Crazy Thoughts for a Crazy Night

Here is the real reason I have been bad about updating my blog over the past 6 months: I have very little studying to do. It's true. When I was the best about updating my blog was when I had more studying to do than I could even imagine getting through. It was a good diversion. I was at my computer a lot and blogging was a great way of giving myself a creative moment whilst procrastinating. I know this to be true because here I sit today, at my favorite of study spots (you guessed it - Starbucks!) blogging. I am blogging not only to try to redeem myself from my complete ineptitude in keeping this thing up to date, but also to keep from having to start my final paper for my second to final master's class. It's a paper I've been dreading, even though I actually love writing papers; and it's due Thursday. Oh - and did I mention? I haven't started it yet and it's worth 60% of my final grade.

If I were at home I would download the photos from our great week with Stephen's sister and her boys. I will still do that - someday.

Oh how good this tea latte tastes! If only I could be browsing Christmas cookie recipes right now instead of having to think about memory and learning. It's almost ironic, isn't it? Me writing about memory?

Husband thinks I'm losing my mind, and he says it's not just because I'm pregnant. Take last night for instance. I got very little sleep. We're dog sitting for my aunt and uncle and the mutt barked for no reason at 1am, waking me up. At 2am Connor woke up crying because he couldn't find the tissue that he had with him in bed. Upon further inspection we realized it's because said mutt had chewed them all up and spit them out in balls on the end of his bed. Oh - and while he was at it, he ate (and I mean ate - not chewed) Kirby's shoe and Connor's favorite stuffed dog. After the cleanup on aisle 6, I tucked Connor back into bed and fell back asleep. I woke with a start at 2:35am when Husband's phone let out one teeny little beep (I sleep very lightly). Thinking I heard the dog chewing on something again, I got up to discover that all of the lights were out. I then realized that the lights were out in the entire neighborhood. It is both eerie and peaceful to see your daily surroundings completely unlit. Our lives are so filled with noise and light, that it is not until every appliance's digital face goes dark, and every street light is out, that we can see what true darkness and peace really is.

After inspecting the rest of the darkened neighborhood through our windows, I grabbed a flashlight and headed back to bed, where my mind began to churn.

"Why is the whole neighborhood out of power? What's going on? Surely just a car accident knocked out a power line somewhere. But what if it's a terrorist attack and they've knocked out the grid so we are left blind and helpless? It could be a mass crime spree. Maybe someone knocked out the grid so they could disarm a whole neighborhood's alarm systems and move house to house in a Manson-style killing spree. No wait! Maybe they just want to rob us house by house and if we cooperate, we'll be fine. Hmmm...maybe the government took out the grid for reasons that I can't even imagine!"

I went back to sleep, exhaustion finally overcoming my imagination. Then, woke up when the dog started trying to bark again (I say trying because by this time, we had put the bark collar on him) and the resorted to growling. This time I woke up husband and asked him, "All the lights are out in the neighborhood and Koda's barking. Do you think he's trying to tell us something?"

To which he replied, "Lassie! Lassie! Run to the well!"

He humored me by doing a quick once-over of the house, then we went back to sleep. At 4:30 Kirby woke us up screaming that his door was closed (this was to keep the dog from eating anything else) and it was pitch black. As I explained that all the lights in the neighborhood were out, they suddenly kicked back on, re-illuminating the boys' pumpkin lights that wrap around their bunk bed to serve as a night light. "Wow, it's magic!" Kirby exclaimed as Husband and I climbed back into bed.

I'm happy to report that we slept uninterrupted until 8am, but that sleep was hard won. As we kicked around the kitchen, Husband making coffee and I making biscuits and gravy, the punishment began.

"Just what did you think had happened last night? I can't believe you woke me up to ask me if Koda was trying to tell us something!" Husband teased.

When I tried to explain all the scenarios that I had laid in bed imagining, he burst out laughing and proclaimed me a "piece of work". Let's just say he doesn't mean that in the Michaelangelo sort of way either. There was some muttering about "crazy", more laughing, and a hug and kiss.

"Now we know where Connor gets his imagination!" he said. Still, his eyes were twinkling. I love it when his eyes twinkle - especially for me. It's one of the ways I know how loved I am.