Who doesn’t love a feelgood story? On the rare occasion that I sit down to watch a movie, I’ll admit it. I like a happy ending. I like it when the boy gets the girl and everything just magically works out.
Wouldn’t it be nice if life magically worked out every once in a while? Well, today, it did for me.
I’ve been out of town all week. I’ve been driving all over Maryland and getting lost somewhere between Baltimore and Washington. I’m trying to find the perfect place to live.
It turns out, and quite unbeknownst to me prior to this trip, that my husband and I have very different views on where to live.
He seems drawn to the country where he’s close enough to civilization but still needs a tractor to cut the grass.
I’m drawn to the suburbs. I don’t need acres or a towering mansion. I want a quaint modern house with beautiful trees that’s close to shopping.
And then there’s price.
So before we really get into the nitty gritty of house hunting, we’re really just trying to find an area we like. An area we can research and get opinions on and google our hearts out about. This explains the driving.
Bel Air has a totally cute downtown and a kickass playground nearby. And I could make Fresh Prince jokes all the time.
Glen Burnie is pretty industrial and we didn’t want to live right next to a power plant.
Westminster is a half hour away from Baltimore but it feels like a 3 hour drive into the country. It also seems like every house is built in the middle of a field.
Mt. Airy is a little like Westminster but a little closer to civilization. And then there would be the incessant references to The Andy Griffith Show.
So we are still completely undecided but what I can tell you is that small town goodness still exists.
As we were readying ourselves to leave Baltimore and head back to North Carolina, I decided to look in my big giant purse. Not sure why but I’m glad I did. I found out my wallet was missing.
I never lose my wallet so I was desperately trying to retrace my steps. I looked through every square inch of my car and my sister’s house. I checked and rechecked my bag. And then I remembered the last time I used my wallet.
I stopped for ice cream at a Mt. Airy convenience store the day before. Could I have left it there? I found a crumpled receipt from the transaction in my car and tried calling them.
I asked the girl who answered the phone if it might be remotely possible that someone had left a wallet there the day before. She answered yes but the she needed the manager to call me back.
Soon?, I asked. Yes, soon.
About 5 minutes later, I got a call from the store manager. She explained that one of her employees had found it and given it to her.
She had called information to try and contact me and found out my home number is unlisted. She called the Raleigh police who suggested she contact her local police. Her local police suggested she hang onto it for a few days. Apparently, if they took possession, I’d have to jump through hoops to get it back.
She still had it and assured me everything was still in it including my cash and credit cards. She told me she was having dinner at her mother’s but lived in Mt. Airy and was only 5 minutes from the store. She said she would run over and drop it at the store.
About an hour later, I arrived at the store and there was my wallet. One of the clerks was the manager’s son. I thanked them profusely and then went to offer them some sort of cash reward. They flatly refused.
We talked about the area and they assured me it was a nice place to live. I can’t say if I’ll end up in Mt. Airy but I can tell you that I’ll always send my business to the Ridgeville Gas & Go.
You people rock!!
17 comments
How cool! I am so glad you found it. Losing a wallet is the worst!
I usually let my husband do the wallet losing. I guess it was my turn!
I remember hearing (reading?) about an experiment in which wallets were dropped in large cities and small towns to compare urban honesty vs. semi-rural honesty. Unfortunately, the only thing I remember about the results is that they were surprising. Sorry. Kind of like telling a joke without the punchline.
Hey, I watched really good movie today. I can’t remember what it was about or what the name of it was but you would really like it 😉
I made sure I thank everyone profusely because I know how fortunate I was!
Mt Airy IS nice. And they have a great ice cream joint – can’t remember the name of it but I’ll find out if you want. 🙂 Also? A fabulous pick-your-own farm is near there – Larriland Farm. Not that I’m trying to sell you on a place that’s 20 mins from C’ville or ANYTHING. ha.
It’s okay. My husband is pushing hard for it. Although I actually quite liked Catonsville. I found some really nice homes I’d consider on Hilton Ave 😉
Don’t you love it when things like that happen? It just restores your faith in humanity. Mt. Airy sounds just lovely…
There is definitely a small town feel. Quaint downtown and some modern conveniences. And lots and lots of farm land. But at least I know the people are nice 🙂
That is fantastic. Glad you got it back…I was stressing over misplacing my good pen out of my wallet…I can’t imagine how crazy I would have been over the whole wallet.
I don’t know what’s going on with me but things like that that should cause me major stress just don’t anymore. It’s like I just have this feeling it will all work out. Now finding a new place to live is another story…
That’s pretty awesome. Something similar happened when we were at the beach a couple of weeks ago. My brother-in-law left his debit card at some inland gas station and had a minor freak-out. Since the last thing he bought was gas he called the gas station (I think it was in Fayetteville) and asked if anyone left a card there. Sure ’nuff – they had his at the counter and were holding it for him. He said that if it had been in New York *someone* would have tried to use it.
That’s small town honesty for you. I didn’t even realize it was gone until 24 hours later. I was so lucky!
It’s great to hear that there are still honest people in the world!
My family on my dad’s side is from Mt. Airy. I don’t know if you met any Hiatts while you were there, but if you did, they’re probably my relatives. 😉
I grew up in Buckeystown, Maryland, and my aunt lives in Mt. Airy. The local ice cream joint is called “Jimmy Cone,” and it’s a lot of fun to walk up to the window to get your treats. Maryland is such a beautiful place, but there is a lot of farmland. Until I moved to North Carolina at age 15, I didn’t realize the smell of fresh manure wafting through the car was unique to Maryland. 🙂
So glad they found it and had it waiting for you. That is such an unnerving feeling.
Also, my vote is for Bel Air.
What a great story. I found a wallet in downtown seattle with a young woman’s social security card inside and I had to do some heavy duty sleuthing to get it back to her before I boarded a bus home. I hope someone does it for me, too.
Depending on what you need to be close to, you might like a place called Frederick or even Middletown. They are both about equal distance from DC & Baltimore (about 45 minutes/hour). Teenagers might not enjoy it, but for a family who’s looking for both country/quiet & suburban area its perfect. You do have your farms & people in Montgomery County do refer to it as “FredNECK”, but its really nice. I’m not from the area but I have been living there for the last 3 years, but just left to go to LA. My parents lived up on a Mountain in the middle of Gambrill State park & just moved to a house behind the Appalachian Trail. Amanda from Parenting by Dummies also lives in area too.
And you get a lot of house for your money. If you have any questions about areas just email me. Oh & Ellicott City/Columbia area is nice too. I lived there for about 5 years. But expensive.