A little bit of theology?

Okay...so for those of you who have taken Theology class...do you remember "God's Perfect Will" and "God's Permissive Will"? Well here is my take. God's Perfect Will = Garden of Eden, so warm and wonderfully pleasant that nakedness was comfortable. God's Permissive Will = Adam and Eve sinning and as a result me living in -51! Yes, -51 today on the Yukon River. I think I have forgotten what summer feels like. You know its bad when you are asking God to warm things up to -20. :). My floor seriously RADIATES cold. It's nuts. Slippers are now not optional when visiting my little apartment.

Well, even in this weather dogs need to have the option to go play outside right? Well, Kiva was going absolutely stir crazy this last week and NEEDED to get out. There was one day this week where it "warmed" to -40...for about 15 minutes haha. By the time I got all dressed to go outside it was -47 again. But, Kiva and I went for a walk anyway. She had a great time and enjoyed running free down the trails. However, when we got back to the van she was just as excited as I was to get inside.

Kiva and I have been having as much fun as possible staying in. She has discovered that Rock climbing webbing is the toy of choice. Though she still resorts to her antler 90% of the time, she recently discovered a daisy-chained piece of webbing. Being that it is very old and not usable for climbing anymore, I figured she could play with it. Man she loves it. Other than that, her and I just kind of chill and play inside. We have learned some new things though. Speak! Stay! and Spin! are three new commands that we are working on. She is still so young at heart that we can't work on it too long because she gets so excited, but she is doing so well.

Now for some somewhat sad news. One of my former students passed away on Christmas day. His funeral was on the 2nd of January and by the time I found out about and because of ice fog, I was unable to attend. Vaughn Kozevnikoff was an all regional all state ball player who loved life. Sadly his death was an avoidable accident, but I dont think it would be appropriate to blog about the way he passed. My hope is that he was a believer, but I do not know. He was a wonderful guy, great friend, and loved his gf and kids. Please pray for his family if you think of it and for all those affected. We loved you Vaughn!

Franklin Covey and rechargeble batteries

So I got in my Franklin Covey materials for the 2009 Calendar year. Yes I know, so many people claim that using paper planners is old fashioned and so 1990 BUT...here is the deal. If anything happens to my paper its my fault and I am not relying on the likes of Bill Gates or Steve Jobs for reliablility. :) So, I continue to use paper and I love it. I am not an organized/administrative mind by nature, so these things really help me see what I need to accomplish in my day to day life as well as what I need to prep for the next month, six months, year, etc.

I was goin to take a sweet pic of me writing in my planner, but my rechargeable batteries needed to be re-charged AGAIN! AHHH...why? Im not sure since they were fully charged a few days ago and Ive hardly used the camera. Im convinced that cameras that are two years old or more slowly start to suck more and more battery life...its a scheme by the digital world so that you tell yourself..."man maybe its time for a new, more battery efficient camera", when really your camera works great! So...no pic for now, you all will just have to wait til later to discover a fantastic picture of the pavish planning day. :).

In the meantime, it is warming up outside and we are all happy! Oh how I cannot wait for anything above zero!

Bath Time and the Lost Brush

Out here in the land of the freezing, it is still necessary to give your "best friend" a bath from time to time. Today as Kiva came inside after playing with her friend "Scamp" it became apparent she was in need of one of these monumental events called Bath Time. Her first bath lasted all of 3 minutes and was a bit disasterous and with each bath, it tends to get easier. Today, I thought I would request the assistance of Sir Daniel...my nephew. Taking pictures while giving dogs a bath is not an easy task and therefore...was not accomplished, but these are some "post bath" pictures of Daniel and Kiva. We had a great time.

After this great time...an investigation insued. To all of you who are first time dog owners, we all know how much we love to get "quality" tools and toys for our beloved pet. I am no exception and as a result purchased the "furminator" the ultimate overpriced piece of plastic ever...but it works, so the ad says...so I plunked the $40 and prayed it was worth it. After several uses I was very impressed with my purchase...however, what good is a purchase when it not locateable when you need it. Yes the furminator has been found missing. haha fun play on words.."found" missing. haha. Anyway, Daniel and I looked for this amazing brush to no avail so Kiva will have to go on with her "natural" unbrushed appearance. She is a beautiful dog even without brushing, but she even looks better brushed...so the search continue for the infamous furmintor. A must have for every owner with a dog that sheds...just be sure not to ever lose it! :) 30 minutes later...VICTORY IS MINE! I found it woohoo! Now she is lovely and brushed and even more beautiful than before :).

I have decided to do a blog. I am typically not a journal writer, and to think that this is a journal that others will read is even more intimidating, but I think it will be good to jot down thoughts from time to time.

So, I will start by introducing you to my dog Kiva who loves to look out the window, however, is now a bit upset at the new arrangment of the furniture because the couch is no longer by the window. Many people think she is a mix of a border collie and something else, but she is a purebread Karelian Bear Dog, which most have not heard of before. I had only heard of them this summer and after reading all about them decided I would love to own one...especially out here in the bush. To read more go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karelian_Bear_Dog. Kiva was born on June 16 and I got her on Sept 17th. She has been such a joy and has made living alone not nearly as lonely. Her favorite treats are Chummy Yummies and Buddy Biscuits. She is fed Taste of the Wild dog food and overall just enjoys life and being with people. I hope one day all who read this will get a chance to meet her. :) In the meantime she and I will try and stay warm in the -48 winter we are having in Galena. :)