Table Manners

Wonder if they teach them in puppy obedience school? Surely Cash is not learning from example when he eats like this...

Dog Days of Summer

Since my life has been consumed by a puppy, I have nothing really new and exciting to report. Unless you consider getting 5 straight hours of sleep without having to get up and walk outside from your upstairs apartment with a puppy in the middle of it exciting. I certainly do. I never thought I would become one of "those people" (you know, the ones who say "sorry, can't go, I have to let my dog out"), yet I have. I love him dearly nonetheless though and I have determined that having him is great preparation for whenever I have children (bought or birthed...either one). He's a great guard dog already. Look at what he had trapped in the kitchen yesterday morning...
My friend Emily got this bone for him and she said that it's great for when I need to get something done and keep him occupied at the same time. Little does he know how much more fun chewing on it would be!

Hmm...Suspicions Confirmed

Snoozing

Lessons in Saying Never

So I'm notorious for saying "I'll never...". I've always done it. Apparently I'm a bit challenged because I haven't learned that inevitably I will eat those words. Allow me to share a few of my "never" statements...

1. I'll never stay in Dahlonega after I graduate. I made this statement at least a hundred million times throughout college. It was sometime during my 4th year after graduation that I finally came to terms with the fact that I really loved living there. So much so that I stayed another 2 years for good measure.

2. I'll never have a Facebook account. Um...guilty.

3. I'll never go to the University of Georgia. Interesting. It's my enrollment at the flagship university of the state that caused me to finally up and leave Dahlonega.

4. I'll never have an inside dog. Drumroll please.....

Cash the Wonder Puppy

Ok, I know that I'm partial, but he's awesome. Cash is a chocolate Lab who is 6 weeks old. And he's totally an inside dog. Well, except for of course when we're outside playing or learning the art of pottying in a designated outdoor area. It's especially super that I live on the second floor so I'm getting quite the workout. Here are a few more pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Hmm...maybe I should've named him Pete Sampras instead.

As for his name here is the origin of it:

1. The people that I got him from have the last name of Cash.

2. Johnny is ultra cool and legendary and with any luck, this Cash will be as well.

3. I love the show Men in Trees and there is a character named Cash. (Sidenote: I'm super bummed that the show has been cancelled.)

4. I'll be forking out lots of it on him.

I'm praying that he does a whole lot of this tonight in his crate.

So my long lesson in saying never is to never say it unless you really want it to happen. My next "never" statement will be something to the effect of "I'll never drive a red Volvo SUV." Stay tuned for puppy updates!

Baby Cousin Garrett

Isn't he precious?

And if my God is with me, Whom then shall I fear?

Being the "refined" Baptist that I am, very seldom do I get emotional in church. For the second Sunday in a row, my eyes sprung a leak during the song "You Never Let Go". Coincidence that it was sang at the church I attended last week and at a different church I attended this week? Maybe. But regardless, I obviously needed to hear it. Twice. And since things tend to happen in threes, I'm already preparing myself for next Sunday. Now, I'll be honest. All too often I find myself asking God the same question that Janet Jackson put to music years ago: What have you done for me lately? Shouldn't I have outgrown this stage in life by now? I mean, for the love of Peter, Paul and Mary, I've been a Christian for 16 years. I'm stepping out on a limb here, but I don't really think I'm alone in this. I often catch myself wondering why circumstances are the way that they are. I mean, what I have done in my life that is "so wrong" to warrant the fact that I'm 29 and still unmarried without kiddos when all I want to do is send my husband off to work each morning after eating a good hearty breakfast prepared by me and then pick the kids up after school to take them to soccer practice. (ok, so the hearty breakfast part might happen like once before it got really old) Truth is, we can all apply that question to at least one circumstance in our lives and ask it. And when we hear someone else ask it, we think it sounds really silly because most of the time, that person has done absolutely nothing to warrant the situation. What about this though? What if we responded to our circumstances absolutely believing that God is in them? (Um, no I do not come up with this stuff myself...it's what I learned in church today and it spoke volumes to me so hopefully someone else can benefit as well). Think about Joseph...as in the amazing technicolor dreamcoat one, not the one who took his wife who was great with child to pay taxes in Bethlehem. My life is a cakewalk compared to his. He did nothing to warrant his circumstances: being thrown in a well by his brothers, then sold into slavery, then accused of and imprisoned for the very act that he refused to commit. Yet, throughout the story, it tells of how the Lord was with Joseph always as this all unfolded over a period of years. That's the hard part I think. We are too accustomed to instant gratification. When I pray about something, I think that from the time I lay down to sleep after saying Amen until the sun rises the next morning is plenty of time for God to hear it and answer it, right? (No, I'm not that naive) And then when He doesn't answer our prayers in our time, we think He's doing nothing so we decide it's best to take control of the situation. Or maybe that's just me. But then I had another thought that put it all into perspective. Instant coffee is ok, but it's nowhere near as good as the real stuff that takes a little time to brew. (so I've been told, I'm not a coffee drinker) So if we'll wait for the good stuff in terms of coffee, shouldn't we be content to wait for the good stuff in terms of life?