(Source)
Guuuuuys, I had a horrifically bad day yesterday. Sitting here now with my Chardonnay, I suppose it wasn’t that bad. But up until that second glass (#yepitswednesday), I was on the verge of tears.
Truth? The tears were a-flowin’. At least until Mitch got home.
The story goes like this:
I’m sitting at my computer, excited about what I think is going to be a very productive day. I’m behind on just about everything due to a really fantastic summer, and I can’t wait to hammer out some emails and cross a bunch of tasks off my to-do list. It’s Mitch’s first day with students, so I kind of view it as my first day back at “work,” too. I even have a new planner, notepad and pen to kick off the season! (Cheesy, but I’ve always been a big fan of new stationary and school supplies. Lisa Frank, anyone?)
I should also mention that September 8th is the kickoff of “Kelly 2.0,” which is a total transformation of how I live my life. I’m going to eat healthier, actually exercise, go to bed at a reasonable hour, and get up early to maximize productivity. I’m also going to do a lot of other things for myself: deep condition my overly highlighted hair, read before bed, use my Crest whitening strips on a regular basis, play the guitar, take more photos, write, and stay on top of my nails. (All things that fall by the wayside when life gets busy.)
So, yeah. I have leave-in conditioner in my hair, whites strips on my teeth, guitar by my side, and a new pen in hand. I’m feelin’ really good.
At 12:21, Jess G-Chats (is that a verb?) me that the sky is scarily dark. Shortly thereafter, Mitch texts about an incoming storm. I quickly take Noodle on a walk (girlfriend hates the rain) and sweep the stairs and remove leaves from the drain outside the basement back door. While we haven’t yet experienced flooding in the new house, we certainly want to be proactive and try our best to avoid it.
The storm hits, and I can’t believe how hard it’s coming down. Worried about the basement, I run down there to inspect–and sure enough, water is gushing under the door that leads from the back room to our bedroom as well as some of the walls in the back room. Completely freaking out about our white carpeting and wanting to stop the water, I open the door… and instantly regret my actions. :(
SO MUCH WATER.
The back room is rapidly flooding, and more water flows into the bedroom. I wade through it and manage to get myself to the drain, which has become clogged from debris and mud coming down the stairs from the backyard. I sweep it out, try to bail it out with buckets, and even resort to shoving towels under the doors and in between the baseboards. But my efforts are futile. The drain can’t compete with the water, and it seems like all hope is lost.
Our new home is wrecked, I think to myself. All of that scrimping and saving and dreaming was for naught.
So I cry.
I can’t even call Mitch, because he’s a teacher, and only has access to his phone during lunch.
So who do I call?
Dad.
Poor Dad. I’m sure the guy thought that he’d be free from distress phone calls once his daughter was married, but alas. Not the case.
He calms me down, and tells me to call a plumber and have someone come out immediately. (Love you, Dad.)
“It’ll be fine,” he assures me. “Call the plumber.”
So I do, and in the meantime, the storm subsides, the drain starts working, and the water stops gushing. But it’s made its way about four feet into our bedroom, soaking the white carpeting and turning it a lovely shade of brown. The master bathroom is under a couple of inches of water, and the back room is beyond flooded.
While I wait, I sweep the water out of the back room with a broom into the struggling drain, and soak up as much water in the bathroom as I can with towels. I try not to look at the carpeting.
The plumber arrives and offers several options as to how to remedy the problem so that flooding doesn’t happen in the future. (Which we’re currently discussing.) He also recommends using the carpet cleaner that we conveniently borrowed from my in-laws as a wet/dry vac, too.
Such great advice. Thank god for the carpet cleaner.
The carpeting has come a LONG way since this afternoon. (I wish I had a before photo!) I worked for several hours on it–repeating a sequence of shampoo, rinse, suction, and towel-dry–and when Mitch got home, we ran out and bought a dehumidifier, a fan, and a bunch of sandbags. We pumped the air conditioner, attacked the bathroom with bleach and pretty much every cleaning solution we could get our hands on, and danced like crazy atop towels to soak up moisture. (The one semi-fun part of the day.) And I dare say that the place looks okay.
Of course, there’s still a chance that we’ll have to rip the carpeting up, as mold is a very scary thing. And we have a lot of decisions to make about what needs to be done to prevent future disasters. And, of course, I need to attack the carpeting with the carpet cleaner again.
But for now, we’re trying to remember that this is all part of homeownership, and that we’re learning. That it could have been a lot worse, and that the damage is fixable. (Heck, we’ve even started talking about putting down some really lovely flooring that’s a bit more flood-resistant and a whole lot less white!) And that in the grand scheme of things, this is minor.
Plus, my hair is really soft right now. (But do we think it might fall out from a solid 12-hour treatment of leave-in conditioner?)
Little Home in the City, we still love you. But please, don’t do that to us again.
(Also, stay tuned this afternoon for a special bonus post! I’m talking all about our new kitchen/dining room table, and the fabulous chairs and decor I recently found for it!)
I’m so sorry to hear this! The bright side is now you know, and it happened while you were home and not away on holiday or something! I hope it gets sorted and never happens again though. Sometimes we try to be productive and we are ready for it and then something knocks that out of the way. Hope you can manage to get everything you need done now or soon enough!
YES. I completely agree. It could have been SO much worse. We were gone for most of the summer, and it could have happened while we were away. I have a feeling I’ll get my life back in order in the next week or two… Nothing we can’t handle! And now I’m thinking about installing that laminate flooring. Looks JUST like wood and it’s waterproof!! :)
And thank you so, so much for your kind words!!
Oh no Kelly, how heartbreaking after all you worked for to get this house. Your dad is too cute for coming to your rescue and calming you down even though he’s far away. Good luck with the carpet!
-Alex
http://www.monstermisa.blogspot.com
Awwww, thank you so much, Alex. This means a lot to me! I know everything is going to be okay, but it’s sure nice to hear your dad tell you that, too. :)
Oh no!! Water in my basement is something I hope never happens! I love your positive attitude and know you’ll be able to remedy it though!
Alyssa | Glitter and Grey
Oh noooooo!!!! So insanely stressful! And absolutely exhausting.
How awful!! Ugh. I don’t blame you one bit for freaking out. Dad’s are the greatest and that’s what they’re there for! I’m glad you got it somewhat resolved (and even found a little room for humor/fun in the day). I bet those locks of yours are going to be SO shiny! Haha. Here’s to a better day :)
26 and Not Counting
Thank you, Jess!! And OMG. SO SHINY AND SOFT, hahaha ;)
Wow! What a bummer! Hope everything gets cleaned up! You’re a trooper!
-Meg
http://www.smalltownsisters.blogspot.com
Thanks so much, Meg. :)
Noooo! Good call on the dehumidifier—that will definitely help. This happened in the lower level of my duplex during the storm two weeks ago (I live in Noble Square), and I was completely hysterical. That feeling of helplessness as you watch water gushing into your HOME is pretty singular and horrible. Silver lining: At least you were home when it happened! It sucks, but hang in there!
Ah, thank you so much for sharing this, Danielle. What has been UP with these storms, right?! Yeah–I feel like if I’d been in an apartment complex, it would have been a little better. But yes — seeing water gush into your home is a feeling like no other. Complete helplessness, as you said. And we have to pay the repair bill, unlike in the past when we rented. But it’s okay. Could have been SO much worse, right?! Thanks, Girl.
Kelly – ugh that really sucks! Hope you are having a better day.
Thank you, Nicky!!
Ugh I’m so sorry to hear that happened to you! And both my parents still get calls like that from me, sometimes even if my husband is around! haha Good luck with the carpet and your decisions on how to fix the problem long term. It really was raining super hard here!
Haha! YES. My parents ALWAYS get the freak-out phone calls. The ones when I’m hysterically sobbing because I’m tired, hungry or cold. Parents are the best, aren’t they? They definitely get automatic ins from Saint Peter! ;)
haha, they sure do! Apparently I do this often enough that when I picked up the phone today and sounded kind of off, my dad immediately asked what was wrong even though I was just tired ha Made me think of this again!
I’m so sorry kelly! But keep your head up :)
xx. The Coastal Confidence
the-coastalconfidence.com
Thank you, Aubrey! You’re a sweetheart!
OHHHH NO! That is just plain awful I’m sorry to hear that but life moves on and water eventually evaporates. Wishing you a happy dance this week minus the towels :) Love reading your blog and hope you stop by the latest!
xo, Jessica || The Petite Diaries
You’re the cutest. Thank you, Girl! Pray for major evaporation, and I’ll definitely check out your blog!!
xx
Oh my gosh! I would have been panicking too. Just the other day I couldn’t call my husband because he was at work and like yours, is hard to reach during the workday. I immediately called my dad to help with a house problem because I didn’t know what to do! Dads, they really are the best.
Ashley, thank you! And yes–Dads are so wonderful. Love mine so much, and don’t know what I would do without him. :)
So sorry that happened! The joys of being a homeowner :(
Thank you, Krystal!