A glimmer of hope

Act II

I took the week off work. It looks like I need to be ready to battle and I can't do it with all of the stuff happening at work. They pile too much of their stress on me, usually I can deal with it but I was close to breaking at this point.

The rest of Sunday was a blur. We went to my Mom's house and I took a super hot shower. I smelled like musty clothes and I was still partially frozen. We decided we would live at My parents house in their basement. They have an extra bedroom and bathroom next to their family room. They are also a pet friendly space. I was not about to leave my fur babies.

No one knew quite where to sleep. I took the full size bed, Mike the recliner, Gus next to me and Wally inside the cabinet. This configuration changed several times in the night, and I don't think anyone slept much.

Monday was a new day. Mike and I met with the claims adjuster around 1. I got there first and the Aerodry people were already hard at work. They had cut out the carpet in the back living room, pulled out the whole ceiling, and piled all of the furniture in a heap. They had big blowers everywhere and the whole sight caught me really off guard. It was no longer my house.

I cried. Tears and tears. Mike and the adjuster soon came. We went room to room and pointed out the damage. It wasn't any better the morning after. Emotions were still really raw. Or at least mine were. It mad me sick at my stomach and frankly just seeing all of my stuff ruined made me angry all over again. I'm not the best at expressing my emotions, so I think it came out through smart ass comments.

Towards the end my Insurance agent came and introduced herself. The whole meeting boiled down to that my insurance will cover everything. What a relief, huh? Since we were in the middle of putting a roof on, we would have to continue the roof out of our pocket. We figured that was the case, and this point it was a small price to pay. My adjuster said that they would go after the roofer and get their money from him.

Called my mom and I went to Wal-mart. I bought the nicest air mattress they had to offer. Now we can all sleep together like one big refugee family.

Next I called Biggins. Told him we needed a roof and we needed it pronto. He called me back and said, "no problem". Again, what a relief, huh?

I don't even remember the rest of Monday. Tuesday, more of the same. Go to the house and Aerodry had done more work. Shannon and the roofers were hard at work. They were able to use the remaining supplies for work that day. They finished all of the sheeting and tar papered everything. They accomplished more in one day than the other roofer did in a whole week. Went to the Blue Beagle for a little relaxation. Back to moms house, ate Katie's home made pasta salad, and then to bed.

Wednesday I woke up early to meet Biggins at Lowe's at 7:15 AM. I had been awake since 4 so this wasn't a big deal. Lanny met me up there. He is always excited for a trip to Lowe's. It's not that I don't like Lowe's, but it always seems to cost me a fortune every time I go. This trip was not a cheap one, but it included my shingles. 30 year architectural baby!

Left from Lowe's went to Jen's for a quick bathroom visit. (thanks jen) Went to my house and everything was packed in boxes. Its like being evicted and no one told you. I knew there would be packing, I knew things had to be moved, It just caught me off guard to see it. It's unnerving to think that strangers went through your stuff while you weren't there.

It's all been very chaotic. Most of it is a whirlwind of meetings with adjusters, roofers, contractors, and being available for questions. My phone has rang non-stop and I'm wore out. Looks like I will be the proud owner of new ceilings, new flooring in every room, new walls, new paint, and some new furniture. Some of the stuff I was itching to replace anyway. Looks like there is a light at the end of the tunnel. This is just the hard way to go about it. Aerodry is estimating about a month before I can live in my house again. I know we will survive a month but it seems like forever.

I'm really sad that I won't be able to put up my Halloween decorations. Honestly, I don't even know if my Halloween and Christmas stuff even survived the basement flooding.