And So It Begins: Kitchen Demo 2014

So today at 7:30 our kitchen officially became a construction zone. Despite having had a majority of our kitchen (pots, pans, dishes, spices, pantry foods, etc.) packed up for us around Christmas time, Mike and I were still up until almost 3 in the morning packing and moving and organizing and sorting everything else. I think I did a final sink of dishes at about 2:15 A.M. It was nuts and I was crazy emotional about it all, which Mike totally doesn't "get". He kept demanding that I not stress or cry or overthink the situation, ha ha. That went over like a lead balloon. ;)

But empty the kitchen, pantry and laundry room we did, and went to bed with the alarm set for 7:30, so we could be ready for the 8:00 A.M. demolition crew.
Well, no sooner had our alarm gone off than the doorbell rang. I kid you not. Luckily(?), I had crawled into bed fully clothed, so despite my extreme bed head and fogged over contact lenses, I was ready to answer the door thirty minutes early. Good times.
It's a little after 1:00 P.M. as I type this and all of the tile, cabinetry and appliances have been removed from the kitchen and pantry. Curiously, they have taped off our adjoined laundry room, so now we are worried they haven't been told that will need to be done...waiting to talk to them once they emerge from the tarped off rooms...
Here are a few pictures of the before and current (I don't want to say 'after' yet, because to me that implies finalization, and I won't truly have that for probably several months.) Anyway, without further ado, here's wassup:

Before:

And now our current state of affairs:

Venting Post

There is so much going on I hardly know where to begin. 

Do I start with how our sewer main got horribly plugged and sent its putrid contents flooding into our kitchen and all three of our bathrooms resulting in an insurance claim which has lead to the imminent demise of all four rooms beginning on Monday?

Do I tell you about my jitters for the lesson I've been asked to give this Sunday? And how I am the last person who should be giving a lesson on being a good visiting teacher?

Which reminds me: I'm still frequently crippled by both depression and anxiety. Hoping that if I begin my writings again, I'll feel less pressure and stress in my world.

I could also talk about how I'm starting to stress out over schools for Penelope. We have an "in" at a good nearby private school, but I'm worried about how we'll afford it.

Which brings me to Michael's continued lack of employment. So stressful to me!

And I'm so frustrated by all of this extra weight my body carries around like a comfort blanket these days. I'm constantly exhausted and for the first time in my life I have had to resort to using caffeine in order to function. I want to get my thyroid and blood sugars tested, but we don't have insurance right now. Can't afford it. And the kicker is that we will be punished by the government now for our lack of insurance. It makes me sick and so frustrated. 

I keep shutting down and have withdrawn from most of the people in my life. I figure it is incorrect to do so, but I can't make myself reconnect yet. I don't know what to do. 

Okay, there's lots more going on right now, but this us at least a good start and maybe now I can go to sleep. I hope so...so much to do tomorrow and Sunday...!

Anyway, thanks for letting me vent. I feel a bit better for now. Kind of. ;)