Dear Reader-

This week has officially kicked my hind end… down the road and back again.

It actually started last Saturday… when we were trying to go to church and stopped to grab a bite to eat when Miss Add taps me on the shoulder and proceeds to well… um… spew.

Sorry.

I know that isn’t pretty to envision… but believe me when I tell you that isn’t nothing compared to the experience up close and personal… just sayin’.

After that little development, we decided to go to church on Sunday morning after Puddie worked a night shift… NOT ideal, but would work.

Massive storm hits in the wee hours of the morning.

Laying in bed, I am soo grateful for the rain… but so tired and not getting a wink of sleep.

Electricity goes out. I call it in and try to get some sleep… unsuccessfully.

Exhausted, Puddie comes home and we all start to get ready for church.

I open the bathroom window in the bathroom to let light in to get ready when I notice a little something blocking my view…

That there tree… it is laying on my house, barn and deck…

Wait.

A tree fell on my house and I didn’t hear or feel it?

Well it sure did.

Theories are that its roots were so dry that the wind just laid it over onto the house… gently.

Thankfully, the damage to the house, barn and deck was minimal…

Our satellite  didn’t fair so well…

Note: If you have equipment replacement protection through your satellite company… check your policy.  Apparently equipment replacement protection does not actually cover replacing equipment… Who knew? I happen to actually… after 2 hours on the phone with my company asking them to explain to me how me paying $5.99 a month for 10 years does not actually cover replacing my satellite after a tree falls on it. After talking to 5 different people and pitching a living fit, they finally reduced the $70 fee to $20… and then they discovered that they actually owed me a refund of over $200 for overcharging me for the last 4 years.

Meanwhile, my amazing family- brother-in-laws, nephews and father-in-law show up with their chainsaws and excavator to help remove the massive tree (dude it was HUGE) that had completely uprooted itself. They worked along side my sleep-deprived husband and completely cleared the tree in hours… the linemen from the electric company were shocked (horrible pun) to see the tree removed so quickly so they could fix our power.

The power went off at 5 am and due to our amazing family and very prompt electric company, we had power by 6 pm.

A-MAZING.

We were so grateful and oh-so tired.

Not a good way to start the week… and a monstrous week it has been…

Add started her online classes on Monday and the classes were not uploaded until Monday morning which meant we had to hit the road running.

I had major work deadlines and a blog conference coming up at the end of the week.

Mike scheduled a myriad of workers and insurance adjusters in and out of the house trying to repair the tv, satellite and roofs.

Today was Add’s first day at Academy and the first day of the blog conference.

Tomorrow is Friday and I am ready for a weekend, lunch with a good friend and a great weekend visit with my sister.

It could have been a bad week, and while it WAS exhausting, it wasn’t bad.

It was a week that reminded me of how lucky we are to be surrounded by the family, friends and colleagues that we have been blessed with…

Family that will drop everything and not ask for anything in return.

Friends that always encourage me.

Colleagues that are so supportive in a job that I love.

And as the rain pours down for a second day in a row after a summer of none, I am grateful… and truth be told, a little scared of the trees left standing.