Dogs Gone Wild

Just found this. Some people are not only too stupid to breed, they are actually too dumb to own a dog....well, own one without causing it psychological harm. Oh the things this guy could reveal to Ceasar Millan!!!

Give a Dog a Bone!

In honor of our new addition to our family, I'm posting to remind everyone that pet adoption is cool. We had to look at several places, but Oxford is the MOST awesome dog in the world and I can't imagine why anyone would give him up!

I still cruise through Petfinder.com and saw this little guy. I wonder what gave them the impression that he wouldn't be any good with kids? Cranky....he just looks cranky. Kind of reminds me of mean 'ol Grandma Scott.

At a Loss...

I've come to the conclusion that I just don't understand the world anymore. It's like, I'm riding the rails of life, thinking everything is ok, then all of the sudden....the train drops me off in crazy town.

I feel a Top 10 coming on:

1. WHY would we even CONSIDER letting a convicted felon sit in the senate?
2. Why can a private company like eharmony have their business practicies dictated to them by a U.S. court?
3. When did "By the people" cease to hold any meaning?
4. Why am I expected to trust a government that can't even balance their checkbook?
5. When did "Nationalism" become a dirty word in the english language?
6. ........

Nevermind. I'm so confused, I don't even want to finish.

Manic Monday

Such a strange and surreal Monday. It seems like the world goes through these crazy shifts where the scales become unbalanced to favor good over evil, or vice versa.

In some ways, it seems a little like a tri-fecta: Anne Pressley, Jennifer Hudson, and then two drive by deaths on campus.

Today was sad. Sad and eerily quiet. I never thought I would see a day where I wished there were MORE students in the Student Center. It was like one of those crazy sci-fi movies where some terrifying plague has wiped out 99.9% of the population and the few that are left crawl out into the light, disheveled and confused. Today was like I Am Legend. It was a day filled with trepidation. Not because anything was likely to happen, but because you just couldn't tell if the proverbial last shoe had dropped.

To Make a Comeback

I saw an interesting sign today that got me thinking. I know, right? Stiffle the shock.

"To Make a Comeback, You Have to Move On".

As I sat at the stop light by our local Chick-fil-a, I started thinking about that sign and how true that statement is. A lot of times, when we struggle with something and we fall, or when tragedy strikes and we waver, we put our hands in the air and expect God to reach down and propel us toward a different future. We spend so much time in self-condemnation or self-pity, that we robe ourselves of the very step necessary to bring about change. We refuse (for whatever reason) to move forward.

It says in the Word that his eyes roam the Earth looking for his children in need...that He is an ever present lighthouse in times of trouble, showing us which direction leads us back to His path. But there we sit, in our little dingy, riding wave after wave of troubled water, not willing or able to move towards that light. In fact, many times, we excuse ourselves of the responsibility of the pursuit all together. There comes a point when you realize that the only way to beat the situation is to put in your oars and prepare to row.

Don't ride out the storm, fight for a comeback.

I have a new love....

Don't worry...it's not another man!!! Everyone and their brother's cousin knows that I'm not interested in anyone else of the male persuasion until my husband's incredibly nice legs start to go South. haha Never gonna happen! They show no signs of stopping and even if they did, I know I would become fixated on another part...his eyes run a close second!

However, I have developed an increasing crush on Kim Bap. I'm crazy about the stuff. I think of different things to crush into the delicious wrapping of sesame seasoned rice and nori. (dried seaweed). My mouth waters at the anticipation of drowning it in soy sauce. Kim Bap is an enabler. I'd look pretty crazy downing a whole bottle of Kikkoman without it's help. Alas, only a few more days before my bamboo sushi mat arrives....the expectation alone is about to do me in!

When Heartbreak Happens

Sometimes its funny how a conversation with a friend leads you to remember the very simple facts that are foundational in your relationship with God. The following is a reflection on my miscarriage and what I learned from it.

During the last several years, we had only used Natural Family Planning because my system just gets totally out of whack on hormonal birth control. Anyway, we were very careful, but ended up pregnant a few years ago right around New Years. I was shocked. In fact, truth be told, I wasn't ready for another baby. Our last daughter was only around two at the time and I like to have mine more spaced out for sanity sake.

Anyway, needless to say, I was upset and worried. Around the beginning of the second month, I started to feel a little better about it all. Through prayer and the support of my husband, I began to believe that God was indeed going to take care of us. In my sixth week of pregnancy, I started having irregular bleeding. I hadn't done this with ANY of my previous pregnancies and was very concerned. I called my doctor and she agreed to do an early ultrasound. We saw the little flashing heartbeat and she told me "Never fear" because she rarely ever looses a baby once she sees a heart beat. We went home relieved. Needless to say, I miscarried the very next day.

Numb. That's the only way I can describe it. I felt numb. After that wore off, I moved on the anger. It took me several weeks to move through the different emotions until I came to a place to understand that God would indeed redeem this situation just like he had done so many times in my life. Sometimes I still wonder. But I know that the pain that I went through is overshadowed by the chance I have to give someone else hope.

We conceived my son only 5 months after that. He's the wild child running through the nursery named Silas.

I don't know why things happen the way they do. I'm not smart enough to figure everything out...but I do know that it is during times of hurt and disappointment that bring us closer to God. I don't believe we suffer just to rekindle our relationship with him, but I do believe it is sometimes the only silver lining in a bleak and cloudy season. Some day, I'll be able to ask why things like this happen, but until then, I take comfort in the fact that in times of trouble, he not only cares, but waits for me to come flying into his arms.