terrible.

Well I am obviously terrible at keeping up with blogging. I have been so busy this summer but have loved every minute of it. Things are slowing down a bit because we have had absolutely no rain. Which is NOT good at all. I have been riding horses a lot, picking veggies, stringing tomatoes, digging potatoes, picking corn, hoeing pigweed, mowing, mowing, and mowing some more. Now that things are slowing down I should be able to start posting some blogs to update on some stuff. Right now I just have time to post a pic of the sunset we had the fourth of July. We hoped that cloud would bring us some rain but no such luck...

Birthdays.

My dad and I almost share a birthday. His is May 1st and mine is the 2nd. We celebrated our birthdays this past weekend. My dad turned 50! My dad and I are a lot alike. I have some of my mom in me but am a lot more like my dad. I don't know what I would do without him. He puts up with all my animals and takes care of them when I'm not home. He loves animals as much as I do but sometimes he doesn't have much time to take care of them but he always makes time. He has always been there to support me and love me no matter what. He may not say it much but I know he is so proud of me and loves me very much. I am very proud to be his daughter and so thankful for all the things he does for me. Paying for my tuition, supporting my dream to become a large animal vet, teaching me to drive tractors and fix things, and the list goes on. My dad is so important to me! There are so many more things I could say about my dad and how great he is. I wish I had more time to share old pictures and memories but this will have to do for now. 

Happy Birthday Dad! I love you, and don't know what I would do without you!

Allyson

Easter.

I had a great long weekend home last weekend. Thursday I went and got a pedicure with my mom and we bought LOTS of plants, which I spent all day Friday planting. (It started pouring just I was finishing and didn't quit until I left home, so no pictures of my hard work. The rain is another story. Goodness...) I really enjoyed my day outside. 

Kody (and Gus) came over, and so did Brett and Emma, Friday night. Sabbath we spent the day at church, remember the great sacrifice that Jesus made for us. I sang "Why" by Nicole Nordeman. I will post the video but it's with a little apprehension. It was hard to get through. Everyone was crying, my allergies were TERRIBLE, and I was the most nervous I have ever been when singing in front of people. I literally thought I was gonna pass out in the middle of it. Haha I normally don't get nervous when I sing in front of people, especially my home church but this song has so much power. I guess that is what made me so nervous, the words are just amazing! Aunt Caroline and I cried almost every time we practiced it. Anyway, enjoy.

Sabbath afternoon was spent with family. :) It was raining so we all visited inside.

Saturday night was exciting. The kids decided they both wanted to sleep with me, both nights. Which was a little surprising, considering Emma is glued to my mom usually. Friday night went pretty good. They both talk in there sleep, which made me laugh a few times, but Saturday night was the fun night. It stormed really bad. About 3:00 in the morning the thunder got really loud. Every once in awhile it would be really loud and every time the kids would both sit straight up and yell "It's a tornado!!" It was hilarious. I would tell them it was just thunder and they would automatically be back asleep. One of the times Brett popped up and said "It's a tornado!! Don't worry I learned what to do at school." so cute.  It rained ALL day Sunday. We got almost 8 inches on Sunday alone I think. Or at least somewhere close to that much. It never quit! 

Our whole yard looked like this.

Our little pond was going over the spillway and spreading way out into the pasture. 

So, we spent the day inside. I braided Emma's hair. I was surprised she sat still that long.

We dressed Gus up. :) He still loves us. 

We dyed eggs.

Adam was quite creative. 

This is how Gus felt about it.

Since it rained ALL day, we hid eggs in the house. The kids still enjoyed it.

Gus is loved by all. :) He had so much fun running around everywhere in our yard and escaping. Sunday he had to stay inside because it rained so much. I don't think it hurt his feelings any.... he was worn out by the time the day was over. He had a blast following everyone around. 

It was so nice to be home and relax with family. This weekend is my dad and I's birthday weekend. I have to work, so my family came to see me. 

Well I need to put the girls to bed.

Hope everyone has a happy weekend! :)

belong.

This is where I belong. Every time I go home, I realize it even more. I know it's home and that it should bring up those emotions anyway, but this is just where I can be me and enjoy what I'm doing. The last few days, and actually the whole semester, have made me realize that I have chosen the right career. I have learned a lot at Ozark but I miss being outside and not having to deal with people all of the time. I know we are supposed to get out of our comfort zone, but working on the farm and being outside makes me happy. I feel like going to vet school is getting me out of my comfort zone but I still want to come back to the farm when I'm done. I have realized that when you are doing something you enjoy, even if it is work, it is still better than having to do a job you don't enjoy. Sounds cliche but so true. 

I'm ready to start my clinic, build a house, and start a family on the farm. Just skip the whole school part. :) 

gus.

This is Gus (or Clyde, or George, or Woody, or Dan) we can't decide. Gus has stuck the best. Kody and I got him from the shelter. I have been wanting a basset hound and when we saw him we knew he needed to come home with us. He lives with me most of the time. We have him on a trial for now but I have to take him back and fill out the final adoption papers today, so I have to decide if I can keep him or not. He is the sweetest dog ever. He lays around all the time and is glued to either Kodys or my side. I think he is afraid we will leave him forever. It has been a bit of a problem because I can't leave my apartment without him whining. It is getting a little better but is still a problem. This is why I can't decide if I can keep him. I can work with it here but when I go home, he can't be inside with me all the time. But, I just don't have the heart to not keep him. He is so much fun, and so lovable. He also doesn't need a lot of attention just as long as you don't leave him by himself. He just lays around all day as long as I don't leave him and he doesn't shed hardly at all. I'm in a bit of a predicament...

house hunting.

My knew obsession is searching for a place to live next year. It's so stressful! It is expensive to live in Stillwater and most of the cheaper places to rent are a dump. I found a SUPER cute cabin type house in our price range but the lady never called me back. :( I wouldn't mind living in the apartment complex I was in last semester but didn't really like hearing my neighbors so much...  So I check craigslist and different rental sites in Stillwater at least twice a day in hopes of finding something just perfect. I do not want to live with some random person, so for now it's just me. I still have a few months to look but I wanna know where I'm gonna live now! haha I know I'm impatient. Hopefully I can drive over and look sometime soon. I know something perfect will work out!

sick.

Tuesday morning I woke up and was very sick. I won't share all the gory details but I cannot remember the last time I threw up that many times. Actually, I can't remember the last time I threw up period. I was feeling a little better by the afternoon. (Probably because I knew I had to be back at Ozark by 4 for work) Now my whole body just aches and I really just wanna sleep. But here I am at 6 am waking up the girls... :(

I'm very sad spring break is over. I had such a good one and had fully intended on blogging about all the excitement but our internet at home was pretty slow. (The wind tends to make it slower, and there was a LOT of wind) I would just get tired of waiting for things to upload and give up. I did lots of fun things though! Like:

Help do a c-section on a cow.... super cool!

Drive 3 hours back to Arkansas for class just to find out class was cancelled because the teacher was sick (very mad about that one), but Mitzi and the kids were at my grandparents so Kody helped Brett learn how to play baseball, and I took pictures and picked flowers with Emma.

Helped Luke plant countless lettuce, broccoli, and pak choi plants plus who knows how many onion bulbs. (They had to all be placed right side up so they would grow straight up for easier bundling) Sabbath, I could hardly sit down the back of my legs were sore from working in the garden all day. haha

(Warning: start doing your squats, or whatever exercise that would be, to get the back of your thighs in shape if planning to work in the garden this summer.)









Plus pick and bag asparagus,

I also presented the Africa trip at church, get a pedicure, shopped for a dress for Michelle and Jordan's wedding, and planted flowers in the pots at home!

 Overall, it was a really good spring break, besides the being sick part, mainly because I got to be outside and do things I really enjoy! I need to figure out how to upload pictures so that they look as pretty when I post them as the do on my computer screen, but oh well.

Going back to bed,
Allyson