I went to my cousin Kristin's parent's house in Portland, TN (45 minutes North of Nashville) to celebrate her birthday and feast on some of her mother's (and grandmother's) home cookin'. What was sleet in Nashville was actually SNOW in Portland, and a fair amount of it accumulated while we feasted and played games inside. Later that night, we went to leave and make the trek back to the city. I was overwhelmed with a deep-rooted, uncontrollable urge to take of running through the fields next to her house (that were covered in snow). About 50 yards out, I thought I'd spooked a rabbit when I saw something skip across the snow. In turn, I spooked myself and let out a little yelp, turned around, and skittered back to my car. I got all the ice scraped off, defrosted my windows, and off we went...back to "civilization" (*side note: I think it's essential to my sense of well-being that I go out to the country and take off running...just as much as it is essential for a dog to get walks every now and again.) When I got home, one of my other cousins (who'd just been at the birthday festivities) was coming to meet me and had planned to call and clarify driving directions. I went to grab my phone out of my purse, since it was clearly not in my pockets...and found that alas...the cupboard was bare. No phone. Anywhere. I thought through the events of the evening...and the last text I'd sent was right before....I ran like a wild banchee through the snow. And could it be that the "rabbit" was actually my phone? Flying freely out of my shallow pockets? After pacing back and forth through my apartment (as if the act of scrambling through my apartment would help bring my phone back.), I rigged up some Christmas lights on my porch and a Giant Cardboard Sign with my cousin Carina's name on it to hopefully attract her attention as she inevitably passed by my house (since she wouldn't be able to call for the crucial last-step in the directions.) I then spent a few minutes thinking about what I would do about getting my phone back. I couldn't call? I would wait until Carina got here, and then use her phone! So...how to get Carina HERE...I would watch, diligently and flag her down with my twinkling lights...Well, instead of being diligent...I took a shower. Hoping the lights would do the work on their own. When I came out of the shower, and she still wasn't there...I went to the front door to take a look. As I did, she drove past...quickly...talking on her cell phone. Not looking for anything. And certainly not looking for CHRISTMAS LIGHTS and a SIGN with her NAME on it! So I took off running. In my pajamas. In my pink pom-pommed slippers (a gift). Running up the middle of 17th St. I chased her for 2 blocks. Yelling her name...Flailing my arms...And running out of breath. So when she crested the hill, and didn't show signs of stopping, I stopped. Turned around, and started walking home. Aggravated with the entire situation. But, OH GLoRIOUS DAY! She had turned around and I could see her headlights coming back towards me. I turned around and smiled, squinting against the lights. After rolling down the window and slowing to my walking pace, she--clearly annoyed--tells the person on the phone (which turned out to be Kristin) that she's found me...and nevermind...then hangs up. and says, "WHY WEREN't You ANSWERING YOUR PHONE!" Now, I'm just excited that I found her! So when she turns on me, I'm taken aback...I explain that I lost my phone, and I point towards a bright sign with blinking lights that I'd made and hoped she'd see. (Which she didn't appreciate--apparently she'd been driving up and down my street for 10 minutes) Then I ask if I can use her phone, to call Kristin and Derek (my cousins). They'd turned their phone off once she arrived safely, to avoid any more panic stricken calls, no doubt. So I didn't get ahold of them. No one knew I'd lost my phone. No one could look for it. Sad day.

My phone had lived through a variety of abuses. I'd spilled sticky caramel on it. Dropped it. Dropped it, then kicked it. Dropped it, not KNOWN that I'd dropped it, then had someone run over it in the busy streets of Brooklyn. It was a tough old soul. It's not surprising to me, then, that it decided to venture out on its own, across the wild tundra of Portland, Tennessee to lay itself to rest.

I have a new phone coming in the mail in 3-5 business days, and I can only hope that it will be as tough and good-natured as its predecessor. When I called customer service to ask for my "upgrade," they couldn't understand that as an upgrade--I just wanted the same old phone again.