4.29.2013

{Weekend Recap} The Good & The Sad

This past weekend (or week, really) hasn't been the easiest. Things have been challenging off and on ever since we moved into our temporary apartment. We knew it wouldn't be easy and we knew house hunting while the husband began his new job, I continued to recover from my surgery and we took care of four growing babies in a small space was asking a lot. But, in our well-established style, we went for it and set out to make the best of it.

Late last week, I was scheduled to go look at a few houses since we still hadn't found anything we loved. My mom and a friend had arrived to babysit while I was out and I went to go get in the suburban when I noticed one of our twin stroller frames laying in the grass in front of it. Extremely confused, I picked it up to put it back into the rear of the vehicle, only to discover someone had popped the lock on the back hatch window and stolen our entire bench seat right out of the car. I could not believe it. I started tearing up because it had already been a hard week and I just didn't think I could take anything else. On my way back into the apartment to figure out what to do next, I spotted our other twin stroller frame abandoned in the outdoor hallway area. Thankfully they did not take anything else out of the car, like car seat bases, sunglasses, etc. so I still had the rest of my stuff.

A phone call to the insurance company and 30 minutes later, I was on my way to the nearest dealership where I got the window latch repaired and the bench seat ordered. I had decided it did no good to mope around and be upset, instead I was pissed off angry and decided to get things taken care of. Next on my list, while still waiting on our bench seat to come in, I'll have a very loud, annoying alarm installed on the suburban. The whole event did make me feel violated. I mean, when someone breaks in and takes an entire piece of your car, it's not the smallest event to recover from. We cannot take the babies anywhere unless we drive both vehicles, but that plan doesn't exactly work out well during the week when the husband is at work. And I've got doctor appointments coming up for the kiddos (thankfully I think it's only two at a time) and I'd like to not be a captive in the apartment, but all I can do right now is deal with, so that's what I'm doing.

Right about the time I was feeling better and motivated to find ourselves a house and get the flock out of the apartment, I had to go through a much more personal loss. My sweet, old cat, July, passed away Saturday morning. She would've been 22 next week. I know she was very old and lived such a long, healthy life. She was loved every second and she was content and happy. She'd made nine moves over the years with me, including my first apartment, my first house and more. I got July at a Fourth of July picnic when I was seven years old. These folks were giving away kittens and I'd spotted an orange one I really wanted. By the time I went to get my mom and brought her back, it was gone. But then I saw July and my heart melted. She was a cute, tiny little thing and she came home with me that night. She's been with me ever since.



It was a traumatic loss for me. Like my husband said, having any kind of pet for that long is a major milestone. She was definitely a very meaningful pet and one that I'll think of every day. It's hard to look around and see her empty cat bed or to know that I'll never have her walking around with the babies or that I'm not getting to take her to our new house one day. But I'm grateful for all the years she was with me and for the wonderful impact she made on both my life and that of my family.

My younger brother and I the day we got July 22 years ago.

That afternoon, I knew I needed to get out of the apartment and the husband and I had some houses to go look at so we went to check them out. We found one we loved and now have it under contract. Things are far from finished though, so I won't say more for the time being but I'm very hopeful for the outcome.

Afterward, we met up with Amber and her husband George (you can read about their life with quads here) for the first time. It was great to put real-life faces with the names—and Facebook and blog posts!—and we really enjoyed our evening out with them. Unfortunately, I didn't think to snap any photos but I'm sure we'll have a Round Two in the future. Afterward, the husband and I decided we wanted to relax with one last cocktail or two but in a nice place so we stopped by the Four Seasons near our apartment. The bar was the perfect amount of lively-but-not-too-busy and we grabbed some Crown and Cokes and sat by the outdoor fire pit to wind down our night. It was just the decompression I needed—even if I did have to pay for it with a headache all day the next day.

Teething has reached new heights in our house apartment and my day-to-day is so repetitive and exhausting and never-ending that some mornings I'm tired before I even get out of bed. My energy levels still aren't back up after my last surgery and I'm still having to pace myself, if that's even possible anymore, so I don't overdo it. I know in life there are definitely ups and downs, and right now it feels like we're experiencing the full gamut of them. Right as I pick myself up from one let down, it seems like something else is happening. Granted, I'm trying my best to keep it all in perspective. I think back to the days of my quad pregnancy or just after, in the NICU, and know that I would've traded it all to be where I'm at now with four healthy babies and making ourselves at home in Dallas after all these years away.

Then there's always the motto we've come to live by: Take it one day at a time. And although these words still ring very true, the husband and I are both becoming very tired of one day at a time! We want to make plans, we want to know what to expect, what's coming. It's been hard, for instance, to plan the babies' first birthday party. For awhile we didn't know if we'd still be in Houston or not and now that we're in Dallas, we don't have a house yet and we need a place that can accommodate our foursome and be worth an outing. Fortunately, we both agreed that renting a lake house not too far away was the perfect idea and just booked one yesterday. I'm really looking forward to that and spending the weekend with friends and family.



I think this is one of those times where the repetition, the holding pattern and the exhaustion from it all just sort of weigh down more than usual. Like trying to keep your head above water, but you just need a rest. A break from the world for a little while. Slowly, I know we'll begin to reemerge and things will come together—as they always seem to do—and we'll begin to feel whole again. God always has a plan and, while I don't understand the last few weeks of it, it's not my job to figure it out. I just have to trust Him to hold me up when I get weak.

As I write this, I realize its Monday and it's the start of a new week. And while I was sitting at the dealership last week waiting for them to order a new bench seat and dealing with the insurance company, angry at the world and at whoever it was that saw it worthwhile to dump out FOUR car seats and take the damn thing, I discovered a quote that helped me buck up and deal. From Martha Stewart of all people. Instead of "take it one day at a time," I think I will adopt this as my new mantra moving forward. After all, as things evolve so must we and our life is certainly changing by the minute...






8 comments:

  1. Dearest Amber
    Wish I could hug you,you have been thru so much.
    The loss of July is so sad,she gave you so much love happiness and companionship,on a happier note you were a cutie when young;)
    I pray that all goes well with the house you have under contract.
    I am sure celebrating the quads birthday with family and friends at a lake is the perfect get away you need. Isnt your Birthday in the same time frame as the quads?
    Have you been to/heard of Possum Kingdom? It has been many years since hubby and I were there my brother and his wife had a vacation home there, it is beautiful there.
    Take care, and know there are many people praying for your happiness everyday:)
    Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Girl, it has been one helluva week for you. We had such a great time with you guys and felt honored you chose to spend the evening with us after all that drama. I agree, it was so nice to put faces to our cyber friends and to spend time with fellow quad parents. I thought about snapping a picture, but it was on the late end and we were all looking sleepy. Will take some next time!
    I love the quote you adopted, it is quite fitting. The quote that carried me through infertility and still does is, "worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles it empties today of its strength". Mary Engelbreit

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  3. There is so much to comment on, but I mostly want to say that I completely understand how you feel about losing your cat. A few years ago, I had to put down my 22 year old cat. I got him when I was 5. He was the runt of the litter & no one thought he would live a week, much less 22 years! The day I had him put down, he had run off, but we found him laying by a nearby creek - animals usually go to water to die. He had been going downhill for some time. We brought him back home & called my cousin, a vet, to come administer the drugs. I sometimes wish I had just held him by the creek while he passed away, but I did hold him & rock him in my arms, in the back yard he had known for 22 years, while he slipped away. Just the loss of your precious cat alone would have made for a difficult week, but then the rest on top of it... :( I feel soooo bad for you with all of this going on. Hopefully there will be good news coming your way soon! Hugs!!!

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  4. Dear Amber, what a complicated week this has been for you. I don't really know where to start. First of all, I have all my fingers crossed about that house you have under contract.
    Then, well, I feel really sorry for the loss of your cat, loosing a pet can be really, really hard, especially after all these years.
    On a totally random note, I just wanted to tell you something that happened yesterday. I took my boys to visit a beautiful 7th century church, in a nearby village, with amazing stained glass windows (here it is: http://paroissendalagny.free.fr/photos.htm/SECTEUR/notre%20dane.jpg), and the prayers I said in this church were for you, your babies, your family. I don't know what God has planned for you, but let's hope He takes note of my good thoughts. And my baby Ethan was totally amazed by the colorful windows, by the way. The sun was shining right through them, drawing bright shapes all over the place, it was beauiful, really.
    I hope your day will be good, I hope your babies will smile a lot today, because I think you need to see some smiles !
    I'm sending along some hugs with this comment ! <3
    Jess

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  5. Amber, I am so sorry about the loss of your beloved July. Being an animal lover I know first hand what you experience when our fur-babies cross to the Rainbow Bridge. And for someone to steal your backseat out of your SUV, that is totally not right. Maybe this story will lift your spirts. We had someone steal the hood off our car, but they actually took the time to replace it with another hood but the hood they replaced it with was a shade different in white and had a ton of scratches on it. I just don't understand why someone would want your backseat, crazy world we live in for sure. Glad you got to enjoy some down town with the hubby for a drink. I can't wait to hear about yoru potential new house. Hugs to you and have a good day. Sherri

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  6. Oh-my-goodness!
    Life is certainly into "overload" at this particular time.
    So sorry about the lost of your sweet Kitty. ;-(
    I will NEVER understand people who "thieve". Awful!
    You're an amazing Mom, so go easy on yourself. This is a difficult "season" and that fact that you're vertical and still able to blog is something to be proud of!! ((HUGS))

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  7. Oh my goodness, what a difficult day!! I'm so sorry all of that happened to you guys! You are such a great mom and you are handling so much! I hope the lake house is a relaxing time. Praying for your full recovery from surgery! Taking care of multiples while healthy is hard enough!

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  8. I think I told you on FB but can't remember...Old age...
    But I am so sorry to hear about July. Our pets are just like family and it hurts like hell when we lose them.
    I can' believe someone would only steal the bench seat. That is just crazy.
    I hope I catch up on my reading that things have improved.
    Hugs

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