Last Minute Squeeze-in Post for August

I woke up this morning convinced it was fall. Like it was time for fall break and Halloween prep.

I know, right? Yes, tomorrow is September and the retail season for fall but here in the valley it is still HOT. My brain was playing serious tricks on me.

Anyway, time is passing so fast over here again that I can hardly keep track of it. B turned 20-- that's one more teenager booted into their 20's. Three down and two to go. It's not like my teens have been awful--they have been great kids--but who's going to complain about getting past the craziness of of the teens? Not me, for sure. Probably not them, either.

As for the rest of the family, M is continuing on with her adulting journey. She officially has a job title that is not intern, and she is diligently saving money for a down payment on a house. She continues to amaze me with her money management skills. It's awesome!

J is now 17 months into his two year mission and continues to grow in incredible ways. Watching him take on new responsibilities (from big things like teaching a mission prep class to small things like making his own mashed potatoes from scratch) has been one of the best parts of having a service missionary living at home. 

K is sauntering through his junior year like it's no big deal. Mostly. The academic part has been a breeze, the social part I cannot tell you about because he does not talk to his mama. Well, he's never been a bare his heart kind of boy, but every so often I overhear something and think, wow, he's young man now, not a kid. He really would like to date but (reading between the lines because he does not want to talk to me about this) he feels the girls he's interested in would not give him the time of day. Maybe he'll get the courage up to ask one out this year. I'll push for Homecoming and see where it goes...

Terence and I just attending parent-teacher conference for S, and basically, every single teacher talked about how she amazing is. She is doing great academically, but she's also probably our most socially confident child-- and one who is compassionate and willing to serve. She is still fascinated by horses and I wish I could manage to get her into horseback riding lessons. *sigh* There are always things you can't give your kids. Maybe something will work out for it when she gets into high school.

Terence just needs more sleep. Honestly. That's the number one takeaway from his month. Too many accidents, too many DUI's, too much drama (good grief, the road rage incident he had this week). And not enough officers. So yeah, he's had too many nights where he's worked straight through lately, sometimes for twenty hours straight. I hope September will be better on that end.

As for me, I am very nearly finished with the final edits for Royal Raptor. Hooray! The release date is September 15th, so I'm ahead of the game compared to the last book. For all those who have supported my journey as a writer, thank you times a trillion. Really, writing is glorious fun, and sharing my stories as actual books is even more fun, but I especially like when someone else enjoys those stories besides me.