I’ve spent the last week in an alternative universe. Going from the extreme cold of Alaska to the glorious warmth of Arizona made for an exceptional Thanksgiving holiday. I confess I laughed (inwardly) at ladies wearing winter boots when the temperatures were in the 60’s. But I reveled in the fact that I didn’t need a coat. I now understand why snowbirds spend their winters in Arizona and their summers in Alaska. The best of both worlds.

The highlight of the trip was spending time with my extended family in Arizona. An amazing group of people with such varied life experiences and opinions. Fortunately, politics did not mar our time together. We concentrated on sharing stories and life experiences. I hope some of their wisdom rubbed off on me!

The lowlight of the trip was the death of my iPhone. This is the second cell phone I’ve drowned this year. The first drowned in the toilet (never put your cell phone in your back pocket is a good rule, particularly for womenfolk.)

It was the day after Thanksgiving, and the family had gathered together for “soup night.” Everyone brought amazing soups, and we enjoyed tasting culinary delights. The German pickle soup was my favorite!

Near the end of the evening, everyone gathered on the porch around the fire pit. I walked outside and knew I had to capture some photos of everyone sitting with fire-light flickering across their faces.

I snapped a couple of photos, then stepped around the group to take a picture from another angle. As I stepped out, suddenly the ground disappeared. At first, I thought I’d stepped into a hole.

I quickly realized I’d stepped into the swimming pool.

No bragging intended, but my dive into the pool was flawless. No screaming or thrashing, just a gentle glide into the water. Like a mermaid.

In diving competitions, the “entry” is one element of a diver’s score. The entry is the point when the diver makes contact with the water. The dive can be feet-first or head-first, with the ideal entry being when the body is nearly vertically straight, with feet together and toes pointed. The less splash on the entry, the better the dive.

Well, this is one of the few times in my life I would have rated a 10, maybe a nine because I’m not sure my feet were together. I entered feet first, my body was vertical, and there was no splash. I’ve never been so graceful in my life.

Then I sunk like a stone.

In the deep end.

As I glided downwards, my first thought was ‘Save the cell phone.’ My next thought was ‘Cold water!’

Fortunately, my husband immediately realized that his klutzy, I can’t-see-in-the dark, directionally challenged wife had thrown herself in the pool. He and my brother ran over to rescue me.

My husband said they could pinpoint exactly where I was in the pool because I was holding my cell phone up towards the surface and it glowed through the whole ordeal.

Yes, my iPhone sacrificed its electronic life to save me.

I splashed around, quite amazed that with my muscle to fat ratio, I wasn’t bobbing up to the surface like a cork. I realized later I was so obsessed with pointing my toes for a good diving score, that I forgot to kick my legs. Also, with one hand clutching the cell-phone and trying to get it above water, I wasn’t exactly using my hands and arms to their best advantage.

Finally, my rescuers managed to grasp my flailing arms and pull me to the side. It felt like an eternity beneath the water but in reality was only about 10 seconds. My first words were, “Let me breathe” and then “My phone!”

A hot shower quickly revived me, as my phone lied in state in a bag of rice, as befitted its heroic act.

I recovered, but sadly, my cellphone expired shortly after that. I tried to revive it, but evidently, mouth-to-charger port resuscitation doesn’t work on an iPhone.

In spite of the loss of my cell phone, my Thanksgiving holiday included the blessings of family, delicious food, wonderful fellowship and a peppermint chocolate chip milkshake from Chick-fil-A.

God was present in so many ways, even in the fact that for once in my life I closed my mouth at the appropriate time and didn’t inhale half of the water in my cousin’s pool.

Now, I’m ready to head back to the frozen north, decorate for Christmas and concentrate on the reason for the season.

My first order of business when returning home will be buying a new iPhone.

A water-resistant one.