Got Squirrels?

There was a little leak at my parents house. To find it my dad cut a hole in the ceiling in the downstairs bathroom.

Fast-forward a few months. My mom goes into the bathroom and finds a baby squirrel, much like this one:

It has somehow gotten into the walls/ceiling and came through the hole. My mom shut it in the bathroom and got my dad. When he came in to catch it he finds it in the toilet. He went to find something to get it out of the toilet with and by the time he gets back it has drowned.

A few days later my mom is sitting in our Den and looks up to see another baby squirrel on the mantle. My parents open the door to the porch and try to get it out of the house, and they don't see it anymore so they assume it got out. A day or two later my mom is in the Den again and sees it run into the front hall. It goes up the stairs and one parent goes up the back stairs and the other up the front to capture it. My mom throws a blanket over it in the hallway and my dad picks it up with the blanket and takes it outside while it squeals.

Since these experiences my parents have taken a few precautions to eliminate squirrels from our house inside and outside of the walls.

1. They have covered the hole in the ceiling. Once they are sure the leak is fixed, it will be more permanently covered.

 2. They have a new decoration in the bathroom: A trap.

 3. They got some fox urine at an outdoor supply company and have put cotton balls with a little urine on them in the attic and crawlspaces. It is supposed to keep all animals away.

Thankfully it has been a month and there are no signs of squirrels at their house!

2009 in Review

I was looking through photos from this year for a collage on Facebook, and I really enjoyed remembering all my adventures, so I'm sharing them here in a little more detail.

New Year's 2009: New Orleans

This time last year, I was on a mission trip to New Orleans. December is a great time for mission trips because the reason for the season is so real for me when I'm serving directly. We did it right by going over New Year's. We even got to see Blues Traveler for free on New Year's Day!

New Orleans Mission Trip #5

Last December I actually spent two weeks in New Orleans rebuilding. This photo represents the other extreme of mission trips: safety gear.

January: Northwest Arkansas Ice Storm

The ice storm was historic. Days of classes canceled:4. Days without power in our apartment:7. We went to the movies just to have a warm place to be for a few hours one afternoon, and then we just left town.

February: Valentine's Day Basketball Game

Amy and I were the most excited to wear shirts with our "boyfriend's" names on them. We made sure we got to sit on the front row, and saw the team pointing at us multiple times.

May: Graduation

After 5 years of Architecture School, these are the only girls left in a graduating class of about 30. It is such a relief to be finished with that accomplishment. I still don't think it has really sunk in.

May: Train and Sister Hazel Concert

Martha was my date to the Botanical Gardens for a Sister Hazel and Train concert this summer. It was a life experience to see a live performance of "Meet Virginia."

June: 2 Weddings

Neither of these friends got married, but two girls who were in the Bible Study I led for 3 years got married in June. Thankfully not the same weekend, but reasons for me to go back to Arkansas and visit!

July: Family in town

My cousin Christy and I have seen each other a bunch this year. There is more to come for 2010 because she is getting married in April and I will be accompanying my grandmother to her wedding.

July: Adventures in Arkansas and Sending Off Kidd

Frase, Kidd, and I made a little Road Trip to Eureka Springs before Kidd moved to Bulgaria this fall. We are enjoying Rocky Road treats in this photo, which I have learned to make this fall. Maybe I'll make some to send to them as a memory of this trip.

July: Road Trip to Brett(&Ashley's) house in Bartlett

One thing that I am so thankful for in moving back home is that I still have all these wonderful high school friends who I see regularly. This particular get-together included a few fun rounds of American Idol Karaoke.

October: Florida Trip

October brought a fun trip to Florida to see my sister's school and her play softball, and also go to the Florida and Arkansas game at the Swamp. More about that trip in this post.

October: Castle Creation

This photo represents two things. 1. An opportunity to fuel my creative side and make the castle. 2. The awesome opportunity I have to be around for all the excitement of Martha's Senior year.

November: Martha's official visit to Fayetteville

This picture is evidence that I had some fun of my own while accompanying Martha to visit the University of Arkansas. It was fun to visit Fayetteville without school hanging over my head and get to hang out with everyone is still there. Martha has not made an official decision, but my money is on her going to Arkansas!

November: Neighborhood Christian Center Chicken Strut

My parents were such good sports to go with me to walk the 5K Chicken Strut and then pose with the chicken. I am glad to have the opportunity to spend some more time with them since I moved back home too.

Since July: Neighborhood Church

It has been such a blessing that God has led me to Neighborhood Church this year. I have been amazed with all that he has done this year and I'm excited for what God has in store for 2010.

December: Family Christmas Traditions

Our Christmas cards are just on of our wonderful traditions. We re-vamped another tradition this year: my sisters and I used to sleep in the same bed on Christmas Eve and Easter Eve, but our double beds just haven't cut it in a long time for three of us, so this year we rushed to my parents king size bed when we got home from the 11:00 Christmas Eve Service.

Happy New Year!

Making Plans

My mom cut this out of the paper for me last week. It is ironic to me that not only is it human nature to dream and make plans, but it is what I have gone to school for. Yet, no plan is perfect but God's, and where he has each of us right now...

Thanksgiving

First, we celebrated Thanksgiving at home, which would not have been complete without pumpkin bars-

Mi madre y su madre

My grandmother fussed about how old she looks when I wanted to take her picture, so I refused to show her the picture on my camera because I did not want to hear her say ugly things about herself. I think she looks great. She did turn 80 this summer!


We drove to Alabama and met up with Carolyn at our Aunt Carolyn's house. She lives in the country where there are barns and turkeys on the walls.

Where you can also find gems of houses like this one. It dates to pre-civil war, and has had many additions since then. The antiques and decorations are fabulous.



Not only is the house awesome, but look at the yard! These images are from Alabama Bride, which featured one of their daughter's weddings. Yes, those are chandeliers hanging from the trees, and yes, they worked.

They could not have painted a more perfect backdrop to this wedding...

Our trip also included lots of cousins; 1st, 2nd, and beyond

And some fun...

And then there is the Christmas tree with all of its breakable antique ornaments. The bucket was leaking, so some plastic needed to be slid underneath the tree. Some resourceful engineering called for a pole screwed to the trunk and manpower lifting while womanpower slide the plastic underneath.

Not pictured: about 15 onlookers

Cofer and the Chicken Strut

This morning my parents and I drove downtown to strut our stuff in the Chicken Strut, a fundraiser for the Neighborhood Christian Center.

We hung out with the NCC Chicken and friends from Neighborhood Church:


In other news, Coferface came to see me Thursday evening. It was so good for me to see her, even just for a few hours. I don't think we had seen each other since May! That's WAY too long!

I think she approves of the Cofer function on my camera....