Keys

I think I could write an entire book dedicated to instances of lost or missing keys. And they would all be completely different circumstances. This is one of those stories...

Our house went on the market 2.5 weeks ago. The first weekend it would be on the market, I was going to be in Atlanta hanging out with Daniel at a wedding. As I was scrambling to tie up loose ends on the house {and anxiously get on the road}, I noticed that all of our spare keys were hanging in plain sight on hooks behind our front door.

This is great for when Daniel and I {and our friends and family} are the only ones entering the house. However, knowing there might be strangers viewing our home while I was away, I decided to throw the keys in my purse for safe keeping.

When I arrived in Atlanta I informed Daniel about the keys. He thought it was a good idea to hide the keys but thought I should hide them somewhere INSIDE the house.

Fast forward to this weekend. Last night I was helping move both of our vehicles around so that Daniel could do oil changes. For some reason I placed the Subaru keys in my purse instead of on the hook behind the door. I didn't think anything of this at the time.

The Altima keys were on the hook and we used them to go drive the Altima to church and out for breakfast at the Original Pancake House. After breakfast, we went home and said our goodbyes and then I had to run to work to help on a big project that is deadlining this week.

I had been at work for less than 15 minutes when Daniel called. He wanted to know where the Subaru keys were. For the life of me, I could no think of where they could be. He asked me to check in my purse and I had a sinking feeling... sure enough. The keys were in my purse. Then he asked where the spare keys were... unfortunately there were STILL in my purse.

Daniel: Let me get this straight, every key we own to EVERY thing we own is in your purse? What happens if your purse got stolen?

Thankfully my purse did not get stolen. But I did have to spend an extra 40 minutes driving home to give Daniel his keys {so that he could drive back to Chattanooga} and then back to work to finish my project.

52 Books in 52 Weeks: Book 13

I am late writing this post. It has been hard to find time to write with everything I have going on in my life. I am also one book behind, so I will have to find time to read 2 books in the coming weeks.

The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman is a fascinating account of how one family contributed to the Polish Underground during World War 2. Jan and Antonina Zabinski smuggled hundreds of Jews to safety by hiding them in the empty cages of their zoo. I had no clue so many Polish people put their lives on the line, as part of the Underground resistance.

This book had a lot of great passages. It is written like a novel, but direct quotes are pulled from the diaries of Antonina and others that were in Poland at this time.

People brave enough to stand by their windows or unlucky enough to be outside, watched a biblical hallucination unfolding as the zoo emptied into Warsaw's streets.

With courage and ingenuity, the Polish Resistance would sabotage German equipment, derail trains, blow up bridges, print over 1,100 periodicals, make radio broadcasts, teach covert high schools and colleges (attended by 100,000 students), aid Jews in hiding, supply arms, make bombs, assassinate Gestapo agents, rescue prisoners, stage secret plays, publish books, lead feats of civil resistance, hold its own law courts, and run couriers to and from the London-based government-in-exile.

Hibernation time wasn't only for sleep, it was also when bears typically gave birth to cubs they suckled and nuzzled until spring, a time of ripeness. Antonina wondered if humans might use the same metaphor and picture the war days as a "sort of hibernation of the spirit, when ideas, knowledge, science, enthusiasm for work, understanding, and love - all accumulate inside, [where] nobody can take them from us."

"No where in the world are people so generally reckless of danger as in Warsaw. There is incredible vitality in Warsaw and an infectious spirit of daring. The pulse of life beats in an unbelievably rapid tempo... There is rhythm and romanticism in everything... the entire city works, tearing down ruins and building new houses and creating, clearing away and filling in. Warsaw started to dig out from its ruins the very moment the last Nazi trooper left its suburbs. It has been at it ever since, building, remodeling and restoring without waiting for plans, money or materials."

In all, around 300 people passed through the way station at the Warsaw Zoo, en route to the rest of their nomadic lives. Jan always felt... that the real heroine of this saga was his wife, Antonina. "She was afraid fo the possible consequences... she was terrified the Nazis would seek revenge against us and our young son, terrified of death, and yet she kept it to herself, and helped me [with my Underground activities] and never ever asked me to stop."

"Antonina was a housewife... she wasn't involved in politics or war, and was timid, and yet despite that, she played a major role in saving others and never once complained about the danger."

the good. the bad. and the random. (Selling the Morganford House, April 2010)

The Good. Last Saturday, we saw some great possibilities for houses in Chattanooga.
The Bad. We saw one that had some nice features, but it was a reno with shoddy work that was visible, which makes you wonder about the invisible stuff.
The Random. I would be in a world of trouble without the help of our friend Benjy. He has been amazing about coming to walk Sophie whenever there is a weekday showing of the house.

The Good. We have had 11 showings in the past 2.5 weeks.
The Bad. There have been no offers and we are anxious to sell. After much thought, discussion and prayer, we decided to go ahead and drop the price.
The Random. We also decided to go ahead and install new garage doors {the current ones are rotting} and we have spent the day cleaning the garage up so it will show better... will we ever be done with house projects???

The Good. Daniel was able to drive home through the mountains instead of Atlanta.
The Bad. The main highways through the mountains are closed in places due to rock slides... Daniel took a forest service road for part of the way to get around the rock slide. He wouldn't have been able to make it without the all-wheel drive Subaru.
The Random. Daniel is driving so much, he currently has to change the oil in the Subaru EVERY couple of weeks. Yikes!

...

Still no offers on the house. God must want me to learn a little bit more about patience...

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." 

Jeremiah 29:11

Project 52: Date Nights - Mountain Opry

Our date {weekend} turned out to be very busy for us, but I will just hit the highlights. I drove down to Chattanooga {Friday morning} to spend time with Daniel and our friends, Chris & Courtney & kids.

Friday:

For lunch, Daniel and I had a picnic of barbecue from a local Signal Mountain haunt, then I napped. After a {homecooked} meal of Poppyseed chicken {a recipe from Daniel's mom that I had passed along Courtney}, we all headed to the Mountain Opry.

Saturday:

Homemade breakfast followed by a long day of house hunting {we saw some good stuff, we just need an offer on our house first}. Then a short hike {we had to make it up to Sophie since we dragged her around in the car with us all day}. Dinner was another home cooked meal followed by a game of Go Fish with the kids. Followed by some exciting news from C&C. Visiting then bed.

Sunday:

Hot cinnamon rolls for breakfast followed by church. Then to Chris' parents house for a family Easter lunch. Then a long drive home for me.

There was a lot of good stuff this weekend, but I want to tell a little more about the Mountain Opry. First of all, it was FREE. And it is every weekend on Signal Mountain. We truly enjoyed listening to local Bluegrass bands. Sitting there, listening to the talent, I had a vision of the future. I can really see us living there. Going to hear Bluegrass with family and friends on the weekends. Little Sadie (age 3) was dancing in the aisles. Courtney says that sometimes they let her get up on stage and clog with the older women. It was such a sweet sight and it all feels like home. 

I was really sad to come back to Charlotte on Sunday night. I am more than ready to be in Chattanooga with Daniel. I am ready to be closer to our family and friends. I am so ready. On a bright note, we have two showings tomorrow {one is a second showing} – please pray that we get an offer.

the good. the bad. and the random. (First Month Living Apart, April 2010)

The Good. It's officially been one month since Daniel started at TVA.
The Bad. I am still living in Charlotte until further notice {or our house sells}.
The Random. Sophie freaked me out the other night when she heard something outside. I was concerned about prowlers, so I investigated. Turned out there was a dog wandering around the neighborhood. This made Sophie terribly angry. I guess she wanted to wander around the neighborhood at midnight too.

The Good. Had a lovely weekend in Atlanta with Daniel and Sophie and some of my extended family.
The Bad. A tornado chased me home.
The Random. Del Tacos have ridiculously big burritos AND you get fries with the combo meal.

The Good. We have had 7 showings of our house.
The Bad. No offers yet.
The Random. I think I have cleaned my floors EVERY OTHER DAY for the past 7 days.

The Good. I actually cooked for myself for the first time in a month... take THAT fast food.
The Bad. I had a migraine yesterday and gave in to Chik-Fil-A for dinner :(
The Random. I am a week behind on my reading. I just finished a WW2 book {The Book Thief} and I started a new WW2 book {The Zookeeper's Wife}.

The Good. I get to go to Chattanooga for the weekend to hang out with Daniel {and do some house hunting}.
The Bad. I have to drive to Chattanooga. I am opting to leave EARLY Friday morning instead of Thursday night because driving to Atlanta last Thursday night really wore me out. Plus I have to mow our yard before I head out of town.
The Random. My brother called today asking how to get from Henderson, TN to Memphis... I think I need to buy my brother a road atlas for his car. What is he going to do if I am not near a computer to be his personal GPS or when it becomes ILLEGAL to talk on the phone and drive?

52 Books in 52 Weeks: Book 12

I am week behind on my reading... I thought I would get caught up during my long weekend trip to Atlanta, but I did more resting {and visiting} than reading.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak takes place in Nazi-dominated Germany during WW2. Death plays the role of narrator in this unforgettable story about a young German girl, Liesel, whose family hides a Jewish man in their basement. During the course of the book, Liesel learns the power of words and the terrible burden of loss.

Some favorite passages:

The Germans loved to burn things. Shops, synagogues, Reichstags, houses, personal items, slain people, and of course, books.

When a Jew shows up at your place of residence in the early hours of morning, in the very birthplace of Nazism, you're likely to experience extreme levels of discomfort. Anxiety, disbelief, paranoia. Each plays its part, and each leads to a sneaking suspicion that a less than heavenly consequence awaits. The fear is shiny. Ruthless in the eyes.

The surprising point is that despite this iridescent fear glowing as it did in the dark, they somehow resisted the urge for hysteria.

Life had altered in the wildest possible way, but it was imperative that they act as if nothing had happened. Imagine smiling after a slap in the face. Then think of doing it 24 hours a day. That was the business of hiding a Jew.

They say that war is death's best friend, but I must offer you a different point of view on that one. To me, war is like the new boss who expects the impossible. He stands over your shoulder repeating one thing, incessantly. "Get it done. Get it done." So you work harder. You get the job done. The boss, however, does not thank you. He asks for more.

It's probably fair to say that in all the years of Hitler's reign, no person was able to serve the Fuhrer as loyally as me {death}... I have the endless ability to be in the right place at the right time. The consequence of this is that I'm always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both. Still, they have one thing I envy. Humans, if nothing else, have the good sense to die.