This and That

Why is it so hard to focus on the positives??  Despite the fact that Tom & I had a good weekend (see below) and Tom had an phone interview on Monday (which was an answer to a specific prayer) – in fact, despite that we are overflowing with blessings too numerous to count here – I still find myself easily depressed when something unexpected occurs.

So – there was the window debacle (see below) which has necessitated more expenditures than we thought we’d have with the window installation.  Now there is the $530 fridge repair that we had to have done today.  That’s about two months worth of grocery money.  I’m so depressed!!  Why can’t appliance repairs be more affordable?  Our fridge has given us so much trouble already (the water doesn’t work, the ice maker is temperamental, the bottom crisper drawer is broken) that we really wanted to just say forget it and buy a new one – but we really don’t have  $1000 right now to purchase one.  The moral of the story is buy the cheap appliance so when it breaks at least you won’t feel bad.  Our expensive dishwasher has never worked as well as the cheap one we put in our old house.

Anyway – so here’s the story of the windows.  Tom made this really cool stool to use on our roof outside our kids’ bedrooms to work on while replacing their windows.  Then he painstaking worked to get them out – which takes way longer than you would think.  Then he prepped the openings for the new windows, which we hauled up the stairs (they are HEAVY).  Then —- we discovered that the windows were the wrong size.  We had measured them correctly, but somewhere between our measurements and the ordering, the wrong size was ordered.  We checked the order against the windows – but NOT against the measurements page we had made up.  Anyway – the company we ordered from is now out of business (Lindford Windows in Salt Lake City!!) so we are just out of luck.  We spent an hour debating our choices (and in my case crying).  There were a couple of windows in stock at a warehouse up in Denver – but they were over $300 a piece – not really an option.  Finally we bowed to the inevitable and framed out the space to take a smaller window.  We lost about a foot of width on each window – which is so sad.  But we had to have windows in the space.  So a job that should have taken a couple of days is still not completed.  Tom has been working on getting the trim on (we had to replace quite a bit because so much of the old stuff was rotten).  But we still have to paint all the siding and trim that we replaced – as well as covering the new framing with drywall, paint, etc.   Enough about that.

This weekend Denver got hit with a big snowstorm.   Normally that would be o.k.  But Tom and I had a flight out on Friday evening to attend the wedding of Todd Brady and Maleah Johnson over in American Fork, Utah.  We got busy and re-scheduled our flight for an earlier time.  Luckily the kids were all released early from school so we were able to get them taken care of before we left.  The flight was uneventful – except I got to see the “de-icing” procedure for an airplane – interesting!  We stayed with Tom’s brother, Alan Wood and his wife Jan.  They were so nice to open their home to us and drive us around.

Todd and Maleah

Saturday was the big day.  Todd and Maleah were married in the Mt. Timpanogas Temple in American Fork in the morning.  The sealer said some really great things – like committing them to come back to the temple often to bring family names.  And to prepare their kids to go to the temple by having family prayer and family home evening.  Plus he did a terrific job of giving them the big picture with regard to the temple.  It was a good reminder for me as well.  After the wedding, we all headed over to the Alpine Arts Center where we enjoyed a tasty lunch and small program.  Then Tom & I spent a couple of hours with my sister Erin and my niece Kate (yes, she belongs to me!).  She (Kate) made the funniest faces at Tom.  She is a crack-up!  Then we went back to the Arts Center for the reception.  It was a lot of fun seeing all the family – we always have a good time and laugh a lot!  But it WAS a long day!

Sunday we went to church with Alan & Jan and then had lunch at the Watsons with all the family that was still in town (which was most everyone).  Jan bought an ice cream cake to celebrate my birthday (41, baby!) and there were brownies and ice cream.  Thanks so much, especially to Joanna & Richard who opened their home to everyone and organized the lunch.  Then Tom & I headed back to the airport and back home.  Thanks so much to Alex and Cynthia who took care of our kids for us while we were gone.  You guys are awesome!!

Lastly, our good friends Jeff and Shannon Simmons and their family came to town this past weekend and we got a chance to spend a little time with them Thursday evening and Friday morning.  We really miss them! and while we are glad that they are enjoying their new home in Woods Cross, we really wish they still lived just down the street from us!!  Good friends are a treasure.

Well – very long post, but I actually feel a little better.  Just have to keep up with the hope and faith and charity and trust to the Lord for all the things we can’t control.

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