(warning: this post probably contains a lot of type-o's. I'm too lazy to go through it.)
If you know me well, you know that I have a tendancy of losing/missplacing/forgetting things...a lot. Usually, when I lose something I hardly ever get sad or upset. When something has been stolen from me, I forget about it rather quickly and in fact, I don't really care as much as I should.
Here a SMALL list of the things that have been stolen from me in the past that I should have freaked out about but didn't really care as much as I should have:
* about $300.00 from my wallet in beauty school
* Puma & Dr. Martins shoes from a locker room (my favorite shoes)
* i pod nano (eventually was returned to me)
* a pair of really nice Guess jeans retailed over $100
* make up, perfume, clothing, money, from a roommate ( i didn't know which one did it and didnt have the time or desire to investigate it)
there is much more but you get the picture. Basically, I just don't get attatched to material items or my belongings for some reason.
Why am I sharing this with you? Well, last night was the first time I ever freaked out or became emotional about losing something.
Here is my story. (below my beautiful, meaningful, precious wedding ring) It's long but worth it.
Yesterday I had to work and it was a Sunday. Usually, I am not in the happiest moods when I have to work those 2 Sundays a month. I was sad that it was a new year and I was stuck at work while my husband was alone at church. It's a family ward and everybody has their partner/parents/ SOMEBODY. So it always makes me a little sad when I know that I am working and not with him to enjoy churc. It was such a sloooooooooooow day in the Cosmetics department, in Macy's, and all over the mall. It's the day after all the holiday bliss or madness, in my case, is over with. Plenty of people were around, but it was obvious that all of the hoiday spending money was, well... spent. There were just a bunch of people walking around all day.
I needed to use the restroom around 5:00 pm because one- i had to go. and two- i needed to clean my wedding ring because i just got done matching this lady for foundation and when i was finished my ring was dirty.
Usually I will go right away but i kept getting this feeling to just wait. I have a really weak bladder (too much information?) and have to go right when i feel the need to.
It was odd because after i felt the impression to just wait, it wasn't until 6:40pm when the feeling to go again came back. I decided to go since the store would be closing in twenty minutes and there weren't any people in the store anymore.
So I went to the ladies room, took care of business, cleaned my ring, washed my hands and left.
Finally, I got to go home and was very excited to see Nathan! We were driving home when I reached in my bag to get something and looked at my hand. I gasped. My ring was not on my finger. My heart started beating and all i could think was "oh my gosh its gone!" I took a deep breath and called my co worker who was still closing and asked her to run to the restroom and look for it and i would meet her back at the store. We turned to car around and once we got to Macy's I dashed out of the car and ran...ok walked fast to the eployee entrance, keyed in my password and went inside. the store was already closed and so when I met up with my co worker, she told me she couldn't look because the automatic lights were off in the restroom and she couldn't see anything and so a manager was on the way. I dashed to the restroon turned my cellphone light on and looked where it left it. It was gone. just when i was about to lose it and burst into tears, I stopped my self. I said a prayer asking for my Heavenly Father to help me get my ring back. I told me this ring was so important to me and it meant so much to my life. Yes, it's just a piece of shiny (expensive) metal from this world, but it is something that my best friend, and eternal companion gifted to me as a token to be his forever. I needed it back.
I opened my eyes and walked out of the pitch black restroom. My eyes were filled tears and ready to burst when i was greated by another manager. She turned on the light and i told her i already looked where i left it but would looke again. It wasn't there.
She said she was really sorry and shrugged and walked away. As I walked away a huge feeling of doubt came over me. "This is Macy's!", I thought. " A department store filled with people coming in and out of public restrooms all night. Somebody found the ring and put it in her pocket! I better just give up get back home". I quckly realized this kind of attitude wouldn't help and so i took another deep breath, clenched my fists and started to think.... "What do I do? Where do I go? What would i do if I found a pretty ring?" " I WOULD RETURN IT!".
I kept telling my self as I walked down to gift wrap, " Have Hope. Have Hope. Have Hope..."
I finally got down there and asked a lady desperately, " Has anyone returned a ring, I left my wedding ring in the ladies restroom?". Her eyes widened and she said, " Actually, YES! Just a few minutes ago."
I couldn't believe it. One of the housekeeping employees went to clean up right after I left and saw it and returned it to gift wrap.
She said that the lady who returned it is a nice, older woman that worked at Macy's and gave me her name. I thanked them took the lady's name and went back to the car a very happy person.
If I would have went to the restroom the first time, it would have been almost 2 hours before closing when it was busy. I listened to the impression I had to wait just a little bit before the store closed. Because I waited, the only other person who came after me would be this nice woman to clean up the restroom before the store was closed for the night. My prayer was answered before I even prayed for the answer.
Have Hope and listen to promptings, even the smallest ones.
(If you read this whole story, wow. It was a long one, but worth it.)
baskets for incomging/outgoing mail & other important papers- $7 @ Walgreens.
Pretty lamp- compliments of my mother. $0 AMAZING Quote on Eternal Marriage Printed from home printer- $0 Frame- $5 (on sale @ target a while ago)
I wanted to go out with a big band and make something incredible, make a menu, have fancy-schmancy music playing in the background, etc. but I wasn't feeling very well that evening and so we decided to just go with the flow of everything. It all turned out well and we had such a good time talking and eating and relaxing. I made rosemary and garlic roasted red potatoes, sauted sugar snap peas, and lemon butter and rosemary chicken. I tried out this recipe for a lemon cream sauce that would be good for the chicken but it was a little to sour for me. I'll have to try my own version of it another time.
It was an amazing heart-felt experience to be there.( Except it was so HOT in there! Where's the ventilations with 500 people in one room??) Frank spoke,people got up and shared their own secrets. Some were hilarious and some were so sad. Frank showed us postcards that didnt get published in the new book, showed us some neat videos, and shared his own secret. I think I laughed and cried more than any other time in 2 hours. Affterwards he had a book signing. I had Nathan run to the line since it was on the other side of where we were.
