iPod iMergency

Garrett is having an iPod iMergency! This unfortunate event happened on Monday, but it has been too traumatic to write about. On Sunday nights my kids sort laundry before bed because Monday is laundry day. This week, however I had to work on Monday instead of Wednesday and so I started laundry at 6:00 am. As I walked out the door for work I tossed in a load of levis and started the washer. Travis had an early morning meeting as well and said good bye to the kids and everyone was up and moving. Lauren gives the following account of what happened next: Around 7:10 Garrett grabbed his coat, backpack and started looking for his iPod. He checked the charger, iHome, and counter and then had a panicked look on his face and ran to the laundry room. He checked all the piles on the floor, opened the dryer (nothing), opened the rinsed and wrung out washer and started throwing all the levis out of the washer. He turned out all the pockets and discovered his iPod and earbuds. He iMmediately grabbed my container with rice and dumped a large amount in a big cereal bowl and buried the iPod. (You might be wondering why he knew this little secret...HE'S DONE THIS BEFORE!!!!) He started crying and blaming mom for washing his jeans and not checking his pockets. He grabbed his hoodie and left for school. (No call to mom or dad.)

I arrived home from work at 1:00pm and saw my washer lid opened and wet jeans piled around it. I saw a $ 20 bill folded up and washed on the counter and just figured that Garrett had realized that he left babysitting money in his pocket. Next I saw grains of rice on my kitchen counter, but didn't think too much about it. I started playing a Star Wars Galactic Hero game with Ash and asked him why my laundry was all over. He said, "You washed Garrett's iPod." Yikes...Oh my Goodness. Not again. How could this have happened. I ran to the fridge and grabbed the cereal bowl on top and dug through the rice and found the iPod. I was sick. I called Lauren who was at a friends house and heard the awful chain of events. I was sad on so many levels. This was a special gift from Travis and me to Garrett for him earning his Eagle. We ordered it direct from Apple in their signature color - RED for his Utah Utes. We had it engraved, "Be Prepared" 12-2-08, Garrett Naisbitt, Eagle Scout. When he received it he was so surprised and excited. He loves music: He has 389 songs, he has two movies, and pictures on his iPod. He listens to it everyday, every night, in the car, on the way to school, you know ALL the time. If I had to pick one earthly possession that he wouldn't want to be without...it is this. I also new what was going to happen next. Remember, we had been through this before with his last "2nd generation nano, no video". Last time he blamed me for taking his jeans out of the bathroom while he was at swim and ruining it. It was ugly. I cried. He cried. I was just trying to not waste water and fill up the load. I peaked in the bathroom and saw a pair of jeans and threw them in the wash. I never thought to check the pockets. Anyways, as I looked at the clock and it was now 1:30 I had two hours until Garrett arrived home from school. I wanted to go and check him out because I knew how sad he must be. I rec'd a phone call from my friend at work who happens to be my boss and she said to be sure and come see her the next time I worked because the shareholders were giving each employee a $100 bill as a End of Fiscal year bonus. I immediately thought about using it to buy Garrett a new iPod and rescue him, but after the last washer/iPod experience, I made it clear to Garrett that he was responsible for checking his own pockets, turning things inside out, etc..We talked a lot about responsibility and I really didn't think we'd be here again. Well, Ashton's friend Nathan called to play and I drove him over to the Rock's home. Amee came to the car and I started to cry. I shared that I was sad about the iPod, but that I knew that Garrett was going to come home in an hour and blame me again for not checking his pockets. I knew he'd be defensive and then I would get defensive and it would be awful. She wished me luck.

I returned home. I got down on my knees and prayed. I prayed for Garrett to not be defensive, to show personal responsibility, and for me to be empathetic, loving and understanding. (I also prayed that when the we turn it on that it will work!) I got up turned on calm music and waited. I know this sounds dramatic, but if you have teenagers, you understand. I heard the door open. Garrett walked in with his hoodie on his head. He had such a sad face. I walked over and hugged him. I started to cry and told him how sorry I was. He was calm. He fought back tears and said he screwed up. He knew it was his fault. He had it Saturday and stuck it in his jeans and never pulled it out on Sunday. It got thrown in his hamper and then when he sorted laundry, it ended up in the wash. He started to cry and apologized to me for ruining this special gift from Trav and me. He knew how much it meant to us. I couldn't believe it. My prayers were answered. In the middle of our talk, Trav called and talked to Garrett. I then had to run Lauren over to her viola lesson. I called Trav back from my cell phone in my car. I told him everything. He said exactly what I was thinking. That if the iPod ends up working or doesn't end of working. It doesn't matter. He handled this situation better than I would have. He has dug his old iPod shuffle out and ear buds while we wait for his iPod to dry out. We are going to give it a week in rice to see if the rice absorbs the moisture. We'll then try turning it on. If it works, SUPER. If not he has his old shuffle. His old iPod still works. He passed it down to Lauren who listens to it every night. We'll let you all know what happens, but really no matter the outcome, it was a valuable lesson.

FEB. 17TH - a week after the iPod Imergency -
(IT TURNS BACK ON, BUT THEN THE SCREEN GOES FUZZY WHITE - TOTAL BUMMER)