Everywhere Erica Hoaglund and her new husband, Jordan, went, she made sure their plastic bag of cash, checks and gift cards was covered up and locked in their pickup.

The couple married in July in Denver, then headed to Minneapolis for a reception in her husband's hometown. They were en route from Minneapolis to her hometown of Wolf Point, Mont., for another reception when that little bag of presents caused a big stir.

They had spent Monday night at her sister's home in Bismarck. They loaded up the pickup, but Erica Hoaglund accidentally left the plastic bag on the roof of the vehicle.

"We just carried too much to the car," she said.

They left Bismarck around 12:40 p.m. Tuesday. About 20 or 30 minutes down Interstate 94, they realized the bag was missing. Erica Hoaglund said she was "freaking out" and crying. Given her prior careful attention to the bag, leaving the bag on roof seemed something she could more see her husband doing than herself.

"The fact that I lost it was just too much," she said."I was a mess" They called her sister, the Bismarck Police Department and the Mandan Police Department. Her sister left work and searched the neighborhood to no avail. Erica and Jordan Hoaglund walked up and down the Interstate for about two hours.

Just as they were about to continue on to Montana without the money and cards, the Bismarck Police Department called to report that the bag had been found and turned in by Anna Miller, 70.

"I just feel so blessed," Erica Hoaglund said. "I prayed and prayed. That was the longest two hours."Bismarck Police Sgt. Dwight Offerman said Miller reported finding the bag on the 2500 block of North Fourth Street - the same block the Hoaglunds left from Tuesday afternoon. A phone number for Miller was not available Wednesday.

The Hoaglunds did not meet Miller, and they don't know if she knew what she was returning to them. The bag contained about $2,000 which the newlyweds could not afford to lose, Erica Hoaglund said. She hopes to get information to contact Miller or send her a thank you.

Though she finds the incident slightly embarrassing, Erica Hoaglund said she was glad to tell Bismarck about the kindness of one of its own.

"I'm very grateful to her," she said.

(Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@bismarcktribune.com.)