doggy park

today i took jack to the dog park at quiet waters. i try to do this a few times a week. lately, we've been favoring the big dog park over the small dog park, because usually when jack is in the small dog one, if he's not running the fence with a big dog, he's crying and sticking his little nose through the chain link fence, pining away for the chance to really RUN with those big dogs.

how's that for a run-on sentence?

anyway, today when we entered the gate, jack took off, just like normal, eager to play chase and tag with the friendly doggies. but there were a lot of dogs today. and when he got to the corner area where the dogs were congregating (i.e. a pack. red flag.), they ganged up on him!

they were tossing him so hard he was flipping in the air, and they barked aggressively as jack scurried away from their biting mouths. jack's eyes became super-wide and he did his best to bare his teeth and give a mean bark back. but he was surrounded by at least three big dogs! i called after him, but i didn't want to jump into the middle of things, for fear of being bitten or even attacked myself. i was shocked and angered that the owners of these dogs made no effort whatsoever to intervene.

i finally got jack out of the middle of these dogs, and he made a slow, steady, cowering, straight line for the exit. tail tucked tightly between his legs. ears back. head lowered. poor baby.

i found several mild bite scrapes on him when i gave him a bath. he needed one badly from being tumbled around. i'm very proud of him for playing well at the small dog park, after such a frightening incident with the big dogs. and i'm thankful that there was a dog in the small dog park who was spunky enough to run around with jack =) i'm also glad that all he has is a few scrapes. thank you, Jesus! it was so scary!

(when i was about 10, i remember my aunt's little, white dog being mauled severly by an aggressive neighborhood dog. so i am particularly keen to/paranoid about these types of occurances.)

first day

daniel's first day as a school teacher went BEAUTIFULLY! i am overjoyed, though not at all surprised.

he had the students fill out a little questionnaire, and he brought them home. i got to look through them, and it was really fun to get to know his kiddos a little bit. as a joke, the last question was, "who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?" about 90% of the students thought it would be hilarious if they answered, "mr. clark." they were right. =)

i'm so impressed with how efficiently daniel is planning his lessons. his creativity and ability to communicate with and instruct middle schoolers are gifts i already knew he had. but i have really seen tremendous growth in him in planning and even organizing. these were two of his biggest obstacles as a youth pastor, and he has come such a long way in such a short time! hooray!

i have a dream =)

picture this: me and daniel. spain. me dancing for Jesus. daniel helping connect people with God and his church.

is that not the coolest thing you've ever pictured???

well, we're super stoked for daniel's sweet new job - a total gift from God - so we're not doing anything hasty.

but we're praying about it! and that's super exciting to me!!!!!!!!

blessed with some good free time during the day while daniel is at work, i've been researching spain a whole bunch and missions organizations and stuff like that. i'm trying to get a full time office job so that we can afford for me to take dance classes one or two nights a week. =D

exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oops

so, we forgot to take our camera to lake tahoe.

but we did remember to take it up to new jersey when we visited daniel's parents, brian and lucy, this past weekend.

...

and then we left it there.

grr!

i have some really fun stuff i want to share, but alas, it will have to wait.

and they're off!

actually, we're off. to lake tahoe. daniel is a groomsman in a wedding this coming tuesday, and we will be out of town and pretty much out of touch until thursday.

i will miss reading your blogs =) and i'm looking forward to sharing pictures with you when i get back.

family reunion 2009!

June 28-July 3 daniel and i ventured out to the rocky mountains for the biannual leone family reunion. i went two years ago when it was in canada and daniel and i were only dating. it was a lot of fun to go as our own little family this time =)

after uncle larry drove us all to the wrong park on the wrong side of the rockies, we made it safe and sound - and had a FABULOUS week. it was beautiful, relaxing, and chock full of fun times. here are some pics...















this is where we stayed: Snow Mountain Ranch, CO. b-e-a-utiful!















this is us with andre and alyssa - the real newlyweds of the group. they'd only been married for about two weeks! "welcome to the lef-hand-ring-club," as daniel would say =) it was our first time meeting alyssa, and my first time meeting andre. we had a really great time together, even though it was brief.















we stood outside for about 15 or 20 minutes taking this shot on pretty much EVERYONE'S camera. wow. and, of course, daniel was the only one to ask for a silly pose =) too fun! right smack dab in the middle, our cousin sean is pretending to strangle my father-in-law, brian. hehe. it's a big, crazy group - and there were even a few who couldn't make it!

i ADORE having a big family =)

merely a flesh wound

today i got bit by a chinchilla.

it's true.

i went to my hubby's classroom to check out his new job-spot. hooray, daniel! anyway, they have about a billion animals in the classrooms - 3 turtles, a ferret, 4 chinchillas, fish, mice, dare-i-say-it-snakes, and in iguana. (there was only one snake, and daniel covered it up for me before i came in the room.)















anyway, the chinchillas were just so stinking cute. i put my finger near the cage, and that sweet little face BIT ME! i was shocked! i bled and everything. it hurt like heck.

turns out, these little guys are used to being fed raisins anytime hands get close to the cage. i bet raisins taste a lot better than may hand.

thanks a lot, chinchilla. i'm glad at least we understand each other now.