dear mom

dear mom,

i'm 27 now, but you know that. i'm your firstborn and i don't think you could ever forget my early arrival while dad was coaching out of state. it was just my way of letting you know i'd never be late for anything and that you could always count on me.

the older i get, the more i hear just how much i look like you. i take it as a compliment because, mom, you really are beautiful. not in a put together, hair and makeup just right, trendy clothes kind of way. but in a confident, simple, winsome, first-things-first kind of way. you've never made a big fuss about outward appearances; inner beauty has always been more important to you. i know i've learned this from you if for no other reason than i find myself simply wearing mascara and lipstick most days like you. well, chapstick in my case but same idea.

mom, you're a doer and a giver. you've shown me what it looks like to serve, support, and submit wholeheartedly as a wife. someday that'll come in handy. and thanks to you, i also know how to make a house a home. your humility and generosity inspire me. most importantly, i owe you an eternal debt of gratitude for nurturing me both physically and spiritually. our conversation in mimi's driveway as a toddler changed my eternal address. i'm forever grateful.

i love you. happy birthday!!

bekah

[1989]

[2010]

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

the greatest day

birthdays are great for a lot of reasons. cupcakes. parties. and real mail. just to name a few. i've never been one to make a big fuss about my birthday, but as i've gotten older i've come to treasure the little parts of the annual hooplah.

being the quality time and words of affirmation girl that i am, i think birthdays are the greatest day of the year for the simple fact that i get to talk to all of my favorite people on the same day. the battery on my phone doesn't stand a chance. and while i've never been the best at receiving compliments, i somehow manage to make it through the day and i am nothing short of overwhelmed with gratitude and joy when it's all said and done.

love tank: full.

God is abundantly good. He saw fit to place an army of incredible people in my life and leave them there for more than a hot second. that alone is cause for celebration.

so far, year 27 has been off the charts. it may or may not have something to do with the fact that i'm typing this from good 'ol branson, mo but i'll leave that for you to decide. i'm hopeful that this will be my best year yet and i'll be able to look back and see His handprints in every area of my life.

here's to living this year for more than myself and to treasuring every moment along the way.

bekah

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

dear dad

dear dad,

i'm 26 now so i'm not very little anymore, but i'm still your little girl. i always will be. you've been my protector, my leader, my encourager, my confidant, my coach, my provider, and my hero for as long as i can remember. you love big. you don't judge. you give freely.

i've only just begun to understand the magnitude of all that you've done for our family. you've sacrificed so much and i have no doubt you would do it all again without hesitation. you prioritize and plan with wisdom. you have given me a foundation and a fighting chance to make a difference in this world. you've entrusted my life to my Creator and steered me towards Him from the moment my mind could comprehend.

dad, i owe so much to you. i owe more to my other Dad, but you have been a picture of Him to me for 26 years (and counting). thanks for setting the bar high and for loving people well. your integrity and commitment to the gospel inspire me.

i love you. happy birthday!!

bekah

[1987]

[2008]

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

the apple and the tree

well, you know how the saying goes..."the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." ...well, i can't exactly say that because then i'd be paying myself a compliment and that's just tacky. and not very classy. and definitely not the Southern way my mama raised me.

but what i'm trying to say is that my parents are awesome. fabulous. amazing. best-ever. givers. fun. encouraging. and wonderful house guests.

they gave me the honor of hosting them this past weekend for my birthday. and we had a blast. dad jokingly said at one point, "i'm not sure who's having more fun...you or your mother." fact: we all had a fantastic weekend. i had just enough planned to keep us occupied and just enough down time to truly relax and enjoy being together (read: sunday nfl on the couch). and yes, i made an itinerary. obvi.

[disclaimer: pops asked for an itinerary ahead of time, so the fact that i'd already made one came in handy. i come by it naturally. after all, i am my father's daughter.]

on that note, here are a few pics from the weekend of celebrations. enjoy!

birthday flowers from mom and pops to start the day off right.

birthday dinner in downtown st. pete.

allison joined us for dinner and gelato. love this girl!

i wore him out on night one. oops.

saturday morning bike rides on the beach. so refreshing.

cherry snow cone queen.

birthday cake from the roomie!

mom and pops before the comedy show saturday night.

mom and pops, thanks again for taking time out of your hectic Fall to come and spend 3 days with me. love you both so much!!

bekah

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

september is my favorite

image

september is my favorite month for several reasons. and because this is my blog, i'm going to make you read them and pretend to be just as excited as i am. drum roll please...

1.
it's my birthday month!

2.

i'm currently visiting my faves in branson!

3.

i'm doing a reunion weekend in chapel hill with college teammates!

4.

i'm going to an anjelah johnson comedy show in tampa with the parentals!

5.
beth moore simulcast is on the agenda. love her passion for the Word.

i'm looking forward to the month of september like nobody's business. i mean, the only thing that could possibly make the month of september better is if some fall weather [read: cool crisp air and changing leaves] miraculously migrated itself to florida. that would be the creme to my brulee. but since i don't think it will, i'm enjoying a few more weekends by the pool and occasionally by the beach when i'm feeling really adventurous.

bekah

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

party for pops

image

today is a special day. the man in my life was born today. well, not today today, but today a lot of years ago. you with me?

pops has been the man in my corner since the day i was born. he fights for our family. he leads our family. he loves our family. he provides for our family. and i've never met anyone who loves famous amos chocolate chip cookies more than my dad. or tortilla chips with peanut butter mushed between them.

showing his support before a match

my dad is a special man and means the world to me. i'm super excited to see him on saturday when i fly home for the weekend. let the celebrating begin!! love you dad and happy birthday!!!!

bekah

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

the fun ship

tomorrow i board our fun ship. i get to spend a week at sea with three fabulous gal pals (the sis, Ginny, and Ellie) and completely disconnect from life for 7 days. to say i'm excited is the biggest understatement i've uttered in all of 2011. happy late birthday present to my sis. love doing life with you and can't wait to celebrate the richness of your life on board this fabulous ship!! 


here are some pics to make the rest of you jealous of our week long adventure. :)

our ship: Carnival Legend

first port: cozumel, mexico

second port: belize

third port: isla roatan

fourth port: grand cayman

here's to hoping i come back bronzed, refreshed, encouraged, full (pray i don't overeat at every meal...just a few), and ready to fully dive into my new Tampa life.

bekah

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

birthdays

i love them. i love that people i love were born however many years ago it may be. i love celebrating their life. i love eating cake. cupcakes. so good. 


one of my players had a birthday today, so we (of course) had cupcakes after practice. SOOOO GOOOOOD!!! drool with me for a minute...

image

happy birthday "little maddie"!!!!

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

beignets, beads, and a bayou birthday

[note: please leave all pre-conceived notions regarding mardi gras right here. mardi gras can be done well and classy and still be fun. no flashing. no hangovers. no sketchy encounters.]

i spent this past weekend in south louisiana celebrating my best friend’s birthday. it just so happened that it was also mardi gras weekend. yes, please!! we started our tradition two years ago when we came down for the parades and celebrations. and we’ve decided to do it every 2 years for as long as we can. it’s such a fun trip with a fantastic krewe of friends. please note my mardi gras appropriate spelling of “krewe”.

all that to say, this trip to NOLA consisted of several Louisiana faves. LSU. tony chachere’s. café du monde. beignets. pralines. beads. parades. king cake. po’boys.

i’ve come to love life in the bayou and cajun-ness. and kat deserves 100% of the credit for it. i love doing life with her, even if it means we’re in separate time zones with schedules that do not coordinate at all. and we’re about to be even further apart when i make this move to florida. :( good news: i have a free place to stay when i crave the fresh powder of colorado ski slopes and she has a free place to stay when she craves the beaches of florida. not a bad trade if you ask me!

i would never even consider doing mardi gras with anyone but kat. she knows that city like the back of her hand. inside and out. that’s her city. when i think NOLA, i think kat. i see fleur de lis anything and i suddenly have the urge to buy it for her. kat is Who Dat.

confession: i secretly love hitting parades and showing off my catches to her. it’s like a kid seeking approval from a parent. i can’t be tourist status. gotta get the good throws and make her proud. that whole bit about it being hard to get beads without flashing someone is a lie. a big fat lie. it’s more like duck and cover so you don’t get blasted in the face by an entire bag of beads being hurled your way. good thing we’re all athletic.

here are a few pics from our 2011 mardi gras adventures. 2013, here we come!!

brad spotted the hat stand of goodness.

obviously i approve of the boyfriend. man after my crazy facial expressions heart.

cafe du monde beignets with elizabeth.

chris and b. note b's frat-tastic mardi gras polo.

kat, me, and elizabeth pre-downpour.

mid-downpour

just a bit wet, but loving it!!

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

twenty one

today is an important day. twenty-one years ago, someone very special rocked my world by making her grand entrance. she's my best friend. she's a laugher. a lover. a dreamer. an inspirer. an athlete. an encourager. a talker. a listener. a playmate. a confidant. a motivator. a jokester. a leader. a crier. and arguably the world's best sis.


Anna.


quite honestly, i don't deserve a sister like her. i was mean growing up. still am. manipulative, controlling, and just plain mean. i always promised her candy if she would do my chores, let me have her favorite toy, etc. and i have yet to deliver on that promise. i probably owe her a lifetime supply of jelly bellies or ferrero rocher chocolates. i excluded her and purposely antagonized her. yet she still loved and adored me like any little sister would. and i abused that love and adoration like any big sister would. thankfully, i've matured since then and seen the error in my ways.


my sis has so much to offer. not just to me and our friendship, but to everyone she encounters. i've never met anyone with a bigger heart than her. compassion oozes from her pores. homegirl has the gift of mercy. i do not. she'll cry with you. i'll tell you to man up and deal with it.


i've learned a few things from her over the years, like how valued you can make someone feel by sending a simple note or unexpected gift just to remind them how much you care. she's way more thoughtful than me, but i'm taking notes and learning from one of the best.


she always believes the best in people. she trusts them. i don't naturally trust people. especially not strangers. but she does. she sees their inner beauty and believes the best. every time. i'm learning to be a little more like her in that department without being stupid and getting myself into trouble.


my sis is someone i know will always be in my corner. she'll always be my #1 fan and my biggest supporter. she always has been. she looks up to me (i still have her by an inch or so) and follows my lead. it's great accountability. i'm proud of the decisions she makes and the way she passionately pursues her dreams. i'm inspired by her humility and the tender way she treats everyone she encounters. i'm honored to be part of her life each day.


so sis, here's to you and your fabulous self. i love you more than you know!!


beks

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.