Where Is Thumpkin?

It's only appropriate that Audrey's newest YouTube obsession
--a series of homemade videos, Manga-
inspired animation, and creepy kid shows from overseas, all based on variations of the song "Where is Thumpkin?"--is what we've been sitting and watching together since my three month hiatus from Fairfax Campus last Wednesday. Between then, and spending the holiday weekend, amidst rain, out at the Erlinger cabin in Warrenton, I sat writing this particular journal entry. Sure, I could have posted it while out in the mountains, but there was no internet access. But this is where the story of my life ties-in with the song mentioned above. Apparently, I am "Thumpkin." This is evident in the comment I just received from Pete, asking what had become of me. Well, Pete, I'm alive and well, and trying to update my journal while, at the same time, getting into the swing of summer.

Yesterday was Lisa and my anniversary. It's been eight years. I started off the day--our first day back from our mini-vacation--writing about what had transpired. But then I had to leave to take Audrey to the store. I ended up going out to Olathe, to the Hy-Vee across the street from Lisa's building, so that I could buy her flowers. Why all the way out there? I wanted to have them delivered and, in case there was going to be a problem with this (being last minute and all), I wanted to be right there to drop them off myself. And, since I would normally go to the Hy-Vee in Mission anyway, I might as well just do the shopping in Olathe while I was ordering the flowers. So it was--get this--eight dollars to deliver the flowers a hundred feet. Sure, they need to charge something, but I'll be damned if I'm paying that kind of money for a trot across the way. So I politely declined the delivery option and took the bouquet over myself. I was expecting to take it inside and drop it off. With any luck, I could get out of there and nobody would know that Lisa's cheap-ass husband was the one making the delivery. Unless, of course, somebody recognized me. So, while at the Hy-Vee florist, I wrote on the card, and I quote:

Lisa, happy anniversary! Hope you're having a good day. Well, it's about to get better. It was going to cost $8 to have this delivered, so I did it myself! Love, etc, etc, etc.

So, when I got to the Health Department with the flowers, I told the receptionist I had "a delivery for Lisa Erlinger-Teel" and, what does she do? She calls her out to get them. So there I am, Mr. Cheap-Ass Husband, with toddler in-tow, hand-delivering my wife's gift. But they say "it's the thought that counts." And there's really nothing more "thoughtful" than saving eight dollars.