August 29

When Abby was in college, she was consistently in contact with us. She texted multiple times a day and we generally knew the names of her friends and what was going on in her life, even though she was 2,000 miles away.

Isaac's approach to communication is very different. He typically responds to texts with one or two-word answers and never gives specifics. I'm okay with it, really; he's 18 and off on his own adventure, and it's his choice to share or not share as he pleases.

However, it's still really good for my heart to get a wee bit more information about his experience, so I was happy to be able to video call with him this afternoon.

He shared a little about his classes and his burgeoning friendships and how much he likes the breakfast food served in the dining hall. (It's apparently the best meal of the day, with the pancakes and waffles and fruit. And whole milk. He's discovered that he really likes the creaminess of whole milk. Go figure!)

So today, I am grateful for video calls and for the way they help to keep us connected to those who aren't nearby. And I am thankful to God that my sweet kiddo seems to be enjoying his first few weeks of college life.

August 28

I was awakened a little ahead of schedule this morning by the unmistakable plink, plink of rain against the windowpanes. 

When I say that it doesn't rain here during the summer months, I mean it does not rain here, literally, so I hopped up out of bed, pulled back the curtains, and peered outside. 

And this is what I saw: distinctive rain clouds overhead, and the reflection of the opposing trees and houses on the street below. Sure visual signs of the raindrops I could hear.

But somehow, even though I saw the evidence of water, I still had trouble believing that it was really rain. So I squinted my eyes and pressed my nose against the glass to try to discern those teeny tiny drops.

And in hindsight, I think my response to those unexpected showers is the way we often react to God's work in our lives. We can see the evidence of His handiwork all around us, but we can't quite believe that it's real. 

So today, I am thankful for the rain, and also for the tangible reminder that He's always at work.

August 27

It's been an interesting week. It's not uncommon for stuff to break while Adam is out of town so I wasn't exactly surprised when both the countertop nugget ice maker and the Nutribullet bit the dust. But then the sun rose on today and a whole 'nother level of weird began.

Incident numero uno commenced when, as I was vacuuming in the family room, I spied movement on the couch across the room. I took a closer look and spied the itty bitty lizard that Brady first saw while I was at dinner with Sherrie. He'd sent me a text with a picture of the little guy and asked what to do. By the time I replied and told him to try to shoo it outside, he said that it had already scurried under the couch. When I got home that evening I couldn't find him, so Brady and I made a pact to not mention his presence to Abby and hope he'd just come out on his own.

Anyway, I approached little liz with a Starbucks cup and, after much maneuvering, managed to trap him against a cushion. He remained quite calm, and occasionally looked up at me through the plastic as I tried to figure out how to get him all the way into the cup. Long story shorter, I eventually summoned Abby to give me a note card, carefully slipped it under his little feet until he moved fully into the cup, and rushed him outside and to freedom.

Incident numero dos followed a short while later. I cleaned the washing machine filter and started a fresh load, only to discover that I hadn't pushed the filter fully back into place. So yep: water all over the laundry room floor. Since this happened a few years ago as well, I decided to go to Walmart to buy a shop vac, which I set up and put to work. I guess I was probably yelping in the laundry room --I was definitely trying to keep myself calm by saying things like "it's a blessing to have furniture for lizards to hide under" but I'm sure I was muttering less inspirational things too-- because Abby left and returned with a coffee for me. As she handed it to me, she explained that she felt bad because so many things kept happening to me today. And then she laughed. And I laughed, because this week has indeed been pretty ridiculous. It was a super sweet gesture on her part and honestly, I almost cried when I saw it. 

Yep, it's been a weirdly tough week. But my girl made it so much better with a simple act of kindness. So for her thoughtfulness, I am thankful.

August 26

I thought it would be fun to eat at the Costco food court tonight, just like we did back when Abby and Logan and Isaac were young. (Those trips happened primarily during the pre-Brady days.)

So we did. I drove Abby and Brady over to the Livermore Costco this evening (because although I prefer for my tax dollars to stay in Pleasanton, Livermore was always our destination back then), we made our picks, and we sat down at one of those classic white tables. 

It was surprisingly busy for mid-week and someone who shall not be named was miffed to be there, but it was still a pleasant mini-shot of nostalgia for yours truly. 

So I'm grateful for that. And I'm grateful for yummy chicken bakes, too.

August 25

Since Adam is out of town, I decided that it would be a good time to reach out to friends to schedule some get-togethers.

And then I was a complete slacker and only sort of followed through. But I did arrange to have an early dinner tonight at Strizzi's with Sherrie.

I've known Sherrie for quite a long while now; Abby and her daughter Liz were in dance class together a number of years ago and we started meeting for coffee back then.

I don't see her often, but it's always wonderful to catch up because as I often say, friendship is a blessing. And friendships that hold up over time are doubly blessed.

August 24

Adam is on a work trip to Beijing this week so it's just me, Abby, and Brady holding down the fort.

Although we each have our own individual activities during the daytime hours, we reunited for dinner tonight. And as we ate, we watched ESPN Jeopardy! (just like we did last night).

Brady fared quite well (especially with the baseball-related answers), I got a handful, and our resident non-sportsball fan even managed to get a few right (largely courtesy of her ability to identify Messi and Ronaldo).

We had a good time chuckling at our responses and "competing" for dominance. So for the time (well-)spent hanging out with some of my kiddos, I am grateful.

August 23

Oh, the minds of teenage boys.

I asked Brady to put the box that contained his pitching target out by the recycling bin this afternoon. It's a pretty large box so it had been sitting in the living room against the wall for a few months now, and I decided I was tired of looking at it.

Anyway, I got on with what I was doing and happened to walk through the front of the house a few minutes later. And that's when I found him trying to ride the box "Home Alone" style down the bottom section of the staircase.

The effort didn't yield the ride he was seeking, but it did fold the box so it would fit into the recycling dumpster. And watching him chuckle as he scooted back and forth and back and forth was pretty amusing. So for the gift of finding funny moments in the oft-strange behavior of teenagers, I am thankful.