Couch Cushions & Super Gross Bugs DON'T Mix

Just last week our couch cushions became in need of some cleaning after having one of my younger siblings over that accidentally wet the couch while they were sleeping on it. Andrew had taken them and washed them and left them in the bathroom to drain & dry out, but they were beginning to smell a bit still. In response, Andrew suggested today that I take them outside, spray them down with a hose, and sprinkle baking soda on them then leave them out there and let them dry to help with the smell & let them dry out thoroughly.

Later when I went out to go put them outside, I decided that the front steps & just outside the front door could use some sweeping  up to make sure the ground beneath where the cushions were going to be was clean. In the process, I decided to move my plants in order to get behind them where I had seen some petals and spider webs and leaves that had been blown behind them. A horror awaited me behind those pots, however.

The petals and leaves that had begun decomposing a bit were MOVING. I couldn't hold back the shudder that came when I realized just what I was looking at - an insane number of bugs. Bugs began spreading out from the place the pot had been, and in horror I ran to go get shoes on to squish them with before any got inside the apartment. Pill bugs, earwigs, spiders, and beetles were everywhere, and it was DISGUSTING! Normally I am not one to get all girly when it comes to bugs, but the insane number of them struck a chord in me that brought out a killer instinct in me that I wasn't completely aware of before. Normally I am the kind of person to capture bugs and set them free outside, but I had gone from being a bug savior to being a bug demon of destruction.

Taking a break from my squishing frenzy, I ran into the house and hunted down our can of Raid. Much to my dismay, I realized that the Raid my husband had gotten only killed ants and cockroaches, but I decided it was worth trying to use anyway. I ran outside with my weapon of (hopefully) mass destruction and began spraying the bugs with a vengeance. A few began writhing and didn't seem to enjoy the poisonous spray, but most seemed completely oblivious to the fact that I was trying to kill them, wandering up to me without realizing that this meant they were going to be squished. Any bug that began escaping my killer Raid met the bottom of my shoe, and I was on a bug killing rampage. 

In middle of my horrified adrenaline inducing killing spree, a HUGE spider suddenly began charging at me from the flower pot.  I jumped and then acted quickly, squishing it just before it made its way past me into my apartment. After dousing the area again with raid, I continued my squishing spree and killed several ear wigs, including a few that I gave a merciful death with my shoe when I realized they were just slowly and painfully dying. Finally, I grabbed the broom & dustpan and dumped the rest of the leaves, petals, and bugs (whether dead or alive) all in a garbage bag and ran it to the dumpster. In a case of overkill, I then went inside, found a container of bleach, and doused the area, and then sprayed Raid around the doorway as a protective measure to try to keep any bugs from entering my abode.

Finally, hesitantly, I took the couch cushions out and sprinkled them in baking soda and hosed them down. Feeling gross from the bug incident and worried bugs would get inside the cushions, though, I ended up taking them to the driveway near the car to dry - I just couldn't leave them near where a drove of bugs had been crawling only minutes before.

So if anyone is wondering, this is why the flowers in the front are still out of place and there are couch cushions in my parking space and I took a bubble bath in middle of the day to get rid of the feeling of bugs crawling all over me.

In an odd sort of way, I kind of feel like a war-hero. Taking on a gross number of bugs can do that to you sometimes, I guess. Andrew seemed less than impressed when I tried telling him about it, though.

During Summer, Dreams Do Come True! . . . Sometimes.

Summertime! It's the stuff dreams are made of! Coincidentally, it's also the stuff nightmares are made of as well.

For example:

DREAMS:

Not dealing with this guy in the morning? Heaven! The luxury of not having to get up super early in order to scrape the car off, especially in the mornings I was running late, was something I missed about summertime big time during the winter. Plus, you don't have to freeze your bum off while you wait for your car to finally heat up.

NIGHTMARES:

Summertime with a car that doesn't have a working air conditioning. All I can say is thank goodness for 4x40 (all four windows rolled down going 40mph). And for a Father-in-law that is a mechanic and will hopefully be able to fix that soon. Until then, the windows will be rolled up and down as I vary between "It's stuffy and hot in here!" and "The wind is getting my hair all in my face!"

Summertime is the time people look forward to plan trips, play outdoors, finally relax, and just enjoy the sunshine. And every year, we convince ourselves that this summer we are going to have the time of our lives without a care in the world, expecting everything to go off without a hitch. Maybe I'm the only one, but I don't think this has ever happened for me. It seems like every year my summer plans have to meet up with the fact that this is still the real world and things don't always go according to plan.

For the Fourth of July we thought it would be fun to go with a couple of friends in our ward to Lava Hot Springs in Idaho, so we could go inner-tubing down the river and soak in the hot springs. Super awesome road trip we had planned? Meet having to pay for car repairs, miscalculating our budget, and realizing we could no longer afford to go.

My plan for wearing shorts, enjoying myself outside, and getting super cute tan legs? Meet marriage-weight-gain causing my shorts to no longer fit comfortably, feeling too lazy to go outside because it's hot, and consequently, still very white legs. Except for the weird part of my foot between my pant line and where my flats begin that has tanned. Yeah, a bit odd looking.

It hasn't been all bad. We might not have been able to go on that 4th of July road trip, but we still got to go to a parade, spend time with family, go swimming in my cute new swimsuit, enjoy some grilled food, and watch fireworks with friends.

And even though those trip plans didn't work out, we still were able to go on a fun camp out to Goblin Valley with those friends. There weren't even mosquitoes there, which was a huge plus! :)

I might not fit in all of my old pants anymore, but it gave me an excuse to buy some new running shoes & convince my husband to start running with me. Definitely a new motivation to get back in shape! Which I needed. And even though I may not have cute tan legs, I at least have a funny pants & flats tan line :)

We've grilled, gone on fun dates, and have had a lot of time to relax and read for fun instead of for homework, watch movies, and create new plans! And summer still isn't over yet!

So even if there are a few nightmares this summer like a car's AC not working (if you are also going through this, I feel for you) and fun trips falling through, summer is still a time of dreaming and living those dreams and relaxing and laughing and just enjoying life in general.

So long live your summer dreams! I hope all of your summers are going just as well as ours - if not better!