the necklace

A few years ago I began coveting my friend's necklace. Her mother had given it to her as a graduation gift, and I somehow thought it was a custom design. I told her that if they ever made another batch I wanted in. "What are you talking about? She got it at Tiffany." Oh. Well, then. I mentioned it to Ryan and last year for Christmas he surprised me with said necklace.

I loved the necklace and wore it all the time. I felt like it was understated but classic and beautiful. Then one morning I couldn't find it. I was certain it would turn up and didn't think much of it. But after a few days of casual looking I began to panic. I checked everywhere I could think of. Nothing. I felt horrible not only that I had lost something I loved, but I had lost something Ryan had given me.

This Christmas I didn't feel like I could ask for any jewelry given my track record. But Ryan surprised me with a new necklace to replace my old one. He even gave me an upgrade.

On Monday I was brushing my teeth (at an odd angle to accommodate my big belly) and noticed something in the drain. I screwed the top off, and to my amazement found my necklace just sitting there!

(This picture is a recreation with another necklace. I didn't dare tempt fate with the original just for blogging purposes.)

How it managed to stay there for six months, unnoticed, is beyond me. I called Tiffany and turned my exchange into a return (I had decided I didn't need the upgrade, and luckily it hadn't shipped out yet.)

The necklace has a little tarnish on one end but really looks amazing considering where it has been. I am one lucky girl.

pregnant brain

Today I woke up a little late and was scrambling to feed myself and Ella and get to church on time. As I was getting ready I realized that there was something off with my vision. I tried washing my contacts out, but it didn't really help. I couldn't focus correctly and my right eye was blurry. As I was in church I tried to ignore it, but it became more and more bothersome. So I went home, took out my contacts and tried to sleep it off. But I started to worry. Could this be a mild stroke? HELLP syndrome? Normal pregnancy changes? I started testing my vision and realized that my right eye (the one I initially thought was blurry) was actually okay, but my left eye that was having difficulty. This was weird, and freaking me out a bit so I called my doctor. As I was working my way through the phone tree I touched my right eye...and found another contact lens. Oh my goodness. My 'stroke' was the result of putting in three contact lenses. One in my left eye and two in my right. I don't know how I did that (I did open a new pair today because the first ones I put in were scratchy). I was so glad I figured this out before calling my doctor and going to the hospital. Oh the pregnant brain.

{Of note, Ryan did ask me if I thought it was a problem with my contacts. No, I said definitively. I took them out and the problem was still there.}

nose spiting face...OR...why I am not always right...OR...maybe I should listen to my husband

I have this unfortunate habit of thinking that, when it comes to disagreements with Ryan, I am usually right. The funny thing is I know that Ryan is smarter than I am. Hands down. No question. I am the first to admit it, and it doesn't bother me one bit. I am smart; he is smarter. But when it comes to individual situations and questions, all that goes out the window. I am almost always certain that I am right and he is wrong.

Today we had one of those little differences of opinion. We were in the bathroom getting ready, and Ella was holding a bottle of OPI's The Chapel of Love. It nearly rolled onto the tile floor, and Ryan commented how lucky we were that it didn't fall, as it would surely break. I disagreed. It wouldn't break. The glass was thick--the bottle sturdy.

To prove my point, I took the bottle and dropped it. Onto the hard tile floor.

And, yep, it broke.

Score one more for Ryan.

awkward

So, if you know me well, you know two things about me.

1) I can be a little obsessive. When I get something "in my head," as Ryan calls it, watch out.

2) I am sometimes a tad bit socially awkward. Most of the time I can hold my own, but there are those instances where I revert to a gawky 12 year-old.

Both of these endearing traits came together last Thursday.

I made lemon cookies to take to the families Ryan home teaches, and I decided that they would look oh-so-cute if they were on these plates

from IKEA. Yes, it's a little silly to drive 40 minutes just to get two plates....but it was in my head. So you can imagine my disappointment when I got there and realized I had left my wallet at home. {ella thought it was funny, though. "Mom no have money!"}

Not easily deterred, I went inside and asked if they would accept my credit card number without the actual card. Nope.

I asked if I could apply for an Ikea credit card. Nope. You need your DL number.

So, I just wandered the store, hoping to see someone I knew. Right as I was leaving, a family came up to me and said, "You look like a Pediatrician!" I didn't recognize them, but they told me that I had seen their son in the hospital and they brought their children to our office. We made a little small talk, and then I said, "Would you.....oh, never mind." Stopped myself just in time. More small talk, and I couldn't help it.

"This is the weirdest thing I've ever done, but I forgot my wallet and was wondering if I could borrow $3?"

"Um, sure."

So I go to get the plates and realize that they are $3 each, and I need two. Duh.

"Actually, it would be $6, is that okay?"

So we had to wind all the way through IKEA making more small talk. I should say that the family was very very nice (the wife said things like, "This happens to me all the time"), but it was a little weird. I mean, who asks a nearly perfect stranger for money at Ikea. I probably should have held my tongue. I did send them the money right away...hopefully I didn't scare them from our office.

The cookies, however, looked perfect.

I would not do well in the Witness Protection Program

A few days ago I noticed something on my front porch as I pulled into the driveway. Closer inspection revealed a mens wallet. "Ha, ha," I thought. Ryan finally lost his wallet. Made me feel a little better for the dozens of times I've lost mine. But when I went to grab it I quickly noticed that it was not Ryan's. Although it was well worn, there was no identification at all. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

But there was cash. Hundreds of dollars.

Bizzaro, right?

So I did some sleuthing. Also on the porch were some books left by a friend. I called her to ask if she knew anything about the mystery wallet. Nope. It was not there when she had stopped by, only 15 minutes before.

I went next door and asked my neighbor if he knew anything. Nothing.

At this point, weird scenerios are going through my head. I had just heard a piece on This American Life where a couple noticed an unusual car in front of their house in their quiet little neighborhood. They tried to figure out who it belonged to, going as far as opening the door (it was unlocked) and rummaging through the glove compartment. No luck, so they called the police. Turns out, it was a "bait" car for thieves, and through a series of crazy events they ended up arrested, spent a day in jail and had a three year horrible ordeal until they finally went to the media and oops, the police had made a mistake and dropped all the charges.

So, despite my fear that Ira Glass and I may someday have something to talk about, I called the Sandy Police. A nice officer (with a big gun and a big tazer) came to my home, whipped out her spiral bound notebook and started asking me things like, "Exactly what time did you find the wallet," and "Did you see anything else unusual?" 2:33 and no.

She gave me her card with a case number on it and left me alone with my over-active imagination.

Was this a bait wallet? Was Chris Hansen hiding in the bushes, just waiting to see what I would do? Because, seriously, who takes everything from a wallet and leaves the cash. Was it drug money? Was I involved in something shady?

At this point I was a little weirded out, but no big deal. I went upstairs and did some laundry. Ella was wandering around entertaining herself. Suddenly I hear a loud noise, which I think are footsteps, I quickly look for Ella, don't see her, and FREAK out. { If you don't believe me, ask Thayer, who was on the phone with me at the time. She tried to be my calm, but I was beyond her reach.} I'm running around the house, yelling Ella's name, and picturing her abducted by the money-leaving thief.

But, no. She was just playing in the guest bedroom, steps away from the laundry room, a little scared by her crazy mom. Breathe.

I want to go on a walk, but worry that perhaps someone is watching the house (I know, it sounds crazy to me, too, but that's the state I was in), so I went to the Post Office. Because nothing crazy ever goes on there.

Ryan soon came home, and I chilled out. Now I'm just wondering if I get the money if no one claims it. I didn't even think to ask. Too intimidated by the gun.

Moral of the story: if anything freaky ever does happen, heaven help me. I couldn't even handle free money.

Post-edit: Mystery solved. Today my housekeeper Ifeta came by and randomly told me that she'd lost her wallet. A black wallet, no id, with hundreds of dollars in it! She had stopped by my house the day of the fiasco and rummaged through her bag looking for her keys when the wallet must have fallen out.

She explained that she had two wallets: a regular one with all her stuff in it, and this one with only cash. She is saving for a plane ticket to visit her son in Germany this Christmas and this wallet is her piggy bank. She had no hope of finding her stash as it had absolutely no identifying features. So I called the Sandy Police Department and informed them that I had cracked the case.