Like I said in the previous post, this week has been C-R-A-Z-Y!

There are so many decisions when it comes to building a home. Cabinets, door knobs, paint colors, faucets, sinks. Those things don't just show up, someone has to pick them out.

Needless to say, I am now a Lowe's queen! Austin finally decided to go with the subway tile for the bathroom!

Things are really coming together! I can't wait to show the finished product!

Peace, Love, and Happiness- For a day!

This week has been quite busy. Luckily, we were able to escape for a night before it all started.

Last weekend I had a few hours to fill so I went to PD's in Downtown Franklin. Luckily (and I know i'm using this word twice), for Austin's sake, PD's is so far away from our house because if it was close I would probably find myself their every weekend. Take everything I have ever loved or would love to have in my home and you can find it in PD's.

After my PD's trip I snagged a massage! I didn't realize it had been 3 years since my last massage, oops!

THEN, Austin and I decided to go into town and stay at the Hutton Hotel and eat at Bricktops! I ate mussels for the first time. They were actually pretty good! A much needed day of shopping, relaxation, and quality time with the hubby!

41 Days Later

It has been over a month since the flood. We are so blessed to be as far along as we are.

There have been so many ups and downs. Sometimes I feel like a crazy person. I think when we are back in the house and everything is done I won't feel as crazy. Aside from the fact that we are literally displaced from our house, some days I feel completely displaced from the person I was before the flood. For the most part I am okay with that. Since Austin and I got married I have said many times, "okay, now I actually feel like a grown up." Well, "Okay, NOW I AM a grown up." It is not a feeling, it is a reality that you just get over.

One thing that has not really changed about me is my impatience. I am probably the most impatient person. Sometimes that is a good thing, but when your house is flooded and everything is literally everywhere and you are living out of a box, the level of impatience for an impatient person gets somewhat intolerable. Even though I get frustrated when I hear things are going to get pushed back or things are not going to be the same, I am amazed to see how patient Austin is.

I am so excited and of course impatient about what each day has to offer, but I am amazed at the lessons God is teaching me. I am not a perfect person and knowing that is the most freeing thing.

House Update

Reconstruction started this week!!!

Austin and I met with our contractor on Tuesday evening. I think we may have overwhelmed him a bit with our excitement, but he is the nicest guy and he is helping us in so many ways!

I also realized, I do not understand the world of construction, re-construction whatever! I would try and add sentences and words here and there between Edgar and Austin's conversations. They would just stop and sort of look at me. I finally just had to tell them to not listen to me. I guess it would be like if Austin was hanging out with me and my friends at a clothing store and telling us how to dress?

Also, cabinets have the first coat of paint!! They look much better than I thought they would. I was a little scared coming from having the cherry cabinets.

I will upload more pictures soon.

I can't wait to see what they have done this week.

You Look Tired

It has been a while since my last post. I am not very good about keeping up with this. Everyday I think about what to write and then I realize there is so much and then it just gets overwhelming.

So here is something, Austin and I went to Macy's last Saturday to get signed up with the "we are offering 20% off for flood victims" thing. When we got into Macy's Austin walked up to the make-up counter to ask about it. The lady thought we were trying to apply for Red Cross help and we needed to use her phone. After explaining to her again what we wanted she called a manager over to help.

The manager signed us up and it was pretty quick and painless. Then we decided to look around. I found some jeans, SUPRISE! and Austin found some shirts. Well then we went back to the make- up counter, not a great idea.

The manager came back over because the make- up counter woman was having trouble using our macy's gift card, red cross card, credit card, and the "we are offering 20% off for flood victims" card. Wheww! I felt bad for a minute and then I figured if they had lost their house in a flood they would probably be doing the same thing.

So Austin and the manager are trying to ring our stuff up when I realized we were taking over the make-up counter and not buying any make-up. So I decided to act interested. I started picking up random things on the counter and then I looked up at the woman.

She looked at me and said, "You look really tired." I wanted to jump over the counter and ring her neck. Of course I look tired!

Well, I decided to take the nicer route and just agreed because sadly she is right. I have not had a lot of time to really care or notice what my face looks like.

So I am now fully stocked with Eye Brightening Cream and a better concealer. Hopefully I have not offended the people I see on a regular basis the past couple of weeks.

Compared to everything else going on, this is nothing, but it seems easier to blog about these things than the really tough things.

Cindy's Dog and Pony Show

I love this picture. I took it on our way out to my parents house the day we moved in after the flood. It is hard to see Wyatt's face, but Milton looks so serious. I took it to document that they were cuddling, which we have not seen them do since they were little baby puppies.

After I took the picture and looked at it I got a little teary because I wondered maybe we scared them to death with the flood trauma. And then I started thinking about what bad puppy parents we were. Then I started thinking that was stupid because maybe dogs just don't really care. I did tell them the first night of the flood that this was something that was going to make them grow up, not that they really understood what I was saying.

Well, my worries have subsided now that Wyatt and Milton are guests at Cindy's Dog and Pony Show. My mom has been so good about taking care of them along with her two dogs. All four dogs have not been getting along too well, so my mom shifts them around from the backyard to the garage to different rooms in the house. So she started calling it her "Dog and Pony Show." If you call my parents house get ready for her to answer, "Cindy's Dog and Pony Show."

Wyatt and Milton have definitely grown up and are now "socialized." It is hard because we don't have as much time to spend with them now, but I cannot wait to get back in our house and all sit on the couch, well a new couch, but sit there and rest!

Toe Jam

I apologize to those that may take offense to the graphic picture. I took it this morning.

Yesterday, or Friday, May 21, I was at work and decided to work through lunch but I wanted to go grab a bite to eat and bring it back to my desk. I went down to Cheesburger Charlies and got a pretty good looking cheeseburger and I'm not going to lie, I was pretty excited about it.

I got of the elevator approaching the entrance to my office. As I started opening the modern metal/glass door I felt it scrape over my feet.

It wasn't pretty. I screamed and then looked down and was actually quite pissed off.

Well, if my co-workers had not done enough for me at that point, they were up again and rushing to my aid. A co-worker, Amy, whose desk was closest to the door grabbed me and put me in her chair. She told me not to look at my foot. People started gathering around and saying "she needs to go to the hospital."

I started bawling. Usually I would try and be a trooper about something like this and just suck it up. This was the last thing I needed to happen. I was about to sit down at my desk and finally make some headway in some work on my new team. Another set back.

Two co-workers took me to the ER and my mom and Austin met us there. I was nervous, I have not had stitches since I was five years old. It ended up not being that bad, once they gave me five numbing shots. Six stitches later and I am on my way to recovery.

I know that compared to losing our house in the flood and other things going on, this seems minimal, but it was actually what finally broke me.

I am now resting at my parents house and even though I wish I was at our home with Austin working on things, God must have known I just needed to rest this weekend.

Honestly, all you can do is laugh at this point!