Snuggling with the Jonas Brothers

So if I would have gotten the news 3 weeks ago, I would have been sick. Might have pushed me over the edge. I woke up two mornings ago and it felt cold, I went downstairs to check and it was only 57 degrees. Called the heating guy and sure enough, our 20-year old furnace bit the dust. (Which makes me feel good that I am not a furnace, but really....1992 did not feel that long ago. How ancient must I be if I can outlive a major appliance.) The damage? $1700. The good news? I have a job!!!!!!!!!

I finally got hired. After 13 months and lots of applications and no phone calls and strange personality tests later, I have been hired by a regional bank to do their social media marketing: Facebook, youtube, twitter, blogging....right up my alley!!!! (I told you! You just have to get out of the house every once in a while.)

So, even though this huge expense is debilitating, it's debilitation that can be paid off....eventually. I'll have a paycheck coming eventually. I start on Tuesday. In the meantime, the house was FREEZING. The furnace guys were coming in the morning, but that night we had to go all Pioneer-style.

I borrowed some space heaters from my fabulous friend Christy. (Check out her blog: raisingjustice.blogspot.com) And went to the HyVee to buy some firewood. One of the reasons we bought this house was for the fireplace and last night, its value was recognized 10-fold. At this point the temperature in the house was only 52-eventually it got down to 44. It was the coldest day of the year so far in Lincoln, NE. Something like 5 below with 11 below windchills. (And yes, for my friends in Fargo, that is nothing. You have it much worse. Remember, I lived up there for 6 years. That is why I do not live there now.)

I decided that the kids and I would all sleep in the tv room with the fireplace. The rest of the house was already very cold. I grabbed as many blankets and pillows as I could and made a nice little mommy nest in front of the fireplace. I also thought ahead (so proud of myself for this one), and grabbed clothes for the kids for the next day, because I know how tough it is to put your warm body into semi-frozen undergarments. (Again, Fargo. 6 years.)

I got that fire going. Read book after book. Did a lot of snuggling. And I am well aware that I start my new job on Tuesday. My days of being able to take the kids to school and pick them up are over. The trek home after a long day of math and reading and writer's workshop are over. My days of helping Mia's kindergarten class learn how to hold marshmallows in their mouths, over. (Brilliant idea of how to keep little ones quiet: Tell them to hold pretend marshmallows in their mouths.) Bundling the kids up, looking for shoes, packing backpacks and watching them walk in those school doors to be "educated." Those days are over. I'm not a reluctant stay-at-home mom any more.

But now, I can pay for a furnace. I do have to admit that I was a little worried about our safety. The temperature was dropping in the rest of the house and even in our little room, outside of our nest, it was pretty chilly. I had my fake down comforter for the boys. And Mia and I had on 3 layers of blankets, including a blanket featuring the Disney pop sensation the Jonas Brothers-a "hand me down" from one of my sister's friends. (Oddly enough, in our current cable-free, economic status, my daughter doesn't know exactly who the Jonas Brothers are. But they look cute enough.)  And I don't know what kind of fleece hybrid this blanket is made out of, but it is an amazingly warm little throw. And perfectly sized for a 39 year old woman and her 5-year old.

After what seemed like the 30th chapter out of a Harry Potter book, the kids finally fell asleep. I kept an eye on the fire hoping that we didn't either catch on fire or freeze in the middle of the night. As I looked in the fire, I got all spiritual and philosophical. (As most do while gazing into a roaring fire at 3 in the morning.) I was reminded about how crazy it is that fortune and tragedy are intermingled. I get a job. I have to pay for a furnace. The house is freezing, but we have a fireplace. We could become little people popsicles in the middle of the night, but we would have adorable Jonas Brothers wrappers.

As I finally drifted off to sleep myself, I was grateful. Grateful for the blessings that I have been given. Grateful for my children. Grateful for wonderful, supportive friends. Grateful for the opportunity to now show a business what I can accomplish. Grateful to be alive in 2011, where we actually have solid walls and cars and furnaces (when they work) and indoor plumbing (as cold as our toilet seats got....I could only imagine having to walk 10 feet to an outhouse.)

And last, but not least, of course, I am grateful for snuggling with those Jonas Brothers.