Yesterday morning, our bed bug saga popped up in my mind. I thought maybe I was supposed to share that story on the blog, but I wasn’t sure.
Later that morning, I was on the phone with Bobbilicious. During our conversation, she brought up our bed bug saga. I had to laugh because it had popped up for me earlier. After we reminisced about the incident, I told her…I might do a blog post on that story.
I uploaded the pictures for it yesterday…then got sidetracked. You’ll have that on occasion. It happens. 🤷♀️
Here I am today…finishing what I started. Look at me go!!! 😍
Gatlinburg
Early in 2021, the girls and I decided we should do a Gatlinburg trip together. I had taken Hannah for her 21st birthday and we had said then…we wanted to go back again.
I love to hike. Anything in nature really. The thought of hiking with the girls and grandgirls sounded like a great plan to me. Sign me up! Let’s go.
Hannah was in charge of getting our accommodations this trip. Usually, Vanessa does family trip planning. When it is me traveling with one other person, I typically do the planning.
We have a structure in our family. It works for us. 😜
Driving Down
Our family has a routine. When driving distances with children, we leave at bedtime so the kids can sleep through the long drive. Despite the lack of sleep for the adults, it is better than dealing with a baby or toddler that doesn’t understand why they have to be strapped in for so long.
We split the group. Bobbi and I decided to drive down early since we didn’t have babies, while Hannah and Vanessa drove down when the girls were ready for bed. This is pertinent information.
Bobbi and I let ourselves into the place Hannah procured for our weekend adventure. After taking a walk around the place, we discovered a hot tub.
Alrighty then!!!! After a quick change of clothes…we were relaxing in that baby! Loved it.
Our View
When we got back to the room, we went out on the balcony to enjoy the view. Part of our view was a ski resort. I was fascinated by the ski lift.
I watch skiing videos often. Man…some of those people have balls of steel who drop down off those mountains. I watched one the other day. These two men were standing on the edge looking down…they just weren’t sure they wanted to drop. This other guy comes up and says excuse me. They part for him…and he drops down that mountain like a pro.
I love watching videos of young kids skiing or snowboarding. Always amazed at the skills they have worked so hard to develop.
No way you would catch me on a pair of skis. I know my limits. This old gal would kill herself on a run. It is best I keep myself off a pair of skis. However, I love watching those who do ski.
I enjoyed the view of the mountains from our balcony.
Bedtime
I went to bed that evening before Bobbi. I left her watching TV.
It wasn’t long after I went to bed that Bobbi came into our room. I knew something was wrong by the concern in her voice and the look on her face.
She says to me…I think we have bed bugs.
My response…oh shit. NO! NO WAY…with expletives. 🤬😫
It is one of those moments when your heart drops to your stomach. Horror!!!!
In the living room, she has corralled a bug under a kitchen glass. She wants me to inspect the little dude to see if her hunch is correct.
I look at the bug, then look at the pictures online that she has been comparing them with.
I totally agreed with her conclusion. While she was reclining on the couch, she noticed the bugs. MANY bugs.
The same couch I had been reclining on a bit before.
Hannah and Vanessa
By now…it is nearing midnight I believe.
The first thought that came to my mind after confirming we did indeed have a serious bed bug issue in the apartment was to call Hannah and Vanessa before they arrived. I didn’t want them to step foot in the place. We were going to have a mess to clean up ourselves, I didn’t want the grandgirls in that place. Nor did I want their mothers trying to clean up a bed bug mess with babies.
Immediately, I called them and told them to find a hotel when they got to town. They were horrified by the development. I always say…a revolting development.
When Vanessa and I were laughing about the memories yesterday, she said WHILE laughing…I felt so bad for you and Bobbi while I was snuggled up in this amazing comforter and a cushy mattress. 😂
So so thankful we caught Hannah and Vanessa before they arrived on the scene.
The Night
As always, I asked Father…what do we do now?
I was thinking…ok…pack up and get to a hotel. NOPE. He wanted us to stay the night there.
Bobbi and I both were horrified by this revolting development. Our instinct was to get the Hell out of dodge and fast.
Father wanted us to stay instead. I knew what He was saying…leave and you will take the bugs with you. Stay…like I am telling you to stay…and you won’t take the bugs with you. He wanted me to obey…despite my flight-mode mentality.
Here is one of the crazy things about this story. I have had a secret fear for years…that I will end up getting bed bugs…because I travel so much. It felt like it wasn’t if I came across them but more like when. I have no idea how many places I have stayed in over the years. I am surprised it took so long to encounter the little critters.
Since I have had a fear of this, I have always checked the beds as soon as I enter the place. That is the first thing I do. I strip back the bedding and inspect the mattress for bugs and all signs of bugs.
I didn’t do that for some reason. My belief, Father had some things for me to work on in this experience. For one…get rid of the fear of encountering bed bugs.
Stripping the Bed
Now that Bobbi and I realize the couch is crawling with the dudes, we go check the beds. When we strip the beds, the mattresses are covered with a plastic protector. It is zip-tied at the zipper.
Ok…now I am offended. They knew they had a serious issue but rented this out despite the infestation.
Hannah got on the phone with the company to relay to them our issues here. They wanted pictures. Bobbi had them. There were all lifecycles of bugs in that place. Once we saw them…they were everywhere. So gross.
Hannah did a great job with the service reps. They worked well with Hannah getting us new accommodations for free and she got a discount on the next stay. The hosts admitted they knew about the bed bug issue but thought they had it “resolved.” Ummm…no. Our rental broker was great with taking care of our stay issue. Hosts…not so great.
Inner Healing
You will notice on the blog…inner healing has been an important part of my life since I entered a relationship with Jesus Christ. Inner healing is really just bringing the truth…Christ’s truth to your negative situation. It is exchanging His truth for your lie-based belief system.
For example, as I have said before…I have believed…I am not enough. Christ says…I AM enough.
I believe I am not good, or I am not good enough. Christ says…I AM good. I AM good enough.
It is very simple to understand. I don’t need to lean on my own understanding…instead, I can trust Him and rely on Him. Where I am weak…He is strong. Where I am not enough, good, or good enough…He is enough. He is good. Christ is good enough. I can lean on Him instead of my own flesh.
For me…it is about humbly acknowledging the weaknesses within me…to take His strength as a replacement. I can rely on His strength instead of the strength of my flesh.
It is about humility. Comparing myself to Christ and seeing I am nothing compared to the perfection He is.
I knew Father brought me to this place. He wanted me to deal with my fear of bed bugs. It needed fixed. I needed fixed in my mind. It is about mental health. Dealing with your negative belief system. Doing the inner work necessary to clean up the dirty…disorganized heart and mind.
My Conclusion
For simplicity’s sake…the conclusion I came to while passing the time through the night…Father is greater than bed bugs. He is all-powerful. I don’t need to fear bed bugs.
Kind of duh…but when I started the journey that night…the fear of trying to sleep with those things…was real. By the time we left, I was good. The fear was gone. I was in a better place emotionally. Had conquered my fear…because I faced it. I acknowledged it…and I dealt with it.
Instead of sleeping while tossing and turning on that plastic-covered mattress, I conversed with Father letting Him take away my fear of these tiny little bugs. While we watched for the sun to start rising…Bobbi and I devised a plan to ensure we didn’t take the bugs with us.
Executing the Plan
After emptying our luggage in the bathroom, we methodically wiped down our luggage. Once the luggage was clean, we did each piece at a time before we put the item in our luggage. The clean luggage went straight to the backseat of my truck. Anything that could be washed went into trash bags and was placed in the bed of my truck.
Following our showers, we went straight to the laundromat to wash anything that could be washed. Pillows were left in the trash.
We weren’t taking any chances. Neither one of us wanted to take a critter home with us…or take them with us to the next stop.
By this time, Hannah had new accommodations for the group, so we met them at our new location.
Bobbilicious
I have told Bobbi several times, I would not have wanted to experience that with any other person. She was the perfect person for this. There are a lot of reasons for this conclusion.
Bobbi and I get along swimmingly. I love her character for one. Obeying Father is important to her. That is tops for me. Despite the fact she didn’t want to stay, she stayed with me.
Also…Bobbi…loves order. She is organized…super organized. The girl has skills.
She likes things neat and clean. Tidy. She thinks critically. Logically. Bobbi has common sense. Listen…common sense is lacking in today’s society…greatly. Having common sense today is a very big deal. More people need it.
When we discussed the plan of attack, I knew I didn’t need to micro-manage Bobbi. She was going to get the job done and do it with excellence. She did.
We didn’t take one little bug with us when we left. To me…it is strictly because we obeyed Father by staying because that place was full of those bugs. AND…wait…there is more. NOT ONE BITE!
Not one. Unbelievable. 😍
Smooth
One thing Hannah has consistently said…she loves traveling with me because if anything goes “wrong”…Father takes care of the issue for me and no big deal.
That has been true. I follow everything He tells me to do…and my trips have always been good memories for me.
Father makes the rough places smooth in my life as I am obedient to Him.
We can’t stop the struggles we will encounter in life…but what we can do is partner with Christ to work through those struggles. He will redeem the pain. He will take away the fear. Christ can heal the heart. If you want mental health…Christ is the man that can heal the chaos and craziness in your mind. Some thoughts for you to consider.
There is our family’s bed bug saga. It is a story we bring up on occasion and laugh about. A wonderful memory for us.
Have a marvy day!!! Planning on it myself.
Getting ready to move again. Not sure where but I think I will leave in the next few days. I live a crazy, crazy life. 😜🤷♀️