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Friday Update: 08/17/07

Well, there’s not too much to report on house-wise…the lot still looks pretty much the same. We had thought they would have dug the hole by now, but weather and permit issues have slowed things down a bit. It’s been unusually rainy the past few weeks, so the team in charge of excavation is a little behind on their other jobs, so ours got pushed back as well. It’s frustrating, but what can you do? Certainly can’t control the weather, that’s for sure!! Although if things would finally dry up and get moving, we sure would appreciate it!!!

In the meantime, we have officially put our house on the market. It went on the market this past Monday and we’ve shown it twice so far. Our lives have officially been turned upside down! The ‘we’ve got our house on the market’ mania has begun!! The second day it was on the market, we got a call about 5:00…we had just settled in for the night and I was getting ready to fix supper when the realtor called. I ran downstairs and told Matt it was ‘go time!’ We got all loaded up with the dogs and took off. We drove around for a while, and then decided we might as well get something to eat. Unfortunately, with the dogs we can’t really go anywhere and get out…so we drove through and ate in the car. I’m sure we looked quite strange…the two of us, two big dogs in the back seat, sitting with our car running while we ate fast food! It was just too hot (especially with two SUPER excited dogs panting all over) for us to have the AC off! The next day we had more notice that they wanted to show the house, so we just stopped and picked the dogs up after therapy at Timber Creek and drove around again. That worked out better…but then we were in the car for several hours – 1 hour to drive to Timber Creek, 1 hour to drive back to Des Moines, and another hour or so driving around with the dogs. FUN! So last night we were kind of glad we didn’t have any showings so we could have a normal evening at home, eating supper in the HOUSE instead of the car and I could get caught up laundry. I just keep telling myself this is the way it goes when you’re trying to sell your house. Its nuts…but that’s the real estate game we have to play right now. We’re running out of places to drive by…so if you live here in town, we may just pop by and say hello…us and the doggies!
I just hope that we find the perfect buyer who can move in our timeframe and it’ll all work out without us having to try and move twice. Right now I’m just trying to face each hurdle as we approach it, and not looking too far down the road for the next one. I could easily drive myself crazy trying to plan it all and trying to think through all the ‘what if’s’. I am a planner…an organizer…I like to know what’s coming next…what my next project is…it is so hard to let go of that and just wait patiently for things to come together. It is SO not my nature. I am trying…and though some days I feel I might explode from the frustration of the unknown, most days I just take a deep breath and look to God and pray for his soothing peace to wash over me once again. Matt reminded me the other day that He has provided for us consistently and perfectly throughout this entire journey, and we just need to trust that he will continue to do so. How true, how true. I will never be able to fully understand the intricate inner workings of God’s plans for us…why does my silly human nature keep trying to figure it out?

In other news, Matt continues to work hard in therapy. His walking in the pool has improved quite a bit since he first started working in there with Kim. In the beginning they struggled quite a bit, but his weight shifting has improved and Kim has to provide less and less help each time. This past week she let go and let him take a few steps on his own! It was exciting to see…especially for Kim and I. Matt is harder to impress…right now it’s just not good enough for him. He wants so badly for it to be significantly improved…on land. I can definitely see improvements when he’s walking in therapy. He requires less help than before most of the time. He is still working on consistency though, as sometimes he just has off days.

The horse riding is going well too. They are going to try switching Matt to a different horse in the coming weeks. They feel like he’s done so well on Sunny that now he may be ready for a horse with a little more movement to challenge him even more. Should be interesting!

With the house on the market we’ve had to move the laptop back downstairs to the office, so now Matt makes regular trips up and down the stairs on his own during the day. It is somewhat of a challenge, getting back up in the chair at the top of the stairs, but he’s done remarkably well and is up for the challenge. It’s good exercise for him, good weight shifting work, and this way he doesn’t feel quite so trapped in one spot. Oh how we look forward to having everything on ONE level!! It will be SO good!!

Next week we meet with the Neurologist for our regular check up and we are contemplating going off the medications Matt is on for his tremor. We are still unconvinced they are helping much, and they tend to make him drowsy at certain times of the day. At this point, it seems like the only way to tell if they are really helping is to gradually go off of them and see what the impact is. If they aren’t doing much, why even be on them?? So, we’ll discuss that with the Dr. next week and see what she thinks.

We are also in the midst of preparing for our upcoming vacations. Next weekend Matt leaves for Minnesota and I head down to Texas…both much needed get aways! Matt is starting to think through the set up of the cabin and trying to think about how to do things…though most if it will have to be worked out once they get up there. He is apprehensive, but I know they will work out the kinks and have a good time. I just wish the cabin was more accessible so Matt could be more independent while there. Be thinking of him next week and praying for a fun trip for him. I will be heading to my parents’ house in Texas while Matt is up north, for a few days of relaxation and quality time with my folks. I miss them so much and haven’t been down to their house in over a year, so I’m really looking forward to it! I haven’t had a chance to spend much time alone with them in quite a while…and I can’t wait! I just love them SO much! (What a nerd!) I will definitely post pictures from both our trips! (I will be FORCING the boys to take at least a few!)

There are a lot of good and exciting things to look forward to. I just pray I can keep my focus on the positive and not get drug down by the frustrations and uncertainties.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hey Em~

Mom and Dad are in and out all the time...especially now that Dad's retired. You could always run over and see them if you need someplace to go while showing the house. If they're not there....you can always hang out in their gazebo. Of course you know they wouldn't mind! Take care, Laura

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