Do you smell something burning?

Bethany and I

Sorry, kids. Work has been pretty hairy the last couple of weeks and I just haven't been able to convince myself to sit down and write a blog entry when I get home. I've stayed at the office late most days to finish up some hot projects and, once I get home, it's been much easier to convince myself I need to sit down on the couch and watch pointless TV. And, hey, who am I to argue with myself. Arguing is just rude.

Anyway, on to Bethany - or BK as we like to call her.

Unlike Lock, I remember the first time I met BK. We had just moved into 4-H House and we, as the new pledge class, were set to cleaning the dorms. Because that's what the new kids do (we can talk about my contempt for this in another blog SERIES).

Anyway, I can't remember if she and I were cleaning the same dorm or seperate ones, but either way, as we're cleaning, I hear someone say, "Do you guys smell smoke? Something smells like it's burning." When I looked up, there was Bethany. She was short (hey, to me - Amazon Woman - everyone is short), had brown hair and, at first, seemed shy.

After taking a quick poll, most of us did smell smoke and did some investigating.

Apparently, an electrical outlet in one of the dorms was smoking. Something had shorted out and this thing was on fire. Yep, our first day in the house, not only did we clean the dorms, we also worked on our fire preparedness and met the fire department (firefighters...yummy).

After that, BK and I chatted at house functions, but it was a while before we really became good friends - and a while before the Fabulous Foursome made an appearance.

But, once the Fabulous Foursome really came into its own, I realized some of my initial impressions of Bethany were totally wrong. For instance:

• This kid isn't shy.
• Just like Lock, some of the funniest things pop out of her mouth - things you totally wouldn't expect. More on this in a later post.
• She's a genius (okay, that initial impression wasn't wrong. I pretty much had her pegged as a smart kid from the get-go).
• She's strong - and I'm not talking about muscles, here.

This kid sure is a lot of fun.

Okay, Rach. You're the last piece of the puzzle. And, I have the most dirt on you, so get ready.

Lock.

So, here's the thing. I love Jessica Lock. I mean I really, really love this kid. During the past few years, we've spent all kinds of time together. She was in our wedding, for Heaven's sake.

But, even after all of that, I honestly can't remember the very first time I met this crazy, quirky lady. I remember when I first met Rachel and Bethany, but I just can't pinpoint that first time I encountered Lock (and trust me - with Jessica Lock, "encounter" really is the perfect word). Rather, it was like all of the sudden she was there and she had always been there.

And, once she was firmly established in my circle of friends, I couldn't think of a single reason to kick her out. In all seriousness, though, Jessica is a remarkable person and role model - it's pretty hard not to love her. Here's why:

• She's hilarious (I wanted to save the proof provided here for another post, but I just couldn't help myself). One night, on the way home from Wal-Mart, the four of us were having a conversation about boys. Rachel mentioned she thought she might just decide to go make some bad decisions. I told Rachel she should just make bad decisions with food and not boys, to which Jessica replied, "Yeah. I bet if you're fat you're not a slut. Well, I guess fat people could be sluts. Slutty fat people."
• She's a smart cookie. She and Bethany carried our room GPA for a few semesters.
• She's patient, as evidenced by the fact that she's an early childhood education teacher. To me, that job sounds like a death sentence.
• She's loyal. Hey, she's stuck with me for several years now and that takes perseverance.
• She's firm. As in, she always thinks before she speaks and always stands up for her convictions. 
• She's lots of other things, too. 

Like I said. I love this kid.

Bethany, prepare yourself. You're next.

Jessica Lock is My Hero.

After soliciting blog ideas for the past several weeks - thanks a lot for all of the help, guys (I hope you can feel the sarcasm resonating with each of you) - my good buddy Jessica Lock finally pulled through with an excellent idea.

"Remember when you asked for blog ideas? Well, I have one for you. Memories of living in rooms 11 and 12. Because I'll never be able to watch or hear about Forrest Gump without thinking of you and Rachel naming my car Jenny and talking only in movie lines all the way to Walmart . . . . and home."

So, there it is kids. The next few posts are going to be devoted to my adorable 4-H House roommates and the crazy things we did while we lived together. And, don't worry, there is material a plenty for these next few posts. Luckily for me, I hold the list of memorable room quotes and have a stunning memory (ok, well, at least that first part is true).

Bethany, Jessica and Rachel are the reasons I survived college and a couple of years at 4-H House. Alone, their personalities are so different, but as a group, we complimented each other and became the "Fabulous Foursome at 4-House."

I think it would be fun to kick things off by remembering (or at least trying to) how I met each of them. Given that this was Lock's idea, we'll pick on talk about her first.

Get ready. I have some pretty great stories.