Tuesday Thoughts About Robbie and Jordan!

So. About a week ago, Butch and I along with Stephanie, Nicky, Mindy and Justin were here. We were having our first pool day. Kind of late in the season for that, but we've had so much rain--especially on weekends, that we just didn't have a chance. 

Anyway, Mindy brought a new game. Sort of like conversation starters. She asked a question and then we all answered it. Well, one of the questions was something like, "What is the best thing that's happened in your family this year?

I only remember one answer because it was so perfect!! It was Justin who said, "That we've got Robbie "locked down!" OMGosh! What a perfect way to put it!

We love Robbie and are so happy he is going to be part of the family. "Locked down, he is!! He is absolutely perfect for Jordan. 

And we couldn't be happier.

A couple weeks ago, I asked Jordan to send me the story of how they met, the making of the ring and then the proposal. I am getting ready to start her wedding album. 

I was blown away by her writing. I like to think she got it from me! Or more likely, her great Overbrook education! Or actually, although I think you can become a good writer, I think mostly you are born with an innate ability. Whatever, she's "got it!" (FYI you become a good writer by writing! Just do it!)

She has given me permission to share some of it here. Although she gave me permission to edit it, there was not a single mistake--punctuation, spelling or grammar! I am one proud grammy! 

1. How did you and Robbie meet / start dating?

   
   

Robbie and I met during the summer of 2020. It was in July, to be exact. This was smack-dab in the middle of the Covid19 pandemic that took the world by storm. Everyone was on lock-down; there was not much to do, and the usage of dating apps skyrocketed. 

Robbie and I met in real life for the first time after texting each other for about 2 weeks. I brought my adorable dog and faithful companion, Koda, on our first date. I think Robbie fell in love with both me and Koda at first sight! Just joking.

    2. About my engagement ring:

I always knew that I wanted a unique engagement ring. When Robbie and I started discussing getting engaged, I did some research and found a jewelry shop, Artisan LA, which had great reviews. The jeweler who owns the shop and is its lead designer, Julio, specializes in creating engagement rings from non-traditional precious gemstones (gems other than diamonds). Julio is also an expert in making custom rings. ...we decided that this would be the best way for me to get the ring of my dreams. The whole process would take about 6 months from start to finish.

I had made a (very) rough sketch of what I had in mind. I knew that I wanted the center stone to be a ruby, as they are my favorite gemstones, and red is often the color associated with love. I described what I had in mind to Julio. I had asked for the center stone to be the shape of a concave diamond. Initially, Julio told me that it would not be possible, because cutting the stone in that way would dramatically reduce its karat size and waste a lot of the stone. I asked if I could show him a sketch of my idea. After I drew it out for him, Julio realized that it would, indeed, be possible to design a ring like this without losing any of the ruby. The solution? Find a ruby that is cushion-cut (square in shape), and create the setting in the shape of the concave diamond, don’t cut the stone itself to be this shape. Robbie and I both agreed with Julio’s suggestion and gave him the greenlight to get started.

What followed next was a series of Zoom calls in which Robbie and I reviewed and chose every tiny detail of the ring, even down to the shape of the prongs that would hold the center ruby in place. Julio has a program on his computer that allows him to make 3D images of what the jewelry will look like, so we were able to visualize each little change. After we approved the 3D computer renderings, it was time for Julio to hunt for my center stone. He told us that gem-hunting is his favorite part of the entire process! Julio came back to us with 5 different gemstones to look at and choose from. Robbie and I went in person to see the stones, and we both agreed on a 2.5 karat ruby that was already a beautiful square shape and a deep shade of red. It was so cool to see the stone on its own and be able to hold it in my hand before it turned into my ring!

The last step of the custom ring making process was for Julio to 3D-print plastic versions of my ring for us to review. We came into the shop and I got to try on the plastic models (which I still have, by the way!) in order to get a sense of how the ring would look and feel on my hand. After we approved that, everything from our end was finally done, and all that was left was for Julio to make the actual ring.

It’s worth mentioning that this whole process took only about 2 months total, with us communicating with Julio on a weekly basis. Julio told us that he loved our design so much (because it was so unique!), that he was deeply pulled into his artistic process while creating our ring, to the point that he basically only wanted to work on our project. That’s why it was done so much faster than the 6 month timeline! It made me feel so good to hear that someone else loved my vision just as much as I did, and that they put their all into bringing it to life!

In the end, the ring came out perfect, but I didn’t see it until Robbie proposed.

3. About the proposal:

Robbie and I got engaged in Hakone, Japan, on March 24th, 2025. Hakone was the second city we stayed in during our 2-week vacation through the country. Robbie and I planned the trip to Japan to celebrate both of us turning 30 and to see the cherry blossoms in bloom.

Hakone is a small hot-spring village about an hour and a half by train from Tokyo. It is the #1 hot-spring destination for both foreign tourists and Japanese people alike. The town has a very sleepy, mystical air to it. Situated in the Mt Fuji National Park, it is a beautifully scenic and romantic spot. We splurged on our hotel there, and upgraded to a room with a private onsen (hot-spring bath).

We stayed in Hakone for 2 nights. On our last day there, we had planned a 5-mile hike that wound up a mountain and passed by a waterfall. Our hike up the mountain was pleasant and peaceful. We were basically the only people out hiking this trail, which you could only access by riding a train up the side of the mountain. It was a beautiful day out; sunny but not too hot.

When we got to the top of the mountain, we found a picnic table to sit down at. Robbie suggested taking out the tripod to get a picture of us. We had used the tripod a few times before this, so nothing about that stood out as unusual to me. After we took the photo, I started walking away. Robbie grabbed my hand, pulled me back, and told me he had something he wanted to ask me. Then, he proceeded to get down on one knee and express his feelings for me and the reasons why he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. I could tell he was really nervous, which was very cute and endearing, considering we had been dating for nearly 5 years. Of course, I said yes!! (Followed by, “I Choose You” - the best Pokemon reference possible).

Robbie opened the small box and put the ring on my finger. It was my first time seeing the ring; Robbie’s only condition during the ring making process was that I was not to see the finished product until the proposal, to which I happily agreed. The ring was so stunning and sparkled so brightly in the afternoon sunshine. It took my breath away and was even more beautiful than I could have imagined. It was a magical moment; we were both so happy. ❤️

Afterwards, we hiked down the mountain. I was gazing at my ring most of the time. Once we were back in town, we stopped for dinner at a local sushi restaurant. The sushi was very fresh and delicious. From there, we went back to our hotel to relax and watch anime together. It was truly a perfect day. ❤️

I love this whole story. I love this little girl! And I love Robbie too!

Welcome to the family! We're so glad to have you "locked down!"

  

Travel Tuesday

Well, I just got back from the Beach. 

Me and Pam (I know that correct English is Pam and I---but then it would seem like I was Pam and Pam was me--or is it I? Awww, just forget it. You know what I mean).

Connie and Nancy. After these pictures, we only took the following two.

I had someone snap this as I was cooking dinner. I was making Morgan's Corn Chowder recipe and thought she'd get a kick out of it. 

We divide up the meals including happy hours and desserts--we have delicious food. In fact, I brought home some of the leftovers and served Connie's casserole on Sunday night. 

We went out for pizza one night. 

On another night, we went to a place called Shipwreck. It was a seafood place. I definitely want to go back! 

As the week progressed, we opted to stay in and eat leftovers. With only 4 of us this time, we had a lot of food. In fact, we eliminated a dinner and a happy hour. It was all good.

I only went to the beach once--the rest of the girls went just about every day. It was too windy for me. Besides, I'm a pool kind of gal--which is where I was! 

We developed a fun routine for the day. 

1. Everybody was on their own for breakfast--except for the first day when Nancy brought homemade cinnamon rolls and another day when I cooked.

2. Watched the news and then Kelly and Mark.

3. Beach or pool.

4. Lunch.

5. More beach, pool or just hung out.

6. Happy hour--talk and watch the news. We played trivia once, but it was really hard so we didn't do it again.

7. Dinner,

8. Games.

9. Show/movie.

10. Bed/puzzle working or tv watching--everybody did whatever they wanted. It was book and bed for me! I did stay up one night until midnight with the "night owls." We were hooked on a Dateline only to find it was a two-hour show!! (I'm the "early bird" of the group, but after this night, I didn't get up until 7:30.

We watched a lot of movies and documentaries. I brought a list which saved a lot of time figuring out what we wanted to see. Of the 12 things we watched, here are the 5-star shows--all on Netflix (this is my opinion only--I didn't ask the girls):

Con Mum

The Twister

The Long Shot

A Family Affair

The Devil on Trial

American Murder: The Family Next Door

Piano Lesson

Gone Girl (3 episodes)

We played lots of games/poker.

Can you tell I was the big winner? $34.60 to be exact! Connie had everyone bring a roll of quarters--$10.00. 

I pretty much won it all. I explained to them--because it always seems like I win--how I think it happens. You've heard of that 10,000 hour rule--right? If you do anything for 10,000 hours, you become an expert. Well, you can be sure that I've played games/poker for over 10,000 hours in my 73 years. 

Just for fun, I thought I would do the math and figure it out. It comes out to approximately 137 hours per year. That averages out to 2.6 hours per week. I can assure you that for me--I played games at least 2 hours per day!!! When you grow up in a large family, there is always someone to play with and games were continuous. Yeah, I have way more than 10,000 hours. 

And then there's luck. Lots of games are pure luck. The way the cards are shuffled and dealt, the way the dice roll, or even the trivia card you draw. So, I'm not exactly saying I'm an expert, but apparently, I'm fairly lucky and I know what to do with what I'm dealt or roll! That sounds like a winner to me!

Until next time girls...

Me on Monday

So, I came across this article and thought I would share it. 

Nine Things People with Spotless Houses Do Every Day

You can bet I’m going to add a tenth! Nine things—you mean whoever wrote this couldn’t come up with one more? Well, I definitely can!

First, let me start with saying that I don’t claim that my house is spotless—but pretty darn close. Anyone can drop in on us anytime, and I won’t have anything to be embarrassed about.

Okay, here goes:

1. Take off your shoes.

I do take off my shoes. I wear slippers in the house at all times. And I wash them once a week. Part of it is because of the icky stuff you walk into the house, but the main thing is my white carpets. I’ve calmed down about them but can easily get myself worked up. I never expect visitors to take off their shoes. I don’t even think about it—well, unless they are workmen. I do not have a problem asking them to take off their shoes. Many have those “bootie” things to put over their shoes—which become totally useless if they are in and out of the house—not bothering to take them off when they are out and put them back on when they are in. Oh well.

2. Make your bed.

I confessed one time to my friends that I did not make my bed every day. They shamed me, so now I do. But it is kind of in a haphazard way—meaning I don’t put all the decorative pillows on, and I don’t really care if the sheets aren’t pristine/tight. I just don’t. I’ve come a long way from that teenager who never made her bed and had it piled high with clothes!

3. Wipe down the kitchen counters.

I really don’t understand this one. Don’t you wipe the counters every time you use them? It’s not like I have to say to myself, “Oh, I better go wipe down the counters!” They are always wiped down—always!

4. Clean as you cook.

This one I do faithfully. In fact, my cooking sessions begin with a sink full of hot, sudsy water. I cannot cook without one!

5. Wipe down the shower.

Oh, heck no! I am not doing that. When we remodeled our master bath, I specifically told my friend/designer, Christy, that I did not want to do that, nor ask visitors to do it when staying with us. She provided the perfect solution. That girl knows everything! She had some sort of coating put on all the glass so that you don’t have to squeegee them. All of our shower doors look clean and clear ALL the time. I think it cost about $500 at the time—totally worth it.

6. Swiffer before bed.

Nope, not doing it. There’s just the two of us. Nothing needs swiffering. Actually, I don’t swiffer ever! Yes, we have one, but I don’t think anyone uses it. Not even Margarita. She has a crazy way of dusting the hardwood. She takes a rag, puts a hole in the middle, wets it, and places it over a broom handle. I actually like that since she’s catching the dust rather than just moving it around. Maybe she doesn’t know what the swiffer is.

7. Put your clothes away.

Okay, I don’t always do this. But, there are a couple of reasons for that: 1. I have a big closet so you can’t see that the clothes aren’t put away and 2. I usually wear everything twice before I wash. If I were to put everything away, I wouldn’t remember which things I’ve already worn once. I really like it when I can wear the same thing two days in a row because then the closet stays tidy—but only if I’m not with the same people. Well, except for Connie. She’s been known to wear the same thing for three days—usually on the weekends. On weekends, you might find me in pajamas! Butch, on the other hand, has “the chair.” His closet is absolutely perfect, but he might have a half-foot pile on his chair that sits out for the world to see!

8. Wipe the mirrors and the sink.

What? I haven’t wiped a mirror since 1982. Granted, I have a cleaning lady who does it once a week. That’s enough! Ditto on the sink. We rinse them as we use them. They are never unsightly or require cleaning more than once a week.

9. Obey the two-minute rule.

Okay, first, I’ve never heard of this. And second, I thought it was the 2 second rule and applied only to dropped foot or pacifiers. So, the two-minute rule is: if you can do something in two minutes, then just do it and don’t procrastinate. I DO NOT procrastinate—ever (or mostly never.) I would have the thing done in the time it would take me to decide whether I should do it or not! What a waste of time! Just do it already.

And now for my number 10—I cannot believe that whoever made this list didn’t think of this.

10. Do more than one thing at a time!!!

This is exactly how I accomplish a lot. I’ll peel potatoes, sort things, or make lists while watching TV. If I’m going upstairs, I’ll take everything at once-same coming down. Sometimes that’s a little dangerous as I have to use my elbow on the rail to keep me grounded when I am not hands-free. If I get up to use the bathroom, I’ll carry my empty cup to the dishwasher and hit the recycle bin with errant papers, grab the cookbook I want to browse through, oh, and maybe I’ll stop and wipe down the counters! (NOT!)

None of this is all that hard!! Anyone can have a spotless house. If you start doing, it becomes second nature. (I’ve always heard this expression but don’t really know what it means. Maybe I’ll look it up when I’m watching tv. Or not. Uh oh, I’m procrastinating! I could have already done it by now but I won’t!

Friday Frustration

I'm definitely frustrated. I'm stuck in an endless voicemail loop from hell! Here's the story. 

We paid a bill to a local medical facility. In fact, we paid it twice--which I didn't discover until they billed us a third time. Once I received that third bill, I knew I had paid it. It's that investigation that made me realize that I paid it twice! Then, I went to my bank account to see if those checks from the bank had cleared--and they had. Sooo, thus the phone calls began.

Call:

#1. Me:  It went straight to voicemail because they are helping others and cannot answer right now. I explained the problem and asked someone to call me back. Their voicemail message said that I would get a return call within 48 hours. So, I waited--all the time thinking that they will tell me that they needed to be talking to Butch--who was the recipient of the bill. You know, all that privacy stuff!

#2. Them: they leave me a message saying they need more information as they cannot find "him" in their system. (What? What the heck kind of system do they have? Isn't everything computerized?).

#3. Me: I call back and it goes straight to voicemail again. I leave the account number and Butch's birthdate. Once again, I explained that we are due a refund for the overpayment. I request a phone number that someone will answer. Due to dozens of nonsense, scam calls, I have unknown numbers blocked.

#4. Them: They leave me another message for me to call them and actually mention the fact that possibly I have unknown numbers blocked. 

#5. Me: I call back and it goes straight to voicemail. I leave the message that all I want to know is when I can expect to be refunded. Seemed like a simple message to answer.

#6. Them: Another message for me to call them--ignoring what I've asked for. Now I'm really fired up.

#7. Me: I call back and go straight to voicemail. This time, I'm really ticked. I say, "It's obvious that we are never going to talk in person. I just want to know when to expect my refund! Please leave me a message letting me know!" 

Now I'm in the waiting mode again! I told Butch about the whole frustrating scenario. I suggested he call the office and ask to speak to someone in the billing department. That's when it hit me--we'll still get the voicemail. They NEVER answer the phone and don't intend to. 

#8. Them: This message makes me feel like we might getting somewhere. They have turned this over to the "review" department. Actually, I'm not that hopeful. I think "turning it over to the review department" might be code for "it'll be a cold day in hell before we get back to you!" 

Do I sound cynical? That's how I feel. We'll see.

So, speaking of frustrations, I have another bee in my bonnet. 

For Christmas, I got ALL of the girls (7) these really cute monogrammed necklaces with matching earrings. They loved them--well except for one. The monograms were these block letters all interwoven and pretty cool. But Mindy's is indecipherable. You really cannot tell her initials. 

The day after Christmas, I contacted Mint & Lily customer service via email. Someone got back to me right away and said she understood my confusion (I had sent a picture of the necklace). Although the gal was very nice, it couldn't just be a simple exchange. She issued me a gift certificate so I could re-purchase the necklace and earrings. But what she failed to do was re-imburse me for the postage and handling. 

So, she issued another gift certificate with a link to just click on. Well, it wouldn't "click!" Ugh! After a little more back and forth, I finally got a link that worked. Honestly, I don't know why it just couldn't be handled from her end. That seemed like the simple thing to me. Oh, and she said that I did not need to return the first set. I don't know what made me keep them, but I'm glad I did. 

The new set arrived a couple days ago. IT'S EXACTLY THE SAME!

This time I contacted customer service and said that if this is what it's going to be, then I wanted a refund. 

Someone got back to me and asked me to send a picture. I did. A few hours later, she asked for a picture of the original one. I considered just sending her the same picture. But then, since I still had the first one, I put them side by side and took the picture. 

Like I said, exactly the same. 

We cannot make this out at all. The only letter that makes sense is the "M."

Late yesterday afternoon, I got this message:

"I completely understand your frustration, Barbara. I can see from the photos that both the necklace and earrings aren't meeting our quality standards, especially since this was meant to be a replacement order. I'm going to have our management team review this situation right away to determine the best resolution for you. We'll get back to you very shortly with a solution."

Hopefully, they'll try to do the monogram again. If not, I'm pretty sure I'll get a refund. We'll see...

Okay, that's the end of my frustrations for now! Well, not really, but since the other one is scrapbook related, I'm saving that for tomorrow!

Ten Things Thursday

Well, it's January and you know what that means. It's time to clean out and re-organize. I always get a bit obsessive. I started on Christmas Day in the afternoon--as soon as the kitchen was cleaned up!

Here's what I've accomplished so far:

Put away all of the Christmas stuff

Washed and put away all Christmas linens, napkins, rugs, and throws.

Cleaned and Re-organized:

2 refrigerators

Pantry

Wrapping supplies

Bags in pantry

Master linen closet

Went through all medications and discarded expired stuff

Guest bath vanity

Mindy’s bath vanity

Mindy’s bath linen closet

Cleaned out 4 kitchen cabinets

Sorted all spices and got rid of anything older than 10 years

Cleaned out Margarita’s closet (it’s pretty bad when you have to clean for the cleaning lady!)

Put away the Advent Calendar puzzle (it was 24 mini puzzles in one, so it     required some time to divide it up again for the next person)

Got my entire closet cleaned out

I started to clean out the rec room cabinets but then realized that they are still perfect from last year. Which leads me to want to get rid of everything in them!!

Okay, here are some pictures. 

After the holidays, the pantry is always a mess. Things get put in there in any haphazard way--not always by us! I told Butch that we would be tackling it the next day. Luckily for him, I cannot sleep when there is work to be done. I was cleaning it out at 4 a.m. By the time he got up, I was already finished!

We have 10ft. ceilings, so anything on the top shelf is not easily accessible. That's why we use it for our Christmas stuff.

We tend to accumulate so many bags through the year that the bags that hold them rips. It's just a mess. Here they are neatly re-organized. One is not a paper bag, so maybe that will hold up better. 

Next it was on to our spice, coffee, tea cabinet.

Butch helped me with this as I will not get on a step stool. He also wiped out and cleaned all of the shelves. 

I cleaned out our linen/medicine closet.

I use ziplock bags marked with the type of medicines located inside--like:

"cough, cold, flu"--"first aid, bandaids"--"stomach, indigestion, anti diarrhea". I sorted it all and got rid of anything expired. 

I've known for years that this is expired. In fact, you cannot even buy it anymore. But, it was the only thing that worked for my migraines back in the day. Considering I never have migraines anymore, I decided to let it go. It expired in 2007!! I have to admit, it was a little sad. I don't know why they quit making it--simply the BEST pain reliever on the market--ever!

I got rid of quite a few t-shirts. I only wear them for working out. How many do you need for that? 

I had already sorted through my pashmina and scarves last year, so didn't get rid of any this time. I did get rid of a few pairs of shoes. 

So, the closet is done. 

All I have left to do is the game closet and the butler's pantry. I'm having a games party in a couple weeks, so I'll get that done when I get up there for the game I plan for us to play. 

As for the butler's pantry--it is so full and crammed. I need to just get to it!

We give most of the stuff that we are getting rid of to Margarita. I know that she sends clothes to her family in El Salvador. Sometimes we feel like we overwhelm her. When I try to ask if she really wants it or would rather not bother with it--you know, it's kind of hard to communicate--she said "it's beautiful, thank you miss!" I guess that means she really likes it. I hope she can sell it and make a few bucks. I really don't know what she does with it all. I have visions of her condo filled to the brim with my crap!!

What about you? Do you do any type of major clean out at this time of year?   Send me some pictures and I'll post them. Befores and afters would be good. For me, I never remember the "befores". I'm just too anxious to get started. 

There's nothing I like better than making order out of chaos!

Me on Monday

Yesterday was A Day of Problems and it was all my fault. Talk about rookie mistake—this is a doozie! Warning—it’s long. I cannot tell a short story. The details are too important to leave out! 

Okay, you’ve been warned.

We were coming home after spending 5 days at Disney. We had a very early flight—7 a.m. We always get to the airport 2 hours ahead, so that meant we had cars picking us up at 4:30 a.m. It’s a 30 minute ride to the airport. We had to get up at 3:30 to allow time for walking to the lobby and checking out—our room was very far away—a quarter of a mile round trip! (I logged 36.5 miles walking this week.)

To make matters worse, it was “daylight savings” time on Sunday. We weren’t sure how to set our alarm. So, we set two—one for 3:30 when we wanted to get up and a back-up for 4:30 in case the phone time did not change properly. *Side note: the phone adjusted as it should.

We checked out and our ride arrived right on time. Everything was going smoothly—UNTIL—this is a biggie—I discovered when we were checking in that I had left my wallet with my driver’s license in the hotel safe! OMGosh!

At least 500 things ran through my mind:

*Do I have time to get back to the hotel, retrieve my wallet and get back in time for the flight?

*How would I get back in the room as I had already checked out?

*How could I even prove anything?

About that time, Butch remembered that he had a copy of my passport. The guy is amazing! He’s always prepared! At least it was something. We didn’t know if it would work, but we proceeded to check in. When we got to the counter we explained the situation, we were told that it all depended on TSA as to whether they would let me on.

My head is still spinning—Butch was calm and said, “Okay Barb, one thing at a time. Let’s check our bags and then find the TSA desk. This kind of thing must happen all the time.” They let us check our bags with just the paper copy of my passport.

We got to the TSA desk. After waiting several minutes, I explained the situation. The gal was very nice but immediately told me that I could not use my phone from that point on until she got—I don’t know who—let’s just call him a “big shot” TSA person—on the phone to ask me some questions. 

While we were waiting to be connected, Butch walked off to call the hotel to see about having them mail my wallet. He returns a few minutes later and said that they would not mail I.d.’s, credit cards or cash. OMGosh! Now what to do? 

I kept insisting that this was my problem and I would handle it as he kept saying he’d go back to the hotel and catch a later flight. Then when I said that I would do that, he realized that since our bags are checked, we wouldn’t be able to get them back nor would they send them on if we didn’t show up for our flight. 

Then I had a genius idea! Call Sandy!!! She and Greg were still at the hotel!! They could get my wallet! Plus, we’re going on our “mother/daughter” weekend next week. She could bring it to me then. (I double-checked with the TSA agent I was working with to make sure I could use my real passport for that flight.) We felt bad about waking them up at 5:30!

As I’m still waiting for my “talk” with the TSA “big shot”, Butch went off to call the hotel again. He was gone quite awhile this time. When he came back, he said that they had to get ahold of a manager to see if Sandy would be allowed to pick up the wallet and they would call him back.

Finally, the agent working with me started asking me questions and relaying the info to the “big shot.” Luckily, it was all easy stuff that I actually remembered like—which state was my social security number issued (Missouri), the last four digits of my phone number (8451—although I worried that it might have been the old house phone they wanted) and a couple other things—and then the one I was certain would trip me up: What is the make and model of a car that’s in your name? I glanced at Butch, but realized he couldn’t help me. I’m not sure any car is actually in my name. I quickly said, “Jeep Grand Cherokee”—thinking to myself if they ask me the year, I’m scr**ed! I cannot keep it straight. I think it’s either a 2016 or 2017. Luckily, they didn’t ask that.

Whew! I passed and was good to go. Almost…! The agent had to walk me through security every step of the way. 

This is the worst part. I had to take off my shoes and walk barefoot on that disgusting floor!! (Don’t worry, I washed my shoes when I got home—as always!) 

I had to take everything out of my carry-on bag for swabbing. Then while that agent stood there, another one pulled me aside and removed everything from my purse—unzipping and removing stuff from every space—swabbing along the way. 

I passed, met up with Butch and was heading to the gate. He said that we were going home and then he’d fly back down later in the week to sort it all out. He still hadn’t heard back from the hotel. 

Right about the time we got to the gate, he got the call. Yes, they would allow Sandy to pick up my wallet! Hallelujah!! I breathed a deep sigh of relief. We were good to go!

Still, I wasn’t going to relax until Sandy called to say she had it. I texted her and said that I wanted them to use the cash in my wallet for a nice lunch! She responded, “No worries! You don’t have to treat us to lunch. I think a week in Disney is reward enough!”

Okay, I warned you that this was going to be long. This saga is NOT over yet!

We made it home. As soon as we got to the house, I went around back to open up the front door. That’s when I realized that my car keys were also in the safe!! Okay, no problem, we have a digital lock on the door and we have a spare set of keys for my car. 

About the time that I was going to tell Butch this, he said, “I just remembered, your keys were in the safe too!” He immediately called Sandy—who had already picked up my wallet. She said that she didn’t get the keys because since her dad didn’t mention them that—she didn’t think they were mine. There was also a little notebook that she also left behind. She only took the wallet because that’s all she thought we were missing!! Well of course, I was so grateful as the wallet IS the most important thing. 

Once we unpacked, I went to the grocery store while Butch called the hotel, yet again!! 

When I was checking out, the cashier said, "How is your day going so far?” I thought to myself, “Oh honey, if you only knew!” But I said, “It’s just fine!” No sense launching into this long story! She wouldn’t really want to know.

When I got home, Butch had the information for me to file a “lost & found” claim with Disney. I filled out the info online, got a case number and they’ll let me know if/when they find the keys. I was supposed to describe my keys. Now I know the I have some “stuff” dangling off of it, but for the life of me, I couldn’t think of what they were. I know I have one of those carabiner things and it’s pink. That should be enough to identify them. 

Disney has a huge, central, lost & found department. I’d love to see that! I cannot imagine all the thousands of things lost on a daily basis there. 

Anyway, it’s over now. I think I think I need a drink!