Sorry I haven't been great at blogging.

Tom gets back on Tuesday, and I can.not.wait. I miss him so incredibly much. I've done pretty good on my own, though, much to my amazement. Usually I think I will do great without him and plan all this stuff that I need to do, but then the moment he leave, I sit in loneliness and sadness and lack any motivation to get things done. But this month, I've actually enjoyed myself for the most part, and though there are many tasks that I've left undone, I've spent time hanging out with people that I usually can't find enough time for. And so my times with Sommer, Rachel, Mel, Christy, Carah, Lauri(and Jacob!), Beverly, Tosha, Sarah, Rebekah and others have been really special to me. Bev told me a quote about how you can't be in a good relationship until you are ok on your own (I butchered that, but I think that's the jist of it), and so it feels good that, though I miss my husband terribly, I am ok on my own. And though he and I are one person, I still have my own identity apart from him. And it makes me feel good to not have to be a needy, clingy wife and instead can allow Tom to go to Japan and bless others for a month.

This month has also been good for reflection upon my month in North Africa, and it is amazing how much this place changed me. I feel more free and whole since encountering those people, and I feel so much better about myself knowing that I am not too much of a wimp to do missions. I can do it! I can use a squatty (well not really-- I end up peeing all over my feet-- I don't know what I do wrong-- but atleast I'm ok with peed-on feet), eat strange food, climb horribly steep hills and endure frightening mountain cliffs in a van with a crazy Moroccan driver. And I can fall in love with people that are different from me. Really, really fall in love with them. So much that every time I see a Muslim woman walking around near our apartment, I get giddy inside and just want to hug her and talk with her. It's a beautiful feeling to have experienced a completely different part of the world. And it makes me want to take the next flight back. With my dogs. I can not endure another month without my dogs. That is one weakness I refuse to overcome.

I've also gotten to teach for summer 2 session! I wasn't expecting at all to be able to work, so it was such a shock when I found out that my name was put on the list. I have a great group of students, including a very cool student with poor eyesight who owns the most beautiful, sweetest golden retrieve guide dog that I have ever met. Her name is Lexie, and we became very good friends. She would follow me around the classroom and roll on her back whenever I walked by so that I could scratch her belly, and I LOVED it.

I am such a crazy dog lover. I think it's because my allergies got so bad after our family dog was put to sleep, and I really thought for several years that I could never touch, let alone own, a dog. But then my Gracie came to us and my allergies miraculously disappeared, and now I'm making up for all the lost time. And that has made me the crazy dog lady, but I am so very happy with my title.

And pretty soon we will be trying to add another creature to the family, and I am oh-so-excited about that. My body has been crazy since coming off the pill, but I'm hoping it gets it's act together soon so I can start making babies!

And, that's all folks. Thanks for reading this, even though I'm so crappy with updates!