Turkey

Right before Thanksgiving we were given a huge 25 pound turkey. Because we spent Thanksgiving with my family and went out to a restaurant for dinner, Tom has been sitting in my fridge, thawing. Yesterday I cooked him up, along with some yams, potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole,
brussels sprouts, rolls, and cranberry sauce. It was so yummy.

Non jolly holiday

RAD sucks. E was officially diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder this fall. Holidays, fun events, and even weekends are hard and at times make me want to pull my hair out when he rages or pushes buttons. It's mainly directed to me. This morning he told me again that he hates living with me.
When I totally ignore him with no interaction or connection, he seems so much more calm and content. How can a mom not show affection or love to her son?
it breaks my heart.

I found a video that explains a bit more about RAD:
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=Z_CiAjbsYek

Fire part 2

We are amazed at the help we have received from friends and strangers since the fire. We had to wait to do any clean up until after the insurance company came out to inspect things. We announced a work party on a rainy Saturday afternoon and we had a surprising amount of people come help. We got most of the debris hauled to the dump. It felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders.

We got a settlement check from our insurance for the structure, which was for the total amount we had covered, but about $6,000 less than what we will need to rebuild. The building was considered an outbuilding and not part of our house. We had to come up with a list of contents to get the material possessions reimbursed by insurance. This took me about two weeks. It was 9 pages and about $20,000 worth of stuff. We will get a prepaid visa in the mail for about half that. While I am so thankful for insurance, I feel ripped off. I don't want to complain though, because we have been blessed by friends and strangers alike. Our church arranged for meals to be brought over for six days. My sister told her friends and clients about us and they gave her money, gift cards, art stuff, toys and linens for us. Friends have rounded up things to replace lost items. We have received gifts in the mail from family, friends and strangers. I am amazed by the love we have received.

Since the fire department sent in their report, county zoning and permitting came into the picture. This has been a small nightmare. The rooms we used for the teens can't be called bedrooms unless we get a larger septic tank. The foundation should be dug up and sealed with foam, we need a higher insulation and window rating. I am pretty sure the people who built the studio did not have any permits. We had an electrician come out and figure out what needs to be done. We should be able to apply for a permit next week.

Fire

Two weeks ago we experienced something I would never wish on anyone. A house fire. Our house is a three bedroom, two bath double wide. Right behind it sits a studio building that is about 600 square feet. A few years ago we repurposed the once music recording studio, and made it into a rec room, art space and sewing area. It also had beds for the kids. On a Friday afternoon while I was sitting at the computer at work, I got a call from J. He calmly told me the studio caught on fire and was destroyed. I shrieked out loud and spent some time trying to handle my shock and emotions. I maintained a strange balance between staying calm and freaking out in front of my co-workers. I finished up my newsletter publication and headed home in a rush. I came home to find J, L and C. I felt thankful that the 13 or more emergency responders had left and it was just us left to deal with the aftermath of a very hot electrical fire. So many thoughts were going through my head. I was grateful no one was home or hurt. I was sad for the kids who lost the majority of their possessions. I was curious how my trauma affected children would react to this traumatic event. I was fearful, worried and a huge ball of emotions. We dealt with the insurance company the best we could on a Friday afternoon and tried to go back to as much normalcy as we possibly could that weekend.

To be continued.

I did it!

I finished booty camp and lived to tell about it. That night (Sunday) I received the call inviting me into the league. I am now a Roller Betty! The league has 3 teams plus a traveling team. They will have a draft in early November so I should know if I make a team in a few weeks! If I don't, there is a pool they use to pull subs when there are injured players or what not.

After Sunday's skill and endurance test, I realized how out of shape I am. I'm actually probably more fit that I have been in a few years, but attending 2-3 practices a week will be tough physically. I need to get in better shape fast!! Squats are my new love{hate}.

News/updates

S's surgery was a success! At least we hope so. He was done after an hour and a half instead of the four hours the surgeon told us. They didn't need to do a huge incision from ear to ear. That was a huge blessing!! He was home less than 24 hours after surgery and had been himself ever since. He has been home from preschool and has limited activities though. He also has a bumpy rash on his skin we think may be an allergic reaction to his medication. And last night we noticed his incision on his nose is more red. we will keep a watchful eye on it.

I have a new job as the marketing and events coordinator for our local crisis pregnancy center. I love it!

Because of S and my new job, we are not going to be able to go to Miami for the half marathon. That and we aren't even close to raising the required money by the the end of this month. It's ok though, because we had a great time training, raised over $700 for the Spina Bifida Association, and when things settle we will run in a local race (most likely a 5k). Thank you for your donations and support!

Surgery

On Tuesday morning S is having a big surgery at the children's hospital. Check in time is 10:40 am pacific time. Please send prayers!