Whirlwind

First day

A huge portion of our house was down to the 2x4s.  The top floor had nearly all the sub-floor replaced. 

So, within two weeks of the previous post, on August 5th, I went through one of the most difficult trials of my life.  Our home, the one we just moved out of and are renting, flooded.  Like really flooded, like $20K in damage flooded.  While the tenants were at church the main valve to the toilet just popped off!  So basically, like a hose on full blast inside the house for hours.

Progress makes me happy!

When the tenants called to tell us what had happened, I grabbed a few towels and we headed over.  We pulled up to the house to see water coming OUT of the front of the house.  It was that bad, and SO much water!  The repairs have lasted an upwards of 4 weeks (things are still not complete) I felt like crying and have since spent many days doing so. I never knew it could be this draining. I have felt so physically, emotionally, and mentally drained.  I spend HOURS on the phone everyday trying to coordinate the workers, pick colors, vanities, etc. and relay the messages back to the tenant and the insurance adjuster.  I just feel horrible for our tenants, because it is their HOME and there is nothing like having to uproot your family from your home.  And to make everything more difficult I have felt really alone in it.  With the kids going back to school, like was even more chaotic than usual and I have just felt like no one understood. I know I am having a total pity party and that life could be throwing me much harder challenges, but this year, 2012, has NOT treated us well.  I don't need to repeat my laundry list of trials we've experienced, but I definitely feel that we have had our fair share (at least to last awhile- we could get like a 5 year trial credit::).  Sometimes, in the midst of experiencing trials it is SO difficult to see what you can learn from this and how it can bless your life, and needless to say, I have felt that way and even found it difficult to be happy- which is very much not 'me', so I did my best to take the advice of my best-friend and "suck it up"- (really she said it a lot kinder than that.  She always says the right thing.  Love her.)  So, we've experienced a really crappy few months and naturally, it made me sad.  But that doesn't mean I am depressed or I need some emotional help.  I just need to realize that trials are part of life; I need to buck up and face them with the best self.  I continuously prayed for the strength to do so, and then one day (on Friday the 24th), I woke up HAPPY! I knew it was all okay, well I always knew it was okay, but I finally felt it was/ would be okay.  We are here to be tested and go through trials and ENDURE, right?  So, even if it sucks horribly and we don't feel like dealing with it, we can!  And we have a Heavenly Father who knows we can!  And even if we feel alone in what we are going through, we aren't!  Life is hard. I can do it. I can do it with a smile on my face.  I am thankful for my life.