Charlie & Alyssa

As promised, please meet my new little cousins:

Charlie:

In my Mommy's arms.

Alyssa:

In my arms:)

Aren't they adorable????  How can anyone say there's isn't a God?  Just look at those beautiful little creations He has given us!  So perfect:)

Bye now:)

God bless and keep you!

Grace be with you!

Alive because of His Blood,

Katie Bekah

Family

It occurs to me that I never did share with you all my Mommy's and my adventure down in Kentucky to our Family Reunion so I thought I would share it now and with pictures:)  
On October 15th, we went out for awhile to get some things ready for the trip and we had rented a car, we had a really fun day!  Then on the 16th, we finished up our packing and stuff and then headed down to where our Reunion is held, stopping a few places along the way and getting a few little things.  When we reached our hotel, we were amped because there's a Starbucks literally right next to it, in the same parking lot!  After resting in our hotel for a bit, we went to Cracker Barrel for supper (Mommy got chicken fried chicken and I got country fried steak, YUM!) it was SO good!  We ended up having to take some of it back to the hotel.
Unfortunately, it was warmer than we thought it was going to be so we had to go to Wal-Mart and get cooler tops and pick up a few other things too.
Back at the hotel, we decided to warm up our food (unfortunately, we had to use a microwave, blech!) in the little dishes we had gotten at Wal-Mart.  Well, wouldn't it figure, we didn't have utensils so we had to use our fingers to eat our meat and mashed potatoes, haha!  That was all just a part of the fun of it:)  
Anyways, the next day was the Reunion so after we got our showers and then everything all packed, we went out to the car and onto the Reunion.
We had a really fun time with everyone.  I just love listening to them all talk because they have that country accent and say some things that I don't understand (LOL!) but I love it!
Now onto the pictures:

 Our room:

 

Wonder who's bed this is? :p  My Pooh Bear and Nani bear 

   and camera case.

                          My handsome cousin, Dougy, and me.

 My cute little cousin, Randi Michelle, and me.

 I thought this was cool :)  I was gonna put my camera in there a little more to see if I could capture a picture of a little creature or something but was afraid there might be something in there and then jump out at me, lol.

                 Dougy's beautiful wife, Angie, and me :)  Spent most of the day  with her and we had a really good time together :)

 My Uncle Randy, Randi Michelle, and me.

I took LOTS of pictures of the scenery on the way down and back so, I really shouldn't look through those 'cause there are too many pretty ones.  I just have them on Facebook.  Maybe sometime I'll put some on here :)

I'm just so thankful to God for the wonderful family with which God has blessed me.  I never get sick of them and miss them TERRIBLY when we're not together.  I wish we could all get together more than just once a year!  

On my next post, I'll have to 'introduce' you to my new 2nd cousins in my Daddy's family:)  Charlie and Alyssa.  Please pray for them as they were born on November 16th and are still in the hospital.  I think they are improving though, praise God.

Talk to you later:)

God bless and keep you!

Grace be with you!

Alive because of His Blood,

Katie Bekah

Long Day

Hi-ho!  So, I have like 4 or so ideas for a blog post so I don't know why I haven't written any of them.  I thought I would share with you my most recent idea since it just recently happened.

On Saturday night when Mommy was in bed, her left hand started itching really bad.  In the morning, she noticed her hand was swollen and red, and the left side of her tongue was swollen.  She called her Dr. but they never called back so she called the pharmacy and they told her to go to the ER because a swollen tongue would eventually lead to a swollen throat.  So, we got there and they took her back and got her all situated and stuff.  A little while later, we called Tommy and he came also.  It turns out it was an allergic reaction to some new medicine she had been taking but they were going to admit her overnight just to keep an eye on her. 

A little while later, Tommy and Chris left to get Chris' Birthday gift (we had planned to have Tommy come over that night to celebrate their Birthdays and we were going to make dinner but, obviously, our plans changed) while Mommy and I waited for someone to take her to a room.  After about 4 hours of waiting, Mommy decided she wasn't going to stay there overnight.  I went to get a nurse so that Mommy could tell her (apparently those people there are like stupid or something because it didn't seem like they really knew what I was saying) and it figures a few minutes after I did that, the dude came in to transfer Mommy to a room.  She told him she didn't want to stay overnight so he went and got the Dr. and she came and told Mommy she didn't have to stay!  OH MY GOSH!  So, we basically waited for four hours just to find out we could go ahead and leave.  So, yeah, Mommy was fine, the swelling was down completely and she's all fine and stuff now :) 

One cute thing about the boys was that while they were gone, they got Mommy and me Peppermint Mocha's from Starbucks:)  They're so sweet (speaking of our boys, not the mocha's;))!  Anyways, all was not for naught: when we found out Mommy could leave, we tried calling Tommy but his phone was turned off so we were going to wait in a parking lot but as I was pulling out (I had to drive), the boys were pulling in, thankfully they saw us and then got behind us real quick.  We went to an empty parking lot and discussed what to do about supper.  Tommy suggested we get Chinese and then go home and eat...so, we did:)  Oh, and by the way, for Chris' Birthday; Tommy got him an Xbox360, an extra game paddle, AND the new FIFA11!!  Chris and I have been havin' fun with FIFA:) 

Those weren't all the events of the day though:

Later that night, Mommy and I had to go to the grocery store.  Well, after we got home, we had just barely gotten out of the car when the neighbor's dog across the street bolted over here (the gate on their fence in their backyard was open) barking and growling at Mommy.  She was closer to the front door so she was able to run up there real quick after Daddy came outside with a bat ready to swing at the dog, however, I had to kind of hide behind the car so she wouldn't see me (it was dark outside) and when Daddy got her far enough away, I ran to the front porch whilst he guarded me (though, if the dog would've come near me, I had a grocery bag with two 2 liters in it and if I had to whack the dog with it, I would have even though I was hoping I wouldn't have to).  Well, she still wouldn't leave us alone so, when she ran back over to their yard, Daddy guarded the driveway while Mommy called the police.  A few minutes later, an officer arrived and between he and Daddy, the officer was able to get to the neighbor's front door (before, the dog wouldn't even let Daddy get in their yard).  The owner came outside with his daughter and she put the dog in the backyard and he closed and locked the gate.  Anyways, the owner apologized and said he was taking the dog to the pound yesterday. 

She had done this to us a few times before and finally she did it when the officer was actually HERE! 

Yeah, long day:-D  Praise God, everyone was ok!

So, looking forward to a wonderful Thanksgiving with my Mommy's family!  My Daddy's Mom (Mawmaw) will be joining us as well and hopefully my cousin, Rachel can make it too! 

Oh, please keep my new little twin cousins Charlie and Alyssa in your prayers.  They were born on the 16th but are still in the hospital.  Pray that they will be ok and will be able to come home soon, if the Lord is willing. 

God bless and keep you all!

Grace be with you!

Alive because of His Blood,

Katie Bekah

Favorite Songs That Begin With 'S'

My latest status on my Facebook is: 'why is it that when I have time to write a blog post I can't think of anything to write? Anyone got any ideas?'  My bff, Guitargirl, commented and told me to write a list of my favorite songs that begin with the letter 'S'.  Since she's so cool (and bossy, LOL, jk:)) I am going to do so:

(Not in any particular order).

1.  "Somos Novios" by Andrea Bocelli

2.  "Supersonic" by Family Force 5

3.  "Shine On" by NEEDTOBREATHE

4.  "Something Beautiful" by NEEDTOBREATHE

5.  "Signature of Divine" by NEEDTOBREATHE

6.  "So Close" by Bethany Dillon

7.  "Surfer Medley" by Celtic Thunder (Keith Harkin)

8.  "Share It With Me" by Family Force 5

9.  "Some Might Say" by Oasis

10.  "Stand By Me" by Oasis

Looks like that's all.  Well, hey, at least I got in another blob post.

Bye now:)

God bless and keep you!

Grace be with you!

Alive because of His Blood,

Katie Bekah

Happy Reformation Day!

Yes, my friends, this is the day when, back in 1517, Martin Luther (the great reformer dude) nailed his 95 theses to the door of the All Saints' Church in Wittenberg, which started the Great Reformation.

Seeing as I love this song and video I shall add it to this lovely post:

"Reformation Polka"

  Enjoy, my friends!!!

"I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen."

-Martin Luther 

"I feel much freer now that I am certain the pope is the Antichrist."

-Martin Luther 

May we all learn from Martin Luther's courage and his trust in God to live our lives in a way that pleases God and brings honor and glory to His Name no matter what the cost.

I highly encourage everyone to watch the movie "Luther", it's an excellent movie about the start of the Great Reformation.

Once again, I wish you a Happy Reformation Day!!

God bless and keep you!

Grace be with you!

Alive because of His Blood,

Katie Bekah

Prayer For Haiti

The people of Haiti are suffering in nearly every possible way right now: cholera, earthquakes, and whatever else.

I've read that they are the poorest Country in the Americas: 90% of their children have terrible diseases: 5% of their adults have HIV and so on.

My heart yearns for these people, these children.

Think of all these people that have passed away because of cholera, all the families left homeless because of the tsunami and earthquakes: children left orphans or all alone, parents left childless.  I've seen pictures of men carrying coffins of the people that have passed because of the cholera outbreak, hear about the deaths and can't help but wonder: can they even afford whatever might be needed to help the people with the disease? are we, as America, doing everything we can to help them? 

I know our economy is suffering and thousands of people are thousands of dollars in debt but, what about all of those much-too-disgustingly wealthy people that can provide for them: I wonder how many of them are helping.

I realize there are poor people in America but, right now Haiti is suffering with so many things placed there at once, now, what can we do?

Has anyone ever thought about going there to help and then your second thought is: "Oh, no, I don't want to be around a bunch of sick and dying people, then I might get sick, plus it would be so depressing.  Never mind."

I read a 'tweet' on Twitter that said something like, "pray for Haiti and that the disease doesn't spread."  While I understand what they were saying, it brings a question to mind, "Do they truly and honestly care about Haiti or are they just concerned for themselves?"  I mean, seriously, do people think like that?

I am in no way trying to make myself sound good or better than anyone else (because I'm not), I've just developed a love for these people and wanted to share my thoughts.

I would love to go there and hold them, cry with them, feed them, help them.  My heart hurts for them.

Now, saying all of that, I know God has a reason for everything that is going on there and it is all for His Glory.

With other things that happen in other places, I've read that some Christians say things like, "This is God's punishment on them because they don't worship Him, they worship idols", whatnot and so on.

Well, I suppose that could be true but, you can also argue: why aren't bad things happening to everyone that isn't a Christian (not that I want them to)?  Why do good things happen to people that aren't Christians?  Why do bad things happen to Christians?

I, myself, cannot support Haiti financially, nor can I go there and help but, I can pray for them and will do so.  Will you join me in lifting up this poverty and disease stricken Nation to the Creator and God over all the earth in prayer?

Let us also remember the people of Indonesia in our prayers as well for they, too, are suffering greatly. 

God bless and keep you all!

Grace be with you!

Alive because of His Blood,

Katie Bekah

I Must Say Something

On the 17th, my Mommy and I went to her family's Family Reunion.  We had a blast, hangin' out with all the family and stuff!  Plus, we stayed in a hotel the night before and it was really, really nice.

Anyway, at one point I was outside talking to some 2nd and 3rd cousins and was asked if I had a young man yet, my answer: look away, giggle, and say no.  Totally the wrong answer.

Instead, I should've said something like, "Nope, I believe in courtship and am waiting for God to bring my future husband and me together".  Ever since then, I've been so embarrassed about the way I answered him.

That was such a worldly way to answer that question and I hate that that is what I did.  If I could go back and respond the right way, I would. 

God has put me into this world, but, I am not to be part of it, and, that, is how I acted when asked that question.  I am so ashamed.

Not much in this blog post but, I just felt like I needed to say this.

God bless and keep you all!

Grace be with you!

Alive because of His Blood,

Katie Bekah

GRRR!!!

Ok, I was going to write a review for Hayley Westenra's CD "Hayley Sings Japanese Songs 2" but, recent developments have caused me to write something else.

So, on Tweeter, Thanksgiving is a trendy topic.  Well, to be FUNNY, I said "Thanksgiving is a trendy topic & it's next month.  Might as well make Christmas one too for those that don't celebrate Thanksgiving". (meaning people in Europe!) Little did I know people would take offense at that.  These two Canadian chicks said something mean to me and I honestly don't know how I could've offended someone by what I said.

One said something about if I knew there are Countries other than my own and that they have holidays too and the other was like, "Ugly American.  Party of one.  I guess only the States celebrate Thanksgiving...my mistake...I'll go return my turkey".  What the heck?  Do people have no sense of humor??

I would never, ever want to offend anyone!  Honestly, I've read the tweet over and over and still cannot figure out how it could make someone think along those lines.

.......Later.....As it turns out, it's Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, well I didn't know that.  You'd think someone would be nice enough to explain that to me instead of say cruel things to me.  If any Canadians are reading this, I am terribly sorry and wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.

I mean, like seriously, couldn't someone have thought, "Hmm, I wonder if she knows it's Thanksgiving here" and then tell me....in a nice way.  I do feel bad about saying it before even looking to see why it was a trendy topic but, still, can't people just say something nice.  I mean what the girls said was really rather cruel.  I shan't repeat exactly what one of them said, but it was very, very, wrong.

I'm just the kind of person that likes to be goofy and funny.  They just totally went overboard over what I said.

I know there are other Countries, I know they have Holidays and ours isn't more important. 

It's interesting to actually offend someone online.  It was never ever my intention and I'd never want to do it again or anything (never wanted to do it to begin with), but it just shows me how easily people can throw something way out of proportion.

We are all God's creatures and not one of us is better than the other.  I have nothing whatsoever against Canadians or anyone else.

If I ever offend any one of you, tell me....in a nice way!

Now, I am going to finish my Angel Food Cake, with strawberries, and homemade whipped cream while watching a Hayley Westenra video, so if you'll excuse me, goodbye.

God bless and keep you (no matter where you're from)!

Grace be with you!

Alive because of His Blood,

Katie Bekah

Pictures

Howdy peeps!
Yesterday, I got all dressed up in my opera outfit and Mommy took some pictures of me so, since I said I would show you pictures, here they are:

                                       My Sandals!

                                                The earrings I made for the opera!

I am so thankful we found this top!  It's the most beautiful one I've ever seen!

             Mommy asked me to look over my shoulder at least once so, I did.                        

Mommy curled my hair:)

Oh and by the way, the reason our grass is so brown is because of a drought.  We haven't had rain in weeks!

So, there are those and now onto my piano!

Oooohhh!  Look at all the pretty signs!!  Mommy made: "Simplify", "Country", "God Bless America", and the little "Simple Country Living" stitchery!  She's soooo talented!

Yes, I have a little Football rubber duckie sitting on my piano.  I didn't put him there but, I like him so, he stays.  His name is Javier Hernanduck (after Jaiver "Chicharito" Hernandez who plays for Manchester United....whom I also like to call Chicharito-The Little Burrito, because I'm weird and it rhymes:)).

Anyways, hope you enjoyed the pictures :)  I love my piano that my Aunt Nana gave me, she's totally the BEST Aunt ever!!

Hope you all are having a blessed Sabbath!

God bless and keep you!

Grace be with you!
Alive because of His Blood,

Katie Bekah

Hayley Westenra Video Reviews

As promised, I'm going to write reviews of two Hayley videos.
The first one is called "Tsubomi".  It's off of her album "Hayley Sings Japanese Songs 2".  I don't have it but how I wish I did for I just love this song!



I absolutely love this song and video.  She's so pretty and the setting is gorgeous!  I really love her voice on this song.  The color of her dress goes so well with the flowers in the video (I know, leave it to a girl to notice that;)).  One thing I love about this video is that she's always smiling, I like that in a singer :)  So yeah, everything about this song and video is perfect.  By far, my favorite Hayley video, possibly my favorite Hayley song as well.

The next video is her and a singer dude, Jonathan Ansell.  I love this song but don't know if I can find it anywhere.



I do really love this song but I have a problem with it as well.  That problem is Jonathan Ansell (no offense to the guy, I'm sure he's a nice dude).  In my opinion, he doesn't have the best voice for this song and I don't find it very impressive either.  I'm most likely wrong here, but when he sings, I don't see real emotion.  To me, it seems like he's trying too hard.  Whereas you can hear the emotion in Hayley's voice, and see it on her face, and even in the way she kind of moves around.  It's a beautiful song and, once again, I love her dress :)  She has such power in her voice in this song, like the lyrics really mean something to her.  He just kinda stands there and moves his head and closes his eyes every now and then.  The young guy that I think would have the best voice to sing with her (even though it would be kinda weird for him to sing it) is Josh Groban.
So yeah, I don't mean to insult ole Johnny boy or anything, but I just don't care for his voice. 
I told Chris that I think it's like he's thinking, "Oh, I need to be like Hayley and show some emotion here" but he doesn't do a very good job at it.  I don't know, that's just my opinion.
I love the song and Hayley is just awesome in this video! 

I suppose that's all for now.  See you peeps later!

God bless and keep you!
Grace be with you!
Alive because of His Blood,
Katie Bekah

Jolly Rancher Jelly Beans Are Like The Best Jelly Beans Ever!!

I mean, like seriously, they are...but that's not what this post is about.
So, the other day I was talking to my bff, Guitargirl, on the phone and was all, "I need to write a blog post but don't know what to write.  Tell me what to write!", so she (being the bossy person that she is, LOL, jk;)) told me to write a post about my favorite movies and why they are my favorite movies.
Well...I was going to write that but, there's been a change in plans.  You see, I had started writing it, but after about 15 or more minutes of not knowing what to write after the info-less review I had started writing, I decided to stop.  Maybe someday I'll get around to it, but don't hold your breath ;)
Instead I'm going to write something useless (the main reason I'm writing this is simply to update my blog) that I've been meaning to write for a long time because I wanted to revise my review about Celtic Thunder's CD, "It's Embarrassment!"...uuuhh, I mean, "It's Entertainment!".
The way I reviewed it was rather harsh so I'll be a little nicer this time :)
Ok, so, Paul's voice isn't really as bad as I said.  It's not that it is bad or anything, but the songs he sang just aren't suited for his voice, in my opinion.  He has a REALLY nice voice but I personally think he should stick to the opera stuff because his voice is perfect for those songs.  So ya know, love ya Paul, but please stick to the opera!
Then, there's Damian.  I must admit that when I first heard his voice a few years ago, I guess he was 14, I was amazed that a 14 year old could have a voice like that.  However, on their most recent album, he kinda does some weird things the way he sings and it's not very 'attractive', I guess.  Also, one of his first songs he sang was "Puppy Love" and it was kinda cute on their first concert DVD but on one of their newer ones, well, he's too old for that now so that should just be forgotten in concert.  I still like his voice, but ya know.  So yeah, Damian, you're a good kid.  One thing he's got goin' for him is he's a Manchester United fan and you can't go wrong there!
Umm, ok, Neil's song, "When You Wish Upon A Star", I'll stand by what I said earlier, that's just embarrassing and I don't think I could ever bring myself to listen to the whole thing, it isn't even on my iPod (Scrawny Ronnie).  However, I really do like his voice anyways...even if he wasn't an original member but ya know, welcome aboard Neil!
I'm still totally against a woman singing on their CD's, especially singing a whole song by herself, I mean, hello, it's guys.  I also find all this girl stuff in their concerts annoying, I mean, why can't they just sing normally without having to have all that goofy stuff goin' on?
Of course, I have nothing bad to say about Ryan, George, or Keith, seeing as they're my favorites.
Another thing I don't like about their concerts is the goofy choreography.  Why they can't just stand there or just walk around on occasion is beyond me, but instead they have to be dramatic and, at times, goofy about it all.  Oh, but on their first DVD, Damian sings "Young Love" (which I like:-D) and the other guys (save for George) do these kinds of goofy things that I find funny :)  Well, Paul's a little odd, but that's one of the reasons we love him!
When they're performing "Caledonia" they have to do this really disturbing thing where they're singing the part "let me tell you that I love you and I think about you all the time".  So, they're facing us and then they turn around and walk to the back of the stage and when they start singing that part they turn around to face us again and point at us....such a boy-band, disturbing thing to do!  I especially feel sorry for George because he's like in his late 30's/early 40's (plus, he's so cool!) and a man of his age should not be forced to do that.
Anyways, yeah, they're nice peeps, I s'pose.  I like 'em :)
Ok, well, there's that.

Seeing as I couldn't find a decent picture of the original 5 with Neil that I liked and then I couldn't find a picture of just Neil that I liked, this one will just have to do.  L-R: Paul, Ryan, Keith, Damian, and George.

Tune in for my next post when I review 2 Hayley Westenra videos!

Side note:
God has blessed us with a gorgeous day today and lovely weather!  It's breezy so it's a little chilly outside and the sky is just so beautiful!  Anyone who has never seen Kentucky's AWESOME sky before MUST come and see it!  Some days (like today), it's like you could just reach out and touch it!  God is so Good!
If I had my camera I would take pictures and show you.  Do you want to know WHY I don't have my camera??????!!!!!  Well, I'll tell you:
So, we ordered it a few weeks ago and the peeps that sent it to the people that are going to send it to us sent the wrong color!  They had to send it back and told us they would e-mail when THEY got the camera!  Have we gotten an e-mail from them???  NNNOOOO!!!!!!!
Ya know what's cruel???  The other day I sent a message to Hayley Westenra on MySpace and the next day I got an e-mail from MySpace saying, "Someone sent you a message on MySpace" or something like that...so I go there, it was a message FROM MySpace!  How cruel can ya get!  The message hasn't even been read yet.

Anyways, ciao!

God bless and keep you!
Grace be with you!
Alive because of His Blood,
Katie Bekah

Why I Am A Manchester United Fan

Howdy folks!
So, I have this British buddy on Twitter and he, too, is a huge United fan :-D  Seeing as REAL Football isn't popular in America, he asked me why I am such a huge fan.  Since there isn't enough room in the little Tweet box, I told him I would write a blog post about it for him!

Back in '07 (being 2007, not 1907, LOL!), one night Chris (my older brother) and I were trying to find something to watch on television so we were just flippin' through the channels and landed on Fox Soccer Channel and there was a game on.  I think that game was actually Reading v. uuuuhhhh, some other team, lol.  Because we were getting ready for bed, we couldn't watch the end so didn't know who won.  The next day, Chris looked online to see the results and I believe it was a nil-nil draw, but I could be wrong.
Anyways, that got us interested in watching it.  I don't quite know how we got to liking United (when we started liking them, we didn't know they were like the best team in the world, so that's not the reason we're fans of them) but they were soon our favorite team.
So, ya know, now we're huge Football fans.  Unfortunately, Fox Soccer Channel is rather dumb now and we find all of the people on there annoying.  We just find it very blech and wonder why they can't find anyone good to be on there 'cause it seems like none of these people even really know what they're talking about most of the time.  Plus the fact that they use terms that are just stupid.
We do get Sky Sports News like three times a day so that's nice, but it's nothing like having it ALL the time where people are actually huge fans of the sport and know what they're talking about.
Chris and I are actually the only peeps in our fam who like it and Daddy still calls it Soccer, blech!  That's another thing, it shouldn't be called Soccer because it is real Football...I mean, you actually use your foot, duh...unlike in the American 'football' where you use your hand most of the time!  Anyways, moving on....
So yeah, I guess that kinda sums it up :)
We would love to able to go to England someday to see them play, but also because we just love England anyways, AND we want to get Pukka Pies :-D  Don't see it happening anytime soon, but maybe someday, Lord willing.
We also love SerieA and La Liga Football.
Anyways, any questions????????????
I will now leave you with a song for the best team in the world:



I've had this video on here before but there's nothing wrong with putting it on again, seeing as this post is about United after all :-D

Laters peeps!
God bless and keep you!
Grace be with you!
Alive because of His Blood,
Katie Bekah

Piano Lesson :)

Oh, hi there!  How are you?  Good!....that's great!...wow, that's wonderful!...so happy to hear that!....oh, I'm sorry...............well now, that was a little odd, then again, what else would one expect from me:)
I'll bet you have NO idea what I'm going to write about in this post!! 
My 3rd piano lesson!! :-D
It's always been on a Wednesday at 2:00pm: however, since he's still in the midst of re-construction inside and all that, he had to postpone it to yesterday, and then today.  We also had it at noon instead of 2.  AND since he had to postpone it twice, we did an hour instead of half an hour. 
First of all, Chris came with us this time and waited for me:-D  My Grandpa had bought Chris a used guitar so he has been playing that and teaching himself a couple of songs.  After the lesson, Chris and Piano Professor were talking about guitars and he said next week, he'll give Chris a 10 minute or so lesson for free!  Also, Chris used to have a capo for his guitar but we don't know what happened to it so he asked Piano Professor how much his were.  He said they were 15 dollars.  We didn't have 15 dollars with us at the moment so he said that we could just take it and then pay for it later.  He's so cool!
Ok, onto my lesson:
Last week, he gave me a music book.  He told me it doesn't matter how much or how little I learned in the book, but to go at my own speed.  Well, with Chris' help, I pretty much mastered the first 5 songs.  (We almost have the 6th one mastered as well:-D). 
I didn't think he would find that very impressive because I was sure that all of his other students had gone much further with their first lesson....I was wrong.  He said I played them perfectly: that most of the time, people will just rush through them instead of counting the beats when you need to or whatever.  (I'm kind of a perfectionist so I like to do things the way they're supposed to be done.....plus, I just love playing the piano and want to do it right:)).
He said the way I held my hands and everything was perfect, too.  Here's the embarrassing part: he's going to order a book for me with hand/finger exercises that he hasn't ordered for a student before (at least not many, I don't remember what he said, lol) because he thinks I could be a great pianist by the way I move my fingers and all that!  I was SHOCKED when he said that!  I just assumed everyone else played the same way and there was nothing special about the way I played. 
He also said, we're going to 'work on my ear' (lol, funny way to put it) because he thinks I COULD be pitch perfect....like him:)  I guess, in time, we'll see.  He did a little test on me: he played the first 3 notes of a song and told me to figure out what it was, I didn't know the first time, so he played again, still couldn't figure it out, he then added another note and I knew what it was:-D  He also had me look away and he played a few keys and told me to play the ones he played.  I was actually able to do it!  Not the first time, mind you, it took me a couple of keys to get it right.
I know that I am not able to do any of this by myself, it is only by the Grace of God and Him working through me that I can do this.  He is Awesome (in the true sense of the word, Meghan;))! 
His timing is ALWAYS perfect!  He gave us the piano right when the little store was opening, everything He does is amazing!  What an Awesome God we serve!

Anyways, that's pretty much it for right now.  I must get offa here pretty soon and get ready for bed. 

Oh, real quick, exciting stuff!  Mommy ordered a camera for me today!!!!!!!!  Yummy!  I can't wait till it comes!  I'm considering asking my Piano Professor if he'll let me take a picture of him to put on here;) 

Good night, peeps!  Or good morning, top o' the mornin' to ya and all that:)

God bless and keep you!
Grace be with you!
Alive because of His Blood,
Katie Bekah

I Love My Piano

Yesterday, I had my second piano lesson and it was great!  He gave me a beginners music book so I practiced that when we got home. 
He told us that you can go online and find online metronomes so Chris found one for me:)
He brought the lap-top downstairs and set it on the piano and let it go while he counted the beat for me as I played my song.  We had to do it several times because I kept messing up but he never said anything.  There were a lot of laughs, surprise, surprise, lol.  It's so sweet that he helps me with it.  He's like my second music teacher.  He also works for free, LOL! 
Mommy and I forgot my teacher's name, lol, so we had to ask him, haha!  I told him that since we forgot it, I've just been calling him the Piano Professor, he liked that.  Mommy said, it made him stand up a little taller, hehe.  He's so nice!  He's friendly and likes to talk (which is good because I'm the same way).
Anyways....
While I was practicing my piano yesterday, I heard my phone ring (which is "Beautiful Ending" by Barlow Girl), so I ran upstairs and it was a text....from my oldest brother, Tommy :-D  I thought that was so sweet!  The other day, I called him and we kept breaking up so the third time I called him back, I just said that since we were breaking up so much to just give up on the conversation, lol.  So, as always, we said 'love ya' and so on :)
Also, last night, Chris made some S'mores in the oven for him and me :)  They were really good!  A little while ago today, he made some more for Mommy, him, and me.  Once again, they were tasty.  We haven't had S'mores in forever!  Of course, I'm sure they're better over a fire, but these were dang good :)

Ya know the bad thing about putting videos up on youtube.com?  The stupid comments people write.  I have three videos on there.  One from FIFA'10 (a video game for those of you who do not know) and two I made at xtranormal.com.  Mommy checked my e-mail this morning and someone left a comment on two of my videos and she read them before I did to see what they said and they were trash so she deleted them from my e-mail.  I then went to my youtube and deleted them there without reading them.  Some people are so stupid.  Both videos involved Manchester United and Mommy said she guesses he doesn't like them....so yeah.

So ya know, lookin' forward to the coffee bein' done so Mommy and I can have some.
It's so cool, we have like an old-fashioned-ish coffee grinder so we grind our own coffee beans without the boring and extremely loud electric coffee grinders they have nowadays!  We also use a percolator instead of a coffee maker :)  Don't know if a percolator is old-fashioned but I LOVE doing things the old ways! 
We do our laundry mostly the old-fashioned way, but we do use our dryer after things have been out on the line for awhile. 
Oh!  How I would love to live out in the country!  Mommy tells us about how when you're in the country, the sky is just so full of stars and it's absolutely beautiful!  We live in a stupid subdivision so we don't get to see that beauty.  We, of course, do see stars, lol.  Anyways, I'm really a country girl at heart and could never understand why someone would want to live in the city, but that's just me.  In the country you can just run and run and run and it's so much better!  I hope we can move further out there someday and have a farm, garden, all that good stuff!!!

Yummy :)  Autumn-ish, farm-ish....home-ish.

I am thankful we like have a home though, lol. 

Well now, that was a random post.

Ciao, meu amigos!!

Grace be with you all!
Alive because of His Blood,
Katie Bekah

July Blessings From God

Ola, meu amigos:)  I don't speak Portuguese, just to let you know.
I would like to tell you all about the exciting things that happened to me in July.
Early in the month, my Aunt Nana gave me her piano!  She had been trying to sell it for awhile but couldn't so she gave it to us.  I love it!  Every time I walk by it I have to touch it :)  It's so awesome to have something like this from my Aunt.  It just makes it better because her sweet fingers touched it which makes it so special.  I just like to sit there and play around (with my right hand, right now because that's all I can do, lol, my brother, Chris, calls me the 'one-handed wonder'), it's so wonderful!
As I said before, on the 10th, my cousin, Della, took me to an opera!  It was "Otello", I absolutely loved it!  It was great to go out to dinner and then to the opera with her.  We had such a lovely time together!
Mommy took me shopping for my new out-fit to wear and Memaw paid for it :)  One day when I get a new camera, you'll see me in my outfit :)
On the 17th, my bff/'sis' got married.  We weren't able to go to her Wedding, but I loved hearing about it from her!
We also found me some piano lessons!  Last Wednesday was my first lesson and I absolutely loved it!
The little music store opened like the day or so before my lesson.  Mommy and I had seen the sign in the windows a few days before and she called and left a message.  The next day the fella called her back and they chatted for awhile.  Anyways, I'm really enjoying it.  I can't wait for my lesson this week!
On the 29th, Mommy and I got to spend a little 'girls' day out', it was so fun!  We got some hair things at Meijer and then went to Cracker Barrel for lunch!  It was a really nice time and we were so happy that God blessed us with being able to do that!  She truly is my very best friend!
Even though today is August first, I want to share what we did today as well :)
Today, Mommy, Chris, and I went out for a bit.  First we went to Starbucks where Mommy and I got venti Cinnamon Dolce Lattes and Christ got a slice of pumpkin loaf.  We then traveled through the parking lot over to the Family Christian Store.  I went in to get Esterlyn's new CD "Call Out" but alas, the chick looked it up for me and they didn't have it :(  She didn't even know who Esterlyn was!!!  AAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!  From there, we went to the grocery store and I went in to get lunch, which was fried chicken and Texas fries (I also got bagels but those aren't important to my story ;)).  From there, we came home and watched an episode of "Foyle's War".  After that, Daddy came home from work and blah, blah, blah.  I made coffee for Mommy and me, so on, so on, so on.  At about 9:40-ish or so tonight, Mommy, Chris, and I went out yet again.  We went to UDF to get Daddy and me a milkshake (he got Cookies & Cream and I got Peanut Butter & Chip) then to Frisch's to get Mommy and Chris a Fudge Brownie uuhh somethin' or other, lol, and get the 4 of us sandwiches :)  Oh, also, earlier tonight, Guitargirl and I were chatting online and she helped me put the new pages on my blog and add the Tweeter update on my sidebar :)  She's so nice :)  Isn't my Tweeter update thingy pretty??????  So, tell me, what do you think about my blog's new look?
Anyways, hopefully I can get Esterlyn's new CD soon and then I can tell you peeps about it :)  In the meantime, why don't you go visit my Esterlyn fansite:  www.weallneedesterlyn.webs.com :)
Oh, I also want to leave you with a video of one of my new favorite songs that Mommy got me likin':  Gary Puckett and The Union Gap "Young Girl":



Hope you all are doing well!
God bless and keep you!
Grace be with you!
Alive because of His Blood,
Katie Bekah

Life Without A Computer

Awhile ago, we had to go without a computer for awhile and I rather liked it.  The only reason I like having a computer is my buddies :)  I missed them bunches when we didn't have one!!!
I didn't get as much reading done as I thought I would but it was still nice to not have the temptation to get on the computer for hours doing absolutely nothing.  Praise God, that hasn't happened this time. 
I have noticed a change in myself that I rather like.  For some reason ever since my cousin and I were blessed to go to the opera together, God has blessed me with the strength and energy to do things everyday that I only did on occasion before.  So far, most every day I've made my family a treat of some sort and have made our meals most days, it's lovely!  Right now I have some blueberry muffins in the oven (they don't know what they are yet;))!  Surprising my family with little treats or making their meals or really doing anything for them is something I just LOVE! 
I don't know what caused this change but I praise God for it!  I know it is only because of Him that I can do these things.
I don't know, something feels different inside of me and I think it's a good thing.

I have laundry soaking right now but don't think I should take them out to the line today because we're supposed to have storms and sometimes it looks like we will and then it gets sunny so I don't want to chance it.  I'm just going to ring them out best I can and throw 'em in the dryer!

In other news: on Saturday, my bff/'sis' got married!!!  We weren't able to go to her wedding but I'm sure she looked beautiful!  I can't wait to see pictures!
We always talked about going to each other's Weddings and I was sad that we weren't able to go but at the same time I tried to be ok because I was so happy for her and her new hubby :) 
We of course hope to meet someday and we hope it will be soon, Lord willing.

We are now eating my blueberry muffins and they are quite good, if I do say so myself :)
Hope you all are having a wonderfully blessed day resting in the Lord!!

God bless and keep you all!
Grace be with you!
Alive because of His Blood,
Katie Bekah

My Cousin Took Me To An Opera!!!!!!

In my last post I mentioned that my second cousin, Della, was taking to me an opera.....well, we went and it was totally awesome!  We had such a wonderful time together.
First, we went out to dinner to a Chinese restaurant and it was absolutely divine!  The people there are so nice.  Since my cousin goes there so often and is on a first name basis with the owner, he gave me a heart-shaped plate:)  So sweet!  Both him and our waitress thought Della was my mom, lol.  I got a Kobe Steak with vegetables and fried rice, sooooo good!
After we left the restaurant, we were on our way to the music hall when we ran into a TON of traffic!  Oh my gosh, it was moving SO slow and I was so afraid we weren't going to make it there on time (Della told me later that she was afraid of the same thing) but Della found a way past the other cars to get off at a different exit and we got there with 13 minutes to spare and there were still plenty of people arriving after us, so it wasn't bad:)  I was so thanking God when He got us there!
Once we got there (the place was so crowded and I had to keep up to stay close to Della, whilst running into other people....the only part that wasn't enjoyable, LOL!), we found our seats and they were in a great place!  When the opera began I just kept thinking, "I can't believe I'm actually at an opera!".  I was just so excited and still get excited when I think about it.
During the second intermission, we went to get some European chocolate (we didn't actually go to Europe though, lol) and it was divine!
I still can't stop thinking about all of it and never will forget it.
Such a lovely experience and I hope we can do it again sometime, Lord willing.
Our next adventure is to go to a Ballet together sometime, Lord willing!  Can't wait for that either!
Anyway, that was our night.  I really can't describe how wonderful it was, so I'll just keep it like this and if you have any questions, just ask and I might answer them depending upon what they are:p

Also, a few days before the opera, Mommy and I went out shopping for a new outfit for me (which Memaw bought because she's so sweet!), so we found a lovely black skirt at a store in the mall (we hate our mall), some totally cute black sandals at Payless, and a lovely cream colored scarf with silver specks in it! 
The day before the opera, we went out to find a top and finally found the most beautiful top I've ever seen!  We found it at Dress Barn.
We had also bought a new hairdryer which excited me, LOL!  (It's the little things;)).
So, Mommy had curled my hair for me and I put on my new outfit and make-up then Daddy and Chris took me to Memaw and Grandpa's where Della was waiting to take me:)
As I told Mommy, Chris, and Della and have said on my Facebook, July 10th was the BEST day of my life!!!
I thank God that He blessed us with that time together.   He is so Good!

Have a wonderful, blessed day and may you rest in God's abundant Love!!!
God bless and keep you and Grace be with you!
Alive because of His Blood,
Katie Bekah

Hello! I'm Back!

Howdy peeps!  Yes, I have returned to the blogosphere:)  Well, actually, we got back online on June 16th....ahem, anyways.
I am soooo amped because my second cousin is going to take me to an opera!!!!!  
The day before yesterday, Mommy and I went shopping to buy me a new outfit (well, actually, Memaw is buying it, she's going to give us the money later, she's soooo sweet!!!).  We found a totally cute black skirt (the first item of black clothing I own, lol) that has gold and silver around the bottom (whenever we get me a new camera I'll put pictures up on here wearing the full ensemble), cute black sandals, and a cream color scarf with silver specks in it!  Tomorrow, Lord willing, we're going to go look for a top to complete the ensemble:)  
So, when we were at the mall (we hate our mall, by the way, but go there if we absolutely have to), I saw all these girls hanging out with their friends and whatnot while it was just Mommy and me.  Honestly, I would much rather go shopping with my Mommy than anyone else, if someday, I was to go shopping with friends, I would still want my Mommy to come and their Mom's too.  I just don't understand why girls would choose friends over their own Mother's.  My Mommy and I are best friends and love doing everything together!  There are only 3 exceptions I make of who else I could shop with being: my Memaw (Mommy's Mommy), my Aunt Nana (Mommy's little sister) and my cousin Rachel (Daddy's niece).  
Yes, I'm 20 years old and STILL grab my Mommy's hand when we go places.  Laugh if you want, but that's just how close we are.  (I hold my Daddy's hand too when he and I go places).  
I know that someday, I'll have to go places on my own (like when I get married and my hubby is at work) but I'm going to enjoy the time God has blessed me with now to spend as much time with my Mommy as possible because she's my very best friend and I thank God for her always.  She and I have never fought, there was never a reason for it.
She's such a wonderful example of God's Love and I can only hope to one day be at least half as awesome as she is.  
She's totally the best Mommy in the whole world!  
I guess one could say, I kind of have two Mommys though because I feel the same way about my Memaw.  She, too, is a wonderful example of God's Love and I love spending time with her as much as possible.  We're hoping to start up our painting lessons again soon for we both miss them so much!   I am so much like my Mommy and Memaw and I love that!  Being like them is like being like angels:)  God has truly blessed me with the best ladies that I can look up to.  They're both always there for me and are such blessings.  I could never ask for better examples of God's Love, for they are the only ones.
Well, I've just thought of another lady that I love spending time with, my second cousin, Della, who is taking me to the opera:)  She, too, is a wonderful example of God's Love...and she is another exception of who else I could go places with;)
We've only spent time together, just the two of us, once.  Several weeks ago, when I helped her clean her house (which was a BLAST!) and that's when we discovered we both love opera and Ballet.  She's been to some before and she told me that sometimes she will take me.  She gets free or really good discounts on tickets sometimes.  I was so amped when she e-mailed me and told me about the opera and invited me to come!  We're both so looking forward to it!  My Memaw said that her sister (Della's aunts) said, Della called her and was talking about the two of us going to the opera and said that she sounded as excited as a little girl:)  That made me feel good that she would be so excited about spending time with me.


Today, I'm taking care of my 'invalids' (as I called them on Facebook;)).  Mommy has Strep and Chris has a headache:(  Of course, I want them to feel better, but I like taking care of them:)
I'm also hoping to get a few things done today, Lord willing, so we'll see how that goes.


My bff and 'sis', Monica, is getting married on the 17th but unfortunately, we will not be able to make it.  I was heartbroken when Mommy told me.  I couldn't bring myself to call Monica because I was so afraid she would be mad at me but I knew I had to tell her soon.  
The other night, I texted her and asked her if when she has awhile to talk she would call me.  So she called me later that night and I told her we weren't able to go and that I was afraid she would be mad at me.  Guess what??  She wasn't, she totally understood.  Yeah, she's awesome:)  She had told me before in an e-mail that she was thinking after they got married, I could come up and stay with them sometimes over a weekend so hopefully I'll be able to do that sometime this year, Lord willing.  


Anyways, before I go I would like to share with you this disturbing video of Manchester United players doing aerobics:  Enjoy!





God bless and keep you!  Grace be with you all!


Alive because of His Blood,
Katie Bekah