Jiminy Cricket!

Bonnie and Clyde (and my camera strap)

So, I'm a sucker for animals. That's how I ultimately got Ebony *although really, it was my doctor who told me a dog would do me some good while I underwent chemo....* and Piper *Caleb wanted to leaver her outside in the rain! Thankfully, our neighbors kept her until I could convince Caleb that he really wanted a cute kitten*.

Now, I've acquired 3 fish (I bought them and they're great fun and entertainment for Piper) and 2 frogs. Yes, frogs. Rib-bit. Our preschool teacher had purchased 2 tadpoles as part of her life cycle unit (which fit nicely into the Kindergarten frog and butterfly life cycle units....). At the end of the school year, she asked me if I wanted to take them home. She was going to leave them at the center, but decided to ask me first. When I came home with the tadpoles, Caleb was thrilled, let.me.tell.you.what!
After having the tadpoles in our house for about a week, the larger of the two began to grow her back legs and thus, she became a frog-let. The manual said the larger one is a girl and the smaller one, a boy. It assures the owner that reproduction cannot occur under the environment that the frogs are in; however, knowing my luck... I named them Bonnie and Clyde. Why? Because I can. :)

Anyway, I digress. So I had a frog-let and a tadpole. At this point, the froglet doesn't eat anything as it absorbs it's tail and uses that for nutrients. The tadpole, however, receives a tiny bit of a "tadpole food pellet", something that resembles fish food sticks but much bigger and stinkier. So I feed the tadpole and keep an eye on the frog-let. Within a week, I had a full grown leopard frog and a tadpole. At this point, I panic. I read the manual that said the frog now eats 2-3 small LIVE crickets every two days. I cringed - I hate bugs and insects and spiders. All types and variety except for lighting bugs and ladybugs. That's it.

I went to our local pet food store and purchased 25-30 small crickets in a box. Let me tell you what, who ever decides the size of a small versus medium/large needs to check their size requirements. I got home and shook the box empty into a large Ziploc bag. Out of the 30ish crickets, at least 10 were large sized and ultimately no good for the frog - some could have eaten the frog! I then frantically closed the bag shut except for one tiny corner so that I could then shake 2 -3 of them in the tank. This worked well until I ran out of crickets (except for the huge ones, which I let outside in our backyard). I had to take Ebony to the groomers (I'll post about this adventure soon), which happens to be at the same place as I buy my insects.
I purchased another box of crickets, picked up the dog and went home. I popped open a little hole at one end of the box and shook 2 crickets into the tank. I quickly shut the box in a large bag again and put it next to the tank, which intrigues the cat to no end.
Today, I went to feed the frog and tadpole. I'm starting to be concerned about the tadpole because I've had him nearly 2 months and still no metamorphosis. But there's not a whole lot I can do about it - no vet I know of looks at leopard frogs. Anyway, I opened the box and started to shake 3 tiny crickets into the tank when Mr. Jiminy Cricket jumped out of the box, catapulted himself off of the wall (where he had hit after he jumped) and hid behind the bookshelf. I immediately screamed out loud and dropped the box back into the bag, closing it quickly. I then moved the bookshelf to try to find the cricket. He was there, in the corner, jumping all over the place. I tried to get a cup over it, but it jumped and I couldn't find it after that. I was running late for my appointment, so I left the cat out (she's usually put up in the room where her litter box is so that she doesn't antagonize the dog while she's crated) and prayed that the cat would find the thing and eat it or something. She eats flies, spiders, and other random bugs in our house, so what's a cricket?

Since I've been home from my appointment, I've heard a cricket twice. Very tiny voice (they're only 2-3 weeks old by the look of their size) but very obviously a cricket. I closed all the windows and doors to make sure it wasn't coming from outside and still, I heard it.

JIMINY CRICKET!

So now, we have a random cricket roaming our house, to add to the spiders and flies. Oh the joys of living in an old drafty house. One day when we have more money, we'll fix that.
Until then, the cricket and I will have a stare down. And hopefully, Piper will find it and take care of it.

I swear, we have wild kingdom in our house on a daily basis.

Prayers

One of my close high school friends just had a baby. Unfortunately, the baby (a girl) was born 6 weeks early weighing a mere 3 pounds and is having breathing issues. The baby wasn't due until the early part of September, but they were going to take her early (August 25th, I believe). Now, they're praying, hoping and waiting as this little girl fights for her life.

This, on the heels of losing their first child in November. He was born with complications and had severe brain damage. He was born in September and hung on like a trooper until the middle of November. He died at home with his mommy and daddy.

The pain they experienced/are experiencing is too much for my mind to grasp around. They were elated when they found out she was pregnant again and we all prayed that this baby would be healthy and strong. From what her dad said, she's a fighter and as long as she continues the way she's going, she should clear this on her own and she won't have to be air flighted to U of M. She's got her big brother looking over her, but if you think about it, could you say an extra prayer/thought/good vibe to this family? They've been through enough.

Beef - A - Roo

Sunset behind the Tam O' Shanter Lodge in Cornucopia, WI.

Last week (on Thursday), Caleb and I embarked on a long journey up to the Upper Penninsula and Wisconsin so that I could be a part of one of my best friend's wedding. We left Thursday around 2 pm and got into Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan around 8 pm. We then left early Friday morning (around 7:45am) and got into Cornucopia, Wisconsin around 3:30pm. We had rehearsal around 5 and hung around the lodge afterwards.
The next day, my loving dear husband and I helped to decorate, arrange, rearrange, clean up and numerous other things before the wedding.

And then came the storm :( The wedding was outside on a beautiful beach; however being that we were on Lake Superior and Michigan/Wisconsin weather is what it is, it rained. And it was cold. And incredibly windy. And we were in summery halter dresses and flip-flops. And we shivered. And we laughed and cried. We threw rocks in the lake as a sign of our love and dedication to them. The bride's mother wrote a beautiful poem to go along with it. It was amazing to watch and I hope the photographer got a great picture of it.

And my best friend got married.Jeremy and Leah's Wedding - 7.19.08
The arbor they got married under? Her brother made that as a gift! They have a wooden porch swing that will hang under the arbor at their new house.

Then, we headed indoors for pictures because the flash wasn't working and honestly? I was truly thankful. When we got the formal pictures finished, one of the groomsmen had bought the groom a pack of 7 (one for each day of the week!) fake adhesive mustaches. The groom and his guys put on the attire and it.was.hilarious. So then the bride decided that we couldn't be denied any fun either, so....














We had a great time and are extremely happy for Leah and Jeremy. We love them both very much and are so blessed to have them as friends.

However, we were also elated when we returned home. There's nothing better than sleeping in our bed and using our own pillows, our own shower and relaxing together.
We figured out last night that we:

• Spent nearly 400 dollars in gas,
  
• drove 12 hours up and 13 driving back,
  
• put 690 miles driving up and 653 driving back down on the Escape- It drove like a dream!
  
• Listened to every CD we brought (25 or so) at least twice,
  
• drank coffee, pop and water until I swear my eyes were floating,
  
• munched on dried apples that smelled WEIRD, Pringles, wheat things, beef sticks, and cheese sticks. Which reminds me:
• On our trip back from Wisconsin, we head east into the UP but went a bit of a different way to get to the bridge, bypassing the Sault and cutting off nearly 45 minutes of our trip. So, on our way, we pass by two large establishments with large signs that read, "Beef - A - Roo". Before I can say anything, Caleb quickly pipes up and says, "Beef -A-Roo? I think no.". Maybe it was because I was exhausted or maybe it was that my brain had started to meltdown but I started laughing and couldn't stop. Anybody want to go out to Beef-A-Roo? Who knows? - Maybe it's really good beef.
  
• sang and laughed together.

I wouldn't have had it any other way. :)

And while my husband was taking pictures of the wedding, we got a shot of the flower girl sporting her own mustache during the toast/prayer :

I'm a geek but I love my new car!

So, we have a new car :) My husband says I'm a dork; however, this is the first car that I have picked out, paid for (okay, so the credit union owns it until the loan is paid off...but still!) and taken complete care of from start to finish. When I explained to him that I've never had the privilege of owning a car that I picked out and bought, he ease up a little. Here's a bit of car history for your enjoyment:

When going through high school, I drove an ultra-cool grocery getter (Taurus Station Wagon) that could hold 10 color guard girls. This was also the car that my mom drove while we were younger to many Girl Scout meetings, school functions and band concerts, CCD classes and carried large amounts of groceries to feed us.
Then, while up at college, I drove nothing for the first three years. However, when I moved off campus, I got to take my parent's blue min-van. It was old, but served it's purpose...right up until it died on E. Easterday Avenue in Sault Sainte Marie. It was revived, but only to make it back to Jackson. When I returned to the Sault to do my year-long student teaching, I took the "Beast" - the Dodge Durango. It got through snow and ice...except for once when the school intervention specialist and the custodian (I worked at a small school..in a small town...where everyone knows everyone else) had to rock it off the snow bank.
When I moved back home, I continued to drive the Durango until we got married. Then, my parents decided to give us the 1989 Mercury Sable - it used to be my sisters that they drove during high school (they both drove it a year and then combined drove it for two) and before that? It was my grandmother's car until her Alzheimer's disease proved to be too strong for her and she had to be placed in assisted living.
The Sable did it's job and we've had it 2 years and probably even longer had it not decided to develop transmission issues. So, a month after I found out that I wasn't going to be working for the day care anymore, we were faced with the issue of finding a new car that fit our needs but was cheap enough so that we could afford payments. Here's what I discovered during this process:

• No matter what, salesmen are ultimately trying to sell you something. Some are better at it than others. We really enjoyed working with the 3 at their respective places: Ford Seymour, Extreme Dodge/Hyundai and Art Moehn Chevrolet/Honda.
• The guy at Ford Seymour knew his stuff about Fords but not-so-much about the PT Cruisers. We found a PT that we liked but I felt like my butt was dragging on the ground and it had enough room but it wasn't exactly what I *and Caleb* needed. We looked at a Ford Escape (one that we were interested in) but they didn't have any used and well..we can't afford anything new right now.
  
• Art Moehn Chevrolet/Honda guy didn't know quite as much, but held his own. He showed us a Honda Element (what we originally wanted) and we test-drove it. Nice car, lots of room in the back if you put the seats down but my husband is, evidently, too tall for it and his knees were jammed into the glove box. No go.
  

• On our last try, we went to Extreme Dodge/Hyundai. My mother-in-law and both sister-in-law & brother-in-law got their cars from the Hyundai line and love them. We looked at at Sante Fe (our #1 car to look at) but they didn't have any used and once we got up close and personal, it didn't have as much room as we needed in the back for Ebony's kennel. However, the dealer that we worked with DID have two Escapes - a yellow and a black one. Both in good condition - we decided to get the black one because
• it was newer
• better kept up
  
• it does have 124,000 miles- we believe that they are mostly highway miles (the old registration in the car says the guy lived in Detroit, so it makes sense)

So, we now have a car. And it's one that I picked out (with the help of my loving husband), sort-of-paid for and love :)

Welcome to our blog! We hope you enjoy the ride as we enter our second anniversary (in October) and whatever God has in store for us :)
Our family consists of us and our various animals. Currently, we have as follows:
Ebony is a 4 year old Flat Coated Retriever
and Piper is a black and white 1 year old kitten.
We also have three fish, Serius Black, One-eyed Melvin and Howie the Owie (my Kindergarten kids named him that because he gave owies to the other fish..he was eating them...).
I also inherited 2 leopard tadpoles after school from the Preschool teacher. I think I'll name them Bonnie and Clyde...Bonnie is big, has all her legs and swimming like a..um..mad woman. Clyde, on the other hand, still has no legs and all tail. He HATES when I clean the tank and would prefer to sit in the dark.
Our lives are busy as always, but we have fun!