Jones!!!

This is Jones, my new dog. Isn't is WEIRD how much she looks like Daive??? I think it is. Ellie, one of the girls in the family I am living with/working for, got her, but it ends up now isn't a very good time for her to have a dog. So Jones is mine. Her and Daive get along very well. They are basically best friends. Jones has a lot of weird issues. For example, I took these pictures with my phone because (I'm SO not making this up) every time I pointed my digital camera at her, she slunk back all afraid and ran and hid under the bed. Bizarre. My dog is afraid of cameras. Whatever though, she's a great dog. I love her.

Meet Jones!!!

JONES!!!!

Or, as Jordan (Anna's son/Bethany's nephew) said, "BIG Daive!!!"

A little freaky, no?


Edit: My apologies...I had put a picture of Daive on the top of this post (because I'm a little dumb sometimes). I put it there for comparative reasons, but I'm pretty sure everyone that reads this is well aware of what Daive looks like. So anyway, this is the new dog. Incredible! She's a real sweetheart but has some issues. More on that later though. I have some devotionals to write.

Blast from the Past

The picture below proves that, even as a young child I: 1) loved dogs, 2) HATED mornings (even Christmas morning!)d

I was pretty cute. That is all.My sisters and Mary and Billy (the cousins)Even as a young child cake made me happy.
I pretty much like these pictures because, in total honesty and all reality,
they represent a life I don't remember - a life when my mom wasn't sick.
(I know! Such a downer when I'm posting such cute pictures! A pity!)

THIS picture proves that I was NOT, in fact, a clown every year for Halloween.
So BOOYA to you, you know who you are! :)

Me cheesing it up. Do note that the lunchbox has the Muppets on it.

Me and my oldest sister, Jen.
I can't decide if I look dumbfounded or constipated in this pic.

On my way!

I received my course materials Thursday for the medical transcription school. There are 18 sessions all together. Each session has its own syllabus. I have already started session 1, and am on page 11 of the 35 page syllabus. The program allows 18 months for students to finish, but many students finish sooner. My goal right now is to finish in 9 months, but it's not the kind of goal I'm going to hurt myself to meet. That means doing one session in two weeks, and I'm just honestly not sure if my current schedule and obligations will allow that. I am going to make a valiant attempt at it though.

So it's official. I'm enrolled in medical transcription school. The course materials should arrive in a day or two, and then it begins. Eighteen months is the time allotted to finish the course, my aim is to finish it in less. My aim is to finish it (well, not at all shoddily) and get a job ASAP. I got a loan (a small loan, so no worries) for the program, and a little extra, because I was going to buy a computer. Right now money is really tight in the Dunlap house. Mrs. Debbi is a Biblical counselor, and summer is always a slump for counselors. Basically I'm not really getting paid at the moment. She's paying for insurance on my car, and she's been paying my bills, but any money beyond that is kind of here and there, whatever can be afforded. While it's been tough, it's been an incredibly good experience for me. I have a whole heap of money issues, all very much related to my dad. Anyway, I received my portion of the loan check on Saturday, and since decided that I didn't need a new computer. Mrs. Debbi actually gave me the laptop I currently use shortly after I moved in here. It was an amazing gift, very gracious, and far beyond what I could have ever even thought or hoped. But it doesn't have Microsoft Office on it, or an antivirus program - two things that are necessary for this program I am starting. This weekend I received a God-sent flash of common sense - why not buy the programs instead of a whole new computer? (I know, DUH!)

So now thanks to that flash of inspiration, I have been able to pay two months of my student loan payments (as Mrs. Debbi isn't able to do that during these tight summer months), pay one month of my cell phone bill, and set aside money for the cell bill and Daive's wellness plan bill for July. So all my bills until August are taken care of, which is a nice feeling. I got the serpentine belt replaced on my car, and a slightly overdue oil change. Also, I've purchased both programs I needed for my computer. A few extra things - walking shoes (less than $20, I might add), exercise clothes, two purses (I have a purse thing, which I figure is nicely balanced by the fact that I pretty much never buy clothes), and a few gifts here and there.

The point of this is to say that, seeing as how I just deposited the check yesterday, I have an alarmingly small amount of money left. I just can't seem to get my dad's voice out of my head - telling me how irresponsible I was with money, telling me how our financial problems were my fault (for the sisters: this would be during the later years in Jax). But, by the grace of God, I'm getting through it and over it. Buying two (possibly three, pending an as-of-yet still open ebay auction) purses, clothes for working out, two books, and paying vet bills is not excessive. It's really rather awesome to get to kind of observe what God is doing - how He is changing my heart towards money, and my attitudes toward myself about money.

Want to hear another awesome thing? There are these two amazing people God dropped into my life straight from heaven. They're the kind of spiritual family I was praying to find as I left mine in Korea (Adam, Beth, and Lis). We meet together once a week for dinner and discussion, centering around the Bible. It's a time that always encourages me, and always makes me think. It challenges my head and my heart. It's amazing. Anyway, this past Friday they gave me a card with a fairly large amount of cash in it - said God had laid it on their hearts to do for me. It spoke volumes to me, about a few weighty issues - namely love. This amazing couple is actually having a hard time financially right now as well. It's the whole widow's offering thing - they gave out of their poverty rather than out of their abundance (and I'm not comparing myself to the temple fund, just them to the widow). It's people like them that encourage me about the state of Western Christianity.

Anyway, that's where I am right now, at least financially. I'm so not used to being able to speak so freely in a blog - not that I thought I was so well-read before, but just not having control over who was reading. I'm sort of mulling over a post about where I am emotionally, but that will have to wait for a later date. Thanks for reading, you guys. I really love you all a lot!

Way too much about poop

So I mentioned that Daive has been sick, right? Riiiiight. This particular brand of sickness has involved a lot of pooping (mostly inside, which has been a bad thing) and a fair amount of vomiting (also inside, though when she has to do it in my room, she thoughtfully has chosen the exercise mat in my closet, which makes me happy b/c it's cheap and it's not carpet). The vet diagnosed it tenatively as food intolerance, and so I've been forced to make the switch from Hill's Science Diet to...something else. Daive has been eating Science Diet pretty much as long as I've had her. Even in Israel and Korea. Anyway, so I researched it, and had basically decided on Royal Canin. It's an expensive and rather snooty brand of dog food, but they have a line named "Special" for Mini dogs with sensitive stomachs. Then I stumbled across Nature's Recipe online, but thought Petsmart probably wouldn't have it, and I'd just go with RC. Lo and behold, Petsmart did have the Nature's Recipe. It has no beef, corn, or wheat, no by-products or fillers, and no artificial preservatives.

For my freshman English class, I wrote a paper entitled "What Are You Feeding Fido?" That's right folks, it was all about dog food. And I learned some rather horrifying things. Like blood-soaked sawdust from slaughterhouses can be included in dog food as a meat by-product. Ditto for chicken beaks, feet, and a gel made from steaming the feathers plucked from the chickens. In a word? Disgusting. This was an issue with my parents. They were loyal Ol' Roy dog food buyers. I wish evil things upon the heads of the Ol' Roy makers. In any case, the point it, all the bad stuff that can somehow legitimately go in dog food, is NOT in this particular brand of dog food. And so I bought it yesterday, and Daive ate it for the first time yesterday.

Now, you needed all that as background for the actual important part of this post. It was because of all that that I was found this morning exclaiming, "YES! SOLID POOP! OUTSIDE! WAHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

Thank you, Nature's Recipe.

Instead of noticing how many cheese-related things are in my little fridge, allow me to direct your attention to the lid being off of the cheese dip. *I* could barely remove the lid off of that container of cheese dip, yet an exploding diet coke can had absolutely no problems with it. Go figure. Luckily, it's still all frozen in my fridge, so it didn't make too much of a mess. Or something.

PS - I only put stuff in my fridge upstairs that I know the kids will eat if I leave downstairs. Hence my favorite foods...hence, mostly cheese items.

Daive IS my dog....

but I'm not so obsessed with her that I'd create a whole blog about her. I am starting this blog because I'm not in Korea anymore, so the whole kimchinotforme blog is a little obsolete. Also, the situation in which I find myself does not lend itself well to public blogging. Blogging is an outlet for me, a much-needed outlet, but I need to make sure I can do it without getting myself into trouble. Hence, this is a private blog. I apologize to those of you who are not already on blogger, who now have to keep up with one more username/password because of me. I had to get over myself in thinking it would be entirely arrogant to start a new blog about my life in the US, but I realized how vital blogging can be in keeping up with people. And those of you I sent invites to - I'd like to keep up with you, or have you keep up with me...or something.

So yeah.

Here are some highlights for you:

- Daive is indeed my dog, my sick dog, to be specific. Not entirely sure what's going on - hope to figure it out soon and nip it in the bud.

- I'm about to start medical transcription school online. It's a year-long program, and based on the research I did, one of the best programs out there. It was the first, or one of the first (can't remember) to be accredited. And there is 98% job placement after finishing. AND...I can eventually work at home. Another AND...I can make actual money. Which means that my dream of owning a humble home on enough land in a rural-ish area so I can have two or four dogs is an actual possibility sometime in the future.

- There's more, but that's enough for now. Sorry again for the hassle of this. Thanks for being such exceptional friends though. Love you all!

The New Addition

Ellie got a dog. After much internet searching (and between the two of us, I do mean MUCH) and a few visits to the local animal shelter, we found THE dog for this family. I wish I could share a picture with you, but I unfortunately cannot. Why, you ask? Because the dog is literally afraid of cameras. I don't know if it is the fact that it is something silver and shiny pointed at the poor thing or what, but three times now I've tried to take a picture of her, and she immediately goes and hides under my bed. To describe her though, imagine Daive, put into a morphing machine. The frame of her body is compacted and her legs are made shorter, her entire frame is widened, and then made taller than Daive. Doesn't make any sense at all, does it? Trust me, if you saw her, you'd totally get it. However, at this juncture, it doesn't look like you'll be seeing her anytime soon. A few points of interest though - she somehow ended up at a local animal control center, pregnant. They took her puppies away from her and euthanized them all. She cried for three days straight. When one of the volunteers from the no-kill shelter where we got her from stopped by, the workers at animal control begged her to take the dog. She has such a sweet disposition, and obviously a tender little canine heart. So that is how she came to be at the no-kill shelter. She was a strong heartworm positive, so she was spayed and treated for heartworms. She is afraid of going down stairs (so very very afraid), afraid of being carried, and afraid of men. Oh yes, and afraid of cameras. She loves food, hiding under the bed, and occasionally romping with Daive (before she retreats back to being under the bed again). She is obviously rubbing off on Daive, because just now I couldn't find her, and she was asleep under the papasan chair.

Nonetheless, this dog is such a sweetheart. She has these big brown eyes and floppy ears. She's a jewel. I'll be sure to upload pictures as soon as I'm able to take any. That's all for now.

This is what's been keeping me busy...

Well, not so much the pancakes - I mean more the cooking, shopping, trying to stay organized kind of thing. So I got a little creative when I was making dinner tonight. This little heart-shaped pancake turned out nearly perfect, but definitely good enough for me. It was like Rorschach pancake night - there was this one that looked like Mickey Mouse, if Mickey Mouse got one of his ears a little too close to a ceiling fan. Anyway, it obviously doesn't take much to impress me, as this pancake rocked my own socks off. I had eaten earlier, so I wasn't hungry. However, one can't just give one's pancake heart away indiscriminately. I ended up giving it to Jeremiah, as he seemed sufficiently impressed as to deserve said pancake heart.
This is our garden! Abi and I planted this a few weeks ago, and it is coming along quite nicely. I cannot tell you how amazed I was when I saw the first little sprouts! It was an awesome moment! I think this is the first thing I've ever tried to grow.

Close up of the cucumbers.

Close up of the sunflowers.

The Dunlaps sure do love their Daive!

Abi and Daive snuggling and taking something of a power nap.

Bethany, up close and personal, loving on Daive.
(Can anyone else believe that this is the same girl who resisted
being called "Aunt Bethany" in relation to the dog for almost a YEAR?!
But we have won her over, BWA HA HA...err, yeah.)

Daive would probably deny it if she could, because she's kind enough that she
wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but I'm rather confident that Ellie is
her favorite Dunlap. And you can tell why in this picture. They relate. They
connect on some sort of inner feral level.

This is more of a "The Dunlaps love Teresa's room" picture, especially given that
the top picture of Abi was taken about ten minutes before this on was taken.
Regardless, Daive is definitely in there, loving on Ellie.

I think this is an awesome picture. Ellie and Daive. BFF.

Daive never misses an opportunity to make her presence known.
Poor Seth can't even play a video game without having to
accommodate the little princess.

A little lost

It's 3:10 AM and I'm still awake. How very unspiritual of me, at least that's what some would say.

It's been an interesting day. An interesting week, too. I'm sure I could go back even more than that, but it would sound overly cryptic and annoy even me.

I'm kind of at this point where I'm trying to figure out what is next. I've heard the famous quote, "Wherever you are, be all there." I'm trying to do that, while at the same time be responsible. The reality is that I am a 26 year old single female (with a really cute dog), a bachelor's degree with no foreseeable usefulness (unless I wanted to go back to Korea to teach again, which I do NOT see happening) but that I really don't regret in the slightest, no established career, and nothing to tie me down after I'm finished here. I'd love to work with animals. Maybe be a vet tech? But I'm really not sure if my stomach can handle gory open wounds. With my experience in Korea, I could probably find a job teaching. I'm just not sure that's what I want to do. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's NOT what I want to do. Like to know the direction I'm leaning at the moment? Medical transcription. I could take online classes, and in nine months have the skills to land a job. Not only a job, but eventually a job where I could even work from home. Then I could have a whole heap of dogs, maybe get connected with a rescue group and foster some dogs. The biggest thing is to get a job where I can make money and work on paying down my student loans. Perhaps by the time they are paid off (around when I retire? Don't laugh, it's a possibility), I can then fulfill what could be a God-given dream to go teach Dalit pastors in India.

Would you like to know the point of this post? It's to share simply that I am feeling a little lost. I don't know the direction of my life at all. And if we could all work hard to spare any trite cliches or advice, I'd appreciate it. I know they would all be offered/given out of love, but I can recite cliches to myself all day long. So far, it's not helping.

Any guidance or advice (that is entirely devoid of said irritating cliches) though, would be most welcome. I love you guys (you know who you are). Sorry for the tone of this post. It's annoying me, actually, but now it is 3:34 AM and I've taken two benadryl and I'm too tired/lazy to go change it.