Monday, June 4, 2012

And we keep on keepin' on

I'm not going to lie, this house fire sucked. The subsequent clean up sucked and throwing away and replacing necessities REALLY sucked. I've been to Target four times in the past week and to the Container Store twice. No fun. Someone actually had the gall to ask me the other day how we're paying for all of this since we didn't have renter's insurance (in front of a lot of other people no less) and  I almost launched into an explanation of how B and I are incredibly frugal and had been living the Total Money Makeover Plan for some time so we had savings, but I simply said, "ummm, my bank account!?"

Enough of the bad stuff though. Yeah, there was a house fire and our lives were turned upside down but let's focus on the good stuff shall we?
I'm going to choose to turn my attention on all of the amazingly positive things that have happened since the house fire. My wonderful twin sister spent her Memorial Day helping us clean and shop. She brought us both to tears with her generosity and her willingness to work and get covered in soot doing it. We were offered a place to stay by two separate families (in fact, we were offered a place to stay by many people!) and we had soft beds to rest in. My best friend set up a "Backyard Barbeque Survival Fund" where our out of town friends donated money to help us stay afloat. Your generosity and kind words mean more than you will ever know. I miss you all so much and I love you dearly. Thank you. Because of the fire, we were forced to clean every.single.thing that wasn't damaged and, therefore, our house is super clean! Cleaner than any Spring cleaning endeavor I've attempted to complete. For everything we had to throw away, something else survived. I may have lost all my pajamas and winter scarves, but we got to keep our books. For all the jewelry I had to throw away, my engagement ring was safe. Our dry cleaner is confident he can save our coats and sweaters. We were forced to de-clutter in a major way and, you know what? It feels good! We had a lot of crap stored away in 850 sq. feet. I just hadn't known it until now.
Most importantly, my husband and my dogs are safe and sound. We are a whole family and we have everything we truly need. And we're happy as evidenced by the fact that we're still smiling (the dogs too, they can smile, didn't you know that?).

I've struggled a lot with the decision to keep blogging because I post a lot about things you can buy. But, I've decided to keep up my space here at D&OC, because for me, this is a safe place. It's a place where I can be myself and talk about the things that are catching my eye. Just because I feature something doesn't mean I've purchased it. In fact, most of the items I feature will never make it into my home, but some will after much thought and consideration. With, the understanding of course, that the things I own don't define me and if they happen to go up in flames one day, I'll be A-OK. Thanks for your support friends. I hope to get back to my normal posting schedule soon.

Wondering what the random photo is about? That's B and I dancing at his sister's wedding in April. Her wedding was out of this world GORGEOUS, you should check it out here

9 comments:

Paige @ Little Nostalgia said...

Wow, what an incredibly rude and insensitive person to even ask you something like that! That's not what they should be concerned with AT ALL in a situation like this. I hope you call them on their shit, because that's ridiculous.

Anyway, I heard about the fire on Twitter, and I'm so glad to hear a lot of your important stuff is okay! Books? Yay! Engagement ring? Double yay! But it's the biggest relief that you and your family are just fine. Whew!

Sweet Old Vintage said...

I sincerely hope this coming year brings you peace and many blessings as you go forth piecing your lives back together and the strength is renewed many times over to do so....

Tonia Lee Smith said...

Sorry to hear about your house fire and overlook they fact that some people don't have common sense. They don't know what they don't know. Things will come together and even better than before.

catie said...

i agree with tonia's comment "better than before." you sound wonderfully strong. among the items you lost, i know you will continue to discover those things you actually gained from this house fire.
please keep blogging! i love your very real & honest posts, and also your collections of favorite finds. i don't ever imagine that you buy all the items you feature, and i certainly don't, either. but i adore your taste & style. the things you select stimulate my creativity and introduce me to new & amazing artists and makers.
i'm so happy that you are finding your way through this disaster.
{and looking super adorable, too!}

Anonymous said...

wow, how scary! Just caught up your story, I'm so glad to hear you guys and the doggies are all ok. Stuff is just stuff, you're right- that's also a part of the reason I changed my blog's focus, so I understand where you're comin from. Nice perspective you've got, keep it up! :)

kat randall said...

I love how you mix in your personal life, I feel like I know you. And I would really love it if you continue your advice on helping those who haven't been able to get pregnant, a dear friend of mine is going through that. We do the total money makeover too! what a blessing that is in times like these! keep on and God bless!

Simply Mel {Reverie} said...

absolutely adore this photo, and it is proof positive that you two know how to appreciate life.

what attempts to knock us down, only makes us stronger.

don't go anywhere...we like you right here.

bisous,
mel

amy good house said...

So sorry you had to go through this. I really feel for you and happy for you at the same time that you guys and your pets are all safe! I can't imagine how scary that must have been!

I'm wondering about the Total Money Makeover Plan! Sounds really interesting...

And please keep blogging :)

Jessica said...

Okay, I'm a bad blogger because I'm just now reading this.

However, I'm so, so glad everyone is safe and sound. It's the most important thing and everything else, well, it's just stuff. Sometimes it's pretty stuff, but still, it doesn't matter as much as your health. Glad you're okay! <3

Blog Widget by LinkWithin
 
Pin It button on image hover