On Wednesday afternoon our air conditioner broke. Being the frugal people we are it really would have been nice to say, "Eh, we'll fix it later." But when it is 111 - 115 degrees outside that is absolutely NOT an option... especially if one of the residents is pregnant. Wednesday night we decided just to sweat it out... literally because when we went to bed at 11pm it was 91 in the house. Fans were on all night and I employed the use of a spray bottle hourly - every time I woke up.
I knew Isis and I couldn't stay in the house all day on Thursday so we window shopped, went swimming, and hung out with my parents-in-law. Unfortunately the nice guy in our ward who came to fix our A/C couldn't get the part until Friday morning and fix it until the afternoon. So we spent the night with my in-laws (Thanks Mom & Dad!). Somehow Isis has gotten it ingrained in her mind that she CANNOT sleep anywhere but home. She did fine in our inferno house the night before but could not sleep in grandma and grandpa's comfortable house. So after waking up at 2:30am and trying for 2 hours to put her back to sleep, I finally put her in the car to drive around. That usually does the trick for tired kids, right? NOPE. I drove for an HOUR! We drove out to Red Rock in the pitch black -no lights, no cars to distract her. And still she's talking to me. I decided to drive back since by now the sky was becoming pink. One mile before getting back to the house she finally crashes. The little pill. Thankfully Jeremy was 'home' and I got to sleep in that morning... or take a nap... I'm not sure how that works. :) We went swimming again, the A/C repair had major problems and more delays but by 8:30 we finally got to go back home. PHEW!!!! Thank you a/c repair man Gary!!!
It sounds bad but it wasn't awful. I was just hot and tired. And it was an experience to help me reflect and put things into perspective. I was on an emotional roller coaster those three days (due largely to being pregnant and tired). But my mind and heart were in constant battle over this situation. I started teaching piano lessons to help us get a little ahead instead of just breaking even all the time. I saw the piano money going to our savings (which it did but I thought it might stay there), or to pay off school loans, or to pay for a class I need to keep my teaching license, or a little to all of those. In one fell swoop every cent I've earned in the last six months is gone - and not for anything we planned. (I know no one ever plans for that to happen.) I just felt sad and disappointed and like we'll never "get ahead."
On the other hand, though, I am VERY grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who inspired/motivated me to teach piano lessons and then provided students. Just enough and just long enough to cover this future expense. We didn't know it was coming but He did. And if I hadn't been teaching lessons we would have fallen into debt in a big way. So in thinking of it that way we actually DID come out "ahead." I'm just glad that, as long as we are trying our best, Heavenly Father does for us what we can't do for ourselves. I'm grateful He takes such good care of our family!
So that was our ordeal/drama/blessing for the week! Hope you have all been able to see how the Lord blesses your life... even if it doesn't seem like it all the time. :)
10 years ago