"You're a Mess"

(I had this great post written in my mind one night last week while I was laying in bed. But, never got a chance to actually write it out. Now, my mond seems to have forgotten most of it and it has lost some of its relevance. But, I'm going to try and do it justice as I think it needs to be written.)



Last week marked the 6th anniversary since we lost Big Dan (D's Dad). It is hard to believe that six years have gone by already. I can remember every detail of when I found out very vividly in my mind. I was in my first year at CMU and had been in EP's office all day so D couldn't get a hold of me. He finally got put into her office and told her and she told me before she handed over the phone. It was such a weird conversation that we had since it was full of facts and void of emotion. I don't think it had hit home for either of us at that point. For me, it sunk in when I called my mom at work and told the secretary it was an emergency and to put me through to her right away. I immediately packed up a few days worth of clothing and hit the road. Apparently I hit the road too fast as I got a speeding ticket somewhere south of Three Rivers. We still joke about that to this day. It was a bright spot in the tough days ahead. The days following were busy as we all worked together to plan arrangements. There were times of tears and times of laughter as we reminisced about him.



It saddens me that there are so many people that are a part of lives now that did not know Big Dan.



I can remember my last converation with him. We had a volleyball match at EMU on a Saturday night and D came to watch. Instead of riding the bus back to CMU, I rode with him. As soon as we got on the road, I told him I really wanted to call Big Dan. To this day, I'm not sure why I wanted to talk with him so badly, but I really wanted to talk to him about our big win. We talked for about 5 or 10 minutes then hung up. I am so glad we made that phone call and I got to talk to him that night.



Big Dan loved his family passionately. He was always bragging about what the kids were doing and how great they were. He loved teaching and loved the kids. He touched so many lives during his time at West Side MS. We'll never know the magnitude of lives that were changed, but the outpouring of love at his viewing was a good indication.



Many have said that he was too young or taken too soon. Though we would have liked for him to still be here, I know without a doubt that it was all a part of God's plan. He allowed this for a reason and we just have to trust Him.



The title of this post is something he used to say to people all the time. It was always a joke and said in love. Occasionally, Danny or I will say it to the other and it always brings a smile to our face.

Another Update

Ollie continues to amaze us. That's the word I'm using, though I'm not sure if it's right! :)

Friday morning around 3:15, Ollie got me up because he wanted to go out. No problem, the Duo and I head out then come back in to go to bed. I head into the guest room to sleep my last couple of hours and find some puke on the bed. Lo and behold (sorry if this is gross), in that puke is a cylinder shaped item that is kinda soft and squishy. No clue what it was, but I'm thinking that is what has been bothering Ollie. It just took over a week to get out. I have no clue what he could've eaten or gotten into. I haven't noticed anything missing around the house, but I guess it could be anything. Strange!

As of right now, he's still on the rice diet, but I did put a call into the vet to let them know what I found.

She's a winner!

Last week, Miss Flash was honored to win an award from her friend Ace. She is very thankful that Ace thought so highly of her! She's trying hard to be a good big sister (though she's younger by a few months) but she still isn't quite sure about the seat belts! :)

According to the rules, she is supposed to pass this award along to her other friends. The only problem is, they have either already received the award or don't read her blog! So, for right now, she is going to be selfish and keep the award for herself. So fitting with her personality!

**To learn about the cool pup that this award originated from, click here.

Ollie Update

Evidently, the problems are food allergies. So, the big guy is now on a strict diet of boiled rice for three weeks. Sounds fun huh! It's going to be a loooooonng three weeks I think.

Last night was the first meal with strictly rice. It took him almost 25 minutes to eat and he had rice everywhere! At one point, when he picked his head up from the bowl, his nose was covered in rice. Hilarious! This morning's meal went much better since the rice was leftover and not quite as sticky.

I hope we can figure out what exactly he's allergic to when this is all done so we can get him the right kind of food.

Update

Well, the volleyball season is officially over. We lost in the semi-finals of the Sectional tournament on Saturday. It was a tough loss and I was really disappointed to be done. I loved my team and had such a great time this season. It's always tough to see it come and go so fast.

Mr. Ollie is going into the vet first thing tomorrow morning. Something just isn't quite right with him so we're getting him checked out. I am a little concerned so I'm hoping it's nothing major or nothing too expensive! I'll keep you posted!

I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with all the free time I now have. I slept in this morning so I am going to work out after work today. It's been a long time since I've done the evening class so I'm excited. I was even more excited when I saw the workout posted on the web today. It's one of my all time favories so I have been looking forward to it all day!

Have a great Monday!

Challenged

On my way to work yesterday morning, I came across as a great song as I was listening to a new CD. To preface all this, let me tell you a bit about the maker of my new CD.

My brother in law (BIL) is an extremely talented musician. He is very involved in their church's worship band and also is in a separate band with some guys from church. Typically, he plays the drums, but the guy can sing, play the piano and the guitar. Really? Must be nice to have those kinds of talents. BIL likes to make me CDs on occasions and they are ALWAYS my favorite CDs. I have found all kinds of new favorite bands from his CDs. I am not sure how he finds these groups, but he always finds good ones, typically before they hit mainstream radio. These CDs get played over and over and over in my car.

So, the song I fell in love with is by a band called NEEDTOBREATHE. I have never heard of this band before but I now have six of their songs. Not sure what this song is called, but the chorus really hit me and made me think. Since yesterday morning, I've probably listened to this song 20+ times. Here's the chorus:

Let the songs I sing bring joy to You

Let the words I say profess my love

And the notes I choose be Your favorite tune

Father, let my heart beat after You.

These words made me really think about what I say on a daily basis. Are the words I'm choosing pleasing to God? I would be willing to bet that there are many times my words are not pleasing and do not profess the love I have for God. How do these words speak to you?

Proof

The Dynamic Duo within inches of each other...