She, uh, Missed One.....

I have been spending an hour or two every evening or two hard at work on a special project. I am making a scrapbook for my grandpa's birthday which is...a week from today. This, of course, is an open secret. Open to the world. Closed to my grandparents, please!

I was hard at work the other night, and realizing that I was near the end of the book I decided to spend a moment mentally planning the final pages to make sure I didn't run out of room. Looking at three of my favorite pictures, I mentally visualised two especially nice pages all laid out. But to make it "just right"--I needed the fourth picture. I turned to a stack of photos to isolate The One.

And then I looked. And looked. And....looked. I sorted through stacks of papers. Twice. I checked the floor. I checked my order confirmation to make sure I had ordered the print I thought I had. Finally, I sadly gave up the search--and the project--for the night.

Yesterday, I looked some more. (And looked and....you get the point!) I looked in an album I filled recently. Did I accidently put it in there? I checked behind and beside my desk. Twice. Peter even peered beside the desk with a flashlight, to be doubly doubly sure. I checked all the papers twice more.

Finally, I sadly weighed my options. Should I finish the album without the picture? Or order another print? To sacrifice my Just So Perfect Page seemed unthinkable. I logged into my photo account online to order the picture. The order cleared and my credit card was charged a grand total of $.16.

I went downstairs to work on the project feeling a little grumbly. Working away, I needed to look back at a previous page for some reason. Flipping back the pages, my eye fell on a completed page beautifully adorned with...My Just So Perfect Photo!!!

My newest grumble surfaces when I think of making a special trip to Wal-Mart to pick up a $.16 purchase I no longer urgently need.