Monkey Finds a Home

For as long as she was aware of them, this girl has loved trees. As soon as she learned to write, she'd proclaim on scraps of paper to leave all over the house, "I am a monkey!" Annika's physical bent was obvious from the beginning. She started walking at nine months, and when she had freshly turned four, she was already a monkey bars professional.

Her physical abilities have only found outlet in country kid activities-- tree climbing, backyard soccer, and the like, all of which are fine and good, but knowing that she would have taken to gymnastics training or formal soccer (or, say, trapeze artistry) like a monkey to a banana has always made me feel like I wasn't helping her use the abilities that God delighted to give her. If He spent His creative care to design her with specific gifts, He means for her to use them for His glory!

All of this background is to explain why Annika buying herself a ticket to Wednesday Night Workouts at a local obstacle and trail racing course has been the gift of a lifetime for both her and me.

For a couple of years now, our friend Owen has told Annika that she would love this obstacle course he runs at. This year, she received a money windfall (an exorbitant gift for helping out with a certain move), and Owen offered to pick her up each Wednesday evening to join in the Wednesday Night Workouts at the Newbsanity course.  Turns out, it's only fifteen minutes away from us!

From that first Wednesday night, anyone who knows Annika has had to endure detailed praise of Newbsanity and the people who frequent it...all summer long.  A large spot that needed filling is being filled, and I am grateful that God worked a way for this monkey to delight in His gifts, praising Him for what He has given every single Wednesday night and every day in between.

Most Wednesday nights, one of the Newbys takes pictures of people running the course, so I pilfered all of these pictures from the public Newbsanity facebook page, and all rights and ownership thereby belong to Newbsanity.

And, because I know some of you will think it, I'll quote Grandma Owen. When she saw these pictures, she said, "People PAY for that?!!!"

:)

Yup, and happily, too.

Annika alert: top right-hand corner.

Annika alert: top center

Oh, hello Evan!

And, since when I was looking for that video of Little Monkey Annika, I found this picture of Little Monkey Mildred, I'm going to try convincing Mildred to spend HER money on a Wednesday Night Workout pass instead of on that used spinning wheel she's been hunting for.

Ha! Who wants to bet I'm going to lose that one?! :)