From Two to Eight

We have gone from a household of two to a household of eight. If you missed the last post, our daughter Kate and her family experienced some really heavy rain on Thursday morning and their house flooded. They had a good 4 inches of raw sewage inside the house.

As of tonight, (Saturday) Shelby (Kate’s fiancé) has pulled up all of the carpet, Mike and Shelby have removed all of the base trim and begun to cut out the bottom 24″ of all of the drywall in the house and in the garage, and the dumpster in the driveway has filled up with belongings from the house that are not salvageable. 

All of the base cabinets will need repaired. The doors may need to be replaced. The house has no basement and sits on a slab.

Flood insurance wasn’t discussed or thought necessary when we bought the house for Kate to rent from us because it is not in a flood plain. Live and learn?

We are finding out today that the area may be a disaster area and that we may be eligible for some FEMA funds, which will help out greatly and relieve a bit of the financial surprise.

Their van seems to be totaled as well, which leaves this family of six with one vehicle for now.

I feel just terrible for Kate and Shelby and the kids as well. I know that they are completely overwhelmed right now. They have two month old Sawyer, a three year old, a four year old and a nine year old. Kate was just getting ready to head back to work after being on maternity leave. The next several days are up in the air as of right now. One day at a time.

I’m really glad that we have two new grand babies this year and one more coming next month, and that our son in law Cortney graduated from college and took a new job, and that Tess was hired for the new position that she interviewed for with Southwest Airlines two weeks ago…..because otherwise…..THIS YEAR SUCKS.

I did today what any mother would do in this situation. I bought a bunch of groceries.

Tomorrow morning, we will all sit down, have coffee and discuss the plan for the next few weeks.

You guys….it seems as though our Master Bathroom Remodel is on hold. Ya think?

Tess came in early Friday morning and then I took her to the airport tonight, so it was a super quick visit but a much needed one.

I have showered and snuck into bed while the rest of the gang is coming back from working at Kate’s house. It’s after 10:00, so I know that Kate and Shelby and the kids must all be exhausted.

I think I have kid duty and meal duty tomorrow.

I hope you all have had a happy weekend.

I have more big shit to share with you next week, but I’m trying to keep my sense of humor about life right now and find the right words for that news.

“love the life you live, live the life you love”

10 thoughts on “From Two to Eight

  1. I bought two frozen pizza’s, and just knowing they are in the freezer helped. Ha Ha!! I think the kids will end up eating them before I think to.

    Thank you so much for your continued thoughts and prayers. I so appreciate them!

  2. Hi Julie, I hope that things are improving each day. I would suggest getting the pizza fix because that is what your body is craving. For me in times of stress and anxiety, it’s ice cream! usually with hot fudge involved! LOL! It’s good that we can keep our sense of humor and laugh during these stressful times! You remain in my thoughts and prayers.

  3. Thank you Kendra. I did enjoy my time with Tess, but it was much too short.

    I am SO glad that Mike is handy. Although right now he may be wishing he wasn’t. lol

    I want to eat a larger than life pizza, but haven’t yet. I may just have to get myself a point friendly one though to get past that dang craving.

    Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment, and most of all the prayers!!

    Have a great week!

  4. So far, so good. I think it is a lot harder on Kate than I thought it would be. Trying to make sure you have everything you need for all four kids? She is doing great though, and hopefully I’m not driving her crazy. It’s actually a good bonding time for everyone, so we’ll enjoy all the time together and all just do our best with patience. Yoga, Yoga, Yoga….lol

  5. They will, it is true. I’m glad we can be here for them, that’s for sure!

  6. Hi Julie, I am so sorry to hear this. I hope that Kate and Shelby are able to get back into their home very soon. It’s nice that Mike is so handy and can help them out so much. It is so true that when it rains it pours and I really understand how you can turn to your “old friend” food for comfort. Don’t beat yourself up if you aren’t eating right. It’s hard when you are so far away from any type of routine. Try to be kind to yourself and just take one day at a time. I hope you had a nice short visit with your daughter! I will be praying for you!

  7. Oh my 8 for awhile. I wish you the best. It will take a lot of patience on everyone’s part.

  8. With the help of family and friends Katie and her family will soon be back in their home making happy memories.

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