Wildlife Safari

I realized that I didn't tell anyone about our most recent family adventure. Since we don't do things this cool very often, and have some great pictures to show from it, I wanted to post it.

After going to a place with some great waterfalls with some friends, my brother David wanted the four us (himself, me & Jesse, and our mom) to take a trip to the same place, thinking we'd enjoy it a lot. As the weekend approached, though, the weather wasn't looking favorable. There was going to be much hiking around these falls, and things were shaping up to be cold and rainy. We still really wanted to do something fun, though, and somewhere in the brainstorming, the idea of going to Wildlife Safari was tossed around. Jesse was the only one of us who had ever been there, but he was so young that he didn't remember anything about it. We all love animals and are especially fascinated by reall exotic ones like giraffes and tigers. The idea of being able to drive through the park and have the animals walk up to your car sounded awesome, although we were all a bit leery if it was too good to be true. We made the 2 hour drive to Winston, Oregon and drove down the long driveway to the park. The expense of 4 adults passes can add up to quite a bit, but is worth it because of the cool animals you see, and because you can drive through twice for that one price.

The only rules were that you had to roll up your windows during the bear exhibit, not stopping (since bears are very curious and could easily come up to your car and snatch things out of your window) and you couldn't feed any of the animals. Otherwise, you were able to take your time and see the animals as much as you wanted.

For those who have never been there, the park is a huge area of land, and each section is surrounded mostly by fences. Each section is so large, though, that you don't really feel enclosed in any space. And the fences are left open between most areas allowing you to drive freely from one place to the next. The animals are kept in their areas by cattle guards where the fences are open, but many animals inter-mingle with each other. There are some hut-like things in the fields that allow the animals to graze and get shelter (just like at the zoo) and the roads are gravel giving you a path to follow as you drive through. Some of the more dangerous animals are kept behind fences which don't allow you to drive through. These include the wildcats like tigers, lions, and cheetahs, and the black bears and the elephants, to name a few.

There were some cool experiences we had:

While driving through the first time, the Siberian tigers had just laid there with very little action. However, the 2nd drive through, we watched one dive into the pool of water. And then, just as quickly, something got its attention and it leaped out of the water and sprinted to the edge of the cage, pacing as it eyed whatever it was. It was just cool to see this massive tiger lunge like it did, while remaining only about 10 feet away from us.

Also, while some animals keep their distance a bit, the buffalos were sitting in the middle of the road, with only enough room to barely drive your car through. If you see the picture below with the great big head of the buffalo, that was looking at me through my driver's window. The picture is not zoomed in. It really was that close! I also learned at this moment that buffalos are disgusting creatures. We saw them hacking up hairballs, peeing and pooping all in that bit of the exhibit. They stink and their hair is all matted, and the flies buzz all around them. I suppose that they're just living their buffalo life and I wouldn't want people gawking at me all of the time while I try to live my life. Despite how repulsive I felt that they were, I was still amazed by their grand size and how close they were to me, merely inches away!

The coolest thing of all, though, was seeing the giraffes. Giraffes are my mom's favorite animals. She has a wide assortment of them all around her room, from stuffed animals to wooden carvings to pictures on the wall. She just thinks they are really neat animals. During the drive through them, she sat turned towards the window with both hands over the edge of it, like a little child excited to see her favorite animal up close and personal. We sat and watched them longer than any other animal. During the first drive, we were just intrigued by their behavior, as one ate from a tree and the other licked the top of the hut's tin roof. The licking was really weird to us because we didn't understand what it was trying to taste, and the way its tongue reached out and bent underneath its chin was odd. During our 2nd drive through, though, the giraffes made their ways from the hut further away to walking right alongside our car, no more than 10 feet away. When they were so close, the sheer scale of how big they really are became more obvious. We sat, fascinated by their lanky bodies and the texture of their fur and the ways their necks bent with each step. And, truthfully, each of us was hoping one would put his head right up to our window. But after about 10 mins of lingering near our car, they began to walk back up the hill to graze some more. By far, the coolest part of the day. And, I was so excited for my mom to experience such a neat moment with her favorite animal.

After you finished the drive through the safari, you could park your car and go through their little wildlife village. Here, they had some animals in large glass enclosures like screech owls and snakes. They had cafes where you could eat and look out at the monkeys swinging below. There were gift shops with the cutest stuffed animals that cost nearly as much as going through the park and seeing the real thing! And there was a petting zoo with llamas and tiny baby goats that you could feed for a quarter.

We had such a great time! I used up my entire memory card on my camera, my battery died, and then I bought a disposable camera just to keep taking pictures. We stopped for ice cream in a little town on the way back that was supposed to have really good ice cream. I'm not sure what was supposed to be so great about it except that it had more unusual flavors than most ice cream stands. What we all got, though, tasted very good!

A great way to spend our Saturday. Here are a few of the pics to show you what I mean:

For Shalene

I got tagged. So here's my answers :-)

Eight T.V. shows I love to watch:
1. Heroes
2. Biggest Loser
3, America’s Got Talent
4. The Office5. Survivor
6. John & Kate Plus 8
7. Any home decorating show
8. The Amazing Race

Eight things that happened yesterday:
1. Went to work
2. Decorated the bulletin board at work
3. Came home from work
4. Talked to Jesse about the things God is teaching us
5. Watched TV
6. Ate dinner
7. My brother came over and hung out with us
8. Spent time with my husband

Eight favorite places to eat:
1. Chili’s
2. Red Robin
3. Jung’s Mongolian Grill
4. Olive Garden
5. Little Mexico (in Texas)
6. Wendy’s
7. Jack-in-the-Box
8. Aquilla & Pricilla’s

Eight Things I am looking forward to:
1. Seeing how God develops a ministry for me & Jesse
2. Starting the Truth Project Bible study
3. Celebrating the upcoming holidays
4. Mine & Jesse’s birthdays
5. Pay day
6. Finishing our house to be exactly how we want it
7. Having excess money to spend
8. Seeing where God takes us in our lives

Eight things on my wish list:
1. To get pregnant
2. A diamond anniversary band
3. A backyard with a patio, fence, and BBQ
4. A dining room table
5. New clothes
6. For the effects my recent lean eating & workout regiment to start showing
7. To go on vacation
8. To know what career path God wants for me to take

Eight people that i tag:
Everyone I know that blogs on here has already done this before, except for Becky Gunderson. So you’re up Becky.

Blogs

In addition to this blog, for those who are interested in reading the journey that Jesse and I are going through in trying to have a baby and in infertility, I have created an additional blog:

http://our-hearts-desire.blogspot.com/

Make sure to read the disclaimer at the top and the important information in the side bar to help you determine if this is something you want to read up on and know about and to help you to understand everything.

Life & Death

Today marks the 16 year anniversary of the death of Jesse's mom, Debbie. He was only 5 years old when she passed away. Jesse has very little memory of his mom. He was so young when it happened. But he often thinks of what he missed out by not having a mom in his life. Growing up with a single dad most of his young years and a strict step-mother his later years makes him wonder how his life would've been different with his mom there. And I, too, wonder what she was like. I think how much Jesse takes after her in his mannerisms and appearance, and think about what kind of mother-in-law she would be.

Last Sunday, Jim (Jesse's dad) took me & Jesse, and Michael & Kaela and their family to the grave site. He described to us what it was like to come just days before his wife's death and pick out the grave for her. In shock, in tears, and in the pouring rain, he sat underneath a nearby tree and contemplated why he was there. Since then, Jim shared with us the ways that he has seen God use the tragedy for his good. Before she was going to die, Debbie had no relationship with God, but in those last days, she accepted Christ as her Savior. Jim still could not accept that relationship for years to come, but through the consistent prayers of family members, Jim came to have a relationship with God years later. Now, Jim can say with confidence that God loved him and his kids so much that He was willing to take away his wife in order to bring him to a relationship with God. This declaration of God's love was the very reason Jim wanted to bring his sons there with their families. He wanted to remind them to carry the legacy of God's love to their wives and kids.

Despite the weather previously being nice, I stood there under the same tree Jim did years earlier, in the pouring rain, with tears streaming down my face and with my arms wrapped tightly around my husband. I couldn't imagine losing him the way my father-in-law lost his spouse, and it brings tears to my eyes now just thinking about it. However, it only convicts me stronger to embrace every day I have with him. Life is too short to worry about petty arguments and trivial problems. And while it's so easy to think that we are all invincible and that death is decades away, the truth is that you never know how long you'll be here.

It's sad that it often takes a death to remind us what life is all about, but I am comforted by God's sovereignty- to know that He's got a bigger purpose in mind behind even the most difficult things we go through.


(Jesse in his mom's arms)


(The whole family when Jesse was about 3)


(Her site at the cemetary)

A Change of Pace

So after many resumes and interviews, and A LOT of stress, I finally got a new job!Things at the Teen Center have been so awful. With my supervisor going on maternity leave earlier this year, and an interim supervisor in her place, rules have been inconsistent and frustrations high. Once the real supervisor came back, the two began working together causing many new changes. Each woman has a different way of doing things and a different tolerance when things don't go her way. In addition, with all of the changes in policies of our company, it seemed that everyday we came in, we were getting in trouble for something different or being asked to perform another task. We were all feeling like nothing we were doing was good enough. And, when crises came up, the supervisors made them into much bigger deals than necessary and treated us as if we were incompetent. I wanted to walk out so many times, but had to remain calm and mature, holding my frustrations to make the wiser decision. I couldn't quit my job with no idea when something else would come up. So, I continued to apply at various places.I had 2 interviews in one day. one at Hamlin Middle School and one at Sacred Heart hospital. The two were extremely different positions. The middle school position ended up being a detention room monitor- very different than how it was advertised, but I was willing to give it a shot. I figured that it was perhaps a ministry opportunity to work with troubled kids, and that my extensive experience with middle schoolers would serve me well. The interview went great, but I left feeling that I was way over-qualified. Yet, I felt that it might give me a foot into the door and lead to better positions in the school. The other interview was as a secretary in the food department at the hospital. While this position is NOTHING at all what I was looking for, it was offered to me by a friend of mine from church. He is transferring to the new hospital and I would be taking his position at the old hospital. The pay is quadruple what I make now and the medical benefits are fantastic. There were 90 applications for the job, 6 people selected for interviews, and I was the only person to pass both tests that were given to me. I left the interview very unsure of how things went, but my friend called me that night and told me the job was mine, pending an official phone call. At the same time, I got a call from the vice principal at the middle school saying that I did not get the job, but was the top contender and he STRONGLY encouraged me to not only keep applying but to specifically apply for a job at his school because he'd love to work with me. That's a huge compliment from someone who interviews you. And I was left totally torn between the two positions. A job in the middle school is everything that I'm passionate about, but I feared I'd be passing up a great opportunity. The hospital job is nothing I was looking for, but would benefit Jesse and me immensely. I cried a lot and prayed a lot, and in the end, decided that I could always come back to a position in the middle school in the future, and shouldn't pass up the great opportunity offered to me.So, last week, I put in my two week notice at the Teen Center, had 6 shots in my arms as an update for my immunizations to work at the hospital, and began my new employee orientation. Tomorrow I start training in the mornings at the hospital while working my last week at the Teen Center in the afternoons. And by next Monday, I will be working my first full-time job ever (aside from the times I worked 2 part time jobs together).Jesse is uber excited. He's making a list of all of the ways he wants to spend my new income. He initially picked me up and spun me all around the room upon finding out that I was hired. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all pans out and will keep you posted. :-)