Houseguest

This past week I've had a houseguest! And she's so cute! Kyle was planning to visit some friends in Columbus over the weekend, so I said I'd keep his dog, Brutus (don't let the name confuse you; she's a girl, she's just a big Ohio State fan and REALLY enjoyed the game this past weekend). Well, we figured I might as well keep her for the rest of the week since he'd be back up this way on Wednesday for Thanksgiving and I'm doing...well, not much of anything right now!
I've loved having her around and am amazed at what a good dog she is. To be real honest, I think we were all a little unsure about Brutus's mental stability last Christmas, which is the only time I'd ever met her. She was insane. But, she's calmed down so much and is really a great little girl! And have I mentioned that she's so stinkin' cute! Here are a few pictures to prove it.

I was folding some laundry this morning and she crawled under my bed and just stuck her head out and watched. There's absolutely nothing under my bed, but I guess it just looked cozy to her!
What a little lady, sitting with her paws crossed and enjoying the heat! She learned this from her time with Aunt Jessica. She needed some "girl time". Too much time with all those boys at Kyle's house!

Her favorite spot: in front of the door waiting to go out. She loves taking walks. Also, I think she likes my boots. (you can't really tell in any of these photos, but Kyle has a black and white polka dot and pink trimmed collar on her! I applaud him for embracing her girl-ness, even with a name like "Brutus"!)

How cute is this girl?

I am a proud aunt. So sue me! But seriously, having Brutus here gave me my dog-fix for a while and I think her master got himself a great little dog!

Ohio Days

Well, apparently I'm in the blogging mood today, because I'm going for two posts in one day! So, to pick up where I left off...since I returned from Florida and visiting friends and family, I've been here in Huron, Ohio, where I lived before heading over to Poland. I'm back in my little cottage, so it's really strange. Some nights, I lay in bed and think "was that all real? Did I really live in Poland for two years?" It's that weird feeling of everything feels the same, yet it all seems so different too.
Anyhoo, I've been spending my time still visiting people and getting settled, as well as starting to work on a job search. I've applied to a few pre-school programs and am waiting to hear about some positions open. I don't really have a long range plan at this point, just to get a job for the next few months and go from there. I read this the other morning and it brought me comfort as I wait on the Lord:
"Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." Psalm 139:16
Even though I have no idea what's going on, I'm going to believe that the Lord does!

So, meanwhile, while I have a little free time on my hands, I've been just trying to enjoy the rest that the Lord has provided in this time. Today, after walking down to my parent's house to put away some thawing meat (that's the luxury of living down the street from one another!), I bundled up and headed down to the beach and tried to take a few pictures. But, as with most things in nature, a photo just absolutely doesn't do God's creation justice. It was amazing. And, yes, I do understand that not everyone finds beauty in the muddy brown, cold waters of Lake Erie, but for whatever reason, I just love it and find it absolutely beautiful. We've had cold weather and a little bit of snow over the past few days and I'm even loving that. Of course, I loved laying on the beach in Florida, but I am also enjoying the approaching winter here in Ohio. There's a different kind of beauty to winter, but beauty nonetheless. And add in there a strong northwest wind and a stirred up lake...well, here are a few weak attempts to capture it.

The Huron Lighthouse (although, to keep it real here, I must add that this isn't really much of a lighthouse. I was with some friends coming in one really rough night and we didn't see the "lighthouse" until we were pretty much right next to it. It wasn't exactly the beacon of hope, guiding us safely to shore, that I had always romantically dreamed it would be. Oh well!)

This buoy got washed ashore sometime and is just waiting in the grass until next summer.

Floridays

So, just in case there is any one person still remaining in the world who actually checks this thing, here is a little "catch up" on what's been going on since I returned to the west side of the pond! I know it's been three weeks, so I apologize that it's been so long and thank you SO much for those of you who have asked how I'm doing, what I'm up to and prayed for this transition. It surely hasn't been easy, so thank you and please keep praying!

I returned to the states on Tuesday October 28th, to see my parents waiting with sheer joy and excitement at baggage claim at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. It was a good sight. My little legs couldn't carry me fast enough down the corridor to baggage claim! Anyhoo, on Thursday, my parents and brother and I headed to Florida for a few days to unwind and spend time together before everyone runs off to work and whatnot. It was FABULOUS! And, as is usual if you know my family, we created quite a few memories. Let's just say that we started calling ourselves the "Griswolds". If you've ever seen the National Lampoon's movies, this should give you a feel for the kinds of things that happened. I wouldn't have it any other way! We laid on the beach, collected shells, Kyle fished, ate good seafood, played cards (my dad and I were victorious, I might add!), and just generally enjoyed being together and relaxing.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the trip. I should also mention that we stayed at an over-55 only mobile home retirement community. All I'm saying is that I'm pretty much ready to be 55 and retire to Florida and get a golf cart.

This was a quiet little beach that my dad and I rode our bikes to. My mom and Kyle had to get back to work, so they left Monday, while my dad and I stayed until Tuesday. This quiet little beach had TONS of different little animals swimming and crawling around. We had fun just exploring.

I hate to say it (for my fellow Ohioans anyways), but this was my view from my beach blanket in late October/early November. A girl could get used to that.

Ok, so this is a pelican. I took this picture before I knew how closely intertwined (literally) my family would soon become with a pelican. These guys are pretty big and really tame. They were just walking all over this pier where Kyle was fishing. Ask him sometime about his pelican fishing adventure. I think enough time has passed that he'll laugh about it and tell you a great story. I think.

Kyle and my dad "talkin' fish". This was right before the above-mentioned pelican incident. Seriously, ask him sometime. It's classic and goes right along with the "Griswold" thing.

My mom and dad and I went on a little walk one morning. We were scoping out the "retirement villa" and were on our way to see one of the pools, when a kind lady told us about this bridge and the alligator that lives there. We looked for Al the whole time we were there, but as far as I know, no luck. Maybe next time we can have a run-in with a big, scary, meat eating alligator--if we're lucky!

As I said, my dad and I returned on Tuesday evening, and the following Friday I headed down to Dayton to see some girlfriends from college and go to a bridal shower for one of them on Saturday. It was so great to see these girls again and I'm looking forward to seeing more of them at the wedding in a couple of weeks! I trekked from Dayton to Urbana to visit family and had another great reunion. I got to visit with my grandma, aunt and uncle, cousins and their adorable kids! It was great to see them and I'm glad I didn't have to wait until Thanksgiving to see them.

Well, I think I'll end this "quick" update here and add some more in another post!