Top of My Lungs

This song (by Phillips, Craig & Dean) came on KSBJ this morning as I was getting to work. And you know, sometimes when a great song comes on, you just can't shut off the radio and get out of your car! So I sat in the parking garage and listened to these words and smiled. They lifted me up this morning and I wanted to share...

Words of worship
Rise like a river within me
Thoughts to express are so many
I wanna bless You, God

Can't be silent
I think of the mercies You show me
My lips begin overflowing
Great is your Love.

Such gratitude,
For all that You've done,
Jesus to You,

At the top of my lungs
I will sing Hallelujah!
You're the One who saved me,
The One who gave me
This life I live
Forevermore ! Forevermore!

At the top of my lungs
I will sing Hallelujah!
I'm not ashamed.
I'll praise Your name.
Let the whole world know
I love you Lord.
I love you Lord!

You are worthy
I join the song of creation
That rings out across ev'ry nation.
Let my heart be heard.

I need you so.
I don't care who knows,
From the depths of my soul,

Let my love be loud.
I sing a joyful noise!A
ll of my days
A joyful noise!
I lift up my voice!

Happy weekend!

At Last

Here's my last batch of pictures from the weekend. I think I am exempt from picture posting until at least next week, right? OH OKAY...I'll take some pictures of myself this weekend...cleaning and walking the dog. Only because you begged me.

Matt, me, Courtney, and Jeremy on Saturday morning. We were cold. We were tired. But we were ready to ride!!

Riders getting to lunch in Bellville on Day 1

Matt, me, and Jeremy. Note their smiles. This was before I kicked their butts. just kidding guys :)

Trisha and Erin at lunch

So we skip to the finish

They recorded our finish times each day...I sure hope I don't see this displayed in the cafeteria at work...

Jeremy and Courtney arriving to Austin

Good job guys!

Trisha, Matt, and little Amy

Biker Girls and a biker girl-to-be!

Until next year...

Picture Update

Everyone waiting for yours truly at the finish line...

Look at Seth's shorts...aren't they cute? I decided it was about time for him to get some plaid shorts.

I know these pictures don't do justice to the past weekend. I've given Trisha until EOB Friday to send me the rest. So assuming she delivers, look for another picture update sometime this weekend.

OR (and I can't believe I'm sharing this...I really can't) check out the following link:

http://www.brightroom.com/go.asp?31209948

Yes, I realize they are hideous and embarassing. Yes, I also realize there is a strange bearded man mistaken as me in some of the pictures. But we can't have everything we want in life, right?

Bachelor Bits

Perhaps this is a bit overdue, but here are my top 10 thoughts from the Bachelor on Monday night. And again, for a full recap, please see the link on the right. She does much better than I would, so why bother??

1) "Bon Soir" Robin! Good grief. What a crazy. I am ashamed to admit I really liked her on episode one. As someone said at the beginning, I guess we always have to have the token nutcase! I laughed out loud...to myself (well and to Maggie I guess...let's be serious, Seth was in the other room) when she wasn't chosen at the end. I will say I wasn't expecting it because I assumed our favorite Bach would let me down. Thank goodness I was wrong!

2) Marshana kills me. Shayne may be high-maintenance, but hello??? Picking Marshana would be asking trouble to come sit in your lap. I was impressed with her departure though. I would have cried like a baby.

3) I don't know what to say about Shayne...I really don't. She is funny, yes. She seems to avoid major drama, which is a plus. But are they really a good match??

4) Love Noelle. She seems too genuine and sweet. Needs to come out of her shell a bit more but she is really pretty and seems to have more of a "normal girl" personality than the rest of the girls.

5) Amanda is another favorite. Although I'm not sure what to expect on next week's episode??? I think there's a goofy side of her we haven't completely seen.

6) Did I mention that I love Matt's accent? I need to figure out how to get my future children to sound like him. Perhaps I will just start speaking to them ASAP (you know, while in the womb) in one of my signature well-spoken accents. I do a great Australian. It sounds half Mexican, half Chinese. I've also been known to re-enact The Ten Commandments in a nice British style. Just ask Cara C.

(The things we did to entertain ourselves in middle school...)

7) Maybe Chris Harrison should be the Bachelor one of these days?? You're not getting any younger, buddy! He must be making some serious cash to keep hosting this show. Or maybe he just hooks up with the rose-less girls after each episode? Hm, something to think about.

8) Did some of the girls have matching coats on the ski slopes? Maybe I didn't see that right...but does ABC just provide all these cutesy outfits for them? And do they get to keep them afterward? If so, I need one of my single friends to go on this show. Susan???

9) Earth to Chelsea. The Bach is NOT going to dig you if you try to repel his hands during an attempted hand-holding session! She is the Hillary of Brad Womack's season. Like her, think she's fun, but she's a goner. We already saw the friend-card pulled once with Holly and look where that got her. Poor Holly.

10) I will predict my final two. And also tell you my fear that I am wrong. Against my better judgment, I will not put Shayne in the final two. Only because I have been opposed to the "LA sex kitten" since the beginning. Yes, she is funny. I will give her that. But she's 22. And I just don't see her as ready to accept the responsibilities of a long-term relationship and settle down.

So Amanda and Noelle. There ya go. We shall see. I'm a tad worried that I'll be on vacation when the finale airs...but if I've timed it right, I think I'll just miss the Women Tell All (assuming they DO air that this time...)

My First Mistake

I must publicly retract an apparent "false statement" published in my post yesterday that has caused several grumblings and rumblings from one "Matt Roberts". To clear things up, he did not stop for lunch on day 2, therefore, for a brief moment of time, he was actually ahead of Erin and I on the ride.

HOWEVER...

Our stellar performance and legs of steel proceeded to pass him up (big time) somewhere during the next 30-something miles. This was all after we had stopped for lunch, had a sandwich, chips, peanut butter bagel, cookies, drinks, refilled our water bottles, stood in line for the port-a-potties, re-applied sunscreen and chatted with the lady volunteer from Land Admin.

Final finish times in Austin:

Mary Anderle - 1:16pm
Erin Pang - 1:16pm
Matt Roberts - 2:01pm

And yes, maybe I did stay in a warm bed instead of camping out on Saturday night. And maybe I did start 30 minutes later. But really, isn't this all for a good cause?

Alright, now that everyone's egos are back in check...

I will say that everyone did a FANTASTIC job this past weekend. And yes, it was a "ride" not a "race". So to clear up misconceptions that I was somehow competitive about the MS150...I was not. Just because Erin and I finished before the other guys doesn't mean that we're faster, better, more experienced, or even prettier than the others.

Slow down, Speedracer!

Well, I know you've all been DYING to know how my weekend was. It was pretty much your normal, relaxed weekend. Let's see. The alarm went off at 4am Saturday and I hung out, ate breakfast, put on my spandex, you know. The usual. :)

Matt & Trisha were so kind to let me sleep over the night before (they live downtown) so I didn't have to get up in the "3's" to make it to the ride start by 5. Yes, I said the 3's. May I never wake up in that hour unless it's for a small child. Actually, my personal road crew (i.e. Seth) should probably be thanking them more because he got to sleep until a normal hour. It's a little ridiculous actually. We didn't start until 7:05, but you have to get there uber-early because of traffic and what not.

We had a BLAST! It was pretty cold both Saturday and Sunday mornings but we couldn't have been blessed with better weather this weekend! Saturday was super windy though, which really put a lot of the riders behind. Last year I was in La Grange by 2:30ish on Saturday and this year it was after 4. For those of you who don't know, I rode ONE HUNDRED AND TWO miles on Saturday and 65 on Sunday. Yeah, piece of cake!!! I surprisingly feel pretty good today. I had a nice little massage this morning and decided that once we become multi-millionaries I will be needing a weekly massage (along with my weekly mani/pedis of course...oh and facials)

There was a great turnout of riders and volunteers. A big thank you to Trisha and Ben for volunteering with the Anadarko and Cameron teams this year! You guys were a super important part of keeping the ride running smoothly and the riders happy. Speaking of Trisha, I will have more pictures to post as soon as she sends them to me. So...no pressure or anything...it's not like you have a full-time job and a new baby or anything. Geez.

Here's a picture of me and Erin at lunch on Sunday. Yes, it was still chilly. It was weird...we were at lunch all by ourselves. Guys? Where were y'all?

Oh yeah.

Behind us.

Suckers!

jk. I am only a little competitive.

It was amazing how much easier this year was than last. I guess experience really does help. Oh, and don't worry...the 2009 ride is already scheduled for next April 18-19th! PLENTY of time to go buy a road bike and all the gear. You KNOW you want to.

To date, the MS Society has raised almost $10 MILLION!!! Donations will still be accepted for this year's ride through May 13th. Again, I cannot thank all of you enough for your support and encouragement. It has been an amazing experience giving back in this way and I can't wait to continue support of the MS Society in the years to come. Actually, the goal is to put them out of business! So please make a special place in your heart for this organization, its goals, and the victims.

Thanks and gig 'em :)

Soon...

Update and pics coming soon...I promise!

Why I Ride

Champions Against MS is a free program that connects BP MS 150 cyclists with people living with MS. Together, we become partners in the journey of finding a cure for multiple sclerosis. On the BP MS 150 route, cyclists wear red colorful bandanas bearing the signatures of their Champions with MS.

(stole that from the website...they explained it a bit better than I could)

This year, my bandana holds significant meaning. Our friend, Daniel, from church lives with MS. I thought it would be fun to pick up a blank bandana and have him be my "champion" this year. And of course I made him pose for pictures.

Thanks Daniel, for your support and for being a good sport! :)

One more thing prior to "Race Day" (um, I know it's not a race, but "my big race" sounds MUCH cooler than "my big ride"). If you happen to be reading this on Saturday or Sunday and are curious about where I might be along my route, click the following link:

http://www.racedayalert.com/BPMS150/Tracking.aspx

And enter my rider number - lucky 7462! It might only give updates at lunch and end of day...not sure. All this tech stuff is new this year but give it a shot anyway!

See ya at the finish line!

Live Witness

In follow up to yesterday's 'evil keyboards' post, I received the following email from a fellow colleague (we'll call her...Allison):

"I've seen it now! My warning label is different though...

'To reduce the risk of serious injury to hands, wrists or other joints, read Safety & Comfort Guide.'

I did think I had carpel tunnel last week....I had a shooting pain in my hand for a bit. It must have been a false alarm because it's gone now."

THIS folks, must be the reason for the warning label's sheer existence.

Type safely!

Death by Typing?

I just looked down at my computer keyboard and noticed the following label:

"WARNING! Risk of serious injury. Read Safety & Comfort Guide provided with product for further instruction."

I had no idea what a dangerous piece of equipment this was! If I had a nickel for everytime I've been seriously injured by my keyboard...

What is your Purpose?

Something I think about quite often is my "dream job". I was reminded of this again when Paula blogged on this same topic the other day. When we were younger, we drew pictures, wrote stories and poems, and dreamed about the answer to the age-old question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

I assure you I never ONCE answered, "CPA! Bring on the taxes!"

I dreamed of being a figure skater (Kristi Yamaguchi was big back then), writer, singer/songwriter, FBI agent (sidenote: ideally, I would love to do what Jennifer Garner/Sydney Bristow did in Alias...minus killing people), doctor, lawyer, and more I'm sure.

Oftentimes I think we get caught up in what our purpose is for life, and are quick to associate that with our job or profession. I mean, why not right? We spend 8+ hours in the office each day...or we spend 8+ hours running kids around...(or 8+ hours wishing we could do the other!) I especially thought about this a lot when we read The Purpose Driven Life. I remember being so upset because I believed I wasn't living my life to the fullest and achieving my maximum potential.

I would say, "How can God's plan for my life include accounting?? I didn't even want to major in this stupid subject. It stresses me out, half my colleagues spend more time at work than with their families, and I am not fulfilled while doing it."

It took a wise man to make me realize that our job is just that. Our job. It's what we do during the day to support ourselves and our family. People have always had them. Perhaps they weren't always in air conditioned office buildings...but they've always been there. Whether you're the village berry picker or the CEO of a multi-million dollar company, you're doing what you do to make a living. I try to tell myself that nobody really wants to work.

(And another sidenote: if y'all are ALL for that, let me know)

But when you really get down to the purpose for your life, it becomes a bit more difficult. God has blessed each of us with different strengths and talents. How can we take these and apply them to our walk with God? Apply them to our daily ministry with others? Heck if I've figured it out. And perhaps our purpose evolves over our lifetime. Maybe my purpose right now is to learn as much as I can...and my purpose in 5 years is to apply what I know to help train my children to become disciples of Him...and my purpose in 5 more years is...

For a planner like me, separating profession and purpose is all well and good...but how can I combine the two? So this gets me back to "my dream job". Defined as "what I'd most want to do if given the opportunity, with the right doors opened"

Welp, you guessed it.

Writer.

Books, magazine articles, devotionals, reviews (i.e. movies, books, restaurants)...whatever! I would love to do it. Problem is, my accounting degrees don't give a strong foundation for a writing/editorial career. And I'm not going back to school.

So for now, I blog.

Just food for thought!

Bloody Moron!

Really? Seriously? He picked MARSHANA over sweet Holly?

I should've known this would happen. Especially after he threw out the friendship card last week to Holly.

BUT...MARSHANA?!

Good grief.

Well, at least Amanda and Noelle are still in the game.

(this post is about the Bachelor...for all you confused men reading this)

Monkey Bread

Here's an easy short-cut to one of my favorite breakfast recipes. Because who has time to make homemade biscuits these days?

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cans (16.3 oz each) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, if desired

1/2 cup raisins, if desired

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 12 cup fluted tube pan.

In large plastic ziploc bag, mix sugar and cinnamon. Separate dough into 16 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Shake in bag to coat. Arrange in pan, adding walnuts and raisins among the biscuit pieces.

Mix brown sugar and butter; pour over biscuit pieces

Bake 28-32 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving plate; pull apart to serve. Serve warm.

Tired. Of. Pedaling.

No, no I'm not bailing out on y'all. I am just a little tired! Bike riding is only so fun...for so long. Same thing happened last year around this time. I think I'm just a little burnt out. I am ready to SLEEP IN on a Saturday morning instead of waking up before the rooster crows to get across town with my bike. Sleep in, make pancakes, drink coffee in my pjs on the couch...yes! I will put that plan in motion the following weekend. And my husband won't even be here to enjoy it all. Instead, he has chosen to galavant around at a bachelor party, fishing his little heart out. I'll take the pancakes, thank you.

So next week at this time, I will be carb loading...

"I can't go to Taco Bell, I'm on an all-carb diet. Gosh Karen you're so stupid!"

(Sorry, couldn't resist the Mean Girls plug)

and resting. and stretching. and praying. and probably blogging.

One more week until my trek to Austin!

A really cool thing they've done this year - 7,000 lucky riders (including yours truly!) were issued a mini-computer chip to attach to our shoe, that tracks our progress throughout the ride and notifies up to 5 people of our location and when we finish by text message or email. Neat, huh? I still have 3 notification spots open if anyone is interested! :) You'll most likely get bombarded with text messages because I'll be making such incredible time.

Another cool thing - I have crossed the $1,000 mark in fundraising! Thank you a hundred times to all those that have donated and are supporting this cause. There still is not a known cure for MS and thousands suffer daily. Each of you has played a part in helping to find a cure!

I'll be participating in my last training ride this weekend - The Space Race! - in honor of Maggie. (Because that's where I found her, remember?) I'll be riding either 40 or 60 miles depending on the weather. Wish me luck.

Have a fabulous weekend!!

Reckless Joy!

"Many of us are loyal to our notions of Jesus Christ, but how many of us are loyal to Him? Loyalty to Jesus means I have to step out where I do not see anything; loyalty to my notions means that I clear the ground first by my intelligence. Faith is not intelligent understanding, faith is deliberate commitment to a Person where I see no way...Obey Him with glad reckless joy."

-Oswald Chambers

(borrowed from ruth's blog...friend of a friend...i'm not a stalker, i swear)

Sometimes life just amazes me. Back in November, we planted these pansies...you know, the cheap-o 99 cent ones...and this spot (shown above) had one lone pansy. I didn't give it 2 weeks. And look how they have multiplied!! I just think it's crazy.

And this spot too! There were only 2 or 3 single pansies here. It's living proof of the miracle of new life. Thank God today for the little things in life and be grateful for the beautiful things He's blessed us with!

"It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening."

Psalms 92:1-2

Maggie May, Maggie Moo, Magpie...

One year ago tomorrow, marks a very special day for us! I was nearing the end of my MS150 training and decided to ride in the "Space Race" with Fisher. It was cold, it was rainy, and we were miserable. However, about 10 miles from the finish line, we noticed a small puppy running down the gravel road. We were in the middle of nowhere and had no clue where this sweet thing had come from. Melissa, lover of all sorts of animals, forced us to stop and help out our new furry friend. And I was like, "Oh brother. I just want to finish this bike ride and she wants to save a dog?! What in the world are we even going to do with this thing??"

WELL, I'll tell you what we did! After inquiring of the local residents (local meaning rural...and residents meaning the one house in sight), we decided we had no choice but to take this puppy home. So Fisher hopped back on her bike, clipped in her pedals, and said "hand me the dog!" She rode to the next rest stop, approx a mile away, and a wonderful woman there promised to keep the puppy safe until we could finish. My hero!

I have never riden 10 miles that fast!!! Needless to say, you know how this story ends. And it sounds silly to say, but we have been so blessed by Maggie! She has brought so much love, laughter, and fun into our little family. She keeps us in shape and always on our toes. Maggie has also caused the occasional property damage (i.e. bedroom furniture anyone??) but that's another story for another day. And of course she has already been forgiven :)

Here's one of our first pictures of Maggie...she was about 6 wks old.

Poor Maggie got a haircut for her "anniversary". I know it had to be done. It was a long time comin'. But still. You gotta feel for that girl! How embarassing! Check out that pile of fur. And we weren't even halfway done!! Seth had a nice "styling salon" set up in the garage for us.

Brush, clip, brush, clip...

At least she won't be as hot this summer? You really can't tell THAT big of a difference, especially from far away.

Melissa, thank you again for making us stop on the bike ride to save Maggie! That was such a fun memory and I miss not having you to ride with this year!!

Greg & Jacky's Wedding

Today Seth & I celebrated our 2-year anniversary of being engaged (well, I did at least) so it was only fitting that we attended a wedding last night. It's been probably 4 months since we've gone to one...which is probably a record streak, considering the matrimony madness our friends have gone through over the past couple of years.

Poor Greg was suitemates in the freshman dorms with some of the guys from LG. He put up with their pranks, jokes, and endless hours of Playstation and still wanted to be friends. Imagine that. We've gotten to know Greg & Jacky pretty well over the years. Both are accounting nerds like myself and as of a few months ago became our close neighbors in Spring Trails! We share the joys of home ownership, mexican food, and complaining about work. :)

The lovely bride & groom...Mr & Mrs. Babcock! The only words I can think to describe this wedding are...exquisite, gorgeous, breathtaking...I could go on. WOW. It knocked our socks off!! Every last detail was covered and the flowers and dresses were so beautiful.

Dave instructed me to take this picture because "nobody back home will ever believe he was at the Houston Junior League" :) Needless to say, he was pumped.

All the boys

Seth and his hot bride

Check out the back of her dress! Ah...gorgeous. I think we might be in the background of all the cake-cutting pictures - sorry guys!

Seth & Greg...one with yardwork, budgeting, and golf.

We got moves. We know.

Now I have to hand it to them...this was a first. The wedding party got down with their bad limbo-ing selves and had a blast. It was really funny to watch...can you believe Jacky limboed in that dress??

County boys at a "big city wedding". It was pretty exciting for them.

Zach & Lindsey...poor thing drove down from Abilene...again.

What a fun time! It was nice to see old friends and party with our bad selves. :) Congratulations Greg & Jacky!!

Shmury Duty!!

Mary,

Canceled: Your Montgomery County Court Jury Duty is Canceled for CCL1 on 03/31/08. Thank you for using E-Jury

Montgomery County District Clerk

The Summons

No, it's not my new favorite movie.

No, it's not the latest John Grisham book I've read.

This time folks, it's the REAL DEAL.

I have come to dread jury summons over the years for some reason. I think I am petrified of being chosen as a juror for some monster case that never ends...which requires me to live in a hotel, not being able to see my friends and family, and stay awake for hours on end in an old smelly courtroom listening to people argue. (The staying awake issue is for another blog, another day) This fear most likely dates back to the OJ Simpson trials in the 90's. For some reason, I still remember most of it pretty vividly. I remember rushing home from school to hear the latest updates from my parents. I remember kids lining up at the pay phone in the school cafeteria during 6th grade lunch, trying to get ahold of their parents, trying to find out what the ultimate verdict was. I remember Liz T. (yeah guys...I don't forget any of you!) yelling out "not guilty!!!" and everyone dropping their jaws in shock.

Hold up. I know some of you are either thinking 1) what?? pay phone? what are those? is that like a cellular phone? OR 2) you were only in SIXTH grade when that ended??

Anyway.

I remember stories of jurors trying to find a way out of the trial. It was too much. It was too emotional. I remember that substitute jurors were assigned and had to sit through it as well. Bloody gloves, news cameras, "exhibit A's"...THAT's what I think of when I think of jury duty.

Clearly, this re-affirms any doubts you may have had about my over dramatic-ness. But I mean really...you never hear anyone say, "Awesome! I got a jury summons - yes!!! Can't wait!"

The only positive thing to come out of this is that I get out of work and don't have to take personal time. But I think I'd almost rather be at work instead.

So to make things worse, I decide to report for "duty" using the online system. This was given as an option instead of appearing in court on Monday, April 14th (the DAY after the MS150. Like I'm going to want to report anywhere, right?). It asked me simple questions about my name, address, sanity...

So then I start thinking..."how can I possibly get out of this??" The county courts must REALLY like the sound of my name (i.e. Mary = old fashioned name = strict moral values??) because this isn't my first time to get called....nay, not my second either. This is my FOURTH time to be summoned and for once, I have no excuse to get out of it. Called 2 times in high school between October and May of my senior year (I had hit the golden age) and once in college. All 3 times I met the full-time student qualification. However, since I am not a full-time student, mom, felon, military or government official, or insane, Montgomery County wasted no time making their move.

Let's back up a second. I had a mini-brainstorming session last night with Seth about how I could prove to be "not of sound mind". I mean, what does one have to do? Run down the interstate naked? Lock themselves in a closet for days on end? Because whatever it is, I could probably do it. However, I was then criticized by said husband for not being a good American citizen and performing my civic duty. Whatever.

So to make a long story even longer, I am hereby due to present myself in court at 9am SHARP in Conroe on Monday morning. Yeah. Stupid online system actually chose me to be a juror. I didn't even get to answer the questions like, "do you believe in the death penalty?" or "do you believe people are innocent until proven guilty?" where my answers could have possibly been my ticket to safety. Good news is, I can't recall any celebrity murder cases in the Montgomery County area lately, so hopefully it won't be as bad as I think...

Couldn't Help Myself...

REALLY couldn't help myself. I don't want to bore everyone with another blog today, but really, I have to. 1) Because Seth is not here to listen to this and 2) The Bachelor is KILLING me this season!!

I haven't even gained my composure to read Lincee's recap yet. I cannot believe these girls. They are NUTS! Apparently The Bachelor has become a full-blown season of "Bachelorette's with Talent". They are pulling out all the stops. Never mind sharing small talk about your personal hobbies and interests. Never mind getting to know each other. Just try to jam as many as your secret talents as possible into the 20 seconds you have with him and let her rip!! I don't know if I have them all named, but here are my thoughts so far on the girls:

Ashley: Oh brother. Grow up. A bit immature for the show. You flaunted your rose like you just won the blue ribbon in the jump roping contest at field day. And I'm tired of these "I've been looking at your lips" lines. Really? Guys fall for that??

Robin: Mixed feelings. Liked her a lot last episode. Questioned her this time. Something bothers me about her. I don't know if its her voice, pouty face, or what

Amanda: Really like Amanda! And bless her heart with the hiccups. It could be worse though. Like stress-related gas! I think he did good giving her the first rose. She doesn't seem as dramatic and skanky as some of the others.

Erin H: Hilarious. I'm a little sad she had to go home. She always took the words right out of my mouth when she had her one-on-one time with the camera. Perhaps a bit too much makeup. Maybe a little heavy on the lipstick. But funny nonetheless.

Marshana: Oh my. This is not going to end good, I promise you. Seems a bit needy and insecure to say the least. And for some reason, I keep thinking "Simba" when she comes on the screen. I don't really know how that relates except maybe Simba = Lion King = Africa = Marshana?

Holly: Think she is really cute. Looks like one of our neighbors actually. If she's not too ditzy she might have lasting potential. Especially after seeing next week's previews. And who doesn't love a children's book author?

Erin S: New York has a shortage of hot dogs. You need to get back to your daily post!

Kelly: That voice. Husky!

Amy: Reminds me of someone I used to know. Don't really have an opinion on her.

Kristine: EYEBROWS. Wow. If she'd take care of those monsters it might not be so bad. But boy are they thick. It's the only thing I can focus on when they show her.

Noelle: Seems really sweet. One of the ones I thought might have lasting potential. But maybe not because she is so quiet and timid. And she hasn't exactly sung a song or played any sort of instrument yet. Earth to Noelle...it's the new "strategy" this season!

Shayne: Are you freaking kidding me? No way. Please send her home. She reminds me EXACTLY of Juliette Darling on Dirty Sexy Money. Her voice drives me nuts. Her whining drives me nuts. And yes, I am 88% certain she is on the show for her 15 seconds of fame. My mom thought she'd make it to the end. NO WAY BECKY, not gonna happen.

Carri: Walking example of putting it all on the line. Singing opera during your face time with the Bachelor = not appropriate.

Michelle P: clarinet...cat?! (that's what I wrote while taking a few notes at the end) 1) I hate cats so it really made it worse that she was saying how her cat was the love of her life 2) I love dogs so maybe I would be bawling about Maggie after being kicked off - hard to say 3) She tried REALLY hard.

Ok, I've calmed down a bit now. This really was an episode to watch with some girls. I should've been forewarned. And for some reason it hasn't been recording on the DVR either! What? I used to bet my LIFE on the dependability of that thing. Watching it on abc.com isn't quite as fun. I'll have to work on that. And it's quite possible I have way too many things set to record on Monday night. But who can even remember after the ridiculous suffering we've gone through with the recent strike? I taped anything and everything!