Bluffton Invite

Life has been…normal lately, that’s why I haven’t posted anything in a while. School is so demanding that I’ve hardly been able to do anything social and exciting that’s worth reporting on…till now.

This weekend was the Bluffton, Indiana invite, and we decided this year to take a large group up. We ended up getting 16 to go: 13 girls and 3 boys. That required two vans, one of which was my own, and a car. The boys, Jessica Sauder, Anni, and Brenna went in my van and, on the way up, the six hour drive seemed to go by really quickly. Before I knew it we were walking into the Apostolic school down there, late, as usual, and plunging into the beginning of a fun and somewhat tiring weekend. First things first we had to meet up with old friends and become acquainted with some new ones. This is my favorite part about invites. When you meet new people you can be whoever you want to be to them.

Next, in a somewhat disorganized way we found vans to pile into and drove to the Bluffton distribution center for a work project. We were to fill boxes with food to send out, and my job was the crunchy peanut butter. That went all fine and well until I ran out of peanut butter and an attention span for the simple project. I moved on to a more exciting job: flattening boxes in the middle of the room. By the end I got to know some great girls and together we had a lot of fun being goofy.

Back at the school we practiced the songs we would be singing for the church on Sunday. The song leader called them the Hallelujah medley.

We had dinner, which was nice, except I mistakenly sat near a group of guys and once a conversation was started the subject quickly became about cars, sports, and deer. I only know enough about one of those subjects to actually have a part in the conversation and what I knew wasn’t what they wanted to hear.

No big deal, though, the next activity was a lovely singing in which we learned a new song that I fell in love with, I think it was called the Old Fashioned Religion or something. Following that we had  a minister come up and give a message. He had a nifty PowerPoint pulled up and announced the topic to be about the make up of a Christian. He went on to speak on the heart, brain, hands, and feet of a Christian. It was a blessing of a message.

For the rest of the evening we would have snacks, play volleyball, and basketball, have a praise singing, and fellowshipping (notice the “i” in that last word as opposed to an “o” MOM! ) During this time one girl came up to me and asked if I remembered her. Having met so many new people that day I apologized, for I did remember her face, but her name escaped my memory. Well, Nicole jogged my memory by telling me that we had met a few years at Girls Camp. That year I had been struggling a lot and I must have poured out my troubles to her because she let me know that she has been praying for me ever since. For years I’ve had a sister in Christ interceding for me in prayer and I didn’t even know it! That was the biggest blessing of the entire weekend, to hear her say that.

As far as accommodations went, we were assigned to go places. I was lucky to have met the girl whose house I would be staying at. The Eissenman girls were all very sweet and I felt like best friends with them already. There was not one awkward moment among us and we fell into easy conversation as soon as we reached their house. We chatted about light topics like vacations and books and about deep topics like the end of the world until 1:00 at which time we all were “fading fast”.

That morning we woke to the smell of breakfast cooking. After a quick shower we came downstairs to meet the other 6 family members: the parents were both busy preparing breakfast for us while feeding the baby, Evan. Until breakfast we had only had glimpses of the twin boys: Jason and Jeremy, and their older brother: Andrew. Danielle, Alyssa, and Erika, the three eldest daughters had spent the day before and night with us.

Breakfast tasted as delicious as it smelled and perhaps we lingered a little too long at the table, for we ended up coming into the Bluffton Country church at the last song. The sermon was lovely and the singing afterwards: great. We ate lunch there then planned to follow some of the other young kids to the Bluffton North church. We piled in the van and rolled down the drivers window to ask another car if we could follow them. Well, the window had been having problems before, but we were always able to grab it and pull it up into place. I forgot to tell David not to let it go all the way down, which was exactly what he did unknowingly. We were in a hurry so we just left it on the freezing twenty minute drive to the other church, but once there the issue had to be addressed because, not only was it cold, but it was raining. David, Caleb, and Brett stayed outside and worked on trying to get it up while we girls went into the church to try to find some help. I don’t want to say anything against the Bluffton church, but we were not treated as hospitably as I would have hoped for and the boys ended up just driving it around town to try to find a car shop or something. They went to Wal-Mart and bought some pliers to try to grab the window with. They wrapped duct tape around the pliers hoping it would help grip the window. When that didn’t work they removed the tape…well, end of story, the window shattered inside the door. Good thing they were smart enough to buy some plastic to cover the gaping hole of a window space for the six hour drive home.

I shouldn’t complain because I adamantly refused to make anyone else drive, but I’m going to anyway: The plastic was not only loud as ever when we got up to speed, but it also came loose very quickly and did very little to keep out the cold. Brett’s pillow helped to muffle the noise, but there was no way to keep it against the window without it falling, so I held it up. My left arm became so tired at times, but I wrestled with whether I would rather feel the burn or hear the noise. Now that I think of it, its pretty remarkable that we made it out alive, I spent more focus on that pillow than the road.

At one point I went to pass an elderly Sunday driver. As I came up to him in the left lane I see his break lights go on and he slows suddenly. Looking up I realize a deer is running across the median and a quick calculation told me it would be crossing the road just as I went by. Things were not looking good for us or the deer as I slammed on the breaks and screamed “DEER, DEER, DEER”. Last minute she turned to run along sided us then crossed. I’m sure we must have clipped her tail we came that close. After wards Brett exclaimed, “It would be just our luck to hit a deer”. So true.

All in all, it was a nice weekend, but not worth the drive. I don’t think I will do it again, but that doesn’t mean I don’t regret going this year.

Sorry I forgot to bring my camera: no pictures.

Super Bowl

Today is Mom and Dad’s first full day on the cruise. We were able to call them up until now and it sounds like they are having a blast! I’m glad for them.

Here, things are not nearly as exciting. We went to Amy and Jared’s house for a super bowl party last night (they have a big tv) with Jessica, David, and Caleb Sauder, Sarah Sceggel, and Caleb Jones. It was fun as the team we were rooting for won!

On Saturday in an effort to keep things as normal as possible, we woke up and ate breakfast while having a Bible study then cleaned for an hour. I was impressed with how much we got done in that one hour, I think we were all trying a little harder because mom’s gone. After that I got a call from Joszef Davidovics. He wanted to go sledding today. So, we met at his house and all went together to Dettwieler park for some fun in the snow. Zooming down the hills was a blast, but walking up them was tiring as usual. I’ve never slept so well!

So now it’s back to life. I have clinical today for which I will be leaving for in fourty five minutes. Tomorrow and the next three days after that is school. Then Saturday the parents will return home at about 6:00. I can’t wait for that!

Snow Days

Last Friday I found myself sick. The fever carried over into the next day and I was left to spend the day on the couch being coddled and cared for by Mom. I wasn’t the only one, however, Ryan and Steven had come down with the same thing. The sickness caused me to miss church that Sunday and caused Mom to have to cancel Anni’s surprise birthday party.

Then Monday came and I felt I was well enough to go to clinical. I am very fortunate to have been placed  at such a nice clinical rotation. It’s outpatient, which I prefer, and my instructor and the other PTA and PT are very kind. I help out around the clinic, hearing all morning of the huge blizzard that was to hit on Tuesday. I honestly felt fine all day up until lunch. After that I think they could see that my health was deteriorating fast and they let me go home a little early. Thank goodness for that because the snow had already begun.

That night was spent watching the weather. To all of our shock, schools were already deciding to cancel. Well, Mom’s and the kid’s school. I was still left in suspense through the night as to whether or not I would be facing this storm the next day.

Tuesday morning came and I diligently woke up at 6:00, mentally preparing myself for the journey to come. It wasn’t getting to school that I was afraid of, but being there at 12 when the storm hit and not being able to get home. Well, it would not be so, for once I came out of bed I went straight to my parents room and joined my dad in watching the news. “Illinois Central College-Closed”. I was very glad for that because, turns out I woke up this particular morning running a 102.4 temperature. Since Dad wasn’t feeling too well either, we spent the morning together on the couch watching the local news channel.

The storm turned out to be as dramatic as predicted. Once it started at 12 the roaring wind and the driving snow came to the ground with fury. At times we couldn’t even see the barns out back. We had brought Steve inside the house and as the storm progressed, it was evident that he would not be going back out. It was a lot of fun having him inside for so long.

Wednesday the storm had subsided, but the snow  plows couldn’t keep up with the drifting winds, so no school that day either. Feeling better on Wednesday, I decided to have fun. After some cleaning was done, we all saw the new snow, sun, and outdoors calling. Gladly we heeded that call and bundled up.

There’s this one activity that we do nearly every winter. It’s my favorite thing to do and that is to saddle up the horse, tie some ropes to the back of his saddle and ski behind him! With me on the horse and Anni and Mom in the back, we took off down the empty and snowy roads to Grandma’s 1 mile away. It was so much fun and Larry proved he was strong and has great endurance.

Karin Being pulled by Larry.

We came home from doing that quite tired and a little sore, but with smiles on our faces. Then the Sauder’s and Karin called to tell us they are coming over for ping pong. Mom set out some snacks before they arrived. Our playroom is large and has a nice Ping Pong table in the middle, perfect for around the world. Of course to put a spin on things and make it more interesting we played toss the paddle.

I was pretty sure that I would have school on Thursday even though it was posted that none of the rest of my family would. Grudgingly I spent the rest of Wednesday studying and preparing for the next day. Just in case I checked the ICC website every ten minutes or so. After about fifty times of doing that it was clear that I would be braving the cold and the roads tomorrow. However, right before turning my computer off for the night I gave one quick check just in case and it was closed! I felt like a little kid and had to run jubilantly to tell mom and dad. My plans for Thursday: build and igloo.

It turned out to be the sweetest igloo ever! it’s huge!

Well, now for the part that I wasn’t going to write but I have to get it out.

I MISS MOM AND DAAAAAADDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They left this morning at Three Thirty for their 20th anniversary cruise, which is super cool. I hope they have a ton of fun in celebrating those 20 years of marriage. That doesn’t mean I don’t wish them back. Taking care of things at home isn’t hard and the kids are being good, that’s not why I want them back, I genuinely miss them. It might be pretty abnormal, and perhaps on the pathetic side for a teenager to be saying this, but I am convinced that I love my parents more than anything in this world, second only to God and I don’t think I can handle not having them around for a whole week! I feel so lonely and forlorn without mom’s smiles and dad’s hugs. (I can write this here because they never read this blog, otherwise I wouldn’t because I don’t want to put a damper on their trip.) Well, for whatever reason, during the midst of my despairing over them leaving, I did have one comforting thought: God isn’t leaving me and, though I don’t have a prayer of reaching my parents for seven days, I know that I can contact God at any time I want no matter what. That gave me some comfort.

So, although I will still miss them terribly and will think about them a lot and I may cry a little, I will get through this week because I have God.

Creation Museum

Our God is AMAZING!!!! The vast hugeness of the galaxies are held in His hand, solar systems are like tiny stars dotting the sky, and He knows each by its own name. Billions and millions of stars and He knows each one, and yet He chose to create one small blue planet and put all the things that are most precious to Him on it. Of all the beautiful and awesome things, He choses us to love the most. And, get this, God wants us to love Him back. Our freewill to chose Him is important to Him! It’s just mind boggling to think of.

I wish I could find adjectives to better express my feelings when looking back on these last two days. I’ll have to do my best to relate the events.

We left at about six last night to make the 5 hour drive down to Petersburg, Kentucky. We had made a reservation at a lovely hotel to spend the night in. The room was great and we were almost sorry for not staying two nights.

Anyway, today we woke up to Karin exclaiming from her bed, “Coffee! Room service!” It was to be expected. Seeing as we were all coffee people we had to head directly down to the lobby for some of that delightful drink and a sustaining breakfast of physical and Spiritual food as we did morning devotions.

My expectations of the Creation Museum, I’ll confess, were low. I’ve seen a lot of museums in my life, most from big cities that attract many people. I expected to see here a couple of small exhibits with some bones, rocks, and the odd wax person here or there. Upon entering the building I would soon realize that there was a huge difference between my expectations and what was true. The main hall is decorated like a rocky forest. As the eyes climb the fake stone wall they are astonished to see a moving dinosaur! It growled and grumbled as it swung its long neck over us.

In the same room were some smaller dinos and kids next to a brook, these all moved robotically.

The skeleton is holding a Bible!!!

 

 

 

 

The first show we saw was a comical special effects show. It opened with a girl sitting by a campfire as she questions the creation of the world. To answer her questions, “Gabe” and “Mike” the angels appear to guide “Wendy” and the audience (us) toward truth by describing God, creation, and contradicting one of Wendy’s professors in a comical but interesting way. The show was enhanced by wind that blew when the angels flew by and water that splashed our faces during the “flood” part of the show!

After that we headed in the direction of the planetarium to see two shows. The seats reclined comfortably to give us a view of the ceiling which was transformed into a night sky view.  But rather than point out all the Greek history dealing with constellations as were most planetarium shows that I’ve seen, this one took us on an awe inspiring journey through the universe in a Biblical perspective. In the end I could only think of how God made all of this and still loves me and desires my heart! Praise be to God!

After that we went through the walkthrough portion of the museum. The walk started us out in a pretend Grand Canyon. The lesson here was about dinosaurs and paleontology. Then we walked into the beautiful land of Eden. Tall trees made a green roof above us, the ground was covered in every kind of beautiful flower and plant. Among the flora, animals were playing. There was all kinds of animals from the quiet lamb, to a ferocious lion, a goofy penguin, and a mean dinosaur all stood about the forest in peace. And, in the midst of the animals and plants was Adam. We walked further to see Adam standing with another being: Eve. Together they enjoyed the garden, swam in the pool, and walked with their God.

But then sin entered the world. The hallway we entered was black save for a single light which illuminated an evil beast. The serpent hung from a tree and appeared to be almost smiling at his treachery. You know what come next. Eve gave the forbidden fruit to her husband, and sin had come into the world.

Now Adam and Eve would have to sacrifice perfect lambs to atone for their sins.

We continued the walk to see how this one mistake had affected the entire earth forever. I felt like crying when I came into a dark alley way. The walls were plastered with depressing and terrifying news articles and graffiti. Garbage littered the ground and one could almost smell the filth. The obvious dirt of the alley way gave way to what looked like a pleasant neighborhood. This neighborhood was anything but pleasant, however. Drugs, gossip, and disrespect, the sins that seem to be small littered this place.

At some point we came to an impressive exhibit of Noah’s Ark.

And we met some of the famous characters of the Bible

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m sure it’s obvious to see that we had a great time, but we also learned a ton!

There was a guy walking around the Museum with snakes and lizards on his back!! He was giving some presentations at the museum and when he was not presenting, he let people hold his snakes and get to know them a little. The picture below is of Daisy, the albino Python.

We took a walk out in the snow to go to the petting zoo portion of the zoo before getting in the car for a long ride.

At the zoo we saw a Zorse, a Zonkey, some sheep and goats, wallabys, a cow, alpacas, and this awesome camel named Gomer.

Then it was homeward bound! We had an excellent trip!

First Week of School

It’s so cold outside I decided that I just cannot leave Steve to freeze all day, so I brought him in as soon as I got home and have been enjoying his company since. He is huge in my opinion, reaching just about to my Greater Trochanter, which is a part of the femur that pokes out just at the top of the thigh on the lateral side of the leg (in case anyone wanted a little anatomy lesson.)

As you can see I have, since Tuesday, plunged into my studying at full blast. There was no easing into things this semester to my despair. The fifteen credit hours of mostly lecture this week has gotten my mind so stuck on all of it, that I find that I can only think in PTA terms. It is becoming a challenge for me to describe stuff in words other than, “medially to” or “in flexion” or “around the height of my greater trochanter”.

Steve has just come over to slobber on my laptop, reach up to give me a kiss then spook at the cat and stomp at the dog. How can I type when all this entertainment is happening around me!!!

Where was I…school! Earlier in the week I was becoming very stressed. I came into this year with high expectations and after only the second day I was starting to feel behind in the class. It seems to move so quickly, that if you don’t understand something the day it is learned, your toast. But now, at the end of the week, I’m finding a little more rhythm to it all. As a result the stress has melted away, a little.

On Wednesday, the vaulters got together after a long winter break to start practicing for the March Springfield show. I won’t say the practice went well, because, as a first practice, it was pretty bumpy as we stumbled around on the barrel trying to find what will work and what won’t. Our approach this year is very different as we are attempting something that no other vaulting team has done before to my knowledge, and that is to act out a play on top of the horse. Perhaps it’s never been done before because it doesn’t work, nevertheless, we are trying it. This could be either revolutionary or a huge flop. We’ll see. Anyway, we hope this practice will go smoother as we now have a better idea of a routine. We will be having practice inside the Horsemeister office on the barrel in a couple hours.

Ha! I just watched as Steve bravely faced Abby, stomped his foot in defense and then did a little hopping dance all the way around her as she wagged her tail. Her only response to this was to go lick him in the nose which gave him quite a fright. He then ran to me  for some comfort. Poor Steve!

Anyway, after school was let out at twelve today I gave mom a call. She invited me to have lunch with her at the Chinese Restaurant. It was good that we were meeting because she had some things she wanted me to take home with me anyway. Well, as we were transferring stuff from her car to mine, a blue car stops and starts honking. I wasn’t exactly in the way, but a quick glance told me it was an elderly woman, and I figured she must be a little sensitive to driving near pedestrians. I stepped between some cars, but she kept honking. Confused I turned to mom and asked, “is she honking at US?” She was indeed, for it was Mama, who just happened to be meeting Csilla there for lunch. It was a party now! We came in and were seated as we chattered about the coincidence of meeting up in this way when we run into Phil and Anna Sceggel! What are the chances?

Anni has been fortunate enough to find a steady babysitting job through Csilla. She will be sharing it with Kinga, my cousin. If anyone knows Anni well, they will know that she never has money! This opportunity is very welcomed on her part, though I must say, I dread thinking of it, not due to her, but due to my Mom. Mom tends to sort of latch onto a subject and will use it for EVERY conversation until it is past the point of being worn out. She resents me saying so but it is true! I’ve her analyze and excite over this dumb job for weeks now, and quite frankly, I almost wish Anni had never gotten it…ok I don’t wish that. It’s ok though, one little annoyance is not enough for me to ever find reason to fight or be angry with mom at all. I know I have my quirks too.

Alright, I just have to write this: Dad got mom some BEAUTIFUL roses for mom’s fiftieth birthday. She put them in a vase and placed them proudly on the counter between our kitchen and living room. The counter is rather tall and the flowers situated in the middle of it. Well, Steve spotted them and with his amazing balance, stood on his back two feet  to try to reach them. He had no success, but it was fun to watch.

Tonight we are leaving for the Creation Museum. We found a 21 year old to go with us to get the hotel, so all systems are go. The 21 year old is actually my Aunt Karin, who is always up for a fun time, and always willing to help a person out. And she likes hanging out with the teenagers, so it’s perfect.

Oh, now Steve is friends with Abby and is licking her! So odd.

Christmas Present

This video didn't show up in the Christmas post, so I'm fixing that little problem.

Galatians

Once or twice a certain question has come to my attention recently: What of the Old Testament applies to us? Because there are some laws in there that just aren’t done anymore, so what distinguishes the ones that are from the ones that aren’t. My answer used to always be that with Christ came the new “law”: to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength and your neighbor as yourself. True as it is, this answer seemed a bit unsatisfying.
It just so happened that I found a Bible study book on Galatians much like the James and Titus Bible studies from our church and it talks a lot of this exact question and many more. It says:
“When Paul says that non-Jews (Gentiles) are no longer bound by these laws, he is not saying that the Old Testament laws do not apply to us today. He is saying certain types of laws may not apply to us. In the Old Testament there were three categories of laws:

Ceremonial Laws
This kind of law relates specifically to Israel’s worship. Its primary purpose was to point forward to Jesus Christ. Therefore, these laws were not longer necessary after Jesus’ death and resurrection. While we are no longer bound by ceremonial laws, the principles behind the—to worship and love a holy God—still apply. The Jewish Christians often accused the gentile Christians of violating the ceremonial law.
Civil Laws
This type of law dictated Israel’s daily living. Because modern society and culture are so radically different, some of these guidelines cannot be follow specifically. But the principles behind the commands should guide our conduct. At times, Paul asked the gentile Christians to follow some of these laws, not because they had to, but in order to promote unity.
Moral Law
This sort of law is the direct command of God—for example, the Ten commandments. It requires strict obedience. It reveals the nature and will of God, and it still applies to us today. We are to obey this moral law, not to obtain salvation, but to live in ways pleasing to God.

Anyway, I thought that was helpful. Also, in this study is a lot about the faith of Abraham and the Law of Moses. Before I never really understood or noticed the difference and significance of the two. Whenever I saw the word “law” I would just skim through because I didn’t understand it. Now I do and it is amazing the way God laid out His plans. “The covenant with Abraham shows that faith is the only way to be saved; the Law focuses on actions to show us how to obey Him.” I’ve learned that the point of the law is to reveal the nature and will of God, and to point out people’s sins and show them that it is impossible to please God by trying to obey all His laws. The whole thing is beautiful in a way and I am so glad that God’s revealed this to me.
You know what’s funny. For awhile I’ve kind of balked at the idea of studying the Word in a deeper level because I thought that lead to getting ideas that didn’t line up. In my mind, the people who are Bible scholars are the ones who know how to argue all those controversies like “once saved always saved” “Predestination” etc. and read all the books concerning said issues. I clung to the fact that ours is a simple faith and that when we read the Bible it should be taken as that: simply. I still believe that it is a simple faith, were it not, I would be the first one to burn (as Karin would say) because I can never seem to understand any of those arguments and that’s ok with God. But what has changed is, instead of just reading the Bible and not daring to look more deeply into it, I’ve learned how to read and make connections with other parts of the Bible, to read whole books at a time to see the big picture, and to read single verses and cross reference them to others, to find out the definitions to words, to figure out where the end of Paul’s long sentences are in order to better understand his point, to find where the things I’ve read applies to my life, and to love what I’m reading. In no way could I call myself a Biblical scholar or even Bible smart, honestly I don’t think my intelligence will ever allow me to grasp enough of the Bible at one time in order to earn a title such as that, and that’s alright because that’s ok with God. He made it all easy enough for me to understand and hard enough that I will always have more to learn. Christianity is perfect.
Oh I could go on and on, and I do often to mom who is so wonderfully patient with all my inspirations, but I’m afraid, the blog could not hold it all, and I bet it’s boring to read. So the fun stuff.
For these past two weeks, my family has returned to school and work, but I’m am still on break. The original plan was to go to Disney, but that fell through, so I’ve been a couch potato. Just kidding, I’ve gotten a lot done and its been a lovely respite.
Karin and Grandma went away to Haiti for these past two weeks to spend time with the Reinhards. We have been blessed with the privilege of watching their dogs. Anni has been sleeping at Grandma’s house to keep Heidi, her German Shepard, company, and Karin’s dogs: Elli and Studley came to our house. Well, lets start with Heidi. Jessica, Anni, and I have actually enjoyed Grandma’s house a lot. It’s a little log cabin situated right above a beautiful lake. Cozy is an understatement to describe the interior of the home, but it is all I can come up with for now. It’s always warm and smells good. We’ve had some good times watching home videos, playing board games, and the most fun is playing house. All on our own we eat supper, spend an evening together, and go to bed. Then in the morning, all on our own, we prepare breakfast, clean dishes, make the beds, and go on our merry way. One morning I woke up earlier than Anni and Jess and made them breakfast so they woke up to the smell of coffee and bacon. It was so delightful to treat them in this way and I can’t wait for when I get married (if it’s God’s will that I do of course) to treat my husband in the same way (I would do it for my family except they all wake up so stinking early!). The only downside to watching Heidi is that she keeps running away. She ignores her shock collar and she and Ebby, Diane’s dog, go gallivanting around all the time.
With Studley and Ellie, the story is a little different. Ellie was dropped off at my aunt Beth’s way back when. The little dog was so loyal to her previous owner, that Beth said she waited by the road for three days. When Karin took her, she put her loyalty on her in the most extreme way. Ellie never let Karin out of her sight, pushing herself to the limits to follow her even on horse trails. The only way for anyone to dog sit Ellie was for Karin to leave her car there. Well, as precious as Ellie’s loyalty was, she became quite old, as most living creatures do and with that her breath began to smell and she was always panting. She got a gross tumor in her eye and, as we discovered, really bad breast cancer. Though, I’m sure, deep deep down, Karin still had a little bit of feeling for the little dog, she told us before she left that if she runs away or get hit on the road, she’ll pay us extra (you have to understand Karin’s humor, she is not as cold hearted as this sounds). Well, the cancer on her belly was bad. One of the tumors had ruptured and was seeping, and she just looked terrible. Mom called Judy to see if Rhoda would look at her and Judy, along with Diane, right away made the decision to put her down. They felt it would be best to do it without trying to get ahold of Karin because 1. they are not easy to get ahold of down there and 2 they didn’t want her to feel guilty. Judy was taking a trip to the vet anyway that day so we chose to send Ellie along. That morning was dreadful for me. Mom told me, that since it was her last day I should be extra nice to her. So, knowing that this was her last day to live, I showered Ellie with attention that she hadn’t had in a long time. I fed her treats to which she almost purred at and spoke soothingly all morning. Though it was difficult to even look at her I did it. Well, when it came time to meet Judy I was a mess, and I apologize to her for that. I understand that she was a smelly ugly dog, but, well, she was a living creature. (Now I know I’m pathetic because just writing this I’m tearing up) Well, the deed was done, and in the end I’m glad we did have her put down because, she really was in awful shape and it could only possibly get worse from here. However I’m not sure we’ll be doing much dog sitting in the future. “Hey, Karin! Glad to see you’re back, here’s one of your dogs, we killed the other!”
As for Studley, he has actually been enjoyable. His spunkiness and loving nature is almost contagious and he and Abby have been getting along beautifully. When I bring Steve in, they love each other and show their affection by licking each other's faces. It’s cute.
Last weekend, on Saturday, a group of us went up with the Bible class for the ski trip. I’m not sure if I’ve ever had so much fun snowboarding! It was great. On top of that, we some great conversations on the way back.
On the weekend of the 22nd a group of us girls are taking a trip to the Creation Museum. I am so EXCITED!!! so that should be great.