The Great Key Caper

I recently had one of THE weirdest experiences of my life (to date), which reiterated to me that there HAS to be some sort of way in heaven to go back in time and get an explanation for a situation as to what really happened, because as of right now, I'll just never truly know and thinking otherwise would drive me nuts. So, bear with me as I record it for posterity, and I will try to make a long, bizarre, story short...er...

Back when my mom and sister were still in town, Sunday night after church I had to run an errand to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy (and although I went Saturday to pick it up to avoid breaking the Sabbath, it wasn't ready. Life Lesson Learned: Keep the Sabbath Day Holy!). Anyway, we got back from the pharmacy without incident, in my car, with my keys (this is an important detail; for any of you doubters, I know they were my keys and not Jon's because I used my pharmacy tag to pay). And I reiterate, how else would I have driven home, if not with my keys, right? The next morning we woke up set to take our guests to the RDU airport, and as we were leaving I absolutely could NOT find my keys. We probably looked for a good 45 minutes, turning the house inside and out and upside down, and I just kept coming to the same dread conclusion that they just were NOT at the house. Then the panic set it. How the heck was I supposed to drive them to airport when my keys were lost, and more importantly, where the HECK did my keys go?!? I knew I had them last night. So I called Jon at work on the slim chance that perhaps he accidentally took my keys instead of his-- but he definitely only had HIS keys. I then had to ask him to drive the 50 min. home (then back) during his lunch break to bring me his set of keys (with a spare to my car). Poor guy. He said a prayer with me over the phone that we would somehow find my keys, and subsequently, while he was driving home to the rescue, he got a call from the gym that someone had found my keys and dropped them off.

Pause with me here...

How had someone found my keys, when they were at MY house last night, and we hadn't gone anywhere since?!? I was bewildered. Actually, I was mind-blown. I called back and asked if they knew who had found them, and where, etc. The front desk girl said a groundskeeper from the Pinehurst Country Club (about 6 miles from our house) had found them out on the golf course that morning, and figured out to call "The Body Shop" (the gym) because the tag on my keys had a member number listed. That was it. All she knew. Somehow my keys had gotten from MY house, 6 miles away to the golf course, to our gym, and were waiting to be picked up there. When I picked them up they had obviously been through some trauma-- they had been run over a couple of times, the fob was cracked, and the key ring was completely bent out of shape...and they looked like they had been chewed on. ?? So, after many hours devoted to figuring out what the heck happened, the only scenario I can come up with (besides aliens and UFOs of course), is that after I got back from the pharmacy I went to water our flowers in the front yard, where my keys must have fallen into the grass unbeknownst to me. We have a LOT of raccoons in the area, who are notorious for being attracted to shiny objects, and somehow one got a hold of my keys and carried them 6 miles to the golf course, decided to finally drop them, where they were picked up the next morning by a groundskeeper (one of the 3 Nephites?!) who is my new hero, and unknowingly answered a prayer. Needless to say, I. AM. STUMPED. Anyone have anything better??

School Daze!

I'm officially an empty-nester this year. At least for 3 hours a day. And only for the next 2 1/2 months (or until the new baby arrives). But at least for now, I have no children at home to keep me company from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and that is because Zachary became a big preschool boy!

Is he not the absolute most adorable 3 year old preschooler you ever saw?!?

I enrolled him on a whim at the same Baptist preschool Lucy attended last year, and although I only really wanted to send him 2 or 3 days a week, they only offered a 4 day a week program, so it's a little much, but it is what it is. So far he's been very hot and cold in his response to school-- unlike Lucy who could have done preschool 24/7, Zach is definitely more of a homebody. We shall see how this next month progresses! If he just isn't liking it enough to justify the running around I do with both of them in school then I'll pull him out, but for right now, he's been mostly happy when I pick him up at the end of the morning and asks if he can go back. Yea!

As for this girl, she was born ready for kindergarten. She has jumped in with both feet to being at school from 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. and seems to love every minute. It's been bittersweet for me, because basically I miss her, but it is nice to know she's learning and being with friends and doing what she really loves to be doing.

Her teacher's name is Mrs. White, and again, I've just been amazed at how easily she has adjusted to the loooong days, eats up the homework, talks non-stop about her school friends and recess, is fascinated by school lunch in the cafeteria, and is adamant that she WANTS to ride the school bus home! I walked her into the school the first 2 days, and by day 3 she saw a friend and ditched me like it was no big deal to find her classroom and get her stuff all put away. Awwwww, Luce! She's 5 years old going on 15. Hooray for kindergarten!