The Cicada Killer

The title of this post sounds like some kind of bug horror movie. I'm here to tell you, it could EASILY be a bug horror movie. Today, while we had the carport door open and were carrying in groceries, we had our first encounter with one of these large wasp/hornet type bugs. I could go google it and see which one it is but I don't need to see those google images anymore than I already have.

You see, I was in the kitchen, Steven was at the back of the Envoy, and the boys were all in a line and he was handing them grocery bags and they'd pass it to the next one and they'd end at me. It's a super efficient system, just, so you know.

All of a sudden, Steven exclaims, "Holy cow!" and we all are looking around like what?? Then we see it. The bug itself was a good 2 inches from end to end. It was holding a large bug  and doing something to it. It was perched at the top of the open door, near the hinge. Steven said, that thing just flew up there! The kids start screaming and running off in all directions. They may be boys, but most of them hate bugs. Honestly, I think we all hated this bug, even Steven who usually picks up all kinds of bugs with his hands.

I said, can I close the door?? Will it come in?? I'm shooing a kid or two out of the way and Steven gives me the go ahead to shut the door. My first thought, SAFE! But poor Steven, he was still out there with it. I waited a few minutes then cracked the door and said, "Is it gone?!" He said that it was. It had dropped the prisoner bug and flown off when I slammed the door. The poor, dead cicada was kind of huge itself, and did not survive it's encounter.

Of course, then we spent like 20 minutes on the internet trying to find what kind of bug it was and then we saw a picture that matched what we saw and it totally made sense that it was a cicada killer, considering we saw it's murdering ways in action.

So that's it folks, the story of the Cicada Killer's visit to our house. I hope our lack of hospitality keeps him away!

What Does it Look Like? 15 Years of Big and Small Stuff

• July 25th is our anniversary. Our 15th anniversary.  Let me just say, that I'm most certainly too young to have been married for 15 years.
  
  I mean, there's no way we've had a combined total of 15 jobs.
  
  6 vehicles
  
  3 church homes
  
  2 job layoffs
  
  the birth of 5 sons
  
  11 cell phones
  
  5 addresses
  
  one town
  
  3 desktop computers, 2 laptops
  
  Countless memories
  
  “We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts.”
  ―Dietrich Bonhoeffer
  Here's to the next 15 years.
  (hopefully we'll be less hard on electronics)

Kiss me, I'm Lutheran!

I did kiss him. I'm Lutheran too!

Blog Mix Ups

I have 3 blogs going right now. I can't keep track of what I'm supposed to blog or not blog or where I'm blogging or where my friends are blogging. We've scattered! It's hard to keep up. 

I felt like this post needed a picture. So here's a random picture of me and Senator Mark Pryor, giving me the certificate saying my shelter met program and fiscal standards for the state. Also, some kind of cord lying along the floor beside us. We're SO professional.  Good times! :D