overwhelmed

I started this blog on Tuesday night:

My car got hit while it was parked at a restaurant.

This now means that I have to have it towed and repaired.  My cheap pilot husband didn't add on the car rental insurance (once he gets home we are going to discuss this), so that means we have to finagle around borrowing cars from different people. Know that I am the one doing all the organizing.  And don't be fooled by the dent - it threw off something significant and now the car can't be driven at highway speeds without shaking like mad. Notice the rub on the tire?  That is surely the cause of the shaking.

I have been having PVCs (premature ventricular contracts).  I started noticing these in February, and since the frequency picked up I had to see my MD.  This last appointment I had to take the kids since Steve was working. Nothing like trying to listen to your MD about your heart...your lifeline...while your daughter is talking up a storm and trying to pull your earrings out.  I did try to schedule a sitter during my appointment, but it didn't work out.

My daughter had trauma to her front tooth late Friday night, which made for her tooth being pulled on Monday morning.

Steve was there for the trauma, so I had support that night.  But, I had to manage the scheduling of the pull...with school and work.

I had to buy gifts for my son's PSR (parish school of religion) teachers. 

I have to buy my Mom her Mother's Day gift. 

I have to go to my chiropractor appointments. 

I had to pull out stuff for donations, since they came to our house this week. 

This is all on top of my normal schedule as a working mother.  I get the kids ready in the morning, drop them off at school, go to work, and pick them up.  And then the rest of the evening is full of cleaning the house, doing gardening here and there, doing laundry...that is just house chores.  As for the kids, I have to cook, clean up, make sure they are prepared for school, bathe them, read books, and put them to bed.

The above was really just a way for me to vent out all that I was feeling.  I was simply feeling incredibly overwhelmed....which doesn't happen all that often.  On Wednesday, Steve was due home at 19:something.  Finally, I would have some help and I would get time to relax and be still for a minute.

I was at the computer checking his flight.  Due in 15 minutes early, awesome!  I just finished up a glass of wine, and was in the middle of taking that all important selfie...

...and then my phone started to ring.

7:15p It was my Mother-in-Law calling from her mobile.

Hello?

Joanna.

Hi.  How are you?

When does Stephen get home? We are in the hospital again....

My Mother-in-Law went into all the details of what was happening.  My Father-In-Law was not feeling well, and they went to the ER.  At the time of our phone conversation, my Father-in-Law was currently getting a heart cath because his EKG was way off from the last time he had one.  We spent about 10 minutes on the phone, and we signed off with me telling her that I would pass all this details along to Steve.

7:30p: Steve landed.  I had texted him a quick note of the situation so he had some idea when he called me.  When he called me I told him that his Father was due to come out of the heart cath at 8p, so we would know more at that time.  Steve was purposeful is not calling his Mom right away as he was driving our neighbor's car, so he was trying to be as mindful as possible with driving a new car.  He figured he would call his Mom once he got home.

7:45p: My Mother-In-Law calls me again.  Open heart surgery.

"They will either do it tonight or tomorrow.  Oh what? (she said, as the nurse came in to interrupt her conversation)...Joanna, they are getting the team ready now.  He is going into surgery now."

7:46p: I called Steve and told him open heart surgery.  Boom.  It was established that Steve would be driving to the hospital to be there for the surgery.

And just like that, my world straightened up really quick.

Immediately I went into helper mode.  Any bad anythings that I had in my mind were erased instantly.  I packed Steve's bag, I arranged the car situation so that I wouldn't be left stranded without a car.  I made a quick meal for Steve.

Steve got home.  He changed his clothes, he hugged on the kids, he ate...and he was off.

My Father-in-Law ended up having a triple bypass.  He is still in ICU as of today.  He is doing okay, and it seems like they are taking their time with things.

It is amazing how, in an instant, your world and attitude can change.  When something of this significance happens, it really puts things in perspective.  Here I thought I was having a bad day...