post-Disney flood of '09

You know how it says in James 4:13- Listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Hey, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow!

Well, we did not heed that verse. You see, Randy & I and the kids spent most of the 6 hours driving home from Disneyland talking about what we would do the next day... and about all the plans we had for the upcoming Holidays.


And then we came home to this... and all those plans went down the drain... well, so to speak. We were shocked. It was so creepy & horrifying to walk in and see this. Can you imagine! Well, within a half-hour a crew from a company that Randy found online came to our rescue... removing the water and the carpet and area rug and leaving us with several high-powered fans. Talk about the ultimate white noise while attempting to sleep. I don't think I slept but 2 hours that night after the crew left around midnight. I just couldn't shut my brain off. The house just reeked of water-soaked pressed board & wood.

The next morning the guys returned to begin tearing out the water damaged walls and all the built-ins. They needed to treat the walls for mold & mildew. Man oh man, what a mess. I had no idea how damaging water can be. All I could think of was the effects of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, when they were literally shoveling sludge and mud out of their homes after the waters subsided. This was nothing compared to that.


Randy was so sad to see them tear out the window bench seat that he built specifically for the "church village" and his beloved boyhood train that he & Miranda set up each Christmas. I will miss the massive storage underneath for all my quilts, blankets and pillows.



We have now experienced all 4 ways that water can reek havoc in your home-
~ Randy had left on a 2 week concert tour back when we didn't have cell phones. Randy had no more than pulled out of the driveway when the backyard sprinkler system burst, flooding the backyard & patio. I ran next door and my neighbor showed me how to shut off the main water valve.
~ a couple years ago I came home from Bible Study mere moments after the washing machine hose had burst and the water was about to flood the sunken living room. Had I decided to go to lunch with a friend... it surely would have.
~ a year ago on Thanksgiving Eve, with a house full of family visiting from Oklahoma City, the water heater floods the garage. Randy had to replace the water heater that night, so we could take showers and do dishes the next day.
~ and last weekend the water filtration system blows under the kitchen sink and floods our home during our 3 day Disneyland trip.

I'd like to think we're done. At least I'm praying we are!

Lessons learned from the flood of '09-
~ ALWAYS turn off the main water valve when you leave your home overnight.
~ Teach everyone in your home how to turn off the main water valve.
~ Water filtration systems are notorious for bursting like ours did, says our homeowners insurance man.

So, don't get all weirded out if I get in-your-face, I mean in-your-blog, when you post that you're going out of town and I comment in capital letters "DID YOU TURN OFF YOUR MAIN WATER VALVE?" It has become my new mantra. Something good has to come from this.

Seriously though, this is nothing. I mean, really, it's nothing. I know there are some of you that would give anything to experience the inconvenience of water damage over the inconvenience of weekly chemo treatments. I know that some of you would take a flooded home over losing your home because of the poor economy. And I am so sorry. Cuz that's a big deal. This isn't.

Anyway, I will keep you posted as this all unfolds. Nothing of any value was damaged. It's all just stuff. Used stuff. I don't buy new. And nothing of sentimental value was damaged, except for the Polar Express book, cassette & bell set that I got the kids when they were little.
Oh my gosh, I forgot the best part... because our sunken living room holds a TON of water, the bedrooms, Randy's office and my craft room were spared!! It would have surely flooded the whole house had we not had a big sunken room to hold most of the water. The kitchen, dining room and the sunken living room were the only rooms that flooded. We were SOOO grateful cuz it could have been so much worse. God is so good. Thank you Lord!