The Chronicles of Melinda

Last week we took horses to Carillon, an assisted living facilty in Hillsborough and did pony rides for Carillon families and shared horses with some seniors and it was really neat.  Here’s a picture of Sport making friends with a sweet senior who spent some time telling me about her younger years riding horses and working on a dude ranch.
 
All I can say is…have you hugged your elder today?  Sometimes they are forgotten when placed in assisted living facilities so if your community group needs something special to do as a group….consider visitting and helping out with activities at an assisted living facility. 

Last weekend 420 people attended the first NHC block party of the summer. We brought horses and a firetruck and the kids kept us VERY busy with that.  Thanks to all those who volunteered and helped with the horses - especially P.J. and Katie Spears who just jumped in when they saw the line.  The downside of working….after taking the horses home and the firetruck back to the station…we returned to our grill to find it had been looted.  Someone owes us at the next block party! LOL!

Malcolm’s buddy attended NHC for the first time at the block party and then even came to service the next day for the first time…so big props to God on that one.  Let’s pray he returns.  He said he enjoyed!

Yes I was on the news AGAIN.  No autographs please…just doin’ my job.  (Everyone saw it, but me!)  We had a bear visit Durham this past week.  We started getting reports on Thursday and the little bugger moved his way through a pretty populated area of Durham trying to navigate his way around.  Unfortunately, we believe he got hit Sunday as our last reported sightings were in the Cole Mill/Sparger Road area heading towards Orange County and a bear was hit on 85 near there.  Since then, we’ve had no more reported sightings.  It makes me very said.  But here’s one of the pics I snapped near Old Hillendale school Thursday.  That’s when they filmed my little “interview”.  Those are also my pictures on the Showgram website (cuz I sent ‘em).

A Spiked teen has been living in my house for the past week and a couple of days.  She’s been staying with Taira in exchange for a little cash and some riding lessons.  She’s GREAT.  Not only does she keep my kid occupied…she cleans the house.  I came home one day to a freshly shampood carpet!  Dishes are always done!  Horses fed and waterred.  I think I might kidnap her for the rest of the summer.

Spiked is kicking off on Wednesday nights.  We were a little worried about Wednesday night attendance…but God has just kind of said “In your face for doubting me.”  I have to say - the Middle Schoolers have absolutely dominated Wednesday nights!  And last week we gave away an Ipod touch at each service and the kids obliterated trays and trays of wings and chicken wings from Vinny’s!  This week we’ll see how many hot dogs and burgers they consume!

I am so totally in love and then some with the man God has blessed my life with and so happy that he even shares God and NHC with me by serving in Student Ministry.  But I could blog for days about him and I won’t bore you with all the mushy stuff!

Taira is going to Hilton Head with a friend from July 4th to July 11th. She’ll be gone on the day of her birthday so I need some ideas on some cool surprise I can have waiting at the house when she gets back.  She’s going to be 11.  Someone has apparently told her she’s going to be 21 though.

I think we will finally go see Transformers 2 on Friday.  The madness will have died down by then.  I consiserred seeing it at the IMAX because I know it’s got to be awesome there….but I think I’ll settle for a shorter drive and cheaper tickets at Palace Point.

We got a new goat from an NHC family.  He’s cute, he’s got horns and he’s already trying to make baby goats with Lucy.  (And well…baby goats are REALLY cute!)  So it looks like we’ll be putting up some fence. 

Nothing else new to report except for some reason I am beginning to feel very detached from some people.  It’s not on purpose…I’m sure of it.  I guess that’s the way life is sometimes.

We had a fox in Durham that bit a child.  The fox tested positive for rabies today.  But we’re not the only ones.  Orange County had 2 fox incidents yesterday and their foxes also tested positive.

Looks like it’s the year of the fox.  We’ve tested 3 foxes and a skunk in Durham in the past 6 months.  Raccoons most commonly test positive for us…but this year the foxes seem to be escalating the problem.

Rabies is nothing new!  So don’t panic…just be aware!  Vaccinate your pets against rabies (it’s the law) and stop feeding the wild animals.  Yeah - they are cute…but it’s not worth the risk of inviting potential rabies carriers to hang out in your yard. 

That’s your public service announcement from your friendly Animal Control Officer! :)  (Actually - here’s the real announcement I drafted for the media frenzy….)

Durham County Animal Control received positive rabies today results for a fox believed to be the fox that bit a 4 year old child at Westminster School for Young Children located on Old Chapel Hill Road on Tuesday.  The child will continue to undergo post exposure rabies vaccinations, which consist of a series of injections.  The treatment is crucial to prevent the risk of the disease incubating in the child.  While there is a recorded case of a human surviving rabies, rabies is considered 100% fatal.  In 2004 a Wisconsin girl survived rabies after contracting the disease from a bat, but not without major health complications that required her to learn to walk and talk again.  The girl did not receive treatment immediately after being exposed and did not begin any medical treatment until she started to get sick.

Animal Control is working with a wildlife agent, Animals Be Gone, to attempt to trap and capture a confirmed den of fox pups adjacent to the school grounds believed to be the offspring of the rabid, female fox. Two baby foxes were already captured in the traps this morning.  “There is a risk that the offspring may also be carrying the rabies virus, so the goal is to remove the risk from the immediate area.” Animal Control Officials say.  The baby foxes will be euthanized and not released back into the wild.

This marks the fourth positive rabies case in this year for Durham County.  Since January Animal Control has sent 31 bats removed from homes, 7 cats, 3 foxes, 2 raccoons, 1 beaver, 1 dog, 1 skunk and a vole.  Only the foxes and the skunk proved to be rabid.

Animal Control officials warn that while there may be only 4 recorded positive rabies results since January this year that number is not indicative of the number of animals that may be positive within the territorial boundaries of the County.  Animals are only sent in for testing for rabies when results need to be determined because they have exposed a human or a pet.  Sick or injured animals that are impounded, but have not exposed domestic animals or pets are euthanized, but not tested. 

Animal Control officials also warn citizens to stay away from wild animals and to refrain from feeding them in their backyards.  While they may appear cute and beautiful to watch, they pose a great health and safety risk to humans and pets should they become infected with the disease.  It is better to not escalate that risk by inviting wild animals to visit residential areas.

Durham County Animal Control also offers low cast rabies vaccinations to owners of  dogs and cats for $10.00 at their office located at 3005 Glenn Road in Durham.  Vaccination times are from 10:00AM to 12:00PM and from 2:00PM to 4:00PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  If the times are inconvenient, citizens should call the office to make an appointment for a different weekday.   

I mean…don’t the lyrics of this song pretty much sum up what we all go through trying to reach our dreams?  Everytime we think we’re there and we’re not…doesn’t that shake our faith a little (or a lot) that we are ever going to experience that blessing of what we dream of?  Sometimes…our dream may be dangled right in front of us and we think we are closerthanthis to actually getting it…only to have it dissipate right before our eyes.  It can almost devaste you.  But at the same time…we are supposed to sit back and think….it’s because this wasn’t the right time…the right place…we need to be patient and keep hoping.  Keep the faith….

It’s easier said than done…but of course these are life lessons.  Lessons on patience, preserverance, a test of faith…call it what you want. But I think Miley nailed it right on…it’s The Climb!

One of my favorite scriptures.  And right now I’m exercising all the faith I have in prayer that God is about to bless me in a big way.  Sometimes things fall into play just right and you know it’s from God.  And if it involves someone else, and they tell you they believe that God put you in the position you are in with them without even knowing where your faith stands then that is just all the more proof that God is great.

The prayer team at NHC is awesome.  I’ve receieved tremendous support for my prayer request and believe that God is certainly listening.  I am on pins and needles awaiting word on a situation that would almost fulfill a dream for me!  Trying my best to have patience without exploding and at the same time without letting pessimism ruin the moment.

Of course I know…if this is not the blessing God means for me it’s only because he has something better in store.  But I can’t help hoping that this IS the blessing.  Stay tuned!

One of my favorite teenagers EVER, Alyssa (my best friend’s daughter), just graduated from high school in Texas and is College bound.

Tomorrow Taira is graduating from Elementary School to Middle School and one of my friend’s son’s is graduating from Riverside.

Thursday one of my ol’ Spiked teens graduates high school and I am allowing her to have her grad party/bonfire at my house.

Graduations Graduations Everywhere.

Last night in the hall at Gravely Hill Middle School I was commenting with other adults how the only graduation we had was from High School.  There was no kindergarten graduation.  No graduation from Elementary to Middle School. No graduation from Middle School to High School.  How did this all come about.

I can see a method to the madness.  Every time a kid moves up they have a celebration for a sense of accomplishment.  Hopefully these graduations give them a sense of achievement so they will continue to strive for the next “big” graduation. 

You know - I remember last year we had a graduation ceremony for Club 56ers who were graduating up to Spiked.  That was kind of cool.

Maybe we should start having graduation celebrations for the Kingdom of God.  You know - you get Saved - we have a huge celebration.  You get baptized - we have a huge celebration.  Make sure you are celebrating for your community group members…making a big deal of these big decisions instills that they are the best decisions ever!

When all is said and done…we want to graduate from earth to Heaven.  Hope to see you there.

P.S.  HAPPY ANNIVERSARY JAMIE AND LAUREN!

 77 PEOPLE WERE BAPTIZED THIS WEEKEND AT NHC!!!

Is there any other word to describe it other than WOW?  Malcolm was one of those people…and there are really no words to describe how I feel about that!  He wasn’t even attending church when we started dating in October.  Now not only does he attend with me, he serves in the Student Ministry, too.  And this weekend….in front of the church he joined 76 other people in making a public declaration of his faith in Jesus and being buried and risen again.  There’s nothing like it.  Somewhere in the day yesterday I remember him saying “there’s nothing that could make this a bad day.”  And only God gets the glory for doing so much in his life these past 9 months.

We were blessed to spend the latter part of the afternoon celebrating with a very awesome community group with some awesome food, fellowship and prayer.  There was truly reason to celebrate!

Some very awesome folks got baptized yesterday…including some NHC Kids and some Spiked Teens.  Families were baptized…husbands and wives…brothers and sisters…it was really an awesome day. 

We also celebrated Malcolm’s grandma’s birthday yesterday with his family.  Bless her heart, despite it being her birthdya she insisted on doing all the cooking….and it was that smack your momma kind of soul food cooking. 

I am definitely on a diet this week!

Taira celebrated the end of the school year at her friend’s house.  She GRADUATES from Elementary School this Wednesday.  GRADUATES????  I don’t remember graduating from 5th to 6th grade, but I’m as proud as she is excited.  They had a tough time with EOG’s…but it’s all over now!

Tonight I am going to see one of my Spiked small group teens graduate from Middle School to High School and Thursday I’m hosting a graduation party for a previous Spiked High School graduate.  What a week.

But more so…what a weekend!!!

Rocked Dead and Gone with Jessie and the guys in Spiked.  Satan really jacked with me on that song.  I had NIGHTMARES about it on Saturday night.  Rehearsal on that song didn’t work for me.  Club 56 didn’t get the full deal either.  But even when Satan tried to jack it up  in Spiked he got an In Yo Face from Jesus and the assistance of all the reliable folks at NHC I stopped to pray about it when I was so nervous.  We rocked it…but  I have NEVER felt so jacked with doing a rap as I did this weekend. In Yo Face Satan!

On that note - for all the folks at NHC who told me they were praying for me per my prayer request on the prayer line….THANK YOU!  I have no worries knowing I have the support of an awesome Prayer Team, Church Family and Jesus!  I will be patient and know God will take care of things.

Hit Palace Pointe after a nap yesterday afternoon for some bowling.  Bowled a whopping 125 for my highest.  I’m lucky to break 100 most games.  I’m ready for pro-bowlign. Ha ha!  I love Palace Pointe.  They got bowling, the arcade, skating, the theater, billiards and a diner.  And how about Wednesday nights they have Christian music for skating.  Go give them support.  You know you want to strap on some old skates and boogie on wheels!

Rewind back to Saturday.  Potential horse shows were cancelled due to the torrential rains of the week prior.  Had an awesome breakfast - waffles, omelets, sausage AND bacon.  So my friend Belinda came to town with her hubby to do Rainbow Vac demos.  Those things rock.  And for allowing a demo you get a FREE (Really!!!) 3 day 2 night hotel stay in places like The Outer Banks, Asheville, Myrtle Beach, Honolulu, Orlando, New Orleans and a list of other places.  So if you want a hook-up on getting a demo let me know.  Belinda’s hubby is running demos.

What else happened Saturday?  Oh….there was grilling of course.  And a midnight - not quite moonlit late night ride in the woods on some of the most reliable horses I know…MINE.  It was REALLY dark!    But we all came back unharmed, unspooked and safe and sound.  Of course horses see better than we do so what we couldn’t see they could and they led us safely through the darkest woods this side of Hurdle Mills.

Anyway- I had a great weekend as you can tell.  Food, friends, love, Jesus, Horses…life was good.

I hope you, too had a blessed weekend!

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