my weekend recap

I posted a few pictures on Instagram this weekend. Two to be exact. And they are of course beautiful, fun-filled rosy colored snap shots of our life. They are pictures that capture the highlights of our weekend. Moments I want to remember. I love both of them and the story they tell about us.  

However they got me thinking. First, about how much I really love my kids, my husband, and my life. But second how much the pictures DON'T tell. The rest of the story. 

This was Friday's picture:

What it shows:

Us. Happy. New pretty wallpaper hung. Well rested baby. Ready to head out to spend the late afternoon and evening at the beach grilling out with new friends.

What it doesn't show:

The HOURS it took to hang that wallpaper. And my short temper while hanging the wallpaper with my husband on his one and only day off this past week. The area of the wall that sadly isn't finished. Oh and the two year who kept interrupting our work. And later in the day all the lugging of ALL THE STUFF to the beach and back again with four sand and salt soaked tired children. 

This was Saturday's picture:

What it shows:

Happy baby. Sunshine. Palm trees. Kids playing. A relaxing poolside evening after a long, hot day. And ALL of those things were just as wonderful as they sound. Trust me. But...

What it doesn't show:

Joe at the hospital all day. Me at home with the kids. Cooking. Feeding. Cleaning. Playing. Disciplining. Unpacking boxes. Hanging curtains. Cooking. Feeding. Cleaning. Playing. Disciplining. Over and over again. Not having my husband notice all my progress on the house and feeling defeated at the end of the day. 

This was Sunday's picture...

Oh wait there was no picture. Because it was a repeat of Saturday + church without Joe.  And I'm learning that residency Sundays are hard for me. Emotionally hard. They are just this glaringly painful reminder that I am alone (minus the four small people constantly surrounding me). They make me miss my husband (even more than every other day) and my friends. And a picture of me crying and shoving my face full of nachos with my kids fighting in the background while madly texting my friend who has survived residency as the wife/mother isn't quite the beautiful picture I want to share with the world. But sometimes it's reality...despite the story Instagram tells. 

So after ugly crying over my refried beans I decided to pull myself together and do something...anything productive. So I set to work repairing one of my favorite wall hangings that was busted in the move. (Side note: Why do all the good ones get broken and the ugly old ones make the trek unharmed? Why?!?) After repairing it, I measured and leveled and hung the wall hanging. Stepped back and took a look at my handiwork only to see the picture was off-centered on the wall. And not just a little bit. A LOT off centered. 

It was like the icing on my this-isn't-what-I-expected-residency-life-to-be-like cake. 

And all I could do was laugh. Because I was all out of tears for the day. 

Thankfully it's Monday again. Life is looking up once more. The sun is shining. The pool is refreshing. And the kids and I survived another weekly trip to the grocery store so our fridge is full of delicious, fresh foods. Oh and I hung a few candle sconces in the master bathroom this morning. Perfectly centered. 

Take that Monday morning!