Technical Difficulties

      When Reid and I were in pre-marital counseling, we were given a "homework assignment" where we each listed twenty expectations we had for our marriage.  During the next session we exchanged sheets and "graded" each other's list with a "Definitely," "Maybe," or "Never Gonna Happen."  In my top twenty I listed "Reid will deal with any and all car issues and major home maintenence."  Luckily, Reid graded that as a "Definitely."  Also luckily, neither of us are "car people" which basically translates to "we don't really care what we drive as long as it gets to point A to point B."  I'm definitely a house person but can be satisfied with a nice dining table and good china while we work on our humble abode.

     So when I hit a deer coming home from the market in the beginning of the summer and totaled the car I had paid cash for, I didn't worry because that was Reid's domain and we were covered.  And when his car died about a month ago I didn't worry. When our AC shut off all summer and I exchanged HVAC repair for pound cakes, I didn't worry.   I didn't worry about the time the hot water heater was on the fritz and just knew it was an opportunity for Reid to impress me with his man skills by fixing it.   I don't worry about the broken tractor or the down on it's luck 4 wheeler.  In the past seven months I've gotten really good about not worrying because nearly EVERYTHING in our house seems to have broken at some point lately.  But we're newlyweds, all those things are part of life and there's really no good reason to get upset over them and ruin our fun.

      When my laptop died last week, however, I definitely had a little come-apart. (Which may or may not have included me shouting at the piece of wired plastic in between bouts of prayer that went something like this: "Lord, I know that you created the man who created this computer.  And I know you have the power to miraculously fix it even though I did not use the brain you blessed me with by backing up all my files like I should have.")

       Wednesday morning my laptop was taking a really long time to start up and then wouldn't connect to the internet.  Our service isn't that reliable to begin with so I just assumed it was the rain.  By Wednesday night it wouldn't start up at all.  When Reid got home he hooked his desktop back up.  (I had unplugged it a few months ago when we were converting the basement into the kitchen.) That is when we found out it would not turn on either and then figured it had probably been hit by lightning the same time our wireless router had been hit. 

     By mid-Thursday morning I had gotten so frustrated with it I just resolved to pull a Scarlett and just think about it another day.  Thursday night Reid brought his laptop home from work and we optimistically plugged our internet cord into it.  Of course, then we realized we had to have the wireless hooked up and since our router was shot, we would have to get a new router first.  Luckily, RadioShack in Washington had them so by Friday afternoon we were back in business.  Since it was his work computer, I had none of my files with recipes, labels, or menus but at least it was something. 

     Now we have to figure out how to get files off my computer so I can use the little reboot disk it comes with and hopefully have a functional machine again.  It is going to take a little work and I'm going to have to deal with it as soon as we get back from our trip.  We're not able to update as often or do play by plays on Thursday about how dinner is going.   But at least I have resolved not to worry about it and instead be really grateful that this happened early on in our little business rather than later. 

    Thanks to everyone for being patient with us as we get it all figured out! 

And from now on I am going to use the brain God gave me and back up everything!!!