Donny!!

There is a new love in my life: 

Donny. This is short for Donatello. He's a Jack-a-poo (Jack Russell/Poodle Mix) and he's a really smart dog. His intelligence could be a good thing... and it sometimes is a bad thing. But he's a great kid. :) 

I started looking for a furry friend in September of last year for a couple of reasons. 

1. I read Your Pet and Your Health by Dr. David DeRose and Steve Wohlberg and was convicted. 

2. I'm sorry but I never read all the way through that book... but I figured a lot of canvassers read my posts... so it'd be fun to reference a book we've all sold at some point. 

3. Moving to a new place where you know exactly 2 people is a little daunting. It's easier to take in with a sidekick. 

4. After spending 4 months at Weimar and being able to exercise easily because 30 others are doing it too, I wanted a little additional motivation to continue the lifestyle. 

5. While owning an animal isn't the exact same as having a child, I know I struggle with being consistent and patient and wanted to learn a little by having to practice it. *I'm definitely learning...*

Thus began the hunt for a four legged creature that doesn't meow. (My roommate's cat scratched me badly last night... definitely don't want a cat...)

As I was searching for this new pet, I began to get lots of feedback, advice, and criticism. That wasn't going to get me down! I would just continue the search! 

Along came October... and November... and December... and no dog was in my sights. Giving up a little, I decided to put the search on hold for a few weeks until I got settled in Spokane and would take up the hunt once more. 

In late December, while driving through Southern Cal, I stopped at Mike and Candice's house and ate their food. This is where the face of an angel greeted me. I thought, "Does he have siblings???" 

After eating amazing food and catching up with my friends I hadn't seen in a few months, I broached the topic of how they came about this cutie of a creature. The story is as follows:

Candice was canvassing, met a lady (Donny's first owner), and obtained Donny. (Yes, the story was way more interesting than that, but I need to get back to working on my Audit so I'm sharing the Reader's Digest version) The fact that Candice stopped by their home was an answer to prayer for them, and Donny's life was spared as a result. No, they were not a violent home. Man, just telling the bare bones of a story is more stressful than including the details. If you want details, call me. It's not like you don't have my number, Janelle. 

Mike and Candice decided they couldn't keep him due to the restrictions of their work, so after much sadness, Candice decided to send him up to Washington with me. 

Since then, Donny and I have bonded and become inseparable! Well... not quite inseparable but he definitely lays on me every chance he gets... 

He's been such a blessing in my life. We run together, he breaks the ice with students, he encourages conflict resolution with my roommate, and overall is just enjoyable to have around.  

 Here are a few more pictures of the home dog:

Definitely an attention hog...

 This is the airstrip next to the school that we walk every afternoon. He gets to chase birds, I get to spend some time in prayer, we both get exercise. :)











The walk back towards the school at this time of day is pretty.











Below are a couple of pictures of Donny and Max. They actually play together often...

Super Bowl Sunday:

Poor thing was cold after playing outside in the snow with the Souls Students. :) 

So after the last post I decided to invite people over to eat and hang out at my place. Invited? 5. Followed through? Riley! Gotta love them former campers that'll come through for you no matter what! Love this girl! More will come next time. :) 

Above: I took this picture to share with someone that my social life was complete with Donny.

Below: I took this picture when he left to go play with Max as I sent the above picture to my friend.

-_-

 Here he is. Pensive. Searching. Contemplative. . . Or maybe he's just trying to "stay" like his mama told him to and not chase those birds he sees in the distance... 

 The story behind the last two pictures:

I went to Walla Walla yesterday to visit my beautiful friend Rohini. She took me on a tour of campus and we walked around for a while after we had lunch together. As we're walking, we see this view below and think, "Wow, I wonder what's on the other side of this hill!? It must be amazing! Look at the sky! Look at the trees! Look at how it just drops off like that! Let's go check it out!"

This. Is what we found. While the sky still looks incredible, it was such a disappointment! This is literally where the "Drop Off" we saw begins. It's just a field. But I think this is how we are sometimes with sin... we see something that looks promising, and looks like it would be fun, so we get off the path we're walking to go check it out. Once we see what's really on the other side, it's not as great as it seemed to be at first. But now we have to take the time and energy to walk back to the path we strayed from. Just an interesting object lesson from my walk with Rohini. :)

Have a WONDERFUL Sabbath from Donny and I!