Philip called. He sounded pretty tired, but he had good news! No, he is not coming home this weekend; the OTHER good news: cable tv has been restored and he is able to watch the Rangers! Thrilling? Indeed.
James held down the fort this afternoon so Ardyn and I could run to the grocery. We had a fun, chatty time. We printed off e-mealz and bought the stuff without even reading the menu. Shopping & Cooking by faith...you can't beat it.
Megan and the darlings in her charge came over to swing & visit...or was it visit & swing? They took Ardyn back into town with them, then Luke's friend, Cody, arrived to spend a couple days. Both boys had [the 'B' word] practice tonight. James & Ash handled carpool to preserve what's left of my sweet, accommodating attitude.
That left Mari and I to walk 3 miles, put away the pantry groceries, and add stuff to the blog. She is the coolest kid. She makes me laugh out loud. When she talked to Philip on the phone tonight, she responded to his "I love you" with "NO WAY!" She kills me.
I told the boys they could stay up until midnight. At 12:03, I went in and they were still wired...literally: PS2, cd's, computer, etc. I asked them to turn everything off and head for bed.
At 12:09 I heard thunderous laughter and two or three yelps from their room. I prayed for patience and calmly walked toward their room. As I turned the handle, my prayer was answered. [cue: wisdom from on high]
"Hey, fellas...here's the way I see it. Cody is scheduled to leave at 5pm tomorrow. If you need more time tonight, it's gonna have to come off of tomorrow's time. I'm gonna turn this light off and if I hear you again, I'll drive him back at 4:30. If I have to come in a third time, I'll need to drive him back at 4. K? Are we clear?"
[clearing of the throats] "Yes, Ma'am."
At 12:17 I heard a horrible boom, followed by a bang, a crack, and three muffled giggles. As I opened the door, Luke locked eyes with me and pleaded, "My pillow fell off the loft bed and knocked my trophies down...that totally doesn't count...does it?" I maintained wide-eye contact until I had silently pulled the door closed.
I haven't heard from them since. 5pm it is! Thank You, Jesus.
The girls have two friends coming over in the morning. This is how we cope with loneliness...we just have as many people as possible rotate in and out of the house until we're so distracted by all the friends that we barely remember we miss our daddy. (It's barely working)
I better go lay down. Or is it lie down? I know it's not lye down.
I better go hop in bed. It's LIE! I promise...6th grade grammar drills just flooded my thoughts. It would be LAY, had I better go lay my head down. See the direct object? But if I'm the one lying then I lie. Truly! ooh, that was very fun.
Father God, thank You for continuing to bless and keep Philip. (I know in his heart he gives You credit for the Ranger game) Thank You for being near us as we can't be near each other. I love that about You. Thank You for hearing me when I cry out to You. Thank You for Your rest. Bless all the dear children...
