My cousin Jason got married yesterday.  THIS cousin Jason.  (He's the one in the diaper!)

And this cousin Jason. 

 

Jason married a wonderfully, wacky girl named April.

The whole family loves April.  She's amazing.  I took this photo off of her Facebook page!  (This will take more than one post because there will be more pictures to follow.)  Here are some photos that my Aunt Zell sent me today.  Here is a picture of Aunt Zell, her daughter Teri & Teri's son, Daniel.  

Aunt Zell is Dad's baby sister.  (These are some of my favorite people on earth!)  Please remember Aunt Zell in your prayers.  She is having surgery tomorrow.  Here is Teri, my cousin Johnny (Jason's brother), and me! 

Here's Jason's other brother, Jeff (Johnny's twin) and Teri

Daniel and his cousin Isobel

Me and my dad (because it's Father's Day - post to come later)

OK, back to the wedding.... The bride and her sister, Jill (another one I stole from Facebook) 

Daniel & Scott:

A chicken

Kevin and Laura

OK....more family wedding photos to follow.  I'm going to go celebrate Father's Day with Dad right now. 

Dog

It's hard to believe that it has been almost 4 years since we said goodbye to our beloved Sadie. I think I'm finally ready for another dog.

Boy, was that girl loved.  I'd be lying if I said being a one cat family doesn't have its advantages.  We love our Greta, and are very lucky that she is such a fun and loving cat.  There are so many benefits to just having a cat...like not having to wake up at a certain time to let her out.  Or, not having to worry about leaving her in the house all day by herself.  Cats aren't needy.  Our cat is just plain good. 

I've come to the conclusion that the perfect dog for Julie is a Newfoundland.  

 

The problem is that Scott (the husband) says that I absolutely cannot get a dog with black hair.  Enter the Landseer Newfoundland:

I think it looks like it is part Sadie (Great Pyrenees). If we lived in the country, or if the Pyrenees did not bark so much, it would be a no-brainer....we'd get another Pyr. 

I'd really love to get a dog that I can have certified as a therapy dog.  I hope to take it to visit hospitals and nursing homes.  I also believe it would be a great benefit to my nice who has autism. It isn't easy getting a dog certified as a TDI therapy dog.  The test is hard and requires a dog that is extensively trained and is under the handler's control at all times. 

I don't know if Scott will let me adopt a Newfie but I'm going to try.  I don't necessarily want a puppy, however, look how cute they are...

I know someone else that would love for us to adopt another dog....Sophie!  She sure loved Sadie!

Time will tell how the dog situation pans out.  I'll keep you posted.....

Wordless Monday

Well, not exactly wordless, I just have so many random thoughts going around in my head.  I hope I don't forget to go to the dentist in the morning.  I hope I don't forget to go to my hair appointment after work.  I hope that my poison ivy wash is working because I've been spending a lot of time with Sophie lately.  I can't wait until my cousin's wedding this weekend. I'm supposed to make a dessert for church Sunday.  I can't wait until a weekend where I don't have any plans.  What kind of dog should I get?  So many people I love are going through very difficult times right now. How can I help them?  Is it ever going to stop raining?  Oh my! Father's Day is Sunday and I haven't bought the best dad in the world a present yet.  I need to clean my house.  Did I wash the clothes I want to wear tomorrow?   

Psalm 46:10
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

BE STILL 

BE SPEECHLESS

 

The Kids

I haven't posted pictures of my niece and nephew in a while.  Here are some that my sister-in-law sent me this week.

Laura graduated from her kindergarten class this week. Here, Kevin is holding the certificate where Laura won "Best Smile", however, you wouldn't know that from this picture!

With Kevin and Rana:

 

Here's the "Best Smile" in all of kindergarten:

 

Daniel is ready to go to the pool:

Daniel & Daddy:

Smile

So today I went to the dentist.  Everything was going great.  The hygenist told me that she could tell that I floss every day (I do) because my gums looked so healthy.  She said I had no tartar and hardly any plaque.  She told me my teeth looked great!  Then the dentist came in.  She examined my teeth and agreed that everything looked really good.  She said, "I just need to check your x-rays before you go.  Oh, there's a cavity.  There's a cavity."  I have 2 cavities.  How old am I again?  So now I have to go get my cavities filled next Tuesday.  Oh well, it could always be worse!  

Genesis 49:12
His eyes will be darker than wine,
    his teeth whiter than milk.

Getting Better

The past 2 weeks have been a blur.  I've been wishing the days away so that I can get over this poison ivy rash.  It is looking A LOT better and the itching is starting to subside but I have a few new patches that popped up today.  That is normal for me.  I bought a poison ivy wash called Tecnu.  Every time I play with Sophie I will wash with this special cleaner and, hopefully, I will be poison ivy free for the rest of the Summer.  I choose to look at the blessings in every situation and be thankful.  Hey, it could have been worse: 

photo from the Skin Rash Hall of Fame on poison-ivy.org

So I went to the ENT dr. yesterday.  He ran a few more tests on my ears; hearing, pressure, etc.  He says everything looks good.  He said he could refer me to an ear specialist but feels that they would have nothing new to offer me.  I have "pulsatile tinnitus" which is very rare.  It can mean very bad things but he feels that those things would have shown up on my MRI & MRA.  I'm going to trust his opinion and move on.  In the grand scheme of things....this is no big deal.  Just an annoying distraction that won't get me down!  

For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Psalm 108.4