Parabola..."Bella"

We were out on the town with our friends Susanna and Kevin when we ran across something we couldn't resist...a new puppy. We ended up taking her home and spending many hours cleaning and loving on her. Unfortunately it was a Friday night and nothing is open here until Monday so we scrounged through our house and made a few friendly calls to find flea shampoo and any other necessities. Chris was a good sport and got up with her at night to feed her and take her potty. She is around 5 weeks old and her mom just died, so it is like taking care of a newborn baby...at least it feels similar with the regular nightime feedings and bathroom breaks. Elijah loves her and thinks she is a toy. He finds many hours of satisfaction running away from her and 'gently' petting her.

It took us a day to decide what to name her. We looked up a few Portugese words and was at a stand still. I really like the name Bella which means 'beautiful', but Chris wasn't convinced. We spent the following afternoon working on Chris's math class when we ran across the word "Parabola". Chris was sold. He said we would name her Parabola and call her Bella. That was the end of that! If you don't know what a Parabola is...look it up. It's really not all that exciting unless you love math.

We just took Kevin and Susanna to the airport (a few hours ago) after enjoying a week with them. We crammed in as much as we could in one week. The highlight of the week was the bull fight in the town of Porto Martins. Kevin was crazy enough to get down and run with the bull. I will put words in his mouth and say it was probably the greatest rush of his life thus far. We made some new friends and enjoyed traditional Azorean cuisine. Among the dishes we varieties of cod fish and octopus. It was relaxing to have friends around and we enjoyed the fellowship and conversation. Thanks Guys! Remember all y'all are welcome to visit!

The New Addition

What's Happening?

I wanted to share a little of my Italian experience with you guys, so here are some pictures and there are videos to the right. The pictures are of me standing in front of the bridge of sighs and the other is a view from the softball fields of the mountains at dusk.

I have been staying busy trying to get stuff ready for MOPS. We had our first meeting this week, but I missed most of it because I was sick.. Elijah wasn't feeling too hot either so I showed my face and left to recover. I am looking forward to joining them in two weeks. My other leaders said the meeting was great and it was a good start to the ministry.

Elijah is of course, getting so big. Everywhere we go people tell us what a monster he is. He has taken on the hobby of dancing, even to the shortest tunes. He thinks it's the greatest thing ever. In the last few days he has made the addition of his arms. This boy has got some rhythm. Suzy, you'd be proud. He also started singing along every once-in-a-while. I'll try to capture a video to share with you guys soon.