by Bethe

Remarkable

I’m a sucker for things with sayings on them. I love pictures with fun quotes. Books of quotes. Googling quotes. Memorizing quotes.

I have an ongoing love affair with the written word.

So of course, when I was out yesterday shopping for a gift, I couldn’t resist buying a few of those magnets with the sayings on them. These were cute (which is so important–nothing ugly is allowed to set foot near my refridgerator!). And colorful. I bought two.

The first says:
Dare to be remarkable.

And the second:
Do one thing every day that scares you. (Eleanor Roosevelt)

I love these! I want to live a remarkable life, and I can’t achieve that by sitting back and doing things that are comfortable. Some of the things that scare me the most have brought me the most happiness. I was terrified to take the hospital job, which I now love so much. I was (and still am) terrified of speaking in front of groups, which is one of the reasons why I try to take every opportunity to speak in public. I’m terrified of heights, which is why I have gone rock climbing and done the high ropes courses. I’m scared of flying, which is why I travel as much as possible (plus I love exploring new places). School scares me a little, because I’m always afraid I might not be able to cut it. Which is why I continue on.

So I dare YOU to be remarkable. Come join me. It’s a fun process!

by Bethe

Please don’t do that with your dad watching

You know you’ve been to a country concert when you see two men wrestle, a girl with a bad spray tan, and a guy kissing his girlfriend with dip in his mouth. Oh, and this same Bubba with the dip can was also grabbing his girlfriend’s rear while her DAD sat next to them! Eeeew!

Yep, the Martina McBride concert was memorable.

When I got two last-minute (FREE!) tickets to the concert, I wasn’t sure if I would like it. Turns out I’m a huge fan of hers, I just didn’t realize she was the one who sings all of the songs I love so much. I’ll be rocking out to her greatest hits album for the next week.


Sister Lindsay and I had a great time together. And this concert marks another notch in my belt of summer culture. Let’s see… I’ve seen Martina (along with Jack Ingram) and the Eli Young Band in concert, went to Shakespeare in the Park, saw the Fort Worth Symphony, went to Mama Mia on Broadway, and next week, we’re going to catch the other big Broadway hit–Jersey Boys. All of this in the past four weeks. Not a bad month!

by Bethe

Battle of the Baptists

I absolutely love my softball team. But not because we’re good. We’re half-way through our third season together, and we progressively get worse every week. By the end of the season, we’ll be lucky if we can find the field.

But tonight was different! We actually won! Our Baptist team beat First Baptist Fort Worth, the only team with fewer wins than us (eh hem, that means ZERO).

So Schrute Farms is now 2-5 for the season, with three more games to go. I suggest we quit now while we’re at our peak, because there’s very little chance we’ll get close to tasting victory again. We’re in a tough league.

But even though we lose (okay, we get demoralized) almost every week, it doesn’t matter. Because the main reason we play is so we have an excuse to get together. The highlight is always the dinner before or after the game. And once you get used to losing, it doesn’t sting quite as bad.

Besides, we have the best mascot. Our lucky Dwight bobblehead that’s no longer attached to his body (that’s what happens when you drop it while trying to put it in your purse… oops) that makes an appearance at every game. Or at least, when I remember to bring him.

And, we have the cutest t-shirts. And if you’re going to lose, you might as well look darn good doing it!

by Bethe

Storybook Ending

Josh Hamilton’s performance at tonight’s Home Run Derby was absolutely amazing. It can only be explained as a miracle. Here’s a guy who was a heroine addict just a few years ago, and in his first full year back in the Major Leagues, he breaks the Home Run Derby record with 28 homeruns in the first round. I was near tears by the end of that historic round. And even better, he gave all the credit to Jesus.

We Ranger fans don’t have many opportunities to celebrate. So I will enjoy tonight.

by Bethe

Ahhh… memories

Today I stumbled across some pictures and the Web site for my old job. Back in college, I spent three summers teaching cheerleading camps all over Texas (and a fateful camp in New Mexico… but that’s another story). Sometimes we stayed in dorms (good old Texas Women’s University was my second home each summer), sometimes we stayed in po-dunk motels (Motel 6 was one of the nicer ones), and once I stayed in a renovated hospital clinic (again… the New Mexico story).

But along the way, I made some wonderful friends and learned a lot about leading, public speaking, problem solving, and choreographing funny skits to N’Sync songs to get cheap laughs out of high school kids. ACA (American Cheerleaders Association) was a wonderful job, and looking back at all of those pictures made me miss it. I can’t believe it’s been 9 years since I taught my first camp. Which means it’s been 7 years since my last back flip. Thank goodness for that one.

So Brad, I’m sorry for kicking you in bad places while practicing our stunts (thanks for never dropping me on my head). Ashley, I miss killing time by trying to see how curly we could make our hair and how much glitter we could spray on ourselves. I miss practicing our dances until I felt like I was going to collapse. I have good memories of sitting on the floor in the dorm hallway, listening to funny stories from Alton until we all cried. Or late night Sonic runs because the dorm food was so gross and we were starving. I even miss the long days outside in the brutal Texas heat, because it meant I was being paid to play around with friends. It was a privilege to work with high school kids from all over the state, and my favorite job before I entered the “real world.”

Thanks ACA!

by Bethe

Bad Choice, DeAnna!

Last night I was all fired up by the TERRIBLE ending to The Bachelorette. I was blindsided by her decision to pick the slacker snowboarder instead of cute, clean-cut (and good-looking!) Jason. So I wrote a sassy blog about how stupid DeAnna is.

But now that it’s been 24 hours, I realize that my blog was just mean. So I’m choosing not to post it. Besides, it’s just a silly TV show. And she’s just a silly girl. And watching people get rejected on national television may be fascinating, but I feel slightly guilty for enjoying it so much.

So I’ll hold my tongue.

But I can’t wait until next season.

by Bethe

Another celebrity! I’m on a roll!

Tonight I hosted the Rangers Suite for work (have I mentioned how much I love my job?), and DeMarcus Ware (a Dallas Cowboy) sat one suite down from me! He threw out the first pitch, and then came back and sat about 15 feet away for the rest of the game.

Granted, I have no idea who the heck DeMarcus Ware actually is, but the other folks in my suite assured me he’s practically a legend. One guy told me, “He’s the next So-and-So.” Of course, I don’t remember who “So-and-So” is, and I don’t really care. In fact, I only marginally follow the Cowboys. But this DeMarcus guy seemed really nice, and he was friendly to the folks around him, so I’m now a fan. I didn’t stalk him for an autograph like some of the people sitting near me, but I did sneak a quick photo.

The good news… the Rangers won… again! That’s two wins for me in one week! I’m starting to get the fever again… the RANGERS FEVER! Ha ha.

by Bethe

Disgusted

I can’t BELIEVE DeAnna picked Jessie the skater dude on The Bachelorette finale! It just goes to show that love makes people do some stupid, STUPID things. Like pass over several All-American guys for a weirdo with pink shoelaces and no job. Good luck DeAnna. You’re going to need it.

Even though I hated the ending, I must admit, it was fantastic TV. It was scripted just like a movie.

“I’m falling in love with you… BUT… I love another guy more.”

“I think I can picture myself spending the rest of my life with this man… if only he had pink shoelaces instead of a 9-to-5 job.”

“I realize my entire family is disgusted by my one suitor, and completely in love with my other beau, but forget them. I’m going for the wild card!”

Oh, and my favorite. “I’ve never been in love with anybody else before. Yes, I did live with some other chick for TWO YEARS, but that wasn’t love. I was just taking her out for a test drive. Gotta kick the tires a little.”

Please.

by Bethe

Bachelorette–My Humble Prediction

Tomorrow’s the finale of The Bachelorette, my current favorite show. I’m going on the record to say that I think she’s going to pick Jason, the single dad. I may be biased, because Jessie, while he seems like a nice guy, reminds me of every slacker skater dude I went to high school with. And that just grosses me out. Besides, get a haircut.

So while I think Graham or Jeremy would have been a better choice, I’m cheering for you, Jason. Good luck!