Oh my goodness, I'm coming down from one of my worst freak-outs ever!  Alan and I always watch Jeopardy! while eating dinner and tonight (probably not tonight's actual show, we DVR it and watch it after the fact), there was a category about people who were in Phi Beta Kappa and I said to Alan at one point, "You know, I was a Phi Beta Kappa.".

So at the commercial break, I went back to my jewelry armoire to find and show him my Phi Beta Kappa key.  It's not that he didn't believe me, because I don't lie to him, but I didn't want to sound all Jon Lovitz - "My wife, Morgan Fairchild, whom I've slept with..." - you know?  And then I totally couldn't find it!  I was majorly distressed!  I found a lot of other awards, Golden Key Honor Society, Blue Key Honor Society, an oral interp award, a literary award, Mortar Board, Georgia Merit Scholar, a piano award, Classics Scholar of The Year - but nothing for the highest and best award I ever won, Phi Beta Kappa!  I was so upset!  The most important pin ever, and that was the one I couldn't find!!!!

I'm not sure why I was that upset - I'm sure that no one other than me or maybe my mom cares that I was a Phi Beta Kappa, but it mattered to ME.  And I wanted to show my key to Alan, as a point of pride, even though he didn't doubt me.  I ransacked that jewelry armoire.  I called my mom to see if it was at her house, though I didn't think it likely since I had all the other medals/pins.  I gave up.  I was sad.  I started crying at one point.  I wondered if I could get a replacement through them, but I wasn't sure if I could because I wasn't sure of the date; I knew it was spring semester but I couldn't remember if it was junior or senior year of undergrad.

I fretted, trotted about the house in stress, then tried one more search through the armoire.  I opened several small jewelry boxes and then a plain black box - it was FULL of medals!  Medals I'd even forgotten I won, and best of all - MY PHI BETA KAPPA KEY!!!

In Alan's hand.  You can't imagine the despair and elation I went through in just a few hours tonight.

You guys, college is getting to be a very long time ago, but you can't imagine how happy I was to find this, especially after I thought I'd lost it.