Rice

Let's just say it wasn't one of my most intellectual moments. To my defense, Jimmy had an ear infection and I hadn't slept for three nights. And I was on the phone--I get distracted on the phone. And so the story begins...

I had a bucket of bad rice that had to go. It was heavy and I knew it would break the two cent trash bag--money I so desperately wanted to save--so I decided to dump it down my sink . . . all of it. I know, I know, completely idiotic. In my simple-minded moment, I was only concerned about the garbage disposal; I figured if it could get past the disposal, I was good to go. So wrong.

I took the pipes apart myself--I even went and bought a snake, hoping to bypass the humiliation of telling Rob of my ordeal and instead just getting praised for my handywoman skills. No such thing.

I finally went to my sweet neighbor's house, a retired Army Paratrooper named Carl. He is genuine and kind and . . . I just love him. He came over to try and help me, but it was beyond him too. So, he called his handyman buddy, Stretch.

Stretch worked until almost 10pm (and Carl stayed with me since Rob wasn't home and Stretch was, well, crass). The rice turned from cement to sand in the pipes.

The next morning they worked for another 2 1/2 hours. And finally--the pipes cleared! Over seven hours of labor, and Stretch only charged me $200. Such a blessing. Carl got a huge batch of cinnamon rolls. I am so grateful for kind, genuine people in my life.

That same day, Rob got in a fender-bender in traffic when the girl in front of him stalled. Though there was no visible damage, she filed a claim.

Then my cell phone snapped in half.

It was an AWESOME week! But really, it all turned out okay. It's a beautiful Saturday, and we're off to go exploring in the nearby woods!