whoa.

why don't i just recap the past week using neat bullet points instead of messy paragraphs? i'll keep it short and sweet.

• last friday (october 28) was my birthday. remember that? it feels like months ago now. i turned twenty-two and it was exciting, minus the part where i got a little bit older. also minus the part where it snowed, but i'm getting to that.
• on saturday, it snowed. and we lost power. for a week.
• sunday, monday, and tuesday were pretty much one big blur of trying to figure out what to do next. where to go that has heat, where to go that has food, where to go that has a shower, how to do all of these things without spending too much money or gas. it was stressful and draining and, let's just say, there were many frustrated tears shed throughout the week.
• on tuesday night, i managed to get away and see leagues & mat kearney play in massachusetts with leah. (there will be a separate post on that, but it was basically the highlight of my week and it significantly helped with my sanity.)
• on wednesday, my mom and i drove up to massachusetts to stay in my cousins' apartment that's attached to their church until we got power back. it was a huge blessing that included heat and hot water and free meals and a washer and dryer.
• we got power back on friday evening and my mom and i drove home on saturday morning.
• sunday morning, i got an extra hour of sleep in my own bed and it was absolutely wonderful. and so was going to church and merge too.

so far, i have not taken electricity for granted since it's been back. every time i turn on a light switch, i am grateful that the room gets brighter. every time i think i'm getting chilly, i remember that it could be worse. every time my computer or cell phone dies, i get excited because i can recharge them without a problem. i know it'll probably fade, but for now, i am just so very grateful.

–– s