Week Twenty-eight

The drive home from Cleveland reached a breaking point for me just north of Mason, Ohio where I sat in a Starbucks eating a grown-up lunchable and sipping chai tea. I needed to wait out a storm and the hour spent with a book was a safe option considering the number of accidents still being cleaned up when I re-entered the highway. I needed the couple of days to clear my noisier than usual brain. Life has continued throwing curve balls and there are times I look around and think I cannot handle one more. And then I do. 

Saturday evening Lauren hit a deer in her brand new car. The damage was significant and her tolerance for accepting another let-down remains low. At first she felt awful for the deer. Then she felt pretty melancholy for herself.  Of course we are grateful everyone was safe and she was able to get home. But this seems unnecessary. Finding out no one can even look at it for another month was a bit more than we expected. Four drivers are now sharing two vehicles. 

Sunday was our twenty-ninth wedding anniversary and we were supposed to spend it on a local river in a canoe with a picnic but we received a text that morning canceling our date due to high water levels. Instead we worked on the yard and supported friends who have the audacity to up and move away from us. Clearly, I have complicated feelings about this. Taylor stopped by with Austin and the dog which was chaotic. Then our daughter called with exciting news of her own. Evan chose our anniversary to propose. During pillow talk time that night, I stated it would be quiet and peaceful in another twenty-nine years for our anniversary. I'll likely be deaf by then. 

He is officially an inch taller than me and finds this delightful.

We celebrated Ty's fourteenth birthday by taking four sweaty teens to the trampoline park and then making Ty's annual request of homemade pizza. He allowed exactly zero photos with his friends. I keep questioning how I will keep up with my scrapbook tradition of one final book for each child as they transition through the high school years if he never allows photos. I'm writing this here as evidence I am not the one neglecting the task. It's going to be a very small book at this rate. Stubborn boy.

Wednesday our world was once again rocked. We were well loved on by friends who dropped off sugar and shared words of encouragement. Others sent Greg's resume up the hiring chain and offered referrals. We are grateful. God and I quietly hashed out my feelings and frustration. It was a long day but God's peace settled my heart on Thursday and Friday. Again, I'm grateful. 

Today we finished the screens in the backyard. I will be staining the treated wood black once it weathers some. I'm hoping it is ready this fall when working outside is considerably more comfortable. I've got lillies coming to flank all the support posts. The tall leafy grass that accompanies the flowers will fill in the space nicely if I can keep them alive. Time will tell.