Oscar and the Kitten

So on Monday, I started school up again and Oscar has gone pretty crazy without the constant attention. My college-bound sister and mom have been painting my sister’s old room for my little sister, so he’s been hanging around them (since Brenna and I are gone). He loves to get in the way of everything, and now has bright blue paint on him. It is quite hilarious.

I was sitting in class today when my phone started vibrating. I figured it was just one of my friends trying to get me in trouble, so I waited until the bell rang before I checked my phone. What I saw made me start laughing out loud, and I got a few curious stares. It wasn't a friend trying to get me in trouble; it was my mom!

Cathleen recently got a kitten from my neighbor as a graduation gift to herself. He is an adorable black kitten with huge ears and an even bigger personality. We like to call him Radar because his ears are so prominent. If he was a boy, he'd probably be picked on. But he's a special little kitten. The best part is the fact that he has NO FEAR whatsoever (except for the vacuum. He hates the vacuum). So while Cathleen and my mom were painting, Mo was going after Oscar.

Now this is a five pound kitten versus a one-hundred pound dog! Thankfully Oscar, being the gentle giant that he is, didn’t go after Mo even though he had his claws out. Poor Oscar’s probably all scratched up, but he dealt with it and was a good spirit. This isn’t the first time that Mo has gone after Oscar, too. Poor dog doesn’t have a chance against the spitfire.

Pound for pound, the cat always wins.

Do you have a funny kitten against dog story? If so, let me know!

Introducing Shannon and Oscar

Hi there! My mom and I are doing something different with our blog. She has given me full control over it and told me to have a good time. My name is Shannon and I'm going to be sharing some stories about our ridiculous, funny, adorable, and loving dog named Oscar. He is 100 pounds of pure fun, and there have been many times we have laughed at his expense.

Oscar is a 1½ year old purebred Rottweiler. We got him a couple of months ago, and he was pretty mental. He had been given up because his previous owners had to move into a smaller house and couldn’t take him with them. Because of his experience, he had pretty bad separation anxiety, and it took a couple weeks to break him in so we could leave him alone. Now he is pure crazy, and totally comfortable in our house.

This summer introduced many new things for Oscar, and us. Our older Rottweiler, Milo, never swam, so we thought Oscar would be the same. Boy, were we wrong. At first, he would only go to the first step and try to herd anyone in the pool towards him because he didn’t like people in the pool. Eventually he got to the second step and so forth, until he would swim a little bit around (sometimes after being pushed in...). Now he is fine with the pool and jumps in a lot. We like to take his toy and throw it back and forth around the pool to wear him out so he calms down when we get inside. The pool isn’t always a good thing, though. He gets kind of crazy when certain people are in the pool (like little kids and such) because he doesn’t want them to drown, so when my little sister has friends over, he isn’t allowed outside. Sometimes it gets really annoying, but at the same time it’s kind of nice to think that he would protect you if it came to it.

But Oscar isn’t always crazy. When he does calm down he turns into a perfect snuggle buddy. He rests his head on you and stares up at you in a cute “puppy dog” look – which is gross because he is very slobbery. We think Oscar thinks he’s a lap dog, because he enjoys sitting on you. It’s pretty amusing, though, when you have a friend over and he just sits on her lap like it's nothing.

If you are an animal lover, you are bound to enjoy his stories. We have some happy ones, sad ones and funny ones. Every day is a journey with this gentle giant, and I can't wait to share them with everyone.
 

I hope you all enjoy his stories as much as I do!

"Love's Touch Heals": A review of Nikki Arana's The Next Target

I recently took a road trip across the country with my children, the oldest of whom will be off to college in the fall. While making that long trip out to Washington, DC, I drove through the flat plains of America’s heartland - Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and into Tennessee. It was a rare opportunity for me to crack open a book, and I was lucky enough to read Nikki Arana’s The Next Target, a Christian thriller set to be released this summer.

Austia is a young, Christian widow who is determined to devote herself to her ministry of helping Islamic residents of her California community find jobs and overcome bigotry. Though she lost friends during 9/11 and her husband was murdered by fundamentalists because of his devotion, Austia is convinced to forgive and love, as the teachings of Jesus encourage. Though many cannot understand her dedication, she is determined to do what feels right in her heart. All seems to be thriving, until suddenly a young Islamic woman who escapes her conservative family is hunted for it. She is found murdered, and Austia begins to fear that her fundamentalist family will be coming after her next because she had converted the young woman to Christianity. When a strange Islamic man takes a job as an interpreter, she wonders if he has been sent to watch her. As the powerful and righteous patriarch of Austia’s young friend focuses in on her, she begins to truly fear for her life. As the drama unfolds, Austia confronts bigots from both Islam and Christianity, she faces fear from both religions and learns a most valuable lesson - that there are extreme emotions on both sides.

This was a fast-paced and intricate story that held me riveted at all times. The author’s knowledge of the realities of Islamic life made the story very realistic and at times almost frightening. It was very easy to sympathize with the young Islamic women who were trapped in the traditional household but wanted to escape. You also could respect their culture despite the suspicion and sometimes hatred with which the ment of the family viewed Austia. The loyalty and dedication that the main character, Austia, had for both her faith and her friends was heartwarming and touching. In the midst of these emotions, you are held captive by the drama and suspense of the story. Will Hussein succeed in his evil plotting, is Zaki hunting Austia, and will Fatima be able to escape her abusive husband before he kills her? Most pressing: will there be another round of terrorist attacks inside the US? As the questions unfold, the author skillfully leads you down an intense road of tension, fear and excitement that keep you turning pages eagerly as you wait for the stunning climax to unfold.

Austia is a fine, modern woman with a heart of gold and backbone of steel, and her very human altruism will touch your heart and leave you cheering for her all the way. Though she is being hunted, she refuses to cower. This is a terrific story of hope, love and the triumph of good over evil that everyone can enjoy. I really enjoyed this story as I was driving across America’s heartland. While serving as a reminder that religion in any extreme is dangerous, for an edge of your seat thrill coupled with a story of hope you can’t go wrong. I would recommend this book for anyone who loves a good suspense and is interested in a well thought-out and well-written story that will not disappoint.

For more information about Nikki, please check out her site: http://thenexttarget.com

Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/nikkiaranaauthor

Twitter: @nikkiarana & @David_C_Cook

Twitter Hashtag: #nexttarget