Quarantine Journals - Update, Contractors and Holidays etc

Penny's birthday weekend / birthday went well.  I can't remember if I told you that Carmen showed up on her birthday with a stack of gifts. She called me and said can she come to the door, and I saw a shadow there and said "is someone at the door?" And she said "no, it's safe." So we opened the door and there was a balloon and a stack of gifts waiting there for her.  It was such a sweet gesture... Carmen is such an amazing person in our lives right now.  Penny was so excited she was just bouncing around all over the house. Oliver was naked, of course, and I had to grab him and hold him out of the way.  Lynette and Callan also dropped a gift off for her the day before.  She opened it tonight because I wanted it to sit for a while.  Lynette, Callan, and Sean all had covid a couple of weeks ago.

Amy called yesterday to tell Penny a late happy birthday, and she said her brother and nephew both have covid too.  And Mia's grandmother.

The contractors are insane.  I don't even know how to sum it up. They have ignored my calls for over a month, so I posted in the Coppell group asking for advice. I didn't post their name, but tons of people PM'ed me asking me for it.  Then I got an email from the contractor that night, claiming they had sent a letter and a check a month ago and assumed I had gotten it and agreed not to do business with them moving forward.  Based on, you know, the tracking number and the uncashed check and all my calls/texts/messages etc, I think it was pretty clear that was not true.  Anyway, it has just become a giant mess.  They are blaming and trying to shame me for having a messy house, and a local attorney offered to help me try to resolve it, but they can't even be civil with her.  I think we are going to have to go to court over it. I didn't want to at first, but now I am angry and after they have bullied me online, I am pretty much done with the idea of just living with any of this crap.  But obviously, I do not want to go into a courtroom right now, so I have that to contend with.

We took the kids on a Christmas light drive tonight and they loved it.  Penny was in her new high back booster and she was so happy.  Then we came home because I had a therapy appointment, which was indeed quite stressful, and now I am up late, again and forever, wrapping gifts.

For a week or so, I felt like I had finally gotten a grasp on the depression and anxiety that had followed everything that happened with the contractors etc, but it's back full force. I am trying to get them out of my head but it is hard.

Brandon has been staying with my dad since Thanksgiving, which I think is really great. He got his car all fixed up and I hope they are enjoying each other's company.

Richard didn't go into the office this week, and not next week either, so we can go see my dad after Christmas.  I"m not sure exactly when we are going or how it's all going to work, but I hope we can stay for a while.  I do not know if my brother will stay or if he will leave before we get there. I kind of assume the later.

A vaccine has been released and they have started distributing it people on the front line. It seems too fast and furious to me... I am worried.  but I guess it will be a while before it's available to the likes of us anyway... I can worry about it then.

That's it for tonight.