It's Been A While...

I haven't posted in a while. It hasn't been the most fun last few weeks. But the Lord is teaching me lessons in communication...starting with one of the rules everyone's mommy taught them: "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." So instead of being a whiny baby (or a B), I've just stayed a bit silent and shared my worries with the Lord, since He's really the only one who can do much about them anyway. Update #1: Duke's best friend and partner in crime, Huckleberry, passed away recently. He was 4 years old, about 100 lbs, and he was a golden retriever who was very stubborn...but that was part of his charm. He and Duke spent alot of time together when Ryan and Justin J. were flipping houses. And we babysat Huck alot, so he we kinda like our surrogate child (dog). We even had a name for their dynamic duo: Dukelberry...and they were as dorky as they sounded. Anyway, he passed away probably from the heat on one of the cooler days we've had in the past few weeks. It was a huge shock and we're still mourning the loss. I kept thinking to myself, "How do I explain this to Duke who loves this dog??" Duke doesn't know the complete human language yet so it's difficult. But he cuddled me while I cried, so in a way I hope he knows. Update #2: Skeeter is up for adoption. I thought this would be easier, but since we've had him for a while b/c of his heartworms, it's harder than I imagined. He's been up for adoption for a little about 2 weeks, and this will be his 3rd appearance at the adoption drive this weekend. We had a bad experience the first time we went up there...there was a family with a little boy who really wanted him, but they wanted to keep him primarily outside, which our organization doesn't allow...so that was heartbreaking to see that kid so upset. But another family currently has an application in to adopt him and we are going to try and meet them at their house either today or Sunday for them to introduce Skeeter. They have to boys ages 7 & 10, so I think that's perfect for him. Pray for Skeeter (and me)! Update #3: My mom just got back from a mission trip to Egypt. Praise that it went well. My sister is still working at Camp Ozark in Arkansas for the rest of the summer, so it was hard going through alot these last few weeks without being able to communicate with both my mom and my sister. Update #4: SPRING CLEANING...a little late. Last weekend I deep cleaned our home (even baseboards). It really doesn't take long to get it completely disgusting aging with two large shedding dogs though. We are having our friends from Tyler come stay with us this weekend, probably Saturday and Sunday nights. They are in a wedding that is on Sunday. There is also another guy in the wedding who is staying the night on Saturday only. Three house guests, two of us, and two dogs. That's alot of bodies! So needless to say, I'm deep cleaning again tonight to make sure everything's prepared! Eek Sorry this is so long! I'll try to be better next time about regular short updates!