Living with Mom and Dad (again)

First let me say, that if I did not mention you in the first post or all of the ways everyone helped, it is because there was such an overwhelming amount of help and support. I know I left out my friend Tiffany dragging wet carpet, drywall, etc. out of the house. Deborah and Beth spent the transitional day getting me moved from Scott's to my parents' house, then took me for a huge Girl's Night Out at a critically important emotional time. My church, Immanuel Baptist, spent a day removing bathtubs, cabinets, more drywall, etc. Suzanne McCloud folded laundry for us, and so many people have sent notes of encouragement, so thanks, thanks, thanks to all of you, especially if I didn't mention you.
Now to the subject at hand:
Moving in with my parents has been a huge blessing. So many people do not have relatives to live with, and we are truly lucky. That said, it has not always been easy. The first stage of grief that I went through was definitely anger, and I stayed there longer than I feel like was healthy. The first day we were here, my dad was in the same place. There were some things that shouldn't have been said, but we worked through them. Initially, I was so busy applying for FEMA aid, dropping christening gowns, quilts, and jewelry off to be cleaned and salvaged, and simply making sure the girls made it through the end of the school year that things seemed to be moving along smoothly. It is never easy to have extended house guests or to BE extended house guests. As one of my daughters said, "I feel like we're always in the way." That is definitely true sometimes, although I'm sure my parents do not feel like we're in the way.
There have been days when I have driven myself to my shell of a house, stood in the middle of it, and just cried. There have been days when we finish dinner, and my instinct is to tell the girls to get their things together so we can go home. Oh, but there is no home to go to, I remember as my heart drops to the ground. Fortunately, my parents had an extra car, and my mother was kind enough to let us use hers until the insurance check for our car FINALLY came, and we replaced it 2 weeks ago.
When we first started talking about the rebuild, my mother suggested that we knock out a few walls for a more open floor plan while we had the chance. After a month of living with us, I think she'd like to build more walls here at her house! You can hear every television in the house when they are all 3 on, and dueling volumes is a favorite pastime. This house gets more sunshine than any house I've ever been in, and I could swear the sun comes up an hour earlier here. No more sleeping in, but that's good for us! There aren't many places to have private phone calls or kiss your boyfriend goodnight. (Poor Ashton!) I guess I've learned that walls are a good thing!
The girls are not able to have friends over as much, due to plain lack of space, and that was something we loved about our house. Finally, we all had our own room, and were able to have lots of sleep-overs and parties. Sharing a bathroom with two teenagers has not been a pleasure, but we have agreed to respect each other in that respect. I should mention that the water company called Dad to make sure he didn't have a leak, but he assured them he had 3 female refugees showering and doing laundry which explained that! Still, I miss my bathroom! Now that it is summer, my job search has really amped up, and I am desperate not to look idle in my parents' eyes. Although, they say they are not judgmental about this, I am paranoid, and feel the need to rattle off a list of my days' accomplishments every night.
We have been offered many homes to stay in at many different times, some overlapping, but I feel that, for the most part, consistency is important for the girls, and moving them around is not in their best interest. They went to church camp for a week, and I went to stay at mom's lakehouse in KY to give everyone some downtime. Donna invites us over for dinner a couple of times a week to give mom and dad a night at home like it was pre-flood! We are taking a good friend, Erin, up on living at her family's home while they are out of town for 10 days. We'll feed their dog, and it will be good to have some family time with just us three girls. I'm sure Mom and Dad will appreciate it, too.
So....it's not the worst thing that has happened, but I think we'll all be happy when the girls and I are settled in our own home again. For now, we have decided not to question "how will we survive this?" Instead, we put one foot in front of the other, and keep in mind that it won't be forever. What is forever is how grateful I will be to my parents for taking us in, continuing to love us, and doing it all with a smile! This is quality time with the two people who have always loved me more than anyone else, and I will treasure it forever!