Miss Me?

Apparently I go through stints of neglecting my sweet, little blog. Life is busy...hectic...full. Life is full, and sometimes something needs to be put aside so that I can focus on what is more important. However, as happens from time to time, I have felt a pull to return here again. Then, when someone asked me last Sunday why I stopped writing my blog, it stuck me that there are actually those of you out there who enjoy reading it. By neglecting my little blog, have I been neglecting YOU? Well, we certainly cannot have that, so here I am, back at the keyboard, ready to fill your computer screen with words that I hope will inspire you, touch you, entertain you, educate you, heal you, make you chuckle...or maybe simply annoy you. That last one is not my goal, but not everyone realizes that I am as fabulous as I am, so it is bound to happen.

It would seem that Words from DUG will be two years old in two weeks. What better way is there to get this place rejuvenated than to plan a Blogoversary Party with fun, games, giveaways and more? I say that we do it!

As it turns out, that will also be around tax time, so a bit of cheery fun will probably be in order for some of us, anyway. Hehe. Sooo...invite your friends to follow Words from DUG via Google Friend Connect (over there on the right), via NetworkedBlogs, via Facebook. Tell them to keep reading and commenting, and when the exact date and time is set for the party, they can be among the first to know! Go on...invite them. It will not be one of those awkward parties. It will be fun! Do not make them be upset with you because you did not invite them. (Hmm...does that sound like it might be a message for something else?)

Meanwhile, I plan to get back to the alphabet postings. I am pretty sure that we left off with M. There were a few suggestions posted previously. Someone suggested Marriage. Hmm...wouldn't that be a controversial place to jump back into things? Let me go see what were some other suggestions. Do you have any?

L = Letterboxing

Yes, I skipped K, but I can go back to it later, right? Since more and more people have been asking, I figured that it was probably about time to add a post to my little blog about letterboxing. That is right. You know that you have been wondering. Now you will hopefully get your curiosities satisfied so that you do not wind up like the proverbial cat.

World English Dictionary

letterboxing (ˈlɛtəˌbɒksɪŋ)
— n
1.	a method of formatting film that enables all of a wide-screen film to be transmitted on a television screen, resulting in a blankstrip of screen above and below the picture
2.	a type of treasure hunt in which a box, known as a letterbox ,is hidden in a remote rural location and clues are provided as to its whereabouts

Sooo...we will go with the second definition today.

There are so many fun and fantastic aspects to letterboxing, but the gist of it is that it is a scavenger hunt. What I enjoy about letterboxing that it is something that I can do with my guys. It is family-friendly and a good activity for any age. It gets us outside in the fresh air. It gets us exercising. It gets us thinking and puzzle solving. It gets us doing something together.

Are you still with me? Do you think that you might like to give letterboxing a whirl?

To play, you would need your own "signature" stamp, a journal, an ink pad, and a pen. Oh, and you will need a trail name. Your trail name can be whatever you choose. Some people choose a name indicative of a hobby or a twist on their real name or something else.

Clues can usually be found on the internet, though some are word of mouth (WOM). We mostly use AtlasQuest, yet there are also other letterboxing web sites. Here is how it works:

1. Get a clue. (Yes, I told you to get a clue.)

2. Follow the clue, and find the location to which it takes you.

3. When you get to the end of the clue, you will hopefully find a letterbox.

4. When you find the letterbox, there should be a rubber stamp and a logbook inside of it.

5. Stamp your signature stamp into the logbook to indicate that you were there. Some people put the date and the city and state from which they traveled to find the box (even if it is in your own town). It is neat to look through a logbook and see from here people have come.

6. Take the stamp from the letterbox and stamp it into your journal. To me this is like collecting passport stamps of all of the letterboxes that you have visited. Some people like to write next to the stamped image in their journal the name of the stamp, the person who planted it, the date they found it, or any number of other things. It is your journal, so you can write or not write what you choose.

7. Pack the stamp and logbook back into the secure, hopefully weather-safe container, and re-hide it exactly where you found it. If you can, hide it better than you found it.

This may seem like a lot, yet that is simply because I have attempted to walk you through finding a box with as many details as I think will help you understand. In reality, once you find a box, the process of numbers 4-7 might take you about three minutes.

HOWEVER, there is one thing that I have not yet mentioned. Letterboxing is a fun past time, and it can bring joy and adventure to your personal or family activities. What you do not want to do, though, is ruin it for the next person who goes to look for the box after you. With that in mind, it is important to be stealthy when you are hunting and retrieving a letterbox. The idea is to not let people who might be around you see or know what you are doing.

People who do not know what letterboxing is simply would not understand why you are digging behind that trash can or burrowing through the leaves at the park or sneaking off on some clandestine mission with someone else's wife.

In addition to the thrill of the hunt, this obsession...err...addiction...umm...hobby has given us so much more. Letterboxing has taken us to some beautiful places that we did not know existed and may never has seen otherwise. We have been to some events where we have met some super people. We have made some friends that, chances are, we would not have met outside of letterboxing.

Plus, part of the fun of this surreptitious hobby is that you get to be part of a sort of secret society, and doesn't that make you feel special?

I = Ichthus

You may know it as the Jesus fish. You have seen it on vehicles, on clothes, on jewelry, on business advertisements, and possibly many more places. Do you really know what it is, though?

ψάρια (ikhthýs) is a Greek word meaning "fish." You may know that fish are a prevalent thing in the Bible, both actual fish and fish used as a metaphor. Some say that the Greek word in capital letters is ΙΧΘΥΣ, which can also be used as an acronym meaning, "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior."

I found the following explanation here.

• Iesous (Iasoos) is Jesus. The first letter is ‘iota’, Ιησους.
• Xristos (Christos) is Christ. The first letter is ‘chi’, Χριστóς.
• Theou (Theou) is God. The first letter is ‘theta’, Θεοῦ.
• Yios (Huios) is Son. The first letter is ‘upsilon’, Υἱός.
• Sotare (Sotare) is Savior. The first letter is sigma’, Σωτήρ.

Today many Christians display this symbol as a proclamation that they are followers of Christ. Additionally, some display it as reminders that Jesus calls us to be fishers of men, to share Christ with others.

I have read several places that this symbol was originated in the first and second centuries when Christians were being commonly persecuted, tortured, and put to death during the reign of Roman emperors that despised them, possibly starting with Nero, under whose reign both Peter and Paul are thought to have perished.

How did this symbol come to be? It is said that when two people met, one of them might casually draw an arc in the sand or dirt with their toe. If the other person was also a Christian, they would just as casually draw another arc with their toe, thus creating the fish symbol. If that was done, then both people know that they were safe to acknowledge that they were Christians and talk freely amongst themselves.

If you are curious to know more about the ichthus (or ichthys), I encourage you to research it. So many every day things have such interesting backgrounds about which we could learn so much if we want to!

Oh, and for a neat bonus, I discovered the ichthus wheel. When you combine the Greek letters of ΙΧΘΥΣ, they make a six-spoked wheel. Apparently, this symbol can sometimes be seen with the ichthus and the Greek letters.

G = Giveaway

G also stands for God. God makes so many beautiful things in our world and blesses us with the senses to enjoy them. Thank you, Lord.

One of our senses is smell, and so many people enjoy candles and air fresheners and other smelly things. Do you like beautiful scents and creative home decor? If so, then this giveaway might be for you. My buddy, Miranda, is offering a giveaway available only to my blog readers!

First in the giveaway will be this lovely Scentsy Plug-In Warmer. Miranda asked me which warmer I thought would be good for this giveaway, and since this was Easter weekend, the angels seemed to be the likely choice.

With Scentsy Plug-In Warmers, you still get amazing fragrance in even the smallest spaces. Available in a range of colors and designs, each plug-in features a detachable base, making it quick and easy to change fragrances.

The warmer for this giveaway is called Heavenly and it has a creamy base encircled with angels. Matte porcelain finish with gold highlights. The Heavenly warmer retails for $20.00 and measures approximately 3" x 3.5" in size.

Now you may be wondering what to put in the warmer to make the yummyscents that you will enjoy.

Refresh your home with Scentsy’s authentic wickless candles. Simply break off portions of your favorite Scentsy Bars and add them to a warmer for long-lasting fragrance!

Scentsy Bars are available in more than eighty scents, and the person who gets the Heavenly warmer will also be treated to April's sent of the month, Flutter, which resembles delicate orange blossoms and whipped almond cream float above a bed of bright lemon verbena. Scentsy Bars are just $5.00 each or 10% OFF during the month of April!

By now you may be saying, "Okay, Dug, we got it. Now how do we GET it?" Hehe. Okay, okay, I will tell you.

Mandatory:

1. Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect on the right side of this blog and/or NetworkedBlogs. Leave a comment for each.

2. "Like" Miranda's Scentsy page on Facebook and comment to let me know.

Optional for more entries:

3. Follow Words from DUG on Facebook and comment to say that you did.

4. Comment on this post and tell me what you would do with the Scentsy Plug-In Warmer and Scentsy Bar.

5. Comment on as many of my alphabet blog posts from April as you would like and get an entry for each letter under which you comment, leave a comment here for an entry.

6. Browse Miranda's Scentsy web site and leave a comment to tell me what is your favorite kind of product.

7. Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment saying that you did.

8. Place an order at Miranda's web site and comment to tell me that you did.

9. Phone Miranda at 713/480-7684 to book a Scentsy catalog party and leave a comment below with your date.

10. Tweet or blog or post on Facebook about this contest using the URL for this page, and enter comments to let us know that you did.

WOW! There are sooo many opportunities to enter, and this is a gift that you will be able to enjoy for a long time. Thank you for playing and for helping me help Miranda spread the word about her Scentsy business. I hope the best for each of you!

B = Beef

While walking several weeks ago, on a Saturday morning while the men were at their Bible study, a friend and I discovered a restaurant at DoMo. It looked like a finer restaurant, which would be different from what we usually see around here. One cannot really tell by looking through the windows at 7:30ish in the morning, though, what a place is really like. We both agreed that it might be a treat to dine there one evening and find out.

A week or so ago, I found Epic Chophouse's Facebook page and, from there, found the restaurant's web site. Last night, for the first time that I can remember since Boy was born, Hubby and I had (drumroll, please)...an adult date night. Yes, Boy is three. By what I have said so far, you can guess where we went to dine, right? Yes! We went to McDonald's.

Not.

I do not normally do reviews on this blog, yet a bunch of my local peeps read it, so what better way is there to spread the word?

We dropped Boy off with SaraBeth and headed downtown to Epic Chophouse. We did not use it, but they have free valet parking right outside the front door. Yes, free. Is that not a pleasant perk?

We were seated immediately, and I must say that I liked our table. It was in a corner and cozy and private. The one thing that I would have liked better would have been if Hubby was able to sit next to me instead of across from me. Yes, we are those people, the people who sit on the same side of a booth together.

Terra, our serving, assured us that she would be taking "very good care" of us. I kept thinking that Terra looked like Ashley Johnson. Different hair, similar face.

From the beginning, this restaurant had even small touches down. The gentleman seating us pulled out the table for me. I imagine that he would have pulled out the chair if my seat was not against the wall. Our orders were taken without us having to wait. Our drinks were refilled even without us needing to ask. Oh, and I was only charged for one cranberry juice, not three like many places would have done. The little things are noticed. Our food arrived exactly as we ordered it.

Hubby ordered a bone-in rib eye and was surprised at how small was the bone. (That is a good thing.) I asked him how was his steak, and he said that it was, "Fabulous!" Then he added, "Succulent."

My order was for prime rib, warm and red. It has been difficult to get really good prime rib around these parts. I will now say that I believe that was the best, most delicious piece of beef that I have had at a restaurant since moving back here from Hilton Head Island two years ago. It was thick. It was tender and delicious. It was beautiful. After it was half eaten, I decided that I should have taken a photograph of it.

Epic Chophouse also serves a selection of seafood, pasta, chicken, duck, and several specialties.

While we were eating, Jim (the owner?) happened by, and we got to meet face-to-face. Since we had spoken on Facebook and on the telephone, it was one of those small treats to put a name with a face. He was friendly and engaging, jovial even.

At one point, an employee was passing our table, and stopped to tell my husband that he had dropped a $20 bill. That was honest.

The one thing about which I was not crazy was the staff wearing jeans. I am not a big fan of jeans, and, in a restaurant like that, I might have expected to see black slacks. However, that is me, and I realize that a business needs to appeal to its clientele. The attire there seemed to be nice-casual. Anyone should feel comfortable there.

By the time we finished dining, I said, "I am done. Stick a fork in me."

Hubby said, "I don't think you would like that."

Hehe.

Since the night was so beautiful, after we finished our supper, and while we were waiting for dessert, which we had to order, Hubby and I stepped outside for a bit of fresh air and to stretch and let our food settle...and we needed room for dessert. While we were outside, an employee rushed out after us, not because he thought that we had left without paying, but to let us know that I had forgotten my wallet. Another kind and honest gesture.

Back inside. Cheesecake for Hubby. Chocolate cake for me. By then, really full.

Attentive staff, but not overbearing. Prime beef. Friendly management. Reasonable prices for the quality of food. Excellent experience. It would seem to me that anyone who has anything negative to say about this place...has not actually been there. If you are within driving distance of DoMo and have not been to Epic Chophouse on Main Street, GO. Treat yourself. Savor the meal. Enjoy the experience.

Now we are trying to figure out how we could eat there every night. Maybe we shall sell the car and set up an Epic Chophouse fund. We will be back.

By the way, can anyone give us a ride?

Epic. First. Date.

A = Abstemiously

For Fun Friday this week, I am posting a word.

Abstemiously.

What is so special about this word? Remember that this is Fun Friday, so try not to put too much thought into it.

If, however, you would like to delve beyond the fun and find out more about this word, abstemious is characterized by abstinence or sparing or moderate eating and drinking. How can that relate you your life? You can answer facetiously, yet it would be interesting to read people's various perspectives.

Why Do We Blog?

A while back, someone asked me why I blog. I am curious now, why do YOU blog? People have blogs about countless topics and for a wide variety of reasons, and it might be neat to find out what are some of them. With that in mind, I have decided to created this meme.

The Question: Why do you blog?

The Rules:

1. Comment below to answer the question with five reasons.

2. Create your own blog entry to continue the meme.

3. Give credit and link back to the original blog post and to the blog where you saw the meme shared.

4. Tag your friends and encourage them to participate.

Part of the fun of this is seeing how many people keep the chain going and seeing all of the different -- or similar -- reasons that people give, so be sure to read other people's blogs to see what they say!

I will start by answering my own question. I originally posted an answer to this question last summer, yet as time goes by, my reasons have grown. Be clear that they have not changed, yet I have even more reasons now. In addition to what I posted last year, here are five more reasons why I like to blog.

Why do you blog?

1. To Learn. I like to learn, and sometimes I learn new things when researching for what I want to write.

2. For Fun. Sometimes I like to do or write or share something simply for the enjoyment or the humor of it.

3. To Read. I sincerely enjoy reading people's comments. It makes me feel good to know that people care enough to read my blog and comment on it, and it is even better when I see people commenting off of one another's comments.

4. To Share. When someone tells me that they have "gotten something" from reading my blog, I feel blessed to know that God used me to touch that person.

5. For Friends. It is neat to meet and get to know people via our blogs. Some of these people have even gotten to be my buddies outside of the blog world. How neat is that?

I am going to tag Dawn, A.Marie, Kathy, Lisa, Julie, Jennyfer, and...if you would like to be tagged, just let me know.

Your turn!

Fun Friday -- Pink

What can you get to know about someone by a color? Recently, I posted on Facebook and asked people to choose a color. With St. Patrick's Day being this week, or because it is my favorite color, did people choose green? No. The color most commonly chosen was pink, so I went around the house and took pictures of things that are some shade of pink. Finding things pink was not easy, though, because, frankly, I am not a fan of pink. Still, I made the effort, and here are some things in my life that are pink.

This is a picture frame that our sweet Boy made for us for Valentine's Day. He is so precious and giving and loving. How could we not adore that beautiful face?

Johnson's Baby Lotion. Since having Boy, this is usually in the house, and everyone uses it.

Pasta. Mmmm. This box happens to have pink on it because a portion of the proceeds was to benefit the Susan G. Komen foundation.

A well-worn pair of pink, plaid sneakers.

Chunky Bible. I also have a blue one, a green one, and an orange one. They are fun and like a big block. Now, that's Chunky!

What home does not need duct tape?

Grams' sweater. Grams died on 9/13/2004, and even though I am not a fan of pink, I kept this sweater of hers. It is getting old and may not fit perfectly, but I wear it and think of her when I do.

Hats. I have lots of hats, dozens of them. I like a hat on my head or a flower in my hair. No, I do not have any pink flowers. I will say, though, that more people should wear hats!

There you have it. Some things "pink" from my life. Whew, that was not so easy. I had to go searching. Who knew that I so much that is pink when I do not even like pink?

If you are wondering why we have pink, of all colors, duct tape, it is because it is left over from the G.A.L.s Wearing Hats duct tape purse party. Here are two purses that I made.

Yes, those are more things pink, but who knows what ever happened to them? Not me.

What about you? Are you a fan of pink? What do you have in your life that is pink? All that I think that I have left to say now is...YOUR TURN!

Christian Blog Crawl

Sooo...I saw a "blog crawl" on someone's blog, and, while I was not exactly sure what that was, the idea seemed excellent to me. What a neat way to share thoughts and words and lessons and ideas from and with other people on a regular basis. My mind started working, I came up with my own idea of what this could be, and I created the Christian Blog Crawl.

Participating blogs are based on Christian values but do not need to focus on any specific subject. As a matter of fact, we aim for a variety of types of blogs. Please check out all of the blogs listed below, and feel free to return to read and comment on them as often as you would like.

RobSorbo.com

http://robsorbo.com

Purposeful Pathway

http://purposefulpathway.com/

Find Your PATH, Live with PURPOSE, Walk God's Way

Faith Notes

http://www.faithnotes-dottie.blogspot.com/

Thoughts on faith, family, life, marriage, reading, writing.

A House Upon the Rock

http://ahouseupontherock.com/

To encourage you as you build your house upon The Rock.

Brvan

http://brvan.com

Faith. Family. Writing.

Certain Christian

http://www.certainchristian.com/

One Man and His Journey with God

My Money Mission

http://www.mymoneymission.com/

http://www.mymoneymissiononline.com/

Taber's Truths

http://www.taberstruths.com/

Spiritual insights for the common man.

Homeschool Circus

http://upatdawnreadytowork.blogspot.com

What else do you call a homeschooling house of six?

Mike Print

http://mikegprint.wordpress.com/

Thoughts on life and faith.

Apologetics Guy

http://www.apologeticsguy.com/blog/

Words from DUG

http://wordsfromdug.blogspot.com/

"A bit of faith, a bit of inspiration, a bit of humor, a bit of the every day."

If you would like to join us on the Christian Blog Crawl list, ask! We commit to posting the above badge on our blog with a link to this page for the list, we commit to reading one another's blogs and commenting on posts, we commit to sharing about CBC occasionally on our own blogs to try to share our readership with one another, and we commit to being encouraging over all. If a blog contains anything that may be questionable or not in line with the Word of God, then please do not ask to be added. Thank you, and happy blogging!

NOTE: Each blog is of the individual blog writer's thoughts. While I am a Conservative Christian, you may find something a bit more liberal posted among these blogs. (If I see it, you may very well see my comment.) While we aim to spread the message of Christ's love by our messages and our actions, we also can learn from other's points of view.

Popcorn? Who Knew?

Who knew that there was an entire world of popcorn about which we could learn? Seriously! Okay, okay, there is an entire world of just about everything for us to learn. More specifically, I guess the question should be, who would think to make an entire study about it? Well...someone did.

A new blog that I discovered, Walking Home..., had a post about this study and then a contest. Guess what. Wait for iiiit....

I WON!

Oh, My Goodness, I was so excited. Most of us would probably say the same thing about winning anything, right? However, I won!

This is going to be such an interesting study to do as a family. Hubby and Boy both really like popcorn. What neat things will we learn about it and do with it during this study?

Day 1: Popcorn—What Is It?

Day 2: The Story of Popcorn

Day 3: The Flavors of Popcorn

Day 4: The Science of Popcorn

Day 5: Fun With Popcorn

Another fantastic thing about winning this contest is that it introduced me to UnitStudy.com, which I hope to utilize for more interesting and thrilling learning experiences for our family. Thank you so much to Walking Home... for the gift and for the adventure on which my guys and I will be going right here at home!

Saturday Search

Rather than me putting my thoughts out there today, it might be neat to read yours! With that in mind, I invite you to share anything that you want to share today in a few sentences or less. Experience, humor, scripture, embarrassment, prayers...anything. Go!

Is This News?

We were at the doctor's office this morning, and CNN was playing on the television in the waiting room. We were amazed at some of the drivel that we saw. Then they played a video of a baby laughing. I said, "Wh-hat? This is news?!" Then I said, "Well...people complain that the news usually only plays bad news, so I guess this is a cute, happy thing to share.

...but wait a minute. The baby is laughing at the tearing up of a JOB REJECTION LETTER that the dad received. The man is still out of work. Unemployed. In the end, I suppose that it was still bad news being reported. 8^P

Deed 14: We were at a restaurant with the Youth Group last night, and two of us got to the line at the same time. The young man let me go first. When we were at the register, I had him order and paid for his food. He said that I did not have to do that, like a polite, young gentleman, but I insisted. (After all, I still have ninety-six deliberate kind deeds to do in the next fourty-two day!)

You Farted

Does your child ever say something that makes you so grateful that you do not have company or so happy that you are not in public?

Boy was in my arms. There was a noise. Boy looked at my hubby and said, "Poppie, you farted."

"What? No, I didn't. Momma did!"

"No, Poppie, you farted."

"No, I didn't! Momma did!"

"No, Poppie, you did!" It is as though Boy is telling my hubby to stop trying to blame me.

The argument went on for a few more rounds, my husband's face full of shock as he protested his innocence and tried not to laugh.

He was innocent.

Why on earth, you may be wondering, am I posting this today? I am sharing it because it is funny. If you do not see the humor, then maybe you do not have children...or maybe you just lack a funny bone. If that is the case, phone your orthopedist today and make an appointment.

If you are horrified because I used the word "fart," then watch and listen to what Brad Stine has to say about the matter.

Fun Friday - Sharing News

At a local moms web site today, someone asked if anyone had any funny or cute stories about how they shared the news that they were pregnant. I do have a cute story about how we shared the news at church.

We did not "tell" people, per se. We chose a feminine, long-sleeve, cotton shirt and had it embroidered high on the one side (where you might see a business logo or a shirt pocket) with Psalm 127:3. Whenever anyone asked what the verse said, we played dumb and waited for them to look it up. Hehe. People who got it had the best expressions and reactions. A couple of people were a little bit lost but eventually came around.

Then, some time later, Hubby and I were doing a drama of the Lord's Prayer that is an interactive conversation with God. Here is what I mean.

Me: Our Father, who art in Heaven-
God: Yeess?
Me: Do not interumpt me; I am praying!
God: I know. You called me.
Me: Called you? No, I did not. I am praying. Our Father, who art in Heaven-
God: There. You did it again.
Me: Did what?
God: You called me. You said, "Our Father, who art in Heaven." Here I am. What do you need?

Then it went on and we continued the conversation as I said each part of The Lord's Prayer. Then, further down....

Me: And give us this day, our daily bread.
God: You should probably lay off of the bread a bit, too, because you are gaining some weight.
Me: What?! I am pregnant!

Ha! This got some interesting reactions from people who did not find out the first time.

We like to do things with a fun twist whenever we can. Maybe one day I will tell you about the garter at our wedding.

Do you have any cute stories that you would like to share just because they are fun or just because they make you smile? Go for it!

Fun Friday - Weekend ABCs

Using the next letter of the alphabet, share something that you would like to do this weekend. Whether you are actually going to do it or not is irrelevant. It is all about what you would like to do, so have fun with it!

A = This weekend, I would like to AVOID the heat!

The Umbrellas and the Key

We headed south this past Friday evening to do a few things at the beach house. When we got around seventy miles down the road, we realized that we did not bring a KEY to the beach house.

For a few moments, my husband thought that I was kidding. I was not. I had forgotten the key.

I laughed. He got angry.

When we left home, I went back inside two times for things that we had forgotten. As I was leaving (for the third time), I told the house/pet sitter that we were leaving and that if we forgot anything else, it was our own problem. Ha-ha! Little did I know what I was saying.

You see, we always forget something. It is like there is a scientific law for us: The Law of Taking Trips. This time, tough, I realized that I forgot Boy's beach umbrellas. Bummer! Knowing that we forgot the beach umbrellas, though, we should have been safe.

WRONG.

Seemingly, the Law of Taking Trips was faulty. All of these years, knowing that we would always forget something, it turned out that we could, in fact, forget some things.

I phoned a friend of ours, who also happens to be the person who cleans the beach house. You know what that means, right? Yes! She has keys to the house. I got her voice mail and left a message.

For a short while longer, while driving down the highway, my husband was agitated and irritable. Then he turned on the right blinker and drove off of the next exit. When I asked him what he was doing, he said that there was no point to drive all the way down to the house without a key. I said, “We can stay at an hotel.” That did not go over well.

“Sure, because we are made of money!” Let me clarify this for those who do not know us. We have close to half a million hotel points. Money was not the issue because we did not have to spend money to get a hotel room.

Whatever words were said next, I do not remember, but Hubby got back onto the highway and continued driving south. A few minutes later, a different friend from down at the beach phoned. When I told him what happened, he immediately offered to let us stay at his and his wife's place. What a blessing it is to have such an hospitable friend.

After thanking our friend and assuring him that we would phone him if it came to that, I finished the telephone call and looked at my husband. “May I ask you to just choose not to be cranky and to see the humor in this and think of it as an adventure?”

I think that my husband, though frustrated, realized (after I pointed it out) that being angry or upset was not going to fix anything. It was not going to make the key suddenly appear. His jaw seemed to unclench, and he relaxed a bit. It was getting to be that calm and quiet time of the day when the sun sets, yet it is still light outside. I took off my sunglasses and opened the center console to put them away. When I looked into the console, I saw something buried in there which I then felt compelled to grab. It was another set of car keys.

We do not leave keys in that car. Duh. Somehow, though, this set had gotten left in the car. After a quick examination, we saw that this particular set of keys happened to have a key on it that we thought went to the beach house.

How funny is it that as soon as my husband let go of his frustration and made the decision to not be cranky about the situation, it was almost instantly resolved? Yes, when we arrived a few hours later we discovered that that key was for the house. (Thank the Lord!) At around midnight, we entered the house and were able to relax from our journey.

We know that God took care of us Friday night and showed use where there was a key that we needed. How interesting is it that the one time we forgot to bring the keys in the house and left them in the car, it turned out to be part of His plan? He knew that we would need them.

Now I am able to report that the Law of Taking Trips still holds its definition. Thankfully, the beach umbrellas really were all that we were missing, after all. Of course, under the hot, summer sun at the beach, those would really have come in handy.