This week has been a bit frustrating and I’m feeling overwhelmed and a bit stressed, mixed with excitement. Is that the way it always is before a move? You’re excited about the move, but completely overwhelmed with all the to-do lists and things that you know will take a miracle to happen?
Last weekend when I wrote I was on a high from punching out a really productive week of work at the new house. We went from having a pile of plywood and fan boxes in the kitchen to installed lower cabinets and poured countertops. It seemed ridiculous to me that we accomplished so much in just 5 days. I was on that high through the weekend and fully anticipated another great week.
Alas, it was not so.
Monday was rough. I felt like I was just dragging all day and was exhausted for no reason I could see. I had gotten lots of much needed rest over the weekend. I had to really push myself to get through the day and frequently found myself wondering if it was quitting time.
We got a bunch of stuff done, like most of the upper cabinets in place and the form work taken off the counter tops. They turned out fabulously and came out of the framework with very little effort. I had been stressing about that all weekend. When we showed up Monday morning they were already pulling free themselves, so I was happy.
It was a good work day, but hard physically. All I wanted to do was go to bed when I got home, but we had a board meeting that evening that I needed to be available for. By the time the call rolled around I felt pretty bad. Headache, body aches and I was wearing a hoodie because I was chilled. I realized I had the same bug that had kept Alex home that day. I decided to stay home Tuesday and rest. Chris went to Port and got a bunch of things done, but I couldn’t help thinking about all that needed to get done at the house.
Wednesday I was feeling better and knew it was the day we were going to sand the counters, so I was excited. The sanding part went great. Really messy because there’s a lot of water involved, mixed with the cement powder you’re grinding off. Sadly, I also learned why they recommend you wear a plastic apron (don’t have anywhere to get one here). Around 9 am I could feel my belly was warm where the water and cement powder were sticking to my clothes. By 1 pm when Chris came to get me I full on cement burns on my skin. So, let this be a public service announcement – wear the right gear, or wait the recommended 7 days (we didn’t have that because these needed to get done) before you sand cement counters.
Thankfully things are starting to heal up, but I’ve been swaddled in gauze and burn cream for the past two days. I’ve gone out to the house and basically had Johnny do all the work while I give directions and hold things. It’s been really frustrating, and yet I’m trying to take care of myself because I know if I don’t then I’m going to be down longer. I’m thankful for a weekend where I can rest, but at the same time I’m thinking about all the things that need to get done and trying to make plans for how to attack things on Monday so that we have a really productive week again.
I know I said this last week, but I’m so thankful for Johnny. I left him with some wood to cut on Thursday so I could go home and rest. This was a letting go experiment for me because it meant giving him a 5 minute tutorial on how to use the new miter saw, and then leaving him with a pile of wood. I came out on Friday morning to find that he’d not only cut everything down like I’d asked, but he’d bundled each set of cuts with tape and marked them, and the saw was just fine. Anyone who’s had any experience in Haiti will understand what a huge thing this was. He’s just so capable and such a blessing. We were able to get a bunch of stuff done yesterday, but I’m still stressing.
The stress is being in the midst of a building site where there are piles of everything everywhere, and desperately needing everyone around you to see that time is ticking and we only have a certain number of days to get everything done is wearing on me. I look at projects and think, “That should take x amount of time…” and it never does. The backsplash started going up in the kitchen on Thursday, and I thought that it was a one day job. Nope. We’ve done two days and there’s still more to do. I’m trying to think of how to best motivate people because we’re working in a culture where time is a variable. We see the calendar days going by and there’s sometimes a lack of immediacy that we really need right now.
So, please be praying for me and us. So many things to do, and I’d like to come through next week feeling like we were getting closer to reaching our goal. I really want to have most of the things on my list finished before we move in so we can enjoy a good couple of weeks over Christmas settling in to our new home as a family. I want to have a fully functioning kitchen, an office that’s ready to start work in the new year, and things like closets done so we can just move in and enjoy it. That might be asking a lot, but maybe not?
You can also pray that our batteries arrive and clear customs in the next two weeks so we can get them all hooked up and actually have power running through the building. That’s a big one…
I’m very thankful for Chris. He’s been a home trooper for the past few weeks. Most nights during the week he’s cooking dinner, and he’s actually starting to have fun with it by trying out new things. Maybe he’ll come out of this with more interest in cooking??? :) He’s the one that’s been doing all the school pick up and drop off and hanging out with our kids as I’m working. On the weekends I try to spend time with them and give extra snuggles, and am looking forward to moving day when we’ll finally all be in the same place again. The kids finish school the day after we move, which I’m thankful for. It’ll give us a few days to get moved, and then they’ll be off and we can settle into our new surroundings. It also means two days during a busy week where we don’t have to worry about driving for school and can just focus on work stuff.
I have some more big news to share, but will do that in the next post :)
Thanks for the prayers and support!
Leslie
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