Lost and Found

I don't know if this is true for anyone else but when it comes to losing things I tend to lose things in "chunks." What I mean is, I can go for weeks and not have lost or be missing anything important and then all of a sudden I can't find a bunch of things. In the past week or so I've been stressing over losing Dwight's spare car key, a key to a desk drawer at work, an external comptuer drive at work (I think someone borrowed it and didn't replace it), and Mackenzie lost a video card from one of her teacher's cameras that she borrowed. It had important pictures on it. When I can't find important things I get all stressed out and tear apart things looking for them. Usually that is not effective, but I feel that I should be doing something. What I've learned, though, is that usually I find lost things when I'm not looking for them. They just seem to appear. This has been true this time as well. Yesterday, Alex found Dwight's keys in the backseat and I also realized what I had done with the desk key. Tonight I was looking for the video card for Mackenzie. I didn't really find it -- all of a sudden I looked and it was just lying there in front of me on the desk as I searched. I really don't know where it came from. I haven't found the external drive yet. So, I'll wait and bide my time. I feel confident it will turn up. I tend to find when I'm not looking. A good lesson for life in general!

Where are the Refrigerator's Going?

This past weekend I was on the road a lot all over Ohio. Friday, Mackenzie and I went to the University of Cincinnati. Then, Saturday I drove up to Medina to meet my cousins from PA to scrapbook and visit with family. I came home Sunday. While I was on road, I saw four trucks (at different times) hauling refrigerators! What is up with that? Where were these refrigerators going? Was there a refrigator conference somewhere in Ohio???

Magical Ceiling

Earlier today I was sitting at the computer in the kitchen. The sun was streaming in through the window and Amber (the cat) was sleeping lazily in the sunshine. Mackenzie walked in and said, "look at the lights on the ceiling!" I looked up and saw a bunch of small pastel colored light spots reflecting on our kitchen ceiling. It was beautiful! None of us could figure out what was reflecting the light or where it was coming from. After looking around we finally found that a plate covered in small pieces of colored glass tile I had bought at a thrift store and set on a table in the family room was the source of the unexpected light show!

Fall is Here

I was driving home from work yesterday and as I drove past a wooded area I looked over and - surprise! Fall is here (the season I mean - not the fall of the stock market which is definitely here). Somehow I hadn't noticed the trees changing. Then yesterday - there they were - orange, red, yellow. The colors of fall. Have I just not been observant or did it happen overnight? I mean, it's definitely October. We've had some chilly (but mostly warm) days this month. Soccer is just about over. All the milestones are there. But, I just didn't see it coming! Maybe it's the warm weather that's had me lulled into a sense of never-ending summer. I used to hate fall but now I have to say it's my favorite time of year after spring. I might even like it better. For one thing -the school year is still fairly new. Lately, I've come to dread Spring because it means the school year is on it's way out and my kids are on to another year older. This year, especially, I want to hang on to everyday. Well, my boss gave me the unexpected gift today of a few hours off so I'm going to go out and enjoy the fall!

Senior Moment

Last night Dwight and I walked Mackenzie across the soccer pitch to be recognized for Senior night. It was our first "Senior Moment." This was the first of the moments to come this year when we celebrate the end of high school and get ready to move on. I thought I would be very emotional and I wasn't too bad! I hope I'm that good at graduation! As we walked across the field, I was just so, so proud. She made it! When she was five and just starting to play - with her jersey hanging down to her knees - I dreamt of her playing for her high school team someday and now it's almost over - that fast. Soccer has had a lot of ups and downs for her. She usually hasn't been the best on the team and we've had our struggles with playing time, coaches, etc. But she has always had a good attitude and tried so hard. She's shown so much character -- especially this year. And, she's made so many friends and had a lot of fun. It's been worth every penny we spent. Twenty years from now she won't remember who the starting players were or who won the awards. What she'll remember are the friends, the fun, and the life lessons she learned.

Last night was "magic." The weather was great, the team won AND coolest of all - she scored a goal! I also found out that she and a teammate who she's known a long time resolved some long-time, deep issues that ruined their friendship for the last couple of years. They are now friends again. That's about as good as it gets!

Let There Be Light!

Today's everyday magic is electricity! We finally have it after being without for 54 hours. You really realize the "magic" of electricity when you don't have it! It was so funny how our "enlightenment" happened - we had just gotten home from a soccer game to a pitch black house. Fifteen minutes after we got home, Alex flipped the switch to his flashlight and it didn't come on. Thinking the batteries were dead he went downstairs and replaced them. When he flipped the switch again, the flashlight still didn't light but random lights around the house lit up! If we would've known all we needed to do was turn the magic flashlight on to get power we would've done it two days ago!

The Power of No Power

Right now I'm in the middle of the "everday magic" experience of not having any power at my house. A very severe windstorm - a combination of the remnants of Hurricane Ike and a cold front - knocked out power to hundreds of thousands in Central Ohio. All the neighborhoods around us got power back within 24 hours but we are still without electricity almost 48 hours later. School is out for the second day but unfortunately my office has power (which is where I am now) so no vacation for me. Some observations:

- No matter how much I know I don't have electricity, I still hit the light switch every time I go in and out of a room.

- It's very liberating to know there's no use taking the computer or any work home because there's no way to do it.

- It's liberating not having to spend the evening doing housework, laundry, etc. There's actually a feeling of boredom at night when we can't do anything else. I haven't felt that in a long time!

- It's also very liberating not to spend time in front of the computer and TV. I miss the computer and internet but can at least access it at work and email by phone. I think I'd really be going crazy if I didn't have that.

- It's interesting to see my kids try to figure out what to do without the computer and TV. Alex, especially, is lost. I didn't realize how dependent they are on those things.

- There are so many things we take for granted that we can't do or have to work around - like remember to take a key to the front door (since we can't get in and out of the garage), not put food down the garbage disposal, can't dry my hair, can't iron (which is getting to be a problem since we iron as we go), can't do laundry.

- We are eating great dinners - all sitting down together -- since we have to use up our food before it spoils and all extracurricular activities are pretty much cancelled.

- I have read an entire book (Prizewinner of Defiance County) by flashlight!

- Apparently the preferred comfort food for Westerville residents without power is Ben & Jerrys! Alex and I decided to get some ice cream for a treat in the dark last night. We had to get a small carton to eat in one shot since there's no way to keep a carton cold. I was all psyched for "Chubby Hubby" but Meijer was all out of most B&J flavors. Haagen Daz in the quart container was plentiful as where other brands - all on sale. B & J was wiped out.

- There is a strange feeling of disconnectedness without access to the Internet and TV. I find myself actually listening to the radio for news and looking forward to getting the paper.

- There is also a strange feeling of disequilibrium. We are not suffering physically or financially in any way right now but there is a strange feeling of the universe being off-balance, and a slight feeling of my world being "rocked."