Life Update

We are still in the hotel which Mark refers to as "the suites." He is going stir crazy so goes back and forth to the house several times a day and jumps at any opportunity to go out.

The good news is that we have found an apartment and insurance/leasor/we have signed the contract and we move in on Tuesday. A truck will show up with an entire house package - furniture for two bedrooms, kitchen, living room (hopefully bar stools), bathroom supplies, kitchen supplies, linens, and even a "cleaning" kit which includes a broom, mop, vaccuum cleaner, etc. The apartment is over a business in our neighborhood so Mark can walk down the alley every day and check on the house all he wants. The apartment is a "loft" (I guess) since you have to go upstairs and it is over a business. It is a 2/2 with a small courtyard and a one car detached garage. 

The disaster clean up people have been at our house this week and will continue next week tearing out sheetrock, removing things that might be able to still be used to have them cleaned and stored, etc. Mark has had one meeting with a local contractor and he will begin an estimate on repairs on August 4. After that, I guess we have to coordinate with the insurance people to see if they approve. We are going to try to do a couple of small "fun" projects that we had talked about doing like updating lighting over the kitchen island, adding some built ins to our bathroom/closet, etc. I got Mark to take a few before pictures yesterday of where the house is right now. 

It will be at least 4 months before ANYONE can begin any work on the house and they are predicting we will be out of the house at least 12 months. That 12 months was one of the biggest snags with the insurance company -- they only wanted to sign a 6 month lease but we were finally able (with the help of a friend who works there) get the 12 month lease.

On the health front, I'm healing nicely from my sinus surgery. I saw the opthalmologist again this week and I had a post-op appointment with the surgeon. I see both again in 3 weeks. I still have double vision so I'm not driving. I think that has been the hardest part. I HATE asking for someone to drive me places or go buy something for me. A sweet friend drove me to the eye doc this week and Mark took me to the surgeon. Mark watched as the surgeon inserted a camera and a light and a vaccuum into my nose all the way into the farthest sinus cavities. They placed gel in the cavities during the surgery and he was cleaning some of that out. They deadened my nose with a spray of lidocaine (or something) but it was very painful. I had a grip on the arm of the chair and my face contorted in pain. He did tell us that the surgery involved removing some bone in my face to open up the sinus cavities. I was evidently in pretty serious shape. I'm hoping that if my vision doesn't correct on its own between now and next appointment, when he does another clean out . . .it will go ahead and clear then. The opthalmologist did show me how she could make temporary glasses for me that include a prism . . .to correct it! I'm still using the saline wash out system twice a day (I feel like I'm drowning) and I have to keep doing that. I started a second round of prednisone today. I still can't blow my nose . . . and I want to. Why is it that when we are told we CAN'T do something . . .we want to do it more?

My goal is to find one positive thing per day (if not more). Since we got back from Europe on July 3, I haven't slept past 3 a.m. and the fire/surgery/prednisone haven't helped. Last night, I slept (with a bathroom break) from 10:00 to 5:40. That was miraculous in and of itself.

People continue to amaze me. Friends are still doing our laundry (can't wait to do my own next week!). We've received unbelievable gifts from our Sunday School class and other church members. The kind of gifts that make you cry and you normally would never accept but when you realize they are given to you because people love you . . .you accept with grace. When I get discouraged, I get a text or card or phone call from someone who knows just the right thing to say. Friends have invited us to come and sit at their kitchen table so that we aren't sitting in our hotel room eating next to the cat litter box :-(. They've provided a bit of respite in a crazy journey. People have prayed so hard for us and we have felt it. We know that we are loved and have felt it.

I'm hopeful that over the tnext week, I might find time to continue blogging about our trip.

On the "college" class front, my professor has been so gracious. I have now typed a paper and turned in a project done with one eye. The project is not my best but I was using a "sort of new" program to me (Canva) and I couldn't manipulate my photos and text boxes the way I wanted. I'm not sure I gave her as much detail as she wanted so I'm sure she will take off points for that. I'm hoping for a lot of points for effort. She knows that I did homework and took quizzes even while in Europe and she knows I want to finish the class. The paper was a critique of The Passion Plan in Oberammergau. Writing about it was nice -- brought back great memories of the trip. I don't know if I'll end up with an A or not in the class but I have enjoyed it and I've learned new things.

On the work front, I stayed out the whole week after the fire/surgery. On Monday of this week, I went in for about an hour and a half. On Tuesday, I made it 3+ hours. I didn't work in the office on Wednesday because of surgeon post op appointment, etc. On Thursday, I made it 6+ hours and then I worked from the hotel yesterday morning. Hopefully, I can make it a full day this week. I'm feeling so much better and stronger but both my eyes - the patched one and the other one - get so tired after looking at a computer screen, etc. for hours. I will be off Tuesday for move in day. Definitely by Wednesday, I hope I can make it all day which is 8:30-4:00 (ish).

I had to cancel an appointment for allergy shots and for a visit to the dermatologist during the surgery week so I will have to reschedule those . . . and get a ride. I'm hoping that I can get a pedicure and a haircut/color in the next couple of weeks, too. Those things sound so normal (except needing a ride). 

That is where we are today! We are going to try to go to church and Sunday School tomorrow. We've never missed this many weeks except duing the covid shut-down. I miss being in worship. I will probably wear a mask tomorrow because covid numbers have risen and I don't need covid on top of these things.

One more quick thing -- the weekend we moved into the hotel was The World Games week here in Birmingham and there was a huge High School football something or other -- 7 on 7 -- here last weekend. Beginning mid week this last week, hordes of teenaged boy baseball players and their families arrived. Mark talked to a parent and they said 180 baseball teams are here in Hoover for these tournaments/games. Our hotel has been full of lots of families. Last night, there were two boys playing baseball (with a plastic "bat" and something soft for a ball) in the hallway. We've used our fan apps on our phones and we've put one on each side of the bed and it has covered up the noise for us. Two different nights, giggling boys ran down the hall and knocked on our door. I'm sure because we have the "do not disturb" sign up because of the cat.

This is life for us right now. How are things in your world?