believe.

i realized i had lost my keys wednesday morning around 825 am.  i was getting ready to load up my car to get ready for pratt heading to mothers day out.  i couldn't find them anywhere.

after retracing my steps, and not finding them, i got worried.  i misplace things OFTEN.  i'm notorious for it.  seriously.  when i leave my parents house, i always leave something behind.  always.


i have a car that has a push button start.  so a replacement key was gonna be around 350 bucks.  plus 250 in labor.  plus the cost of the car to be towed.  yes, you read that right.  about 600 to 650 when all was said and done.  it makes me sick to think about now.  ugh.  650 dollars.  do you know how many trips to kroger that would be?!

i talked about having lost them on facebook.  and my friend bethany made a comment that i kept holding onto.

praying for you hannah.  maybe one day you'll know exactly why God kept you off the roads this morning :)


i have held onto this for 4 days now.  repeating it to myself.  thanking God that my crappy situation wasn't all that crappy.  i only cried once.  and that was to my parents.  so it doesn't really count.  i never screamed. or whined.  or anything.  i held it together.  while pregnant.  i should get an award for that.

it was made worse because it was totally my fault.  i knew it was.  clint is constantly telling me to hang them by the back door.  on the key ring deal.  but i never do.  i just toss them anywhere and everywhere.

so.  since wednesday, i have looked everywhere for them.  i have cleaned out every drawer in my kitchen.  my fridge and freezer are cleaner than ever.  my pantry is clean.  all jacket pockets have been checked.  even jackets i haven't worn in years.  i always knew pratt didn't do it.  i know him.  and he doesn't really know how to lie just yet.  and so i never thought he took them.  which made it worse on me.  because i just knew it was my fault.

after much searching and talking, clint and i decided we had to get the car towed to the factory, let them program me a new key.  and just pay the 650.  no way around it.

okay.  friday the tow truck was scheduled to come here and pick my car up.  they called and said they would be here, but i would owe money in cash because it was over my 100 dollar limit.  i didn't think this was right because of the warranty we had...it should have covered it.  but it's useless arguing with the tow truck people.  so i didn't.  but i told them that i didn't have cash.  they told me they weren't coming.  i told them i could give them a debit card or check but that i couldn't get cash because i couldn't drive anywhere because my car was locked.  AND I DIDN'T HAVE KEYS.

you see the frustration.  they weren't very nice and said, "tough".  and "call back tomorrow".  ugh. ugh. ugh.

so this morning i call.  they call me back and say that they will be here in 2 hours.  and that i don't owe anything BECAUSE I WAS COVERED UNDER THE 100,000 MILE WARRANTY.  see!?  people can just do whatever they want whenever they want.  yesterday i owed money...today i don't.

3 hours later, (clint has gone to best buy with larry and he's not here), the tow truck guy parks on our road. on the hill.  NEVER ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE UP THE DRIVE WAY.  he gets out of the truck, walks up here and says, "hello maam.  i'm too afraid to pull up your driveway because of this snow.  i'm afraid i'll slide down and damage my truck."

i say (i was very nice, might i add.  i don't know why or how.), "um, do you not have 4 wheel drive on that TOW TRUCK?!"

"no maam."

as stacy said, do you see the irony here?  a tow truck can't help.

if clint had been here, he would have made the man at least try.  but i didn't.  because i was calm.  and didn't want to argue.  he was really a nice guy.

so he heads to his truck.  about halfway down the driveway, he looks up at me and says, "mrs fulks, i'll call you tomorrow and i'll be here first thing monday morning at 730.  i promise you'll be my first customer."

i thanked him.  and walked back in.  still, no screaming.  i was frustrated, yes.  but no screaming.

tonight at dinner i said to clint, "do you think it's possible that i haven't had luck towing the car because God wants me to be patient and find the keys myself?  because i think He knows they are there.  at the house.  and He wants me find them.  and save 650."

clint says, "you're crazy.  no. we've looked everywhere."

we get home from dinner.  pratt asks me to pay him for a crayon.  i remember that there is a dollar in his bag.  which hangs by the back door.

i walk in the mudroom.  look on our coat rack and BAM!

THERE ARE MY KEYS!!! HANGING ON THE HOOK CLOSEST TO THE DOOR.  RIGHT THERE ON A COAT HOOK!!!

as clint said, "do you see the irony that the hook you hung them on was directly across from the key hook where the key BELONGED!?"

i start screaming.  clint rushes in thinking somethings wrong.  i'm crying at this point.  thanking God.

bethany was right.  for whatever reason, God wanted me off the road...at home...the past few days.

i assume that when clint came in from work tuesday night, he hung his coat on the coat hook directly over my keys.  never seeing my keys there.

and when i checked the other 2 hooks, i intentionally didn't check that last hook because i hadn't seen him where the grey polo jacket in so long.  my bad.

long road to a short house....God really does still speak to us.  i just wasn't listening.  i'll do better next time.

both on the listening AND on the "hang your keys on the key hook" part :)