#87/366--New Couch Shopping

I wasn't going to

...blog...

or

write

or

facebook

or

divulge

in any

way

form

or

fashion

but

I decided that

...this is a more common problem...

than people realize

and

it is such an

emotional

mental

financial

burden

that

I felt perhaps I should share

no matter

the stigma

that goes with it

and so

here it goes

My family

my home

our furniture

our lives

were invaded

by

bed bugs

We don't know

where they came from

but

once I put it out there

to a few

trusted friends

It was revealed to me

that

more people than I

ever realized

have dealt with this

so it's possible

that I got them from

work

Target

a hotel

a friend

a stranger

a student

a college dorm room

anyone

anywhere

because these bad boys

are known as

"hitchhikers"

and can travel

in the tiniest of places

We didn't have

"a bad case"

and

three different exterminators

confirmed that

we

"caught it early"

but

I did dump my couch

where we found

a

(one)

live bug

and

being that I had no place to sit

after dumping

said couch

...mom and I...

had to go

couch shopping

I never wanted a new couch

I preferred

my trusty

old

denim

comfy

couch

and

I was quite

bitter

about getting rid of it

and

ordering a new one

but

that was the least

of my headaches

Bed bug treatment

can cost upwards of

$3000

to treat

depending on

who treats

and

how they treat

There's

chemical

heat-treatment

freeze-treatment

and

combo

and

there is

...a wealth of...

information

out there on the web

...believe me...

I spent many

sleepless nights

surfing the net

for

information on this

...menace...

and

ways to

self-treat

and

protect

(because who has $3000??)

We heat treated our

clothing

every morning before

we got dressed

We lived out of

clear

ziplock storage bags

We heat treated and bagged up

all of our other clothes

and

blankets

and

pillows

etc

We spread

"diatomaceous earth"

all

(and I do mean "ALL")

over our home

and this stuff

is supposedly

good stuff

But

the whole process

just continued to get

overwhelming

One minute, I would feel

sure of myself

like I could conquer this problem

and

the next moment

I would be

sitting on my bed

in tears

praying

and

overwhelmed

not only at the process

of

eradicating these pests

but

also

at the idea

of them

hiding

and

multiplying

(at an unknown rate, I might add...

because, as I said--there is

a multitude of info out there

and all of the information

says

something different)

I have to add

that

bugs were

NEVER

found on any of our beds

I had a few bites

My mom had a few bites

Mikey never really noticed any

Lauren wasn't ever here

and

I lived in daily fear

that

we would

unknowingly

"infect"

someone else

Eventually

I decided to go

with

professional treatment

and

the company

I decided to use

would do

heat treatment

which meant

boxing

perishables

precious pictures

meltables

flammables

and

explosives

...that means...

I had to go thru

everything

cleaning fluids

bug spray

aerosols

candles

scentsy

crayons

lip balm

lotions

deodorants

pictures

you think it might be damaged

by heat

then that had to be

stored elsewhere

so to say

it has been crazy

is an understatement

but

hey

I got a new couch

and

a new experience

to add to

...my crazy life...