Musings in Which I Admit I Am Old and Don't Understand the Thrill of Texting

Recently, I turned the ripe old age of 44; I'm not afraid to admit it. The problem is that I find myself saying more frequently these days phrases like, "I just don't understand these little whipper snappers anymore...why back in my day, we never had (fill in the blank here). In fact, we had to walk 6 miles in the snow barefoot in Southern California." (Actually, that last line isn't true. My dad used to tell us little chitlins that a million years ago.)

What I'm talking about here is this texting thing...you know, with the cell phones? Whatever happened to dialing a number and talking personally to someone? I know that texting can be advantageous when a person simply needs to relay a quick message to someone. For example, I've been known to text a child or two, "What r u doing? B home @ 6. C u soon. Luv u!" (I must tell you that typing abbreviations like this go against my former English teacher brain, but I've succumbed.) Something like this usually takes me 15 minutes with several "clears" in the process to get the right number or letter since I frequently zip over it. My teens can text this same message underneath a desk...say...at school (aghast), never even peering at the screen or buttons they are pushing. Before you think I am poo-pooing the whole texting thing, I'm not...I just don't get it yet.

Back in my day (there I go again), we relished hearing another person's voice. I spent hours (before my mom kicked me off the phone) talking to friends via wall phone, held captive by a cord with a radius of about 6 feet. My attention was undivided except for Brady Bunch or Gilligan's Island reruns. I wasn't even glued to a textbook. Texting is just so impersonal inspite of the multi-tasking opportunities it affords cell phone carriers. My kids can watch tv, do homework, check Facebook AND text at the same exact time. Our house abounds with the sounds of vibrating text alerts every two minutes or so.

What astounds me most is that my children can actually carry on an entire 2 hour conversation by text that I could accomplish in a 15 minute phone conversation. Is this screaming "time waster" to you too? I remember in particular one day that my husband texted me from work asking me what I was doing...what the plan was for the evening. I began to text a reply, nixed that idiotic, time-consuming idea and promptly dialed his cell phone number. Much, much faster in my estimation. My personal unasked for, unwanted opinion is that texting is perfect for relaying easy, SHORT messages to people who can't be disturbed by a phone call and to whom you need to get emergency information. Otherwise, pick up the phone and dial my number...or email me because I can return the reply much faster.

When I was a teen, my phone conversations were limited. I realize that this is difficult to believe for many, but I seemed to run off at the mouth a lot of the time, so my parents set boundaries for me. Well, this just isn't a problem in my household, so I've been in a state of confusion about how to set limits on this texting phenomenon. I WISH I could say to my children, "You've been on the phone for an hour; time to hang up now." Well, I guess I could say that about my 7-year-old since she'll talk to anyone on the phone, including a telemarketer. Alix, my 14-year-old doesn't take after "moi", Miss Chatty Cathy of the 80's. In fact, she despises talking on the phone. I've even been forced to teach proper phone etiquette to her. No, I'm not referring to the "who may I say is calling" phrase before handing the phone over; I'm talking about simply being "nice" to her own friends when they call and not appearing particularly perturbed that they've interrupted whatever it is that she was doing. Texting is the ultimate way to have a conversation for a person like Alix who can do a multitude of other things while at the same time keeping up with her friends.

The problem is...how does one set boundaries on texting when the conversation never stops? I haven't quite discovered the answer, but I'm working on it and asking a lot of other parents questions about how they handle it. A couple of rules we set on vacation were:
1. Texting can occur while driving the 10 hours to and from D.C.
2. Once we arrive to our destination, texting can occur in the morning before leaving the hotel and after we return at night.
3. No texting allowed while sightseeing, during meals, etc.

Since then, we've set a few guidelines for home:
1. No texting during mealtimes.
2. No texting while doing homework because it takes twice as long to get homework done and is definitely distracting.
3. No texting once it's bedtime. (This is a new one which requires one of my darling children to recharge his/her phone in the living room as to avoid temptation.)
4. No texting during family outings/events.

I'm sure that once the Drama Queen herself is a teenager, technology will be completely different, and I'll have to relearn everything again. In the meantime, I'm reliving the good old days, reminiscing about the times an old-fashioned phone conversation was all the buzz and relishing the new-fangled technology of cordless telephones. That's really all I need to be happy...besides a friend on the other end!

Bella's Haircut, a Few Stitches and Some Unfit Parents

Bella, our lively 3 1/2 year old Wheaten Terrier, survived a horrific accident last week. Since we are too cheap to take her to the groomer, we have taken it upon ourselves to trim her ourselves. She has the kind of coat which requires brushing daily so that she does not acquire mats. Because we are horribly irresponsible, we do not brush her even weekly, aghast...even monthly! Her mats were thick and her hair long, so it was time. Typically, I cut out the mats and then my husband uses the razor to even her up. Imagine my horror when I cut into her skin! She yelped and when I saw the damage, I was guilt-ridden. I dabbed it, figured it was probably okay (using my medical expertise with pets) and continued finishing the haircut. After all, I really wanted her to look beautiful for her vet appointment on Monday to get her long overdue shots. Allow me to also mention that Bella has also had an extremely smelly, waxy ear for several months which we have been treating with some sort of over-the-counter medication which has not been helping at all.

Monday I walk into the vet with Miss Bella in tow. She's excited just to get out of the house. We don't let her out much except to frolic in the backyard. Bella takes her shots like a man; however, when the vet examines her, she begins to interrogate me. "When and how did this happen?" I felt like a neglectful parent. Apparently, she actually needed sutures to close up this flap I created with the scissors, otherwise, it wouldn't heal properly. Bad mom, bad mom! In addition, the vet was shocked at the very bad ear infection she had. "What have you been treating her with?" I stammered, "Uh, some stuff we bought at the pet store." Not a good answer for the vet to hear. I knew that she wanted to report me to pet services for Bella's obviously abusive home life. I did tell the vet in all honesty that I had asked for Bella's forgiveness for the cutting incident. The assistant felt assured that she had forgiven me.

What was going to be a 10 minute shot appointment turned out to be a leave-your-pet-at-the-vet's-office, she's going to be anesthetized and sutured. Sadly, I left Bella behind to return later to pay the $357 bill. Next time I'll be a bit more careful when using the scissors. Poor Bella!

Breaking Up is Hard To Do!

Yesterday, the DQ came home from school and asked for the phone. She apparently needed to call a boy named Justin who rides her bus.

Me: Is Justin the boy that was in your class last year?

DQ: Yes, only he's still in Kindergarten.

Me: Why do you need to call him? Girls don't call boys. (At least in my house they don't!)

DQ: I need to break up with him.

Me: You are only in 1st grade. You don't need to be going with boys.

DQ: Yeah, well that's why I need to call him...to break up.

Me: You're not calling him. Tell him on the bus tomorrow.

DQ: But, I'll forget!

Me (thinking to myself): Trust me, honey. You don't forget it when you don't like someone anymore and you need to break up with him!

Folks, this is what happens when you have an older daughter who is 14 and who is actually "going with" boys...although NOT "going anywhere". What's a mom to do?

Big Times in the Big Apple

If you read my previous post, you'll remember that I was in a quandary regarding my preparations for the upcoming New York trip this past weekend. It was a difficult decision, and come to think of it, I don't really think I made a decision; the events just sort of happened. Of course, I HAD to watch the special presentation of American Idol "Gives Back", which, frankly, turned out to be a waste of my time. We always DVR the show, so we can watch it later, skipping through all those nasty commercials. Well, we got started very late...after 10 pm. Keep in mind that I had to be at the high school by 3:15 "a.m" in order to be bussed to the airport. I hadn't completely finished packing, and I was sitting on the couch at 10 pm to view American Idol. Very poor decision. At 11:30, I managed to break myself away to throw the rest of my clothes together and the 30 pounds of makeup I carry. I was just praying my luggage didn't register over 50 pounds. At 12:15 I lay down on the couch to sleep until 2:15. Yeah, right. Who can sleep when you know that you have to be up in 2 hours? I slept with full makeup on and my contacts in! I know, I know. Don't tell my eye doctor or the makeup gurus. I NEVER do this! I always cleanse my face at night. At my new age of 44, it's definitely necessary.

At 1:45 am, I was wide awake because I was paranoid that for some reason my phone alarm would not ring, and I would miss the bus. This was sounding vaguely familiar, like when I was in junior high or something. Resigned to the knowledge that I would not be going back to sleep, I chose to get dressed and freshen up my day old makeup. Yep, NO shower! I lotioned up extensively and sprayed perfume everywhere. Fortunately, my contacts weren't sticking to my eyes too badly. I awakened Nick at 2:30, so he could take his 5 minute shower and get himself together. These are the times when I wish I had a 5 minute regimen.

With an hour and a half of sleep under my belt, Nick and I headed to the school. I complimented myself that I was the very first to wish him a happy birthday! My newly 17-year old boy would be spending his special day in New York City. (More about the birthday boy in a later post.)

I had no worries about my lack of sleep because when I arrived at the airport, I planned to get myself hooked up to the Starbuck's IV. It appears that 65 other kids and adults had the same idea. I don't usually sleep too well on an airplane, but this particular day, I was sawing logs before the plane lifted off the runway.

That first day in New York was the longest day of my life. Even with all the excitement of seeing the city for the first time, the hustle and bustle of the masses of people, the video billboards screaming at me, the lure of all the shops, I longed for sleep. Don't you hate those days? I was angry that I wasn't fully engaged, fully enjoying the thrill of the Big Apple because all I could think about was taking a nap. That first evening, the entire choir had tickets for the Phantom of the Opera. Maybe not such a good idea. I REALLY wanted to love it, really wanted to enjoy every part of it; instead, I kept nodding off throughout the entire musical. It was absolutely amazing, the sections I saw anyway.

(Times Square)

After a fairly full night of winks, the next day was better. We were all still dragging but not quite as badly. The choir sang that day at St. John's Church, the first Methodist church in North America. Built in 1766, it was a little place smashed in between large buildings. The acoustics were amazing, and many of us were in tears as the kids sang. I can't quite wrap my mind around how beautiful this choir sounds; I just know that it evokes great emotion in me when I hear them. Of course, thinking about Nick being a Senior next year doesn't help a bit.

(Sounds of South singing at St. John's Church)

With a couple of hours before our next event, we walked a few blocks to ground zero. It's mind-blowing that after 6 1/2 years, rubble is still being sifted through. Construction is still occurring. That area is still devastated after all these years. We traveled to Battery Park and viewed Lady Liberty from afar and then we were off to Shea Stadium to sing the National Anthem at the Mets game.

(Sounds of South singing the National Anthem at Shea Stadium)

Saturday was our free day, so Nick and I, along with a few others, rode the subway to Battery Park where we planned to ride the ferry to view the Statue of Liberty and visit Ellis Island. Due to fog, we had to kill a little time before the ferries would begin running again, so we took a little side trip to Tiffany's. I just knew that Tony wanted me to find my birthday present there. It's extremely important when asking about jewelry prices in a store like this to avoid having your mouth drop open too much. I felt that we were very composed when we asked about the price of a certain gold charm bracelet and the answer was over $1,000. Wisdom whispered to me that this might not be the place to purchase my birthday gift. Even a silver charm was $125. Not quite on sale enough for me. Hmmm, come to think of it, I doubt Tiffany's has sales.

After waiting in line for an hour and a half, we boarded the ferry for our excursion across the river. Learning the history of Ellis Island was fascinating especially since my grandfather came through there from England. We gleaned all sorts of tidbits from the research we did on the computers they had available for us to use. He was only 8 years old when he arrived in American on his way to Wisconsin, and his family had $55 in their pockets. I can only imagine what his thoughts were when he finally disembarked that ship into this new land.

(Nick and I outside Clinton Castle)

(Statue of Liberty...duh!)

Saturday evening we ate a big group dinner together at Spanky's. Some of us wandered to Rockefeller Center and then shopped at various places, such as the 3-story M&M store, which was my personal favorite. Since I'm an avid M&M lover, imagine my delight in seeing that M&M's come in every color under the sun. Maddie loved the M&M umbrella I brought so much, she even uses it in the house!

(Radio City Music Hall...duh!)

Sunday was another free day until 4 pm when the buses came to transport us to the airport for home. We devoted our time to Macy's, FAO Schwarz and Central Park. The 8-story Macy's in New York makes our 2-story Macy's look like the Goodwill. This is serious shopping, and I didn't have nearly enough time. Guess I'll just have to come back. And, FAO? Buying a toy there for my kids would be like purchasing myself a Dooney and Bourke bag; both of which I will not do! The prices are seriously inflated. But, guess what? That's New York! Central Park was beautiful. In the midst of this city of 8 million people is a beautiful sanctuary for walking, biking and watching animal life. Taking a carriage ride through the length of this park would take 2 hours!

(Macy's in Harold Square)

(Central Park..looking at the Plaza Hotel)

I can't ever picture myself living in New York, but in a heartbeat, I'd jump on a plane and visit! If you don't like crowds, you probably should skip this trip. The people watching is great, and the sites are amazing. With a Starbuck's on just about every corner, Broadway shows abounding and an abundance of stores in which to shop, I can be ready at a moment's notice.

New York, New York!

In just a few short hours, at approximately 3:15 a.m. (yes, that's a horrible hour) Nick and I will be boarding a bus that will take us to the airport and then off to New York City! Every year the school musical group he is part of (Sounds of South), takes a 4-day trip somewhere. It's not only a reward for their hard work all year, but also an opportunity for them to sing in other cities.

This year they will be displaying their talents at St. John's Church as well as Shea Stadium. Yes, they will sing the National Anthem at the Mets game! Not only that but we will also enjoy seeing the Phantom of the Opera and other fun New York sites such as Central Park, the Empire State Building and Ellis Island.

My poor, blond brain has been muddled all day. Perhaps you can help me...do I: a) stay up until it's time for me to leave at 3 am, b) go to sleep early, wake up at 2 am to take a shower and then leave at 3 am, or c) wake up in enough time to throw some make up and clothes on and leave without showering? It's just so confusing. And, if you know me, I DO NOT leave the house without make up on, so leaving the make up off is not an option! As Solomon once said, "Vanity, vanity, all is vanity." I confess that's me. However, I have no problems with dousing myself with extra amounts of body lotion and perfume in order to smell like I took a shower. But, look like something the cat dragged in? Not gonna do.

I'll be catching up when I return and relate all the wonderful things about New York City! It happens to be Nick's birthday tomorrow and mine on Sunday, so what better way to celebrate? Of course, I'll be writing about my wonderful boy as well...

New York City, here I come!

She's Asking for a Wacking

This weekend while hubby traveled to San Francisco for a business trip and then jaunted to Seattle to spend a couple of days with his mom, the DQ slept with me for two nights. I believe she's genuinely excited when daddy leaves, so she can have a sleepover with me. Saturday evening, we were hunkering down...me with my book, she with a notepad and pencil. I urged her repeatedly to "put that up and go to sleep" which of course, she did immediately. Right! "Just a minute, Mom, I have to write this note."

I had set the alarm to awake me at 7:30 to get ready for church. Maddie asked me to wake her up when I got up and then also gave me a note to put on the nightstand in case I forgot.

To: mommy

Remember to wack me up at the same time as you get up. Thank you.

Love, Madisen!

I'm convinced she really doesn't want me to wack her up side the head in the morning, although, there are times I believe wacking would be effective with teens. Notice the exclamation point at the end of her name. This is a frequent use of punctuation in her writing.

In case you were wondering, no wacking was employed in the waking up process. The alarm was quite loud enough.

A Little Trip to Remember

Almost a month ago, the five of us traveled to Washington DC for this year's spring break trip. Last year was Florida; this year, the Northeast. Frankly, the closer we came to the appointed time to leave, the more I was wishing we had picked Florida. We certainly weren't going to come back looking more tan than we had left! Still, leaving the snow behind, we ventured East and were pleasantly surprised at the beautiful sunny skies and warmer weather that awaited us.

The most exciting part about this adventure most definitely was that my parents were flying from Seattle to vacation with us. My mom and dad joke that they crashed our trip; however, I did sort of mention why don't they meet us in DC? Next thing I know, they've ditched an anniversary cruise for a week with their kids and grandkids. That's a little nuts, but you gotta know them. They kind of like being with their family. For some families, it might truly be agony to vacation with good, old mom and dad (no disrespect intended); however, for us, that was icing on the cake. They've always been hilariously fun to hang out with...except for when I was a teenager! The greatest thing is my kids (17, 14, 7) LOVE to be with their grandparents even at their ages. When I related to them that grandpa and grandma were meeting us in DC, they were ecstatic. One of them even screamed with delight! I really do think our kids would ditch us in favor of hogging g'pa and g'ma to themselves. This is only because grandpas and grandmas say "yes" a lot more than moms and dads do.

Anyway, I know that everyone has been dying to see these pictures and hear about our trip because of the excerpt I wrote so long ago in which I mentioned I would be blogging about this. I can't emphasize enough that everyone should take their children to DC at some point in their lives (preferably around elementary age and older). What a picture my children now have in their minds about all of those sites they've heard about, precious documents they've read about in school and places important to our country's beginnings.

One of the best things we did was to stay in a hotel right downtown, so we could walk everywhere...and walk we did! Our dogs growled and barked at us, but the sights were definitely worth the little yippers nipping. We packed more into our 4 days in DC than we thought possible.

(Day 1 - Arlington Cemetery)

Seeing the changing of the guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier was emotional. Twenty-four hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, this tomb is never left unattended.

(A few strays on the streets)

(Grandma and Grandpa with the grandkids)

(Alix taking a picture of the Washington Monument)

(Resting our "dogs" at the Air and Space Museum)

(World War II Memorial - remembering the sacrifices made for freedom)

(Day 2 - watching the sunset at the Lincoln Memorial)

(Looking at the Washington Monument from the Lincoln Memorial)

(Day 3 - Capitol Building Tour)

The Capitol Building tour was unbelievable. The assistant to our Indiana representative was our guide and did an outstanding job. We even experienced being evacuated because of some war protest threats! Our children loved sitting in the gallery in the House of Representatives and getting to be part of an actual vote. Not only that, but we were able to view the old Supreme Court chambers and see where Lincoln's desk was actually placed in the Senate. NOTE: we had taken a tour of the White House the previous day which was actually quite disappointing after waiting almost two hours for a scheduled tour. To top it off, the tour was self-guided which meant we meandered through rooms with no detailed explanations about anything. Thus, having a one on one guided tour of the Capitol Building was one of the highlights of the week.

Other places that we visited during our week were the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where paper money is made, and of course, the Holocaust Museum. My dad and Tony took Maddie to the National Geographic Museum because of her young age. That was a wise choice given the graphic nature of some of the pictures and videos. I'm quite certain that no one desires to view the kind of evil that happened in our world during World War II; yet, it is most definitely not something any of us should ever forget. It was sobering to walk through this museum and deafeningly quiet. In fact, after reading and viewing so much information, I began to experience overload and walked zombie-like through the last floor. All of us were quiet as we eased out the door back into the "real" world. It's completely unbelievable that someone of such evil persona could murder 6 million people while the world stood silent, unwilling to get involved.

We traveled to Williamsburg, Virginia for our final two days of vacation. While our US government made its final resting place in DC, Jamestown was where it all began in 1607...the site of the first permanent British settlement. We visited a museum built on top of the foundation of one of the original buildings. It's amazing how many thousands of artifacts have been discovered there, and it is still an active archaeological dig site.

(Jamestown, VA well...it was a little windy)

(Yes, this is Pocahontas who married John Rolfe)

Our second day in Williamsburg was spent exploring Yorktown as well as Colonial Williamsburg. Yorktown was the place where George Washington conquered the British army in the last decisive battle of the Revolutionary War. Bunkers are still there showing where the British troops fought the American and French troops. Even more amazing was our tour guide...a Russian student intern. Imagine listening to her talk about American history!

(Listening to the fifes and drums on the streets of Colonial Williamsburg)

(The Governor's Palace, where one of the last Royal Governors resided)

(Standard decor in the entry of a palace in order to threaten the people...guns, swords!)

(The Cheese Shop, a sandwich place that a friend said we must eat at!)

(Last but not least, look at these two criminals we saw in stockades!)

Our family made enough memories to last a lifetime on this trip. While our dogs were fairly dead by the end of the week, the places we beheld where our history began, the monuments we viewed to honor momentous events and people, and the people we shared it with (mom and pop, aka gramps and grams) made the effort and pain all worthwhile! We loved every minute of it, including hotel card games of Zion Check and watching American Idol...you didn't think we would miss THAT show while in DC, did you?

Just had to add my mom's input on all our memory making in DC (she'll probably shoot me now):

Also, I LOVED your blog. After we talked I went online and read it (with stinging eyes, I might add) and loved it, loved it. That trip was a memory maker...who can forget the canolie? or what Maddie really thought of it? or trying to find the right sweatshirt for Alix? or Grandpa trying to kill himself running up the steps with Nick at the Lincoln Memorial? or Nick, Alix and me stealing away from you all in the Museum of Nat History going to the cafe and getting something to eat? (bet you didn't know about that!), or Tony falling asleep on the bed while we wouldn't leave until we played ZC? Or sending out for MickyD's on your anniversary? Now there's a memory for ya! (Annette & MickeyD's? No!) That's what is so great about pictures...they remind us of what we forget. Sorta like going to church...the sermon reminds us of where we want to be and helps get us back in focus. Anyway, I didn't want to say all this on your comment page, but wanted you to know...we'll never forget either. It was a trip "from God with Love." Love you tons and tons and tons...Mom

This is exactly what I was trying to convey...my family is soooo much fun. I can't hardly stand it!

Three Children...Three Reasons to Be Proud

I've been thinking about this post all week, ever since Monday evening that is. Last weekend was one of those proud parent moments. Fourteen-year-old Alix competed in the Level 8 Gymnastics State Meet and received a high enough all-around score to compete in the regional meet held in Peoria, IL in May. It was a nail biter to the finish. Let me tell you, I'm one of those girls that likes to win by a long shot, not sit on the edge of my seat wondering if my team is gonna eak out a win in the last seconds of the game.

Alix finished the first three events, bars, beam and floor, needing a 9.075 on vault to get the 34.50 required all-around. No pressure. All of us were praying. In fact, Alix' coach texted a couple of other parents whose daughters had competed earlier to pray because of this awesome task set before Alix. It's a good thing that Alix' best event happens to be vault. Still, one doesn't want to have to rely on getting more than a 9. It would've been better to have breezed into this event only having to cinch regionals with...say...a 7.0. Much better on the parental nerves, I'd say.

So, Alix speeds down the track for her first vault (she gets two tries and the judges score the best one). When she lands, she takes about a million steps backwards until she stops. This is definitely not the vault we are looking for. Tony turns to Maddie and says, "You better pray for Alix." Immediately, Maddie drops her head, folds her hands and prays. Vault number two, Alix races towards the vault, catapults over with her souk and sticks it with one itty-bitty step. Hallelujah! Cheering ecstatically, we know this is most emphatically 9-worthy. Impatiently, we wait for the score to flash. Finally...the score pops up with a...9.1. Yep, we got it by the hair of our chinny chin chin, with a .025 to spare. Good thing I'm not given to chewing on my silk nails, or I'd have had some nubs for sure.

Later, I asked Maddie what she had prayed. "I just prayed for her to stand. Jesus was right behind her holding her up." Oh, the faith and prayers of little ones such as these. He most certainly was standing right behind Alix! I truly believe we witnessed a miracle that day, and Maddie certainly played an important role as she called out to Jesus on behalf of Alix.

The next auspicious occasion came the very next evening when we attended our son, Nick's induction into the National Honor Society. A record 130 inductees crossed the stage that night. I'm usually close to tears on proud moments such as these; however, with Maddie waving wildly at everyone she knew walking down the steps, my weeping was kept at bay. Then, the DQ (Drama Queen) blurts out, "When I get up there someday, I'm going to say (in her best British accent) 'thank you so much'." Our friends sitting next to us got a huge kick out of that comment. I guess there's a reason why none of the students are making speeches because of the possibility of someone like Maddie taking the opportunity to perform. Nope, I believe that when Maddie crosses that stage someday, she'll shake the principal's hand, accept her certificate and her pretty carnation, and if she attempts to go near a microphone, she'll kindly be escorted down the stairs!

Tony, Nick and me at the induction

Not to be outdone by her older brother and sister who had amazing accomplishments this past weekend, Maddie received honors as well at the reception following the induction ceremony.

Maddie speaking to one of the assistant principals (mouth full of cookie): "I just ate 6 cookies."

You know, I forgot to ask if she now holds the school record for cookies consumed by a 7-year-old at a school reception. I really do need to check on that...and find out why in the world her parents had no clue what she was up to. This is exactly why we now have a book by our bed entitled, "Have a New Kid by Friday" by Kevin Leman.

The conclusion to this post: ALL of our children are extremely talented in very unusual ways! Perhaps Maddie's claim to fame will be Prayer Warrior Extraordinaire...I would be very proud indeed.