Day 50, February 19th, 2021
A Trickle!!!
In the early evening, someone on our neighborhood Facebook group posted that they had water again. I immediately jumped up and started turning on faucets. Oh hallelujah! It was just a trickle, but we had water!!! Going three days without water makes me appreciate just how blessed we are and how much we take this necessity for granted. It’s truly awful that some people don’t have access to clean, running water everyday. I hated how dirty my fingernails got, how hard it was to wash a few dishes, and how heavy a big bucket of water was just to flush a toilet. I will always say a little prayer of thanks every time I turn on my faucet from now on.
Day 51, February 20th, 2021
The Aftermath
It had warmed up and the snow and ice melted by midday Saturday. We had full water pressure back but we were still under a boil notice. I was still boiling water on the stove (see the three big pots) so we could make coffee and wash a few dishes. Then I would strain the boiled water through a coffee filter into our Brita filter to use for drinking water. (The drinking water station was on the far bar, see all the water bottles?) My dishwasher was full and running and I think I only had one more full load to run through. I felt like the end was in sight from this awful storm and again I was very grateful that we didn’t sustain any serious damage.
Day 52, February 21st, 2021
Pool and Palms, Day 7
Just one week after the Polar Vortex descends on New Braunfels with ice, snow, power outages, and water outages, things are almost back to normal. It hit 70+ degrees on Sunday and you can’t even tell there was a winter storm a few days prior except for the wilted plants. Crazy.
Day 53, February 22nd, 2021
Dominic Driving Home
Dominic is very close to being able to take his driver’s test and get his permanent license. He needs a few more night hours, a little more practice on the highway, and we haven’t tackled parallel parking yet. I can’t wait. I am spending about 2.5-3 hours a day driving the kids back and forth to school (though I make Dominic drive some of it when he feels up to it). Once he gets his license, he can take Anna to Life Bridges for me in the morning and drive himself home after school, so I’ll only need to pick her up. One trip into town sounds a whole lot more appealing than three!
Day 54, February 23rd, 2021
Working at HEB with Life Bridges
It just amazes me how far this young woman has come! Anna used to get completely freaked out going into any big grocery or retail store. The extra tall ceilings, fluorescent lights, and overwhelming sensory array would inundate her and cause her to either melt down or shut down. But just look at her now! Anna got to try working at H-E-B with her 1-1 aide with Life Bridges. And she loves it! (Though they need to get her a much larger shirt!!!) This is her second time working at H-E-B and she wants to continue trying it. I am gob-smacked… truly she has matured so much. Also, I love this store, it’s my favorite!
Day 55, February 24th, 2021
Pbbbt
I’m not exactly sure how to translate a raspberry sound but “pbbbt” was the closest I could come up with. We had a ton of deer in our yard the other day, so I took my camera out while I fed them and talked to them. This one particular doe seemed very interested in me and not scared at all. She let me take dozens of photos. I thought this one was the funniest though!
Day 56, February 25th, 2021
Working Out at PT
Anna had two appointments with Dr. Katie this week for physical therapy. She went in by herself on Tuesday because I had to finish up some work in the lobby. She was nervous but did great and was really proud of herself afterward. So on Thursday, she wanted to go in by herself (a bit hesitantly), but again she did great. I snuck in and took a couple of pictures. She enjoys working with weights and I would love to see her get some core strength. Katie is so good at pushing her just the right amount!
Thanks for looking!
