Today I am thankful for cold, cold water and hot, hot soup.

11.19.19

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I love ice. Probably more than a person should. I firmly believe that cold beverages should be served cold – and I mean really cold. I like drinking water, but I LOVE drinking ice water. When getting an iced tea from QT, I’ve mastered the perfect proportion of crushed ice to cubed ice in my cup. (2 parts crushed to 1 part cubed). Sonic ice is also a favorite of mine. It's unique in shape and texture. I like ice in water, in tea, in apple juice, in lemonade, in Coke Zero, or in a cocktail. You name it, and if it’s cold I probably like it best over ice. So naturally, when purchasing a refrigerator, an ice dispenser on the door was a high priority.

Well, my ice maker stopped working last week. No dispensed ice. No new cubes. Nothing. I fiddled with it, and did all the troubleshooting tips and tricks that the manual suggested. I checked to see if I had accidentally turned the ice maker off. I reset it. I made sure there were no ice clumps blocking it up. I watched You-tube videos about it. I jiggled it. I pounded it with my fist. I tried it all.

After almost a week sans ice I decided it was time to break out the fridge warranty information and/or check and see if this was covered under my home warranty. I was a tad bit crabby about this because calling a repair-person and then coordinating an appointment is often difficult with a school day schedule. This was, however, important. Last night I pulled out my policy information, but not before stopping at Sonic to pick up a bag of ice on my way home from work. I mean, a girl can only go so long without ice in the freezer!

Well, what do you know, but as I was making breakfast this morning I heard the beloved sound of my ice maker dropping freshly made cubes into the ice bin. What? It was an ice cube miracle! After 6 days of malfunction, the ice maker self-healed and started to work again. It’s almost as if the freezer got mad that I put a bag of purchased ice in it last night and it was like, “Hey wait – I make the ice around here!” Whatever works, I tell ya, but I was certainly excited to fill my tumbler up with super cold ice water this morning to take to work.

Now, today was an interesting weather day in Phoenix. It started out beautiful and fairly warm. But by 2 p.m. the temperature had dropped 20 degrees and the rain began. By dismissal time, it was downright cold. (Yes, Midwestern friends, I know it makes me wimpy to call the mid-50s cold, but I was freezing!) Couple that with the nasty head cold I have right now, and all I could think about on my drive home was having a bowl of hot soup. I almost stopped at Panera on my way home to get some of their thick, delicious chicken noodle goodness, but the thought of getting out of my car in the cold and rain literally made me shudder.

I was home approximately 3 minutes before I had changed into warm, fuzzy clothes and slippers. 2 minutes later I was nuking a bowl of Campbell’s Homestyle Chunky Chicken with Noodles in the microwave. The directions on the can said to heat it for 2 ½ to 3 minutes, but I set the timer for 4 minutes, because when you’re chilled to the bone you certainly don’t want lukewarm soup.

While the soup heated, I tested out the ice dispenser again. Still working like a champ! So, I got myself a big ol’ glass of icy water to go with my steaming soup. I know the two don't necessarily sound like they belong together, but it was one of the most satisfying combinations I've had in a long time.

So tonight, I am thankful for cold, cold water and hot, hot soup -- they most definitely hit the spot!