– written last Friday, the 14th-
Whoaaaaa, roller-coaster of crazy today, y’all! Ready for another lucky-gene/God’s-tender-mercies story? Buckle up, cuz this one’s a bit of a roller-coaster.
Two Fridays ago, a very very large check was sent snail-mail to us from our 401k investment account thingy. (Yes, that’s the technical term for it.)
We needed said check to be able to get an even larger check to escrow MONDAY the 17th so we can close this “mortgage-ownership” deal next week as planned.
Said check could have been here as early as Monday the 10th.
Nope.
Tuesday?
Nope.
Wednesday?
*nothing came in the mail at all.
Thursday?
*AGAIN, nothing in the mail.
Come on, Hawaii, what is taking so long?
At this point, we’re getting a little frantic-ish. That squirmy “this is cutting it too close!!!” feeling.
At this point, we’re getting a little frantic-ish. That squirmy “this is cutting it too close!!!” feeling.
Friday. Surely, it’ll come today.
*NOTHING!
This isn’t stacking up.
The handy email service that tells you what you’re getting in the mail that day? It’s told Mr Smith that we had several letters and things delivered Wednesday and Thursday — like the Christmas letter from the Gustafsons! They send the best cards, I hope it didn’t just get lost forever — but nothing came?
It said there were 3 letters coming Friday from sources that were very very likely sending The Check, and again, the mailbox is empty? Something is wrong.
So. We determine that, yes, we definitely need to go to the local post office and investigate this one.
I explain what’s going on.
The post-master-lady pokes around in the back, can’t figure it out, takes down my number and says the carrier has already left for the day, she’ll dig around some more and call me if anything comes up.
I get to the car.
I’m trying not to let that AHHHH! IMPENDING DOOM! feeling run wild. No. Don’t engage. Things will work out. It’s going to be FINE.
I drive away to go run my next errand but something tells me to turn back around. Do some shopping or something. Which doesn’t make sense because I seriously have done enough shopping to last me a long while, but I do it anyway because that feeling of God whispering to me is ALWAYS right.
Again, I fight off thoughts of impending doom… If this check is lost in the mail…. NO. No, we are NOT going there. Breathe. It’s. Going. To. Be. Fine. It’s just money, it’ll work out, not a big deal. God, help it work out, k? Ommmmmm…
Mr Smith forwards me the emails he’s gotten from USPS this week, so I walk back to the post office to see if maybe any of this content could be helpful.
Not that I don’t think they can do their job.
Not that I wouldn’t put it past them to sort of not care about this.
Not that I’m TOTALLY DESPERATE TO GET TODAY’S MAIL or anything… because I’m 100% sure the check is in today’s mail. I know it is.
If you haven’t dealt with Hawaii-mail-issues, you don’t quite understand what sort of pickle we were facing. Stuff gets lost here fairly often (especially when you’re talking about mail-forwarding-service stuff) and it can take weeks to sort it out, especially if something like a great big check from some trust fund isn’t allowed to be forwarded, so it bounces back to the sender, etc etc…
Not that I don’t think they can do their job.
Not that I wouldn’t put it past them to sort of not care about this.
Not that I’m TOTALLY DESPERATE TO GET TODAY’S MAIL or anything… because I’m 100% sure the check is in today’s mail. I know it is.
If you haven’t dealt with Hawaii-mail-issues, you don’t quite understand what sort of pickle we were facing. Stuff gets lost here fairly often (especially when you’re talking about mail-forwarding-service stuff) and it can take weeks to sort it out, especially if something like a great big check from some trust fund isn’t allowed to be forwarded, so it bounces back to the sender, etc etc…
Oh, man, I am REALLY trying to keep my cool, but this is REALLY not a good time for a weird-mail-issue!
When I get back there, 15 min before they close for the weekend, guess what.
The post-master-lady FOUND TODAY’S MAIL. She was glad to see me come back in because she’d figured it out, found these, and was going to call me…
She hands me those three beautiful envelopes and I literally tear into it like I’m looking for a Golden Ticket or something, and YES. WHEW.
There it is. In my hand. It’s really, actually, there. It’s not lost.
There it is. In my hand. It’s really, actually, there. It’s not lost.
Yes, I hugged it.
Oh, HALLELUJAH, thank you Jesus and the nice, normally-SO-cranky post-master-lady, I shall love you forever.
Oh, HALLELUJAH, thank you Jesus and the nice, normally-SO-cranky post-master-lady, I shall love you forever.
The glitch:
For some reason, our mail was getting sent to our new address more than a week early.
For some reason, our mail was getting sent to our new address more than a week early.
“So the other mail we’ve missed is being delivered to the new house?” I asked.
“Well, no, the other town’s post office will catch it and send it back to us because it’s not supposed to actually be delivered there yet.”
(Gustafsons, I am so sorry, we might be reading your Christmas card for Valentine’s!)
Holy Lost Mail, people, that was a close one. Man oh man. I AM SO SO SO GRATEFUL. If I hadn’t gone in, that check would have been bouncing around between post offices and who knows when we’d get it. Yikes.
I was able to walk that check over to the bank, get the whole beautiful thing deposited immediately, get a cashier’s check made out to the lender-groupy-bank-people (another technical term you may be unfamiliar with), and the whole deal will go down like it’s supposed to on the 20th.
“Cutting it a little close, aren’t you?” the cashier said, “Next time maybe plan a little farther ahead, eh?”
Speechless, all I can do is laugh and nod in agreement.
…I didn’t mention that the offer on our home was only accepted, like, not-even-4 weeks ago. The whole process is going down so lightning-fast I can barely keep tack of it.
Our home wants to wrap up our family for Christmas, and it’s all working out…
but dang. That’s enough excitement for one day.
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