Limos and Homecoming

After driving 500 miles yesterday, I'm still exhausted. I had loads of things to write about as I drove through South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Now, I can't recall anything.
When I got home last night, I got a phone call from one of the Singer's friend's mother. (The friend is one of about 8 kids who do a lot together, but the friend is not that close to the Singer). As she introduced herself as friend's mother, I'm trying to figure out why she's calling me. Well, she was calling because a few of the group want to rent a limo for the Homecoming Dance. Hubby and I told the Singer she wasn't going. The general understanding amongst her friends was that we said no because of the price ($50 a person....the Singer has a date that makes $100!). That definitely was part of our decision, but not the only reason. So this mother was trying to talk me into letting the Singer go in the limo because they'd found a better price. I was so tired, I tried to be polite. I thanked her for thinking of us, but Hubby and I were driving the Singer. She went on. I said again that the Singer was going with her dad and me. She went on. [I wondered if I were speaking in a different language. What part of "she's not going in a limo," don't you understand?] This was at 8:30 or so. Shortly afterwards, the phone begins ringing for the Singer. All her friends are now calling her, telling her how to get me to say yes to the limo. I was really taken aback. I could see calling my high school child's friends' mothers if there were a serious issue on the table, or if one of the friends were having a party, etc. But about a limo?!? I don't get it. If the Singer's friends' parents said they couldn't go to Homecoming, I wouldn't get involved. These parents are too involved in their children's lives. What do these parents care if my daughter goes in the limo? Hubby's theory is that they need the extra couple to keep their costs down. And that the parents want the limo for their kids for their own status and standings. (They can tell everyone how Suzie Jane went to the dance in a limo.) I don't know. It just seems so odd to me. Hubby and I told the Singer, a limo is 'over the top' and unnecessary at this point in her life. I always felt that the Singer's friends were down-to-earth and not overly materialistic. After the last few weeks, I'm not so sure. The Singer has a gorgeous dress she got for Homecoming last year. Her friends have told her she simply CAN'T wear it this year, too. The Singer has saved her money and is going to go spend it on a dress she'll wear once. That her friends tell her she has to maintain a certain status bothers me. I thought friends were the people who liked you even if you didn't have new clothes.

Because It's the Right Thing To Do

"Because it's the right thing to do" is not a phrase used very often anymore. As I drove to SC I listened to a few Christian talk-shows on AM radio and listened to a book on tape (Mister God, It's Me Anna). All that got me thinking about the relative morality of today's society. Few people make decisions based on morality (something is right or it is wrong) but instead list pros and cons for themselves and then make the decision accordingly. I was getting my hair done and told my hair stylist that I was traveling to see my brother. She queried, "Again?" Yea, again. She said that she didn't know many people who would travel as much I did. I replied, "But, it's the right thing to do. It helps my brother and my parents, and it's what families are about." She agreed it was the right thing to do, but still insisted not many people would do it. Sad. I was talking to Hubby about this on the phone and we recalled when we were tempted to make a pretty big decision for our convenience. We were out walking the neighborhood (children don't overhear those conversations) and I said, "But if we do A for the Singer, I won't be able to do B. I've been waiting 5 years to do B. We've worked for it. I'm tired of taking backseat to our kids." (Okay, not my best parental moment). Hubby looked at me and said, "What's our goal for our kids?" "That they know, love and glorify God." (It's our 'rule of life' so to speak). So he says, "Which choice helps us achieve that goal." Okay, I admitted choice A was the right thing to do. [And as God had planned it, I got B, too...just a little later]. In order to do the right thing in difficult situations, you need to know in your heart what your goal in life is. Assuming your goal relates to some higher being and reaching some-sort of heaven in the here-after, right will be whatever helps you achieve that goal.
The Imp didn't want to go to a group meeting last week. I made her go. "Why?" she whined (as only a 12-almost 13-year old can do). "Because it's the right thing to do." It didn't help further any cause for herself, didn't help me. In fact, it inconvenienced us both. But it WAS the right thing to do, so I made her do it. That's what builds character. My girls aren't perfect. But they know there is right and wrong. They know their goal in life is to know, love and glorify God. I don't worry too much about their ultimate future.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Oh, how I wish the rain would go away. That's difficult for me to say, because it hasn't been that long since we've had draught conditions. And it was from 1998-2002 that we had a draught. But enough is enough. I've drained the pool multiple times this past month. As I sit here writing, the pool is filling to the lip again. Mold and mildew have flourished everywhere. Ugh. Between yesterday afternoon and this morning, about 4 inches of rain has fallen. The ground is saturated so there is no where for the water to go. There's 2 inches of water in our street (our street didn't flood with Hurricane Jeanne!) I just want my typical Florida weather back, so I can complain of the heat and humidity while sitting out at my pool enjoying the sun.

In addition to the really crummy weather we're having, I can't even watch a good football game. The Buccaneers look absolutely terrible! It's painful to watch them play. Then my other team, the Redskins, are doing too well either. I guess things can only get better from here. I don't even mind the Bucs losing (well, I do mind, but...) when it's a good game. But they aren't playing good ball. It is not entertaining and I've had to turn the game off, they're so bad. The rest of my family (the guys, anyway) are into college ball. I've never followed college ball and it just doesn't appeal to me. The great thing about the NFL is that there are so few teams. I can keep track of the whole league. College ball and the whole ranking system is Greek to me.

High school football has gone to national television. A local game was broadcast on ESPN on Friday night. High school football should be local. Way too much emphasis and importance is placed on the game when it's televised nationally. My second year teaching (at one of the schools that played Saturday night) I was told to change the grade of a few football players. These guys had done nothing in my class. I wouldn't change the grades, (although I did offer to make a deal...a certain amount of work and a passing grade. No deals) so my principal did! All so we could win that game. It's depressing to think about it.

I leave today for SC to see my brother John. His 41st birthday is Sunday. We're having a picnic celebration in his back yard on Saturday. My baby brother, Brian (aged 33) and his wonderful wife and 2 little boys are coming in from Charlotte plus my mom and dad. I'm sure John's wife's family (her sister and parents) will be joining us as well. The weather looks wonderful for SC...Basically highs will be in the low 80s and lows in the sixties. Beautiful!

Birthday Bashes

The article in Sunday's paper about the amount of money parents spend on their children's birthday's supported my idea that parents today make so many decisions for their children that make them (the parents) feel good and whether it is beneficial to the child is incidental. I'm all for making my child feel special on their birthday (and as I went over-the-top with the Singer's 16th birthday, in some ways I fall into this category) but I think buying "feeling special" is a dangerous and unhealthy thing for our kids. I believe I’ve always thrown great parties for my kids. I love planning the theme and creating fun things to do. But I create the party and in doing so, I am giving of myself (not necessarily my money) to my child. That's the gift. I had a Pretty Princess party where the kids made princess hats from poster boards and streamers (cost was very minimal). I've had a Little Mermaid party where they decorated their party bags with sand and shells. I had a Super Sleuth party where I made code books and then left clues in code that they had to decipher and follow to lead to the final treasure. I enjoyed doing these for my children and feel I taught them the power of giving of yourself. Now, I do admit, I may have jumped out of the boat and into the water with the big bash for the Singer's Sweet 16. And it cost more than I ever thought I'd spend on a birthday party. But I view it differently than what the article refers to. The Singer doesn't know how much the party cost, because I put the party together, piece by piece. What made her feel special weren’t the things of the party, but the time and effort I put into it. She will not be looking for next year's party to top this year's. How much money I spend on you is not an indication of how much love I have for you. That is the danger of the super birthday bashes of today. Too often I hear, "Well, I can afford it, so why not give it to him/her?" I'll tell you why. Because you give them nothing to work for, to dream for, to look forward to. If you have a limo pick them up from school on their 13th birthday (and I have seen it happen), then what do you do for the 16th birthday? Or their wedding? Shouldn't a wedding be in a class all by itself, to show the importance and significance it has in your life? Of course, this would mean you believe your child will marry once and live their married life as a sacred covenant and not just a convenient temporary living arrangement. Children learn so much from their parents. I don't think I want to teach my kids to equate money with love, or teach them that they are entitled to anything in this life. It saddens me that so many grow up with those attitudes (and worries me about the potential spouse-pool being created for my kids).

The Purpose Driven Life

I received the following in a forwarded email this morning. I'm copying the last paragraph and putting it on my mirror in my bathroom as a reminder. I've highlighted some of the phrases that really stood out to me.

Subject: Rick Warren and The Purpose Driven Life
Enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having "wealth" from the book sales. This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren, "Purpose Driven Life " author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California. In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:
People ask me, What is the purpose of life?

And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body--but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense. Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness,"which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.
So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money ,notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings. Happy moments, PRAISE GOD. Difficult moments, SEEK GOD. Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD. Painful moments, TRUST GOD. Every moment, THANK GOD.

Accelerated Reader

I don't like swim season. The Singer loves it and I'm thrilled for her that she has the opportunity to do something she loves. It's great for her physically, and emotionally. But I still don't like swim season. It seems I never see my Singer. Hubby drives her to school in the morning, she's at school all day, she goes to the library after school to do homework, catches a ride to the pool and then Hubby drives her home, arriving here 12 hours after she left. As most parents know, car-time is precious time with your kids. By the time the Singer gets home, she has already told Hubby all the happenings of the day, and she just wants to eat dinner and then relax or finish her homework. If I start asking about her day, I get the one or two word answers. Come November, I will get a chance to know my daughter better. Sharing the 30+ minute drive home gives us the time to share with each other. It's hard to tell how things are going when I only see her when she's struggling to shake off sleep in the morning, or ready to collapse at night. So I miss her, even though I see her everyday.
I enjoyed my Bible Study yesterday. My group seems to be a good one. I love the fellowship of Bible Study. Because I attend mid-morning in the week, the group isn't very heterogeneous. It's basically stay-at-home moms, older women, and a handful of retired gentlemen (and yes, the men all fit the description of gentlemen). But it's comforting and supportive to share faith with other women. I love hearing the women older than me, share their trials and victories on their faith journey. And while I don't feel old, at 43, I have "young 'uns" (the mom's in their 20's and early 30's) who look to me to share my experiences. I love the continuity represented. I am so thankful for my faith. When I struggle with my issues, I constantly wonder how someone without faith deals with the difficulties of this world. I know that my faith has gotten me through much. Without faith, I don't have a real purpose in my life.
The Imp is struggling to complete her AR (Accelerated Reader) goal for school. I think this program is a wonderful way to monitor and encourage children to read. I fear, however, that the whole concept is going to backfire for the Imp. The Imp is an avid reader, but because of the situation she's in, she has begun complaining about reading. She has a high reading level; therefore her goal requires her to get quite a few points. The problem is not getting her to read, the problem is the limited number of AR tests the school has at her reading level fitting her interests. So she ends up reading books that aren't necessarily ones she would pick in order to be able to take the tests to get the points to reach her goal. Because she does have books she wants to read, she "rewards" herself for a successful AR test by reading one of her own books. The problem is there just isn't enough time. Her goal requires her to read about a book a week. So she is frustrated that she can't read "her stuff" and has begun looking at AR as an academic endeavor. The concept behind AR is to have tests on popular children's literature so students can read what they want. The problem is she has been participating in AR since 4th grade and has taken many tests already. At a small private school, the media center doesn't have the resources to purchase all AR computer tests. Put that together with the fact that she's in 7th grade and the school only goes to 8th grade, the books (and tests) the school has for her level are limited. This quarter has been rough going. Because there were books she really wanted to read, she put off AR. The Imp in now in the position of reading 2 books a week in order to reach her goal. I'm not looking forward to the rest of this quarter or this year. I've had to limit our trips to the public library. A definite hardship for my family.

Family Ties

I love that I am from a big family--7 siblings. I love that Hubby is from a big family--9 siblings. I moved often while I was growing up: 13 times before I went to college. It wasn't always easy leaving friends, going to new schools, etc., but my sense of security wasn't shaken. I had my family...everything else was just the extra stuff. I think family is very important. The great thing about big families is the number of people to interact with, get advice from, depend on and help. The bad thing about big families is the number of people to interact with, get advice from, depend on and help. My brother John's birthday is coming up and I have been looking forward to going to see him and celebrate with him. The bonus of the trip is that there is a high probability that Brian (another brother) and his wonderful family will be there as well. I'd get to see my mom and dad. Just lots of good feelings and happy expectations all around. Added to this pull of going, is also the fact that my brother is ill. I want to take advantage of seeing him as much as I can. John has constantly said that he understands if I can't come. He doesn't seem to understand that visiting him is good for me. If he also enjoys it, all the better. Visiting gives me something to actively do to help him deal with ALS. It makes me feel better. Hubby has been working very hard. He has this major project coming due next week and has been working incredible overtime. He was on a conference call last night from 7 pm - 11 pm. When I leave town, Hubby picks up extra work with shuttling the girls around to their activities. Add to that our tile installation has been postponed until next week when I'm supposed to be gone. So, I have two pulls on me: my brother and Hubby. The pulls are so very different they're hard to compare. It makes me think of the "what if" questions posed..."Who would you save if you were drowning, the Singer or the Imp?" My answer is, "I pray to God I never have to find out." I hear the argument saying "Once you're married your husband always comes first." I hear the argument "You can visit John anytime." But I also hear the comment made to me at my sister-in-law's funeral "When you moved away, she felt so abandoned." (My family moved to Florida a little over a year before she died.) The person making the comment was filled with grief and is not a malicious person, but the statement has stayed with me. What should I have done? Is there a right and wrong decision? Or in cases like this, does the decision just need to be made and I just need to accept that I won't be happy with either one. Hubby doesn't know, yet, that I'm contemplating not going to see John. He would tell me to go. John would tell me to stay home with Hubby. Either way, I'll feel I'm letting someone down.

The 100 m Butterfly

Thank goodness swim season is a short one. The complaints being mumbled, yelled and flung around continually are getting on my nerves. I got it. You don't like your coach. You don't think she's doing a good job. I can't change it. I know nothing about competitive swimming, so I can't take over. The Singer is so frustrated with the swimming situation this year. The numbers on the swim team are down this year. Not a surprise since last year they had two coaches (at different times) not affiliated with the school and a faculty liaison who didn't know swimming, but wanted swimming to continue. With fewer swimmers, there are less people to pick from to fill each event. There are only 3 female swimmers who have the technique not to be DQ'd from the butterfly events. And yes, the Singer is one of them. She hates the butterfly, and while she's not fast, she has impeccable form. She had to swim the 50m fly at Wednesday's meet. She's swimming the 100m fly tomorrow. She is not a happy camper. In addition, she's swimming the final leg of the 400m relay and the 500m free. The 500m is a 20 lap race. She finished last Wednesday with a time of 8 something. It was her first time swimming the 500m and she was happy she'd made her last turn before the second-to-last person finished. Her favorite race (one she finished in 2nd a few times last year behind her teammate who has graduated) is the 200m free. Of course, she's not swimming in that race at all. She was looking forward to having a chance at finishing first. Thankfully this is over in November.
It's amazing how the weather can affect my mood. Yesterday was rainy all day (this is Florida....this can stop now...we have short rainstorms in the afternoon...is anyone listening?). In addition, I had to go to the dentist (I have to have some old silver fillings replaced...ugh) and then take the Imp to the doctor as she had hives all over her legs and torso. I didn't get home until 1 pm. Too late to go crop with my friend. I was so looking forward to cropping, too. Fortunately, the Imp isn't too sick. Antihistamines and time is the treatment. If they don't get better by tomorrow, I've got a prescription for a 3-day regiment of a steroid.
Today, I'm off to see the Imp get inducted to the National Junior Honor Society. Then I get to finish scrapping up linoleum. After school, I take the girls to their weekly job of straightening the church (seats 900 people). Fit dinner in and then we're off to the Deacon's Retreat where the girls will provide the music for evening prayers.
Someone asked if I got my digital camera with the posting of pictures yesterday. Nope, just picked up my last roll from developing and I scanned them in. My cell phone can take pictures, but I'm not happy with the quality and don't want to pay the extra fee to download them to my computer since the quality is poor. Hubby tried to take a picture of the Singer swimming. Well, he took the picture, but didn't know he had to hit the "save" button. So he comes in Wednesday evening, "Look at this pic I got of her swimming." He couldn't find it in his files. The Imp says, "Did you save it?" His reply, "I have to save it? It’s not automatic?" Maybe next time.

Teenage Logic

The Singer occasionally gets an idea into her head and then becomes very stubborn about altering that view in any way. (She's just a little too much like her mom.) But because she is a teenager, her thinking isn't always logical. Today in the car driving home, she began to tell me why her dad was wrong with his support examples in their conversation (debate/argument) last night. Background info: The Singer's swim coach this year is new to being a swim coach. Things are not running smoothly. The team has only 6 meets scheduled. The swimmers were complaining about that. The coach responded with "Well, the system is sexist and against private schools, so that's why I couldn't get more dates at the county meeting to schedule meets. They didn't tell me that coaches can go to the meeting early to prepare to get the best dates." Hubby argued that as a 'newbie' she has no idea if the system is sexist or against private school, but that the situation supported the idea that new coaches are at a distinct disadvantage. He referenced the swim coach of a few years ago. A woman, from a private school, who managed to get a good schedule. The Singer then argued that her previous coach had learned the system, yet she couldn't see how that meant the system wasn't sexist or against private schools. I'm not sure how you can convince her to see things differently when her logic is so off. Actually, as the conversation continued, with raised, frustrated voice on my part, it appears she really doesn't understand the concept of sexism. So now I have a headache from beating my head against the hard wall of her head for the last 45 minutes. And she's walking around mumbling about how her parents just don't listen to her. We listened; you just didn't make any sense! I keep telling my kids, "I'm right, get use to it," but they still don't believe me, even when I've been proven right time after time.

Christopher is the cutest, most entertaining, wonderful little boy. Here he is getting caught eating a cookie. He makes me smile.

Scrappin'

I think Hubby and I have over-achieved in teaching our girls the Love Language of Words of Affirmation. The girls constantly affirm each other and us. Dennis mowed the lawn yesterday. As we were all going out to the car last night, the Singer says, "Dad, the yard looks really nice. It's great that you take such good care of it." It's hard not to laugh when your 16 yr old daughter says that in all sincerity. The Imp, knowing Words of Affirmation are important to me, has marked in her calendar "thank Mom for all she does. Say thanks for bed and room." She has picked random dates in the next month. And on the marked days, she'll come out and say something to the effect of "Mom, just wanted to tell you thanks for all you do." It is amusing, but I also think they'll have healthy relationships in the future. They get that relationships take effort and work and don't "just happen" or magically fade out to "happily ever after."


I'm so excited. I spent 2 hours today organizing my scrap-booking stuff. I use to scrap book every Thursday with a group of friends, then for various reasons, we all had to stop. I promised myself I would get back into it this summer. Didn't happen. I ran into one of my scrap-booking pals the other day. And we both are in a position to start cropping on Thursdays. I know what my favorite day of the week is going to be.

Just Don't Have Control Over Much

Ernesto (tropical storm, depression and/or hurricane) threatened Tampa last week and had people vigilant. Then, Ernesto waddled through Florida with winds not worth mentioning and rainfall that was hardly noticeable. That was Wednesday. Then Friday we get hit with major rain-squalls dumping about 3 inches of driving rain in a few hours time. It just goes to show, you can plan and you can prepare, but ultimately, you just don't have much control in life, except how you act/react. The weather is actually getting me down. The "normal" summer weather pattern for Tampa is afternoon thunderstorms (sometime between 3 and 6 it turns dark, the heavens open up for about 20 minutes, then the sun comes back out and steam literally rises from the hot streets). Lately we've been having clouds and rain all day. What's up with that? I live in Florida for a reason. If I wanted cloudy and rainy, I'd live in Seattle or London. So, I've had to forego my pool time. On Thursday, it was sunny and beautiful as I got my suit on and was all set to take a dip in the pool. I got my bottle of water, my towel, my book and my goggles. I walk outside and I hear a rumble of thunder and see dark clouds coming in from the west. Foiled again! As I type this, I'm watching the dark clouds roll in again (it's only 11:00 am). I definitely miss my sunshine and pool time. And my disposition is beginning to show the lack of this important activity.

Yesterday, Hubby and I had a great time scraping up linoleum from the kitchen floor. I am so lucky to have him. I just really enjoy spending time with him. And the job seemed easier having him around. Then we went to pick out tile. What a chore! I just want something that looks good in my house. 12 inch or 18 inch? Gloss or matte finish? And on and on. We brought home 5 choices. We quickly eliminated 3 of them, and now have two sitting out trying to figure which one's better. The fact that we're going to have to live with this decision for a long time stresses me out. I don't have trouble picking paint colors. It's pretty easy to repaint a room. Retile? Don't think so. Ugh.

Our kitchen is torn up with half the floor with linoleum and half with the concrete showing. Paper plates and easy dinners are on order this week. Tuna salad, chicken salad, cubans and pizza are all on the menu.

More activities begin this week. The Imp has joined the scrap booking club at her school. They meet after school to work on their scrap books. Her Hip Hop class begins this week, too. I have to go get her a leotard and tights today. She's off to the movies and lunch with her Girl Scout troop. The Singer is off to see the Crucible performed by a local theater group for extra credit for her English course. Her posse is all going. (There's about 5 or 6 girls and 3 or 4 boys who typically do things together as a group. Some of them have dated each other, although the Singer thinks of the guys in her group as brother-types and doesn't understand how her girlfriends can date these guys.) Tomorrow the posse if off to the movies, so the Singer is busy doing homework so she has time to socialize tomorrow. No homework = no leaving the house.

The Singer's life is so different than mine in high school. When I was in high school, the Friday night football games were the social event. Everyone went. Usually we'd watch the first quarter and if it was an exciting game, you kept watching, or we began to cruise the stadium and hang out with people. The Singer has absolutely no interest in attending a football game (and most of her posse is of the same mindset). So she's asked to sing the National Anthem at the game. Silly me asks, "So are you going to stay and watch the game afterward?" "OH NO!" she exclaims. "I'll go to sing but then I'm leaving to go do something fun." As she doesn't have her license yet, that means Hubby and I get to drive her to the game, sit in the car for about 20 minutes, listen to her sing the anthem and then drive her to wherever the posse is meeting. Friday night listening to her sing over the loudspeakers and having the sound carry across the fields and river nearby gave me goose bumps. I get so use to hearing her sing I sometimes don't really hear her, but she sounded really good Friday night. As a tone-deaf person who can't carry a tune in a paper bag, I am amazed at her vocal abilities. She's been given lots of gifts/talents. Guess God has something important for her to do.

Scraping the Floor

My muscles are sore today (and will continue to be sore for a while) as I'm busy scraping up the old linoleum off my kitchen, and bathroom floors. It's harder than I thought to get that stuff up off the floor. But it'll be worth it to put down tile in two weeks. We're doing the removal of the old stuff (the grunt work) but have hired someone to put the tile down. We've wanted to do this for about 5 or 6 years. Staying home during the day, I notice all the things "wrong" with the house. The flooring (both the linoleum and the carpet) is really yucky. I know that as soon as we lay the tile I am going to want new carpet. I know the new tile is going to make the old carpet look really bad. Maybe in a year or so.

The Singer is experiencing the typical roller coaster ride of emotions so common at 16. The other night, I discovered her on the phone in her room at 10:35 at night. A definite 'no-no' in our house. She, as only a 16-yr-old can, looks at me as if I'm the crazy one for getting upset over her disregard of house rules. From her point of view, she's 16 and is old enough to make such decisions. She was, after all, studying over the phone. A week without phone privileges will probably convince her not to try that one again. So she is all pouty about her punishment. But she's also riding-high because she gets to sing the National Anthem at today's pep assembly at school and at the football game tonight. Let her sing and she's happy.

The Imp is walking around with a big smile...she got her braces off yesterday. She looks so much older. I really don't have little kids anymore. I've got two teen-agers (oh no!)

It's Labor Day Weekend, which means its time for the Jerry Lewis Telethon Sunday/Monday. Jerry Lewis raises money for Muscular Dystrophy. ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) is a form of Muscular Dystrophy. If you're in the giving mood, check out the Sumter Muscular Dystrophy Fund founded by my brother, John. If nothing else, keep all those touched by these diseases in your prayers.