TFC Blog: I Can Advocate!

In the fall of 2009, the Lord began to truly open my eyes and break my heart  to the reality that many children in this world are without the most pivotal of needs: LOVE.

God solidified this ache within me to “do something” for the least of these in June, 2010. He allowed me the opportunity and provided for my husband and me to go on a short-term mission trip with our church. We went to Ethiopia to support and serve the ministry of our homegrown missionaries, Joe & Karyn Bridges. The ministry was The Forsaken Children, and the Ethiopian partner ministry we worked with was Onesimus. My life has never been the same since that journey, and I have not been able to ignore the numerous mentions in God’s word regarding our responsibility as believers to love and care for the least of these.

I have not returned to Ethiopia since my two trips in 2010. Although I’ve yearned to go back, [. . .]

  

[ Finish reading my blog post at The Forsaken Children Blog ]

Massive Monster Bush

We've talked about it numerous times, but always delayed removing the massive monster bush to the left of our house. Although a beast, it offered some extra privacy to our living room and ultimately we were unsure what to do with the space. However, before Mr. McGoo left for his family reunion at the beginning of August, he decided "NO MORE!" and coordinated to have it removed while he was away.

I was amazed at the difference as I walked up to my house following class one night. We are still undecided as to what we want to do next. I'm not to keen on another flower bed because I do not have a green thumb and we put little time into our yard these days. So we're still in discussions... we shall see.

Before

After

Instagram Dump Continued

Walking with Dexter Doo

Don't choose the computer/homework over me again, please?!

Missing daddy while he was away

Beautiful flowers from a friend who encourages me

So thankful for my hubs

Hot Memphis Day - Ice cools ya down

My hubs stylin and profilin with some Pyramex glasses

My boys before we head out of town

Dexter, Maeby, and Mak

Fisher catching a nap while we wait in line at the Pancake Pantry

 

My fab, and goofy youngest sis

Instagram Dump

I've enjoyed using Instagram since it has become an app option for the Android phones. Since May, here is some of my Instagram Dump, which tells a good story of some of the things I've done over the past several months.

Grizzlies make the playoffs and we went to see them!

They didn't play well and lost the series.

A beautiful day in our backyard.

Mr. McGoo worked for MEMPHIS IN MAY during the festivities

We were able to meet our nephew, Fisher for the first time days after he was born!

I was in love with Fisher from the start.

Lunch date with my good lookin' man

Kisses before we part ways

Dexter Doo loving on his squirrel (ps. Tango is destroying them)

Best buds

Date Night - first stop Dick's Sporting Goods

Date Night Continued - Target & Boneheads

Commissioning two of our favorites to serve the Lord overseas

Team Ethiopia departing Memphis

snapFISHER

As a big sis, it has been the coolest experience, already, to see my middle sis become a mom and flourish in that role! In May, our nephew, Neil Fisher Kee was born. I have loved seeing the awesome teamwork my sis and her fabulous hubs have as they work to be a mom and dad to Fisher and care for him. He has been such a blessing to them and to our entire family already and the fun has just begun.

I wanted to share a few photos of my adorable nephew that I've taken with my phone, but if you want to see more of this little guy, check out his daddy's blog, snapFISHER. Brent is a rock star photographer and shows off his skills AND his handsome little boy in every post!

 

Life is busy right now and we don't get to see this little man and his rents as often as we desire... but we soak up every second each time we have an opportunity.

Tango's Adoption

As previously mentioned in this post, we brought Tango home to be a part of our family Wednesday, July 18th. We had decided it was time to add a furbaby into the McGugan family, and we therefore pursued the best route to make that happen. We knew we wanted to adopt a dog in need, so Mr. McGoo began the work of finding some places for us to go.

We found a pup online through PetFinder that peaked our interest, he was a yellow lab about three months old and was at the Memphis Animal Shelter with the nickname, Lover Boy. So we took a trip to the shelter to and go and see.

Mr. McGoo warned me before we walked in that this process might be hard and I would "need to be ready" for what I was going to see. I did not understand what he meant until we began the walk through and saw cage after cage of adorable animals scared, alone, and in a cold environment of metal cages everywhere. My heart ached, but I worked hard to be as objective as possible, knowing we would only take one and it was important to be comfortable with how this one might react with our current furbaby, Dexter.

We walked through all of the dogs, no Lover Boy to be found, but many adorable pups and a set of 5 puppies impressed me the most. Apparently, their owner had "released" them the night before to the shelter along with the mom and dad. Mom and dad were in one cage and the pups were in another cage together. Mom was a shepherd and dad was mutt with a boxer build but his head did not look like a boxer. I loved that I could see mom and dad - knowing their size and getting to experience their temperament a bit. I chose to visit with one of the male puppies... he was the darkest of the pups with a black tip to his tail and snout, he had the biggest belly of the bunch and allowed all 4 of his siblings to crawl, chew, and walk all over him. I knew he was perfect. We played with him for a bit and left because the shelter was closing with a big decision to make...

Was it really time? Were we prepared for the changes a puppy would bring? Were we ready to give the time it deserved? Would Dexter be okay?

Ultimately we decided YES, and Mr. McGoo went to pursue to make this puppy our own. I already had a name in mind - - - SAMSON!

To those who have not heard this story, this may surprise you... yup, our original pursuit was not Tango, in fact it was his only brother, Samson. I never knew that Tango existed at this point. The next day Mr. McGoo made his way to the Memphis Animal Shelter and visited with Samson once more, affirming that yes, he should be ours. He filled out the necessary paperwork, paid the funds, and officially adopted him... we would be able to pick him up in a few days following his neutering.

A couple days later, while at work, I received a call from Mr. McGoo - with excitement I answered believing he was calling to inform me that Samson was in his possession. Instead, he broke the sad news to me that our little guy did not wake from surgery. Samson would not be coming home with us and a decision needed to be made... what now?

After much discussion, following some tears on my part, we decided the best way to honor Samson was to give one of his siblings a good home. I left the task up to Mr. McGoo, feeling heart broken over Samson... I told him I did not want to see the dog or talk names until he or she was home in our possession. I could not chance being heart broken again so soon.

A few days later, I was introduced to this little guy and Mr. McGoo perfectly named him... TANGO! He has been dancing around our house ever since...

DIY Mini Project

In the middle of school craziness, even the most minor of to dos can seem somewhat impossible. If I find enough time to do said project, ultimately I end up choosing to spend that time with Mr. McGoo or others instead. Saturday afternoon, I saw a window of an opportunity and sprinted to complete my mini DIY project before the sunlight hours disappeared.

The goal: To make the three items to the left of our front door more uniform in color - matching the trim of the house. The three items to the left of our front door include: our house numbers, our letter slot, and our mailbox.

Before: Gold numbers, gold mail slot, and black mailbox.

 

Method: I used spray paint and a trash bag opened up as my painting background instead of getting it all over the driveway. For each piece, I started with a white primer, followed by white paint, and concluded with a crystal clear satin finish.

After: I'm satisfied with the results! A quick and easy DIY project that has visible results - the best kind of DIY if you ask me. The only thing negative about the mini project is the discovery that the mail slot is not lined up well with our actual mailbox. In almost 5.5 years of living in this home, I never noticed that reality until the completion of this project... Oh well, just adds to the character of our house.

Introducing Tango

Wednesday, July 18, 2012 the McGoos added a new member to our family and introduced a new addition into our household... meet Tango, our newest furbaby!

Instagram: "Introducing the newest addition the McGoo
Family, Tango! Dexter is no longer a furbaby of one!

We had been talking about adding to our family in the form of a furbaby for awhile, wondering when the best timing would be for us and for Dexter. Following Kodi's passing (Nov 2011) we wanted to be sure to spend some quality time with Dexter alone, as he too was grieving the loss of his brother. In addition, we wanted to honor Kodi's memory. We thought waiting for awhile would  allow us to grieve and remember him regularly through the quieter moments of the house, rather than being caught up in the hustle and bustle of a puppy too soon. 

Towards the end of June and beginning of July however, it became apparent that Dexter was is need of a sibling. He was obviously lonely and becoming more anxious about being separated from Mr. McGoo and me. Dexter expressed this reality to us in numerous ways...

It was time...

Enter Tango...

Wed - July 18th

Wed - July 18th

Size comparison: Dexter & Tango
Wed - July 18th

 I will share our story as to how Tango became a McGoo in another post. His adoption has quite a tale.

Tango meeting his mom for the first time

We Did It!

There is no other way to describe the completion of this past trimester of nursing school except what is exemplified in the image above and using the simple but larger than life words: "We Did It"!

The last 15 weeks have been the most difficult in all of my schooling history! Mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually draining! More than ever before this past trimester I questioned, "why am I doing this"?

Oddly enough, however not surprising when I really think about it... I now feel the most accomplished I have ever felt regarding my education with the completion and passing of this trimester. It was the hardest ever - it didn't come easy, and therefore required much of me. I love what Isaiah 26:12 says about being "accomplished"...

"Lord, you establish peace for us; 

all that we have accomplished you have done for us."

There is no doubt that the Lord was faithful this trimester, providing constant encouragement for me through my fabulous husband, amazing family, great friends, and terrific study mates! I'm ever thankful for making it to the next step - 1 year to go!

In the same breath that I'm praising God for His provision for me through this trimester, I am also lifting up and asking my Father for comfort, wisdom, encouragement, and direction for many of my classmates! There were more than a few this go around that did not pass this trimester with the minimum 77C - anything less causes you to fail and repeat (only 1 repeat is allowed throughout your entire nursing coursework at our school, the need for a 2nd repeat is the end of your school career at our college). As a class, we become very close considering the substantial hours we spend together at school and in the hospital. Therefore, I ache with my classmates and work to fight and encourage them to continue. I'm praying that they allow God to give them the strength necessary to try again! They are not far from my thoughts as I celebrate my completion this trimester.

So with the Summer 2012 Trimester completed, I get to enjoy 2.5 weeks of "free" time without school. Yup, I get to go home or visit friends after work, rather than hopping on the interstate straight to campus or the hospital each night. I'm looking forward to the time and will be updating the blog frequently to catch up on the last 15 weeks of life, as well as share some of the fun things I get to experience during this trimester break. Can't wait.