And then....life happens.

Been a while since I posted. 

To sum up 2015 so far: 

• new job which is decidedly the opposite of boring and un-engaging [yay!!]
• family stuff
• two robberies in 48 hours [committed by neighbors in our literal back-yard]
• recovery of some goods
• lots and lots of paperwork
• yadda, yadda, yadda

But, well....I missed my blog. I started it to write about interesting things I do / make / places I go, and while there's been no dearth in any of those categories, just haven't allowed myself the space to write about it. That's just plain laziness. So let's start with a new beginning....

Gratitude has been on my mind a lot lately. With the burglaries we have a completely busted, inoperable front door and we had $12k worth of "stuff" taken.

Yes, the eejits got my engagement ring, and the engagement ring of Spouse's former fiancee. But they did not get my great-great-grandmother's amethyst and gold bracelet. 

They got a week-old-to-us television and a lot of various other electronicals. But I was able to provide a vivid enough description on my stolen (personalized) laptop, that the cops recovered it (on a call for another burglary) + $1100 in other merch that is ours. AND managed to arrest two suspects.

Clear signs the thieves are not MENSA candidates: left the power cords to the television and a wireless bluetooth speaker, which were either attached to the device or right next to it. Derp.

At least one of the thieves managed to cut her/himself on the second kicking in of our front door, leaving spots of blood on our living room carpet. Because of that, the very nice insurance adjuster added carpet replacement in the living and dining rooms (they are contiguous), and paint / painting services to cover the damage to our walls, when the replacement door is installed. We hadn't even thought to include the carpet, let alone paint. 

You may see where I'm going with this. For every seemingly crappy thing that occurred, a simple act of generosity, human caring and/or irony, has lightened my spirits in some way. 

Yes, we were burgled. Yes, our home was violated and by extension, we feel violated, since our home is our sanctuary. 

But.....

• We weren't home during either robbery.
• We now know 5 cops and 1 detective in our city's force. 
• Our new door will be way more energy efficient than our last. Also safer because we are getting a reinforced door with a reinforced steel plate to help protect against another door kick-in.
• Due to the high level of nerd in our home, we have the serial numbers to 95% of the electronicals that were stolen. Doesn't mean we think we're getting anything back, but it may lead to more charges down the line, should a search ping one.
• We have good insurance, thanks to our very helpful parents who helped us, make sure we had the right coverage (and didn't skimp). 

My frame of mind, most days, in most moments, is one of just simple gratitude for life, to put it simply. Not every single moment, but for every icky thing that has occurred, I am quick to remind myself that all truly is well overall. 

Case in point: I was on the freeway today, in a rush to get somewhere. I entered the highway with a funeral procession in the far left lane, complete with the little flags on the roofs of cars, and flashers on. My occurrence was that everyone, including me, slowed down a little, even though we didn't need to. My lane eventually reached the front of the procession, and in the front were two hearses. Not one, but two. I could see a white coffin in the hearse that was second, and a flag-draped coffin in the lead hearse. 

I made note of the company handling the services, and when I got back to the office looked to see if I could find a back-story.  

Smith Roger D. Smith passed away April 4, 2015 at Grant Hospital and his wife of 39 years, Patricia Smith unexpectedly passed away 6 days later, on April 10, 2015. She was born July 8, 1939 ... survived by loving children, Gene Rochelle, Jeff Rochelle, Travis (April) Smith. Roger had ... 12 grandchildren; 18 great grandchildren... Roger served as a paratrooper in U.S. Army; loved to play the guitar and sing. 

Talk about a perspective moment. Lost stuff seems *really* unimportant in that moment.