A Reasonable Excuse

I have always told Andy, Willie & Kayti that skipping school on days when they are not sick is a privilege earned by being good students, great kids and by meeting several key criteria:

(1) There may be no tests during the class(es) that will be missed.

(2) There may be no prep for tests during the class(es) that will be missed.

(3) I will not lie when I phone-in their absence, and

(4) The justification for the truancy must be reasonable.

Yesterday was an A-Day at Potomac Falls High School. Kayti's second class on A-Days is Latin 4, a class in which she has over 100%.

(1) No test.

(2) No test prep.

(3) "Kayti will be leaving at 10:45 today. She should be back by noon."

(4) Blockbuster Video was closing. All the movies were on sale.

Kayti bought 10 movies.

More than reasonable.

Crisp or Cozy?

Among life's important decisions comes the choice of bedding ... sheets, blanket and bedspread. (Stick with me, please. I never promised only lofty topics on this blog!) Where some prefer crisp, slightly stiff, "right off the clothesline" sheets, the kind that in an ideal world would have been ironed before being placed upon the bed, others opt for the silky, soft, cozy sheets that you just melt into each night. The third option for sheets rides down the middle of the crisp vs. cozy extremes, and typically falls into the category of "On Sale at Bed Bath & Beyond."

While I'm not suggesting that bedding is worth a hefty chunk out of the family budget, I do believe that sheets and blankets and bedspreads that make you sigh with a mixture of pure exhaustion and pure elation when you slip into bed are well worth the money. As I get older, a good night's sleep has become more appreciated and cherished and I have become more attached to my bedding preference ... silky, soft, cozy everything, including sheets, blanket, down comforter and pillow.

Be that as it may, Gary is a crispy sheet guy. So our bed is a compromise made up of middle-of-the-road BB&B sheets, a soft cozy blanket and a regular quilted bedspread. Kayti, on the other hand, prefers a fine-tuned variety consisting of crisp sheets, a plush, soft, and cozy blanket, topped by a heavy denim-comforter. She calls this combination her "bedding parfait of good dreams!"

What's your preference?

A moment of peace.

I am alone in the house.

My feet are on the coffee table.

The fireplace is on.

The pup is asleep on his bed.

I have my computer on my lap.

And as far as I know, all are safely where they are supposed to be.

Moments like this, right now, I cherish ... the quiet, unexciting, mundane, even a little boring moments when there is palpable peace.

Since the drop of the Times Square ball on January 1, 2011, 12:01 a.m., a lot has happened in my little world to help me appreciate the quiet times ... and more importantly, the power of prayer, the grace of God, and the peace that passes understanding:

• At midnight on New Year's Day, I was in Fairfax Hospital with my friend Jean and her husband Ed who fell from a ladder and broke his back, and later developed a dangerous blood clot.

• My next door neighbor Alyssa was in Loudoun Hospital with an intestinal infection.

• My mother-in-law Betty got pneumonia.

• My mother got shingles ... on her face, bless her heart.

• My father had his pace maker replaced.

• Andy rode in the ambulance taking his friend Mitch to the ER for stitches in his head.

• Andy's Volvo got hit by a crazy lady in a parking lot.

• My friend Linda fell down the stairs and broke her leg ... surgery. One plate, 13 screws.

• Kayti and I both got pink eye.

• Andy's girlfriend Katie had to put her sweet dog Luke to sleep.

• And last night Willie called and he got hurt playing basketball and has a hairline fracture in his ankle.

This is 21 days of life ... Ed, Alyssa, Mitch and Linda are all home from the hospital and healing. My mother is on the mend, albeit slowly. My father's pace maker is pacing just fine. Betty's second round of antibiotics are finally working. Despite the dent in his door, Andy went to be with Katie this weekend. Willie has tons of friends taking good care of him (thank you, Kelly, Coleman & David ... hi, Blaine!).

And, most importantly, GOD IS GOOD ... All the time!