30 Days of Doctor Who: Favorite Special

Holly: The End of Time.  Hands down.  Although I haven't watched it since we watched it for the first time back in February.  Kelly watched it not too long ago and she says it's still as good as we remember it to be.  I don't want to ramble on and on and give too much away, but for any of you new fans who are still tredging their way through Ten's run and have fallen in love with him as much as we have...yeah, you're in for a doozy.  Basically a non-stop emotional roller coaster that lasts for 2 hours and then time afterwards: I laughed, I held my breath, I yelled, I cried (yes, you read that correctly).  It was shot beautifully, written beautifully, Ten's exit was pretty much as close to perfect as it gets.  It's a different side of Ten, too; he's much more despondent, almost as if he knows his time is coming to an end.  It's absolutely mesmerizing (and SAD!!!!) to watch. 

Now I feel like I need to sit down and watch it again.  Lord have mercy! 

"I don't wanna go." Spoilers. 

Kelly: There are so many good specials to pick just one. A Christmas Carol from season 6 is up there on the list. I really enjoy that each season begins with a Christmas special. I have to say though, that my favorite is still the first one that I saw; The Christmas Invasion. It's 10's first on-screen episode, and though he has minimal screen time, it's still a good introduction to his character. Plus there are so many funny and witty parts that are symbolic of 10's personality that you pick up on right from the start and Rose really shows as a companion. She has to think like him when he's not there to save the world and has to trust this new face and new personality...SPOILERS. I've watched it probably half a dozen times and will probably never tire of it. 

In fact, me thinks I might pop it in sometime this week and re watch it, just because I enjoy it so much. So that's all. That's all I have to say about The Christmas Invasion. 

"Witchcraft." "Time Lord." 

30 Days of Doctor Who: Favorite Alien

Kelly: While I love the language of the Judoon and the goofiness of the Slitheen, my favorite alien is the Hath.

Hath! 

They're only in one episode in the fourth season, The Doctor's Daughter, and I thought they were terrifying at first! They communicate to each other without words, rather their little green chambers with bubbles. They don't like fighting or war, but in the episode they were in their home was being invaded by humans. Martha befriends one and ends up helping her find the Doctor and Donna. The poor hath ends up losing his life by trying to save Martha. The humans and the hath end their war at the end of the episode, with unfortunate circumstances that lead them to their making up...SPOILERS. Well there you have it. The good ol' Hath.

Holly: So I entertained several possibilities for this one.  First, I thought, well, is Novice Hame an alien?

Nah, I decided.  While she is part cat, cats aren't alien.  So I threw that out.  Then, I thought, well, what about the Face of Boe?

Went with no on that one too.  The Face of Boe is....well, he just is, really.  Don't really want to explain all that.  

So I finally decided on an Ood.  

Ood are a basic slave race; they live by orders.  That's their purpose: to serve, and they are happy to do so.  They don't know anything else.  They speak through a communicator, which is what he's holding, as well as telepathy.  And they sing (sort of...), and it's quite beautiful.  When we first see them in "The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit", they go kind of rogue.  Red eyes, y'all.  Red eyes are bad.  But when their eyes are not red, they're so expressive and sweet.  They're sadly mistreated along the Doctor's journeys, but the Ood eventually come to join the side of The Doctor and Rose, and later Donna, and are with the Tenth Doctor in his final moments.  

I want one.  But rest assured I would treat it with the utmost kindness.

30 Days of Doctor Who: Favorite companion

Holly and Kelly: Once again, all together now...ROSE!!

And no, it's not just because she's blonde (although that definitely helps...ha).  We love how she loves; for crying out loud, she's the only soul in existence who has pity for a freakin' Dalek.  And that's saying something, y'all.  She's sweet, she's funny, we think she brings out the best in Nine, and we LOVE her relationship with Ten.  She's us, in a way: strong but stubborn, loving, compassionate, and loyal.  Her loyalty to the Doctor is unmatched and rare.  Very rare.

And we also think she's the companion that the Doctor loves, truly loves.  Just watch her run if you don't believe us :)

"I've seen fake gods and bad gods and demi gods and would-be gods- out of all that, out of that whole pantheon- if I believe in one thing, just one thing, I believe in her." -Tenth Doctor, "The Satan Pit"

30 Days of Doctor Who: Favorite Doctor

Holly and Kelly: And the winner by unanimous vote....10!!!!

Don't get me wrong, we love all the doctors we've seen. We started watching when 9 debuted, and we're currently watching 11. We love them both very much. But 10 won over our hearts and then some. And how can't you love him?! He's funny, quirky, lovable and let's face it, he's ridiculously adorable! Not to mention David Tennant plays him so well. Now that we've got that out of the way, why do we love 10 so much? Other than what has been mentioned above, there is so much more to him than his general adorableness. He sees the good in every body, no matter what their back stories are. He chooses his companions because on the outside they're just ordinary people, but he sees potential in them to change the world. And while they're helping him change the world (and themselves), they're changing him too. They become his family.  We love his heart- to him, every life is sacred.  He tries to redeem those who seem too far gone.  

But he's also not perfect. He makes a terrible mistake when he tries to mess with time, and that mistake costs him his life. At first he tries to run from it, but he soon realizes he can't and has to face it. This is also why we like him; we can relate to him. We've lost people in our life, we've made and lost friends and we've wanted to take try and take things back.  We've felt alone even in a room full of people, and that's also a big reason we love him- he seems real to us.  Human, almost.  Speaking of human, he even becomes human for a while (now THAT'S a heck of a storyline if you're interested...)

What can we say? He's our Doctor :)

Heroes among us

Holly: This past Sunday, the sermon at church was about heroes, not only how everyone has them but that we ought to be one as well.  Something the whole "hero complex" thing tends to leave out, huh?  Anyway, I posted a little diddy on Facebook, but didn't get much of a response (which is fine.  Half the time I post stuff just for my own enjoyment. ha).  So we decided to branch out on this and not only mention our heroes, but why, perhaps...

~Jesus.  Now I'm not going to go all preachy on you all, because you have your beliefs and I have mine.  But ever since I became a Christian, life has not been the same for me, and I'm trying not to sound horrendously cliche...but it's true.  I look at the world differently, I don't stress about things, I have more joy in my life (REAL joy), I have hope for the future...I could go on and on.  And I will just leave it at that.  :)

~ My parents.  Again, could go on and on about this.  They have supported me and all my craziness/foolishness/broke-ness/silliness, etc, they love me and tell me often.  I consider my mom one of my best friends.  I hope to be half the parents mine are, if I cross that bridge someday.

~My grandpa.  He passed away this year, on our birthday.  He lived a life of what I like to call "quiet grace"; he loved the Lord, he loved his family, he loved his work, but was never "in your face", never outspoken.  I think he was one of the first people to tell me about Jesus.  He always encouraged me in my faith journey.  I miss him still and think of him often, but I know he is at peace, reunited with my grandmother and his family.

~My advisor from my college days.  I learned more about life, other people, and myself from hours and hours spent in his office talking than any Berea College course I took.  I'm grateful that I was an advisee and student of his, because he has moved on from Berea College and is onto another chapter in his life, as I am with mine.

~Missionaries.  Takes a lot of courage to travel to an unfamiliar place and share something so personal with complete strangers.  Yet thousands do it, voluntarily, every single day.

~Single parents.  I can't imagine raising a child with a strong support system.  By yourself...seems nearly impossible.  You have my immense respect, all you single moms (and dads!!) out there.

~My pastor and his wife.  I met them at a challenging, scary, and change-filled time in my life, and they just welcomed Kelly and I with open arms and basically allowed us to become part of their family.  Now five years, 2 Bachelor's degrees, a Master's degree, 2 kids, and a lot of lunch dates later, and I now consider them both dear friends.  They really do walk the walk and talk the talk, and it's so rare these days.

~Bilbo Baggins.  Yes, I know he isn't real.  But you have this ordinary, small, well-meaning hobbit who enjoys his food and his quiet and his things, and he gets swept away on this incredible journey and ultimately becomes the hero of the story.

~Paul.  Starts out persecuting Christians.  Becomes one.  Speaks for many and changes lives.  You can't make that stuff up.

Kelly: I have an addendum or two to add to this list:

~My parents, but here's my view. They raised me to not only love other but to love myself as well. I never hit my siblings and did my best to obey them. Call me a goody-goody, a teacher's pet, whatever. Seems like its a lost art these days.

~My friends. I am so happy and blessed to have such a diverse group of individuals that I am close to. Some of my friends have gone through unimaginable junk in their lives but have not let that junk define them. We are all going through walks of life but are bonded by friendly love.

~Anyone who is going through a physical or mental illness and has decided to seek help and/or treatment in some way not because they are forced to but because they WANT to. They want to better themselves and they want to invest in a better life for themselves and for their family and friends.

~Veterans, past and present. You all know what you did and have done for our country. Words cannot express my sincere gratitude. I would not have what I have if it wasn't for you all. Thank you!

So there you have it. Who are your heroes? Whose hero are you?

30 Days of Sherlock: Favorite Main character

Kelly: My favorite character is John Watson, for a lot of reasons. His back story is the first one you see right in the beginning of the series. Army veteran, invalided from home, clearly showing physical (mostly psychosomatic but they appear that way) and emotional scars from his time in Afghanistan. He is introduced to Sherlock by a mutual friend of theirs when the question is asked "who would want me for a flat mate?" (Well...I would for starters!) It is at this first meeting that Sherlock is able to deduce John's time in the service, along with the fact he has an estranged sister, she's in a failed relationship and has poor drinking habits. The day after they meet, John is taken hostage by Mycroft and is offered a large sum of money to keep tabs on Sherlock.
"No."
"You're very loyal."
"No, I'm just not interested."

But he IS very loyal, even after knowing Sherlock for less than a day. It was said in the beginning of the first episode that John had "trust issues." But as the series progresses, you see the transformation of not only John as a person but their relationship changes. The relationship between Sherlock and John begins as merely colleagues and flat mates to friends. Best friends. Let's face it; John had nowhere to go after his time in Afghanistan. But he put his trust in Sherlock, even after warnings of him being a "freak" and being told to stay away from him. And another reason why I love John? He's a medical man, like me...except I'm not a man. Haha. Plus he's played by Martin Freeman who is without a shred of doubt one of my favorite actors! John is the type of person you would want on your side, trust me.

Holly: My favorite character is also John Watson, and I was going to add something, but Kelly has summed him up perfectly.  We all have that one person in our lives who we know has our back no matter what.  For Sherlock, that person is John: when it's all said and done, John is the only one who stays by Sherlock, even when his world is threatening to be destroyed bit by bit.  Sherlock is even annoyed with him by how much he is concerned about what others think of him, but the truth is that he cares so much about what others think of him because he cares so much about him!  John's fierce loyalty and trust for his friend is what makes him a great character to watch, and a great character to relate to.  I honestly cannot wait to see where, after the end of Reichenbach, their relationship will go from here.

"God loves to do big things through little people with big hearts."

Holly: Those were the closing lines of yet another inspiring sermon I heard this past Sunday.  Throughout the 45-minute message a recurring theme played over and over in my head.....more like a question: What makes a hero?  I'm sure many of you are familiar with the story of Moses.  What many people don't know is prior to his divine calling he was a convicted felon (I myself did not remember this part of the story).  In addition to this he was far from a public speaker, stricken with a speech impediment.  During the burning bush scenario he even BEGS God to use someone else to save his people;.  Yet Moses was singlehandedly responsible for one of the greatest people revolutions in history.  God saw something in Moses that he didn't see in himself.  And let's not forget Paul (started out persecuting Christians but later became a huge part of the New Testament), Rahab (a prostitute), Jesus' mother Mary (a teenager!!!), Peter (kind of a big doof...denied Jesus several times but later is the leader of the church in Ephesus)...I don't really think I need to continue any further.

After church I was talking to Kevin (the pastor) and I told him that I couldn't help but think of The Hobbit/LoTR.  Think about it: in The Hobbit, you have Bilbo, who is very comfortable with his food, his life, his things, and out of seemingly nowhere Gandalf shows up and whisks him away on this quest with 13 grotesque, loud, boisterous burping and food-gorging dwarves in order to reclaim their lost homeland.  It drags Bilbo WAY out of his comfort zone and even has the dwarves questioning why Gandalf chose this home-loving little person for such a dangerous and unpredictable quest.  In LoTR, there's Frodo: a meek young hobbit who voluntarily sends himself into danger's horrendous arms, at the mercy of a powerful little golden ring and an evil eye watching him at all times.  Never mind Samwise Gamgee, who decides to go with him.  Also, Aragorn: for the better part of the series he's running away from his destiny, taking the form of a ranger from the north instead of the long-awaited king of Gondor.  But what you see recurring in these stories is heart.  Their hearts outweigh any danger they get themselves into, that despite their sizes, they wholeheartedly strive to do right and make right in the crazy worlds they live in.

Then there's me: I fold clothes at Old Navy.  I'm 22 years old, single, living with my sister and another with 2 cats, a Bachelor's degree, and little else.  But I speak with the utmost of confidence when I say that I have a BIG heart! I love people so much sometimes it hurts.  God sees something in me, in all of us, that we don't, and He knows what he's doing.  Gandalf saw something in Bilbo, and perhaps Aragorn and Frodo too.  My point in all of this is keep your heart in check, keep it full of love and life, and you never know where life will take you.  The Gandalf of your life could come knocking on your door whenever you least expect it.

Kelly: I instantly think of the movie Facing the Giants. One of the football players, David, is a kicker on the team and is a small guy. Throughout the movie he often doubts his performances, isn't very confident in himself and constantly wonders why he was even allowed to be on the team. His father, who can't walk and is wheelchair bound, often tries to tell him to trust God and helps him put things into perspective. But...well I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it; just watch the movie and see what happens because he definitely redeems himself. I see a lot of David in myself. I too am a very small person. God has richly blessed me with a lot of things, but one of them was not height and that's ok. I've been in nursing school for a number of years now and am about to finish.

Things are...to be honest sort of rough right now for me. Juggling 240 clinical hours to complete, working 15 hours a week, homework and other things have put me on edge a bit. Yesterday was a particularly hard day clinical wise (read my blog about it) and I won't lie and say that we've struggled a time or two to make ends meet. But hey, who hasn't? Yet I thank God for what I do have and all He has done and all He will do, even when I'm between a rock and a hard place. Then I think of the places I've been. This time 3 years ago I was in New Orleans on a mission trip. I met all sorts of wonderful people going through different walks of life who had hearts that were just on fire for God! And these were just ordinary people who felt that God was going to do mighty things with them. And that's where I stand. I don't see it yet, I don't know it yet, but God is going to do great things to me and to those who least expect it. For all I know I could wake up tomorrow and get hit by a bus, because to be honest we never know where this life will take us as Holly said. But if we keep our eyes fixed on God, our mind open to receive what comes our way and if we trust God to give him the "bad" things, then who knows? Faith as small as a mustard seed armed with a little bit of compassion, trust and love for others could go a long way.