(((((Family))))),

Greetings to my long lost family.  It's sooo good to be back.  Happy Belated Thanksgiving to all of you.  It has been quite the few weeks.

A week before Thanksgiving hubby dropped me off at work because it was raining. 20 minutes later he called me and told me to come home because the apartment was flooding! We got over 3 inches of rain in 3 hours! I managed to get a ride as close to home as I could.  A five minute drive took 15 minutes! I had my colleague stop at a block away because it looked like the street was flooded.  I managed to wade in knee deep water to make it home.  When I got home the water was coming out of the neighbor's apartment and flowing into ours.  The landlord has never fixed the flooding problem at the neighbors.  Hubby was redirecting the water into the basement where the laundry room is.  I threw Piper Kitty in the carrier and put her in the car. (She may like water but not when it is up to her chest!) We had about 4" in the apartment.  We called 911 because the main electrical boxes were down in the laundry room and with hubby's titanium feet and legs he wasn't about to try and turn off the main switch.  There were so many calls that no help was coming, so I spotted a fire truck coming down our road and flagged them down.  They were on their way to another call but came in and cut the electricity.  They told us to evacuate the building. If they hadn't cut the electricity the boxes could have sparked and started a major fire.  We helped a woman and her children get out as she was very scared.  The other 2 apartments had nobody home.

Some of the neighbors upstairs were blind to what was going on and were complaining that it was inconvenient to them that they had no electricity!   They were actually out on their balcony watching the rain come down and never offered to help.  Eventaully the maintenance men came and started pumping out the water in the laundry room (the washers were floating by this time.) We were going to go over to my sisters but because of the state of emergency we decided just to wait it out in the car.  We went down to the local plaza to grab some coffee and people were camped out waiting for the newest video game release.  It was a real juxstapostion of people, places and things.  We called Dad and my sister and told them not to panic.  We had the important papers (sealed vacuum bags are my best friends), our meds and Pipers Kitty in the car.  We decided that since the landlord couldn't guarantee us reimbursement if we stayed in a hotel (I didn't get paid until Friday anyway) that we would stay in our place. 

By the time we got home, the water had receeded to about an inch.  The bedroom was dry with the exception of one corner.  They vacuumed up the water and the electricity came back on. We had everything we could in the bedroom because the kitchen and bathroom flooded.  It was nice to try and in our own bed.  Pipers decided to provide us with a bit of comic relief when she decided she would see what it was like to play with the hangers in my closet and she got stuck on the bar!  She must have known that we needed to laugh at that point.

Daylight came and I wasn't handling it too good.  Where to begin?  We had to move all of our books (200+) plus 20 years of cooking magazines into the bedroom. We had things all over the place. Forget about getting to the fridge etc.  But they came and tore out the carpet and we had to let the concrete dry for 2 days before they could lay the carpet.  They did our place first because the guy across the hall is a real pack rat, and the people behind us had very little water damage.  The woman we helped she stayed with relatives.

Hubby was the best.  He missed his last day of bow hunting to stay with me while I waited for them.  He went and did laundry.  When we took a ride get gas we drove past our favorite house and it was devstated!  It broke my heart.  Those poor people.  He said well now you will get the new carpeting you've been asking for! I decided to take this time and do a bit of redecorating.  The guys were here moving the big pieces so I had them move things around a bit.  I like the look. We were going to celebrate his 6 months sober, but we since we were eating out so much I cooked him a good meal last night!

I am so greatful that hubby was home because we could have lost everything.  While it has been a big inconvenience and my house still doesn't feel like home yet, we're getting there. We lost a few things. But I seemed to have purchased furniture that is up. Even my bookshelves are up a bit. I had just sealed our passports and important documents in the vacuum bags that you use for food. I did loose time at work and it worries me because of the bills. We ended up eating out alot while we couldn't cook before they came and checked the stove.  Who wants to eat in a dusty dirty home?  No desire to cook.  Besides we were way too tired to cook. The apartment manager said to save all the receipts and I am also going to submit something from work for time lost.  My argument is that if the landlord (who lives in Florida and has millions) had fixed the problem in the first place instead of being cheap, this never would have happened.  We shouldn't have stayed in the place while it was drying out and 4 nights at hotel is close to the rent. We had no phone or computer for almost a week.  Hubby just got the computer back up today.  I will call on my late bills and explain to them what happened. 

Renters insurance does not cover flood damage by the way. Hubby spent Thanksgiving with his kids and grandkids and I spent it with my nieces.  Pipers Kitty lost some of her toys but handled things rather well considering. She did not like the wet carpeting nor the ride in the car.   She had an eye irritation but that cleared up on its own, and her tummy was bothering her and then she sat on her wet cat scratcher and had cardboard stuck to her hind end (she's not high on the IQ scale but she's ours)! Now she is getting back to normal.

It could have been so much worse as I continually remind myself.  I look around at the other damage to others and say a prayer for them and thank HP every moment for our good fortune. I need to get to desk files that are buried under the books. Today I am putting the bookshelves back together and we meet with hubby's surgeon about his feet.  Hopefully next week I can get my tree up. Life goes on.  Sometimes it throws you a curve ball and you just have to duck!

I have missed all of you and wanted to contact you and tell you we were ok.  But my contact sheet was on the computer!  I never stopped thinking of you.  I wanted so badly to get on here when I was stressed out.  I felt so out of whack.  But I'm here now.  It will take me awhile to catch up on all the posts, so bear with me.  Who knows how long the computer will last. 

Love and blessings to all of you.

Live strong,

Karilynn, Hubby and Pipers Kitty

P.S. Somewhere buried under the pile of books are the Thanksgiving cards I was sending out. Don't be surprised if you get one!  I really was ahead of the game!