Catching up with the Lawsons

It was pointed out to me recently that I neglected to keep you up to date on the comings and goings of the family. There is a good reason. Terry has lived in fear ever since we were married that I would use him as "material" when I begin my career as a stand up comedienne. He has officially forbidden me to write about him, so of course I will catch you up. I love a challenge. Terry's manager, Johnell, recently moved to the beach. (Let's pause and ask God to give her the strength to cope with the cool ocean breezes and laid back lifestyle. I know it's going to be hard on her.) Because he's the Superman of the IT world, he has been given her old job. This "promotion" has come with the loss of a few perks. He was working from home two days a week and off by 5:00 every day. Now he has to go into the office every day and gets home between 7 and 7:30. Somehow, God has smiled on him and he looks younger and younger every day. ;) Why do women get old and haggard and men age and become distinguished. I'm going to take this up with God, but I'm sure He's heard it before.

I must be very nice to him because as I'm typing, he and Tyler are cooking scrambled eggs and pancakes and Mamma knows not to bite the hand that feeds her. He really is the best. I surely don't deserve such a man. I should point out to you that he was raised by amazing parents and my "Proverbs 31" mother-in-law helped to form him into not just a good man, but a godly man. He is so much like his dad that sometimes you can't tell them apart. If you compare old pictures, it is spooky. The elder Lawson is an amazing man of faith and they are both role models for me. I will never be half the woman my mom-in-law is, but it's a worthy goal to try.

Tyler tells me his name is "copyrighted." He gets this from me because I try to claim that my image is "copyrighted" every time someone tries to take my picture. I am not photogenic. I am much cuter and nicer in person. However, no one...especially my father-shutter-bug-in-law has any respect for my claims and they snap away anyway. I checked into Tyler's claim of being copyrighted and it turns out, he never completed his paper work, so I can write at will. This summer has been a summer of transformation for Tyler. He has up and gotten a life! He is a quiet boy (in public) and usually keeps to himself. However, when we changed churches, we changed Tylers. He has gone to camp with a bunch of kids he didn't know, made lots of new friends, and gone to "Fish Camp" at high school. That is the name for freshman orientation. He will be a freshman in the fall and is a little bit anxious about the whole high school thing. He will, of course, love it once he's there, but as for now, he's not convinced. Feel free to leave here a few great high school stories from your past. He needs to hear them.

Ashley is of course, out in the pool with a friend. We consider ourselves blessed if she is at home. I'm worried we will forget what she looks like. There is earth shattering news on the Ashley front...ready? SHE GOT A JOB!! A real, W-4, paycheck and responsibility job. It made her daddy so proud that someone else in this house had a job, he got a little tear in his eye. She also takes after her mom and needs an audience at all times and so she is usually "hanging out" with friends. She is going to be a Senior in the fall and she is excited about that. (I'm excited to have both kids at the same school.) She is not, however, excited about college. She has a touch of the "Peter Pan Syndrome." After spending every day she has been on this earth trying her best to grow up in a hurry, she has now slammed on the brakes. College and everything that goes along with the process is a little scary.

I'm too young to have a high school Senior as a child and I'm already dreading the "letting go part." I have taught women for the last 11 years and a big part of it has been teaching them that you raise your children to not need you. You raise them right in the Lord, and let them go. You trust you did your part as a parent. [My "speech" to my kids has been, "You will grow up to be a God fearing, tax paying, law abiding citizen. You may choose the easy way or the hard way."] I know I am biased, but I do have the two best kids God has ever made. I know she is ready. Truly, she hasn't needed us since she could open the refrigerator. See has always been independent. I raised her to be that way. Now it looks like I'm going to have to drink my own kool-aid and prepare to let her go. Honestly, I'm completely prepared to be a hypocrite and lock her in the basement until she's 40, but that would be selfish. Let's hope I am not too selfish. Feel free to leave her some fun...but appropriate...college stories that can help her shake of the nervousness.

Big changes are a coming. I'm just along for the ride. If you have a minute, would you ask God to help me get through this last year with Ashley at home? I'm afraid, I might ask him to help her fail all of her classes and have to repeat her senior year. I'm almost positive that would be wrong of me. Almost, positive...but tempting.