lately

Last week was full of animals (domesticated, semi-wild and wild), hockey, basketball, a research conference, Sunday School and a wonderful lecture put on by a neighboring church. 

I ended up pet sitting again this weekend and took my dog and the dog I sat for to an "Easter Begg Hunt" for dogs in my town.  The dogs enjoyed interacting with other canines and really enjoyed the treats they got.  I also went to the zoo with Diane and Joe and we saw the cutest  Spectacled Langur monkeys, baby elephant and camel, chubby kookaburra, and pensive chimpanzee. 

I discovered more wildlife in my own front yard earlier in the week when a bird set up house in the wreath by my front step.  I now duck and wait to enter my apartment every time I come home, because mama bird makes her presence known whenever she hears movement around her nest.  The last thing I need is a bird trapped in my apartment, or a beak in the face, so I wait until I know she has flown away before standing up to open the door.

I watched more than my fair share of sports this week and learned more than ever about basketball and baseball.  I actually wish that I'd known more about baseball a little earlier because, after having the fantasy baseball draft explained to me, it sounded strategic enough to keep me interested and entertained.

In Sunday School we talked about God being our fortress (see 2nd Samuel), and though I tried to drive home the qualities of a fortress (safety, protection, an immovable and impenetrable structure, etc), the kids may have been too immersed in drawing their "castles" (complete with princes and princesses) to really get what I was talking about.  They did really enjoy finding the passage in their Bibles, though.  After Sunday School I visited a neighboring church of my same faith for a lecture on the Sermon on the Mount.  Man, was it insightful!  The Sermon on the Mount is something I try to think about, study and put into practice often, and this lecutre reinforced the importance of revisting it regularly.  You can listen to the lecture here if you are interested.

Hope your week and weekend was as fun and refreshing as the one I had!