Minnesota Nice

Christmas is getting closer. And while I had started shopping in September, which is entirely unlike me, I now find myself panicking with all the gifts I have left to buy. Despite a barometer headache and my back still thrown out from my baby sleeping on me Saturday night, I NEEDED to leave the house and do some shopping. So, after picking up Crispy at the bus stop, and Michael from band, we headed to the cities. A quick *nutritious* stop at Taco Bell, and we were ready for some power shopping before the other kids came home at 3 o'clock.

We made it through the toy store, and electronics store buying only presents for people on our list. Not a single cave-in "present" for my little helpers today even though they squealed with excitement at each new aisle laden to the brim with toys. They did a really great job picking out things for others and resigning to adding things they wanted to their Christmas list. Even Laura made it without being crabby and difficult!

Later that evening, I was driving home from cub scouts with Jonny, and stopped to fill up gas in Daddy's car as a nice surprise for him. As I reached for my credit card to pay at the pump, I could find it no where. Being that it was my bank card with direct access to our checking account, I became immediately distraught. I remembered that the last place I used it was Taco Bell (I had to use a big-guns card at Toy R Us)....why was it not in my purse? At home, I called Taco Bell, hoping they had forgotten to give me back my card, while my none-too-pleased husband stood by waiting to cancel our account. After 5 minutes of looking, TB came up with nothing. Rats....where was it? I now remembered grabbing it from the TB guy, but not putting it in my purse. Why was that? I ALWAYS put it right away. I began thinking I had thrown it away with the TB bag in the toy store parking lot...I must have been loopier than I thought on headache meds and muscle relaxers. I guess that would be better than being in the hands of someone else. I called the toy store anyway to ease my mind. Luckily, a woman had turned it in earlier that day...around 2pm when I was there....she had found it lying in the parking lot. What a relief! ALL of our money is in that account, and anyone could have picked it up and gone on quite a wild shopping spree. I am so thankful to that woman who found it immediately after I lost it, and who did the right thing even though it could have been so easy to ignore it or worse. I am thankful for living in this state of ours, and for all the people in it who prove that we live up to our namesake of "Minnesota Nice."...even the people who live in the big city.