Fishing for Andrew Jackson

We have really been enjoying our evening strolls lately. I love (ok, "like") the gym because I can spend less time and get a better workout than just an outside walk, but there is just something refreshing about a neighborhood stroll with my man. Sunday evening we were walking when AJ goes, "Look! There's money down there!" His eyes were looking down and he caught sight of a 20 dollar bill in the rain gutter. Well. I am the product of a mother who will practically dodge traffic to pick up a dime on the street, so I was not about to just go on our merry way and leave that kind of scratch just in the gutter. We continued our walk brainstorming hilarious ways to retrieve the bill. We both joked about asking our students to design a money grabber contraption that would get us a) the money and b) an entire afternoon of lesson planning done. STEM education is a thing, folks, it would have totally worked.
 We decided to put our heads to use and we both drew models and took bets on who could get the money out of the drain the best. AJ's tool was like a spear, a broom handle with a nail attached to the end (so he could stab the bill). My idea originally involved a wad of gum on a string to attach it, but then while furiously shoving Dentene in my mouth, I realized we had duct tape and that would work just fine. During these plans we were both laughing hard and planning with some serious intensity. 

the spear 

 The time was ripe. Darkness was falling and we were ready to complete our heist. AJ said he didn't want to look like a "freak" walking around the neighborhood with a broom handle so he used it as a walking stick. Because that wasn't conspicuous or anything. We laughed the whole way until we got to the drain (aka: our ATM). AJ  tried his contraption first, but the nail just bent and got sort of detached from the handle. Ok, my turn. I saw the value in this broom handle idea so I attached the tape wad to the end of the handle and AJ, with the careful precision of a real life game of Operation, fished the money out and just like that, we were 20 dollars richer. Now...what to do with it? We decided to treat ourselves to 2 Starbucks each this work week (we usually only allow ourselves one Sbux visit per school week). That night, AJ leaned in before bed and said "I am so excited for gutter coffee." And then we laughed some more. Guys, life is weird, so laugh when you can, make fun out of the simple moments, and keep finding good in all places....even in the gutter. And my iced chai this morning was delicious. 

Victory!