Blackberries for all!

So we found a little treasure trove here at our place. There is a huge area covered in blackberry bushes. And they are definitely in season. We can't get to most of them, because the growth is just too thick and the thorns just hurt too much. But there are still more than we can handle on our own (and that is after the birds have had their share)






Abby loves picking and eating them. And we get tons. So if anyone comes down in the next few weeks, and you like blackberries, you can have as many as you want. We're going to look into making jam with them, so anyone out there who knows how to do that let us know your secrets.

Richmond has a zoo about 30 miles out of town, and we went to check it out the other day. Abby had a blast. There is a little petting zoo area that she loved.









These little squirrel monkeys were so cute - they would take little pieces of food right out of your hand if you get close enough. I jumped Abby over the fence so that she could reach them, but she was just a little too scared to let them eat right out of her hand.



We had bought some food to feed the animals in the petting area, and she would give them like two or three pieces at a time, and was pretty stingy with it. I was trying to explain to her that one little pellet for a camel was not quite enough, but she wouldn't give it anymore. Eventually, it became obvious why she was holding on to it all - on the way in, we passed a moat with a bunch of fish that people were feeding. She wanted to feed the fish. I tried to explain that we could go to Petsmart and feed fish, but this was the only place we could feed a baby zebra. She wasn't buying it. Oh well, she had a really good time.
Jodi's job is going well - she is working 3 12s a week, that have been turning into 14s. They are long days, but she is learning a lot and doing great things for the patients there. There are some good people working there (and a few that are not so great, but you'll get that anywhere you work). She has to be in some sort of class this week, and she is not looking forward to it, but it's all part of this process known as the Bon Secours orientation process from hell. She'll get through it eventually, we hope.
So I was looking at the calendar today, and I realized that we are halfway through July. When we got here, I told myself I have 2 months until school starts. Then MCV planned this little optional prep week (which I am going to). So I realized that I have very little time before I start. I'm getting a little scared - do I really know what I am getting myself into? Nope. Let's be honest. But I am optimistic that I might figure it out at some point.
Oh, and Jodi got sustained today as Laurel advisor. She is pretty excited about the new calling, as she should be. She sat in with the young women today and said it went well. she is happy that she will now only be teaching a few young women as opposed to most of the women in the ward. They tell me that they have a calling for me too, they just need to get in together. He said the same thing last week. What does that mean? For now, I'm just giving a talk next week. We dodged having to speak before leaving Charlottesville, and somehow Jodi dodged speaking here on arrival. Not that she is complaining - she has gone quite some time without speaking; ask her the last time she had the privilege.