Gladitude Monday

As I shared before, things aren't so easy-sneezy-lemon-squeezy right now. However, it's especially at these times when it's important for me to gain perspective by looking for blessings.

10. We've found summer. It's here in WA. Today will be 80 degrees. Not a cloud in the sky.

9. The sun makes my mood brighter, and that of my hounds. They dislike walking in the rain, but around here, if it rains, we still walk. Otherwise we wouldn't walk. Speaking of which...I should get going before it gets too hot. We Pacific Northwesterners are used to + or - 15 degree change, so when that mercury hits 80, we do feel "hot". I know...wimps.

8. Glad His mercies are new each morning-each moment, for that matter.

7. Glad for my incredible church family. I sang on worship team last Sunday, and I know it's my job to focus on the Lord and give my all to Him in leading his church to worship. But He blesses me so much every time, it's like His gift to me. Even when I'm giving to Him He give to me. Amazing.

6. Glad Big arrives home tomorrow p.m. It's been a long trip this time. Not so long days-wise--only 8 days. But heart-wise. I miss him.

5. Grateful for the prayers and emails on my and my family's behalf. Mwwah! I kiss you with radical force.

4. Glad that I got some makeup which really makes me feel pretty. I've had these awful hyperpigmentation spots, and i just can't stand them. Call me vain. But, I sat down with a woman, had her "make me up", and bought nearly everything she suggested. Guess what? I've been able to recreate what she did, and I'm so pleased. I can't help it--I don't have to have the fanciest clothes, etc., but I do want to look in the mirror and like what I see. In a way, it simplifies my routine, too because I can throw out all the "also rans" in my bathroom and makeup bag.

3. Glad for the Grey's Anatomy season premiere and all my sweet television shows.

2. Glad I'm blogging again. Feels good. Taking myself off the hook for staying "caught up". I need to remember that this is a hobby; I can't feel badly if I don't get to every blog. Nor will I take it personally (okay, I'll try not to!) :) if folks give my posts a rest. Everything has its time and season.

1. Grateful for traditions. One of our traditions is going to Taco Bell on Sunday after church. Another that we're back into is reading aloud together on the Big Blue Bed (ours). Right now we just started a book called The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. We've only just begun to read it, but so far, I think it's excellent. It's a thick book, so we'll probably be reading for quite a while, but it's fun for us to squeeze all 600 pounds of us on our bed and read together. Also interestingly, it's protagonist (so far) is a verrrry bright boy who doesn't fit the norm in school and life. Hmmm...feels a bit close to home, and I like that.

What are some traditions your families do? Either for fall or in general?

Blessings! Soli Deo Gloria!

Quirks: A meme

I was tagged about 800 years ago by Laura to do this meme about quirks. I found it incredibly difficult to find only six quirks because I'm so "normal" and "trend setting". However, here you go.


Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about six unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag six fellow bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the six blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

Quirk 1: I have a drinking schedule to my day that I typically follow.

1. coffee in the a.m.
2. water throughout the day and at lunch
3. Diet coke in the afternoon (or at lunch at times)
4. tea at nap time (if I get a nap)
5. water for dinner
6. occasional not often enough glass of white wine at about 7
7. herbal "bedtime" tea for, oddly enough, bed time.

Quirk 2: I'm hypersensitive to noise and don't filter well. However, I like to sing in choir, in worship team and to the blasting radio. My biggest problems are conflicting noise (e.g. instruments tuning all at once and people talking over the din), noise while reading blogs (you know who you are, and I love you, but I turn my sound OFF), and sudden loud noises.

Quirk 3: I love being the Shell Answer Man. Truly. Yes, this is a prideful quirk. So I'll just leave it right like that.

Quirk 4: Big's favorite (NOT)...I heart watching QVC. I do. I know...you're all seeing l.o.s.e.r. stamped across my forehead, but I don't even buy that often. It's for company. It all started with Big's travel. He'd be gone all the time except for weekends, and before kids, I was lonely. Gosh, as I type, I realize how pathetic this sounds!!! Oh, well. I'm outed now. And...I can go months without doing a Q-check, and then I'm watching/having it on for background. Kinda funny for a quirky chick who can't stand noise, huh! :)

Quirk 5: S4J can relate to this one...I'm a craft hoarder. Big time. I have more fabric than I'll ever make quilts from. More scrapbooking supplies than I'll ever use. I know it's time to get rid of it all. Maybe this isn't a quirk so much as a state of arrested development: poor kid gets enough money to buy herself things, and she needs to keep buying because she never knows when she just might be poor again. Ah, mental health. It's a glorious thing. I hear that to be the case, anyway...

Quirk 6: I'm an extrovert who needs a lot of time to myself to regroup and re-energize. You would not know this to know me. But I've never lost the need for my own space--it's as if the only child in me really needs that "room of her own". I think that's one reason I don't respond well to my "little interrupters". It's not an excuse--I know that. But, it's a quirk.

Okay...well after airing my dirty laundry all this sharing, I'd like to take the pressure off myself and give it to you. Anyone who would like to play is welcome. Thanks for your patience, Laura. :)

Soli Deo Gloria

See? It wasn't long...

Friends, I am in a valley right now. Very much so, in fact. There are some hard things that we're facing as a family, but gratefully, we face them together, as a family. That much we have. And God. Yes, sweet, Abba Father God. I don't know how much I'll be blogging, but these few verses were such a comfort to me, and for this time, at least, they are my life verses. Much better than the 1/3 of a pizza, 3 pcs of crazy bread, glass of rootbeer, glass of wine and cookie dough with which I doused the flames yesterday. I just had to share them. May they be of comfort to you, as well, if you're struggling. And if you're in a good place-amen! May they remind you that it's He who deserves the praise.

2 Samuel 22:31-33

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the
LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all
who take refuge in him. For
who is God besides the LORD? And who
is the Rock except for our God?
It is God who arms tme with
strengthand makes my way perfect."

Soli Deo Gloria!

Just for a While...

I'm feeling the need to settle in and settle down for fall. This doesn't coincide well with my manic/obsessive/compulsive checking of email and blogs. So...for now. A bit of a break. I may pop in here or there, but for this next week, I'm going to re-prioritize, re-energize, and re-organize to the degree that I feel led to do so.

Luuurrrve ya!

Gladitude Monday: Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk Edition

Howwwwdy!
Some of you may be tired of me posting about the 3 Day. Sadly for you, I don't care. ;) However, this will be the final one because the Seattle Breast Cancer 60 mile 3 Day is officially over, and all walkers are in and accounted for. And it was an amazing experience. Here's a little bit about our Team Live! Laugh! Love!

• 11 walkers, aged 21 - 61.
• 20 children among us
• all of us are married
• 6 go to the same church
• we represent full-time and part time workers and stay at home moms
• one of us walks with an artificial leg
• one of us has been active in the USMC, and now is a security officer for high ranking muckety mucks at a successful software company based in WA.
• one of us grew up on fishing boats and in Alaska
• none of us has had breast cancer, though one of our walkers was sporting bruises badges of courage on her breast from her n.e.g.a.t.i.v.e. (wooo-hooo) punch needle biopsy.
• we are all shapes and sizes--if we can do it, anyone can

My Breast Friend, aka our team captain, S.

Opening ceremony @ 6:30 a.m.

Husband of beloved Michelle.

Here he is again--his face, this time.

Day 2: Cheering station; mile 27ish.

Drama Girl makes awesome posters, doesn't she?

Big @ the cheering station. I cannot tell you how important the cheerers were to our mental well-being. What a treat to see my family, as well as those of my fellow walkers. Apparently, S.'s hubby had a caravan at our local Mickey Ds' so that all the kids and hubbies who were available could cheer on the team en masse.

I have the breast family ever. Even if David was monkeying around. ;) They had to wait until nearly all the 3,300 walkers had passed by to see us. We were the "injured reserve" team. Lots of blisters, sore muscles, and post-surgical bad knees. So...we waited for everyone in our group. Because that's what a team does.

The agony of da-feet. What's a loss of a toejail (or 2) when it comes to fighting cancer?? This was my friend, JH. She walked for the last day entirely on open blisters from her third toe to the ball of her foot to her heel.

I know it's blurry, but see if you can find the blister on her heel. ;0)

Look at the beautiful artistry God shared with us on Day 3. This is Mt. Rainier. See all the tents? They were c-c-c-old. But not bad, really. And we had gorgeous weather, with highs in the low 80s. Hot in the p.m., but no rain, so we were thankful. Also, many folks sprayed us either with spray bottles or their hoses, so we made it through.

Team: LIVE! LAUGH! LOVE! We. Made. It.!!!!!!!!!

Gladitude: Glad I made it. Glad for warm showers. Glad for the generosity and grace of the human spirit. Glad for honking cars and waving fans. Glad for flat stretches of roads and pit-stops with porta-potties and gator-ade. Glad for the survivors who give us hope.

I'll be catching up with you all soon.

Soli Deo Gloria!

A Bloggy Shout: Annie

Howdy!

Time for another Bloggy Shout! Annie's Blog! This blog is perhaps closest to my heart because there would be no blog without the tragedy that occured on Jan. 21, 2006.

My friend Jean is a wonderful mother of s.e.v.e.n. children. And I can attest to the fact that her hair and makeup are fresh and fixed every time I see her. We won't speak of my personal appearance. Jean, and her husband Bill, a former pastor of ours, are members of our church, and up until 5.5 years ago, had 6 children. They also had witnessed a full-on miracle in their lives. You can read more about it here, but suffice to say, that Bill lived through a disease process which should have killed him, and almost did.

Fast forward a few year to a new baby. A new start. A fresh testimony of the Lord's abundant love.

Then, fast forward to an unknown (at the time) disease which caused massive seizures and respiratory arrest in a three year, nine month old princess. Princess Annie.

Bill and Jean, and their amazing family had to wait.and.see. for 52 days at Children's Hospital to see if Annie would live, and if she lived, how she would function--if at all. First phone calls and prayer requests were grave. Time at home, therapies at home, hospital visits, and new medical jargon overwhelmed and overtaxed these parents and siblings. But God was there. Experimental drugs and/or diets have been tried. And discarded. And God was there. Seizures have been many, many an hour, and none at all. And God was there.

At this point, Annie is still receiving therapies, and has a nurse at her school because she is medically fragile. She's relearning to eat and walk and talk. All things princesses should be able to do. Praise God, she's been seizure free for about 2 months. But...what happens when something like this strikes a family? And God is there? I'll tell you.

Pain.

Angst.

Sadness.

Weariness beyond measure.

and...

the most faith I've ever seen displayed in my life. Praise for Him whether good days or bad. Realizing that there may be new definitions of good days. And bad. Realizing that as they mourn the loss of the "old" Annie, God has given them a "new" Annie. The Annie that He always knew about. The one that He loves just as much as the old one.

Lest you think that Jean is some high and mighty "christian" writer, let me tell you that the other reason her blog touches my heart is that she's so authentic, so transparent, and so real. I'm blessed to call her, "friend."

Go now, and be blessed.

God Bless the U.S.A.: Remember 9/11/01

A Bloggy Shout: A Chelsea Morning

I thought that it would be nice to remember and share why I enjoy the blogs which are displayed in my sidebar. These aren't the only blogs I love, but are the most consistent ones I read. Sometimes it's fun to meet new folks, so every-so-often (see how I'm giving myself the wiggle room of not committing to a specific time-frame??? Smart, huh!), I'll be giving a Bloggy Shout to those folks in my sidebar.

Many of you know Barb, at A Chelsea Morning. I call her Barbtha in emails and in most of my comments because she's a "Martha Stewart for real folks with real budgets". I luurrrve her tutorials for her delish meals and amazing craft projects. Plus, I adore how much she gets a kick out of being a grandma. Excuse me, a nana. :) Honestly, she's one of the most refreshing women I've had the chance to "meet." Also, she's old enough to be my big sister. I don't say this to make anything of our ages except this: I think women need girlfriends of all ages. We need the toe to toe contact, if you will, of same aged peers, but oh.my.gosh.what.a.comfort.it.is. to hear from someone else that "this too shall pass."

Other quick thoughts about Barb? Her blog is named after her sweet dog, Chelsea. Chelsea can be found working really hard to take care of Avery and Cameron, Barb's little grandchildren. Also, she loves to read, and lives in western CO. And lastly, she's part of a blogging dynasty family, and they're all terrific, too.

If you're not already visiting her site, I encourage you to go and be blessed.

Gladitude Monday

Howdy, howdy, howdy! Time for a Monday dose of Gladitude. I don't know about you, but an attitude of gladness and gratitude are most challenging for me on a Monday morning, and that makes them most important to find and cultivate at that time.

Without further ado:

10. OH-MY-GOSH! Have I told anyone lately how much I luuuurrve September in Western WA? Blue skies. Both mountain ranges in view. S.p.e.c.t.a.c.u.l.a.r. drive in to take my children to school this a.m.

9. Speaking of driving my children...this year's commute, though very close in distance to last year's, is not nearly as stressful. I've found a route where (so far, so good) the traffic flows and I'm not on the highway. Can I have an amen?

8. Very glad that we're done with the first few days of school. The dust is b.e.g.i.n.n.i.n.g. to settle, and we're developing a routine again.

7. Glad that my huge training walks are over because we're winding down to have energy and stamina for the "big event" this Fri-Sat-Sun. Because here's a huge, surprising, and secret insight into my personality: I don't like to exercise. Doing less instead of more? Me likey.

6. Glad Big and I had a lunch date last Thur, and will do so again this Thur. I enjoy having something to look forward to on my schedule.

5. Glad I saw a couple of neighbors on today's little doggy walk--I hadn't caught up with them much over the summer, so it was fun to pause and chat.

4. Glad to begin rehearsals for our Christmas play next week. In fact, today, I go and find out which parts Drama Girl and I received. We know we'll at least get something, which is nice--it's a matter of how big a part, and whether solos are involved. DG already found out that one of her friends who was also a competitor for the role she wanted got that particular role. I was so proud of her, though. She congratulated the fellow competitor, and is eagerly anticipating whatever God has for her to do. So big.

3. Glad I got some inexpensive, but blooming burgundy mums for the pots outside my front door. They cheer me as they welcome fall and brighten our entrance.

2. Glad I know what I'm serving for dinner tonight--believe me, that's a victory. :) BTW: yellow spaghetti.

1. Glad I bought and have read nearly 90% of Living Simply, by Joanne Heim. Super enjoyable, conversational, and full of great ideas. Very calming read.


Blessings on your week!!!!

Week in Review

It's the Week in Review; It's fun for all of you...

I cannot help it if the Lord has gifted me with thoughts which go with '70s jingles. Ask me any TV theme song from the 70s or 80s and I can nail it. I tell you, I'm a better la-la-er than Kathie Lee Gifford (Name That Tune). Why? Why you ask? Because I was a latch-key child from 2nd grade, and know the value of a good television show. Furthermore, I realize that this gift is not nearly appreciated as it should be. Why, now-a-days, we have shaky-camera CGI theme songs to all the shows. It's not right.

Apparently, i digress.

Hands r.a.i.s.e.d. to heaven that it is Friday. It's been a week. Transition, don'tcha know.

Saturday: Walked many miles. Had hairapy appt. Cleaned a bit, organized a bit. Prepared food for a BBQ on Sunday. Napped. Oh, how I'm a lover of the nappage. My kids will probably remember me as lazy. Let them.

Sunday: Saw the Indian Children's Choir at our church. These kids are all from a tiny village, where, until 90 years ago, there were no Christians. Now, 90% of their village is Christian. Amazing, amazing story and show. And, at the end of their performance, each child went into the congregation and gave "free hugs" to every person seated. Not only that, but they blessed us and prayed over us. A.m.a.z.i.n.g. Yes, I cried. There, i said it.

Later that day, we enjoyed a BBQ at our local park with dear, dear friends with whom we promised a get-together this summer. Can you believe that the last day of August was the only day which worked? Had a great time.

Monday: Last day of Big's staycation...Boo hoo. So, we had to wind it up with a meal out, of course. At Patty's Eggnest for breakfast-for-lunch. And there...we saw Blake Lewis. Good for S4J for being spot on in identifying him. I wanted to yell across the restaurant, "Hey Blake! We totally voted for you!!!!". But because I love my marriage and my children, I didn't.

Tuesday: Eased into the day...Big went back to work to solve the health care problems of China...Both kids had open houses, starting at 4 at their school, but David had to be there earlier for middle school/new student orientation. When I asked him how it went/what he learned, he turned to me with a surly look on his face, and said, "Babble, Mom. Babble. I don't even know what they said.". Drama Girl and I took advantage of the downtime between 3 and 4 to get her nails done. :) Periwinkle blue nails with white flowers on each thumb. I think she enjoyed that more than David enjoyed his orientation, but i can't be sure.

David's first day of youth group at church. Can i just say...I love, love, love our youth ministry? Okay I will. I love our youth ministry. My son, who is not a joiner in the least, came out of church saying, "At least I'll have one thing to look forward to in my weeks." Amen.

Wednesday: The first day in a new school for both kids. Our school goes from K-8, so both of them will be in the same spot for a couple of years. Thank You Jesus, for the convenience of it all. My dtr was nervous, but knew that she'd have a friend in her class. Both of them transferred over from the same school. David went in with abject terror in his eyes, but made it through his first day of 7th grade.

First day of choir for Momma. It's nice to be back.

Thursday: Drama Girl has decided that it still stinks to be new, but that she lurves her teacher. So do i (so far, at least). This woman embraces all learning styles, and is attempting to teach in such a way that each kid gets to be in his/her learning element at least some of the time.
Drama has also identified some potential friends. Yay. I know she wishes it were all in place, but I keep telling her, for the 2nd day of school, she's doing more than swell.

David had an all day field trip to a farm with the middle school. They send all those squirrely kids middle schoolers together for a day of team building and chillaxing with the faculty. He was a tired boy on the way home, which is always a good thing.

Friday: Realizing that a week from today, i'll be embarking on a 60 mile walk over 3 days. Starting.to.hyperventilate.in.anticipation. If you think of it, please pray over us on the 12-14th. As of now, the forecast looks nearly perfect. Lows in the 50s/Highs in the 70s and no.rain. Pray for stamina, no injuries, and that we would be a blessing to everyone on the walk.

Trying to figure out my routine. Enjoying the month of September. It's beautiful here, and the colors are just starting to come out. Feeling blessed.

So? How's your week?

Lovin' Where I Live, Too.

Mer has a sweet meme-type-thing going on at Life at 7000 Feet. We're to list the 10 reasons we love where we live. Hmmm...like her, I imagine it will be hard to limit myself to 10, but here goes...

10. I lurve the varied geography/topography and "stuff" of Washington. Western WA has mtns and lakes, and rivers, oh my! Plus, we have Puget Sound and the actual ocean beaches of the west coast. Eastern WA boasts high dessert, and reminds me of the land of my youth, Ft. Collins CO. 4 seasons and blue skies.

9. The trees! Even though we've had to cut some down due to our own risk of life and limb, I love that we have huge evergreen and deciduous trees. I especially heart that, in my development, they've tried super hard to build around the trees, rather than thru them.

8. The wild life. Especially the eagles. 7. Our location: we live about 45 minutes from the airport, which is good since Big goes to China on a monthly basis, and I'm usually going to pick him up after said trips. We're also about 30 minutes from downtown Seattle/Space Needle/Pacific Science Center/Woodland Park Zoo/Pike's Market. We also live about 1.5 hour from our beach house. That includes ferry time. We're about 9 miles from the kids' school; 4 miles from church; 4 miles from Big's in-town office; and have a great little town center which has sprouted up about 3 years ago. Cold Stone anyone? Central Market. University Bookstore. By the way, GO BUFFS! And lastly, the Canadian border is about 2+ hours away, and, conversely, Portland OR is about 4 hours away.

6. Lurve me some neighbors! More than any other place, I've developed some strong, steadfast relationships with our neighbors to the side, across the street, and around the corner. Truly, if there was an emergency and my kids were home alone, I know of at least 5 adults with whom I'd trust my kids to go. Also, one of my dearest friends in WA lives one block away from me. We took advantage of the city park adjacent to our neighborhood and had a barby yesterday; we just let the kids ride bikes and swing, and play. And we chatted and ate too many chips.

5. Folks are fairly green-minded here, and health-minded as well. While I love the former and will tolerate the latter, I admit that both are positive influences on my family's life. Like Mer, there's not a day that goes by that I don't see folks riding bikes, jogging, or walking dogs/themselves on the trails surrounding our home.

4. I lurve that we are only 6 hours from Maui. Alas, the budget does not allow for Maui as often as I'd like it to--like every 3 months, but IF we were going, it'd only be 6 hours away. IF.

3. Great Asian food. Seriously. I'm not even a huge Asian food afficianado, but if I were, this would be the place. I heart our local Thai Bistro. Mmmm. And you can't beat our Copper River Salmon. I don't even love salmon most of the time, but this is fantastic. Lurve me some halibut, though. And halibut. Especially if it's been tossed by the fish mongers at Pike's Place Market.

2. Our local library belongs to a regional system, so whether I'm in Mill Creek or on Whidbey Island, I can check out and return books w/o a different library card. Also, each library is that much bigger since really, books can be ordered within a day from the sister branches. Library geeks like me love that. Not to say that I always turn in my books on time...

1. Christmas and Halloween. When we moved here, I was so wowed by all the effort my neighbors go to really making these fun times, especially for the kids. Sometimes all the decor can be considered excessive, and we've learned not to compete. :) But, I just think of my kids and the memories they'll have of people's yards just.decked.out. and getting that one full size candy bar from the neighbor who always gives it. Or that 100th drive through our neighborhood to see the lights. And these folks are generous, too. One year, instead of our annual party, we were able to bless a suburban family in need--I wanted it to be a family in an area similar to ours so that our kids could relate to the fact that poverty knows no boundaries. We had 2 full carloads of gifts for this family (of 11), and were able to pray with them and love on them.

Okay...if you're still with me, I will copy Mer and do the 5 things I don't like...Because I am a copier to the nth degree, and it's fun.

5. THE.RAIN. Actually, the grey. I actually have gotten to the point where I don't mind the rain, especially since the storms are usually drizzles. I used to not like storms in CO because of all the hail, tornado watches, and lightning. This rain makes me feel clean, but the danged grey has.got.to.go. For about 2 months of the year, our headlights are on 24/7, and that's just not right.

4. Traffic. I-5 and I-405 both have carpool lanes, but ohmygosh, I still abhor them. Some of the surface streets are also nasty. It should not take you 30 minutes to drive 10 miles.

3. The fact that we have no family here. This is a mixed blessing. We were glad to move here to try to grow up a bit, but still...when you don't have anyone that you'd leave the kids with for a weekend or a few days, it's hard. You find out truly how alone you can be. Big had to have back surgery 6 months after we moved here, and thank goodness for our neighbors who watched the kids, but we barely knew them. Would've been nice to have family at that time.

2. Ice storms/falling trees. This is scary, and so new to us both. There weren't trees to be afraid of in CO, and snow was just snow. But ice. S.c.a.r.y. The roads just turn to glass while you're driving, and there's nothing you can do about it.

1. The Pacific Time Zone for TV watching. Man, I get tired trying to stay up for all my shows. :) When I was used to Mountain Time, I was in bed on time. I know...I could choose to a) record the shows or b) not watch TV, but I'd prefer to complain for this moment. :) Wah, Wah, Wah.

Bonus LURVES--How Could I Forget?

1. Latte stand on nearly every corner.

2. THE TULIPS

3. Loooong summer nights--cuz of our lattitude

4. my church.

ohmygoshguesswhoisawatlunchtoday?

Gladitude Monday

10. Glad we're having November weather because at least we're not having Gustav weather. We're warm and safe, and I'm enjoying a colon-blow blueberry muffin with natural peanut butter and hot coffee, and life is good. Prayin' for the Gustav-ers.

9. Glad that McCain, et.al supported the folks bracing for the hurricane and ratcheted down the RNC. And glad to see, yet again, the presence of a woman on the ballot. No matter how one votes or whether we "like" these women or not, Clinton and Palin are trailblazers for our daughters. Our daughters can truly say, "I want to be President", and have it mean something.

8. Glad for all the upcoming TV opening seasons. Giddy, actually. Hey, I never said I was deep.

7. Glad I had a most enjoyable hairapy appointment at noon on Saturday. Too bad I was hobbling into the salon, because...

6. Glad I walked 15+ miles (from 6 a.m-11 a.m) in training for the 3 day, which is (hyperventilates) in less than 2 weeks. I can walk with aches and pains and be fine. It's getting out of the car after I drive home from our walking spot and trying to walk then. All the muscles seize up and I just want to die. Thankfully there is an amazing drug called Ibuprofen. I'm mightily glad for some of that. :)

5. Glad to see my dachshund attacking a bone which is (the retriever's) as big as he is. I love that he doesn't realize he's small, old, semi-continent, and neutered.

4. Glad to have shared an iconic, high-brow movie with our children: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Thankfully there were only a few "teachable moments". Hard to believe it's 20 years old! Also loved to see David chortling at all the historical figures. Drama liked it, too. At ages 10 and 12, we are getting to the point that we can enjoy movies other than those made specifically for kids together. Glad for forgiveness, too. We saw Batman's the Dark Knight with the kids, because after watching Batman Begins together on DVD--Big had even previewed--we thought it was borderline, but a good story, and felt that with the same story writers and director, we were pretty safe in taking the kids to the new one Lord, forgive us. That movie should have been rated R. Period. Glad my kids would avert their eyes even w/o my saying to do so. Also glad that we discussed all questions and put it to rest.

3. Glad that we made Mill Creek-Opoly. We were given this build-your-own Monopoly game a year ago and finally, during Big's staycation, finally put it all together. Mill Creek is the name of our town, so we got to personalize all the parts on the board to match our town, or our whim. We still need to make the bills, but our Free Parking is Quiet Time (my favorite part of the day), and the Go To Jail is Poop Scooping in Poo Alley. Again, we're the high-brow folk.

2. Glad for this post from John at The Dirty Shame. If you haven't read him, I heartily recommend his writing. I never come away from one of his posts without either thinking about something in a different or deeper way. And sometimes, he makes my eyes leak.

1. Glad that the anticipation of all the first day of school stuff is nearly finished! I met with all of David's teachers last week, and really was impressed with a) the fact that they all met with me, and b) the fact that not only are they seemingly very supportive and wishing for him to be successful, but they also set the stage for us to have a great collaborative relationship. We are much poorer today, as our son now has a laptop with Dragon Speak Naturally software, but if he's able to get a handle on his dysgraphia and live with his strengths and liabilities more easily with these tools, then they are worth every sacrificed cent. We've done neurologists and therapies out the wazoo--mostly out of pocket. What's a laptop? Thank You Jesus for the means to help him be successful in school. Thank You Jesus for Drama Girl's amazingly non-selfish behavior the day of the purchase. She wants a computer so.very.badly., but was so gracious. I want to have her maturity and grace when I grow up. We do a lot of things for her, as well, but nothing feels even about your brother getting a laptop, right?

Bonus: Glad that the auditions for our Christmas play are over. We're doing A Christmas Carol (the disney-esque Hallmark version with Kelsey Grammer as Scrooge). I don't much care which part I got, but I pray that Drama Girl got something cool for her. I'll keep you posted because I know you're all on the edge of your seats. ;)