A few years ago, I made my brother-in-law, Pete, this sign for Christmas:
Pete had recently started his own organizing business in New Jersey, called Clutter Crashers. Clutter Crashers is designed to help people get organized and stay organized. For his business to succeed, Pete needed to not only break out his plastic bins and label maker, but tap into his inner OCD. Not surprisingly, his business is thriving.
You see, the Lorenzo name is really synonymous with being organized...my mother-in-law literally puts labels on everything. Each Thanksgiving, she labels all of the cooking vessels for the day with little tags that say things like "mashed potatoes" and "corn bread." You know, because who doesn't appreciate a little extra help when trying to figure out where to put the turkey?
My father-in-law is also cut from the organizing cloth. He keeps his garage cleaner than I keep my kitchen and parks his car on an oriental rug. And no, I am not exaggerating. David and I once helped him tile his fireplace, only to have him start running the shop vac while I was still in the middle of mixing the mortar.
Interestingly, this gene appears to have (unfortunately) skipped David. It's not uncommon for us to spend hours looking for his car keys or to find household items in the garage that have been missing for years. I shouldn't complain...it's like a little treasure hunt every time we go out there.
For Christmas this year, Morgan got a new art set, one that included dozens of crayons, markers, and colored pencils. After pulling them all out of the box, I watched her get to work, quietly sorting and organizing each.and.every.color. There were a few brief discussions about where orange-red and violet should live, but for the most part, Morgan was on a mission. I knew instantly that the Lorenzo legacy would live on.
As Morgan sat there marveling at her work, I couldn't help but wonder when the day will come that she decides to use her skills to finally clean her room. Clutter Crashers, we may need you after all.
(NOTE: After proofreading this blog, David would like the record to show that the garage is currently clean and has been so for 2 months. Through the course of that cleaning, we did not find any long lost children or the neighbor's cat.)
