Optical Illusions

This morning I had Michelle and Melissa - my two very good friends and SAMmy's small group leaders over for our January SAMmy's leader's meeting. We do this monthly - we get together and discuss all the studies for the month - what we plan on doing in our small groups, and brainstorm, borrowing each others' best ideas if we want. Then, we planned our upcoming Julie and Julia dinner party this Friday (can't wait!) that is sure to be a fun party (anyone in the Hudson, Wisconsin area is welcome to join us - let me know if you're free this Friday, and I'll email you details!).

Anyhow...since my gal pals were coming over this morning, I straightened up and lit some candles in the bathroom and in the kitchen to make things nice. I left them burning most of the day, because it's just such a nice atmosphere when they burn, you know? I don't usually burn candles - except when my girlie friends come over - because Mike doesn't care for the scented candles. I, personally, LOVE them! (I also got in on some great coupon specials on the Glade ones this Christmas, so I have an abundance!)

This afternoon, after the kids got home, Bridgette and I ran to the store. While we were checking out, my feeble brain could remember blowing the bathroom candle out, but I couldn't remember - did I blow the kitchen candle out? Houses burn down that way! (And the reason I don't burn candles is because my mom never did - because of her fear of burning down the house - which she verbalized CONSTANTLY!)

Bridgette and I rushed home - and on the way home I saw smoke rising from MY NEIGHBORHOOD! My heart started beating wildly like no caffiene overdose I've ever known - and I've drank too much coffee more times than I'd like to admit! We raced home as quickly as I could justify bending the speed limit...

...to find that behind our neighborhood is a big smokestack. Oh, yeah...I remember that...across the river...in Stillwater, MN. And it puffs smoke all the time. Ha!

And the candle was blown out. Of course.

Whew!