Marvelous Happy Things

If you haven't seen this new clip celebrating Hanukkah and boy bands, you should watch it before continuing to read. (Search for Boyz II Menorah and the Late Late Show, as I'm currently unable to link the video.) All of the actors featured are either practicing Jews or grew up in Jewish culture . I like boy bands, Josh Peck, and the Late Late Show as much as anyone, but I'm not Jewish. I started thinking, is it okay to celebrate another religion by listening to popular music? (Yes, I've seen Fiddler on the Roof .) I would expect the writers of this song to want to expose people unfamilar with Hanukkah to its traditions. Listening to that song gives me more of an affinity for Jewish culture. I choose whether or not to listen to that song. The artists can't make me act one way or another. No one is "forcing this music down my throat." As an American Christian, I see Judaism as a safe, sister religion. I don't know any Jews personally, but if I did, ...

Season 4 Episode 9 The following post contains spoilers. The plot moved extremely quickly during this episode. It was difficult to keep up. The writers are dropping clues about Jughead's book and the overall storyline of the show. Will any of the fan theories be right in the end? Only time will tell. In the beginning of this episode, Jughead's story mentions a boy in the river. Could that be Jason Blossom from season 1 (the original plot)? At first, I thought that Polly Cooper was crazy. Then, I thought that Chick was hypnotizing her. Actually, Edgar Evernever's wife was triggering her to attack "Betty", using the word tangerine. Weird! Veronica is not playing games in her ongoing fight with her father. I wish we would have seen more in the scenes between Hiram and his mother. She disapproves, but does she truly care about him? I was glad that Cheryl was not actually trying to take her own life. Though this show has been dark at points, that would be extre...

Season 4 Episode 5 The following contains spoilers. Could Betty have the "serial killer genes?" Yes, in fact, she does. I don't think we should be surprised by this. The writers love to throw her into weird situations. I liked the Baxter Brothers and Tracey Trueblood books. I understand that Riverdale  can't talk about Nancy Drew as a character since there is a Nancy Drew  show on their network. I loved the Hardy Boys books as a kid and appreciated Jughead's excitement for the Baxter Brothers. It was a nice twist that his grandfather left notes in them. A weird connection exists between Forsythe I (Jughead's grandpa) and the first ghostwriter for the Baxter Brothers series. I think maybe they were the same person. Dark Betty is back! She can't control her reactions to topics in the young FBI class. She's sneaking around on her own. How much will the writers put her through this time? We learn more about the Jones family history. Jughead's gr...

I’ve previously shared my thoughts on singleness and women’s ministry. I’d encourage you to read that before continuing to read this. As I thought back to the resources I used as a teen for purity and how to live well, I realized that most of them were written by married women. I did some brief research to see if I could find resources for Christian pre-teens and teens written by single women. Here are my findings: (I searched specifically for resources related to purity and puberty.) The Christian Girl’s Guide to Change Inside and Out by Rebecca Park Totilo (2016) It’s Great to be a Girl! A guide to your changing body By Dannah Gresh and Suzy Weibel (2015) Let’s Talk! Good stuff for girlfriends about God, guys, and growing up By Danae Dobson (2003) Follow up book is Let’s Walk the Talk! Girlfriend to girlfriend on faith, friendship, and finding real love (2009) Emotional Purity by Heather Arnel Paulsen (2007) Almost all of these authors are married w...

Season 4 Episode 2 Though I'm quite proud of Episode 1's story line and the honor it showed Luke Perry, I will not be reviewing it. In a weird turn of events, this episode actually showed our fav teens in school. Yes, in classes and the lounge and going to football practice. Charles tells Betty to act like "a normal high schooler." I laughed out loud. How ironic! He's also requesting her to participate in an FBI investigation. Kevin is back and wants Betty's forgiveness and to be one of the gang again. I understand that the actors are in their 20s, but why does this show portray them sleeping together so much? I may be out of touch with high school culture, but no teens sleep together as much as these do. Thank you to the writers for a small mention of Betty's crush on Archie. I am a sucker for friends-to-couples story lines, and I hope they get some cute, romantic scenes by the end. The new principal Mr. Honey seems suspicious to me. What is he hidi...

1) Louis and Tawny from Even Stevens- If you’ve never seen this adorable love confession via VHS tapes (yes, VHS tapes), then go search for it online. Though Louis flirts and acts like Tawny is his girlfriend for a lot of the time, he eventually realizes that he has deeper feelings for her, and she has them for him, too. Though they are young, this moment sticks out to me as particularly sweet and creative. 2) Phil and Keely from Phil of the Future- Another couple from early 2000s Disney, these two were best friends for a long time. They go to a dance with other people and spend the whole time trying to make each other jealous. We get one kiss from this couple during the last episode. I don't think the fact that they were "just friends" during most of the series diminished their relationship in any way. I think it added to their connection. 3) Lizzie and Gordo from Lizzie McGuire- Okay, so this couple may not count as being underrated, but I felt it was necessary to i...

I watched a Southern classic romcom, Sweet Home Alabama , for the first time. Because I watch random MsMojo list videos, I knew the wedding scene beforehand. But I had some initial impressions after viewing the film in its entirety. 1) I'm not sure the brief moment where Melanie realizes that Jake's made something of himself is a good enough reason for him to take her back. Sure, they have a lot of chemistry, but it didn't seem like she develops enough for him to accept her after 7 years apart. (However, I was excited to see Reese Witherspoon embrace her Southern roots.) The plot didn't reveal the reason they broke up — anger and grief after an abortion — until two-thirds of the way through the movie. Even then they discuss the matter for a few minutes. This reason almost seems far-fetched considering only a few of their mutual friends have children. 2) Patrick Dempsey's character Andrew is left alone. He seems alright with this, possibly because Melanie helps...