Life is sort of back to normal, I guess.
They say life is a rollercoaster – you have your ups and your downs. I always try to remember that when life is good. Not necessarily to bring myself down but more to ground myself and realize that I need to relish in the good times because there will be bad times. And the only thing that’s going to get me through the rough times is to remember that life will be good again.
It’s just the waiting for the good times that kills me.
The floors are still messed up. We are waiting for the insurance company to send us the check. We don’t want to start any work until we have the money in our hand. We have met with a guy from the flooring company and gone through samples but haven’t decided on anything yet. From there, they assure me that it can be a quick day job. Until then, the concrete slab is still exposed and my house cleaning routine is all out of whack. And we’re going to have move all the furniture out of the rooms that are getting fixed – including the seventy-five gallon aquarium that houses the lizard! (Just thought of that – that’s going to be a pain on my back)
The trip to Pennsylvania was long and tiring! While I always love going back and spending time with friends and family (which we actually got to do a lot of), I hated doing it under these circumstances. We got in early Saturday morning and were able to relax with Steve’s family by the pool for the weekend. But then Monday rolled around and we had the service and the burial. I guess there’s something about death that makes you kind of face your own mortality. I couldn’t stand seeing the people I loved crying and upset and it really made me think about losing people who were close to me. And no one ever wants to think about that.
Aside from that, not much else has been going on. When we got back, we went back to work. I was exhausted – mentally, physically and emotionally. And it wasn’t until about Thursday that I started feeling a little bit better. Now I’ve got to find the motivation to do the tons of laundry that is piled in my bedroom and clean the rest of the house to prepare for the visitors we’re having this weekend (my dad, sister and grandma).
Last night, we went to the Cinebarre with some friends to see Step Brothers. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but they took an old Regal movie theater, removed every other row in each theater, and added tables in front of the seat. And they serve real meals – burgers, pizzas, desserts, etc. As well as alcohol – wine, beer, cocktails. It is truly an awesome experience! So we had some yummy food and I had some wine then we went to Marble Slab (think generic Cold Stone) where I had some delicious peanut butter ice cream. So overall, it was a very good night.
Today, we didn’t really do anything except grill out and play Halo all day. Like, six hours straight. Awful waste of time but I was kicking ass and taking names today. It was so hard to quit when I was doing so well. But I had to do something else so I didn’t feel like I wasted the whole day. And I did – I worked for about two hours, catching up on some stuff and making up some extra hours.
I also got some good news on Friday. My little brother, who is 13 and going into the eighth grade, tried out for JV/B team football at the local high school. And he made the first cut! Once he goes back on Monday, they’ll cut maybe a few more kids but then start dividing them into either JV or B (freshman) players. I am so proud of him! I don’t know if I mentioned it, but my brother is pretty big for a kid his age. He’s over six feet tall and he’s built really solid. So a lot of times, they choose him on size alone. But this time, he actually had to try out and show a good attitude and get in there and work and he did! So hopefully, we’ll be going to football games at the high school instead of the rec center this fall.
Overall, I think things are getting better. It’s just the ebb and flow of life. We’re still a bit in the trenches trying to get over the floors and more visitors and other small things that have happened, but we’re working our way out.
I really don’t know how much more I can take.
