Heading to the Big Apple!

It has snuck up on us, but believe it or not, we are heading to NYC tomorrow! My sister is living there currently, and we are going to visit her and experience life as New Yorkers. I have to say I am a bit overwhelmed with all of the suggestions we have gotten on what to do when we are there. There are A LOT of options and variety. For example, we could spend the entire time visiting museums and learning about art, history, science, nature, I am sure I am missing some other arm of academia. It has also been recommended that we see a show on Broadway, but which one? Or go to one of those sketchy vendors on Canal Street for a knock off purse. One girl I know told me she got into a van down there that took her to a building with a secret room where they kept the stash of the best replica designer hand bags. She said the vans are the way to go for the most realistic stuff. My sister said that is not the best idea though (maybe she is right) so perhaps we will stay on the streets.

Now, I have always wanted to be one of those people holding a sign outside the Good Moring America studio, you know bundled up and supporting their state, school, or political party? However, I am not sure what my sign would say, and you must have to get up super early to do that so I am not sure it would be worth it. Also on our list: Brooklyn Bridge, China Town, Little Italy, Financial District, Times Square, Central Park, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, it is endless what we can see and do there! I am not sure where to start.

Hopefully tonight, in the airport, or on the plane we can come up with a more concise plan. I know we won’t get to do everything, but I am excited to wing it a little and see what we discover. Stay tuned for the details, I at least want to eat a piece of pizza by the slice and a street hot dog like they do in the movies.

Nathalie

Sabbath

Sunday Andrew and I took a Sabbath. Let me tell ya, whoever thought of taking a day in the week just to rest is a genius! God knows what he is talking about and it did my soul much good. We went to church, ate roast on the patio, read, napped, talked, and hung out together all day. I took some pictures but my camera is being stupid...maybe I will post them later. It was much needed, as I cannot tell you the last full day I spent just resting. My personality, or more accurately, my sinful nature, is all about getting as much done as possible during waking hours. There is nothing wrong with being a productive person. God calls us to work hard. However, if I am not careful, my worth and sense of fullness comes from checking off my to-do list rather than the Lord. What joy comes from taking a break! How merciful is He to call us to a time of regular resting.

Nathalie

A Hard Decision…

I have a heavy heart while writing this post as Andrew and I have made a tough decision regarding one of our dogs June. She is the pretty Lab mix we rescued shortly after we got married. A little background before I dive into the whole story: June is the first thing Andrew and I took on together as a team. As you know I was not the biggest “dog person” before marriage, but I liked them enough to give pet ownership a try. So we adopted June and instantly became responsible for a living creature in our care. It forced us to be on the same page with discipline, training, etc…and she became our dog. Neither of us had ever had a dog that was just “ours” before, and adopting June turned out to be a huge blessing for us. She is smart, came housetrained, and loves to do anything and everything with us..and she has. When we first got her, I found myself thinking of places to take her and activities to do that included all of us. Ever since, we have spent many an afternoon at the dog park, on daily walks, runs, 2 dog training classes, I could go on. June also accompanied us on road trips and we marveled at how well she did in the car and with other people, dogs, children, etc. wherever we went. She changed the way I see people and their pets, and admittedly, I love that darn dog.

It is not as if she doesn’t have her faults. June continues to show us that she wants to be in charge of all other dogs. This became even more apparent when we got our second dog Wesson. She would snarl over a toy and not let him have it, but he backed down and there was never a real issue. We were also at ease since she has gotten along with other dogs like her best friend Monroe Phillips and countless dogs at the parks we frequent.

So it was to our great shock and horror when we took June and Wesson to a local dog park several weeks ago and she bit/attacked another dog. We went early in the morning and there were only 3 other dogs there. A woman and her weimaraner were playing fetch with a ball. Andrew threw the ball for her dog (as he can throw farther and wanted to help the lady out), but June went after the ball too and when the other dog got the ball, June starting attacking. Even when the other dog gave up the ball she would not stop biting. It was terrifying as I watched Andrew attempt to break up the fight. In what seemed like an eternity, but was actually probably only a few seconds, he was able to grab June’s hind legs and get her off. Once it was over, June acted as if nothing happened and resumed play. I was in a state of shock but was able to examine the damage. She had drawn blood on the other dog's ears and neck. The dog would need to see a vet but seemed to be ok. I was devastated. Not only had our beloved pet acted out in a horrific way toward someone else's beloved pet, but suddenly I felt an instant distrust towards June. I cried right there at the park…I didn’t know how else to respond. I was grieved that this animal we have invested so much in did what we never thought she’d do. That the dog owners who witnessed it thought we were irresponsible, it was awful. We gave the injured dog’s owner, who was upset also but actually tried to console me, our contact information so we could pay the vet bills. Now we were left with what to do next.

Andrew and I have been wrestling with this since. Was this an isolated incident? What if she does it again? What if it is a smaller dog next time or worse a human? Is she safe to be around kids? Will our friends never come to our house again because of this? Can we blame them if they don’t? On and on these questions were evaluated and discussed. Could we fix her somehow? What if we put her up when people come over? She has never done this before….maybe it is ok?

Ultimately, no matter how hard we try, we cannot justify having a dog that is capable of hurting other dogs. As much as we love her, and have shed tears over this decision, we have agreed we cannot keep her. As bad as I felt about her hurting another animal, it would destroy me if she hurt a person or child. Oh I shudder at the thought. And knowing this happened, and didn’t take action, how could I live with myself? I can’t. We have decided. It doesn’t make it easier though…

Andrew and I called the rescue group that we adopted June from. They are going to find her another home and we will keep her until then. It is hard to think about never seeing her again, and doesn’t help that I feel the rescue group is disappointed in us like we are giving up on her. I am taking it personally and feel like I want them to know how often I wash her bed, and make sure she is walked, fed, mentally stimulated, etc. I wish they knew how much I love her and have done for her! Part of me also feels like a failure, always wondering if there was something we could have done to prevent it. No matter my feelings and insecurities, I am at peace that this is the best decision for our family. June will be a great dog for people with older kids or who are single and active. We hope she will find a place that will love her as much as we have and that our broken hearts would mend quickly.

Nathalie

10 Things I Love About Andrew:

I happen to be married to the guy who has it all. Andrew is full of amazing gifts and talents, and the fact God chose him for me? Well it baffles me and I continue to be in awe of how blessed I am! Of course I am a little bias, but what wife isn’t? He is the butter to my bread (is that the right expression?). I get expressions mixed up a lot. Expression dyslexia if you will. In other words he gets me and we just click. Here are some of my favorite things about my husband:

1. He loves God. I had to put that first since it is truly what I love most about him but the remaining 9 things are more lighthearted and less serious. Enjoy…

2. His athleticism is unmatched. See here how he masterfully chases the dog through the snow.

3. Andrew always acts cool in front of celebrities. Yes friends this is Coolio in the flesh! I feel like singing “Gangster’s Paradise” right now. This 90’s rap icon showed up at a wedding we attended last May. Andrew very naturally asked him about his 8 ball necklace. Oh wait that was me…and it was kind of awkward as I found out later that the 8 ball is a drug symbol. Andrew though? Cool (he knew about the 8 ball already) with Coolio and we got this shot before the impromptu rap performance for the bride and groom.

***side note: the bride and groom had no idea he would be attending

4. Next I feel the need to mention Andrew’s hot body. I especially enjoy his backside as seen in this photo. He loves when I take these kinds of pictures too:)

5. His front side is not bad either and shows off his ruggedly handsome features. Won’t our children be beautiful?

6. I have mentioned his resourcefulness numerous times in my short blogging life, but must say this gift continues to make me marvel. Remember the shop vac hair dryer solution? All his idea.

7. He is a man’s man too…look at the way he guides us through the rapids here. I was so at ease with his boating skills that I felt led to get the camera out for this shot.

8. Andrew is also one of the funniest people I know. If you know him this is obvious. Being serious is something he only does in private on rare occasions.

9. He was also blessed with the gift of rhythm, although he is from a Scottish heritage. Here he is at our wedding with Sarah (one of our bridesmaids)…wasn’t she lucky to take a spin around the floor with this guy? He is so uninhibited when he dances.

10. Finally (for this list anyway) the man is brilliant. He has 2 degrees in engineering (the hard fields) and can look at a math problem or any problem and figure it out. One time our ice maker didn’t work. He took apart the entire freezer, diagnosed the issue, developed a fix, fixed it, and put it all back together. There is nothing he can’t figure out!

A God loving, good looking, smart, but still cool, brilliant man. What else could a girl ask for? I love this guy!

Now on a more serious note, a prayer request. Tomorrow Andrew will be taking his Professional Engineering Exam all day. He has been preparing for this test for weeks now in hopes of passing (there is a 30% pass rate!). Please join me in praying for him tomorrow. It is a grueling 8 hours so your thoughts and prayers are appreciated.

Nathalie

Lesson’s from Early Marriage: The Bath Mat

***Update: I thought Bath Mat was two words when I wrote this in Word. However, it wanted me to make it one word and even had synonyms: rug, mat, etc! I have now changed it back to two. Stupid MS Word. Thanks for your grace! ****

I have been in a reflective mood lately thinking on married life and what I have learned in my 1.5 years of wifehood. One of the first lessons was that to two people, the word “bath mat” can have very different meanings. I became aware of this fact the first week of living with Andrew. It was an exciting time. We had just come back from our honeymoon in Jamaica slightly tanned. Slightly tan might be an overstatement, because that week there was a hurricane on the neighboring island, and needless to say, the sun was not out much. It didn’t matter though, Andrew is very fair and I have grown out of my obsession with having the perfect bronze glow. I still like to have a tan, don’t get me wrong, but the consequences that come with it; wrinkles, skin cancer, wrinkles are enough to make me slather on SPF 45 anytime we venture outdoors. Anyway I digress….

So it was our first week home and our first week to live together (besides on our honeymoon, but that is not real life). It was wonderful to be together all the time. We got to wake up in the same place, have the same address, and not leave each other at night. We also got to share a bathroom. Now let me explain for those of you not familiar with our master bedroom/bath. The house was built in 1960 during a time where apparently the Jon was a place to be close to your spouse. There is one small sink/vanity a toilet, and shower all in a 5X7 foot room. I am guessing on the dimensions…just take my word for it. Perhaps that design didn’t work out so well and why you see much larger master bathrooms today with two sinks, lots of drawers and towel racks etc. I am not complaining. We are truly blessed with and love our home, even the bathroom. It has built character and taught us lessons about who we are and where we come from.

Which brings me to the incident at hand: One of these first mornings Andrew took his shower first. It is our usual custom that I shower first since it takes me more time to get ready, but this particular morning was an exception. I heard the water stop and gave him a few minutes to towel off before I made my entrance. Again, it is a small room not really made for two. When I felt ready to take my shower I entered the bathroom still wearing my PJs and socks. Andrew was now at the sink brushing his teeth or shaving. To my utter discomfort, as soon as I stepped foot onto the bathroom tile, my socks filled with cold water. I looked down and noticed the entire bathroom was covered in a shallow puddle. How could this happen I thought…do we have a leak somewhere? Then I noticed the bath mat next to my soaked foot was also completely saturated. The rest went something like this:

Me: Eww…why is the floor all wet? (begin removing sock)

Andrew: I don’t know…I just got out of the shower it is always a little wet

Me: Seriously? Babe there is a huge puddle here. Did you not towel off in the shower before getting out?

Andrew: What? No…that is what a bath mat is for

Me: You mean you don’t towel off first?

Andrew: No…I get out, drip on the mat and then I like to put the towel around me without “toweling”. I prefer to air dry.

Me: That is so weird and not what a bath mat is for. A bath mat is to keep your feet warm after you step out of the tub after drying off as much as possible with a towel. Or from slipping, but a towel is for soaking up water not the bath mat. Can’t you see my feet are drenched here?

Andrew: Laughing…it is for dripping but whatever.

We agreed to disagree. It is a lighthearted example but a lesson for me that Andrew is not always going to see things how I see them or do things like I do them. He can’t meet every expectation. Not having expectations is something I will always likely struggle with. However, this situation at least made me aware of it, which was a good lesson to learn in the first week of marriage.

Nathalie