"Soul Sisters"

God knew what He was doing when He placed Terri in my life. Eight years ago I was in the process of getting my dog Biskit (check his picture out on the side bar- VERY cute) and was quite insecure about becoming a "dog mom". The only "mom" experience I had was with cats- low maintenance compared to dogs and definitely not as much fun. It was while I was bugging everyone in my path about dog care when Terri popped up in my life. She was new to my church and was looking for a friend. Terri is a big dog lover. She has trained dogs, shown dogs, studied dogs, and in general just loves dogs and talks about them quite a bit. The ladies at church led her right to me. So began our friendship based on dogs! Of course God was in the midst of our relationship and was not going to let it stop with "dog talk". Over the years we have become "soul sisters" spending hours together studying God's word, sharing how He is impacting our life, eating out, shopping, and of course going on adventures with our four legged children. This past week she came to visit from Las Vegas where she now lives. We had some fun filled days -getting up late, staying up late, eating , talking, watching movies and playing with my furry children. Biskit and Cookie were in heaven. They love the attention from Aunt Terri who was their dog sitter before moving to Nevada and have tons of memories of playtime with Buddy, Chester and Abe. I love the way God works things out in our lives. Who would imagine that a couple of cute canines would be the foundation of a special friendship?

Home Alone

Last week was special, I was home alone. Mike went on a ski trip that I cancelled out on when ALL the other women decided not to go and I for sure wasn't up to being the lone woman with six men, (even if they are really great guys). I decided to keep my vacation from my job and spend the week doing my own thing. No husband to tend to, no job to go to, no cooking, just Biskit, Cookie and me. I don't know why this should be so exciting but it is. I endeavored to do all my favorite things which of course is impossible since I have way too many...but that didn't stop me from trying. Instead of the usual 5 am alarm buzz, I slept in a bit each day waking to licks on my face. Spending a morning breakfast with my friend Krista was a delight for both of us, something we rarely get to do and we took full advantage of the 2 hours we had together. My buddy Jan and I went to dinner and then to see "Chicago" at the Bass Hall one evening. That gave us something to talk about for sure-both good and bad, (if you saw it you would know what I'm talking about). Christ Chapel gave an awesome concert of "Gershwin and Friends" music that 5 of us ladies attended another evening. In addition I read a book, worked in my yard, went to the park almost every day with my two four legged buddies, talked on the phone, took pictures, worked on my computer, rented a bunch of "chick flicks" that Mike refuses to watch with me, ate popcorn for supper, didn't shave my legs, no makeup and a day of PJ's, and lots of time spent with the Lord. It may be a years before I have this opportunity again, but I'm making a "home alone" list so that I will be prepared whenever that time arrives!