A Sad Day at Our House

I know I usually don't write about downer things on the blog, but since I'm trying to keep it real, since I think writing about it will keep me from having to tell the story over and over, and since I think it might help me to write it all, here goes. Oh, and if you don't have dogs, you probably will think this is the lamest thing you have ever read, so you can just skip it.

We had to find a new home for Brinkley, and he left to go to his new home this morning.

I will start out by saying we love Brinkley, he has been part of our family for almost three years, and he has been a wonderful dog.

But, since he was a puppy, he has had some temperament tendencies that I haven't loved, but I have worked really hard with him to get to overcome them.

I have been around poodles my entire life, and know what a correct poodle temperament is like. It's laid back, very chill, kind to all people, and a great family dog.

Brinkley was always a little high-strung from the beginning, so I worked with him by taking him to four different obedience classes. I would take him to the dog park to work on socializing him, and tried to take him to new places to get him over his nerves.

He has always "picked on" smaller dogs than him, and he has never been really great with children. When kids would run, he would try to chase them (which is NOT good when you have a dog that weighs 65 pounds and is 27 inches at the shoulder). And recently, he has started showing signs of aggression when we have had people over. He growled and kind of snapped at one of Mark's friends a few weeks ago, and then when we had a Bible study group over, he growled at some of those guys.

So of course, for me, I have been thinking, how in the world are we going to make this work when we have our own kids?

And yes, I worked with him. I would grab his muzzle and say NO BITE any time he snipped at anyone of anything (including the vacuum). I talked to trainers about his issues. I tried to keep him away from situations that would trigger him.

But he just seems to have gotten worse instead of getting better. Recently we had a family over and he actually snapped at one of them who wasn't even doing anything rude to him. And when that happened I knew it was the last straw. I knew we couldn't keep him.

But just to make sure I wasn't over reacting, I talked with the local poodle rescue, and with my mom, who has bred poodles for almost 20 years (www.echocreekpoodles.net). I explained Brinkley's temperament issues. My mom already knew about them and worded it very well when she said he was "unpredictable". Also, she said she didn't think I got a true poodle temperament in Brinkley, which unfortunately, I would have to agree about.

The first reaction of poodle rescue was to think it was my fault. And in theory I agree with them, that all dogs are trainable. Yet, at the same time, I'm not a novice to dogs. I know poodles. I've been around them my whole life. And I knew that Brinkley was not a good fit for our home. After the poodle rescue poodle knew everything I had done to work with Brinkley, they agreed that it was perhaps an inherent temperament issue with him. And, I actually felt at peace with the decision, as heart-wrenching as it was.

So, after several days of crying, Mark and I placed him in the care of poodle rescue. He will be at a foster home for a few days where he is evaluated and they will work with him on some of his challenges, and then they said they already have a wonderful home for him with a lady that is in her mid 50's. It sounds like it will be the perfect home. A one person home, no children, and the lady has a couple of poodles. I think perhaps it will be like a re-set button for Brinkley. He will have a new home with a new parent that loves him and he can learn his manners a little better. So I think everything will work out well for Brinkley.

Of course Mark and I are just crushed. We feel terrible. Mark now thinks he going to be a horrible parent, and I of course assured him that was not the case. We loved Brinkley like a family member and will miss him terribly. Having to leave Brinkley with the adoption lady was one of the hardest things I have had to do in a really long time. I don't know why I even bothered putting make-up on.

Anyway, I know this is really depressing, but I just wanted to let everyone know what was going on.

On the brighter side, we have decided to get a new, smaller dog, that we will have and then wait until we get a home to get another standard.

So, this post is for Brinkley. We miss you already, buddy, but we know you are going to a great home. We love you.

~Kathryn

A Baby Shower

Well, the baby shower came and went, and I would say that overall, it was successful. I am still recuperating from my lack of sleep, but I think if I get a good night's sleep tonight I will be all caught up! (-:

My friend, Katie, is doing a lamb theme in her nursery. She is not sure yet if she is going to have a boy or a girl, so that left me with green, yellow, and lambs. I started researching and getting ideas around the first of year, and I think the finished product turned out really beautifully. I bought plastic off white table cloths, and then purchased some yellow fabric to lay over them.

Here is a picture of the three tables, all together:

Here they are individually:

This was the first table, with the cake on it. My mom made the cake - it's a wonderful cake with a berry filling and white chocolate frosting. There is also a little tray of tomato/basil/mozzarella snacks with olive oil and balsamic vinegar on them. Here are a couple close-ups:

I decided to through in flowers and butterflies to go with the lamb theme. For the flowers I picked out hydrangeas. They are really beautiful and went with the colors. And you'll see little stuffed animal lambs on the tables.

And here's the beautiful cake my mom worked very hard on. It was so delicious. Pretty much everyone wants the recipe. (-:

Next we have the middle table. The middle food item is a chicken salad loaf that my mom made, and iced with cream cheese. It was soo yummy! (-:

I know that's kind of hard to see, so I will do some close ups. First, in the middle you see the diaper cake I made. It really wasn't hard - I watched an online tutorial on how to do it. A little time consuming, but definitely something I will do again. (-:

Isn't is precious? I put some organic baby soaps on there for decoration and a little lamb on top. So cute!

On that same table, we had cucumber sandwiches, and little butterfly cookie cutters for everyone to take as a party favor. Also, I got a little butterfly puzzle that is chemical free and so cute. Under each layer of the butterlfly is another puzzle - one coming out of the cocoon and one in the cocoon. 

Next we have on that same table an area where people could write prayers, encouraging notes, or advice for the new mommy. 

This box was so sweet I had to get a close up:

It's Humpty Dumpty! Yay!

And the third table. I got some wooden letters and painted them yellow and green. 

Here they are, and also I framed a copy of her baby shower invitation. And I got those pink and blue butterfly holders as name card holders for all the food items:

These sugar cookies I worked really hard on, and then people thought they were store bought and didn't eat them. They are butterflies and lambs. I'm glad I went to all that trouble - ha. It's okay, though, our Sunday lunch guests ate all of them. (-:

I found this frame and figured I had to use it:

So. That's basically everything. For punch I made this yummy slushy punch with bananas, pineapple juice, 7-up, and some other things. We also had strawberry lemonade, coffee and water. 

Now, as far as the games are concerned. Thank you guys so much for all the suggestions. Mark and I both laughed out loud at a lot of them. I ended up not having a ton of time to get a game together with all the other shower stuff I was working on, so I went with the standard use toilet paper to guess how round the mommy's tummy is game. Here are a couple photos from that:

And the winner, who happened to be here sister:

That was a fun game.

Here I am with the mommy-to-be:

And here's the group with her gifts:

And finally, here we are with the diaper cake:

So, overall the shower went really well. I thought everything turned out beautifully and all the guests "ooohed" and "aaahhed" over everything. I really hope Katie liked it. 

Whew! That is a lot of pictures! I hope you enjoyed it!

~Kathryn

We Love Whole Foods!

As you may have gathered by now, we love Whole Foods. It's one of my favorite places to be. It's a very relaxing shopping experience. If you have never been to one, hopefully this post will encourage you to check out your nearest store. (-:

I thought I would highlight in this post some of our favorite things about Whole Foods.

We will start by showcasing the buffet line. I really like this because sometimes I will go straight from work to Whole Foods, so usually I'm pretty hungry. In that case, I will start out my trip by going by the buffet line and getting a meal to eat while I shop. Mark did that tonight since he hadn't eaten. The food is all really yummy, too. Here is Mark with his dinner:

The next item is something that I had no idea I would appreciate as much as I do. It's the filtered water. For whatever reason, our tap water is DIGUSTING, not to mention whatever kind of junk is flowing through it. But worse than the tap water is our ice. Our ice machine makes this ice that smells TERRIBLE. Like I don't even like drinking ice water because it smells and tastes so weird. The freezer even smells weird. So, at WF, you can get a gallon of water for $0.39. We have three gallon jugs that we refill regularly. The water tastes so good, or I should say, it doesn't taste. Which is wonderful. We even got ice cube trays and now our ice cubes are CLEAR and taste good as well. It has revolutionized our lives. You can choose between two different types of water - we choose the reverse osmosis filtered water. Also, I have a Klean Kanteen, which I LOVE. Here I am with a Klean Kanteen like mine standing by the water filter.

Then there's the coffee. Mark loves coffee and considers himself to be somewhat of a coffee snob. He drinks it every day. I, on the other hand, only drink coffee on cruise ships or ocassionally with a fancy desert. It's an addiction that I've tried to avoid. Mark grinds his own coffee at home every couple of days, so his is very fresh. He really likes the whole bean coffee from Whole Foods. When I asked him if he could tell me what he likes about it, he said it has "an intensely rich flavor and aroma".... hmm.... so anyway, here's a picture of him with the coffee:

A very creative thing WF has that I LOVE is the "Try Something New" cheese section. It is small samples of cheeses that are under $3.00. You get to try all kinds of fun new fancy cheeses in small portions for not very much. I always try to find the biggest piece I can find for the smallest amount of money. (-: My plan was to remember the cheeses I've tried so that I could go back and get them later, but the problem is that I have liked every cheese I have tried and haven't written any down. Fail. I mean, who doesn't love cheese?

Next we have the bulk section. I LOVE the bulk section. I love the bulk spices because I mean, if a recipe calls for one teaspon of some odd spice that you will ONLY use in that recipe, instead of paying four dollars for a container of it that will go bad by the time you make that recipe again, you can buy one teaspon of it for like a few pennies at WF. How brilliant is that? You can get only what you need. I can get specialty flours, oats, sugars, grind my own peanut butter, get 1/4 cup of a certain nut I might need, trail mixes, and oh, the granola. I love me some granola. The staple items I always get to snack on at work are the pumpkin flax granola and the cranberry harvest nut mix. It's so good. Here I am, hugging the bulk granola section.

I just realized that in this post I have said "I LOVE" three times. I'm glad I'm using my extensive vocabulary.

Next we have the Whole Body section, which again, I LOVE. Specifically, I love Dr. Bronner's. It's a brand of a non-toxic, chemical free soap that is so wonderful and smells like I think heaven might smell. The particular version I love is peppermint. OMG. It smells so good. I use it for hand soap, and soap in the shower, and they even make a shaving gel. And I love that when I use it, I am not putting parabens, phalthates, or any other gross stuff on me. You should totally check it out. You can even dilute it and clean with it. Now THAT is multi-purpose. Here I am, loving on a big tub of the stuff.

And finally, we have the bread and the bread card. With the WF bread card, after every 5 loaves of bread, you get one free. We only have to buy one more and we'll be up for a free one. WOOT! (-: The particular bread that we love is called "Seeduction". I have NEVER heard Mark talk so much about bread as he does about this. Actually, I'm not sure that I have ever heard him talk about a food product as much as this bread. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's good, but he's more than slightly obsessed. So I let him take a picture holding his favorite bread in one hand, and the bread card in the other. They also have a vitamin card, which is a super good deal. You buy 5 vitamins that are at least $4.99 in price, then you get your sixth for free, up for $20.00. How cool is THAT?!

 

The other things we love include the helpfulness of the employees, the deli meats and cheeses, the coupons and special deals they have, their vast variety or organic produce and foods, their beautiful flowers, and that I know I will be able to find things that I would never be able to find at Wal-Mart. Plus, if you bring back your paper bags and re-use them, you get a ten cent credit for each one. WOOT! I also love the quality of the things I get there. I like knowing the meats are not pumped with antibiotics, and that I can't let them sit in my fridge for extended periods of time because they don't have preservatives. I like that I can buy local things there. I like that when I ask someone a question, they can give me a very knowledgeable answer, and believe me, I ask some hard questions. I love that I don't have to stand in line for thirty minutes and inevitably face a machine failure when it's finally my turn in line.

The only thing I don't like about it is the price. Some people refer to it as "Whole Paycheck". It is definitely more expensive than Wal-Mart, but actually, I think EVERYTHING is more expensive than Wal-Mart. So, I try to be smart in my shopping. I buy whatever apple is on sale each week. I stock up when my favs are on sale. I use the coupons and the special deals they have, I buy the sale meats, and starting in April I will be putting my part time job paycheck toward my grocery budget. So, it's something that I have to sacrifice a little to do, but for us it is worth it. Kind of like an insurance policy.

So, all that to say, we love Whole Foods. You should check one out. Until we get a Central Market, it is my favorite grocery store. TRY IT!

What about you?

Let's Have a Brainstorming Party

Okay, all you usually silent readers out there. I need some help.

You see, my sweet friend Katie is having a baby in May. And I'm throwing her a baby shower this weekend.

I'm new to throwing baby showers. I haven't been in the baby shower life stage for very long, so I haven't been to a ton. But, I am SUPER excited about the shower. In case she reads this I can't give out too many details, but I can give a few hints. They aren't finding out if it's a boy or a girl, but they are doing a lamb theme in their nursery, so the shower is going to be a lamb themed. And OMG, if I do say so myself, it's going to be super cute. So I have the decor and the food covered.

Here's where I need your help: entertainment. I need some creative baby shower games/ideas/whatever for the entertainment portion of the shower. So all of you baby shower gurus out there, let me know.

And if you've been thrown a shower and someone did something you particularly liked or didn't like as a mommy-to-be, feel free to share that as well. Even if it's not a game, but it's something unique and cool, please share.

All you guys out there, sorry to have a total estrogen fest on the blog. For a more gender neutral topic, I have officially finished all 6 pints of my ice cream. Forget the small portions promise I made. I was a big (fat) liar.

~Kathryn

March Madness at My House

We are snowed in. Being the good wife that I am, I have consented to the all day ticket of March Madness.

If you want a sneak peek into my world, enjoy the following short clips of Mark's antics.



And yes, he talks to himself the whole time. And one more:

 

I hope you are having fun watching B-ball at your place as well. (-:

~Kathryn

I Have A Problem

It's official. I have zero self control.

Have I mentioned how much I love ice cream? Have I gone into the depths of my weakness? I love ice cream of all kinds: homemade, packaged, gelato, fro yo, shakes, custard, malts, and oh..... the sprinkles. I love me some sprinkles. Okay, I digress....

So, I stumbled upon a Facebook post earlier between two girls (Valerie) discussing flavors of ice cream. They happened to be discussing two of my favorites (Southern Blackberry Cobbler, and Birthday Cake). I chimed in with how, in the Blackberry Cobbler ice cream, I like to pick out the pie crust pieces and eat those. Which is great for me, and then when Mark goes to get some out of the carton (yes I eat my ice cream with a spoon and a carton - do NOT judge me), he is sorely disappointed and rightly frustrated because the Blackberry Cobbler has turned into a mere Blackberry swirl.

Shortly after this Facebook discussion on the wonder that is ice cream, one of the girl's husbands sent us an email. He works for Blue Bell. He let us know that pints of Blue Bell ice cream are on sale at our local grocery store for $1.00 each.

That's $1.00 for a whole pint of ice cream. With a limit of ten.

So what did I do? I started freaking out, told Mark, and we jumped in the car and high tailed it to the nearest grocery store.

We ran to the ice cream section to discover that, even though it was the first day of the sale, the ice cream was TOTALLY picked over. I mean like all that was left was vanilla. BOO. So, we asked the local clerk when they would be restocking, and planned to drive to the other grocery store. And then arose a silver lining. He said there are a couple of other end-caps that had Blue Bell. So, we ran to those and found more than vanilla. We found Cake and Ice Cream, we found Southern Blackberry Cobbler, we found Butter Crunch (Mark's fav - it's like butterfingers in vanilla), and Mint Chocolate Chip.

Normal people would have picked one and enjoyed the sale. Mark said, "How many should we get?" I responded that I wanted three of the Cake and Ice Cream and three Blackberry Cobbler. At this point I had claimed 60% of our total allotted amount. And I would have gone farther but Mark grabbed me and shook me. Okay not really. He just said he wanted some ice cream too, and I was like, what is this, a marriage? I thought it was all about me.

Anyway, he got three Butter Crunch and one Mint Chocolate Chip. He let me have my six. He's a sweetheart.

So then, fighting the frostbite that was growing on our hands, we ran to the cashier, handed him our loot and headed home to indulge.

Did I mention I started a health plan last week? Well, I did. So, let's just say I will be eating small portions of the ice cream.

Here we are, at home, with our ice cream, happy as clams. (How is a clam happy, anyway? What does that even mean?)

And yes, I wore those house shoes to the grocery store.

Remember how I have mentioned that the dogs refuse to get out of pictures that we take? Well, clearly nothing has changed.

I hope you, too, get some ice cream. It's okay to eat because I said so. (-:

~Kathryn

PS I would like to add that while I am typing this blog, Mark keeps yelling at the TV since the NCAA tournament is on, and then yelling things at me, since I'm clearly SO into the NCAA tournament. He came in here and told me something about some game. I don't really know what is going on, but I thought some of you might be able to relate to this disease that has overtaken men everywhere.

We Can't Move Forward Until You Mail it Back

Seriously?

Is anyone else incredibly perplexed by this ridiculous Census 2010 advertising effort?

First of all, it's a census. They mail you a form, you fill it out, and then stick it back in the mail. Big deal.

But there's been all this hype on TV. It's as if the Census is the most exciting thing to happen in the last ten years, which was when Census 2000 took place. I mean, the people on the commercials are like in tears about how moving and exciting it will be.

Really?

I got my census form in the mail today, and with all the hype, I thought there would be streamers, free food, balloons, loud music, .....SOMETHING. But no... there was a form that took about 2.5 seconds to fill out. And it wasn't even a cute form. And then I put it back in the mail. And now I'm done.

Then I saw the new commercial with these people dancing around and saying how we can't move forward until it is mailed back. Not to be all controversial, but I just think about how much money they spent on all that.

All I can say is that whenever everyone "mails it back", I'm ready for the makeover that is supposed to happen in America. I mean, that's what the commercials tell me are going to happen, so I know it's true.

Btw...why can't we just fill it out online? Is it Census 2010 or 1910?


~Kathryn

Do You Think I Like Earrings?

Happy Monday, everyone! First of all, this is my 100th post, so that's pretty exciting.

Secondly, remember that beautiful pink net book I showed you a week ago? Well, thanks to my good 'ole Dad and a birthday coming up, a very similar one (even cuter if you ask me) will be arriving at my apartment via FedEx tomorrow. I am SOOO excited. And don't worry, you'll get pictures.

Now, on to business.

I like earrings. Really, I guess it's more honest to say that I'm obsessed with earrings. Big earrings. Chandeliers, feathers, lots of beads, whatever. I love them.

It all started when I was six months old. Being the first born, and my mom being a new proud mother, she was appalled whenever strangers would walk up to me in my pink frilly dresses and headbands on my bald head and say, "What a cute little boy!" Shocking, right?

So, she took me straight to the ear piercing salon and got my ears pierced. I cried for about 2.5 seconds until they handed me a sucker. There are a couple reasons I am forever grateful for that:
1. I don't remember it.
2. I am a total needlephobe now, so who knows if I would have had the guts to get them pierced on my own, and
3. I never had a problem with ear infections.

Clearly, I have worn earrings as long as I can remember and I started wearing more funky fun earrings in college. The problem arose that they would get lost. Or tangled together. I had too many to really put in a jewelry box. I needed a new way to store them. So, after seeing this brilliant idea at a friend's house, I copied it.

It's an easy craft idea for everyone. Are you ready for this?

Yes. It's a picture frame with some screen stapled to it so I can hang my earrings on it. This photo is a little dated, and my earring holder is super full. I now need to get a bigger picture frame. But you guys, it's so easy. Here is what it looks like on the wall:

On the other wall I have some nails to hold up necklaces. Kinda ghetto, but whatever. I like it. You can get whatever kind of frame you like, in any color or design. I went with cheap for my first try. Next time I might scale it up a little. (-:

So, what do you think? Do you have a creative way to store your earrings?

~Kathryn

Where's the Pause Button?

Working a part time job on the weekends in the retail world gives me a lot of time to think. Sometimes I think of completely random things, but as I was aimlessly walking the aisles at my store yesterday, I started thinking about this season of my life.

I'm a newlywed with a wonderful husband, a fulfilling job, a church that is home, friends that "get" me, and so much joy that I just feel like I could burst. Have you ever felt that way?

Sometimes I just want time to stop. To stand still. So that I can soak up this season for a little longer.

Living "in the moment" has been something I have always really tried to do. There are moments where I just stop and think, Wow, I am so blessed. And in those moments I try to take a snapshot in my mind so that I can always remember that feeling, that moment, that conversation, or that song that will forever remind me of a season of life. In those moments, I try to press pause, or at least the slow-motion button. But, eventually, the moment ends.

As I was thinking about time passing, I was reminded that this season will eventually change to a new one.  There will be some seasons where I want to press fast-forward, and seasons where I just want to press stop, or even the power off button. But, in the instability of those seasons, my Lord will always be constant. And I really like the idea of Him holding the remote control, anyway.

Here's a song that's been floating through my mind lately, thanks to Paul Baloche, that goes with this season of life. You should check it out.

You have been so good to me
I came here broken, you made me whole
You have been so good to me

You have been so good to me
I came here mourning,
You gave me joy
You have been so good to me

Lord, How can I thank you
There is just no way
How can I thank you
Lord, how could I repay
For your kindness
For your tenderness
For your constant presence here with me

You have been so good to me
I came here broken, you made me whole
You have been so good to me


~Kathryn

I Would Be a Better Blogger If..

I know, I know. I haven't posted in a while. I'm sorry. But here's the deal.

I have visions of grandeur in my mind. If I was only the owner of one of these, I would be a better blogger.

Yes. It's a pink netbook.

I have visions of myself, sitting at a local coffee shop, working on my blog, sitting in a big comfy chair, and just enjoying having a cool pink netbook. Drinking a chai latte, or a peppermint hot chocolate, listening to some awesome music on my awesome netbook, and sharing my amazingly interesting life (ha) with the void that is the internet. Probably wearing some sort of cool artsy hat. And wearing my new purse. And being envied by every person in the room.

But the problem is, netbooks aren't free. I would actually have to pay to have one of these. LAME.

So, I've decided to try to get one for my birthday. Donations are being accepted.

But think about it! I could take it with me everywhere. It would be so great. Which would also probably require that I buy some sort of netbook case.

If anyone has a discount with Dell, you should definitely share it with me.

Happy Weekend!

~Kathryn

I Lost My Keys

This post has required a few days of emotional healing to be able to write. In the heat of the story I am about to tell you, Mark said, "Look at the bright side - you can put this on your blog", to which I very tearily and dramatically responded, "NO I CAN'T! This is not a fun story. No one wants to read about this. It is just too terrible and sad."

Now that reality is closer to my grasp, I've decided I may as well share, because, well, who can't relate to this? And this is a big step, because this story makes me sound like a total lunatic.

I run late. Pretty much every day. On the days I'm not running late, something inevitably goes wrong to make sure that I'm late. Last week was no different. It was Tuesday. A regular ole Tuesday, except that I was a little ahead of schedule, in a chipper mood, and proud of myself for being able to leave so early. Around 8:20ish I put the dogs up, and went in the living wrong to grab my purse and keys, set the alarm, and head out the door.

Except, I couldn't find my keys. No big deal, right? I mean, this happens once every few weeks, and usually takes just a few minutes to find the keys. So, like any other morning, I start looking for my keys. About five minutes in, I'm frustrated. Because those five minutes mean I'm not going to be so almost-on-time now. So, I do what I always do. I call Mark - since he's the keeper of my keys. Unfortunately, this time, he hasn't seen them. So I hang up and continue looking.

And looking.

And looking.

And I can't find them. Anywhere. I've looked in all the obvious places - the dresser, kitchen table, bench by the door, my purse, the ottoman, etc.

So I call Mark again. I tell him I still can't find them. So he's like "have you looked in your purse?" Really? Am I an idiot? "Yes, I have looked in my purse." I tell him I need him to think of some more creative places that perhaps I haven't looked so I can find them. He asked about the closet, the laundry hamper (?!), and a few more creative places. So I set off to look there.

At this point, I'm totally going to be super late. I'd say maybe 20 minutes have lapsed. I'm getting teary eyed, and really frustrated.

Where could the keys be? I came straight home, unlocked the front door, and started getting dinner ready for our friend. They HAVE to be here. How irresponsible can I possibly be?

The house is starting to look like a tornado hit. Couch cushions flipped upside-down, clothes strewn all over the floor; everything is amuck. Still no keys.

I am realizing that there is a decent possibility that I will not find my keys. I am standing in the kitchen, tears streaming down my face, feeling completely hopeless, wanting to hurl my body on the ground and weep uncontrollably. (Remember, I said my home is drama-free).

Pull yourself together. Deep breaths.

I take my eyes off the floor and start thinking about how I am going to get myself to work. I go through the list of friends and family that might be able to do it, and the list was very short, and was very not productive. (Mark works one day a week in a town 1.5 hours from where we lives. Tuesday happened to be that day.) Then I realize our city has a transit system that will take people downtown. I ask Mark to check into that. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. He then tells me that the last bus left at 8:05 am. It is now about 9:15am.

Uncontrollable sobbing ensues again.

And might I also add, that while I was a total idiot, Mark was very supportive and did everything he could to help me find my keys and get to work.

I then remember we have a spare car (long story, it's my dad's) that has been in the parking lot at our place. After a ten minute rabbit trail on that idea, I realize I don't have the key to that vehicle.

So. Last resort. Mark says he will call a cab for me. We hang up the phone. I see in the mirror how completely ridiculous it was that I even put on make-up that morning, and dried my tears and put make-up back on, and then packed it in my purse in case I had another meltdown.

I finally let my boss know what was going on. I hadn't called him earlier because I knew that I would not be able to tell him without crying like a little kid. And how embarrassing is that? So, once I had the ride arranged, I texted him. That's all I could muster.

Cabbie Jeff showed up at my apartment at about 9:40. He asked if I was having car troubles. I said "I lost my keys" (tears threatening). Don't fall apart now. You've come this far! I took a deep breath and hopped in his cab, where we had very pleasant conversation for the 15 minute commute to work.

Interestingly, there was a "no smoking sign" in his cab, yet the minute I got in, the smell of cigarettes completely enveloped me. Awesome.

I arrived at work at around 10:00, paid my $30.00 cab fee, and walked into my office, still a little shaky, but there. My boss gave me an encouraging hug and told me it was no big deal, even though he did agree that I smelled like cigarettes. Sweet. My vision was a little fuzzy throughout the day due to crying in my contacts, and my nerves were more than slightly rattled, but other than that, I was able to have a good day.

Mark picked me up from work and I was dreading going back into that apartment. That evil place that hid my keys. Mark let me chill on the couch and watch American Idol before I joined him in the search for the keys. He looked about thirty minutes. And then he found them.

Where, you ask?

Behind the flour jar in the kitchen.

I don't even want to talk about it.

If only I had one of those key chains that makes noise when you clap. Sigh.

~Kathryn