I have to confess I love text messaging. It just makes my life so much easier and actually from time to time provides a bit of much needed humor.

For instance, just this morning as I was leaving prayer time with Chelsea I got a text message from Autumn. But first let me back up a bit…..I always have a signature on all my text messages. I like something catchy; that would cause myself and others to really stop and think.

When Tyler was deployed I had my signature set as: PRAY 4R TROOPS

When Tyler returned from deployment I changed my signature to this: BE THANKFUL

At the moment we are doing a Bible study called “One Month To Live”. It is an awesome six week study that our church is doing and all the small groups are doing. We have a gathering of friends who meet each week in our home as we study and ask ourselves: What would we do if we had one month to live?

So again, just yesterday, I changed my signature on my texts to: 30 DAYS 2LIVE

Back to this morning and Autumn’s text. Autumn works for the airlines and flew Tuesday night to California to spend her birthday with big sis Abigail and our son-in-love Ryan. Autumn loves going to LA to be with them and they treat her extra special.

Autumn is our third oldest and has always loved walking to the beat of a different drummer. Like when she was just barely three years old she wanted to have acrylic nails put on her fingers – plain ol’ polish just wouldn’t do for this fine lady. Of course, she didn’t get them at 3, but as soon as she was in her pre-teens she spent her birthday money and had fake nails put on. As a little girl she would talk about the day she would have her nails done and I would just shake my head in bewilderment. I had never had my nails done before and wondered where she had even come up with that idea! So you can only imagine that if she wanted her nails done at three, how it would be to hold her back for the rest of her life?

Then there was piercing. She attempted piercing her own belly button at 11 years old. No ice, no needle and, of course, no alcohol on the sharp object. She just took an earring and shoved it through the skin while upstairs alone in her room. By the time we found out she had a lovely infection going on. Ugh! The belly ring (or earring in this case) promptly was removed and she was grounded for a couple of weeks if my memory serves me right. We aren’t the type of parents who go all ballistic or get all hysterical, BUT the kids definitely know how we feel about all the weird piercings, etc. Anyway, if a reaction is what a kid is looking for they will most certainly be sorely disappointed.

At the moment, Autumn is turning 19 in 2 days, lives in her own apartment, pays all her own bills and works long hours for the airlines as a manager. And, at almost 19, she now has numerous piercings too. =) We, again, just shake our heads in wonderment. I did ask her one day if we plugged a hose into her mouth could we use her as a lawn sprinkler? =)

So back to the text this morning. As I was leaving Chelsea I received this text:
I got my lip pierced yesterday.

I thought for a moment. Hmmmm… If she is looking for a reaction I want to be sure to disappoint her. So I texted back: Woooo Hoooo

Totally forgetting my signature, this is what it really said:
Wooooo Hooooo
30 DAYS 2LIVE

Autumn had no clue that I had changed my signature and immediately texted me back and said:
What’s that supposed to mean?

I burst out laughing!! Yup, I love texting with my big kids!