Days 4, 5, & 6

I'm behind on my reporting duties here. I really miss my computer! My sweet and generous friend Heidi (from the MOMS Club) loaned me her laptop but I am Mac-incompetent and can't figure out how to get it to work. I'll keep trying! Today Dori T. allowed me to spend a whole lot of time using her computer. Thank you!

Saturday Report - Day 4
This was the worst day so far - for me. I think I proved that my parents have 30 years additional life experience because they were calm and I lost it a few times. I imagine God sent an angel with a clipboard to check off the various tests from this experience. Can she deal with losing everything? Check. Can she deal with thinking something's lost, finding it mostly safe, then losing it again? Bzzzz! Try again. I hope He gives me another 30 years and a much smaller test next time that one comes up.

Our family cannot possibly express our thanks to the many people who came to help clean out and sort through things on Saturday. It was absolutely amazing. I will never forget the incredible outpouring of support and the hours and hours of hard work so many wonderful people put in here. Thank you all!

Sunday Report - Day 5
This was a very emotional day at church. The Primary leaders were incredibly kind to buy new scripture sets for all of my kids and me! It also happened to be testimony meeting, so we went through a lot of tissues. The Cowies had us over for dinner later and it was absolutely wonderful to get to hang out and chat and be normal for a while. They have been amazing this past week, and we are so grateful for everything they have done - big and small. Special thanks to Kathryn L. who carefully cleaned the last load of laundry that I recovered from the washing machine - including Drew's newest gym leotard which she was so excited to see! The rest of them were literally melted on the wash line downstairs.

Monday Report - Day 6
3:20 p.m.
I almost forgot! My great friend Dan had saved a copy of the little childrens book that I wrote and was going to get around to submitting to publishers "one of these days." I am so happy! I thought it was lost and gone forever! Now, if he happens to have a copy of the completed outline for that novel...

3:00 p.m.
I finally broke the news to the library that we lost a huge stack of books in the fire. I think they didn't quite know what to do with me! They eventually decided to mark the books as "lost" and put a note on my account so I can still check out more books - which we immediately did, of course. I'm a library addict. I think I have a complex about library books now, though. I'm paranoid that I'll take their books and something bad will happen to them. Funny how strange anxieties come out of things like this.

Today's really bad news: The organ is a complete loss. My mom is so sad! I was hoping it could be repaired, but the organ people told her that although they have repaired them like that before, they stop working again in just a few months. So it looks like she'll be getting a new one, instead. It was a sad week for organ lovers, as the cabin organ was in the garage and likely part of the original fire, pre-explosion.

New school study subject: "How is a backdraft created?" We have lots of real-life experience with the results! I think I'll skip the movie for that topic, though. Just a bit too close to home at the moment.

Today we have Cub Scouts and gymnastics on the agenda to help keep the kids grounded in some sort of reality. I have to laugh that Duncan has gone through 2 neckerchief slides and 1 neckerchief in the past 3 months. In fact, the slides were each lost within a day of their first use. I think I'm going to glue the next ones to his scout shirt!

Updated list of things we need:

--list moved to most recent entry--

So many people have generously shared with us, and we are stunned by the outpouring of love and support. Thank you all! Thank you, thank you!