misc.

is it really january 25th? i say it all the time, but this time it's true... time flies.

this month has been non-stop.

milestone related:
this week marks one year in st louis for me. does this mean i can tell people im from here now?

work related:
world impact st louis hosted an amazing group of college students for two and a half weeks. they came to learn more about urban ministry, hear what types of needs there are in the city and how different organizations are working to meet those needs, and do some hands-on serving.
they did some serious work for us, too, like re-finishing our gym floor and cleaning & organizing all over our building! they were a really fun group and it is very quiet here without them.
i helped drive them back to kansas this week. it was a good time to get away from the city for a minute, be reminded that there are places without buildings and concrete, and think while we drove the 7 hours there and back.
ps. it was a really pretty drive because kansas got so much snow last week and it's still covering the fields along the highway!

puppy related:
lexie is still so much fun. she weighs about twenty pounds now and is growing bigger every minute.
we started going to "puppy kindergarten" a few weeks ago to help her learn how to play nicely and get her socialized. it's part of an obedience training program run through the humane society. the funny thing is that i feel like i am being trained more often than the dog. the first class alone was a 2-hour session without pets... either way, we are both learning a lot and it's a fun time. she now knows how to sit, lay down, spin in a circle, and "settle" (lay on her side and be still). of course, she doesn't do these free of charge, i have to bait her with treats for any of it. the one lesson i hope she learns next is house-training.
stl got some good snow last weekend, too, and lexie was so curious the first time she went outside in it. she didn't know if she should eat it, or pounce on it, or dig in it, or what!


a late christmas update:
my parents and my brother came to st louis for christmas this year. it was so much fun to have them all here! my parents also brought their newest family member, charlotte, with them. we hoped charlotte and lexie would be great friends. they were not. but it was still a great holiday.