funny story

this was sent to me by a friend--it made me laugh out loud! hope it brings a smile to your face as well! --rjv

The following was found posted very low on a refrigerator door.

Dear Dogs:
The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however. Dogs can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, bark, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -canine attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog's butt. I cannot stress this enough.


Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:

TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:

(1) They live here. You don't.
(2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'-niture.
(3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
(4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don't speak clearly.

Remember, dogs are better than kids because they:
(1) eat less,
(2) don't ask for money all the time,
(3) are easier to train,
(4) normally come when called,
(5) never ask to drive the car,
(6) don't smoke or drink,
(7) don't want to wear your clothes,
(8) don't have to buy the latest fashions,
(9) don't need a gazillion dollars for college and
(10) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children ...

home sweet home

Today is the first day I'm finally feeling like I've settled back into home. I arrived home last Saturday night--without my luggage--but glad to be back with Jason and in my own bed. :) Then, after one day's rest, I jumped back into work, grad school, and church with both feet. My past experience with jet lag upon returning home after a 11 hour time difference was not bad, so I was expecting this time to be the same. Boy, was I wrong! Each day has felt rather like being in a fog like state--as though I should be functioning normally, but not with quite all my bodily functions in tact yet...

Needless to say, it's been a bumpy adjustment back. Thank God for a fully supportive husband! :) So, today I'm "home." I put Christmas decor away, doing laundry, got groceries--all things that feel normal...yet, somehow a piece of my heart is still in Bangladesh. One word description of my experience is AMAZING. One sentence description of what lesson most touched my heart: how ministry is about truly just being Christ to someone and how God can speak through people just by showing love.

Below are a few pictures from my trip...I dare say that I hope these will not be the last I can take home from this amazing land...

the new year

So, I'm sitting in the guest house in Dhaka, Bangladesh. One of the most populated, expensive cities in the world. It was here that I was able to welcome in 2009. what an experience...almost more than words can really describe! The honking horns, the rickshaws, the smells, the colors, the language, the Muslim call to prayer heard over a loudspeaker five times a day--just in case you were starting to forget where you were...

In the midst of this, I'm taking a moment on New Year's day to sip a diet Coke--Bangla style. Otherwise known as Coca-Cola light. Another stark reminder of my being very far from home...yet, somehow a little comforting...

2008 was a great year...a full year of being married, being a graduate student, and really not much more time for anything other than that! I don't recall making any resolutions or goals, but I really do feel I accomplished a lot. Lately, I've really been having a feeling of peace with the timeline of my life. God has been so good to me, allowing me to experience so many different things: nursing profession, education opportunities, best friends, home ownership, singleness, traveling the country and the world, pets, marriage...ah, my heart aches with so much gratitude for all the pieces and parts of my life that have shaped and molded me to be who I am and who I will continue to be.

I look forward to the experiences God has in store for me for 2009. Happy, sad, fearful, thrilling...whatever they may be they will continue to mold me and I look forward to every opportunity!

Planting Trees in Paradise

Well, I made it!! I'm in a "far-off land" :) Check out the new link below to see a running blog of my adventures in Bangladesh.

Merry CHRISTmas!

I would like to start out saying: never (if you can prevent it anyway) plan to take a large trip to a far-off land two days after Christmas...these past weeks have been a little overwhelming to me. All the people to see, things to bake, suitcases to pack, lists to make, not to mention just the mental preparation of venturing to new worlds...*whew!*

Thankfully, I am in a place in my life where December 24 & 25 themselves are not too busy. A quiet evening with the family last night and a late afternoon get-together today at my grandparents is about the extent of Christmas celebrations. This is giving me an opportunity to do some quiet time reflections on this special honoring of my Savior's birth into this world. My favorite moment about this holiday is Christmas Eve night, with the snow silently falling, and remembering the moment of His birth. How honored I am that He should do this to save me from my sins!

15 months

15 months of marriage! I can honestly say that it has truly flown by. One of our wedding presents was a journal to document the miracle of marriage. I sat down the other night to document and realized that I haven’t documented much. :) Not to say because there has been no miracle—because there has—but because there is so much that happens, it’s hard to keep up with all the documentation!

My best friend told me that she realized after a year or two of being married that she actually loved her husband more than when she had first married him. Being that I’m not really a “hopeless romantic” I remember thinking, “okay, whatever.” But, even in just these first 15 months of being with my best friend, I now am realizing what she meant. This truly is the miracle of marriage: that I love my husband more today than I did the day I married him.

How does this phenomenon occur? I cannot explain it. Maybe it comes from the teamwork spirit we have in working through issues. Maybe it comes from all the shared experiences we have. Maybe just from being in the presence of one another most all the time! Whatever it is? It truly is a gift from God to experience a love that represents His love for us—one that grows each and every day.

breathless

Do you ever get the feeling that life is moving along so quickly that you don’t even have the time to catch your breath? I’ve been pondering that fact lately…how it seems as though life is moving at such a pace that I don’t even have time to realize it! I sat with my graduate school advisor yesterday to map out the next year and a half of my life. I have mixed feelings of “why so much longer?” and “that fast!?” (I plan to be done in April 2010).

Family members are growing up and getting married, children are being born (& growing up), grandparents are aging, friends’ lives are transitioning…all of these major life events are occurring and I don’t feel as though I’m showing enough interest in all of these occurrences. Having the time to ponder my own life and family seems to be exhausting enough, so reaching out to all others appears to be a momentous task at this moment in my life.

So, I want all my friends and loved ones to know how much I truly think of and pray for you. You are all near & dear to me in so many ways—and are never far from my thoughts.

Having said that, my life will continue on with work, graduate school, church, veterinarian appointments…and now will throw in my brother coming back home and most likely moving in our upstairs bedroom again, the holidays, and a trip to Bangladesh.

God is good! :)