the things I’ll miss-

Today I spent some time with a few things that I’ll be the saddest to leave. This after noon I took the puppy that my family got a month ago for a walk at Marengo Ridge. Ever since my family moved to Illinois 5.5 years ago, I’ve been trying to get my parents to let us get a dog to replace the one we left when we moved. Sometime about the beginning of this year my brother Ben began to start whining for a pooch. For many years I had occasionally asked for a dog, but after several months of Ben incessantly begging for one my parents consented. After a couple months of looking around we saw an ad for puppies at the supermarket. We visited the owners of the potential pooch. The puppies (a litter of 9!) had a pure blood Premboke Corgi dad and a red-tick Coonhound/German Shepherd mom. Almost all of the pups had short, black hair with tan and white markings, they were SOOO CUTE! During June we had several trips planned when all the family would be gone, so we had to wait nearly a month before we took possession of our canine. Unfortunately I was on a youth trip when my family got her and named her Leah. It’s been a little over a month that we’ve had her and she’s settled in quite well. Every dog has its quirks and Leahtard is no exception. I just wish that I’d actually have gotten time to spend with a dog before leaving for college. Still I’ve enjoyed the time with her and am happy that my family should have a wonderful new member.

Leah and I set out for Marengo Ridge, a conservation district property full of trails through hills, prairie, and woods. When my family moved to our house I don’t think we had any idea what a great blessing being in a neighborhood surrounded by conservation district land would be. My house is in the opposite corner of the neighborhood from the ridge, but it’s only about a .5 mile walk to get to the actual trails, about 1/2 of the walk is through a hayfield or all of it is through some woods, depending on what path I take. I’ve always preferred to walk rather than drive, it seems to me that if my point in going to the trails is exercise and fresh air, than I can get extra just to get to the place where I get most of it. No matter the time of year or the weather (although I do like cool and sunny), Marengo Ridge is always a fantastic place for me to just go and stretch my legs and think about things. When I got my iPod Nano for Christmas, I started to listen to a couple podcasts for a routine at MR. When walking up there I’d listen to the Daily Audio Bible (I’ll blog about that sometime) and then listen to DJ Tiesto’s club life podcast while running for a mile or two. I don’t know if I’ll have access to such a wonderful place to exercise and meditate at college, but I pray that MR will still be here.

After chillaxing with Leah in the hayfield for a while, my friend Kerriand her dog Dusty came and joined us. Dusty is part Irish Wolfhound, so she’s a very sizeable dog especially compared to Leah. Leah, being a puppy, just likes to try and “play” with Dusty. That means she runs up to Dusty, barks at her, and then turns away and bolts like a bullet. It is absolutely hilarious to watch the puppy try to antagonize the giant. Anyway, Kerri and I walked with the pooches around Marengo Ridge. Kerri and I knew each other when I went to Zion in eighth grade, but didn’t really become friends until my junior year when she transferred her sophomore year after spending an evil year at the public high school. Over the years we’ve become pretty good friends and she’s certainly diffused much of her spunky, social behavior onto me. In many school projects we’ve been assigned to work together, and in about 5 plays/skits we’ve been “partners in crime”. Although I never would have guessed it several years ago, Kerri has become one of my best friends. I’ll certainly miss you next year Kerri!

So now is the time when I say goodbye to the many things that have made my childhood. People grow, life changes, but the past, the foundation will always remain on the bottom.