what I've been doing...

The last month has been full, despite the lack of posts. So full, in fact, that I haven't had time or energy to post anything. I'll give you a little back story.

When we moved into our house in Chattanooga, we had to sign a lease before we saw the house. Never ideal, but we were living in Baltimore at the time and didn't have a choice. So we signed on the dotted line and 6 weeks later drove up to our new home. Cute on the outside, but the inside was very dirty, fixtures were loose, doors were installed upside down, the back of the house was half-painted, there were dead insects in the cabinets and refrigerator....to name a few. I felt like we had been misled but really didn't have any grounds to complain. After all, we had signed the lease before seeing the house. So, I started cleaning and doing my best to make our new place like home. It wasn't until the 3rd day that I really wanted to leave. when I found a dead flea. on Beckham's jacket.

Pause for another back story. The first apartment John and I lived in was infested with fleas. We were the first tenants to live in the basement converted into an apartment (before the dogs lived there, of course). It took a good 3 months and 50 flea bites later to get rid of them. Nowadays, when someone even says the word "flea", a chill runs down my spine.

So, when I noticed the dead flea, i was fighting the urge to panic. I wrote the landlord and she said, "oh no! The last tenant's dog had fleas. We threw the rugs away so we thought we got rid of them." This was my first cue to get the heck out of dodge. If you've had any experience with fleas, you know they don't go away without a serious battle (war, even) with the hosts in their environment. We decided to give the owners a chance to get rid of them. They hired an exterminator who would come out every month for the next 6 months. I was satisfied.

Thus began the cycle of the fleas coming and the fleas going (probably aligned with their hatching cycle). At the beginning of November, however, they had reached an all time high. Dixie, who we've always treated with frontline, eventually got them and when she wasn't around, they bit me. an insane number of times. I think at one point, I counted 30 bites on me at once. and that doesn't count the *hundreds* (not exaggerating here) that I found on my white tube socks before they could have their lunch on my leg.

Every flea we caught, we put in this soapy jar. It was quite pleasurable to see them struggle and die, then sink to the bottom. Really quite nice.

So, by November 12, we had had enough and called to let the owners know we were leaving...with or without our deposit. And so the madness began. We were planning to be in Monteagle on the 17th with family, so we had 4 days to wash and dry sheets, blankets, clothes, etc., pack up everything in our house, and move it into a storage unit in Chattanooga. all while i'm finding about 10 fleas a day on me, average. and take care of a baby, too. I think those 4 days will go down as a few of the most stressful and most exhausting to date. By the time we arrived in Monteagle, I felt like a zombie.

So, now what? Beckham and I are living in Nashville with my mom and stepdad while John moves around for these last 4 rotations of medical school. We will be together for different intervals along the way. John is interviewing all around the southeast and we are looking forward to what is ahead in 6 months....residency = stability, a flea-free home (we pray), and to be together as a family again. In the midst of all this, I am reminded to be thankful. and at the top of my list every day, is my healthy baby boy and my loving husband. also my gracious family for helping us out in tough times. Makes walking through this stuff actually bearable :).