A humbling life lesson

This weekend was not what we would consider normal, typical, interesting or even fun, really.  But it was absolutely humbling.  I am not great at asking for help.  Some may call that stubborn, I call it a combination of genetic personality traits, independence and with self-sufficiency.  Others will know that I get this wonderful blend from both sides of my family.

Friday morning began the blur of events.  In the wake of the tragic events in our neighboring town, the entire metro-Denver area mourned the loss of twelve individuals and prayed for the recovery of  the 59 wounded.  It's all our local media covered for two days and because it was so close to home (and I have momma-bear blood now) it was difficult to focus on anything else.

Friday afternoon, our house was listed for sale and went live in the MLS listing (we love this house, just need a little more space for Nugget to play and Chris to work).  I needed a little fresh, albeit hot air so decided to water my flowers on the back porch. As I was running from the wasps that have apparently taken a liking to my cute plant with pretty pink flowers on it, I got to the edge of the deck and thought to myself, "Huh.the air conditioner sounds funny."  But quickly forgot about it as I retreated into the house, avoiding any further confrontation with the wasps.  By Friday evening, it was 79 degrees in the house.  By 3:00 am, it was 84.

Our A/C went kaput.  So, our house is on the market, we have seven showings scheduled for Saturday, temperatures are in the upper 90's and we have no A/C.  We quickly picked up the house, took the dogs to PetSmart to board them for the weekend, packed plenty of stuff for the baby, left a note about the A/C for the house hunters and vacated. Thankfully we have a wonderfully happy baby that seems to adapt to weirdness pretty well.  So well that he sat playfully (no crying, or anything) at Champps Sports Bar and  Grille for three and a half ours as we lunched with friends in town from San Antonio, TX.  After that, we did a little driving, hanging out at the neighbors house and were finally able to return home at 6:30 pm. That's when the HVAC guy told us the motor in the unit had burned up and he'd have to replace it on Monday.

We called Chris' parents to tell them the news and they gave us hotel points to stay a couple of  nights at a Hilton Garden Inn.  There was another showing schedule at 6:45 so we had to hurry, grab enough stuff for us for over night, the pack & play, tons of baby stuff, and skedaddle before the next group showed up.

Turns out that Bryan's reflux was acting up Saturday night.  We had been up with him all night to keep him from crying in that the walls were so thin we could hear the neighbors' TV.  We were certain we were going to get kicked out of the hotel so at about 4:30 am, we packed up and came home, checking out a day early.  If we aren't going to sleep, I'd rather not sleep at home.  Home to an 87 degree house.  Sigh.  Thankfully Sunday brought only a couple of showings.

Sunday night, we had some friends offer up their guest room and guest bath to us and we humbly and graciously accepted.  It was their wedding anniversary, and they have two kids of their own.  Not to mention that Bryan had been a little fussy because of his reflux and he also has a cold.  The heat in our home was unbearable by 6:30 pm (thermostat read 89), so we packed up and headed over.

We pulled in their driveway just in time to watch Air Force One fly over their house and were quickly reminded of what is most important in life.  It's not air conditioning.  It is a modern luxury that we have grown accustomed to and while it's more comfortable to have it, we don't really need it.

As Chris and I dozed off to sleep, I couldn't fight back the tears as I counted my blessings.  A happy baby that was peacefully sleeping in unfamiliar surroundings (and slept through the night too!), wonderful friends who opened their door (and a bottle of wine) for us to get a good night's sleep, and even more importantly, for our little family of three and our chronic knack for biting off more than we can chew but always managing to find a way for everything to work out.

It's good to be me.  Even when I am hot, sweaty and cranky.  Thanks, Turner family for the laughs, the wine,  the room and the air conditioning.  You are our Colorado family and we are so grateful for your friendship and hospitality.  We love you guys!!