Ben Stiller Does Joaquin Phoenix

I don't know how I missed this on the Oscars the other night, but after that Joaquin video I posted the other day, this is especially funny.

Heat Wave

It's February. In Colorado.






That's all.

Movie = 0, Music = 1

Oh my goodness, it's hard to keep up two blogs! And even harder to do it and have a life, too. I put a few new photos on the photo blog, and later this week, I'm sure I'll have more from the wedding. Someone commented to me that most of my pictures lately have been of food or drink. BORING. I'll try to branch out.

Anyway, how was your weekend? Chris and I celebrated eight months together at The Blue Star on Friday! So that's exciting. :) Then on Saturday went to see a movie, chosen primarily for the convenient time. Ummm ... I recommend you NOT make your movie choice that way.

We saw Taken. LAME-O. I recognized the girl in it, and later figured out she was Shannon from the first couple seasons of Lost. Remember? The rich, snobby girl who suddenly falls in love with Sayid and then gets shot? The one who can't act? Yeah. Her acting just as bad in this movie.

Oh and thanks to my friend Asheley, who has an excellent taste in music, I've discovered a new favorite ... Bon Iver. You should check him out and then let me know what you think ...

Do You Have a Mentor?

I have a question for you ... do you have a mentor?

If you don't, have you ever thought about getting one? If you do, what has your experience been like?

I just asked someone if she would be interested in mentoring me. We met recently in a small group study we were doing together and I quickly realized we have a lot in common. I've prayed for a mentor for years but until now, nothing has worked out. As our study was ending, I felt the urging to pursue this idea again. I'm very excited that things seem to be falling into place now.

Like I mentioned yesterday, I'm the oldest of four kids. For as long as I can remember, I've craved someone to fill that "older sister" role in my life. Someone that I could go to for advice or encouragement or accountability. Someone to share my struggles or fears or doubts with. Someone willing to share their life and experiences with me.

So we're going to start meeting together and I'm wondering what this mentoring thing looks like for other people. How often do you meet? How structured is it? What kinds of things do you talk about? How has it helped you?

I realize that each mentoring relationship is probably unique in how it works, but this is something that I've desired for so long and I desperately want this to succeed.

I heard recently about this book on mentoring, which I'm going to read. But I'd love any thoughts you have to share as well.

Thursday Thoughts

Well, that didn't last long.

Apparently Anoop is gone. I didn't watch the show, but from the recap I read, I didn't miss much. In fact, with the new elimination format they are using, I can finally say that I'm so over American Idol.

In other news, we leave a week from today for New York for my sister's wedding. Yesterday my dad texted this picture from Sara's backyard ...
It's gonna be a cold five days.

Anyway, Sara's the third (and last) of my siblings to get married. Did you know I'm the oldest of four? This might sound kind of weird, but I always had a strong feeling that I'd be the last to get married. So, Sara, I guess I should say thanks for not waiting too long.

My turn now?

I Love Tuesdays

It's Tuesday. You know what that means? Free breakfast at Chick-fil-A! Oh, and also. It means that American Idol is on tonight. So it's shaping up to be a good day.

Speaking of American Idol, have any of you been watching this season?

Here is my current favorite ...

He's totally got the geek/soul vibe going on.

(I realize that's three days in a row of posting videos. I promise, it won't always be this way.)

Tweet Tweet

I dedicate this video to Chris, who gets paid to be socially networked.


ht: Shannon

Ohhhh, Joaquin

I know I shouldn't care about something as trivial as this, but I'm just so fascinated by the Joaquin Phoenix drama.

Have you heard about it?

He has gone off the deep end. There are rumors flying around that it's a hoax - that he's doing this all to show how dumb the media are. If that's the case - if it's all and act - I think it's hilarious. Talk about being a brilliant actor. If, however, it's not a hoax and he's actually serious about the rapping/hairy/slacker reincarnation, then it makes me really sad.

Here he is on David Letterman last week ...


Whatever ends up being true, I think David Letterman is hilarious.

Dance Lessons

Chris and I have been taking dance lessons.

West Coast Swing, to be exact.

We're five weeks into the three month beginners class. After five weeks, here is the conclusion I've come to: Every couple should take dance lessons.

I never realized this before, but dancing is perfect practice for a relationship. The things you have to learn in order to dance well are, I think, some of the most important things to learn in order to have a successful relationship.

1. There must be a clear leader and a clear follower.
We learned this lesson quickly ... two leaders won't work. In our very first class, I realized that I had no idea how to follow a lead. I'm sure this is something many women today struggle with. How can I expect him to be the leader - in our dance OR our relationship - if I won't let him lead? Still working on this one ...

2. You must be totally in tune with the other person.
West Coast Swing is a series of six or eight-count steps. The sequence of the steps is entirely up to the man, so the woman has constantly be reading his "signals." If either person is not paying attention to the other one, the dance falls apart. Not unlike a relationship.

3. Both people have to trust their partner completely.
With West Coast Swing, there is a lot of leaning involved. (It's called extension-compression technique.) Both people have to give equal pressure or one person gets off balance. Trust and confidence in your partner is critical.

4. There must be a strong connection between the two of you.
Chemistry between dance partners is what brings the dance to life. Eye contact, we've discovered, is a big part of this connection. West Coast Swing can be a very sexy dance when the connection is there.

I'm sure there are more parallels I could find. But you see my point.

Learning to dance has been like taking our relationship and putting it into a pressure cooker - all the stress causes everything to rise to the top. We've both had to let go of major insecurities and give each other a lot of grace.

But we're learning a lot and I'm totally convinced it's worth all the work. Besides the fact that we're working through some deep issues and will have a stronger, more fulfilling relationship because of it, we'll also be able to bust a move at the next wedding we attend.

Here a video of some of the world's best West Coast Swing dancers.

John and the Creepy Blue Horse

Today instead of reading my blog, you should read my friend Amber's post. It's stinking hilarious.

And it's true. That horse is CREEPY.

That's all. Goodbye.

Actually wait. One more thing. Congratulations to John Mayer on his Grammy win. And even more props to him for this.

Led Zeppelin 101

Last night Chris and I were watching the Grammys. Well, half of them ... those shows are LONG.

Anyway, here's the exchange we had right after Alison Krauss and Robert Plant won an award.

Chris: Wow, Robert Plant is looking old.

Becky: You've heard of that guy?

Chris (with obvious surprise): Yeah! He was the lead singer of Led Zeppelin.

Becky: Really? He's the lead singer? Why would they name their band after a guy who is not the lead singer?

Chris (looking at me like I'm from another planet): Are you serious?

Becky: You mean Led Zeppelin's not a person?

(Chris laughs his butt off. For the rest of the night.)

Fatherhood

I saw this video on Fay's blog the other day.
I hope my babies have a father like this one.

Hope for Africa

My friend Katy is in Rwanda right now.

God laid Africa on her heart a long time ago and she's always known that she would spend time there. It was just a matter of when.

Earlier this year, she decided that it was time to go. So she booked herself a ticket to Rwanda. No agenda, no group, no specific plans. Just Katy and God.

Before this trip she'd never been out of the country before. Although I'm sure she's experienced moments of culture shock, her emails are full of the amazing things God is teaching her. I find them very moving, so I asked if I could share some of the with you. Of course, she said yes. Here's part of her most recent email ...

Hope for Africa. Many moments here, as I walk down the streets, grief-stricken by the poverty I see, I wonder if there really is hope. However, God is evident here. I see Him everywhere, especially in the eyes of Deborah.

This 2-year-old has unique needs, as she has cerebral palsy. With shame, I admit my initial discomfort with Deborah. She drools constantly. She smells of urine as she wets her diapers frequently. She is always covered in dirt from frequent falls. However, this cannot touch her startling beauty. Of the 29 incredible children of New Hope Homes, Deborah has an extra glimmer and shine in her eyes. Oh! How I long to see the world through her eyes! When she sees me, she squeaks with joy and runs, longing to be picked up and held.

Yesterday was a particularly hard day. Gilbert shared his first hand encounter with the horrors of the genocide and my heart felt broken. I walked back into the Home, and Deborah was at the gate, waiting for me. She ran as fast as she could, drooling, wet, and dirty. Yet this time, as I picked her up, I couldn't let her go. I wouldn't. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I hugged this little one. In her eyes, there is love. In her eyes, there is hope. And there is no shame. Yet again, a child taught me a lesson about our Jesus. I am Deborah. I am handicapped, weak, smelly, and covered in filth. So many times, while in this state, I am to ashamed to come to Jesus, to run to Him. I want to clean myself up and not be seen as I really am. Now, Deborah's vulnerability has changed my heart. Whenever I see Deborah, all I want to do is pick her up, twirl her around, and remind her that she is a beautiful, loved child of the King! My friends, I believe with all my heart that God wants me, and all of us, to come to Him with the same vulnerability.

Here's a picture of Katy and me.

Pray for her. She is a lot braver than most people I know. She has put herself completely in God's hands, not knowing what will come next.

Katy is showing me the true meaning of faith.

Grand Slam

Denny's ran this ad during the Superbowl saying that they were giving away a free Grand Slam breakfast today.



So of course, we were like, "For freeeeeeeee? Hook us up!"

We arrived at 7am to a packed out parking lot and people coming out the doors. (I put a picture of the madness on my photo blog.) There was a news van parked out front. Forget reporting the lame stuff like the Israel/Gaza conflict or the guy who tried to outrun the police and crashed with his infant daughter in the car ... Denny's is giving away free food!

We squeezed through the mass of people to the host stand to find that there was an hour wait. For a $2.99 breakfast. Crazy. We were please to find out that they were giving rain checks.

So we picked up two, drove across the street to Chick-fil-A.

As we walked up, we saw a sign on the door announcing that they are giving away free breakfast every Tuesday during the month of February.

SCORE.

XLIII

Oh my goodness. Can anyone say exciting Superbowl?!? MAN. I didn't even care about either team, and I was still stressing!

Bruce Springsteen wasn't bad. I'd put him above the Janet Jackson and Prince halftime shows, definitely. Bruce has got to be old by now but he certainly doesn't look as old as he should. Although we all agreed that he doesn't move like a young man. He sure tried, though. What was up with that knee slide that he did into one of the cameras?

Oh and there were a few funny commercials.
Here was my favorite ...

I love the dancing astronauts.

Did you watch it? What did you think?