That NaNoWriMo begins in six weeks.

Whether his motive was to give me plenty of notice so I began to think about my next Really Cruddy Novel or if he just wanted to send me into a tailspin, I can personally confirm he did the latter.

Thanks, Flash.

Girl: Schools tomorrow! wish you were gonna be there!

Flash: You wish I was gonna be there? Last year you couldn’t get rid of me soon enough.

Girl: How was your first day at school?? Yeah I do wish you had been there!! I mean everyone else is totally retarded!! YOUr my bus buddy!! YOur supposed to be there to make me laugh and for me to be maen to when I’m not having a good day!!!!

Flash: Careful; you make is sound as if you actually liked dealing with me.
Besides, there’s still four years of High school that you’ll have to put up with me.
And you weren’t mean; you were funny.

Girl: OOh thanks now i know why when I tell the kids i babysit I’ll get upset if they don’t do what I tell them they just laugh!!! and I do like dealing with you compared to some of the buffoons at this new school!!!!! and what college are you thinking for your Graduate and undergrad?? I want either NMU or MSU for Undergrad and Cornell University for my Graduate!

Flash: Y’know, you might want to watch what you say about me. You are sounding mighty friendly; I think over the summer you magnified my good traits (humor, wittiness, smarts, etc.) and forgot about my negative traits (aggravating, annoying, boy, etc.) hence making me seem a much better person than I actually am. Not that I’m complaining. Just keep it in mind.

(Mom: I have to say it’s a little weird to watch your teen flirt with a girl! He was mad a year or so ago when I said this girl liked him after he announced that she had baked him cinnamon rolls and brought them to school! Now, he blushes when her name is mentioned and seems a little disheartened that he’s not at the new middle school with her this year! Budding romance in the house!! But she’s at least ambitious – she knows what college she wants to go to as an 8th grader! And she doesn’t use text-speak! Is it too soon to be impressed?)

in my life I’d like to be too tall and too skinny to find a single pair of jeans that fit me after searching through eight stores.

Just once.

Is that really asking too much?

For now, I guess I’ll have to settle for being the mother of such a person. Sigh. More jean shopping will continue tomorrow. Wish us luck.

I knew it had to happen at some point, but I was hoping for one more season.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4433305

Thanks #54!

“You wonder why God doesn’t remove temptation from your life? If He did, you might lean on your strength instead of His grace. A few stumbles might be what you need to convince you: His grace is sufficient for your sin.

“You wonder why God doesn’t remove the enemies in your life? Perhaps because He wants you to love like He loves. Anyone can love a friend, but only a few can love an enemy. So what if you aren’t everyone’s hero? His grace is sufficient for your self-image.

“You wonder why God doesn’t alter your personality? You, like Paul, are a bit rough around the edges? Say things you later regret or do things you later question? Why doesn’t God make you more like him? He is. He’s just not finished yet. Until he is, his grace is sufficient to overcome your flaws.

“You wonder why God doesn’t heal you? He has healed you. If you are in Christ, you have a perfected soul and a perfected body. His plan is to give you the soul now and the body when you get home. He may choose to heal parts of your body before heaven. But if he doesn’t, don’t you still have a reason for gratitude? If he never gave you more than eternal life, could you ask for more than that? His grace is sufficient for gratitude.

“Wonder why God won’t give you a skill? If only God had made you a singer or a runner or a writer or a missionary. But there you are tone-deaf, slow of foot and mind. Don’t despair. God’s grace is still sufficient to finish what he began. And until he’s finished, let Paul remind you that the power is in the message, not the messenger. His grace is suffcient to speak clearly even when you don’t.

“For all we don’t know about thorns, we can be sure of this. God would prefer we have an occasional limp than a perpetual strut. And if it takes a thorn for him to make his point, he loves us enough not to pluck it out.

“God has every right to say no to us. We have every reason to say thanks to him. The parachute is strong and the landing will be safe. His grace is sufficient.”

In the Grip of Grace – Max Lucado

Sunday, at church, I was talking with a friend who had previously invited me to join her small group in the fall. I had asked her when the get togethers would resume when she got all excited and shared with me that they were having a end-of-summer picnic and pool party that afternoon and immediately invited me to join them.

I accepted her offer, but inside I was full of trepidation. Would I know anyone else there? Wouldn’t I rather meet everyone when the group meetings began again instead of crashing some picnic I wasn’t even prepared to attend? Would anyone else be as eager to see me and to have me there as this friend was to invite me?

I needn’t of worried, of course. This friend allowed me to follow them to the picnic lest I get lost on the way. And the moment we arrived, she introduced me one by one to all the other members of the group that were present. When it was time for lunch, she handed me a plate and welcomed me at the table even though I had nothing to contribute to the meal. She asked me questions and brought me into their conversations, explaining the things I didn’t know and clarifying the questions I had.

At the suggestion of another friend at church, I just picked up my first Max Lucado book at the library, In the Grip of Grace. In one chapter, Mr. Lucado is talking about Christ, as he takes our hand and leads us to the Father. I can imagine entering Heaven with trepidation. Is this gift for real? Is God going to change his mind when he has seen my past? Will His grace really be enough? And then I see Christ, coming to greet me with a hug and reassurances. He takes me by the hand and personally introduces me to God – not a formal introduction, but an excited, eager, introduction of a dear friend to his father!

I am one of these people Mr. Lucado is writing about. I think, yes, this grace is a wonderful idea, but really? Really? I mean, for some people, sure, they are good and wonderful and have loved God since the beginning of their life, but me? I’ve made some mistakes. Some captial-M Mistakes. I don’t know if this grace thing is going to be enough.

It is. It always will be. It always was. Before I was created, before I ever sinned, God planned His grace for me. For ME!! (psst! For you, too!)

Flash is coming home on Sunday!!!!!

PRAISE THE LORD!!!

(My goodness have I missed this kid this summer!)

I texted Flash tonight and asked him to please come home as no one will play Yahtzee with me here. He texted me back to say that playing Yahtzee would be the fourth thing he did when he got home.

I got to thinking and sent him my top ten list of things Flash will do upon his return home:

1. walk the dog
2. clean the cat box
3. eat everything
4. lost 20 Yahtzee games to Mom
5. cook dinner all week
6. rebuild the K’nex thingy George broke.
7. eat again
8. do all the reading you should have done this summer
9. throw Jonah (the cat) down the hall
10. tell Mom you missed her.

His reply:

1. play with the dog
2. be glad I’m back
3. leave all my stuff right where it will drive you wacko and then move it.
4. win 50 Yahtzee games
5. Call my two best buds
6. take the dog out
7. tell the cat to leave me alone
8. unpack an astounding amount of STUFF
9. reply to the 5236 texts Dad sent me during that time
10. sleep in my own bed.

My message back? “Love the list! (mainly because there is no mention of food consumption in your top ten!)”

His reply: “That’s items 11-15.”

His next text: “And 16-20 is telling my mom I missed her and all about my summer.”

Oh how I miss my boy.