Attempted Burglary!

Last night we returned from a trip to see family in the Quad Cities.  As I was sifting through emails, staring out the window I see a band of brothers approaching our house and I knew they were up to no good.  

We had finished unpacking the car and had left the garage door open.  I knew  they were headed straight towards the garage and were going to take whatever they could get their hands on.  So I jumped off the couch and screamed "Shut the GARAGE!!  Jose get the Garage door!!" He has no clue what is going on so his response time was rather slow.  

I get out in the garage just in time to keep them from really entering.  They went running across the street to hide.  At this point Jose finally realizes what I had been screaming about and was very relieved that I had cat like reflexes!

When he went across the street, he saw the band of brothers who were about to rob us of whatever they could....

Here are three of the lovely boys.  Their other two brothers we saw a bit later.   Jose was taking the mug shots of our three friends in the tree when a neighbor couple drove by and were intrigued by our odd behavior at 10pm.  So we were chatting about our attempted burglary when we became under seige once again. 

One more tried for the sneak attack as he was hiding in the bushes next to the garage.  He must have been the look out!    He actually made it all the way to the door that goes into the kitchen.  Have no fear...that door was tightly shut.  Jose managed to scare him out of the garage with a hockey stick.  (No harm was done to Jose or the raccoon) We lost him though.  We knew he wasn't in the garage, but didn't know where he went exactly.  So we just continued talking with the neighbors.  He eventually made a break for the tree's to join his brothers.  

But the last brother was rather tubby.  We affectionately called him Fatboy.  It took him a few tries to make it up the small tree.  

This was the entertainment for the night!  Trying to watch Fatboy make it all the way up the tree and out of sight.  

Eventually, they realized we weren't to much of a threat and they struggled their way down the tree and ran off further off across the street.  Fatboy was the last to make it down the tree and sluggisly run over to the next tree to climb.  

Who knew living in the city would be full of such crazy wildlife!  First it was a dead opossum (Jose did take that poor animals life, but not on purpose).  Now it was an attempted robbery by 5 Raccoons!

What I like..

There are a lot of things that I enjoy in this life, but here are a few I enjoy more than others...

1.  Having a dog.  More importantly, having Izzy around...

2.  I enjoy my Mac.  Once you go Mac, you never go back. (Ok sorry, it has to be cheesy!)

3. I enjoy a good meal.  I enjoy trying new foods and sharing new foods with other people.

3.5  I have become really fond of soy milk and soy yogurt!

4.  I enjoy good friends.  We had some great friends stop through and visit us this week.  You can make new friends, but you definitely can't replace the old ones!

5. I love Youth Ministry!...

The middle of July I was in San Antonio Texas...it was hot.  A very nice city to visit. Save up your money and stay on the

 Riverwalk, enjoy some fine dining.  If you need someone to help you with your way around, look up Darrell at the Rio Rio, he listed "Special Services" on his business card.  All kidding aside, I was down there on a "business" trip. By business I mean I was down representing Anderson University at IYC (International Youth Conference for the Church of God).  5,500 or so youth were there plus their youth leaders and other random people. ( We kept the Riverwalk poppin'! )  We were there to work a booth to represent AU as we are a Church of God College and we recruit many students who are in CHOG (thats church of God for future reference) youth ministries.  

I have been out of ministry for the past 6 months and I forgot how great it is.  I sat in the main sessions of this youth conference, and I was in heaven.  My heaven at least, will be full of youth grasping onto a God who is HUGE. 

 To worship with 5,500 youth literally takes my breath away! It is a good reminder of what I am called to do in this life.  It is to love on kids, let them know the Savior that has redeemed me is right there waiting to redeem them, to make them whole again, to create someone new in them. I was challenged that week by the speakers.  Not only by their messages, but by their passion for the Lord and what he has done in their lives.  I don't think I share it as much as I should and with enough passion.  

So these next few months, as Jose and I embark on a new chapter in our lives and living in a dorm, I am going to be praying.  I am going to remember.  I am going to live out the passion inside of me, rather than keeping it all to myself. I'm going to do what I was called to do! I'm going to love on students.