Here’s something funny to start your week off: 21 reasons to grammar/spell-check your parent’s notes to your teachers.

These are excuse notes from parents (with their original spelling) collected by schools from all over the country:
1) My son is under a doctor’s care and should not take P.E. today. Please execute him.

2) Please excuse Lisa for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot.

3) Dear School: Please exscuse John being absent on Jan. 28, 29,30, 31, 32, and also 33.

4) Please excuse Gloria from Jim today. She is administrating.

5) Please excuse Roland from P.E. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip.

6) John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face.

7) Carlos was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hurt in the growing part.

8) Megan could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very close veins.

9) Chris will not be in school cus he has an acre in his side.

10) Please excuse Ray Friday from school. He has very loose vowels.

11) Please excuse Pedro from being absent yesterday. He had (diahre) (dyrea) (direathe) the runs. [words in
()'s were crossed out.]

12) Please excuse Burma, she has been sick and under the doctor.

13) Irving was absent yesterday because he missed his bust.

14) Please excuse Jimmy for being. It was his father’s fault.

15) I kept Billie home because she had to go Christmas shopping because I don’t know what size she wears.

16) Please excuse Jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it Monday, we thought it was Sunday.

17) Sally won’t be in school a week from Friday. We have to attend her funeral.

18) My daughter was absent yesterday because she was tired. She spent a weekend with the Marines.

19) Please excuse Jason for being absent yesterday. He had a cold and could not breed well.

20) Please excuse Mary for being absent yesterday. She was in bed with gramps.

21) Maryann was absent December 11-16, because she had a fever, sore throat, headache and upset stomach. Her sister was also sick, fever and sore throat, her brother had a low grade fever and ached all over. I wasn’t the best either, sore throat and fever. There must be something going around, her father even got hot last night.

Anyone have any funny doctor’s excuses?

Hey! I finally got some good use out of our new dig. camera, and thought I’d share a few of my favorite pics from this year’s Thanksgiving extravaganza at Allison’s parent’s house.

If you have oen or two you’d like to share, you can post a comment on this post with the picture in it, or send them to resonate[at]hsriveroflife[dot]org and I’ll post them up! Let’s make this thing HUGE!

The Childress Girls (Allie, Missy & Mom)

Thanksgiving Kids (Simon, Andrew and their friend Olivia)

These are my fav’s … let’s see yours!

The turkey (or ham, or ribs, or flaffel) has been eaten, the naps have been taken and the family has been visited. Thanksgiving has passed and we’re chugging on our way to Christmas as fast as possible.

Today, let’s take a few minutes to tell everyone what you were most thankful for yesterday. Does it change now that Thanksgiving is over? You let us know.

Me? I’m thankful for my job, my wonderful, smart, beautiful wife, and green bean bundles. And lots of other things. :)

(I just realized I had this written on Thursday when it was supposed to be published, but it never made it to the front page)

In keeping with our weekly tradition (it’s a tradition if it’s twice, right?) of talking about the holidays, the question for this week is on that same subject: Traditions. Answer if you dare. (not sure why I worded it that way, just sounded fun)

My family and I have traditions for different holidays. For Thanksgiving, we eat a meal together and then spend the evening decorating our house for Christmas. On Christmas, we always open one present the night before (usually the ones Allison tells us to open. hehe). I would like to start a new tradition where we help out at least one family enjoy Thanksgiving more by providing food and fellowship with them.

What traditions do you and your family have each year for the holidays? Do you like them? What traditions do you know others have that you would like to adopt?

Let us know. :)

Tonight we played a game (three, actually) called Add Words where each person had to add a word to the sentence being constructed as we went around the group. Here are the completed sentences we created tonight:

The popcorn is ugly and disgusting and flowers’ bacon procrastinates and destroys earth gently when birds dance! (the exclamation point is for you, Sara)

Because sheep fly at walls, Spiderman drinking, flails in pudding like Batman and chocolate squirrels drive gnomes.

I stick your nose on crack rocks because your bicycle rides prevent totalitarianism pencils from rad communists.

Just awesome. ’nuff said.

Last sunday night, Resonate Students and their friends gathered around what might possibly be called a bonfire, but was closer to a campfire to enjoy food and fellowship. Here are but a few of the pics from that night.

Have a story about it you’d like to share? Let us know!

Yeah, Matt's pretty tall.

Where'd all the marshmallows go?

Pattycake? It's a tradition. Well, it is now.

"I can cook one-handed!"

I think they were all talking to each other.

Ok, so it's a BIG campfire.

Flamin HOT Doritos!

Is it still called a Hot Dog when it's burned like that?

Doesn't matter, Derrick will eat it anyway.

Since we’re getting closer to Thanksgiving and Christmas, I thought it would be nice to let everyone tell some of their own story. Each week until the end of the year, I’ll be posting on Thursday a question that everyone can answer, something related to Holiday Goodness.

This week: What is your favorite thing about the holidays?

Speak up!

Be sure to come to Resonate Worship this Sunday night at 6pm and talk back! You’ll have a chance to let us know what you like/don’t like about Resonate, give suggestions on how we can make a difference in our community and talk about many other topics.. come and let your voice be heard!

Then, check out http://www.resonateyouth.com for the results of our session!

Most people say that teenagers don’t really care about politics or what’s going on in the “real world” (as if teenagers live in their own little world or something.) I disagree. I think teenagers are quite capable of making their own decisions and would rather do so instead of just being told what to do.

It is in that vein that I submit to you my choice for the next president of the United States:

Thoughts? Suggestions??  Anyone?? Is this thing on?

Dinosaurs. Molecules. Politics.
Space in between every piece of matter, yet some things are as solid as, well, rock.

What would happen if all of the unknown and secret things, seemingly magical things in the world were suddenly laid out and explained? I think it would take some of the mystery out of life, sure. But would we really WANT that? I happen to like some of the stuff I can’t explain. Makes the list of stuff I have to ask God when I see him grow a little more every day.

The video below isn’t a great illustration of this, but since I’m a big Tears for Fears fan anyway, thought I’d share it.

thanks to Jon Voeltz for the inspiration.