Rascal Rodeo!!!!

The rascal rodeo was MORE than I thought it would be. I didn't think I would enjoy myself as much as I did.

What made it awesome was 1) my awesome coworkers that I got to go with and 2) the awesome people who participated.

I started off with a little boy named Hunter. He is autistic and was very sweet. He took my hand right away and off to the horses the little cowboy and I went. Of course, he had to have his cowboy hats before then! He rode Fox and Magic, milked some cows, roped a baby calf and then went on a carriage ride. He held my hand the entire time and it was so wonderful to see the smile on his face as we lifted him up onto the horse. Even while holding the handles on the saddle, Hunter held my hand (let's just say my ribs got stretched out from holding his hand and reaching up high on the horse!) After the carriage ride he gave me a big hug....like a 5 minute long hug and then gave my coworker, Wendi, a hug and then me again! He was also obsessed with my earrings and even tried out some new words. N-A-T-U-R-A-L that's what he said and that's what he was on the horses.

After Hunter left, Hannah became my new buddy. She was the sweetest little girl and so so SO adorable. She loved the horses and I loved walking with her while holding her hand as she chose the next horse to get on. We took pictures with her and she was a trooper. She made my day and Johnnae's day. The news crew and other members were also taking pictures of her and I and Johnnae. She sat on my lap, held my hand and smiled! Then she gave us the biggest hug ever and it melted my heart to see her have such a wonderful day.

Bringing those smiles to those kid's faces for one day was the best part of my Summer. I know that helping others always brings me joy, but helping those kiddos just made me get a little teary eyed as I watched some of them switch out wheelchairs and walkers for a horse and others were so excited to be roping up some "baby cows" Words cannot express how thankful I am that I was put in those kid's lives for two hours to bless them with the time of their lives.

Rodeo and more

Today I get to help out at the rascal rodeo at the county fair!!!!! My work is volunteering there and I am so excited to see the smiles on the kiddos faces when they actually get to participate in a rodeo (something that they couldn't do without this special rodeo). I also get to see my precious nephew today and his broken elbow :( We'll have to do something special for him. I am also going to a mud fight tonight! OH YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I plan on getting down and dirty and everyone else better be too, because I will be throwing mud at them!

 

 

Last week I finished school....finally!!!!!!!! So now I am off until January and then hopefully I will get to start nursing school. In the meantime I will be working full time at Kohls.....Or somewhere else at this rate!

Yesterday I went on a date. It was fun. We played crochet in the park with another couple and then BANG! when we got home. We had a picnic in the park and then ice cream with homemade hot fudge sauce to top the night off!!! It was a night full of fun and laughter!


That's a quick update on my summer! Gotta go to the Rodeo!!!!!

TWINNER!!!

Some people joke about having a twin, others say that their best friends are so much like them they are basically twins. Well guess what?!? I have a twin too :)

Her name is Kaitlin Nichole... My name is Kaitlyn Nicole... Yea, we are that cool haha.

We met when we were about to enter high school. We met in Europe? Or probably a little bit before in the airport in New Jersey but technically it was Europe. We didn't know we would be twins til probably about France.

We were getting ready for our home stays and our DM said "Kaitlin Nichole...wait we have two Kaitlyn Nicoles?? will be going ..."  From that point I think we became best of friends on that trip haha. We discovered that we have so much in common it's kind of scary :)  We did just about everything together!

It has been almost 6 years since we have seen each other now. I miss her but I still love that we can pick up where we left off when we do talk to each other again :) Plus... I've got one embarrassing picture of Kailin that I can hold against her... I believe it's that one picture where we tried to straighten your massive curly hair?!? :) One day we will have to have a reunion because it's just been way too long!

At the last hotel...and probably the coolest...we got to choose our roommates. I of course picked my twin and she picked me :) So we pushed our beds together!

And stayed up all night writing in this journal for Nelly :)

Attempted straightening her hair...but just drying it scared me haha

I couldn't have asked for a better twin that lives half a country away :)

Little Warrior

I don't know how I stumble upon blogs that just make me bawl and that I can relate to all too often but I do... The other night I was looking up "families can be together forever" and found a blog from someone from the church. I read it and followed the blog she was talking about....and that blog just made me bawl.

A mother of triplets lost one of her boys, Owen, at 6 months. You'll have to read the blog yourself to get the full story and feel how strongly she loves her son. But as I was reading this blog and thinking about church the next day I started thinking "How can I be a better member missionary?" How can I share what I believe with others.

I wanted to share with this mother that she can one day see her son again and will get to raise him like she's always wanted. I wanted to say that he is with our loving Heavenly Father right now, watching them and that he is happy. I wanted to share these things with her, but didn't because sharing my testimony with others has never come easy to me.... yet.

http://bissingfamily.com/category/owens-gone/page/2/

Moving Up!!!

We finally got the house we've been wanting :) It's perfect. It's quiet outside, you can hear cows moo, watch squirrels chase each other on the fence and hear frogs and crickets.

We've been having BBQ's and working on the house almost every weekend. Thanks to out uncle and aunt (and cousins too) we've gotten a lot done. The sprinklers in the main yard are all fixed and running. The rooms upstairs are all painted, carpets pulled out and ugly curtains taken down. Thanks to Mark for doing most of the painting! All that's left to do inside is paint the kitchen and basement and redo the floors. Oh, and the bathrooms....those may be for another month lol. There really isn't much to do outside either.....just more yard work, cleaning things up, trimming trees and bushes and redoing the courtyard. The big one would be the pasture which has yet to be finished because the sprinklers out there are not working....yet.

Hopefully we will get to move in soon!!!

The "play room" where we put all the toys for cousins to play with lol

Basement!

Utility room

Other side of the basement....with the juice bar

Behind the bar that will be used for snacks!

No one's room!

Baby bro's room (all the plastic is because we spray painted)

Kitchen (which is being redone this week....we usually don't have doors or buffet tables in the dining room either...or blue carpets which is now gone)

Mud room/Pantry/Laundry room for now

We usually don't have closet doors in bathrooms either lol

Jack and Jill room with the carpet out!

How we entertain!!!

All I need in my room is an old cute couple sitting in those chairs lol

Gracie's room

M&M's room

kinda becoming a tradition now

Pink closets!!!

lots of storage in my new room!!!!

Best view in the house!!!

Better watch out on April Fool's day! I've got no screen and am more than willing to drop balloons and flour on your head.... We also don't usually have wheelbarrows with blue carpet on the porch :)

 

 

 

My camera died before I could get to the great room, the foyer, the master room, the front yard, the courtyard, the backyard or the pasture....soon to come :)



Chance the Lifeguard!

Last month we lost one of the best friends a group of kids could ever grow up with. Our dog Chance. We got him shortly after we lost our dog Shadow, about 12 years ago. He was a rescue dog and one of the bests.

When we got him he was about 3 or 4 years old. He instantly became our water dog. Every time we went swimming or turned on the hose he was there. He ran around the pool barking at all the kids that would be swimming in there making sure that they were doing okay.

It's been a weird summer swimming in the pool without Chance running around it. We miss him, Bear misses him, but at least we know he is in a better place....not suffering anymore.