A Win and A Fail

I'll start with the fail first.

So, 8 (!) years ago, Mike and I got married. It was a small humble affair with immediate family and a few friends. Somebody left an umbrella. It was quite a dapper umbrella, tasteful stripes with a wooden handle. No one ever came to claim it, so I commandeered it as my own.

We shared some good times together, me and this trusty umbrella. The handle eventually broke off, but we soldiered on.

Until this summer (7) years later, we were at the shore, on the boardwalk and it started to rain. I broke out old trusty, and low and behold, he no longer kept the rain at bay. The what I assume is the "brella" part of the umbrella was so worn the rain was seeping through. Forlorn, I stuck old trusty in the garbage on the Ocean City boardwalk.

I don't have many pictures to choose from. Here is Mike and kid 1 a couple of years ago building a sand castle on the beach.

And for good measure, kid 1 and I in front of the beach house.

 

So, back to my story. I proceeded to forget about it until one day recently, when I had to go out in the rain, and I did not have old trusty to take along with me. I had to get to work, and the only place on the way to stop was a CVS drugstore, not a thrift store in sight. I shelled out $10 for a cheap metal and plastic imitation, a poor substitution to my old friend. If I had planned better, I could have scored an umbrella at the thrift shop I'm sure.

FAIL!

Now for the win. Another wedding, this time my mother in law and her husband, 2 years ago. Somebody left a pair of sunglasses. My mother in law searched in vain for their owner, and when no one laid claim, she asked me if I would like to give them a home. I accepted, and over the last year or so I have enjoyed wearing them. So, I kept them in the pocket in the door of my car. One day, I opened the car door and they fell out onto the pavement. I proceeded to get out to pick them up, but I must have poorly misjudged my place in space and I stepped on them, breaking off the ear piece. 

I was disappointed, I like these glasses, and good sunglasses can be hard to find. Sometimes they squeeze your face, and sometimes the ears are lopsided, but these fit well. I was prepared to go to Good Will to search for a replacement, when an idea came to me. I brought them to my dad, and asked if he thought he could fix them. And he did! So, I saved myself a trip to the store and having to find and buy new glasses! WIN!