Lost, once again, found! Again...

I have some bad habits. Shocker I know, but I just have to put that out there so that you are not taken off guard by this little story.
We had gone to San Jose del Cabo for a few nights of relaxation and concentrated family time. And to see the hurricanes face as it came in at the tip of the baja. Well, actually we almost fled home when we found out that the hurricane was predicted to hit while we were there, but we kept an eye on forecasts, and I was able to persuade Karlene that we would be safe in a tropical storm. And it came and went with strong winds, 18 foot waves crashing the beach and very light rain. Thankfully, it didn't do much harm.
The next day I was going to get changed to spend some time in the pool with our two little fish. I changed quickly and was about to leave when Karlene and the kids came in. We chatted briefly, and then as I was ready to leave again, I glanced around for the room key. I couldn't see it in the 2 places I was sure it should have been. Having misplaced it once before already, I knew that it could cost $65 if not found.
SO, I began to search other possible hiding places, all the while wondering how in such a short time of walking in, across the room, getting changed, and turning around, I had managed to misplace the key. I turned the room upside down. I wondered if I had left it in the door, or it had dropped in the hall. Nope. I turned the room upside down again...and again. My dear family watched with bemusement at times as I tore the bedding off, shook it, looked under all the furniture, began to mutter to myself, and finally I stopped, and frustratedly exclaimed to Karlene, "I don't understand how I can go from here," pointing at the door, "to there," flinging my arm to the table, "and lose the key!" I flung my arm back and forth again...and felt something odd in my shirt sleeve of my swim-shirt. I flung my arm again, and felt it again...something in there moved! In embarrassment I saw peeking out now from the end, the gray room key for which I had spent 20+ minutes scouring the room. I laughed in derision, but not near as hard as Karlene, who has seen this scene played out many times. One of my new years resolutions last year was to stop misplacing things. As you can see, I am still a work in progress! The Lord is teaching me to be patient, and I still have a thorn in my side that keeps me humble.:)

New Plaid Shorts and Dedication

I was playing soccer with the boys on Monday. I was wearing the snazzy new plaid shorts my dear wife had bought me as I had been saying I needed some more shorts with pockets so that I could keep my phone and wallet with me while coaching. A ball was passing over my head so I tried reaching it with a leg high up in the air when I heard the horrifying tearing sound of, not my thigh muscle, but my brand new shorts. The tear was long, like really long, like Mississippi River long! In fact the one leg of the shorts was just about flapping in the wind from crotch to the bottom of the shorts. Not knowing what else to do, I started to laugh in embarrassment and cover up with my hands. The boys all came running to look as good boys are wont to do. I was thinking I should get on the motorbike and go home, but the other coach laughed and said it wasn't a big deal. I had a t-shirt that was long and almost covered the underwear showing. I was still very uncomfortable and kept one hand holding my t-shirt stretched downward, until I decided to look in the storage under the bleachers for some help. A-ha, I found a sweater that had been left by a player, so I tied that around my waist, reminiscent of the breech-cloths used by certain Native American tribes, and was ready for business once again. I spent the rest of the practice (40 min) with this new fashion statement and listening to a steady stream of snickering from the boys. Surely they will respect their coaches dedication after this!