The Moral of the Story Is...

Always drive with your radio on.


Or maybe this is just the moral of MY story. I don't know. But after having locked my keys in my vehicle tonight for the bazillionth time, I know this is what I need to do.


Okay, let me explain. Now, I normally restrict my "locking-in-of-keys" activity to the shopping area that is right up the street from our house. This shopping center is also not too terribly far from Mike's office, which has also come in handy on more than one occasion. Yes, the people at his office know who I am. I am The Wife Who Calls Her Husband To Bail Her Out.


I have locked my keys in at Chipotle, when I had the boys with me (they were just a teensy bit antsy, and anyone who knows my boys will know exactly what I mean). I called Mike at work, and he went home and got the extra set of keys and came and bailed me out. He's my hero, have I mentioned that before?

Then there was the time I was at Target.


Now, keep in mind that I am not one of those people who closes the car door and while it is closing I have this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach, and almost stop closing the door but don't quite make it in time. NO, I go into the store, do all of my shopping, and it is not until I am leaving and am digging in my purse for my keys that I realize that they are not there. THEN I get the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.


Anyway, I was at Target. I actually had to call my parents to come get me that time, because Mike had taken the boys out of the house and didn't have a cell phone. Yeah, that was embarrassing. I am almost 30, and my parents are still rescuing me.


Then there was Half Price Books, which is actually in the same "strip" as Target. Mike came that time as well, but I think it was on a Saturday, and the boys weren't napping, so it was barely a blip on the radar screen. Not quite as memorable of an experience.


Um, let's see. There was the time I was at the flower shop that did my wedding flowers. Won't say the name here because I don't want any creeps to be able to find me. I was there with Heather, who was planning Bonnie's baby shower with me. Turns out it was the same lady who had done Heather's wedding flowers also (small world!) and we wanted to go in and see the "flower lady", but the store was closed, so I parked and got out to talk to Heather for a minute before heading home. We had already done our major "shower shopping" at Party America, with Bonnie calling every few minutes because she was SO upset that she wasn't being included in the plans and she was SO jealous that we got to do all of the planning. Tee Hee!! Just kidding. She just kept calling because it was funny. Okay, you had to be there...


Mike rescued me that time too. He actually had to wake the boys up from their nap to come and unlock the truck. Yeah. Not good.


And tonight. Well, tonight is when I learned that I always need to drive with the radio on. Well, at least when I am in the truck. (I am almost always driving the truck -- well, not DRIVING it, but you know what I mean -- when I lock my keys in. Except for the time at Chipotle.) Especially when I have someone else with me and am distracted. See, when you park the truck and turn it off to take the keys out, the radio turns off too. Only when you don't have the radio on to begin with, there is no indication that the truck is still on when you get out. It doesn't beep at you like the van does if you leave the keys in it and open the door. Well, okay, there were no indications except for the fact that the lights were still on. And there was exhaust coming out of the back, because the heat was on. Yeah, no other signs other than that.


And I had locked my cell phone in the truck too, did I mention that?


Yeah. The universe was conspiring against me tonight. I usually don't take my phone out of my purse, but I was expecting a call from someone and had left my cell in the armrest cupholder. She called, and when I got off the phone with her, I put the phone back in the armrest. *sigh* Okay, maybe that was my fault too.


Bonnie and I went to get in the truck when we had finished our shopping at Archiver's, and as soon as I stuck my hand in my purse I knew that I was out of luck. And the store had closed, so of course the doors locked behind us. But fortunately, they were holding a crop (a time when all of us crazy scrapbookers can get together with friends and design scrapbook pages and cards) and everyone was going to be at the store until 11pm. Yay!!


My hero was putting the boys to sleep, so he didn't answer the phone when I called, so Bonnie called Caleb, her hubby-hero, and he hadn't gotten home from his movie yet, so I called my sister Christy, and she was only too glad to get out of her house (right, Christy?) and come rescue us. She stopped at my house and picked up the extra set of truck keys on the way.


Well, Bonnie tried Caleb again, and he had just walked in the door, and he decided to come and rescue his almost-9-months-pregnant wife. I think he just didn't want me to drive her home. heehee!


Anyway, Caleb showed up and then about 30 seconds later, Christy showed up. Oh yeah, and Christy has the coolest new minivan. It has automatic doors, stow and go seats, and even has that new car smell. AHhhhhhh, so nice. I'll have to admire it in the daylight sometime.


Preferably when she's not rescuing me again.