Saturday, October 2, 2010

 Hubby, "Z," and my sister hiked down about 1.5 miles into the canyon on the "Bright Angel Trail."  They had a nice time.  The rest of us took a shuttle out west.  I didn't think "E" would be up to serious hiking after her bout with the stomach flu.  We hiked along the rim and got some great pictures.

We met up after lunch and took the shuttle out to the West and stopped at several points along the way.  It is amazing to see all the different ways the canyon can look. 

We also had a huge elk herd come through our campground, literally across the road from our campsite.  There were probably 30+ elk, including one huge buck with a huge rack.  We also saw a stellar jay, dessert spiny lizard.  We also got to watch the sunset.

Random Brain Cell Firings

The boys had their pinewood derby on Friday. They were quite proud of their cars. They didn't place in the races, but seemed happy overall. I'll try to post pictures of their cars maybe tomorrow.

Today we are having a rain storm. True to Minnesota weather, however, it is just warm enough to rain, but still cold enough to have ice on the sidewalks and roads. The true adventure, however is where is the slippery spot and where is the road fine????? Oh, the joys of Spring. I was excited about the rain because it is a sign of spring and wasn't SNOW...but then I put my foot on the sidewalk and it didn't stay put! Such fun, all you who live in the South are missing out on a lot of adventure!

"E" is continuing to do well and is able to bend her arm a bit more. We decorated the ace wrap that goes around her splint with red flower and heart stamps, so it is "pretty." :o) I think I might have an idea for a new career!

Hubby and I were able to shampoo our rugs and got rid of a lot of the pug hair on Saturday! My rug looks green again instead of tan! The kids helped a lot, too. :o)

The Search is On...

We have decided that after the pugs go home, we will get a new dog, probably a Boxer. After thinking and researching a breed that would work for us, I thought that a bigger dog might be nice since our kids are getting older and within a couple of years may stay home alone at times. I wanted a dog that while nice and friendly, would make someone stop and think before approaching it and the kids. A boxer is big enough to do this, but isn't really known for being a ferocious guard dog. :o) They also are shorter haired and known for liking to keep themselves clean and are considered to be fairly intelligent.

We are planning to adopt an adult dog, probably around 2-4 years old. We hope to get one that is fostered with kids so we know that it is okay with the little human types. The kids are already praying for "the right dog to come along." :o)

Mike and the kids have rejected this dog as a potential dog. Can you imagine? But seriously, what were the people thinking who allowed this to happen, it is a pekingese, chihauhua, schnauzer, shitzu mix.

Valentine's Day

I hope you had a great Valentine's Day. We started celebrating Valentine's Day early. Hubby sent me flowers at work, picked out by "E". We also went out to eat with some friends from church on Friday night. We spent Valentine's Day at home, which has become a huge treat for Mike and I, we must be getting old!

"Love" from the mouth of babes:

'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.' Rebecca- age 8

'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.' Billy - age 4

'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.' Danny - age 7

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.' Tommy - age 6

'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.' Lauren - age 4

People

We must accept people as they are, rather than wishing they were as we would like them to be.

Paraphrased from George Washington (when writing about his rather rag tag army)

People come in all shapes and sizes. So often we spend a lot of time and energy wishing and even being irritable about the people in our lives and how we would like them to change to make our lives easier or just so they "fit" into our ways of thinking more. We wish that our husband were more_______, our children were more like ______, our family member didn't do ________ so much and our coworkers more hardworking, less noisy, less annoying, smarter, etc. Really, if we think about it, moaning and groaning about how we wish someone would change accomplishes nothing, accept making you and others around you miserable! Basically, we need to accept people as they are and go on with our lives and make sure we are doing what we should be doing! If someone needs help with life, we can pray for them, encourage them and mentor them, but we need to make sure that WE don't have our own agenda and that our goal is to help THEM (they also need to be a wiling participant)! If you have someone who you have a really difficult time dealing with pray for them at least once a day and before/during your interactions with them. It is amazing how God will change your heart and even help you to see their good qualities that were there all along, you were just focusing on the wrong area!

Ephesians 4:31-5:2

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

They're HERE!!!!

My mom and sister arrived about 1140pm last night. After a bit of a nerve racking ride through the snow. I'm sure we'll all laugh about it someday. It seems that for most of their the last half of the drive, the snow was hanging out with them. It made a 6.5 hr. drive into a 9 hour drive.:o( --NO snow since they got here. God was watching out for them and they arrived safely. :o) Thank you for all your prayers!

Did you know that dogs can walk on two legs when necessary to keep their paws off the ground in cold snowy, weather. My mom's dog can--poor thing, Northern weather is NOT for her. We now have four dogs in our home for the holidays. Funny-and we don't even own a dog!--Two pugs we are "dog sitting", my mom's dog and sister's dog. It was a bit rambuctious last night as they all got to know each other!

Praise/Prayer Request

"Ask and it shall be given..."

My mom and sister are planning to spend Christmas with us. My sister's flight is due to come in to Bloomington, IL at 4:05pm on Saturday. This would mean that they would have a 8+ drive ahead of them on a good day and a snow storm set to arrive that night. I've been scheming all week trying to figure out a way to get them here PRESTORM!!! I know it's a little selfish, but I want them HERE, not stuck in a hotel waiting out the storm while we impatiently await their arrival!!! I haven't mastered the driving two cars at once thing, so going to pick them up is not a valid option. I have to drive in winter weather since I live in the frozen tundra and while my sister and mom are perfectly capable drivers, I didn't want to ask them to drive in it!

I called my sister last night about her flights and she told me she gets into the Chicago airport at 1155AM. A glimmer of hope--that is actually CLOSER to us than Bloomington, so I searched for shuttles that could take her and Mandy (her adorable dog) somewhere along the route to my house where my mom could pick her up. With little effort (Thank you, Lord!) I was able to find a bus company that will take her to a truck stop RIGHT OFF THE INTERSTATE on the way here. NO difficult directions! She will arrive there at 2:30 and then they will have about a 6-61/2 hour drive, so will probably arrive ahead of the storm. Please pray that everything goes well --the airplane comes in on time, for their safety--the weather stays good until they arrive safely and the storm at least mostly misses us so we can have our Christmas program and dinner at church!