Loooong day!!

This weekend, Jeff and I (and Danny, who went to play with his cousins) went to Idaho to help my brother, Michael, install central air in his house in Blackfoot. Michael bought a house that was built in the 1930s. It has had several renovations from previous owners, but no one installed central air. They had floor-board heaters in each room as a way to heat the house, but if anyone has lived in Idaho during the winter, you know that's not enough. My bro-in-law, Jordan (Krystle's husband), worked for his father's HVAC company for many years and knew how to install a new system. Couple that with Jeff's knowledge of electrical and gas systems and we had a dynamic duo! Still, it was a loooong 24 hours of work with only 4 hours of sleep during that period. We reached Blackfoot at 10:30 p.m. on Friday night. I dropped Jordan and Jeff off then headed to Idaho Falls where I stayed with Jeff's brother and his wife, Stan and Kristi. When I returned to Blackfoot the following day, I discovered that Jeff, Jordan and Michael stayed up until 3:30 a.m. starting work on the system. They then slept from 4:00-8:00 a.m., woke up, and worked (with only a few occasional food breaks) until 10:30 that night!! During the day, I helped how I could (mostly grabbing parts, helping Jenn paint, and making sure the guys were hydrated and not hungry), but Jeff and Jordan were the ones in the attic practically all day. We were lucky that Stan was available to help too! He saved us HUGE time by purchasing parts in Idaho Falls and helping with the final installation. Michael, who is still fighting intestinal issues that cause severe lower abdominal and back pain, helped as he could. There were several moments during the day that brought me to tears because I could see the Lord's tender mercies. It may sound silly, but I witnessed a miracle that day. I prayed that morning that the Lord would help everything to go smoothly because we were really trying to do the right thing to help out Michael and Jenn. I saw that prayer answered. I couldn't withhold the tears as I realized how much our Father in Heaven loves us. He loves us enough to care about a silly central air system. I know angels were there to help Jeff and Jordan. I felt completely humbled as I witnessed Jeff and Jordan's selfless act of service (despite the incredibly long week they already had). I have married the most generous, loving, selfless person I know. He is truly my better half. I am often in awe of all his strengths - physically and spiritually. He inspires me to be better every day. I am so grateful that we were able to finish that project. We drove home late Saturday night and got home around 4:00 a.m. on Sunday. It was a loooong weekend, but one that confirmed to me the love of my Father in Heaven.

This was the only picture I took of Jeff and Jordan...but this was pretty much how it looked for them all day!

This is the creative patch work we assembled after Jeff's foot came through the ceiling in the kitchen. It was the only "oops" of the day! I would say that was a small price to pay for the end result!