false alarm!

well, i have been dog sitting this past week, and it has been great....until this morning.
isabel, the dog, was yelping to go out at a bright and early 5am this morning...and i just kind of ignored it for a few minutes, until i heard a weird noise coming from her cage...i jumped up and looked...and she had puked! so, i ran her out the back door to find that she also has diarreah...then, on top of everything..i hear the alarm go off! OH NO! I FORGOT TO TURN OFF THE ALARM BEFORE I TOOK HER OUT! so i run to turn off the alarm, and its too late. the alarm company called to leave a message to call them back...so i did...but they needed a verbal password, which i didnt have...so i needed to call the owner and get the password. on top of all this, isabel has diarreah so im making sure she is ok and not going in the house. so i call stacy, and tell her everything. next thing i know, the cops are outside...i try to open the door, but the deadbolt was locked and i needed my keys, which were upstairs! so i ran to get my keys and met the 2 cops..who were like, how do we know you are not a robber, etc. i told them the situation...i showed them i had keys and talked to the alarm company, etc. they asked to see my ID, but they never asked again to see it. they just asked my name, etc. that was it! they gave me a ticket, and were gone! if i really did want to rob, i think i could have gotten away with it! i could have had the real house sitter tied up somewhere and made her give me the keys and call stacy for the verbal password! crazy~ i guess they just knew i was ok. must be the smile :) hehehe

so it was a crazy morning...but it was some good excitement and tells a good story. off to indy tomorrow for a family get together! my grandmas both had birthdaysL 81 (moms mom) and 70 (dads mom) HAPPY BIRTHDAY! im looking forward to seeing everyone!

so...my goal is for sure to do 2 triathlons this summer, the training class starts next friday...530am..and to be honest, im scared. good goal though, and with Gods strength, i think it can be done. plus, the training wont hurt either. check it out! www.wellfitinc.com

dog days

well, my life right now is all about dogs. i am house/dog sitting and while my dad has been gone to visit my brother, i also have to walk cho cho. so...my day consisted of this today:
walk isabel (house sitting dog)
go to church
walk cho cho
go back to isabels house and walk her
grocery shopping
walk cho cho
ride bike back to isabels house to walk her
come to my house and feed my dogs
walk my dogs
walk cho cho
walk isabel

wow...kind of insane...but i have to keep telling myself, all to Gods glory and only for the love of Him...because i couldnt do it otherwise.

today, my mom and i visited Uptown Baptist Church, a church in chicago that i have wanted to visit ever since we moved here 5 years ago..and i finally went, and loved it! i love baptist churches because they hold nothing back and really get into worship and love eachother, or so it seems! the congregation is really loving and sevice minded, which i also enjoy. hopefully i can get involved in a small group and get to know some people there in the few months i am here for the summer. well see!

"whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord not for men. " colossians 3:23

update, update, update

well, welcome back to chicago...the windy city. you know, they dont call it the windy city for nothin...it really is. just take a walk down a street, especially by the lake, and you will quickly discover why it is the windy city. i have been in the states for almost a month now...and the time has flown..which makes me sad because this summer will go by too quickly. that seems like the trend of life.

i have done some great things while i have been home, well, not as good as ecuador..but decent. i have actually been kinda bored and lonely...but youll have that when you leave a great community of 90 friends and come to a huge city where no one knows your name. i think more people on my block know my dogs name than mine :) hehehehe.

when i got home from ecuador with will, we basically headed off to indy to see our closest friends for some moral support. i was able to hang out with NEWD (nicole, eileen, whitney, and danielle) and go the the indy 500...well, i didnt really watch it..but who needs to! :)



me and whit at the race :)












in indy...i also realized that i have a gift for organizing...or have nothing else to do..because while i was in indy i helped organize a room for some friends of mine, and then spent 3 days with my grandma setting up a 2 day yard sale in mooresville, Indiana. it was interesting.especially when we saw a family of opposums in her storage area...and then we found out one was riding in the truck with us! it was an adventure :)

back in chicago, i was able to get a bike..since i dont have a car anymore..i had to get a bike. i love it..its a road bike..the brand is Marin..which is a good line of bikes...not a lot of people have them, which is nice because you dont see 500 people with the same bike...unless you are my mom, because she got the exact same bike as me! great....:) its fine though. since i have gotten my bike, ive riden about 100 miles in a week....not bad...but not great compared to the 10,000 miles my dad has riden in a year! congrats dad! he just finished yesterday!

i am working at the bakery, best in chicago ..called Angel Food Bakery. check it out at www.angelfoodltd.com its amazing. i love working there....its fun. i am also walking a dog, Cho Cho...which my dad formerly walked..but i am taking it over for some good and quick money..21 dollars a day for 3 20 minute walks a day. its nice money and adds up quickly. i have also had some chances to house/dog sit..which is also a blessing because i need to learn the art of saving money. :) i guess its time now.

here is a top 5 list of things ive done since ive been home:
5. candy expo show (see picture below...tons of candy....wow.each of the bags you see is filled to the brim with candy)
4.working at bakery/great community and fun there
3.getting reaquainted with the great food in chicago
2.new bike/riding in the city
1.seeing family and friends



well, i know this is nothing exciting...hopefully more later. being home is a growing experience....and i am learning...and realizing i am nothing without God's grace.