Heat wave

It was at some point on Sunday when I saw that the temperature in our bedroom (where Aaron takes his naps) was ninety-eight degrees that we realized that it was not a possibility for us to remain in our apartment for the afternoon. In desperation, I made a few phone calls to friends from church trying to locate an air-conditioned room for our kids to rest in for a few hours. My second phone call proved quite successful, and within minutes we were all settled in beds (or on couches) resting happily in an air-conditioned house. In spite of Mercy’s misadventure with a pen in Kevin’s office, and Aaron’s total fascination with all of Richard’s sporting equipment and photos on the walls, both kids eventually slept well, and Doug and I enjoyed Kevin’s company, some televised sports, the L.A. Times and some freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies (well, mostly I enjoyed the cookies!).

After the kids woke up, we went out to the back yard with Jen and Kevin’s little boy and we played until dinner. Jen cooked a fabulous meal of yet another freshly-caught Alaskan salmon courtesy of their house-mate, Richard (Mercy’s first official crush–she refers to him as “MY friend, Richard”, or as “the handsomest boy”) and we relaxed as guests at their table.

I have left the house twice in five weeks–to go to doctor’s appointments–and it was so refreshing to not only escape our unbearable second-floor apartment, but to also have a few hours where I kind of felt like a normal person again. It was also such a blessing to be so served and loved by our friends.

The heat was even worse today, so we packed up the van and just drove. Both kids slept for a bit, we enjoyed lots of Labor Day beach traffic, and once again, it just felt so good for me to be out of my house. Life has been pressing down pretty hard on us this past week: I suppose the heat wave has made for extra measures of grumpiness, discomfort, sleeplessness, etc. in all of us, as well as simply the duration of this awkward time. I keep reminding myself that this will all be over very soon…