Pepper

So I got word from the parents today that they finally had to have our beloved black lap, Pepper put down. She had been in rough shape for a while now with the typical problems that labs have and it finally got the point where she couldn't walk. I hoped when I left NC back in September that I would get to see her again but was pretty sure that I would not. I spent a few extra minutes petting her and telling her what a good dog she was right before I got in the truck to drive across the country (not like it did any good because she was deafer than a rock and had been for a couple years) and I'm glad I did. I can't recall what year we got her, but I remember that I was pretty young. I remember our first Christmas with her, we left to go to Church one evening and came back to find that she had tore down our Christmas tree and chewed up a bunch of the ornaments. I remember taking walks down to the pond or the river with her. I remember her screwing up several of my deer hunting excursions because she wanted to be with me. I remember coaxing her to jump up onto the top bunk of my bunk bed when I was little, and she did. That dog could jump like nobody's business. She was a great dog. I have two dogs of my own now. Manchu, who is a little mop and Chaco, who is dumber than a pile of sticks and they are both good dogs, if Chaco gets a little smarter, he might even become a great dog, but neither of them will ever be a Pepper. Having a dog is a great thing but at times like these it makes you wish you never had, just because of the pain of having to say goodbye. But for all the years of happiness they bring and the loyalty, it makes it worth it. Reminds me of that retarded saying, "don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." My memories of Pepper will bring a smile to my face whenever the come to mind for the rest of my life. I'll miss that dog.

Well, well, well...

It's been a while since I have taken the time to do any blogging, that would be because things have become increasingly busy here as of late around the church and in my own life. I have started playing church league softball which is always an enjoyable time, despite the fact that we are 0-4. Mandy is currently studying for the CPA exam, the first part of which she will be taking next Friday. Last night I was able to go to the FBC of Shoshone and do a graduation ceremony for their seniors which was an awesome opportunity...one that I'm not sure how I got, but it was still awesome. Funny how God works things out sometimes. But anyway, nothing to rant or rave about today and nothing witty to say. I'm actually quite tired due to the recent pick up of activities so there's a good chance I'm going to knock off early today and go veg.

Some things I just can't figure out...

The more I watch the news, the more irritated I get. There are several things I guess I will take a few minutes to rant about since I have a few free moments. Some things that everyone seems to have so much trouble figuring out are dumb, I mean...come on. Somali pirates are taking over all these ships and then getting all kinds of money for them..sounds like robbery to me. I guarantee you that if someone goes into a bank with a gun and acts hostile then they are going to get a bullet to the head. What's so different about these pirates? They approach your boat with an automatic weapon with an intent to be hostile and we are wondering what to do about it...I have an idea, give the people on these boats weapons, perhaps a rocket launcher or something. Then when you see a raft filled with irate looking Somalians carrying guns comes towards your ship, send them straight to Jesus and let Him deal with them. Or we could just continue to let them do what they are doing and pay them obscene amounts of money for what is rightfully ours.
I will take this line to say that I am going to skip over the matter of finances..we don't have that kind of time.
Have you guys seen this? I have followed this case over the last several months and obviously am appalled that someone could kill their own kid-and now to see that they are seeking the death penalty for Casey...doesn't make sense to me. I mean, come on...women kill their kids everyday...Casey just did it 2 years too late. If she had dear little Caylee aborted before she was born then no one would have even raised a finger to protect the little girl or seek justice for her death. But now all of a sudden she has a social security number and gets killed and everyone wants justice, even if that means death for her mother. Come on folks, women have the right to "choose" don't they? Well, the way I see it, Casey was just excresising her right to choose. Please note my sarcasm here...I'm not advocating murder whether it be by abortion or...well, what Casey did. I just want to know what the difference is...why is it "ok" in one case and not in the other? I have a t-shirt from an anti abortion group called Abort73 and it says, "Would it bother us more if they used guns?" Forgive the graphic nature of this post, but like I said, if they had taken this baby out at 6 or 7 months and shot it in the head then no one would have cared in the least...now all of a sudden its not ok to kill your babys....come on folks, this is stupid. The majority of the time abortion isn't about "choice," its about convenience and unfortunately for Caylee, her mother obviously started to think of her as an inconvenience, so she "chose;" and now she's paying for it. I say give her life without parole (too bad she's already past the age of 21.."I spent 21 in prison doing life without parole..." sorry, I thought that was kinda funny). As for little Caylee, well I would say she is better off with Jesus.
I watched the movie, "Juno" a couple weeks ago and while I will say that the movie wasn't busting at the seams with moral fiber, it did have a decent story line and a good ending that can send a message to girls that abortion isn't the only answer. You'll have to watch the movie to see what I'm talking about, but remember, I warned you that there are some objectionable things in the movie.

On a more positive note, Mandy and I are building a house. Ground will probably break next week. Pictures will come soon.

Currently listening to: Paradise Worship

Spring has not yet sprung

And its about to get on my nerves. For about a week we had weather that was just incredible. Not too hot, no humidity, slight breeze...man, it was GOOD. And then it turned cold and snowy and somewhat rainy again. Tarnation, I'm just ready for Summer. My sister in law (Alisha) reminded me last night via Facebook that I never got back on here and talked about the amazing power of my Brazilian vitamin voodoo pills. (Ok, so it has nothing to do with voodoo). Umm, I really don't know what to say about them. I take them several times a week and definitely feel a little energy boost when I do so, I also take them more regularly when I start to feel sick. Speaking of sick, I was in pretty rough shape last week, the first night I really felt bad, I took some of the pills and then kept on for the next 2 days and after that started to feel pretty good. I know some other folks had this crud for longer than 3 or 4 days, so perhaps my pills really do work. This weekend I am going to Boise for a Youth Specialties seminar and am pretty pumped about that. I have never been to anything that YS has put on, so I have pretty high hopes for it. I really don't have anything witty to say, altough I should after having been this long in between posts...perhaps next time. Happy April fools day.

Currently listening to: Sanctus Real

So its been a while

Since I last posted, so I figured I should probably do it. This past week has been pretty wild and crazy. Thursday, Pastor Jeff had a very mild stroke at the church and was taken to the hospital and kept there for a couple of days. Fortunately his tests all came back very positive and there was no long term damage. He now just has to eat foods that no one wants to eat (low fat, low salt stuff). But anyway, as a precautionary measure, yours truly stepped in and gave the message yesterday morning. With that knowledge I spent most of the day Saturday cleaning the house for Mandy and taking breaks in between that to look over my sermon notes. We then had dinner at Johnny Carino's here in Twin and I had one of the most delightful dishes I have ever eaten. It was chicken and Shrimp in a spicy cream sauce over penne pasta and it also had chives, mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes in it. It was very good. Mandy and I continue to search for a house, although I do most of the searching since Mandy has to work all the time. I basically sift through all the houses and then if I find one that is worthy, then I get her to come look. We have a couple of them we are keeping our eyes on. That's about all I have at this particular point, so until next time-keep it real.

Currently listening to: Augustana

Normally I don't do these things...BUT

Since I was tagged by non other than THE K.T.G...I guess I will : )

I was tagged by KT at Playing for HIM Here are the rules:

1. Go to the fourth folder wherever you keep your folder.

2. Pick the fourth picture in that folder.

3. Post that picture and tell about it on your blog.

4. Pick four other people to tag.

5. E-mail those people and tell them that they are tagged!

This picture was taken in....2004 I think, during one of the many trips we took to Sparta to get away from the stress of College and The Liberty Way. Looks like a spring trip by the way we are dressed. But anyway, thats my backyard in Sparta. Good stuff. In the photo is Aaron "Goody" Goodman, Me, Joshua "Taco" Montanya, William Bradley "P.S." Maines, and Derek "Squatting Hamster" Hulsey. Man...those were the days.

So I'm told that history will be made today...

Yet somehow it doesn't feel different from any other day (except for the fact that I woke up at 4:33 this morning after dreaming I was in the middle of a tornado). I mean, isn't history made everyday? Friday marked the first and last time that I will ever be 25 years old, I don't cause a big fuss over it though. Last week marked the first time that American Airlines flew a plane into the Hudson, you don't see anyone rolling out the red carpet for them though...I mean they made history didn't they? I'm glad too see that the Nation, for the most part is really behind Obama as the new president and I am behind him 110%, but all this talk about the nation finally being where it should be and racism finally being buried really irritates me. I said in an earlier post following the election, wasn't this case closed years ago? Have we not achieved equality between races in the last 40 years? Are we going to have to have a woman president before women feel like they are equal to men? Perhaps I am misled, but every time I watch the news the focus is not that we have a new president who will hopefully turn this country around, its that we have a black president and the black community has finally won a major victory. I almost feel like that makes a nation divided rather than a nation that is united. But, there is always the chance that I am sublimely ignorant to the way things really are; after all I did grow up in Podunk, North Carolina during the 80's and 90's where the biggest black vs. white issue was whether to listen to Hootie and the Blowfish or Alanis Morissette; or if you really wanted to push the boundaries and have both worlds, Michael Jackson. This was always a difficult decision because all were really good...and then Alanis Morissette found Buddha or something to that extent and her music turned terrible. Then, low and behold, Hootie left the Blowfish and has since turned Country. "Isn't it Ironic, don't ya think?" No pun intended...ok maybe a little. As for Michael Jackson...well, his record speaks for itself and I must say that the Free Willy soundtrack wouldn't have been anything without him. Man, do I know how to get off topic. Anyway, I hope that Obama does us good and gets us back on track...financially speaking that is.

Currently listening to: Hootie and the Blowfish