Tag: crazy

Guess wha-at…!

We

Have

Gas Again!!!!!

So, now we can have hot water and cook and bake and have heat in the house and run the dishwasher and wash and dry clothes and just hand wash greasy dishes period(!). Oh, goodness… the difference it makes. We are incredibly grateful this is finally handled.

Turns out that we likely didn’t need to dig the ditch ourselves at all, but I think it was still good in that it gave my man a somewhat cathartic thing to do, as well as a thing to do while we waited for all the rest of the pieces of big company nonsense to sort themselves out.

See? The contracted company brought their own machinery to handle the rest of it all. AND they put all of the dirt neatly back on top of the ditch after they replaced all the piping. No extra work for my man or us. Woohoo!

The big energy company, when we did what we were supposed to do, then told us that we would have to wait until Tuesday for them to come and do the simple re-installation of the gas meter and to turn on the gas… a very different message from what they had told us two days beforehand, when they’d said same-day installation would be no problem whatsoever. They now wanted us to spend over five days in our home in freezing temperatures, and then they would come do a twenty-minute stop-in.

No way, Jose.

Fortunately, after much intending on my part and multiple phone calls on the part of my man, Centerpoint showed up, and a very nice man named Lee hooked up everything easily and quickly, and turned on the gas and cleared up our gas lines in the house (because air is in the line at first, after installation). And now we have heat!

We actually both reveled in taking hot showers before going to the Christmas gathering we had this evening at my brothers’ dad’s house. That shower, though not the actual best I’ve had, was, within the context, the best shower ever. Uh…

I just thank you, God. Thank you. Keep us safe, please, that we pursue and fulfill your will, being our best selves. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Exhausted, but good

I am absolutely exhausted.

And that’s totally okay.

Work went well today, for the most part, and then we took my brother to the aerial gym for his birthday surprise. I think he had a really good time, though it might have been a bit of a surprise for him that he may have been doing a bit less exercise than he’d thought. I think the difficulty surprised him, for sure, as well as some of his limits. His lack of grace, however, was no surprise to any of us. 😂

Thank you, God for this day and all of its immense blessings. Especially the gas construction company coming by and potentially scheduling doing their work this week(!!!!!!). Please, help us to resolve all that needs resolution. Also, thank you for my friend Chelsea. Please, continue to bless her. In your name, we pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Sleep, ASAP

Despite the immense frustrations my man was feeling this afternoon, and my resulting increased stress for him, everything went really well tonight for our family dinner. Sure, we still have no gas, so no hot water or easy heat or effective dish washer, etc. My mom had to do some in-the-moment utensil-washing when we ran it of forks and spoons at one point, and she helped wash most of the plates after dinner. I was just grateful that I didn’t have to do it for once.

I was a touch annoyed at how my brother clearly hasn’t gotten a handle on his dog’s full training, evidenced by the craziness of the dog’s first seeing all of us and our little-in-comparison to his 150 pounds dog. Also, I just had to trust that my man will mop the floors tomorrow, and wipe down the sofa and the rug and the coffee table to clean up all the slobber that the big dog got everywhere. I love dogs, yet it was a lot. Kind of gross, actually, which was a bummer, as I’d really been looking forward to rubbing all over the puppy (yes, he’s technically still a puppy). Once he chilled out and started getting sleepy, though, it was much easier to pet him without getting totally slobbered all over. I also thought our dog might have an actual heart attack based on her initial reactions to the dog that weighs six times her weight, and is yet a puppy – annoying for her old, 14-year-old self – shoving into her personal space with such excitement. However, as he chilled out, our dog calmed down. And a bunch of treats helped them both be easier company. Our dog even got brave enough to walk through the living room past the other dog multiple times before the end there. It was cute, and I’m glad she eased down from her clearly stressful place.

Anyway, I have to sleep immediately. I have to leave for work in five hours and ten minutes. 😦

Thank you, God, for everything. It was a really good night. Please, help my man realize that it really was great for us all. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Getting ready

Family is coming over tomorrow for dinner. We spent today doing things on each of our to-do lists (which I had made the day before yesterday). Still no gas, so we have new oil space heaters from The Home Depot that he picked up during his several errands today. We have cute, seasonal-ish tissue boxes around the living space, now. I reasonably handled everything that I’d brought from the apartment, and so the dining room is cleared out and cleaned up. I handled whatever else I’d had sitting around the living spaces. I got my man to help remove the broken tiny lightbulb in the little chandelier in the dining room, and then replaced it with the brighter bulb and put the thing back together – looks and works great now. I set up the red and white towels and napkins and dish towels and rugs my mom dropped off yesterday for us to use as Christmas decor… and then I took most of them back down and out them in the washer, as they had obviously been in the storage unit for a few years (or more), based on their feel and sniff-scent (which is when you only can smell it up close, not a radiating scent). I poured the kettle of boiling water into the freezing cold wash, just to help however I could. Then I hung them all out to dry overnight. The big towels are resting atop parts of the oil heaters now, as they are big fluffy towels that likely wouldn’t be dry by tomorrow afternoon otherwise. (And yes, I know what I’m doing here, as I spent years drying my clothes on such heaters. Never cover the front part.) I set up the decorations I liked from the tubs my man pulled down from storage in the garage, including a little village and two tree skirts – yes, I did the one, then found a nicer one, and so put it just in top of the other, saving the effort of picking it back up – and a funky punching-bag-looking, triangular sandbag Santa and a few other little things to put around the house.

I also made a wreath from the scraps I’d picked up the other day at the Christmas tree lot. Hopefully, we can find the old door hook and hang it on the front door tomorrow.

And I wrapped all the little gifts I’d had stashed for my man, and I put them under the tree, atop the pretty little skirt.

I set up the two power strips for the village and for the lamps and internet extension and tree lights. And I put lights on the tree, as well as a single ornament I’d found of a red fire truck, old style, and a few candy canes. I left the rest of the canes for my man to dress the tree, though. I’d wanted to decode it together, but realized that neither of us has any ornaments, anyway. So, candy canes, down separately will do. He was in the room when I did the lights and candy canes, anyway. Sure, he was vacuuming, but it counted well enough for this hurried night of to-dos.

Oh, and I also put away and tidied some clothes in the spare room, put some things away, put some things in the give-away pile, made a Santa hat for our St. Francis statue in the kitchen, put various beverages tidily in our outside fridge, cleaned up the drink area of the garage, and fed us a bit.

My man ran a bunch of errands, handling a lot of important stuff for us both, and giving the dog a fun adventure. He put the stove back in its nook against the wall (even though it doesn’t have any gas yet). He built what I estimate to be about 35 feet of fence on the side of the house – and it looks good. He pulled out all the Christmas lights for the house, starting to sort them and ready them. He tidied his stuff a bit on our back patio, and a bit in the house, too. He helped me light our Advent candles on our newly-placed-out advent wreath from my mom, while I sang the lovely German song for lighting the Advent candles (and he joined for the last chorus!). And now he’s at the gym, working out and then taking a hot shower.

Tomorrow, I have to tidy the office, especially my desk; put away the hang-upside-down board (obviously, the right words are not coming to me so late at night right now…Inversion table! Got it!); wash dishes with my ridiculous boil-pour-dip method of using the water kettle to handle our lack of hot water; set up the German cookies and chocolates I got; clean all surfaces; work – yep, still have to get those few hours of coding stuff in!; take a nap; fold the napkins and put all the towels back, once all are dried… and that might be it…. Oh, and hang up the wreath on the front door! I also would like to tidy more in the spare bedroom, and handle finishing touches on everything.

My man has to work his whole work day – he’d have taken the day off, but his boss is already off tomorrow, so he’s just rolling with it – and he also has to put up the Christmas lights on the house, finish tidying in the back, and finish tidying his things inside the house. Hopefully, he’ll also get a nap!

We can do it. I know we can. God, please, help us do it with grace and ease, if you will. Thank you for everything. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

So much to do, but too cold to do it

We both have lots to do before Monday afternoon, when everyone is coming over for family dinner. But it is just so cold now. He is outside, building the fence – brave soul. Fortunately, he actually likes the really cold weather. As a matter of fact, I really like the cold weather. Just not when it follows me indoors. And so, it is also really cold indoors here, since we still have no gas. We received the other two space heaters today, which I’d ordered on Amazon the day before yesterday. They help, but have to be on different breakers, since they pull such high ampules. So, it takes time to warm the big open space of the living room and entry and dining room and kitchen that we have. Great for openness, terrible for heating and cooling quickly.

I also just showered, and that was miserable, because the water is terribly cold now. I still have the few kettles of hot water to pour on myself throughout and to finish, but the cold in between is really cold, and that just tired me out.

Not to mention that I’m already exhausted from only five-ish hours of sleep last night and six-ish hours of sleep the night before. flying this morning was great, and was only terrifying a few times for a short time. I’m filled with pride for my man and what he has accomplished so far with flying. Next stop: a boatload of ratings (and, thereby, hours upon hours of practicing by flying) so that he might be able to fly commercially, professionally(!). Woohoo!

Anyway, I’ve been sitting on the floor in front of the heater a while now, and really need either to get to work or to get to bed. Just have to go get my socks and sweatshirt from the other room, put them on, and hop to it all.

Goodnight!

P.S. Want to see our to-do lists????

Before Monday afternoon: – [ ] tidy desk – [ ] tidy clothes in spare room – [ ] sort out dish towels – [ ] put away RenFest costumes etc. – [ ] clear out apartment stuff in dining room – [ ] finish washing and putting away dishes – [ ] handle drinks in garage and in garage fridge – [ ] tidy inside fridge – [ ] clean down countertops and kitchen surfaces – [ ] change bulb in dining chandelier – [ ] tidy shoe rack – put away some in bedroom – [ ] tidy pillows – [ ] see what consolidation I can do in the garage Setup stuff: – [ ] put out coasters – [ ] red/green Christmas bathroom linens – [ ] Christmas decorations set up – [ ] display german cookies etc.

Before Monday afternoon: – [ ] Put stove away – [ ] pick up all dirty clothes in house and garage – put in laundry – [ ] gather spare parts and tools left around house and garage – put away – [ ] Gather packages/boxes/bags and empty and put away – [ ] return emptied Christmas bins to upper shelf in garage – [ ] tidy back porch table – [ ] tidy back porch and prep for use by many – [ ] ***Can we use the fire pit Monday night?*** If so, what’s needed for that? – [ ] finish fence – [ ] Christmas lights up on house

Post-a-day 2022

Flight time

Tomorrow, we fly.

First, we fly in an airplane with my love. Then, I head quickly down the road a couple minutes to fly on a high ropes course.

We jokingly said I ought to parachute into the ropes course place. Surprise! How bizarre would that be? Haha

Anyway, must sleep now. God, give me this needed rest, please, to refresh me for tomorrow. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Fence-building

And so, the fence has two gates that open up to allow a six-foot mower to drive through, now, as well as a full-enclosing side bit. So, no dog escapes anymore, pup!

I cooked us three soup on the side of the grill, making a big pot of beef stew that, apparently, smelled amazing as soon as I started cooking the garlic and onions. 😛 It turned out surprisingly good for how last-minute and thrown-together it was as a recipe. My soups tend to be super bland, and I worked hard to have this one not be. Turns out to be good as it was, though better with a touch of extra black pepper – then it was great! I’m delighted by the outcome. As I mentioned, my soups don’t tend to be very good period, let alone quite tasty. So, yay! And it fed the chilled, hard-working boys (read, “men”) who were building the fence for their second day of work today. Very grateful to my brother for coming out again to help my man make it happen. Yes, my man could do it all alone, but setting a time and having help for that set time sure does make it happen a whole lot faster than the several months of its not happening so far. 😛

Also(!), while they were finishing up the fence, I brought inside and set up the very nice stationary bicycle gifted to us by the chiropractor in whose office my mom works (but for someone else). He was getting rid of it, and let us have it for free. Hopefully, it can help my man get in some cardio while he has to sit with his laptop all day for work! So, yay, again!

Thank you, God, for all the blessings of today. Help us to pursue and fulfill your will tomorrow. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Feedback

I 100% just gave feedback to this new lululemon studio app regarding the company’s constant misuse of the word, “everyday”. (And not just their use within the app, but even on their clothing, in the hemlines.)

I even included a link to this explanation by Merriam-Webster. This company drives me up the wall the way they all constantly use the adjective, everyday, instead of the adverb, every day. When do you want to work out for the 31-day challenge? Every day. What kind of movements can you do? Everyday workout movements, like air squats and push-ups and sit-ups.

Ugh.

I really hope they fix it. Truly, I do. That’s why I gave the feedback, even though there wasn’t any clear place to give any feedback.

Simple bits of grammar like that drive me up the wall these days, because people not only aren’t caring about correcting things very often, but they never cared about getting it right in the first place, and so have no idea that their work is chock-full of errors(!!!). Ugh(!!!!!!!).

Goodnight.

Dear God, please, help the stupid and selfish people to learn to do better. Please. I mean that. I’ll even help them, if you wish. Just, please, help them to improve. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Talks

We had a talk tonight, my man and I. Well, it was more like this evening, just after five. Such talks are often a bit scary to approach and don’t usually feel that great while in them. However, they are so incredibly important that we just not skip them. Sure, avoid it for a day or two, if you’re really struggling with having it, but then we just need to dive on in, share that we’re scared but that we want to have this conversation because we love the person and value our relationship with one another, and hop to what all else needs to be addressed.

We talked about my work situation and about travel plans for the upcoming holiday time. It was tough. I had a lot of emotions related to not being enough, failing, disappointing, and never making it. I also had fear of upsetting him or leaving him feeling abandoned.

He had his own emotions with which he got to deal, of course.

It took some time, but it went very well as a whole, for the both of us.

I am putting together a clear plan around my training to go into computer programming as a software engineer. Teaching just isn’t happening right now, and that’s okay. I still will do the few days a month at my part-time job, but will be free to focus fully on my coding training program, as well as finally managing unpacking fully and tidying the whole space.

And it’s okay that I’m not earning much money at all right now. We will be cautious with spending for a while while I do this. Hopefully, I can get a job tied to the industry by the end of first quarter, at the latest. We will check in weekly to talk about everything I learned and did for the week – for my own sanity, since I love sharing about whatever I learn. And we will check in at those times also on the whole situation to make sure everything is still working – finances, emotions, learning, etc.

Also, I likely will not travel with him on his to trip Mexico to visit his mom and stepdad, but will let him take the trip as something for himself, a much-desired vacation. It relieves a lot of stress for me, both in terms of feeling like I have too much to do at home right now to go be at ease for a week or two somewhere else, and in terms of feeling like I’m wasting money, both with the airfare and with wanting to purchase certain items while down there, as we had planned but feeling like it just doesn’t work financially right now. So, good dealing there, for the both of us.

Thank you, thank you, God, for being present in our discussion this evening. We love you and we are grateful. In your name, we pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Rainy Days

Today, my brother was scheduled to help my man build part of a fence. It’s roughly a two-day job, according to my man, but this was meant to be a start.

However, when it poured rain last night, and the yard turned into sludge and a pond, my man was wanting to cancel. But I held firmly to the fact that he still could get a lot done today, with my brother’s help, despite the rain. So, they got to work this afternoon.

By the end of it, they had placed the posts and poured the concrete that now needs to sit for a day or so before the rest of the building can take place. They also dug out and ripped up loads and loads of viney roots from the ground where the fence needs to stand. And, frankly, if it hadn’t rained so much, those roots would have been an absolute misery to dig and pull out. Yes, it was messy this way, but it was less physical effort for the labor. So, the rain was a bit of a small blessing, after all!

Separately, one great anecdote came from their work today. They ended up pulling up one root that was about ten feet long. It looked like a whip from nature. And yes, it did crack, breaking the sound barrier, like an actual whip. (!!!) What’s more, when they first pulled it up, my man was so excited at how it was like a real whip, he went ahead and snapped it right there to see if it would crack like a whip… forgetting that they were presently surrounded by loads of water and mud, and subsequently shooting that water and mud everywhere. My brother especially got covered in spots of mud and muddy water. It was silly and stupid and wonderful. 😛

Post-a-day 2022