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.

30 Days of Sherlock: Your favorite episode

Before we get started, we'll give a brief intro. Holly and I started watching BBC Sherlock around this time last year, due to our current roommate being interested in it. Ever since we've been hooked! There are only two seasons; the third is due out supposedly in October, but the producers have neither confirmed nor denied this date. We decided to do this for the month of July because, if you don't know, Sherlock first started in July of 2010. Anyway, let's get started with 30 days of Sherlock!!!!!!!!

Kelly: I have two favorite episodes. The first one is The Great Game. The Great Game is the last episode in the first series, and I chose this one as my favorite because I think it is really well written. There are so many sub-plots and stories, yet they all come together in the end with a Sherlock, John and Moriarty show down. Plus it's when we are first introduced to Moriarty, and even though he is the antagonist of the series you really get to see his brilliance. It's the villain you love to hate! Also, in the beginning of the episode, I enjoy seeing the relationship between Sherlock and John start to form, and some of Sherlock's quirks start to come out. It's very amusing and a great episode!

My second favorite is the Reichenbach Fall, which is the last episode in the second series (each series only has 3 episodes). The acting in this one is absolutely incredible; you're 100% in within the first two minutes of the episode. Holly and I watched it last night, and I actually rewound after the title credits came on just to watch the intro again; yeah, it's THAT good. The end is also what sells it as well, as last night I realized something. Throughout the series we see that Sherlock is often very cold, doesn't care to show "feelings" and is rather arrogant. Without trying to spoil so much, I think that he did what he did because he cared about his friends. The reason I don't want to spoil so much is because I guarantee that at least one of our readers will start watching the show by the end of this 30 day sequence. Challenge accepted!

Holly: One of the reasons I love being a twin is that while we usually love the same things, we have very different reasons as to why we usually love the same things.  This is one of them.

WARNING: reveals major spoilers if you've never watched.  Proceed with caution.

I have a two-way tie for my favorite episode, and they both fall in season 2: A Scandal in Belgravia and The Reichenbach Fall.  Scandal is the first ep in season 2, and one of the main reasons I enjoy this story is because we start to see what is, in my opinion, a season-wide revelation of Sherlock's human side.  When Sherlock first meets Irene Adler, he can't "deduce" her.  He even glances over to John to make sure he can still use his powers of deduction; he can, but with Irene, it's a big mystery.  Proof that he isn't immune to the opposite sex (aren't we all??? lol).  Later, when she is presumed dead, he falls into what one might see as a depression: he starts composing sad violin music and doesn't eat.  He denies it up and down later, but we all know that Sherlock did fall in love with Irene Adler, even if it was just for a short time.  The way it's written and portrayed just adds to the beauty.

We just watched Reichenbach last night, and what strikes me the most about this episode is how Sherlock and John's relationship has progressed from the pilot to now.  In the pilot, John is nobody, Sherlock's flatmate, "colleague" and not much else.  It goes to the opener of Reichenbach, where John is talking to his therapist, and it takes everything in him to muster out "my best friend, Sherlock Holmes, is dead."  It's not just his friend...it's his BEST friend.  He is visibly shaken and deeply hurt by the loss of his friend.  In six episodes, they're merely flatmates to friends.  John's soliloquy at Sherlock's grave at the end is just so powerful: "I was so alone, and I owe you so much"; he's later pleading for him to not be dead.  Honestly, it's so raw and real it makes me ache inside.  I really can't wait to see how John will react in the third season opener; part of me wants him to just beat the living snot out of him, help him up, and then just hug him.  Really hard.  All will be revealed in time, I reckon.

Readers: if any of you are Sherlockians, what's your favorite episode? We'd love for you all to chime in!

Schtuff twin girls say, volume 3 (with special guest appearances by roommate Brittany)

Our volumes of silly stuff we say has continued for a third time! And our roommate Brittany has made it in here a few times. Please enjoy and we hope you get a good laugh (or two) out of these!

Kelly: Dude, Bath and Body Works sells dish soap.  My whole life is a lie.

Holly: They say that Disney World is the happiest place on Earth.  Actually, I'm pretty sure it's the Price is Right studio.

Kelly: I can't pick up the coffee filters because I passed the boards.

Brittany: Connor wants to read Lord of the Rings to me while I knit. He has a good reading voice.
Kelly: I might sit and listen to him too!

Holly and Brittany: *to the tune of Muffin Man and making monkey bread* Do you know the muffin pan, the muffin pan, the muffin pan?

Brittany: Swoooooooooooo!

Holly: (while making our birthday board). NO!!! We don't have any December birthdays.
Brittany: Put Jesus on there.

Brittany: I think Robert Pattinson looks like a toenail.

Kelly: Peter Jackson was knighted too.
Brittany: Really? For what?
Holly: For being awesome.

Holly: Yoda, don't drag your butt across the floor.  That's not classy.

Kelly: There's a bottom tear thing on the box of plastic wrap!  I've been doing it wrong, and no one has bothered to tell me.
Holly: Well yeah.  It's more fun that way.

Holly: *while looking at pictures from Berea's summer reunion* Oh my gosh, they're all so happy and old.

Kelly: I just did something crazy.
Holly: What's that?
Kelly: I just added up how many jobs I've applied to.
Holly: Oh, how many?
Kelly: Not negative 207

Holly: *while holding a squirmy Yoda* Yoda, why are you rejecting my love?

Kelly: Ewwwww....Holly...we're going to be 24 next year.
Brittany: ....you're old.

(guy on TPIR says hi to someone named Holly)
Holly: Hi!!! *waves at TV*

Holly: Why is The Big Bang Theory trending on Yahoo?
Kelly: Because it's winning.

Holly: Why do I have chest pain? I'm too young to have a heart attack.
Kelly: Probably stable angina.
(A few minutes later)
Holly: Kelly, what's stable angina?
Kelly: Just chest pain.  Most commonly brought on by exertion.
Holly: ...I stood up.

Kelly: (while watching The Hobbit, a wolf howls). IT'S SNUFFLES!!!!

Holly: (while watching The Hobbit). Bifur is looking at Bofur like "I'm getting real tired of your crap, Bofur."
Kelly: He is not.
Holly: Yes he is. Look at him!
Kelly: Well hun. He has an axe in his head. I would look like that too.

Brittany: May I zest your lemon?
Kelly: You may zest my lemon.

Holly: Oh my globbbbbbbbbbbbbb
Kelly: What?!
Holly: This looks so good! Like...SO good! It's like a touchdown!

Kelly: I think it's raining, precious.
Brittany: It is.
Kelly: Man! I watered the plants earlier today! I didn't have to!!!!

Holly: I wonder what Michelle and the girls do when President Obama goes out to do President stuff.
Kelly: Go shopping????

Brittany: Wiley, come sit on me!

Holly and Kelly: (while at the pool with our friend Matthew). Don't wander off. Don't talk to anyone. Don't go home with anyone you don't know.

Holly: (while playing Yahtzee). No! You don't get another check mark.

Kelly: (while watching Sherlock and noticing Martin Freeman's hands) I would be sad to stick those hands, if I ever had to...

(A text conversation between sisters):
Kelly: Okey dokey stokey, I'm going to watch some cute brits and pump some iron...hahaha
Holly: Lol what????
Kelly: Watching the great game and making myself a wee bit stronger
Holly: That is singlehandedly the greatest thing I have heard all day.

I want that!/I really need that: Two girls struggling to learn the differences

Holly: The other day I was thinking of this very question, and it's really struck me ever since:  If you had everything you wanted, everything you REALLY wanted...would it change anything?  What struck me the most is that, for me anyway, the answer would probably be no.

Sure, if I had a million dollars, it would change my financial situation, but it wouldn't change me as a person.  If Martin Freeman walked into my apartment and said "Holly, be my wife", it would change my relationship status, but it wouldn't change me as a person (Ok, maybe that's not the best example).  But do you understand what I'm saying?  Think about it: When you finally get something you really, really want, how does it make you feel?  Probably ecstatic, at first.  But feelings fade and change over time.  Eventually, it just feels like another routine, another brick set into a growing wall.  Something I've learned is that things don't change me: time does, experiences do, God does.  I've done a lot of growing up since being on my own...probably more so in this past week alone.  Eventually, when it's all said and done, I think at some point you say everything that can be said and do everything that can be done.  It has to be enough.  Our society is so selfish: let's see what we can do to get everyone desiring bigger, better, faster, stronger, damned if we do, damned if we don't.  What's wrong with being satisfied with what you already have?  Right now, there's a lot of unknowns in my life, but I'm the happiest and the most at peace I've been in a long time.  I have everything I need...even if it isn't everything I necessarily want.

I think of Bilbo Baggins in his sweeping quest: something "Tookish" awakes in him and he's suddenly longing for adventure, thrills, a rip-roaring good time.  But look what happens: he's attacked by trolls, spiders, elves, almost drowns, is caught in a humongous battle, among other things.  Is what you REALLY want really worth the possible repercussions?

Kelly: Often the scream of protest when something goes our way, or you didn't get what you wanted...again. Life is cruel sometimes, ain't it? As a result of some events that have happened this week, I've done a lot of growing up. I suppose I'm a lot stronger than I thought I was. For the sake of privacy I'm not going to go into detail of the events, but all is well. Eventually you get to a point in which you can't say anymore or do anything else, for it has all been said and done already. You win some and you lose some. I've prayed and made my peace with the situation. Anyway, as I was thinking last night about the events of this week and other things, I realized that one thing that I needed was some sort of closure. But the more Holly and I kept talking, the more I realized that it wasn't something I needed; just something I wanted. But we continued to talk more, and I realized that I didn't even want it at all. I was somehow trying to justify something that simply cannot be. Like I said, it's all already been said and done.

Last night as I was wrapping up my daily quiet time, I wrote in my journal, thanking God for how He has blessed me lately. I closed by writing that I was thankful for always having everything that I need, and thanking Him that He did not give me everything that I wanted. That would be quite scary; me having everything I wanted. I feel if that were so, I would completely lose dependence on God...sometimes I already feel like that. It's like I feel like a child who has lost her mom in a crowded shopping mall. I then though of something else; and yes, you can't have an H and K blog post without some sort of reference. When the new Hobbit movie trailer was released, I was quite pleased with the fact that Smaug's voice still remained hidden. Leave room for a little bit of mystery come December. That's what it's like with living with God; if He granted us everything we wanted, we'd all be stagnant. The mystery that is Christ Himself would no longer be. So I'll close with this; do you really NEED what you are seeking, or do you just want it?

LOOK! LOOK! LOOK AT ME ME ME!!!!!

Kelly: I feel like that that's what the world is all about. And let's face it, people, there are those that are TMI when it comes to the social media world. They ain't afraid to share NOTHIN! As for me....I try to be a bit more modest when it comes to what I post...and don't post. Yes, I have a Facebook and a Twitter, I have no shame in that. If you see something I post and you start to think...ok....really?? then please let me know. I do not want to post anything that might offend people or make anyone uncomfortable. But what about things that people are comfortable with? For example, when I passed my nursing boards I jawed on and on and on. The more I posted about it though, the more I realized that I was praising the good works and deeds that I had accomplished. And as you know, life is not about me. But it's so easy to slip into that way of thinking; it's jammed into our heads every day. Follow YOUR dreams. Do what's best for YOU. YOU decide what YOU want to do. It's tempting to think that way, and trust me, I am sooooooooooo guilty of it myself. In my life right now, I feel that I do not praise God enough for the little things, and I'm trying very hard to work on that. If it were not for God and His love, grace and yes, conviction, then I would not be holding my RN license in the first place. You see? In today's society, it seems to me that God doesn't even get the credit anymore. That somewhat bothers me, and if you're a follower of Christ, it should bother you too.

Holly: I've had 24 hours or so to think about this, and I don't have much to say about it, so here goes: I see this a lot on Facebook, after someone has usually started a new relationship, lost weight, started a new job, etc.  I feel that in these triumphant times, the line gets blurred between "hey, look at MY achievements and MY success and MY happiness" versus "look at what God has blessed me with.  Praise Him".  You see where I'm getting at?  Trust me, I used to be a horrendous me-monster.  Some instances, I still am.  But over the years, I've done a lot of growing up, and realized that if it was up to me, I'd be in a lot of trouble.  God deserves our everything.  Everything we do, everything we achieve in (or suck at) belongs to Him.  Our society is so selfish and self-absorbed that it scares me.  I think it should scare you, too.

People these days tend to broadcast their entire lives over social media.  If that's your drift, fine with me.  That's not my cup of tea, maybe I'm just modest.  However, I do enjoy reading what my peeps are up to.  But let me challenge you (and myself as well): the next time you're tempted to post that "selfie", that complaint about your job, that flashy new thing you just got, just remember: who are you glorifying?

A true Berea gem

Holly: I'm actually getting a little sad writing this.  Tillie really is one of a kind.

We first met Tillie our junior year at Berea.  Of course we had heard about her: she was the dog that would come hiking with you at the Pinnacles (random side note, if any of you non-Berean readers ever find yourself in this charming little town, you must explore the Pinnacles; they really are extraordinary).  While she did not accompany us on our hike, I remember her quiet, gentle presence on the grounds, taking drinks from student's water cups, laying patiently as she was swarmed with children.

We've seen her a few times since then, and nothing has changed.  Unfortunately, her time on earth is coming to an end.  The entire community is rallying around her.  It's amazing how one dog that was just a grungy, skuzzy stray has charmed her way into thousands of hearts.  I'm sure her spirit will live on in those mountains and woods.  Kelly and I are hoping to make one last pilgrimage to pay homage to this special creature.  She is an angel, in my not so humble opinion.  Or perhaps a guardian.  Or both.

Kelly: When I was last up there, which was in March, she did not accompany us. However, when I was there in October, I noticed she had found her way up the mountain with a small group. Only once did she actually accompany me while I was on a hike; that was my junior year. I was on the college's orientation team and was with some freshmen hiking up the Pinnacles. Most of them opted for the more demanding and steeper West Pinnacle; I chose East. But before we split and departed, I managed to capture this shot. Tillie opted to follow the West group, but I remember it being particularly warm that day. She was a bit thirsty and soon made a new friend.

I don't know if I'll ever see this beautiful creature again. I hope I get the chance to. But I hope that her owners realize number one, how lucky they were to have her for as long as they did. And number two, I hope they realize how lucky we were to have her as well. At the bottom of this post I have attached a news link from one of the local TV stations. Enjoy. 

Took this in October. She took a snooze after I gave her a cup of water. 

People make Pilgramage for one last hike with dog

We're saaaaaaailing....to yard sales!!!

Kelly: In the past week, Holly and I have been to at least a dozen yard sales! Our quest: porch furniture! We have had no luck thus far, but we've managed to snag some pretty good deals along our journey. It was my idea to go yard saling this morning, so we packed up around 10:45 this morning and got home about 20 minutes ago (it's 5 after 3 according to my computer clock). Plus we were bored and needed something to do; our trip also involved a sudden need to venture to the laundromat for some last-minute laundry doing. (If anyone would like to help us hook up our VERY HEAVY washer that is currently sitting in our garage so we don't have to keep shelling out copious amounts of quarters...not that we mind...but yeah, please let Holly or myself know). I don't want to waste any more space, so here's some pics of some of the deals we found!

Holly: 

A lovely GE hand/stand mixer.  Needs new beaters, but I'm sure we can find some.  Isn't it awesome? Can't wait to bake yummy goodies with it! :D

ALL of the Narnia novels in one book! 

Two skirts (left and middle) and a dress.  The skirt Yoda is sitting on is from Gap! 

Do any of you yard-sale? If you've found any smashing deals, let us know! :D