Week of Patriotism

Personally, I think it's sort of hilarious that Canada Day and Independence Day are just three days apart. It makes for a very fun week in this mixed Canadian/American home. We went hiking in Waterton for Canada Day, just like last year, but I didn't take any pictures this time. I was a little busy hiking. And avoiding the dirt Sam was making fireworks with. (Note to all young boys: Dirt is NOT good for fireworks. Just wait until your water bottle is covered in dirt. Or, actually, don't. Just trust me and don't try it.)

I did take pictures at the parade in Raymond, though. Josh got a call the night before and ended up riding his dirt bike for said parade, so we went to watch him. In the rain. But, honestly, rain is better than sun if you're going to be sitting on the side of the street for an hour. 

And then today, for Independence Day, I made cupcakes. It was mostly to make up for July 1st, when I made cupcakes but never got around to icing them because we didn't get back from Waterton until way past my bedtime. I was a little worried about how the icing would turn out because it was a new recipe, but it turned out. A little soft, yes, but silky and beautiful. 

Anyway, the puppies are getting bigger and bigger. They eat up enough of my time that I've started thinking about how puppies are an excellent preparation for babies. Feed them, take them outside to pee, don't let the owls carry them off, keep an eye on them while they're sleeping... It's a lot of work. I will post pictures soon. Hopefully.

Birthdays-- AND PUPPIES!

It seems that I always end up posting on here for Sam's birthday. That was last week and he was a real champ about it. You know that little kid attitude of 'today is my birthday so everybody should be my personal slave'? Well, this year, he finally dropped it. He went around sowing peace and expressing gratitude. I'm so proud of my baby brother.

The Boy...

...and the cake.
I was pressed for time and so it didn't turn out quite nearly as well as it should have, but he loved it anyway.

In other news, our dog had puppies last month! Dad was away in BC at the time and didn't get back until last night. We have all fallen madly in love with the two puppies, and it probably adds to our love of them that we almost lost them several times over. They've been through a trying first month, but they're good and healthy now. We have yet to name them, but I'm calling them Truffle and Champion for the time being. 

Truffle

Champion

He's winking at us! 

A Little Victorian Tea Party...

Monday was Victoria Day. This is pretty much how it went in our house (Please excuse the cross-dresser. It was that or suffer death at the hands of the scalawag in white. Again.):

I'm glad Dad wasn't home or the craziness might have given him a heart attack. The house survived, though, and I guess that's all that matters.

Oh, I'm home, by the way.

Papers, Blessings and Art Galleries

So, this week has been pretty fantastic, which is funny because it is midterm week so it ought to have been terrible. I am just going to start at the beginning:

I had some eye-openers last Sunday. It started with some insights at church and then a not-so-gentle admonition that I was going to spend the rest of my life doing nothing but work if I didn't change something. I made the decision to stop worrying so much, put some more trust in the Lord, and live my life now the way that I want to be living in the future.

As previously mentioned, it was midterm week and so seemed to be a rather bad time to make such a choice. I spent all of the Saturday before on a course excursion to the National Art Gallery in Washington, D.C., so I had a bit of catching up to do on homework. In particular, I was worried about a research paper that I had barely found time to think about, let alone to work on.

This week has been filled with the most fantastic blessings in regard to that silly paper. First, my professor said that the papers could be turned in at class on Friday rather than Wednesday. Then I was given the rest of the week off on my shop hours because I had been so reliable in showing up. On Wednesday, the time for the papers to be due was extended to any time on Friday. Thursday, classes were cancelled because of the snow. Finally, on Friday, the professor said that we just had to have the papers in before he came to get them on Saturday morning.

All of these little things combined into a miracle that just blew my mind. I am quite sure that it was God's way of telling me not to worry because He had everything in hand and would take care of me if I did whatever I needed to do. I've spent the semester bogged down with all sorts of weights, and I'm feeling them lifting now as I turn them over into the hands of the Lord and only take back the part that He wants me to carry at this time. I am so, so glad.

One thing I'm planning to do now is keep in better touch with friends and family, so this blog ought to be seeing a bit more of me for the next little while. We'll see.

P.S. I didn't have much any extra time for photography in the National Gallery (in the five hours we spent there, I only managed to cover one floor of one wing), but here are a few pictures I snapped. Just to show you I was there. It was absolutely gorgeous. I must go back sometime.

Madame du Barry - 1770 - by Francois-Hubert Drouais

I loved this painting because she just looks so nice. The painting was very soft, pale and pretty. It doesn't come across right in the picture, but she just looked like the type of person you would want to know.

A Gentleman of the Zorzi Family - 1570/1580 - Alessandro Vittoria

I fell in love with this guy. The statue, not the artist. It probably helps that he's wearing armor. I've always had a soft spot for any guy in a uniform. It's the set of his jaw, I think; very determined, but carrying a hint of ideology...

Aquamanile in the Form of a Horseman - 13th Century - Probably English or Scandinavian

Guys, this is a pitcher. Not everybody gets that, so they don't appreciate its awesomeness. 

Please appreciate the awesome.

I failed here and didn't actually find out what she was called. Venus Washing, or something of the like. This is a fountain and the water -- wait for it! -- drips out of her hair. *mind blown* Also, it spews out of the mouth of the fish beside her. That is significantly more freaky and less cool.