So... for those of you who are not yet aware... I got a dog.
As I told my mother upon her stunned silence at the news: yes, it is possibly the MOST irresponsible thing that I have ever done. BUT... if that is the most irresponsible thing that I have ever done... I think I'm doing pretty darn good!
Uhm so funny story... at the animal shelter they said it was a boy... So I named him Demetrius. Nice strong biblical name. (for extra points look it up in 3John, he was a pretty stellar guy) Kept that name for about... oh, maybe... 4 days, before realizing that Demetrius's parts were very ladylike in nature. This was confirmed by one of my more animal savvy friends. Poor girl!
So.... HER new name is: Kala (from the Hindu, meaning black) Ssirika (from Luganda, meaning silk). I know, I know, so I'm weird with names. But actually the Hindu has a very deep seeded meaning for me... and the Luganda as well... ask me about it sometime. They are both parts of my journey towards having a heart for overseas.
Anywho... Kala has I think taken my place in the hearts of my entire family, as they seem more eager to see if I brought my dog, than the fact that I am visiting. And my best friend's hubby has pretty much declared his love for her over me (jerk!).
Kala is a Weinerimer mix... and I can't feed her enough, and her rib cage still sticks out! I know they are lean dogs... but seriously? I hope she doesn't have worms... which they can't check for until she's 6 months anyway. Which she isn't... she's only 3 months. (which the weird nurse in me also wants to tell you all what kind of developmental milestones she should be reaching at 3 months...) Lets just say that potty-training still needs some work, and that Oxy-clean really is pretty darn amazing! Though if I ever find some of that Lemon cleaner stuff that my mom has... I am DEFINITELY getting it, cause that stuff is the bomb!
Did I tell you enough about absolutely nothing yet?
Hmmm... let me expound a bit more...
Firsts things I've trained Kala on:
*Riding in cars (she used to totally freak out, and silly me, I wanted one of those dogs that hangs their head out the window and does the "batdog" thing... either I'm a really good teacher, or she like it now!)
*Finishing her plate (though I guess I can't reasonably take credit for that, and not like she can leave the table anyway, since she always eats in her crate)
* Thunderstorms (those of you who know me pretty well, know that I pretty much LOVE rain. My roommate's dog Abby (not the dreaded terror dog) is, bless her heart, terrified of storms, so when it started storming the first day after I got Kala, I immediately took her outside and made her play with me in the rain. She doesn't have a single problem with it, and will even go out in the rain, as long as the wet grass isn't too tall.)
We're still working on "sit" and "kennel" and "come", and the part where she thinks obeying me is optional! Yeah, thats not going to fly!
I'm sure I'll have more interesting stories to come as little Kala gets bigger. (probably one where she breaks my bed, one where I teach her how to kiss people on command, and that infamous one where she causes me some sort of acute embarrassment!)
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Homecoming
I've been thinking a lot about when/where/what I'm gonna do upon my return to my beloved UG this summer.
First of all, you should really understand that Uganda is the only place in the world outside of my hometown where I have ever felt like I was completely at home. Get me talking about Africa sometime... you'll see. I'm told my eyes start glowing, and I know my heart soars away over an ocean...
So why does God place these kinds of stirrings inside our hearts? I'm not sure that I completely understand it. But I think it has something to do with the song that I am currently listening to: its by Lecrae, and its "Don't Waste Your Life".
I was reading back through my scrapbook from Africa last summer and I had put 2 verses in the front of it. One was a verse that God had given me in relation to that summer before I even knew that He was going to send me to Africa. But I think I've blogged about that passage before... The one that struck me, was actually a passage that I have loved for a long time, because it spoke to exactly the way that I wanted God to use me. Isaiah 61:1-3, in case you wanted to know...
I thought, when I put that passage in my scrapbook that it was a promise for how I had, did, and would minister to the dear folks of Uganda. As I was reading it just now I realize that it is the way that they ministered to me.
I found a "flair" on facebook the other day that said, "I need Africa more than Africa needs me". Unfortunately that is VERY true. Maybe it wouldn't have had to be Africa, maybe it could have been anywhere... I don't know. All I know is God got ahold of my heart last summer in ways that He has never had it before. SOOO many people played HUGE hands in that grasping! I can't even list them all, but a large majority were the wonderful people from David's Fellowship. I can't put into words how they encouraged my heart, challenged me in the faith, loved me as a sister... wow, I could go on, but I am afraid that the moisture mounting in my eyes will start coursing down my cheeks. Something about the way that they expected me to be such a dear example of Christ, was so innocently adicting, and made me want nothing more myself than to be that model. Did I fail? Abomidably! I can't even begin to describe in how many ways! I was guilty of doing so many things for my own gain, loving people because they were lovable and not because they were God's, not being above reproach in relationships, being SOOO selfish, irresponsibility, even freakin' going out clubbing one night (what kind of awful person does that when on a missions trip!)! And through it all, God was loving me and drawing me to Him.
I probably turned the absolute biggest corner in my life last summer, but it took until now to realize it. That in the verse it was me that was the poor and the brokenhearted girl who had everything, and still felt empty; that I was the prisoner and the captive, not the inmates that we ministered to. That I was in need of a proclamation of a year of the Lord's favor. That what I desperately craved was final comfort for my mourning. That He was replacing my ashes for a crown of beauty (the inner kind, that glows out of you... you know what I'm talking about). Anointing me with a oil of gladness for this spirit of mourning. And a clothing me in a garmet of praise instead of a cloak of despair.
So have I lived up to the planting of the Lord? Oaks of Righteousness? Displaying His splendor?
Only time will tell for sure on that one. I wish I could say "yes" without a shadow of doubt, but I think the oak has a lot of growing to do yet. In the end maybe these rings will tell a tale of His faithfulness. I sure hope so!
First of all, you should really understand that Uganda is the only place in the world outside of my hometown where I have ever felt like I was completely at home. Get me talking about Africa sometime... you'll see. I'm told my eyes start glowing, and I know my heart soars away over an ocean...
So why does God place these kinds of stirrings inside our hearts? I'm not sure that I completely understand it. But I think it has something to do with the song that I am currently listening to: its by Lecrae, and its "Don't Waste Your Life".
I was reading back through my scrapbook from Africa last summer and I had put 2 verses in the front of it. One was a verse that God had given me in relation to that summer before I even knew that He was going to send me to Africa. But I think I've blogged about that passage before... The one that struck me, was actually a passage that I have loved for a long time, because it spoke to exactly the way that I wanted God to use me. Isaiah 61:1-3, in case you wanted to know...
I thought, when I put that passage in my scrapbook that it was a promise for how I had, did, and would minister to the dear folks of Uganda. As I was reading it just now I realize that it is the way that they ministered to me.
I found a "flair" on facebook the other day that said, "I need Africa more than Africa needs me". Unfortunately that is VERY true. Maybe it wouldn't have had to be Africa, maybe it could have been anywhere... I don't know. All I know is God got ahold of my heart last summer in ways that He has never had it before. SOOO many people played HUGE hands in that grasping! I can't even list them all, but a large majority were the wonderful people from David's Fellowship. I can't put into words how they encouraged my heart, challenged me in the faith, loved me as a sister... wow, I could go on, but I am afraid that the moisture mounting in my eyes will start coursing down my cheeks. Something about the way that they expected me to be such a dear example of Christ, was so innocently adicting, and made me want nothing more myself than to be that model. Did I fail? Abomidably! I can't even begin to describe in how many ways! I was guilty of doing so many things for my own gain, loving people because they were lovable and not because they were God's, not being above reproach in relationships, being SOOO selfish, irresponsibility, even freakin' going out clubbing one night (what kind of awful person does that when on a missions trip!)! And through it all, God was loving me and drawing me to Him.
I probably turned the absolute biggest corner in my life last summer, but it took until now to realize it. That in the verse it was me that was the poor and the brokenhearted girl who had everything, and still felt empty; that I was the prisoner and the captive, not the inmates that we ministered to. That I was in need of a proclamation of a year of the Lord's favor. That what I desperately craved was final comfort for my mourning. That He was replacing my ashes for a crown of beauty (the inner kind, that glows out of you... you know what I'm talking about). Anointing me with a oil of gladness for this spirit of mourning. And a clothing me in a garmet of praise instead of a cloak of despair.
So have I lived up to the planting of the Lord? Oaks of Righteousness? Displaying His splendor?
Only time will tell for sure on that one. I wish I could say "yes" without a shadow of doubt, but I think the oak has a lot of growing to do yet. In the end maybe these rings will tell a tale of His faithfulness. I sure hope so!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
My Roommate's Dog
My roommate's dog is the biggest spoiled brat in the world.
My roommate's dog stole my dog's bone from his crate, chewed on it all night, and then proceeded to parade it in front of my dog and growl at him when he went after it!
My roommate's dog also will act like she has to go out just to get the other dogs at the door so she can steal their toys or bones.
My roommate's dog also likes to chew on underwear and computer power cords.
My roommate's dog is essentially hated by everyone in my house except (obviously) my roommate.
but that's okay, i am secretly training my puppy to kick her scrawny little butt! (*insert evil laugh here*)
My roommate's dog stole my dog's bone from his crate, chewed on it all night, and then proceeded to parade it in front of my dog and growl at him when he went after it!
My roommate's dog also will act like she has to go out just to get the other dogs at the door so she can steal their toys or bones.
My roommate's dog also likes to chew on underwear and computer power cords.
My roommate's dog is essentially hated by everyone in my house except (obviously) my roommate.
but that's okay, i am secretly training my puppy to kick her scrawny little butt! (*insert evil laugh here*)
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Random Recent News
1.) my nursing instructor honestly thought homeschoolers were Amish, because they wore skirts. way to loose my respect...
2.) i do, by the way, absolutely DELIGHT in trashing my "good Christian homeschooler" image. not to say that i want a trashy rep... but just to say, i hate being the goody two shoes all the time, and i don't think that a true Christ-follower would have that kind of rep anyway. i'm talking down and dirty living like Christ, and it sure as shootin' don't include having a upstanding pharisee kind of reputation.
3.) i apparently can be talked into just about anything... my roommate has succeeded in talking me into getting a puppy. is it okay to admit that i haven't told my parents yet because i am afraid of what they'll think?
4.) actually that is what is keeping me from sleeping right now... see puppies whine! incessantly! especially puppies that are used to sleeping with their brothers and are forced to sleep all alone in a crate. its hard not to feel sorry for the poor guy, but my bed is hardly big enough for me, and he's not potty trained, so no dice!
5.) when Demetrius is not whining... apparently he SNORES in his sleep! i would get one that did... i can't stand snoring, i never have been able to. in fact when i have a cold and can't breath, i also can't SLEEP because i wake myself up when i snore. one of the woes of living with Peach was that she definitely snores...
6.) i LOVE rain... its falling outside as i type this. so probably the most romantic thing anyone will ever do is kiss me in the rain... chills up and down my spine... yeah... okay, moving on...
7.) sometimes people unconscioudly tell me how much they love me, and it blows me away. just little things here and there. things they think of to do for or with me...
8.) my mom is amazing. she does the bulk of work taking care of my uncle who has ALS. last week she went to the doctor for something and they checked her blood pressure (like the always do) and it was high. she has a lot of stress in her life, and yet she shoulders it so well. if there are people on this earth that deserve the title 'saint', my mom is one of them.
9.) why do they always feel the need to check your blood pressure when you go to the doctors office. i can tell you right now its gonna be high! lets see... i'm not feeling well which is why i am here (=stress), i have to pay for this visit (=stress), i'm seeing a doctor who may have bad news for me (=stress), and/or i have a pathological process in my body causing physical stress... you think my blood pressure is gonna be high???
10.) btw... God's mercies are so new every morning! wow, let me just relish that for a bit! ... yeah, have i mentioned recently how much i really just love Him? even when sometimes things don't really make a whole lot of sense or i am not sure where He is going, though i am blindly following. its so amazing to know that i don't have to know every little twist of the path, because i have a guide, and i already know the destination. gotta purpose more to sit back and enjoy the ride...
2.) i do, by the way, absolutely DELIGHT in trashing my "good Christian homeschooler" image. not to say that i want a trashy rep... but just to say, i hate being the goody two shoes all the time, and i don't think that a true Christ-follower would have that kind of rep anyway. i'm talking down and dirty living like Christ, and it sure as shootin' don't include having a upstanding pharisee kind of reputation.
3.) i apparently can be talked into just about anything... my roommate has succeeded in talking me into getting a puppy. is it okay to admit that i haven't told my parents yet because i am afraid of what they'll think?
4.) actually that is what is keeping me from sleeping right now... see puppies whine! incessantly! especially puppies that are used to sleeping with their brothers and are forced to sleep all alone in a crate. its hard not to feel sorry for the poor guy, but my bed is hardly big enough for me, and he's not potty trained, so no dice!
5.) when Demetrius is not whining... apparently he SNORES in his sleep! i would get one that did... i can't stand snoring, i never have been able to. in fact when i have a cold and can't breath, i also can't SLEEP because i wake myself up when i snore. one of the woes of living with Peach was that she definitely snores...
6.) i LOVE rain... its falling outside as i type this. so probably the most romantic thing anyone will ever do is kiss me in the rain... chills up and down my spine... yeah... okay, moving on...
7.) sometimes people unconscioudly tell me how much they love me, and it blows me away. just little things here and there. things they think of to do for or with me...
8.) my mom is amazing. she does the bulk of work taking care of my uncle who has ALS. last week she went to the doctor for something and they checked her blood pressure (like the always do) and it was high. she has a lot of stress in her life, and yet she shoulders it so well. if there are people on this earth that deserve the title 'saint', my mom is one of them.
9.) why do they always feel the need to check your blood pressure when you go to the doctors office. i can tell you right now its gonna be high! lets see... i'm not feeling well which is why i am here (=stress), i have to pay for this visit (=stress), i'm seeing a doctor who may have bad news for me (=stress), and/or i have a pathological process in my body causing physical stress... you think my blood pressure is gonna be high???
10.) btw... God's mercies are so new every morning! wow, let me just relish that for a bit! ... yeah, have i mentioned recently how much i really just love Him? even when sometimes things don't really make a whole lot of sense or i am not sure where He is going, though i am blindly following. its so amazing to know that i don't have to know every little twist of the path, because i have a guide, and i already know the destination. gotta purpose more to sit back and enjoy the ride...
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