... And summer break has arrived.

Hey guys!
So, you know how I'm always talking about school? It's like, school, school, school, school, school every single time I look at past posts! But, um, that's kinda because I really, truly love school!!! And now..... *sigh* ... I'm really sad, because school is out and summer break is here.

See, at my house, we have four dogs (two little chihuahuas and a papillon, in addition to the GIANT chocolate lab). I have an older sister, Alyssa, and a younger brother, James. I also have one-on-one nursing every day! And then on holidays, like Memorial Day, my dad is home from work and we usually go visit family. So, it makes sense that summer at our house is always crazy!!

And my brother loves to play Risk.... and no one else at the house really wants to play it. Ever. At all. Which can make him pretty mad, because you can't play Risk with just one person! Sometimes, he refuses to play any game at all unless it is Risk, or unless you promise to play Risk afterwards!

And my sister is obsessed with these new TV shows, and she's always watching them on her phone. (The Walking Dead? Bones? Castle? Seriously, Aly?) She doesn't want the shows to bother anyone else, so she wears headphones. And then, half of the time when you are talking to her, it turns out that she either a) didn't hear a single word you were saying, or b) she didn't understand a single word you were saying.

And, my nurses are INSANE!! (No offense to any nurse who might be reading this right now.) One of my nurses is absolutely terrified of dogs. She's starting to get used to the little puppies -- you know, the four pound and the six-and-a-half pound chihuahua -- but she still screams every time Raphah, the lab, goes  near her. She also likes to joke about us training him.... because he is still a puppy, and doesn't always want to listen when we tell him to sit, lie down, or wait. The key word for Raphah to know that he's doing the right thing is, "Good!" or "Good boy!" Sometimes my nurse will say, "Good! Good boy, Raphah!" when he's doing the wrong thing. It kinda messes with his training, but she thinks that it is awesome. My other nurse will try to get me to plan out the entire day with her! And usually our plans involve games. Every summer, she and I have a competition to see who can win the most games, total, over the entire break! So we end up having picnics (both inside and out), dressing up my dolls and stuffed animals, and playing games (both electronic and board games).

Sometimes, when the dogs see or hear someone or something outside, they start barking like crazy. My mom and I will be trying to catch them, and make them stop barking -- but we don't usually succeed.... My sister is usually on her phone, with her headphones in, paying absolutely no attention to what is going on around her. Then, my nurse (who is usually terrified of dogs, but at moments like these can be found laughing hysterically) will yell, "James, get the tuba!!!" And so my brother, who was in the 6th grade band at our school (and is moving on to 7th grade advanced band), will grab his tuba and start playing random songs out in the middle of the chaos. Fun, right?

And...... have I mentioned yet that I have a brother, a sister, four dogs (one of which is a giant puppy), a nurse, and sometimes my dad doesn't have to go to work? ... I think I did. Maybe. Probably.

But I can't be sure.

Dare to Dash 5k and Family Fun Day

Hey everyone!

My family and I are participating in the Dare to Dash 5k and Family Fun Day this year, and we would love to have you join us! While I don't have a donation page yet, you can still contribute to the general team donation. And my team page is set up already. This year, our team name is Mattie's Moxie. My brother and I have also started on T-shirt designs for the team, as well.

I have also added the link for the Dare to Hope Foundation, if you would like further information. So go ahead and  and join team Mattie's Moxie! I can't wait to see you there.

~ Mattie Lorenzen

Mattie's Moxie:
http://daretodash.kintera.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=1103328&lis=0&kntae1103328=E38AE4CE3E004935B4FDD5D57C292A83&team=5969024


Dare to Hope Foundation:
http://daretohope.org/events/dare-to-dash-5k-family-fun-day/