Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Hello Again, its been a while

Hello, it’s been a while.  I will be honest it got overwhelming.  Everything, insurance, hotel living, no car, bad car, more car damage, finding house, trying to find money, etc etc. was piling up along with school and work and I stopped communicating. I am better now although I have had to make a few adjustments to keep from getting overwhelmed again. 
I was trying to give you a synopsis week by week of what has happened since the tornado but at this point it all is starting to blur together.  I can say that 2 ½ months have gone by we are still in a hotel and still having our cars worked on.  We have made progress with the property portion of our claim and insurance is finally picking up the tab on our hotel bill so things have improved considerably. Physically and materialistically we are much much better but emotionally well that’s a whole other story.
We moved out of our friends’ house about 1 ½ weeks in not wanting to stay out our welcome and realizing that Bobby and I were not communicating as a married couple.  We were fighting, not speaking, not sharing, and getting angry with each other for not being telepathic.  Our friends who are wonderful (Jackson and Megan we love you dearly!) begged us to stay but for the sake of our marriage and the sake of our friendship we moved into what was probably the only hotel room left in town (at least by the cost that is what I would imagine).  We lived in this hotel room for about a week before we could be relocated to a bigger room with a fridge and microwave.  That’s where we are still to this day, spread out with piles of stuff in each corner.  You know those dressers and closet racks no one ever uses when on vacation because you just live out of a suitcase, yeh well we are actually using them, I fold clothes, hang clothes, organize shoes, for now its home.  It’s a little odd but it’s a normal routine that we were desperately seeking.
During the time between my last post and now we got a rental car for about 3 weeks while my car was in the shop and Bobby was able to still drive the truck around.  The money was donated to us by my mom’s work, they took up a collection.  We were overwhelmed with gratitude at the kindness they showed us.  The rental car helped a lot, I was able to run more errands, claim a little bit of freedom, and even travel home to see my family and our dogs.  It was all working out perfectly the rental car we thought would cover us until both cars were fixed and then we wouldn’t need any help with cars after that.  However the body shop had other plans, they had my car 5 weeks and still didn’t fix it, it’s still damaged but its drivable so out it went and in went the truck.  We desperately needed another vehicle.  My sweet sister-n-law was going to china around this time so we were hoping to use her car.  My in-laws had other plans for it and we were going to have to find other means.  I was going to have to start bumming rides again.  Finally our in-laws decided to loan us a car (they have like 5) sadly and almost poetically it was the old ford ranger that my husband drove for years before getting his truck.  The thing is on its last leg, brakes are bad, and no air conditioning. Bobby is a trooper really he is, he took it, didn’t complain and is now driving it back and forth about 120 miles a day to Birmingham.  It is the hottest summer on record, did I mention it doesn’t have air!  Your reading this thinking I am angry aren’t you?  Well I am not angry I am confused.  The truck might be done this week fingers crossed and then mine will go back in for (fingers crossed) only a week.  It will be so nice to have two reliable working vehicles again.  I know, silly Americans so dependent on our cars but really, its independence that comes with having a means of transportation.  Something we have been fighting to regain this whole time!
So what else can I tell you??... Our stuff is in a storage unit at a premium price right now, we are working full time and after a few nervous breakdowns and seeking medical help I was convinced to withdraw from classes this summer.  I still have panic attacks when I hear the test sirens and I cry when I drive through Alberta and 15th street.  I have driven by the house on several occasions with a sense of longing.  I can’t sleep at all partly because of my back and the pain the rods are causing but partly because my mind is still racing at 100 mph.  I have dr. apts for all the above but like any good physicians office they can’t see me for 3 weeks.
It’s not all doom and gloom I promise.  We are so much better, each week it gets better.  I promise I am not this negative, usually people are always wondering how I can be so happy all the time (I usually smile and laugh and say medication, but really I have a very positive attitude most the time).  We do have some positive things to report.  We are getting a new home!  We were approved for a home loan for disaster victims and are now purchasing a home in Northport, AL.  We close July 15th. We did get the insurance to pay for the cars, personal property, and the University donated money to our family to help with outside costs.  Our extended family (both mine and Bobby’s) and my parents have been absolutely fantastic and understanding and going out of the way to help us any way they can. I have so many thank you notes to write!  I am hoping to continue the blog more regularly, fill in some blanks, and keep everyone posted on the new place, and the new changes in our life.  So much to tell!

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