a funny thing happened....

Just for the record this thing, like most truly funny things, proved to be funny only AFTER the fact! Here goes. For the past week or so, Dan and I have been on a mission trying to track down an unpleasant odor in our house. We would smell it when we came into the kitchen from the garage, but also when we came into the room from the hall (opposite end of the room). We both put our sniffers to work walking around the kitchen like detectives putting our noses in every nook and cranny but we couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. We initially thought it might be something funky that was left too long in the fridge (not that this EVER happens in my house!!) but a thourough once over of the fridge and freezer revealed nothing. Dan decided to sweep and mop the floor in case that was the culprit. For a day or so the room smelled like Pinesol but soon that wore off and "it" was back. Not sure what else to try, we did nothing for a couple days. Yesterday afternoon we were both sitting at the kitchen table and Dan said we probably should investigate under the fridge (we had already moved the fridge with no success). This was really the last thing either of us wanted to do but eventually I got the flashlight, laid on my belly on the kitchen floor, and investigated. I quickly scanned under it and, seeing nothing, set about commenting on how I was surprised our fridge even ran with so much dust under there. I suppose there are people who think to regularly vacuum out this dust but sadly I am not one of them. Anyway, I had my face right up there checking it out and happen to look all the way to my left and there, tucked way in the corner CLOSEST TO MY FACE was a tiny dead gray mouse! I shrieked, tossed the flashlight, jumped up and raced across the kitchen, like it was going to come to life and eat me or something! My husband decribes it as being shot out of a cannon! After calming down, I commented that I was SOOOO glad I wasn't a boy and sent my husband down there to get it out. He left for a moment, came back armed with pliers, a can of Lysol, and, get this, a chip clip for his nose! I was on standby with a double plastic bag that woudl serve as this mouse's final resting place. A couple of mintes, a can of Lysol, and a trip to the dumpster later, PROBLEM SOLVED! And as a bonus, the dust got cleaned out from under the fridge! I suppose that would be the silver lining to this cloud huh?
Hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day. Dan and I were engaged to be married four years ago today on a snowy beach in Northern Michigan. This was a place we like to come and walk, talk, pick up cool rocks; the kind of place you could walk forever and rarely see anyone else. On this day, he took me for a walk, read me an awesome poem he had penned, dropped to his knee and asked me to be his wife! It was an amazing day and he is an amazing man. Maybe I'll dig out the poem andpost it later - it really is pretty awesome. Tonight instead of fighting with the Valentine crowds at restraunts, we plan to make a nice steak dinner here at home and cuddle up with each other and a couple movies.

Simple but wonderful, just like our life :)