Hot House

A few days ago, I mentioned that our A/C was not working.  It has taken me a full week to recoup from the experience.  I now know what it feels like to live in a hot house...and I must say that life would not be for me!  The heat and humidity would kill me.  If only it helped me lose a few extra pounds but no such luck!

Last Thursday the A/C went out and by the time the repair man showed up Friday afternoon it was 97 degrees in the house.  We have two units and the downstairs was the broken one.  This happened in July as well, but somehow it was not as bad.  I can only contribute this to the high humidity!  Since the repair was the same as before we were offered a chance to have the fee waived.  However, the part would need to be ordered and would not come in until Monday afternoon.

There was no way to remain in the house as the temp was slowly increasing.  I had the part ordered and then called my mom and Michael....we were making a surprise trip to visit...truly a surprise for Michael who slept through his phone ringing.

Just before the repair man arrived, we met with a new beekeeper who was interested in purchasing one of our hives.  He came out and after an amateur inspection, decided it would be a good deal.  He paid for the live but would not be able to pick up until the next day.  So, our spontaneous trip to San Antonio caused a little panic to this situation.  It was resolved thanks to our dear friend Marie...she agreed to help him move the hive to the new location.  It is so nice to have a good beekeeping friend!

Just as I was on the road to San Antonio, a light on the van came on..."Service Advancedtrac"...I am exactly sure what that means but it has to do with the anti-lock brake system.  I called my mom and mentioned that I was glad it was not supposed to rain until the next day.  Little did I know that the bad weather would actual come early and it poured down rain just ten miles from her house!  We did make it there safe and no hydroplaning...I would have to have this checked out when I got home.

We stayed at my mom's for the remainder of the weekend.  Michael had to work so we did not spend a lot of time with him until Sunday morning.  This was not a big deal since it was raining and we did not have a lot of options outside.  We decided to take a trip over to the new property to show the children.  There was a slight chance for rain but we were going to take a chance that it would be okay for this short trip.  Thankfully, it turned out to be a nice day.


We did not call the realtor to let us in the house.  The boys just got to look in the windows.  They were very excited to see this small glimpse at what will soon be our new home.  We also had a chance to play on the playground for a little while.  We met a young family with two girls and learned that the neighborhood is very social and has get-togethers often.

View from top of the hill at church

Then we took a long way around to visit one possible church we could attend (there are many options in the area!).  This church happens to be dedicated to St. Joseph...has been around for over 100 years...and is located outside of the city...this all interested me.  When we arrived, we found it to be a large church with a cemetery, several prayer areas and two older buildings that remain in use for prayer.  We look forward to going to Mass here when we actual are moved into the house.  We were able to finish another round of novena at our third church dedicated to St. Joseph!

Monday brought a leisurely morning followed by a mad frenzy to get home...the repairman called soon after we were on our return trip...he was ready with the part to fix air conditioning but I was still two hours away!  I was so worried that he would just put me off to the next day...I was grateful that he understood the need to wait for me as it would have been near impossible to remain in the house with Zaira so young!  In fact, upon arrival to the house, it was worse than I thought...I opened the door to a house that had reached temps over 110 degrees!  I cannot explain this since it was only 80 degrees outside but it was definitely hot in the house!  The new ivy that I purchased for the kitchen was shriveled and crumbled at my touch...this caused me to panic as I raced to see what had happened to my wedding ivy...God is good...it was as beautiful as ever!  We would later find that all my stash of candles was melted!  Also the poor snake was left without any assistance...she happened to love it!  The repairman said he had never been in such a hot house!  I must say it got him to finish the job quickly!  LOL!  Unfortunately, the house did not cool off very quick...so we chose to finish off our long day with a trip to a 4H event.

I will never forget the importance of a cool room to sleep in...we arrived home to a cool house and a nice week of school...yes we are finally doing a little school work.  We started out slow with a group project...every one agrees it is harder to do a group project than working alone...we are designing a butterfly garden with flowers dedicated to the Blessed Mother...by the end of the week we will have the plans ready...and hope to use the design at the new house.

We also had another 4H event at the district level to honor Sean's Gold Star award.  A nice speaker spoke of the qualities of a good leader, siting Colossians 3:23..."Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters..."  I continue to be so proud of him and his accomplishments.  I am glad he is able to share his love for community and take on leadership roles because of this organization.  Even though we have stepped back in many ways, I still love this youth program.  We will continue to look for ways to participate in our new location, but at a slower pace.

This morning we were able clear out a large section of out garage by donating to a church garage sale.  It is a relief as we have no need for these items...hopefully we will continue this trend before we move...I am sure the de-cluttering is not over yet!  We have many more boxes to pack and I am sure that means we will rid ourselves of more 'stuff.'

The progress with the closing of the house in San Antonio continues to move forward.  I think the government shut down will affect the date we close a little, but we will see how it all turns out...all in God's plan...I will try to remain patient as it all pans out.