The Bird Poop and the Goat-ABC Day 27

My neighbors/relatives, Darrel and Simone, had left the country for a wedding last week, and had asked me to do their chores while they were gone. (They’re back now, though, so if you were hoping to rob them while they were away, don’t even try.)

The first day I had to do their chores was a beautiful and sunny one. Since it was so nice out, I decided to walk to their house instead of driving. As I was nearing their house, I all of a sudden felt a drop of water on my head.

“That’s weird,” I thought, “There isn’t a cloud in the sky!”

I glanced up and there was a bird flying overhead.

“Oh, surely that bird didn’t just poop on my head!”

I tentatively reached up and touched the area where I’d felt the drop. Sure enough, when I brought my hand down, my fingers held the telltale evidence of bird poop.

I was frustrated and embarrassed, and felt like every person driving by me could see an enormous patch of white bird poop on my head. When I got to Darrell and Simone’s house I looked in the mirror and realized that it actually wasn’t that noticeable. Nevertheless, I cleaned it out the best I could.

Now it was time for me to do their chores. I checked on the cows, made sure they had water, and then headed towards the goat pen. As I approached, an enthusiastic goat came running towards me. In any other situation, this would have been delightful, but this goat was supposed to be in his pen, not following me around! Immediately, memories of trying to get sheep and cows into their pens flooded my mind and I groaned internally. This goat didn’t seem to need to be chased, however. He gleefully followed me wherever I went.

“Well,” I thought, “The first order of business is to figure out how this goat got out.”

So I tested the electric fence, and it was still working. I also glanced around, and there were no obvious holes in the fence. I thought about trying to put the goat back in and watching it to see if it escaped again, but I couldn’t even figure out how to do that. I couldn’t see an area where you could unhook the fence, and the goat was much too heavy to lift over the fence.

Finally, I decided I would just walk the whole way around the pen to see if I could find where the goat got out. As I was walking around the fence, I finally saw a place to unhook the fence.

“This is perfect!” I thought, “Now I can put the goat in and find where it’s getting out!”

This was a great plan. I started walking towards that area, and the goat began following me as usual. The problem arose when the goat realized that the patch of grass about 20 feet away from the unhooking area had some superb grass. The goat began to graze and refused to move any further.

“Come on goat!” I said, exasperated. “We’re so close!”

But the goat wouldn’t budge. I tried bribing it with feed, but apparently, the grass was tastier. I tried picking it up, but as we established earlier, the goat was to heavy for me to lift. I tried pushing, I tried pulling, and I tried moving the goat’s legs for it, but that goat refused to move more than a foot.

“Fine!” I yelled, “If you want to stay here, stay! I’m going to figure out how you escaped.”

So I began walking around the pen, checking for areas where a goat might be able to slip out. I was just coming around the last side when the herd of goats that were still in the pen came barrelling towards me, and lo and behold, the escapee goat was among them.

I felt like crying out of happiness and out of frustration.

Thankfully, I’d been able to see the general area that the herd had come from, and found where the goat probably got out. I found a few fiberglass fenceposts and boarded up the area as best I could.

Then I fed the other animals and went home. And thus ended my animal escapades for the day.


A very blurry picture of the Frank Morris of goats





This was Day 27 of the April Blogging Challenge. You can find Day 26 on Mom’s blog, and stay tuned for Day 26 on Amy’s blog.


5 People Who did Great Things At 19-ABC Day 24

I turned 19 last Saturday, and in the spirit of things, here are 5 people who did great things at 19.

  1. Mark Zuckerberg

    Mark Zuckerberg was 19 years old when he created Facebook.

  2. Blaise Pascalpascal.jpg

    At 19, Blaise Pascal began to work on creating a mechanical calculator. He did this, establishing himself as one of the first two inventors of the mechanical calculator.

  3. Frida Kahlofrida.jpgFrida Kahlo began painting her first series of self-portraits at 19.
  4. Elvis Presley

    At 19, Elvis was launched into stardom.

    5. Joan of Arc

    Joan of Arc was 19 years old when she was martyred. She later was named a Saint.


Who knows, maybe this year all accomplish something great as well. (Hopefully I don’t get martyred like Joan of Arc, though)


This was Day 24 of the April Blogging Challenge. You can find Day 23 on Mom’s blog,  and stay tuned for Day 25 on Emily’s blog.

11 Things That Happen When Your Dad is Also Your Teacher-ABC Day 20

My dad was my teacher for 10 of the years I was in school, and he was principal the whole time I was in school. There were some things I liked about that, and some things that I didn’t.

Here are 11 things that happen when your dad is also your teacher/principal.

  1. If you keep quiet, you can learn a lot of juicy information.

    If you don’t say anything on the way home from church, sometimes your parents forget that you’re still in the car. You hear conversations at home that you probably shouldn’t. It helps when you live in an old farmhouse where sound carries well. Sometimes you only hear snippets of a conversation and have to extrapolate the rest. Sometimes you guess correctly, and sometimes you’re very very wrong.

  2. Old things from school find their way to your home and vice versa.

    The fabric left over from covering the bulletin boards came to your house, and you made a skirt out of it. The old blue chair from school sat at your house for several years after it was done being used at school. On the other hand, all of your family’s old computers went to school, and the kids in the little classroom would watch home videos where you hosted a “circus” and tossed stuffed animals through a hula hoop.

  3. Your dad always asks you questions about what you see going on at school.

    Dinner conversations sometimes consist of him asking “Do you see _______ going on at school?” and you have to sit there debating whether or not to tell him that you’re one of the ones doing the thing because you know he wouldn’t want you to.

  4. If someone gets in trouble, your fellow students assume you were the one who told.

    You have the most direct path to the principal, so it MUST have been you, right?
    This almost makes it hard to tell anyone in your family about what happens at school, because if someone gets in trouble everyone knows it’s your fault.

  5. You always have to stay late after school functions.

    Because your dad was in charge of the school Christmas program, you have to stay around and help clean up long after your friends have left.

  6. “Teacher’s Pet” is the worst insult.

    But mostly because you have a sinking feeling that it might be true. In all honesty, you’re just a great student because you have a teacher to help you with your problems 24/7.

  7. Getting in Trouble can feel super awkward.

    When you’re sitting in front of your dad after doing something wrong, you’re never sure if he’s disappointed in you as a student or as a daughter (or son).

  8. Your dad notices random grammar mistakes.

    One time my dad was reading the paper, and all of the sudden he says very loudly, “OH NO!” Emily, Mom, and I frantically began asking him what was wrong, but all he could say was, “OH NO!” Finally, after enough of us questioning him about what was going on he said, “That was a terrible dangling modifier!”

  9. When you’re going on field trips, you have to sit in the front seat.

    When everyone gets in the van if there’s not enough room in the back you have to be the one to sit in front with your dad because “He’s your dad.” When you do make it into the backseat, you end up sitting back there all alone because everyone else got dropped off first, and it feels like you’re being chauffeured around.

  10. You get two perspectives on what’s going on at school, and you feel torn.

    You hear all of the administration’s side of why your friend is getting in trouble, and it makes sense, but your friend also talks to you about how unfair it is that she got in trouble, and her side of things also makes sense.

  11. You appreciate what teachers and principals do.

    You’ve seen firsthand how much they pour into students, and you understand how long it can take before they get thanked for it. Ultimately, you love being a teacher’s kid, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.


Well, that’s it for today folks. I hope you can relate if your parent is a teacher or principal.



This was day 20 of the April Blogging Challenge. You can find day 19 on Mom’s blog, and stay tuned for day 21 on  Amy’s blog.

5 Things I’ve Been Learning Lately-ABC Day 17

I once heard someone say “If you’re not learning something new every day, you’re doing it wrong.” I don’t know if this is 100% true, but I do feel as though I’ve been learning a lot lately. Here’s some of what I’ve been learning.

  1.  Biology (especially genetics) is super cool.

    In my Biology class we’ve been covering mitosis, meiosis, and genetics, and it’s absolutely fascinating. Yesterday we were learning about how there are 3 possible alleles for your ABO blood type, but only 2 can be present at a time. We also talked about a Bombay phenotype of blood, where a person has alleles for either A or B blood but has recessive genes for the substance h that attaches the A or B antigens to the cell. When the blood is tested, it appears to be O blood, but if the person receives O blood, their red blood cells will release O antibodies and the blood will clump up, and the person will die.

  2. I can talk to new people, even though its hard for me

    Even though I’m very extroverted, I’m really bad at meeting new people, and I tend to assume that other people don’t really want to talk to me. A month or two ago one of my teachers gave us the assignment of doing something that pushed us out of our comfort zone and then doing a presentation on it. I chose to talk to someone new every day for 5 days. It was a struggle at first and it took me several tries before I managed to do it. Ultimately I learned that I should put my phone down more if I want to meet new people, and people are more willing to talk to me than I think they’ll be.

  3. I can maybe handle being in a class on discrete mathematics.

    I signed up for a class this term called “Elements of Discrete Mathematics.” I didn’t really know what it was, but it’s required for my major, so I figured I might as well do it now. When I saw that the required textbook was called Mathematical Structures For Computer Science I freaked out a little, because computer science scares me. It just seems like everyone who learns that sort of thing already knows it. When I showed up to the class, there was only one other girl in the class, and everyone looked like they already knew what was up. However, once the teacher started teaching I realized that what we’re learning is actually really fun and I could understand what was going on. I also realized that just because my classmates looked like they knew what was up didn’t mean they actually did.

  4. What seems like the best thing might not be.

    I’m in the process of reading David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell, so this idea has been on my mind a lot. In the book, he talks about how sometimes the things we think are advantages actually are disadvantages, and some of the things we think of as disadvantages are actually advantages. One example that he discusses is how good students will get into Harvard and go into STEM fields but will usually hit a point where they realize that they’re no longer the best student because everyone there got into Harvard. According to Gladwell, it’s better to be a great student at a good school than a good student at a great school.

  5. Investing in friendships is important.

    I’ve been realizing this more and more as I’ve gotten more tied up with college. I’m discovering that spending time with your friends is important, and friendships are worth investing in. I tend to let college always take priority over friendships, but in all honesty, I can do both if I want to. I’m learning that I can do well in college and invest in friendships if I’m willing to prioritize my time wisely, spending time on homework as well as with my friends.
    Also, Emily had a good post about investing in friendships, which you can read here.

While there are other things I’ve been learning, these things have been on my mind the most.

What have you been learning lately?



This was Day 17 of the April Blogging Challenge. You can find Day 16 here, on Mom’s blog. Stay tuned for Day 18 here, on Emily’s blog.

My Day (With Pictures)-ABC Day 13

*before I start, some of these pictures are super blurry, but they’ll just have to do*

Today was a busy one, but it started out nice and slow with a cup of coffee and my morning devotions.

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This was followed by scrolling through my Instagram feed, writing a birthday card for my friend Janane, and a few random things online that I needed to do.

Then it was time to go to school. My first class was Math, where I had a quiz that I was absolutely not prepared for. I forgot that we had the option of using a note card for the test, and hadn’t spent the time preparing for it that I should have. Thankfully the lowest quiz score gets dropped, so if I put in more effort on the next quizzes I should be good. I didn’t take any picture of the class itself, but I did take a picture of myself trying to look regretful. However, instead of looking regretful, I ended up just looking stupid, so that picture isn’t going to grace the blog.

After I did a bit of homework, I decided to splurge and get lunch at the fine establishment that is McDonald’s.


Enter a caption


I had Biology next. We’re learning about genetics, and it’s absolutely fascinating. Yesterday we learned that the probability of you being exactly like you are based on independent assortment alone is 1/64,000,000,000,000 which is just crazy and makes me think about how amazing it is that God had in mind for me to be me, even though the chances are so slim.

After Biology (Which I also forgot to take pictures of) I drove up to Jr. Convention with a stop along the way to get gas.

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Jr. Convention is basically a smaller version of Convention for younger kids.

I was able to watch some of the platform events.20180413_155106

As well as some sporting events.

I was able to hang out with Janane, Sierra, and Ashley, which was a lot of fun.

And I also got to see some friends from regionals!


And then I drove home, where I’m writing this.

This certainly wasn’t the most riveting post, but it’s late and today was busy.

Hopefully next time I can give you a post with a little more meat to it.




This was Day 13 of the April Blogging Challenge. Read Day 12 here, and stay tuned for Day 14 here.

What It’s Like to be a Mennonite in College-ABC Day 10



I think sometimes people imagine that a Mennonite going to a secular college is like a defenseless Little Red Riding Hood walking into the clutches of the Big Bad Wolf. It never really felt that way for me though, because I knew what it was that I believed and I’d decided that I would stick with those beliefs no matter what. In all honesty, being a Mennonite in secular college is more like Red Riding Hood walking through the forest with an ax in her hand. The wolf might attack, but she has what she needs to defend herself.

Going to a non-Christian college after growing up Mennonite felt like a shock at first, because I was suddenly surrounded by people who didn’t believe the same things that I did. Even though no one ever challenged my beliefs (or made me write on a paper that God is dead…that would never actually happen imho), I could still tell that a majority of the people around me had different values and goals that I had.

I’ve heard people point to this as a reason that you shouldn’t send your kids to college, saying that it’ll make them lose their faith. It always annoys me when I hear that, because it did the exact opposite for me. When I was surrounded by people with different beliefs, I was forced to either reject my faith or commit to it whole-heartedly. I could no longer just go with what the people around me were doing, I had to choose God for myself. When I did this, my faith grew so much stronger.

Along with this idea, going to college and being constantly surrounded by non-Christians made going to church feel much more important. I learned to value being with believers and having the opportunity to worship the Lord with other people.

Being in college also helps me to appreciate my heritage. The one day in an education class a story was brought up about a kid who had divorced parents, and how switching between them affected their behavior at school. At my table, people started talking about how their parents had divorced, and what their parents’ systems were for spending time with them. As the people at my table talked I realized that I was the only one whose parents were still together. At that point in really struck me how lucky I was that I grew up in a home that had such a strong emphasis on family.

One of the struggles of being a Mennonite in college is that it was hard to find people who get what my life is like. My friends at school don’t get the Mennonite aspect of things, and my Mennonite friends don’t get what it’s like to be in college. Thankfully I have siblings who have also chosen to go to college and understand the dual perspective on life.

It can also be hard because my friends are a different stage in life than I am. They are working consistently and saving up for international trips, and I am taking classes and funneling all my money into that. I end up sitting and watching and feeling like my life is so boring compared to theirs.

Honestly though, I love college. I love learning new things, and being around people who are also there to learn. I love that it gives me new perspectives on life and helps me appreciate how I was raised. Going to college has been so good for me. It’s helped me to find who I am and what I believe, and without it I don’t believe I would be the person I am today.


Half-formed Ideas About Preparation-ABC Day 6

I procrastinated real hard when it came to writing this blog post. I finished all my homework, applied for a scholarship, attempted to pay for my tuition, and read everything in my Google Drive called “Untitled Document.”

This last one was slightly inspired by Emily’s post about things that lurk in Google Drive. While I was lurking, I found this, which accurately summed up how I was feeling about this post at that moment.


What do people even want to know?

What do I even do?\


No but seriously, what have I been thinking about?

Annoying female characters

The things we do today are preparing us for the days ahead

How is what I’m doing now preparing me for later?

I don’t know, but I can just feel it.

I’m guessing I was trying to find something to write about like I am now, but I don’t know what I was trying to write. Often when I’m trying to come up with ideas I’ll just type whatever pops into my head until I find something. Generally, it will help me to sort out all the half-formed ideas that my brain seems to enjoy hanging on to.

During the time I wrote this, I had begun to feel as though God was telling me that this was a time of preparation for me, my full potential was yet to come to fruition, I was training for something greater. At the time, this encouraged me. I felt like I was doing so many cool things already, surely what’s coming must be even grander than I can imagine.

College is already so much about preparing for the future, it feels natural to also think of it as a time of preparation for my future ministry, whatever that may be. Preparation implies practice and practicing means that you aren’t perfect yet, but you’re working to be better. When I think of my time in college as preparation, I don’t beat myself up for making mistakes, but I continually strive to be better.

I’m realizing now that I don’t really have a point to all this, but I think I’ll share it anyway, because currently everything in my head is only a half-formed idea, and I need to post something tonight.

So, yeah, sometimes, you will have times of preparation, rather than times of fruition, and that’s okay, if not necessary. Embrace the preparation period.


This was day 6 of the April Blogging Challenge. You can read yesterday’s post here, and keep an eye out for tomorrow’s post here.