Is is just me, or does it seem that life is calm and cool, then all of a sudden it races ahead? One minute everything is the same and then in a blink of an eye, everything is changed. I’m having one of those “blink” weeks. Exhibits 1 and 2:

1. My almost 16-year-old son has found a girlfriend who is willing to be seen with him in public. I’m not sure why this took so long, since I can’t image that every teen girl on earth doesn’t think he’s just adorable,  but it is a fact that a couple of “girlfriends” turned into ghosts long before the first official date. This knew young lady seems like the more lasting type, which puts me in an interesting position for the first time. I realize that my time as the most influential “girl” in his life has come to its predictable end. It seems like this change of status has caught me more off-guard than I thought it would. I’m feeling a little odd and third wheel-ish. I’m guessing that this is a temporary state (for now), but will soon enough become the norm. What an odd feeling after all this time…
2. My roommate’s daughter is in South Carolina, strapped to a fetal monitor and a pitocin drip. She’s been there since 3 am this morning (it is now 8pm EST). Grandma Ishi (Is she Grandma or is she not) is about to have another little one in her life. We know that we are (impatiently) waiting another little boy. Our family keeps growing. What a wonderful feeling after all this time…

Both of these exhibits are reasons to celebrate. I see our gifted-times-three-gbd pattern as a lovely baby gift to commemorate our new grandson’s birth. I guess I have to create a new pattern for Miss Bethany, the new young lady in our lives, since Christmas giving is just around the corner.