I'm not going to lie, this was a tough week in our house. But here we are at the weekend, and everything has worked out, at least for the most part.
The frustrations of the week began on Sunday. Catherine made some of the worst choices she has ever made. I was absolutely appalled to be honest, but also recognize that we are heading into what was the worst of it with Robert. She repeated those poor choices on Monday, and I'll can't lie...it is the repetition of the same poor choices that can really push me over the edge. It was so awful last weekend that we were forced to miss the birthday dinner of my best friend's husband. There was simply no way I was going to reward her behavior, and Sunday evening gatherings are tough anyway with the distance we have to travel.
Tuesday was a long day as well. My aunt arrived at 7:30 to be with Thomas before school as I had to get my mom to a doctor appointment. It was her radiation oncologist and wasn't particularly notable with the exception that he was running an hour behind. The kids also had tons of activities that evening as it seemed everything fell on the same night that Andrew was gone with some staff members and I had a meeting myself. We made it through though!
Wednesday I was doing laundry when I noticed that my kitchen sinks were filling with soapy water. Definitely NOT a good sign! After the load was finished the sinks were still full, and I made the mistake of attempting to run the garbage disposal...thinking perhaps there was something stuck in there. As I did so I heard water gushing back through the hoses into our laundry room. Fortunately it was right at the end of the school day for Andrew and he came home as quickly as he could. He got the washer moved and I was able to get things pretty well cleaned up before any real damage was done. We tried drain clog clearing chemicals and we tried snaking the line with our neighbor's snake, but after 3-1/2 hours we conceded defeat and decided to call the plumber. The good news (we felt at the time) was that it wasn't effecting the showers/toilets and it just meant no laundry or dishwasher until we could get it fixed...certainly functional.
Thursday was only some minor frustrations with some little things. They were very little things, but I also recognize that my stress level was VERY high that day, and the little things easily felt like big things.
Yesterday was a very long end to our long week. I had to be up at 5:00 in order to make the 60+ minute drive to the hospital where my mom was beginning the process of having her esophagus dilated. I am so very grateful that a good friend of her's offered to drive her there and meet us so that I didn't have to leave my house until 6:15, saving me over an hour. When I got up I took a quick shower and went out to get a bowl of cereal before I hit the road. Our kitchen light is pretty dim and is a CFL so it takes a bit before it comes on at full strength, but I wondered when I went to get a bowl why my shoes were squishing. It began to register that the sinks were overflowing and there was water EVERYWHERE. The counters were flowing down and there was standing water on our wooden kitchen floor. NOT GOOD. I woke Andrew quickly and we cleaned up as fast as we could. Unfortunately some water had already gone beneath the flooring and we can tell there is some damage. We are grateful though, because it could've been much, much worse. Fortunately, Andrew was scheduled to be homes yesterday anyway because of Mom's procedure and since we knew there was a problem he had already scheduled the plumber to come. While I was becoming concerned about a thousand dollar issue, it was only a couple of hundred for them to snake the lines with a heavy duty snake and determine a food blockage. They feel the overnight water had been from either the water heater or water softener pushing water through the lines. Regardless, it is fixed and I will be able to do laundry again!
Meanwhile, I have journeyed to the hospital with my mom. As we were riding in the elevator I was jokingly telling my mom that since I don't like dealing with strangers in my home, I felt that I get the better task of the day by being with her rather than at home with the plumbers. That would be when the orderly noticed that the elevator had stopped and the doors weren't opening. He was pushing the "Open Doors" button and nothing was happening. I am mildly claustrophobic, and I am very proud of myself for not panicking, although I could feel it rising up inside me! It was only about 20 seconds before things fixed themselves, but what an interesting/terrifying experience!
Unfortunately, Mom's procedure didn't go well either. After getting in there, the surgeon was very confidant that any attempt at dilation and stretching the esophagus would result in tearing and rupturing and that is the last thing any of us wanted. At first my heart fell, because my mom has always been one of those people who truly enjoys food. The surgeon did offer the suggestion that there is a specialist in Indianapolis who has had some success with more severe restrictions and high risk dilation. I was so grateful to hear that there is still an option to explore, and as always my mother was positive about the situation and grateful that they hadn't forced what couldn't be done and caused even greater problems. My mother's attitude is fabulous and such an inspiration.
I got her home and got her settled. She continued to be in good spirits and just amazes me. I had told her earlier in the week that I would clean her house since Andrew was home and I had nothing I had to rush back for. I spent some time doing that before my grandmother arrived to be with her, then I made a quick trip over to see my other grandmother. I started the drive home mid afternoon, and it was such an absolutely gorgeous drive. The leaves are even more colorful and vibrant than they had been a few weeks ago, and I couldn't help but be calmed by the gorgeous scenery. At the same time, due to the timing of everything (and the fact that Mom has no food in the house since she can't eat), I also hadn't eaten anything all day. I got home to help Andrew with some final clean up and he went out to mow the yard. He managed to damage both our riding lawn mower and our push mower. He was pretty upset with himself, but I was pretty philosophical at this point. It will get fixed and work out okay. It is the end of mowing season and we can pay to fix them after the first of the year if needed.
I threw some frozen pizzas in the oven while Andrew was dealing with the yard, and it took everything I had to stay awake until 8:00. I had made a deal with Andrew that I would get up at 6AM this morning to get Robert to school for the cross country bus if he would stay up last evening and pick him up from the marching band bus in the 10:30ish range. I had no problem falling asleep when I went to bed, and even though I woke up ridiculously early this morning, I actually feel rested. I can't remember the last time I felt this way. I know that in spite of the craziness of the week, we made it. Everything works out and life is good even if it is frustrating or irritating at the time. I am so grateful for feeling rested and at peace!
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