the blessings that come when life is poopy

                                                                         

The car we bought to replace the one I wrecked broke down a week after we bought it.

Being without a car for awhile, Chay was lucky enough to find a man to carpool with to work. Chay mentioned to me that he feels that his car was supposed to break down so he could have certain conversations with this man he carpooled with. It made me smile to hear that, I just really hope these conversations he was having with Mr. Carpool man were worth $1500 and then some.

My vacuum broke and so did my camera. How do I live without a vacuum and a camera????

The Suburban decided to join in the fun and it broke down on a cold slushy morning. Thankfully the car broke down in walking distance of good neighbors. Of course 2 out of 3 children weren't wearing coats or shoes because I was in such a hurry to get out the door and get Kenzie to school. Worried about Kenzie missing school, I attempted to carry the 2 shoeless and coatless kids and walk to the closest neighbor (Maria, the kindest most loving person I know) and see if she could take Kenzie to school for me. En route to her house I lose my footing and all 4 of us plummet into a big slush puddle. Everyone is crying and wet. I show up to Maria's with wet pants while holding wet, messy, shoeless, coatless and hungry children. I was ready to cry at any moment.

Of course angel Maria came to the rescue again.

The next day I was driving home from Kenzie's school after picking her up and right when I was feeling a little overwhelmed at how much the suburban cost to be fixed the day before, the car starts to jerk and clank...I barely make it to the Pep Boys parking lot. Pep Boys told me the car wouldn't be done for another 5-6 hours. So we decided to walk home.

Tender mercy: My kids were excited to walk home & the sun decided to shine for the hour it took us to get home. Of course when we were almost home, behind me pulls up Maria. She looking for me and hoping to drive us home from Pep Boys. It was then I realized my house key was on the key ring that was left at Pep Boys. Lovely. My words to Maria, "Do you know that I hate needing people like this? It is so hard for me to be in such a bind and to depend on everyone just to make it through a simple day."

She just smiled and said, "I know how it is, we've been there before...anything I can do to help."

Did you know her middle name is Mi Amor? Duh. It is only obvious. Maria Mi Amor. She is a red head by the way.


Cynthia. She lives across the street. She is another angel I have to mention. She is obsessed with the color pink. I knock on her door at least once a day asking for help on something. Watches and entertains the girls for me, lends me almond extract all the time, picks up Kenzie from school when I'm stuck with a broken car, let's us borrow every movie she owns. What an answer to prayer  her little family moved in across the street from us. My girls LOVE you Cynthia.


The day after we broke down at PepBoys, I decided to cash a check and drop junk off at the D.I (goodwill). My Suburban suddenly won't start at the bank drive-thru. I almost swore and screamed nasty things at the world but I just turned up my radio really loud. The kids eyes were huge- they knew Mom was UPSET. I got out of the car and pushed that huge beast out of the drive-thru. It started to rain hard- yes, just like the movies. I sat in my car listening to Rhianna's "Found Love in a Hopeless Place" really loud in the pouring rain and cried like a baby until Chaylove arrived to save us all.

Yesterday on Valentines Day our Suburban broke down again- first it was the fuel pump, then the distributor cap, 4 flat tires, and yesterday it was the steering pump. We had a babysitter lined up for V-day but Chay came home to screaming sick kids and a car that barely drove. We went to the doctors instead of going out- Ju Ju and Xander both had double ear infections? What in the heck??? Chay stayed up until 3 am trying to fix the suburban so I can take Kenzie to school the next day. I stayed up until 3 am holding a screaming toddler. Chay comes into the house at 3 am and tells me to go to sleep. He figures out real quick that Xander's pain isn't as bad if he sits up to sleep. Chay holds Xander in the chair until 6:30 this morning. On my way to the bedroom to sleep, I notice on the kitchen table 3 beautiful white Callas flowers in a homemade Arrowhead water bottle vase, 2 mini sparkling cider bottles, and a box of chocolates. What is Chay smoking? Him letting me sleep for 3 hours and sacrificing his whole night for me and the family- and the Valentines Day gift??? Wow. He really taught me a lot about LOVE last night. He really is quite amazing. Chay has this HUGE heart thing going on. Lucky me to have him..

(for the record, we are a normal couple with normal problems and I hope no illusion was created by sharing this story about Chay- because I swear the blog world really can do that sometimes, for history's sake I really wanted to share it- and as sweet as it may sound, Chay's words pretty much sum up the night "this has got to be the worst Valentines Day of my life"...and that it was.) 

anyway so TRIALS. Not fun. But Thank you Heavenly Father for this opportunity because I have learned so much...still learning...I am not doing well right now in so many areas of my life... but I am learning incredibly fast in a humbling way that much of what I think is important, really isn't...most especially in God's eyes.                                                                

I have also learned what true service is- because of our out-of-control life we have been reminded of the gift of true friendship. So many friends and neighbors have offered to help in someway... and now I ask myself when I go to sleep at night and while my mind is wrapped around how life can totally blow at times..."How can I be more of service? Is this why I am going through all this?" So interesting how trials can create better friendships, more reflection of God's plan, purpose of life, what is truly important, faith-

but trials still suck and I anxiously await for this weird season of life to pass.

Bright side: My dear friend Emily had a baby boy!!! AND Chay FINISHED HIS MBA this month!!!!! (more on that later)