Due to demanding schedules, I had to postpone Friends and Family Appreciation Month. It's about a month late, but here none-the-less, drum roll please.....
The first person/people I am posting about are the Aaron's parents. It didn't even take me a nanosecond to decide whom I should thank first, or why.
I will start off by first saying this house would not have been possible without Jim & Linda. The move would not have been possible without Dad M and Mom M. The remodel would not have been feasible without Dad M., and without Mom M., we would have surely starved to death (oh and she was also referee a few times when Aaron and I thought we would kill each other.)
During the closing they were there every step of the way. Every last minute piece of paperwork, every question I had, anything, anything, anything I needed they were a phone call away; both taking much time out of their professional lives to help us/answer questions/let me vent. Even for the first viewing of the house... Jim came.
The pre-closing help was unbelievable. The post-closing help was insurmountable. Jim and Linda came the day we closed, with dinner of course. So many nights when Aaron and I were up late packing, reading paperwork, remodeling... they would just show up with dinner in hand, Jim ready to work; Linda there for encouragement and to keep me company when I needed a break.
Jim helped with painting (every single room, except three) he helped put down every single one of our new floors. He made trips to our old apartment to help us load trucks, he brought all of our old building material (ripped out of the house) somewhere (I don't even know where, all I know is that he took care of it) he put together furniture, he made thresholds, (yes, MADE them) he put up new light fixtures (I insisted on new light fixtures in every room... somewhere in the vicinity of 12 to 13 light fixtures) He made trips (what must have felt like 100 trips to him) to Lowe's. One day, in particular, he went to three stores for me. He gave us tile for our bathroom, he lent us many tools, we could come raid his house/refrigerator and we never came up empty.
And Linda, oh my darling Linda. She would stop by, almost every night with food, food, food! Half the time Aaron and I wouldn't have had a meal yet that day, and didn't realize how hungry we were until she carried in a bag of some delicious smelling concoction. I'm not talking about finger sandwiches, I'm talking about chicken and roasted potatoes... and steak with all the fixings. One day, I said in passing, I was CRAVING veggies and then low and behold, I had a huge bowl with a gorgeous salad in my fridge just hours later... unbelievable. She helped with curtains, decorations, where-to-put what, and mostly a lot of phone calls from me, at my wits end. I can't even begin to recount how many times I called her, on the verge of tears, and she consoled me; telling me it would all be done soon. She always had some sort of antidote to make me feel better.
Everything given, everything shared, everything offered doesn't have a price tag. We don't owe them anything, they just kept (keep) providing; unconditionally. Even when I think we have absolutely exhausted them in every sense possible, just as they are about to walk out the door to go home (at 10:00 pm, with work the next day) they will both kiss us goodnight and say "see you tomorrow" or "what's on the agenda for tomorrow?" or "If you need anything, call us we're right up the street." (.07 miles to be exact).
It really makes me think about my future in this family. You know how people have "in-laws?" Well, these two folks know every detail of our adventure in buying and remodeling. They will be able to recount it so much better than we will remember, when we are ready to reminisce on it. They continue to talk and help us plan our wedding, no one else is really this involved in every detail of our lives. They are watching us grow together, and someday we can all talk about this, when the dust settles and the house quiets. I know when this happens we will all laugh about how crazy, for about 2 months, Aaron and I were.
I know I have probably forgotten, hundreds-- no, thousands, of things they did for us in the blur that has been the last few months. Their physical labor, the emotional support-- everything. They would be horrified at the thought of me even listing the things they have done, because that's the kind of folks they are. They don't keep score, they don't make lists, they just "do".... because they want to. That's how they're built. They don't give their own kindness and generosity a second thought. I love them for that, I thank them, and we appreciate it.
No comments:
Post a Comment