This past Saturday, Jenny and Elizabeth were in Goodland, Kansas for a birthday party so I was home alone. That morning I went out on the deck to water a hanging plant and let the door close behind me. When I went to go back into the house, the door was locked. My keys, my wallet, my phone and my shoes were inside the house. The deck is on the second story, and there is no exit except for the previously mentioned locked door. Luckily there is a tree that grows next to and over the deck. I started to climb down it, but the going was slow until I fell out of the tree and the last eight feet went really fast (I landed on my back). I went around the house, and all the doors were locked. So I went over and introduced myself to one of my new neighbors. She graciously welcomed me in and allowed me to user her phone to call the parsonage representative from the board of trustees. The parsonage representative didn’t have a key, but she made arrangements to get one from the church office and brought it to me. The whole point of telling this story is to make the point that, despite all of this, I’m still enamored with Abilene and thankful for the opportunity to be part of this community.

Update: for those of you who are concerned, I had on shorts, socks, and a t-shirt.