Background: Becki was working on her photography final project based on Things Organized Neatly. (http://tinyurl.com/hg2hzcl) Seeing her in her element and the HYLO apartment set up for the shoot, it only made sense to interview her like a high fashion magazine. Readers are warned.

Hello this is Brandi here with Harper’s Bazaar and today I here to get the inside scoop of the artistic mind of Becki. Becki, tell me your name?

Becki.

Full name, Becki.

 Rebecca Bolinger.

Not going to give me your full name? Do it for the readers, Becki.

You want my full name?

I want your full-full name.

Rebecca Christine Bolinger.

**Groupie, Ellie Baugher, at this moment yells “REBECCA!”**

Rebecca? Can I call you Rebecca? Oh wait no, can I call you Becki? Are we on that level?

Yes, please.

Beautiful. Becki, where are you from?

I’m from Palantine, it’s a northwest suburb.

Love it. Becki, can you tell me a little bit about your faith journey and what that’s been like?

Yeah, I was raised in the Lutheran church and have been a part of the Lutheran church pretty much my whole life. I have the seal of the Lutheran church tattooed on the inside of my left arm.

Was that your first tattoo?

Yeah.

Cool. Do you have any other tattoos?

No.

Cool.

***At this moment, Becki goes in deep concentration setting up her photography piece and takes a few shots while talking to her groupies. Best commentary in order:

• “I think people will know it’s an avocado”
• “avo-CADO!”
• “I just got totally reprimanded!”

Back to Becki: Referring back to the faith journey question, so, there’s not any giant moment that’s like “oh yeah, Jesus and all the things!” or a “come to Jesus moment”, but, it’s like “oh yeah, I go to church all the time and this is how things work.”

Good. How did you find Agape/Ecclesia?

 Faith Fest is the short answer.

What’s the long answer like?

 I needed a community when I came here and church is the place where I feel the most comfortable, and that was the option, basically, to do church.

Do you have any words of wisdom?

Try to be as real with the community as you can. Like, really real.

Do you have any secret talents, Becki?

Uh….I can pogo stick.

***Ever the groupie, Ellie at this moment yells, “YEAH!!! POGO STICK!!!***

What’s the longest you’ve ever pogo sticked?

Probably like, 10 minutes?

Woooow.

It’s the first, like, three bounces that are the hardest.

I think that’s going to be the title of the piece, “The first three bounces are the hardest, by Becki Bolinger”

 ***Ellie, #1 groupie, chimes in “Becki also has a lot of other talents, like being a good listener and a really good friend.”***

Best joke?

Uh…Why can’t you hear a pterodactyl go to the bathroom?

Why?

Because the “p” is silent!

Ohhhhh!!! And Ellie laughing hysterically.

That’s my favorite joke because dumb people don’t get it, because there’s a silent “p” is pterodactyl. ***Ellie repeats, “there’s a silent ‘p’!!!”***

Ohhh, I get it!

Ellie: Yayy! You’re not dumb!!

Anything else you’d like to say, Becki?

Nope.