In the past several weeks...

...Gabe has:

1. Eaten an entire chocolate cake (yes, the entire thing), resulting in a trip to the emergency vet, which then resulted in two shaved front legs (for where they had to use IV's on him).
2. Gashed his eyebrow open on a picnic table at the dog park while he was rallying every single other dog to chase him (read: showing off. Typical). Just another hairless spot to match his poor leggies.
3. Gotten sick in the middle of the night, causing me to rush him to the bathroom (since I didn't know if we could make it upstairs and outside in time), and watch him puke in the shower, then PASS OUT. Literally. He stiffened up and fell into the shower wall. I was freaking out.

I recently read that an intelligent dog can learn about 250 words. That's about the same as a 2-year-old child. I think it is safe to say that Gabe qualifies as the equivalent of a human toddler in more ways than one. Just thought you should know.

Lately I Have Wondered...

...how to weigh out what is most important.

How important is place? Or maybe, how important should we let it be?

If I have some of my most steadfast, deep relationships in one place, but a vocational calling in another place, how do I decide what is most important?

I'm inclined to put the relationships first. But, when I do, I still have a yearning to find my 'calling' in life. My own personal story. To find out how I can be fulfilled and use the gifts and/or education God has blessed me with. We are called to invest in others and love well while we have time on this Earth. And yet, we are also called to respond to God's orchestrating in our lives and to acknowledge the individuality he has created in each of us. This looks different for every person...how should it look for me?

No matter what, I lose something.
No matter what, I will slip and fall.
No matter what, I will grow.

I don't know if I should feel more comforted or more uneasy that there may not be a black and white right or wrong choice in this situation. But, change is inevitable, one way or the other. And, maybe because every season is fleeting, I just need to get 100% better at living in the moment.

My Quirks

1. I follow certain high-profile cases on the news really closely. One time, I read an entire book about the JonBenet Ramsey case. Lately, I have been anxious to learn more about the case of Dawn Brancheau.

2. I hate soggy paper. It just grosses me out. If you drop a napkin in a glass of water, I will squirm.

3. Ke$Ha's voice might as well be nails on a chalkboard. I cannot stand her 'music', and if you don't believe how bad she is, you need to watch this.

4. I dislike over-matching.

5. There may not be a bigger baby than me in the world when it comes to hot, humid weather. God didn't create me with that DNA.