Hello, I'm back.

Outside the Box called from New York days before he was scheduled to drive home, after a full summer of taking high school and junior high aged kids on outback canoe trips through the mountains. He called to say he'd landed a job. In Michigan! Yes. Before he even set foot back on Michiganian soil, the boy turned man had been sought out and hired. He is now the director of youth ministries for a church in a city near our home, which includes two months of taking teenagers on outback trips, such as the ones he led this summer. Full time job. Full benefit package. He starts tomorrow.

This is news I was not allowed to tell. He said, "Mom, don't put it on your blog- or facebook- I want to tell Grandmas and Grandpas and family first, myself." This seemed fair. So, I had to stay away from the blogs. Otherwise the temptation to share such wonderful news might have overcome me.

In the meantime, I planned a getaway to the family shared "cottage" on the lake in northern Michigan. Grandmas and Grandpas and family gathered there. We spent seven sunny warm days listening to Outside the Box tell stories of his summer camp adventures. And he had the chance to tell everyone about his new position as Director of Youth Ministries at the church where he'll be working. It was a week full of blessings. I'm so thankful!

We even spoke to Pilgrim by cell phone and heard his good news of getting a second job in California! That makes a one year lease on an apartment and two jobs for him. He went west to make his way in this world and that is exactly what he is doing. I miss him, especially at these family gatherings of celebration that we have, but we are planning to fly him home for the holidays in early December.

Stepping back into blogland tonight, I find that Gayle at Planet M Files has given me an award. I have placed it in my sidebar- it's a funny award for those who try to spread laughter through the blogs. I love it! It's the leg lamp from A Christmas Story! Fragile. (fraa-geel-ee for those who have seen the movie). Thanks Gayle! It may take me a few days to get this passed on.

Also- I am thrilled to discover- drum roll please.... that I am a winner! I won! A crate of unique Charleston things, I believe is what I may have won, from Greg! At Greg's General Store! He was celebrating his new Happiness blog that promotes hope and the fact that he had 20,000 visitors to his blog, if I remember correctly, so he decided to have a giveaway. I entered. And I won! Yeah! Thanks, Greg! And thank you to those of you who said whoot whoot to my win win in the comments of my last post, that I posted many, many days ago. I will take pictures of the unique Charleston things when they arrive and show them to you in a blogpost, so stay tuned. Greg said it will only take him about a year to get the unique Charleston things to me, so try not to miss it.

Finally, tomorrow is our first day back to "school". In Michigan, a law was passed that students cannot begin school before Labor Day, so everyone starts the day after Labor Day. I have never been less prepared for this day than I am right now. Fash's Psych book is on back order. We do have her math curriculum and Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (that should be interesting, eyes rolling back in head) for American Lit. She has her vocabulary improvement course materials, so she can begin to work through that. In the olden days, when this homeschooling mother was on top of her game, we started school before Labor Day, with a week's worth of work written out in a planner for each kid- books all neatly on the shelf next to stacks of notebooks- sharpened pencils at the ready.

I'm sure it will all work out fine this year, as it has in all those other years, but I am firmly planted in a field of denial against the fact that this final child of ours is a senior and this is the grand finale. I'm hoping someone will give us the opening note in the morning and from there we'll play to beat the band until May.