This Movie Gets Me EVERY Time

"Don't you think that daisies are the friendliest flower?"

... Why yes, Kathleen Kelly. As a matter of fact, I do.

The Shepherds and the Angels

^"8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'

 ¹³Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 
 ^14'Glory to God in the highest, 
      and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'

 ¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.'

 ¹⁶So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told."

-Luke 2:8-20 (NIV)

As this holiday season comes to an end, may we continue to be as the shepherds on that holy night over 2,000 years ago - struck with awe at the Lord's power, and moved to glorify and praise His wondrous name. Merry Christmas to each of you!

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

I hope each of you is surrounded by loved ones this Christmas Eve, filled with excitement for what tomorrow celebrates - the gift of certain and unfailing hope that God sent to us in His Son so many years ago.

"26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. ²⁸The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.'

 ²⁹Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. ³¹You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.'

 ³⁴How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?'

 ³⁵The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. ³⁷For nothing is impossible with God.'

 ^38'I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered. 'May it be to me as you have said.' Then the angel left her.

 - Luke 2: 26-38 (NIV)

I'm Watching You, Daughter

You know that scene in Meet the Parents where Jack (Robert De Niro) looks menacingly at Greg (Ben Stiller), pointing his two fingers at his own eyes and then one back at Greg? And Jack says a few words that essentially strike the fear of God into Greg?...

Before going to bed just now, my own sweet mother just came out of her bedroom in a fit of giggles, and proceeded to reenact that exact scene to my sister and her boyfriend... That's right - "I'm watching you, Focker" and all.

It's times like this that I,

(1) really love my family. A whole lot.

(2) am particularly ok with not bringing a boy home for Christmas just yet. :)

The Boys Will Get the Wrong Idea

Morgan (the six-year-old girl): Remember, when you go out not to put too much makeup on, otherwise the boys will get the wrong idea. And you know how they are...

Giselle (the princess-to-be): [wide-eyed stare of confusion]

Morgan: They're only after one thing!

Giselle: ... What's that??

Morgan: I don't know! Nobody will tell me!

-Enchanted

Goodness, I just love this movie. But I guess considering it's basically just a real life fairy tale that takes place in Manhattan, that may not come as such a huge surprise to, well... any of you. :)

Texas on My Mind / New York, King of All the Cities

I woke up this morning with Texas on my mind... and I'm literally counting down the minutes until my flight to Dallas tonight. I can't believe it's been an entire year since I was standing in the Texas sun. Where on earth does the time go??

Despite my intentions to post a video of Pat Green performing this wonderful song that I'm quite delighted to have stuck in my head today, nothing I found on YouTube really did it justice. Luckily, Liz tweeted a link to this video earlier to fill the void... A nice little "Ta Ta For Now!" to New York, king of all the cities.

Jamie - this one goes out especially to you. I have to go ahead and say that from 01:43 on, Stephen comes pretty darn close to the glory that was his report on The Nights in Rodanthe. Wish you were here so we could do a few spins in our chairs together. xoxo

The Gospel is Personal

“An historical gospel that is not personal and powerful is merely antiquarian; a theological gospel that is not received by faith and found to be transforming is merely abstract. In reality, the gospel is personal.”

-D.A. Carson, The Gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-9)

via Of First Importance

I pray that the gospel is especially alive and personal for each of you during this Advent Season, as we wait in anticipation for Jesus' coming.

And if you'd like to hear some inspiring and thought-provoking words on the Season, check out Apostles Church (or the podcast!) for Pastor JR's current series Promised One: Advent 2009.

I wish I could plan a day like this...

Walter: Listen Buddy, I want to talk to you.

Buddy the Elf: Good. I wanted to talk to you too. I have our whole day planned. 

[Buddy looks at his list on his Etch-a-Sketch]

Buddy: First, we'll make snow angels for two hours. Then we'll go ice skating. Then we'll eat a whole roll of Tollhouse cookie dough as fast as we can... And then... we'll snuggle.

Winter Song

Winter has slowly been settling into the city for a few weeks now - Christmas trees are lining the sidewalks, ready to overtake tiny apartments. Buildings from 5th Ave. to the West Village are covered in twinkle lights. The first snowflakes came down in perfect little flurries (on my birthday, no less!). And the second I stepped outside into the wind chill of 16 degrees this morning, all snuggled up in my puffer jacket, I knew winter was here to stay.

And thanks to Jamie, I have the perfect winter song for you, NYC:

Sara Bareilles - New Music - More Music Videos

Happy wintry Friday! I hope your weekends are filled with hot cocoa and cuddling. :)

NaBloPoMo: Check!

Well, it's arrived: November 30th. 30 whole days since NaBloPoMo began. And by some unexplainable means, I actually managed to keep up with it. Every. Single. Day. 30 straight days of blogging! Can y'all believe it??

Sure, some posts were more thoughtful than others that were really just a lot of swooning. Some days were particularly giggle-worthy, a few were of happy memories I'd made, and there was even a handful of sportiness. Some words brought on the tears that I needed to stop holding back. And others were about His Word, the Word that truly matters most.

Regardless of how silly or serious the last 30 days have been here at PTTP, it's been great having this extra incentive to keep up with my little bloggy. And I hope y'all have enjoyed dropping in to catchup every now and then. Thanks for joining me in this 30 Day Blog-venture. It's always lovely to have you stop by!

xoxo

Just Call Me Sporty Spice

Some people have dared to suggest that the recent rise in my "sportiness" is only in response to the Frogs' BCS-smashing success (12-0!! MWC Champs!! Wooo wooo!!). Well, while I do get particularly passionate for all things Purple, those claims are just plain silly. Take the last week, for instance:

Last Sunday, I went to my first NFL game ever! About 10 of us from work headed out to the Meadowlands to root on the Giants from some pretty fantastic seats in the 8th row. Not only did I love watching as the Giants beat the Atlanta Falcons in overtime, but I even tossed a football at the tailgate. At least 6 times. That whole spiral thing is kind of tricky, but I think I was really starting to get the hang of it.

Representing the Froggies at Giants Stadium, of course.

Go Blue!

Then today... ooooh, today! Only the Sportiest. Day. Ever. First, I returned to the Meadowlands bright and early for the second Sunday in a row. But this time it was to cheer on the Carolina Panthers while they played Jets. It takes a lot to get me to root against the home team, and the Panthers' precious outstanding long snapper, JJ Jansen, is just the ticket. I guess I might be a tad bit partial... I mean, his cutie wife has been one of my closest friends for the last 4 or 5 years, and his new sister-in-law is just plain fabulous... But even if the Panthers didn't quite win this one, I quite enjoyed every minute of the game - especially the company of the Bliss sisters :). 

JJ (#44) looking back at his Cheering Section... or so we told ourselves.

Pretty Bliss Faces

xoxo.  (... and apparently we made a new friend in the back...??)

After the game wound down, I was headed back to Penn Station and up the stairs to Madison Square Garden for the Knicks game! To say the courtside seats I won from work were "unbelievable" would be an understatement - Tracey and I couldn't have had a better view unless we'd been playing right alongside Nate Robinson and Danilo Gallinari ourselves. The only problem that we saw with sitting just a few rows behind Spike Lee and Mary J. Blige for our very first Knicks game is that it really doesn't leave us with a whole lot of room for improvement. :) No worries though, the waffle fries were delicious enough to keep us coming back regardless of the seats. Oh, and how could I stay away from David Lee after the obvious sparks that were flying between us all night?? Sigh... swoony swoon swooooon.

Date Night with Tracey at the Knicks!

The "Zoo-perstars" i.e. the most confusing Halftime Show ever

Best. Seats. EVER... and #42, my future boyfriend.

So after this action packed week, with nearly 12 straight hours of NFL and NBA games today alone, I think it's about time for this sporty little girl to finish catching up on my dvr and then get some beauty sleep. Even the very sportiest of us need a little balance in life, after all.

You May Say I'm a Dreamer

Riley, Kate and I just finished watching this week's episode of Glee, and it was even more fabulous than usual (and not just because we were polishing off the leftover Jell-O Pretzel Salad from Thanksgiving... meep.). Even after watching the cast's performance of "Imagine" seven or so times in the last couple hours, it's still giving me goosebumps! L.O.V.E.

Side note/Lesser known fact about me: I took American Sign Language for a few years in high school and really, really loved it. I often catch myself wishing that I'd kept up with it, and now I'm wondering if I might need to look into taking some classes again... Hmmm... More on that to come, perhaps.

Missed Connections

I love, love, LOVE this blog. I've been following Missed Connections for awhile, and Sophie recently posted this video about her project. I love her imagination and the way she brings these "unfinished stories" to life in such a unique way...

"I think there's that feeling for a lot of people that any tiny moment could set your life on a different course. And there's that 'What if?' that is enormously appealing, I think, and universal, that your morning commute might change... everything."

-Sophie Blackall, of Missed Connections

Psalm 100

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you! I hope your days are filled with much love and laughter.

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving thanks. 

 ¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

 ² Worship the LORD with gladness; 
       come before him with joyful songs.

 ³ Know that the LORD is God. 
       It is he who made us, and we are his ; 
       we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

 ⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving 
       and his courts with praise; 
       give thanks to him and praise his name.

 ⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; 
       his faithfulness continues through all generations.

I am truly blessed.

Reuniiiited...

... and it feels sooo good! This weekend brings not one, but TWO of my dear friends to NYC - how's that for something to be thankful for?! I can't even begin to explain how giddy I am to be reunited with these two ladies over the next few days:

Riley's plane just landed and I'm about to head to Kate's to begin our lovely weekend of giggles, brunching, and Dark Chocolate M&M's. Maybe we'll even stop by Max Brenner in our matching tees - I hear it's close... but wasn't it closed..?!

Then Miss Bliss Mrs. Laura Jansen will be here with her cutie sister Carolyn. There's been much talk of snuggling, frolicking, and cupcake eating... and then of course watching Mr. Jansen and his fellow Panthers take down the Jets this Sunday!

It hasn't even started yet, and I think I'm in love with this weekend already. xoxo

I Spy... CHRISTMAS!

Goodness gracious, I can't believe it's almost December! When did that happen?? My cab driver took me home down 5th Avenue the other night, and I had to pinch myself to make sure I hadn't dozed off when I looked up to see so many of the stores were already covered in lights and Christmas cheer!

Then I found this delightful and helpful Time Out NY list of when all of the NYC window displays will be up for the holiday season. Something tells me that this Thanksgiving weekend might be perfect for a cup of hot chocolate and a little stroll up to Central Park to see the windows that are already up... Yes, I think that would be the perfect way to welcome the holidays to Manhattan. Who loves Christmastime in the city?? THIS girl sure does! Yay!

Love-Hate

Murph blogged this post from Overheard in New York last week. I can totally picture this cute older couple sitting on a bench on the UWS, sipping their coffee and just watching the world race by. I love how their conversation sums up the Love-Hate relationship that so many of us have with this crazy beautiful city... Lucky for me, the Love always wins out.

Elderly woman to elderly man, as a young girl narrowly escapes getting hit by a car: Oh my god, what is it with these crazy people!? I hate this city more and more each day.
Elderly man: Well then, why do you live here?
Elderly woman: Because I love it.

--83rd & Broadway

Overheard by: Dee Dee

Psalm 23

Our pastor, JR, gave a sermon on Psalm 23 today, and it could not have come at a more perfect time for me - I can't wait until the sermon is uploaded to the Apostles site so I can share it with you. I've heard and read this beautiful psalm many, many times before, but hearing those words tonight was truly an answered prayer. It was a much needed reminder of my Shepherd's perfect love and the comprehensive care He provides. Christ already showed that he is capable of saving me by laying down his life - how can I possibly doubt that he has the ability to lead me through the days of this life? I have no reason to fear or worry because He is protecting and comforting me every step of the way.

Psalm 23 (ESV)
A psalm of David.

¹ The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
² He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
³ He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
⁴ Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
⁵ You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
⁶ Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
forever.

The Giving Tree

Shel Silverstein narrating The Giving Tree... This book still makes me happy cry. I love a good happy cry.

Thanks for the find, Nickey!

It's Real

Today is Jamie's last full day in New York. I haven't had nearly the time to process and write the post that has been running about my head for the past few weeks. Or maybe it isn't that I haven't had the time, but more that I think I've been avoiding it. Because actually writing it means she's really leaving. And, while I'm so extremely happy for her, in my selfishness, I still don't want it to be real.

Well, I suppose that's not really true... because when I'm honest with myself, and stop to think about how this all came together for Jamie - her life in Atlanta, to NY, to now - there's just no denying that this next step is very clearly God's plan for her. And I'm confident that He has great and amazing things in store for her in Atlanta - things that are far beyond her wildest hopes and dreams... and that Plan is one that I would never want to keep from being real for Miss Jamie.

All this to say, there will surely be some well-deserved reminiscing in the near future (after all, Jamie was the one who inspired me to start this little bloggy! :) )... But for now, I'm going to embrace that Jamie's one-way ticket to Atlanta tomorrow morning is indeed real. And that it's not just real - it's fantastic. Instead of spending my time tonight writing about all of the times over the last two and a half years that have filled my heart, and how much I'm going to miss my Little J, I'm going to head up to Apartment 9A for one last night full of giggles and memories before she leaves... Because these nights are real too. Real and fantastic.

I love you so much, J. Here's to many, many more kissy faces :)

The Time Has Come...

New Moon!!! Official release!! TONIGHT!! At Midnight!! Ahhhhhhhh!!!

Ok, sorry. I promise to stop with the tone it down on the exclamation points. I started this post by babbling on about my love for all things Twilight/Robert Pattinson (Team Edward! Wee!), but goodness knows I've done that a time or three already. I think y'all get the picture by now. And if you don't, luckily my Twi-geeky friends have all been on top of their game this week, gushing about their excitement (Well done, ladies).

Oh, and p.s. who here thinks I should get a gold star (or twelve) for not taking today off of work to stalk innocently wander the streets of NYC in hopes of "bumping" into Rob?? I mean, he's here. In. The. City. For the NYC Premiere. And I'm... In. My. Office. Yeah, that took some serious restraint. Sigh.

Regardless though...

I get to see New Moon!! So soon!! Because it's finally premiering!!! TONIGHT!! Can. Not. Wait.

Sorry... I just couldn't resist. :)

"They will enter Zion singing..."

In my very first post, I talked about my Grandmom, and how her encouragement to chase after my dreams inspired me to move to New York City:

Sunday, March 1, 2009

"A few years ago, my grandmother asked me what I actually wanted to do with the rest of my life. Not what made the most sense or what would be the safest route, but what I really, truly desired. She told me to look past all the logic and then gave me some of the most simple yet valuable advice I've ever received: 'You will have plenty of time to settle in your life. There is absolutely no reason for you to start now. I just won't allow it.'"

Today marks the third anniversary of when my sweet Grandmom passed away, and while remembering that she's gone still brings on a wave of sadness and fresh tears to my eyes, I find comfort in the Promise that she is in a much better place, a perfect place. I find comfort knowing that she left this world filled with people who were touched by her kind heart, including a family that she bound together with love. I find comfort knowing that for almost 22 years, she showed me how to live a life filled with faith and love and kindness and joy. And I find comfort knowing that so much of who I am, and who I will continue to become, is because of her.

"Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.

They will enter [Zion] singing,

crowned with everlasting joy.

Sorrow and mourning will disappear,

and they will be filled with joy and gladness."

-Isaiah 35:10 (NLT)

"Unless the debate is about whether or not it's ever too late for a second chance, I'm not interested."

Not all friendships have to suffer when it comes to talking politics. No, many agree to sometimes disagree on certain issues. Others find common ground through intelligent and respectful discussion. Then there are those who take it a few steps further... say, by making cute puppets of candidates. Or maybe, I don't know... bonding over the reenactment of a particularly hilarious clip on a late night satirical political pundit tv show... in their cubicles... at work... Just a couple of possibilities, I suppose.

After I watched Stephen Colbert call for the suspension of the Presidential Debate right before the Election last year, I came into work the next day still in a fit of giggles. Much to my excitement, Jamie found Colbert's reasoning just as silly and fabulous as I did. After replaying the below clip many, many times, Jamie took to her chair and did the most perfect impersonation of what happens around 02:52...

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
"Nights in Rodanthe" Premiere
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor U.S. Speedskating

I won't ever hear Gavin Rossdale crooning "Love Remains the Same" again without picturing Jamie gleefully spinning around on her office chair, with her head thrown back, arms open wide, exclaiming "Ohhh... Oh! I LOVE LOVING!!" Yes, my readers. That is the picture of true friendship.

And tomorrow night, be sure to set your DVRs, because J and I have VIP tickets to the taping of The Colbert Report! I can pretty much guarantee you'll be able to pick our uncontrollable and constant laughter out of the crowd. I really can't think of a more perfect way to commemorate her last week in NYC...

... Oh and that song! Jimmy Jamie, that theme song! Give me another taste!!

Silly Cows

I showed LJ, one of my fave little Longhorns, this very pretty screenshot a friend posted on Facebook earlier today. She was offended intrigued...

Then we were discussing the possibility of seeing New Moon this weekend, since it premieres Friday (weeee!!!). The following Gchat conversation is what happens when you use our silliness logic to address topics such as football:

Lauren: we [UT] have a night game Saturday. but i want to see [New Moon] with you. so i could be convinced to choose edward over colt

gasp! did i really just say that?@?!

me: BAHHHHH!!!!

Lauren: ok, that might be crazy talk!!! how could i possibly choose edward over colt?!? me: please see how my mathematical mind works:

LJ loves me > colt

which = LJ loves frogs > colt

Lauren: oh NO

me: it's siiimple math

Lauren: NO NO

NO NO NO

me: because bethany = frogs!AND colt = longhorns!! SO... LJ loves frogs > longhorns!!!

SIMPLE SUBSTITUTION!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lauren: that cannot possibly be logical

me: LJ. there's no denying the numbers

Lauren: bahhhhh

numbers lie

me: no lj. numbers NEVER LIE

Lauren: fine. then substitution lies.

me: you lie.

about your love for the frogs

Lauren: i can't love the frogs. they are frogs. frogs and longhorns do not get along

ever.

longhorns stomp on frogs

me: horns are for frogs. not cows

silly cowsLauren: you are jealous of the hornsme: i have my own horns.prettier horns.

Like I said, it's simple math. However, if you'd like some more traditional reasoning behind the theory of loving the Frogs > Longhorns (or any of the current Top 3 ranked teams, for that matter), this article might just give my argument a bit more credibility. :)

p.s.

Dear LJ,

Here's some more simple math... JUST for you: xoxo. ILY. times 10.

Love, B