Cindy the Cat

Once upon a time, when Rebekah was around 5 years old, she asked her parents if she could have a cat. Her parents, fearing that Rebekah was not yet mature enough to take care of a pet on her own, said "no." Persisting, Rebekah continued to ask for a cat for the next three years. On December 23, 1997, Rebekah's father told her to come to the garage for a surprise. There was the loudest, most fluffy cat she had ever seen.

Earlier that week, Rebekah's father had gone to the pound and asked for the hardiest, friendliest cat they had. The worker told him that there was one cat that they had gotten off the street that would follow her around. The cat's name was Cindy.

And so their friendship began. Cindy lived in the garage, and Rebekah would dutifully clean out her litter box every day and brush Cindy every week. Rebekah would dangle string or wave a stick on the ground and Cindy would pounce and chase it around the garage. In 4th grade, Rebekah wrote and illustrated a book about Cindy, that was published along with the other books her classmates wrote. In 5th grade, when Rebekah had to do a project using simple machines, she made a small entertainment center for Cindy to play on.

While Cindy loved to cuddle with Rebekah, she had a tendency to attack other people, especially when she was hungry. Like the mailman. Or Rebekah's mom. Or small children walking home from school (in her defense, the children provoked her). Her favorite form of attack was to wrap her arms and legs around the victim's leg and try to bite them.

Cindy was also well known for her hunting prowess. She brought home numerous mice and rats, thus eliminating any rodent problem that Rebekah's house--or any other house near it--had. She was praised and rewarded for these efforts. She caught and killed a neighbor's pet snake that had escaped. She was not praised for this, but there was nothing much Rebekah could do except for apologize to the owners (who thought the snake had already died). Cindy also brought home numerous dead birds. This was very sad for Rebekah, who once was able to rescue one of these birds caught in the garage and nurse it back to health. Cindy would occasionally branch out to crickets and grasshoppers, which were disgusting for Rebekah to pick up.

However, Cindy redeemed herself by being an excellent purrer, a lover of tight hugs, and an overall affectionate cat. Two of the most traumatizing days in Rebekah's childhood were when Cindy got caught under the garage door. Cindy had a tendency of slipping under at the last second, and twice she cut it too close. The worst part was that the sensor didn't trigger, and so the poor cat was stuck struggling under the weight of the closed door. Both times she survived, although she was quite weak following these incidents.

Rebekah and her father would take Cindy to the vet every December, where Cindy would get her yearly vaccinations. Once they even took Cindy to the vet to get shaved for the summer! Cindy looked pretty funny (since they didn't shave her paws, tail, or head) but she sure did enjoy the summer without her thick winter coat. And Rebekah enjoyed not having to clean up shedding hair every day.

As Rebekah got older, she began to develop an allergy towards cats. Since she still loved Cindy, she would occasionally spend time with her, although not nearly as much as she did before. When Rebekah moved to college, her father took over the duty of taking care of the cat, which Rebekah greatly appreciated. Even though Rebekah no longer sees Cindy regularly, she is grateful for her father's sacrifice in getting her the cat she begged for as a child, and later taking care of that same cat when Rebekah became an adult.

The Vet estimated that Cindy was one year old when Rebekah first got her. This means that next month, December 2013, Cindy will be 17 years old! These days, she enjoys sunbathing and sitting in her favorite white wicker chair on the front porch.

To my family: what are your Cindy memories?

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

It's not thanksgiving if there's no...

Note: these are not in order of preference
Turkey
Pumpkin pie
Stuffing
Food comas from over eating
Watching a movie or TV
Low traffic (we hit 90% green lights today)
Family visits
Grateful moments

What does thanksgiving mean to you?
Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Triumphs of the Week

I got my oral argument done.
I wrote the required 10 pages for my White Collar paper.
We cleaned out Robby's room and I itemized everything we took to DI.
I got all the electronic photos my parents have of me copied to flash drives so I can have them.
I made good progress on checking for broken links on the CSO website.
I blogged daily.

What were your triumphs of the week?
Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Minute to Win It

So we were asked to help out with the Ward Christmas party by brainstorming "Minute to Win It" games. Naturally, I immediately went to the internet. Here were some of my favorites:

(compliments of: About.com)

Christmas Cliffhanger

Set up Christmas Cliffhanger by placing ten open Christmas cards in a row on a table, close to the edge. Stand cards horizontally so they look like little tents. Then, stand at the opposite side of the table. The object of the game is to blow on the cards to move them to the very edge of the table so that one of them is left hanging over the edge without falling off. You have one minute and ten cards to accomplish your task.

Christmas Ball Roll

To play, you must use a gift-wrapped box (about the size of a shirt box) as a fan to move a round Christmas ornament across the floor and into a marked square. The box must not touch the ornament while the game is in play. You can vary the distance that the ornament must be fanned depending on the age of the people playing.

Face the Gingerbread Man

Face the Gingerbread Man is played exactly like Face the Cookie, using a gingerbread man in place of the Oreo. Sit down and lean your head back; place the cookie on your forehead and move it to your mouth using only the muscles in your face. Don't touch the cookie with your hands!

Do You Hear What I Hear?

To set up Do You Hear What I Hear, take seven gift-wrapped boxes of the same size and place small jingle bells in each of them. Boxes should contain the following number of bells: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35. Place the closed boxes on a table. To play the game, the contestant must arrange the boxes in order by the number of bells they contain, from smallest to largest. Contestants can pick up and shake the boxes, but they must not look inside.

Bonus: A Puzzle of the Nativity!

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

P.S. What Minute to Win It games do you like?

Law Class Descriptions for the Non-Law Student: Part 1

As the semester comes to a close (1 week left!!) I now think I can adequately explain what my courses were about (instead of relying on the course descriptions to describe them).

This semester I signed up for 7 classes, equaling 16 credits.

• Criminal Procedure- How police can search homes, take things, and get confessions while still following the law.
• Professional Responsibility- The ethical laws attorneys should follow. Yes, there are actual rules that say we should be ethical. Penalties for not following these laws include being disbarred (e.g. loosing your job). 
• White Collar Crime- Crimes rich people commit. Usually involves lying, cheating, and stealing without others knowing what happened. 
• Federal Indian Law- Indian referring to Native Americans, not the country of India. Discusses the relation between the government and indian tribes.
• Business Associations- What kind of companies you can form (LLC, PLLC, Corporation, etc) and how shareholders can sue you for not doing your duty. 
• Family Law Skills Lab- Divorce paperwork, focusing on child custody.
• International Law and Management Journal- The journal publishes scholarly articles on-- you guessed it--international law and business management. For this class, I mostly edit footnotes and grammar issues.

Learning to Speak Korean

Okay, so it's not that impressive, but every week Matt will teach me a new Korean phrase. So far, I have learned how to say things like: hello, thank you, stop it!, don't leave, the end, yes/no, etc. So not enough to have a full conversation yet. However, it finally paid off the other day when I saw some Asian women in the parking lot and I could recognize that they were speaking Korean!

I talked to another wife of a Korean RM, and she said that she listens to Korean Language CDs when she drives to work. I might invest in that next semester.

However, I also want to keep my Spanish up. While I can practice with one of my co-workers from Mexico, I'm hoping to also start reading the scriptures in Spanish again so I can brush up on what I've forgotten.

What languages would you be interested in learning?

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

A Man for All Seasons

Last night, for homework, I watched "A Man for All Seasons" the story about Sir Thomas Moore, who refused to recognize the marriage of King Henry to Anne Boleyn and was eventually killed for his resistance. But he did so based on his belief in the authority of the Catholic church and the laws of God. Even when all of his friends were pressuring him to do otherwise, he never backed down from his beliefs.

The part of the movie that I found most interesting was the story arch of Richard Rich. At the beginning, Rich is looking for a job and asks Thomas to recommend him. Thomas declines, saying that he has something better for Rich to do: he offers him a job as a teacher. Although the job is fairly well paid and with good benefits, Rich turns it down because it is not exciting enough. He ends up taking a job as an administrative assistant in King Henry's court. Eventually his greed builds and he seeks even higher and more prestigious jobs- ultimately becoming the attorney general for Wales. He receives these as bribes in return for his false testimony which condemns Thomas to death. 

One of the most famous lines from the movie is when Thomas addresses Rich after his false testimony: "Why Richard, it profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world... but for Wales?"

While Rich got everything he wanted, in the movie you can see his metamorphosis as he becomes distraught at being dishonest, then complacent, then wholeheartedly buying into his own lie, condemning Thomas to death with no feeling.

Like Rich, I think it is easy for us to throw away good opportunities in hopes of obtaining something greater and grander. At this time of the year, "A Man for All Seasons" was a reminder to me to be grateful for what I have, and not selfishly or greedily seek for more than I need.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

I spaced

Do you ever plan on doing something and then forget about it a little later? That's happened to me a lot this week. For example, today I had just finished working and sat down at my carrel. As I was contemplating which class to do homework for first, my hand stopped on my Indian law book. Wait...Indian law...dang it, we had a makeup class that started a half hour ago!
I raced downstairs, berating myself for forgetting something I had planned on for weeks. It all worked out, though, and I can watch the recording of what I missed online.
When have you forgotten something lately?

Rhetorically, Rebekah

Lost

The other day we were at the checkout line at Walmart when we heard a small child crying. I didn't think anything of it, because I figured it was a fussy kid with her parent, until I realized it was a small girl clutching the hand of her older brother, who was also very young. She was wailing at the top of her lungs, and her whole body shook with sobs. Her brother had tear streaks down his cheeks and he was using his shirt to wipe his nose. They made their way to the cashier across from us and waited patiently to get her attention. The older brother hugged his sister and buried her head in his stomach so she wouldn't cry as hard, although I could tell that with each hysterical sob she made, he too was sinking further into despair. "We've lost our mom," he said, when the cashier finally noticed them. She quickly summoned a worker to come over and help them, and I presume they eventually located the mother.

What struck me about this situation was the anguish displayed by both children at the loss of their mother. They probably had been distracted by candy, toys, or christmas decorations as they followed their mother around the store, only to realize that they had lost track of her. While we as adults might cajole a child and tell them not to cry, to them, it's almost as if their mom has died. They feel like she's lost forever. I'm sure the mother was also worried about her children and looking for them as they looked for her. She might have had some comfort knowing she had taught her children to go straight to an employee for help (as it seemed they had come all the way to the front of the store for that very purpose). 

The lesson I took away from this experience is empathy. Even something that may be small or easily fixable to us, may seem like a great tragedy to others. It is important to let them know that they have been heard and that they are understood.

When have you felt lost?
Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Sorry!

So I just found out on Monday that I have apparently been playing "Sorry" (the game) wrong my whole life.

Apparently the real game is played by having a stack of cards in the middle and flipping one over on your turn and completing the action on the card. All four pieces were in the "Start" section until you drew a 1, 2, or "Sorry." Simple, right?

So here's the way I used to play (I'd like to think of it as the expedited version): each person gets to have five cards in their hand. Three pieces are in the "Start" section and one piece is out. The rules for the cards are the same, except you can use strategy to save certain cards in your hand until later on. For instance, I can save a "Sorry" card until my opponent is just about to get into the safety zone. I also like to save 2s, 4s, and 8s. Why? If you lay a 2, you can get out of start and go again. Four moves you backwards four, and eight gets you directly into "Home." Three steps and you've got your piece in! So I usually tend to horde all of those cards and win the game quickly.

I know it's unorthodox, but that's how I'm used to playing "Sorry."

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Will Whiten Teeth*

I read this phrase on the front of a bottle of whitening mouth wash I was considering buying. After frantically searching the entire text of the bottle, wondering what the '*' was for, I discovered it on the back at the bottom. "*if teeth are clean and brushed." Okay, that makes sense. I was worried the disclaimer was going to be like, "*may cause teeth to rot or turn green," so I was grateful for the actual disclaimer.

It's funny how we've been trained to use disclaimers in advertising, and even in daily life. The '*' symbol immediately brings to mind small text full of contrary or qualifying statements. Sometimes I wish when I debate issues with other people, I could have an asterisk at the end of my sentence so people wouldn't misunderstand my statements or take them the wrong way.

Then again, like this comment, maybe it's better not to hear the asterisk at the end of the sentence.

Rhetorically*,
Rebekah


*unless you would like to comment, in which case, you should.

Talents

Our FHE tonight was about our talents. Matt and I both wrote lists about our own talents, and then about the talents we see in the other person. Here is a combined list (based on mine and Matt's) of some of my talents:

1. Organized
2. Planner
3. Reading
4. Matching/ Color coordinating
5. Diligent
6. A good older sister
7. Storytelling


What are some of your talents?

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Chronicles: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

Okay, so we will be finishing the second book in the Chronicles of Narnia, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," NEXT WEEK!

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the book again, especially since I saw the new movie fairly recently. I was very impressed with how closely they were able to follow basically every event in the book. They also were able to use a lot of the dialogue! Matt also said that the cartoon version (I think from the 80's?) follows the book closely as well.

There's something about reading a book aloud, though, that makes the experience better.

Rhetorically,

Rebekah

Creamery Ice Cream!

Okay, so as a dating tradition, Matt and I have been slowly eating through the different flavors of ice cream that BYU creamery produces.

I got this picture from a site with fun Creamery Facts.

So far, we have tried the following specialty flavors:
Cherry Cordial
Cherry Nut Divinity
Caramel Cashew
Woosh! Cecil
Graham Canyon
German Chocolate Crunch
Pralines & Carmel
Mint Brownie
Earnestly Chocolate
Bishop's Bash

Yeah, we like ice cream. Don't worry, though, we eat it in moderation. I'm so glad I'm finally branching out from my usual Cookies & Cream. I usually just find a flavor I like and stop there. However, I've made some new favorites, such as Caramel Cashew and Pralines & Carmel. Most of the other flavors are good, too (I'm not a fan of fruity flavors, but Matt is).

Click here for a full list of flavors.

What's your favorite creamery flavor?

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Blessed

1. Heated Home
2. Crock pot, oven, stove
3. Family
4. Friends
5. Education opportunities
6. Church nearby
7. Technology to communicate
8. A job
9. Good health
10. Time for hobbies

What are your blessings?
Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Status Update

So there's this hilarious app on facebook "What Would I Say?" that will automatically generate a status that sounds like you. Except not.  However, it actually led to some great one-liners, which I will include in italics in the following story.

*Two teenagers, Mandi and Holli, are whispering in a school hallway about how Mandi gave her 'creative answer' to a boy who had asked her out to prom.*
"So then, it was going to navigate, but the GPS wasn't hooked in correctly."
"What did you do?"
"I took out the wires and switched which colors they were attached to."
"Wow, after that, you are a technical wonder! I'm calling you the next time I have GPS trouble!"
"Thanks. We got to the house early, hoping to surprise him. But when I asked his mom when he would be home, she was like 'Well, he's actually already here."
"Oh, no!"
"Yeah, so then Suzi was like, 'That totally ruined the prank you were planning! What are we going to do?"
"And I was all, *sniff* "I don't know...But then we realized he could be distracted playing ping pong."
"So he didn't see you?"
"Well, Suzi distracted him by offering to play a few rounds while I said I was going to the bathroom. I snuck into his room and hid a bunch of hints and arrows to point him in the right direction. I thought for sure I'd be caught because it took almost 20 minutes, but when I can out, they were still playing."
"Shut up, was he still going?"
"Well, he's a part of the ping pong table, it seems. So I played it cool, and was like, "Who's playing next?" and then he pointed to Suzi and was like, "she said you are.""
"So did he ever figure it out?"
"No! He didn't find out until later that night when he texted me and asked when I did it."


Rhetorically,
Rebekah

A piece of history

Yesterday, I had the chance to go to a book presentation on a new time travel series "Just in Time" by Carol Lynch Williams and Cheri Pray Earl. It's a series designed to highlight different parts of United States history. It was great to hear them talk about how they came up with the concept of the series and the different events in each book.

Fast forward to today, when I read that the American Girl Doll brand is retiring some of their best historic dolls. The American Girl doll books were my favorites! I got the Kirsten doll and I can't remember which one my sister had...but we would play with them for hours. It was great to learn about history through the American Girl stories. (And other great series like "the Time Warp Trio," "Magic Attic," and "Magic Tree House."

Since my undergrad (incidentally, in history) I've wanted to write a children's novel set in the time of Christopher Columbus. While I have yet to accomplish this dream, it's always been there. Hopefully sometime soon, through the inspiration of the presentation yesterday, and the memory of favorite history books past, I can write a similar story.

Rhetorically,

Rebekah

Statistics

The BYU devotional today was by a Statistics professor. There were two things I'd like to comment on from his remarks.

1. He shared a story about how he and his wife were trying to make a decision and after much deliberation, they decided to flip a coin because their pros and cons lists were equal. After they flipped the coin, it ended up standing straight, and not landing on either side. They had agreed just to flip it once, so they decided it was a sign that they should continue to study out their decision and pray more. I enjoyed this message because I've come to a crossroads as well: to graduate early, or not? So far, it seems like my pros and cons list are about the same length and I could decide with the flip of a coin. But deep down, I know that I too should wait for further instruction and insight as I continue to study my decision out.

2. He also shared stories about "surface judgements." We all have a tendency to judge others (be it for good or bad) on their surface level, before we get to know them well.  The most common example is judging that someone is a bad person because of their appearance or habits. A lesser known example that he shared was when we judge that someone has a "perfect life" or that they don't need help because of their appearance or habits. Maybe this person is cheerful all of the time. Maybe they seem to have success wherever they turn. But when you look deeper, they have problems just like everyone else. I agree with his analysis- I feel that too often, we withhold helping others because we assume that they "have everything under control" or "they don't need it." When in reality, if we dug deeper, we might often find that these people need more help than we realize.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Boggle Prompt!

Using the words you find in one round of boggle, write the beginning to a story.
(The words: ox, lax, door, law, aloe, deem, seed, door, time, see, room, meds, wit, or, rod, doe, me).

Tim the ox was a lax worker. Farmer Joe had to whack him with a rod each day when it was time to plow the fields. As Tim pulled the plow while Joe's children sowed seeds, he'd dream of having a room and a place of his own, instead of a mucky stall. He deemed it beneath himself to work under the law of a grouchy farmer.

After weeks of this treatment, Tim pretended to be sick. "Ooooh," he moaned, "I think I am far too sunburnt to work today. I need some aloe vera."

But Farmer Joe didn't understand ox language, so he gave Tim some pain meds instead, and let him have the day off.

"Farmer Joe is no match for me," Tim thought, "or my wit."

But what would Tim do on his day off? It started a few minutes later, when he saw a doe pass by the door of the barn.

Rhetorically,

Rebekah

Comics

There are 5 comics that I read on a daily basis through this website:

Baby Blues- A comic about an everyday family- a mom, a dad, and three kids under the age of 10.  I like this comic because the jokes are based on real life experiences, to help us look on the bright side.


Luann- This comic is about a high school teenager and her various friends. It is more of a drama than a comic, but it does have funny parts.

Non Sequitur- I mostly like it when the artist does pieces on little girl Danae and her family, although the comic is completely random and out of order (hence the name).

Pearls Before Swine- This comic is drawn by a lawyer. He has a unique sense of humor (which I get most of the time). I mostly like the cute little animals.

Zits- A comic about an everyday family- a mom, a dad, and their teenage son. (created by one of the same artists that does Baby Blues). Again, I like this comic because the jokes are based on real life experiences.




What comics have you enjoyed reading?

Rhetorically,

Rebekah

My "Best of Studio C"

There's a comedy show on BYUTV called Studio C. My sister and I enjoyed the first season immensely, but since she's on her mission she can't keep up on Seasons 2 and 3. So I will occasionally pick the skits I think are the best and I will describe them to her. 

Here are some of my favorite Studio C's: 

Season 1

The Doorstep, Parts 1 & 2- Because everyone knows the awkwardness of saying goodbye at the door after a first date. Do I shake his hand? Give him a hug? A slap?

State of Mind- Let's show some state pride! For Rhode Island....(this always reminded me of the movie "Miss Congeniality" where she makes friends with Miss Rhode Island.)

Generation Gap- Just because it's a baby, doesn't mean it's not smart.

Season 2

Poker Face- I would never be good a poker. My facial expressions almost always reflect what I'm feeling.

Operation Breakup- Watch for the twist at the end!

Labor Pains- This one reminded me of the "point of view" gun from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Season 3

International Relations- I loved the creativity of this sketch. Especially if you pay attention to what is in everyone's shopping carts.

Photobombing 101- This one was mostly funny because Matt and I actually had a photobomber in some of our wedding photos.

What are your favorite Studio C clips?

Rhetorically,

Rebekah

Mission Memories

Last week I went to my mission reunion! It's been a year since I've been, so it was good to see some old friends. That experience, combined with an awesome General Conference talk I read today, prompted me to write about the following experience. 

In the talk by Elder Funk, he relates the following story: "One of many outstanding missionaries with whom Sister Funk and I served was Elder Pokhrel from Nepal. After being a member of the Church for only two years, he was called to serve in the India Bangalore Mission, an English-speaking mission. He would tell you he was not well prepared. That was understandable. He had never seen a missionary until he was one, because no young missionaries serve in Nepal. He did not read English well enough to understand the instructions included with his call. When he reported to the missionary training center, instead of bringing nice slacks, white shirts, and ties, he packed, in his words, “five pairs of denim jeans, a couple of T-shirts, and a lot of hair gel.”

Similarly, I had a companion in the MTC names Sister Shresta who was also from Nepal. Like Elder Funk, she had only been a member for a short time when she was called to serve a mission to the English-speaking Caribbean islands. She too had never seen missionaries before. She did, however, have some understanding of the English language, although it was the fourth language she had learned. Sister Shresta had never had the opportunity to read the Book of Mormon or the Bible in her native tongue, and consequently was not as familiar with the scripture stories as many other missionaries were. But that did not matter. Sister Shresta had an unwavering testimony and a desire to learn. Through our brief time at the MTC, she was constantly studying the scriptures at every opportunity. She was a great example to me of overcoming obstacles. It was great to help her learn more about the ancient prophets and the miracles that occurred in the scriptures, but it was even more rewarding to see her faith as she gained a testimony about each of these stories. 

While I did not keep in good contact with Sister Shresta over my mission, I have no doubt that she became a powerful witness of the truth. 

What mission memories do you have?

Rhetorically,

Rebekah

Stump the Professor

There's a fund raiser at out school every year called "Stump the Professor" where students pay to submit questions to professors in an attempt to stump them. Professors are split into two teams and compete against each other to see who can get stumped the least. As part of the advertisements, my friend Sarah came up with the following line:

Professor [last name] knows [subject they teach] but does he/she know [trivia]?

I had a lot of fun coming up with these so I thought I would post some examples (that weren't used):

• Professor Sun knows the recipe for Disaster Law, but does she know a recipe for Danish rolls?
• Professor McConkie knows about Professional Responsibility, but does he know who was responsible for the Mexican Revolution?
• Professor Smith knows about Business Law, but does he make it his business to know about "One Direction"?
• Professor Bennion knows about Criminal Law, but does she know about wacky laws in Oregon?

I'm pretty sure only Law Students would appreciate these, but it was a fun way to do my writing for the day.

Rhetorically,

Rebekah

Spilled

Fill in the blank: "Don't cry over spilled ___________."

For me, that blank today was "popcorn kernels." At my work, we have "popcorn Wednesdays" where we make up enough popcorn (through the help of a commercial popcorn machine) for all the hungry Law Students to eat. Today we were a little late in getting started, so I went out to help. Thinking the box of popcorn kernels was secure on the edge of the counter, I reached down to grab something and the box fell. If any of you made those fake "rain sticks" in elementary school where you poke a bunch of needles through a toilet paper tube and let rice run through it, that's kind of what it sounded like. A rushing rain of kernels as they spilled onto the floor and quickly rolled into every nook and cranny.

If I were still 5 years old, I probably would have burst into tears.  If I were still 13 years old, I would have blushed furiously and wished to die or hide in my locker. But experience has taught me that the best thing to do is apologize profusely and clean it up ASAP. So I went on a hunt for the custodian to get some brooms and I'm *almost positive* that we got all the kernels. We certainly tried. I paced the floor several times to make sure we got every stray one, but it's always possible one snuck away. My managers were very nice about the whole thing, which I appreciated as I swept and swept...and swept.

This experience reminded me of the last time I initiated a major spill. It was at the Missionary Training Center in the Dominican Republic. We were cleaning the kitchen. I climbed up to clean the top of the fridge, where there were several 5-gallon jugs of Ranch dressing perched. That's right: 5 gallons. Think of a gallon of milk and times it by 5. As I was climbing back down, I knocked one of the jugs behind the fridge. So, I had to get the elders to move the fridge and then go back there to try and clean it up. It had oozed into all sorts of places by then, and I needed a lot of help. Towels just don't sop up as much Ranch dressing as you would think. Thankfully the elders and the other workers were really understanding. 

So what's the point of this post, besides sharing some of my embarrassing moments? I'm grateful for people who are quick to forgive. And I hope to mirror their forgiveness and remember my embarrassment the next time I see someone spill something.

When was your last embarrassing moment?

Rhetorically,

Rebekah

I am the Afterthought

The instant regret, the solace sought
The "if only" that comes too late
The shut door and now barred gate
The dream of an opportunity lost
The momentary price of eternal cost
The resolution to not repeat
The unplanned retrospective defeat.

NaNoWriMo

National Novel Writing Month. 

I first heard about it as an undergrad from my roommate Tiffany (who is a prolific writer and will be published someday). It's a month dedicated to help writers finish what they started. 

While I have never participated in NaNoWriMo (and won't really this month because I'm in Law School and all), I thought I would take the opportunity to make a small goal: I'm going to try to post something every day this month. While I'm two days behind (my first post this month was on the 3rd), I'll forgive myself and start where I can. 

I hope this won't end up being annoying to my readers (although it's not like anyone is forced to read my blog anyway). Instead, I hope it will inspire them to write as well--even if it's just a in their journal.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Dreams

Have you ever read the book BFG by Roald Dahl? It's one of my favorites. In it, a giant mixes dreams together and then goes out during the night to blow the dreams into little kid's rooms. One of my favorite chapters is when Sophie, a little girl, is examining the different labels to the dreams that the giant has created. So, I thought I would include "label like" summaries of the various dreams that I can remember having this past month. I only ask that you refrain from trying to interpret these dreams. 


"You are traveling in a blue car and you stay overnight in a hotel. When you wake up in the morning, all of the tires to every blue car in the parking lot have been slashed. All the other colored cars are chained up or have boots."

"You are a law student who is writing your 30 page substantial writing paper for Federal Indian Law. Your professor agrees to let you write 30 pages of Native American poetry instead."

"This dream is the reverse of Moby Dick. A whale is ruthlessly hunting down a man hiding on an island. The whale has a spy network and really good periscopes in order to do this."

"Your law school forms a swim team that competes on a high school level. You are the coach that must take them to the championships."

"You are running away from Russian spies, but luckily every house in your neighborhood has secret back passes through their fences with which you are uncannily familiar."

"The Law School decides that students aren't getting enough exercise, so they offer a 2 credit gym class, which you sign up for. The class includes weight lifting, running, and flag football."

For the record, I love it when I remember my dreams because at times I think it's the most creative I get. They occasionally supply inspiration for stories that I write. 

For those who participate in NaNoWriMo, writing dreams down is a good way to warm up for the day.

What have your recent dreams been about?

Rhetorically,
Rebekah