the natural state

we recently took a trip to arkansas! we actually started out the trip quite hilariously. we got on the road late and stopped by 3 different places looking for fresh shrimp. nothin. i think it must be scarce with everything going on in the gulf. when we got less than an hour down the road charlie started yelling and covering his mouth and nose with his shirt. it was pernky. at first i couldn't smell it... then it was the worst smell i've ever smelled. pernky. i guess she had a lot of trauma to her body when she was in the puppy mill... but every once in a while when she gets nervous, she oozes...? something? really foul. so we had an emergency on our hands. we kept the windows down until we got to a walmart to get febreeze and a pet store to get her a doggy diaper.
if this isn't amazing, i'm not sure what is.

after a few more delays, we made it to arkansas in 9.5 hours. ugh.

on sunday-tuesday we went up the northern arkansas to a log cabin. it was PERFECT. quiet. tucked in the woods. AIR CONDITIONED. fresh spring water... and bear creek right in the back yard! the men went fishing, we had s'mores over the outdoor fire one night... and we went canoeing down the buffalo as well as hiking around it!



after the buffalo, we went back to arkansas and had good family time together. we even went blueberry picking. i love a berry. and my family. the pictures don't do justice to susan's belly. it's big!

mrs.

today it was suggested to me that all i will ever do with my life is be a mom/housewife.

since i can't seem to pick a career/educational program... i may not be a "career woman". i WANT to be a mom and i'd love to be able to stay home with them.

however. that isn't very nice to tell someone that's all they're going to do.

meet moomoo!

our foster pup!






we love moomoo. charlie's aunt found her in the back of her house... and she's SO precious.. very submissive (i think she's been beaten...) but she and rufie get along great, and we can't take her to the pound! i'm hoping either risa an judah can keep her or that it'll work for us to keep her. we don't know how big she's going to get though...? we don't know how old she is or what kind of dog(s) she has in her. but she's a sweeeeet keeper!

OH. and after reading sarah's post, i have to mention a running milestone of my own! i know it doesn't sound like much, but i ran 1 mile straight yesterday! for the first time! ever!! i'm on my way to a 5k!

just a'dreamin

you created me to represent you here on earth--that people might see your image in me, that i could point them back to you.
how can i take that lightly?
although i know, at times, i don't bear your image well... it's still in me. i believe as a couple, charlie and i are called to help uncover God's image in people. especially broken people.
when a person breaks a bone, calcium is infused into the breaking point, causing it to be stronger than it was before the break. i believe that is a microcosm of what God does to our brokenness... He infuses it. he (miraculously) allows us to be stronger than before. because He is there in our brokenness.
my whole life i've been a dreamer. i imagine where i'll go and what i'll do. what i'll say... who i'll meet. i've dreamed i'll do big things with my life...
i believe i'm finding that allowing God to infuse himself into our brokenness... and uncovering His image in all of His people (read:REDEMPTION)... is perhaps the greatest thing i could see happen in my life.