Gracie... the shelter dog!

Exciting update! Maybe not so exciting to all of you (or my dad for that matter) but my mom has decided to adopt Gracie, a 7 year old lab mix from my shelter! Just look at all that adorable old lady gray on her face! I am so excited that my mom found a place in her heart for this girl. She is an amazing dog who has been through so much (abuse, neglect, abandonment) before she came to us at the shelter. She still won't make eye contact with anyone, but she has improved so much and will come when called (more like a slow, nervous creep) but at least she tries!
She is finally getting the warm and loving home she deserves! What a great feeling and a great day! Yay for Gracie!

The last few months...

I know how long it's been since I've posted any real updates.  Life has of course been busy...and I've failed to find the time to let the world know how the Rasch's are doing. Well...we are great! I'm still working for American Family Insurance (I love my job!) and going to SUU part time. I wish I could say I was near the end of my schooling...but I would be lying! It is my own fault. I had plenty of oppourtunities to finish my schooling before I got married but my life was definately somewhere else at that time...and that is a whole other story! So right now, we are focusing on Cole. He is scheduled to take his DAT (Dental Admissions Test) on May 31st and he will be interviewing at schools all summer! I'm really excited to find out where we will be going! We won't know until December though so I will have to wait with anticipation for 10 more months.

I'm hoping we end up in Portland. Oregon is so beautiful and I know Cole would like to go there too. I mentioned Buffalo and that was shut down immediatly! It is the last place Cole wants to be. He doesn't like New York (even though we've never been there) because it snows too much and he doesn't want a city life. I agree...but I have a feeling Holly and her husband will be going there to graduate school next year and I would love to be close to them! Some little part of me has a feeling that we will end up in Las Vegas at UNLV which is NOT where I want to be! My brother and his wife live there though...so being close to them would make it bareable...and it is the closest school to Delta. Vegas is no good unless you gamble and drink...and we do neither! It does have a really beautiful temple! Look at the bright side...right?! I know that where ever we end up is where the Lord wants us to be, and I am ok with that.

So other than school and work, I spend alot of time at the Iron County Animal Shelter. It truly is my home away from home...especially on the weekends. I work with amazing people and amazing animals. I love it out there and feel really good about what I am doing. We are a no kill shelter owned by the Sheriff Department and ran by volunteers along side a wonderful Deputy. Deuputy Decker is out there mostly becuase he cares for the volunteers and he knows how much this shelter means to us. He admitted to me once that he came  to the shelter hating dogs...but now he is a pile of mush when it comes to those pups! Every morning he comes to the shelter with a couple inmates from the County Jail to clean it top to bottom. The animals always have a clean kennel and full belly becuase of him. The volunteers get to do the fun work! We have a large fenced yard out there to run and play in...and that is just what we do! The dogs love to play fetch and run and romp! I really should take some pictures of myself after an afternoon of play becuase I come home covered in mud from head to toe...and Cole is always getting after me for tracking the mud in my car and across the house! So I usually have to strip down at the front door to avoid a scolding.

We hold adoptions every other weekend and it is the highlight of my week! We always have such a good turn out and the dogs go to some amazing homes. Here are some of the dogs I work with...and they are up for adoption if anyone is looking for a great friend!

                                          Gracie about to catch a treat!

                                  Honey waiting for the ball!                                          

                                       Jackie posing for a picture!

                                         Sasha smiling for the camera!

                                       Rocky is practicing the "sit" command!

                                          Wolfie getting a neck rub...his favorite!

Candy Canes and Sugar Plums

Quick post...and a very late post at that (it's been sitting unfinished for some while now)! Chrismas Time....ooooohhhhh that wonderful time of the year! Here is a family (yes I include my dogs as family) picture from our little outing up Paragonah canyon to find the perfect tree! Magoo refused to come near us for fear that we would end his little excursion in the snowy mountains and load him back into the jeep to head for home...so you get a nice view of his furry butt! Lucky you!

           

Now behold...The Rasch Family Christmas Party 2010! We had a ginger bread house competition and my parents came up to join the party in L-town. It was so much fun! Don't let Casey and Jordin...or my parents fool you! They totally cheated and used kits! Enjoy the pics!

                                         Casey and Jordin working on the train.

                                         Cole's attempted masterpiece...                                    

                                   Cooper...he ate more frosting than anyone!       

                                     Marci and Vani working hard with that frosting!

                                              My dad helping my mom cheat!

                                 Leslie pretending that the mess is all worth it!

                                         Cole's disaster...Don't ask!

                                        Savana with her finished product! Beautiful!

                                      Cooper was so proud!

My humble little creation... made totally with graham cracker walls. Not as easy as it looks!

Of course my mom's! Look at that roof. The kit totally had little outlines just for the neccos...although she'll deny it!

Proof of Casey & Jordin's cheating! Look at the little field of chocolate bunnies... so cute!

 Leslie showing off her cute little house! It took so long for the frosting to set...she probably sat like that for 10 minutes!

We are alive!

Hello to all you who read our blog! (All 5 of you!) Just a quick note to let you all know that we are alive and I promise there are some fun things we did this summer to blog about but I haven't had a second to do it! Busy, busy, busy! I promise something good in the near future and hopefully before school starts because than you really won't hear from us! We hope everyone is doing well and having a great summer!

Happy Birthday Braxton

Today is my nephew Braxton's birthday! So Happy Birthday Braxton Boy! We miss you so much! Hope you have lots of fun! Wish we were with there with you. Love you buddy!

Poor little Jasper...

Two weeks ago Jasper & his friend Tilly got hit by a car. It was awful. We saw the whole thing happen. We were unloading groceries and chatting with our neighbors for a minute while the dogs were playing on the porch. Just as a car came around the corner we saw the dogs chase each other out in the parking lot and right in front of the car. It happened so fast. Jasper went under the front wheel of the car and rolled under before flipping out the back. Tilley luckily didn't go under. We took them both to the Emergency Animal Hostpital in St. George. Tilley was limping but her x-rays were good and she was ok! Poor little Jasper though...he sure took a beating. His front left leg was broken and he has staples in his back leg. He was covered in road rash and there were quite a few gashes under his belly and legs. He had to spend the night in the hospital hooked up to IV's and moniters. It was the saddest thing ever. We are so happy that he is alive though! And he is healing so well. Within a week he was walking on his own again and now we can't keep him still! He is so ready to be better and out playing. But he still has 4 weeks in his cast so he will have to have patience. He is getting lots of loves and treats though so he can't be that bad! My mom came and stayed with us for the first few days to help out. He couldn't get up, sit up, or walk on his own. Everytime he had to go to the bathroom, he'd whine really loud and we'd have to carry him outside and help him stand. He was miserable. Cooper sent him some pictures he painted and home made doggie bones to make him feel better...and it worked! Here are some pictures of the little man from the last few weeks.

Jasper with ice packs and an IV...so sad

The day we brought him home.

Kissing my nose

He couldn't life his head well the first few days so we had to feed him by hand.

About to chow down on a home made dog treat
His package of love from Cooper
Jasper with his tin of treats and a picture Cooper painted for him
Mmm....
Grandma & Jasper...at his check up a few days after the accident.

Christmas Pictures

We spent Christmas morning at my house with the family. Everyone was there except Holly, Dave, Austin & Braxton who we missed very, very much!!! Cambree is getting so big and this is the first Christmas she really understood what was going on. She was such a big helper when it came to pulling the wrapping paper off! She definatly got the mother load but she is a good little girl and deserved it all! I sure love my family and can't wait to go home and see them again.

Opening my "special" present from Holly & Dave. It was a kinetic energy machine! Seriously! Holly made it in school. It was my favorite!

Mi papa!
Mi Mama! Cole made that pitcher in ceramics. He's really good.

Everytime someone would open a present, Cambree would clap! So cute!

Jasper & Ruger playing! They are die hards!

Chad & Anna

Derek, Christie & Cameron

Grandpa & Cambree Lynn

Andrew, Christie, Derek, Cameron, Cole, Chad, Anna, Mom...Just after we all woke up!

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday Jamie Cole!

Yup! I know this is really late but HAPPY BIRTHDAY Cole! He is a big boy now at 25! We opened his birthday presents on Christmas Eve with his family so if it looks like Christmas...it pretty much was. Here are a few pictures from that night. My favorite present was the one Savanah gave him. She colored him the prettiest picture of a colorful carwash! It's not Utah...it's a carwash! She is such a sweetie!

Papa Jim & Macy

Jasper waiting for a treat
Me & Macy Jane

Savanah, I & Auntie Ruth

The colorful carwash!