Male Bonding Time

(From the Paw of Me)

I love male bonding time! I get to sit in the 'man chair' with Daddy and chew my bone while he plays his video games. Then I get to just sleep for hours on end. Do I have it made or what!? I can not stress this enough: Get some 'owners' and get them now. It's a decision you'll never regret!

Thank you, Lord, for technology!

(From the heart of she)

This weekend I actually became thankful for technology. We were headed back home after Mark's yearly alumni lacrosse game. We were both feeling pretty tired and Zaba had had about enough of riding in the car, and was letting us know about it in ways that caused us to roll the windows down about every ten minutes. (No need to explain further about that:)) I was taking the turn driving for awhile and we were on the home stretch, just about 60 minutes left to go. Heading down the mountain on an open interstate with few cars around, I wasn't really paying attention to how fast I was going or what the speed limit was. When suddenly I see him...Mr. State Trooper. Oh Pooh. We momentarily hope that he is going after Bubba, driving the red pick up, in front of me. But no, it's me. I slowly pull over and wonder just how fast I was going. I get everything ready as he approaches the vehicle. "Hello Mam, My name is Mr. State Trooper and I pulled you over today because you were speeding. I clocked you going 75mph's in a 60 mph zone." He proceeds to take my license and registration and says he'll be right back. I really wasn't upset..it was my own fault for not paying attention. I deserved the ticket. Mark and I start to discuss how much this little ticket is going to cost us, my estimate was a little higher than his. We even start to joke around about Zaba and his gaseous escapades as we are waiting for Mr. State Trooper to return to the vehicle and give me my bill. This seemed to be taking longer than usual. Mark begins to wonder if there is some secret life I am living and haven't told him about. Finally, Mr. State Trooper returns. "Mam", he says, "This is your lucky day." I liked the sound of that. "My Computer system is down right now, so I can't give you a ticket today." "Well I won't argue with that officer!" I say. "Just slow down please and have a nice evening"...I drove 5 miles under the whole way home.

(And on a side note- we had our first snow of the year last night! -just a dusting, but this is the earliest snow we have had since I have lived in NC. Come on snow days!!!)

The Results

(From the mind of he)

We successfully visited Shenandoah and returned. The results are as follows:

Game Score- Them 12; Us, the old guys, 6

Personal Statistics- 2 Goals 1 Assist

Personal Injuries- Right Hip Flexor Strain, Left Triceps Strain, Thoracic Pain, Lumbar Pain

Times Visited Sheetz within a 24 hour period- 4

Cheesy Movies Watched- 2

Time Spent Taking to the Wife- 12 Hours in the car (which was great).

Speeding Tickets Avoided (by wife not me)- 1

Good Times- Many

Alumni Game

(From the mind of he)

This weekend is my yearly alumni game back at good old Shenandoah University. I always have mixed feelings when I return to Shenandoah. I really enjoy seeing my friend Jay and playing lacrosse. It is also where Dana and I met, so that brings back good memories. Shenandoah is also the place however where I was the furthest away from God. I was walking my own path, and that path was not a narrow one. It was a path that was very wide and very worldly. Now, when I return to Shenandoah I do so as one who is attempting to follow Christ with all I got. I stumble and struggle at times, but God gives me the grace to keep going.

So I go to Shenandoah with many memories and many questions. Going back makes me sad as well because of the many friends I made there, and the very few friends I am still in touch with. It reminds me of how without Christ holding relationships together friendships can be difficult to continue. Distance has a way of separating people. Something I have learned is that when one friend is following Christ and and the other friend isn't no matter how close you are to start off, you will eventually drift apart. The reason is because those people are walking different directions. I feel believers have a responsibility to invite those friends along, but the responsibility to change hearts is up to God.

So I return hopefully with an open heart to what God desires for me. I know He desires for me to have a good time playing, catching up with friends, and eating from Sheetz. But I feel there is work to be done for His kingdom. Work that is lasting and meaningful.

I will write and let you know the score of the game and how many injuries I sustained while playing in that game.

When Daddy is away I will play!

(From the Paw of Me)

Dad left for the day to go to some soccer game instead of spending his usual afternoon play time with me. So, of course, I had to show mother that this is simply not acceptable. She made it worse by taking 10 minutes to put the groceries away when she got home before she would even let me out of my crate. Like I would really try to snag any of the groceries! She never trusts me! She started talking about going on a hike, so I played it cool and waited for my moment. We went up to Montreat and started off on this trail. She said if I was really good she would let me off of my leash for a little bit so I could run free. I knew this would be my chance. She let me go and I stayed within a reasonable distance. She kept trying to call me back with those tempting cheerios, but I kept my resolve and continued ahead. Then the moment I had been waiting for arrived, an innocent trail jogger coming around the corner. Yes, payback time. In an instant I was off! I ignored her calls in the background and steadied my course towards my target. I successfully plowed into him head on, jumped up on his side and managed to tangle my paw into his Walkman cord- completely stopping his pace and thoroughly embarrassing mother. It felt really good, at the time, to express my anger over feeling neglected earlier in the afternoon. Now, however, I am feeling a tinge of guilt. As soon as we got home she gave me a brand new raw hide bone to chew. A rare treat and hours of fun! But really, I do deserve it - I am a good dog and she knows her life was so BORING before I came along. I make everyday an adventure, and for that they should be grateful!

The Morning

(From the mind of he)

You ever had one of those mornings where no matter what you did everything just worked out?
I had that today. I went to Asheville and made every light. Everyone I talked to in the stores I visited were extremely nice. I had a really good time walking my dog and throwing a lacrosse ball to him. Then my wife came home early from a workshop and we were able to spend some time together and go to lunch.

My morning started with prayer.

Family Reunion

(From the Paw of Me)

This weekend was great! I got to reunite with my brother Wuillis! We spent the whole weekend wrestling, walking the trails, and playing in the dirt. Getting baths was not so fun, but we overlooked that for the many cheerios we received afterwards. We tried to join in the soccer game- we really could have helped Montreat to win- but our 'owners' stopped us at the last minute. We talked about old times...life on the farm. We discussed our 'owners' and shared tactics for succeeding in our training of them. It was great having my brother here, I hope he comes back again soon!

In Hiding

(From the mind of he)

There is a Pearl Jam song called "In Hiding". The beginning lyrics are as followed:


I shut and locked the front door.
No way in or out.
I turned and walked the hallway, and pulled the curtains down.

The point of the rant is this. This week was very busy. It took a lot out of me physically, mentally, and spiritually. I learned that you can recover physically by sleeping. The only lasting recover from mental and spiritual exhaustion is dwelling in the presence of Jesus. My problem of late has been limited time with Christ and maximum time spent resting in my own way. Entertainment being my own way. What I have learned and am continuing to learn is that this source cannot and will not fill you with peace or true rest. I believe there can be a place for entertainment, such as movies or games, but I know personally I have a tendency to go over board and waste opportunity.

The lyrics were used for the following reasons: (1) This is how I've felt this week. I have felt like hiding. I felt like I gave a lot and didn't seek God to continually fill me with His presence. (I realize people with children and just about everyone else face much greater stresses than I do, like my wife, and don't complain about it on a blog. That still isn't going to stop me however). (2) I learned that the greatest way to overcome what ever challenges come your way is to gear up in God's armor and move with Him as He moves, and not hide in your house. Jesus poured Himself out to become the offering for the world. His sacrifice and His service has changed the world. Jesus gives us such an amazing opportunity to interact with people and be a part of that world changing message. Everyday we have the opportunity to make a difference in somebody else's life. So I need to fight my pride and my self-pity and run the race set before me. If I hide, I don't get the opportunity to love someone who may need that love. The (3) reason I used some Pearl Jam lyrics is because that band rocks.

Thanks for listening. Writing about this helps me see what an amazing opportunity I have to grow the kingdom of God. It also helps me see how stubborn and prideful I am the majority of the time. Have a good day. Best Pearl Jam album: Yield

My Turn to Bark

(From the paw of me)

I felt it was time to give my two barks, since it is MY blog after all!

It all started with a simple life on a farm. Running free in the fields with my other kin, swimming in the lake, doing my business in privacy where I so desired. Then one day these two show up and take me from my easy farm life. They seemed very excited over me and showered me with treats and petting, so I thought maybe I'd give city life a try. Knowing that first impressions are everything I remained extremely calm for the first couple of days. When I realized that I had them hooked I returned to my wild and crazy self again.

From the start I could tell the male (whom I know loving refer to as Daddy) was going to let me get away with everything and anything. The female however (Mom) is a little tougher to crack. All and all I am handling them pretty well so far.

The Training:

The training is going very well. I sleep in the bed, get on most of the furniture, ride in the front seat of dad's car and get a peanut butter filled bone every morning promptly when I awaken. The kick they seem to be on now is the kitchen. They are foolishly attempting to keep me out of the best room in the house- I don't think so! They have yet to discover how determined I can really be. So far I've tried drawing them out by pulling the leaves off of a plant on the bookshelf, which worked temporarily, but is not a long term fix. Barking incessantly gets their attention, but does not seem to be enough to draw them from the room. Most recently they have employed a new counter attack - It involves this really scary machine they call a vacuum cleaner. Every time I see it I flee in terror. They have put it right in the entrance of the kitchen. I'm currently formulating a new plan to conquer the vacuum cleaner...I will keep you posted on my success.

Happiness:

Living indoors really has its advantages. Air conditioning is a wonderful invention. I go on many walks and get to sleep often. They have even recently built a fence for me, so I have some freedom in the yard. I really can't complain about how things are going. My life is pretty nice and I recommend that all of you get some so-called 'owners' for yourself.

My Tip of the Week:

Enjoy each day. Be excited about a new day. Give kisses often. Give your all, all the time.

Fall

(From the heart of she)

Hello everyone- we had so much fun reading your blogs that we thought we would try it ourselves. I am not exactly sure why we are adding one more thing to our crazy life right now...but here it goes!

Psalm 46:10 says "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

This is one of my favorite verses and something that God is continually trying to teach me - to rest in Him - to trust in Him - to give it all to Him. When fall arrives I always get excited. For some reason God has allowed me to associate fall with His peace. Everytime I see the colorfull leaves falling, and feel the crisp air I am filled with a peace and an awe. Unlike other seasons, I never want fall to end- and Lord, I pray that the same would be true for Your peace in my life.

The Patio

(From the mind of he, you were warned)

The project in our lives at the moment is the patio. Let me take you back to how it started. It started with a dog. The dog created the need for a fence. The fence is done (thank you dads). So we had planned to build a deck. We lacked clearance for the said deck so we decided to go around the system and build a patio. To begin the patio we had to dig and dig and then dig some more. I praised God often during the digging period of my life that He has me were He has me and it doesn't involve a shovel. Anyway, the digging created a rather large pile of dirt which Jacob would love. Our dog also finds great joy with the pile, whether it be digging in it, laying on top of it, eating it, or attacking it during the zoomies. After the digging I talked to someone who actually knows what they are doing and suggested gravel for a foundation. So Dad and I went to the local rock quarry, again which Jacob would love, and loaded 1500 pounds of gravel in the the chevy,aka the greenlantern. Let me backtrack some. Before the gravel arrived we had a big dirt spot in our yard. Due to my laziness I did not cover this pile with a tarp. Then the rain came and our dirt spot turned into a mud pit, which Zaba ran through often. We were giving him many baths during this time. Back to the gravel. With the gravel the mud and dirt is no more or at least hidden. The gravel also allowed us to begin the stone laying process. Many suggested using a level while laying the stones, but I have been gifted with the ability to "eye it" and see that things are level. We need a slight downhill patio anyway for drainage purposes. During this process there is always the presence of the Zaba, whether he is standing on the stone you need, digging in the spot where you want to lay that stone, or underfoot attempting to trip you and cause injury, or continually attempting to establish dominance over your leg (which will be remedied soon, poor Zaba). To distract the dog we decided to give him pears which were given by the neigbors. I'm unsure who has been paying more for that one, the dog or us. So we are about half way done with the patio and it looks pretty good if I do say so myself.