Three Things Thursday -

Chris is now a licensed driver! He was able to experience the test at two different D MV test proctors – the city (hard & grouchy) & the country (easy & forgiving). We were so thrilled for him. On his first full day with his license, he drove himself to work, went to the hair salon & got his hair cut, & drove himself home. (Cue choirs of angels!) His friend Christian is moving back to Germany & we are going to buy his car so that Chris will be able to drive himself to & from school. (I am secretly plotting what to do with extra hours every day.)
On Tuesday, July 26th, Chris will get his braces taken off. He will be able to remember them for the next ten years because that’s when he will renew his license and we will be able to finish paying for the rest of his dental work. He still has a bunch of dental stuff to happen in his mouth but getting his teeth in the right place is a great start!

Babies are the best thing ever! One of my good friends had a baby on Sunday morning. I was able to go to the hospital later that day & spend time talking to her & holding her sweet baby. There was a special spirit there in the room as I met someone so fresh from Heavenly Father. Her feet were frequently folded up above her belly button – just like she was squished in her mom’s tummy. She was the newest baby that I ever remember seeing besides my own – and then I was in a daze after pregnancy, childbirth, & delivery. I can see the appeal of being a grandmother. (More on that ahead…)
Her mom was AMAZING & ran several miles several times a week until the day before she delivered. She is a rock star!!


Ryan was attacked by a spider. Lesson learned? Mom really does know best. Ryan, Michael, & Jared were all outside playing basketball. Michael was the only one with any shoes on. I mentioned that the kids might want to get their shoes on because they could get bad infections (MRSA, etc.) from open wounds on their feet. “Yeah Mom, whatever!” Within the next five minutes, Ryan came running into the house, screaming & jumping up & down, & hollering that a spider bit him. He felt something on his foot & looked down to see a big grey & black spider on his foot. He shooed it away & it bit him. Wolf spider bites are VERY painful but not venomous. His toe quickly swelled up as big as his thumb. He sat & iced it & then we visited the pediatrician. The pediatrician’s visit was uneventful until the part where he said, “I guess you have learned that you need to listen to what your grandmother says!!!” OK, I might be 10-15 years older than the pediatrician, but I am not really old enough to be Ryan’s grandmother unless I had his mother at age 15 & she had him at age 15. I was so … humiliated? personally deflated? OLD? … that I made an appointment with my hairdresser & had my coloring & hair cut updated to look like I am Ryan’s mom instead of his grandmother.

We found this lovely black widow (red belly & all) in the backyard under the wheelbarrow a few months ago. Luckily, Ryan didn’t come in contact with her. Notice the ruler? She was ENORMOOUS!