A Train Wreck Birthday

So I get people have bad days - you've got to have them to appreciate the good ones...this one happened to fall on my birthday.  Thank heavens my incredible husband had already thrown me a wonderful birthday party and family had already been so thoughtful to do some celebrating BEFORE we moved.  

I didn't have any expectations for my actual birthday since I knew it would be Steve's second day of work, we'd still be unpacking and getting organized, and we wouldn't have family or friends around.  In that aspect - I would say my sights were set fairly low...apparently they weren't low enough!

I woke up with the realization that that terrible plague that hit everyone and I had thought I had averted, decided to pay me a birthday visit - not an intense one thank goodness, but enough to make me feel crummy all day.  Thank-you plague.  My kids, I guess, were too excited for my birthday to begin because they decided to wake up two hours early around 6 and not go back to sleep - awesome.  Ruby thought being quite grumpy and unaccommodating was also appropriate birthday behavior.  She threw in two blow out diapers as a bonus - Happy Birthday to me! 

I tried to put on a good attitude and played the awesome mom card putting the TV on most of the day while I juggled laying down since I felt so gross, sorting out student loan consolidation for Steve, gathering moving expense receipts, and feeding children even though the very thought of food disgusted me.  Ross was very sweet and patient at least - though he sure likes asking thousands of questions all day long - which is a little wearing when you feel like garbage all day.

By that afternoon I noticed our house was getting colder and the vents were only putting out cool air with the heater on (which was concerning since the temperatures had dropped over 50 degrees in the last three days - seriously - 80 degree weather 5 days ago - down to 20!) and had no idea why.  I made a phone call and our amazing management called around like crazy to get a heating company over to our house who showed up so fast only to tell me our gas had been shut off (yay - another birthday present!).  Steve had forgotten to put the gas in our name - which, given, we haven't had to pay a gas bill since before we moved to Oregon - we only had electric there and everywhere else it was included in the rent.  I guess I was shocked we weren't given a heads up that they were shutting off our gas - even with it getting down to 8 degrees that night.  I called and set up our account within 5 minutes and found they "couldn't" come turn the gas back on until the next day between 12 and 4....fun - love those 4 hour wait periods.  I wish utility people would give you a heads up they are turning things off - so you can get it sorted out sooner rather than later or at least have a plan.

Again, our ward came to our rescue and brought five space heaters over.  Our old house, we found, can only handle two of them being plugged in however, unless you want to short out all the light.  Fun fun.  

I was hoping for a hot bath that night, but of course that has had to wait - which we're currently still waiting on since only an hour and forty five minutes have gone by of the four hour window they gave us to turn the gas back on.

Steve finally got home and let me have some alone time to recuperate which felt nice.  We ordered pizza for dinner of course, skyped with my family, and eventually got children to bed.  I went to bed early and was more than happy for the day to be over.  

Wahoo - so we're pretending my birthday hasn't really happened yet until this heat gets put back.  Then I'll get my hot bath, a delicious birthday cake, and a little party with my kids and Steve.  WHAT a day.  Poor Stephen has had three rotten ACTUAL birthdays - all taking extremely difficult exams - the last being Boards.  I guess it was my turn to take one for the team. :)  

On that note - here are a few pictures of our half sorted out house. :)  I'll post more when they're actually finished.

The backyard back when it was warm - we have a tire swing!  And the door is to our garage - never had one of those before.  The grass is something to be desired.

The sandbox is covered up due to the zillion birds that live in the tree above - Steve is planning on getting a pellet gun to take care of the problem, though I think the freeze over jumped the gun.

The kids really wanted to help use Daddy's drill so he let them drill holes in a box - extremely useful.

The office/exercise room/extra guest room.

The front - in the freezing weather!

Because apples and pears always belong on mailboxes...

Here's our carport and the garage is the back.

Getting pictures up.

The kids room with all the toys out of course - Ruby's crib is around that corner - they've actually started getting used to sleeping in the same room!  Hooray!!

Ruby's corner

Their wall :)

Well at LEAST I can find comfort in this: :)