We learned a lot being without power for four days and without phone and internet for five.

• You can watch a movie on your laptop... but when your spouse says, "Why don't you fix us some popcorn?" you realize that she's getting sleepy.

• You most likely will never stop flicking on switches when you enter a room - and being momentarily surprised when nothing happens.

• Three icechests are not enough to save a freezer full of food.

• Uno is fun, especially if you cheat.

• Candles can hypnotize you.

• You go to bed a lot earlier.

• The house smells stuffy but with hints of caramel apple, blueberry soufflee, vanilla spice, etc. (think candles).

• Seeing the sunshine again makes one giddy.

• Seeing power trucks work on your street after a four day absence can provoke you to drag living room furniture out onto the front sidewalk. It is high entertainment after a week without TV.

We got our power back on Friday night, and the phone and internet were restored Saturday afternoon - just in time for Sam and I to set our fantasy football lineups for the weekend - although we had actually done our research on the church's internet before then.

We were grateful last week for the cool weather and the family time that being without power provided us. Even though it was a huge inconvenience, we discovered many hidden blessings in it all. The main one was probably having a gas hot water heater.

We got to visit with neighbors, eat at friends' houses, play games by candle light, and enjoy a sense of relaxation without high tech. Carolyn couldn't work all week, and my graphic design was put on hold, so it was simply a week that relationships came first. After all, our true Power Source never went out.