Vangie

We had planned to do nothing when we met in Indiana. We both were exhausted from our jobs. We needed listening ears, open minds, and non judgemental opinions. I know that we both got what we needed. It was good. Actually, it was super special.

I met up with my "lifer" today. It took about 10 seconds to feel like I was staring at the 20 year old that I lived with at Asbury so many years ago. She is pretty much the same. She looks a little older and is much more talkative but she still has the same mannerisms, smile, and great sense of thoughtfulness.

We had a very relaxing time. We did absolutely nothing....except eat, sleep, and talk. That is what we both wanted to do so it worked out great until the the last 5 minutes of the adventure. We were just saying our goodbyes and I realized that my keys were not in my purse. They also weren't in my pocket. Or my suitcase. Or my computer bag, my hotel room, the hotel lobby, the hotel breakfast area, the inside of my car (I have a keyless entry code thingy), or Chili's, or McDonalds. We searched for a long time. I had given up and already called the wrecker so that he could tow my car to the Ford Dealership and they could "rechip" my car. I guess my car is fancy because if runs with a key and a chip. I just know that a "chip" meant that my pocket book was going to suffer some great loss that afternoon. As we waited for the tow truck, I mentioned to the front desk that I threw out some trash from my car when I first arrived and was wondering if I could check the dumpster. They said that they would send someone out to look in the dumpster and so I waited. Well, miracles do happen because five minutes later said garbage picker came back with my keys and a giant smile on his face. The tow truck was canceled and we all felt great. Hence the photo opp with both of us smiling and me holding some beautifully dirty keys!

Part two of the awful day turned better and then turned awful again. Vangie and I parted ways and I calculated the time that I needed to get back home before the kids got off the bus. I had exactly ten minutes to spare which was great because my stomach was growling and by this time is was 2:30 and I hadn't had lunch yet. I got into the car and drove for about 30 minutes and then saw a fast food drive thru that I could tolerate. I reached behind my seat to grab my purse and BAM! My purse was not there. It was not there because it was in Vangie's car, which was heading in the opposite direction.

My purse is now in the mail. And of course Monday is Columbus Day. I am thinking that Tuesday may be my first perfect day since Thursday. We'll have to see!