Heeere's Toby!

Well, we got a new dog (okay, a year ago). Here he is!

Eulogy

OUR DOG TARGET, after surviving this bewildering change, and learning to love life with a pack o' Pekingese here in California, has died. It's been a rough week.

God's Rolex is broken.

HAVING JUST RECEIVED the news that Melanie won't be able to come here for Christmas, thanks to her landlord's poor timing in choosing a time to kick her and her roommates out of the house they've been renting, I began thinking about that phrase we always say: "God's timing is not our own." Boy, that's for sure!

And here we are, still waiting for some crucial parts of OUR plan to come together: Bob needs a job, and we need an apartment. The second can't happen without the first. And the first has been frustrating to say the least. From ignored resumes, promising interviews that netted nothing, to phone calls that were never returned . . . (sigh).

Despite the negative tone of this comic, there have been wonderful things happening, too. My sister and I are forging ahead with our business, "The Art of 2 Sisters." And while it has not exactly turned a profit yet, there has been some actual income, and I have a good list of commissions to do (while I'm working on this comic; sorry, Jen!). Jen and her family have put us up for WAY longer than they should have had to. They have been the biggest blessing imaginable to us. 

Lilia's school continues to be wonderful. That was definitely a good choice! And having family come to see her in her first show: priceless.

Now if I can just get a handle on trusting that God's timing is due to His wisdom rather than something more, well, human . . .

Oh, that's good! No, that's bad.

WHAT A ROLLER-COASTER we have been on! Every time something good happens, it seems to be followed by its brother The Evil Twin. Finances, always our bugaboo, continue to be a source of frustration, as I perfect my talent at putting the "free" in "freelance." 

However, we are indebted to many super-nice people who have come through for us and continue to do so. Many, many thanks to Doug Osness, Jimmy Read, Jennifer at A to Z Roofing, Allstate Brenneman Group, my parents, and my sister and her family! Our gratitude is as big as our bank account is small! 

"That and a nickel . . . wait . . . I mean, $4.00. . ."

OUR FAMILY HAS QUITE THE COLLECTION of "useless talents." Things that garner us compliments, but really nothing else. It's kind of become a joke among us. For example, I can write out music manuscript that looks like it was printed. Big deal--My 5th graders were able to print out professional-looking music using a free website! One hundred years ago, I would have been able to make a fine living as a music copyist, but now . . . useless talent.

It's all in your attitude...

I HAVE BEEN WORKING on attitude this summer. My Dad's favorite phrase, "It's all in your attitude," keeps coming to mind. Amid all the setbacks (and there have been many--this comic is only SLIGHTLY exaggerated!), there have also been amazing blessings: I got a FANTASTIC part-time job in California. We keep seeming to attract the World's Nicest People into our lives. Now if we could just attract the World's Least Picky House Buyer...

Although our house is listed as a "fixer-upper," it would be great for the right person--we just never had the money to "update" (the euphemism I keep hearing for "replace all your old, yucky, worn-out stuff"). Coming from parents who always have the most beautiful home on the block, this is really kind of embarrassing. But we are facing the fact that we are meant to be renters. "Decorating" is just not one of our talents. Now... ask us to write a full-fledged musical, complete with songs, humor, pathos, and choreography? SURE!

Arf!

ALL OF THIS STRANGENESS has been affecting more than just the human members of the household.