Winter Wrap-up!

I know its still winter, but down here it doesn't really feel like it. Its been in the 50's and it really could have been April for the last couple of weeks. Here's a little sampling of what we have been up to this winter while I was not blogging:

Joe Hunted. And got a button buck (translation: Bambi with little nubs). It sure is tasty!

This guy came to visit. That's our tree behind him. And he brought his mom, Aunt Katie Jean and Carleigh!Found this new friend at a little junk shop. Don't know why, but I love him!

Family Christmas photo. Theresa said my tree was so perfect she wanted to undecorate it and rearrange it. Meanie.Then the day they left it snowed, making it the worse trip to Wisconsin ever. Next year they are coming in early November. Or July.
Then for Christmas we went to Wisconsin! Joe and Jeremiah put their heads together.
And Carleigh joined God's Family! Welcome :) So now I have you all caught up, I better go out and take more pictures for later. Trying to get better at posting on this blog, Hope it keeps up.

Late

So I should be in bed, (actually I am IN bed, I guess I should say I should be sleeping.) Instead I am blogging. I set my new years resolution to blog more, and I have failed for the first 18 days. Let me catch you up on my new year.

We spent the first part in Wisconsin, and then came back to Jasper and had about a normal week. Joe was on the road one day, and then his jobs got moved around so he got to come home (yay!) Then we had a snow storm, and Dixie decided she loves the snow. Here's a picture:

She is getting very big and has grown up into a much better dog. She loves the play Frisbee and peanut butter rawhide's, and is so smart we taught her to ring a bell when she has to go potty. She still tries to eat the couch and thinks God gave me legs for her chewing enjoyment, but all in all we love her. She loves to lay on our bed at night before we go to sleep, and when her time is up and she should be going back to her crate, she gives us the look that says 'I'm a good girl, I can sleep with you guys, I won't bite or pee or be bad, you can trust me' and we ALMOST give in. But for now, we agree that crating her is the best option for us and for her.

So School was canceled for two days here because of the snow (which is ridiculous, if we had been in Wisco there would have not only been school that day, there would have been sports that night.) Also the Burger King was closed. How do I know that you ask? Well, they have this wonderful little thing called a funnel cake stick, and I'm addicted.

Then it all went down hill. I thought we were having a great start to the new year - working out on the wii fit, (I lost 4, Joe lost 10), I was getting excited about projects at work, and then Wally died. Wally was our church custodian and on the 10th his house burnt down. He and his wife both died in the fire. And the world stopped. I really mean that too - we had no church service that weekend, we just broke the bad news the the congregation and tried to let the healing begin through music and hugs. Then Monday we tried to move, but found ourselves stuck in the grieving process. I got very little done at work last week. I felt sorta broken. I saw this man everyday - he was very dedicated to the church and his work. And suddenly he was gone. then I started hearing how he went out of this world, and it made the healing process even harder, but I won't go into that.

We had a beautiful service for Wally and his wife Barbara Friday night, and there is no doubt in my mind that they met Jesus last weekend. Wally loved the Lord, and I'm pretty sure nobody is going to ask him to do dishes in heaven.

So this week I've been trying to get back to normal, but healing is a slow process. Sometimes I can hear him coming down the hallway humming an old familiar hymn, or I have found myself singing How Great Thou Art more than once this week (it was his favorite). And I miss him.

I was going to put more pictures up, but my Internet is hit and miss tonight - maybe tomorrow friends. Until then, remember, God Loves You!

Dolphins, Dogs and Drugs

Today I was reading an article that said Dolphins were the smartest mammals in the world besides us. And some scientist wants them treated humanely. I laughed out loud when I read this. Really? You want us to get lawyers for a dolphin when another brushes up against him in the water and he feels violated? We should put them on food stamps when they can't find enough fish to feed their little dolphin babies and give them scholarships to Miami U? Next they are going to say we shouldn't call our professional teams 'the dolphins' because its offensive.

I hate that word humane. If animals were ment to be treated like humans, they would have been humans, not animals.

OK that's probably more of a rant than it was intended to be.

So thinking about the dolphins, I got thinking about my dog, Dixie. She got spayed yesterday, and I brought her home today. She lacked a certain spring in her step. I know that she just had what we would call major surgery, but I felt sorry for her. I wondered if she is going to go through the rest of her life longing the little babies that I denied her. Do dogs and dolphins really have feelings?

So I think I am going to have to take some heavy drugs to get some sleep after allowing these random thoughts to infiltrate my life.