Our Smoke Detectors Don't Work

So I'm sure most of you reading this have heard by now that we had some unplanned and unforeseen events in our lives.  Our house got struck by lightning very early Wednesday morning.  I was in Illinois visiting family but Danny was home.  It jolted him awake and after a little investigation he saw smoke and flames and called 911.  I try not to dwell on the fact that I wasn't there when it happened because I really wish I was.  

We know we probably have a big headache and hassle in front of us but we really have nothing to complain about.  There are so many what ifs that could have made it so much worse than it is.  What if Danny went to IL with me?  What if he just decided to stay in bed after he woke up rather than going to check things out?  What if it hadn't been pouring down rain?  (The rain really helped keep it in check)

The contractor said we would be out of our house for 4-6 months.  BUT we have insurance.  We are safe.  As far as material loss, we are not loosing much at all.  Really the only thing we will lose is our living room furniture and kitchen table and chairs.  Maybe a few other things but pretty much everything that was inside the cupboards is perfectly fine.  And well, I kind of wanted new carpet anyway.

The day it happened, there was a family in my community back home that had a car accident.  Both parents and one of the sons were killed with the other son in critical care.  My heart goes out to them and my perspective is kept in check.  I'm sure there will be days in the coming months where my attitude is not great.  But for now, I just feel like praising.

We are staying at Danny's grandma's house for now.  She had heart surgery last week and will be spending several weeks in the nursing home while she recuperates.  Once she comes home we aren't sure where we'll go but we know something will work out.

All the debris in the kitchen.  By the way, I think those are sarcastic thumbs up:)  

Where the worst of the fire was, it burned through completely.

Part of the ceiling collapsed under water weight.

Our bedroom was basically untouched but we could see where it was starting to spread and head that direction.

This is as bad as it gets on the outside of the house.  A few smaller areas around the outside but not much!

And as we walked through the basement with a flashlight we saw this wall hanging and were reminded:

Why Women Live Longer Than Men

Have you seen those pictures on the internet of men accomplishing tasks in a crazy dangerous way?  Well, we may not be quite that extreme, but at our painting party there were a couple times when the words "Be Careful!" were uttered by multiple people.  But hey, sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.  Right???

 

 

At least Paul wasn't standing on the very top of the ladder like Aaron was....

 

Oh but wait.  He had one side of it on a step while Aaron held onto the other side as steadily as possible!

 

No worries.  Nobody crashed and burned!

More Redecorating

When we bought our house back in February, we knew the landscaping would need some work.  But we thought it couldn't be THAT bad.  But that was in February.  When it was freezing cold out and everything was brown and shriveled up.  And then it got warm.  And everything that was once shriveled became a lush, green jungle surrounding our house.  I forgot to get before pictures of the front of our house, but just know that just a few weeks ago, then entire house looked like this.

 

 

But now it looks like this!

 

There's a few things left, but most of it is gone.  It will probably take us another year or two before it's completely done but for now, at least you can see the house!  Oh, and we had never before seen our air conditioner as it was deep inside the jungle.  But when it was uncovered, this poor bird was discovered!  Looks like he met his doom quite awhile ago...

 

After having a little break from painting our bedroom and bathrooms, it was time to tackle the living room and kitchen!

 

Kitchen before:

 

(that wallpaper was the cause of some frustrating moments and sour moods around here)

 

Living room before:

 

The entry way had some lovely wallpaper on the top half that thankfully came off super easy.  I didn't get a picture of the whole set up but I did find the leftover roll in the basement so you could see how nice it was:)

 

Then we had a painting party!  We just did one coat to freshen up the tan walls, which was really nice since they were so big and time consuming.

 

Kitchen after:

 

(The baby is not part of the redecorating, FYI.  She just moved in with us for a few days.)

 

Living room after:

 

And the entry way:

 

We really like how it turned out and are SO thankful for our family and friends who helped us out!  We would still be painting if they didn't come help:)

July 4 Weekend

We headed to Illinois on Thursday the 3rd and got there in time for the cruise-in, ice cream, and Roanoke fireworks.  I'm sure some people would think it's pretty lame, but there's just something about strolling down Main street when it's lined with classic cars.  Oldies playing on (very) loud speakers, and seeing all kinds of people you know.  And lots of interesting people that come out of the woodwork that I really wonder where they were bred. 

 

We stopped in at Caleri's for some ice-cream and MUCH to my devastation, there was a sign on the door saying they would be closed for lunch on Saturday.  People.  I CRAVE this place on a regular basis.  Before I moved away I frequented the establishment once or twice a week.  And each time we go back I can hardly contain my delight to go in for lunch!  So needless to say, I was crushed when I saw the sign.  BUT it helps to have friends in high places:)  And since it just happens to be owned by my cousin and her hubby, upon hearing my lament she graciously offered to make me some lunch while she was in there decorating cakes on Friday- even though it was closed because of the holiday. 

Erin- you deserve the cousin of the year award!

 

 

So Friday was spent enjoying my extra special Caleri's lunch and soaking up the sun with my cousins.  Danny was great at being the entertainer for the non napping child so the girls could enjoy our time together.

 

Friday evening we went out to eat with my parents and then to Peoria for fireworks.  With A LOT of other people.  But they sure put on a good show!

 

Sooooo many people!!!

 

Saturday night was friends night.  I got to see some friends I hadn't seen since our wedding and it was great!  There were a couple who didn't show up- ahem.... you know who you are!!!  And I'm STILL waiting for the day I can see them again!

 

Other than being severely disappointed that my bro, sis-in-law, and their kiddos weren't there, it was a great weekend! 

How Am I Doing?

I get asked that question a lot these days.  People wonder how I'm adjusting to marriage, how I'm adjusting to living in Indiana, what I've been up to.... you get the point.  So, here's what's up.

Marriage:  I love being married!  Really, I do:)  There are things about being single that I really loved, and at times I miss them.  Given the choice, I wouldn't go back, but it does make me really thankful that I had the time that I did and that I was able to enjoy that time rather than being miserable in my singleness.  Anyway, I have a great hubby!  Danny is really easy to be married to and I'm pretty sure he has had to use more patience with me in this whole adjustment phase than I've had to use with him.  I am so grateful for him!

Moving:  Well, I've done it before, but that doesn't necessarily make it easier to do it again.  I can't complain about how nice and welcoming people have been here- they've been nothing BUT that.  For me, it's been hard getting used to how things are done differently.  Really, it's just little things that sound ridiculous when I voice them.  But every little thing that's different makes me miss what I know to be as "normal".  I know that different isn't wrong, it just isn't what I'm used to.  And sometimes that can be a little frustrating.  And sometimes that causes tears that probably are irrational:)  Other than that, I know it just takes time getting used to being away from my family and friends.  When I moved to Alabama it took about a full year before the homesickness became okay.  Each season brought about a new set of events I was missing out on.  But after missing one of those events, then next time around would be a little easier.  So for now, people are nice, I don't hate it, but it's not home.  I'm giving it time.

Work:  Up until now I haven't been working or looking for that matter.  Just last week I started calling a few places to see if they were hiring.  I really wouldn't mind getting back into working with kiddos.  I'm not absolutely dead set on that, but right now it's my first choice, and right now I'm still able to be a little bit picky.  I do know that I would like to have co-workers.  After having one job where I spent the majority of my time alone, I know that's not for me.

So, that's my feelings on life in a nutshell right now.  I'm looking very forward to spending an extended weekend with my family and friends over July 4th.  It's always good for my spirits and I know I'll get to see some friends that I haven't seen since we got married!  Which, by the way, will be four months tomorrow:)  Sometimes it seems like we just got home from our honeymoon and sometimes it seems like we've been together for a lifetime.  In a good way of course!

And since it seems to be a popular rule that pictures make a blog post better, here's us modeling our socks at Sky Zone.  Fun times!