LIFE'S LITTLE DETAILS

"THE DETAILS ARE NOT THE DETAILS. THEY MAKE THE DESIGN." — CHARLES EAMES

Happy Tuesday, sweet readers! The past two weeks have been chock-full of crazy chaos. I find myself wishing I could sprint back to the good ol' days when I deemed life in Swell Rio boring or stale. Ha Ha! Now, which detail shall I begin with first??

• Two days before Max and I were scheduled to depart for my grandpa's funeral in Iowa, Swell Rio got hit with an awful hail and wind storm. There was talk about a thunderstorm coming through the area in the evening, so Flyboy brought in the flag and secured the garbage can just to be safe. No one ever envisioned the storm would entail 60 mph winds, hail the size of tennis and golf balls, and result in hundreds of vehicles and homes being damaged and the loss of power. We watched and listened as the hail relentlessly beat our cars and the exterior of our base housing unit. I felt helpless and sick to my stomach. I couldn't help but wonder WHY this had to happen the day after my grandfather's passing.

• The morning after the storm, we put on our wellies and surveyed the house and cars for damage. It was such a horrendous sight! I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed and wondered how we'd all bounce back from damage of this magnitude. I suppose the worst part about something like this happening in Swell Rio is that the remote location often results in limited resources. With hundreds of people affected, how would all of these homes and cars be repaired?

• It was difficult to leave Flyboy under such messy circumstances, but he handled so many of the logistics and cleanup like a champ. I felt guilty and slightly relieved to get out of town to reunite with my relatives in Iowa. Those 72 hours were draining, and I just wanted to hug my parents, especially my dear mom. While the terms of Max and me leaving weren't ideal, I feel tremendously grateful to have spent some time with family and celebrate my grandpa's life together. I realize this post is shaping up to be a ginormous downer, but I promise to share some lighter anecdotes in this Thursday's post.

• Upon returning to Texas last week, we learned that Flyboy's truck had been totaled and The Rig sustained $9,400 worth of damage. Thank goodness for insurance! Unfortunately, because of the number of repairs in the area, we won't be able to get the Volkswagen looked at in San Antonio until late April. Gulp! I'm sure you can only imagine the meltdown that ensued shortly after I learned this detail. Because nobody gets between me and my Veedubb...

• As all of this was playing out last week, there was also a lot of unpacking, cleaning, a freelance deadline on the horizon, and a Fine household plagued with a cruddy bout of colds and congestion. I know what you're thinking, could we get any more adorable around here?! But with a list of endless to-dos, we continued to forge ahead and check a few items from our list. As evident from the photos above, the most exciting thing we accomplished was adding another VW to the mix. That's right, ladies and gents, Flyboy's new chariot is a Touareg. Hot damn!

• It was the first time we went to a dealership and bought a car since we had Max. All I can say is, HOLY CRAP IT'S HARD TO ADULT AND HAGGLE IN THE COMPANY OF A FUSSY TODDLER!!! I'm SO glad that's over with...

• Oh, and since mother nature has a wicked sense of humor, it's an El Niño year, AND we just got a new car to replace Flyboy's totaled truck, they're calling for MORE hail this week. Gaaaaaaaah! Naturally, Max and I spent Monday morning at Wally World buying ALL the tarps and duct tape so we can brace ourselves for this next bout of storms. Can somebody tell me when this will end?! Oh, and would a garage be TOO much to ask for?! Sigh...

• I know this post hasn't been as light or cheery as you might expect, but it's an honest and accurate rundown of what's been going on in Swell Rio since we last touched base. I'm reminded once again that life is BRUTIFUL. This too shall pass.

If you made it through this exhausting post, PLEASE do me a favor and share something that's going on with you (good or bad!).

Your company is a nice little mental escape from our current Swell Rio shenanigans, so thank you!