California Oddities

They don't have Hardee's. They have Carl's Junior. (Which, by the way, has really suggestive ads -- suggestive enough that I actually feel uncomfortable linking to them on my blog! Can you imagine Hardee's having suggestive ads? Hardee's!?)

They don't have Freeze Pops. They have Otter Pops. Not even close to kidding you.

Yesterday we went to Baja Fresh, which Alicia has been talking about forever. "It's soooo much better than Qdoba!" "Omg, I can't wait to go there!" And... it was good. But it wasn't amazing. It's just one of those California oddities, I guess. ;)

(BTW, Alicia, I hope we're still friends after I post this!)

Santa Clarita: We Made It!

After getting up at 4 a.m. (EDT) and arriving in California 10:30 a.m. (PDT)... let's just say it was a long flight. It's now 8 p.m. (PDT) and I just took a really long nap. Apparently. But actually, I have no idea what time it is. :) My internal clock is completely messed up. But we're here, it's beautiful, and I promise to blog!

For those of you who missed it, we came to California with our good friends Casey & Alicia (and Penelope, of course), who are from here. It's one of those things we always talked about ("Wouldn't it be soo fun if we could go home with you guys on vacation!?") and now no one can believe we're actually doing. We're here until August 14th, a little over two-and-a-half weeks, and I have no way of checking my work email from here. I'm loving it. Although I dreamed about Village Manor in that really long nap I just took. Apparently I'll never fully be free....

By the way, did I ever tell you how we met Casey & Alicia? In the bookshelf isle of a ghetto Kentucky Target? Maybe I'll save that story for tomorrow....

TTYS, East-coast friends!

PS: When did it switch to "Daylight Time" in the abbreviations (EDT, PDT, etc.) instead of "Standard Time" (EST, PST, etc.)? Apparently I missed that.

Lost and Found

This weekend, I lost (and found, praise the Lord!) my wedding rings. What a nightmare. Here's the story:

I noticed when we were at dinner on Friday night that I didn't have them on. I had cleaned the shower before I left, so I assumed that I just took them off in order to clean it. But when I got home, they weren't where they should've been. Since we're leaving for California on Wednesday, I've been scrubbing down our apartment... cleaning the shower, changing the sheets, vacuuming, dusting, etc. (After all, who wants to come back to a dirty apartment after a wonderful vacation? Coming back to reality after 2.5 weeks in the California sun will be hard enough without my house being a disaster!) All that to say that I knew my rings weren't anywhere. If you're on facebook, you probably saw the whole thing go down via my status updates. Lots of friends had great suggestions on where to look, like:

Maybe check pockets of clothes that you have worn recently. Or pockets in purses that you used?

Did you check the catches in the sink drains?

Try pockets of your night robes. That's where I usually find them or near the washing machine.

Look in your dirty laundry? I have lost mine so much. I usually leave them in a purse pocket. In my pants pocket or in a drawer.

I have heard of that before when they have fallen in the bathroom trash by the sink.

And etc. Lots of people were praying for me, and I really was trying to keep a good perspective. After all, disastrous as it was (well, could've been), it really wasn't the end of the world. Beloved as my rings are, they're just a material possession. I still have my marriage. And God is still God. But that perspective was often trumped by less godly thoughts that went something along the lines of OMG OMG OMG MY RINGS ARE GONNEEEEE WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!??!?!

At any rate, long story short, I found them on a high ledge that I randomly decided to swipe with my hand (after praying, mind you, for God to have mercy on me and show them to me, if they were indeed still in the house). I immediately burst into tears and put them on my hand, never to take them off again.

This morning I called State Farm to see what coverage we have on them through our renters' insurance. Turns out, not much. Their loss would only be covered if they were stolen, not lost (I briefly thought they might've been stolen from the office, but I was clearly wrong), and even then, it only would've covered up to $1,000 (much lower than their value!) -- WITH a $500 deductible. Yikes. But my agent informed me of a "Personal Articles" policy I can purchase that is $24/year. It would reimburse the full purchase price of the covered property, lost or stolen, with no deductible -- AND it functions worldwide. $2/month for knowing my rings are covered should this disaster happen again and not end so positively? Yes, please! I'm signing up for the plan tomorrow, and I'm going to cover Macie as well ($33/year, I think).

Moral of the story: Insurance is (very) good. God is better. I am thankful!

An Ode to Aspartame

Most of you know that I am a huge fan of Diet Coke (and Diet Pepsi, but only from the fountain). My mom drinks it, which I suppose is how I got started. I have always hated the taste of regular soda; it's way too sweet and leaves a horrible taste in my mouth. Diet soda? Smooth, light perfection. I love it!

I usually drink one DC a day. Maybe two, but rarely. Other than that, I don't really consume a lot of liquids, because I have a ridiculously small bladder. I have been thinking a lot lately about the fact that I need to drink more water. (Yes, we've already talked about this.) So recently at the store I decided to buy some Crystal Light. Lots of people love it, and it seems like a great alternative to boring water. Right?

Wrong. I bought it, made it, liked it, and then flipped over the can to read the label. There it was, listed two or three ingredients down: my dear old friend Aspartame.

Now. There is a pretty heated debate going on about Aspartame. Is it really that bad for you? That's the question of the hour. It was approved by the FDA in 1974 and has been the subject of controversy ever since. In 1999, the FDA named Aspartame "one of the most thoroughly tested and studied food additives the [FDA] has ever approved." However, there are lots of people who disagree.

Recently, I've developed an interest in eating more naturally, but I'm definitely not hard core about it. I still have a lot to learn. But one of the most frustrating things to me is how hard it is to figure out the truth when it comes to food. I have several friends who are into the Weston A. Price foundation. I've read much of their material. It's interesting, and its followers are convincing; but is it real?

I think this is making me more sympathetic to those who are really searching for truth of any kind. I believe Christianity is real, and I believe it provides ultimate truth, but I understand why you have so many questions! I understand why you doubt! I understand why you don't know what to believe!

Ok. Sorry. I had a bit of a dramatic moment there.

Back to my good old friend A. I wrote a little ditty:

Aspartame, aspartame,

Are you really bad?

I'm having a hard time understanding,

And it's kind of making me mad.

Aspartame, aspartame,

Why are you in Diet Coke?

Is drinking one DC a day

As bad as having a smoke?

Aspartame, aspartame,

I thought I'd break up with you

By buying Crystal Light instead,

But there you were, still true!

Aspartame, aspartame,

I guess if you kill me in the end,

I'll just go be with Jesus a little sooner

Than my Weston A. Price friends.

Is there anything worse than...

...the smell of a microwave?

I love my microwave, and I'm in no danger of getting rid of it any time soon... but seriously. They smell awful. I try to wipe it down every 2-3 days so it never gets really dirty... I'd rather do anything than stick my head in a dirty microwave to clean it!

(PS: That's a stock photo of our microwave, which we registered for at Target when we got married. It's a microwave AND a toaster; pretty nifty, right? I'm all about using as little counter space as possible -- and you would understand that even more if you saw my ::tiny:: kitchen!)

I also hate the smell of cumin. It makes me want to throw up.

Any smells you hate? Microwaves? Cumin? Cigarettes? (I'll add that one to my list, too!) I'm curious.

6!

These days, my days are filled with this:

(The Village Manor -- my home/place of employment.)

Oh, and this:














(A hubs who is STILL attached to his laptop because he's done J-terms all summer long.)

In 6 days (SIX!!!), my days will be filled with this:













(The Theules -- our new neighbors(!) and the friends who are taking us home with them to...)














(...CALIFORNIA!!!)

Oh, and we can't forget this:


















(Sweet, sweet Mia. Can't wait to meet you!)

Oh, and NONE of this. ABSOLUTELY NONE:

What are we going to do in CA, you ask? Well, I plan on doing lots of nothing. On a beach. With a puppy. And I might go here... if someone twists my arm. All of this, I might add, without EVER saying, "Village Manor Apartments, this is Beth; how can I help you?"

Um. I can't wait.

6!

Spending Spree 2009

I've been pondering these beauties (and cheapies!) from Ikea. What do you think?

It's no secret that I really can't stand don't exactly love our bedroom furniture (although I'm quite grateful for it -- it is solid, nice furniture that was my grandparents'). It's been last on my list of major purchases to make since we moved in two years ago. But now that Wesley is three semesters away from finishing his MDiv, I'm wondering if I should wait until I see if we're staying or going. After all, who wants to buy new furniture and have it get nicked in a moving truck??

On another note: poor hubs. First Macie ("Mack-ee," not "Mace-y"), now new furniture, what's next?

Ahem.

Oh yes. This is what's next (I hope)!

I am hoping that this will be the latest edition to the Crouser family by September 8. Why September 8, you ask? That's the deadline for buying a new Mac with an educational discount and getting a free iPod touch! Since I sold the iPod touch that came with Macie for $200, it's like a $200 discount!

I know, I'm on a major Mac spending spree. But even though parting with the cash is hard, they're a great investment. Wes's desktop is slowly -- but surely -- dying. If we know we're going to replace it before his PhD is out (which will most certainly will have to do), why not do it when we can get $200 off? I love the iMac. One of my favorite things about it is the lack of cords. With a wireless keyboard and mouse, there's just one power cord; that's it! Compared to the jumbled mess of cords we currently have going on... wow. I am in heaven just thinking about it.

I am still trying to convince the hubs. I'll keep you posted!

Where Is the Monster's Sting?

Maybe this is morbid, but I think about my grandmother's death a lot.  She'll be 86 in August; she could live 10 more months or 10 more years... one of those things over which I have no control (those things are hard for me!).  

It's hard for me to explain just how much I love my grammy.  She and my grandfather (who passed away when I was in college) practically raised me; she is like a mother to me.  She's my confidant, my biggest fan, and my best friend.  It was so hard to leave her in Morgantown when we moved to Kentucky, but I know she loves it there and is being well taken care of.  

We got to visit her this past weekend and take her to Wes's Nana's house to have lunch.  Aren't these pictures sweet?

(Grammy & Nana are good friends.  They write one another frequently.  HOW CUTE IS THAT?)

Anyway, tonight as I was driving home from the gym I was listening to Sojourn's latest CD, and this song came on ("Over Death").  The lyrics made me think of grammy and how I will handle her death someday, whenever the Lord chooses to take her home.  Check them out:

I long for an overcoming faith

To cheer my dying hour,

To triumph over the monster death

And all of his frightful powers.

Joyful, with all the strength I have,

My trembling lips shall sing:

"Where is your boast of vict'ry, grave?

And where is the monster's sting?"

If sin be pardoned and secure

Death has no sting beside;

The law gives sin its damning power,

But Christ, my ransom, died!

Joyful, with all the strength I have,

My trembling lips shall sing:

"Where is your boast of vict'ry, grave?

And where is the monster's sting?"

So let us praise the God of victory,

Immortal hope for mortal flesh!

So let us praise the God of victory,

Who makes us conquerors of death!

I hope that my trembling lips will be able to sing those words when Grammy is no longer here with me.*  But I know she is a Christian; there is immortal hope for our mortal flesh through Christ, and that is worth singing about!  Don't you agree?

*Yes, I know I'm talking a lot about grammy's death when, in reality, I could be faced with anyone's  at any time -- my mom's, Wes's, even my own!  None of us are guaranteed tomorrow.  Doesn't that thought make you reevaluate your priorities?  It definitely has that effect on me.

A Thousand Years

I'm titling this post "A Thousand Years" because that's how long it's going to take me to live this down.














Tonight was the George-Bergen wedding. I loved it. My poor hubs was sick and couldn't go with me, so that was a bummer, but I had a great time catching up with old friends.

Two of those friends, Chelsy and Jonathan, were with me after the ceremony, and we decided to sign the guest book together.

Chuck and Bethany had a great idea: to commemorate their desire to go overseas together (eventually), they had everyone sign a book of pictures of Africa instead of a typical guest book. How creative!

Chelsy and Jonathan flipped through the pages, trying to figure out which one to sign. They giggled over a picture of two lions who were roaring, looking quite mad at one another, but then decided on an up-close shot of a horse. (Actually, I don't know if there are horses in Africa... I could be wrong about that detail.)

At any rate, I flipped through the pages, but couldn't find anything special. Eventually I decided to go for the roaring lions. I mean, let's face it: marriage isn't always fun. Sometimes you just feel like fighting. But ultimately, God is faithful and you have fun. So I began to write on the page:

Beth & Chuck,

Sometimes, you will feel like this about one another...

At this point, Chelsy leans over and looks at what I'm writing as I ponder how to keep it short and sweet, yet poignant. She says, "Um, Beth, do you understand the picture?" Then Jonathan looks and bursts out laughing. I quickly realize that the lions... well, the lions aren't fighting. Do you get my drift?

Oh my. Where do you go from there?? I was so flustered that I couldn't even think of something clever and/or witty to save myself from total embarrassment that would be frozen in time in their guest book. I hastily picked up my pen and wrote,

... and then you'll realize you didn't understand the picture. HA!

Love you,

Beth

"Don't worry," Chelsy consoled me (through fits of laughter, I might add), "Bethany won't get it either." To make myself feel better, I'm telling myself that she's right.

In my defense, my statement was right no matter what those lions were doing. I'm just sayin'.

Again: oh my. Why do these things always happen to me?

I think I'm in love.

Update: 160 GB HD.  But yes. We are very happy together!

Here's what I'm thinking:

13" MacBook Pro
2.26 GHz
4 GB Memory
250 GB Hard Drive

Sounds wonderful, yes?

Birthday Wish #2784

For my 25th birthday, I'd like...

... a lot of things. (See my wist scrolling happily on the lower right!) One of them is a new duvet cover.

(Ok, so I'm not really one for lime green, but I think this design is great. I also think it would be especially delightful if paired with solid-colored pillow cases.)

I am also thinking that this lamp from Pier One is super cute:

Just sayin'.

Any suggestions for a cute new look?