Don't miss this...

Friday morning after my run, I waddled back up into our apartment parking lot only to find that my car was gone. Justin was at school and his truck was gone, but my first thought was that he may have taken in my car earlier that morning. Something just wasn't right about the situation and I was a little shaken; however, my last resort was to jump to the conclusion that it had been stolen.
Justin came home an hour later and the car was definitley missing. We asked our apt. managers if the Expedition had been towed and they were sure it wasn't. After I had traced my thoughts to make sure I had not parked somewhere out of the norm, I proceeded to call the police. Officer Hernandez was hasty to arrive on the scene and took a complete detailed report of our vehicle. Unfortunately, it was the one day out of the month where the computers were down in Austin, and we would have to wait until later on that day for the Expedition to be reported. In the meantime I was imagining my car being driven out of state, across the border, caught in a drug deal, or abandoned in an alley.
The past two days, we have scoped out every Ford Expedition in the area. A trip to the grocery store is a 10 minute Eye Spy game. Our eyes were peeled on the way to church this morning and when I got to church, I continued to search the parking lot.
In this next part pay close attention to the timing involved. My friend Lynn and I took a home decor trip to Ross today to look for fabulous stools. As we left the store, we happened to meet a friend of hers and we had a sweet little 5 minute catch up chat. As our backs were turned, we heard a vehicle drive by and we then hear the ever so luring, "Hey baby, (whistle)." I turn around to find three Hispanic guys driving a white Ford Expedition that looked QUITE similar to my stolen car. I respond, "Lynn, that's my car!" Without hesitancy Lynn says, "Come on. We will see if it's your car." (Imagine CSI theme music here). We follow close behind and I am able to see that the license plate matches my own. This was my car! The idiot drove my car to the mall to scope out girls and he scoped out the owner of the vehicle he stole! What a moron! I called my husband who gave me the number to have direct contact with an operator who questioned our location. After about 10 minutes of following the car, the three guys pull into an apt. and Lynn and I watch on standby, parallel parked on the opposite side of the street about three apts. down. The police and a detective arrive on the scene. I watch in astonishment as the officers arrest three Hispanic males. The detective approaches my car and pulls out two cards of identification to ask if I know the guys involved. According to their ID's, they were state offenders who had been in the penetentiary.
From here I found that my two years of teaching curriculum, notebooks, and school supplies left in the vehicle were missing along with my third row seat. I did thankfully get the Expedition back.
After a quick check was run, I drove home with my seat layed back, my steering wheel low, and the sweet aroma of Adidas musque body spray and Marlboro cigarettes filling the air while the hellish demonic, "As I Lay Dying" lyrics wooed me safely home. You might call me sheltered but whoever listens to that crap is going to need some serious therapy and counseling afterward. Lynn followed close behind and just seeing her in my rearview mirror drew her closer to my heart. We're gonna be friends forever.
God answered our prayers. We got the car back. The smell can be febreezed and the investigation is still underway as to where these goofballs put my school stuff and third row seat.
Justin and I did drive around the neighborhood checking every dumpster we could find. No sign of my stuff..but hey, I got my car back!

Bienvenidos a Midland, TX

I hope you will walk beside us as we set out on this adventure called life. It is my prayer that our stories will inspire, sometimes entertain, and daily intercede with the things that are happening in your life as well. I find more and more that vulnerability and openness are the keys to unlocking so many fears, worries, and concerns that weigh on our hearts. I hope that this will bring healing to your fears as well as my own, and will bless the lives of those who want to walk along beside us. I don't consistently drink coffee every morning, but Justin does. Whether one or both of us is sharing a warm cup of goodness, you can guarantee we are sitting and talking for a moment to gather our thoughts for the day. We are a just a guy and a girl who enjoy a nice cup of coffee and good friendship. Everytime I post, I drink coffee. It stimulates my brain and adds warmth to my soul. I hope this blog brings that home for you who choose to share in this adventure. Welcome to our world!