Oven Probs, Yoga, Appraisal, No More Masks?

The new oven got installed Saturday morning. I thought it smelled a little off, but I read online that there's such a thing as "new oven smell" (which is not pleasant, by the way). I tried to forget about it, but we pulled the oven out and could smell gas, though faintly. I has a small freak-out on Sunday morning, which means we did church at home while I called the gas company. Sure enough, there was a tiny leak where the gas line was connected up to the new oven. Thankfully, it was never anything dangerous, and the guy who came to tighten it said he does that kind of thing all the time. I hate that I was the only one who could really smell it. It made me feel kind of paranoid and like I was overreacting. Maybe I did a little bit, but it's all fixed now, and my house was never in any danger of blowing up.

I went to my first yoga class in 11 months. It was really nice to be back, but I also felt out of place and didn't recognize anyone but the teacher. I won't be able to go every single week due to travel and Young Men meetings, but I'll try. If I keep feeling out of place, I can make a decision by the time my pass runs out.

I found out on Tuesday that the appraiser was coming yesterday at 2:30. Thankfully, I didn't have to work myself too hard to get the house looking nice. I did all the basic things I do over a week, mowed the lawn, and scrubbed some drawings off of walls just in time for him to come an hour early. I think it went well. I'm really glad I spent time both inside and out, even making the kids' beds (which I never do, since bunks are annoying for that) because he took pictures of every room. Hopefully, he will get the report back soon so we can get this loan approved and signed off! I'd love for it to happen by next Friday (before we leave for Rexburg), but that might be overly optimistic.

So, my family and I have been pretty faithful in following the CDC's guidelines. It seems too good to be true that masks are no longer required (except in a few situations) for vaccinated people. I'm not sure how I feel about the last week of school without masks, either. It doesn't really make sense to change things with only a few days left, but when I think back to last summer, I know my kids will be safe. I prayed for what felt like forever to know if sending them back to school was the right thing, and it was. The plague is almost gone from Vernal, too, and I feel happy knowing that I've done everything I can to make that happen.

Now, I need a year to forgive my friends who became antagonistic and/or abandoned all reason in the past year. If you're reading this, it's probably not you. I just can't stand it when social media gets political. I put up with enough whining and complaining from my children. Just sayin'.