Just a bunch of... ANIMALS!

Today has been an exciting day in the Ray home, there is a lot of change going on. The morning started off quiet and peaceful. I enjoyed waking up to find it was nearly noon, my door was still shut, the lights still off and it was still dark. Thank goodness for German windows that block out light when you have the shades down. Close near my side was my precious baby Oliver. We've had him nearly 3 years now and he is just more cuddly than usual this morning. So I decided I needed to introduce him to the world.... along with all of our other "pets" in this family :)

There is OLIVER. My orphan kitty who loves the outdoors. He is a master hunter and will pounce at anything his size or smaller. Indoors, he loves to massage my father's leather couches (which is not good) so he is confined to the bedroom we share. He has a Full sized bed to himself all day and gets to cuddle with me when I am at home and he takes a break from hunting and playing outside. This is my baby:

Next we have our fish... None of them have names but each have a personality of their own. Some times it seems like a stereotypical high school for fish. We have the chill fish, our neon fish (my favorite) who are almost like the stoners. so laid back that it is unreal. You don't touch them and they stay far away from you, but all four are always together. The class bully, the little orange fish that is always chasing the girls around. Such a jerk but the girls don't hate him... for the most part. He gets annoying at times but they put up with it and it's quite interesting to watch. You have the mother figure who is the biggest of them all and rules the place but with all her "control" there is always possibility for open rebellion which might happen sooner than later. All of her followers, the second biggest fish both girls and they are always in the corner now. Don't know why maybe they think they're better than everyone else ;) The other little fish just roam around as if they have no click but they do. In not having a popular click, they have formed their own click. Then there are the constantly multiplying freshmen. You get more and more every year, in this case everyday, and they are quickly molded into their own comfort zones and groups of habit. They aren't bigger than a skittle and their brave souls are already testing the waters. The true test is if they last long enough to grow bigger. It's a fish eat fish world in our little tank and the little ones get eaten alive in there!

My sweet needy dog Roxy is up next. We received her after much heartache when we bought two baby black and white Border Collies from a breeder in France. The sweet pups were everything we wanted and we fell in love within the hour. After getting their papers and seeing it was a dream come true, our short time with them was traumatic. The breeder lied about them having their shots and being dewormed so they came down with polio within the week. They didn't make it through the next few days. In remorse and battle with these false breeders, we got two replacement dogs one of them being Roxanne the other here cousin Max. We thought it was clever naming them the lovers in a Goofy Movie and both were adorable but they quickly became a handful! Mischievous and free spirited, they were always up to no good. Long story short we gave Max to a family near by and took Roxanne with us to our next two new houses and we grew to the family we are today with Roxy a big part of our family no matter how much trouble she gets into.

Lastly, We have our PARTY ANIMALS! I have mentioned them in my previous post but it's time you get to know them, I have a feeling they will be the source of entertainment during my stay here in Germany and you will be hearing a lot about them. So we have seven children in the Ray family, the oldest Cody with his wife Michelle, Spencer is the second oldest followed by Sara and then me. Four years after me is Mahonri a "junior and a half" he says since he has more credits than everyone else here at Kaiserslautern High School. Then comes 12 yr old Simeon finding himself and his place in the family trying to fit in like we all do. Last is our baby Alexander who is not such a baby anymore, nearly ten and he is the center of our laughter most of the time because he has the best humor. While the parties aren't given out in invitation form, it only takes but a second for us to all get up and dance around like the party won't stop all night. Today was especially one of those days! Cleaning up means music. Music means dancing. Music and dancing is best done to The Party Rock Anthem. So forget the chores, "We PARTY ROCK!!!"



Four minutes and a half later, we are all out of breath but wrapped up in the moment we can't stop there. More dances are done before we call it quits and prepare for the missionaries to come over for dinner. It is always pleasant visiting with missionaries but I've realized today that they are now the same age as me. I never thought I would see this day. Missionaries were always older than me and ALWAYS there. Now they are still here but they are just like me. I don't know if I can handle being older than missionary men. This is the sad realization that I am, in fact, growing old.

Just as a close, this party rockin' family is faced with a big decision. With my father's big promotion comes the inevitable move we must make. We can move anywhere between now and October 2012. We must decide soon, not only when but to where we must go. Washington, Virginia, Illinois, Texas, Korea? So many choices and pros vs cons. I think our family has come to liking Illinois and Texas for various reasons but now we must find further good and bad things that will entice us to go there or draw us away. We are diving into a big step and praying for help to know what's best. Just to receive confirmation that our choices are good would be a blessing beyond measure. As to the next adventure for the Ray family, I will keep you posted. Until then Auf Wiedersehen!

-Ani