the doggy turned into the Bear.

Thus began the long discussion of names appropriate for this dog we only knew as Lilo.

At first we tried to think of something that ended in O, so it would be easier for him to learn. Beebo, HoJo, Silo...... all gross.

So then we started thinking theme-y. Tommy is an Alabama grad, so we started there. His first gift from me, even before we were dating, was a female Beta fish. I named her Tuscaloosa for him. So that name was out, because it was too girly now.

After much thinking, we landed on "Bear" in honor of the famous Coach Bear Bryant. And, he looks like a bear when he is interested in something. His former owners cropped his ears very low, so when they perk up, it's like a bear's cartoon ears.

When I was little, some of our dear friends had a dog also named Bear- but it didn't make sense to me to call him just Bear. So, I called him The Bear. Because of that, they still call me The Mallory. I try to say The Bear as much as possible to honor something from my past too. Then, when we finally had our new friends over (the McSheas- more on them lata!) their two year old called him The Bear TOO. I was so happy.

AND, my father had a dog named Booger. So, I try to use the name BoogerBear, too. I have to be in the name somewhere... right??

...our dog has too many names.

The first late afternoon, we were all playing and happy, and then he stopped to plop the biggest poo in the middle of the floor. At least it was on the tile. Training begins on day one, right?

The first night, we tried to put him in his crate. He cried. We let him out. He slept at the foot of the bed all night.

The first morning, we took him for a walk at 5:45am. It was hard for all of us. We only did this for a couple of weeks. Then we realized his bladder wasn't that small.

The second morning, I laid down on the futon in the front room. Waking up at 5:45 threw me off and I was sleepy. Surprise surprise, Bear hopped up there with me. We fell asleep squished (it's a futon! not large!) and cozy. I guess it didn't take long for him to accept us into his personal space bubble.

He now snuggles with his Tommy and follows his Mallory around. We've finally taught him to shake. He still doesn't tell us when he needs to go out... We think that because the volunteers just took the dogs out in turns, he didn't have much opportunity to tell anyone he needed to go. And if he had, they probably wouldn't have noticed because his room was in the front lobby. We have just gotten into a rhythm of taking him out frequently and sometimes we notice he will stare at us or walk towards the door.... we THINK that's him letting us know, but then he won't actually go until we are halfway done with the walk. It's weird to have to think about another being's bodily functions. I guess that will be multiplied by 10 when we eventually have babies!

 To sum up, the Bear is loved and spoiled rotten.

the doggy adoption.

So we're mostly caught back up. Good job, reader!

I think you need to know about the newest addition to our little family, which turned out differently than I had planned. Of course. Actually, I think Tommy's plan was thrown off more than mine.

See, everyone we know (except for literally one couple) would get married then BOOM get a dog. I am no dog lover. But I AM a lover of all animals (except silverfish. if you've ever had a silverfish run towards you in your bathroom when you just hopped out of the shower, you understand).

But I hate doing things just like everyone else does. I didn't want a dog because that's what everyone else does. But I had this huge -nuture something- feeling that used to be filled! I've had cats for years, and before them, I had a mouse, some hamsters, helped some strays, a few fish... not all at once. So, when I started asking Tommy about getting a pet, it usually was, "can we get a fish??" and sometimes "let's get a hamster!!" The answer usually differed in reason but had the same point: we don't want to worry about it when we go out of town, I don't want to pay for all its stuff, fish don't do anything, hamsters smell, etc. etc. - all of which equaled "No."

When we moved into the house here in Vero Beach, the animal options for me opened wide! We have space, other rooms to put nocturnal pets in, we have tile floors so accidents wouldn't always be dreadful, the carpets are already kind of stained, and ..... we have a yard!

Because of the yard thing, I started looking at the Humane Society's website here in town. It was pretty impressive. They have every animal available for adoption posted on their site- their picture, how old they are, male/female, etc. So I found this funny little black dog named Charlie. They thought he was six years old and he was short and squat-y. He has a smiley picture, and was just ugly enough so that I thought he was cute. I laughed out loud at him, which got Tommy's attention. Then he started looking at the dogs' pictures too. Then we saw one of "Lilo", a pit bull mix. He was smiling, too. He was Tommy's favorite.

After looking at the pictures a few times over several weeks, I finally wore Tommy down! He decided to email our realtor- he asked if any pets would be allowed and mentioned that a small dog from the Humane Society had caught my eye. She answered that the home owners appreciate rescuing dogs, and so it would be ok if we signed some additional paperwork and paid a refundable pet fee. (Jumping up and down excitement!!!)

We got all ready the next day- I cleaned so whatever pet wouldn't be overwhelmed with previous pet smells. We closed off all doors so the space wouldn't be too intimidating. I tried not to get too excited.

We walked up to the door.... and! It was closed.

And so we waited until Saturday morning. It opened at 11, we arrived at 11:14. We didn't want to seem too eager.

Right away we asked to see Charlie. While we waited for a volunteer to bring him to us in a little meeting room, we got to appreciate the building. It is impressively nice! I thought it would be like a pound, but it was clean and open. The dogs had big runs and were taken out in turns to walk in a large yard. They had beds off the floor and toys and some were housed with a buddy. And each one had a personality tag. At this HS, they do an extensive amount of work to determine what kind of pet each animal will be. They have an extensive tool which tests their reactions to different things children or humans may do- they squeeze their paws or make long eye contact- things dogs don't normally like. Then they give them a score on how patient they are. They also take note of their energy and playfulness and companion-ness (?). There are nine different "personalities" that cats or dogs could be, including "secret admirer" and "teacher's pet".

In came Charlie. Like his picture, he was small, and a little funny. But, we realized almost immediately that he was being blinded by cataracts. He didn't really want to be around us. And Tommy was fearful that in a few years, when we might have little kids, he would be completely blind- which usually makes dogs very easily agitated.

We saw two more dogs, both girls. One was a red bigger dog, very shy- "Marley". One was a hyper tiny "rat-dog", which Tommy calls them, and we both decided we would be a little embarrassed walking her. I went to the bathroom, and when I came back out, Tommy said "I found Lilo!" We saw a huge fat head peaking over a half door. He was sitting in a plastic chair, and a boy and his mom were in there to visit with him. The workers told us that the family was interested in him, but already had another dog. They had to bring their pet back to see if the two could get along.

By this time, we had been there for more than 2 hours. We drove to the nearest place to eat, a Subway, and talked game plan. We decided that if we got back to the HS and Lilo was gone, then we would take the Marley dog. She was sweet and we wanted to give her a good home. BUT if Lilo was NOT gone, then we would take him. We hadn't even "met" him yet.

We approached the desk and told them we were interested in Lilo, and knew another family was looking at him. For some reason, they liked us right away. We must've unconsciously been batting our eyelashes at them. They told us to take Lilo for a walk.

first kisses on first walk

Well, Tommy fell in love right away. Who could resist that big ol' head. We got to sit low with him out under the shade and were given nasty doggy kisses and felt completely comfortable with him. We didn't want them to have to come looking for us, so we walked back inside. I was holding his leash when the other family walked in with their huge dog, and they gave me a sweet stink-eye. The mom, son, and two dogs were taken into a bigger meeting room with a trainer, and we waited, and waited. The lady at the desk teased us for pacing, saying we looked like worried parents.

Then, the trainer came around the corner. The family's huge dog was dominating, which would work if Lilo had been one to back down, but he wasn't. The mix of two alpha-dogs would cause problems.

(Sidenote: I had already decided to change Lilo's name. And I asked one of the trainers if the dogs respond well to that, or if it adds stress, or if it would even work. She said it works fine, dogs usually learn their new name in a week, and it wasn't something stressful.)

And so, there was much rejoicing! The trainer CRIED, saying, "he's had such a hard life so far!" (Awkward!!) They said he had been found lost twice, and after the second time, the owners released him to the HS. He also had had heart worms and apparently the treatment for that is like enduring chemo (according to the trainer).

trying to show his big head to the camera for our families

We couldn't get him home that day, because they let the vet do a final check-up and make sure everything is up to date. That gave us time to buy supplies... AND, more importantly, to think of a new name!

running out of titles for posts about friends. a good problem.

June 6th. Tommy starts work.

Also June 6th, Cheryl sends and email to everyone saying they are coming to live in Vero Beach.

Crazyness!

Jeremy arrived here that week, and Cheryl and their two young boys came a few days later. Because of the crazy time constraints, they had to live with Jeremy's sister and her family until they found a place. Did I mention she and her husband also have two children? So the population in the in-laws' house literally doubled overnight!

And here we were. Sitting in too much space. God said- offer your space, silly!

We were using the two twin beds that came with the house in the "guest room" - but Cheryl mentioned that her two year old would probably want to sleep with them. So, trying to be extra accommodating, I found amazingly on-sale set of king-sized sheets and a fancy connector thingy (which ended up being a foot wide cut of an egg crate bed topper). The two twins became one king, and there was enough room next to it for the one year old to sleep in a pack-n-play. I do hope it was cozy!

There was a moment or two when I thought- we don't know these people. Not that I was thinking that they could be... marauders or anything.... (yeah, I just wanted to use the word "marauders"... Cheryl and Jeremy and two little boys knocking down our door with horses and using torches on our furniture....). But, while in Gainesville, the four of us never actually hung out... at all. We had gotten to the point where we recognized them, and that is all. We were technically in the same small group for Bible study, but always seemed to come on opposite nights and sat on opposite sides of the building during church services.

They stayed with us only three or four days. During that time, during naps and lunches and Pooh movies, Cheryl and I got to talk and talk while the guys were at work. I found out about her family, she found out about mine. And it's always a good sign of a friendship when you can make fun of each other. Tommy and I found out that Jeremy plays the guitar, too. Since those few days, they have just... well, "jammed" as much as I think that sounds lame... several times since. And whilst the jam is happening, Cheryl and I can just talk. So good.

Nope, we sure didn't mind God stuck them with us for a few days - another piece of our global family right where we are and right when we feel the most alone.

blind.

Tommy has a vertical scar on his forehead that's about 3/4 of an inch long. It kind of hides in his hairline, and it's pretty faint, so most people don't even know it's there. When he wears his glasses, I call him my Harry Potter.

He got the scar in 2nd grade.... well, he thinks it was second grade. His brain was jumbled a little on that day. His teacher wanted to teach them a lesson about being blind. Half of the class was blindfolded, and paired up with the other kids who would lead them by hand. Tommy became one of the "blind" children and up and back down the hill of their school they went. This school was build with outdoor walkways, complete with metal beams holding a nice concrete cover over each. Somehow, Tommy and his leader were separated. And Tommy ran straight into one of those beams with his forehead. Hearing "your head is bleeding" he pulled down his blindfold, which was acting as a dam to the flood of blood, and that's when they realized it was a serious cut. The best part: Tommy was rushed into the school office, and the problem child who was there to be punished shouted "I can see your brain!"

What does "trust" mean? When I typed it into my frequently used Google search box, I got back "reliance" and "hope" and "confidence". Tommy was putting complete confidence in his classmate, which is natural for a child to do. Who do you put your complete confidence in? 

Have you ever thought about how pitiful we as humans are? We marvel at our great strides in science, the tremendous cities and wonders our tools have built. But think about the time, energy, and numbers of people it took to create. How humbling that we make these things so slowly and pitifully- compared to the Creator!

We forget where our keys are, can't remember what we said and thought yesterday, much less any number of years ago. We can't create without tools and materials. We can't control our own tongues or thoughts. We only know what we learn- we are born completely helpless. Our own feelings and senses trick us.

And at the same time we almost always completely trust ourselves and then other human beings. We trust in our own puny understanding, trust in our power and strength, trust in our bodies of dust. We are naturally born blind to our own feebleness.

We are blind to the miracles that occur every moment.
We are blind to His love.
We are blind to our own lowly state.

Pslam 146:3-8
Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.

  The LORD sets the prisoners free,
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.

When we come to know Him, he takes that blindfold off.

We, though, have been injured from our own blindness. We carry the scars of our past failures and the evilness in our hearts.

I hope I do not forget my scars. I hope they are as plain as Tommy's- front and center every time I look in the mirror. I need to know my lowliness and frailties so that I don't forget how Great and Loving my Father is! I will not feel the guilt that Satan will throw in my face because Christ has opened my eyes to Who He IS.

welcome to the friendship company.

Let's rewind a few days....The Tuesday we came back from VB and the day we turned in our less-than-two weeks notice, we went help a family move. We were part of a great small group in Gainesville, and one of the families had to be packed up that night to move back to Indiana. So we used that time to tell everyone that we found out that we were moving, also! There was a newer couple there- Cheryl and Jeremy- they had moved to Gainesville with their two kids probably six months after us, and had been in our small group. They immediately stopped us- his sister lives in VB! She and her husband are part of a great Bible study and are strong Christians, and Cheryl knew we'd get along. It's always great to already have Christian contacts in a new city!

Back to the final week in Gainesville... I was messaging Jeremy's sister, Rachel, on Facebook and learning about Vero, we were eating off paper plates, had a moving truck reserved, and packed up all non-essentials.

We sent out the word- Friday night we would pack up, Saturday was clean-up day and rest momentarily, and Sunday morning we would leave in time to be in VB by 9:00 am.

How we were AGAIN reminded in those last days what a kindness the Lord showed us in Gainesville- to have immediately given us Godly friends in Jon and Kim, and then to have allowed us to cannonball into a solid group- a small part of the Church. We were welcomed and loved on and encouraged- they were the reason leaving Gainesville would be hard.

But they sure tried to make it easy! Ten people showed up Friday afternoon to pack up- to sweat and laugh and hug on us. My mom came from Arkansas and got to meet all the crazy people I had told her about. The men did the heavy lifting and we girls did some decent lifting, too! People gradually had to leave, and that made it easier- rather than hugging everyone at once, we got to really hug people one on one. The last two families left, the Mollers and the Bedenbaughs, and my mother, were treated by us to a fancy dinner at Firehouse Subs (YUM) because we couldn't think of another way to thank them!

Saturday was one of those surreal days. We took mom to Satchel's - since we had just found a truly Gainesville-ian landmark place, we didn't mind going twice in one week! Somehow the day went by really quickly, and ended with two dear friends coming by one more time to give us a hug goodbye. It's a sad thing that we were so sweaty and gross in our goodbyes....

Sunday morning- the Day of Rest- Tommy and one servant of a friend Jay met before 5 am to drive the big moving truck down to Vero Beach. Those big trucks can only be driven right on the speed limit to be safe, and so they needed to leave before we did. An hour later, The Mollers, mom, and I had all packed up the rest of our odds and ends and had thrown out a little trash, and were on the road, too.

It was nice to see the sunrise. If I was a song writer, I'd write about how we got to see the start of a new day while starting a new adventure...

Our poor friends. They had to get up so early on a weekend and then drive three and a half hours. And then completely unpack a huge moving truck of furniture and boxes.... It actually didn't take that long!

We decided that since we had all worked really really hard, we deserved to see the beach for a little bit. We drove out to a nearby beach, and enjoyed just relaxing for awhile. But it was short lived- they had another 3.5 hour drive back to Gainesville.

Another surreal moment of life- being in a new place and seeing your friends drive away. They went above and beyond what we expected from friends- especially those we had known for less than a year. I honestly think that's what the Holy Spirit does for us- we're already specially linked to those who know Christ- they're already our brothers and sisters.

Mom stayed almost a week longer. She helped me unpack boxes and decorate- we were in a yellow and green house! So it was a little more difficult to put colors together that actually looked decent. She even pitched in and helped purchase some different lamps and pillows so our room would look better and more "put together". She also took us out to eat so we were able to explore the local places a little. We found one place for breakfast- Mulligans. We got to sit on a little alcove, facing the ocean, being cooled by the sea wind and eating the most amazing breakfast. I don't really like breakfast food, but I ate so much of a HUGE and GORGEOUS french toast. We also found a Mr. Manatees (yes, creative?) where I FINALLY got to eat some popcorn shrimp.

And then mom left. We were alone again, in a brand new city and place.... but not a new state! 

A week after mom left, I get a message from Cheryl Turner- who was mentioned at the beginning of this post. Jeremy got a job in Vero Beach and they would be moving down in less than 10 days! What is with this place and quick moves? So that meant, not only did we have a connection with Jeremy's sister and her family, but also were getting two more friends.

AND they were even more of those "brothers and sisters" we like and need.