Two days in...

Jeff is off at the Summer Training Camp(our end of year camp we do for students who have been involved with our ministry all year long, this year it is only 9 days long due to financial constraints on our ministry as a whole). I will tell you more about that later friends. For now, let me share a little of my life since he's been gone. Jeff is leading the STC this year, woop woop! Great opportunity for him for many reasons, can't get into that now because it will take too long. The caviat, as I am sure many of my friends who have husbands in ministry and leadership roles(yes, Sheri and Jen G. you are both at the top in my mind as I write this :) ) is that your husband is incredibly busy and unable to be as helpful as he usually is with all things family and home,etc.  Normally, wives and kids go with said husband to this and all other camps throughout the year. The Viljoens, however, are the exception to this rule as we have a 13 year old sweet girl who only finishes school the first week of December. Well, for this year's 9 day STC, we will be having a nice weekend visit with the awesome university students we love so dearly. All that is par for the course, but as I said, I wanted to share about my life since Jeff's been gone, mind you he only left Tuesday midday. 


I have fallen apart at the seams it would seem. :) I really thought it can't be so difficult, it never was before when it was just me and Casey. Oh no, no, no, the Lord had something better in mind for me this year. I have an 8 month old and a puppy to also take care of. I made a list of things I wanted to do before STC ended to proudly show Jeff when he arrived home. At this stage, I will settle for survival.  Tuesday and Wednesday I was holding on by the skin of my teeth. Asher has been recovering from an ear infection, not fun with a icky feeling baby :(  Max, the puppy, is dying to run around and play with everyone all the time. Joburg has entered the rainy season and we have had two incredible rainy days in a row(not good for a Jack Russell who needs lots of exercise in a day).

Game for Max, but not for me.

Also Max doesn't want to go outside to use the restroom during the rain, so guess what he has been doing??!!!

Today, however, majorly takes the cake(it's only been two days since Jeff left for STC).  This morning two guys from Joburg water show up to shut off our water. WHAT?! Yes, that's right. They show me a paper saying our account is in arears and they are here to cut it off. Asher is just waking up from his nap when this happens. I begged the guy for a long time to not turn it off and even started bawling my eyes out(this is really due to loads of stress we have been under recently and the fact that I cannot believe this is happening to me at that moment). We are not late on our bills. I phoned the company to find out our account is up-to-date and they are turning the water back on immediately. Two departments in the same company are not communicating. WELCOME TO SOUTH AFRICA!!!!(okay, I really do love it here, but it is moments like that one where I want to get the heck out of dodge). Oh and I come to find out from our lovely landlord(whom we like a whole lot) that it happened to her last year as well. REALLY?!Oh my soul. After that I get a call from a doctor here saying they still haven't received payment from our insurance for Asher's birth(8 months ago). Unbelievable. Also, lack of communication in their own company(bill was paid over a month ago, btw). Between Casey and I, we took Max on three walks today to tire him out real good. No more hyper-active puppy for us.  No turkey for us today however, I think cooking that much for two people would've pushed me over the edge and the Lord knew that this baby girl wasn't gonna make it. I am a wimp I have come to realize and I greatly admire all mothers who survive these times. I have so much to learn.

Tomorrow I have to finish tying up the water bill issue(yes, even though the glitch is not my fault, I still have to go to them to sort it out), then I will spend the rest of the day decorating our home for the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.  My amazing husband surprised me, before leaving on Tuesday, by getting down all our decorations and the tree. Oh how I love him. This way I can keep up the tradition of Christmas decorating the day after Thanksgiving. Pictures to follow. Until then, I am pouring myself into my bed and leaving you with this picture of my sweet boy and his mama. Exhausted!