Monday early morning - Discover puddles of water in the basement. Don't know where water is coming from.

Feeling worried.

Monday morning - Get ready for work. Go out to start car. Engine makes funny sound. Great.

Feeling like I don't want to deal with that right now.

Monday late morning - Make it to work in one piece. Shin splints are starting to bother me again.

Feeling very uncomfortable.

Monday afternoon - Have toothache that makes my sinuses throb and right eye water. Take 3 Advil, dream of putting face in sling, and call dentist for appointment. Dentist informs me he has dropped my discount plan which forces me to find new doctor. Finding new dentist scares me. I develop massive headache - even after 3 Advil. New dentist can’t see me until May and is three times as far as old one.

Feeling anxiety, pain, and anticipate more pain before May.

Monday late afternoon - Old dentist calls back to tell me he may be able to negotiate with discount plan people and will let me know before May if I can still see him.

Feeling of hope.

Monday evening - Arrive home to discover water heater has cracked and more water is on basement floor.

Feeling burdened with more bad news.

Monday evening - Also discover shut off valve for hot water is broken. Have to shut main valve off so we have no water at all now.

Feeling overwhelmed with more bad news.

Monday night - Blizzard comes and we have no water.

Feeling dirty.

Tuesday morning - Blizzard drops 11 inches. We miss work, knowing damn well I won't get paid because I'm out of days. Assume roads will be better later on, giving us perfect opportunity to get new water heater. Get up and shovel snow with really short shovel that hurts my back.

Feeling sore, broke, and about to spend money I don’t really have.

Tuesday early afternoon - Roads are clear enough to get new water heater. Relieved to find friend with pickup truck is also home from work. We drive to Home Depot to get unit. Use last of gift certificates from wedding to reduce cost, and strap it upright to back of truck.

Feeling good about what we spent, good about taking care of a problem right away, but anxious about installing it and worried it will fall off truck.

Tuesday afternoon - Find another friend who is home and who also knows about installing water heaters. He comes over to help.

Feeling very grateful and amazed things are going so smoothly. Wondering what's wrong with this picture and what will break next.

Tuesday late afternoon - Discover kitchen faucet’s hot water knob is busted.

Ah ha!

Remember seeing price of faucets at Home Depot and start to panic.

Feeling sick to my stomach.

Tuesday early evening - We have hot water again! Take hot, hot shower.

Feeling really, really clean.

Tuesday evening - Run dishwasher and watch Coyote Ugly. Dishwasher leaks all over the floor. Seems to need replacing, too... Resort to drinking beer and staying up too late. Shoulder starts to ache with Tendonitis pain. Friend calls to see if we want Motley Crue tickets, we say yes yes! I will wear my cowboy hat!!

Feeling tired, achy, depressed, happy and fat compared to Coyote girls.

Tuesday night - Develop painful blister on tip of tongue. Also, bend down to pick up something and slam head into dresser. Give myself fat lump on forehead.

Feeling pain, miserable, and really sick of getting hurt.

Wednesday morning - Tongue hurts, tooth hurts, forehead hurts, shins hurt, shoulder hurts, back hurts - but I have hot water.

Feeling pain, exhaustion, misery, anxiety, depression, happiness, excitement, achy, scared, broke, worried, clean, fat, and just hope to make it through this day without something else breaking on my body or my house.