"My Own Little World"

Have you heard the Matthew West song "My Own Little World"? There is a lyric from the song that goes:

Stopped at a red light, looked out my window
I saw a cardboard sign, said “Help this homeless widow”
And just above that sign was the face of a human
I thought to myself, “God, what have I been doing?”
So I rolled down the window and I looked her in the eye
Oh how many times have I just passed her by?
So I gave her some money then I drove on through
And my own little world reached
Population two

I'm curious how you handle those situations? I normally drive by and offer a smile, but nothing else. It's hard to trust people in today's society, especially once you hear all of the stories about how much money people make panhandling. There are quite a few people in Springfield who sit on the sidewalk holding their signs.

Today when I pulled into Winco there was a woman sitting with her dog, holding a sign similar to the picture above. When I pulled into the parking lot I couldn't get her out of my mind and for a brief second I thought of giving her my Starbucks gift card with what was left on it (it was a gift for my birthday) but then I didn't know if she would really appreciate it or not. Once, Greg offered to buy a homeless man a sandwich from Subway and the guy freaked out on him and was rude, so I wanted to be careful not to offend.

Well of course, once I get into Winco I completely forget about the lady. I hadn't eaten lunch yet and wanted to pick up a fresh bagel to eat on my way home. I decided to get two because they are really good and I figured I would have it for breakfast in the morning. When I drove out of the parking lot I saw the woman again and would be driving right past her. I quickly removed a bagel for myself and handed her the bag with the other one. She was so nice and said, "Oh sweetie, thank you! God bless."

I'm not trying to brag about my good deed but more question what is the "right" thing to do in those situations? I can't necessarily give food or money to every person I see waiting on the side of the road, but do I just drive by without a care in the world? I also start to think about the future, when I (God willing) have my children in the car with me and they wonder why I don't stop to help any of those people? I've heard some people keep a container of granola bars and bottled water in their car for those instances and let their kids hand them out if they happen to pass by someone in need. I'm curious as to other people's thoughts/opinions on the matter?

Boys and Their Toys

Greg and his family are very passionate about their bikes/quads. Before I met Greg I had never been on a four wheeler or riding on a sand dune, and camping to me was staying at the beach or the lake for a weekend, making s'mores by the fire and singing songs with the fam. I have come to realize that "Teune Camping" is a little different, but I am enjoying it just the same :)

We left Friday afternoon for Winchester Bay and stayed through Monday morning. We lucked out with great weather (sunshine, some cloud cover, and NO RAIN!) I did a terrible job at taking pictures. It's difficult to find the time to photograph while riding a quad, trying to keep up with a big group, all while not feeling 100% confident of my own abilities on the dunes. I was able to take a few pictures and hope to do a better job next time. One other thing about the Teune's, not huge fans of posing for pictures, which also makes it difficult.

Met Uncle Roger and Aunt Nancy at Three Rivers. Went in for a bathroom break and leg stretch, Greg talked me into letting him put $1 in a penny machine AND...

we left with $4 more than we went in with. BIG MONEY :)

Had to try and get a pic of my handsome guy getting ready to ride

Some of the toys

Greg, Kevin, (where I should be), Uncle Roger, Alaina, and Brandon (Kyle and Kenny hadn't showed up yet)

Had to get in a pic myself and also show the gorgeous view of the ocean!

Greg drove home through Reedsport so I could seek the elk :)

It was a fun weekend with family and a time to relax. A little sore from all the riding, but it was worth it. Hope you're all having a great week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

I didn't think I would be able to do many fall activities this year since I wasn't teaching, but I had the opportunity to accompany my Aunt Linda and her Kindergarteners to the pumpkin patch today. It was so much fun! Wish I could show you ALL the cute kinder photos, but I don't feel right posting a bunch of pictures to the internet of children I don't know. So here are some pics I can share :)

The owner of the farm took us on a hay ride :)

My efforts to get a picture with a pumpkin

A little boy offered to take a pic of me. Being a kinder, he chopped the top of my head off in the picture, but I think I like it that way :)

With my Aunt Linda

They had some sunflowers still in bloom

I did not edit this picture at all, thought it turned out really cool!

I got a little flower photo happy

Really feeling the "fall vibe" now after visiting the pumpkin patch. I think I need to go get a Starbucks and my day will be complete!

ANTS!

About a month after Greg and I moved into our new apartment we noticed a few ants in the bathroom. I didn't think much of it, I just squished them and moved on. Then we began noticing a couple in the kitchen. Soon, we both realized killing ants was becoming a daily, if not hourly occurrence. I talked to our manager about it and she gave me two traps (one for bathroom and one for kitchen). Well, soon the ants took over the kitchen so I moved both traps in there. This morning I walk into the bathroom at 5:30am with foggy eyes and saw 54 ants on our bathroom counter (yes I counted because I killed every one!!!)

When I left for work this morning the bathroom and kitchen were ant free. I came home about twenty minutes ago and went straight to the kitchen for a snack when I saw this (insert scary shocking music here):

on top of the kitchen counter

underneath the kitchen sink

And the ridiculous part is that they aren't dead! If they were just chillin, motionless in the traps, that is one thing. They are scrambling inside and out, all over the place! I get that the goal of the trap is for them to eat the poison and take it back to their nest, but I don't think that is working. This has been going on for over two months.

Now, some of you may know that I am a bit of an obsessive cleaner/organizer freak. This is absolutely driving me crazy! We are clean people! We don't leave food out, I wiped down the counter tops, I have put out traps, and the little buggers keep coming back. Anyone had this problem before? And are there any suggestions of what we can do to get rid of these blasted ants?!

My Week in Colton

I spent the past week in Colton while substitute teaching for my mom as a Title 1 Reading and Math teacher. My parents were visiting my sister and her husband in Virginia for the week so it was a great opportunity for me to work, spend time with my brother and my niece, and see some familiar faces back in my home town.

For those of you who don't know the Colton area (or Molalla, which is technically where I grew up) we are out in the country. My parents' long gravel driveway is lined with tall, gorgeous trees, and a gigantic field sits behind the backyard. I had forgotten just how breathtaking the early morning scenery could be while looking out the kitchen window until I was reminded...

Along with looking at beautiful sunrises, I got to look at this adorable little girl all week :)

Macie did a lot of sleeping while I was there, but she's getting much more active. She moves her arms and legs more and is starting to track you when you move. Amazing how fast they grow! Tyler and Katrina are doing a wonderful job working together to take care of their precious little girl. So glad they let me hang out for the week with them.