Wedding plans...

I don't know how to actually link the blogs, so this will have to suffice for now. I've started a wedding blog since I've decided not to use my facebook status as a running commentary on the planning process. Click on the image above if you'd like to visit my new site.

Dear Blog,

Dear Blog,

I'm sorry for the recent neglect. I didn't mean to abandon you for weeks at a time but I've been very busy. I have a new roommate who has now returned from a traveling expedition. I've been to Knoebels with my dad for our yearly excursion... so much fun - just a bit soggy. I've survived hundreds of spiders at work and expect that I will see many more in the upcoming weeks and months. I've gone swimming a few times at mom-n-dad's. I've sung for a number of polka masses and a polka lutheran service. I've tried out some tasty new recipes. I've found a type of karaoke that I actually enjoyed... thanks church choir! I've colored many notecards for a friend's music students. I've eaten at some tasty restaurants. I've worked many more hours that I expected. I sang in a chorus concert. I did a back flip on a windy day through a burning hoop... ok, perhaps I imagined that one ;-)

As you can see, Blog, I've had a few things on my schedule. I'll try to visit more often in the near future!

Love,
BECA Hawkette

I <3 my roomie...

The cutest teapot ever!!!!!

My roomie gave me this adorable teapot for my birthday. She will be leaving this summer *tears*. The teapot which we use frequently to satisfy our slight tea addiction (if you've seen the wall of tea options, you understand... perhaps a picture for another day!) is hers... now I have my very own... and it's smiling :-)

Big Day...

Before...

and after...
http://www.locksoflove.org/index.html

Flashbacks...

Here's a little video I put together about a month or so after I moved to my apartment. It's a bit choppy/bouncy as I was walking around with my laptop using my usb webcam at the time... how far technology has come since I did this!

Home Sweet Home!

the toll of death rings on...

John 12:27-36

Jesus Speaks about His Death
"Now my heart is troubled - and what shall I say? Shall I say, 'Father, do not let this hour come upon me'? But this is why I came - so that I might go through this hour of suffering. Father, bring glory to your name!"

Then a voice spoke from heaven, "I have brought glory to it, and I will do so again."

The crowd standing there heard the voice, and some of them said it was thunder, while others said, "An angel spoke to him!"

But Jesus said to them, "It was not for my sake that this voice spoke, but for yours. Now is the time for this world to be judged; now the ruler of this world will be overthrown. When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to me." (In saying this he indicated the kind of death he was going to suffer.)

The crowd answered, "Out Law tells us that the Messiah will live forever. How, then, can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?

Jesus answered, "The light will be among you a little longer. Continue on your way while you have the light, so that the darkness will not come upon you; for the one who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Believe in the light, then, while you have it, so that you will be the people of the light."

Do I/we act as people of the light? Can others tell through the actions of our daily lives that we believe in the light? Or, do I/we walk in darkness? Can we believe without seeing? Is our faith strong enough? Would we have had the courage to believe if we lived when Jesus did? Would we have been confused and afraid? Would we have turned our back on the Messiah?

(Today's reflections apparently turned into a laundry list of questions! However, they seem like good questions to ponder during this season of Lent... Happy thinking!)

and the roulette continues...

Tonight's page opens to: 1 Corinthians 7:1-16

Questions about Marriage
Now, to deal with the matters you wrote about. A man does well not to marry. But because there is so much immorality, every man should have his own wife, and every woman should have her own husband. A man should fulfill his duty as a husband, and a woman should fulfill her duty as a wife, and each should satisfy the other's needs. A wife is not the master of her own body, but her husband is; in the same way a husband is not the master of his own body, but his wife is. Do not deny yourselves to each other, unless you first agree to do so for a while in order to spend your time in prayer; but then resume normal marital relations. In this way you will be kept from giving in to Satan's temptation because of your lack of self-control.
I tell you this not as an order, but simply as a permission. Actually I would prefer that all of you were as I am; but each one has a special gift from God, one person this gift, another one that gift.
Now, to the unmarried and to the widows I say that it would be better for you to continue to live alone as I do. But if you cannot restrain your desires, go ahead and marry - it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
For married people I have a command which is not my own but the Lord's: a wife must not leave her husband; but if she does, she must remain single or else be reconciled to her husband; and a husband must not divorce his wife.
To the others I say (I, myself, not the Lord): if a Christian man has a wife who is an unbeliever and she agrees to go on living with him, he must not divorce her. And if a Christian woman is married to a man who is an unbeliever and he agrees to go on living with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made acceptable to God by being united to his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made acceptable to God by being united to her Christian husband. If this were not so, their children would be like pagan children; but as it is, they are acceptable to God. However, if the one who is not a believer wishes to leave the Christian partner, let it be so. In such cases the Christian partner, whether husband or wife, is free to act. God has called you to live in peace. How can you be sure, Christian wife, that you will not save your husband? Or how can you be sure, Christian husband, that you will not save your wife?

Wow, sounds like the Corinthians were having a tough time with the concept of marriage, perhaps particularly mixed-faith marriages. This reading is still very pertinent in our times. It seems that marriage is not taken as seriously now as it was in the past. Divorce seems to be the easy solution. How is it that we have come to a point where a lifetime commitment can be taken so lightly? (I like how St. Paul specifies what comes from him and what comes from God.)

The last paragraph of this reading brings me to an idea I have about "my marriage." (I'm pretty sure all girls think about what their marriage might be like one day... perhaps with the rare exception of those who know at an early age that they are being called to a religious vocation.) At any rate, I have always thought that the guy I marry must be Catholic... or be interested in RCIA. Why, you ask? welllll, I don't think that I could fully share my life with someone else who doesn't share in my values and beliefs. Don't get me wrong, there are many wonderful people in this world who share values and beliefs and they certainly aren't all Catholic. However, I feel that this is important in my life. When two people give their lives to eachother and become one, how does one choose which faith pathway to walk if they are not walking along the same pathway? Now, I'm certainly not saying that I would expect a potential marriage partner to be at the same point in their spiritual journey as each person's journey is very different. How can you share your lives if you don't share God?

Are you part of a mixed-faith marriage? Does it work for you? How do you make it work? (I know there is at least one person who reads this blog who might be able to share some insight... please do enlighten me!) Thanks!

While I have many more thoughts on this matter, perhaps I shall save them for another day and get some shut eye.

My ABCs

A

- Available: I try to be available to everything - therefore, I am a very busy person!

- Age: 25

- Annoyance: open drawers

- Animal: the furry pink muppet who plays the drums?

B

- Birthday: June 8

-Body Part on opposite sex: eyes, heart

- Best feeling in the world: a big Hug, crawling into my bed

- Been in Love: aren't we supposed to love everyone - now, no one said I have to like everyone ;-)

- Been on stage?: Absolutely! (You should come to my concert on March 15 - beware the ides of march!)

- Believe in Magic: wasn't that by The Lovin' Spoonful?

- Believe in Miracles: they're all around us

- Believe in Santa: absolutely! How could you deny the spirit of Christmas?!

C

- Candy: mmmmmm

- Color: oh no! I can't answer this question - I don't know the answer - I get all nervous when I get asked this question - can I answer with a 96 box of Crayola Crayons?

- Chocolate/Vanilla: chocolate or vanilla what? it totally matters!

- Chinese/Mexican: what about Thai/Indian? any/all of the above sound good

- Cake or pie: yes, please!

- Continent/Country to visit: Europe/all of them

- Cheese: as long as no mice are involved

D

- Day or Night: hmmmm... I like sunny days and starry nights

- Dance in the rain: absolutely!

E

- Eggs: pysanky

- Eyes: in the back of my head... better watch out!

- Ever failed a class?: Not yet, that would mean I didn't work hard enough.

F

- Full name: Johanna Mikitka - that's it, that's all there is to it!

- First thoughts waking up: I'm supposed to have thoughts when I wake up?!

- Food: I'm ready whenever you are!

G

- Greatest Fear: uh, roaches? idk

- Goals: be the best person I can be. Live a full life so that people can't say I have potential - my physics teacher once said that potential is a bad thing because a person who has potential isn't everything they can be.

- Get along with your parents? sure... Dad is always right (except when Mom is).

- Good luck charm: uh, not that I can think of

H

- Hair Color: Brown

- Height: 5'something

- Happy: If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands

- Holiday: a jolly holiday - like in Mary Poppins?

- How do you want to die: why ponder things so clearly out of our control?

I

- Ice Cream: hmmm, perhaps some springer chip, or some moose tracks, or maybe a banana split?

- Instrument: piano, voice, English handbells... maybe one day I'll learn to play the accordion!

J

- Jewelry: always my Order of the Engineer ring; other times class ring or one of a few other rings, necklaces, bracelets, earings, ankle bracelets - depends on the situation

- Job: "staff professional" - in many other states I could say engineer - but in PA you have to have your P.E. to say that.

K

- Kids: I like kids!

- Kickboxing or karate: um, I'd probably hurt myself doing either

- Keep a journal?: sometimes - mostly I just tell my mom

L

- Longest Car Ride: continuous: Philadelphia, PA to Clemson, SC; over three days: Philadelphia, PA to Oklahoma - both rides involved a 30ft. trailer, a 15 passenger van, and a concrete canoe!

- Love: <3

- Letter: I like to get them in the mail!

- Laughed so hard you cried?: totally!

M

- Milk flavor: chocolate

- Movies: depends on my mood

-Motion Sickness?: not that I know of - unless it involves the Paratrooper at Knobels

- McD’s or BK: BK

N

- Number of Siblings: 1 real sister; 1 "nocturnal twin"

- Number of Piercings: one in each ear

- Number: 3.14159...

O

- One wish: life without conflict

P

- Perfect Pizza: homemade or Papa John's with pineapple & jalepeno (if I'm ordering out)

- Pepsi/Coke: Pepsi

Q

- Quail: How am I supposed to respond to this?

R

- Reason to cry: it's my party and I'll cry if I want to :-D (I think somebody put my brain-radio on shuffle tonight)

- Reality T.V.: ugh - too much reality

- Radio Station: any one that is not playing commercials - internet radio favs include WALN, WMID, OmegaRock

- Roll your tongue in a circle?: yes - particularly to annoy my friends who can't ;-)

- Ring size?: I think all my fingers are different

S

- Song: I couldn't pick just one!

- Shoe size: Women's 10, Men's 8.5

- Salad Dressing: depends on my mood - usually some type of vinegar based dressing

- Sushi?: oh man, this alphabet is making me hungry!

- Skipped school: I skipped one class in college so I could finish the homework that was due at the end of class... showed up at the end to turn it in - other than that, I can't cuz I feel super guilty!

- Slept outside: in a tent

- Sing well?: I try

- In the shower?: If my roomie isn't around

- Swear?: I work with drillers and construction workers - my brain has a full working vocabulary of words - I try not to use "drillers mouth" at the office or around children - some of the guys try to provoke my use of words... some I just won't use!

- Strawberries/Blueberries: mmmmm fresh fruit!

T

-Time for bed: I've heard that normal people keep schedules - I confess, I am not a normal person ;-)

-Thunderstorms: awesome - especially at the beach!

U

- Unpredictable: can this be predicted?

V

- Vacation spot: anywhere as long as it doesn't invovled homework!

W

- Which one of your friends acts the most like you: hmmm - I'll have to ponder that more

- Who makes you laugh the most: Fritz ;-)

- Worst feeling: getting out of my glorious bed

- Wanted to be a model?: not if it involves wearing makeup - yuck!

- Worst weather?: Hurricanes and tornadoes

X

- X-Rays: been there


Y

- Year it is now: 2009!

- Yellow: brick road? ... submarine?

Z

- Zoo animals: I want to go to the zoo... I've lived blocks from it for 8 years now!


LAST PERSON WHO…

1. Slept in your bed besides you: Elle - that Elephant sleeps all day!

2. You went to the mall with: do strip malls count? - in that case, my Dad - who can pass up a trip to Sears Essentials and the Dollar store?!

3. You went to dinner with: a lot of canoe people

4. You talked to on the phone: JB

5. Made you laugh: myself - I laugh at myself frequently

6. Hugged you: JB

7. Said they loved you: mom sent me an IM kiss

8. You spoke with: Theresa (my roomie)

9. You cried over: the guy at church who called me close-minded

10. Made you mad: the guy at church

I'm going to tag Aimee and T if they want to do it... and anyone else who might feel like participating.

This alphabet has been brought to you by the Letter J and the number 8.

Na zdravie!

Happy St. Cyril & Methodius day!

25 things...

This is really a post from facebook, but since some of the people who read my blog (or have left comments on occasion) aren't on facebook (yes, there are some people who are not yet on facebook in this world!), I've decided to post it in both places... here goes:

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about yourself. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the application) then click publish.

1. I can't stand open drawers... even if I can't see them at the moment. If I know it's open, I have to close it.
2. The drawer thing is even worse if there's something sticking out of the drawer.
3. The clothes in my closet are organized by type; each type has its own hanger variety (pants on black, sweaters on pink, etc.)
4. I prefer to give hand made cards over purchased cards.
5. I like to make gifts for people - necklaces, earrings, scarves, blankets, etc. but I rarely make anything for myself.
6. I like to sing - sometimes I think of my life as a really long musical... I'm still waiting for a whole street full of people to burst into a dance number.
7. I don't have a favorite color - I get really nervous when people ask cuz I feel silly telling them I don't know what my favorite color is. I'm a big fan of the 96 box of Crayolas :-D I like bright colors.
8. Although I really don't worry about what others think of me as long as I am happy with who I am, I do worry that people don't like me and are talking behind my back about me.
9. I really want to be the "Phillie Phanatic" when I "grow up"
10. I have a large collection of stuffed animals... a few of them have personalities
11. My dad and I custom designed/built the furniture in my bedroom at my apt.
12. JB's dad custom designed and built my coffee table.
13. I have a large, well-organized collection of LEGOs. One day I hope to have a room in my house just for them.
14. I like to cook when I'm stressed... or when I have a few free minutes.
15. I enjoy planning parties.
16. I'm a terrible liar - even when I try, I can't keep from laughing
17. There are very few foods I don't like/won't eat... really... try me!
18. I have a slight obsession with bubble tea... and Josh Groban (totally unrelated obsessions)
19. My bathroom is rubber-ducky themed - including: shower curtain rod, shower curtain, carpet, hand towel, matted picture on wall, trash can, and light switch plate cover.
20. I strongly dislike the feel of makeup - I own very little with the exception of chapstick, lip gloss, and an eyeliner.
21. I've acquired a reputation for making excellent jello shots - they actually taste like drinks, not just jello with vodka
22. I've always wanted a stained glass window in my house
23. I like to cook new things - esp. ethnic foods - it's a fun challenge
24. I would love to live in a big old farm house... I really like houses that have lots of character.
25. I miss some of my closest friends from the past whom I thought would be life-long friends... not that I don't have many great friends now... I have some of the best friends a girl could want... but it makes me sad that some people have essentially disappeared from my life.

A box of chocolates... and a fire extinguisher

My first attempt at candy making (if you haven't guessed already) nearly ended in disaster! Please explain to me what would cause a wooden stirring stick in chocolate to spark?! There was smoke coming out of my chocolate... OY! I didn't actually have to employ the fire extinguisher, but I might have if I hadn't been standing in front of the microwave peering at the melting chocolate.

While I'd love to show you a picture of my box of cordial cherries, the batteries in my camera are not charged and I don't know where I put the transfer cable when I cleaned my room (it certainly didn't go back to it's usual home). So for now, you'll have to imagine my foil wrapped cherries covered in dark chocolate, white chocolate, and milk chocolate.

I've made myself hungry... hmmmmm...

St. Nicholas Day...

Well, it's St. Nicholas day... for those non-Catholics who may have stumbled upon this blog, you can read about St. Nicholas here

What does/did St. Nick bring at your house? At my house, St. Nicholas brings each child an onion and an orange along with some other treats. The orange is for how good you were and the onion is for the bad things you had done. We always compared the sizes of our oranges and onions to see who had been better :) We were comforted by the fact that our onions went into the Christmas soup to give some extra flavor.

Please do share your traditions with me... I'm very curious :) Last year St. Nicholas day fell on a work day so each of my co-workers received a small stocking with an onion, an orange, a pack of tissues, and a few pieces of candy. I really enjoy holiday traditions!

In case you were wondering about that last post:
I have no idea why the picture caption that should have read "You're a Mud Pie" did not show up in the post... yes "Katholil" you got your pie right! :)

Seriously... I just can't get away from the mud!

You Are Mud Pie

You're the perfect combo of flavor and depth. You are overpowering and dominant - and that's what people like about you. You bring energy and a new direction to most interactions. People crave you in a serious way. You're that important to them. Those who like you give into their impulses. You don't represent reason. You represent pure temptation. People get addicted to you rather easily. You offer people a dark side that is very hard to resist.

What Kind of Pie Are You?

Political Post... sorta... kinda... not really

Your result for The Presidential Capacity Test...

Presidential Success!

100% Values, 84% Charisma and 88% Judgment!

"In America, anyone can become president. That's one of the risks you take." -Adlai E. Stevenson

Congratulations! You encapsulate everything that a successful candidate should encapsulate.

Crack open the whiskey and break out the celebratory cigar. You are destined for success in the Presidential Campaign. You exude confidence and charisma. You exhibit true leadership abilities and demonstrate the ability to make snap judgement calls if the need arises. You are well-respected for your strong values and your steadfast stance on honesty and loyalty.

The USA needs a President like you. You are one of a select few deserving of the influence and recognition commanded by the Presidential title. Congrats!

Other possibilities:

Take The Presidential Capacity Test at HelloQuizzy

My spectacular weekend getaway...

Ah, the beach!

What better way to relax than to sit at the waters edge and listen to the waves?

I have to admit, it was a little strange to be there without Mom & Dad. V and I decided to hit up Stone Harbor, NJ. We found it to be very different at this time of year. The town was very empty... and QUIET!

The bears were totally ready to party...

all night long...


(this picture is the same as the last one except I didn't use the flash... it was pretty dark outside)

I still have some video clips to share... complete with relaxing ocean sounds. I think I'll end here for tonight though.

Coming soon:
- baked goods... something to do when you can't sleep/feel like baking
- Max's reflections on the place he called home.

School...

School has started again... I have a burning desire to go to Staples... clearly I need new pens to go with my new planner

(which disappointingly comes in black... not pink like they show on the website :( )

Obviously, I "need" this set...

so that I have enough colors with which to write. But I need a school supply conscience... the little devil sitting on my shoulder whispers sweet nothings in my ear every time I set foot in Staples. If you saw my pen drawer, you would get a better idea of this problem. So, for now, I suppose I shall avoid such places!

Indian guys...

if you're startled by the topic, stop reading now... lest you think me to be racist...

tonight I have only a simple question (with a potentially not simple answer)...
why is it that everywhere I go, Indian guys stop to speak to me?! Seriously!... even at a bar in Bethlehem of all places... not that I was super-surprised tonight here at Drexel (where I'm pretty sure majority of the students (esp on the grad level) are either ABCDs or straight off the plane)

I swear I'm going to start wearing my "You bet your dupa I'm Slovak" shirt everywhere!

Geek status...

Found this little quiz over at T with Honey... of course I couldn't help but take it...

64% Geek

Well, there you have it folks.

Lest I miss my opportunity...

4 months till Christmas!

(and yes, I remembered to wear my Christmas shirt and earings to work today)

Keep Christmas with you all through the year!

The Last Thing you Want to See While Gracing the Throne...

Although I have been unsure if this is a blog-appropriate story, it is certainly an amusing story to look back on... now anyway ;-)

While my roommate and I strive to keep a relatively orderly, well, clean if not orderly apartment, our building mates in addition to Drexel's apparent obsession with construction projects chase the occasional uninvited guest into our place. I returned from my lovely week at the beach for a few brief moments to drop off some stuff that didn't need to go to my parents house and pick up one or two things (i.e. the dirty laundry basket... it's so much cheaper, not to mention easier (a post for another time) to do the laundry at mom-n-dad's). At any rate, since we had stopped off there, I took the opportunity to use the facilities. While gracing the throne, I heard something... enough of something to make me turn my head -














just in time to see a roach making a b-line for my unprotected bottom wandering across the floor. Yelling and screaming commenced. As if the bugger could sense my fear, it came straight for the throne. After falling off as it attempted to scale the clean porcelain bowl it decided to check out the rest of the bathroom. Meanwhile, I continued yelling about roach spray in the kitchen. Luckily, my cousin, T.E. had come to the apt. with me so I was not left alone to fend off the invader. Unfortunately, here I was closed in the bathroom with the invader and an exposed dupa... and T.E. was on the other side of the door with the can of death. He threw in a bucket for me to attempt to catch the intruder, but the darned thing moved too quickly out of my reach.

J.B. to the rescue...
Lucky for me, J.B. came in just as the roach made a move for the door. By this time, I had managed to snag my bath towel from the rack to use as a curtain so as not to expose my poor dupa to my roach killing heroes. J.B. threw open the door and drowned Mr. Roach in a pool of spray! Phew! With the door closed again, I was able to resume finishing my business in peace... or so I thought...

the roach had wiggled it's way over to the wall and was in the process of using the wall to regain its running stance when it caught my eye. *yelling resumes* So, I don my towel curtain again and J.B. attacks with the spray. Mr. Roach ran out of the bathroom, across the hallway, straight into my bedroom... with J.B. in hot pursuit. He was finally able to catch the bugger, or perhaps give him a heart attack. What happened after that was somewhat of a blur, but I decided to place dead invader in a zip-top bag as proof for the exterminator that I do not exaggerate about the size of my roaches. Hopefully we won't see any more of his kind... EVER!

oh, by the way, I think we may now have a mouse... oh, the joys of living in the city, near construction, in a building built in the 1800s... ahhhh