, again, have some sort of relationship to said baby. But when it's some stranger's baby? I'm not so sure.

The example picture shows a darling, naked infant with a tag saying, "From God." How sweet. How frightening.

You know, these kids are totally gonna hate their parents for this someday. It's totally creepy.

The Birthday Blog

Thursday was my 18th birthday...yay! Here is a collection of my thoughts on the last couple of days. Warning: Birthday Beth(Hereafter referred to as BB) is even more impossibly shallow than average, everyday Beth. Just so you know.

Birthday Thought #1, dated last Sunday) BB: Hmm. My birthday is on Thursday. I'd better start milking it for all it's worth..."Joel, will you get me a soda? . . . It's my birthday."

Birthday Thought #2, a couple days before B-day) BB: I wonder how long I can make my special birthday privileges last. The day after? A couple days?
Mom: Beth, I'm so sorry, but we're going to be pretty busy on your birthday...we'll have to spread out the celebration. I'm sorry!
BB: It's fine, mom. It's just a birthday. (secretly, in her head,) Yup, looks like I just secured at LEAST a couple extra days of birthday spoiling. Awesome!

Birthday Thought #3, B-day) BB: It's my birthday. That means I get to do whatever I want, right? Cool!

Birthday Thought #4, Day after B-day) BB: You know, I should try to be less shallow...because seriously, I'm a brat...

Not like that's ever stopped me before...


Birthday Thought #5, today) BB: 362 days till my birthday!

:)

Okay, so, I know I haven't posted in awhile. But that's because pretty much nothing unusual has happened in the last two months or so. Seriously. But that's okay, because it means nothing awful or crazy happened. But not much awesomeness either. Anyway, last night my dad took us to see "Scrooge, the Musical" at this litte theater in Alexandria. It was....um....interesting.

Scrooge is obviously based on A Christmas Carol. But let me just say that some things are best left in their traditional form...why must we make said story into a musical? The only time that worked was for the Muppets, and that because, well, they're the Muppets. So, for two and a half hours, we watched them try to make Christmas Carol into something new and different, adding boring and unexceptional songs into the mix. The funniest parts included,

1)Scrooge fallin over while trying to take off his shoes, only to pretend that he had meant to.
2)A girl missing the last note in her song, only to be laughed at by the boy she was singing to. Seriously, they just stood there and laughed as they got engaged or whatever.
3)A completely random scene where the toy story window comes to life and the toys dance around for no reason at all

The actor playing scrooge was pretty good...but that didn't make the play itself less painful. Anyway, maybe I'm spoiled by seeing so many actually good plays in my life...but this was not awesome.

Joong-Wong

My mother has been making friends with our Korean neighbors. She tutors the two boys, and Rose and Joel take art classes from their mom. Also, Rose and I take turns "tutoring" the younger boy, Joong-Wong.(I'm not sure if I really spelled that right...but who's going to correct me, really?) "Tutoring" means reading to him and watching this incredibly smart third grader work on spelling words. And then we play Scrabble.

None of this is to help him with his actual school work...his mom just wants him to really love reading. And he doesn't mind spending an extra hour twice a week on spelling and reading. This kid is highly entertaining. I'm reading him this book he brought with him...it's called Gregor, and it's about some weird underworld. The chapter I read today involved giant bats...yeah, it was weird.

Anyway, I just wanted to introduce you all to my new friend Joong-Wong and his family...because I'm sure that there will be more to share about them in the future. :)

I <3 Heroes!

So, the school year has been going on for a several weeks now, and September is almost over. This means Beth is bored. Sure, October is fun in it's own way...but not really till the end, with pumpkins and costumes and all that. Right now it's all kind of...well, blah.

Well, thank goodness prime time television has come to the rescue! Heroes is starting tonight, and Joel and I await this evening quite anxiously. Is Nikki really dead?(please, please let her be dead...) Will Peter save the day? Will Claire become less annoying and cheerleader-y?

Let me explain myself. In the last few years, I have watched very little television. There was nothing very worth taking the time to watch, and ballet classes were always in the evenings when I would normally be watching TV. So I didn't mind, I liked the fact that I was not bound to the television every weekday night. Also, I hate jumping in the middle of a series that has been going on for awhile. I like to know what's happening.

Then that whole writers' strike thing happened. And there was no TV for months. And I didn't dance anymore...giving me lots of time to check out station websites and catch up on a lot of TV...

Which means that this fall, I am excited for Heroes, Pushing Daisies, Chuck, and The Office, among...even more worthless TV. How exciting. At least now I have something to do with my time...

Yeah, you can say it. I should find something better to do, and to write about...:)

A Day in the Life...

So I guess life has slowed down a lot...because here is my daily schedule. (Some variation as to order, but that's about it.)

1. Wake up late.
2. Eat some sort of sugar filled breakfast cereal.
3. School. This usually lasts me about 3 hours. Yeah...it's easy.
4. Eat Lunch.
5. Take a nap. Seriously...every day.
6. Play games on the computer with Joel. (Zoo Tycoon. We built a Zoo. It's very realistic, except for the Saber-Toothed Cats.)
7. Read a book/bug my siblings while waiting for my dad to get home.
8. Eat dinner. At dinner, we share something that we read about in the paper that day. It's very enlightening, especially since Rose's story today is about Taylor Swift, Joel's is about Legos, and mine is about a public race track where people can bring there own cars and train to drive 200 mph through a twisting track. All for the low, low price of $200. Cool, right?
9. Play games on my dad's computer until my boyfriend calls.
10. Go to sleep.

And then Repeat, with the small variation of going to church on Sundays and Wednesdays.

So I think what we've established here is...I need a life. And soon.

I'm back, ladies and gentlemen!

While I am eternally grateful for the many suggestions I received concerning my last post, I think it would be totally uncharacteristic of me to actually use any of them. I mean, really...I'm just weird like that. So anyway, I thought of something all on my own! I know you are all SO proud.

Anyway.


I've noticed something about myself recently. I have the amazing ability to block out truly unpleasant memories. I actually forget about them. Like, going to the doctor for a physical...I never remember much about it. The horrifying idea of having to wear those hospital gown things that barely cover you...yeah, I just block it out. I mean, I KNOW it happened, but the memory of it is very vague. I think this is a useful skill, but at times it isn't very helpful. I mean, if I don't remember, I don't fully know how to prepare myself the next time around. It's like, I know it'll be unpleasant, but the unpleasantness is so very vague, that it seems it will be sunshine and daisies or something by the time I actually get around to doing it again. That, I think, is what happened with this.




Seriously. That's totally creepy.

and looking back on this movie, I remember happy things. Toot Sweet candy a Truly Scrumptious. Not horrifying child sniffer man with a creepy nose for smelling out kids! COME ON! They let kids watch this? No wonder I blocked it out!

Blah Blah Blah!

I have realized something. It's huge. It's monumental. It's absolutely horrifying. Well....maybe not.


I have nothing to say.


Seriously. Life is THAT uneventful. I need suggestions...something, ANYTHING to boost my creativity here. Come on, people, help me out! I need to vent about something on this little blog here, but as of today I have absolutely nothing to write about. GIVE ME SOMETHING!

Confessions...

Alright, so, I was eating sushi with Magen the other night, and after we had a long conversation, she said I needed to post here. To tell you all that I, Beth, have a boyfriend. That's right, I've gone over the deep end. I've bitten the dust. And so far, so good. Please leave any advice, comments, or insults you see fit. That's all I really had to say, and I can't even make it into a long and interesting post because so far in our relationship, we have only had phone conversations. He lives in another town, you see...but I'll be seeing him tonight, so maybe some hilarity will take place and I can tell ya'll 'bout it. Anyway, I'm done rambling now! Have a lovely Saturday!

Grade School Camp

Here at camp, some interesting things happen. Most of them when I am tired. At the end of last week, when the grade school girls were cleaning up their things to go home, this amusing thing happened...

I was counseling with Grace, and we had a camper named Grace, which causes some confusion. Camper Grace's friend Allie is kind of...um...bossy. And Camper Grace is very quiet and shy. Interseting combination. The following conversation took place last Friday.

Allie: Grace, can you help me?
Grace: Sure. What do you need?
Allie: NOT YOU! I MEANT THE OTHER GRACE!!!!
Grace: Oh...sorry.
Allie: Well, you've been doing that ALL week!

Me: (To counselor Grace) Sheesh! Stop answering to your own name!!!
Grace: SORRY!


At another day, Camper Grace sits, fidgeting, at the dinner table.

Allie: Stop it!
Grace: Sorry, I keep forgetting.
Allie: It's okay. I think I know what your problem is.
...
Allie: You just get a little too excited sometimes!!!


yeah...true facts.

And We're Off!

Tomorrow, we're headed off to camp for the entire summer. Seriously, the entire summer. There may be one or two weeks from now until early August that won't be spent in the hot, mosquito infested environment I love so much. It's gonna be great. What will be less great, of course, is the 20+ hour drive down there...oh well, all good things come at a price.



So from here on out, the blogs will be filled with the ridiculous things that my campers do, as well as the ridiculous things I do...and as a special treat, I'll go ahead and post a personal essay that I wrote for school this year, while I was feeling nostalgic about my first summer on staff at good old KBC. Hope you enjoy it...though I must warn you, it's a bit sappy. :)


The summer days were long, unbearably hot, and incredibly muggy, but that didn’t bother the girls as they sat, giggling, on the balcony of the large, old building. The four of them were busy doing nothing, but they were doing nothing together, and that was all that mattered. If you were to ask them what they were laughing about, they would have said something along the lines of, “It’s a long story!” before bursting into another fit of giggles.
My best friends and I were having an amazing summer, working on staff at Kansas Bible Camp. We’d grown up there, together, but in the last year something had changed. We had gone from four girls who knew each other, to four girls who could not be separated. It was a fact the other staffers could not fail to notice, and it wasn’t long until we were known as “the Ninja Turtles.” Don, Leo, Raph and Mike; not one of us could be somewhere without another.
We were considered “the good kids,” having grown up in Christian families, being taught to serve Christ and respect the people around us. We were expected to be an example to the campers, and even the other staffers…but that didn’t mean we didn’t get into our fair share of mischief.
Our turn to camp came early that summer, in the middle of June. Sarah Duncan and Grace Page were going to be sophomores, and Sarah Denny and I were headed into our freshman year. It was the first time the four of us would attend a High School camp together, and we were more than excited.
Our excitement and, to be honest, craziness, caused us to always be in a group. While the four of us were inseparable, we also congregated with several other staffers; to form a large group of kids whom the counselors knew didn’t need as much attention. They would worry about the teens that were known to make questionable decisions, or maybe didn’t understand the Gospel, and leave us on our own. We didn’t mind this at all. We were very good at entertaining ourselves.
At High School camp, every meal was decorated for a different holiday, and the campers would dress up accordingly. We sang carols on Christmas, painted shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day, and dressed up as jars of mayonnaise for Cinco de Mayo.
In the middle of the week, we all congregated in the basement as a brilliant storm raged outside. The entire camp and staff crammed together in the small basement, sitting on mattresses on the hard floor. I sat next to my friend John, who was busy in conversation with someone else. Among the bustling and noise of the many crowded campers, our little group had gotten separated. Of course, this did not bother me. We were okay without each other for this little amount of time. That’s when John leaned over to me and asked, “Where’s the rest of the Fearsome Four?” The nickname made me giggle, but I liked it. It was as if the four of us together made something greater, more important, than each of us separately.
That’s when the power went out. Eventually, when those in charge realized that it wouldn’t be coming back on anytime soon, they sent us to bed. We were only to use the bathroom in emergencies, as the water was tied into the power lines, and the toilets only had one flush in them. Counselors stood guard in the large bathroom, instructing girls not to flush. It didn’t really matter, it was only one night. Or so we thought. The next morning, there was still no power, so we all got into vans and took the two minute drive to the smaller, East Campus, which was used for girls or boys only camps, not entire co-ed camps. The Grade School Boys camp that was using the space that week shared with us for a day, and we ate our lunches out of brown paper bags on the basketball court. As we sat, some girls nearby talked about a friend of ours. “He’s so funny,” “Yeah, and cool, too!” “I know!” We looked at each other, fighting off grins, while our friend Jon said, “I just think he’s funny.” We burst into giggles once more, but the girls didn’t seem to notice. As fourteen-year-olds, nothing was funnier than girls who had crushes on our friends, and we were sure to tease him about it later. The power soon came back on, and we traveled back to the Main Campus.
Later in the week, we were bored during free time, and decided to go on a walk out to the trampoline swing, which was out in the back of the camp grounds, in the “woods.” It was a nice walk, though it would take most of our free time, we knew. A large group of us made it out there, laughing and joking along the way. The swing was a small, exercise trampoline suspended from a tree by several thick ropes, and large enough for several people to swing at once, lying on their stomachs. The recent rain had left a large puddle beneath the swing, which at first seemed to prevent us from using the swing, but proved to make it more fun. As you swung, you could reach out and splash in the muddy water, or spray some at a friend. Sarah was chewing gum, and as she was pushed along by some of the boys, she spit it out in their direction. Retaliation ensued in the forms of mud flinging, and spinning of the swing as she flew along.
Grace’s turn came, and one of the boys was pushing her, jumping up as the swing approached him; it flipped over, causing Grace to land in the muddy water. We were horrified, until we heard her hysterical laughter. It may have hurt for a moment, but she never said so.
Someone said that it must be time to start heading back for Verse Study, but none of us had thought to bring a watch. So, at our ease, we made our way back to the main building. Along the way, Sarah encountered a dead bird. With an evil grin, she picked it up by its tail. John, who loved everything to do with sports, was walking up ahead of her.
“Hey, John, catch,” Sarah said in a rush, and flung the bird in his direction, knowing he would react without hesitation. He turned and caught it—a small pause followed, before he realized what he was holding and dropped it to the ground with a loud, “Ew, Sarah!”
Laughing, we made it back to the camp—only to realize that we were fifteen minutes late! We hurried to our separate group studies, covered in mud from our little adventure, and were there just in time to recite our verses. It was a relief that we had studied them earlier in the day!
The week ended, and we went back to staffing. The rest of the summer was just as exciting and entertaining as that week had been, and it would not be forgotten. Several years have come and gone since then, and we haven’t known a summer quite as wonderful as that one. A few friends stopped coming to camp, but we made new ones. The four of us girls are as close today as we ever were, but in different ways. We’ve grown up in the last three years, grown to expect more from a summer than a good time. There is so much to learn from God’s Word, and though the last few summers have not been quite so fun, they were increasingly meaningful. Those three girls have meant more to me than I ever knew friends could. We are not so inseparable now, content to be together sometimes and separated others. But I love the time that we get to spend when it’s just the four of us, giggling and doing nothing but being with each other. These times are fewer and farther between, as we are growing older, but that only makes them more wonderful.

I love my mother, but...

My mother is truly a wonderful woman. She loves Jesus, is totally kind to people, and loves to serve.

But sometimes, she kinda freaks me out.


Tonight we went to Old Town to eat dinner and then we walked down to the waterfront for a little while. It was kind of a farewell to VA for the summer, and it was nice. But at dinner, we had the following conversation.

Mom: I'm gonna tell you something I saw, and then you can decide for yourself the rest of the story.

Me: Uh...OK.

Mom: I just saw this woman come out of the alley over there, and she was wearing a sweater and her hair was in a pony tail. After she got out of the alley, she buttoned up her sweater a little more and pulled her hair out of the ponytail and shook it out. What do you think the deal with that is?

Me: Um...I don't know. Maybe she just got off work or something like that.

Mom: When we're done eating, lets go see what's back there.

Everyone Else: Yeah! Okay!

Me: YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.

Did I mention that my dad is out of town? My mother was about to lead us into an unknown alley in the growing darkness....yeah. Luckily, it was private property, so she did not lead us there....but she laughed at me a lot for getting so freaked out.

Maybe it wasn't a big deal...but the idea that no one would notice if we went missing bothered me a little...

Things Beth Will Do When She is Matt's Bond Servant

At the end of this year, it is my plan to live back in the house I grew up in with my older brother and his family. This, of course, will be insane. Tonight, while talking to said brother, I was provided the following list.

Things Beth Will Do When She is Matt's Bond Servant

1)Beth must always lost to Matt at Mario Party
2)Beth must clean anything Matt finds icky and doesn't want to touch
3)Beth must, at such times as Matt deems appropriate, voluntarily pee herself
4)Beth must offer Matt everything on her plate before partaking of any food
5)Beth will, at all times, refrain from pointing out examples of Matt's idiocy and poor Hygiene.

Of course, he has now supplied me with a list of things to refrain from doing in order to annoy him. Such fun...

Hello, Summer!

Summer has certainly crept up on me this year. Living in a new place was supposed to be scary and different, but it feels pretty normal now...

Tonight was the closing ceremony for AWANA. It was full of cute children reciting bible verses and smiling for cameras. While we were waiting, a little girl in Cubbies kept shouting my name, trying to get my attention. When I finally heard and turned around, she smiled, and waved a little, as if she were too shy to actually say anything...except my name as loud as possible. Yeah.

Another sign of summer is the increasingly warm weather. While this is lovely, I have almost no summer clothes...which means I am quite often too hot for my own good. :P Anyway, a shopping trip is soon in order.

Last night we went into DC to look at the monuments all lit up in the dark...I'm pretty sure that any person visiting our Nation's Capital should go at night to the WWII memorial...it's pretty amazing.

In case you were wondering...

Weddings are scary, scary things. But not really the actual ceremony, or even the reception. The real scary stuff happens the week before. I've been tagging along behind my mother all across this little town for 4 days now, and there are still oodles of things to do. Funny thing, it's not even my wedding. Rachel says that I can't understand how much pressure is involved in planning your own wedding, which I believe. But this leaves me with a very frightening idea.

If the things I am doing for Rachel this week are only a fraction of the things I will someday have to do, how on earth will I ever be able to plan and bring about my wn wedding? This is hard enough, and it's not anything compared to what she's been doing for MONTHS. I feel like falling asleep at 10:00 every night, something that hasn't happened to me since I was maybe 7 years old.

And tomorrow, the flowers are coming in.

This brings me to my point. All the planning and months of craziness are enough to make me swear off the whole guy thing entirely and learn the ways of the hermit. So, if anyone has any tips on life as a hobo, I'm open to your ideas.

In the beginning...

Where to begin? My name is Beth, and I was always a small town kind of girl, until my dad got a job in the big city and we moved. Now my life consists of visting monuments and touring the White House. I used to be a ballet dancer, but I dropped that when we moved, so my schedule is more flexible than I am at the moment. Not having many obligations means that I get to do generally what I want to when I want to, like take a three week long trip to Chicago to visit my brother and his new family, which is what I'm doing at the moment. On Saturday I'll head back to Kansas for my sister's wedding. Rachel's Wedding was supposed to be small and casual, now it's just casual. In our family, there is no possibility of 'small.' There are nine kids in our immediate family alone. Which can sometimes be overwhelming.

Anyway, that's my life, in a mere 10 sentences. More to follow when I have more to say.