Writer's Workshop: The First Time

For this Writer's Workshop, I am going to tell you about the first time I locked myself out of our house. Did I mention that I locked myself out and Hayden inside?

A little over 4 years ago, we moved into our current house. We moved in the week before Hayden's first birthday. It was stressful time. We had been living in a condo for about 6 months before our house was ready. We needed a bigger house but never expected our old house to sell so quickly. So while our current house was built, we rented a condo.

I was so excited to move into our house. I loved our new house but I had not quite figured out all the tricks to everything. One morning, I was cleaning up Hayden's breakfast and I opened the back door, which someday will lead to a deck, to shake out the rug and Hayden dropped one of his toys out side.

I thought about leaving it out there but he was so sad and kept asking for it. So I slipped on a pair of Jeff's boats and walked around to the back of the house to get the toy. Hayden was standing at the window watching me, I played peek-a-boo with him for a while and decided to go back into the house. I was getting cold and the tee-shirt and sweat pants aka pajamas with no bra, I had on.

I walked back around to the front of the house and opened the door. Only it would not open. I tried again, nothing. I tried one more time because surely the first two times were a mistake. I reached for the knob but it would not turn. The door was locked!

I was locked out and Hayden was locked in! My mind began to race and I could feel the panic beginning to raise up in my chest. Stay Calm, Stay Calm. I took a deep breath and tried to think, meanwhile I had walked to the front of the house so that I could at least look in on Hayden. He was sitting playing with toys completely oblivious to what was going on.

Finally, I mind came up with a solution. Jeff, I need to call Jeff! He only works five minutes away and could come and unlock the house. Now, how do I call him. Where is my cell phone when you really need it? Locked in the house of course.
I decided that I would run up to a neighbor's house. A neighbor who I did not know because we had just moved in but I had to use a phone.

So I ran up the street to the nearest neighbor's house, holding 'the girls' tightly to my chest as I ran. Remember, no bra so I had to do something so that I would not get hit in the chin as I ran.

I knocked on her door, she game me the once over (as well she should have. I was quite the sight, pajamas on, over sized boots, bed head, and I don't think that I had brushed my teeth yet) and listened to my story. She agreed to let me use her phone. I called Jeff, of course he was not at his desk and would not answer his cell phone.

I called the building security and them go and look for him. He was in a meeting that was interrupted by security telling him about how his wife locked herself out of the house and the 1 year old inside. Every one had a good chuckle at that one.

So long story short, Jeff came home, unlocked the door. Hayden was fine. While I waited for Jeff, he and I again played peek-a-boo at the window. My neighbor was so sweet, she sat with me until Jeff got there. Hayden was not phased by the whole ordeal at all, thank God!

This was the first time that I was locked out of my house but not the last, darn door. But now at least my mom has a key, my sister has a key and 2 sets of neighbors have a keys. But just my luck they will all be gone at the same time.


Make sure you go over and visit Mama Kat to see who else did their assignment. Just click in her photo at the top.