Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Someone Stole My Marshmellon Dispenser!



Wow! I can't believe how long it's been since I last wrote! Times have been busy, but also crazy. :-D I did update the blog a week and a half ago but ended up having to take it off due to problems. So hopefully everything will work out with this one!
Me and Andrew have been having a series of very interesting Adventures lately (that's what marriage is right? :-D) I don't know if he's told anyone about how our packages when sent to this location get stolen right off of our doorstep? It's actually Q-UITE frustrating and makes one very susceptible to sin in the form of cussing the person out in ones brain. (Why in the world is it that when we get mad the first thing we want to do is curse? It's so strange when you think about it! It's not like our parents were continually cussing and encouraging us to do so...but it's like it almost doesn't matter how you were raised, for some reason curse words just rise to surface when your anger is tested, I guess it just goes to show you how strong our sin natures are!)
Back at Christmas me and Andrew were ordering a couple of things and they NEVER showed up, at the time I was suspicious enough to think that maybe someone had stolen them, we called the USPS and they said that they were confirmed delivered and they weren't really sure what had happened. We had a whole fiasco with checking for keys to 'package lockers' and checking with the office and everything but they never showed up! Luckily for us we were refunded the money. Then one night shortly after we had called the USPS and everything, we had a knock on the door (we were watching On Her Majesties Secret Service on a friday at like 1:00 at night so it was kind of strange to be hearing a knock on the door!) and Andrew went to it (I hid as per usual, making the excuse that I am in my pajamas when really I am just ascared of the peoples! :-D ) and I heard this guy saying "I hope you don't take this wrong but this is your package and I was holding it for you because when I first moved in here I was getting stuff stolen." to which Andrew replied "Yeah...I think we may have had some things stolen just recently too". And the guy felt really bad about that, he was REALLY really nice, explaining that he was worried about our package getting stolen and so he kept it in his apartment until he could give it to us. We definitely appreciated that!
Around then we had finally started to decide that perhaps we should have all packages sent to my mom and dad's house so that if someone was indeed stealing the packages they would be safe! But just recently we had another package sent to our apartment...a present from Andrew for our five month Lunaversary, and it was the same story...second verse. The UPS confirmed it delivered and it wasn't in the office, and the mailbox was key-less. And so we realized...someone really WAS taking our packages...it was for sure now! It was kind of maddening for the both of us, especially since we thought we had a good idea who was doing it. I kept thinking to myself "The only way I can keep my sanity about this is to forgive whoever is doing this!". So Andrew decided to reorder the package, sad and dissapointed that it wasn't going to be here in time for our Lunaversary...and I decided I was mad enough to do something about this whole thing.
The next day I plastered our door in signs written in red Sharpie (Red Sharpie makes people take notice, you see!) that said things like: "DON'T LEAVE PACKAGES HERE! THEY ARE BEING STOLEN!!". I was a little bit freaked out about doing it because I kept thinking, whoever is doing it is going to walk by our door and realize we know...but at the same time that gave my immature side a feeling of "HAH! SO THERE! NOW THEY KNOW WE KNOW!"satisfaction.
So we leave for Bible Study (which is now availible online for anyone who is interested to be seeing our teacher's lessons at:http://www.ustream.tv/channel/keys-to-dynamic-bible-study )
and we are both thinking "When we get home they will probably be torn down or something like that"! But we get back and the signs are still up and we go inside our apartment and start getting ready to relax when there is a knock at the door...! Andrew goes to answer it and I....being me...go into the bathroom and keep the door partially open so I can hear! (I think I may have some kind of social problem...:-D ) And I hear Andrew talking to the same guy who held the package for us. He says "This morning I heard tape in the hallway and was wondering what your wife was doing and then realized she was putting signs up!" and he was laughing and saying how great they were. And then he told us that he was pretty sure he knew who was stealing our packages and that it wasn't anyone who lived here but someone who visited someone who lived here! He said he had seen this person walking away once or twice with a package actually in their hands! He also said he felt really bad about this package because he had kept feeling a voice telling him to grab it and take it into his apartment til we got back but he ignored it. (Boy do I know that feeling!) And he said that next time he saw the person who this thief was visiting he would talk about it and try to figure it out, and that if we ever want to have a package sent here we can always let them know to send it to his apartment because he is always home and he will hold if for us (which I thought was REALLY nice!!!). And then he says goodbye and I come out and me and Andrew start talking about the whole thing...and then...I stop talking because I realize that he has gone to the apartment of the guy and is talking to him NOW! I was a little afraid about what was going to happen and me and Andrew prayed for his safety...next thing we know he comes back down, knocks on the door and hands us our package UNOPENED! He yells to the guy that we "...GOT THEIR PACKAGE!" and Andrew stands there with it in his hands...stunned. And I am standing behind the door...stunned. And Andrew thanks him over and over and then shuts the door and we are both standing there amazed at what's just happened. And amazed at our neighbors generousity and fearlessness in this situation! It was really amazing that he went that extra mile for us, that he retrieved something that was special only to us...acting like it meant just as much to him! It really showed us a really wonderful example of a good neighbor. (The funniest thing about the package was that if the person who took it had opened it we are SURE they would have been thinking "What...in...the WORLD!?!" as it was a Plastic Kraft Marshmallow Dispenser made for the release of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier...or as Spock and McCoy say "Marshmellons")
So sufficed to say it was an amazing experience and Andrew was able to give me that special gift on our lunaversary celebration!
Our Lunaversay for our five month was SO WONDERFUL! And not only because of that miracle that happened with our neighbor but also because Andrew planned the most wonderful evening for me. We went to a park in Haddonfield (when you all visit again we REALLY need to visit Haddonfield...it's the most gorgeous town!) and ate sandwiches that I had made for us on lone stone steps in the middle of the woods and the dirt path near the stream. We talked about dissapearing from the modern world into a fantasy world, like Narnia and what we would do. We talked about the Cosby Show and Newhart (I am really excited about someday getting the Cosby Show on DVD and being able to share it with Andrew like he has been sharing Newhart with me), and Andrew's "Signs a SitCom is in trouble!". And then after we had walked for a while and it started to get dark we rode to see Haddie the Hadrosaurus statue in the town of Haddonfield. Anyone who knows me knows I dislike crowds of people, and the city and loud noises....so I was surprised that I loved the little city of Haddonfield SO MUCH! It was just gorgeous, and soft, and well made, and dreamy! It reminded me of those places you dream you are going to go to in France or Italy and meet tons of exciting people and eat loads of amazing food.
My favorite was the fact that so many places had live music playing! It made the atmosphere so much more enjoyable. It was all in all one of the most amazing nights me and Andrew have ever spent together! It was perfect!
We miss all you guys so much! Remember that you are in our prayers and that we are thinking of you often! And Gramma Pat I am sending you a letter but I just really really wanted to thank you for the Card and the gift you sent! I appreciate them SO much!!! I am so bad at remembering things so I wanted to make sure I thanked you!
I really really really really really REALLY plan on writing this blog more regularly even if it's just to post a short update and some pictures. I really hate that I let it get this far without updating! BUT I AM DETERMINED! Just like I am determined that I shan't let dishes pile up so much in my sink! :-D
We love you all!

Love,
Sarah and Andrew

Some Pictures of our Park Walk!