So I'm going to attempt not to go into every little detail about the past couple of weeks. We'll see how I do. I'm at Dunn Bros. right now, after church I headed over here. Maplewood library is usually open on Sundays, but it's closed this weekend for the 4th. ANYWAY...let's see.

The Missions Trip. It started out okay, but it ended with me wanting so badly to be home. I would have been okay with never seeing a single person from First Lutheran ever again. Isn't that tragic? I don't feel that way now anymore, but I was so...deflated. I know that's one of my common words now. But it's still true.

So we went to Six Flags. Found out later that two of our students skipped out of the theme park, shoplifted some liquor, and walked to the hotel. Wee! Great start. These two boys just happened to be the two boys Jamie first made friends with. That still enrages me. The other leaders knew this was going on and never told me. MY BABY BROTHER was with these guys all week!!!! I am so pissed off.

We get to Mississippi, all is well, whatever whatever. The next day we're assigned work groups. I'm assigned with Keith Lomen, a middle aged man who really loves the sound of his own voice. That sounds cruel, but he bullied me all week long.

He didn't acknowledge me as a leader at all, and we were supposed to be equal partners. Well, that didn't happen. Instead he basically treated me like I was astudent...better yet, he treated me like I was invisible and mute. That's how I felt anyway. Except when he was ordering me around. I should have gone to Perry, but I didn't. He had enough on his plate.

Those two students later purchased some cocaine and what not in Coahoma, where we were living for the week. My little brother was around that? He said he wasn't...I just want to cry.

Keith wasn't the only leader who treated me like I was 12, he was just the one I was around the most. Because of how he acted, the students treated me like crap too. I had no authority, and it was preferred that way, I guess.

So to sum it up, I've never felt more worthless. I won't go into detail, because if I'm fortunate, I'll be able to forget it all. Those students were reprimanded in a 4am drug bust on the bus ride back home in the middle of a thunder storm in Iowa. YAY!

We ended the trip at a Bible campe in Iowa. I spent the whole time in my room pretty much. I had held back tears all week, and they just needed to come out.

So I'm home now, and back to normal. I guess...the day after we got back, I had to take Darla to the emergency room. She had a lump on her back that we were supposed to get checked out the next day. Well, I checked the lump and it was gone. Instead there was a lot of crusty matted fur. I thought she rolled in gum. So I went to give her a bath, and that's when I found out it was a huge scab, the lump had basically...exploded. And in the middle was a volcano. I will share what it looked like, because I had to suffer! So should you! At first I thought it was a huge yellow worm....so I thought something was living in her.

My mom told Kelly that and she freaked out! Really, as the vet described it, it was a lot of "Yellow curdy substances". It looked like yellow slimy cottage cheese. (Mixed with blood and dark green ooze) Vomit if you will...I surprisingly didn't. After the panic subsided and the vet tech told me they had seen it thousands of times, I was less panicked. My mom couldn't look at it. After a few hours of waiting, the vet finally took Darla in back. Shaved the fur and the scab off, and dug out all the grossness, so she was left with a huge oozing hole in her back about the size of a fifty cent piece.

It was then my job to clean it every day, twice a day, and give her two antibiotic pills a day. She's doing much better now, and it stopped bleeding yesterday. It's about the size of my pinky finger nail now. I'm amazing. Hahaha.

So, that's been the last two weeks. Recovering from misery and focusing all my energy on Kelly's baby girl. She had to have surpervised potty time, or flies would have tried to lay eggs in her wound. AHHH! That's why I had to clean it twice a day. I had to keep it wet, so it would heal from the inside out. Otherwise it would have sealed over, and stayed infected inside and would have burst again only worse. The infection would have spread and done a lot of damage.

Next week I only work three days! Necessary preparation time. Must prepare box 5! Hahaha. The week after that, BJ is coming. I can't wait! I have no idea what we're going to do, but it won't matter once he gets here. Everything will seem so worth while, I'm sure of it. So my next update should be less...disturbing. Til then!

Me!