So our life has been pretty crazy lately. Three kids under four, dirty dishes, unending laundry, hubby working towards his degree, time outs, teething baby, runny noses...life. My husband and I began to feel weary, as most parents of littles feel. We were well overdue for a date night, and were feeling the struggle of day to day life pulling us in different directions. I just needed a moment with my husband to recharge, I was desperate. So I had it all planned out! I already had a hair appointment scheduled, one of my only luxuries of sitting at a swanky salon where they serve you coffee in the chair, and allow myself a two hour window to be pampered...glorious. Then I would drop off my cherubs at my moms and go out to chipotle and coffee with the hubby. I couldn't contain myself thinking of all the fun I would have that Friday and how I really "deserved" a break! And then Friday came...and there I was at five guys in the throes of chasing toddlers and ketchup fingerprints, and I looked over to wipe my nieces sticky face (I had been watching her for the week at our house), and thats when I noticed a small crawly bug in her hair. What is that? I was mortified. So I discreetly killed it and wrapped it in a paper and did what all sane people do...I hurried across the street to the target pharmacy and made one pharmacist tech very uncomfortable by showing her my "Sample". Let's just say, she wasn't impressed. Fast forward several hours later, and I had worked myself up into a frazzled hot mess. I had googled head lice, shown my sample to whoever would listen and called my mom and husband in a fury. I dropped my neice off, and called my hairdresser, warning her of the situation and begging her to give me some solid advice. Bless that womens soul. She talked me off the ledge and had me and my 3 babies come into her swanky salon and check us all for head lice. So instead of my two hour pamper session I wrangled my two toddlers as she trimmed their hair. Thankfully my children were spared from the nasty creatures, but me, ya not so lucky. Just a few days earlier I had shared my hairbrush with my adorable neice... bad move. My hairdresser told me I could have possible lice eggs, and just to wash my hair with the medicated treatment shampoo and wash all my clothing and bedding that was exposed. So I dropped my kids off at my moms and I broke down and ugly cried. I don't cry often and try my best not to cry in front of people, but weeks of frustration melted down my face, and I couldn't help but cry from complete exhaustion. The day I would finally catch a break,not so much. I rushed home to my husband , my 6 month old daughter in tow. I cried to my husband, who was also feeling the weight of our lost date night.
I will never forget those following hours. On our date night my husband raked shampoo through my hair over our bathtub. He has held my hand in labor three times, rubbed my back as I lost my lunch due to morning sickness, woken up to my bad breath, he has seen me happy, sad and angry, and he still loves me fearlessly. He kissed me as we leaned over that tub, and we had a good laugh at the unfortunate circumstances. We went on that night to load up a mini van full of trash bags of laundry to the only laundromat in town that was open at eight o clock on a friday night. (we live on the edge folks!) I had to laugh. I wrestled with God that day. "Cmon Lord, I really needed this, why? Seriously why?" He reminded me of all the times, I do things in my own strength without seeking the one who is the giver of true rest. He reminded me of Mathew 11 when I try to carry my own burdens thinking that I am being a good mom, a good wife, and just sucking it up and handling it all. But really, I often fail to seek my strength from the one who truly is the life giver, the burden carrier, the problem solver. I try to do things in my own strength and... I get lice. I spend my date nights at the laundromat. And honestly, the Lord taught me that going to Chipotle and the local shopping plaza may not have been true rest. Leaning over an industrial washing machine in a quiet laundromat next to my husband turned out to be pretty awesome. We had quiet conversation, we held hands, we sipped hot chocolate from the coffee shop across the street, we washed baby blankets, onesies and stuffed animals, we laughed, we had some moments. It was an unexpected blessing and I won't forget the lessons I learned and the memories I shared at that laundromat. It was a very bad day redeemed. And thats how God works...He likes to show me that what I think matters, really doesn't and what I think is good, sometimes He has something better, and all I know is that I want what He wants. Its different, but it's awesome! And I am gonna embrace the awesome from now on.
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