The Rest of the Story

Okay! So we'll pick up right where we left off, cause I know deep down you're all  just ready to hear about me going off the deep end. Patience people. It was a delayed reaction. You know, they say the stress always hits you AFTER the event. 

So after the FINAL load of stuff was delivered from the storage facility and the house was stuffed like a sausage full of boxes, Jeremie finally returned from his "business trip". (And I do put that in "air quotes".)  And like any normal family would do after they moved 37,583 times, the next day we packed our bags again and headed to Mississippi for the week. (This trip was already planned way in advance and multiple people had already taken off work.) I have to admit, since Jeremie likes to drive and CC was in the back entertaining Lil G, I was happy to nap in the front. Not so happy that we had to stop halfway and spend another night in a hotel. (Insert your choice of inappropriate wording here.) 

We finally made it to MS about noon the next day where Jeremie immediately went to bed and I got to see my sweet sister try on her WEDDING DRESS! This Sunday also happened to be Jeremie's FIRST FATHER'S DAY. How sweet are these two. They are equally obsessed with each other.

                                    

All I remember is having TOTAL insomnia that night and finally falling asleep around 3:00 a.m. then G waking up with the chickens at around 5:30. Everything from living the charade called our lives from the last 7 months just caught up with me and I was DONE. EXHAUSTED. DONE.

 Jeremie had gone to visit his parents for the day, so when he came back to my parents' that night he did not know the extent of my misery. So, I don't know if it's just in a man's deep inner being or just my hubby, but when Jeremie senses the slightest bit of moodiness in me he extorts it to the fullest. So he kept following me around as he carried Greyson singing the tune of "Pop Goes the Weasel", but with his own lyrics of: "Pop Goes the Mama". I really thought he connected with my laser eye look that clearly meant: "Now is not the time"......but he didn't. (This reminded me of a tune my dad used with my mom in similar inappropriate moments called "Let's all Panic Together."He would sing it as our family was preparing for sheep or pig shows. What preparations are necessary for a sheep/pig show you ask? Well, pretty much the same as the Miss Mississippi pageant, just throw in a little sawdust, Wranglers, and show sheen. But that's for a whole 'nother blog post.) 

Anyway......just hum the "Pop Goes the Weasel" tune to yourself a few times and feel your blood pressure rise. And finally......Mama did pop. I finally went off the deep end. Ring the bell. Throw the flag. My eyes welled up with tears and I angrily motioned Jeremie to the dining room, away from the rest of the family. And I saw the blood drain from his face. He knew, but it was too late. And the conversation went kinda like this: 

Me: "I'm LOSING IT. It's all been too much. Like, this is Me, losing it. I need a break."

Jeremie: "Ummm.....how about I just take Greyson to my parents' tomorrow and you do whatever you want to." 

And that was the end of the conversation. The next day I slept late, went shopping with my mom, and took a mental break. Jeremie and Greyson had a wonderful day touring Perry County and visiting family. 

The rest of the week we hung out by the pool with our family and Jeremie and I had a whole "date day" so we went to the coast and shopped, walked on the beach and ate lots of seafood. Our families even threw me a birthday party by the pool. (Which I will not post pictures of because I look terrible....and I'm from the South...where you never post a bad picture of yourself...DUH.)  

Seriously, can these two be an more darlin'?! Love them so much

                                   

Greyson played too hard.

Beach babes!

And could this be ANY SWEETER? Greyson and his cousin, Judah holding hands on their big trip to Treasure Hunt and Ward's!

So even though we were anxious to finally get back to our new home and get settled in, it was nice to refreshed and recharged. And I feel pretty confident Jeremie will hang up his little song for a while.

Side note: I totally realize that even though we had some trials over the past 7 months, I know that many of you reading this are going through extremely harder circumstances. In fact, I have friends, family, neighbors, etc., that have been through unspeakable hardship this past year, more than I can imagine. And please know, I am praying for you and hope to learn from YOUR strength. 

Home. Sweet. Home.

Wow. People. We MADE IT. We are finally HOME. Can you hear that? It's the angels singing. We actually moved in a couple months ago, but that's how long it took for my sanity to return and be able to catch up on this blog. Listen, it didn't come easy though. I'll rewind to springtime when the contractors told us we'd be moving in by February...then it was March...then it was April...then after my sweet hubby threatened their jobs, lives, and perhaps families, (ya'll know I'm just kidding....sort of)...they promised May 30th. Like it was in writing. So we gave our official notice to our landlord and promised we'd be out of our apartment by June 4th. (We gave ourselves a little "cushion".) Well, apparently we needed a little more cushion. But it was too late....someone was scheduled to move in the apartment on June 5th, so we rented a UHAUL and storage facility and packed up the farm again. Moving day was INSANE. Greyson essentially took ZERO naps, so I was trying to help pack/move/load the best I could with a baby on my hip. And he spent the rest of the day in the exersaucer. We were literally walking out the door at 7:00 p.m. which is also 30 minutes past G's bedtime. (Sadly, I took no pics of us walking out the door, which I later was sad about, because G essentially spend the first 6 months of his little life there! But not THAT sad.) J stayed behind to meet with the landlord to hand over the keys, so I checked into the hotel with a screaming baby loaded down with the pack n' play, stroller, his night time bag, etc. Let's start a "Mommy's Going Off the Deep End" tally: I. 

But we got settled in and knowing that this was the last hotel stay until we moved into our beautiful home was the light at the end of the tunnel! 

Our humble Home[wood Suites]

BUT....as luck would have it.....after a lavish 6 night stay at the Homewood Suites, they informed us they were overbooked and politely kicked us out. "Mommy's Going Off the Deep End" tally: II. After we heard this news, I literally went straight down to the lobby and bought a Hershey's bar and devoured it. (Chocolate understands.) So we packed everything up AGAIN and you'll never guess where we ended up for the next week.....back at the RESIDENCE INN!!! I said I would NEVER stay in another one, but I admit, it was nicer and bigger than Homewood Suites. 

And yes, that is my wedding dress in the white box which followed us around EVERYWHERE. We didn't want to send it with the movers (which, now I'm SUPER glad we didn't, and didn't want to store it in a non AC facility. Didn't want to leave it in the car....so yep, my gorgeous dress made every trip with us.)

This is what you do when the baby NEEDS to nap, but you have NO clean clothes left. Laundry mat trip in the hotel.

I think my mommy could tell I was on the edge of a breakdown, so even though we were technically moving back to the house yet, they did what all parents do....hop in the car and save the day. 

G had Pop WRAPPED. They loved playing in the hotel mirrors. 

Lunch date with CC and Pop!

And so we FINALLY got word that the major items were done and we could bring the moving truck!!! We were HAPPY to be DONE with hotel living! 

Reunited and it feels so good!!!!

 

The last picture we took in front of the house was this......WOW...somebody grew up!!!!

Anyway, so the movers got BUSY unloading while the electricians finished up some things, like fixing the breaker for the AC (so it would come on..YES) and putting a light above the stairs. (This is apparently Texas code.) Unfortunately, they forgot their adjustable ladder. I guess you gotta do what you gotta do. 

While they were cutting into the ceiling for the light, I kept hearing musings like: "Well, CRAP."....."THAT ain't good"....and "It's always something." Turns out they hit a joist and had to go into the attic and cut it from there. 

So they finally finished up and jetted. J also headed off to Lowe's. (Or so he SAYS. He might have just been avoiding the crazy. I've played that game before..."Babe, I gotta run to Marshall's because we NEED a curtain rod!") 

Anyway, to my shock and awe, water started pouring out of the new light above the stairs and onto the new carpet. Umm. I am a banker turned stay at home mommy. I don't what to do.  And now I'm thinking: Well, CRAP. THAT ain't good. "Mommy's Going Off the Deep End" tally: III. Fortunately, one of the movers was clever enough to turn the AC off. Then he went up to the attic and noticed the electricians in all their professionalism had stepped on the pipe to the AC drain pan and knocked it loose. So he hooked it back together and saved me a trip on the crazy train.

G was super excited to have his old room back.

On Tuesday, my dad headed back to MS and Jeremie went on a business trip so mom and I started swimming through all the boxes. We still had a bunch of stuff in the storage facility from the old apartment, which we planned to pick up on Friday. (J was supposed to return Thursday night.) But OF COURSE his flight got cancelled at the last minute, so my mom put on her big girl pants and drove the 15 FOOT UHAUL truck to the storage unit where we met our the movers who loaded it and unloaded it at the house.  She was amazing and I so wish I had a picture! 

 By the end of the week the stress of everything over the prior few weeks totally hit me and my adrenaline ran OUT.  And remember, I was already at Level III of "Mommy's Going Off the Deep End".  BTW-Mommy finally did go off the deep end a couple days later, but I will make leave you hanging and detail that in the next blogpost. Let's focus on the joy of this post that were were finally back in our home after almost 7 months to the day of the fire. 

It was quite a journey, but I can see that God's hand was all over it. It was a huge growth lesson for me and Jeremie's faith and our marriage. My eyes were opened to many things, mainly, the realization that home TRULY is where your heart is, and you can make a HOME anywhere. 

And it definitely made me grateful for the little things, like not having to drag my laundry in a trash bag with the stroller and making sure I had quarters. ; )